| Location: Snoqualmie,WA, Member Since: Jan 31, 2008 Gender: Female Goal Type: Boston Qualifier Running Accomplishments: Marathon PR: 4:17 at Portland Marathon, Oct. 2007 5K PR 24:37 2009 10K PR 52:58 2010 Have run 22 marathons to date. No injuries, ever. :)
Short-Term Running Goals: Qualify for Boston (4:05 for my age/gender) - or, perhaps, to use my desire for a BQ as a way to get in the hated speed work so I don't just get slower and slower over the years. This goal is "under (re)construction" right now, until I figure out whether it is truly what I want. :)
Long-Term Running Goals: To continue learning about myself and about running, and to enjoy being a fit, happy runner for life. To always know why I am running and the best way to get the most (both mentally and physically) out of my runs. To keep a sense of humor and remain optimistic about myself as a runner. To enjoy running more and more with every passing year. Personal: Baby boomer generation. Jogged a little in my 20's and 30's. Started running seriously in 2002. Low-carb runner since January 2010. I love long runs and cold, cloudy weather. I don't believe in "junk miles." I am an optimist. I adore dark chocolate, fog, my family, and knitting -- not necessarily in that order. "As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are." -- Joan Benoit Samuelson
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 47.94 | 0.00 | 0.80 | 0.00 | 48.74 |
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| Red Nike Structure Triax 11 Miles: 48.94 |
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| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 19.05 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 19.05 |
| Objective: endurance w/ moderate pace Conditions at 7 AM: 32F, overcast, wind 5-16 mph. During run, increased clouds and wind (to 15-30 mph). Patches of ice, still lots of snow around, streets mostly bare. As the wind picked up and I got into an icier neighborhood, I got a little discouraged about the pace and stopped looking at the watch. Just as well. Going by effort level was the order of the day. I had a good workout and enjoyed one of the prettiest sunrises I've ever seen up here.
Completely off topic: I came home to a surprise. My DD is studying Greek mythology and reading a wonderful book series (first book is "Lightening Thief") about Greek gods interacting with mortals. With a little help from my husband, she decorated the whole house with various gods' altars (Hermes' had one of my marathon medals and some old sneakers), a temple with an oracle, and an entrance to Hades (the basement). I was given a supply of drachmas (pennies) and some coupons (free ride on Hermes' elevator - to go upstairs) and a Greek lunch at Dionysus' Diner, complete with olives, feta, dates and "ambrosia" (juice). Then we had a tour, and I had to go on a quest to find a golden fleece (polyester, fleece-like cat bed). Completely delightful! Right now she's off having a guitar lesson at Apollo's Music Shop.
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| Red Nike Structure Triax 11 Miles: 19.05 |
| | Comments(5) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 4.22 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4.22 |
| Objective: easy/recovery, ending with 5 x 8 second hill sprints Conditions at 5:22 am: 40F, raining, wind 5-15 mph (estimate). Mostly bare streets with patches of slush and slush/snow covered sidewalks. 20 min. core & strength work
It snowed and blew like crazy from about 4 PM until I went to bed. Sometime in the night it turned to rain, but not before filling up my driveway again. Arg! The rain is melting it, thank goodness. Nice run today. My legs don't really feel any effects from the long run but I took it slowly anyway. On the hill sprints I tried to concentrate on my hamstrings and heel lifts. I'm a little obsessed with heel lifts at the moment. Such a small adjustment but it speeds up my pace by a huge amount. I guess I'm making another New Year's Resolution: to get in the habit of lifting the heels and stop being a "shuffler." My push up program is still going so slowly. It's very difficult for me to get through even 6 or 7 with full form. Just out of curiosity I tried the girl-form pushups this morning and found I could do 20 before I started feeling the strain. The full form are so much more difficult, and they work the core as well. I may decide to mix them with girl pushups for a while though, just because I am getting kind of discouraged. With 5 sets of reps, I don't think it would hurt to make one of them "girly style- as many as possible." I'm afraid if I don't feel any success I'll give up on it; they're not fun.
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| Red Nike Structure Triax 11 Miles: 4.22 |
| | Comments(4) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.53 | 0.00 | 0.80 | 0.00 | 7.33 |
| Objective: lactate threshold (of sorts, see below) 3 mi easy + 7 x (1 min tempo, 1 min jog) + remainder moderate pace. Conditions at 5:15 am: 39F, raining, breezy (~5-10 mph) Mostly bare pavement.
I think I'll have to go back and read Hudson's book again with
regard to this tempo run plan. I kept thinking, "what good will 1
minute intervals do at this pace?" But maybe it's a prelude of sorts,
since it's still pretty early in the training plan. All the same, I
think I might revise the plans for future tempo runs and use Daniels'
formulas on tempo days: 4 sets of 10 min, building up to 2 sets of 20
minutes and then I think you run a 30 minute segment.(Not all in one run! Those are the levels of progression during the training cycle.) I
must say, it is very difficult to run at LT pace with that bulky rain
jacket. I almost went out in a fleece with a nylon vest, but the rain
really looked thick out there. The cycling jacket always makes me feel
completely dry and comfortable, but actually I do get quite wet. Maybe
the illusion comes from the wind-breaking feature, in which case I
could do with a lighter running jacket. Snow is still piled up in places, and the slush got into my shoes several times. Ice water - no fun. A bit tired today. |
| Red Nike Structure Triax 11 Miles: 7.33 |
| | Comments(4) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 3.11 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 3.11 |
| Objective: moderate Conditions at 5 am: 49F, heavy rain, windy (5-15 mph gusting to 25). I had to write this one off and come home. I severely misjudged the conditions and became too uncomfortable to finish the workout. My bad. I suppose I was just so giddy over the incredible number "49F" on the weather website that I thought I was back in summer, when rain didn't mean jackets. My clothing was soaked through almost immediately and with the wind blowing I just could not get warm. For future reference... what I wore: tights, tech fabric turtle neck, nylon vest. What I should have worn: tights, thinnest tech shirt possible, medium weight gortex jacket. This proves, once again, that gear is everything. I was more comfortable when running in the teens a few weeks ago than I was today. I cannot exactly make a chart of temperatures for dressing, because there are so many variables. If the wind hadn't been as strong or the rain as heavy, I might have been fine. Or if I had been having an "up" day (not), I may have been able to tough it out. Instead I had only one thought by the time I decided to turn back: "if I do not get into a hot shower soon, I will die." (When the going gets tough, the tough sometimes yields to the melodramatic.) I'm sure I'll have a better (and hopefully much longer) run tomorrow.
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| Red Nike Structure Triax 11 Miles: 3.11 |
| | Comments(9) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 8.38 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 8.38 |
| Objective: moderate, with focus on cadence Conditions at 5 AM: High 40sF (dropping), windy (~10-30 mph, felt mostly in open spaces), light rain first 2 miles. Roads are wet, saw 2 flooded spots where water was gushing over curb (Carmichael at Elderberry & the area on Stellar by the pea patch). Quite tolerable compared to our poor neighbors down the hill. 15 min core & strength A fine run. Take that, Winter.
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| Red Nike Structure Triax 11 Miles: 8.38 |
| | Comments(6) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 6.65 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 6.65 |
| Objective: easy, w/ form drills (see below) Conditions at 5:15 am: 36F, mostly cloudy & dry (!), wind 6 mph, waxing gibbous moon peaking through. After warming up, I focused on various aspects of form, each one in turn for about 6-7 blocks. Every other mile I just relaxed and let my mind wander. Next mile I would start up again with the form focus elements: arm swing, lower leg movement & heel lift, psoas and core, cadence. Remarkable change in weather conditons today. I hope the rivers are subsiding, but I haven't turned on the news yet. I'm feeling rather tired this morning: not quite enough sleep and a strenuous day yesterday. It amazes me how much my daytime activities can affect my run the next day. I'm looking forward to my day off tomorrow.
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| Red Nike Structure Triax 11 Miles: 6.85 |
| | Comments(4) |
| | Easy Miles | Marathon Pace Miles | Threshold Miles | VO2 Max Miles | Total Distance | | 47.94 | 0.00 | 0.80 | 0.00 | 48.74 |
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| Red Nike Structure Triax 11 Miles: 48.94 |
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