Maria's Running Blog

Legs felt heavy after yesterday, but I enjoyed another sunny and warm day. Ran 6mi, then did 4x100m strides with 100m jog on the track, and ran home another 1.3mi. Managed to turn my ankle one block away from home, trying to pass a guy with a dog, but doesn't look like I suffered any consequences.

Total time: 1:04:32 for 7.3mi (not counting strides), 8:50 pace.

We found new apartment and have to move in Sept. 1. No more viewings during the week, so maybe my schedule will be a bit more normal now. The new place is only couple of miles away from our current one, but the apartment is much bigger and the area is a lot nicer. We're going to be on the other side of Regents Park, so my running will be only minimally affected. I'll have to find the best way to the park (meaning the least number of street crossings with lights), and then it'll be all the same. It'll be longer to get to the track, by a mile or so, but who cares.

Track meet today. I had to do javelin, 400m and 1500m as a scoring runner since the team was thin tonight.

I won W35 javelin with a 12.04m throw, not my best, but I scored!

Then I ran 400m and was hoping to break 1:20. Again, I surprised myself with 1:15.6, and won W35 again. Interestingly, it was easier to run 400m than 200m few weeks ago. I went anaerobic, but only on the last 100, and it was perfectly manageable - no dead led filling in my legs. I started conservatively, and let one woman in the first lane pass me in the first 100. But with 120 to go I pulled up to her and went by in the last 100, and I had a strong finish.

After about 20 min. there was 1500m. I did poorly there, only doing 6:06. First 300m was 1:13, then 400 in about 1:38 (I pushed stop instead of lap and realized it only ~5 sec. later), next 400 in 1:42 and the last 400 in 1:31. I don't know how to race 1500, and I was too comfortable the first 1100, running almost the same pace as 3000m. 3 of the women I beat in 400m passed me (by a LOT) in 1500m. One, in particular, ran 5:37, and did only 1:19.

So, clearly, speed is not my problem. Looks like I still have weak aerobic capacity. With this kind of 400m speed I should be able to run 5:40 in 1500, but I'm nowhere close. Lots of room for improvement.

Track meet second day in a row. It affects my mileage, but it's so much fun I have no regrets!

There were 2 women's races grouped by predicted times, and I got into the slower race. It turned out there was a big gap between me and the rest of the girls, so I had to run the entire race alone from the front. I got my picture taken few times and a lot of cheers. It was a little embarassing to have my picture taken (probably for the newsletter or club website), when I was running so slow. But I had a good race, regardless - better than yesterdays's 1500m. My splits were 1:35, 1:39, 1:39, 1:32. Again, my 400m speed predicts faster time.

The faster women's race was really fun to watch, with 4 women fighting for the lead all the way. The winner ran around 5:40, I think, and the last woman there ran 6:13. So I would have been dead last in that race, but maybe it would have pushed me to better time. But I feel like I ran according to my current fitness level.

Managed a cool down of 1.2mi, so got in about 4.5 miles - not bad for a track meet.

Just putting in the miles. Didn't feel super fresh, although I wasn't sore either after the mile race yesterday, and I was only a little sore yesterday after the meet on Monday.

Total time: 1:04:04 (9:01 pace).

easy run before leaving for Southampton for Lisa's swim meet. Would have liked to go longer, but that's all the time I had. I'll get the time from Garmin when I get home.

The new picture is from last week's Club Championship 1 mile. This is the 200m mark.

Update: Total time: 1:31:59 (8:45 pace).