speed work

Peaking!

March 16, 2012 by Kristy 21 Comments

Said to the tune of “WINNING”.

Winning, Courtney-style (via)

I’ve mentioned numerous times that this training cycle has been tough mentally. I felt like I wasn’t getting faster, wasn’t seeing improvement, blah, blah, blah. Self doubt at its best. Even though I know I don’t generally see improvement until the end of a training cycle, I was still impatient.

I was getting the most frustrated at the track. Track workouts aren’t my favorite to begin with and my times were pretty stagnant and wreaking havoc mentally. So I took a break from the track. We needed some time apart.

For the past 3 weeks, I continued with speed work but instead of repeats I added more hills, tempo, and progression runs. As the wise Meggie said, solid and consistent hard work doesn’t disappear or go to waste. Remember that. Thank you Meggie for that comment. Those words have been in the back of my mind for the past few weeks.

Thursday I returned to the track for 3×1-mile repeats. I already decided I would do them at 10K pace (roughly 7:35-7:40) since I have 20 miles on Saturday. It was dark out and I couldn’t see my Garmin so I went by effort. After the first lap I took a peek at my Garmin was pretty shocked to see 6:40 as my average pace. WHAT?! I knew I had 3 laps to go and would never maintain that pace. I have never run a sub-7:00 minute/mile in my life.

With a half lap to go I peeked again and saw 7:02 average pace. I kicked it up a notch and finished in 6:59!!! Just barely under 7:00 but I’ll take it. The best part? I wasn’t dying. Yes, it was faster than 10K effort but my breathing was more controlled than expected.

My next 2 repeats were closer to 10K pace (7:19 and 7:20), but still faster than I predicted.

I’m definitely peaking as they say. I’m also running on some very tired legs. I hope this all translates into a sub-3:40 at Boston! Speaking of which, today marks the 1-month countdown!

Got a running breakthrough to brag about? It doesn’t have to be a PR…maybe a distance you never though you’d run or a pace you never thought you’d hit.

Vortex of Doubt

February 22, 2012 by Kristy 25 Comments

After a particularly crappy speed session yesterday, I was doubting my ability to even run another 3:43 marathon in Boston, much less a sub-3:40. Don’t let 1 little run shake your confidence, right? I totally agree but it’s much beyond 1 run.

Since I started training for Boston, I haven’t made the huge gains in speed that I did in my last training cycle. And paces that were once easy feel a little bit more labored. My legs always feel good but my breathing is a little off.

Enter the vortex of doubt. It started creeping in around Week 2 and now has set up residence in my head (I can’t help but think of the Mucinex commercial where the mucus takes up residence in your lungs). I feel like doubt is snowballing out of control and taking me with it. Yep, that’s me.

With 5 1/2 weeks left of training before the taper, I’m making changes.

Where did my mental game go? I really worked on it last cycle but it seems to have fallen by the wayside. Ironically enough, my friend sent me this article written by Chrissie Wellington yesterday. She knows a thing or two about mental game
This is my 3rd training cycle in a row following the FIRST plan. Although I still believe it’s a great plan, my body may have adjusted and plateaued. I never really followed it to a T but in the next few weeks I’m going to diverge more from it and do my own thing (more tempo, hill repeats, and progression runs and less track work).
Rethink hitting the almighty 60 miles. I’m not sure why I’m so obsessed with hitting a certain number when I know (for marathon training) 55 miles per week is my sweet spot.
Remember to have fun. I am training for Boston!

54 days to go!

I need some new mantras. What’s your go-to mantra?

Busy Busy and Boston Week 7 Recap

February 21, 2012 by Kristy 11 Comments

This week is busy busy. Lots of miles, lots of coaching, a few other appointments, Hawk’s birthday (yes, we celebrate), and that little 9 to 5 thing I do. My planner is filled with ridiculous notes like “bring medical records” (to my doctor’s appointment) and “prep for cleaners” (we have house cleaners that come monthly and I try to make cleaning as easy as possible by decluttering as much as I can). If I don’t have it written down, it’s pretty much wiped from my memory.

Last week I entered the 50s (well, right at 50) in terms of mileage. I now see the appeal in running 6 days per week. 50+ miles is tough to tackle just running 5 days, even with a “long” long run. I’m not ready to jump to 6 days yet, since that would mean no rest days (6 runs + 1 barre class). That’s completely absurd. I love my 1 day of complete rest. And I love barre too. Even though I only take it once per week, I’m definitely feeling stronger. I guess weekly runs of 9-10 miles are going to stick around for awhile.

Boston Week 7 Recap
MON: rest (much needed after the barre class from hell)
TUE: 10 miles speed work – 6×800 at 10K pace, finishing with 2 miles at 8:13 pace.
WED: 8 miles easy
THU: 10 miles tempo – 6 miles at 8:05 pace (8:13, 8:17, 8:09, 8:11, 8:09, 8:12). My legs were not-so-happy during this run.
FRI: rest
SAT: 14 miles at 8:29 average pace
SUN: 8 miles easy

50 miles total for the week! Finally!

Do you use a paper planner or your phone? I cannot give up my paper planner, even though I have an iPhone. I’m kinda old school in that I like to write it down and check it off.

How many days per week do you run? I always stick with 5 days because it has always worked best. But now I have to get creative with my increased mileage.

The Boston Marathon Jacket and Week 5 Recap

February 6, 2012 by Kristy 21 Comments

This post will probably come across as trite and insignificant. If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time you know how much the Boston Marathon means to me. Well, the marathon and the jacket. I have wanted that damn jacket for the past 10 years. Sounds silly but it means a lot to me.

After stalking the Adidas website for what seemed like an eternity, the 2012 Boston Marathon jacket was finally unveiled. Honestly, it’s a bit of a letdown. Specifically, the fit and color are disappointing.

Color
Why can’t they just stick with the old blue and yellow jackets? Ya know, the Boston Marathon jacket that everyone recognizes? This year’s color is an awful red-orange and black.

Fit
I read on the Runner’s World discussion boards that the jacket runs small. Crap, they weren’t kidding. I normally wear a small but ordered a small and medium to be on the safe side. I took pictures so you can see how ridiculous this is.

Womens Small – It’s way too short and too tight in the neck. I look like I’m wearing doll clothes. And why is it too tight in the neck? My neck is definitely a normal size.

Womens Medium – too wide

So I ordered a mens small to try out. What the hell, right?

Mens Small – perfect length, not too wide, fits in the neck area. But…wait…it’s different than the womens jacket.

I actually like the mens jacket better. Will I look like a jackass wearing the mens version? What would you do?

Side note: I have NO intention of wearing this jacket until after I cross the finish line. That would just be bad luck.

Boston Week 5 Recap
MON: 3 miles easy
TUE: 6 miles speed with 3 x 1-mile repeats
WED: barre class
THU: 7 miles with 5 long hill repeats
FRI: rest
SAT: 17.5 miles progression run
SUN: 6.5 miles easy

40 miles total for the week. This was a drop back week. I hope to hit 48 this week and then head into the 50s next week!

The Snow Shuffle and Boston Week 3 Recap

January 23, 2012 by Kristy 9 Comments

An alternate title: Separating the Crazy from the Sane.

I woke up Saturday morning determined to get 17 miles in – snow, blizzard, ice storm, what have you. I woke up at 6:50AM, checked Twitter, and was surprised by all the “I’m treadmilling it today and getting my 20 miles done” tweets. Crap, is it that bad out? I checked outside and was surprised we got so much snow – about 3 inches. Usually the weather people are way off.

I couldn’t imagine running for 17 miles on the TM, so I bundled up, and prepared myself mentally for the challenge. I got myself out the door at 7:30 into the freezing rain. It wasn’t terribly cold but it was tough to run – even with my YakTrax on. The snow was deep. The paved trail that I usually run on clearly states “no winter trail maintenance” and they mean it. It pisses me off since they mow the lawn once a week in the summer but they can’t drop a plow and remove the snow in the winter. Running on an unplowed trail wasn’t working. I was shuffling along and my stride was all messed up. There was no way I could maintain this for 17 miles.

So I found a 1-mile stretch that was plowed and managed to run around it 7 times, looking like a complete ass in the process. By now my Garmin, my tights, my jacket, my hat, and my (right) eyelid were getting icy. My eyelid was really starting to sting too. I waved the white flag, ran the 1/2 mile back to my house, and decided to prepare myself mentally for another challenge – 9.5 miles on the TM.

I watched Leap Year while on the TM and tried to transport myself back to Ireland. It helped for the first 3 miles. After that I was just antsy and miserable. I have no idea how people run 20 miles on the TM. I’m in complete awe of them.

7.5 miles in the snow at 9:40 pace and 9.5 miles on the TM at 8:53 pace. Done and done!

Boston Week 3 Recap
MON: 8mi speed
TUE: 8mi tempo with 5 miles at MP (8:28, 8:11, 8:12, 8:16, 8:07). I experimented with doing 2 hard days back-to-back and it wasn’t too bad. Those MP miles felt easier then they did last week.
WED: barre class
THU: rest!
FRI: 6mi easy with 5 short hill repeats at the end
SAT: 17 loooooong miles
SUN: 6mi easy

45 miles total for the week.

How did you deal with the snow and running this weekend? If you live in the South or San Francisco and had perfect weather, I don’t want to hear it 😉

Does your favorite running route get plowed or do you have to get creative?

Being Flexible and Boston Week 1 Recap

January 9, 2012 by Kristy 10 Comments

When I first started training for marathons and knew very little about myself as a runner (or really anything about marathon training), I would follow a set training plan. All 16 weeks planned out in black and white. This type of training is beneficial for beginners, as long as you are listening to your body and pushing when appropriate and resting when you need it. My approach to training now is drastically different then it was back then.

Every Sunday, I plan out my running schedule for the week. I’m using the FIRST plan so in a way those 16 weeks are planned out but I modify the plan so much it’s never set in stone. Things I consider:

Am I busy this week? Do I have stuff to do after work or during the weekend?
What’s the weather like (especially in the winter)? If there is even a hint of snow, I will finagle my schedule to get all my key runs in before the snow hits.
What was my total mileage last week? How much should I increase it this week or decrease if it’s a drop back week?
When will I strength train this week?
How am I feeling overall? How did my runs go last week? Did I hit all my key workouts?

All of these factors go into my planning. The only things really set in stone are my track workouts and long run mileage. Everything else I decide on the Sunday prior. Even the days I do track, tempo, and easy runs change each week (although I try and get track work done on Mondays to get it out of the way). I love the flexibility this gives me and my training has improved so much.

Boston Week 1 Recap
I’ll call week 1 a success! Aside from my failed tempo run and yoga fail (I just couldn’t get my butt there on Sunday – I have no better excuse than that), I was happy with my long run on Saturday.

MON: 3 x 1-mile repeats
TUE: 7 easy
WED: barre class
THU: rest
FRI: 6 pseudo-tempo miles
SAT: 13 (avg pace – 8:37). I totally under dressed for this run. I started running at 7:30 and it was bitterly cold (it later went up to 60 degrees!). I had a thin, long-sleeved tech shirt and cheap Target stretchy gloves. I thought my hands were going to freeze and fall off. I even stopped into a bathroom to use the hand dryer to warm them up (I hate stopping during long runs too but this was so necessary).
SUN: 6 easy

38 total miles for the week 🙂

Do you follow a set schedule or plan your runs weekly like me?

Ever think you were going to get frostbite during a run? Once my hands get cold, it’s all downhill for me. It actually gets painful and I can’t concentrate. I do use hand warmers sometimes but apparently didn’t think it was necessary on Saturday.