Denouement

Ran a 30 min tempo with Ali.  Warmed up 28.5 minutes (5.7k) then did 7.78k in 3:51 ave/k.  I pulled away from Ali after about 4k, but then I had to go to the bathroom so bad the last couple of k she caught up.  At least I avoided any awkward incidents!  Cooled down 6.23k.  19.71k total

PM: 7.68k at 5:02/k ave pace 

Ran 6.5 way out in Tsueng Kwan O where there were some nice bike trails, but it seemed a little like a ghost town and it was sunny and I didn't have sunglasses or my visor.  

 Looking around for raspsberry lemonade afterward in vain.  I am helping with a baby shower and getting the ingredients is a pain! 

Four miles on the TM.  Stretching.  I spoke at a women's conference at church on "fitness 101" and it went ok, and more importantly is done !!!

This is one of the fastest 10ks in,hong kong, not because it is pancake flat, but because it is known as a competitive 10k and because the weather is usually better.  The weather has been nicer this week, but today it was a bit warmer than ideal, 22-23C 50% humidity, approx.  So I would prefer 17 or 19, but 22 is much better than the 28 I had on the track race a couple of weeks ago.  

Got there over an hour early so was able to do a nice long warm up, 6.4k total, including some strides. 

I wanted to let Yiu Kit Ching lead for the first 4k or so, but I knew that she wanted me to do the same, so it it was a bit of a conundrum, since I also wanted a good time and she is a faster sprinter than me, so I didn't want a hugely negatively splitting race either.   The course is rolly and out and back with a double loop, so you go out 4k, then come back to 5k, then go out again to 6k, then come back.  Sounds dizzying and like runners would be clashing, but the runners were separated nicely and it was very well organized.

k	Time	Comments
1	3:29	The course started with tail wind and a downhill.  The downhill lasted about a k, but the tailwind persisted, so I knew we'd be coming back in it.  I started right behind her to guarantee I didn't become an early unwitting rabbit and that worked nicely.
2	3:44	We were running side by side for the most part, lots of guys around us, I was holding back, and I am sure she was too
3	3:39	Still the same, running basically together, still tail/cross wind, a bit rolly
4	3:43	Still the same, running basically together, still tail/cross wind, a bit rolly, I am calculating # of seconds below 3:45 pace, because I want to break 37 but I know it will be tough with the hill at the end, she surges through a water stop but I also typically surge through them, so I deliberately respond to keep in it and to discourage her
5	3:41	YKC lets up the pressure at around 4k, so I was a couple of steps ahead of her from 4-6k, but I could see her shadow, is she using me for wind blocking, or just letting me take the leading pressure?  I come up on the 5k clock at 18:18, which my splits do not add up to, but not sure why.  I realize I am right up against my road PR (36:38 from 2008) but that I need to push to get it, since it is net uphill back to the finish.
6		She surges every once in a while and I respond by staying a step ahead, I figure this is my racing strategy at this point, make all surges unsuccessful.
7	7:21 for 2k	I want to take a gu but that would show weakness, she is right behind me, and I am responding to surges, and I am not letting up, though at the 7k mark I am feeling like "What time would I get if I did 4:00 back?" for short weak mental segments.  I tell myself to be brave and run like a champion
8	3:36	I am responding to lots of surges, I know I should be breaking away at this point because in a kick situation she will win, but instead I feel like she is controlling the race even though she is right behind me or beside me the whole k
9	3:43	At 8k we are together, I get a picture taken by the sports reporter just ahead of her, but she surges at 8.2k or so and I let her go, I am so tired, and a bit mentally weak, I know I need to keep my pace good and focus on trying to break 36:38
10	3:38	Uphill and no fun. I can see YKC is not running super strong but I am tired too.  My brain says GO! and my legs say, "what's that?" At 9k she is perhaps 8-10 seconds ahead, I see her look back with 500m to go, I try to respond but it is freaking uphill, so I focus on trying to get the clock in sight, by the time my weak eyes can see it it says 36:25 so I sprint, and end up 4 seconds behind YKC and right at 36:38.

I cooled down with Ali and Betty, another girl who trains at HKSI, 4.8k

So I don't know how to feel about this one.  I broke 37, which is huge, haven't done that since 2008, when I got 36:38 in France.  I also tied my road PR.  So I am in great shape, and I feel like I raced smartly and with heart (at least the first 8.2k).  It is hard when you get second by that little, though.  And this knocks me off first place in the road 10ks in hong kong.  I knew that the ranking would be up for grabs today, and I knew I would have to beat Yiu Kit Ching to keep the number one slot.  However, if I look back between the Coca Cola 10k and now, it has been six weeks, and I have lost 4-5 lbs from cutting out sweets, and I have had some awesome workouts and good races, and I raced this race so much more smartly, so I am making really good progress.  So I NEED to be happy with where I am and with today's race.  There is always something left on the table, it seems, but I need to celebrate this well run race.  

17.5k in 85 min (4:51 ave/k) then 7 strides

Core workout in the PM while watching One Day with Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.  Paul really likes Anne and I really like Jim so it was an enjoyable movie :D 

Had to do my hard workout in the morning because tonight is my friend's baby shower!  Which also means I officially broke my sugar fast yesterday when tasting some of my creations.

Workout was downward fartlek: 4 x 4 min/2 min ( half rests the whole workout), 4 x 3/1.5, 4 x 2/1, 4 x 1/30sec.  I was so glad it was designed the way it was because I was still trashed from the Sunday 10k and I was wiped out by the time I hit the 2 minute bits.  This is 40 min of hard workout, so i wanted 10k goal pace but also knew that goal pace now has to be faster than 3:40 since I just DID race at 3:40, so I cut myself some slack on the 4 min bits.  I did 3:40 ave for the 4 min bits, 3:31 ave for the 3 min bits, 3:36 ave for the 2 min bits, and 3:30 ave for the 1 min bits.  I guess it showed I was pooped by the 2 minute portion of the workout.  Glad I stuck it out. 20.49k total 4.36 3.41 2.21 

Then had parent teacher conferences from 10-12, then ran from my son's school to the Ma On Shan track to drop off a key I forgot to give back for locker use, then back to Tai Wai, so 9k noonish run.  

Then had parent teacher conferences at another son's school which I forgot about, and thus had to rush to in stinky running clothes.  Then came home and finished getting ready for said party.  Had to transport three boxes and one cooler in a taxi to the party.  The party was lovely but I felt like an ulcer was burning in my tummy.  Not sure if I didn't eat enough during the day to recover from the runs, or if the bad food disagreed with me.  Better to stick with oatmeal and pb & banana sandwiches, my dietary staples. 

10.3k from Admiralty to Repulse Bay, hilly and some stairs. 5:17 ave pace.

 I have been getting awful sleep so I tried to have no Coke Zero today and had a complete melt down from 2pm-6pm, which also has to do with my son coming home with  26/70 chinese test, several late assignments, and a major piano test on Friday that he might not pass.  I try so hard to keep on top of it all but feel like a bad, bad mom for several hours straight.  Detox plus stress = bad idea. 

Core workout in the late pm 

AM: 8.2k in the am, 5:06 ave pace.

PM: Warm up 5.14k  Plan was 10-12 800's at 2:50, but I knew coach would ratchet down my times due to how I have been running (well :D ).  I got 9 hours of sleep last night, but still woke up a bit throaty, feeling like I am fighting a cold.  And eating some peanut brittle (where is my will power?) about 2.5 hours before the workout made my stomach a bit unsettled.  So I was glad when he said we would do 8-10.  Since they are 800's, I want to do 10 even though my body wants 8, because then I can compare this workout to my past yasso's.

I have done two yasso workouts where I have averaged less than 2:45, and they were both 2:43 ave.  I thought I could beat that tonight, and we have less rest (going on the 5 minute very strictly, so 2:15-2:22 rest).  Coach wanted me at 2:40-2:45.  I thought, I will start at 2:45 and we'll see.

Roberto and Ali did the workout, Roberto was ahead and Ali behind 

Here's my workout:

1	2:43
2	2:41
3	2:41
4	2:41
5	2:40
6	2:40
7	2:39	After this one I did a record for running to the bathroom, 1:17, including a fast hand wash with soap
8	2:39
9	2:39
10	2:31	Coach challenges me to do a 75 first lap (then I knew he would want me to hang on), so I did a 75 then a 76.  He called it at 2:30, but he usually calls things a second faster than my watch, but i use my watch :D

 So that is an average of 2:39.4, a new record, a non-yasso yasso record.  It just goes to show you don't have to feel good going into a workout to get it done.  It is a good lesson to learn and relearn.

9.35k easy and slow

Ran 30k, about half with Ali.  I ran 2k with her around the track then stretched, then went out on the road, starting at 4:26 pace for first 5k, then gradually dropping, for another 7k into the low 4:20's, did 8k at just under 4:00 pace, then next 5k at 4:42 and 4:34 paces.  I felt tired and trashed by the end, but the last time I did 30k I felt the same, only I ended at 5:00 pace, so I guess this is improvement.

Core. 

Ran 17.29k easy (4:55 ave pace) then 6 strides, can feel last weeks mileage in my legs

AM: 

7k warm up, then 4k, 3k, 2k, 1k downward ladder, sb 400m rest between. First two on road, last two on track

4k (15:00, 3:45 pace, 570m to get across street, also quick potty break, so 3:35 rest)

3k (11:10, 3:44 pace, 476m to get to track, 3:07 rest)

2k (7:24, 3:42 pace, 2:28 rest)

1k 3:39 coach admonished me to not push the last one. 2.72 cool down

PM:  9.38k, also did a clinic with Marilyn Arsenault, an elite Canadian runner who teaches proper running posture.

15k easy with Marilyn, nice to hear her story.  Went to her clinic in the afternoon (alexander method posture).

AM: 8k easy

PM: went to Marilyn's clinic at 2pm, then track workout at 3:30pm.  Felt a little off, but short stuff so no super big threat of failure.  24 x 400m, at 80 for regular ones, 75 for hammers, split into three sets of 8, so within the set we went off every 2:30, so just over a minute rest, and between sets jogged a 400m

Here is an IQ test--guess my hammer position (there are four positions):

Set one: 81,74,79,81,80,75,80,81, 3:39 rest between

Set two:  80,74, 79,80,79,73,80,79, 3:58 rest between

Set three: 79,73,78,80,77,69,79,71 (coach told me I couldn't go slow on the last one)

On the 69 a group of middle distance youngsters joined and I tagged along with them.  It was windy so it was great to have someone to draft off and to pull me. 

At night did core workout 

Ran just over 10k at 4:56 pace, then 6 strides on the track

AM: Learned last night I had a 3k time trial today.  Have a pr from indoor track at BYU of 10:13.  I thought I might be able to break 10:00.  Man, I am lame.  Why didn't I just go for trying to break my pr, like a semi-conceited person?  Anyway, the first lap was 80-81, second was probably 81, and it went downhill from there.  I think my splits were 5:27 by the time I hit 1600m, but it was like a mountain, pretty decent on the fringes and probably an 84 in the middle.  I think if I was going for 10:13 I could have gotten it, but instead I got 10:18. Well, it is confirmed I have not been misdiagnosed, and really should have been a middle distance runner all of this time. I went out and did 8k after the time trial. Wanted to do more but had to get home to make rolls for Thanksgiving--and they didn't even turn out.  Freaking out that I only got 17k on a Thanksgiving Saturday, not nearly enough for the gorging planned.

So I brought my running clothes to my friend's house.  She happens to be having my coach living with her since his family already moved back to the states and he is following in a month.  He joined after thanksgiving dinner and I convinced him to go out and run 4 miles right after eating a plate full of food (and my friend's husband came too).  So that four mile run covered perhaps 1/3 of the dessert calories I consumed.  Better than nothing! 

Ran 16.24k at 4:46/k ave pace (not shot since Saturday was light), then 8 x 20 sec on/100m off

core workout 

5.06 miles on the TM this morning, mostly at 7.7 pace. felt good

PM: went to the track with no idea of the workout.  Turns out coach was not there but left the workout, 1, 2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1,2,3,4,5,4,3,2,1 tempo fartleks (30 sec rest between).  I wanted to do 3:45 pace, but it was more realistic to do 3:50 pace since that is target hm pace and it was windy and there is next to no rest.  I wanted to do this on the road, but it was windy, rainy and dark and Ali wanted to do them on the track and had a pacer so I conceded to doing them on the track.  They are much easier to keep pace on the track.  I do not have every split (my gps measures things long on the track and has me at 3:20-3:30 pace on almost all of these) but I kept the pace at 87-90 per lap, probably averaging 89, or 3:42-3:43 pace.  30 seconds is not long enough for a potty break, esp since you could finish anywhere on the track, so I eventually had to bow out of the 3rd 4 minute bit after 3 minutes, did my business as quickly as possible, and jumped into the last 4 minutes of their 5 minutes, then I did my 5, 4,3,2,1.  So instead of it being a 49 min workout it ended up being a 52 minute workout (of hard minutes). Long workout.  Did 6k cool down

Easy run, then met with coach afterward, strategizing on my two 1/2 marathons coming up.  WHAAAHAAA!

Core workout in the pm 

 I did 6 x 1000m on the 5 min (approx) Did them on a piece of bike path that is marked every 250m for 1000m for the rowing team: 3:44 (1:17), 3:42 (1:14), 3:42 (1:21), 3:44 (1:09), 3:39 (1:28), 3:42.  

So rainy during run. 4:42 ave pace. Core workout in the PM

Just four miles easy without a watch or music in Tai Wai.  Excited/nervous for race tomorrow.

Unicef half marathon today.  I wanted to beat Yiu Kit Ching's best half of the year, to get ranked #1 in hong kong (was #2 going into this race).  Her time was 1:21:30ish.  I felt pretty confident I could beat that time (as demonstrated by not knowing the exact time, and my flat pr is 1:20:53, so I thought I would go for that time, which is 3:50ish pace.  

My coach initially advised me to go out at 19:30/5k pace, which is slower than 3:50 pace (3:50 pace is 19:10 pace).  He wanted to see me negative split.  But I said no way to that plan, unless I felt that 19:30 was the right pace by feel in the race.  

It was 20-21C and sprinkly, and windy to start.  So the first k is flatish, then it goes rolly in 2, I think, then uphill for the third k, then downhill for the fourth k, then flatish for the 5th k.  I went out in about 3:46, tried to dial back while staying true to hm feel.  Talked with Chris who passed me in the 2nd k.  He was going to try to break 1:20, and I was going for 1:21, so I let him go ahead and he was 20 sec or so ahead by the time I crested the hill.  I tried to block wind when I could but was all alone at 3-5k.  18:56 at 5k, so 13 and change too fast. Then some guy came up on me and we worked together until 10k when he pulled away.  He was going a bit faster than I wanted, but I felt ok and I told myself working with him a bit fast was easier than being on my own slower.  Around 8k there is an up and downhill.  19:01 for the second 5k, so 37:52 for the first 10k, so 18 seconds ahead of schedule.  From 11-12k it is rolling/uphill, and I was in no mans land, but there were men ahead of me, and I tried to close the gap because it started to rain hard, right into our faces, so headwind and rain, not the pleasant light rain that we had the first 11k.  Thankfully that rain lightened up again after a few k.  I reeled in a couple of men, but never got too much of a shield, perhaps a few seconds here, a half minute when I caught Chris, then we ran side by side up the last big hill, and it was 15k after the crest and I pulled away. 19:02 for the 3rd 5k.  Downhill for a nice k and I made up some time but then there was still 5k to go.  Thankfully the 10k runners had joined us but were still behind us, so in the last 4k I got passed by just the top runners, and I had the number of k's to go.  So I switched my watch from average pace to total time, to see if I could break 1:20.  With 4k to go I had 15:15 til 1:20, so 3:45 pace with 15 sec to spare, with 3k to go miscalculated and thought I had somehow run at 4:00, but I must not have because with 2k to go I had 7:45ish, which still gave me 3:45 with 15 sec to spare, my 4th 5k was 18:43--awesome. With 1k to go I am on the disneyland promenade, and I feel like I am ready to poke someone's eye out, while they are playing this upbeat Disney music, then my kids are cheering me on with about 900m to go--perfect timing.  With 200m to go, you turn a corner and the MTR station is right there so you hear "The floors are wet and may be slippery.  Please be careful", and I say in my head, yeah, no kidding, the floors have been wet this whole time.  My kick is weak, I show 3:37 pace for the last 1.11k, but I break the tape. 1:19:44.  This is a big race and certified, watch said 13.22, so that's about right.  Need to work on those tangents! Big time PR.  I felt so good at the finish, like I could have kept going (though the race definitely got harder over time).  Ali got second place and a great time 1:22:5something, I think a PR, so we were both so happy at the finish.  

I joined the kids and cheered people on until we found Paul.  Adjusted for no elevation drop, this is his second best half ever, so he is excited and excited to do more to improve.  Then I changed into dry clothes and run a kids 3k fun run, and I feel like passing out during the "fun run" though I am going just 6:20ish pace.  

I won 75,000 Asia miles (enough for a plane ticket to Korea - June 2013, and 1.5 other similar flights), a gift basket from LeSportsac, a bracelet, and a watch from Seiko.  Cool.

Ran a slow 13k run, 4:55 ave pace.  lower inner quads on both sides (muscle near knee) are the most sore, everything else seems ok.

AM: 5 miles very easy on the tm.  

PM: Track workout at night.  I had horrible sleep last night and no time for nap today so came wasted and Coke-Zero tweaked.  So also needing to pee every 5-10 minutes in my warm up.  

Coach modified the workout since Ali is t + 2.5 days from a hm and t - 5 days to a marathon, so she was doing HM pace (93 per lap), and I was doing the first two laps with her, then surge for the last two (5:50 total goal, so 2:45 second 800 in the mile).  So 93,92,83.82.  Something like that.  The first two laps sometimes felt like jogging, sometimes felt hard when facing the wind (windy AGAIN).  Full lap recovery, so about 3 minutes rest:

#	Time	Breakdown	Rest
1	5:51	3:06 2:45	2:39
2	5:49		3:26
3	5:48		2:44
4	5:46		3:08
5	5:47	3:03, 2:44	3:00
6	5:46	3:02, 2:44	3:37
7	5:35	3:00, 2:35

 On the last one, coach said I needed to bust a move but to not cheat (by making the first two laps faster), so I did a bit of both.  I cheated just a bit (both laps were 90) then the third lap was 80 and the last lap was 75.  I felt so good being able to do this being tired.  Both my legs were tired and I was just underrested.  Ali just did the first 5 and another girl Sarah jumped in on the 4th one and she had two more when I had finished, so I paced her on another mile after my #7 above, so it was a 6:07 mile I counted as threshold.

10.6k at 5:02 ave pace. Then rushed to the doctors and was still 8 minutes late. Walking around for a couple of hours finding the stores to collect free gear from race prizes.  

Got my husband his first ever lightweight trainers, which he will use for speed workouts and his marathon, hopefully, and socks for stockings.  Got my son who is 12 yo basketball shoes.  How privileged is he to have shoes that are specialized for a sport (he also has rugby shoes).  Things can sure change in a generation.  When I was his age, I was just learning I had a talent for running and I had to beg my parents to get me new shoes and they did, a pair of tennis shoes -generic LA gear type with pink and white laces from Payless Shoes.  My kids have it so good, but they'll never understand.  I don't want to make them understand, because the only way to truly make them understand is to have them EXPERIENCE what I did.  Embarrassing events like not participating in a class pizza party because you couldn't contribute the $2, etc.  I am glad for the experiences I have had but do not want to hand them down.  It is a conundrum.

Core workout in the pm. 

AM: ran my long run today because didn't feel like doing my 30 x 2 min on/1min off alone and Roberto said he would join me for this workout on Saturday.  Hallelujah!

So I wanted to do this run at a decent pace, but didn't want to go faster than 4:20.  I had a book club meeting at my house with an Austrian Coffee hour theme (Mormon - so sinfully bad Viennesse hot chocolate and cakes, sweet breads, cookies and strawberries). And I had to clean my house and pretend it is always that clean.  Why do we always do that?  I know why I do here, because everyone with helpers do have clean houses all the time because they have LIVE-IN MAIDS!!!  Not that I am upset about that, I will be getting one next year, but it puts those of us without help into an awkward situation when we host.  

Anyway, that meant I wanted my run to be done quickly so I could get home and do a solid two hours of cleaning-cross-training before people arrived.  Did 28k and 5k paces were 4:48, 4:33, 4:43, 4:21, 4:20, 4:34.  Felt good.  Quite rainy in the middle, drizzly for the rest.

PM: 7.1k super easy, 5:07/k pace 

12.5k at 4:55/k pace, core workout in the PM