Workouts:
Monday: Ballet class (75 min) + easy run 2.0 miles (12:55 pace)
Wednesday: Ballet class (75 min)
Thursday: Play short round of disc golf (45 min) + swim 1,000 yards + run 2.15 miles (12:06 pace) - easy-ish with some strides
Saturday: FT Flat half marathon - new PR!
Sunday: Easy run 2.0 miles (13:40 pace)
Total swimming: 1,000 yards
Total running: 19.25 miles
And now, it's time for marathon training! I'll do a post or two about it this week, but I'm going to do a slightly modified version of the Hansons beginner training plan.
I'm trying to occasionally fit in a bike or swim, but I still haven't decided if I'm going to actually do a tri this year. I definitely want to prioritize the marathon, so I don't know if it's worth trying to cram in enough other training for a tri.
Showing posts with label half marathon training. Show all posts
Showing posts with label half marathon training. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2015
Sunday, July 5, 2015
2015 Foot Traffic Flat Half Marathon
The FT Flat half marathon is one I've done every year since I started this distance. I've usually set a PR; the course does live up to its name, albeit partially mitigated by the typically hot weather for July 4th. This year in particular - in the middle of a heat wave with temps in the 90s, I wasn't sure how well it would go.
In addition to the heat, I haven't felt super confident in my training. My dedication to long runs wavered in the past few weeks, and I haven't been holding anywhere near the long run pace that had come easily in the spring when training for my last half. I really wanted to beat 2:30 (with PR from April sitting at 2:34:42 - a bit of a jump, but not totally unfeasible), but wasn't sure how probable that was.
The Flat takes place on Sauvie Island, NE of Portland. Some years I've carpooled and some I've taken the race-provided shuttle but had someone pick me up after. Traffic can get iffy - it is an island, so the one bridge is the only way to get there - but especially after this long of a race I like to have a car there to have anything I want readily accessible immediately after. So I drove pretty early, expecting to be parked over an hour before race time; after crossing the bridge I was part of a line of traffic sent the long way around the island, adding at least 10 or 15 minutes (supposedly because traffic was too slowed down the main direction), but I was still able to park fairly close, use a porta potty, put on sunscreen, etc., with plenty of time to spare.
The temperature was reasonably cool at the start, all things considered - my garmin says 63. I'd guess it was approaching 80 by the time I finished, but fortunately the second half of the course has some nice pockets of shade.
I didn't set a pacing goal per se, but figured sticking as close to goal pace (11:26) as possible for the first 10, dropping slightly after 5 if possible, and then going as fast as possible (maybe close to 11:00) for the last 5k.
Things started out pretty well. On the slower side of goal pace, but basically there. I carried a water bottle, to save time versus actually grabbing a cup at the aid stations, though I did take a few brief walking breaks to drink from my bottle.
Miles 1 - 5: 11:28, 11:27, 11:34, 11:24, 11:22
At mile 6, I figured I'd see how speeding up by 5 - 10 seconds felt, and it was a little challenging, especially as it was starting to get warmer, so I mostly just stuck with trying to maintain the 11:30-ish that I had been earlier. I ate a shot blok around miles 6, 8, and I think 10. Around mile 8 or 9 I was starting to empty my water bottle, so I paused to get it refilled at an aid station.
Miles 6 - 10: 11:20, 11:33, 11:23, 11:33, 12:10
Yeah, mile 10 wasn't pretty. I think that probably included the water stop, but also lots of walking breaks. I had some shorter walking around 8 - 9, but had enough energy to pick it up enough in between to compensate. Now, that was getting harder.
Ideally I wanted to push it close to 11:00 for the last few miles, knowing that I had just barely enough time to hit my goal if I did so. Spent a lot of time doing race math in my head, telling myself I couldn't walk or it'd totally fall apart. I walked anyway, tried to make up for it, sort of did, and then kept walking more and more often. Within the last couple miles I knew I wasn't going to make 2:30, but it was clear that I'd have to basically crawl the rest to not PR, so that kept me from slowing down too much.
Miles 11 - 13.1: 11:00, 11:32, 11:51, 9:31 (2:31 time for 0.21)
Nothing was really hurting (besides pounding on my feet), which was a pleasant change from the usual race, but the heat and overall fatigue was getting to me by the end. Still good for a new PR of 2:31:39!!
I'm honestly not sure if I was/should have been capable of more or not. A couple miles paces that got higher than I liked, but overall I felt fairly strong. Definitely a drastic improvement from previous years!
This might be my last pre-kids half; if so, I think I'm content with that. I want to continue trying this summer for a sub-30 5k, but I don't think shaving another 2 minutes off my half to meet the sub-2:30 goal is worth another 2.5 hours of racing. This time is still good enough to give me in confidence in a 5:15 - 5:30 marathon goal, and that's going to be the priority for the rest of the season.
In addition to the heat, I haven't felt super confident in my training. My dedication to long runs wavered in the past few weeks, and I haven't been holding anywhere near the long run pace that had come easily in the spring when training for my last half. I really wanted to beat 2:30 (with PR from April sitting at 2:34:42 - a bit of a jump, but not totally unfeasible), but wasn't sure how probable that was.
The Flat takes place on Sauvie Island, NE of Portland. Some years I've carpooled and some I've taken the race-provided shuttle but had someone pick me up after. Traffic can get iffy - it is an island, so the one bridge is the only way to get there - but especially after this long of a race I like to have a car there to have anything I want readily accessible immediately after. So I drove pretty early, expecting to be parked over an hour before race time; after crossing the bridge I was part of a line of traffic sent the long way around the island, adding at least 10 or 15 minutes (supposedly because traffic was too slowed down the main direction), but I was still able to park fairly close, use a porta potty, put on sunscreen, etc., with plenty of time to spare.
The temperature was reasonably cool at the start, all things considered - my garmin says 63. I'd guess it was approaching 80 by the time I finished, but fortunately the second half of the course has some nice pockets of shade.
I didn't set a pacing goal per se, but figured sticking as close to goal pace (11:26) as possible for the first 10, dropping slightly after 5 if possible, and then going as fast as possible (maybe close to 11:00) for the last 5k.
Things started out pretty well. On the slower side of goal pace, but basically there. I carried a water bottle, to save time versus actually grabbing a cup at the aid stations, though I did take a few brief walking breaks to drink from my bottle.
Miles 1 - 5: 11:28, 11:27, 11:34, 11:24, 11:22
At mile 6, I figured I'd see how speeding up by 5 - 10 seconds felt, and it was a little challenging, especially as it was starting to get warmer, so I mostly just stuck with trying to maintain the 11:30-ish that I had been earlier. I ate a shot blok around miles 6, 8, and I think 10. Around mile 8 or 9 I was starting to empty my water bottle, so I paused to get it refilled at an aid station.
Miles 6 - 10: 11:20, 11:33, 11:23, 11:33, 12:10
Yeah, mile 10 wasn't pretty. I think that probably included the water stop, but also lots of walking breaks. I had some shorter walking around 8 - 9, but had enough energy to pick it up enough in between to compensate. Now, that was getting harder.
Ideally I wanted to push it close to 11:00 for the last few miles, knowing that I had just barely enough time to hit my goal if I did so. Spent a lot of time doing race math in my head, telling myself I couldn't walk or it'd totally fall apart. I walked anyway, tried to make up for it, sort of did, and then kept walking more and more often. Within the last couple miles I knew I wasn't going to make 2:30, but it was clear that I'd have to basically crawl the rest to not PR, so that kept me from slowing down too much.
Miles 11 - 13.1: 11:00, 11:32, 11:51, 9:31 (2:31 time for 0.21)
Nothing was really hurting (besides pounding on my feet), which was a pleasant change from the usual race, but the heat and overall fatigue was getting to me by the end. Still good for a new PR of 2:31:39!!
I'm honestly not sure if I was/should have been capable of more or not. A couple miles paces that got higher than I liked, but overall I felt fairly strong. Definitely a drastic improvement from previous years!
This might be my last pre-kids half; if so, I think I'm content with that. I want to continue trying this summer for a sub-30 5k, but I don't think shaving another 2 minutes off my half to meet the sub-2:30 goal is worth another 2.5 hours of racing. This time is still good enough to give me in confidence in a 5:15 - 5:30 marathon goal, and that's going to be the priority for the rest of the season.
Monday, June 29, 2015
FT Flat Half Training Week 7
Workouts:
Monday: Ballet class (75 min) + easy-ish run 3.0 miles (12:50 pace)
Wednesday: Ballet class (75 min) + run 2.35 miles (12:06 pace)
I started the run just to get a couple easy miles, but after hitting a faster than I expected easy-ish (while downhill) pace which happens to be about marathon goal pace (12:32), I decided to see how far I could negative split on the second mile headed home - i.e., uphill. Actually got under my half marathon goal pace! (11:23). Plus a little cooldown to finish the loop.
Friday: Treadmill run 2.5 miles (13:05 pace) + ballet workout (30 min)
Saturday: Twilight 5k in 32:17 (10:25 pace)
Sunday: Play short round of disc golf (45 min) + long-ish run 7.0 miles (12:51 avg pace), with last mile at HMGP (goal = <11:30, actual = 11:13)
Total running: 17.95 miles
Have had a few moments (Wednesday's run, Saturday's race), that have instilled a little confidence, but I'm still not sure how I'll do at the race - less than a week away now! I've done ok overall for total weekly mileage, but not as many double digit long runs as I planned to. I can blame the heat for some of my slower paces during the long runs - but it'll be just as hot for the race itself!
Monday: Ballet class (75 min) + easy-ish run 3.0 miles (12:50 pace)
Wednesday: Ballet class (75 min) + run 2.35 miles (12:06 pace)
I started the run just to get a couple easy miles, but after hitting a faster than I expected easy-ish (while downhill) pace which happens to be about marathon goal pace (12:32), I decided to see how far I could negative split on the second mile headed home - i.e., uphill. Actually got under my half marathon goal pace! (11:23). Plus a little cooldown to finish the loop.
Friday: Treadmill run 2.5 miles (13:05 pace) + ballet workout (30 min)
Saturday: Twilight 5k in 32:17 (10:25 pace)
Sunday: Play short round of disc golf (45 min) + long-ish run 7.0 miles (12:51 avg pace), with last mile at HMGP (goal = <11:30, actual = 11:13)
Total running: 17.95 miles
Have had a few moments (Wednesday's run, Saturday's race), that have instilled a little confidence, but I'm still not sure how I'll do at the race - less than a week away now! I've done ok overall for total weekly mileage, but not as many double digit long runs as I planned to. I can blame the heat for some of my slower paces during the long runs - but it'll be just as hot for the race itself!
Sunday, June 21, 2015
FT Flat Half Training Week 6
Workouts:
Monday: Walk a round of disc golf (90 min) + hike (1 hr)
Tuesday: Walk a round of disc golf (1:45)
Wednesday: Hike Pilot Butte (22 min up, 20? min down) + play short round (9 hole course) of disc golf (1 hr)
Thursday: Play short round (9 hold course) of disc golf (50 min) + easy-ish run 6.05 miles (13:05 pace)
Friday: Interval run 5.0 miles (12:01 avg pace)
Goal: 0.5 - 1 warm-up, 3 x 1 @ <10:35 with 0.5 recovery, 0.5 - 1 cool-down
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 13:31
3 x 1.0 intervals: 10:21, 10:18, 11:07
2 x 0.5 recovery: 14:56, 14:40
Cool-down 0.5: 13:27
Saturday: Easy run 2.7 miles (12:53 pace)
Sunday: Long run 5.1 miles (13:30 pace) + 2.9 miles (13:59 pace) - better than nothing, but definitely not what I should be doing two weeks before a half! I think I'll aim for an early long run next weekend (Friday), to get another solid double digits in, instead of my usual two weeks taper.
Total running: 21.75
Not bad mileage for only 4 consecutive days of actual workouts!
Total hiking on trails/disc golf courses: 7 hours
Monday: Walk a round of disc golf (90 min) + hike (1 hr)
Tuesday: Walk a round of disc golf (1:45)
Wednesday: Hike Pilot Butte (22 min up, 20? min down) + play short round (9 hole course) of disc golf (1 hr)
Thursday: Play short round (9 hold course) of disc golf (50 min) + easy-ish run 6.05 miles (13:05 pace)
Friday: Interval run 5.0 miles (12:01 avg pace)
Goal: 0.5 - 1 warm-up, 3 x 1 @ <10:35 with 0.5 recovery, 0.5 - 1 cool-down
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 13:31
3 x 1.0 intervals: 10:21, 10:18, 11:07
2 x 0.5 recovery: 14:56, 14:40
Cool-down 0.5: 13:27
Saturday: Easy run 2.7 miles (12:53 pace)
Sunday: Long run 5.1 miles (13:30 pace) + 2.9 miles (13:59 pace) - better than nothing, but definitely not what I should be doing two weeks before a half! I think I'll aim for an early long run next weekend (Friday), to get another solid double digits in, instead of my usual two weeks taper.
Total running: 21.75
Not bad mileage for only 4 consecutive days of actual workouts!
Total hiking on trails/disc golf courses: 7 hours
Sunday, June 14, 2015
FT Flat Half Training Week 5
Workouts:
Monday: Run 1 mile (13:17 pace)
Tuesday: Easy run 3.0 miles (12:53 pace) + bike trainer 6.5 miles (13.3 mph, 61 rpm)
Wednesday: HIIT run 3.0 miles (11:59 pace)
Goal: Warm-up 0.5, 4 x 0.25 @ 8:30 with 0.25 recovery, cool-down 0.5
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 13:53
4 x 0.25 intervals: 8:19, 7:56, 8:50, 8:58
4 x 0.25 recovery: 13:19, 14:08, 13:28, 14:56
Cool-down 0.5: 13:05
Thursday: Tempo run 6.05 miles (12:00 overall pace, 11:13 tempo pace)
Goal: Warm-up 1, 4 @ < 11:30, cool-down 1
Actual:
Warm-up 1: 13:08
4 tempo: 11:19, 11:10, 11:22, 11:00
Cool-down 1.05: 13:58
Friday: Tennis (25 min) + walk 1.5 miles (to/from tennis courts) + run 1 mile (12:20 pace)
Saturday: Run 1.2 miles (12:43 pace)
Sunday: Long run 10.75 miles (13:03 pace)
Total biking: 6.5 miles
Total running: 27.0 miles
Overall decent week, especially the tempo run!
The roving pain in my feet, however, has moved on from either ankle to the top side of my left foot. I'm getting nervous because this feels like a different kind of pain than what has clearly been soft tissue/tendon kind of issues that I've felt previously (albeit never formally diagnosed). Though my hypochondriac mind immediately leapt to a stress fracture (and then from there just a quick hop over into denial - the mixture of hypochondriac plus fear of it actually being true creates some odd anxiety, let me tell you), I don't think it's at all possible without hurting much more than this.
It actually doesn't hurt while running, just from random other impacts (I think usually while turning? so it hits the side of the foot weird). The pain is caused by impact, but not all impact causes pain. It'll trigger it, get a sharp pain for a moment, then it'll be more of a mild throbbing for an hour or two, and then dissipate for the most part.
Monday: Run 1 mile (13:17 pace)
Tuesday: Easy run 3.0 miles (12:53 pace) + bike trainer 6.5 miles (13.3 mph, 61 rpm)
Wednesday: HIIT run 3.0 miles (11:59 pace)
Goal: Warm-up 0.5, 4 x 0.25 @ 8:30 with 0.25 recovery, cool-down 0.5
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 13:53
4 x 0.25 intervals: 8:19, 7:56, 8:50, 8:58
4 x 0.25 recovery: 13:19, 14:08, 13:28, 14:56
Cool-down 0.5: 13:05
Thursday: Tempo run 6.05 miles (12:00 overall pace, 11:13 tempo pace)
Goal: Warm-up 1, 4 @ < 11:30, cool-down 1
Actual:
Warm-up 1: 13:08
4 tempo: 11:19, 11:10, 11:22, 11:00
Cool-down 1.05: 13:58
Friday: Tennis (25 min) + walk 1.5 miles (to/from tennis courts) + run 1 mile (12:20 pace)
Saturday: Run 1.2 miles (12:43 pace)
Sunday: Long run 10.75 miles (13:03 pace)
Total biking: 6.5 miles
Total running: 27.0 miles
Overall decent week, especially the tempo run!
The roving pain in my feet, however, has moved on from either ankle to the top side of my left foot. I'm getting nervous because this feels like a different kind of pain than what has clearly been soft tissue/tendon kind of issues that I've felt previously (albeit never formally diagnosed). Though my hypochondriac mind immediately leapt to a stress fracture (and then from there just a quick hop over into denial - the mixture of hypochondriac plus fear of it actually being true creates some odd anxiety, let me tell you), I don't think it's at all possible without hurting much more than this.
It actually doesn't hurt while running, just from random other impacts (I think usually while turning? so it hits the side of the foot weird). The pain is caused by impact, but not all impact causes pain. It'll trigger it, get a sharp pain for a moment, then it'll be more of a mild throbbing for an hour or two, and then dissipate for the most part.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
FT Flat Half Training Week 4 & NROLFW Phase 2 Week 3b
Workouts:
Monday: Run 1.25 miles (12:48 pace)
Tuesday: Easy run 4.2 miles (13:02 pace) - Felt much easier than other easy runs lately. (The drop in temps to 60 was probably a factor there!)
Wednesday: Run 5.0 miles (12:26 pace) - easy with a HIIT segment
Goal: 2.5 - 3 miles easy, 4 x 2:00 @ < 8:30 with 2:00 recoveries, 1 mile easy
Actual:
1 - 3: 13:02 pace
4 x 2:00 intervals: 8:32, 8:43, 9:18, 8:41
4 x 2:00 recovery: 14:59, 15:59, 16:18, 15:11
0.6 easy: 12:07 pace
Thursday: Run 1.3 miles (12:29 pace)
Friday: Run 1.2 miles (12:42 pace)
Saturday: Long run 9.0 miles (13:13 pace) - In the same neighborhood as long runs lately for overall pace, but it felt easier overall, especially the first half or so. Despite the heat - 84 degree when I started! But the bonus of running in the evening (cause mornings are ridiculous hard!) is that it gets cooler instead of warmer as you go. :)
Sunday: Tempo-ish run 3.15 miles (12:17 pace) + NROLFW phase 2 workout B
Started my run maybe just going to do the minimum 1 mile for the running streak, but felt good a few minutes in so I decided a 5k at MGP (12:30) on tired legs would be fun.
Total running: 25.1 miles
Cut back week per the half marathon training plan, so pretty good as far as that goes. But then I signed up for the Portland marathon, which I should basically be starting training for right now, so I've cut to pick it up a bit on the half training for it to flow into actual marathon training after the race.
Monday: Run 1.25 miles (12:48 pace)
Tuesday: Easy run 4.2 miles (13:02 pace) - Felt much easier than other easy runs lately. (The drop in temps to 60 was probably a factor there!)
Wednesday: Run 5.0 miles (12:26 pace) - easy with a HIIT segment
Goal: 2.5 - 3 miles easy, 4 x 2:00 @ < 8:30 with 2:00 recoveries, 1 mile easy
Actual:
1 - 3: 13:02 pace
4 x 2:00 intervals: 8:32, 8:43, 9:18, 8:41
4 x 2:00 recovery: 14:59, 15:59, 16:18, 15:11
0.6 easy: 12:07 pace
Thursday: Run 1.3 miles (12:29 pace)
Friday: Run 1.2 miles (12:42 pace)
Saturday: Long run 9.0 miles (13:13 pace) - In the same neighborhood as long runs lately for overall pace, but it felt easier overall, especially the first half or so. Despite the heat - 84 degree when I started! But the bonus of running in the evening (cause mornings are ridiculous hard!) is that it gets cooler instead of warmer as you go. :)
Sunday: Tempo-ish run 3.15 miles (12:17 pace) + NROLFW phase 2 workout B
Started my run maybe just going to do the minimum 1 mile for the running streak, but felt good a few minutes in so I decided a 5k at MGP (12:30) on tired legs would be fun.
Total running: 25.1 miles
Cut back week per the half marathon training plan, so pretty good as far as that goes. But then I signed up for the Portland marathon, which I should basically be starting training for right now, so I've cut to pick it up a bit on the half training for it to flow into actual marathon training after the race.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
FT Flat Half Training Week 3 & NROLFW Phase 2 Week 3a
Workouts:
Monday: Play a round of disc golf + run 7.0 miles (13:13 pace)
Tuesday: Bike trainer 2.55 miles (15.2 mph, 58 rpm) + NROLFW phase 2 workout A + run 1 mile (13:02 pace)
Wednesday: Run 1.25 miles (12:30 pace) + Hips, Hearts, Hamstrings Yoga (50 min)
Thursday: Tempo run 5.85 miles (12:11 avg pace, 11:34 tempo pace)
Goal: Warm-up 1, 4 <11:30, cool-down 1
Actual:
Warm-up 0.9: 12:27
4 tempo: 11:49, 11:25, 11:35, 11:27
Cool-down 0.95: 14:33
Friday: Run 1.1 miles (13:04 pace) + bike trainer 7.7 miles (13.2 mph, 60 rpm)
Saturday: Run 5.55 miles (13:57 pace) + walk 4.5 miles (to run errands)
A long run attempt that just would. not. click. Every slight incline felt ridiculously hard and couldn't be overcome. To partially make up for it, walked to the store in the afternoon - figured some additional time on my feet with lower impact wouldn't hurt.
Sunday am: Long run 11.1 miles (13:18 pace) + Yoga for Runners (35 min)
1 mile to the rec center, 9.1 miles on the treadmill, and 1 mile home. Change in scenery made a more reasonable pace feel a lot easier than it had been, despite being on the dreadmill.
Total biking: 10.25
Total running: 32.85 miles
Monday: Play a round of disc golf + run 7.0 miles (13:13 pace)
Tuesday: Bike trainer 2.55 miles (15.2 mph, 58 rpm) + NROLFW phase 2 workout A + run 1 mile (13:02 pace)
Wednesday: Run 1.25 miles (12:30 pace) + Hips, Hearts, Hamstrings Yoga (50 min)
Thursday: Tempo run 5.85 miles (12:11 avg pace, 11:34 tempo pace)
Goal: Warm-up 1, 4 <11:30, cool-down 1
Actual:
Warm-up 0.9: 12:27
4 tempo: 11:49, 11:25, 11:35, 11:27
Cool-down 0.95: 14:33
Friday: Run 1.1 miles (13:04 pace) + bike trainer 7.7 miles (13.2 mph, 60 rpm)
Saturday: Run 5.55 miles (13:57 pace) + walk 4.5 miles (to run errands)
A long run attempt that just would. not. click. Every slight incline felt ridiculously hard and couldn't be overcome. To partially make up for it, walked to the store in the afternoon - figured some additional time on my feet with lower impact wouldn't hurt.
Sunday am: Long run 11.1 miles (13:18 pace) + Yoga for Runners (35 min)
1 mile to the rec center, 9.1 miles on the treadmill, and 1 mile home. Change in scenery made a more reasonable pace feel a lot easier than it had been, despite being on the dreadmill.
Total biking: 10.25
Total running: 32.85 miles
Monday, May 25, 2015
FT Flat Half Training Week 2
Workouts:
Goal: Warm-up 1, 3 x 1 mile @ <10:45 with 0.5 recovery, cool-down 1
Actual:
Warm-up 1: 13:03
3 x 1 mile: 10:54, 10:32, 10:49
2 x 0.5 recovery: 13:42, 15:34
Cool-down 1: 12:40
Granted, I deliberately chose a not-flat route, but that felt hard.
Monday: Easy run 3.0 miles (13:07 pace) + bike trainer 2.7 miles (16.1 mph, 73 rpm) + Yoga for Runners (25 min)
Tuesday: Swim 1,000 yards + NROLFW HIIT/speedwork run 2.1 miles (11:46 avg pace)
Goal: Warm-up 0.5, 4 x 90 sec @ <8:30 with 90 sec recoveries, cool-down 0.5
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 13:18
4 x 90 sec intervals: 8:10, 8:22, 7:48 (!), 8:42
4 x 90 sec recovery: 15:31, 17:42, 14:47, 16:10
Cool-down 0.5: 12:10
I was fully walking the first 30 seconds or so of each recovery, but mostly hit the right paces (the last one had some hill), and I got under 8:00 for one!!
Goal: Warm-up 0.5, 4 x 90 sec @ <8:30 with 90 sec recoveries, cool-down 0.5
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 13:18
4 x 90 sec intervals: 8:10, 8:22, 7:48 (!), 8:42
4 x 90 sec recovery: 15:31, 17:42, 14:47, 16:10
Cool-down 0.5: 12:10
I was fully walking the first 30 seconds or so of each recovery, but mostly hit the right paces (the last one had some hill), and I got under 8:00 for one!!
Wednesday: Speedwork run 6.0 miles (12:06 avg pace)
Goal: Warm-up 1, 3 x 1 mile @ <10:45 with 0.5 recovery, cool-down 1
Actual:
Warm-up 1: 13:03
3 x 1 mile: 10:54, 10:32, 10:49
2 x 0.5 recovery: 13:42, 15:34
Cool-down 1: 12:40
Granted, I deliberately chose a not-flat route, but that felt hard.
Thursday: Rest day
Friday: Easy run 3.0 miles (13:18 pace) + Hip Opening Yoga (25 min)
Saturday: Long run 9.0 miles (13:11 pace) - That was supposed to be a minimum of 10, ideally 11 - 12, but couldn't talk myself into finishing it. Both the speed and distances that I'd like to be relatively comfortable, both for another half PR and potentially piggybacking off this training cycle to do a full in the cycle, are feeling incredibly challenging.
Sunday: Run 2.15 miles (12:30 pace) - To pretend I can make up the shortage from the previous day.
Total swimming: 1,000 yards
Total biking: 2.7 miles
Total running: 25.25 miles
With an off mood and anxiety flaring up this week, didn't feel up putting energy into the NROLFW workouts (will pick back up this week), but did some yoga instead.
With an off mood and anxiety flaring up this week, didn't feel up putting energy into the NROLFW workouts (will pick back up this week), but did some yoga instead.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
FT Flat Half Training Week 1 & NROLFW Phase 2 Week 2
Workouts:
Monday pm: NROLFW HIIT/speedwork run 2.25 miles (12:06 avg pace)
Goal: Warm-up 0.5, 4 x 90 sec @<8:30 with 2:00 recoveries, cool-down 0.5
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 13:19
4 x 90 sec intervals: 8:16, 8:34, 8:41, 8:27
4 x 2 min recovery: 12:54, 15:35, 14:56, 14:51
Cool-down 0.5: 13:03
Not quite all on target, and overall feels a little worse than last week's paces, but not terrible, especially considering it was raining.
Tuesday am: NROLFW phase 2 workout A - Hey, I actually got up in time to do this before work! Go me!
Tuesday pm: Swim 1,300 yards + easy run 2.2 miles (13:05)
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday pm: Tempo run 5.1 miles (12:00 avg pace, 11:34 tempo pace) - Definitely tougher than I'd like that pace to feel, but it is only the beginning of the training cycle.
Goal: Warm-up 0.5, 4 @ <11:35, cool-down 0.5
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 12:57
4 tempo: 11:29, 11:37, 11:37, 11:31
Cool-down 0.6: 14:13
Friday: Bike trainer 4.5 miles (13.8 mph) + NROLFW phase 2 workout B
Goal: Maintain 90 rpm, going up a gear every 1.5 miles
Actual:
1.5: 12.3 mph, 86 rpm
3.0: 14.0 mph, 86 rpm
4.5: 15.6 mph, 83 rpm
Saturday: Run 4.0 miles (13:12 pace) - This was supposed to be my long run, and I could just not get in a groove, and totally gave up. Combo of bad decisions (strength training the day before) and bad timing (PMSing, plus a rainy day compared to Sunday's nice weather) just made it not work.
Sunday: Long run 10.05 mile (13:18) - Due to a busy schedule of attending Abe's musical performances, I didn't get to start this until 6 pm, but it was lovely weather. Definitely not easy (what happened to all my 12:4x long runs last cycle?!), but at least I got in the miles and some more Gilmore Guys podcasts.
Total swimming: 1,300 yards
Total biking: 4.5 miles
Total running: 23.6 miles
Monday pm: NROLFW HIIT/speedwork run 2.25 miles (12:06 avg pace)
Goal: Warm-up 0.5, 4 x 90 sec @<8:30 with 2:00 recoveries, cool-down 0.5
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 13:19
4 x 90 sec intervals: 8:16, 8:34, 8:41, 8:27
4 x 2 min recovery: 12:54, 15:35, 14:56, 14:51
Cool-down 0.5: 13:03
Not quite all on target, and overall feels a little worse than last week's paces, but not terrible, especially considering it was raining.
Tuesday am: NROLFW phase 2 workout A - Hey, I actually got up in time to do this before work! Go me!
Tuesday pm: Swim 1,300 yards + easy run 2.2 miles (13:05)
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday pm: Tempo run 5.1 miles (12:00 avg pace, 11:34 tempo pace) - Definitely tougher than I'd like that pace to feel, but it is only the beginning of the training cycle.
Goal: Warm-up 0.5, 4 @ <11:35, cool-down 0.5
Actual:
Warm-up 0.5: 12:57
4 tempo: 11:29, 11:37, 11:37, 11:31
Cool-down 0.6: 14:13
Friday: Bike trainer 4.5 miles (13.8 mph) + NROLFW phase 2 workout B
Goal: Maintain 90 rpm, going up a gear every 1.5 miles
Actual:
1.5: 12.3 mph, 86 rpm
3.0: 14.0 mph, 86 rpm
4.5: 15.6 mph, 83 rpm
Saturday: Run 4.0 miles (13:12 pace) - This was supposed to be my long run, and I could just not get in a groove, and totally gave up. Combo of bad decisions (strength training the day before) and bad timing (PMSing, plus a rainy day compared to Sunday's nice weather) just made it not work.
Sunday: Long run 10.05 mile (13:18) - Due to a busy schedule of attending Abe's musical performances, I didn't get to start this until 6 pm, but it was lovely weather. Definitely not easy (what happened to all my 12:4x long runs last cycle?!), but at least I got in the miles and some more Gilmore Guys podcasts.
Total swimming: 1,300 yards
Total biking: 4.5 miles
Total running: 23.6 miles
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Hop Hop Half Marathon Race Recap
I always have grand plans for running during tax season. I sign up for Bloomsday and Hippie Chick half for May races, thinking that obviously that means I'll get a lot of running in so I'm well trained. And then I average about 10 miles per week from January through April 15, and do not do well at those May races at all (or conveniently have actual scheduling conflicts so I don't have to prove how undertrained I am).
This year, I decided to up the ante a bit, and register for a race taking place during tax season. It worked! I've actually averaged over 18 miles per week since January, peaking at 29 miles in a week before tapering for the race. This is not only more running than I've ever done during tax season before, it's actually a lot more running - weekly and long runs - than I typically do for a half marathon at all. So I was crossing my fingers that my pretty ambitious goals might just pan out. I really want to get under 2:30 this summer; I wasn't sure if my specific plan for this race would quite get me there, but I knew it shouldn't be too far off.
The Hop Hop race also included a 5k, which oddly started before the half did. Which was great, in that the half marathon start time was later than I thought it was, so I got to sleep in a little - but I was also heading to work after so this is a case I wouldn't have minded starting as early as possible. I arrived about a half hour before the 5k; over an hour before the half started. Parking was well-organized, but I think if I'd arrived too much later I would have been parking at a lot a block down the street, rather than the main lot closer to the start line. I had Abe pick up my packet at one of the options earlier in the week, but there didn't appear to much of a line to pick up morning of.
First I found the porta potties, which were plentiful with no real line. I then looked for Karey, and hung out and chatted with her and some of her friends (some already known, and she always makes new friends everywhere - I met her by chatting at a race a few years ago!). We headed to the start line maybe 10 minutes or so ahead of time.
My plan was to go out really conservatively, around/just under 12:00, for the first 5 miles; step it up to actual goal pace, 11:30, for the next 5 miles; and then whatever I could do for the last 5k. I definitely wanted to avoid going out to fast and then crash and burn, but even sticking with the initial 12:00 pace would give a big PR.
The route started with a mile south on 33rd, then back past the start line, heading towards the river and turning east on a path. That was a little odd, but it was also kind of cool to see the eventual winners run by an extra time. It's all relatively flat, and really pretty, especially on the way out with some fog left from the early morning. After a couple miles, I realized I was leap frogging with one of Karey's new friends who was doing run/walk intervals (I can't remember her name, so henceforth referred to as "Gold Spark Skirt" or GSS). I was feeling pretty strong with my pace right where I wanted it, so I decided to try to pick it up as planned for the next 5 miles.
Miles 1 - 5: 11:51, 12:00, 11:52, 11:56, 11:50
Literally just after the mile 5 marker, GSS caught up to me and said "looks like we're going to be good friends by the end of this"! Which then made me feel bad that I was literally about to (try to) peal away at a pace 30 seconds per mile than we'd be averaging.
But I surged ahead, and kept up a good pace for a few miles, but was definitely starting to feel a bit tired. Somewhere in here I passed someone who was heading back on the out-and-back who was knitting while running. The skein of yarn appeared to be in a camelbak she was wearing, and the scarf she was creating hung down in front of her. Another woman was passing me and happened to basically right next to me as the knitter went by, and we both looked at each other, "did we really just see that?".
There was kind of a y-shaped out and back around mile 7 - out to a turnaround point, back in about a quarter mile, than back out, then in to head back towards the start/finish line. As we approached mile 10, I was starting to slow down a bit. Around here, GSS caught up and passed me, and we started leap-frogging again - though slower than I wanted I maintained a steady running pass, and she continued run/walk intervals.
Miles 6 - 10: 11:29, 11:30, 11:26, 11:42, 12:08
By around mile 11 I was starting to feel really tried, my feet were aching from the pounding, and I had a weird pain in my left hip flexor. Walking didn't make things hurt less, though, so I continued running with only a few very brief walking breaks to take fuel and drink. Compared to previous half marathons, this kind of pain/aching/fatigue hit much latter - I'm used to this kicking in closer to 8 or 9, making for quite a bit of time left to be miserable; in this case it was less than 3 miles left, so that made it easier to power through it.
With a mile or mile and a half to go, I realized that 2:30 was definitely not actually within reach that day, but my calculations seemed like 2:35 probably was. I was also thinking about my PR, which I knew was 2:48:something, but I wasn't sure what how many seconds over 2:48 it was. I kicked it up at the end, though GSS nonetheless finished just before me.
Miles 11 - 13.1: 11:43, 11:28, 12:07, 9:40
Official time: 2:34:42 (11:48 pace), which happens to be exactly 14 minutes faster than my previous PR! (I'm only slightly disappointed that I didn't PR by 13:06.) I'm definitely going to gun for sub-2:30 at the Foot Traffic Flat in July. I'm going to pass on doing another half before then; though obviously doable this was absolutely a hard pace to maintain, so I don't think I have it in me to improve by more than a minute or so total without another couple months of work.
Over all I really like the course - very flat overall, and minimal impact from traffic. There was a point (twice) where you had to cross Marine Drive, a fairly busy street, but they had police officers stopping traffic, and they did a great job timing when they let people through in between clumps of runners. After the race, you get a free goblet and mimosa; there was also lots of food but I didn't really check it out, as I just wanted to get home and showered so I could head to work, and thus leave work sooner.
Definitely a race I'd recommend for any non-tax-preparers; I'm glad I did it at least and it was great motivation to keep running through the busy months this year, but I'm not sure I want the pressure of a race through the pressure of tax season again.
This year, I decided to up the ante a bit, and register for a race taking place during tax season. It worked! I've actually averaged over 18 miles per week since January, peaking at 29 miles in a week before tapering for the race. This is not only more running than I've ever done during tax season before, it's actually a lot more running - weekly and long runs - than I typically do for a half marathon at all. So I was crossing my fingers that my pretty ambitious goals might just pan out. I really want to get under 2:30 this summer; I wasn't sure if my specific plan for this race would quite get me there, but I knew it shouldn't be too far off.
The Hop Hop race also included a 5k, which oddly started before the half did. Which was great, in that the half marathon start time was later than I thought it was, so I got to sleep in a little - but I was also heading to work after so this is a case I wouldn't have minded starting as early as possible. I arrived about a half hour before the 5k; over an hour before the half started. Parking was well-organized, but I think if I'd arrived too much later I would have been parking at a lot a block down the street, rather than the main lot closer to the start line. I had Abe pick up my packet at one of the options earlier in the week, but there didn't appear to much of a line to pick up morning of.
First I found the porta potties, which were plentiful with no real line. I then looked for Karey, and hung out and chatted with her and some of her friends (some already known, and she always makes new friends everywhere - I met her by chatting at a race a few years ago!). We headed to the start line maybe 10 minutes or so ahead of time.
My plan was to go out really conservatively, around/just under 12:00, for the first 5 miles; step it up to actual goal pace, 11:30, for the next 5 miles; and then whatever I could do for the last 5k. I definitely wanted to avoid going out to fast and then crash and burn, but even sticking with the initial 12:00 pace would give a big PR.
The route started with a mile south on 33rd, then back past the start line, heading towards the river and turning east on a path. That was a little odd, but it was also kind of cool to see the eventual winners run by an extra time. It's all relatively flat, and really pretty, especially on the way out with some fog left from the early morning. After a couple miles, I realized I was leap frogging with one of Karey's new friends who was doing run/walk intervals (I can't remember her name, so henceforth referred to as "Gold Spark Skirt" or GSS). I was feeling pretty strong with my pace right where I wanted it, so I decided to try to pick it up as planned for the next 5 miles.
Miles 1 - 5: 11:51, 12:00, 11:52, 11:56, 11:50
Literally just after the mile 5 marker, GSS caught up to me and said "looks like we're going to be good friends by the end of this"! Which then made me feel bad that I was literally about to (try to) peal away at a pace 30 seconds per mile than we'd be averaging.
But I surged ahead, and kept up a good pace for a few miles, but was definitely starting to feel a bit tired. Somewhere in here I passed someone who was heading back on the out-and-back who was knitting while running. The skein of yarn appeared to be in a camelbak she was wearing, and the scarf she was creating hung down in front of her. Another woman was passing me and happened to basically right next to me as the knitter went by, and we both looked at each other, "did we really just see that?".
There was kind of a y-shaped out and back around mile 7 - out to a turnaround point, back in about a quarter mile, than back out, then in to head back towards the start/finish line. As we approached mile 10, I was starting to slow down a bit. Around here, GSS caught up and passed me, and we started leap-frogging again - though slower than I wanted I maintained a steady running pass, and she continued run/walk intervals.
By around mile 11 I was starting to feel really tried, my feet were aching from the pounding, and I had a weird pain in my left hip flexor. Walking didn't make things hurt less, though, so I continued running with only a few very brief walking breaks to take fuel and drink. Compared to previous half marathons, this kind of pain/aching/fatigue hit much latter - I'm used to this kicking in closer to 8 or 9, making for quite a bit of time left to be miserable; in this case it was less than 3 miles left, so that made it easier to power through it.
With a mile or mile and a half to go, I realized that 2:30 was definitely not actually within reach that day, but my calculations seemed like 2:35 probably was. I was also thinking about my PR, which I knew was 2:48:something, but I wasn't sure what how many seconds over 2:48 it was. I kicked it up at the end, though GSS nonetheless finished just before me.
Miles 11 - 13.1: 11:43, 11:28, 12:07, 9:40
Official time: 2:34:42 (11:48 pace), which happens to be exactly 14 minutes faster than my previous PR! (I'm only slightly disappointed that I didn't PR by 13:06.) I'm definitely going to gun for sub-2:30 at the Foot Traffic Flat in July. I'm going to pass on doing another half before then; though obviously doable this was absolutely a hard pace to maintain, so I don't think I have it in me to improve by more than a minute or so total without another couple months of work.
Over all I really like the course - very flat overall, and minimal impact from traffic. There was a point (twice) where you had to cross Marine Drive, a fairly busy street, but they had police officers stopping traffic, and they did a great job timing when they let people through in between clumps of runners. After the race, you get a free goblet and mimosa; there was also lots of food but I didn't really check it out, as I just wanted to get home and showered so I could head to work, and thus leave work sooner.
Definitely a race I'd recommend for any non-tax-preparers; I'm glad I did it at least and it was great motivation to keep running through the busy months this year, but I'm not sure I want the pressure of a race through the pressure of tax season again.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
Hop Hop Half Training Week 8
Workouts:
Tuesday: Run 2.55 miles (12:33 pace) - easy with the last mile at HMGP - hit 11:34.
Thursday: Run 1.8 miles (12:32 pace) - easy with a few strides.
Saturday: Hop Hop Half marathon - new PR of 2:34:42! By far my best half in terms of training (not just absolute fitness level, but commitment to training relative to race goal), and execution.
Sunday: Run 1 really slow mile (14:35) to shake out my legs.
Total running: 18.45 miles
Tuesday: Run 2.55 miles (12:33 pace) - easy with the last mile at HMGP - hit 11:34.
Thursday: Run 1.8 miles (12:32 pace) - easy with a few strides.
Saturday: Hop Hop Half marathon - new PR of 2:34:42! By far my best half in terms of training (not just absolute fitness level, but commitment to training relative to race goal), and execution.
Sunday: Run 1 really slow mile (14:35) to shake out my legs.
Total running: 18.45 miles
Monday, March 30, 2015
Hop Hop Half Training Week 7 & NROLFW Phase 2 Week 3a
Workouts:
Monday: Bike trainer 4.1 miles (16.4 mph)
Tuesday: Progression run 3.05 miles (11:27 pace) + NROLFW phase 2 workout A
Goal: 3 - 4 miles, increasing 20 - 30 sec each mile, starting at 12:00
Actual: 12:01, 11:24, 10:55
Goal: 3 - 4 miles, increasing 20 - 30 sec each mile, starting at 12:00
Actual: 12:01, 11:24, 10:55
Wednesday: Easy run 3.05 miles (13:38 pace) - That was a really hard easy pace. Either my Garmin was malfunctioning, or my legs were.
Thursday: Tempo run 3.5 miles (11:01 pace) - With coworkers.
Sunday: "Long" run 4.1 miles (12:47 pace)
Total biking: 4.1 miles
Total running: 13.7 miles
An off week, as far as energy and motivation; or we can just say I'm taking the taper very seriously.
An off week, as far as energy and motivation; or we can just say I'm taking the taper very seriously.
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Hop Hop Half Training Week 6
Workouts:
Monday: Easy run 2.4 miles (12:42 pace)
Tuesday: Treadmill run 3.0 miles (12:45 pace) - easy-ish steady pace with random incline
Wednesday: Tempo run 4.35 miles (11:27 pace)
Goal: 4 - 5 miles @ HMGP = <11:30
Actual: 11:25, 11:21, 11:31, 11:25, 11:40
I even chose a hillier route for this run! Felt pretty goodl
Thursday: Run 3.0 miles (11:12 pace) with coworkers + easy run 2.10 miles (13:06 pace) + 1:05 plank + 1:05 wall sit
I meant to do an easy run, but Jessie (fast coworker I've run with a couple times) was about to head out for a run when I was walking into the bathroom to change, and invited me along. She's great about slowing down to my pace (which is still fast relative to me, but 11:xx is typical of what we do when I go with her), but I'm afraid we may have inadvertently hazed our tax intern who also ran with us. Apparently she just started running this tax season! She was clearly working harder to keep the pace than I was (and I was working harder than Jessie), but kept up just fine. I definitely couldn't have done that when I was a new runner!
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: Easy run 3.4 miles (12:46 pace) + tennis (25 minutes)
Sunday: Long run 11.1 miles (13:10 pace)
Goal: 11 - 12 miles <13:00
Actual:
1 - 4: 12:42, 12:56, 13:00, 12:55
5 - 8: 13:02, 13:37, 13:39, 13:05
9 - 11.1: 13:04, 13:51, 13:01, 12:40
Oy. Why did that feel so hard?! Too many miles this week, too many fast miles this week, playing tennis yesterday, the couple drinks I had last night? I'm surprised I ended up only that far over 13:00, but may of my other long runs went so much better at a relatively faster pace.
Total running: 29.35 miles
Skipped weights this week to preserve some sanity. Now onto taper! Two weeks til the half marathon, and three and a half weeks left of tax season.
Monday: Easy run 2.4 miles (12:42 pace)
Tuesday: Treadmill run 3.0 miles (12:45 pace) - easy-ish steady pace with random incline
Wednesday: Tempo run 4.35 miles (11:27 pace)
Goal: 4 - 5 miles @ HMGP = <11:30
Actual: 11:25, 11:21, 11:31, 11:25, 11:40
I even chose a hillier route for this run! Felt pretty goodl
Thursday: Run 3.0 miles (11:12 pace) with coworkers + easy run 2.10 miles (13:06 pace) + 1:05 plank + 1:05 wall sit
I meant to do an easy run, but Jessie (fast coworker I've run with a couple times) was about to head out for a run when I was walking into the bathroom to change, and invited me along. She's great about slowing down to my pace (which is still fast relative to me, but 11:xx is typical of what we do when I go with her), but I'm afraid we may have inadvertently hazed our tax intern who also ran with us. Apparently she just started running this tax season! She was clearly working harder to keep the pace than I was (and I was working harder than Jessie), but kept up just fine. I definitely couldn't have done that when I was a new runner!
Friday: Rest day
Saturday: Easy run 3.4 miles (12:46 pace) + tennis (25 minutes)
Sunday: Long run 11.1 miles (13:10 pace)
Goal: 11 - 12 miles <13:00
Actual:
1 - 4: 12:42, 12:56, 13:00, 12:55
5 - 8: 13:02, 13:37, 13:39, 13:05
9 - 11.1: 13:04, 13:51, 13:01, 12:40
Oy. Why did that feel so hard?! Too many miles this week, too many fast miles this week, playing tennis yesterday, the couple drinks I had last night? I'm surprised I ended up only that far over 13:00, but may of my other long runs went so much better at a relatively faster pace.
Total running: 29.35 miles
Skipped weights this week to preserve some sanity. Now onto taper! Two weeks til the half marathon, and three and a half weeks left of tax season.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Hop Hop Half Training Week 5 & NROLFW Phase 2 Week 2
Workouts:
Monday: Easy run 3.05 miles (12:51 pace) + NROLFW phase 2 workout A
Tuesday: Virtual 10k race in 1:10:26 (11:21 pace)
Goal: 10k @ < 11:30 (HMGP)
Actual:
1 - 3: 11:00, 11:20, 11:23
4 - 6: 11:32, 11:25, 11:34
6.2: 2:08 time for 0.2 - 10:35
Wednesday: Unplanned rest day - Though Tuesday's "race" was challenging, I didn't feel too wiped out physically (the next day, my legs did feel tired but not quite as sluggish as I'd thought they'd be), but mentally I needed a day where I just didn't have to do anything in my limited time after work.
Thursday: Easy run 2.2 miles (12:49 pace) + NROLFW phase 2 workout B
Friday: Run 2.5 miles (12:33 pace) - easy with some strides
Saturday: Rest day
Sunday: Shamrock Run 5k in 31:07 - 10:01 pace! Not quite to my sub-10:00 pace goal, but so close! and a PR nonetheless.
I planned to do another 6 - 8 miles to get a better "long run" total mileage for the day, but I just couldn't get myself out the door. I couldn't do it right after the race, as we had lunch plans with friends, and by the afternoon when I had time, it was really ridiculously windy (like, lots of power outages across the city, kind of windy). I still could have gone out, it wasn't unsafe, but it made a nice excuse.
I still have next week to get in a really solid 11 - 12 miler, and then it's taper! I think I will back off a little on my goal for this race, and based on it goes get closer to 2:30 at Hippie Chick in May. I'm now leaning towards only doing the half in July (when I was thinking of a full), and do Portland as the full marathon goal, in October. It's a little iffy scheduling-wise, which I won't be able to finalize until much closer, but I think I can make it work. I really love the idea of the Portland Marathon, and beyond not feeling ready to do a full any earlier, the idea of a marathon finish line, that wasn't that finish line, was making me sad.
Total running: 17.05 miles
Monday: Easy run 3.05 miles (12:51 pace) + NROLFW phase 2 workout A
Tuesday: Virtual 10k race in 1:10:26 (11:21 pace)
Goal: 10k @ < 11:30 (HMGP)
Actual:
1 - 3: 11:00, 11:20, 11:23
4 - 6: 11:32, 11:25, 11:34
6.2: 2:08 time for 0.2 - 10:35
Wednesday: Unplanned rest day - Though Tuesday's "race" was challenging, I didn't feel too wiped out physically (the next day, my legs did feel tired but not quite as sluggish as I'd thought they'd be), but mentally I needed a day where I just didn't have to do anything in my limited time after work.
Thursday: Easy run 2.2 miles (12:49 pace) + NROLFW phase 2 workout B
Friday: Run 2.5 miles (12:33 pace) - easy with some strides
Saturday: Rest day
Sunday: Shamrock Run 5k in 31:07 - 10:01 pace! Not quite to my sub-10:00 pace goal, but so close! and a PR nonetheless.
I planned to do another 6 - 8 miles to get a better "long run" total mileage for the day, but I just couldn't get myself out the door. I couldn't do it right after the race, as we had lunch plans with friends, and by the afternoon when I had time, it was really ridiculously windy (like, lots of power outages across the city, kind of windy). I still could have gone out, it wasn't unsafe, but it made a nice excuse.
I still have next week to get in a really solid 11 - 12 miler, and then it's taper! I think I will back off a little on my goal for this race, and based on it goes get closer to 2:30 at Hippie Chick in May. I'm now leaning towards only doing the half in July (when I was thinking of a full), and do Portland as the full marathon goal, in October. It's a little iffy scheduling-wise, which I won't be able to finalize until much closer, but I think I can make it work. I really love the idea of the Portland Marathon, and beyond not feeling ready to do a full any earlier, the idea of a marathon finish line, that wasn't that finish line, was making me sad.
Total running: 17.05 miles
Sunday, March 8, 2015
Hop Hop Half Training Week 4 & NROLFW Phase 2 Week 1b
Workouts:
Monday: Easy run 3.0 miles (12:58 pace)
Tuesday: Speedwork run 4.1 miles (11:24 pace) + NROLFW phase 2 workout B
Goal: 0.5 warm-up, 4 x 0.5 @ 9:00 with 0.25 recovery, 0.5 cool-down
Actual:
0.5 warm-up: 12:42
4 x 0.5 intervals: 8:49, 8:59, 9:02, 9:26
4 x 0.25 recovery: 13:09, 14:53, 15:53, 14:48
0.6 cool-down: 12:37
Wednesday: Easy run 3.0 miles (13:22 pace)
Thursday: Tempo run 4.0 miles (11:16 pace)
Goal: 4 miles @ HMGP = < 11:26
Actual: 11:19, 11:09, 11:23, 11:13
Friday: Planned rest day
Saturday: Unplanned rest day
Sunday: Run 7.25 miles (13:01 pace)
Goal: 1 warm-up, virtual 10k race @ <11:30 pace, 1 cool-down
Uh, yeah. That was a ridiculous struggle. I've been tired and stressed, possibly fighting off a cold, it was ridiculously nice out - so almost too hot, undercaffeinated. It was all I could do to keep myself moving forward at any pace, much less the pace I was aiming for. This was going to be for Kristina's virtual 10k Race for Paws, but this was just not what I wanted to do for that.
Total running: 21.35 miles
Monday: Easy run 3.0 miles (12:58 pace)
Tuesday: Speedwork run 4.1 miles (11:24 pace) + NROLFW phase 2 workout B
Goal: 0.5 warm-up, 4 x 0.5 @ 9:00 with 0.25 recovery, 0.5 cool-down
Actual:
0.5 warm-up: 12:42
4 x 0.5 intervals: 8:49, 8:59, 9:02, 9:26
4 x 0.25 recovery: 13:09, 14:53, 15:53, 14:48
0.6 cool-down: 12:37
Wednesday: Easy run 3.0 miles (13:22 pace)
Thursday: Tempo run 4.0 miles (11:16 pace)
Goal: 4 miles @ HMGP = < 11:26
Actual: 11:19, 11:09, 11:23, 11:13
Friday: Planned rest day
Saturday: Unplanned rest day
Sunday: Run 7.25 miles (13:01 pace)
Goal: 1 warm-up, virtual 10k race @ <11:30 pace, 1 cool-down
Uh, yeah. That was a ridiculous struggle. I've been tired and stressed, possibly fighting off a cold, it was ridiculously nice out - so almost too hot, undercaffeinated. It was all I could do to keep myself moving forward at any pace, much less the pace I was aiming for. This was going to be for Kristina's virtual 10k Race for Paws, but this was just not what I wanted to do for that.
Total running: 21.35 miles
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Hop Hop Half Training Week 3 & NROLFW Phase 2 Week 1a
Workouts:
Monday: Easy run 3.0 miles (13:04 pace)
Tuesday: Speedwork run 4.0 miles (11:35 avg pace)
Goal: 0.75 warm-up, 2 x 1 mile at 5k goal pace (<10:00) with 0.5 recovery, 0.75 cool-down
Actual:
0.75 warm-up: 13:03
2 x 1 mile: 9:31 (!!!), 9:44
0.5 recovery: 14:55
0.75 cool-down: 13:07
New adult mile record! Was 9:5x - I think 9:51?
Wednesday: Very easy run 2.0 miles (13:52 pace)
Thursday: Run 4.15 miles (11:57 pace)
This was kind of a hybrid workout. I wanted to get in some tempo miles at half marathon goal pace. I also wanted to do the HIIT workout that's part of the NROLFW workout B for this phase. (Though this wiped me out enough to not do the lifting part of workout B that night, and I didn't get around to it later in the week either.)
Goal part 1: Warm-up 3 min, 4 x 1 min hard (<9:00)/2 min easy, cool-down/transition 3 min
Goal part 2: 2 miles at HMGP = <11:30, 0.5 cool-down
Actual part 1: 1.5 miles (12:10 pace)
Warm-up 3 min: 13:12
4 x 1 min hard: 8:38, 8:02, 8:25, 8:22
4 x 2 min easy: 14:40, 14:26, 13:34, 14:00
Cool-down/transition 3 minutes (plus 14 sec to round mileage): 14:16
Actual part 2: 2.65 miles (11:49 pace)
2 tempo: 11:22, 11:24
Cool-down: 13:10
Friday: Rest day!
Saturday: Long run 11.05 miles (12:40 pace)
1 - 4: 12:37, 12:38, 12:51, 12:44
5 - 8: 12:59, 12:40, 12:34, 12:39
9 - 11.05: 12:46, 12:20, 12:33, 0:41 time for 0.05
Damn! My half PR is a 12:57 pace, so doing a long run, at an easy-ish long-run-pace under that? I'm very proud of myself! Enjoying the beautiful sunny day and distracting myself with podcasts (a new thing on long runs - mostly Freakonomics and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me) certainly didn't hurt, but this never felt truly hard.
Sunday: Easy run 3.1 miles (13:32 pace) + 1:15 plank + 0:50 wall sit
Total running: 27.3 miles
Based on my current 5k time, according to the McMillan calculator I should be able to run a mile in 9:10, and a quarter mile at just over a 7:30 pace! I'm currently running those distances at NOT those paces! But inching ever so much closer.
Though I've been pretty steady at just under 60 hours per week at work for the last month or so, it's felt harder to squeeze in more things around it. The cumulative effect of that workload over time adds up to it feeling more stressful, I guess. So I've been dropping more and more of the crosstraining stuff. Hitting my mileage is my highest priority, followed closely by the NROLFW strength training. Swimming, biking, and yoga would be nice to do, but there's a point where it's more stressful to make it happen than the workout would relieve.
Monday: Easy run 3.0 miles (13:04 pace)
Tuesday: Speedwork run 4.0 miles (11:35 avg pace)
Goal: 0.75 warm-up, 2 x 1 mile at 5k goal pace (<10:00) with 0.5 recovery, 0.75 cool-down
Actual:
0.75 warm-up: 13:03
2 x 1 mile: 9:31 (!!!), 9:44
0.5 recovery: 14:55
0.75 cool-down: 13:07
New adult mile record! Was 9:5x - I think 9:51?
Wednesday: Very easy run 2.0 miles (13:52 pace)
Thursday: Run 4.15 miles (11:57 pace)
This was kind of a hybrid workout. I wanted to get in some tempo miles at half marathon goal pace. I also wanted to do the HIIT workout that's part of the NROLFW workout B for this phase. (Though this wiped me out enough to not do the lifting part of workout B that night, and I didn't get around to it later in the week either.)
Goal part 1: Warm-up 3 min, 4 x 1 min hard (<9:00)/2 min easy, cool-down/transition 3 min
Goal part 2: 2 miles at HMGP = <11:30, 0.5 cool-down
Actual part 1: 1.5 miles (12:10 pace)
Warm-up 3 min: 13:12
4 x 1 min hard: 8:38, 8:02, 8:25, 8:22
4 x 2 min easy: 14:40, 14:26, 13:34, 14:00
Cool-down/transition 3 minutes (plus 14 sec to round mileage): 14:16
Actual part 2: 2.65 miles (11:49 pace)
2 tempo: 11:22, 11:24
Cool-down: 13:10
Friday: Rest day!
Saturday: Long run 11.05 miles (12:40 pace)
1 - 4: 12:37, 12:38, 12:51, 12:44
5 - 8: 12:59, 12:40, 12:34, 12:39
9 - 11.05: 12:46, 12:20, 12:33, 0:41 time for 0.05
Damn! My half PR is a 12:57 pace, so doing a long run, at an easy-ish long-run-pace under that? I'm very proud of myself! Enjoying the beautiful sunny day and distracting myself with podcasts (a new thing on long runs - mostly Freakonomics and Wait Wait Don't Tell Me) certainly didn't hurt, but this never felt truly hard.
Sunday: Easy run 3.1 miles (13:32 pace) + 1:15 plank + 0:50 wall sit
Total running: 27.3 miles
Based on my current 5k time, according to the McMillan calculator I should be able to run a mile in 9:10, and a quarter mile at just over a 7:30 pace! I'm currently running those distances at NOT those paces! But inching ever so much closer.
Though I've been pretty steady at just under 60 hours per week at work for the last month or so, it's felt harder to squeeze in more things around it. The cumulative effect of that workload over time adds up to it feeling more stressful, I guess. So I've been dropping more and more of the crosstraining stuff. Hitting my mileage is my highest priority, followed closely by the NROLFW strength training. Swimming, biking, and yoga would be nice to do, but there's a point where it's more stressful to make it happen than the workout would relieve.
Sunday, February 22, 2015
PRC 5k Training Week 8 (Race Week) & Hop Hop Half Training Week 2
Workouts:
Monday pm: Easy run 3.6 miles (12:56 pace)
Tuesday am: Bike trainer 3.35 miles (13.3 mph)
Tuesday pm: Tempo run 2.6 miles (10:27 pace) + easy run 2.0 miles (13:12 pace)
Ran again with my coworker Jessie, who's significantly faster than me. On Monday she ran with some other coworkers in the 7:00s range, so my fast run is her recovery run from that, I guess. :) We ran together a couple weeks ago in the low 11:00s, now in the mid 10:00s... if I keep this up running with her, I'll be beating my 5k PR in no time! This was definitely a hard effort level, but it didn't feel as hard as my 5k race effort.
Wednesday pm: Xtend Barre class (60 minutes)
Thursday pm: Fartlek run 3.0 miles (11:25 pace)
Friday pm: Easy run 3.15 miles (13:20 pace) + 1:05 plank + 0:45 wall sit
Saturday: Rest day - unplanned but I felt so tired, and hadn't had a rest or even really light day all week, so it was definitely needed.
Sunday: Run 10.1 miles: PRC 5k race (32:24 - 10:23 pace) + 7 miles (13:06 pace)
Goal: 10 - 11 miles, including 5k race at about 11:00 and rest about 13:00
Actual:
5k: 10:23 average pace
Long run: 13:25, 13:43*, 12:58, 13:20, 12:54, 12:29, 12:55
*Uphill and into the wind
Total biking: 3.35 miles
Total running: 24.5 miles
Monday pm: Easy run 3.6 miles (12:56 pace)
Tuesday am: Bike trainer 3.35 miles (13.3 mph)
Tuesday pm: Tempo run 2.6 miles (10:27 pace) + easy run 2.0 miles (13:12 pace)
Ran again with my coworker Jessie, who's significantly faster than me. On Monday she ran with some other coworkers in the 7:00s range, so my fast run is her recovery run from that, I guess. :) We ran together a couple weeks ago in the low 11:00s, now in the mid 10:00s... if I keep this up running with her, I'll be beating my 5k PR in no time! This was definitely a hard effort level, but it didn't feel as hard as my 5k race effort.
Wednesday pm: Xtend Barre class (60 minutes)
Thursday pm: Fartlek run 3.0 miles (11:25 pace)
Friday pm: Easy run 3.15 miles (13:20 pace) + 1:05 plank + 0:45 wall sit
Saturday: Rest day - unplanned but I felt so tired, and hadn't had a rest or even really light day all week, so it was definitely needed.
Sunday: Run 10.1 miles: PRC 5k race (32:24 - 10:23 pace) + 7 miles (13:06 pace)
Goal: 10 - 11 miles, including 5k race at about 11:00 and rest about 13:00
Actual:
5k: 10:23 average pace
Long run: 13:25, 13:43*, 12:58, 13:20, 12:54, 12:29, 12:55
*Uphill and into the wind
Total biking: 3.35 miles
Total running: 24.5 miles
Sunday, February 15, 2015
PRC 5k Training Week 7 & Hop Hop Half Training Week 1 & NROLFW Phase 1 Final Week
Workouts:
Monday am: Bike trainer 5.1 miles (14.1 mph)
Monday pm: Swim 1,000 yards + easy run 3.0 miles (13:15 pace)
Tuesday pm: Hill repeats run 4.25 miles (12:49 pace) + easy run 2.0 miles (13:34 pace) + NROLFW phase 1 special workout A
Goal: 1-ish warm-up, up/down hill ladder: 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1 @ <11:30, 1-ish cool-down
Actual:
1 warm-up: 13:25
0.4 up/down: 10:53, 12:55
0.3 up/down: 11:06, 13:36
0.2 up/down: 11:19, 14:02
0.1 up/down: 11:11, 16:33
1.25 cool-down: 12:53, 13:55
The hill run was on my dinner break; the easy run and weights after I got home.
Wednesday pm: Easy run 3.05 miles (13:23 pace)
Thursday: Rest day - massage
Friday am: NROLFW phase 1 special workout B
Friday pm: Easy run 3.0 miles (13:28 pace)
Saturday: Long run 9.0 miles (12:48 pace)
Goal: 8 - 9 miles, easy-ish @ <13:00
Actual:
Miles 1 - 3: 12:50, 12:40, 12:52
Miles 4 - 6: 12:55, 12:57, 13:05
Miles 7 - 9: 12:53, 12:28, 12:35
Sunday: Easy run 2.0 miles (12:59 pace)
Total swimming: 1,000 yards
Total biking: 5.1 miles
Total running: 26.3 miles
The only time I've hit that kind of mileage before was when I was marathon training! Combined with 55 hour work weeks, I'm pretty exhausted, but feeling good about what I'm accomplishing.
Monday am: Bike trainer 5.1 miles (14.1 mph)
Monday pm: Swim 1,000 yards + easy run 3.0 miles (13:15 pace)
Tuesday pm: Hill repeats run 4.25 miles (12:49 pace) + easy run 2.0 miles (13:34 pace) + NROLFW phase 1 special workout A
Goal: 1-ish warm-up, up/down hill ladder: 0.4, 0.3, 0.2, 0.1 @ <11:30, 1-ish cool-down
Actual:
1 warm-up: 13:25
0.4 up/down: 10:53, 12:55
0.3 up/down: 11:06, 13:36
0.2 up/down: 11:19, 14:02
0.1 up/down: 11:11, 16:33
1.25 cool-down: 12:53, 13:55
The hill run was on my dinner break; the easy run and weights after I got home.
Wednesday pm: Easy run 3.05 miles (13:23 pace)
Thursday: Rest day - massage
Friday am: NROLFW phase 1 special workout B
Friday pm: Easy run 3.0 miles (13:28 pace)
Saturday: Long run 9.0 miles (12:48 pace)
Goal: 8 - 9 miles, easy-ish @ <13:00
Actual:
Miles 1 - 3: 12:50, 12:40, 12:52
Miles 4 - 6: 12:55, 12:57, 13:05
Miles 7 - 9: 12:53, 12:28, 12:35
Sunday: Easy run 2.0 miles (12:59 pace)
Total swimming: 1,000 yards
Total biking: 5.1 miles
Total running: 26.3 miles
The only time I've hit that kind of mileage before was when I was marathon training! Combined with 55 hour work weeks, I'm pretty exhausted, but feeling good about what I'm accomplishing.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Seattle Half Marathon 2014
I was looking for another race to keep myself motivated during the fall, and since we were going up to Tacoma for Thanksgiving weekend, staying up there through Sunday for the Seattle Half seemed perfect. I knew it was a bit of risk weather-wise, as 40s and rainy is pretty typical for both Portland and Seattle this time of year. I've previously done the Holiday Half in mid-December in Portland for my fall goal, and it was quite miserable! I was hoping being a couple weeks earlier in the year would make it less so.
I stayed at the Quality Inn a few blocks east of Seattle Center, so I only had about a quarter mile walk to the start line. Though it's a perfectly adequate motel, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, per se. The location's very good relative to this race, and it is marginally cheaper than the other options in that area (there is also a Best Western, Travelodge, and Holiday Inn next to it, on John St just east of Seattle Center) (and they're all way cheaper than anything half a mile away in downtown). It is clean and feels safe, and the breakfast is decent, but the rooms are pretty small and it has just a tiny bit of a rundown vibe (like the decor is a little older vibe and paint starting to peel around the floorboards). Kind of feels like something that used to be nice, but hasn't been fully kept up. If price is the most important factor, it's fine, but next time I'd probably check out one of the other nearby motels that cost $10 - $20 more.
Without having to worry about parking, I only arrived about 20 minutes before my start time. It was about 24° - with a "feels like" 12° - when I was getting dressed; I think it was closer to 30 by the time I finished, but it was definitely chilly the whole time! Fortunately, there was no rain or significant wind during the race as the area had had earlier in the week. There were only a small handful of places on the roads where ice from precipitation earlier in the week remained in shadowed spots; though it was cold enough for ice to form as water cups were tossed at aid stations - fortunately the volunteers were really great about warning about it!
I ended up wearing:
The course starts by Seattle Center, in front of the Experience Music Project, then south-ish through downtown, before heading onto I-90. Running along the freeway doesn't sound that interesting, but it also provided some nice views of downtown Seattle.
I think it was during mile 2 that I paused briefly to take off my arm-warmers. Next time, I'd use some cheaper (or home-made from tall socks) arm-warmers, as the ones I had on are high-quality with a silicone band at the top to keep them up. Normally a great feature, but not so great when you're trying to quickly rip them off from underneath a long-sleeve shirt! I thought I'd be able to do this while moving or at least walking, but ended up having to stop briefly to make it happen.
I stayed at the Quality Inn a few blocks east of Seattle Center, so I only had about a quarter mile walk to the start line. Though it's a perfectly adequate motel, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, per se. The location's very good relative to this race, and it is marginally cheaper than the other options in that area (there is also a Best Western, Travelodge, and Holiday Inn next to it, on John St just east of Seattle Center) (and they're all way cheaper than anything half a mile away in downtown). It is clean and feels safe, and the breakfast is decent, but the rooms are pretty small and it has just a tiny bit of a rundown vibe (like the decor is a little older vibe and paint starting to peel around the floorboards). Kind of feels like something that used to be nice, but hasn't been fully kept up. If price is the most important factor, it's fine, but next time I'd probably check out one of the other nearby motels that cost $10 - $20 more.
Without having to worry about parking, I only arrived about 20 minutes before my start time. It was about 24° - with a "feels like" 12° - when I was getting dressed; I think it was closer to 30 by the time I finished, but it was definitely chilly the whole time! Fortunately, there was no rain or significant wind during the race as the area had had earlier in the week. There were only a small handful of places on the roads where ice from precipitation earlier in the week remained in shadowed spots; though it was cold enough for ice to form as water cups were tossed at aid stations - fortunately the volunteers were really great about warning about it!
I ended up wearing:
- Layer 1: Knee-length shorts, knee-high socks, t-shirt, arm-warmers.
- Layer 2: Long running tights, long-sleeve (thick-ish - in between tee and sweatshirt materials) shirt with thumb-holes, gloves, headband.
- Throwaway: scarf and sweatshirt. I tossed the sweatshirt at the start, but kept on the scarf until about mile 10.
I really wish I'd thought ahead to buy a cheap pair of sweatpants (thought ahead = prior to the night before. I did stop by a Walgreens, hoping to buy both sweatpants and a sweatshirt, but only found the latter. I swear I've seen cheap sweatpants at a Walgreens before, but either I'm imagining that or just this store didn't.). My legs were freezing beforehand, even though I wasn't waiting for that long.
I'd been warned that the course was hilly; overall it wasn't too bad, none of the hills were terribly long (and only one was all that steep), but it was a lot of up and down.
I'd been warned that the course was hilly; overall it wasn't too bad, none of the hills were terribly long (and only one was all that steep), but it was a lot of up and down.
 |
| A couple miles are screwy because of the tunnel; see explanation after mile splits. The parts around 3 that look like hills, whether green or white are actually hills. The straight section at mile 4 is from being in the tunnel. |
The course starts by Seattle Center, in front of the Experience Music Project, then south-ish through downtown, before heading onto I-90. Running along the freeway doesn't sound that interesting, but it also provided some nice views of downtown Seattle.
I think it was during mile 2 that I paused briefly to take off my arm-warmers. Next time, I'd use some cheaper (or home-made from tall socks) arm-warmers, as the ones I had on are high-quality with a silicone band at the top to keep them up. Normally a great feature, but not so great when you're trying to quickly rip them off from underneath a long-sleeve shirt! I thought I'd be able to do this while moving or at least walking, but ended up having to stop briefly to make it happen.
1 - 3: 12:53, 13:11, 13:02
It then goes through the tunnel, then heads along the water on Lake Washington (this section is nice and flat), before heading through some residential neighborhoods for a short bit. The tunnel was a nice respite from the cold for a bit, as well as a mostly flat, slightly down incline. Along the lake there were some beautiful views across of what I assume is downtown Bellevue. If I hadn't thought I'd be close to a PR, I definitely would have stopped for some photos!
It then goes through the tunnel, then heads along the water on Lake Washington (this section is nice and flat), before heading through some residential neighborhoods for a short bit. The tunnel was a nice respite from the cold for a bit, as well as a mostly flat, slightly down incline. Along the lake there were some beautiful views across of what I assume is downtown Bellevue. If I hadn't thought I'd be close to a PR, I definitely would have stopped for some photos!
4 - 7: 13:30*, 13:30*, 12:54, 13:23
The course then heads up through Washington Park Arboretum on beautiful wooded paved trails. Hilly, of course, but lovely. My right foot started hurting, which made it a little harder to run up hills, and took more walking breaks than I needed (cardio or leg-wise) because of that (and I apparently compensated for it with my left leg, resulting in an extraordinarily tight left IT that my massage therapist had to pound out a couple days later).
The course then heads up through Washington Park Arboretum on beautiful wooded paved trails. Hilly, of course, but lovely. My right foot started hurting, which made it a little harder to run up hills, and took more walking breaks than I needed (cardio or leg-wise) because of that (and I apparently compensated for it with my left leg, resulting in an extraordinarily tight left IT that my massage therapist had to pound out a couple days later).
8 - 10: 13:42, 12:43, 13:21
Then back through the northern edge of downtown back towards Seattle Center, finishing in Memorial Stadium. Someone really mean put some hills in the last mile - small, but really challenging at that point when you think you're so close!
Then back through the northern edge of downtown back towards Seattle Center, finishing in Memorial Stadium. Someone really mean put some hills in the last mile - small, but really challenging at that point when you think you're so close!
11 - 13.1: 13:00, 12:17, 11:41, 4:12 time for .34 per Garmin (12:29 pace)
*The course goes through the I-90 Mount Baker Tunnel from about 3.75 to 4.4, blocking GPS signal. My Garmin extrapolated to catch back up after, so the total distance and time ended up correct, but the auto lap happened when it regained signal after the tunnel, not at the actual mile 4. Miles 4 and 5 showed 18:45 and 8:15 splits, respectively, between the times the auto lap recorded.
The half marathon had about 4,800 runners, plus a few hundred more walkers (who started 15 minutes later). I think anywhere from 2,000 - 5,000 is a pretty good size race - small enough that you're not completely squashed in a crowd, but large enough that even if you're at the back of the pack you won't be completely by yourself. Though there weren't separated corrals or waves, there were some pace groups with signs, so it seemed like people seeded themselves pretty well based on their speed relative to the pacers.
My official time is 2:52:15, which is a few minutes off my PR, but I'm pretty proud of this race nonetheless. Sure, I could have done better training, more speedwork, longer long runs. But considering mostly-decent training and a hilly course, I really did put out close to my best effort.
This really was a beautiful course and well-organized race (with a cute comfy shirt and pretty medal), and although future weather on this race day will likely be low 40s, windy, and rainy, I'm tempted to make it a tradition whenever we're in Tacoma for Thanksgiving!
The half marathon had about 4,800 runners, plus a few hundred more walkers (who started 15 minutes later). I think anywhere from 2,000 - 5,000 is a pretty good size race - small enough that you're not completely squashed in a crowd, but large enough that even if you're at the back of the pack you won't be completely by yourself. Though there weren't separated corrals or waves, there were some pace groups with signs, so it seemed like people seeded themselves pretty well based on their speed relative to the pacers.
My official time is 2:52:15, which is a few minutes off my PR, but I'm pretty proud of this race nonetheless. Sure, I could have done better training, more speedwork, longer long runs. But considering mostly-decent training and a hilly course, I really did put out close to my best effort.
This really was a beautiful course and well-organized race (with a cute comfy shirt and pretty medal), and although future weather on this race day will likely be low 40s, windy, and rainy, I'm tempted to make it a tradition whenever we're in Tacoma for Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Seattle Half Training Week 8 (Race Week)
Workouts:
Monday: Swim 1,700 yards + easy run 2.5 miles (14:31 pace)
First time exceeding a mile (1 swim mile = 1,650 yards) in a swim workout!
Tuesday: Ballet class (75 minutes)
Wednesday: Easy run 3.0 miles (14:02 pace), with a few strides in the last mile
Thursday: Swim 600 yards (in a 25-foot-long hotel pool)
Friday: Treadmill run 2.0 miles (13:30 pace)
Saturday: Rest day, only about 30 minutes walking to/from the expo and dinner
Sunday: Seattle Half Marathon in 2:52:15 (13:09 pace)
Total swimming: 2,300 yards
Total running: 20.6 miles
I was hoping to get my race recap up today, but my Garmin isn't cooperating to get my data from it. I'm actually ok with my time - it's only 3 1/2 minutes slower than my PR, and since that PR was set on a race called "the Flat", and the Seattle course is decidedly not flat, I believe I did put forth a comparable, and my best, effort.
Next, moving on to 5ks, so need to bring back the speedwork! As mentioned last week, I have a 5k on NYE (likely my last chance to get a sub-30 for my 30 Before 30 list before my birthday - although I do think I can set a PR, I'm not sure about beating it by that much), another 5k in February, and the stair climb in January.
Monday: Swim 1,700 yards + easy run 2.5 miles (14:31 pace)
First time exceeding a mile (1 swim mile = 1,650 yards) in a swim workout!
Tuesday: Ballet class (75 minutes)
Wednesday: Easy run 3.0 miles (14:02 pace), with a few strides in the last mile
Thursday: Swim 600 yards (in a 25-foot-long hotel pool)
Friday: Treadmill run 2.0 miles (13:30 pace)
Saturday: Rest day, only about 30 minutes walking to/from the expo and dinner
Sunday: Seattle Half Marathon in 2:52:15 (13:09 pace)
Total swimming: 2,300 yards
Total running: 20.6 miles
I was hoping to get my race recap up today, but my Garmin isn't cooperating to get my data from it. I'm actually ok with my time - it's only 3 1/2 minutes slower than my PR, and since that PR was set on a race called "the Flat", and the Seattle course is decidedly not flat, I believe I did put forth a comparable, and my best, effort.
Next, moving on to 5ks, so need to bring back the speedwork! As mentioned last week, I have a 5k on NYE (likely my last chance to get a sub-30 for my 30 Before 30 list before my birthday - although I do think I can set a PR, I'm not sure about beating it by that much), another 5k in February, and the stair climb in January.
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