All it takes is all you've got

10 miles in 7:14 pace

My legs felt surprisingly good this morning after driving in the car for nine hours yesterday.   Thank goodness.  So I did my ten miles with 7X50 stride pick-ups after a couple warm-up miles and enjoyed the beautiful morning.  We really have been having great weather in Colorado this summer.

7 miles in 7:41 pace

Met with Coach De Reuck last night at his house and came up with a more concrete race schedule and training plan.  As we were meeting in his kitchen, Colleen was there cooking dinner during the second half of our meeting so she threw in a little input which I appreciated.  I didn't realize when I signed on for Darren I'd get Colleen as a sub-coach too, but I'll take it! 

We talked about doing a four week cycle of 70-75 miles one week, then 65-70 miles the next week, 60-65 miles the third week, and 50-55 miles per week as an easier week.  He asked me if I thought I could ever hit 80 mpw, and I frankly told him I don't really have the space in my schedule.  Plus, going up to 75 is 10 more mpw than I did last summer, so I'm happy with the gradual increase.

We revised my race schedule to delete the Skirtchaser 5k (since it is just one week after the Hobblecreek Half and one week before Park to Park), add a 5k tonight, and include another half marathon three weeks out from Baltimore (see race schedule on sidebar).  He also suggested getting me into the New Haven 20K on Sept. 6th instead of Park to Park so I could race the elites but I am resisting the idea because I don't see a huge need to travel away from my family when I can stay home and get decent competition, a potential $500 cash prize, and a beautiful course at the Park to Park 10-miler on the same day.  I'm still considering it though. It would be good to go race faster women at sea-level in preparation for Baltimore.  

We talked a bit about goal pace for each race and also made plans for how I will get my weekly mileage in.  He wants me to do at least two days where I break my mileage into two runs so my body can recover between each run.  I agree with his training philosophy, its just hard for me to take the time for two runs, but I committed to him to do it two days week.

I am really excited about the upcoming few months of training and racing and the opportunity to hopefully get the Olympic Trials qualifying time in Baltimore.  Darren was laughing about how crafty I am to keep finding good races to run on Saturdays since I prefer not to race on Sunday and he told me that the USA Half Marathon Championships will be in Houston on a Saturday in January and the Olympic Trials are also on a Saturday in Houston in January of 2012.  Sweet!

Ran the elite criterion section of the Freeman Myer Corporate Challenge 5K this evening.  Companies organized teams and competed against each other to prove who had the most fit corporate team and I guess the elite race was the entertainment for the night because after the corporate teams finished, they all had food and drinks in hand while cheering on the elites.  They started the elite men's race one minute before the elite women's race, which I was kind-of disappointed by because starting with the men would have added more depth and more competition for us but as it was there were only six women in our elite women's race.  SIX!  And the top five got prize money.  I felt bad for the sixth place girl because she knew before the race started that she was going to get her bum kicked as she nervously asked what kind of time we were shooting for.  She was tempted to just not run because she didn't want to look stupid, but we all encouraged her to just run and see what she could do, so she did.  

The course was back and forth on one road with a cone at each end where we turned around.  Three laps slightly over a mile each as flat as a pancake with a mild puff in the middle.  Exactly one minute after the men took off, we went out pretty fast as well.  Five of us were pretty close for the first mile (sixth place was a bit back already).  

My watch said 5:15 at mile one, but the race announcer said we came through in 5:20.  I'm not certain their mile markers were exactly correct because a few of the guys I talked to after the race said their garmins measured a bit short for the overall distance and so did mine.

 Anyway, my next split on my garmin was 5:29 and I had lost a few meters on Benita and Fiona but had also gained a few meters on Nuta.  (An Aussie, a Kiwi, a Romanian, and Me ;)  I kept trying to hang on to Benita and Fiona to see if one of them would drop off so I could fight for another spot but they had gained a few meters on me.  Mile three was the toughest as I started to feel that beloved high-altitude, "probably went out too fast" oxygen debt kicking in.   Benita and Fiona were battling for first and I was trying to keep them as close as possible and hang on for a PR.  Garmin says 5:36 for mile three.  

The final .07 was a 4:35 pace sprint to the finish knowing that I had secured third place and just trying to get the best time I could.  I had a happy moment of joy as I was sprinting to the finish and this old guy in a 10 year old USA track warm-up suit (the same one I got after Jr. Nationals years ago) yelled "GO BYU!!" at me as I ran past him.  Apparently he was the former CU Cross Country coach and had just been chatting with Aaron about how I ran at BYU and how he knew Patrick Shane well.  Anyway, it made me smile and helped pass the final seconds.

So the overall results were

Benita Willis 16:21    $400

Fiona Docherty 16:29    $300

Me 16:41      $250

Nuta Olaru 17:16      $200

Michele Suszek  17:54     $150

After the race I said hi to Aaron and the kids, chatted with a few of the elite guys and noticed Benita and the men's winner, Andrew taking off for their cool down.  I ran up to them and asked them if they'd mind me tagging along and they were very welcoming and kind.  So I ended up cooling down with Benita and getting to know her better.  She is a very sweet person; friendly and super easy to talk to.  Learned that she has been in four Olympic games for Australia and has run a 2:22 marathon.  Benita and I barely got back in time for the awards and chatted for a few more minutes, then I found Aaron and we gathered our kids and left.

I am super happy with the race and how well it went even though I probably should have run more even splits.  Maybe if we would have had started with the guys I would have had more people around and would have been persuaded to run a more realistic pace from the start.  And maybe not.  Hard to say.  Maybe the course was a tad short but even if it was it is still a huge PR for me in the 5K (previously 17:27).  I'm really happy that I was able to be pulled to a fast time by some cool veterans and enjoy a fun, fast race close to home.

Aaron got some pretty sweet pics and already posted them on his site, so I'll just copy and paste what he did here:

18 miles in 7:19 pace

Long run this morning on somewhat tired legs after racing last night.  Took a few miles to get moving, but once I warmed up I felt pretty good.  My right shoulder was actually the most noticeably tired spot; I guess it is still recovering from being dislocated last Saturday.  Better start hitting the weight room again (I've been slacking off on lifting for a few of weeks now). 

4 miles in 8:00 AP 

Legs were pretty flat this morning.  Coach only wanted me to get 55 miles this week anyway, so I got to take a super easy day.  Slept in, went to the gym around 10 a.m. and ran 4 miles and lifted weights.  My right shoulder fatigued quite quickly. I only got about 20 minutes of lifting in before it started wigging out (feeling as if it could slip out of place again.)

After the gym I took the kids to the Denver Aquarium and enjoyed seeing sharks and ten billion other types of fish.  We also saw MERMAIDS!!  Yes, they have three real live mermaids there who put on a show in the big tank and take pics with the kids afterwards.  It was my first time ever seeing a mermaid.  I used to think they were just fake, but now I can attest that they DO exist!!  I saw them with my own two eyes!! 

Met the group at Tom Watson Park

20 min warm up, stretching strides

15 minute tempo in 5:58 pace

4 min jog

10 minute tempo in 5:48 pace

3 min jog

5 minute tempo in 5:52 pace (with a big hill and stopping to get my water bottle)

10 minute cool down

Now we're off to the lake and to play with friends all day.  

Happy Saturday, everyone!