As you know, last week marked the first week of half marathon training. Overall, it went well, especially considering the residual soreness after last weekend's killer 10k.
Here's what happened:
Monday: Rest day. I spent a good amount of time rolling out my calves with a baseball. They were so very sore after the 10k on Sunday that a rest day was much needed. 10,019 steps.
Tuesday: Involuntary rest day. I wanted to run. I wanted to run SO BAD, but my calves were still very tight, and this turned into a stretch day. More rolling. 10,043 steps.
Wednesday: 4x400m. This was my first time doing intervals. I was supposed to do 5x400m, but I was tired, sore and over it by the time I hit number four. I'm definitely looking forward to more intervals. 12,600 steps.
Thursday: An easy three mile run. I did a light 10 minute pace, and enjoyed it. After work, I did NROL Stage 3. It was a bit jagged as I had to take a break midway through and resume later, but it was still a great workout. 14,419 steps.
Friday: Rest day. Only 8,789 steps. Normally I would jog in place to get the steps up to 10, but not today. I was beat, and just needed to sleep.
Saturday: Three miles at pace. I managed to run the three miles at 9:27 pace, which is fast for me, and it felt great. I should have stretched better afterward, but I was cooking for FI's work week and it fell through. Lesson learned. 10,032 steps.
Sunday: This should have been a five mile day. I went out mid afternoon planning on doing five miles, but I wimped out after three. My left calf was sore and my right heel was tender. I was hoping that both would pass after I warmed up and stretch, but the pain just got worse. I kept trying to stick it out, but called it after three miles. Three very slow miles at an 11:31 pace. I did end up walking the two miles back home, but it doesn't count as a run. Lesson learned: Stretching is important. 10,227 steps.
As a recovery week, I'd say it went fairly well. I certainly wish I could have had a successful long run on Sunday, but I learned a lesson, and that's always a good start. Thankfully today is a stretch and strengthen day, so I can continue to work out my calf soreness and let the heel rest today.
I have a 5k this Saturday, so this week is technically a race week in addition to being week two of half training. Should be fun.
On a side note: FI has midterms for the fire academy this week. If you could send positive vibes his way, that would be awesome. Thanks!
Monday, March 24, 2014
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
To Half or Not To Half?
I'm dealing with an interesting dilemma.
I ran the Orange County Half Marathon in 2011 and came in with a time of 2:32:16. It was a great time for me. I was coming off of two back-to-back fitness challenges where I lost about 30 pounds, and I was at a personal low weight of 128 pounds. I was not a runner.
Looking back now, I know that I went about my weight loss challenges in an extremely unhealthy way. I was eating 1,200 calories per day and exercising for at least an hour a day, six days a week. I honestly don't know how my body lasted.
Over the last three years, I have had a dramatic change in my relationship with diet and fitness. I eat cleaner. I eat A LOT more ( I average about 2,200 calories per day). And I focus on lifting heavy and maintaining a solid three mile base in my running. At 5'6", I now clock in at 150 pounds, give or take. And I'm definitely the most fit and healthy I've ever been.
That was a weird tangent.
I had a point.
The point: I'm considering running the Fontana Days Half Marathon on June 7. It's an all downhill course that's supposed to be one of the fastest in the country. It sounds kick ass. It's also only $50, which is crazy inexpensive for a half marathon 'round these parts.
However, when I started running in October, I told myself I would stick to shorter races. Mostly 5ks and sprinkle in a 10k every now and then. I want to be a runner. I don't want to push too hard, too fast and burn out.
When I ran my first half in 2011, that's exactly what I did. I wasn't eating right, training right, wearing the right shoes or clothes. I fumbled about on the treadmill and limped through long runs on Saturday. I faked it. Then the half came and went. I did well. And I didn't run again for over a year.
I'm a very different person now than I was three years ago. If I sign up, I don't think I will burn out. I am a runner now. But there's still a part of me that's afraid that I'd be pushing too hard. I want to run this race, but I still don't want to commit to it.
So my plan is to start training for it without signing up. I have modified Hal Higdon's Intermediate Training Program taking out one of the run days, because I know from experience that I can't swing five run days in a week.
As my long weekend runs progress through the weeks, I think I'll get a better feel for whether or not I want to tackle 13.1 again. If I'm not enjoying the longer distances, then I will drop the training plan altogether. I'll run the 5k that day instead, and it's still a win.
So this is the plan. I will start doing a weekly recap on Sunday's to examine what worked and what didn't, and keep tabs of how I'm feeling about the half along the way. Let's get 13.1 (maybe).
I ran the Orange County Half Marathon in 2011 and came in with a time of 2:32:16. It was a great time for me. I was coming off of two back-to-back fitness challenges where I lost about 30 pounds, and I was at a personal low weight of 128 pounds. I was not a runner.
Looking back now, I know that I went about my weight loss challenges in an extremely unhealthy way. I was eating 1,200 calories per day and exercising for at least an hour a day, six days a week. I honestly don't know how my body lasted.
Over the last three years, I have had a dramatic change in my relationship with diet and fitness. I eat cleaner. I eat A LOT more ( I average about 2,200 calories per day). And I focus on lifting heavy and maintaining a solid three mile base in my running. At 5'6", I now clock in at 150 pounds, give or take. And I'm definitely the most fit and healthy I've ever been.
That was a weird tangent.
I had a point.
The point: I'm considering running the Fontana Days Half Marathon on June 7. It's an all downhill course that's supposed to be one of the fastest in the country. It sounds kick ass. It's also only $50, which is crazy inexpensive for a half marathon 'round these parts.
However, when I started running in October, I told myself I would stick to shorter races. Mostly 5ks and sprinkle in a 10k every now and then. I want to be a runner. I don't want to push too hard, too fast and burn out.
When I ran my first half in 2011, that's exactly what I did. I wasn't eating right, training right, wearing the right shoes or clothes. I fumbled about on the treadmill and limped through long runs on Saturday. I faked it. Then the half came and went. I did well. And I didn't run again for over a year.
I'm a very different person now than I was three years ago. If I sign up, I don't think I will burn out. I am a runner now. But there's still a part of me that's afraid that I'd be pushing too hard. I want to run this race, but I still don't want to commit to it.
So my plan is to start training for it without signing up. I have modified Hal Higdon's Intermediate Training Program taking out one of the run days, because I know from experience that I can't swing five run days in a week.
As my long weekend runs progress through the weeks, I think I'll get a better feel for whether or not I want to tackle 13.1 again. If I'm not enjoying the longer distances, then I will drop the training plan altogether. I'll run the 5k that day instead, and it's still a win.
So this is the plan. I will start doing a weekly recap on Sunday's to examine what worked and what didn't, and keep tabs of how I'm feeling about the half along the way. Let's get 13.1 (maybe).
Monday, March 17, 2014
Race Recap: Sheriff's 10k Trail Run
Yesterday I completed my first ever trail race and my second 10k.
Now when I signed up for this race back in January, I knew I was in for challenge. After all, the event description is:
The Sheriff’s 10K Trail Run is a grueling off-pavement trail run along foot paths and fire roads surrounding the Sheriff’s Department Training Center. The 6.2 mile course includes challenging hills with moderate to steep inclines. COME GET SOME!!!
Now what I did not realize when signing up was that the "hills" would be so steep you could not actually run them. No joke, guys, there was one hill so steep people used hands and feet to literally crawl their way to the top. Crawl. To. The. Top.
That happened.
Now I actually trained on hills for this race. Nothing I could have trained on would have prepared me for these hills. Nothing. This was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life and, by far, the most rewarding.
The course started off nice and flat. I ran the first mile at a 9:03 minute pace. There was a little warmup hill, but nothing I hadn't prepared for.
And then we got to mile two, and my pace slowed to a solid 18:08 minute pace. Why, you might ask. Well, here's why:
That's right friends, a 500 foot elevation change according to Map My Run. Here's the official elevation mapping:
You see those ridiculous elevation changes between miles one and two. They were as ridiculous as they look. This would have been a serious hike, yet alone a run. I'm still a little astonished that I managed it. And so proud that I did.
The next three miles were significantly easier than mile two. The hills were definitely a struggle, and I was slow. But I was able to run most of it. Mile three met a 13:25 minute pace. Mile four clocked in at 14:56. And mile five came in at 13:17.
I thought coming in to this race that I would definitely be able to run downhill, but some of the hills were so extreme, I had to slow down to keep from falling. Last thing I wanted to do was fall on my ass and have to be carted off the trail.
The extreme elevation change right at the three mile mark is where there were people literally on hands and feet crawling back up the hill. This was also our out-and-back turn around point.
Once I got back up the hill at around three and half miles, I was feeling awesome. I knew I wouldn't have any more hills to walk up, so my running pace increased. I did mile six in 11 minutes, and finished with a solid 8:43 pace.
Map My Run clocked me in at 6.97 miles in at 1:28:46, and my official race time was 01:28:20.65. I finished fifth in my age group, 25 of 81 women, and 76 of 177 overall.
And for reference, the top finisher came in at 52 minutes. For a 10k. My first 10k, the top finisher was at 37 minutes. So that gives a little perspective on just how challenging this course really was.
The fact that I came so close to placing in my age group makes me want to do this race again next year. It was the best race I've ever done. I feel so accomplished and so proud.
The next race is in two weeks: the Angels 5k. Keep training, y'all.
Now when I signed up for this race back in January, I knew I was in for challenge. After all, the event description is:
The Sheriff’s 10K Trail Run is a grueling off-pavement trail run along foot paths and fire roads surrounding the Sheriff’s Department Training Center. The 6.2 mile course includes challenging hills with moderate to steep inclines. COME GET SOME!!!
Now what I did not realize when signing up was that the "hills" would be so steep you could not actually run them. No joke, guys, there was one hill so steep people used hands and feet to literally crawl their way to the top. Crawl. To. The. Top.
That happened.
 |
| This was definitely not one of the steep inclines. |
The course started off nice and flat. I ran the first mile at a 9:03 minute pace. There was a little warmup hill, but nothing I hadn't prepared for.
And then we got to mile two, and my pace slowed to a solid 18:08 minute pace. Why, you might ask. Well, here's why:
That's right friends, a 500 foot elevation change according to Map My Run. Here's the official elevation mapping:
You see those ridiculous elevation changes between miles one and two. They were as ridiculous as they look. This would have been a serious hike, yet alone a run. I'm still a little astonished that I managed it. And so proud that I did.
The next three miles were significantly easier than mile two. The hills were definitely a struggle, and I was slow. But I was able to run most of it. Mile three met a 13:25 minute pace. Mile four clocked in at 14:56. And mile five came in at 13:17.
I thought coming in to this race that I would definitely be able to run downhill, but some of the hills were so extreme, I had to slow down to keep from falling. Last thing I wanted to do was fall on my ass and have to be carted off the trail.
The extreme elevation change right at the three mile mark is where there were people literally on hands and feet crawling back up the hill. This was also our out-and-back turn around point.
Once I got back up the hill at around three and half miles, I was feeling awesome. I knew I wouldn't have any more hills to walk up, so my running pace increased. I did mile six in 11 minutes, and finished with a solid 8:43 pace.
Map My Run clocked me in at 6.97 miles in at 1:28:46, and my official race time was 01:28:20.65. I finished fifth in my age group, 25 of 81 women, and 76 of 177 overall.
And for reference, the top finisher came in at 52 minutes. For a 10k. My first 10k, the top finisher was at 37 minutes. So that gives a little perspective on just how challenging this course really was.
The fact that I came so close to placing in my age group makes me want to do this race again next year. It was the best race I've ever done. I feel so accomplished and so proud.
The next race is in two weeks: the Angels 5k. Keep training, y'all.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
The Trail Run is Nigh
Hi!
I'm terrible—I know! It's been dreadfully difficult to keep up with blogging while Brian has been at the tower. For those of you who don't know, my dear fiance is in week 5 of his 16 week fire academy. He is down in OC Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. He has been living with his aunt down by the beach to shorten the commute time. Friday he comes back home and has a rest day. Saturday is studying and food prep. Sunday he leaves around 10 a.m. for his study group.
Needless to say, it's been busy.
Luckily, I have been keeping up with my training. I am currently in Stage 3 of NROL4W. It is by far my favorite stage. I have started modifying the workouts so that, instead of taking a true rest between sets, I have been stepping in place or doing high knees. So the strength training is doubling as cardio.
I've also been loosely following Hal Higdon's training plan for intermediate 10k.
My Sherriff's 10k Trail Run is this Sunday, and while I still feel like it's going to kick my butt, I'm confident I'll be able to finish. With the wicked hills miles 1-3, I am settling on a 1:15:00 goal time. This is significantly slower than my normal pace, but I am confident that the "moderate to steep inclines" are goign to slow me down on the first half, and I'm okay with a slower time for this one.
In other news, I'm thinking about running my hometown's half marathon in June. I know, I know. I said I wouldn't run another half until next year, but it's two weeks before the wedding, and it's one of the fastest halfs in the US, and it's only $50. So, I'm sorely tempted to do it.
I've decided I'm going to start half training and if I like the longer runs on Saturday/Sunday, then I'll commit come late April. If I'm not enjoying the longer runs, I'll just sign up for the 5k and call it a day. Either way, we'll be racing in June.
Wish me luck this weekend!
I'm terrible—I know! It's been dreadfully difficult to keep up with blogging while Brian has been at the tower. For those of you who don't know, my dear fiance is in week 5 of his 16 week fire academy. He is down in OC Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. He has been living with his aunt down by the beach to shorten the commute time. Friday he comes back home and has a rest day. Saturday is studying and food prep. Sunday he leaves around 10 a.m. for his study group.
Needless to say, it's been busy.
Luckily, I have been keeping up with my training. I am currently in Stage 3 of NROL4W. It is by far my favorite stage. I have started modifying the workouts so that, instead of taking a true rest between sets, I have been stepping in place or doing high knees. So the strength training is doubling as cardio.
I've also been loosely following Hal Higdon's training plan for intermediate 10k.
My Sherriff's 10k Trail Run is this Sunday, and while I still feel like it's going to kick my butt, I'm confident I'll be able to finish. With the wicked hills miles 1-3, I am settling on a 1:15:00 goal time. This is significantly slower than my normal pace, but I am confident that the "moderate to steep inclines" are goign to slow me down on the first half, and I'm okay with a slower time for this one.
In other news, I'm thinking about running my hometown's half marathon in June. I know, I know. I said I wouldn't run another half until next year, but it's two weeks before the wedding, and it's one of the fastest halfs in the US, and it's only $50. So, I'm sorely tempted to do it.
I've decided I'm going to start half training and if I like the longer runs on Saturday/Sunday, then I'll commit come late April. If I'm not enjoying the longer runs, I'll just sign up for the 5k and call it a day. Either way, we'll be racing in June.
Wish me luck this weekend!
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