Going Long

Long run this AM, the reverse route of last Sunday's run.  Snowy on the sidewalks, but only wet and slushy on the side of the roads.  That's where I prefer to tread in most circumstances.

Dropped by Grenadier to say Happy Birthday to Paul, and to hit the washroom before then end of my run.  Owed myself another mile after getting out of there, post-cake feeding!

Time  2:16:43

Distance   19k (11.9 mi)

Pace  7:12/km (11:31/mi)

HR Zone  116-136 bpm

HR Max 169, Avg 134

In Zone 55.1% of run

Cross-training

1 hour Gravity class

Ugh.  Haven't done that in a while . . .

Got out for a quick 6k this morning.  I think I'm seeing progress on this heart rate training, after only a few weeks of concentrating on it.  Had my pace down into the 5:45/km range without busting my max target this morning for a good part of the run.  The average for the whole run was a shade over 6:00 minutes, but I'm encouraged that I can sustain the faster pace without pushing my heart rate over my target range.  I figure that I should see faster times over the course of the next three months in much the same way.  One caveat, once the heat and humidity return I have no idea what my body is going to do . . .

Time  38:05

Distance  6k (3.75mi)

Pace   6:20/km (10:09/km)

HR Target Zone  136-156 bpm

HR Max 167, Avg 147

Easy 8k this morning.  A bit warmer than the last few days (~0C) but black-ice everywhere.  Made for treacherous footing, especially through High Park.  Very little traffic through there overnight, so there was no wet track in the curb lane.  Had a couple of close calls for slips.

My Garmin was completely dead this AM, so I ran without the GPS and tried to guess as to my turn-around point.  It looks like I was about 200m long on each leg, but that's pretty good from memory.  I've been running basically the same route this month, varying the distance and intensity. 

Still trying to figure out what I'm going to do for my race on Sunday.  Time to think about it for a while.

Time  57:26

Distance  8.4k (5.25 mi)

Pace  6:50/km (10:56/mi)

HR Zone  126-146 bpm

HR Max 167, Avg 144

HR In Zone 54.6% of run

Ok, this cold weather has got to go.  Clear and sunny (small blessing!) and -25C windchill this morning.  Am I obsessed with windchill temperatures?  Do I always lead my post with the bad news?  I wonder if I will do the same in the spring or summer.  Probably only when it's 42C on the humidex.  heheheh

Stretched my legs for 6k this morning, in advance of the Chilly Half tomorrow.  I don't know what it was, but I couldn't stay under my zone target for the life of me.  I think wearing the balaclava to keep my face/cheeks warm had me working alot harder than I imagined.  Not sure what I'll do at post time tomorrow, but I don't want to be huffing and puffing that badly for 21k!

I did my packing for the race already this afternoon.  We're out visiting friends this evening, and I don't want to be searching for stuff in the dark tomorrow morning.  Pick-up time is 7:30am, so I'll have to be out of the house by about 7:15 to walk down to the Running Room. 

Wish me luck!

Time  39:48

Distance  6k (3.75mi)

Pace  6:38/km (10:36/mi)

HR Zone  126-146 bpm

HR Max 161, Avg 149  **boo! hiss! outside my zone**

In Zone for a pitiful 26% of the run.  Blech!