It's all about the speed!

Speed workout #2 was today and after taking my sweet time yesterday and the slow pace of my long run Sunday this was a pretty good workout although I definitely went WAY too fast considering the pace I was supposed to maintain. I think I would rather be consistent with my times although the fact I got faster with each mile was a good sign that the pace was something I was able to maintain, but I'll keep working on during my workouts. I do know I'm very much looking forward to my day off tomorrow and sleeping in until 630 before playing a round of golf! Since I went to school in Alabama I can be a little slow in reading things so it took me some time to realize why the time workouts are split up how they are. Including the day off, every other day is a timed type of workout beginning with Tuesday's speed workout, Thursday's marathon pace run, and Sunday's long run. The others are simply runs designed to build up the mileage and become adjusted to the ever-increasing distances. This week (week 3 of my training) I'm projecting somewhere around 26 miles, but by week 15, 3 weeks prior to the race, I'll rack up 51 miles so I'll definitely continue to build up that stamina necessary.

Goal: 3 miles of intervals at 10K race pace (7:45-8:00/mile)
Actual:
- Mile 1: 7:34
- Mile 2: 7:23
- Mile 3: 7:06

Monday was better than Sunday

I woke up this morning feeling sleepy, but knowing I needed to do my mileage. I wasn't to the point I didn't want to get up or my body was telling me to skip today so I went out. One of the big keys to running and training is to listen to your body and take a day off if you need it and, at 35, it's something I certainly pay more attention to than 5 years ago. It's a matter of understanding the bigger picture and remembering what the goal is. That's the same reason I stopped playing any sports that might hurt my knees or back: it interferes with golf! I was tempted to skip the day since the goal called for anything from 0 to 6, but within a few weeks there are no extra days off scheduled and I'd rather build in those miles so that as training continues and the weekly mileage increases I'm better prepared. One more workout before my day off and then my first marathon pace run--can't wait!

Goal: 0-6 miles
Actual: 3.28 miles in 27:57 (8:32/mi pace)
Weather: Clear, 74, winds NNE 5 mph

This one hurt!

After yesterday's race I wasn't sure what to expect on my run this morning. I do now: pain. Took a while to get started this morning as I felt sore. One thing I do know is that I'm going to have to rethink doing races on Saturdays even if it's once a month. With long runs on Sunday I just don't know that it's the smartest thing. Normally, my speed workout is on Tuesday almost as a sort of culmination of the training before a day off, which is fine, but races mean swapping workouts. A normal Saturday involves a regular run where the main focus is the miles and not the time. Once I got going it certainly wasn't too bad, but it took me a while to really get going--probably about 2.5 miles. The weather was great today and not very hot so I was able to really enjoy the day before the heat and winds picked up.

Goal: 4-8 miles at 45-60 seconds slower than marathon pace (9:00/mile)
Actual: 4.79 miles in 46:44 (9:45/mile pace)
Weather: Sunny, 77 degrees, winds from the W at 11 mph

Race Day!

Today was the Ambulance Chasers 10K; my first race since 2010 and it was a great time. It's always fun seeing so many other runners out there ready to have a good time and that's the big thing about it--having fun. Amazing also to see the varying ages of all of the runners; from small children to folks who have grandchildren they were out there. The scenery never hurts either and one of the aspects I really enjoy about race day! :) It was definitely a hot morning and I honestly wasn't sure how I would do since I'd run the two days prior, but the competitive juices were flowing and I certainly held my own. The venue, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, was awesome as they started on the starting line for the stock cars and we did almost an entire lap (1.5 miles) before running into pit road and heading out through the tunnels. From there we ran around the speedway then into the drag strip, which was insane. I'd never seen one other than television and it's amazing how much uphill there is, which makes sense since the dragsters need to slow down once the race is down. It's good for the cars, but definitely not for the runners. I just put my head down and didn't even bother looking up preferring to look at my feet the whole way until making the turnaround and heading back down. From outside the drag strip we went into the concession area of the speedway and the shade was a very welcome thing before proceeding back down, through the tunnel, and to the neon garage area for the finish. Everyone got a medal, which was cool--I'd never gotten one before so it was a nice touch. Overall I was very pleased even if I did have a few hiccups like on the drag strip incline where I slowed a bit and at the beginning of the race. I might need to do like some of the other runners and jog some just to get loosened up. We'll see how many more races I do, but I think they could serve as indicators of how my training is going. 4-8 miles tomorrow!

Goal: 3 miles at 10K pace (8:00/mile)
Actual: 6.2 miles in 48:10 (7:46/mile pace)
Weather: Sunny, 82 degrees, winds from the WSW at 8 mph

Today's run

Today's run had a bad movie feel to it: bad start, decent middle, bad finish. This morning was just not a good start at all as my breathing was off and my left knee was bother me a bit. Things actually started feeling great after about the first half mile; my breathing was good and my knee was finally warmed up. But starting with mile 3 everything went back to the crapper. I guess it's just one of those things I'm going to have deal with although as I continue building mileage each week I'll feel more and more prepared. I will say I'm certainly nervous about tomorrow's race if only because I'm curious about the pace and whether I can keep it up for the entire race. I think once I'm around other runners, though, that the competitive juices will start flowing and things will be a bit better.

Goal: 3-6 miles

Actual: 3.79 miles in 32:42 (8:38 min/mile pace)

Weather: Cloudy, 81 degrees, winds from the WSW at 5 mph

Falling behind on my posting

So it looks like a trend is beginning, but I'm going to try and snap out of it by posting twice today. Thursday's run wasn't too bad and something I was actually looking forward to after my day off. It was a good chance for me to see how running in the mornings would translate to getting ready for work and it seemed to go alright. I think with some of these longer runs I'll be getting up earlier in order to give myself enough time to cool down and take a shower. It is definitely starting to warm up as the temperature yesterday was 81 degrees and it's only going to climb. The only real relief is that the sun is just coming up over the mountains at that time and there isn't much to worry about in terms of that.

Goal: 3-6 miles

Actual: 4.36 miles in 35:50 (8:13 per mile pace)

Weather: Clear, 81 degrees, winds from the WSW at 7 mph

Tuesday's run recap

I would've written yesterday, but with so many things going on I wasn't able to get online. The biggest news for me was the fact I got selected for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel so that was a big accomplishment. Anyway, Tuesday's run really felt good compared to the long layoff run I did Monday morning. I actually felt really good until some point near the last half mile, but I feel like I'm getting my legs back under me. Two more runs before the 10K this Saturday followed by a long run on Sunday. I'm really intrigued to see how this week goes and what shape I'll be in. Tuesday's run was a regular 3-6 miles because of the race Saturday so the speed workout in essence gets swapped out. One of the biggest factors will now begin to be the weather. 76 degrees Tuesday morning certainly felt hotter and so it'll be important I get out as early as possible to escape as much of the heat as possible. Today was certainly a good break, but it's a little intimidating to think I don't have another day off until Wednesday!

Goal: 3-6 miles

Actual: 3.79 miles in 31:00 (8:10/mile pace)

Weather: 76 degrees, clear, winds out of the NNW at 5 mph