Grayson Highlands 9-23-2017

I hadn't made plans to go hiking on Saturday, but when I woke up that morning, still sore from Thursday's TRX, I decided that I needed to go hiking because it would be better for my muscles than sitting on the couch all day.  I had a whole bunch of chores to do, but I decided to ignore them, and off to Grayson Highlands I went.  When I arrived, I discovered that there was a festival going on, and most of the ponies had been rounded up for that.  So there was only one pony sighting on my hike.  But the trees are turning, and the sky was blue with puffy white clouds, so the scenery was nothing short of gorgeous.

After a very busy week of extra long days, this hike was exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries. I hiked just under 6 miles with 869 feet of climbing so it made my legs more sore instead of less sore, but it was totally worth it!

on top of the world 

taking in the gorgeous view

...just climbing a tree in the middle of a clearing in the woods...

Bluegrass 1/2 Marathon 9-24-17

WolfPack Run Club, ready to race! 

I had no idea what would happen during this race. I was worried that I would hit a wall like I have during my long runs, but I also knew there was a chance that I would have a good day and race day adrenaline would see me through.  I've had a lot of training hiccups lately, but I know I am still in better overall shape than I was a year ago!  

I skipped a warm up this morning because I was standing in line for the bathroom, but I was completely ok with that.  I knew that skipping a warm up would help me start just a little bit slower, and use that first mile for a warm up.  My first mile didn't actually end up being all that slow, but at least it wasn't 6:00 pace!  I did not allow myself to look at my watch (other than to glance at my HR occasionally) until after I crossed the finish line.  I even managed to keep my eyes on the ground when I passed the time clocks at mile 7 so that I wouldn't see them and start obsessing about my time.  I did catch the number 4 at the beginning of the clock but that was it!  I ran the whole race by feel, keeping my pace as strong and consistent as I could.  I spent several miles on the heels of the 4th place woman.  She pulled ahead in the 5th mile, but I slowly reeled her back in, passing her on an uphill (the only way I know how to pass people!) in mile 7, and then I held my place til the end. After how strong I felt throughout the race, I was a bit disappointed to see that I hadn't broken 1:30, but I was still happy with my race.  The fact that I was running strong and mostly under 7:00 matters a lot more than breaking 1:30.  I only had 3 miles over 7:00 today!  Plus, I actually finished the 13.1 in under 1:31, since the course was long.  Now I just need to shave off 3 more minutes by November...

I was impressed to see that my second fastest mile was mile 13!  I was struggling hard for air at that point, but didn't want to use my inhaler that close to the finish.  I was afraid that my oxygen debt was slowing me down, but 6:41 pace is pretty impressive for oxygen debt!  (I did use the inhaler in mile 6, I was running so well and didn't want to risk losing it because I waited too long to use the inhaler!)

I have learned in my past few half marathons that starting slow is not the best plan for me.  It's true that I shouldn't go out at a 6:00 pace, but I shouldn't go out at a 8:00 pace either.  I do best with consistency, which means I need to start close to the pace that I actually want to run.  If I start too fast I will burn out, and if I start too slow I won't be able to pick up the pace later in the race.  I have always been good at consistency, so I don't know why I kept trying to mess with it by starting extra slow!  I also run best when I hide my watch and run by feel...I really need to make sure I do that in every race.  

Half marathon #32!

The number of half marathons I have run is now greater than the number of years I have spent on this earth!  Today's race went spectacularly well considering all my training hiccups lately!  More about the race in a separate post. 

This week : 

M : circuit training 25:45

run 6 / 7:43 / 479 ft

T : yoga 60 min

run 5.7 / 8:07 / 226 ft

(4 x 800)

W : rest

R : TRX 30 min

run 4 / 7:48 / 276 ft

F : run 3.1 / 7:57 / 157 ft

Sa : hike 5.8 / 869 ft

Su : warm up 0.1 / 7:54 / 0 ft

race 13.3 / 6:55 / 495 ft

cool down 1.8:56 / 30 ft

total miles 33.5

I put myself through a great TRX workout on Thursday.  I was still sore on Saturday, so I decided a hike would be better for my muscles than sitting on the couch.  But then I decided to go to Grayson Highlands and hike up and down some mountains, so I'm not sure my plan worked out so well.  It was absolutely gorgeous though, and I had no regrets about my decision. 

7 is the magic number

7 is the magic number.  For this week anyway.  I didn't even attempt a long run this week.  I don't think I could handle the mental side of it if it went badly with only a week to go til race day.  I hate that my last long run pre-race was bad, but I'm glad I had some really good 7 mile runs this week, and I'm going to be counting on race day adrenaline next Sunday.  Also, constantly reminding myself I don't have to race hard next weekend.  I just have to run.  It can be a long training run if necessary.  I just really really don't want it to feel like my last long run did.

I was excited all week about how low my HR was staying even when I was running faster than usual, and I hit a new V02 max of 56 on Tuesday.  Then today when I was running I spent a bit more time in Z4 and realized that most likely the main reason my HR has been lower all week has been because of the lower temperature.  It was considerably warmer today, so my heart had to work harder.  Duh.  I'm still glad to see improvements in my fitness even if they are related to cooler temps!  It says potential good things about how my fall training will go once I don't have to battle the heat.  Gotta have something to look forward to with the cooler weather instead of just dreading being cold all the time.

This week : 

M : circuit training 33:15

run 5.5 / 8:03 / 440 ft 

T : yoga class  60 min

group run 6.3 / 7:48 / 305 ft

W : rest

R : TRX circuit 43:00

run 7.5 / 7:29 / 486 ft

F : run 7.6 / 7:55 / 650 ft

Sa : rest

Su : run 7.1 / 7:48 / 522 ft

total miles : 34

On Monday, I taught my first after-school fitness class to some co-workers.  I'm excited for this opportunity to hep others improve their fitness, have some workout buddies, and make a little extra money!  I also do a TRX workout with Gail whenever we can coordinate schedules.  We made it happen this week, and I really loved being able to work out twice, with people, this week!  It is a lot easier for me to get motivated to work out when I have people to do it with.  This week was also the beginning of Tuesday after school yoga for teachers, so I now have that set in my weekly schedule as well.  

1 step forward, 3 steps back

I've been counting on this being the year that I PR the half marathon, but I'm starting to think I need to let go of that goal.  I still have over 2 months til my last race this year, so there's still time for my body to start loving long runs again... but I'm getting pretty discouraged.  Shorter runs are going fine.  I even had a great 2x2 mile repeat run this week.  But my long run was awful.  9:00 minute pace felt unreachable to me by the end.  And that is just not how I want to feel 2 weeks out from my next half marathon!  Sometimes I remind myself that it is possible to race well even when training isn't going perfectly.  Other times I remind myself that I haven't had a truly bad race in a long time so I might be overdue for one.

This week : 

M : run 4.1 / 7:25 / 236 ft

T : run w/Corey 7 / 7:22 / 184 ft

(2 x 2 mile, 1 mile jog recovery)

W : TRX arms 16:00

run 4.2 / 8:02 / 226 ft

R : rest

F : rest

Sa : run w/Corey 13.6/ 8:23 / 623 ft

Su : run 3 / 8:18 / 135 ft

total miles : 31.9

The long run started out fine.  We were averaging 7:30-7:50 pace which is right where I wanted to be.  I kept it up for about 6 miles and then my body just gave up on me and every mile it got harder and harder to keep moving.  The hills weren't long or steep but they took every ounce of energy I had.  I didn't feel anything like my normal hill-loving self.  I don't know if my body is stressed from being back at school, or what.  School is going really well and not feeling stressful, but it is certainly different than being on vacation.  Or maybe I should focus on more 7-9 mile runs and stop trying to throw long runs in the mix with a bunch of 4 milers.  That could be it.  

On the bright side, my 2x2 mile repeats went spectacularly.  I was hoping for 6:30-6:45 pace, and hit that pretty closely.  The first one was slightly downhill, the second one was slightly uphill.  I only had a 9 second difference from the 1st to the 2nd, which is amazing and remarkably consistent given how much the uphill direction on the Creeper Trail usually wears me out.  13:18 for the first repeat and 13:27 for the second.  

Effort-based running

This week : 

 M : TRX arms / 12 minutes

run 4.1 / 7:06 / 217 ft

T : yoga 15 minutes

run w/Ben 9.2 / 7:40 / 525 ft

W : rest

R : run 5.7 / 8:38 / 400 ft

TRX 34 minutes

F :  rest

Sa : yoga 20 minutes

run 14 / 8:07 / 853 ft

Su : yoga 17 minutes

bike w/Dan 20.3 / 18 mph / 1142 ft

total run miles : 33

total bike miles : 20.3

I've been running primarily #nowatchme for the past few weeks. This means that while I am wearing a watch and recording all my runs, I do not allow myself to look at the pace or mile splits while I am running. I decide what kind of effort I want to put in, and that is the effort I exert.  I can't look at my watch to see if my pace matches what I think it should for my effort.  I often keep my watch on the HR screen so that I can judge my effort by my HR, but not accidentally see my pace.  Some days I have the self control not to look at my watch at all.  

On Monday, my legs were itching to go.  I hadn't let myself open up to a fast pace in awhile, and my legs wanted to stretch out.  I had barely been free of calf pain for 24 hours, but sometimes it is worse to hold my legs back, so I decided to let them go.  I kept the effort somewhere between moderate and hard, and did not look at my watch until it was over, other than to check the mileage occasionally because I wanted to make sure I got at least 4.  I was incredibly happy to see my average pace when I completed the run.  7:06 average in a training run without exerting maximum effort was a huge confidence booster for me.  

On Tuesday I was still feeling good and my legs still had that "get up and go" feeling.  I wasn't quite ready to put myself back on the track, so I decided to do a long hill push.  I hadn't run the 2+ mile White's Mill hill in awhile, and I was craving a good long hard climb.  Ben agreed to go with me, so off we went.  We kept the pace easy-moderate on the downhill, and after turning around at the bottom I focused on a good steady push up the hill.  Last time I did this run, I pushed too hard on the first part of the hill and died before I reached the top, so this time I made sure I was keeping something for the final push.  I felt really strong as I pushed up that hill, and was really pleased with the run overall.  

I made myself take Wednesday off because I was afraid of overdoing it and setting myself back again when I was finally feeling good.  On Thursday I had planned to do a TRX workout for Gail in the evening, so I decided to do my run before work in the morning.  I decided it would be better for my legs to not do the run and TRX back to back.  Plus, I'm always slow in the mornings, so a morning run guarantees that I won't overdo it.  I forgot to eat a little something before the run, so my stomach was yelling at me to feed it during the whole run, but other than that is wasn't bad.  

I was hoping for a minimum of 12 miles on Saturday (although I only needed 11 to hit my 30 miles for the week so I knew I could stop there if it was going poorly).  I had a vague route planned out in my head, but I hadn't mapped it, and suspected I would have to add several miles at the end of the loop I had in mind.  A few miles in, I was feeling pretty good despite the persistent rain and had an idea for a loop to add, so I did.  Coming up on 11 miles, I had a choice to run straight home and get about 13, or add a bit and get to 14.  I decided to go for the 14.  I ended up having to zig zag back and forth between two streets to get the 14 without running past home, but I got it.  I kept the effort pretty easy throughout the run.  I noticed my HR creeping into Z4 a few times, and each time I worked to steady my breathing and bring it back to Z3.  I ended up with only 12% of the run in Z4, which can mostly be attributed to hills.   I was a bit disappointed that my average pace was over 8, but after looking at the HR data I realized that 8:07 is a good pace for me, with staying out of Z4.  I'm still hoping that comes down below 8:00 soon, but I think as long as things continue to go well, it will.  

Happy face after a great hill run!

Successful 14 miler done despite the chill and rain!