It Could Be Raining

This week is looking like rain, rain, and more rain here in the Big Apple.  I have to say, rain is my least favorite weather.  I think I didn't have this bad attitude until I moved to New York and had to walk to work.  But there's just something about being wet all day long as a result of it that makes me a bit surly.  It's also why I tend to wear skirts when it's raining (so my pants don't get all wet).  I might complain about the cold, but it just doesn't seem like as big of a deal to me as rain. 

Which is why it was crazy that I excitedly woke up at 5:18 this morning to get dressed and go running in the pouring rain.  I will say, however, that I did drag my feet a tiny bit while getting ready to head outside.  Not because I didn't want to go, but I didn't want to be standing around waiting for the workout to start.  I pretty much wanted to get there and just go to the back of the line and if I missed a stride or two, it wouldn't be the end of the world! 

That's exactly what happened.  I arrived just a minute or two late, but I think I only missed one (at the most two) strides, so I still got a decent warm-up and didn't have to stand around in the rain.  There was a very small group of Terriers this morning (not surprising), but the majority of the people who were there are part of the specific marathon program, so even though I'm not part of that group, I guess it shows that marathoners are probably the only people crazy enough to get up and out there! 

Because we were such a small group today, Spencer had us all do the marathon plan workout instead of having just a few of us do the regular Terrier workout.  The "beginner" marathon workout today was 4 x 1000 meters.  I have to say I wasn't overly enthused about this, but I know the speed work stuff is good for me and it's a nice change from "regular" running, so the only thing to do was start running.

I ended up doing the intervals with another girl on the team and it was actually really nice to have someone there at my same pace.  We chatted a little bit, but mostly it was nice because it gave me a reason not to drop my pace.  I felt like I had to keep going and I definitely pushed myself a bit harder than I would have if I'd been doing it on my own. 

The rain definitely let up as time went on and of course by the time I was heading home, it had stopped completely.  I don't mind.  I figure there could be rain the day of the marathon, so I might as well get out there and practice a little bit.  After getting home I promptly took my orthotics out of my shoes and stuffed newspaper in my shoes so that they'd dry out quickly.  I'm hopeful they'll be all ready for tomorrow morning! 

Running (Run There / Strides / Run to the S)
Time: 24:11
Distance: 2.50 miles
Pace: 9:40/mile

Running (4 x 1000 meters)
Time: 21:00
Distance: 2.50 miles
Pace: 8:24/mile

Total Distance: 5.00 miles

So, since the threat of rain is still out there, although it wasn't actually raining on my way to work today, I wore the grey skirt and purple shirt.  With purple heels.  Yup.  That's right.  I actually think it works okay, too.  Which might mean that after only 9 days of this challenge, I'm off my rocker a bit?  

They really don't look all that purple though, so it's probably not quite as bad as you were imagining in your head! 

I'm also wearing my elephant hair earrings.  Drew got them for me in Namibia. The left one is what they look like from the front, but I took a picture of the back so that you could see it better.  I have a matching necklace, but that just didn't work with the neckline of the shirt today. 

That's Not What The Website Said

This morning was the usual Terrier run.  I often check the website on Monday nights or Tuesday mornings before leaving the apartment to see what is in store for the day.  Last night, the website said that the workout was 8 x 200 with 1:30 rest intervals.  So, I run to the meeting spot today, we do our normal strides warm-up and run around to the S in order to start the speedwork. 

And then Spencer tells us that our workout is actually 10 x 200 with a 200 recovery jog.  Which is more than double the website version of the workout!  We're supposed to do the first five slower than the last five.  I have to say that I'm never really the biggest fan of speedwork.  But I'm less of a fan when these recovery jogs are involved.  Mainly because I'd like to know how fast I'm actually going without factoring in the recovery jogs into the time and I don't want to have 25 numbers to add up if I time them all separately.  Plus, I don't even know if my Polar will let me save that many workouts at a time? 

So, I sort-of did what I was supposed to.  I just got tired of doing the recovery jogs and I figured I'd try to push myself more on the sprints if I knew I could have 1:30 rest instead.  I ended up doing 6 x 200 with recovery jogs and then legs 7 - 10 were done as sprints with 1:30 rest instead of 200 recovery jog.  I have to say, it's really probably not all that different time wise jogging or standing still, but it feels so much better to be standing still and trying to catch your breath. 

I definitely pushed myself today, even though the times below don't really reflect that for the speedwork portion (because of the jogging).  I could just tell it was a much harder effort than usual, especially towards the end of the workout.  I came home and was a sweaty disaster, which Drew can vouch for.  Even though it was a nice and cool 62 this morning, it was also somehow really hot for running.  I'm not even really sure how that is possible!  When I got in the shower, even though the water was really warm, it felt cool on my (very red) face, which was funny! 

Run There
Time: 13:23
Distance: 1.30 miles
Pace: 10:17/mile

Run To S
Time: 10:59
Distance: 1.20 miles
Pace: 9:09/mile

Speedwork
Time: 19:51
Distance: 2.00 miles
Pace: 9:55/mile

Run Home
Time: 5:08
Distance: 0.50 miles
Pace: 10:08/mile

Total Mileage, Including Strides: 5.50 miles

I Hate It, But It Works

This morning was the Terrier run, which I hadn't been to in a few weeks because of vacation. I ran there and we did our usual strides warm-up. We typically do two stretching strides, but today we did two new ones. The first one was to keep both legs straight, bending down and lifting one leg up, while touching your toe with your opposite arm. The second was to do straight leg kicks out in front of you. It seems like the strides are taking longer than they used to, but maybe there are just more people there now since the marathon group is there as well?

After the strides, we all ran around to the S. I ended up chatting with a girl who was there for the very first time. I hope she had a good workout. I know that my first time at Terrier I couldn't keep up and do the entire workout and I think that this girl was in the same position. I hope that she wasn't too intimidated and she comes back!

For the first time in a while, I actually did the entire workout, although it was pretty short overall. Today's workout was 3x's the following:

600 meters / Rest 1:30
400 meters / Rest 1:30
200 meters / Rest 1:00

I noticed on the very first one that most people weren't giving themselves the full rest period, which is fine, but it also makes me look even slower than I really am because I did rest the whole time, mainly to make sure I could remember my times at the end. I've accepted that I'm the slowest person there, but I hate to be misrepresented!

After the first 600 and 400, I asked another woman who was doing the walking/resting if we were done yet. She said that she thought that the first 600 felt like 6 miles. I said that I hate this speedwork stuff, but it actually seems to work. I hate when stuff like that happens.

Even though I might have been complaining in my head, it was actually nice to be back with the team and have someone tell me what to do instead of just following along with Hal Higdon. Plus, the speedwork was a nice change from just long, slow running. Not that I'm speedy, by any stretch of the imagination!

Run To Park
Time: 13:37
Distance: 1.30 miles
Pace: 10:28/mile
Calories: 111
Maximum HR: 173 (82%)
Average HR: 158 (75%)

Run To S
Time: 10:43
Distance: 1.20 miles
Pace: 8:55/mile
Calories: 111
Maximum HR: 192 (91%)
Average HR: 181 (85%)

Speedwork
Time: 20:25
Distance: 2.25 miles
Pace: 9:04/mile
Calories: 307
Maximum HR: 187 (88%)
Average HR: 172 (81%)

Run Home
Time: 5:06
Distance: 0.50 miles
Pace: 10:11/mile
Calories: 46
Maximum HR: 176 (83%)
Average HR: 170 (80%)

Total Distance (including strides): 5.75 miles

Can You Call It Marathon Training?

If you don't have a plan? Because that's what happened this morning. I'm thinking that I'd like to do something like run Tuesday and Wednesday, brick on Thursdays, long run Saturday and quick recovery on Sunday. That might all end up being too much running and I'm sure there are weeks where it won't work out perfectly, but I still have to find a plan that fits in with that and I really need a plan so that I can figure out the weekly mileage goals I should have!

I went to Terrier practice this morning and figured I'd just do whatever that workout was and call it a day. After doing our normal strides, we were told that the regular workout was a 4-5 mile tempo run. We should start out easy and then try to pick up the pace for the last 15-20 minutes. I'm not entirely sure I did that, but I tried.

While I was running today and saw all of my teammates pass me by in a hurry, I was thinking about what I had gotten myself into by signing up for this marathon. The good news is that I don't have any illusions about winning or placing in my age group or anything like that. I'd also like to think that I won't be the last person to finish the race. I guess, the truth is, that even if I am DFL, I will have still finished, right?

I think that is my main goal for this first marathon of mine. To not worry about a time goal, but to reach the finish line. I think that'll take a lot of pressure off my back to be speedy or feel like I'm not speedy enough if I can get through this first marathon. Then, next year at New York, I can worry about beating my own personal record. Maybe that's a extra great reason to take it slow in Philly! Then I can crush my PR next year in New York!

Run #1 (To The Park)
Time: 12:50
Distance: 1.25 miles
Pace: 10:16/mile
Calories: 100
Maximum HR: 165 (78%)
Average HR: 153 (72%)

Run #2 (Tempo Run)
Time: 44:52
Distance: 4.50 miles
Pace: 9:58/mile
Calories: 414
Maximum HR: 180 (85%)
Average HR: 169 (80%)

Message Received

First, a little background. I bought myself new running shoes over a month ago. I've used them once since then, just before the NYC Triathlon. It didn't go all that well. I kept having issues with my orthotics sliding around and the laces being too tight. Based on that, I decided to just keep wearing my old shoes. I wore them for the Triathlon and I've been wearing them since then.

Today was the day where the old shoes decided to send me a message. The message? Retire us! Now! Drew and I went to the Park together this morning (he had a plan of running 4 miles around the Park and to the gym and then doing some lifting) and I was heading to the Terrier run. We parted ways at the bottom of the Park and I headed up the West side while he went East. I'm still not really sure why we didn't run together, but I'm assuming that Drew wanted to just run at his own pace instead my slow pace.

I knew almost instantly that my shins were not going to be happy with me today. I ran the few minutes up to the meeting spot for practice and already my shins were hurting. Mostly my left one. It was actually feeling okay while we did the strides and drills like normal, but I wasn't sure it was the best idea to attempt the entire workout today.

The planned workout was a 5 mile tempo run. Which sounded a bit like torture with old shoes and an aching shin. I decided to nix that idea and do a three mile run, including running home. I thought that seemed like quite enough. The temperature was actually bearable this morning, which was a nice change and made me wish I had been wearing my new shoes as it would have been nice to run for a longer time.

Those shoes have now done their duty and will be retired properly. Time to get out the new shoes. It's one of those things where I've just been avoiding fussing over getting the speed laces just right. I sort-of feel like Goldilocks with those speed laces. I wish there was a way to make them perfect on the first try. Instead, right now, they're too tight on my foot, but if they're not that tight the orthotics were slipping all around. But, now that I know I'm stuck wearing these new shoes, I'll be forced to get it right.

I haven't really been timing myself while running recently. Or looking at my heart rate or calories or any of that other fancy data. What I do know is that I started running somewhere around 6:25 and I got home just before 7:00, so doing the math, it seems like it was 3 miles in about 30:00 minutes. Sounds like a good day to me.

Running
Time: ~30:00
Distance: 3.00 miles
Pace: 10:00/mile

No Watches, Just Smiles

This morning I got up and went to the Terrier run practice. I knew that it would be a really short and quick speed workout, which I thought would be exactly what my legs needed after last night's run with Drew. We did our normal strides, which I thought took longer than usual. I think we definitely did more of them than normal!

After that, we took the short-cut through Sheep's Meadow and ran to the S. The taper workout for NYC was 8 x 200 meters. Easy-peasy. Before we started, Spencer said that he didn't want to see any watches today. No one was to look at their times. We should all just go out and take it easy today. And, most importantly, we should be smiling at all times!

I was fine with this no watch plan, since that was pretty much my plan anyway. I just wanted to get my legs moving. The 8 x 200 went by pretty quickly (we did 200 meter recovery jogs in between), so it was a quick two miles in total.

After everyone was done with the workout, Robert and Spencer called everyone over for a meeting about the race. Mainly the running portion. Spencer told us that he thinks that we're the best trained tri group in the city, and that's not just his ego talking. He knows how hard we all work, even when we're not at the group workouts. Then he gave us a great pep-talk about the run for the triathlon. He said that we're all more than capable of running the entire 10K. We all know the Park like the back of hands. This is our backyard and we can stay strong. We just need to remember to keep swinging our arms. As long as we do that, our legs will follow.

The other thing that Spencer really stressed is that we need to have a plan. He said that he hates when people are just "trying to survive" the run. He said that we should really think about what we're doing and then go execute the plan. Our legs will be tired, but we can do it and finish strong (while smiling, of course!).

Now I just have to figure out exactly what the plan is...

Running
Time: ?
Distance: ~ 4.00 miles

First, It's Humid Out

This morning Drew and I rolled out of bed and headed to the Park. I was off for my regularly scheduled Terrier run and Drew had to be at work early so he was going to go for a quick run instead of heading to the gym. We walked to the bottom of the Park and then ran north so that I could meet my people. I got to the meeting place a few minutes early and after running for less than seven minutes, I was dripping with sweat. It looked like I had swam to the meeting spot instead of running there.

We did our normal strides plus a couple of extras. I'd guess that today's strides were about 0.70 miles instead of the normal 0.50 miles. After doing the strides, Spencer had us all gather round to explain the workout for today. Again, I went with the Sprint/Olympic group instead of doing anything more. After he explained what we were doing, he said, "First, it's humid out, so your heart rate will be more elevated than usual. Second, be sure to get something in you as soon as you get home to replace all that you'll be sweating out!" I'm not sure that as I was standing there soaking wet I really needed someone to remind me that it was humid out!

The workout for that group was to do a 4-mile interval run with 2:00 running and then recovery jog in place for 1:30 until we got to the northwest corner of the 102nd Street Transverse and then we would switch to 2:00 on and 0:45 recovery jogging in place. I was talking about this with Laura and we were discussing the different types of intervals. Basically, what we did was run for 2:00 hard (at 90%) and then draw an imaginary line in the road and jog in place for 1:30 (or 0:45). Some people use this opportunity to just stand around, but I really did keep moving around during the recovery time, but I didn't make any forward progress.

I started out running with 2 other girls and actually hung with them for the first half of the workout, which was pretty impressive for me (since I'm definitely one of the slowest people on the team). We ended up doing 8 x 2:00 running with 7 x 1:30 recovery, which was 2.15 miles in 16 minutes of running (or a 7:26/mile pace).

Um, hello? What in the hell was I doing running that fast? Granted there were the rest breaks in between, but it was active recovery rest and seriously? Less than 8 minutes a mile? Who do I think I am? Maybe I really was swimming out there after all. It's the only logical explanation for my speediness.

After getting to the corner of the 102nd Transverse where we were supposed to switch to the shorter rest intervals, the other two girls went a bit ahead of me, which was fine. Eliminating that extra recovery was definitely noticeable! I finished up with 9 x 2:00 running with 9 x 0:45 recovery, which was 18 minutes of running (or a 9:13/mile pace). I knew I had slowed down a lot on the second half of the run, but I'm still pretty pleased with that pace. I'm guessing I could have pushed myself harder and kept up for the remainder of the run, but my left calf started to get a little crampy and I figured that I was in need of some electrolytes, so I should just finish at my own pace.

I also timed my walk home, just out of curiosity, really. I had taken my watch off my wrist while doing the intervals because it's a lot easier for me to look at it when I'm holding it in my hand than it is to keep turning my wrist. I also changed the HR setting so that it would show up in percentages instead of numbers so I could really concentrate on keeping my HR up at the 90% mark for the running intervals. So, I was curious to see what my HR would be while just walking home after a hard workout. Still pretty high up there.

Oh, and as an aside, I seem to have discovered a new way of sleeping that makes my left elbow (the formerly broken one) the main pressure point of my body resting on the bed. I've woken up the past few days lying on top of it and then saying to myself, "my elbow hurts." I'm hoping that some of that is humidity related (?) and that when it cools off over the next couple days, my elbow will react better.

Run There
Time: 6:39
Distance: 0.70 miles
Pace: 9:30/mile
Calories: 63
Maximum HR: 186 (88%)
Average HR: 170 (80%)

Interval Run
Time: 34:00
Distance: 4.10 miles
Pace: 8:17/mile
Calories: 561
Maximum HR: 201 (95%)
Average HR: 184 (87%)

Walk Home
Time: 15:04
Distance: 0.80 miles
Pace: 18:49/mile
Calories: 115
Maximum HR: 164 (77%)
Average HR: 149 (70%)

With My People

This morning I started my week of real workouts. To top it off, it started on a very good note! When I was walking to the Terrier meeting spot, I found a dollar on the ground. I was more than happy to pick it up and stick it in my pocket! It just seemed like a good luck sign.

I got to the meeting spot about 5 minutes early. After doing a little bit of chatting, everyone headed over to do our normal strides warm-up. I didn't really pay attention or count how many we did today, although when I think back on it, I think we did just over a half-mile in strides this morning.

After the strides and drills, we took the short-cut run to the S by cutting across Sheep's Meadow instead of running all the way around on the road. Which, frankly, was fine with me. I was a little bit worried that I'd end up doing too many miles today and I wanted to make sure to keep it reasonable for the time being.

Luckily, today's workout was pretty short. I also decided to do the Olympic workout instead of the half-Ironman workout. I thought that seemed pretty reasonable for my first day back with the team! The Olympic workout was a sprint ladder workout that looked something like this:

200 meters
200 meters recovery
400 meters
200 meters recovery
600 meters / 1:00 recovery
800 meters / 2:00 recovery
800 meters / 2:00 recovery
600 meters
200 meters recovery
400 meters / 1:00 recovery
200 meters
200 meters recovery

Total distance was 4800 meters = 3.00 miles. I didn't time that part separately from the half-mile run to the S this morning, so the total distance (not including strides) was 3.50 miles. With the strides it was more like 4.00 miles. Not the worst day ever, although, ironically, I probably would have been glad to do a couple more.

Of course, I only think that in hindsight. During the second 800, my legs were burning and I wanted them to fall off my body instead of having to keep running. But, I did. The recovery time was supposed to be jogging in place, but whenever Coach Spencer tells us to do that, it consists of most people just standing around. I actually walk around, so I think it's a step above just standing there and a step below jogging in place. All in all, happy to be back to the regularly scheduled workouts. Although I think I might have to start going to bed earlier!

Running
Time: 31:52
Distance: 3.50 miles
Pace: 9:05/mile
Calories: 414
Maximum HR: 198 (93%)
Average HR: 184 (87%)

10 Out Of 12 Ain't Bad

Sunday after the NYRR race, I went home, showered, ate breakfast and then Drew got home from his weekend in Florida. We ended up going together to drop my bike off, so it's on its way to California as we speak! I really can't believe that I'll be without my bike for such a long time, but it is what it is and there's nothing I can do about it now. After dropping off the bike, we ran a couple errands and then headed home. We ended up taking a nap and I decided I was too tired to go to the Terrier swim on Sunday.

I know that I probably should have gone, but I think that the triathlon I did for myself on Saturday tired me out a little bit more than I thought it would and it didn't seem like the end of the world to skip a swim. I also took yesterday as a rest day, which is usual. That meant that this morning I was ready and raring to go to the Terrier run!

I ran there and we did our normal strides, although we did a few less than normal, so the total distance was about 0.40 miles for the strides. At some point I really will time them, mainly because I'm interested about my heart rate while we're doing them, but for now I'm content to just run forward, backward and sideways on my own.

After the strides, we all ran around to the "S". I had looked at the workout yesterday, so I knew that it was going to be speed work. I have to tell you, being in the half-Ironman group isn't quite as much fun as I wanted it to be. Our workout today was to do 12 x 440 yards (0.25 miles) with a 440 yard recovery jog. I noticed on the very first one that we were starting the main portion of our workout a bit on the later side and I was probably not going to be able to do all 12 and get home in order to get to work on time.

I have to say that I really tried my best and ran as hard as I could on the first 440s. The problem was that my recovery jogs just kept getting slower and slower as time went on. Last night when I was talking to Drew about today's workout, he accused me of being a cheater on the recovery portion, so let me just say right now that there were a couple of times (three, I think?) where after running the 440 hard, I did count to 5 and walked a couple steps before starting my recovery jog back to the start. So, I jogged 99% of the time during the recoveries.

I managed to get 10 out of the 12 done before I was pushing it on getting home and being able to eat breakfast, shower, make lunch, get ready for work and get there on time. I don't feel bad about skipping out on that last mile since it was still quite a good workout!

It turns out that it doesn't get any easier to do this speed work. I was pretty beat by the end, but I still managed a nice slow jog home. Didn't hurt that I got caught at a couple of lights and was forced to stand there for a minute! Coach Spencer said that we're done with the "build" phase of the season and we're going to be doing more and more speed work in the coming weeks, which I'm not sure that I'm 100% excited about, but I don't hate it either. I think what I actually do like about it is the fact that the whole group sort-of stays together in the same area so we're constantly passing each other, which is a little bit nicer than watching everyone else sprint off into the distance with me bringing up the rear!

I've been thinking a lot about my plan for this week and next week leading up to Alcatraz. As of right now, my plan for this week is to stick with the half-Ironman plan. I'll take my usual rest day next Monday, hopefully get in some good workouts Tuesday-Thursday of next week and then take next Friday (travel day) and Saturday (SF tourist day/Giants baseball game) as rest days in order to be all ready for next Sunday's triathlon. Not your typical taper, but then again, this hasn't been the typical training nor is it really a typical triathlon!

Run To Meeting Point
Time: 12:40
Distance: 1.30 miles
Pace: 9:44/mile
Calories: 132
Maximum HR: 176
Average HR: 162

Run To S
Time: 9:03
Distance: 1.00 mile
Pace: 9:03/mile
Calories: 114
Maximum HR: 189
Average HR: 180

Running 10 x 440
Time: 49:11
Distance: 5.00 miles
Pace: 9:50/mile
Calories: 653
Maximum HR: 225 (What? Can this be right? It was hard, but not sure it was that hard!)
Average HR: 185

Run Home
Time: 7:38
Distance: 0.70 miles
Pace: 10:54/mile
Calories: 83
Maximum HR: 184
Average HR: 168

Total running mileage, including strides: 8.40 miles

Dressing The Part

Last night on our way home from dinner, there was a guy in the elevator who was dressed in some workout gear and carrying an iPod. I asked him if he was heading out for a run and he said that he was, but that he was going to the gym and wasn't going to run outside in the dark. I then made some sort of comment about feeling like a badass because I do run in the dark. Not all the time, not every day, but I do in fact run while it's still dark outside quite often. I think I'm often quite smart about where I run while it's dark and this is New York City! You're never alone here!

I have to say that once we got off the elevator I felt bad for making my comment to that guy. Drew said I basically called him a wimp. So, sorry guy! But, in fairness, he was wearing a cotton t-shirt and I just couldn't take him very seriously as a real runner.

This morning I got up and headed off to the Terrier run (in the dark, I might add). I knew before I got there that today's run was going to be hill repeats, which I figure can't be the worst thing for me for San Francisco training. We did our normal strides (about 0.50 miles) and then instead of having us just run right over to the hill, which is maybe 0.1 mile away from where we do our strides, Spencer had us run a small warm-up of 0.75 miles around to the hill.

And then we did 40 minutes of hill repeats. I have to say that I actually felt pretty good about the 40 minutes part, mainly because that was the half-Ironman workout. I guess I'm officially in that group now! Eek! I did 4 miles in my 40 minutes, which was not easy. By the end of it, my calves were screaming out to me to give them a break!

I did walk for just about 2 minutes after finishing the hill repeats and then jogged the rest of the way home. When I was leaving the Park, I saw three girls all decked out in running gear, but they were carrying Starbucks cups - the plastic kind where you can clearly see that they all had gotten whipped cream drinks. They were walking along the path very leisurely. I guess that just goes to show that you can dress the part of a runner, but you can't always be the part. I'm guessing the guy in the cotton t-shirt was a bit more of a runner that the Starbucks girls. Goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover.

I went home and showered as quickly as possible since I was dying to put on my compression sleeves on my calves. They were definitely needing some special attention after five straight days of biking and a nice long run today!

Run to Park
Time: 12:06
Distance: 1.30 miles
Pace: 9:18/mile
Calories: 125
Maximum HR: 173
Average HR: 163

Running (Cat Hill Repeats)
Time: 45:43
Distance: 4.75 miles
Pace: 9:37/mile
Calories: 563
Maximum HR: 188
Average HR: 178

Run Home
Time: 14:25
Distance: 1.35 miles
Pace: 10:40/mile
Calories: 159
Maximum HR: 180
Average HR: 168

Total Running, including strides: 7.90 miles

Is It Raining?

This morning I woke up bright and early and headed off to the Terrier run. I will say that I chose a new alarm on my phone and set it on the dresser so I'd have to actually get up to turn it off, which might have been part of the reason that I actually managed to get up and out of bed even earlier than I needed to!

When I left the apartment at 5:40 AM, it was 63 degrees outside. I wore shorts and a t-shirt, which is an awesome change from all those other winter clothes! Of course, that meant that lots of my teammates thought that it'd be a good idea to join in the run this morning. I think that there were about 50 people there, which is probably twice the size that I'm used to seeing! But, the more the merrier.

We did our normal strides and drills and then headed off for a tempo run. I forgot to keep track of how many strides we did exactly, so no additional mileage there today. For the tempo run, I decided to run from 72nd Street north up to the 102nd Street Transverse and then down the Westside and home.

I have to tell you, I'm still not used to this heat. I know that a couple more times and I'll be back into the swing of things, but I was sweating like crazy this morning. So much, in fact, that I actually thought it was raining because it was dripping off my head and hitting my arms randomly. I guess it's good to know that I'm working out.

I will say that today's run wasn't as much my favorite as some of the other ones have been recently. I don't know if it was the heat or lack of sleep (I was up late babysitting for my cousins who were visiting), but today I didn't love running like I have been recently. I'm not too worried, it'll come back, I'm sure of that!

Running
Time: 57:53
Distance: 5.80 miles
Pace: 9:58/mile
Calories: 670
Maximum HR: 185
Average HR: 173

Who Turned Out The Lights?

Sunday night I really did myself in. I generally hate the time change and since it didn't feel as late as it was, I stayed up past my regular bedtime. Monday morning meant that I just didn't feel like getting out of bed. I had thought about going to the gym after work, but when I got home from work yesterday I was starving and after making and eating dinner, I just didn't feel like going to the gym too. So, instead, I fell asleep on the couch around 7:30. Which was great until Drew called at 10. Then I went upstairs to sleep and he got home from work sometime after 11, which woke me up again.

But, since I had started this sleeping at 7:30 last night, it really wasn't a problem to get myself up at 5:20 this morning to go to the Terrier run. I was hoping to get in my last long run - hopefully around 8 miles or so - this morning. It was 42 this morning and I wore tights, shorts, long sleeved shirt and my jacket along with a (running) baseball hat. I'm hoping that the days of gloves and winter running hats are over!

I ran to the normal meeting spot in the dark, which is normal. We did our normal drills and strides (0.50 miles) and then Coach Spencer told us that we would be doing a tempo run today. Which meant that I wouldn't be getting my 8 miles in. We did our tempo run around the Lower Loop of the Park, which was fine by me. I have to say that I cheated a little bit. Instead of doing what the workout was, instead I just ran faster when I was running by Spencer. But he's tricky and kept moving, so I had to keep a lookout for him! I think I saw him 4 times in my two loops, so I guess I did 4 intervals instead of the 7 that we were supposed to have done.

The really weird thing about the run is that it was dark almost the entire time I was running! This time change thing is really no fun at all! I liked it a lot more when it was light at 6/6:15 instead of waiting until 7. There are so many people out in the Park that it never feels scary or anything, it just was a lot nicer mentally to be running in daylight instead of the dark. Our weekly brick practices start next week (and they start at 5:30) which is a long time to be riding in the dark.

I ended up doing two loops plus a little bit during my 40 minute tempo run. In total, with the strides today, I ended up running just under 6.5 miles (6.45 to be exact). I just have to be okay with that total at this point. My plan now is to definitely get in one quick run Thursday morning and perhaps one on Friday and then just try to rest up for the race on Sunday!

Run To Meeting Point
Time: 12:50
Distance: 1.30 miles
Pace: 9:52/mile
Calories: 149
Maximum HR: 177
Average HR: 166

Running
Time: 41:09
Distance: 4.20 miles
Pace: 9:47/mile
Calories: 552
Maximum HR: 189
Average HR: 179

Run Home
Time: 5:05
Distance: 0.45 miles
Pace: 11:17/mile
Calories: 57
Maximum HR: 175
Average HR: 164

Not Cheating Myself

This morning I woke up to another 28 degree day. I didn't want to take any chances on being cold, so I bundled up in the following: running tights, shorts, short-sleeved shirt, long-sleeved shirt, 2 more long-sleeved shirts, gloves and hat. Yes, I know it might have been overkill, but I would always rather take something off than be cold.

I was running a little late to meet the Terriers this morning, but I still made it in time to do most of the drill workout before heading off to the main workout. Technically, today's workout should have been 3 miles / 3 x [2:00, 2:30] AI / 2 miles, but because of my mixed-up workout schedule, I was hoping to get in at least 7 miles today.

Before I get into the details of today's workout, I need to pause and say that I'm starting to get a bit nervous about nutrition on the day of the race and in my longer runs in general. I know that most runners eat bananas before they go running and have Gu/gels during their runs, but neither of those sit in my stomach well. I should definitely not have either of those things, especially while running. After some Google research on the subject, I have discovered that several people recommend trying Fig Newtons or PB&J. Drew was kind enough to buy me some regular Fig Newtons and mini Strawberry Newtons to try out while running. So, this morning, I had half of a Clif Bar and some water before I left the apartment and I packed along three mini Strawberry Newtons in a baggie in my pocket.

So, we did the drills and then we headed off to the 102nd Street Transverse to get the rest our our workout. Along the way, we were supposed to incorporate 6 pick-ups into our run. Coach Spencer said that we only had to do the pick-ups from one light post to the next, so that's exactly what I did, six times. I will admit that I picked easy spots to do them (all on flat stretches), but I think that's okay, especially with what the rest of the workout would entail.

I knew that it would involve running up and down the Harlem Hill. I just wasn't sure how much time was involved in this workout. It is also quite a hike there and back, so I was pretty sure that I'd have no problem getting my 7 miles for the day in. Once we got to 102nd Street, we found out that we were supposed to run up and down the hill for 30-40 minutes (or as long as we could before heading for home).

I ended up running the hill three times (from 102nd Street to Adam Clayton Powell Drive and back again) in my allotted time. So, I'm not the slowest person on our triathlon team. I'm the second slowest person on the team. On my first loop up & down the hill, I was running ahead of the slowest person. Then, when I went to turn around to go back for the second loop, she was suddenly ahead of me. I know that what happened was that she just didn't run as far as me, which maybe she had her reasons for, but in that moment, I felt annoyed that I'd "look" like the slower person, even though I was going the full distance.

I also realized after thinking about it for a while (because, let's face it, there isn't a lot of other stuff to think about while running up and down hills), that while I might have thought that she cheated a little bit, I wasn't going to cheat myself by cutting corners, even if I did look slow. Even if I did get lapped by the fastest guys on the team. I'd still do the workout that we were told to do. Sure, I might not have covered the most distance, but I could be proud of myself, and that's really what this is all about.

After doing the three hill loops, I took a minute or so break and walked and ate two of my mini Strawberry Newtons. Verdict - they're dry, but they didn't give me gas or cramps or make me want to run directly to the bathroom, so they're presently a big winner for those things! Also, I may not have had water with me today, but I generally have something with me at the gym and there will definitely be water at the race, so it's definitely worth trying these out again.

After walking for a minute or so, I went back to running home slowly. I was definitely feeling a bit cold and hungry at this point, so I really took my time and I even walked up the remaining hills home (I'm lazy, what can I say?). However, even with my slow pace on the run back home, my overall pace today was 9:58/mile, which I still think is fantastic. Especially since I ran 9 miles today! New record! And totally pushes me over my goal for today and makes up for yesterday's miss by a mile.

It is pretty incredible to see how I keep breaking the length of my longest run as this process goes forward, which I definitely really am enjoying. Also, the clothes today were perfect. I was a really good temperature while running and wasn't cold, which was a nice change from last week. I even got a really hot shower when I got home. However, right after that, I think it all just hit me because then I had to get back in bed because I was shivering and freezing cold. This has happened before where I just can't warm up all the way, but lounging about under piles of covers definitely helps cure that.

Tomorrow is a rest day (after 4 days of running) and I'll be picking back up on Thursday. I still might try to stick with the 4 on Thursday, 8 on Friday plan, but that might prove to be over ambitious for Friday morning, so I might do a couple more on Thursday instead. We'll see.

Running - Home to Park
Time: 12:58
Distance: 1.30 miles
Pace: 9:58/mile
Calories: 147
Maximum HR: 177
Average HR: 165

Running - 72nd to 102nd Street
Time: 18:58
Distance: 1.95 miles
Pace: 9:43/mile
Calories: 240
Maximum HR: 185
Average HR: 174

Running - Harlem Hill (x3)
Time: 34:35
Distance: 3.60 miles
Pace: 9:36/mile
Calories: 440
Maximum HR: 186
Average HR: 174

Running - 100th Street to Home
Time: 23:15
Distance: 2.15 miles
Pace: 10:48/mile
Calories: 265
Maximum HR: 177
Average HR: 165

Turns Out That 28 Is Still Cold

Last night Drew asked me if I was planning on going to the gym today. I answered "no." Then, when my alarm went off around 5:00 this morning, he was really confused about what was going on because he thought I wasn't going to the gym. Which was true. I was planning on running with Terrier today instead of the gym. So, I got up out of bed at 5:23, ate and got dressed. The weather on my phone said it was 28. The very first time I went running with Terrier last year, it was 28 as well and I couldn't help but think back to how nervous I was and how worried I was about what to wear.

Today I wore running tights, shorts, tank top, long-sleeved shirt and my windbreaker along with gloves and a hat. This turned out to be not quite enough. I never ever really warmed up, even though I was sweating, which in turn was just making me colder. I think if I had worn a warmer long-sleeved top or a short sleeved shirt instead of a tank, I would have been better. My knees were also really, really cold.

I ran to the regular meeting spot and instead of doing our normal stride drills, we did a whole lot of other drills instead. The very first one we did was to squat down and then walk like that while still squatting. Which did not go over very well with my right knee. The first step I took didn't feel good and it never really felt better. I didn't time the drills today since it wasn't really like running. It was just more like moving your knee around into funny positions while walking funny.

After the drills were over, we all ran over to the Start (the "S") in order to do some speed work in our workout for the day. The main workout was a 3-2-1 workout where we would run hard for 300 yards, run easy for 100, run hard for 200 yards, run easy for 100 and then run hard for the remaining 100 yards (total 0.50 miles). Then we would do a recovery jog back to the S. So one mile in total for each one. And we were supposed to do six of these. Which, I'm going to be honest, sounded like a lot to me.

It also didn't really sound that different than the plan that I was actually supposed to be doing today, which was: 3 miles / 3 x [2:00, 2:30] AI / 2 miles. I ended up doing only three miles of the main set instead of six because Nature called and I don't trust the park bathrooms enough to make it worth it, so instead I just headed home. I also didn't think that my knee was really hurting, but I also knew that it was really cold and I could barely feel my knees, so I knew that if it was hurt, I probably couldn't tell either way and I'd much rather play it safe than sorry.

These are my mile times:
Mile 1: 9:34
Mile 2: 10:11
Mile 3: 10:23

Obviously, I was getting slower as time went on. Mainly because I was really jogging slowly on the recovery jog back to the S. In total today, I ended up running total of 6.30 miles, so it's probably pretty equivalent to the actual workout I was supposed to do, so I'm going to call it a day and be fine with this.

I know that I should have gone home and maybe iced my knee, but that seemed really silly as it already felt frozen, so instead I chose to do nothing. And it took me a couple of hours for me to feel like a normal temperature again. Next time I'll definitely wear more clothes. I'm going to keep an eye on my knee and see how it feels. Tomorrow I'm taking the day off since I have an early eye doctor appointment and I won't have time to do anything before work. And just because I think I should rest up my knee, I won't do anything after work either.

Run to Park
Time: 13:00
Distance: 1.30 miles
Pace: 10:00/mile
Calories: 162
Maximum HR: 183
Average HR: 172

Run to Start ("S")
Time: 10:58
Distance: 1.20 miles
Pace: 9:08/mile
Calories: 151
Maximum HR: 191
Average HR: 182

Main Running
Time: 30:08
Distance: 3.00 miles
Pace: 10:02/mile
Calories: 420
Maximum HR: 189
Average HR: 183

Run Home
Time: 9:06
Distance: 0.80 miles
Pace: 11:22/mile
Calories: 107
Maximum HR: 179
Average HR: 169

Out For A Run, Home With A Turkey

This morning I got up and headed out for the Terrier run. While I was getting dressed (in running tights, shorts, short-sleeved shirt, long sleeved shirt and gloves) I told Drew that I really didn't feel like going because I was so tired, but I didn't have a lot of say in the matter. I had set it up so that I had to pick up our Thanksgiving Day Turkey on the way home from the run. Technically, I guess I still could have slept in a little bit and gotten the turkey anyway, but that didn't really seem like the reason why I set the turkey pick-up for 7:00 am!

I ran there and then we did our normal strides workout. We finished the strides up today with some strength exercises. We did 30 lunges, 20 squats and two sets of push-ups. I did 10 push-ups each time (we were supposed to do 15), but I feel good about the 20 that I did do. I'm not going to worry about the 10 that I didn't do.

As far as the clothing goes, I felt like my arms were a little bit cold with just the one layer of long-sleeves, but I did end up taking my gloves off pretty early on, so I wasn't perfect, but I was pretty close. Today's workout was one that I knew I'd have to cut short in order to pick up the turkey and the couple of other things that I still needed to buy before Thursday and get home in time for work. Today's workout was going to be focusing on hills. We ran as a group to a spot on the bridle path just south of the Reservoir, under a bridge. Don't ask me exactly where we were, I get lost on those paths (which also means that the mileage today is a bit of a guess since the maps don't really cover the paths).

We were supposed to do 40 minutes of hill running up and down a longer hill and a short hill. I only did about 10 minutes of hill running before going and running back towards home. I felt like I was being a quitter, because I wasn't leaving because I was tired or anything, I just had to get my turkey! I think that I would definitely like to go back and do this workout again even if it's just by myself to prove that I can.

I got to Whole Foods just as they were opening, bought my turkey, green beans & spinach and headed home for the day. The timing worked out just perfectly.

The times below are the times I actually recorded and then what I think the time would be approximately for the strides. I didn't time them, but going off of last week's, I think this is about right, although we did a few less this week than we did last week.

Running
Time: 36:45 / (~10:00 strides)
Distance: 3.86 miles / (0.64 strides)
Pace: 9:31/mile / 15:37/mile
Calories: 466
Maximum HR: 187
Average HR: 171

Thanks, Operation Beautiful!

This morning was the Terrier run and I actually managed to get up and out of bed on time in order to get to the meeting point by 6:00. I did snooze for as long as possible before committing to getting out of bed, however. I also tried the new Iced Gingerbread Clif bar for the first time. Yum! It definitely tastes like the real deal, except that it's got lots of protein included.

My telephone's weather said that it was 47 degrees, which didn't sound too cold. As a result, I wore shorts, a short-sleeved shirt and a long-sleeved shirt. I looked for my gloves, but couldn't find them and figured I could just tough it out. When I went outside, I was definitely chilly. I actually started running after two blocks (I normally walk all the way to the park and then start running) in order to warm up a little bit. Once I started running, I didn't really notice the cold. I did notice the wind gusts, though!

I got to the meeting point with a minute to spare, so I guess it's good that I started running sooner rather than later. Shortly after I got there, we started our normal stride drills. I finally remembered to time these today. Of course, I forgot to count exactly how many we did, but I think it was in the neighborhood of 0.85 miles worth, if I'm remembering all the drills we did correctly. Also, I'm a little surprised by that number as I thought it was more in the 0.50 mile range, but I have just been going off an old posting that I did and since then Gmap Pedometer seems to have updated their maps, so that is most likely why. The one thing about the timing that I did today is that I just let it run for the entire time. I didn't stop and start for each stride, so I think it's throwing my pacing off for the rest of the day, but only slightly and I'm not too concerned.

Our main workout today was a Fartlek run. We would run for 10 minutes as a warm-up and then do a 1-2-3-2-1 pattern Fartlek for a total of 44 minutes, including the warm-up. Even now at my desk with my super fancy adding machine (see below) I can't get that to add up quite right, so I guess that explains why I couldn't get it to add up while I was running either.

The first ten minutes I just let everyone run ahead of me. I was really trying to keep that portion as a warm-up and save myself for the pick-ups during the Fartlek. The pattern was supposed to be one minute on, one minute off, two minutes on, two minutes off, three minutes on, etc. After running for the first minute on, I realized that it was too hard to have my watch on my wrist and I took it off and held it in my hand so that I could make sure to keep going for each of the "on segments" and also to make sure that I didn't stay too long on an "off segment."

We were supposed to run around the Lower Loop of the Park. I noticed that someone had written the following in sidewalk chalk along the running path. It was actually really cool because each phrase was separated by 100 yards or so, so you had to keep looking for the next one. It said, "Wow! You're Hot! No, Really! Keep it up!". On my second loop around, I noticed that it was an OperationBeautiful.com note! I'd just like to say that it was really inspiring and definitely made me push a little bit harder on my "on segments" thinking about the fact that someone out there wrote that special little note. I wish I'd had my camera (or phone) with me to take a photo, but I try to go with the bare minimum when running, so I didn't have any way to take a photo.

After completing my second loop, I still had some time to kill, so I went and ran around the Cherry Hill Fountain and then also up Dead Road (a.k.a. Central Park Driveway, according to Gmaps). Most people were already done and waiting back at the starting point, but I wanted to get the most out of my run and it hadn't been 44 minutes yet. I actually finished in 42:26, which was as close as I could get to 44 and I was also the last person to finish. But, obviously, we all started our watches at the same time, so those people didn't run for quite as long as I did (although, let's face it, they all ran further!).

Once we all met back up at the starting point, we did some more drills and strength exercises. We would do one strength exercise and then run a stride drill. We did 2 sets of 15 squats, 15 lunges on each leg, 15 step ups (onto a park bench) on each leg, 3 sets of 15 push-ups (I managed to do 10, 5 & 5), and 2 sets of holding plank position (on our forearms) for 1:00. Seriously? Can I not get away from the ab workouts? I would really like just one day of rest! I think that I might have to declare one day soon a completely off day and do nothing with my stomach other than eat!

I didn't time the last set of strides, so the stats below are from the run to the park, the warm-up strides, the main set Fartlek and the run out of the park (but not all the way home). Not a bad day, especially in the calorie burning department. I also feel a lot more confident about this 10K that I have coming up. I now think that I can easily finish, especially since I'm sure that my total mileage for the day was over 7 considering the fact that I didn't add in the last set of strides. I'm sure I'll be a little tired at the end, but it's a race, right? Aren't you supposed to get tired?

Time: 1:11:10
Distance: 6.92 miles
Pace: 10:17/mile
Calories: 950
Maximum HR: 187
Average HR: 172

Where Am I?

This morning I managed to talk myself into getting up and making it to the Terrier group run. It definitely didn't hurt that the weather was pretty nice outside. While I was running to the meeting point, I was noticing how many leaves were on the ground and the sound that they made crunching under my feet really made me forget that I was in NYC. It also made me wish that someone would rake them into a huge pile for jumping purposes.

We did our normal strides workout (approximately 0.50 miles) and then we were given our running workout for the day. Coach Spencer explained that we would run up the West side of the park to 102nd Street. From there, we would run around the upper loop of the park, which includes the Harlem Hill. We were supposed to repeat the upper loop 3-4 times, but the key was to keep the whole workout aerobic and to not go into anaerobic effort. While I still need to do the heart rate threshhold test to really figure out my HR zones, I think I can mostly tell on my own that sustained effort in the 180s is really too high for me, so I was going to aim for more in the 170s or so.

When we started out on run north, Coach Robert said that we should keep on the trails and side paths as much as possible instead of the main road. We all took off and started running. I was keeping up with the group for a while, but then I remembered the aerobic versus anaerobic effort part and realized that I needed to slow down a bit, so I fell behind from the group. And then, I literally fell.

Remember all those leaves that I loved at 5:45 in the morning on the way to the run? They turned sinister and were hiding all sorts of rocks and ruts on the Bridle Path that we were running on. I stubbed my toe on a rock and just fell down. No real harm done. I landed on my hands and right knee. I have some really tiny scrapes on my hand and I got a little bit dirty, but otherwise only my pride was hurt.

The first time I ever went running with Drew, I hated it. I think I really hated it because it proved that even though I looked like I was in shape physically, I really wasn't cardiovascularly. We couldn't have been running for that long before I was trying to figure out a way to end this. The best way I could figure out how to do that was to trip myself. I didn't actually do it, but I thought about it the entire time. How best to do it to make it look natural, etc. Once I told Drew that story, he (jokingly) told me that if we were ever running and I did fall, he wouldn't help me up because he thought that I'd be faking it. That was all I could think of today when I actually did fall ... and didn't even do it on purpose!

After getting up and dusting myself off, I then took a wrong turn and ended up almost all the way on the East side of the park. I must tell you that I'm really fantastic at running on the road in Central Park. When I veer from the road, I inevitably get lost. Which is what I did this morning. Oops. As soon as I realized that I had gone too far East, I tried to wind my way back to where I wanted to be.

Finally, I made it to the 102nd Street transverse. By the time I got there, it was really pretty much time to turn around and run home. I did start running slightly further north, but upon consulting my watch, I realized that I needed to head back home at this point and skip the loops on the hill.

For some unknown reason, I decided to run home on the Bridle Path as well. The only explanation I can offer is that I really wanted to try to figure out where I got lost. I definitely see what happened now that I know the right way to go. However, I wasn't done there. I was almost home (somewhere between 72nd and 59th Streets), when I got lost again. Well, I actually wasn't lost. I just couldn't figure out where I was. I thought I knew where I was, but because of this path running, I was coming at everything from a different angle, so for a minute, I got totally turned around and a little bit panicked. Luckily, I figured it out and made it out of the park in one piece. Obviously, I won't be planning any evening path runs as it's a bit questionable during day light hours.

Even though I didn't do the workout that we were assigned, I did try to keep track of my heart rate and keep it a bit lower than usual. I was definitely more successful with that on my run home than the other running portions, but I'm going to contribute the 193 maximum HR below to the fact that I fell and I probably scared myself. All in all, even though it wasn't the workout I set out to do, it was still approximately 5.9 miles in 59:23 (10:03 pace), not including the strides. I have to say approximately because I just did the best I could with figuring out the mileage from gmap pedometer. There isn't the best map for Central Park trails.

Run to Meeting Point
Time: 7:45
Distance: 0.81 miles
Pace: 9:34/mile
Calories: 94
Maximum HR: 183
Average HR: 168

Run to 102nd Street
Time: 23:40
Distance: 2.3 miles
Pace: 10:17/mile
Calories: 323
Maximum HR: 193
Average HR: 177

Run Home
Time: 28:18
Distance: 2.8 miles
Pace: 10:06/mile
Calories: 331
Maximum HR: 181
Average HR: 164

Nothing A Hot Shower Can't Fix

This morning I set my alarm for nice and early so that I could get myself up and finally go to a group run with Terrier. I haven't been in quite a while and I was really looking forward to it. It also wasn't too bad weather-wise. When I looked at the weather, my phone said that it was in the low 50s and cloudy and would be raining later on (cue ominous music).

I walked from the apartment to the bottom of the park, like I normally do. I actually was passed by one of my teammates who was running there. But, I just really like to walk along the city streets. Too much traffic and stopping and going to worry about (although less so before 6 AM!). Once I got to the park I started running as I was running a little bit late and wanted to make sure I got there on time. I ran to the meeting spot and then a few minutes later, we all headed over to do our drills.

We did our normal drills of strides, high knees, butt kicks, skips and then Coach Spencer had us do a couple that incorporated stretching. We would walk three steps, then do a quad stretch with one leg, walk three steps, stretch the other leg. We also did another one to stretch our hamstrings (hugging your knee to your chest). Definitely a nice way to end the drills.

Our main workout today was a 5-mile tempo run. The run started out just fine. I had probably run about a mile and a half and felt one little drop fall on me. At that moment, I wondered, do birds ever pee on you? Obviously they do the other thing, but I've never heard of anyone being peed on by a bird. (Yes, I'm weird and these are the kinds of things I'm thinking about while running).

About a minute later, it became clear that it wasn't bird pee or something else random that I felt. It was the rain that was supposed to happen today. All day. Somehow I missed that news bulletin. I don't know that it was miserable or even really that bad, but there were some things I would have done differently if I knew it was going to rain: (1) worn contacts instead of glasses (2) worn my old shoes (3) worn pants instead of shorts.

The only really bad part was that I got some sort of stomach cramp around the 2-mile mark and had to walk for a minute or so. It wouldn't have been so frustrating to have to walk if it wasn't raining! At some point I gave up on wearing my glasses and just put them in my pocket. I couldn't see through them anyway and since it was so dark outside, it didn't really make much difference if they were on or off.

The rest of the time running I spent thinking about getting home and taking a really hot shower. That thought was enough to get me through the rest of the run. When I got to the bottom of the park, I did think about the fact that I should really keep going and finish the whole 5 miles, but I was cold and wet enough and I didn't know what I'd really be proving at that point, so instead I just went home. I think that's okay given the circumstances.

And, just as a side note, it's true ... the shower fixed everything and made me feel much, much better. Almost made me think that it's not too bad to run in the rain, given that you had some forewarning.

Run To Meeting Point
Time: 7:30
Distance: 0.81 miles
Pace: 9:15/mile
Calories: 92
Maximum HR: 181
Average HR: 168

Running
Time: 43:58
Distance: 4.40 miles
Pace: 9:59/mile
Calories: 612
Maximum HR: 188
Average HR: 179

Don't Worry, I'll Protect You From The Drunk Guy

Right after Westchester, our weekly Terrier bricks ended (in anticipation of the bad weather that's to come, I'm sure). They then announced that they were adding a couple of other workouts, including a group coached run on Thursday evenings. I was thinking that I would try and make it today, even though when I was walking home from work I felt so exhausted that I thought I could have gone to bed then for the night.

Instead, I got all changed and decided that I would wear my new Zoot running tights (I think this is an accurate image here). Walking to the park, I realized that there might be a slight problem with these tights. There isn't a drawstring! I mean, there isn't even supposed to be one, it's not like it just fell out. But, I definitely needed one as they were sliding down a little bit, which wasn't seeming like it would be the best thing in the world for a run. But, I figured I'd give it a shot and see what happened and hopefully my pants wouldn't fall down.

Once I got to the park, I decided to run to the meeting spot. I figured that would be a better test about the tights. It actually wasn't as noticeable once I started running. Probably because I was more focused on the fact that I was running than I was on my pants falling down. I'm not entirely sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. Because I ran most of the way there, I got there about 10 minutes before the meeting time. Our running coach, Spencer, was already there, so we chatted for a bit and waited for other people to join us.

Except, no one else came. We waited about 5 minutes past the meeting point and then Spencer said that he supposed that I got some one-on-one coaching tonight. I told him that it was really okay, that I could just go ahead and run on my own, but he said I wasn't getting off that easy. Now, I'd like to say that a few weeks ago when I was hitting my peak, I might have been super excited at the prospect of a one-on-one running session. Today, I just felt tired and like I was going to be in for a rough workout!

We started out with our normal strides workout. I realized about half-way through that this would have been the perfect opportunity to time them and see how long they take, but of course I didn't think of that right away! Doing the strides by myself was a lot harder than doing it with a group. Spencer said that I should take whatever recovery time I needed between them, but it feels weird to just stand there and not run back, so I didn't really take much recovery.

While I was doing the strides, a guy who was either drunk/high/crazy or all of the above started hanging out right near where I was running back and forth. Spencer sort-of moved between the guy and me and told me, "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the drunk guy." The guy wasn't really a nuisance, but I just feel like sometimes people are unpredictable and the last thing I wanted to do was run into him by accident.

In addition to our normal strides (8), high knees (2), butt kicks (2), karaoke (2) and lunges (2), Spencer had me do some skips (2). While we normally do skips, we generally either just skip or we clap our hands under our leg while skipping. This time he had me swirl my arms forward on the way there and backwards on the way back. I have to say, I felt completely ridiculous doing that. At least if we had been doing it in a group, it wouldn't have looked so weird. But, luckily, it was getting dark, so I don't think people thought too much of it. Or I guess they could have thought I was drunk and/or crazy!

Once we were done with the strides, I had to do a set of lunges forward, to the side, and then diagonally backwards. I was not good at these. Most of my problem was that I was taking too big of a step, which made me a little bit wobbly. We finished up with 10 squats and then it was time for the main workout.

As soon as he started explaining the workout, I knew I was in for trouble. We were going to run the lower loop of the park twice, the second time slightly faster than the first, and then we'd finish up with 6 x 200. As soon as he told me the workout, I knew that there was no way that was happening. My first thought was that I'm one of the slowest people on the team and that it would take too long for me to finish the workout.

I'll try to sum this up a little bit and say that I did not have a good run. About 1.2 miles into the first loop, I wanted to die. Or at least walk for 20 seconds and catch my breath. At the exact moment where I really thought I was going to have to say that I was going to stop for a minute, Spencer said that all I needed to do was to break down the run into little segments and that all I needed to concentrate on was running from one light post to the next and not about the whole thing. That helped immensely. I still, you know, wanted to die, but a little less than I had before. After another minute or so of running, I told him that I didn't think I'd be able to make it around the second time. I felt like such a loser. Why could I run 6 miles in the triathlon after running and biking but not 3.4 in the park on a random Thursday night?

Spencer told me not to quit and that it was my mind that was telling me that I couldn't keep going, my body would be fine. I wasn't 100% sure I believed him, but he said that we could keep running back to where we'd start the intervals and then do the intervals and be done, which meant we didn't have to run the whole lower loop twice. When we got to the point where we stopped in order to start the intervals, Spencer told me that I had done a really good job and put out a great effort. The entire time he was totally encouraging and kept telling me to relax and just calm down, but somehow I just couldn't. I was stuck on thinking that I was running too slowly for him and that I was holding him back and I just couldn't relax and settle into a rhythm.

We got back to the "S" or the starting point for the intervals and we took a minute break before starting on the 200s. I thought that the 200s were actually really great for me. I was running on the road and Spencer would run along side me on the walkway and give me tips about my form (mostly I need to use my arms more, try to run more on the top of my foot instead of my heel and, of course, pick up my heels more). After each 200, I had 2 minutes recovery where I had to jog in place. Its a lot nicer when the group is there so that you can just stand around and chat for a minute or two. Jogging in place feels a little silly.

I had just been saying the other day that in terms of triathlon, I really started to like running for its simplicity. Of course, Spencer had to go and ruin that with a whole bunch of things for me to think about. But, on the plus side, if I can really work on some of the comments that he gave me, I think I'll become a better runner. In total tonight, I ended up running just about 5 miles. It should have been more, but I really think that I did the best that I could. Sure, it would have been easier if there had been a group and I could have just taken my time, but I wouldn't have gotten the same value out of the run.

Run To Meeting Point
Distance: 0.73 Miles
Time: 6:33
Pace: 8:58/mile
Calories: 86
Maximum HR: 186
Average HR: 174

Strides
Distance: 1.20 Miles
Time: ~10:00
Pace: 8:20/mile

Run Around Lower Loop
Distance: 2.3 Miles
Time: 21:38
Pace: 9:24/Mile
Calories: 335
Maximum HR: 195
Average HR: 190

200s
Distance: 0.75 Miles
Time: 5:23
Pace: 7:10/Mile
Calories: 210
Maximum HR: 190
Average HR: 178