Getting on Track

So on Sunday, Brant and I went for our long run. It was supposed to be 13 miles, but I didn't get out of a meeting I was in until 4, so we ran until sunset - I actually got more miles than Brant did for once. I did 7 miles, (he did about 6.25) and more importantly - I conquered the route that I was having a mental block against.

From where we start - we can go 6 miles in one direction (actually can get up to 7or 8 something if we add on a couple loops) or 7 miles in the other. The 7 mile way is a lot hillier. Now, this is Texas. So I'm not talking about anything that serious - but there are a few sections that are a bit steep, if not very long. And when you're tired, they can really take it out of you.

So I haven't been liking that route, because the hills really get to me - even though they're small. But on Sunday, I tried something new - instead of 10/90 intervals, I tried the most common running interval - the one that tons of people train on, and that was recommended to me several times by coaches - 5/1.

In the past I have shunned the idea of 5/1's. I don't know why - it just seems like such a short run! Of course, that's the point, so that your body doesn't get too tired, and you let it partially recover during that one minute walk. It helps you stay refreshed for the whole 26 miles. Okay, maybe refreshed isn't quite the right word, but it at least slows down the rate at which your body gets tired.

I finally gave it a shot because I've been having such a hard time with the intervals I have been running. I think it's more that I haven't really gotten back into shape since my training has been so erratic. Anyway, doing 5/1's was great!!

Really, I loved it. I found it was a short enough interval that I could really concentrate on keeping good form, keeping moving forward, and working on speed. My knee was pretty good the whole time - as long as I kept good posture - so that was another thing I concentrated on. Ten minutes is too long to really concentrate on so many things - but five minutes was perfect. I did stop to stretch a bit during one of the intervals (which was my slowest mile) because that helped my knee as well.

So, here are my splits:
1. 10:06:90
2. 10:49:15
3. 12:11:25
4. 11:29:36
5. 11:50:57
6. 11:38:18
7. 11:28:29
Total - 1:19:33
Average - 11:21:95

You notice that I actually got faster in my last two miles - well, not as fast as the beginning, but faster than the middle - I was back out of the hills by then - and the intervals had left me enough strength to push through the flat sections. So, I was pretty darn happy.

Then last night, met Brant at the lit section of the park. There are only 2.15 miles of lit trails - so we're looping those. Brant and I walked three loops. It was nice to have someone to talk to. My legs are pretty sore today - from the run (didn't stretch well enough afterwards) and then the walk. Today going to get in a bike ride. Finally we're getting out as much as we can! We realized we need to get serious - afterall, the marathon is only 8 weeks away!

I didn't track our splits very well (the first one I stopped too late, so the second one's a bit short) but here they are:
1. 35:38:08
2. 29:29:82
3. 31:12:36
Total - 1:36:20

Our second two laps we worked more on keeping up the pace - the first lap we probably were talking too much. :)

Anyway, I'm feeling positive about the training again. Love those 5/1's!!

New Schedule

Okay, so we're finally going to admit it - we're not doing well on this training plan. Last weekend, we were supposed to do 17 miles. Brant did the whole thing. He ended up doing intervals of 7/3 so it took him quite a while, but he did finish. I ran/walked about 7 miles, and decided it was too darn hot. Now, part of this was fear. On Thursday November 3rd I had gone for a run. I was supposed to do 8 miles. I did about 5. And I did them stupidly.

The week before had been really nice weather - and so I thought, hey, I'll just go for a run whenever - and whenever ended up being around noon. I got out there, and it was really hot!! And I only had one little bottle of water (7oz) and one of gatorade. So after about 5 miles I quit, 'cause I was just wiped out.

Got home and just felt so incredibly drained. Around 2 I decided I had to eat something - so I had some leftover spinach. And I had a full Nalgene of Gatorade. And then at 5:30 I went to a networking meeting. I was incredibly out of it. Drained really is the best word. And then I started to get a headache. I took some ibuprofen and worked on a glass of water. By the time I started eating, I was feeling really sick. I got down about 3 bites and then decided - I need to go home.

So I left, came home and threw up all that spinach, and then went to sleep around 7:30. At about 3am I woke up feeling oh so much better - but hungry. I made it til the next morning, but still. It wasn't a pleasant experience overall. So on Saturday, when I started feeling really hot and tired, I decided it was best not to push myself. So I did a total of about an hour and a half or so, and then waited for Brant to finish.

The biggest problem we've been having with the schedule is that it's dark by the time Brant gets out of work. Which makes the speed workouts really difficult, since the track isn't lit. It also makes the tempo runs not very exciting if they're over about 4 miles - because the only part of the trail that is lit at night is about 2.15 miles. The long runs - well, we need to just stop being lazy and wake up early enough to get out and do them.

Anyway, so this past week we modified things a bit - on Wednesday we went out for a run. Brant and I walked a bit together and then jogged the rest together. It was nice to have someone to talk to! We did two laps. Then on Thursday we went out again and did 3 laps - but we walked the whole thing. Our legs were really tight and cramped afterwards though! So I think it's a good thing we got in some walking practice, since I'm pretty sure we'll be walking a fair bit in January.

Anyway, today we're going to do our long run. And this week we'll just get out as many days as we can. We'll still sort of follow the schedule, but mostly we're just going to work on getting more miles each week.

As for my knee - I have been doing my physical therapy and it seems to be getting better. It hasn't hurt while walking anymore, and doesn't usually hurt too much on the runs as long as I think about running with good form.

So - here's to more miles - and actually getting prepared for these races!

It's NOVEMBER Already??

Okay, I did run between now and the last post. I even have the workouts stored in my watch. So let's see if we can piece them together. On Tuesady the 25th, we did a speed workout, from the looks of these splits. So let's see, it must have been 5x1200 meters at 10K - 40-45 seconds. So, for ease of math, that meant 9:16 to do a mile, so 2:19 to do a lap, and 6:57 to do the full 1200. Here are my splits:

1. 2:18:75
2. 2:12:32
3. 2:14:51
Total: 6:45:58
Average: 2:15:19

1. and 2. 4:32:16
3. 2:14:25
Total: 6:46:41

1. 2:19:92
2. 2:20:11
3. 2:16:06
Total: 6:56:09
Average: 2:18:69

1. 2:18:80
2. 2:16:48
3. 2:17:44
Total: 6:52:72
Average: 2:17:57

1. 2:18:35
2. 2:17:78
3. 2:15:67
Total: 6:51:80
Average: 2:17:26

As you can see - I pulled in all my times under where I was supposed to - so I was pretty darn happy. I wish I had had every single lap at 2:19 or lower, but even the one lap at 2:20 was technically on target, so I was happy.

And now I remember what happened to the rest of the week before last - it just disappeared without me running. Though I did get out for a long run last Sunday. It was supposed to be 14 miles - and I got in 11 before it got too dark. I was pretty happy - since the farthest I had gone before that was 7 miles. However, I had forgotten my watch. So, I remember it took about 2:20 to do the 11 miles. I was on 10 minute running intervals with 90 second walks in between. So, not the best pace - definitely slower than I would like to be, but I was still happy to have done 11 miles.

However, what I wasn't happy about was my knee. My brace started to slip around and was hurting the other side of my knee - usually it hurts on the inside of my right kneecap (like the side closest to my other leg) - but the brace was making it hurt on the outside. So partway through the run I took off the brace. Put the brace under the car as I was running by. So - that slowed me down a teeny bit, but mostly I just wasn't quite on pace.

Anyway, so on Monday I could barely walk. If I didn't bend my knee - then I was okay, but only then. So I opted not to run on Monday. Tuesday night we headed out for the intervals, and my knee had been feeling a little not great, but not terrible - and seemed to do just fine with those intervals.

I didn't get in a tempo run, and on Friday when we headed out to do the long run of 15 miles - my knee wasn't feeling great again. I opted not to wear my brace, because it was the outside of my knee that was hurting. I'm not sure what the plan is going to be from now on, besides making sure I actually do my physical therapy. Because Friday's run definitely didn't work. I got in maybe a total of six miles - and a lot of that was walking. My knee was really acting up after a little over two miles, so I decided to take it easy. I'm not looking for permanent damage here.

Anyway, so my knee has mostly been feeling better. I will do some physical therapy so that I no longer have to wear the brace - and hopefully everything will be all hunky dory again. If not, I guess it's back to the dr to see what he says. Last night we were going to do a speed workout - but the weather had other plans. We had a huge rainstorm, and didn't feel like running through lightening. I have things for the next three nights - but the plan is to get in a tempo run on my own, do intervals on Friday, and then the long run sometime this weekend.

One of these weeks we're *actually* going to do three workouts....