Yesterday for the bike, it was there. Today for the run, it wasn't. Could not hit z4 pace. Funny, once the z4 was done, i had 3x8min at MP programmed in the garmin and kept beeping me to slow down. Guess it was a z3 day.
I ran the Chi Town 10k today as a test. Cloudy, 20 mph NNE wind, 31*. Very cold at the start. Ran with Matt Aaronson and Claudia Langarica. We took a wrong turn on the course (poorly marked) and ended up racing only 5.1 miles per my garmin. Ran 36:08 and Claudia ran 37:09. Matt was pacing us and turned around before the finish to pace former ENer Matt Ward in a HM that was being run concurrently. Anyway, I was on 7:05 pace which was what my target to break 44 minutes for the 10k. I'm confident I could have held that pace for another mile so I was satisfied with the race. New VDOT of 46 for a 5 mile test. After the race, Claudia and I ran 2 more miles at 8:30 pace into the wind and then 2 more @ 8:00 with the wind. Finished the morning with a nice brunch for all the runners, spouses, kids at ENer Rick Aaronson's place (Matt's dad) which was only about 3/4 mile from the race finish. Thanks for the hospitality!!
I ran the Chi Town 10k today as a test. Cloudy, 20 mph NNE wind, 31*. Very cold at the start. Ran with Matt Aaronson and Claudia Langarica. We took a wrong turn on the course (poorly marked) and ended up racing only 5.1 miles per my garmin. Ran 36:08 and Claudia ran 37:09. Matt was pacing us and turned around before the finish to pace former ENer Matt Ward in a HM that was being run concurrently. Anyway, I was on 7:05 pace which was what my target to break 44 minutes for the 10k. I'm confident I could have held that pace for another mile so I was satisfied with the race. New VDOT of 46 for a 5 mile test. After the race, Claudia and I ran 2 more miles at 8:30 pace into the wind and then 2 more @ 8:00 with the wind. Finished the morning with a nice brunch for all the runners, spouses, kids at ENer Rick Aaronson's place (Matt's dad) which was only about 3/4 mile from the race finish. Thanks for the hospitality!!
- Paced Bruce and Claudia, as Bruce described. We started much too slow but I was able to work down the pace without losing Bruce off the back and he hit the target across the line...just a little short on overall distance!
- Paced Matt Ward in to the half marathon finish. I picked him up at mile ~10.5 and he was sitting right on the heels of the 1:30 pace group. So I fell in behind them wondering if he wanted to accelerate at all. The moment we hit the 11 mile marker he pulled out in front of the pacer and it was clear he was planning to pick it up. I set up for a 6:20 pace knowing he needed 30 sec/mile faster than the pacers to hit a sub-1:29 with only 2.1 miles remaining. He was keeping up but after about a third of a mile a gap opened up and it was clear he wouldn't hold 6:20. I tried for 6:30 and he'd hold it for a quarter mile but then a gap would open and I'd have to slow down to let him close the gap. I could see we weren't getting more than 6:40/mile which was too bad but he was giving it his best. He finished in 1:29:29 which was a great time and good enough for 4th place in M3539.
Overall a fun time and a nice brunch afterward at my parents' place which was less than half a mile from the finish line.
Now that the early-season running races are done...on to the rest of the training season!!
Coach Rich had me race a half marathon today as an A race in my season plan. So I used the hack taking yesterday off of the bike and doing a 30' run with strides.
I FINALLY got a PR! Haven't run faster than my very first half 3.5 years ago since training for long distance tri's. Whoo Hoo! Work Works!
Everything felt great and just came together well today...I felt so much better (and ran so much faster!) than the half I ran in Phoenix a few weeks ago in the last 5k. My glutes are a bit grumpy now, but I'm totally ok with that!
I feel like my durability is going up at this distance, and am hoping to build it even more for IMAZ. Excited!
Did a HM today with fellow ENer Trish Marshall and finished about a minute faster than VDot. Quite happy with it as I have done the minimum of running in the plan save for adding a few miles to the Sunday run. The time was only slightly faster than on the same course last year with the big difference being that I was not nearly so trashed afterwards today. Thinking about the EN mantra not to destroy downstream wko as my plan is to get back on schedule with the Tues FTP bike. Steady progress, no missed wko and no injuries is a win for me!
I LOVE reading all your updates. Great job on your PR's. Races running short and running long are a bummer but way to look at the positive and see your pace was on goal pace. Right on!!
If today was not your day- just wait- yours is coming soon. Trust me.
I ran my favorite trail run- it is a ridiculously hilly route with 2500 feet of climbing. TODAY I was ON. It was a good day for my legs and my energy. Total 11 miles in 1:42. Whatever that means. It is just steep as heck then rolling then flying down technical descents. My legs felt springy and I loved it. Those days are rare. Got to share it with 10 other runners on a glorious sunny clear morning. I love living here.
I did 1 x 2 miles at TP in the last 2 miles to the car. I consider the other totally out of breath sections as my other 2 miles at TP.
My account glitched out earlier today, but I'm back!
Very satisfying run today to finish out a satisfying week. Two 2 mile sections, run at 6:20 and 6:25. Indoors...but pretty quick! I ran during the ISU basketball game (listening on radio), and during the last 10 min of the game (half hour?) it got exciting and helped me run a little faster. :-) Quit at the 13.1 mi mark and got to see the last play of the game on the indoor TV...unfortunately, it didn't end well for ISU.
Congrats to those who ran races this past weekend. PR's seem to be coming in bunches.
I turned the Sunday 2x2 @ z4 into 1x2 / 1x 1.5 / 1x1. Hit all intervals at my z4 pace of 7:24. Added some additional miles and managed 8.5 miles in about 70 minutes. Left hip still bothers me but not stopping me from running. Just more time on the roller & stretching & w/chiro.
Comments
And brunch with you all was fun of course. So all was not lost!
Run #1: 4.86 miles in 34:37 (7:07 pace): http://connect.garmin.com/activity/288468243
- Paced Bruce and Claudia, as Bruce described. We started much too slow but I was able to work down the pace without losing Bruce off the back and he hit the target across the line...just a little short on overall distance!
Run #2: 2.39 miles in 18.35 (7:46 pace): http://connect.garmin.com/activity/288468185
- Ran backward on the half-marathon course to find Matt Ward. Kept the pace really easy on this one.
Run #3: 2.33 miles in 15.36 (6:41 pace): http://connect.garmin.com/activity/288468140
- Paced Matt Ward in to the half marathon finish. I picked him up at mile ~10.5 and he was sitting right on the heels of the 1:30 pace group. So I fell in behind them wondering if he wanted to accelerate at all. The moment we hit the 11 mile marker he pulled out in front of the pacer and it was clear he was planning to pick it up. I set up for a 6:20 pace knowing he needed 30 sec/mile faster than the pacers to hit a sub-1:29 with only 2.1 miles remaining. He was keeping up but after about a third of a mile a gap opened up and it was clear he wouldn't hold 6:20. I tried for 6:30 and he'd hold it for a quarter mile but then a gap would open and I'd have to slow down to let him close the gap. I could see we weren't getting more than 6:40/mile which was too bad but he was giving it his best. He finished in 1:29:29 which was a great time and good enough for 4th place in M3539.
Overall a fun time and a nice brunch afterward at my parents' place which was less than half a mile from the finish line.
Now that the early-season running races are done...on to the rest of the training season!!
I FINALLY got a PR! Haven't run faster than my very first half 3.5 years ago since training for long distance tri's. Whoo Hoo! Work Works!
Everything felt great and just came together well today...I felt so much better (and ran so much faster!) than the half I ran in Phoenix a few weeks ago in the last 5k. My glutes are a bit grumpy now, but I'm totally ok with that!
I feel like my durability is going up at this distance, and am hoping to build it even more for IMAZ. Excited!
If today was not your day- just wait- yours is coming soon. Trust me.
I ran my favorite trail run- it is a ridiculously hilly route with 2500 feet of climbing. TODAY I was ON. It was a good day for my legs and my energy. Total 11 miles in 1:42. Whatever that means. It is just steep as heck then rolling then flying down technical descents. My legs felt springy and I loved it. Those days are rare. Got to share it with 10 other runners on a glorious sunny clear morning. I love living here.
I did 1 x 2 miles at TP in the last 2 miles to the car. I consider the other totally out of breath sections as my other 2 miles at TP.
Very satisfying run today to finish out a satisfying week. Two 2 mile sections, run at 6:20 and 6:25. Indoors...but pretty quick! I ran during the ISU basketball game (listening on radio), and during the last 10 min of the game (half hour?) it got exciting and helped me run a little faster. :-) Quit at the 13.1 mi mark and got to see the last play of the game on the indoor TV...unfortunately, it didn't end well for ISU.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/288628907
13.1 in 1:36 for 7:20 pace overall.
I turned the Sunday 2x2 @ z4 into 1x2 / 1x 1.5 / 1x1. Hit all intervals at my z4 pace of 7:24. Added some additional miles and managed 8.5 miles in about 70 minutes.
Left hip still bothers me but not stopping me from running. Just more time on the roller & stretching & w/chiro.