Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

Week starting May 16, 2010

Previous WeekRecent EntriesHomeJoin Fast Running Blog Community!PredictorHealthy RecipesSnoqualmie's RacesFind BlogsMileage BoardTop Ten Excuses for Missing a RunTop Ten Training MistakesDiscussion ForumRace Reports Send A Private MessageMonth ViewYear View
Graph View
Next Week
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
200820092010
15% off for Fast Running Blog members at St. George Running Center!

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 


Favorite Blogs:

Click to donate
to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Brooks ST3 Lifetime Miles: 891.35
Vibram Five Fingers KSO Lifetime Miles: 23.77
Brooks ST3 II Lifetime Miles: 965.17
Lunaracers II Lifetime Miles: 198.23
Mizuno Wave Universe 3 Lifetime Miles: 104.14
Asics Piranha Lifetime Miles: 536.83
RunAmocs (Softstar) Lifetime Miles: 16.23
Piranha II Lifetime Miles: 219.53
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
45.620.504.000.0050.12
Lunaracers II Miles: 3.34Asics Piranha Miles: 21.06RunAmocs (Softstar) Miles: 5.55Brooks ST3 II Miles: 20.17
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
3.340.000.000.003.34

57F, mostly sunny & humid.  Recovery run. 

Just enough to shake off the monkeys.  

Lunaracers II Miles: 3.34
Comments(3)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.530.500.000.005.03

53F, cloudy. Easy run w/ 1/2 mile @ MP just before cool down.  15 min. strength.

In the ongoing saga of my mid-life-female-changes-health-issue (whined posted about it in March), the new med my doc is trying on me (as of 10 days ago) seems to be making things worse.  When I started trying out the Black Cohosh in March, it took a while to see any kind of change, but after a couple of weeks things did get better.  Not cured, but better.  Now I seem to be back where I started and last night was horrible.  Obviously, this med is a dud, and I'll be on the phone with my doc as soon as business hours begin. But my point is that I now am back to severe sleep deprivation, and I've mysteriously gained 3 pounds, and I am stuck producing these whiny, rambling, self-absorbed explanations....  At least I didn't blow off the run altogether, but I did sleep a little late and had a hard time getting out the door. I wanted 8 miles today and I feel like I've been robbed.  Another cranky morning I guess.

Legs were fine, though. And I like these clouds. Sorry, 99.99% of the people who live here, but the sunshine has never been my favorite.  

My sister sent me this video for a pick-me-up.  Enjoy!

Asics Piranha Miles: 5.03
Comments(9)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.240.000.000.007.24

Asics Piranha Miles: 7.24
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.790.004.000.008.79

51F, partly cloudy, dry.  Tempo intervals: 3.7 mi w.u., 4 x 1 mi T on hills w/ 1 min jog b/t, <1 mi c.d.   Target = stay under 8:30 on flat or downhill terrain, same effort level on uphills. 8:56, 8:44, 8:45, 8:19 (last rep mostly downhill).   20 min. strength training. 

I thought I did really well until I came home and looked at the splits. Hm. Until I get myself back to the high school track, I guess I should just go by the effort level. 

Asics Piranha Miles: 8.79
Comments(7)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.550.000.000.005.55

43F, dry for a while, then rainy.  Easy run in mocs. 

I absolutely adore these mocs. (See May 8 entry for pic.) However! In wet conditions... not so good.  They felt too heavy and floppy, because the fronts got wet but not the backs. Wet leather, not good for running.  I will save them for dry days. A pity, because that means I won't wear them much for most of the year.  

RunAmocs (Softstar) Miles: 5.55
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.170.000.000.0020.17

Mid 40sF, 85% rainy run.  Endurance run w/ negative splits, and club run. 

Drove to Centennial Park and ran a little over a mile warm up before the club run. Then I ran the Snoqualmie Valley Trail up to Rattlesnake Lake and back with a guy from my running club who just happened to mention last week that he'd like to run it.  Funny coincidence, because last week I was feeling so jealous of Jefferey's run up to the lake. But it's a trail I am not sure I would do alone due to a higher risk of bears, cougars, and bad guys.

So I really lucked out, getting this running partner.  The trip up is at a slight grade 0-3%, with about 3 miles of solid 3% grade as one approaches the lake.  We kept the pace around 10:30-10:40 on the way up.  After a welcome pit stop at the lake, we came down at an average of 9:45.  

I get this information from the final split data, because the real-time Garmin pace readout was crazy-all-over-the-place due to heavy tree cover. So we were basically running by feel most of the time, with a quick check on the Garmins when we came into brief open spaces. 

My buddy's last few miles were a bit of a problem. As he started to slow down about 4 miles from the end, I slowed with him for a while. He was experiencing a lot of pain in his calves.  I was shocked to learn at this point that his longest run to date had been 13 miles. "Wow, that's quite a leap! Well done."  He replied, "well done is how I feel right now."  

He encouraged me to run on ahead, which I eventually did, but I felt like such a heel. I would not have been able to do the run at all without a buddy, and I hated to desert him. When we were a little less than 2 miles from "home" I finally decided it would be kinder to go ahead, relieving him at least of the pressure to keep up.  My splits show a couple of slow miles before I left him. 

Everything else about my run was positive - except the gravel!  Oh, how I hate it.  I feel every little rock.  And I do think it's harder work, but that will be a blessing when I get stronger from running on it.  Yeah, it rained and rained. But that was not a big deal, compared to The Gravel of Doom. 

On to the taper now. First a little, then a (disagreeable) lot. We'll see in 2 weeks what I've really got in the bank.  :)  

Brooks ST3 II Miles: 20.17
Comments(13)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
45.620.504.000.0050.12
Lunaracers II Miles: 3.34Asics Piranha Miles: 21.06RunAmocs (Softstar) Miles: 5.55Brooks ST3 II Miles: 20.17
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Recent Comments: