TexasLindsey

Rest day after Saturday's 15 mile run

THIS 15k TODAY WAS THE BEST RACE I'VE EVER HAD!!    I PR'd 3 times in and during this race. 

When I passed the 5k sign, there was a timer and it was the best 5k time I've ever recorded... 24:30.   If I were really running a 5k, it would have been much better because I would have been going faster.  (I don't run alot of 5k's because I like the longer distances better). 

Then I passed the 10k sign with a timer and it was the best 10k time I've ever recorded... 50:00.  If I were really running a 10k, I would have sprinted my heart out to get it under 50 minutes.  The best 10k before this was 53 minutes.  I have a stated goal to run a 10k in under 50... so I felt so elated that I did that. 

But then the pressure was on.  I just PR'd in 5k and 10k during the race... so I had to make sure that I PR'd for the actual 15k that I was running too.  I was thinking that I wanted to be able to say that I PR'd 3 times.  My previous PR for a 15k was 1:17:07. 

Well, I finished in 1:15:45 according to my garmin (which also said I ran 9.4 miles).  The race results showed my chip time to be 1:15:36.  I am so excited!!   According to my garmin, it was an 8:03 average pace.  Chip time was 8:05 pace.  I've never run that fast for this many miles!   I thought I might get a medal or something... but then I found out that the 3rd place girl in my age group finished in 1:08:something.... so maybe NOT.  Ha, ha!  I got 6th out of 49 in my age group.  So I'm still proud.   I like that running quote that says something about how I like the sport of running because everyone can be a winner.  You're only in competion with yourself.

This running blog is the reason I am doing so good.  The advice of running more miles during the week more days of the week has made all the difference.  I've only been training like this for 3 months... and I just started running again in April after a 9 month break while pregnant.  I am just wondering what I could accomplish if I keep at it. 

Splits

mile 1 - 7:46

mile 2 - 7:47

mile 3 - 8:00

mile 4 - 8:07

mile 5 - 8:13

mile 6 - 8:11

mile 7 - 8:13

mile 8 - 8:11

mile 9 - 8:14

Final .42 mile - 7:25 pace  (my garmin said it was .42 instead of .3)

Rest day after race. 

It was raining all night and this morning so I wasn't able to run at my usual 5:30 am.  My sister came over at 1:30 pm and watched the kids so I could go run.  According to www.weather.com the temp for Fort Worth at this time was 88 degrees, humidity 69 percent, wind 20 mph with gusts up to 35 mph.  

I thought I'd do 6 or 7 miles but the sun was brutal.  I felt the sunburn coming on.  The wind was the only relief from the sun but it was so hard I felt like I was running in place when I was going against it and up hill.  I cut it short to only about 4.5 miles because I started worrying about sunburn but when my husband gets home, I think I might go run another 3 this evening to make up for it. 

This run felt like a high resistance workout on a stairmaster... so I guess good workout!  My watch wasn't charged so I don't know my splits. 

It didn't work out running again when my husband got home.  My son got stung by a bee and it was just too hectic at my house to leave. 

8.75 miles at 5:30 am.   Tonight at 6:30 pm my group has track workout at the Texas Christian University track.  I've been in the past and it's really fun... really nice track too.  I want to go but it's so hard with my two kids to find the time.  I have to get my husband to babysit and then if I run in the evening the kids and myself go to bed much later than usual.  We'll see if it works out for me to go tonight.  Tomorrow the plan is that I'll do another easy 8 in the morning and then Saturday I'm running 16 miles with my group.

Splits

11:06

10:16

10:07

9:49

10:02

10:10 (a cute small dog "attacked" me and I had to stop)

10:19 (dog still following me jumping in front of me slowing me down)

9:56

9:18 (last .75 mile)

Was lazy this morning and didn't get up to run.  At 4:45 am when my 6 month old was waking me up I managed to convince myself that I could take the day before the long run as a rest day.  Then I spent the rest of the day feeling guilty and I looked over my log.  I realized that when I run the day before a long run, I actually have a great long run.  So when hubby got home, I went out.  Probably the hottest part of the day... 5pm.  It was 95 degrees and 55 % humidity.  I thought I'd do 6 miles... but I was actually surprised that I felt great!  I ended up running 7.34 miles. 

Even in all this heat and humidity and sun beating down on me I managed an average 9:10 pace.  Every time I race, I get faster.  I think I need to start incorporating some tempos and speedwork weekly.  To qualify for Boston I need an average 8:23 pace.  I really think that is doable... maybe not for my first marathon on Nov 14th... but certainly at some point I think I could pull that.  This 8:03 pace I just ran for a 15k has got me thinking ambitiously! 

Maybe I shouldn't be this cocky since this is my first marathon... but I'm thinking I could at least pull a sub 4 hour (faster than 9:09 pace).  Last week I ran 15 miles at an average 8:45 pace (getting faster the whole way).  We'll see... I've got 16 mile run tomorrow morning.  I hope all this ambitious talk doesn't jinx me.

Splits

9:15

8:56

9:10

9:33

8:58

9:37 (had to run though grassy median for 50 feet which slowed me down)

9:05

8:12 (last .34 mile)

My running coach cut our run short today because of the humidity.  It was 83 degrees and 75% humidity.  We were supposed to run 16 but we only did 10.  He said next week we're supposed to run 10 but we'll do the 16 instead... so he just switched the weekends. 

It was a big difference from last weekend when the weather was perfect.  Today it was like you sweated and it never evaporated.  I was soaked completely when I finished.  An 8:30 pace felt like an 8:00 minute pace.  I didn't feel that bad but I did go slower.  I ran with this guy and we did 8:45 pace for the first few but then he started fading.  I stayed with him longer than I might have otherwise, but we started talking politics and we got a good conversation going.  Ha, ha!   I finally left him around the 8th mile and I ran the last 2 miles at 8:30.  I thought about running more but my socks were soaking wet and I didn't have another pair.  I'm not messing with any more blisters.  Note to self: bring extra socks when it's humid.

There's 3 girls in my group who run faster than me.  They run long runs at 7:30 to 8:00 pace.  One of them told me she averaged 7:55 per mile for last week's 15 miler.  It is my goal to get up to their pace. 

I love picking people who are better than me and trying to catch up or even beat them.  I like challenges like that more than just trying for a specific time.  A couple years ago this rude cocky guy told me I shouldn't try to keep up with him because I'd get hurt.  He was serious.  Ha, ha!  In my mind I was like, "Thank you.  You have given me a little extra motivation to push it when I feel tired".  He had a target on his back for every run after that.  I had to beat him every time.  It was fun. 

Splits

8:53

8:43

9:06

8:48

9:15

9:34

9:23

9:08

8:32

8:27

5:09 (last .16 mile)