Same Time, Same Channel

VO₂ max - 10 miles w/ 6 x 1,000 m @ 5K race pace; jog 50 to90% interval time between

11:00 am, 44° F, 48% humidity, wind 3 E.

I had a hard time getting to sleep and did not sleep well last night. I'm not sure why. Maybe it was apprehension about today's workout. In any case, I got up at about 4:45 and checked the weather and the temperature was just below freezing. We got just a little bit of snow last night that stuck to the grass but not to the streets and sidewalks, but I figured that the streets and sidewalks might have been wet when the temperature dropped and so it might be slick. But mostly I didn't want to have to go out in sub-freezing temperatures in late April. But I didn't go back to bed, as much as I would have liked to. I set up my computer and worked. I had to take short breaks to drive a couple of kids to school, but I actually got a good 5 hours of work done before I went on my run.

Today I ran either really slowly, or really fast (for me), but nowhere in between. I was still kind of fatigued from hard workouts last Friday and Saturday. I was really worried about having to run at 5K pace today. So I decided that would run a 4-mile route to the track and then see how I felt. I never got going very fast during those 4 miles, but I felt good enough that I decided to give the track workout a try. I didn't worry too much about pace, but just ran hard on the intervals. I took one lap recovery between the intervals and I went really slowly during the recovery. It was more of a bouncy walk than anything. I went as slowly as I could go without actually walking.

My theoretical 5K race pace is 7:11. I didn't quite hit it, but I feel fine about the paces I did hit, considering how tired I was. Here are the stats. Don't laugh.

Splits for the warm-up miles: 10:41, 10:44, 10:09, 9:44, 0.12 @ 10:24 (there's a steep uphill getting up to the track)
Pace on the 1000 meter intervals: 7:19, 7:14, 7:25, 7:22, 7:22, 7:12
Cooldown: 0.79 miles @ 10:41 pace (this included the hill sprint hill that leads from the green belt where the track is to my street).

My goal right now is just to hold on and make it through all the workouts this week and then I have an easier week next week. It's not really a recovery week, but it's lower mileage.

Medium-long run.

10:43 am, 55-65°, 45-24% humidity, wind 4 ENE.

I think I'm about to be expelled from the sub-6 club. In order to get this run done before all my big kids left for school this morning, I would have had to have been out the door at 4:30 at the latest. I just couldn't do that. Instead, I got up at about 5:00, went downstairs in my pajamas, turned on my computer, and started working. I got in a good 5 hours of work before my run.

I talked with my boss and told him that I'd like to do this 2 or 3 days a week, when I have hard workouts, for the next 3 weeks. I told him that the training plan is stressing me out and not having to get out and run in the cold and dark alleviates the stress somewhat. Also, I get more work done this way, which is true. I am more productive in the morning. 5 hours of good work before my run and 3 hours of so-so work after my run is better than 8 hours of so-so work when I'm exhausted from a long and/or hard early-morning run. Also, this enables me to be home when my boys are leaving for school. They usually don't need much help from me, but it's nice for me to be there.

As for today's run, it was warm enough for shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, and I was a good girl and wore sunscreen. But I figured if I was going to be out for 2 1/2 hours in that weather, I better carry water, so I wore my stupid fuel belt. I had to straighten it out and push it down on my hips ever few minutes throughout the run. I made a pit stop at a Walgreen's a little bit fore the half-way point, and after about 9 miles, I took a short break and consumed a gel. I can't really say whether it helped me any or not.

Yesterday's and today's workouts are the two hardest weekday workouts this week, so I'm glad to be done with them. Maybe I can survive this week, though I'm still a little nervous about Saturday.

I was slow today. Here are my stats:

AP: 9:59. Splits: 10:47, 10:28, 10:13, 9:57, 10:26 (big hill on County Line Road), 9:49, 10:01 (long incline on Quebec Street), 9:46, 9:54, 9:51, 9:44, 9:43, 9:48, 9:46, 9:34 (I tried to pick up the pace just a bit the last half mile)

Recovery run #1.

AP: 10:34. Splits: 10:53, 10:36, 10:42, 10:28, 10:22, 10:20.

5:39 am, 53-58°F, 30% humidity, wind 3 S, perfect weather for running.

I had to run in the morning today because I've got to run twice today. Also, I need to work in the office today because I have a bunch of meetings. That is going to make it a little challenging to get in my second run.

I was able to sleep in a little this morning because there's no seminary today. The juniors are taking the ACT at the high school this morning, so the other grades don't have to be to school until just before noon. The high schoolers in my house are a sophomore and a senior.

Getting out to run in the morning is not so daunting when it's a 6 mile recovery run. Also, it was starting to get light when I started this morning, though the sun had not risen yet.

I was nearly half-way through my run and was near Michelle's house about 5 minutes before she usually starts her run. I figured that if she was running today, she would be up getting ready. So I stopped at the entrance to her neighborhood and called to see if she was going to run. She was, so I ran to her house and met her there. We ran about 2 miles together and then had to part ways so that we could each head home. It was nice to run with her this morning. I do so many of my runs alone, it's nice to have someone to run with every once in a while, even if it's just for a short distance.

Recovery Run #2.

12:26 pm, 75°F, 14% humidity, WIND 20 mph SSW, gusting to 36.

Average pace: 10:27. Splits: 10:51, 11:00, 9:55, 10:01.

So one benefit of running early in the morning is that it is typically less windy than it is later in the day. That certainly was the case today. I thought about doing this afternoon's run on the treadmill because I knew it was windy, but I decided to head outside anyway. Maybe I should have stayed in. I think I ran a harder effort the first half that the second half, in spite of the splits. The first half was generally uphill and into the wind (south and then west), while the second half was generally downhill with the wind behind me (north and then east). During the first part, particularly when I was going west and the wind was hitting me mostly sideways but also in my face, I had a hard time running in a straight line. Also, I had to grab onto my hat several times and one time it blew off and I had to go chase it down.

Medium-long run.

5:14 am, 35°F, 89% humidity, wind 7 EHE, overcast, with a few sprinkles during the last mile or so.

Running 12 miles just sounded too hard. So instead I just ran my 4 mile loop 3 times. That sounded easier. That's how I tricked myself into getting this run done. Also, this 4 mile loop, while definitely not flat, is more of a series of shorter ups and downs instead of big long up or down stretches like I get when I go on my longer routes.

I had to run early today because I have meetings all morning at work and I don't want to wait until the afternoon to run.

I feel encouraged that I was able to go a little faster than my recovery pace, but I still went pretty slowly. I didn't want to push too hard because I'm trying to save something for Saturday's MP run. Incidentally, tomorrow is the only day all week that I have less than 10 miles on my schedule. I'm looking forward to that.

My oldest son drove son #2 to seminary since I wouldn't be home in time. When I passed the house at the end of the 2nd loop, I saw that the garage was open and the car was gone, so I knew they had gone to seminary. My son is not very good about closing the garage. However, when I got home from the 3rd loop the garage was closed, so he did close it when he got back home. I think there might be only a week of seminary left this school year, or maybe there's two. I'm not sure. Seminary finishes up for the year before school does.

AP: 9:32. Splits: 10:36, 10:02, 9:27, 9:30, 9:33, 9:29, 9:14, 9:21, 9:33, 9:20, 9:13, 9:12.

Very slow recovery run.

5:14 am, 32° F, 40% humidity, wind 2 S.

Freezing temperatures? On the last day of April? Really?

Actually, it wasn't that bad since there was no significant wind and it was dry. And I saw the moon for the first time all week.

There's not much else to say about this run, except did I mention that I ran very slowly? It was nice to just take it really easy this morning. I'm tired. I'd like to go back to bed.

AP: 10:42. Splits: 11:22 (really?!), 10:40, 10:33, 10:27, 10:29.

Marathon-pace long run - 18 miles w/ 14 @ marathon pace.

10:21 am, 55-58° F, 12% humidity, wind 3 ENE.

Dang, that was hard.

I got a late start. I wish I could say it was because I slept in, but I didn't sleep in. I got up at 6:00 and spent all morning doing things for the family, and then finally went running after they were all off to their destinations or settled.

I've been running so slowly all week, I doubted my ability to hit marathon pace for 14 miles. While I need marathon pace to be about 8:00 in order to run a 3:30 marathon, for this run I set my marathon pace goal at a more realistic 8:20. I was just slightly over that pace for a couple of miles, but under that pace for the average of the whole 14 miles. So I feel good about this run even though I feel like I've been hit by a truck. I actually cheated on the run a little bit and took a few breaks. I stopped at the turn around and took a gel. I also took two pit stops and a couple of other breaks where I paused my watch and just rested for a couple of minutes.

I am very glad to have this week over with.

AP: 8:35. Splits: 10:10, 9:55, 9:33, 9:16, 8:20, 8:17, 8:18, 8:20, 8:19, 8:13, 8:18, 8:22, 8:10, 8:06, 8:07, 8:26, 8:11, 8:05.