Win!
Run!
Write!
It's currently a mix between the three. Last week was the monster week in my training. Not quite as mega mileage as I had initially planned. Was supposed to get in 49 miles. But last Monday night, I got a crappy night's sleep, and Sarah said to bag the 10 mile track workout and substitute it with an easy 5 mile run. 44 instead of 49, but still the highest mileage I've had in a while. It was the weekend runs that ultimately made up the bulk of the week's running: 12 on Saturday, 14 on Sunday.
Saturday's run was probably the best training run I've had in my Army Ten Miler build-up. It was a progression run, where the pace gets faster and faster. My mile repeats workouts on the track are fairly similar to this, but those are accompanied with a recovery lap. No recovering on the road - just keep going and going. The weather was beautiful - about 40 degrees and sunny. I did my 2.5 mile warm-up on the National Mall, and then headed to the Mt. Vernon trail for the progression part. This is a beautiful trail, and I think I am going to do all of my bigger runs on there from here on out. I have to metro to get there, but I think when you take the $4 round-trip metro and think about it as an investment for training, that's not too bad. Anyways, I was dressed like it was race day, and raring to go. I was supposed to start at 7:20 pace and knock off 7-10 seconds per mile. But not wanting to blow up/burn out, I started a little slower (which is preferable to going out too fast in this workout) - 7:35 for the first mile. The miles clicked off nicely. Not necessarily the most even splits: 7:35, 7:22, 7:05, 6:55, 6:50, 6:39, 6:35, but I was able to keep going faster and faster. The weather was great, and I loved this trail too. I didn't bring any gatorade or GU for this run - things that would've provided a little boost (even mentally) towards the end of the run. But, this was a no-muss, no-fuss run. I told myself that I would even feel better, stronger, faster (right?) when I have those on race day.
My legs felt pretty beat up though on Sunday's run! On these long runs, particularly when they follow a workout day, are not about pace, but just getting the mileage in. And 14 miles just takes a while, no matter how you slice it.
Army Ten Miler is Sunday, and I am so excited. Weather calls for sun and high 40s at the start. On Tuesday, I had my last tune-up track workout of a 2k, 1200, 2 x 800, 2 x 400. It was a great workout - I felt like I had a lot of pep in my step, and in the final 400s, ran 1:28 and 1:26 - sub 6 minute pace. Wahoo! Obviously, 400s are different than a 10 mile run, but it was a good feeling to know I could still pull that out at the end of the day.
And it does feel like lately all I do is run or write. I'm starting to move in a good direction with my dissertation, so I've just been working on getting some of my ideas out from my head and onto paper...or screen. It's mainly medieval, it's a little modern running, but it's all getting documented!
I am so so so excited for Sunday. The Army 10 Miler (ATM) has been what this whole fall season has been geared toward. I am not running with a place goal in mind, but strictly a time goal. The winner will ultimately run it in about 56 minutes - I am aiming for 67 minutes and change. Things are different going into this race. The last half dozen races I've done, I've placed in the top 10, which is pretty cool. I know that realistically, that won't happen in this race. I'm aiming for top 60-70, and am putting more (really, all) emphasis on hitting my time goal. That will be the big victory if it all comes together. Winning can certainly mean different things, depending on the day.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
If I could talk to my 15 year old self...
Today is International Day of the Girl. CNN asked famous women what they would tell their fifteen-year old self, and this ended up being my reflections during today's run around the National Mall.
*Your braces will eventually come off. And all of the years of orthodontist visits and thousands of dollars your parents paid will be worth it.
*You will find love. High school Valentine's Days of waiting for a carnation to appear suck, but real love awaits. You will be kissed, and someone will think you are worth more than just a dollar flower.
*The things you hung your hopes on so much won't matter or be remembered. I can think of numerous solo auditions and tryouts for music groups that didn't go the way I wanted them to. In the end, it didn't do long-term damage. I'm quite alright.
*Your life could be very different than it is now, and it is okay that not everything stays the same. You'll move new places, meet new people, and learn that change is not always bad.
*But, some of your friends will stay the same. I had already met 3 of my best girl friends by age 14, and they are still absolutely important to my life.
*The family, who you were mortified to be seen at the mall with, will now be the people you spend most of your time talking to on the phone.
I was 15 years old 11 years ago. So much drama in high school. Life's a lot more fun now. That's not to say it's easier, but it's definitely more fun. But not knowing what is going to happen next is half of the adventure.
Here's the official prompt: "Looking back, what one piece of advice would you give to your 15-year-old self?" - any takers?
*Your braces will eventually come off. And all of the years of orthodontist visits and thousands of dollars your parents paid will be worth it.
*You will find love. High school Valentine's Days of waiting for a carnation to appear suck, but real love awaits. You will be kissed, and someone will think you are worth more than just a dollar flower.
*The things you hung your hopes on so much won't matter or be remembered. I can think of numerous solo auditions and tryouts for music groups that didn't go the way I wanted them to. In the end, it didn't do long-term damage. I'm quite alright.
*Your life could be very different than it is now, and it is okay that not everything stays the same. You'll move new places, meet new people, and learn that change is not always bad.
*But, some of your friends will stay the same. I had already met 3 of my best girl friends by age 14, and they are still absolutely important to my life.
*The family, who you were mortified to be seen at the mall with, will now be the people you spend most of your time talking to on the phone.
I was 15 years old 11 years ago. So much drama in high school. Life's a lot more fun now. That's not to say it's easier, but it's definitely more fun. But not knowing what is going to happen next is half of the adventure.
Here's the official prompt: "Looking back, what one piece of advice would you give to your 15-year-old self?" - any takers?
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
So, when's your next marathon?
I've gotten that question...oh, a couple of times a month since my last marathon - Boston 2011, almost 18 months ago. I vowed that I would not run a marathon in 2012, and would work on my short distance racing. The last half marathon that I trained for specifically was Philadelphia 2011 - almost a year ago. I am maxing out my race distance at 10 miles. That is my plan for the spring too. I haven't run more than 14 miles since...November? I made marathoning my running life for 2.5 years, and now I have shifted gears completely. Yet, it's still a question I get a lot, and it's still the way people introduce me, "This is Vanessa, she runs marathons." Not so much lately, guys.
Don't think that I've forgotten about it. Espeicallay on weekends like last once, with both the Chicago and Twin Cities marathons - so much news coverage on both. People have been posting on Facebook about their long runs - hitting 18-20 miles on the weekend. And I'm doing my own training too, it's not like I've stepped away from running completely. But it a very different mindset. I have a real racing calendar each season. Instead of a marathon and maybe a half as a tune-up, I have 6 or 7 race per season, which is so much fun. It takes some of the pressure off of each individual race. Rather than having 4 months of training rest on one perfect day, golden opportunities are spread out - the odds for success go up. Also, a long run of 12 miles on the weekend won't put me on the couch for the afternoon like a 20 miler would.
But I think about the marathon a lot. Especially when people run great PRs after lots of training, and I think "I could hit those times too." But, I've made a conscious decision to stay away from it, to focus on my speed, and eventually return to it. My PR - 3:27:00 is now a bit "soft" compare to my other race distances. And that was why I got into the shorter stuff to begin with - those times didn't match up to my work in the marathon, and I wanted to change that. I know that when I return to the marathon, I'll be aiming for something close to 3:10. I don't have an immediate desire to return to it, but maybe in 2014. That way, I could get in a solid half marathon in 2013, and then train for the marathon in 2014. Who knows. That's the fun part of this whole life adventure. If you had told me 5 years ago that I would run 1 marathon, let alone 6, I would have laughed. So, when is my next marathon?
TBD.
IDK.
G2G.
26.2 4 Life!
Don't think that I've forgotten about it. Espeicallay on weekends like last once, with both the Chicago and Twin Cities marathons - so much news coverage on both. People have been posting on Facebook about their long runs - hitting 18-20 miles on the weekend. And I'm doing my own training too, it's not like I've stepped away from running completely. But it a very different mindset. I have a real racing calendar each season. Instead of a marathon and maybe a half as a tune-up, I have 6 or 7 race per season, which is so much fun. It takes some of the pressure off of each individual race. Rather than having 4 months of training rest on one perfect day, golden opportunities are spread out - the odds for success go up. Also, a long run of 12 miles on the weekend won't put me on the couch for the afternoon like a 20 miler would.
But I think about the marathon a lot. Especially when people run great PRs after lots of training, and I think "I could hit those times too." But, I've made a conscious decision to stay away from it, to focus on my speed, and eventually return to it. My PR - 3:27:00 is now a bit "soft" compare to my other race distances. And that was why I got into the shorter stuff to begin with - those times didn't match up to my work in the marathon, and I wanted to change that. I know that when I return to the marathon, I'll be aiming for something close to 3:10. I don't have an immediate desire to return to it, but maybe in 2014. That way, I could get in a solid half marathon in 2013, and then train for the marathon in 2014. Who knows. That's the fun part of this whole life adventure. If you had told me 5 years ago that I would run 1 marathon, let alone 6, I would have laughed. So, when is my next marathon?
TBD.
IDK.
G2G.
26.2 4 Life!
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Perfect races aren't real: Run for the Parks 10k
Lesson learned: we cannot realistically expect perfection on race day.
This week's training went well - more of my attention now is devoted to the Army Ten Miler in 2 weeks. Even my track workout was not a race-week workout. 11.5 miles with 5 x 1 mile repeats: 6:49, 6:47, 6:44, 6:40, 6:32. That was tough - not necessarily the fastest iteration of that workout, but still, it takes a lot to keep pressing the pace.
This week's race was the Run for the Parks 10k in West Potomac Park. I was excited, because the course was supposed to be very similar to a few other races I've been successful in, and I was excited to set a new PR.
Maybe I was too excited. Or wound-up. I always make a habit to not set the alarm 2 nights before a race, so that if the night before a race, I don't get enough sleep, I did the night before. But even still, I try to get to bed at a reasonable hour, and aim for 7 hours of sleep pre-race. I was wide awake though, and slowly the hours crept by, and I didn't fall asleep until 4AM. I was so petrified that I wasn't going to fall asleep at all - I couldn't run on no sleep! I ended up taking about a 2 hour "nap," and felt so tired this morning. How was this race going to go? They were calling for rain too, and I had no idea how this was going to pan out. The packet pick-up line was long, further contributing to my nerves. But I got everything done, bib pinned, warm-up done, personal business done, with just a couple of minutes before the start. I added on a hat, since it was already starting to rain. I stood pretty close to the front, as I was aiming for a top-10 finish. Time to go!
I felt taking off that I had settled into a good pace, and mile 1 clicked off at 6:33. Pretty close to goal pace (6:31)...although my watch and the mile marker begged to differ. I've seen this course have the first mile marker be a bit short, but long? Ok - maybe it will even out. I was running between 6:33 and 6:34 for the first few miles. I felt really in control, I had passed a few women, and I felt like I had another gear in me. The mile markers were still very inconsistent with my watch. At the 5k turnaround, I knew I was in the top 10, and that it would be hard for me to catch any other women. I worked on passing a few men, and just holding steady. I was also happy to see a friend of mine on the turnaround, which gave me a little boost and smile.
By mile 5, things had really spread out. The next girl in front of me was at least 100 yards in front of me - impossible to catch. Moreover, the next person behind me was far back too. It was so spread out and quiet - it almost felt like I was running alone, not in a race. I really aimed to take off in the last mile, and ran 6:26. I could see the finish line coming up, thank goodness, I just wanted to be done. And yes, I am as tired as I look in the picture. 41:10. Hmm. But my watch read 6.3 miles. Even if I hadn't run the tangents perfectly, it still seems like the course was long. So, if you convert that time to a 10k time, it is 40:36 - a 19 second PR. It's not going to officially count, of course, in my book. But, I'm going to take it as a good effort in less than ideal conditions. I came in 2nd for my age group and got a gift certificate to one of the local running stores (which was worth sticking around in the pouring rain for).
This was a hard race. The course was flat, but it was raining. I was exhausted at the start. It was probably the poorest I've ever felt going into a race, and yet I still ran my second fastest 10k time. I've had a fairly consistent track record with racing. I tend to have good weather conditions, and come to the race feeling good and ready to either PR or run close to it. We don't all get perfect races all of the time, and this was proof of it. This wasn't my goal race either. I am putting my eggs in the Army 10 Miler basket. Plus, I am running another 10k in November, in the hopes of truly catching that PR.
I will say, there are few things better than a post race nap. I came home, got cleaned up and warmed up with a nice hot shower, and then with Spirit of the Marathon on for the upteenth time, drifted off to sleep. Felt so refreshing to wake up on my own, toasty in sweatpants, and just tired from the race. But there was something almost delicious about it too. I don't buy the phrase "sleep is for the weak," but it certainly is for the racer!
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Tempo pace is not race pace
After last weekend's 5k, Sarah and I were talking about training in general. One of the things that we were discussing was how training and racing are two components, and how tougher training sessions don't always result in bad results. Moreover, she was telling about some of her teammates (who are on the local racing team) who push too hard in training. They have killer workouts and push hard in the tempo runs, but then don't necessarily see the results in a race. As Sarah said, "No one cares if you have an awesome workout if it doesn't show on the road." A lot of this was to say, don't freak out with training runs - a few tougher ones won't wreck anything.
Legs are weird. They take a lot of pounding - when we run, when we walk, standing giving lectures, all day, they are put through some sort of turmoil. Yet, on the big days, they know what to do.
I always look back at races with some sort of shock and admiration for the legs. There really is something to be said for muscle memory and fast-twitch fibers. I don't know how legs learn what kind of paces are feasible. Moreover, most of the time, my legs are able to pull out all of the stops on the days when it really counts.
I had a good workout on Tuesday. My hamstrings still felt mighty sore, and while it felt like a lot of work, I hit the times I wanted. 2.5 mile warm up, 2000m cutdown (starting at 7:20 pace and getting faster with each lap), 2 lap easy jog, then 4 x 1200 (5:05, 5:04, 4:58, 4:53), 2.5 mile cool down = 10.5 miles It was hard, and legs felt so heavy, but it was a great run. It was about 70 out, and the promise of fall weather was approaching. And, I was pretty pleased for the rest of the day - nothing like a double digit run with some fast laps to encourage me to push hard and get my work (in that case, grading a class set of papers) done.
I had to laugh then on Thursday, when all I had was a 4 mile run. Legs were tired, tired, tired. I've had people say that those 4 miles should be a piece of cake - I could bang 'em out under half an hour. But nope, legs said otherwise, and 8:35 pace it was. Why would it really matter if I could get it done 5 minutes faster?
Today's run was a 9 mile run with 4 miles at 6:55 pace. I haven't had a good tempo run since early August? Late July? I was hoping that this would be a good return. Since I moved, the Capital Crescent Trail, where I did a lot of tempo runs last year is a bit far. Last Sunday on my long run, I discovered the Mount Vernon trail, which runs along the Potomac on the Virginia side. I decided to try that for the tempo run. The weather was gorgeous - slightly cold in sleeveless - but felt great. Mile 1 - 6:56, mile 2 - 7:00 - a little slow, but I hoped I could pick things up on the way back. Grabbed some gatorade (Pacers - the local running store had a fuel stop there!), and then kicked it up for the second half. 6:55 for mile 3 - back on track! And the 4th mile, it was easy to convince myself to push, knowing it was going to be over in under 7 minutes. 6:41 - wahoo!
The tempo runs are so interesting when you think about them. They are faster than an easy run, but they are not race pace. And that is an important thing to remember. 6:55 pace is slower than 5k and 10k pace, but it is still a fast pace. And the more I thought about it afterwards, it felt good. I could take the freak-out option and feel nervous that in 3 weeks, I am running the Army Ten Miler and hoping to run faster than tempo pace for 10 miles, not 4. Or, I could remember that tempo pace is not race pace. It would be absolutely ridiculous to run close to race effort in training. What would you do, try to PR on any given Saturday? Insanity! If you tried to run at race effort full-on before the race, you wouldn't be ready on race day. Before Chris Solinsky ran 26:59 in the 10k, did he do that in practice? No. Did Ryan Hall run a sub one hour half marathon at home before the 2007 Houston Half? No. So why should I get so caught up in simulating race pace?
I won't. Lesson learned.
Legs are weird. They take a lot of pounding - when we run, when we walk, standing giving lectures, all day, they are put through some sort of turmoil. Yet, on the big days, they know what to do.
I always look back at races with some sort of shock and admiration for the legs. There really is something to be said for muscle memory and fast-twitch fibers. I don't know how legs learn what kind of paces are feasible. Moreover, most of the time, my legs are able to pull out all of the stops on the days when it really counts.
I had a good workout on Tuesday. My hamstrings still felt mighty sore, and while it felt like a lot of work, I hit the times I wanted. 2.5 mile warm up, 2000m cutdown (starting at 7:20 pace and getting faster with each lap), 2 lap easy jog, then 4 x 1200 (5:05, 5:04, 4:58, 4:53), 2.5 mile cool down = 10.5 miles It was hard, and legs felt so heavy, but it was a great run. It was about 70 out, and the promise of fall weather was approaching. And, I was pretty pleased for the rest of the day - nothing like a double digit run with some fast laps to encourage me to push hard and get my work (in that case, grading a class set of papers) done.
I had to laugh then on Thursday, when all I had was a 4 mile run. Legs were tired, tired, tired. I've had people say that those 4 miles should be a piece of cake - I could bang 'em out under half an hour. But nope, legs said otherwise, and 8:35 pace it was. Why would it really matter if I could get it done 5 minutes faster?
Today's run was a 9 mile run with 4 miles at 6:55 pace. I haven't had a good tempo run since early August? Late July? I was hoping that this would be a good return. Since I moved, the Capital Crescent Trail, where I did a lot of tempo runs last year is a bit far. Last Sunday on my long run, I discovered the Mount Vernon trail, which runs along the Potomac on the Virginia side. I decided to try that for the tempo run. The weather was gorgeous - slightly cold in sleeveless - but felt great. Mile 1 - 6:56, mile 2 - 7:00 - a little slow, but I hoped I could pick things up on the way back. Grabbed some gatorade (Pacers - the local running store had a fuel stop there!), and then kicked it up for the second half. 6:55 for mile 3 - back on track! And the 4th mile, it was easy to convince myself to push, knowing it was going to be over in under 7 minutes. 6:41 - wahoo!
The tempo runs are so interesting when you think about them. They are faster than an easy run, but they are not race pace. And that is an important thing to remember. 6:55 pace is slower than 5k and 10k pace, but it is still a fast pace. And the more I thought about it afterwards, it felt good. I could take the freak-out option and feel nervous that in 3 weeks, I am running the Army Ten Miler and hoping to run faster than tempo pace for 10 miles, not 4. Or, I could remember that tempo pace is not race pace. It would be absolutely ridiculous to run close to race effort in training. What would you do, try to PR on any given Saturday? Insanity! If you tried to run at race effort full-on before the race, you wouldn't be ready on race day. Before Chris Solinsky ran 26:59 in the 10k, did he do that in practice? No. Did Ryan Hall run a sub one hour half marathon at home before the 2007 Houston Half? No. So why should I get so caught up in simulating race pace?
I won't. Lesson learned.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Double Header Racing Weekend: Me and my mom
The backstory (come on - I'm a historian - there is always a backstory): Saturday was the Clarendon Day 5k and 10k - the 4th running it, and the 3rd time I've run it. My first year (2010), I ran the 10k in 45:51. It was a lot of fun and one of my first Pacers-affiliated events. Last year, I ran the 5k in 20:23, which was a PR. I came in as 7th woman, and just missed placing in my age group. I returned this year to move up place wise and aim for another PR. This summer in San Francisco, I PRed in 19:32. I had lost some confidence when I returned to the East Coast, but regained it last week at the Navy 5 Miler. This week, I worked on honing in and getting ready for this race. Sarah had estimated roughly 19:20 for my finish time.
I had my boyfriend over for dinner the night before - something that is becoming a nice pre-race tradition. Nothing like a good date to be relaxed. And I managed to fall asleep so quickly - a good sign. I even woke up two minutes before my alarm went off at 6AM this morning - an even better sign that I was ready to go. Warm-up went well - I got to cover a good chunk of the course and enjoy some quiet before the hustle and bustle of the race.
I nestled into position - second row. I craned around to see if I could find Sarah, who would normally be in the front, but couldn't see her. Maybe she didn't show? There was no time to get caught up in it, because then we were off!
This course has a huge net downhill, with the first 1.5 miles going downhill. You have to just take it out hard in the beginning, with gravity on your side, and not be afraid when you see your mile splits come up in the beginning. A ton of people surged around me, like bees, and I let them go. Like most races, I would prefer to have people in front of me, and work throughout the race to catch them. I went through the first mile in 6:02. And I didn't freak out - I knew it was going to be fast. It didn't feel like an all out sprint either, so I continued with a similar effort. Wasn't really moving in on any women, but that was okay. Mile 2 - 6:07. Holy cow - if I can hold onto this, this will be a massive PR. It was at this point that I started to work on passing women. I had gotten through the turnaround and counted myself in 7th. If I could just move up a few places, that would be great. I caught one woman, and that gave me a little momentum to just keep working to move up. And then another, and then another - I think. Sometimes it all happens so fast. Or not. I looked at my watch at mile 3 - 6:45. What? I figured I would slow down a little, but since I was passing people, I didn't think it would be by that much. As I looked down at my watch, trying to do math in my head (which is never a good thing to do while running), I started to wonder/worry if I was still going to hit my PR. But, I didn't have much time to think, because then there was just that .1...
2:08:11!!!
I was so floored and excited when she called me. That is an amazing time - I have friends my age who would be happy to run that kind of pace for a half marathon. She was so happy and excited, and who wouldn't be? So, clearly I inherited some endurance from her - and my dad too (a triathlete).
It was a great weekend of racing in the Medievalist household.
I had my boyfriend over for dinner the night before - something that is becoming a nice pre-race tradition. Nothing like a good date to be relaxed. And I managed to fall asleep so quickly - a good sign. I even woke up two minutes before my alarm went off at 6AM this morning - an even better sign that I was ready to go. Warm-up went well - I got to cover a good chunk of the course and enjoy some quiet before the hustle and bustle of the race.
I nestled into position - second row. I craned around to see if I could find Sarah, who would normally be in the front, but couldn't see her. Maybe she didn't show? There was no time to get caught up in it, because then we were off!
19:21
6:14 per mile pace
4th woman/612
46/1092 overall
1st in Age group
Wow! Right on track with Sarah's prediction. This was a great race. I went all out, blew up a bit, but still managed to move up to the front. I am sharpening up my speed and learning what it means to go all out. I knocked over a minute off of my time from last year - showing what can be done in a year. If there's anything that can give me confidence about improvement, it is running. In my life, it has been the clearest way for me to track progress. Work hard, and the times will speak for themselves.
It is kind of crazy. I broke 20 minutes for the first time in March, which was a goal I had had for a while. After that, Sarah said that it would become a consistent thing. My next 2 5ks, I did not do that. However, the most recent 2, I have gone under 20 again. The new normal? The last 3 races, my place time have been first, third, and fourth overall. Really? This is beyond anything I could have ever conceived of as a runner. I don't know exactly what lies ahead in my running future, but if things continue at this rate, it could be pretty sweet.
And in other running and racing news, yesterday was my mom's half marathon debut. Last year, she had been training for the Rochester Half Marathon through August, when ITBS got to be so painful that she couldn't run again until March. After rehab and easing back into the mileage, she trained all summer for this. Training went well, and she got in all of her long runs in with no problems. Her main goal yesterday was to finish, but I knew she was hoping to run maybe 2:20 or 2:15. But she and her friend pushed really hard and ran...2:08:11!!!
 |
| Sue and my mom after the race |
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| My mom and dad |
It was a great weekend of racing in the Medievalist household.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Like coming home
Still so pleased about Sunday. But post-race celebrations have to end at some point. You clean up the confetti, and go back to the drawing board. Because there is always more work to be done. There is always another race, another goal, another ___ to work on. So Monday was back to normal. And on Tuesday, I returned to the track for the first time since JUNE. Over 3 months - the longest I've been off of the track since...early 2009? After my mile race in June, Sarah suggested time away from the track, to build up strength on the roads, and then eventually return to the track after a long hiatus. And Tuesday was the day! Time for the homecoming!
Now, if you live anywhere on the East Coast, you may recall that weather-wise, Tuesday was kind of insane. 20 mph winds, torrential downpours off and on - quite the setting for the return to the track. This track, which is at my university, has hosted the majority of my track workouts since 2009. It has hosted so many memories: mile repeats, 800s, cut downs, sprints, failed workouts, outstanding workouts, and everything in between. And it felt so good to come back. Even in the rain - especially in the rain. If you've read my blog at all before, you know that I hate the heat. I will take the rain, the rain that cools everything down, I will take that any day. So, really, the weather had set up quite nicely for the big return.
All in all, this was not a record-setting or record-breaking workout. I've done harder and longer iterations of it before: 2.5 mile warm up, 5 x 800 meters (w/ 1 lap jog in between), 2.5 mile cool down. My times were 3:29, 3:24, 3:22, 3:18, 3:11. The goal of the workout was to get the legs moving without being too taxing. Because...
I'm running another race on Saturday! I am doing the Clarendon Day 5k - which I did last year, and the 10k there the year before. Now that I know from Sunday's race that I still have a kick, I am much more excited about it. It has a net downhill, and is a great PR course. If I can go out in a 5 mile race and run the first mile in 6:18, I am sure I can take things out pretty hard in the 5k. And, Sarah (my coach) is actually running this race too - the first time we've ever run the same race. She'll be running at least a minute faster than I am, so I'll really be just watching her in the distance, but still good to be running the same race. She has lead me through several time trials, and I've found that if I just do my best to hang on when it feels like we're playing a drawn out game of Crack the Whip, things go well.
And really, this is a race I've done for 2 years - time to come home again.
Now, if you live anywhere on the East Coast, you may recall that weather-wise, Tuesday was kind of insane. 20 mph winds, torrential downpours off and on - quite the setting for the return to the track. This track, which is at my university, has hosted the majority of my track workouts since 2009. It has hosted so many memories: mile repeats, 800s, cut downs, sprints, failed workouts, outstanding workouts, and everything in between. And it felt so good to come back. Even in the rain - especially in the rain. If you've read my blog at all before, you know that I hate the heat. I will take the rain, the rain that cools everything down, I will take that any day. So, really, the weather had set up quite nicely for the big return.
All in all, this was not a record-setting or record-breaking workout. I've done harder and longer iterations of it before: 2.5 mile warm up, 5 x 800 meters (w/ 1 lap jog in between), 2.5 mile cool down. My times were 3:29, 3:24, 3:22, 3:18, 3:11. The goal of the workout was to get the legs moving without being too taxing. Because...
I'm running another race on Saturday! I am doing the Clarendon Day 5k - which I did last year, and the 10k there the year before. Now that I know from Sunday's race that I still have a kick, I am much more excited about it. It has a net downhill, and is a great PR course. If I can go out in a 5 mile race and run the first mile in 6:18, I am sure I can take things out pretty hard in the 5k. And, Sarah (my coach) is actually running this race too - the first time we've ever run the same race. She'll be running at least a minute faster than I am, so I'll really be just watching her in the distance, but still good to be running the same race. She has lead me through several time trials, and I've found that if I just do my best to hang on when it feels like we're playing a drawn out game of Crack the Whip, things go well.
And really, this is a race I've done for 2 years - time to come home again.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Beyond any expectations: 2012 Navy 5 Miler
Now that I have more of a traditional racing season, the first race is known as the "rust buster" - designed to shake off the rust and be the first time of testing out my fitness in a while. The last couple of "rust buster" races I've had were in 2 distinct weather conditions:
- Last fall, I ran the Arlington 9/11 5k - and it was in the 80s
- Last February, my rust buster was the Love the Run You're With 5k - it was 20, snowed overnight, and 22 mph winds
This split the difference - 60, beautiful morning, no wind. I was really excited about the weather - best weather we've had in DC since I got back. And I had had a good day yesterday - my boyfriend and I hung out, and since the packet pickup was on the Air Force base in Anacostia, we hung out at the base (there is a beautiful park there across from Reagan Airport) for a bit. There's nothing like a nice, quiet, relaxing day to get ready for a race.
This morning I did my warm-up to the race from my apartment (definitely a perk about my new apartment - exactly 2.5 miles away), and the weather felt nice and cool. My warm-up always freaks me out - I know I'm running several minutes slower per mile than I ultimately will in a race. But, I knew better than to get too wrapped up in it. The start was at the Washington Monument, and I was able to hit the bathrooms twice (seriously? the body is a weird and amazing thing) and check my gear, and slowly inch my way to the start. There were already a lot of people lined up, so I had to push my way to the front to get my spot. And then, with the clang of the Navy bell, we were off!
I saw a few girls run up way in front of me, but I knew all too well that I could not get caught up in passing people in the beginning. I felt great - for someone who hadn't gone under 7:00 pace for any run since mid August - amazing. I went through the first mile in 6:18 - which was way too fast for a 5 mile race, so I dialed it back in. The next couple of miles were in the 6:30s, I felt like I had locked into a good rhythm. I love running on Haines Point - it is is flat and beautiful, and it is so easy to settle in. It's also fairly quiet too. While it can be great to have crowds to motivate you, it is also very nice to have the quiet as well to just focus. I looked down at my watch at 2.5 miles, and had run about 16:16. Wow, if I can just hold onto this, I will be well under 33 minutes. I was just really surprised at how good I felt - I was blazing, but didn't have the sluggish feeling that had been a part of my runs lately. Ok, this is feeling good. At around the 3.5 mile mark, I started to pick up the pace. I think at that point I was in either 7th or 8th. I wasn't sure - it was hard to see who was up front. But I passed 2 girls, and then saw that up ahead of me was another pack of 3. I decided to wait a bit more before I picked up the pace again. I told myself to just go for it during mile 4, I could really push - one more mile would be fine to shift into that final gear. I then felt like I was winding up and could push, and I passed them decisively. It felt great. I was not going to turn my head at all to cheek, I was just going to keep going. We headed back to the Mall, where people appeared, cheering and clapping. I felt so good. Someone even yelled, "there's only one woman in front of you!" Really? I couldn't even see any other girls. Then, within 100 yards of the finish, this other girl blew by me, I could not react to her fast enough. But I did not care, because on my watch read:
32:32 (6:30) pace, and I ran 6:10 for the last mile! So beyond my A goal!
I was 3rd woman overall - the highest place finish I've ever had in a DC race. I just had a big smile on my face - this was beyond anything I could have expected for the day. And in some ways, that made it all the more special. I totally know the feeling of gratification after months of hard work that demonstrated great potential. But as of late, I haven't been able to see that, and so this was just a great delight. I've already gotten some grief from my parents, who said they knew I was going to run fast. But still - when you have week after week (after week - really, it's been like 6 weeks) of runs that are sub-optimal, why would you expect a good one after all of that?
They had an award ceremony after, and check out the trophy! I've never gotten one that big before - pretty sweet.
What a great way to start the fall racing season. Looking forward to the rest of the season (and to more fall weather!).
This morning I did my warm-up to the race from my apartment (definitely a perk about my new apartment - exactly 2.5 miles away), and the weather felt nice and cool. My warm-up always freaks me out - I know I'm running several minutes slower per mile than I ultimately will in a race. But, I knew better than to get too wrapped up in it. The start was at the Washington Monument, and I was able to hit the bathrooms twice (seriously? the body is a weird and amazing thing) and check my gear, and slowly inch my way to the start. There were already a lot of people lined up, so I had to push my way to the front to get my spot. And then, with the clang of the Navy bell, we were off!
I saw a few girls run up way in front of me, but I knew all too well that I could not get caught up in passing people in the beginning. I felt great - for someone who hadn't gone under 7:00 pace for any run since mid August - amazing. I went through the first mile in 6:18 - which was way too fast for a 5 mile race, so I dialed it back in. The next couple of miles were in the 6:30s, I felt like I had locked into a good rhythm. I love running on Haines Point - it is is flat and beautiful, and it is so easy to settle in. It's also fairly quiet too. While it can be great to have crowds to motivate you, it is also very nice to have the quiet as well to just focus. I looked down at my watch at 2.5 miles, and had run about 16:16. Wow, if I can just hold onto this, I will be well under 33 minutes. I was just really surprised at how good I felt - I was blazing, but didn't have the sluggish feeling that had been a part of my runs lately. Ok, this is feeling good. At around the 3.5 mile mark, I started to pick up the pace. I think at that point I was in either 7th or 8th. I wasn't sure - it was hard to see who was up front. But I passed 2 girls, and then saw that up ahead of me was another pack of 3. I decided to wait a bit more before I picked up the pace again. I told myself to just go for it during mile 4, I could really push - one more mile would be fine to shift into that final gear. I then felt like I was winding up and could push, and I passed them decisively. It felt great. I was not going to turn my head at all to cheek, I was just going to keep going. We headed back to the Mall, where people appeared, cheering and clapping. I felt so good. Someone even yelled, "there's only one woman in front of you!" Really? I couldn't even see any other girls. Then, within 100 yards of the finish, this other girl blew by me, I could not react to her fast enough. But I did not care, because on my watch read:
32:32 (6:30) pace, and I ran 6:10 for the last mile! So beyond my A goal!
I was 3rd woman overall - the highest place finish I've ever had in a DC race. I just had a big smile on my face - this was beyond anything I could have expected for the day. And in some ways, that made it all the more special. I totally know the feeling of gratification after months of hard work that demonstrated great potential. But as of late, I haven't been able to see that, and so this was just a great delight. I've already gotten some grief from my parents, who said they knew I was going to run fast. But still - when you have week after week (after week - really, it's been like 6 weeks) of runs that are sub-optimal, why would you expect a good one after all of that?
What a great way to start the fall racing season. Looking forward to the rest of the season (and to more fall weather!).
Friday, September 14, 2012
The view from here isn't too shabby
The Navy 5 miler is on Sunday - my rust buster for the fall season. Haven't really done any speed work (nothing on the track since June), and so I am just looking at this as an early effort to see where my fitness is at. They finally put up the course map this morning, and I am excited, because a lot of it is running around Haines Point. It is flat, only a couple of turns, and I have run a number of races out there. The view is gorgeous (right by the mall and Tidal Basin), and you can really just settle in to a groove and go. When it went up on the website, I got a wave of butterflies in my stomach. Few things do that like an upcoming race. I honestly don't know how it's going to go - I could really surprise myself, but it's not like I have a stack of recent workouts to take comfort in. No matter what, I am confident I will PR, as the only other 5 miler I ran was in May 2010 (Aurora House 5 Miler in Spencerport) and ran 37:00. If I had an "A" goal for this race, it would be sub 33 minutes, and I think my "B" goal is somewhere in the 33:xx zone. Who knows!
I did have some good cross training this week. I'm in the process of running 5 days a week and cross training 2, versus the old days of 4:3. This is good, because not only do I love running more, but the cross training just takes more time to coordinate. I biked 12.2 miles on the stationary on Monday in 50 minutes - one of the faster (and longer) rides I've had on the machine. And on Thursday, I got in the pool for the first time since Santa Cruz and got in my 2000 yards in just under 43 minutes - at the high end of my average pace for that swim. Felt so good to get in the water. I'm grateful that I am able to retain a degree of fitness that even if I'm not doing that sport for a while, I can come back to it. I often do this with my cross training: I either bike or swim. But they come in phases - I'll get wrapped up with one usually for a couple of months, and then pick up the other one, etc. I don't know if there is any benefit to rotating through biking and swimming, but I've been doing it for a couple of years now, so...if ain't broke, right?
School is going well. I'm TAing for a medieval survey that I've done before and love, so I'm happy to get another go at that. I'm also teaching a class at my university for the first time, which has been a great experience. It's an upper level undergrad seminar, and I've learned a lot about how to keep a 2 hour class dynamic - it is a lot of work! Makes a 50 minute freshmen discussion fly by in comparison! Not to mention that I got slotted into a sweet office for the semester - they put me in a professor's office who is on sabbatical, and his office is awesome. There's a table, a couple, a huge mac, and a view of the National Basilica, which is amazing. The professor's regalia (doctoral graduation robes) are also hanging in the office, and it's a good reminder of what I'm working for - the PhD. I've gotten a lot of good reading done this week for my dissertation proposal, and I'm hoping to get some good writing done as well.
So the view from here isn't too shabby. Aiming for clear skies, cool runs, and good medieval thoughts!
I did have some good cross training this week. I'm in the process of running 5 days a week and cross training 2, versus the old days of 4:3. This is good, because not only do I love running more, but the cross training just takes more time to coordinate. I biked 12.2 miles on the stationary on Monday in 50 minutes - one of the faster (and longer) rides I've had on the machine. And on Thursday, I got in the pool for the first time since Santa Cruz and got in my 2000 yards in just under 43 minutes - at the high end of my average pace for that swim. Felt so good to get in the water. I'm grateful that I am able to retain a degree of fitness that even if I'm not doing that sport for a while, I can come back to it. I often do this with my cross training: I either bike or swim. But they come in phases - I'll get wrapped up with one usually for a couple of months, and then pick up the other one, etc. I don't know if there is any benefit to rotating through biking and swimming, but I've been doing it for a couple of years now, so...if ain't broke, right?
So the view from here isn't too shabby. Aiming for clear skies, cool runs, and good medieval thoughts!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
It hadn't been ingrained yet/Different kinds of seasons
I was at the gym yesterday at my university, which is where I do my cycling on a stationary and all of my strength training. While the gym is open to graduate students as well as the undergrads, it's mainly the undergrads there. Which means:
- The guys are all wearing white wifebeaters and grunting through their workouts
- The girls have t-shirts from every college event possible, from orientation to pub crawls
- Their conversations are...interesting to say the least
But all teasing aside, they are there: at the gym during their college years. They've carved out time between classes and activities and parties to get there. And I have to applaud that. I went to the gym a little bit when I was in college - mainly to do the elliptical and some lifting of 5 pound weights, but not with any regularity. I'd have those little spurts where I'd go 3 times a week...and then 3 weeks later, that stopped. And picked up again 2 months later. Or on Friday afternoons, my friends and I would play tennis or basketball (I was a real contribution to the team if you can imagine) for 2 hours and call it good. Watching the undergrads made me flash back to my Holy Cross days when I spent 10 hours a week singing, not running. A different time...and it was just over 4 years ago.
Anyways, I was thinking about all of this, and I was remembering that there used to be a time when I didn't have a regular exercise routine. But it wasn't engrained yet to stick with an exercise routine. If I missed a day, or two, or maybe a week, I didn't blink twice. That was the old me.
The new me...got a bit more neurotic. Or organized - depending on your point of view.
And the new me has 2 races coming up! I am doing the Navy 5 miler next Sunday - first race in a couple of months, and then on the following Saturday, the Clarendon Day 5k (one of my favorite 5ks). Very excited - racing is my favorite part of the running game.
Speaking of...running has been just okay. I had a good 10 mile run on Tuesday with 10 x 90 second fartleks thrown in. And it was in the 80s, and the effort felt great. Thursday's 8 miler was also good. Then Saturday was supposed to be 11 miles...and it was 5.5. Too hot - was not going to push it. It's been weird - there are no injuries, but the heat has just slowed me down. Other than when I had ITBS, this is the hardest batch of running I've had in a while. Not tough as in hard workouts, but I've just hit a bit of a lull, and that is hard to admit. I don't know what it is, and it is my hope that when the weather cools, my mojo will come back. It is just a weird feeling. Santa Cruz running was fabulous, and this has been less than stellar.
Thankfully, today I had a good long run. 13 miles was the task, and I knew that especially since yesterday's run was a disaster, I needed some sort of redemption for the weekend. The starting temperature was 69 - almost 20 degrees cooler than yesterday's run. I wasn't drenched within the first half mile or anxiously looking at my watch. Maybe I'll actually have success with this one. Kept going, and then when I reached the National Mall I realized that this was the spot of the Nation's Triathlon, which was cool for 2 reasons. 1) A lot of the major roads were closed off to cars - yay! 2) It is just a lot of fun to watch people race. When you have so many places to run at your feet, you can really see a lot. I ran around the Mall, to Arlington, around the Tidal Basin (Jefferson Memorial), Potomac Park, pretty much anywhere downtown. And I felt relatively good running! Nothing spectacular - I was clicking off 8:15s at a medium effort, but I was not wilting either. Now I just need to get my speed back yet. The longest race I'll be doing this fall is the Army 10 Miler (10/21), so it's not right now a question of conquering the distance, but of speed. 41 days to go. I need to remind myself that I've been able to do this before - pull out all of the stops when necessary. Running and training is not a straightforward process. There are easy parts, harder parts, peaks and valleys. Sarah sent me an e-mail with the following advice,
You've put in so much good work since the beginning of the year, so don't let making adjustments or easing back on things here or there make you worry. It's all part of the natural flow of things and serves as a reminder that each season is different, so we can't compare a workout that we did last year to this year--too many factors are different! Trust me, it's a mantra I repeat to myself :)
The new me...got a bit more neurotic. Or organized - depending on your point of view.
And the new me has 2 races coming up! I am doing the Navy 5 miler next Sunday - first race in a couple of months, and then on the following Saturday, the Clarendon Day 5k (one of my favorite 5ks). Very excited - racing is my favorite part of the running game.
Speaking of...running has been just okay. I had a good 10 mile run on Tuesday with 10 x 90 second fartleks thrown in. And it was in the 80s, and the effort felt great. Thursday's 8 miler was also good. Then Saturday was supposed to be 11 miles...and it was 5.5. Too hot - was not going to push it. It's been weird - there are no injuries, but the heat has just slowed me down. Other than when I had ITBS, this is the hardest batch of running I've had in a while. Not tough as in hard workouts, but I've just hit a bit of a lull, and that is hard to admit. I don't know what it is, and it is my hope that when the weather cools, my mojo will come back. It is just a weird feeling. Santa Cruz running was fabulous, and this has been less than stellar.
Thankfully, today I had a good long run. 13 miles was the task, and I knew that especially since yesterday's run was a disaster, I needed some sort of redemption for the weekend. The starting temperature was 69 - almost 20 degrees cooler than yesterday's run. I wasn't drenched within the first half mile or anxiously looking at my watch. Maybe I'll actually have success with this one. Kept going, and then when I reached the National Mall I realized that this was the spot of the Nation's Triathlon, which was cool for 2 reasons. 1) A lot of the major roads were closed off to cars - yay! 2) It is just a lot of fun to watch people race. When you have so many places to run at your feet, you can really see a lot. I ran around the Mall, to Arlington, around the Tidal Basin (Jefferson Memorial), Potomac Park, pretty much anywhere downtown. And I felt relatively good running! Nothing spectacular - I was clicking off 8:15s at a medium effort, but I was not wilting either. Now I just need to get my speed back yet. The longest race I'll be doing this fall is the Army 10 Miler (10/21), so it's not right now a question of conquering the distance, but of speed. 41 days to go. I need to remind myself that I've been able to do this before - pull out all of the stops when necessary. Running and training is not a straightforward process. There are easy parts, harder parts, peaks and valleys. Sarah sent me an e-mail with the following advice,
You've put in so much good work since the beginning of the year, so don't let making adjustments or easing back on things here or there make you worry. It's all part of the natural flow of things and serves as a reminder that each season is different, so we can't compare a workout that we did last year to this year--too many factors are different! Trust me, it's a mantra I repeat to myself :)
I'll be holding onto that mantra for a while.
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