5x(1000m-400m) on the Speed Loop

Goal:
5-6x(1000m @ 3:29-3:34-200m rest-400m @ 78-80 -400m rest) for 12 miles total

Actual:
3 mile warmup
5xabove with splits of:
1000m-(200m rest)-400m-(400m rest)
3:34-(69)-79-(2:06) mile in 602
3:34-(62)-79-2:15 mile in 5:55
3:34-(66)-79-2:11 mile in 5:59
3:34-(68)-79-2:08 mile in 6:01
3:33-(69)-79- mile in 6:01
6 miles total in 38:51 with the rest included
3 mile cool down for 12 miles total

With a sore achilles on Saturday, I was a littler nervous going into this workout because I wasn't sure how it would hold up in the cold and with a little bit of speed.  However, I hadn't felt anything on my runs on Sunday and Monday, so I crossed my fingers that the sore achilles was just a temporary ache that cropped up in the peak of my marathon training cycle.

At 530AM this morning, I ran to the speed loop to meet Laurie and Mike.  The plan was to run the 1200m Dilworth Speed loop for the 1000m-200m part and then to run straight into the 400m fast, turn around and jog right back to the start...and repeat five times.  For each 1000m interval, I started out pretty slower (~88s for 400m) and then made a move to pick it up to hit the slowest end of my pace target. Laurie commented on my tactics, which I hadn't really noticed at first.  Laurie would drop after 800m since she still is recovering from Chicago.

The 400s I was hoping to be faster, but right now my 5k pace is technically around 80s based on my 5k time from August, so I was pleased with my ability to hit right below that.  Admittedly, it was definitely a shock to the system to run 5:20 pace, but I felt very strong and held perfect form. Laurie also commented on my form...Maybe she's trying to boost my ego?

Overall this workout felt really good and I purposely chose not to run a 6th interval, not because I was tired, but rather because I want to truly take a down week.  I didn't have any achilles issues, but I still want to be smart and take it easy during this week when I have the chance.  Laurie and I have the Governor's Cup Half Marathon on Saturday in Columbia, SC, where we hope to tie and take home a nice prize purse so I know I'll get in some good work there.

Down Ladder at the JCSU Track

Goal:
2000m, 1600m, 1200m, 800m, 400m w/ 400m rest

Actual:
2.5 mile warmup to JCSU
2000m (5:45 through mile), 1600m (5:29), 1200m (4:01 - all in 80), 800m (2:36 - 78/78), 400m (70), 400m (72) w/ 400m jog rest
2.5 mile cool down for ~10 Miles total

pm: 5 miles for 15 miles total for day

The 5:10AM alarm this morning was much easier to wake up to, knowing that Laurie was coming to my house for the warmup.  Given that there was basically no way out of this workout without dramatically affecting Laurie's workout, I hopped out of bed immediately to begin my preparations.  Somehow I had extra time to spare and I found myself sweeping the floor before heading out the door.  The warmup was uneventful, and we made it to the track where we found AJ waiting for us.  Not long thereafter, Aaron, Jesse, Charlie and Mike all showed up and the two separate groups began their respective workouts. 

Laurie and I were solo, so we alternated leads for each interval, and I was up first for the 2000m.  I took us out entirely too slow (93) and found myself making up for it on the remaining laps.  In the end, we came through in our target pace of 5:45.  For the mile, Laurie lead us through a solid time of 5:29 and I felt like my breathing was out of whack.  I didn't want the workout to be doomed due to my labored breathing, so I accounted it to the humidity and not my lack of fitness.  Fortunately, for the remainder of the workout, I felt comfortable and confident and....fast!  After the first 9 laps of works were completed, the workout was much easier to handle as we only had 6 laps left.  Since the boys had 400s, we waited for them for our last interval, and I tucked right in with Mike and took us out at what I would consider a blistering pace of 70.  In my Nike Pegasus trainers, that was basically all out for me, but it felt almost effortless.  I would actually consider it fun, which is an adjective I thought I'd never use in the near future to describe a track workout. Since I'm an overachiever, I decided to add on another 400m since the guys had one more to go.  Although this went against the prescribed workout, I didn't want to pass up another opportunity to potentially beat the guys.  This "una mas" interval wasn't as fast as my other one, but the effort was still there.

Overall, this workout is a positive indicator that my fitness is indeed where I want it to be.  I felt relaxed and maintained what I consider to be some solid times.  Admittedly, though, I am looking forward to a long weekend in California with my sister where I don't have to get up at 5:00AM

5 Mile Wave Success...Finally

Goal:
5 Mile wave with alternating 800s at 2:50-2:55 and 3:00-3:05

Actual:
2.25 mile warmup
5 Mile Wave in 28:56 (5:47 average) splits below
2:49/3:00 (5:49)

2:49/3:00 (5:49)
2:46/2:59 (5:45)
2:47/2:59 (5:46)
2:46/2:58 (5:44)
3.25 miles cool down

Yet another successful workout in the last seven days. I can't complain, especially because there were a lot of circumstances leading up to this workout that would warrant complaints...Such as being sick with some sort of hacking cough and disgusting mucus that wouldn't leave my throat no matter how hard I coughed.  Such as moving my entire life two miles away into a new house.  Such as trying to work with the hacking cough.  Such as trying to run with the hacking cough.  And the list goes on.  Pushing all of those thoughts aside, I decided I would have a good workout today because my legs should have been well rested since I took a down week earlier.

Fortunately, I received a surprise text from Mike Beigay inquiring about workout plans for the morning last night.  The next morning, I ran to the Dowd to meet Mike and we made our way down South Blvd toward the speed loop to meet Spada.  After a couple of fist pumps, we hid our shirts in a tree, and jogged our way through the start line to begin with the "hard" section first. For our route, we did two rounds of the 800m loop and then did two rounds of the two mile loop.   I took us out kind of hard, but felt good.  I eased the pace back to 5:40 so that I would have enough room left in the tank for the final intervals.  Mike Beigay was intregal to keeping the pace for the first two hard 800s, and after that he fell back slightly as I continued to press. Spada still hung on, casually pacing behind me, his presence alone helping propel me forward.  After the third hard one, I dropped him slightly on the uphill on Lennox, but then eased up a tad on the "easier" portion so he could join me again.  By the fourth hard 800m, I was feeling great again and felt like pushing it even more.  I think Spada fell back on this one again and I wouldn't see him again until the finish.  And when I say "fell back" it really means he stayed at the pace we were aiming for.  I was just a touch faster on the intervals.  With just 800m to go, I was finally beginning to feel the fatigue settle into my legs and I used the slight downhill to my advantage to make it my fastest split of the day.  I finished in a time of 28:56, which is by far the fastest 5 mile tempo I've had since college I think. 

Things are finally starting to come together for me and this is a huge confidence booster for going into the half marathon champs in just three weeks.  I'm ready for a big PR in this distance and can't wait to toe the line with Meagan, Pezz and Alana.

First real workout since the marathon - 3x10 Min

Plan: 3x10 minutes with 2 min rest at 6-610 pace
Actual: 3x10 minutes with 3-4 min rest at 600-606 pace

After 48 hours back in the states, I decided to set my alarm for the early hour of 4:58am and to lace up my shoes for the Miner's Run at McAlpine at 5:30am. Mike and I had planned to run our workouts somewhat together as I did 3x10 minutes with 2 min rest and he did 3x2 mile repeats. After a 3.35 mile warmup with the Miner's crew of Paul and Bill, fresh off their weekend marathons, Mike Kahn, Ben, Billy, and Jinnie, we ran the workout on the first 2 miles of the USATF Club XC course, including the big hill. We started the first one way too fast, going through the 800m mark in something ridiculous like 2:41. After that, we ran much smarter intervals by running perfectly even 555 pace.

For all three intervals, Mike would pull away from me at around the 2k mark and create a 10 meter gap. I struggled going up the hill in the second half of the interval, and you will see this reflected in the paces for the last 4 minutes. Also, running down the steep hill was difficult in the dark, and the footing was loose. I was grateful when the sun came up for the third set. Since Mike was running to the 2 mile mark, I had some more time to rest since I had to wait for him to get back to the starting line.

Splits:

1 - 10:53 (5:50, 5:03) for 1.82 miles at 6:02 ave pace...(3:03 rest)...ran past 2.8km mark
2 - 10:02 (5:55, 4:07) for 1.67 miles at 6:04 ave...(4:00 rest)
3 - 10:27 (5:56, 4:32) for 1.74 miles at 6:00 ave...stopped at 2.8km mark

1.65 mile cooldown.

Overall, I am quite pleased with this effort, especially after vacation. In the past, when I've returned from vacation, it's been very difficult for me to post decent times in workouts. I felt controlled and relaxed on the first mile, and a tad weak on the hill. However, with some more speed workouts over the next couple of weeks, I think that I can run with confidence at USATF Club Cross.

Mike did exceptionally well and ran negative splits on all of his intervals. Yes, he negative split on the second mile, even with the steep hill!

Twin Cities Marathon: Friday

This is the first of my three posts from the Marathon. I had to break it down because otherwise it would be a novel. This is more of a journal recap of events so that I know what works for me on marathon weekend.

I woke up at 545am to get ready for Michelle Hazelton to pick me up. I had a mango smoothie with rice protein powder and was soon ready to go. Michelle arrived right on time and dropped me off at the airport, where I checked one bag and made my way through the security and to the gate. I hung out with Mike, Andrea and Bill until we boarded our plane. I was able to read most of my book and the two-hour flight flew by.

I arrived to the Twin Cities on Friday in mid-morning and Bill and I almost couldn't find our luggage because the carousels were confusing and unmarked. Somehow Mike found it though and had already grabbed my bag, which was rocking a WF label since it was my official travel bag back in my college XC days. My parents picked me up from the airport and we went to Holiday Inn - St. Paul in hopes of checking in early. Fortunately for us, they let us check in around 10am, which was amazing! As soon as we got to the room, I pulled my parent's luggage off of the luggage carrier, and a game in a 5-lb box crashed onto my left big toe, causing it to bleed and bruise. I immediately iced and tried not to freak out as it was throbbing. I decided to give it a go by running with Mike. We met in the lobby for an easy 5 miles along the Mississippi River with Chloe Shea in the jogger, and my dad in tow. I could feel my toe if I landed on my foot a certain way, but my thoughts of worry vanished as I realized it wouldn't affect my marathon in just two days' time.

Afterwards, my parents and I headed to Whole Foods for a healthy lunch of a sandwich with some salad. Once we returned to the hotel, we walked to the expo which was across the street from our hotel. I met Bill briefly, but we eventually lost him in the flurry of activity and the bustling crowd. Jordan texted me and told me to stop by a booth where his co-worker from The Genesis Agency was and to ask for Lee. I did just that. I bought two pairs of Balega socks and, in return, Lee gave me three packs of Nuun, and a Nuun water bottle. I was a happy camper and glad to support my favorite training partner's company. I walked by the Cascadian Farms and Larabar booths three times so I could get as many free samples as possible. I came out on top.

I also learned something about big marathon expos: get your marathon gear the first day of the expo, or as soon as it opens, so that you can get the size you want in Official Marathon Gear. I was lucky enough that my parents bought me a really nice Brooks all-weather jacket that had a nice emblem of the marathon's logo on the right side. When I went again on Saturday, all of the jackets were gone, except for ten Extra Larges.

Next, my parents and I made our way to the Elite Hospitality Suite at the Crowne Plaza, which was about five blocks from the expo. There were snacks such as crackers, Fig Newton's, bagels, peanut butter, and soft drinks and gatorade for the elites. It was a very nice setup on the 20th floor, overlooking the Mississippi. I picked up my race number and my bag for gear. Soon, it was time for the massage I had made on Thursday, and I headed to the pool area where I would wait for the therapist to come get me. I noticed a young blonde woman sitting at another table, and I wondered if she was another elite. Turns out we ended up in the same massage room.

Meeting Ruth Perkins was the best thing that could have happened to me this weekend. A bubbly blond, an alum of Seattle Pacific University, mother of two toddlers and a personal trainer, Ruth made me feel at ease and confident. After asserting that she got faster after having two kids, I found out that her marathon PR was 2:50 and that she was also going for the qualifier, with a race plan to run 2:44, an average of 6:15 pace. We found out that our other PRs were right around the same time, so she offered that we work together. The kicker was that she wanted to go out in 6:10, but I wanted to go out in 6:30. We both agreed it wasn't good to steer away from our respective race plans and dropped the subject. Little did I know that we would end up working together and actually recruiting other women to run with us during the race.

After our massages, we found out that Ruth and her husband Dean were also staying in the Holiday Inn, so we invited them to walk back to the hotel with us. They checked in, and when they walked to their room, they could hear our voices, and Ruth knocked on our door to tell us that they were just across from us! Fate brought us together on this trip, I swear. Ruth gave us the idea of running the last four miles of the course, since she was taking the bus tour of the marathon course on Saturay, and then jumping off at Mile 22. I didn't like the idea of sitting on a school bus for two hours, so we stole from her the next morning and had my parents drive us.

Already it was time for an early dinner, so I coordinated with Mike and Bill to meet at an Italian restaurant just down the street from the Holiday Inn. Bill walked from the Crowne Plaza to join us and we had a great conversation and enjoyed watching Chloe Shea eat her ravioli with her fingers. I could tell my parents were having a great time, talking running with Bill and learning more about Andrea and Mike. They loved hanging out with the CRC crew!

Once we got back, I watched Dexter on my mom's laptop and read some of my book that I needed to read by the time I got back to Charlotte so that Meagan could read it for our book club meeting in a week. Lights were off at 9pm and I put in my ear plugs and slept until around 2am, when the people in the room next to ours were having a party with twelve people. I found out the next morning that Ruth went over and told them to be quiet, and then when they didn't listen to her after another 15 minutes, called the front desk. We were all woken up from their rowdiness. Other than that, I slept great!

Check for the Saturday's course of events soon.

Life as a Minor League Player's Girlfriend

I've decided that the best thing I could have ever decided this spring was to run a marathon. Other than the obvious reason that I love running, the other main reason why I decided to start training for a marathon is that it would serve as a way to preoccupy myself while Garrett played baseball for the Astros. I knew that I needed something to keep me absorbed with my friends' lives, to take up time outside of my normal routine to to keep my mind from missing Garrett. After thinking that he was getting back to the Carolinas on September 1st, to then thinking he was getting back on September 10th (ish) to then thinking he was getting back on September 14th, a combination of great friends and marathon training is really what kept me sane.

In the end, it's the best for both of us. While I'm off running 22 miles at 530am, he's sleeping on a bus en route to Troy from Batavia, NY. He gets to experience being in a playoff Championship Series while I get to run more than 10 hours a week (excluding stretching, drills, driving etc). Running combined with a new job and studying for the GMAT, I'm a pretty busy girl. However, now that Garrett's official arrival date is September 15th, instead of arriving right in the middle of my marathon specific training, he's coming during my tapering stage, which means less time for running and more time for hanging out with G!

Here's what Garrett does:

Here's what I do:

To wrap up one of the final weeks of marathon training, I decided to go out with my longest run yet - 22 miles - featuring a 9.7 mile tempo in the end. Fortunately enough, it was quite easy for me to find some company for this as I met a large group of guys at the Huntersville Business Park - Steve, Jay, Paul, Mike, Bill, Adam, Nathan, and Derrick. I will note that I dearly miss my favorite female training partners - Meagan Nedlo and Megan Hovis - and that it would have been fabulous to have had them out there.

I woke up at 440am to get all prepared, and drove over to Jay's house so that we could carpool together. We arrived 4 minutes early and everyone was already there, ready to go before 530am! Nathan and Bill guided us around the Huntersville neighborhoods before the sun came up and we averaged about 7:45 pace for 10.5 miles. We made a pit stop back at our cars for some gel and water before we all started the various tempos that we had on tap. Bill was kind enough to have marked the course with pink spray paint that was extremely visible to people like me, who had never run out here before. The plan was for me to go on the 12 mile loop with Mike, Bill, Steve, and Adam starting at 630 pace and dropping down to 615. Since I only needed 60 minutes of effort, Mike was going to signal for me to turn at a spot that would cut off about 1.5 miles from the 12 mile loop. My goal was to stay as relaxed as possible and to really focus on my breathing to keep it controlled. In the end, I accomplished just that even though our pace dropped pretty quickly after mile 3.

Splits

1: 642

2: 645 (after this split, Mike took off for mile 3 and we all stayed with him)

3: 558 (panic moment)

4: 603

5: 612

6: 603 (Beigay gapped Steve and I here)

7: 607 (Steve and I working together)

8: 601 (from mile 7 and on, i was on my own because I turned a different way)

9: 600

.69: 406 (600 pace)

Average: 6:11 pace

Average for 7.7 miles: 6:02 pace

As you can see, we went out very relaxed for the first two miles and then dropped a hammer on the third mile. Admittedly, I did have a slight panic moment for about 2 seconds and then I focused on what I wanted to accomplished today - feeling almost effortless with controlled breathing. That must have helped me because I felt great the rest of the way. Steve, Mike and I settled into a nice grove together for the first 5 miles and then Mike began to gap Steve and I. From miles 6-7 Steve and I worked together on a big highway. Really, Steve just blocked the wind from me and I took advantage of my spot behind him. For the last 2.7 miles of the tempo, I was on my own since I went on a different route to shorten the course. I felt GREAT on this portion of the run. Once my watch hit the 60 minute mark, I slowed to a jog and ran enough miles to log 22 for the day.

Overall, I am extremely satisfied with this workout. I think that Mike is really going to shine at Twin Cities and it will be a fun trip to share with so many Charlotte people that have been an integral part to my marathon training this fall (Mike, Bill and Adam). A huge thanks to Nathan Stanford for taking pictures of us and for providing bananas and Gatorade.

Three Miles Repeats - Take Two!

Goal: 3x3 miles at 605-610 pace with 4 min rest
Actual: 3x3 miles at 18:53 (640, 613, 600), 18:17 (611, 618, 548), 18:00 (607, 606, 547)

This morning Mike Beigay was kind enough to meet up a little bit earlier than usual (for me at least) at 530am at the Dowd YMCA. This meant that I needed to wake up before 5am so that I could be out of my house at 518am to run the 1.5 miles over to the Dowd and meet him. For the first time in a while, our workout group was just a pack of 2. Lat Purser joined in eventually, but I'll get to that later.

Mike and I headed down Morehead and onto Kings to conclude our warmup in front of the tennis courts. Since the Booty Loop is just shy of 3 miles at 2.88, we wanted to push our starting line back so that we didn't have to go through the stop light at East Blvd and Kings. Turns out we picked the perfect starting line because we ended just short of the traffic light.

Mike and I came out to the Booty Loop on the assumption that it would be as well lit as a modern city should be. Well, we were wrong. We took off on the first set and realized immediately that Queens Road has 1 street light every 400 meters. This made it for a tricky footing situation as we trekked up the Queens hill in the pitch black. To make matters worse, when cars approached, their headlamps blinded us so that all we could see was a beam of light. This explains the 640 first mile split. Hey - at least we went out relaxed! On the flat portion, we cruised to a 613 and then closed on the downhill mile with a 600. I could tell by Mike's breathing that he was relaxed and controlled.

After a swig of water, our 4 minute rest had already ended and we took off again, with just enough light so that we could see the divots in the sidewalk. Again, on this set I felt relaxed and controlled. I felt my glutes and quads in the second mile of this set, and both Mike and I were startled when someone came sprinting behind us. Lat Purser was our surprise accomplice who had chased us down from the start of this set. He conquered his first interval and we cruised to the finish. I still couldn't hear any labored breathing coming from Mike. He was on fire!

For the third set, we ran a negative split perfectly. Mike warned me before the 2 mile that he was going to take off for the third mile, so for the last mile I was by my lonesome, but it was fun watching Mike switch to a different gear and watching Lat react. I didn't feel nearly as spent after this workout as I did the last time, so I feel like that it a step in the right direction. I'm pleased with how the workout turned out and I don't feel nearly as exhausted as I expected I would.

Owning the Booty Loop

Plan: 3x12 with 2 min rest at Booty Loop at 12:10-12:40
Actual: 3x2 mile with 3:00-3:30 min rest at 12:08 (600, 608)...11:42 (550, 552)...11:33 (543, 550)

This workout almost felt tougher than the 3x3 mile workout! The plan was to meet Meagan, Justin, Lat, Beigay, and Billy for a 3x2 mile workout on the infamous Booty Loop. We wanted to run the loop two times and stop when Mr. Garmin beeped for Mile 2. I warmed up 3.5 miles from my house to the Dowd and then to Freedom.

To start off our first set, Meagan and I volunteered Mike to lead because he's good at the whole pacing thing. We started at the bottom of the big hill on East Blvd and I felt terrible for the first incline. Once the mile split passed, we all knew why: we went through in 6:00 flat. At this point, Meagan put on her team captain hat and used her words to calm us. She told us to just relax on the next flat mile so that we wouldn't crash and burn on the next two sets. Sure enough, we relaxed back into a 6:08 for the second mile of that set. (Side note - I've decided that Meagan would be a great coach or personal trainer because she definitely knows what to say to keep us focused and positive).

For the second set, we made a collective decision and decided to take 3:00 rest instead of 2:00 so that we could recover from our studly 6 min mile on a filthy incline. This set featured a downhill first mile and an uphill second mile. For the downhill mile, we came through in 5:50 and then the second mile on this set was tough for me. The core group of Meagan, Billy, and Mike began to gain about five meters on me, and Lat pulled ahead to join them. On a slight downhill, I made a burst to tuck in behind them again, only to find that when the final uphill came into sight, I was maintaing my pace, and they were increasing their pace. I came through in 5:52, which is pretty good considering it was uphill. Meagan and company probably came through in 5:48.

For the third set, we rewarded ourselves with 3:30 rest. This set featured a flat first mile and a downhill/flat second mile. Apparently we all felt prety good, with Mike and Meagan leading the way, we came through this mile in 5:43 (this wasn't even on a downhill segment!). At this point, Mike and Meagan split off again on the downhill portion while I maintained my 5:45 pace. We reached the East Blvd / Kings light and Lat and I got stuck so we had to slow down a bit before we crossed over into Freedom Park. With the slower jog, Lat and I still posted a 5:50 final mile (Meagan probably got a 543 and Mike a 538). Overall, we all ran pretty awesome, so Mike, Meagan, and I should feel pretty good about our races in Twin Cities in less than seven weeks.

We finished with a nice walk to the water fountain, reassured Billy that his workout was great, and went our separate ways back to our cars. I cooled down a little over 2 miles and even walked the last block to my house. It was glorious.