Denouement

Sorry for the long post, please skim as you deem necessary :D.  

Nothing like a half marathon to get you to back in the game.  This is pretty similar to my St. George 1/2 last January, a bit out of shape for both, but the course for the Mizuno race today is certified (so definitely not short like the St. G might have been) and much, much, much hillier.  

I came into this thinking there were a couple of girls that could beat me, but I'd try to hang with them and push it in the second half, where there was supposedly some flat.  This is the premier half in HK, and the most competitive (perhaps equal with Standard Chartered half, which I will be running in a month).

I thought I would be 1:23-1:25, with breaking 1:23 only as an A goal, or if the course was short (but was certified so no real chance of that).   It turns out one lady wasn't there, but Yui Kit Ching was there, and she's broken 37 in the 10k recently so she's running really strong.  I wanted to let her lead the first 5k-10k.  After 3k warm up, stretching, strides and four bathroom breaks we started.  The course starts with a steep tall hill then some down hill in the first 1k.  Yui starts ahead of me, but halfway up the hill I pass her (couldn't help it?   Is that a good defense, probably not).  The first k is net uphill, first k was 4:07.   The first 5k is net uphill, but rolling.  This has alot of the same hills from my Green 1/2 Marathon in October, but isn't quite as difficult as that race, probably 30-60 seconds faster of a race?  I hoped to hold onto 3:56 pace overall and dip under 1:23.  

5k - 20:22, 4:04 pace, The first 5k is net uphill, but rolling. In the lead the whole time, lots of guys around, so happy to have the company and to be pushed.

10k - 39:15, 18:53, 3:47, net downhill but rolly.  Trading spaces with lots of guys, still lead female, but expecting her at any time.  Have a turn around at about 7.5k and see Yui is perhap 10 seconds behind.  A guy with a foaming armpit was ahead of me for a bit before I passed him.  Just one armpit was foaming.  I was wondering if it was some type of anti-chafing product or if he forgot to rinse the pit and the sweat was causing some foaming.  Passing the time with speculation, have my sights on man with tight arms and high head

15k - 58:53, 19:38, 3:56 pace, rolling, had the steep downhill (inverse of first k), some flat then an uphill to a reservoir dam we run on for 2k, that part is perfectly flat and the 15k mark is right in the middle of the dam.  On the other side is some island which has an out and back flatish(?) road.  right on the pace that I wanted, but not sure I can sustain, will have a turn around at 17.5 to see where Yui is.

20k - 1:18:57, 20:03, 4:01/k, a bit on the slowing. This was out and back from the middle of the reservoir dam to island to turn around, and back to middle of dam.  I thought this was going to be flat, and the 2k on the dam was, but the road on the island was rolly.  Glad I didn't know about this beforehand.  Was strong on the way out, saw Yui was perhaps 20 sec back, but still 3.5k to go, so am running scared. 

1.1k to finish, 3:36 pace, was about 3:47 in the first 500m, didn't want to lose the race at the end, passed one guy, then decided I better pass tight arms-high head guy AGAIN (why did I ever let him repass me anyway?, you can see a picture of him on facebook http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=200021433425516&set=t.100000309753355&type=1&theater, and I am definitely not shuffling in this picture), and saw 1:23 was closing in but knew I could get under so picked it up to the end.  

Won $2400 hkd in Mizuno gc (about $310 usd), a mizuno bag, the biggest trophy I have ever won, so big I have to modify my trophy case to make one shelf a tall shelf, an mp3 player.  One funny thing is both times they had me up for the awards they played on the sound system "We are the champions" and not just for 10 seconds either.  It is pretty cheesy but also fun to have such a big deal be made of things here.  There is an Osaka marathon trip offered to the overall winners, but the rules state you have to live in HK for three years, so when one of the organizers congratulated me on being able to go to Osaka, I said I would be thrilled to go, but don't qualify per their rules.  He said they would have to take a look at it, so maybe 20% chance of a Japan trip (Oct 2012), that would be awesome.  

Sore from yesterday.  No running. 60 min elliptical and core workout.  The guard below the bridge says I look younger and nicer in my New Balance garb than I do in my street clothes.  Good to know.  And the exercise clothes are more comfortable :D

Ran 8.16k in 40 min.  Started off really creaky but felt better second half. Trying to make a physio appt but getting a chinese answering machine :(

Did 60 min elliptical first because left SI joint was sore and it is cold today. 10C  Ran outside around noon.  Here's the problem.  It is not that cold outside, but I am starting the run cold.  It is cold in my apartment (I don't want to pay for the heat just for me) so I am already chilled, then I get cold in the 15 minutes it takes to get to Tai Wai and out on the run.  So I wear a long sleeve and I am cold getting out there, then I am too hot for a long sleeve after I warm up.  I am going to need to find a locker or start stashing a coat.  But coats are more precious than the singlets I stashed in the summer.  Hmm.

Was supposed to do strides on the track, and I got to the track, did some serious stretching (during which my body temp dropped) and my right hip started to really complain during the stretches.   It was fine during the run before the stretches, but the stretching must have woken it up.  So after 30 seconds of jogging I decided to delay the strides til tomorrow and so some serious stretching/rolling between now and then.  Have been home for two hours and haven't done any yet, but this blogging is reminding me. . .

Physio office answered the phone today, always a good thing, so I will be going in tomorrow.  

Will do core workout today too.

Coke zero just makes me colder. . . 

Easy run around Kowloon Tong, then to the track. 6x100 strides and drills. 

40 min elliptical. 

Michael Lam met me at my house, and we went on an adventure run.  It was supposed to be a 90 minute easy run, and the plan was to find our way from my place to tai po road and take it over the mountain (monkey mountain again!) and down to sha tin, then back.  So it would be an up and down, then up and down the mountain again.  We found our way ok and no monkeys attacked us.  There was a really steep road down to tai wai, which was horrible to go back up.  We got to the Sha Tin central park at 10k then came back.  Ended up being 1:43, or 5:11 ave pace.  

We went to Causeway Bay in the afternoon, to a big park called Victoria Park, where we played tag, football (soccer) and frisbee. Then we went to the central library and ran the gauntlet to get our library cards and we all enjoyed picking out books.  Most books are in Chinese, but this central library was something like 10 stories high, so there were plenty of good english books.  I am actually in the middle of reading Tai Pan, which Paul bought me for Christmas, it is so good.  Then I have a book for our congregation's readers club called Three Swans, then I can start into the three books I checked out.  Lots of sloth in my future :D 

Core workout at night 

Ran in the evening.  Did 7.5k to the local track, then 6x100m and some drills, then ran home 1.8k

AM: 30 or 40 min on elliptical, knee lift weights 

PM: went to Aberdeen for workout.  Warmed up 6.1k, stretching.  Then did 4 x 1600m with 3 min rest between.  Had no pacers, but some fast men.  The fastest men, Colin and Brendan, were way ahead. But Chris and another guy were always just ahead of me on these so we'd start together, but they'd finish 5-15 sec ahead.  I wanted to start at 5:50-5:52 and go down from there.  Supposed to be 10k pace.  Splits were 5:45, 5:44, 5:41, 5:37. The times were good, but I felt a bit out of sorts in the workout, the same I felt in the race on Sunday the 15th, like not 100% in it but not sure how to do it at 95%.  I think I still feel the OTQ let down, like running is a lover that has betrayed me so we are uncomfortable bedfellows.  Nice analogy, eh?

5.5k cool down 

Ran up over to to Lai Chi Kok along a highway.  The air had some exhaust in it, but was able to keep an ok pace until I dropped down into urban blocks to try to find a bathroom.  It was crazy down there with the masses.  Then came back up to the highway and home.

AM: Michael had a track day for his school so wanted me to come, and it's not feasible to run before the kids get off to school, so I ran to the track event was going to be.  My workout was 3x 2k at HM pace, 2 min rest between, so not a hard workout.  3.53k warm up.  I didn't have much time til the event started so I didn't dare warm up more and only stretched a little.  I knew the track was just shy of 300m, so 7x around would be close to 2k, turns out the track is 286m, so 2002m if you go round 7 times, so just about perfect. First set was 7:43, second was 7:36, I was doing good on the third but kids were arriving and I didn't want to embarrass Mickie so after two laps I went outside the track and the turns, people dodging and extreme hills slowed down my last one, 7:58.  1.13k cool down, then I needed to watch Mickie.  So I stretched through the events as I got gradually colder and colder (I brought a track suit with Mickie's backpack, but it didn't quite do enough).  

PM: 40 min tm run, 8.01k 

Ran for 90 min, 18.65k at 4:50/k pace.  

Ran 6.09k in 30 min, stretching

A local 10k in Shatin.  Knew there would likely be little competition, but thought it'd be a good workout.  Turned out to be 99% humidity and 17 or 18C, so not really raining but misting, with the bike trail wet.  I wanted to go out at 3:45/k pace and drop in the second half.. 

4k warm up, including good stretching and strides.  Then we were off.  I took the female lead after 200m, but there were probably 20 guys ahead.  Watch showed 3:59 for the first k, not good, because effort felt right.  I had bad sleep for two nights in a row--running out of Ambien kind of forces a detox if you know what I mean. But the bottle did last for 5.5 months here in HK, so not too bad.  I won't try to get more, though, just better to fall asleep the old fashioned way.  Not sure if it was the sleep or just generally not feeling the eye of the tiger, but the pace was off today.  Averaged 3:54 for the next 4k, passed many and was in eighth overall, so 19:36 for the first 5k.  In the 6th k I closed in on #7 and in the 7th k I passed to get into 7th place.  I couldn't quite close in on black shirt ahead of me. 3:53 ave for 6-8k.  I wanted to get down to 3:45 pace for the last 2k and basically did, with a 7:31 last 2k split. I measured 10.1k, so the course might have been slightly long.  From 4-6k we were on a promenade with slick sidewalks (Ma On Shan), and the 180 and the turns were definitely slower than ideal, but that doesn't explain the 38:47.  

6k cool down.  The event was very local, meaning no english instructions or announcements.  Also only earned $100hkd so its the first HK race where I lost money (entry fee less than winnings).  Oh well, the bananas, free water, entertainment and the workout was worth it. 

6.15k in 4:52/k pace.  Feeling like a cold is coming on.  Will nap and ellip later.

Update: did come down with some type of sickness, so I did nap but I did not elliptical :(  Just a sore throat with phlegm and a general feeling of malaise. Still with me as of Thursday.

4:49/k ave.  Still just sick enough to not feel well.  Not sick enough to stay in bed all day.

Had the misfortune of waking up at 4am and not being able to fall back asleep.  So caught the first MTR to Tai Wai and ran for an hour, then crawled into bed once the kids got off to school.  Napped for an hour before PT exercises. My back has been sore, and my right knee sore after the race, so she focused on that.  Some adjustment, elec stim, accupuncture, and assisted stretches. Her stretching concerns me a bit, I get a bit concerned she is going a couple of degrees too far, but whenever I get close to calling uncle she lets up.  The pt appts are free, and they are helpful, so they are worth it.  She has me doing the sitting with the back against the wall exercises daily to try to strengthen my inner quad muscle. So did those and my ten core exercises and leg lift exercise and leg lift weights (and 5 min ellip just to warm up).

Reading a great book for a reading group called Wild Swans, about three generations of women in China.  So fascinating, it is just whetting my appetite to read more about living in Mainland.  I have read a couple of Chinese history books, but biographical nonfiction is so much more interesting and touching. 

Ben had a track meet in West Island, so I went to that this morning and didn't have time for my workout.  So I went out for my workout today at around 2:30pm, and it was hot! about 22-23C (71-73F).  I warmed up 6k, then 3 x 2k at HM pace, 3 min rest between.  I wanted 3:50 pace. Did them on the bike path instead of the track, to help prep emotionally for my tempo run next week.  3:49 pace for first 2k, 3:48 for the second, and 3:48 for the third.  Started to panic in the third because it felt harder than HM pace (but I was at 3:47 pace at that point, but I told myself to run smoothly and calmed myself down well.  Throat acted up with the harder breathing, coughed a couple of times, and still don't feel great but this has never broken into a full fledged sickness. over 6k cool down.  

easy 60 min.

Met with Curtis, Christian and Colin in Tung Chung.  They could have warned me they were going to go at a clip, but I guess I should expect no less when running with fast guys.  I was supposed to do 23-26k with last 3k at HM pace.  After a couple of k slow (5:13/k), then 10 more k moderate (4:37k), I was left in the dust as we circled the airport.  I didn't want to get too far left behind, and could mostly see them ahead, and did 5k in 4:23 pace (7:03/mi pace), which was really me going 4:16 for 4k then slowing down, then did another 5k in 4:40 pace, and had to go to the bathroom so bad I felt sick and couldn't even think in that 5k.  Hadn't had any fuel to this point.  Enjoyed a toilet break and ate a third of a power bar, then went on.  Went 4:40 for another 2.5k, then needed to do my final HM push.  Felt like I had already spent what I had in the fast 5k, many k's ago.  I have also been a bit sick and got horrible sleep last night so was feeling like if I skipped this HM bit I was covered in the excuse arena :D

I decided to attempt it, and goal was 3:50 pace.  We had 1.5 k on a nice trail, and was 3:47 pace for that it, but then we were in the city, and had to cross many roads, decide where to turn, did a u turn, so the overall pace of the 3k slowed to 4:00/k.  I'll need to plan this out a bit better next time.  Overall a solid run. 4:38 ave pace overall.  

Left leg was sore in the afternoon/evening.  Felt like a deep ache in my calf, was actually limpy :(

Ran 50 min easy.  Turned out to be a 10k.  I do have some soreness in my left knee area which is concerning.  Will get a sports massage on thursday (that's the earliest I can since we have chinese new year celebrations right now) and have a PT appt next monday I think.

MTR'ed to University, then ran to a bathroom stop about 3k toward Tai Po.  That would be my base for my workout.  For a 5x1,000m I would prefer a track, but they are closed since it is New Year's, so I am on the road.  Had fast shoes (these are 5k pace) and a long sleeve I stuck in a bush then completed my warm up.  Rest were 90 sec, so some walking, standing basically trying to catch my breath, but never fully recover of course.  First one went out crazy fast, but settled enough to get at 3:25.  Wanted 3:35 for the first one and hoped to drop to 3:30 by the end.  But pacing on the bike path was a challenge for me.  I had chosen a flat area (no under or overpasses, nothing to mess up the gps), so just did it back and forth.  The rest pretty much felt similar, like "what is this pace, this is fast. . ." did 3:31, 3:31, 3:30, 3:30.  I am happy with the workout.  Hopefully this means I am in a position to break 18 min on my track 5k that is coming up in the second half of February.  Haven't raced on the track since college.  

Ran 16.3k in 1:16, 4:42 ave pace/k.  Was happy to have that feel easy. Rainy and cold.

Met Phillipe, Tom, and Kate at the west side of Bowen Rd.  They had already warmed up, so we ran to the middle of Bowen Road, so just a 3k warm up for me.  Kate peeled off to do hill reps.  I was nervous.  This was a 10k tempo at HM goal pace, so basically as fast as the dud 10k I did a couple of weeks ago.  Plan was 3:50 and I was so grateful to have guys to help me through this because this was hard enough with help.   I told them I didn't want to start out fast, but kind of a tall order, isn't it?  We started the tempo going toward the east, so had 180 after 2k, and after 6k and finished at the east end of Bowen Rd (bowen road is 4k long and has markers each 500m) Our first k was 3:42, I hung back but didn't want to lose contact, then 3:50 (then 180), 3:44, 3:47, 3:49 (5k was 18:52), then 3:44 (this k is 8 seconds short per Phillipe, so add 8 gets us to 3:52, includes 180 turn around), 3:41 (again add 8 seconds, so 3:49), 3:51, 3:45, 3:32.  It was only after 6k and the final turn that I felt like I could definitely finish the workout at desired pace.  The men were strong and motivating.  Tom pushed the whole last 4k stretch, and on the last k he told me to take the lead, and encouraged me to push with 500m to go, with 250 to go, with 100 to go.  I was just surprised that he could talk as we're clipping along.  I am so happy with the workout. The final time was 37:25, or 37:41 when you add the 16 seconds.  That's better than I hoped for.  Ave pace for the whole thing is 3:46, (3:48 for the first 9k, since the last one skews the average).  

I am soooo grateful to Phillipe and Tom for pacing me and encouraging me.   There have been so many generous souls who have paced me over the years and it's a wonderful tool and I need to look for opportunities to do this for others.

This workout does a lot to boost my confidence going into my half marathon in 10 days.  I've been doing some negative self talk that hasn't been productive and which this workout and other workouts in the past month have disproved, and I am happy to report that I am back. 

Ran around my home because squeezed for time, so some hilliness. Feeling tired from yesterday's workout.  Squeezed for time because our family were getting together with my friend Angela's family.  We were leaving the kids at her house to play (with her domestic helper) and we drove to Hong Lok Yuen, met up with Angela's friend and we did a hike that was 15k, but was about 17k with walking to/from the trails, and the hike was so very hilly, that it was about half stairs/steps, and it took us 5 hours!  No joke.  It was crazy hard.  I am a faster runner than Angela, but on trails I am just trying to keep up with her easy pace.  Thankfully Paul was with us (my Paul) and he was the slow poke, so the pressure was off me pace-wise.  That type of hiking is not as enjoyable as more gradual inclines, but it was lovely just the same.  Went up to Cloudy Hill (definitely cloudy, couldn't see the wonderful view the mist was obscuring, then to the eight fairies (eight hills) to Tai Mei Tuk.  I only brought an orange and a banana and lots of water (how much fuel do you need for 15k--cmon!).  Well this was 15k like no other.  So I was starving at the end.  Angela showed us a divey noodle shop in Tai Mei Tuk that we would have never been brave enough to go to alone, and all four of our dishes were very good and only $4usd each, so I am sure we will be going back.  

With all the stairs up and down I was concerned about my knee, but no soreness in the evening.  Did a nice thorough stretching/rolling session in the evening.  Saw Salt with Paul on cable--fun movie. 

26.14k, 4:41 ave pace overall, but that includes a 5k fast finish.  I was tired and not feeling so great from yesterday.  Was a warm morning, about 60F at the start and rising.   Bought a gatorade at 7.5k, and drank about 5 oz then and 5 oz at 17.5k, when I returned back to that spot. 5k's were 25:24 (5:05), 24:23 (4:53), 23:44 (4:45), 24:21 (4:52), then 5:00/k pace for 1.14, then started fast finish, target was 5k at goal HM pace (3:50). I started the tempo a bit fast, but got 3:47 for first k, second k had some funky turns and a bike forcing me to slow so that was 3:52, not feeling so hot and wanting to quit.  Stayed strong though, despite needing a bathroom the last k. I ended up with 18:50, 3:46 ave pace, and that was without any type of sprint to the end.  Happy I could do the workout on beat up legs.   

Last week the kids were off school for Chinese New Year, I thought they all went back on Monday, but JJ was telling me he had no school until Wednesday, and sure enough he had Mon/Tue off, so had to stay closer to home for my run (Paul was home with him, but wanted to get out on his run).  

Ran to Kowloon Tsai Park to check it out.  Its a pretty big park (urban standards). I checked out the bathrooms, changing area, lockers, pool, the fields, the outdoor roller rink, the track, the jogging loop outside of the track, the old-people-stretching-and-maybe-doing-tai-chee area, etc.

This week is a cutback week so I can be fresh for the Standard Chartered 1/2.  It is the 1/2 associated with Hong Kong's big marathon.  The 1/2 starts at 5:30.  Yikes!  Paul has been really sick for days and I am fighting a sore throat.  Hope I can get 100%  

JJ still around the house, and I needed to do strides, so ran to Kowloon Tsai Park again.  Ran 5k in 4:46 pace, then did 6x100m strides.  4 at 16 sec and last two at 15 sec.  Some drills on the way back to the start, then 3.68k home.  Core workout.

Went to Hong Kong Park with JJ today.  Went to the Convervatory and Aviary today for the first time.  Had a good time.