speed work

2015 Marathon Training – Week 3

June 17, 2015 by Kristy 1 Comment

Matt traveled for work this week so my goals were to be flexible but aim to get all the miles in and squeeze in a few days of pre-hab.

Monday
9 miles with 4×1600 at 10K effort (7:39, 7:40, 7:35, 7:31)

Matt didn’t travel until Monday night and I knew there would be lots of BOB-running in my future so I had to knock out a speed workout. Mondays are generally 8 to 9 easy miles because of Saturday’s long run and Sunday’s barre class so I figured this would be interesting to say the least. I was pleasantly surprised at how well my legs held out! They were trashed for the rest of the day but this workout was encouraging.

Tuesday
rest with pre-hab

Definitely needed a rest day…

Wednesday & Thursday
6 miles and then 5 miles (Garmin-free) with the BOB
pre-hab on both days

Nothing much to report about these runs other than very. slow. running.

Friday
more rest and Matt came home!

Saturday
17 miles (9:43 avg pace)

Today was day 2 of a 5-day stretch of unrelenting humidity. I was running by 6:15AM and, overall, it wasn’t so bad. I used Tailwind for the first time on this run – I’m going to do a detailed review in another post – and loved it. I definitely think it contributed to me feeling so well in these conditions. My only goals were to cover 17 miles and feel good for the rest of the day (check! check!). In order to do that I had to take it slow.

Sunday
8 miles recovery (10:07 pace)

No barre today since there was a sub (I really like my instructor) and I needed to get another run in.

It was a pretty boring week training-wise – 45 miles total – with only 1 speed workout. I just couldn’t fit a tempo run in unless I hit the treadmill. I thought about it but I just can’t bring myself to run on it in June!

2015 Marathon Training – Week 2

June 10, 2015 by Kristy 1 Comment

Week 2 brought much cooler temps and small glimpses of my old running self. Taking training one day at a time is working wonders and I stop myself if I start thinking too far ahead. Dare I say that I’m enjoying myself?! Yes, that is the old marathon training Kristy speaking. I hope she hangs around.

I wanted to mention where I’m getting some of the speed workouts and target times from. Although I don’t agree with the philosophy of the book, Run Less, Run Faster has great no frills speed workouts with target times based on your goal finish time. I’ve used these workouts in the past and had a lot of success. I also want to keep my training simple – track, tempo, and GMP work. Sometimes I completely alter the workout and sometimes I look at the target time and laugh (this usually happens during a track day).

Monday
AM workout 1: 8 miles easy
AM workout 2: 2.5 miles of hills + plyometrics

So workout 1 was at a super easy pace. My Garmin died halfway through but I swear my pace was around 10:30. I was pretty tired so I ran whatever I wanted.

A few weeks ago I started teaching a Run Strong class. Think running (different workouts each week) + strength training (sometimes prehab-type stuff, sometimes good old squats and lunges). I often run with the class and generally don’t “count” those miles. Today was an exception. 2.5 miles of hills and then plyometrics. I slept very good on Monday night!

Tuesday
7 miles with 5 miles at 8:23 (8:22, 8:23, 8:14, 8:06, 8:04)
prehab

Guilty as charged on this one. This was supposed to be a GMP tempo (although GMP should be closer to 8:15-8:20). I held back for the first 2 tempo miles – the pace felt really easy. Then I just let it go. Definitely not a smart move – GMP workouts are supposed to feel easy – but it felt damn good.

Wednesday
Rest (and Fiona’s newest trick)!

Thursday
6 miles with 4x800m @ 3:23 (3:27, 3:28, 3:32, 3:30)
prehab

This was one of those workout where I looked at the target time and laughed. My raw speed is not there…yet. I rallied hard for the last one – fueled by sheer frustration over the 3rd repeat. I looked at my training log from Summer 2011 (the last time I did 800s with any consistency) and my times were 3:24-3:27ish. So today wasn’t awful but there’s definitely room for improvement.

Friday
3 easy miles with Fiona in the BOB
arms

I leave the Garmin at home on these runs and take it very easy.

Saturday
15 miles (9:13 avg pace)

A really nice run! I started with 10 miles of rolling hills and then a few miles on flat, gravel trails. Perfect prep for the Via marathon.

Sunday
barre

I’m enjoying my Sunday barre days but my legs are shot the day after a long run. It’s funny – I never realized how tired my legs are from running until I did barre. Every time we begin the legs segment, I need to stop and rest. Today was heavy on quad work and I wanted to cry. See how attractive I make barre sound?! I did lots of modifications today.

Overall mileage was 41.5 for the week which isn’t much different from week 1. All those extras take time and I will gladly sacrifice a few miles for them.

2015 Marathon Training – Week 1

June 1, 2015 by Kristy 2 Comments

Someone told me that May is on record to be Philly’s second hottest May. Ever. I haven’t done any fact checking to see if he’s right but it sure feels like it. We went from really cold to really hot in an instant. Which makes acclimating to the heat a real bitch. It was a wring-the-sweat-outta-your-shorts kinda week.

Monday
9 miles total with 3 x 1600m at 10K effort with 800m recovery (7:42, 7:44, 7:32)
pre-hab

I like doing speed work by effort, rather than pace, for 2 reasons: (1) if it’s hot and humid it’s impossible to maintain your 5K/10K pace from the cool, crisp Fall. Why set yourself up for failure? Instead, stick with effort and you’ll still get the full training benefit. And (2) I don’t know what my current 5K or 10K pace is 🙂 It was a little humid on this run so I kept the effort to 10K. The last repeat felt amazing, for some reason. I was not pushing it and was really surprised by the time.

Tuesday
AM: 7 miles easy (9:25 avg pace)
PM: 3 miles easy (8:50 avg pace)
pre-hab

I usually do two-a-days on Tuesdays. I coach a track workout on Tuesday nights – sometimes I do the workout and sometimes I just stick to an easy run. When you’re coaching or teaching, that’s your focus. Not getting your own workout in. And, come 6:30PM, I’m pretty spent! So I like to add in some extra miles in the morning. My PM run was a little fast – that’s not my standard easy run pace. I got caught up in part of the workout (suicide fartleks!).

Wednesday
Rest day and zoo day!

lions, tigers, and bears

Thursday
AM: 8 miles total with 2 miles at 7:35 (7:40, 7:34)
PM: 1 hour yoga
prehab

Not much to say about this run other than the humidity was creeping up. My shorts were sticking like glue after mile 1. Ick.

Yoga! This was amazing! It’s been way too long since I took yoga and this class was just what I needed. A nice flow class – outdoors (!) – taught by my yogi (and runner) friend Katie. Seriously – how amazing is this view?!

Friday
strength train

I was short on time (Fiona didn’t nap very long) and was feeling a bit run down, so I kept it short and sweet. A few walking lunges, squats, a barre ab video, and some arm exercises. My arms were sore on Saturday so I definitely did enough!

Saturday
13 miles (9:37 avg pace)

Sneaky humidity. It was one of those runs where it felt OK in the beginning and then you get smacked in the face later on. I ran an out-and-back and stopped at the halfway point to text a client and could barely keep my iPhone dry – the sweat was pouring off me. The run back to my car was brutal. I was depleted. I should have kept the pace a lot slower on the way out but instead positive splitted my way back to the car. I was glad to reach 13 miles and be done.

Sunday
1 hour barre

Barre kicked my butt! In all good ways though. I know I say this all the time but barre is the best strength training for runners. I modify most of the leg work since there is always lingering fatigue from running.

Week 1 done! Total weekly mileage was 40 which isn’t much different than pre-marathon training. The intensity was there so I’m fine with it. I’m just hoping for a break in the humidity or acclimation to occur ASAP!

no speed work, no problem

September 16, 2012 by Kristy 18 Comments

Balls to the wall.

I decided that would be my mantra late last week. Since the Philly RnR was not my goal HM this Fall (the Philly HM is), why not go balls to the wall and put it all out there? The worst that could happen is I blow up during mile 10 and have a miserable race. I’m so conservative sometimes, I just wanted to run like a lunatic and ignore my gut telling me to slow down.

So that’s exactly what I did. I wanted a 1:45 finish time (8:00 average pace) so I went – balls to the wall – out at 8:00 pace at mile 1.

Splits:

Official time: 1:45:12

That’s a 2-minute PR from last November!

At mile 10 I realized I could make 1:45 if I sped up a bit. I could not get over how good I felt. I haven’t done speed work since May – could this really be from ultra training? Absolutely.

A runner’s speed is limited by their aerobic capacity. But after 10 marathons over 8 years, I didn’t think I could further improve my endurance (significantly improve, at least). Endurance was always my strong suit while speed was my Achilles heel.

That’s a small reason why I wanted to train for an ultra. If my aerobic capacity could be improved, ultra training would do it. And if my aerobic capacity improved, I may be able to run faster – despite doing no speed work.

So my ultra training turned into a little side experiment for me – with excellent results! The weather was also a factor in my performance today as was my no expectations mentality.

But on to better things…

Today my niece (she’s only 17!) and my sister-in-law became half marathoners!

Congrats girls – I am so proud of you! Enjoy the post-race high…you earned it!

Fear

September 9, 2012 by Kristy 14 Comments

The last time I ran under 9:00 pace was May.

Next weekend I’m running the Philly RnR Half and I don’t want to go into the race blindly and not know where I stand with my speed.

This past Spring (and many years before it) I was solely focused on speed. Then I switched gears entirely to train for a 50K. Going from fast running to slow running was easy, although I must admit my pride took a hit (and let’s keep in mind “fast” is a relative term here). But going from slow running back to fast running is frightening. I knew I had to make a date with fear this week to assess my speed – and I was scared to death.

I often read about ultra runners PRing in marathons done as training runs. These PRs are somewhat unexpected, as they focus little (or none) on speed work during ultra training. But the sheer volume of their training and the adaptions that come with LSD running enable these PRs. Also, since these marathons are merely a preparation for their ultra, they go into the race with little expectation. It’s just another training run to them so there is no pressure.

I am hoping I can reap the benefits of a summer spent slogging through mile after mile next Sunday. Do I think I’m in PR shape? No, but I hope to come close.

My half marathon PR is nothing to write home about – 1:47 at last year’s Philly HM. Given where I was speed-wise last Fall it should be closer to 1:45 or below.

OK, back to my date with fear (which kept getting delayed this week because of the humidity). The workout was 8 miles with 6 miles “fast”. I wanted to run between 8:00-8:20 pace and assess how this felt. Not entirely scientific (I should have worn my HR monitor) but good enough.

The 6 “fast” miles: 8:14, 8:20, 8:19, 8:08, 8:13, 8:03.

I’m happy I was able to run the last 3 faster than the first 3. Do I think I could keep this up for another 6+ miles? Probably not. My turnover felt awkward but that’s to be expected after a summer of slow running.

I got over the fear, I ripped off the Band-Aid…speed work is making a come back. I’m going to see how things go at RnR…no pressure, just enjoy the race.

I still have the Philly HM in November and that will be my goal race.

Things that go bump in the night and Boston week 11 recap

March 20, 2012 by Kristy 25 Comments

Thanks to Daylight Savings, my early morning runs begin in complete darkness. Luckily, my neighbor (Maximus, his blog alias) has been running weekdays with me. It’s really nice having a “bodyguard” so to speak. Without him, I would be running a well lit section of trail – a span of about 2 miles – back and forth until the sun came up and I could enter the “woods”.

I call it the “woods” although it’s anything but. Essentially the paved trail moves into a tree lined section. I never enter the “woods” without complete daylight. It’s scary when it’s dark. Even running with Maximus we are both on high alert. Like yesterday when I ran behind Maximus and over to the other side of the trail because I mistook a trash can as a person crouching down and ready to attack (told you it was dark)! I really need to lay off the I Survived the night before a run (sidenote: does anyone watch that show? It’s great!).

Anyways, this week is my last big push mileage-wise before Boston. Most people running Boston are doing their 22-miler this weekend. I’m running 15 this weekend and then 22 next weekend. I do a 3-week taper in terms of mileage but a 2-week taper in terms of my long run. It’s different but it works well for me.

Boston Week 11 Recap
MON: 8 easy
TUE: 10 tempo: 4 faster than MP and 3 at HMP (plus WU and CD miles) + barre class –> I definitely took the bus to crazy town this day. I was exhausted at the end of barre and my legs felt like jello. Never again!
WED: rest!
THU: 7 speed –> and a sub-7:00 min/mi appearance!
FRI: rest
SAT: 20 18 miles –> tough run; my legs were trashed!
SUN: 8 easy

51 miles for the week!

Ever run in the dark and think things like stop signs are out to get you? Or is that just me? We also see bikers with headlights riding 2 across and it looks like a car on the trail coming at us <– that is scary!

Anyone running Boston doing a 2-week taper? Anyone a fan of the 2-week taper?

Boston Week 11 Recap