Believe to Achieve

Oh my. I am so out of shape compared to Mel and Kim.  I just don't know how they do it.  I ran a ladder SW (max vo2 for sure).  Warmed up x two miles, 8:49, 8:34 at 2 %.  Then at one percent I ran 1 minute on/off  @ 6:18/8:27;  2 minutes on/off; 3 minutes on/off; 4 minutes on/off, 5 minutes on/off, 6 minutes on off (last few minutes of the 5 and 6 ons I put the incline to 0 percent.  My left foot was ailing and I didn't want any more torquing, put it back to 1 percent during the off times).  Then when I got here I was so not ready to do another 6 minute to ladder down.  I was in too much pain to stay at that pace, so I just did 3 minutes on/off, then 2 minutes on/off, then 1 minute on/off  x 6 for a total of 32 minutes at 6:18 pace.  I was NOT liking this workout.  I think eating just beforehand was part of the problem.  All the blood was in my gut and not my lungs and brain.  Plus I emphasize again the ridicuoulousness of the TMs at PG rec after 8.6 mph.  And I was at 9.5 mph.  blah.  I feel so out of shape compared to my friends.  So instead of comparing I will just be happy for them and hope I can just get stronger with lactate threshold runs and MP runs, cause'   VO2 workouts suck!!!  Crossing fingers I don't get a migraine from this workout.  I tend to from the shaking, like I am on some amuzement ride and the room is spinning. Completed my run with 3 miles in 22:15 (7:25 AP).  AP for 14 miles = 7:27.

Just couldn't bring myself to run on the frozen earth before work.  Glad I didn't-- I even slid on the ice with my SUV on my one mile trek to work.    Hope this weather passes soon.

 5:30 am at the rec center.  3 mile warmup-  8:57, 8:41, 8:27 at 2 %.  Then kept it at 2 % for 8 progressive miles:  7:41, 7:35, 7:30, 7:24, 7:19, 7:13, 7:08, 6:58.  AP for 8 miles = 7:20.  Ran 1 mile cooldown at 8:06 pace.  That's not the end.  Late morning (9:20am with Troy):  4 miles easy wearing my trail shoes (AP 8:32, 1 % incline).  At the end I put the incline at 15 % like D.Crockett just walking at 4 mph and then for just a moment I pushed the speed up to 6mph and I was like, what in the?  Seriously, how in the world did he run 3 x 7:30 X 15 % the other day?  I was about tipped off at that percent.  Back to my shoes.  I am still  not sure about wearing them at Antelope but I wore worse during Squaw Peak.  Much worse.  I wore "zeroes" that I already hated for the first third of that race and then my ascics, old ones and then my new ones.  So one pair of trail shoes can't make me bonk too badly.    Still one trail run under my belt prior to the race.  I don't want to run on the road with these shoes and I don't have time this weekend to drive to the trails before work.  Tomorrow Melanie and I are running Suncrest at 4:30am, if I don't accidentally sleep through my alarm.   So glad it should be nice weather according to the reports.   

Suncrest with Melanie EARLY, very early.  In fact now I need a nap and its only just before 8am.  We ran it nice and easy.  My hamstrings are acting up like they did last year when my performance started to crash.  I think for sure it  is  the trail shoes.  They don't give much in the midfoot and I am getting shooting pains down my lower back into my hamstrings.  Bringing back sad memories so I think I will talk to the running store.  I have only run 9 miles on them.  AP today 8:28 (56:55 to the top, overall time 1:41:43).  Windy on the top but nice the bottom 4 miles.  At least it wasn't a bone chillin' wind, just enough to make us put our second layer back on at the top.  

5 easy as planned around my neighborhood in the windy cool (not cold : D) air before work.  Felt really nice. AP 8:25.  Hope I am motivated to get out of bed early before work tomorrow and run the planned 8 miles with 100 m pickups x 10.  Blah.  So little time....so much to do.  But I like my sleep.  Bonus, I wore my new trail shoes (I traded in the last pair I bought last week) and bought  Brooks Cascadia 4s.  They are SWEET.  They were on sale since the new ones are out.  So much better than the ones I was trying to wear.   I couldn't even run on the pavement with those.  They caused the horrible back and hamstring pains.  Now cured.  The RIGHT SHOES MAKE a whole lot of difference.  I now feel like I can show up at the starting line of Antelope Island somewhat prepared.

8  easy miles including 10 x  .07 mile strides before work at 4:40am.  AP for 8 = 7:42.   Time for each- 26.08 secs (6:14),  25.27 (6:03),  24.78 (5:56), 25.45 (6:05), 26.94 (6:27), 25.93 (6:12), 24.91 (5:57), 24.76 (5:55), 25.13 (6:01), 25.0 (5:59).   Interesting that the time difference between them all is never more than a second, except for the fifth one up hill, yet the garmin read such a varying pace.  Not sure "how" strides should be run, they felt very easy!!  Ran .1 miles in between  7:23 - 8:02 pace.   LONG day at work, busy busy busy.  Sick kids lots of new babies.   Oh I almost forgot, I ran this in my new TRAIL shoes  : D  on the road.