Well, I finished the 20k trail run this morning. Finishing is always goal #1, especially right now as I am trying to progress in longer distances. Goal #2 was to run at a faster pace than I did a 6.5 mile trail run a month ago. I was on pace to accomplish that goal as well thru 9.3 miles (even further really) when I hit a 1.7 mile long hill. Ended up at a slower pace but today was a much harder course so I am confident I would have been faster (even with the longer distance) had the courses been topographically similar. One thing I also noticed today was that my feet didn't start hurting until around mile 9.5-10 (I wore my new inserts). A month ago they were hurting the last couple of miles of the race and it was only 6.5 miles! I'm a little bummed my time was slow but I definitely did not race today. Today was all about making that next step in my distance progression. My legs got tired but cardiovascularly I was fine most of the day. All in all a good day and mission accomplished.
With today's long run and a scheduled long run for Saturday, my weekly goal is 40 miles. The most I have ever run in one week is 34, so if I reach 40 I will have smashed that 'record'. Plus, Nat and I are starting the Biggest Loser this week which should be some added motivation to get out and run. I totally expect to be exhausted all week.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday - 2.0 miles (17 week)
Two goals for today: 1) run easy to 'massage' the leg muscles before tomorrow and 2) try out a new pair of Keen trail running shoes and new inserts. I have plantar fiscitis in my right foot that acts up anytime I am running (not while I'm running but when my life actually involves running). The new inserts place the heel below the arch so I have high hopes that the pain will subside. I love the Keen's but will probably not wear them tomorrow. I'm not willing to risk running 12 miles on new shoes regardless how well I like them or how good they felt for 2 miles. I am, however, going to wear my new inserts in my old 'new' shoes (just got them 2 weeks ago). I've been wearing the inserts in both my Keen's and NB's around the house with very little pain. I don't know if they work that well or that quickly, it may be phsychological, but hey, I'll keep wearing them until time proves differently.
Weighed in at 199.5 this morning! Breaking the 200 mark is very satisfying.
Next up...the Norris Dam 20k Trail Run! Update tomorrow.
Weighed in at 199.5 this morning! Breaking the 200 mark is very satisfying.
Next up...the Norris Dam 20k Trail Run! Update tomorrow.
Friday - 0 miles
Had 3 miles on the schedule for today but life got in the way. Some errands after school, my nephew's b-day party (which I forgot was tonite) and putting Luke to bed (which I fell asleep with him) and the day was just over. But since the 3 miles were only for rest and recovery before Sunday's trail run, I feel o.k. The only thing I'm bummed about is not getting in 20 miles this week. This was one thing I wanted to avoid in my progression of training, not dropping back too much after having good weeks. Last week was 31 miles, my best week so far, and this week only 17 (assuming I get in the 2 tomorrow). I knew the week would be low because of the 12 mile run falling on a Sunday, but still wanted it to be out of the teens.
My weight is still hoovering around the 200 mark. Very little drop. Only 4 lbs in the last month. I looked in my logs from last year, though, and I was at 197.5 on the same day, which was a 6 lb drop. Not significant enough to punish myself over. I got to 185 by the end of November last year, running about 25-30 miles/week, and felt really good. Natalie and I are entering a "Biggest Loser" contest at our YMCA on Tuesday. We aim to win. We are not your typical BL contestants as I hide my extra weight very well. My students guessed I weighed about 155-160 and several co-workers said that I didn't have any weight to lose. And Natalie's extra lbs are from her pregnancy. But since the contest is based on % dropped and we are both starting relatively low, we may have a shot at winning. More importantly we aim to reach our goal weights, which would put us at almost a 15% loss. My goal is 168, which I haven't been since college. It's actually lower than Nat wants it to be.
And on a very positive note: my resting heart rate last nite (very resting as I actually dozed off while waiting for it to drop) was 46! Not bad for a 200 lb 40 year old. I think the lowest it has ever been was around 42 in 2001. Can I actually get it in the 30's?
My weight is still hoovering around the 200 mark. Very little drop. Only 4 lbs in the last month. I looked in my logs from last year, though, and I was at 197.5 on the same day, which was a 6 lb drop. Not significant enough to punish myself over. I got to 185 by the end of November last year, running about 25-30 miles/week, and felt really good. Natalie and I are entering a "Biggest Loser" contest at our YMCA on Tuesday. We aim to win. We are not your typical BL contestants as I hide my extra weight very well. My students guessed I weighed about 155-160 and several co-workers said that I didn't have any weight to lose. And Natalie's extra lbs are from her pregnancy. But since the contest is based on % dropped and we are both starting relatively low, we may have a shot at winning. More importantly we aim to reach our goal weights, which would put us at almost a 15% loss. My goal is 168, which I haven't been since college. It's actually lower than Nat wants it to be.
And on a very positive note: my resting heart rate last nite (very resting as I actually dozed off while waiting for it to drop) was 46! Not bad for a 200 lb 40 year old. I think the lowest it has ever been was around 42 in 2001. Can I actually get it in the 30's?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Thursday - 3.0 miles
Today was slow. I meant for it to be so I can recover before Sunday's 12 mile trail run. But it was so slow that after 2.5 I quit, totally bored with it (it didn't help that I did a route that ended back up at the house after 2.5). Came inside and fed the dogs. Then forced myself back out to finish up the half I came up short.
I got smart (for lack of a better term) this week and told my classes what I was running after school. Their "job" is to ask me the next day whether I did the run. That's why I went back out to finish. Today's run was supposed to be 3 miles. I didn't want to go in to school tomorrow and tell them I wussed out. Whatever works, right?
I got smart (for lack of a better term) this week and told my classes what I was running after school. Their "job" is to ask me the next day whether I did the run. That's why I went back out to finish. Today's run was supposed to be 3 miles. I didn't want to go in to school tomorrow and tell them I wussed out. Whatever works, right?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Wednesday - 4.1 miles
4.1 miles went like this:
wu) 1 mile
fast interval 0.75 m
recovery 0.6 m
fast interval 0.75 m
cd) 1 mile
The faster intervals felt good, nothing blazing, just faster than I have been running. Three miles tomorrow. Probably an easy 3 as I try to rest up for Sunday.
wu) 1 mile
fast interval 0.75 m
recovery 0.6 m
fast interval 0.75 m
cd) 1 mile
The faster intervals felt good, nothing blazing, just faster than I have been running. Three miles tomorrow. Probably an easy 3 as I try to rest up for Sunday.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Tuesday - 4.1 miles
Finally got back on track today and ran what I had on my schedule. Still a bit concerned that there is no speed to speak of in my running. I'm not trying to run faster but I feel like I couldn't if I tried. I vaguely remember having these same feelings last year about this time, although my logs reveal that I was running a bit faster than I am right now. Of course, this same week last year I ran 11 miles for the week and 16 the week before! Now, even in a down week, I will be over 11 miles tomorrow with 3 days to go during a rest week. My best guess, and hope, is that when I decide to (if I can flip my mental switch) I can run faster. I've got four miles on the sched for tomorrow. I might make 1-2 of them fast to see how it feels. Or maybe not. The thing I like about my running goals right now is that I am aiming for distance and not speed. It hurts in an entirely different way, but not nearly as bad, albiet a bit longer.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday - 2.5 miles
My schedule said 4 miles. I thought it was 3 miles. I ran 2.5??? Did not feel like running, which doesn't make sense, since it was the coolest day in weeks, but... Talked myself into doing some short 0.2 mile "bursts" at 6.33 pace for all six of them. Ended up with 2 1/2.
Goals this week are: 20+ miles, three 4 mile days, lose 1 pound to get under 200, rest for race Sunday.
Goals this week are: 20+ miles, three 4 mile days, lose 1 pound to get under 200, rest for race Sunday.
Sunday - 1.3
Ran just to say I ran. After 12 miles yesterday I was quite fatigued. Not necessarily sore, though.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Saturday 8/23 - 12 miles
Ahh, first post in quite some time. I never really got back to running until about a month ago, so I wanted to make sure I was going to have some consistency before I started posting again.
So my last 4 weeks prior to this one have gone like this: 24 miles, 23.5 miles, 25 miles (10 mile LR), and 16.6 miles (zero LR b/c of Luke's BD). I finished up this week with 31.1 miles including today's 12 mile LR. I crashed today at about mile 7 and ended up walking about 1/2 total during the last 5.
This is by far the quickest I have ramped up my weekly mileage, ever, so something has obviously got me motivated. (I actually believe all motivation is internal but still something sparked my inner motivation.) I read the book Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes then followed that up w/ Running for My Life by Ray Zahab. Both books by Ultra Marathoners. I've never been a long distance runner before, but like I said, something sparked. So I've found some long distance trail runs that I am going to train for. I have laid them out in my training calender progressively, each one longer than the previous one. I started with a 6.5 mile trail run two weeks ago. My next one is a 12 miler in a week. Ultimately, the plan is to run an Ultra Marathon (50k trail run) this year then try to train for a 100 miler in the spring. The ultimate goal is to push myself to accomplish something far and away harder than anything I would have ever thought possible for myself.
Can I do a 100 miler? Unquestionably no. But I can run 12 miles next week. After that I feel certain I can run 17.5 miles at Big South Fork at the end of September. And if I can run 17 miles in September, surely I can double that in two months at the Winter Trail 50k. And if I can run 31 miles in November why not 100 four months later? That's my progression. Small or large attainable chunks at a time. I'm 40 now, so the big key is making sure no injuries creep in.
So my last 4 weeks prior to this one have gone like this: 24 miles, 23.5 miles, 25 miles (10 mile LR), and 16.6 miles (zero LR b/c of Luke's BD). I finished up this week with 31.1 miles including today's 12 mile LR. I crashed today at about mile 7 and ended up walking about 1/2 total during the last 5.
This is by far the quickest I have ramped up my weekly mileage, ever, so something has obviously got me motivated. (I actually believe all motivation is internal but still something sparked my inner motivation.) I read the book Ultra Marathon Man by Dean Karnazes then followed that up w/ Running for My Life by Ray Zahab. Both books by Ultra Marathoners. I've never been a long distance runner before, but like I said, something sparked. So I've found some long distance trail runs that I am going to train for. I have laid them out in my training calender progressively, each one longer than the previous one. I started with a 6.5 mile trail run two weeks ago. My next one is a 12 miler in a week. Ultimately, the plan is to run an Ultra Marathon (50k trail run) this year then try to train for a 100 miler in the spring. The ultimate goal is to push myself to accomplish something far and away harder than anything I would have ever thought possible for myself.
Can I do a 100 miler? Unquestionably no. But I can run 12 miles next week. After that I feel certain I can run 17.5 miles at Big South Fork at the end of September. And if I can run 17 miles in September, surely I can double that in two months at the Winter Trail 50k. And if I can run 31 miles in November why not 100 four months later? That's my progression. Small or large attainable chunks at a time. I'm 40 now, so the big key is making sure no injuries creep in.
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