12x400m at JCSU

Goal:
2x(4-6x400m) @ 80 for 1st set and faster for 2nd set with 200m rest faster than 75s

Actual:
2.5M warmup
6x400m @ 79 (60), 81 (59), 77 (65), 78 (62), 79 (59), 80
600m jog rest b/w sets in 3:27
6x400m @ 78 (61), 79 (65), 79 (70), 78 (66), 77 (66), 76
2.5M+ cool down for ~10 miles total

Not much to report here today.  I ran to JSCU with Phil and Paul and completed a couple ovals on the track.  With Phil's help, I hit all the prescribed times and didn't feel too bad doing it.  In fact, I felt 100 times better than I did on Tuesday for my two mile repeats.  This comes as a surprise because on both Wednesday and Thursday I left work at 4PM because I was so ridiculously tired that I took 90 minute naps both days until 6PM.  Today I didn't have that overwhelming exhaustion when I jumped out of bed and had a fun time running at the blue track.  This was my first time doing two workouts in one week in a very, very long time, so I'm interested in seeing how my body will recover from this next week.

3x3 Miles on the Sugar Creek

Goal:
3x3 mile at 608,613, 600-605, 550-610 with 800m rest @ 3:30-3:40

Actual
2.3 miles warmup
3 miles in 18:32 (615, 608, 609) 800m rest ~3:15 (6:30 pace)
3 miles in 17:45 (5:54, 5:55, 5:55) 800m jog in ~3:30 (7:00 pace)
3 miles in 17:39 (5:52, 5:56, 5:55)
2.7 mile cool down for ~15 miles total

It's mornings like these that I am really proud of what Aaron, Jay and I started with the Charlotte Running Club. Even as everyone's fall marathoning season comes to a close, I somehow am able to find multiple people to work out with me.  I feel like I'm in college when my alarm goes off at 5AM; it's as if I'm going to meet up with my teammates for an early practice.  In so many ways, Paul, Billy and Caleb are my teammates.  After all, I've been running with these guys for years.  All the boys met me at 530AM at my house and we headed to the speed loop to start our first set of fun on the same course that I've been doing for all my long marathon workouts.

First set:
We ran right into the first set and started out at a comfortable 615 pace and then hovered around 610. We were all in our comfort zone and talked the whole time. After we completed the first set, I purposely kept the rest a little brisk because I wanted to "cheat" a little so that I could get a faster overall time for the whole 10 mile distance.

Second set:
Here, I still felt really comfortable even though we went out fast and had to slow it down considerably after 800m. I was slightly worried that I would be hurting on the third set since we were hitting sub-600s instead of 605, but I felt really relaxed and positioned myself right behind Billy and Paul so I didn't have to do that much work. Caleb stayed by my side so we had a nice pack going. Our last mile was perfectly on 558-556 pace the entire split so I liked how we kept that pace even throughout.

Third set:
During our rest, I told Paul and Billy that I wanted to go out around 555 and just see where we ended up but no faster than 550. We went through perfectly for first mile and then settled a little bit on the second mile so I pushed it up a notched so we could still hit sub-600. On the last mile Billy and Paul made a small 5-10m gap on me so I just maintained my pace and got a little faster at the end to close with my fastest set of the day.  This last set didn't feel too taxing physically, but more from a mental perspective to keep my confidence as the boys pulled slightly away.

I am very pleased with this workout because I mostly followed the paces that Terry prescribed.  Even though I was a tad quick on the second set, I was still able to make my third and final set the fastest for the day. At the end of the workout, my left calf and hamstring felt a little tight.  I need to focus on these things over the course of the next couple of weeks as I still have about three solid weeks of training before I begin the taper.

Ukrop's 10k Race Recap

Goal:  
Top 7 and 35:45

Actual:
3 mile warmup
10k race in 35:43 (18:02, 17:41) with mile splits of 5:42, 5:47, 5:54, 5:45, 5:45, 5:39, :69 for 12th place overall female
2.5 mile cooldown for ~11.5 miles total

Just glancing at the breakdown of events above, it is clear that I made a conscious decision after the 5k mark of this race to get my rear in gear and pick it up a bit.  I'll get to that later though...

After packing for much warmer weather than what actually was the case in Richmond, I loaded my things into my car on Thursday night and drove up to Matt's parent's house to spend the first night of my Richmond adventure there.  I am extremely grateful for Matt's parent's generosity as this was my second time staying there for a race. 

On Friday, I picked up my race bib and number.  Luckily for me, the Elite Race Coordinator Thom was holding my race bib and chip at the Double Tree downtown so that we could avoid the traffic near the expo for the 42,000 person race.Thom was so helpful.  He told me about the women's field, during which I made a silent mental note to myself that getting top 7 was not going to be realistic any more. They provided me with a room to myself that was only three blocks from the start and one block from the finish.  It was such a great opportunity and I thank the Richmond Road Runners and Road Runner for their support during this race.

Race morning finally came and I warmed up 20 minutes with Paul.  I met another guy who is the Treasurer of the Richmond Road Runners and he held our bags at the start line so we could dump our clothes into them.  I was stupid enough to think that it would actually be warm in Richmond this weekend, so I didn't bring much in terms of cold weather gear.  I only had my Craft tights and a GoreTex shirt that Jordan had given to me.  Usually I don't write much about the gear I wear, but I was so impressed with how it blocked the cold wind from getting to my skin!  We had a pretty nasty headwind on the first mile of our warmup, and I felt all cozy and warm with just the shirt on and nothing else.  Too bad they don't carry GoreTex in any of the Charlotte Running stores.  Jordan tells me my best bet is at the Fleet Feet in Winston-Salem.

Showing off my new Gore Tex shirt pre-race

After lots of drills and strides, I put on my Zoom Marathoners and stood in the Elite corral.  I met Emily Potter again (US Army Athlete of the Year) and exchanged some pleasantries with her.  A tall, slender woman looked at me and said "I need to run 5:45 pace" and situated herself behind the first row of Kenyan runners.  I told her I was hoping to do the same.  We decided to try to work together for as long as we could.  I learned later that she is Samia Akbar, a 2:34 Marathoner.  I'm sure I'll be seeing her at the Trials!

I also wished Megan Wright good luck - last year's winner.  She went to WVU and is Canadian.  She was really nice.  I saw her at the turn around and wished that I could look as speedy as her at the 4 mile mark of a 10k.  In case you wondering, Megan ended up winning and Samia surpassed her goal of running 5:45 pace. 

The race went off with a uneventful "Runners, set, go" by a woman.  Samia and I situated ourselves in such a way that we were getting passed left and right from the male runners from the A corral.  I glanced at my Garmin about 800m and saw 5:20 pace and eased off the pace a little bit. I didn't want to get myself into oxygen debt 1 mile in.  

Mile 1:  5:42...Perfect.
The perfect pace, but I wasn't feeling too good. I could feel the slight incline affecting me.  I accidentally spit on a guy and actually cared...If I was really focused I would have ignored it.  

Mile 2 - 5:47...Slowing down.
I told myself it was just the slight incline and that the next mile I would be back on the 5:45 goal pace.  Samia had already gapped me by about 5-10 meters, so I could tell she was right on the target pace that I was supposed to be at too.


Mile 3 - 5:54...What?
I saw this mile split and lost a breath or two.  A few strides later, I crossed the 5k mark and saw my watch tick 18:02.  I started calling myself bad names.  I cursed myself, and thought (clean version):  "Caitlin you came here to run sub-36 and you are not going home without that.  So pick it up."  Guess what?  I did.  I listened to myself.  I willed myself to pick it up and to achieve my goal.  Ok - so maybe the slight decline also helped me pick it up, but at least I made the decision to actually start trying. 

Mile 4 - 5:45...Here we go
I found a guy wearing a Fleet Feet Winston Sale jersey and vowed that he would not beat me.  He was my bait.

Mile 5 - 5:45...Even.
I kept my eyes glued to a guy wearing a blue jersey.  I eventually caught him and then surpassed him.

Mile 6 - 5:39...Rolling
I passed 4-6 guys here, but I think that they all passed me in the final 400m as they went to their sixth gear and I switched to a measly third gear.  

Finish - 35:43. 
I crossed the finish line, stopped, bent over, and then suddenly gagged. I was able to hold back for the first gag, but for the second gag, I actually threw up. I hadn't done that since the Adidas National Track Meet in 2003.  I was slightly embarassed so I stopped myself from throwing up more (I definitely had some left), grabbed my bag from the Elite guy, and found Paul.  I didn't want to face anyone who may have seen me throw up, and fortunately Paul missed it.  I'm waiting for the professional photos to come out so I can see if my fine moment was caught mid-stream.

Yes, I did achieve a PR but I wish I had stayed more laser focused for the first 3 miles of this race and gotten closer to 35:10.  I didn't commit myself to the first three miles of the race, and I paid for it in the final 3 miles.  However, I am proud of myself for making a decision to stop being a baby and to really race with all my heart.  

All in all, I am pleased with this effort right now, especially given how my training was off to a rough start for the first 8 weeks of 2011.  I want to be able to run my marathon at 6:00 pace, and this is a stepping stone to get me there.  I think it is a good indicator that I will be able to run sub-6:05 pace at the USA25k Champs in May.  I would definitely run this race again as there were bands every block and that definitely kept my mind occupied.  

Matt, Caitlin, and Paul post-race (and post-puke for me)