Wonderful Failure

Did you ever have a workout that did not go anywhere close to what you had planned but you still felt great about it? I just had one of those! When I finished, it made me think of how, as runners, we need to be adaptable with our workouts (even in the middle of them!), since sh!t happens. ;-)

This workout actually took on a life all its own as it morphed and developed along the way. I had to alter it several times during the course of the run. Originally I was going to run 2 x 3 mile intervals at ~6:50 min/mile. The beginning went great. First two miles were 6:45 and 6:45. I felt amazing. So good, in fact, that by mile 2 1/2 I decided to skip the recovery mile and simply do a 6 mile tempo run. I had a rhythm going and didn't want to break it. Mile 3 was 6:43 and I still felt super strong. By the middle of mile 4 I started feeling a side stitch. ARGH! It wasn't bad at first and I was hoping it'd go away, but I decided that if it was still around at the end of mile 4, I'd take that recovery mile I skipped earlier. I finished mile 4 in 6:39. I was getting faster!! But the stitch was getting more intense and I couldn't ignore it anymore, so I slowed down.

I still wanted to get in 6 miles at tempo pace, so after my one mile recovery, during which the side stitch mercifully disappeared, I picked my pace back up, intending to finish those last 2 miles. Since I was doing this workout as an out and back on the Paint Creek Trail, I turned around during the recovery mile and was heading back toward home. The out is very slightly downhill, which means on the return, I go back up. The only time I ever notice the incline is during speedwork/tempo runs, so of course, it got me today. I tried to keep up the same pace I had during the first 4 mile pick-up, but I was hurting after just one mile which I did in 6:53. I pushed myself an extra half mile (3:28) then had to recover again - I was getting pretty wobbly! This time I let myself take only a half mile recovery and then picked up the pace one last time. The final push was only a mile and that mile was all I had left (6:44)! I finished feeling exhausted but proud! With a 2 mile warm-up and 2 mile cool-down, I did a total of 12 miles today. Happy.

Close encounters of the feathered kind: At the very end of the PCT, just as I was about to turn the corner and head to my condo building, I got DIVE BOMBED by a red-winged blackbird!! The nerve!!! I know these guys are uber-territorial and just plain bratty and I've had them hover 5 feet above my head screeching at me before, but this guy went way beyond that! He swooped down to within inches of my head! I felt the swooosh! And he did it TWICE! Sheeesh!!! You'd think the crazy birds would be wise enough not to build nests so close to well-traveled trails!

I had no such problems with the cute little spotted fawn I saw frolicking on the trail earlier in the run. Awwwww.... :-)

The "it would have been a shame not to" Run

I had already done a 1hr 45min indoor bike ride today and had no intention of adding in a run, when I walked by the weather station in our house and noticed the temp was well into the mid 40s!!! How could I NOT get outside?? It really would have been a shame. Then I realized it was after 4pm and I didn't know how much daylight I had left, so I quickly changed into running gear (only 1 layer today! woooo!) and headed for the car. I drove to Stony Creek Metropark with just enough time to do a 6 mile loop. My run VERY quickly morphed into a tempo run, though that wasn't my initial intention. My legs were itching to run fast and my mind decided to let them. :-)

Splits:

• 7:45
• 7:18
• 7:18
• 7:20
• 7:08
• 6:36

I was rewarded at the end with an amazing sunset during my walking cool-down which just became more amazing during my drive home. The whole western sky was on fire.

Taking the Speed Indoors

I headed to the gym for a treadmill speed session today. There are no indoor tracks that I know about around here, so if I want to do intervals in the winter, to the gym I go! It really isn't so bad to run on the treadmill when you're doing intervals since the speedwork breaks up the monotony.

The workout: 

• 2 mile warm-up
• 2 miles @ 6:58 min/mile
• 1/2 mile recover
• 1 mile @ 6:39
• 1/2 mile recover
• 1/2 mile @ 6:27
• 2 mile cool-down

It was a great workout! I found this workout online somewhere quite a while ago but this is the first time I decided to give it a go. It is kind of a mix between an interval workout and a tempo run. I like it and it is well-suited for treadmills. It was hard and tells me I have a long way to go to break 19 min in a 5k, though treadmill paces always feel harder, so it is hard to judge accurately. My 5k race in one week will be the real indicator.

Faster!

Speedwork day! Once again I did my training on my pseudo-coach, who never lets me give-up or slow down, the treadmill! (Another rain day. :-( )

Today I did 8 miles total and 5 of them at tempo pace. However, tempo pace (about 7:15 for me) just wasn't making me feel it today even after 3 miles. My legs were pumping and I felt like I was sailing so smoothly and quickly over the belt, but it just felt too easy. I thought, how could this be? This is way faster than I usually do my training runs -- I should be getting pooped! But I wasn't... so I upped the pace to 7:08. After another mile, I was still not breathing too much more than normal, so I upped it again to 7:03. That did it! By the end of the 5th mile I was ready to stop.

I'm starting to wonder. Am I getting faster?? :-) I think for my next tempo run, if I do it on the treadmill, I'll start at the 7:08 pace and go from there.

It was so fun running fast!

red tries to get speedy - part 2

Perfect morning for a run. Sunny and about 45 degrees. I don't have to work until 3pm today (and if I'm lucky, they'll call and tell me to stay home - wouldn't that be nice!?), so I was able to sleep in and start my run at my leisure, though the run itself was far from leisurely!

Six mile total run with 4 miles at tempo pace - had to stop a few times for traffic though. I was able to remember a few of my splits. They were:

1 - 6:57 (oops! way too fast!)
2- ??? (forgot to look - the truck on the trail that has posted "no motorized vehicles" kind of distracted me)
3- 7:04 (rats! too fast again!)
4 - 7:19 (closer to goal, but really I just pooped out)

Not too bad though! A good workout!

This weekend my hubby and I are going to drive over to Pinckney where the Trail Marathon and Half Marathon will take place the following weekend. We'd like to check out the trail and see what we're in for! Not sure if we'll do the whole 13ish mile loop or not. I'm getting very excited for the race! Plus, in the next week or so, I should be getting some new trail runners! WOOO! I got a $10 OFF coupon for new shoes at Running Fit for participating in the Martian Invasion of Races. I hope to put that coupon to good use!

Unintentional Tempo Run

My local Rails to Trails trail, the Paint Creek Trail is CLEAR of snow and ice!! WOO! I couldn't resist getting out and running FAST today. I probably shouldn't have. No, I really shouldn't have. Today was supposed to be a rest day and I'm still not 100% recovered from the injury. But I got out of work early today and the sun was shining, the temp was in the mid 30s - perfect for running - and the trail head is literally in my back yard. How lucky is that!? The little runner-devil on my shoulder was so persuasive, I couldn't resist.

Whenever I go out for a run and tell myself, "I'm only going to do 4 easy miles today," those easy miles turn into speedy miles. I just can't seem to run such a short distance slowly. Anyone else have that problem? :-)

So I labeled today's run in my RW log as a "tempo" run even though it was not intended as one and, in fact, I wasn't planning on doing any speedwork for several more weeks. When I checked my average pace, it was around 7:45, which is about what I should be doing for a tempo run. I did get a little tired a few times and had to slow my pace temporarily, but I couldn't help picking it back up again once I started feeling better. What a thrill! Shame on me! hahaha!

Running Better than Tylenol

Had a headache at the beginning of my run the other day and wasn't sure I'd be able to complete my workout. Stuck with it though, and the headache went away after about 1 1/2 miles. Ended up being a great tempo run (treadmill). Ran 4 of 6 miles at 7:30 pace. Woo! Was silly enough to schedule leg strength training after the tempo run. What was I thinking!?! Of course, I didn't do it. Did a core workout only and rescheduled the leg strength training for the next day. Silly redhead! Hmmm... maybe I should try running more often when I have headaches??? Worked better than Tylenol!

Found a GREAT new place to have post-workout meals. Main Street Deli in Rochester, Michigan. Awesome salads and sandwiches! Highly recommended! I can't believe I've worked in Rochester for 5 years and just discovered the place. Mmmm.... Of course, my husband's restaurant is almost literally in the backyard of the gym, and it is hard to pass up a free meal! It's just that sometimes, I like a change! Really, Honey, I do love your 'za, subs, salads and pasta!

Tempo Runs and Gym Bags

Did some speekwork yesterday. I tried to do a tempo run, but my lack of experience resulted in a pace that was too fast and I could barely sustain it for two miles. I was hoping to do at least three. I couldn't use my watch to help me figure out my pace, because the mile markers were hidden by the snow! I recovered for about another half mile before deciding to add some strides to the end of the run. I ended up doing four strides. Overall it ended up being a good workout, but I sure hope I get better at pacing! If not, I could have a nasty surprise near the end of my first marathon.

Today my mission is to find a gym bag. I have been using a freebie backpack I got from a veterinary conference (so you know it's cheap!). My stuff barely fits! It has all of 2 pockets! I thought I'd hit the nearby running stores, REI and a few sporting goods stores. There is one bag I found through Runner's World Shoes and Gear Blog that looks cool (Endurance Ultra Bag), but it can only be ordered online. I like to see things in person before purchasing! Wish me luck!