Hills for breakfast, hold the gnats

Week starting Aug 31, 2008

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
52.851.003.500.0057.35
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
21.150.000.000.0021.15

Objective: Endurance.  Miles 17-19.5 @ 30 sec slower than MP

Weather 48F-53F over course of the run. Cloudy w/ occasional drops of rain.

Very tough workout, especially after putting a little too much time on my feet the past 2 days with visiting relatives.  Five weeks until my marathon.  Very scary.  Huffing and puffing through some faster paced miles at the end of this run, I had the panic I always get of wondering how on earth I can run fast for 26.2 miles.  I do have the comfort of past experience and knowing how much the taper and the excitement of race day contribute, but it is frightening just the same.   I'll do one more very long run and a couple of medium long runs w/ MP running in them in the next 3 weeks, and then it's off to taper land! 

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.340.000.000.005.34

Objective: recovery

Weather: High 40's F, Pt Cloudy, breezy.

A good run; not as difficult as I expected.  I had an unusually long sleep that I'm sure helped a lot.

I am 5 weeks from the Portland Marathon now and have been thinking through my race plan.  My goal for this race is 4:10, which is about 9:30 per mile.   The Portland Marathon has 2 small but significant hills and one big one.  I think I might run the first mile about 9:50  to warm up.  Furthermore, I would like to walk through the aid stations, except for the first one and the last 2 or 3, which I plan to skip. 

Considering the hills, the warm up,  and the walking for water,  I thought I'd try to keep my pace at about 9:20.  Does that sound logical?  My tempo runs have been about 9:00-9:10 and my MP runs have been 9:15-9:30.  My last Porland Marathon was a little too ambitious; I was running 8:50s until mile 18 (except the hills) and faded badly after that (plus had 2 bathroom stops). 

I would sure appreciate any input from the group about this plan.  Thanks!

Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.501.000.000.008.50

Objective: General aerobic w/ form and cadence drills

Weather: High 40's F, mostly clear, calm. Pretty skies.

15 min. abs & weights

Kept my pace about 10:30 (1 min slower than MP), except for about 5 form drills, concentrating on fast turnover or good posture/running form, arm swing, etc. Those intervals approached MP, but never for more than 2 minutes.

Again, disappointed with my pre-run routine; I was about 10 minutes late getting out the door.  It's very early and that makes it hard, but something always comes up and I always underestimate the time it will take to take care of it.  This morning it was a scratchy spot inside the back of my collar where the Asics logo had started to peel off.  I should have just chucked it aside and grabbed another shirt to wear, but in my sleepy stupor I decided to rub off the logo with a callous remover and picking at it with my nails.  Five minutes! Dumb!  It's so dumb, in fact, that I wonder if my subconscious is trying to sabotage me; it was cold and dark out and I'm sure part of me really wanted to go back to bed. 

Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
5.300.000.000.005.30

Objective: Easy run.

Weather: High 40's F, clear & calm.

20 min. abs & weights

I slept poorly last night, and it showed in my run.   So I let this be just a very easy jog today - almost a day off.  Saw some lovely sights: starry sky yielding to pretty pre-dawn, mist on the ground in the parks, and a mama racoon with 2 babies.

I must say that the sleep tracking feature of this site has given me a lot of insight about my habits.  It's one thing to be vaguely aware of whether one has had enough sleep or not, and quite another to see it in black and white.  Very useful.

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.270.003.500.009.77

Objective: Lactate Threshold: About 5 miles easy, then 6 x 5 min. @ LT w/ 1 min jog between. Finish with easy miles until time to go home.

Weather: High 40's F, clear and calm

Lovely morning, great run.  My LT pace felt easier than it did last week - yay!  This was another Daniels workout.   Energy is much better than yesterday.

20 min abs and weights


Comments(5)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.290.000.000.007.29

Objective: General aerobic.  (About 1 minute slower than MP.)

Weather: 50 F. A few clouds. Breezy.

20 min. abs & weights

A nice run.  I cannot seem to get my mind off the coming of bad weather.  We're pretty temperate here, but starting in November we'll get these "car wash" days when the wind is strong and steady and the heavy rain falls horizontally.  I've handled it before, and I'll handle it again, but I'm feeling the calendar ticking away...

An interesting observation this morning: the neighborhood is suddenly full of new runners I've never seen before.  It is the time for new beginnings... the school year and the Jewish calendar start afresh this month.  It's great to see new people out there, although early in my run before the first light in the sky, it was still pretty much deserted as usual.  I don't have any "newness" right now. In fact, I'm in more of a "finishing up" stage: about 4 weeks until my marathon.

Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.000.000.000.000.00

Rest day.  

Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
52.851.003.500.0057.35
Debt Reduction Calculator
Featured Announcements
Recent Comments: