Distance - 6.2
Avg Pace - 10
Bringing back old school! 6:15AM Greenway is BACK. Now that speedwork is back on Thursdays, and long runs are (for the most part) back on Saturdays, #nevermissaMonday was back this week. And I loved it. <3 Just Kyle, Michele, some deer, and a little leg work 1st thing in the morning. :)
The first mile or two felt tough, but I warmed up and bounced back on the return. The goal was to work on pacing. After Saturday's cray cray run, I was committed to 10:08 pace (indicator chart "easy"). I only bested that by 8s per mile, so close enough. It took everything I had not to take off to the parking lot with Kyle at the end, but his goal was to best 10:00, and my goal was to not see 9 anything, so I am proud of myself for being good. :) I'd like to think that if I actually stick to the schedule, I'll work harder on the days I am supposed to (long run, speedwork). Or at least. that's the plan.
Tuesday
Distance - 4.5
Avg Pace - 3.73 pokemon per mile. Gotta catch em all. :)
I decided today was going to be fun run day! I was running alone at Fowler park, in at least 88 degree weather, and that's boring + hard. To throw in some levity, enter Pokemon Go, the obsession of teenagers (and 37 year olds) everywhere this week!
I knew this would totally throw off the pace, and given that I need to get Emily from the gym at 9pm, also made me a hair short on the distance. But .. OH WELL. *^_^*
Coordination was rough. If I ever play this again, NO hand-held. That's watch, phone, and water to juggle between two paws. Nope. But after I caught on, the running actually didn't suffer too much. It was like fartlics. I ran a good 1.5 miles before I even figured out the game wasn't on. Then I just ran a little faster on the intervals, because of the breaks to catch monsters when they buzzed. For sure not recommendable day-to-day, but for a fun run (which everyone should throw in there once in a while), this rocked. At mile 3.5, I met a handful of skater dudes. They wanted me to play and run with them (they on skate boards). Lol. The rest of the mileage burned more calories for all of the laughing we were doing than the actual running. Someone should invent more game apps for running. :)
Wednesday
XT
I know you want to hear that I am finally ON THE WAGON. I desperately want to tell you that, too. But ... alas .. I did no things. :/ Well, except I now do 45 crunches before I shower in the morning each day. But the swimming has gone to back burner, and all my buds are sick. Lackluster attempt at getting off the couch failed, and I am in arrears on the mileage already. This thon stuff is no joke.
Thursday
Distance: 1 WU, 1600 x 3, with 400m recovery, 1 CD
Times: ~8:12, ~8:50, ~8:40
The weather was ATROCIOUS, the track offered NO protection of any kind, but I <3 speed work at Fowler. :) Too bad more of my BRFs aren't as seriously OTP as the three of us.
Kyle came up (saved the day, or I would have certainly opted for another Pokemon Go fun run on the Greenway trail area). Jerry was also checking the place out. (reminder to do good things, even if he wasn't running around us. :D )
Coming up with a target goal for these was tough. My indicator times are a bit outdated now. Using my Braves 5K, the spread sheet says 8:40. O_o! But the spreadsheet doesn't have a weather factor. Or an evening mode. Or a 'we technically haven't started "official" training yet, so I don't have to' mode. lol. 9:02 seemed like something I remembered wanting these to be, so that was goal one for 90 degrees.
UNFORTUNATELY .. I also forgot my watch. So I had to go by Kyle's. He was nursing a smidge of a cold, so I did best him, and my times ended up very much on target for 8:40. (If I had not run an 8:12 first go, I'm sure I could have cleaned up the middle one, no problem). And due to the conditions, I for sure felt that this was not *full out* by ANY means.
So EEEP, I've gotten a little faster. *shock face*
Friday
Distance - 0
I did not want to tempt myself with a Riverside run. If I went, I knew "easy" was not going to happen. The trail is too cool, too flat, and the companions too fast. And while I could have used the mileage for marathon training, I am still stubbornly resisting all-out tanking races. Its a very insignificant race, granted. 4 milers just don't count much, and a PR is pretty much set (90% goal), given how I have been running. The 50% goal could be 9:00 avg pace. But .. beyond that, the real goal (10%) is actually to just full out race it and do the best I can. Why do I want to set that as a goal? ... because of Grand Prix standings. If five other 34-39 years old show up, its totally likely I'll fall out of 2016 Top 3. So almost completely out of my control, and very, VERY likely. BUT .. in order to be okay with that happening, I at least have to put on the course the best I could do, so that there are no doubts. If 5th was in my wheelhouse, but I decided to sandbag, then I'd be pretty disappointed. If I run the hardest PR I can, and get crushed by 5 ladies by like 5+ minutes, then I will laugh and still celebrate.
So yea, it counts a little. ;)
Saturday
Race - Decatur 4 miler
35:36
What a fabulous morning! I felt at just the right intersection between: I could care less, I care, and I am having a panic attack. :) Organizing for the day the night before prepped me mentally, I fell right to my routine in the early morning, and as such, I could not have been more ready to go. Knowing this wasn't Peachtree or anything helped, too. There were no buds for me today, though. Michele's sick, and so just was going to easy run this. Kyle didn't want to push because of hills / heat; his 4 miler PR goal was pretty much in the bag. I did see a couple of fasts in the start corral, and that was good for maybe um, .2. LOL.
So it was all me, and I have to say I raced this one like. a. boss. In hind sight, I wish I could go back and set a goal pace of 8:49 (more on that in a minute), but without hindsight info, I am super proud! :)
I stayed fast the first mile, zippy the last, and steady in between. I really did not have to 'make it hurt' until the final stretch to post a 35:36, 8:54 average pace. (2 minutes and change shaved from my Resolution time). That said, it didn't feel like a forced sandbag, or even an easy. I felt like super woman and (sssshhhh) for sure felt like I fought the best I could (even if the long run is tomorrow, lol. stfu, CHI. your turn for attention will be here soon enough. lol) ;) :) I visited with many familiar faces along the way, all of whom which I consider 'fast.' I also learned that ... *shock* I am pretty emotional at the finish line!
Unfortunately, if my calculations are correct (and I did a pretty good job calcumalating), I fall to 5th in Grand Prix standings. The difference in average pace between me at ATC member 6th and 5th / 4th were mere seconds. (1st - 3rd, not even a chance, but 4th / 5th, I *totally* could have posted an 8:45 pace, and taken place points.) IF I knew that was the goal. But.. you just don't know that ahead of time. Its not like a time record or goal, where you know what its going to take. It could have been that all 5 places were 7s avg pace. So anyhoo, maybe that's over, and now I can just relax and focus on Marathon. (Just in case I ever get the opportunity again, though, I've prepared well (aka Facebook researched each of my three nemesis(es) for the next race, so I know what they look like!) BAH!
There weren't many pictures, so today you get a throw back to last year's race. Progress!! :)
Total 20.5
(36 if we didn't switch long run to Sunday because of race, so I am okay with that, on the technicality).
Thursday
Distance: 1 WU, 1600 x 3, with 400m recovery, 1 CD
Times: ~8:12, ~8:50, ~8:40
The weather was ATROCIOUS, the track offered NO protection of any kind, but I <3 speed work at Fowler. :) Too bad more of my BRFs aren't as seriously OTP as the three of us.
Kyle came up (saved the day, or I would have certainly opted for another Pokemon Go fun run on the Greenway trail area). Jerry was also checking the place out. (reminder to do good things, even if he wasn't running around us. :D )
Coming up with a target goal for these was tough. My indicator times are a bit outdated now. Using my Braves 5K, the spread sheet says 8:40. O_o! But the spreadsheet doesn't have a weather factor. Or an evening mode. Or a 'we technically haven't started "official" training yet, so I don't have to' mode. lol. 9:02 seemed like something I remembered wanting these to be, so that was goal one for 90 degrees.
UNFORTUNATELY .. I also forgot my watch. So I had to go by Kyle's. He was nursing a smidge of a cold, so I did best him, and my times ended up very much on target for 8:40. (If I had not run an 8:12 first go, I'm sure I could have cleaned up the middle one, no problem). And due to the conditions, I for sure felt that this was not *full out* by ANY means.
So EEEP, I've gotten a little faster. *shock face*
And then we Pokemon Go off the track. ;)
Friday
Distance - 0
I did not want to tempt myself with a Riverside run. If I went, I knew "easy" was not going to happen. The trail is too cool, too flat, and the companions too fast. And while I could have used the mileage for marathon training, I am still stubbornly resisting all-out tanking races. Its a very insignificant race, granted. 4 milers just don't count much, and a PR is pretty much set (90% goal), given how I have been running. The 50% goal could be 9:00 avg pace. But .. beyond that, the real goal (10%) is actually to just full out race it and do the best I can. Why do I want to set that as a goal? ... because of Grand Prix standings. If five other 34-39 years old show up, its totally likely I'll fall out of 2016 Top 3. So almost completely out of my control, and very, VERY likely. BUT .. in order to be okay with that happening, I at least have to put on the course the best I could do, so that there are no doubts. If 5th was in my wheelhouse, but I decided to sandbag, then I'd be pretty disappointed. If I run the hardest PR I can, and get crushed by 5 ladies by like 5+ minutes, then I will laugh and still celebrate.
So yea, it counts a little. ;)
Saturday
Race - Decatur 4 miler
35:36
What a fabulous morning! I felt at just the right intersection between: I could care less, I care, and I am having a panic attack. :) Organizing for the day the night before prepped me mentally, I fell right to my routine in the early morning, and as such, I could not have been more ready to go. Knowing this wasn't Peachtree or anything helped, too. There were no buds for me today, though. Michele's sick, and so just was going to easy run this. Kyle didn't want to push because of hills / heat; his 4 miler PR goal was pretty much in the bag. I did see a couple of fasts in the start corral, and that was good for maybe um, .2. LOL.
So it was all me, and I have to say I raced this one like. a. boss. In hind sight, I wish I could go back and set a goal pace of 8:49 (more on that in a minute), but without hindsight info, I am super proud! :)
I stayed fast the first mile, zippy the last, and steady in between. I really did not have to 'make it hurt' until the final stretch to post a 35:36, 8:54 average pace. (2 minutes and change shaved from my Resolution time). That said, it didn't feel like a forced sandbag, or even an easy. I felt like super woman and (sssshhhh) for sure felt like I fought the best I could (even if the long run is tomorrow, lol. stfu, CHI. your turn for attention will be here soon enough. lol) ;) :) I visited with many familiar faces along the way, all of whom which I consider 'fast.' I also learned that ... *shock* I am pretty emotional at the finish line!
At the end, someone who came in behind me came over specifically to congratulate me on a great run. Me? Who, me? I pushed you?? :`-} *tear*
Unfortunately, if my calculations are correct (and I did a pretty good job calcumalating), I fall to 5th in Grand Prix standings. The difference in average pace between me at ATC member 6th and 5th / 4th were mere seconds. (1st - 3rd, not even a chance, but 4th / 5th, I *totally* could have posted an 8:45 pace, and taken place points.) IF I knew that was the goal. But.. you just don't know that ahead of time. Its not like a time record or goal, where you know what its going to take. It could have been that all 5 places were 7s avg pace. So anyhoo, maybe that's over, and now I can just relax and focus on Marathon. (Just in case I ever get the opportunity again, though, I've prepared well (aka Facebook researched each of my three nemesis(es) for the next race, so I know what they look like!) BAH!
There weren't many pictures, so today you get a throw back to last year's race. Progress!! :)
Total 20.5
(36 if we didn't switch long run to Sunday because of race, so I am okay with that, on the technicality).
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