Auntie Em Goes Running

The schedule called for 45-60 minutes of biking at "recovery" pace, fast cadence.  Usually there is no flexibility at all, so I was SO excited to get a 15 minute "choice".  What to do?  I rode 60 minutes, exactly, 15.2 miles, with fast cadence, on moderate terrain.  So I guess my recovery biking pace is about 15 miles per hour.  

3.3 easy running miles, around the pond 2X, then back home.  Ducks are out, in pairs, getting ready to nest I guess.  So cute how they each have their partner, and they stick close together.  Tomorrow I'll have to walk over with some bread and feed them.

BTW, since you all thought I'm such a great mom for fixing dinner for the prom juniors, here's what we had:  homemade fettucine with parmesan, chicken breasts stuffed with sun dried tomatos, parmesan cheese, sage and prosciutto, sugar snap peas.  For dessert, I made tiramisu cheesecake with dark chocolate crumb crust.  The kids were all beautiful in their prom clothes - and so well behaved.  I think the girls are more into the prom experience with each other and view the guys as handsome and necessary accessories!  The guys don't seem to mind being accessories and are very obliging with good manners and flowers, etc.  There is some cheesecake left and I'm going to go have some right now! 

I hate the darkness.  I hate tapering.

Mini tapering track workout.   It was insanely windy on the track tonight!  Probably a difference of several seconds between one straight away and the other side.  All my intervals were too fast; I just have so much pent up energy its ridiculous.

WU 1.98 miles @8:56 

1200@7:04 (should be 7:38)

1000@7:40 (should be 8:10)

800@7:17 (should be 7:38)

400@7:51 (should be 8:10) 

CD 1.98 miles @9:21

1 lap jogging between intervals.

Also did some drills on the track before doing the cool down jog; dynamic stretches and running drills.   

Easy miles, AP 8:46.  Wish it were 10:46.  I'm worried that I can't slow down this week, and I need to run much slower than 8:46 in the beginning of the 50K.  There is a six mile flattish trail at the beginning before we head up into the Chuckanuts.  This should be SLOW, I think, saving up for the mountain climbs.  First climb takes us up to 1600 feet in almost 2 miles, then we drop back to 400, and immediately up again to 1600.  Then a long stretch of up and down for about 7 miles, and another climb up to 2000  feet.  Then a really long down, back to the six mile flattish finish.  This flattish section has one switchback section into a small canyon and back out, so that will happen twice.  I have run up and down this canyon so many times that I can do it in my sleep.  On the way back, after the little canyon, its about 1.5 miles to the finish, slightly downhill or flat the whole way.  I hope I can let it rip then.  

Sunny and absolutely beautiful here today; the forecast calls for similar through the weekend!   

I did nothing today.  Used the extra time to plant some (more) flowers and throw rocks at the deer in the front yard.  I have all but given up on the deer really, but they still expect me to throw rocks and yell, so I do it.  Trying to train the cats to chase them, but they want to make friends with them instead.  They eat everything except for penstamon and daffodils.  

An easy jog 'round the pond, with 6X100m strides.  

Not a good race.  Let's just call it a great day for a jog in the forrest, never mind the 300 other people on the trail!  The first 6 miles felt great; I was successful at keeping the pace slow (around 9 minute miles).  This is a first for me in a distance event.  I am very pleased with this.  We started the first mountain climb, Fragrance Lake, at mile 6.4, and as soon as the trail began climbing, my breath started asthmatic wheezing.  This has happened to me on one other occasion, after which I briefly experimented with inhalers.  Inhalers never seemed to help.  Anyway, on this day, for whatever reason, the wheezing got quite bad, and I was actually walking from about the middle of the climb on, ON THE FIRST CLIMB OF THE RACE.  Not looking good.  At the top of the climb, the trail begins gently rolling for a mile or so around Fragrance Lake, then descends steeply for another mile to Cleator Road, where the second climb begins.  Aid station 2 is here, and its a short walk from here back down and out to the road.   I knew that I had to make a decision about the asthma thing at this point, since committing to the second climb would put me into 9 or so miles with no exit.  I decided that if my breathing was not normal after the flatter and downhill section approaching aid station 2, I would have to pull.  I was not getting nearly enough oxygen and was pretty lightheaded, but I ran this section slowly, just trying to take deep breaths.  I just could not get full breaths; I felt pain in my lungs and a raw feeling in my throat.  Even after the steep descent, I could barely breathe.  My husband and coach were waiting at the bottom, where they had planned to be, and I rested for about 20 minutes, until I was able to walk down the hill to the car.  

During the rest of the afternoon, I coughed quite a bit, and had some pain in my lungs, but gradually was able to breathe better.  In spite of the way the "race" turned out, it is really just a small part of the training leading up to it, and the training has been so spectacular!  I will not ever give up running in these mountains, and will make it part of my regular running routine.  Having to drop out of the race is a disappointment, but I actually don't really feel it as a HUGE disappointment.  Maybe that is yet to come!  I am sad, and I think I had better do something really soon to boost my mental confidence a bit.  In the meantime, my legs feel like they've still got 20 miles left to run!  As soon as the lungs are up to it,  I will.