Same Time, Same Channel

Hill Repetitions. 2 miles easy, 6 x 2 min. uphill at 10K effort w/ jog back recoveries, 2 miles easy. Average pace: 10:00.

Weather: 60°F, 59% humidity, wind 2 ESE.

I thought that I would feel well rested and energetic after my four days off, but not so. Instead, I had lead legs, probably from all the junk I ate on the ship and the pounds I put on. I've really got to institute some discipline in my life now.

I started out slowly this morning and did 2.23 miles at 10:34 pace. Then I did the hill repeats. I tried to do them by effort rather than by a specific pace. I looked at my watch for time only, not for pace. As a result, I ran them slower than 10K pace, but maybe it was 10K effort and was what I would do during a bit uphill during a 10K. In any case, my pace on the repeats was 8:43, 8:49, 8:34, 8:32, 8:32, 8:25, 8:15. The last one was definitely harder than the first one, but I pushed it a little harder because it was the last one. The hill repeats did get the cobwebs out of my legs a little bit and I ran the 2.25 mile cooldown slightly faster than the warm up, at 9:53 pace.

I didn't have time yesterday to catch up on very many blogs. I'll try to read some more today, but I do need to go to work.

Moderate run. Average pace: 9:05.

Weather: 67°F, humidity 42%, wind 2 SSW.

My planned work out for today was 10 miles with the last 8 miles hard, but I didn't have the time or the energy for that. I've got a really busy morning and my stomach is not feeling quite right. Also, I think I left my legs on the ship. I thought the time off from running would make me feel rested, but not so.

About 3/4 of a mile into this run another runner and I approached the same corner from different directions and then both turned to go the same way. She was a ways in front of me, so I decided to see if I could catch her by just picking up the pace a bit, but not sprinting. I think she knew I was behind her and she didn't want to be caught because she looked back a couple of times and she also sped up enough that I couldn't catch her. It would have been nice to catch her and talk to her because maybe she was a potential running partner. In any case, she made a turn about 3/4 of a mile later that wasn't on my route so we parted ways at that point.

I tried to run at least a moderate pace today since my scheduled run was supposed to be hard. But I didn't seem to ever be able to get going very fast. I think part of the problem was that I chased this other runner during my first two miles, which are normally my warm up. Splits were 9:21 (this is the avg pace for the first 2 miles because I didn't have auto lap turned on - the rest of these are mile splits), 8:42, 9:07, 8:56, 9:05, 8:44. I hope I get my legs back by Saturday because I'm planning to run a local 5K.

Easy run + 10 x 8 sec. hill sprints. Average pace: 9:49.

Weather: 65°F, 50% humidity, light SW wind.

I think my legs are finally coming back. Maybe they'll be here for me on Saturday. Splits this morning were 10:14, 9:57, 9:43, 9:54, 9:58, 9:26, 9:15, 8:56. Paces on the hill sprints were 8:24, 7:22, 6:32, 6:36, 6:38, 6:52, 6:48, 7:14, 7:00 6:56. On that third from the last one, there was a couple walking a dog who were walking up the hill where I was doing the hill sprints. They had seen me doing the hill sprints and had made a comment to me as they were going up the hill and I was walking down after my 7th one. If they would have kept walking they would have been far enough up that I wouldn't have passed them on my 8th hill sprint. However, they stopped just short of where my hill sprints were ending to talking to another woman with a dog who was walking down the hill. I had to run through that crowd at the end of my 8th hill sprint. They were just starting to move from that spot when I got to that point on my 9th hill sprint.

I felt mildly sick to my stomach and very lethargic all day yesterday. It's no wonder I wasn't able to catch that runner yesterday morning. I went to bed after dinner last night and slept for an hour or so, then got up for a couple of hours and then went to bed again. I counted it all as night time sleep instead of a nap and a night. I'm feeling better today, but not 100%. I actually felt mostly okay during my run. A couple of my kids were complaining of stomach aches yesterday too. It must have been something we ate or were exposed to on the cruise or on an airplane last week.

Threshold Run. 2 miles easy, 5 miles @ 1/2 marathon pace, 2 miles easy. Average pace: 8:56.

Weather at start: 57°F, 81% humidity, wind calm. Weather at end: 65°F, 63% humidity, wind calm.

I slept late again this morning. I have not been able to get myself up early for about a month. And when I woke up this morning I didn't feel like going for a run, so of course I got dressed and went for a run. I think I was dreading having to run fast. I felt kind of sluggish when I started, but felt better after a couple of miles. I was feeling pretty good around the end of the 4th mile because I was completing the downhill portion. The next 3 miles, especially, the last 2 of the threshold portion, were really tough. It was warmer by then and I had that long uphill that I get when I do this route. Splits were 10:11, 9:36, 8:22, 8:08, 8:28, 8:20, 8:08, 9:39, 9:29. That 5K on Saturday starts at 8:30. It's going to be hot.

 Today was supposed to be a run to work doubles day, but I couldn't run to work because I worked from home yesterday. So not only did I not have change of clothes at work, my computer is home. I could have my husband drive me to work and then run home, but I really don't want to run that uphill again today. So I'll try to get 4 easy miles in this evening. I'm going to try to get a couple of my boys to come with me.

I made a pioneer dress yesterday, mostly. I still need to hem it and put the buttons on. And I'm going to replace the elasitic in the wrists to make it looser. I've got to finish this dress, make another dress, make an apron, and make a bonnet.

Our trip to Utah that was going to be next week is officially canceled. I just can't afford the  time off work right now, especially with Trek happening the week after that. I would have liked to come and run with the BBKs and run Marion's half-marathon, but it's not to be this time. However, my husband might drive a couple of our kids to Utah next week and leave them there. His parents are coming to stay with our kids while we go on Trek and they could bring the kids back.

PM: 4 easy miles without the Garmin. I think it took about 43 minutes, but I didn't time it exactly. Legs felt okay, the stomach, not so much. Dinner was still too much with me, even though it had been a couple of hours since I ate. I waited as long as I could, and still ended up running in the dark. I probably should have worn my headlamp, but I put it away with my winter gear. We had a big rain storm this afternoon, so it was slightly cooler than it was this morning, but more humid. My boys did not go with me.

Easy/recovery run. Average pace: 10:09.

Weather: 65° , 70% humidity, winds calm.

I don't have to go to work today, so I slept in and ran a little later than usually even though I've been running later than I out to recently. It was nice and overcast when I started, but was sunny by the time I finished.

I was pretty tired this morning on account of the hard tempo work out yesterday morning and then the double last night. I took it really easy this morning. I ran my secondary 6-mile route in reverse. This way it starts and ends uphill. The last mile is much more difficult when going this direction than when going the normal direction. Splits were 10:57, 10:25, 10:10, 9:52, 9:32, 10:02. If hard days are supposed to be hard and easy days are supposed to be easy, yesterday was hard and today was easy. I hope I'm ready for hard again tomorrow.

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start  . . .

Okay, enough Sound of Music.

Weather: 65° F, 73% humidity, wind 6 NE.

I did not sleep well last night. And then I got up just a little bit later than I had intended to. Parking was going to be a hassle at the race because there was also a parade. So I decided to run to the race, thus the 4.23 slow miles. That was my running to the race.

At these HRCA (Highlands Ranch Community Association) races they always hand out race packets and goody bags right before the race, even if you register in advance. Since I didn't drive to the race, I couldn't put my bag and shirt in my car. But the race went around my office, so I walked over to my office and left my stuff there. It was nice to be able to go into a nice bathroom and pin my number on in front of a big mirror, and not have to wait in line for a hot, stinky port-a-potty.

I got back to the race about 15 minutes before the race start. It was hard to know exactly where to line up. I lined up not far from the front, next to a couple of older guys who said they were shooting for 7:00 pace.

The first mile was pretty easy with some downhill and some flat. I wasn't feeling fantastic, but I ran that mile in 7:24.

The second mile started easy with a nice downhill, but then it went back up hill and started onto the trails that are behind my office. I never saw a mile 2 marker. I'm not sure if there was one. I slowed a little on this mile and ran it in 7:40. It was about halfway through this mile that I started leap frogging a girl with a green shirt and long braids. She was flying like bat out of heck on the short downhills, but then I would pass her on the up hills.

The third mile was beyond brutal. The first half was still on the trails and believe me, there are very steep hills there. Once we got off the trails, we were back on the roads, but it was quite literally uphill the rest of the way to the finish. I was really struggling to keep going and ran this mile in 8:26. I was still leap frogging green shirt and braids girl, and I managed to pass two young girls in sports bras, but then they passed me before the finish.

I talked to the green shirt and braids girl after the race. I think I beat her by about 15 seconds. She was 32.

My average pace on this race is slower than my average pace for the Boulder Bolder 10K. Nevertheless, I really gave this race all I had. I don't believe I could have run that course any faster on this day. I need to find a flat 5K to set a real 5K PR. In retrospect, maybe a 4 mile warm up was too long and I finished it too long before the start of the race.

I didn't have my wits about me enough to remember that they have an awards ceremony where they present age group awards and I missed it. I'll have to go pick up my medal later.

Note that the 10th place overall finish I reported is my place among all women, not all finishers and is what I remember from looking at the posted results sheet after the race. Official results aren't posted online yet.