track fan

1:29:37.  The schedule called for 90` today, with the last 20` hard.  I went out to the flattest trail I know about and proceeded to run the entire run hard ... dumb, but I was just a little inspired, and worried about running a 5K after not running that fast in months and months.  For the most part, this trail is pretty easy - rocky, yes, hilly, yes - but short little ones, sandy, yes, but easier than most of the trails.  It was gradually downhill out and gradual uphill back. 

Anyway, 46:47/42:49 - it wouldn't surprise me if the "out" part were about 8:30 pace or so, the "back" part was tough since I was already tired, trying to pick it up and simultaneously going uphill.  All and all, it was an inspiring run!  I just hope it wasn't too hard, and that I can recover by Thursday -- XC madness here I come!!

Happy Sunday my blogger friends!  I have to go track my friends who are doing Ironman Arizona today!! 

AM: (easy 6, 53:18).  Nice morning run on the Yeatman trail - I worked for a while first, I wanted to wait until it warmed up a bit ... finally, at 8AM it was 43F and I thought it was perfect.  Well, except that my feet were cold and numb for the first 20 mins (I was wearing my summer socks) -- luckily they started to thaw out before I got to the more technical climbs.  all and all a perfect day.  I am pretty tired ... I hope it is mental and indicative of Thursday.  I watched the NCAA cross-country championships yesterday -- it reminded me how cross-country races are!  Both OSU and Villanova showed lots of heart - they worked hard for the team titles!  

 PM: (easy 4).

Have a great rest of the day bloggers!

Easy hilly run ... feel ok.  I got the "usual" coach pep talk today, "don't worry, go out hard but controlled and pick it up from there" -- very helpful.  My favorite "coach" quote was one I heard from a friend who was running a 10K on the track in college "run fast, turn left".

I have to confess bloggers.  I have to become a nice person.  It was  a deal I made yesterday.  So ... yesterday I get to work and had brought my external hard drive from home so I could get some things I had written a while ago from it and put into a grant I am working on.  This hard drive is my back-up from the last 10 years (it isn't that old just the things that are stored on it) -- it has my dissertation on it, it has papers I have written, projects I have worked on, things that I am currently working on, etc.  Well, I plug it into my computer and nothing happens.  Hmmmmm... I jiggle it a little, replug it in and still ... nothing.  I look at it more closely and my heart stops -- no beat.  I feel like I might throw up.  The USB port has  broken off.  I start hyperventilating -- really.  I jump up and *RUN* across campus to the computer tech store below the bookstore.  Surely there will be some nerdy guy there that can either help me or tell me where I can go??  My office is about a mile from the bookstore and it was one of the longest miles I have ever walk-ran.  All I could think about was starting all over on that paper that I have been working on for 3 years now (it is in its second revision from a journal review) -- and all the projects that I have ongoing for which I have been modifying things that I have done in the past.  Oh why did I not buy that 5Terabyte hard drive from Costco (that is on sale for $100) so I could "back-up" my "back-up" disk? 

Well, the bookstore was a wash, the undergrads there only work on computers, not peripherals.  I was slowly, almost in tears, walking back to my office when I saw a sign "U/ITS 24/7" (University Information Technology Services -- 24 hours/day 7 days/week".  I decided to stop in and see if they knew of any local data recovery service in town that could help me.  I made a deal, "IF I CAN GET MY LIFES WORK OFF OF THIS HARD DRIVE I WILL BECOME A NICE PERSON, I PROMISE".  Well, as I walked into the the room I saw them the beautiful nerds for which I was seeking -- I knew immediately that they were going to be my salvation.  Sure enough, it took over 3 hours but my savvy techie was able to extract the hard drive from the case, read it onto another computer, and I after I ran back to the bookstore and bought another external hard drive was able to recover ALL of my data. 

Now I wish I had promised to give up coffee or something, instead of change my whole being ... but noone said it would be easy ;-).

Happy Thanksgiving Bloggers!! 

Yippee. I am very happy with my time today. It is only 30 secs off my 5K road PR on a moderately hard cross-country course! I beat my time from last year by almost 2 mins, but last year it rained all night and the course was really sloppy. The course is a 2 lap course with 4 hay bale, and two water jumps and 3 pretty tough hills and you hit all of them 2 times. I made the water jumps pretty well the first time through, got a little wet on the last one, mainly because I was getting really tired. The first mile is easier, the last is really hard because you have two of the toughest hills 2 water jumps and two hay bale jumps all in the last 1/2 mile. My splits were 7:05, 7:00, and 7:04 pace for the last 1.1 miles.

I won a pumpkin pie (a little bummed that I missed overall masters by 20 secs, and first in my age group by 18 secs -- must work on that for next year - I did beat the 40 year old age group winner by 25 secs so that was good). I was in the top 25 (which was my goal) out of about 600 women so I am happy today.

Happy Thanksgiving my fastrunningblog friends!

1:01:46.  Recovery run.  It took me about 40 mins to warm-up today!  Hills were a little hard at first (and I couldn't of hurdled a barrier if my life depended on it!) but I felt pretty good by the end.  Pretty slow, but I enjoyed it, and savored the day!

hi ho hi ho its off to work I go.

Have a great day bloggers!

AM: (9+ miles, 1:23:40).  Investigated a slightly different route from the "usual" Saturday route.  It might have added on a 1/4 of a mile or so.  I did 8 x 100 m strides, quite a bit slower than usual.  My legs are still feeling Thursday, but it was fine as long as I ran easy.  It is the first time ever that my legs are the limiting factor in my recovery -- cardio-wise I am feeling really good, my legs are just heavy.  Now I am a little excited to start speed training - I think in about 2 weeks or so.  I might jump into some road 5k's in the next month or so, my "key" race will be a 10K in January -- I am feeling more confident that a sub 44 min 10K is within reach.  Then I need to decide what to do this spring ... I am pretty sure a 1/2 marathon is in the cards, but I am not sure if I will just race a couple of those and then target another marathon next winter (maybe California International?) or whether I might run another marathon this spring.  I really want to work on my speed this year, with the hope of a solid marathon next year (when/if I am pretty sure that a sub 3:30 is plausible).  Stay healthy, stay healthy ;-).

PM: (easy 4).

I hope you are enjoying the weekend bloggers -- and enjoying the left-overs!  I was going to get a "tofurkey" - but they are too big for just one (and Dean would not eat any of it I am sure) -- so we don't have many left-overs ... no more than usual.