Tempo Run
1 mile warm-up
4 miles at mid-tempo pace (9:33)
1 mile cool down
Stats:
Run time: 58:29
Run distance: 6.12 miles
Average run pace: 9:33 (woohoo!)
Best pace: 6:35 (?!)
Calories: 777 (instantly replenished with a tall Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks…oops!)
Rest time: 5:00
Rest distance: .32 miles
Total time: 1:03:29
Total distance: 6.44 miles
Average total pace: 9:48
Pretty good run tonight! I tried out a new route—down the Greenway to 5th Ave (just beyond 35W) and then around Lake of the Isles. I had planned on doing Calhoun and Isles, but I really don’t like the going under Lake Street, over to Calhoun. It’s just so dark in that tunnel, and ever since we saw bats there a few years ago…
Anyway, I thought I’d try this new route. I was a little nervous about it, I admit. Characters have been known to hang out down in the Greenway, and a female running alone would be a good target. I left Abe a detailed note of where I was going and what time I expected to be home. I also carried my Mace. I didn’t run into any trouble, and I loved the Greenway! It’s clear, it’s well-lit and it’s relatively sheltered from the wind. Love it. I will run it more.
The Cinnamon Dolce Latte immediately post-run was not a good idea. It tasted so good, but I felt a little icky later on. And now I’ll probably be up all night. ☺
Oh, what the heck. Just for fun, here are my lap times:
Lap 1 (warm-up): 9:55
Lap 2: 9:28
Lap 3: 9:34
Lap 4: 9:35
Lap 5: 9:11 (oops!)
Lap 6 (cool-down): 9:40
Fun stuff. Loving the FIRST program. I really like having specific work-outs to do each time I run. It makes it easier to get my butt outside in the cold and dark, too. I think I must be motivated by specific goals, and this program definitely plays to that. Rather than just running 3 or 4 or 10 miles as fast as I can, I have specific milestones to achieve. I dig that.
Cold…
Yowza, it was a cold, cold night to do speedwork. But here goes:
The workout was 2x1600 meters, with 400 meters rest interval, and then 800 meters. I shortened it to just 2x1600 meters. My goal for each 1600 was 8:45.
Summary:
Warmup: .96 miles, 10:02 minutes, average pace 10:30, 137 cals
Workout:
Lap 1: 1 mile, 9:26 minutes, 137 cals
Lap 2: 1 mile, 8:46 minutes, 137 cals
Cool down: .5 miles, 5:40 minutes, average pace 11:21 (some walking at the beginning…), 62 cals.
Total time: Oh, 37 minutes or so, with the 400 meters rest interval
Total distance: 3.46 miles
Total cals: 463
I don’t know if it was the cold or the workout itself, but that was really hard. REALLY hard. I wasn’t even close on the first interval to making the goal time. 400 & 800 meters were achievable, but 1600 is a whole other ballgame. Guess that means I’ll have to do more!
Home Run...
Well, here are the stats from my runs back home:
Friday—tempo run
Run time: 1:08:55
Average total pace: 10:10
Calories: 933
I was supposed to do a 1 mile warm-up, 2 miles at 9:18 (no walk breaks!), 1 mile easy (at about 10:15), 2 miles at 9:18 (no walk breaks!), and a one mile cool down. Since I didn’t do walk breaks, I didn’t set the Garmin for intervals, so my stats are a little skewed. I don’t know for sure if I hit the 9:18 on the 2 tempo laps, but I think I got pretty close.
Sunday--long run:
Run time: 1:03:39
Run distance: 6.5 miles
Average run pace: 9:52
Best pace: 8:09
Calories: 884
Rest time: 6:00
Rest dist: 0.50 mi
Total time: 1:09:39
Total distance: 7.0 miles
Long run, with a 9:48 pace goal. I was close. I ran the first 3.5 miles into the wind, and that was very rough. Of course, coming home was a breeze. Pun intended.
I was thinking today that I need to start doing more serious cross-training, like cycling. So, I hopped on the stationary bicycle in our little workout room for a quick spin tonight. YUCK! I think I made it about 3 minutes. I’m not used to riding upright and on big padded seats—it actually hurt to sit on that huge, cushy seats. So, I gave up, and did some yoga instead. And that yoga was plenty of a workout. I will introduce the cross-training more seriously, but I think I’ll wait until I can bike outside.
Ok, so it’s Wednesday, but I did my speedwork tonight. Here are the stats:
Warm-up:
Run time: 16:21
1.48 miles
Average pace: 11:03 (uphill!)
Calories: 183
Speedwork:
5x800 m, with 400 m RI
Goal time for each 800: 4:14
Lap 1: 4:11, 64 cal
Lap 2: 4:04, 66 cal (too fast!)
Lap 3: 4:05, 64 cal (too fast!)
Lap 4: 4:14, 74 cal
Lap 5: 4:13, 66 cal
Plus 4x400 meters rest = 1600 meters = 1 mile
Cool down:
Run time: 16:16
Run distance: 1.54 miles
Average pace: 10:35
Best pace: 7:31 (downhill!)
Calories: 181
Total distance: 6.52 miles
Total time: about 54 minutes (not including rest)
Total cals: 698 (really?!)
Wow, that was a pretty groovy run! I did much better than I expected, and even went too fast! I suffered on the last two laps, though; those last two laps were so much harder because I had gone too fast in the previous laps.
I was planning on running countless laps around Loring Park, but at the last minute today, I decided to try running from my apartment to Lake of the Isles (about 1.5 miles) as my warm-up, and then do my speedwork around the lake. I’ve always thought that Isles was too far to run to and around, and that was just silly. I guess it’s too far if I only want to run 3 miles. But since I have to do a warm-up and cool-down anyway, why not do it among the mansions of Kenwood? Anyway, I was totally silly for thinking that it was too far to run to Isles, go around the lake and run back. It was a blast! Plus, most of the way back is downhill. ☺
I haven’t been listening to my iPod whilst doing speedwork, but I decided to tonight. The up-tempo gods were smiling on me tonight, and gave me some really groovy music to run to. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again—I like running with my iPod right now! I think this USATF ban on headphones and music players is a load of crap. I also think the self-righteous people who say that running with music is only a distraction and not real running are full of crap. I love my running soundtrack. It’s not like I don’t pay attention to my body, to my surroundings (hello, it’s dark!!), or to other runners. I just like having a soundtrack to my life. I like checking out new bands, obsessing over old bands, rocking out to Weezer.
I think there are far more problems with safety at major races than iPods and MP3 players. And I think for whatever reason, the Powers That Be at USATF don’t like iPods and MP3 players. Perhaps they are running purists. Perhaps they had a bad run-in with someone wearing an iPod. But perhaps they should also focus on educating runners about proper race etiquette, such as how to move through water stops. And speaking of, what bigger safety issue is there than not having enough water at the water stops?
The face of the marathon is changing. It’s recreational runners who make up the bulk of the entrants. I would bet that the majority of these people would like to race with music. Alienate these people, and watch your number of entrants (and money!) decline.
Ok, off the soapbox, and onto dinner!
“My friends from high school
Married their high school boyfriends
Moved into houses in the same ZIP codes
Where their parents live
But I, I could never follow
No I, I could never follow
I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling
Lived like a gypsy
Six strong hands on the steering wheel
I've been a long time gone now
Maybe someday, someday I'm gonna settle down
But I've always found my way somehow
By taking the long way
Taking the long way around
Taking the long way
Taking the long way around”
--The Dixie Chicks
Long Run Garmin Stats:
Run time: 57:05
Run Dist: 5.88 mi
Average Run Pace: 9:43
Best Pace: 8:06
Calories 753
Rest time: 5:00
Rest Dist: 0.33 mi
Total Time: 1:02:05
Total Dist: 6.2 mi
It was a good run today! Since I took this week off from the FIRST program, I decided to repeat a 6 mile long run at 9:48 pace. Pretty good…the run felt really good, and it was really nice to be out early, just running along with my tunes. A little cold, but I warmed up quickly.
This week I start up the FIRST program again, commencing with speedwork on Tuesday. Fun times!
"I was sleeping -- I don't know if we're in Iowa or Missouri
It's one of those dreams -- caught between the clearing and the blurry
And I'm not awake, but I'm not sleeping
I'm somewhere in between."
--Storyhill
Well, not much to report about today's run. Did Calhoun, cool but beautiful outside! My Garmin never picked up a signal, so I don't have any stats. My Calhoun route (which starts at Isles) is usually about 4 miles, so I'll say that I did 4 miles in 40 minutes. It felt like an awful lot of work for 10 minute miles though. Gorgeous night, and some good tunes. Two Storyhill songs. I love Storyhill.
It was good to get out and move my legs. I looking forward to the 7 mile long run this Sunday. And I'm looking forward to starting up the FIRST workouts again next week. It is much more fun when your fun has a purpose, a milestone to beat.
Oh! Got a B+ on my test, too. Yay!
And I finally have a picture in my profile! This was taken at my friend Lisa's wedding this summer...you can see Lisa a little on the left, me in the middle, and Aimee, Super-Bridesmaid-Ninja-Extraordinaire on the right.
All right sports fans, I’m starting up the blog again. And I’m going to return the original intention of the blog, which was an online training log. So, I’m really killing two groovy birds with one stone—I’m trying (again!) to keep a training log, and I’m entertaining my beloved boyfriend and other miscellaneous fans out there. (Hello Athena! I hope you are well.)
I think the shiny new MacBook might also have something to do with my desire to start up the blog again. ☺
So, this was supposed to be my second official week of the FIRST training program, but unfortunately, two exams in one week derailed that plan. I was supposed to do my second round of FIRST speedwork last night (5x800 meters, with 400m rest intervals), but I just didn’t have the time with all the studying I had to do. So, I settled for a quick jaunt around Lake of Isles. Here are the stats, courtesy of the Garmin:
Run time: 25:37 (not a record, but not bad)
Run distance: 2.75 miles
Average pace: 9:19
Best pace: 8:33
Calories: 351
Rest time: 0:00
Rest distance: 0.0 miles
No walk breaks! Yay. That was the primary goal, just get out and do Isles and move my legs.
Heard on iPod shuffle:
“Possession” Sarah MacLachlan
“Good Life” Weezer (I love Weezer…)
“Both Hands” Ani DiFranco
“Fast Car” Tracy Chapman
“Original” Sheryl Crow
“C’mon, C’mon” Sheryl Crow
Seems like a lot of songs for 25 minutes…
So, here’s a bit of background on the FIRST training program—this program was developed by exercise scientists at Furman University, through the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training. They were profiled in the August 2005 issue of Runners’s World, and have recently published a book called Run Less, Run Faster. What a catchy title, eh?
I did a lot of thinking late this summer and early this fall about how I could get faster. I truly believe it is in my physiological make-up to run a 4 hour marathon. But how to get there? I was doodling around on Amazon.com one day, looking for books, and this one caught my eye.
To briefly summarize, their training program is based on the belief that 3 targeted running workouts and 2 days of aerobic cross-training is what you need to get faster. A lot of this was developed as the authors trained for triathlons, so they recommend swimming and/or biking as your cross-training. The 3 “quality workouts” are speedwork, a tempo run, and a long run, all at a prescribed and challenging pace.
The program is a far cry from the 6-days-a-week-10-miles-a-shot Hanson Brooks program I was considering last spring, and probably much more realistic, given my schedule with work and school. But so far, I’m loving it. Right now, I’m just working on the 10K training program. It’s 12 weeks long, and I figure that it’ll help me keep my base up over the winter and early spring. The longest long run is 10 miles for this program, and I’ll do that 3 times. I’ll be in good shape to start half-marathon training in February, and then marathon training in June. The prescribed paces are definitely a challenge, but even from week to week, I’m getting better. The paces don’t seem quite as hard, and I’m recovering quicker between speed intervals. I’d also like to wean myself off of walk breaks for the tempo runs, but I don’t want to get cocky.
The prescribed paces are all based off a 5K time. I don’t really have an exact one, so I estimate my 5K time to be 28:00 now. With that, I have to aim for 2:05 for 400 meter repeats for speedwork. For tempo runs, I have a short-tempo pace (9:18), a mid-tempo pace (9:33), and a long-tempo pace (9:48). All long runs are done at the long tempo pace. I’ve been talking walk breaks on my tempo and long runs, but the actual running portion is spot-on for the pace.
I’m hoping this FIRST program works out for me. So far, so good. It’s hard to get used to running only 3 days a week, but it’s giving me more time for yoga. I’m not doing the swimming or cycling that they recommend for cross-training; instead, I’m trying to do more vinyasa-style yoga, so my heart rate is still somewhat elevated. I’m considering getting a bike trainer for the winter; otherwise I’ll just start biking when the weather warms up next spring.
Side note for any runners or want-to-be-a-runners out there—read “Marathon Woman” by Kathrine Switzer. It is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read in my entire life. Her story of Boston and her subsequent work to get the women’s marathon in the Olympics is amazing.
What is Garrison Keillor says in his podcasts? “Stay well, do good work and keep in touch”? Yeah…now I must return to the visceral reflex arcs of the autonomic nervous system.
