Emily's training blog

I threw some 1 minute pick ups into my run, today.  It was freezing out this morning, so I opted for the treadmill.  Every 5 minutes I ran 1 minute at 6 minute mile pace.  It got a little more difficult as the run progressed because I was also increasing my base pace every half mile.  So, the recovery stopped feeling like recovery.  It felt good to run just a bit faster.

I am a terrible blogger.  I'm definitely lacking in motivation, and need to get my act together. 

I thought Cole could use some time out of the house today, so I took him to the gym day care while I ran on the treadmill.  It was a quiet morning at the health club.  I should enjoy it before the new year's onslaught occurs.  I started at 8.5 mph and increased every 5 minutes.  Total time 40:44.

Huffed and puffed through a 7.3 mile run with Devra.  I ran this particular loop this summer, and thought it was 8.  I must have been going really slowly that day.  I'm enjoying having my husband home all week.  It makes it easier to get out for a run.  I also enjoyed having a running partner, though I hope I didn't slow her down too much!   We ran 1300W, down to 7000 S, to the river trail, and back home.  It was a nice mix of hills, road and trail. 

Today was a lazy day.  I took the kids to Jump N Bounce this morning so that they would stop "jump n bouncing" off of the walls at home.  After all that jumping, we needed naps, so I didn't run until this evening.  Since it was dark, I headed for the gym again.  I don't think my treadmill was callibrated correctly, because the whole run felt really easy.  8 miles in 53:15.  That pace would be much more difficult for me on the roads. 

Another fun Dimple Dell run with Devra.  I felt great on the 3.5 miles downhill, not so much coming back.  Still, the weather was warm, and it's pretty in the Dell.  I hate hills, so it's a great place for me to run!

Week 1 of my return to fitness started to catch up to me today.  It's been a few months since I've run 5 days in a row . . . and I could definitely feel it.  It was also my longest run in a couple of months. 

Devra met me at my house.  We ran out 4800 S and jumped on the river trail.  Then, we ran in to a nice head wind for three miles.  At Winchester, we left the trail and climbed the ginormous hill to 1300 West.  I felt like I was crawling at this point.  On 1300 West we caught a tail wind, and were able to pick up the pace.  We finished with another uphill-into-the-wind through my neighborhood.  Our overall pace was 7:15 per mile, with a finishing time of 1:05:10.  I now have a benchmark with which to measure my fitness . . . at least on that run.  I enjoyed the spring-like weather, and wished I had been wearing shorts.

I met a big group of people down on the river trail this morning.  It is so much fun having a group run.  I felt much better than yesterday, but out and back on the river trail isn't too taxing strength-wise.  I still started huffing and puffing after about 7 miles, and I'm still trying to hang on to Devra's coattails.  But, I feel ambitious that the fitness will actually come back.  Thanks Jake and Andrea for organizing today's run. 

I exceeded my goals for this week.  I just wanted to make sure I got out the door for a run every day, and I set the tentative goal of 40 miles this week.  (You have to start somewhere!)  I was also happy to hit a ten miler.  That is my longest run in quite a while.  The best thing is that my achilles is doing so much better.  I feel the occasional twinge and sore calves, but not the constant pain that I ran in this summer.  Yay! 

Next week I would like to keep my mileage in the 45-50 range.  I will probably keep my "long run" around 10 (maybe 12 if I feel good), but I would like to add in 1-2 light fartlek runs to get the turnover coming back.  I also like speed workouts.  They keep me mentally challenged.