I'm happy to report that tonight's tempo run with the group was better than last week. Still not super, but better.
There wasn't a big turn out tonight - maybe because it coincided with the Canucks first playoff game, and you know, we rearrange leadership debates in this country for hockey, so I'm sure there are some that would miss their group run for the game! Anyway, we all just paired off and headed down the road at an easy pace to start off.
At the beginning, we were all clumped together and chatting, but even before we were supposed to start speeding up, we kinda were and the group started to spread out. Then it was time to really speed up and we were off. My partner and I stuck together and for 10 minutes were going WAY TOO FAST. We somehow managed to keep it going, but were no longer chatting. Every so often, one of us would say that we needed to slow down, but we just kept going. After 15 minutes, we did slow it down a bit, but then sped up again, just not quite as fast as we were going originally. Ahh, the happy pace! It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was maintainable. After 30 minutes at a faster pace, we were supposed to slow down. That happened to coincide with a big hill climb, so we did slow down, but once we got to the top, I'm pretty sure we sped up again. We finished the last 25 minutes of the run at a good pace, a little faster than comfortable, and definitely not the slow pace we were suppposed to return to. Oops!
This was better than last week because I didn't have to walk, and for a while I think I found the pace I should be aiming for on tempo runs. This wasn't super because other than a feeling, I have no way of knowing what pace I was running because I forgot my Garmin, and I still started out too fast at the beginning. The best part is, I feel like I'm making progress, and that's a good feeling!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
3 weeks to go!
Less than 3 weeks until the BMO Vancouver Marathon. Last week, I had a great running week - about 8K with some trails with the group on Monday, 30 minutes of yoga on Tuesday, a tough 11K tempo with the group on Wednesday, and my best long run ever with 32 K on Saturday. Sunday, the BF and I headed out for about an hour long hike in the snow. It was slow going, and hard work on tired legs as the route we took still had about 4 feet of snow on it! But wait. Aren't I supposed to be doing 4 runs plus cross training each week?!
Woopsies.
Thursday, I felt like maybe I was coming down with something and opted to rest. Friday, a run just never happened. I told myself I would go on Sunday, but that just didn't happen either.
If I miss a run, I normally just let it go, but this one really bothered me because I had missed so many runs earlier in training and really didn't feel like I had a good excuse for missing one last week. I decided to "make it up" today.
I was supposed to meet the group at 6, 3K from home, so I left at 5:30 at a nice, easy pace. When I set out, the sun was shining and I made a last minute change from tights to shorts. When I got to our meeting spot, a big, threatening cloud was hanging low in the sky, right in the direction of our planned route. The wind, which could not be felt on my street, was howling! We were huddling between cars to keep warm while we waited for everyone to show up.
At 6:03, we were off, just as rain drops were starting to fall. Luckily, it didn't really rain on us. But it SNOWED! For a few minutes, it was really coming down, but the sky soon cleared, I warmed up, and my clothing choice seemed appropriate once more. A few kms down the road, we headed off into trails. There were a few areas that were still really snowy and a few areas that were really muddy, and a couple of pauses while the frontrunners tossed aside downed trees, but it was mostly dry and a nice break from the pavement. The pace was slow and comfortable and time just ticked by in the trails. When we came out, I couldn't believe we'd be running for an hour!
We weren't done yet, we still had a big hill to climb to get back to our starting point. I started the hill at a slow, comfortable pace, but as I got past half way, I knew I could push it and picked it up a bit. I wasn't wearing my Garmin (battery was dead), but once at the top, the group I was running with set our sights on the group at the front and kept powering until we caught up. It was a bit of an impromptu tempo run!
We were back at our starting point at 7:18, and after a quick break to hear where we were meeting Wednesday and next week, I had 2.5K left of my extra loop to get home.
It's really tough to say how far we ran on those trails, but my best estimate is tonight's run was at least 16K/10 miles, in about 1 hour 45 minutes.
NOW I feel ready to taper.
Do you "make up" for a missed run?
Woopsies.
Thursday, I felt like maybe I was coming down with something and opted to rest. Friday, a run just never happened. I told myself I would go on Sunday, but that just didn't happen either.
If I miss a run, I normally just let it go, but this one really bothered me because I had missed so many runs earlier in training and really didn't feel like I had a good excuse for missing one last week. I decided to "make it up" today.
I was supposed to meet the group at 6, 3K from home, so I left at 5:30 at a nice, easy pace. When I set out, the sun was shining and I made a last minute change from tights to shorts. When I got to our meeting spot, a big, threatening cloud was hanging low in the sky, right in the direction of our planned route. The wind, which could not be felt on my street, was howling! We were huddling between cars to keep warm while we waited for everyone to show up.
At 6:03, we were off, just as rain drops were starting to fall. Luckily, it didn't really rain on us. But it SNOWED! For a few minutes, it was really coming down, but the sky soon cleared, I warmed up, and my clothing choice seemed appropriate once more. A few kms down the road, we headed off into trails. There were a few areas that were still really snowy and a few areas that were really muddy, and a couple of pauses while the frontrunners tossed aside downed trees, but it was mostly dry and a nice break from the pavement. The pace was slow and comfortable and time just ticked by in the trails. When we came out, I couldn't believe we'd be running for an hour!
We weren't done yet, we still had a big hill to climb to get back to our starting point. I started the hill at a slow, comfortable pace, but as I got past half way, I knew I could push it and picked it up a bit. I wasn't wearing my Garmin (battery was dead), but once at the top, the group I was running with set our sights on the group at the front and kept powering until we caught up. It was a bit of an impromptu tempo run!
We were back at our starting point at 7:18, and after a quick break to hear where we were meeting Wednesday and next week, I had 2.5K left of my extra loop to get home.
It's really tough to say how far we ran on those trails, but my best estimate is tonight's run was at least 16K/10 miles, in about 1 hour 45 minutes.
NOW I feel ready to taper.
Do you "make up" for a missed run?
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Best. Long run. Ever.
This morning I woke up ready to go for my last long run before taper. I had my usual long run breakfast of a bagel and peanut butter, double and triple checked the weather, got dressed, grabbed my Garmin, iPod, handheld and some Gu, and drove down to the Rec Centre.
I'd decided on a route that would take me up a big hill near the beginning of my run, along rolling hills throughout the middle, and back down to my car at the end.
From the rec centre, I did one lap around town and back up to the rec centre. I was already regretting my long sleeve shirt as the sun was coming out and it was warming up quickly. (Thanks for nothing, Weather Network). I started off a bit too quickly and then had trouble finding my pace because the wind was gusty so I was constantly altering my effort level as the wind picked up and died down. It didn't matter. I was feeling good. I was aiming to be between 6:30-6:45/km. I wanted this run to be slow and comfortable.
6:01
6:24
6:34
6:34
6:38
As I came back around to the Rec Centre, the sun was really beating down and I realized I'd forgotten my sunscreen. Something told me that I had some in my car from last summer so I made a quick pit stop, used the washroom, topped up my bottle, downed a Gu and slathered on the sunscreen. Then it was time to head up THE HILL. I used to hate this hill. I used to hate all hills. I just slowed down and made my way to the top, without even thinking about taking a walk break.
6:22
6:33
Pit Stop (paused my Garmin)
7:29 THE HILL
6:57 THE HILL cont'd
6:38
10K in, I was feeling great. I was tempted to up the pace, but wanted to be smart and stick to my plan. I really tried to keep it in check, but my pace kept getting away from me. I followed the road going around the lake to the boat launch, which was my turn around point. This road has lots of ups and downs, nothing to steep, or too long, just enough to keep things interesting!
6:36
6:23
6:13
6:27
6:05
After 16 K, I was still feeling good, but hot. I took a quick walk break to have a Gu, and got right back on pace. I remembered my last 20 miler when this was the point where I started to die. I still felt like I had tons of energy, and my legs were feeling good. I was just hot. I debated about whether or not to change when I swung by home to refill my water bottle. On the one hand, I was hot. On the other, if I made the same mistake on race day, I'd have to live with it. But I was hot. When I ran past my house, I ran to the front door, untied my shoes with a quick leg stretch, chugged back a bit of Gatorade, swapped shirts for a tank top (yay summer!) and topped my water bottle
6:55 (Gu)
6:02
6:19
6:02
Pit Stop
6:30
After the stop at home, I was still feeling good. Having only 13K to go felt toally manageable, especially because though I had some more rolling hills coming up, I also had some big down hills before the end. I decided to aim for between 6:15-6:30/km for the rest of the run. I took a quick walk break for a Gu, but I was feeling so great on the hills that I took it on a downhill portion. This is a big change for me. I used to hold off on walk breaks until I got toan uphill!
6:13
6:25
7:20 (Gu)
6:32
6:12
At this point, I was still feeling good, if starting to get a bit hungry. I definitely need to eat a bit more before these long runs. I'm going to try a bagel and a half next week or maybe add a banana. When I got to the first half of the downhill, I really tried to keep my pace slow and not trash my knees. My mantra was: "Core, core, core. Engage your core." It worked. When I got tothe bottom I only had 5K to go, and couldn't believe how good I still felt. The big down hill was followed immediately by a big uphill. I'd sorta forgotten about that hill when I was planning the route, and I'd had to walk it the last time I attempted to run it. I admit, I did want to walk a bit here, but I thought of Emz, and her 24 hour run, and I decided that if Emz can run for 24 hours on a treadmill, I can run up this hill. I slowed down, and kept running...all...the...way...to...the...top!
6:16
5:56 Big downhill.
7:18 Big uphill
6:16
6:09 Big downhill
There were only 2K to go. I was due for a Gu, but just kept going.
6:30
6:30
I'm not going to lie, I was glad when it was over. But I also felt that if it was race day, I could keep going for another 10K. That's a good feeling.
After some stretching, I scrounged together enough change in my car to stop at Tim's for a hot chocolate to keep me warm in my cold bath.
I feel like I did everything right for this run. I dropped back last week so had fresh legs this week. I've been getting lots of sleep, and upping my water intake. I had my pit stop at home planned for past half way which helped mentally.
This was not my fastest run, but I felt so good the whole time. And I ran the entire time. Aside from my walk breaks for the Gu, I didn't walk on any hills, or to drink water. I just ran. Slow and steady and comfortable the whole way. Why can't all long runs be like this?
I'd decided on a route that would take me up a big hill near the beginning of my run, along rolling hills throughout the middle, and back down to my car at the end.
From the rec centre, I did one lap around town and back up to the rec centre. I was already regretting my long sleeve shirt as the sun was coming out and it was warming up quickly. (Thanks for nothing, Weather Network). I started off a bit too quickly and then had trouble finding my pace because the wind was gusty so I was constantly altering my effort level as the wind picked up and died down. It didn't matter. I was feeling good. I was aiming to be between 6:30-6:45/km. I wanted this run to be slow and comfortable.
6:01
6:24
6:34
6:34
6:38
As I came back around to the Rec Centre, the sun was really beating down and I realized I'd forgotten my sunscreen. Something told me that I had some in my car from last summer so I made a quick pit stop, used the washroom, topped up my bottle, downed a Gu and slathered on the sunscreen. Then it was time to head up THE HILL. I used to hate this hill. I used to hate all hills. I just slowed down and made my way to the top, without even thinking about taking a walk break.
6:22
6:33
Pit Stop (paused my Garmin)
7:29 THE HILL
6:57 THE HILL cont'd
6:38
10K in, I was feeling great. I was tempted to up the pace, but wanted to be smart and stick to my plan. I really tried to keep it in check, but my pace kept getting away from me. I followed the road going around the lake to the boat launch, which was my turn around point. This road has lots of ups and downs, nothing to steep, or too long, just enough to keep things interesting!
6:36
6:23
6:13
6:27
6:05
After 16 K, I was still feeling good, but hot. I took a quick walk break to have a Gu, and got right back on pace. I remembered my last 20 miler when this was the point where I started to die. I still felt like I had tons of energy, and my legs were feeling good. I was just hot. I debated about whether or not to change when I swung by home to refill my water bottle. On the one hand, I was hot. On the other, if I made the same mistake on race day, I'd have to live with it. But I was hot. When I ran past my house, I ran to the front door, untied my shoes with a quick leg stretch, chugged back a bit of Gatorade, swapped shirts for a tank top (yay summer!) and topped my water bottle
6:55 (Gu)
6:02
6:19
6:02
Pit Stop
6:30
After the stop at home, I was still feeling good. Having only 13K to go felt toally manageable, especially because though I had some more rolling hills coming up, I also had some big down hills before the end. I decided to aim for between 6:15-6:30/km for the rest of the run. I took a quick walk break for a Gu, but I was feeling so great on the hills that I took it on a downhill portion. This is a big change for me. I used to hold off on walk breaks until I got toan uphill!
6:13
6:25
7:20 (Gu)
6:32
6:12
At this point, I was still feeling good, if starting to get a bit hungry. I definitely need to eat a bit more before these long runs. I'm going to try a bagel and a half next week or maybe add a banana. When I got to the first half of the downhill, I really tried to keep my pace slow and not trash my knees. My mantra was: "Core, core, core. Engage your core." It worked. When I got tothe bottom I only had 5K to go, and couldn't believe how good I still felt. The big down hill was followed immediately by a big uphill. I'd sorta forgotten about that hill when I was planning the route, and I'd had to walk it the last time I attempted to run it. I admit, I did want to walk a bit here, but I thought of Emz, and her 24 hour run, and I decided that if Emz can run for 24 hours on a treadmill, I can run up this hill. I slowed down, and kept running...all...the...way...to...the...top!
6:16
5:56 Big downhill.
7:18 Big uphill
6:16
6:09 Big downhill
There were only 2K to go. I was due for a Gu, but just kept going.
6:30
6:30
I'm not going to lie, I was glad when it was over. But I also felt that if it was race day, I could keep going for another 10K. That's a good feeling.
After some stretching, I scrounged together enough change in my car to stop at Tim's for a hot chocolate to keep me warm in my cold bath.
I feel like I did everything right for this run. I dropped back last week so had fresh legs this week. I've been getting lots of sleep, and upping my water intake. I had my pit stop at home planned for past half way which helped mentally.
This was not my fastest run, but I felt so good the whole time. And I ran the entire time. Aside from my walk breaks for the Gu, I didn't walk on any hills, or to drink water. I just ran. Slow and steady and comfortable the whole way. Why can't all long runs be like this?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Three Things Thursday
1. This morning I registered for this:
But the half. I will be in Calgary for work anyway, so travel, accomodation, etc. are already covered! I think it will be a good way to keep myself motivated post-Vancouver marathon on May 1st.
2. Tempo Run last night was semi-successful. I definitely pushed my pace, but at times pushed a bit too hard, and then eased up, and then was too comfortable. I have a hard time finding the right pace where I am pushing myself but not so much that I can't sustain the pace for a longer period. I'm pretty new to tempo runs, so I think I just need some practice.
3. I am really looking forward to my long run this weekend! I have my 32K route picked out already, with a big uphill in the beginning and a big downhill and mostly flat second half in hopes that I will finish in comfort. It's supposed to be 14*C on Saturday and I can't wait to break out the shorts for the first time this season!
2. Tempo Run last night was semi-successful. I definitely pushed my pace, but at times pushed a bit too hard, and then eased up, and then was too comfortable. I have a hard time finding the right pace where I am pushing myself but not so much that I can't sustain the pace for a longer period. I'm pretty new to tempo runs, so I think I just need some practice.
3. I am really looking forward to my long run this weekend! I have my 32K route picked out already, with a big uphill in the beginning and a big downhill and mostly flat second half in hopes that I will finish in comfort. It's supposed to be 14*C on Saturday and I can't wait to break out the shorts for the first time this season!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Venting it out
I'm frustrated.
For the first time ever, I've run for more than a full calendar year. I ran through snow. I ran on ice. I ran when it was -23 C. I ran when the wind was whipping my face. I ran in so many layers, it was doubtful that I could even move, nevermind run.
Through all of that, I kept myself going by telling myself that this was going to make me a stronger, better, faster runner.
At the time, I couldn't really tell if I was getting faster, because it's hard to run fast on ice. I definitely felt I was getting stronger, because running in the snow was getting easier and my calves were less and less sore. I was sure that when the snow melted in the spring, I was going to be able to hold a faster pace than I could in the fall.
Then I hurt myself.
Not only is my "comfortable" pace slower now than it was last fall, it's slower than it was last spring. I ran the half marathon in Vancouver last year at the same race as the full marathon I'm running this year. I doubt I could beat my time on the half course.
In the past month, I've upped my distance and put in my planned miles, but I have not pushed myself on speed for fear that I will re-trigger the injury. I know that playing it safe is smart, and I'd rather run the marathon slowly than not run at all. I'm trying to stay positive.
But I'm frustrated.
For the first time ever, I've run for more than a full calendar year. I ran through snow. I ran on ice. I ran when it was -23 C. I ran when the wind was whipping my face. I ran in so many layers, it was doubtful that I could even move, nevermind run.
Through all of that, I kept myself going by telling myself that this was going to make me a stronger, better, faster runner.
At the time, I couldn't really tell if I was getting faster, because it's hard to run fast on ice. I definitely felt I was getting stronger, because running in the snow was getting easier and my calves were less and less sore. I was sure that when the snow melted in the spring, I was going to be able to hold a faster pace than I could in the fall.
Then I hurt myself.
Not only is my "comfortable" pace slower now than it was last fall, it's slower than it was last spring. I ran the half marathon in Vancouver last year at the same race as the full marathon I'm running this year. I doubt I could beat my time on the half course.
In the past month, I've upped my distance and put in my planned miles, but I have not pushed myself on speed for fear that I will re-trigger the injury. I know that playing it safe is smart, and I'd rather run the marathon slowly than not run at all. I'm trying to stay positive.
But I'm frustrated.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
A look back at March
When Febrary ended, I was glad to put it (and the snow, and the injury) behind me. With March over, and the backyard still covered in snow, I'm hoping spring is finally here in April!
I was so unhappy with February, that I didn't even do a recap. March was a busy month at work, and I also had a few days off to go to Vancouver with the BF. I ran a total of 99.6 miles, which I'm pretty happy with since I've been coming back from injury and took it pretty easy at the beginning of the month.
Here's a review of my goals I have for the year and how I measured up this month:
Running and Exercise:
The Earth:
I was so unhappy with February, that I didn't even do a recap. March was a busy month at work, and I also had a few days off to go to Vancouver with the BF. I ran a total of 99.6 miles, which I'm pretty happy with since I've been coming back from injury and took it pretty easy at the beginning of the month.
Here's a review of my goals I have for the year and how I measured up this month:
Running and Exercise:
- Finish the Vancouver Marathon faster than I finished the Victoria Marathon. Since my injury, I no longer hold this goal. My goal is now to finish the Vancouver Marathon smarter than I finished the Victoria Marathon.
- Run my third marathon in the fall. TBA!
- Run at least 1100 miles in 2011. 862 miles to go!
- Cross train at least 30 minutes once per week. Hrm. One hike this month. Two days of a lot of walking in Vancouver. Not a lot of cross training. I
couldshouldneed to do better on this. - Do at least 30 minutes of yoga once per week. I had this great idea to do 300 minutes of yoga in March, but that didn't exactly pan out. I know that I feel better when I do yoga, and I'm quite sure that I recover from runs better when I'm doing yoga regularly. 300 minutes of yoga in April?!
- Eat fruit every day. I was doing well until the last week of this month. This last week, my diet has been atrocious!
- Try at least 2 new recipes every month. If I can't remember, it can't have been that good. On the bright side, I already tried something new with salmon in April!
- Eat at least 3 meals a day. Done! I've been really good about eating breakfast and lunch everyday. (Dinner was never a problem).
- Don't drink coffee after noon. (I used to be good at this, but it's sneaking back in to my day!) Yes. Aside from the day with only 2 hours sleep, I didn't have any coffee in the afternoons this month.
- Read two books every month. I am plodding through The Catcher in the Rye. I know a lot of people love this book, and it's been on my "to-read" list for ages, but I just can't get into it.
- Apply for school by March 1st. Postponed, but with purpose. I am 90% decided on what I will apply to go back to school for, but have decided to do one more contract with my current job and will focus on that for the next year. That way, when I do go back to school, I will be able to fully focus on that.
- Etudie le francais pour 90 minutes par semaine. Probably not 90 minutes a week, but I spoke and read a fair amount in French this month, so I think it averaged out. My French is better than this:
The Earth:
- Find a fulfilling, ongoing volunteer project (a few hours a month would be manageable). Still looking, but admittedly not that actively.
- Continue to eat as locally and sustainably as possible (cut out prawns!) Yep! Thank goodness for spring! I can't wait for the Farmer's Market to open next month!
- Start a small veggie garden in the spring. Well, if the snow would ever melt...
I still have lots of work to do on these goals, but it's only April! If I'd achieved them all by now, I would have set the bar too low! In April, I really want to focus on cross training and yoga and staying healthy for the Vancouver Marathon on May 1st. Less than a month to go!
Saturday, April 2, 2011
4 weeks to go!
This week was a doozy, work-wise. I had one night with only 2 hours sleep. I managed 3 out of 4 runs and will go out for a 10K recovery run tomorrow to make up for the one I missed. My runs this week were welcome breaks to the madness, and I really enjoyed my long run today!
I am "on call" this weekend and had to carry my cell phone on my run. This is something I don't normally do as I get work calls on my cell and as mentioned above - running is a way to take a break from work. This weekend I had no choice, so I finally strapped the Belkin Arm Band I received for Christmas to my arm and shoved my iPhone in it. Because I was carrying the phone anyway, I decided to have some fun with it and took photos along the way. Ready for a tour of Quesnel?
I set out from the Rec Centre and snapped my first photo on the bridge across the Quesnel River:
The water level is really low right now, but often when the snow melts it goes right up over the bank on the far side. They close the road and create a detour, but there's always some moron who tries to drive their truck through it and gets stuck. They put it on the front page of the paper. If it happens later this spring, I'll post a photo.
I did a lap around the River Walk and then crossed the bridge to West Quesnel.
We have another bridge for cars, but until 1972, this little bridge was the only way to get across the Fraser River in town!
I continued along around the west part of the loop. Here's the map:
I extended the loop by running through a residential neighbourhood before I went back across the bridge for one more loop around downtown. This time I stopped to take a photo of one of Quesnel's famous "Little People":
All of the fire hydrants in town are painted!
As I made my way back to the Rec Centre to finish my run, I noticed the caboose was in the trainyard!
My grandfather worked for CN, and my favourite part of touring the trains as a kid was getting to go in the caboose!
When I made it back to the car, I was feeling good. I still had energy, and felt like I could keep running, but my planned miles for the day were done!
It was a very windy run today. I look like I sprouted wings out of the side of my head!
I am "on call" this weekend and had to carry my cell phone on my run. This is something I don't normally do as I get work calls on my cell and as mentioned above - running is a way to take a break from work. This weekend I had no choice, so I finally strapped the Belkin Arm Band I received for Christmas to my arm and shoved my iPhone in it. Because I was carrying the phone anyway, I decided to have some fun with it and took photos along the way. Ready for a tour of Quesnel?
I set out from the Rec Centre and snapped my first photo on the bridge across the Quesnel River:
I did a lap around the River Walk and then crossed the bridge to West Quesnel.
I continued along around the west part of the loop. Here's the map:
I extended the loop by running through a residential neighbourhood before I went back across the bridge for one more loop around downtown. This time I stopped to take a photo of one of Quesnel's famous "Little People":
All of the fire hydrants in town are painted!
As I made my way back to the Rec Centre to finish my run, I noticed the caboose was in the trainyard!
My grandfather worked for CN, and my favourite part of touring the trains as a kid was getting to go in the caboose!
When I made it back to the car, I was feeling good. I still had energy, and felt like I could keep running, but my planned miles for the day were done!
It was a very windy run today. I look like I sprouted wings out of the side of my head!
22 km
2 hours 21 minutes
6:25 min/km (Goal Pace: 6:30)
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