Maria's Running Blog

Final track meet of the season (before the final). I ran 200m in 33.6 - no change since the last meet, and 4x200m relay. We had a strong team again, 3 ladies around 33 sec. speed, and one lady over 60 years old that runs 35 sec. for 200 - pretty darn good if you ask me! We won by 50 meters! Now we have to wait until the final score is calculated to see if we made the final. It was very close with another team in our division, so it can go either way. If we got into the final, it will be in Ashford, Kent in September.

I managed to do 4 miles of warmup and cool down, which I was happy about, since track meets are usually a waste of time in terms of putting in the miles.

I ran the first race in the club Grand Prix, which consists of 3K, 1K, 1 Mile and 5K races, all run over the two week period in July. All races, except 1 Mile, are on roads, while the mile is run on the track.

It was a little too warm for racing, around 70F and sunny. It's considered hot in Lodon :). I got to the park early and did 2.1 mile warmup. My legs did not feel god at all. I was hoping that I wouldn't be sore just yet (after doing sprints yesterday), but I was already stiff and sore by lunch time. This was a very small race, only 70 runners, and once the race started, everyone just shot off like loose canons!! I was really afraid I would be left so far behind that I could get lost, because I didn't pay attention to the route. Usually there is always someone I can follow, but in a race so small, and being so out of shape I started to worry. When I looked at Garmin a minute after the start, it said I was going at 6:30 pace. I panicked and tried to back off. Still, I went anaerobic very early, within first 3 minutes, I would say. So the rest of the race was pretty horrible. I forgot just how much 3Ks and 5Ks hurt! I did manage to pass two girls who started even faster than me, and died. I thought I was breathing heavy, but they were literally wheezing when I went past them. I took my splits every kilometer and they were 4:26, 4:37, 4:32 - 13:36 total time. The kilometer markers were very accurate. My fears of being last did not materialize, but I was 60th out of 70, so pretty close to the end. I got second in 40-45 category, but there were only 2 women in that category in the race :). Full results: http://www.serpentine.org.uk/rdb/showrace.php?race=4442 

This was my first long distance race since last year, and since my PE in January. I didn't really have any expectations, but secretly was hoping for around 13:30 at least. Didn't quite make it, but at least now I put a stake in the ground, and know where I stand. I should get additional clues from mile and 5K races next week (not doing 1K since I'll be out of town this weekend). For comparison, I ran 12:57 a year ago on the track, and I think these races can be compared, because this 3K was flat and accurately measured and the weather was similar. Based on 13:36, I think I'm looking at around 23:40 5K - not encouraging, but again, it will be a stake in the ground. I don't know how much of my slowdown is due to being out of shape, and how much is due to possible lung damage. I will need few months of consistent training to tell. I want to believe it's a matter of training.

Went for a slow 6 miler this evening. Legs are pretty sore after my two days of racing, especially hamstrings. So I plodded along the best I could.

I discovered a "health assessment" machine at work, and decided to use it (it's free). It scared me - it said my body fat percentage is 30.7!! That's terribly high, although my BMI is within the normal range. And my blood pressure is 149/80 - I never had it so high in my life! It just so happens I have doctor's appointment tomorrow to discuss my cholesterol test and some other blood work, so I will ask her to measure my blood pressure again. My usual readings were about 125/75 a year ago. 149 is way too high for a systolic pressure for a person who is not overweight and running 30 miles a week. Geez. The machne also said my heart rate is 45 - too low, it may be that low first thing in the morning laying in bed, but not in the middle of the day walking around just prior to the test. So I'm not sure how accurate this machine is, but I can do this assessment again tomorrow to compare.

Total time: 55:58 (9:19 pace).

Still sore, but feeling better. Ran another easy 6 around Regents Park, a little faster than yesterday, but still slow.

I went to the doctor today to discuss my last week's blood tests. I was very happy to hear that all tests were normal, even my cholesterol! In fact, my cholesterol is at the lowest level it's ever been recorded in my life. It is 4.8 in mmol units (used in UK), which converts to 185 mg units (used in US). My last reading in January was 240, so this is a major reduction. I credit the blog with a lot of my improvement. I didn't learn anything new on the blog that I didn't already know, but it helped by keeping the focus on nutrition, especially Sara's recipe blog. So thanks to everyone who contributed to many of the healthy eating discussions here! My LDL is still high and HDL relatively low, but I can work on bringing the HDL higher (through running) to make the ratio better.

Total time: 54:50 (9:08 pace).

I wanted to go 10 miles, but felt very tired and stopped after 7. This may be my last run of the week, as I'm leaving town for the weekend - going to my daughter's swim meet in Southampton. It's end of season meet, an equivalent to Nationals for those kids who didn't qualify for Nationals, so lots of expectations. I hope she does well.

Total time: 1:04.19 (9:03 pace).