As ghetto-tastic as it is not having internet at my apartment lately, I think I'm creating a new favorite part of the day in my evening coffee-shop internet-mooching time. The coffee shops around here are way more quiet than during the school year and I love being done with my runs, and just chillin in the air conditioning drinking iced coffee and blog reading. Good times.
Speaking of good times, I had some good times running today. Starting with a 6 miler at 4am. The combo of it being early/dark/not eating or drinking beforehand seems to pretty much kill my pace, but I'm not too worried because right now it is about getting my milage up. So, I ran nice and slow around the dark streets. I just love getting back to my apartment before 5am with a run already in! Makes me feel bad ass.
Speaking of bad ass, my second run of the day was just that. I needed to get another 8 miles in and had alot of stuff to do this afternoon/evening. Heat advisory? Ha! I decided to brave it and head out at 2pm- the minute I got off work and do my hilly bakeshop-> downtown and back route. The temp read 96 degrees, so I decided just to take it slow and stop to by a Powerade Zero halfway through. The thing that made me feel the most bad ass is the fact that I only saw one other runner. Mind you, I live in a college town that is very active and normally on campus it is like a roadrace there is so many runners. Is it wrong that this added to my satisfaction? Further adding to my satisfaction is the fact that I kept an 8:05 min/mile pace despite just getting off of working on my feet all day + the heat. I'm not gonna lie, it was hard, but I felt strong inside. I'm hoping my fitness is increasing afterall. Jumping in the pool at my apartment after was the icing on the cake!
Ok, that's all I got. Gotta regroup and get ready to do it all again tomorrow....
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
96- new workweek and H.O.T.
It's back at it for me with the 'workweek.' I drove back to my apartment today and am working 6-2 for the next three days at the bakery. I got Saturday off to do a race up north that I have been doing for 6 years ago. It is a 15K, and even though my training is just starting, I wanted to to it 'for fun.' I still have no internet at my apartment and some am mooching off of yet another coffee shop immediately post-run before I go home. Since I am spending half weeks up north (with internet) and half weeks at my place (where there are alot of nearby coffee shops) I probably will just deal with the no internet for the rest of the summer to keep saving $$$.
In other news, it is HOT. And I like it hot, but it is hot even for a person who likes it hot! Case and point, when I got back to my apartment after the drive south today and had .2 seconds to change before meeting my friends to run, it was 87 degrees in my apartment! And all the blinds were closed and everything! I turn my air off when I go, but I'm pretty sure that it is not legal for me to let it get that hot in there. I'm hoping it has cooled off when I get home tonite so I can get some sleeps!
Running wise, good day. My schedule called for a 10/4 split today. I did 10 miles this morning up north- 4 with my mom, and then I dropped her off and ran into town for the additional 6 miles. Luckily I had a 5 dollar bill in my pocket because I was so thirsty when I got to town and was waiting for my mom to pick me up. Mmmm Powerade Zero....As I was walking down the street from the IGA to where my mom was meeting me (while chugging my powerade zero) my shorts were so wet that they were "swishing" like I had just been swimming. Yeah, gross but true.
Then it was drive, drive, drive.....
I got home and changed to meet Mike + others for a chill run around town. We stuck to subdivisions to optimize shade. We ended up doing 5 miles, so it was a 10/5 split for me. What's an extra mile between friends? ;)
That's all I got. I expect the next few days here to fly by due to basically being consumed by running and working. Just the way I like it! :)
In other news, it is HOT. And I like it hot, but it is hot even for a person who likes it hot! Case and point, when I got back to my apartment after the drive south today and had .2 seconds to change before meeting my friends to run, it was 87 degrees in my apartment! And all the blinds were closed and everything! I turn my air off when I go, but I'm pretty sure that it is not legal for me to let it get that hot in there. I'm hoping it has cooled off when I get home tonite so I can get some sleeps!
Running wise, good day. My schedule called for a 10/4 split today. I did 10 miles this morning up north- 4 with my mom, and then I dropped her off and ran into town for the additional 6 miles. Luckily I had a 5 dollar bill in my pocket because I was so thirsty when I got to town and was waiting for my mom to pick me up. Mmmm Powerade Zero....As I was walking down the street from the IGA to where my mom was meeting me (while chugging my powerade zero) my shorts were so wet that they were "swishing" like I had just been swimming. Yeah, gross but true.
Then it was drive, drive, drive.....
I got home and changed to meet Mike + others for a chill run around town. We stuck to subdivisions to optimize shade. We ended up doing 5 miles, so it was a 10/5 split for me. What's an extra mile between friends? ;)
That's all I got. I expect the next few days here to fly by due to basically being consumed by running and working. Just the way I like it! :)
Monday, July 5, 2010
97- delayed soreness and double run recovery day
Good news: I'm not at all sore from my 16 miler yesterday, which was my longest *single* run since the marathon.
Bad news: my shoulders + back + arms are soooo sore from skiing two days ago. Seriously, even the motion of running hurt them! I find as I get older, two days after I do anything different/strenuous (ie first ski of the year!) I am sore. This was certainly the case today!
But alas, there were miles to be run. It looks like most of my Mondays are structured pretty similarly this training cycle. Since I am doing my long runs on Sunday, Monday's are 'recovery' days. Which looks mostly like 6/6 splits. The rationale is that milage stays up by still getting 12 miles in for a recovery day, but it is less taxing on the body by splitting it with time to recover/rest/eat/drink in between.
I met up with my friend for run #1. She was up north for one more day and I'm really glad we got to run together. Ironically, we live in the same town downstate (and I've known her my whole life) because she is going to med school and I still live in the town I went to school in, but we never run together. Although we have kept in touch via coffee and such over the years, she just never showed interest in running with me and always insisted I was too fast (not true) or that she would slow me down too much (also not true.) I'm so glad we've gotten a few runs together over the last few weeks and I'm hoping it can continue. This morning's run went by so fast with us chatting about our families/summer/running. I'm doing pretty good at keeping the pace relaxed on these recoveries, today was 8:11 average, with all the miles fairly even. More important, I just enjoyed being with my friend!
The afternoon was spent in a normal, up north rainy day kind of way-swimming, reading, napping, and playing around online. My family went out wine tasting (so NOT my thing) and once they left and I procrastinated sommore, I headed out for run #2. Although I felt stiff and sore at first the run was great. I had alot of stuff on my mind and it felt good just to GO. I did a normal boring route up and back a bunch of times on a flat-ish road. Once I hit 4 miles at just over 8 minute pace I decided just to let my legs do their thing. I knew the last 2 miles would be up hill and so I challenged myself to hit it hard. 7:10 and 6:52 were my last two miles splits. :) I was happy with this and it pushed my run to a 7:47 average. Maybe not so 'recovery' but sometimes you just gotta go with the flow!
Now, I'm watching 'Silence of the Lambs' on TV and waiting for my family to come home so we can watch 'Food INC'. Frozen yogurt from the local place for dinner- perfection. Time to bounce! :)
Bad news: my shoulders + back + arms are soooo sore from skiing two days ago. Seriously, even the motion of running hurt them! I find as I get older, two days after I do anything different/strenuous (ie first ski of the year!) I am sore. This was certainly the case today!
But alas, there were miles to be run. It looks like most of my Mondays are structured pretty similarly this training cycle. Since I am doing my long runs on Sunday, Monday's are 'recovery' days. Which looks mostly like 6/6 splits. The rationale is that milage stays up by still getting 12 miles in for a recovery day, but it is less taxing on the body by splitting it with time to recover/rest/eat/drink in between.
I met up with my friend for run #1. She was up north for one more day and I'm really glad we got to run together. Ironically, we live in the same town downstate (and I've known her my whole life) because she is going to med school and I still live in the town I went to school in, but we never run together. Although we have kept in touch via coffee and such over the years, she just never showed interest in running with me and always insisted I was too fast (not true) or that she would slow me down too much (also not true.) I'm so glad we've gotten a few runs together over the last few weeks and I'm hoping it can continue. This morning's run went by so fast with us chatting about our families/summer/running. I'm doing pretty good at keeping the pace relaxed on these recoveries, today was 8:11 average, with all the miles fairly even. More important, I just enjoyed being with my friend!
The afternoon was spent in a normal, up north rainy day kind of way-swimming, reading, napping, and playing around online. My family went out wine tasting (so NOT my thing) and once they left and I procrastinated sommore, I headed out for run #2. Although I felt stiff and sore at first the run was great. I had alot of stuff on my mind and it felt good just to GO. I did a normal boring route up and back a bunch of times on a flat-ish road. Once I hit 4 miles at just over 8 minute pace I decided just to let my legs do their thing. I knew the last 2 miles would be up hill and so I challenged myself to hit it hard. 7:10 and 6:52 were my last two miles splits. :) I was happy with this and it pushed my run to a 7:47 average. Maybe not so 'recovery' but sometimes you just gotta go with the flow!
Now, I'm watching 'Silence of the Lambs' on TV and waiting for my family to come home so we can watch 'Food INC'. Frozen yogurt from the local place for dinner- perfection. Time to bounce! :)
Sunday, July 4, 2010
98- yeah, that was a bad idea
So amongst my tired-ness and freaking out last night, I decided to 'screw it' to getting up early and running, and just do it later/post ski. As it turned out, there was so ski because it was crazy-windy even from sunrise here. And, because I'm a nice daughter/sister/sister-in-law, I instead made french toast for them for b-fast with bread from the bakery. It stinks to work at a great bakery and be gluten free! So, it was cereal for my b-fast.....
So, I headed out the door for my 'long run' (aka 16 miles so not too long) at 10:30am. Yeah. It. was. hot. And I love the hot, but the sun+ heat+ wind was intense. I planned to run a long route into a neighboring town where my mom would pick me up (a nd get groceries.) I ran the first 2 miles with my mom and pop, then they turned back. About a half mile later I ran (literally) into my friend who was also on a run and we ran a couple miles together. At this point all was good. About 8 miles in was when I started feeling the heat. I was over an hour into running and was thirsty. I ran a half mile out of my way down to a beach to get water. Let me tell you, I am a germ freak and I spent lots of time drinking out of a drinking fountain there which I haven't done in YEARS. Desperate times......
As it turned out though, I'm pretty sure this helped me alot. My pace picked back up and I was able to complete the 16 miles. That is the good part about a point-to-point run- you have to get there somehow! The rest of my day was spent drinking, shopping with my mom and sis, hanging out with my friend at her place, cooking out, and boating. Now, I am wanted down by the bonfire. People on our lake do a good job with fireworks so I'm off to watch the 'show!' Happy 4th everyone! :)
So, I headed out the door for my 'long run' (aka 16 miles so not too long) at 10:30am. Yeah. It. was. hot. And I love the hot, but the sun+ heat+ wind was intense. I planned to run a long route into a neighboring town where my mom would pick me up (a nd get groceries.) I ran the first 2 miles with my mom and pop, then they turned back. About a half mile later I ran (literally) into my friend who was also on a run and we ran a couple miles together. At this point all was good. About 8 miles in was when I started feeling the heat. I was over an hour into running and was thirsty. I ran a half mile out of my way down to a beach to get water. Let me tell you, I am a germ freak and I spent lots of time drinking out of a drinking fountain there which I haven't done in YEARS. Desperate times......
As it turned out though, I'm pretty sure this helped me alot. My pace picked back up and I was able to complete the 16 miles. That is the good part about a point-to-point run- you have to get there somehow! The rest of my day was spent drinking, shopping with my mom and sis, hanging out with my friend at her place, cooking out, and boating. Now, I am wanted down by the bonfire. People on our lake do a good job with fireworks so I'm off to watch the 'show!' Happy 4th everyone! :)
Saturday, July 3, 2010
99- Long day and 1st ski!
Ok, this is going to be short for realz because I am so. tired.
I awoke at 3:30am for an 8 miler. It was slow because my stomach was hurting from rushing out the door so soon. But, I did feel hard core having a decent length run pre-5am. Work 6-2, then drove up north. Up north by 6pm. By this point I was really tied, wanted food and was cranky! My whole family was here already and it was beautiful out, but I think my tiredness of the last few days from run-work-run was making me feel out of sorts. Honestly, I just wanted to sleep. After dinner, the lake was really rough, but the boat was uncovered as my family had been boating later. A ski was suggested and I am powerless to resist! Actually, I was really nervous because it was the first ski of the year for me and I always doubt my ability. But alas, out we went!
My dad went first, did well even over rough waters, then it was me! And it was great. It felt soooo good to be out on the water, despite my tiredness. And, now the first one is out of the way, so I'll be ready to hit it hard tomorrow! Although I will be sore.....
Ok, bed time. I actually have to get up early tomorrow to run my long run so that we can ski when the water is still flat! Although early is relative these days......
I'm out. Happy weekend!
I awoke at 3:30am for an 8 miler. It was slow because my stomach was hurting from rushing out the door so soon. But, I did feel hard core having a decent length run pre-5am. Work 6-2, then drove up north. Up north by 6pm. By this point I was really tied, wanted food and was cranky! My whole family was here already and it was beautiful out, but I think my tiredness of the last few days from run-work-run was making me feel out of sorts. Honestly, I just wanted to sleep. After dinner, the lake was really rough, but the boat was uncovered as my family had been boating later. A ski was suggested and I am powerless to resist! Actually, I was really nervous because it was the first ski of the year for me and I always doubt my ability. But alas, out we went!
My dad went first, did well even over rough waters, then it was me! And it was great. It felt soooo good to be out on the water, despite my tiredness. And, now the first one is out of the way, so I'll be ready to hit it hard tomorrow! Although I will be sore.....
Ok, bed time. I actually have to get up early tomorrow to run my long run so that we can ski when the water is still flat! Although early is relative these days......
I'm out. Happy weekend!
Friday, July 2, 2010
100- my lack of internet is getting old...
It's deja vu here! I'm sitting at a (different) panera, immediately post-run, blogging and checking email. My stupid bootleg internet is still MIA. Atleast today it is earlier.
My today was much like my yesterday, so I'll spare y'all the boring details. 4am 5 miler. Oddly I woke up a few times last night *excited* to get up early and run. I'm usually OK with running then, but I wouldn't describe my feelings as 'excited' by any extent. I think I am becoming more addicted to these runs! It was a tiny bit faster than yesterday, but not much. My legs were stiff from the tempo.
Work was uneventful besides the fact that it was payday! That always makes for a good day! ;)
I had a quick appointment right after work and I could feel my motivation declining for run #2. It is in the high 80s here and sunny, which is beautiful weather, but I was feeling sleepy and stressed about packing and getting all ready to go back upnorth. What is my solution to make sure I get my run in? Pull into nearest parking lot and GO. So that is what I did. I gave myself permission to go as slow as possible because a) my legs felt tired and b) I'm trying to run slower these days on my easy days. Well, it turned out that my legs felt pretty darn good! I ended up running 6 miles @ 7:42 pace with the last mile @7:22. I didn't NEED to do this today, but I didn't want to fight it either. I'm hoping that I'm pushing through the wall of increased training and coming out the other side.
Ok, now I really do need to go! I gotta get home and get ready for up north tomorrow! I gotta run pre-work again so I can leave right at 2pm from work and hopefully get up north for dinner (and perhaps a ski??) We shall see....
My today was much like my yesterday, so I'll spare y'all the boring details. 4am 5 miler. Oddly I woke up a few times last night *excited* to get up early and run. I'm usually OK with running then, but I wouldn't describe my feelings as 'excited' by any extent. I think I am becoming more addicted to these runs! It was a tiny bit faster than yesterday, but not much. My legs were stiff from the tempo.
Work was uneventful besides the fact that it was payday! That always makes for a good day! ;)
I had a quick appointment right after work and I could feel my motivation declining for run #2. It is in the high 80s here and sunny, which is beautiful weather, but I was feeling sleepy and stressed about packing and getting all ready to go back upnorth. What is my solution to make sure I get my run in? Pull into nearest parking lot and GO. So that is what I did. I gave myself permission to go as slow as possible because a) my legs felt tired and b) I'm trying to run slower these days on my easy days. Well, it turned out that my legs felt pretty darn good! I ended up running 6 miles @ 7:42 pace with the last mile @7:22. I didn't NEED to do this today, but I didn't want to fight it either. I'm hoping that I'm pushing through the wall of increased training and coming out the other side.
Ok, now I really do need to go! I gotta get home and get ready for up north tomorrow! I gotta run pre-work again so I can leave right at 2pm from work and hopefully get up north for dinner (and perhaps a ski??) We shall see....
Thursday, July 1, 2010
101- tempo-licious
Gonna make this quick for real, because my internet is still out at my apartment, so I'm online at panera and it is after 8pm which means it is getting dangerously close to my bedtime....
Slept horrible last night, which made for a sluggish 4am run. I was tired, but had tons on my mind and it tossed and turned. 5 miles at 4am were not great, but I'm glad I got it done. And, it was 45 degrees! Brrr! Off to work 6am-2pm; the shift flew by! Always a good thing. Came home and passed out from 3pm-5pm. Also a good thing!
I was super-nervous for the first 'tempo' of this training cycle. I actually had an easy 6 miler on my schedule for tonite and wasn't planning any speedwork this week (just more milage.) But, Mike had a chill tempo on his schedule, and he knows I can't say no! So, we ended up doing 7 miles with 4 @ tempo pace. The goal was to average 7:10, and we averaged 7:09 so that was perfect. I was surprised with how good I felt. Not "I-can-do-this-for-26.2-miles" good, but not like I was going to die. It gave me hope that I haven't lost all of my speed in the last month that has been free of speedwork. It was hot though, especially compared to this morning. Now, I'm freezing because I'm still sitting in my sweaty clothes at Panera. Because I'm classy like that.
Tomorrow, double easy runs, with work in between, doctors appointment and packing to head back up north on Saturday after work. Good times! :)
Slept horrible last night, which made for a sluggish 4am run. I was tired, but had tons on my mind and it tossed and turned. 5 miles at 4am were not great, but I'm glad I got it done. And, it was 45 degrees! Brrr! Off to work 6am-2pm; the shift flew by! Always a good thing. Came home and passed out from 3pm-5pm. Also a good thing!
I was super-nervous for the first 'tempo' of this training cycle. I actually had an easy 6 miler on my schedule for tonite and wasn't planning any speedwork this week (just more milage.) But, Mike had a chill tempo on his schedule, and he knows I can't say no! So, we ended up doing 7 miles with 4 @ tempo pace. The goal was to average 7:10, and we averaged 7:09 so that was perfect. I was surprised with how good I felt. Not "I-can-do-this-for-26.2-miles" good, but not like I was going to die. It gave me hope that I haven't lost all of my speed in the last month that has been free of speedwork. It was hot though, especially compared to this morning. Now, I'm freezing because I'm still sitting in my sweaty clothes at Panera. Because I'm classy like that.
Tomorrow, double easy runs, with work in between, doctors appointment and packing to head back up north on Saturday after work. Good times! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)