Monday was a pace/tempo run.
At this point, I was still feeling fresh and confident.... Or maybe I should say cocky. I was supposed to do 7 miles with 4 of the middle miles being at my marathon pace. That pace is an 8:29. Well no such luck at going that "slow" on the run. Now let me say that I really don't think that pace is slow. Especially when I have to hold it for 26.2 miles. However, for 4 miles, it just seems too slow. So Michelle and I warmed up for 2 miles then started the workout. I kept seeing 8:18, 8:08.... And similar paces. The average pace for this workout ended up being an 8:22. Now that is with the 2 mile slower warm up. TOO FAST! After this run I was still feeling confident and started thinking I should change my goal to a faster pace. I mean, these faster runs felt good..... But I soon realized this was not a very wise choice. Wednesday's workout was coming!
Tuesday came and I found my Abigayle sick and not able to go to school. So I took her to the doctor and got some antibiotics for her cold/sinus infection she could not shake. I have to admit, I get real anxious when I don't workout on a workout day. Today I was supposed to swim but that was not going to happen. My baby girl needed her mommy, so the workout was on the back burner.
Wednesday was circuit training! I thought I would be golden because I took off a day. HA! No such luck. My over zealous speediness had caught up to me. This workout is done at the gym because you run 800 then do strength training in between. It is a beast! I knew it was going to be a harder than normal workout when I started my warm up. My heart rate was really high and I just couldn't get my legs to feel good. Every part of the workout was hard. I hit my 800 paces, but thought I was going to die. I knew almost immediately what the issue was. I had foolishly compromised this workout by running too fast over the weekend and on Monday. I was so tired at work for the rest of the day.
Thursday was a short 1500 swim. I warmed up 300, drills 200, did a 500 & 250 set, then cooled down for 250..... Then went to work with goggle rings and the smell of chlorine ... After taking a show of course.
Now Friday! My 14 mile long run.
I chose to go downtown and preview the Corporate Cup course. This is a half marathon I am planning on running on March 10th. I have run it before...but that was a long time ago and it was at a relaxed, fun pace with friends.
I started at the DOWD YMCA and ran. About 1 mile into the run I had to stop because I thought I felt something in my left shoe. I stopped on the side of Camdon and took off my shoe. Nothing!?! I noticed my left foot felt tingly. Like it was asleep. Sometimes this happens in runs so I shook out my foot (as the 0800 Friday morning traffic drove by staring) on the side of the road. I must have fixed the problem with something being in my shoe because I never felt it again. However, my foot was asleep the next 3 miles. ANNOYING! As I ran I kept trying to shake it out. By the time I passed Panther's Stadium, it was fine.
This was a run of stop and go because of traffic. A word to the wise..... Never try to demand your right away...you may end up dead right! It seems in Charlotte, NC that most drivers are either stupid or just rude. I had to stay on the alert the whole run due to the inattention of many Charlotte drivers and city buses. I am sure some were trying to run me over.
Any who..... This course is a beast. The first part is rolling but somewhat downhill. I was really feeling good about the easiness of the run. Starting to feel the "wow I'm fast" sensation creep back into me. Then I hit the Providence hill.... and the course changed from gently rolling downhill to gently rolling uphill. My times started wavering and there was more of an effort to stay on track.
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| Food for thought! |
About nutrition. Just in case you have never run distance, I will explain this briefly. To keep running well, you have to take in calories while you run. I do this only when I'm running over 8 miles. I choose the gel method. In marathons, I take one of these energy packets every 6 miles. They have about 100 calories and are somewhat easy to get down.... well at least until mile 20.
I took my gel today at mile 7. This was right at the bottom of the Providence Hill! However, it seemed to work out well as I was able to slow a bit and gag it down. =) I was hoping it would get me through the next 7 miles of hills. I knew the hills that were coming and the last one (Morehead) is relentless.
The last 7 miles weren't easy, but I felt good. Mentally I was having a good time. Physically, I was feeling pretty good. Around mile 10 I went ahead and turned on my music. I felt like I needed the extra motivation. It worked out well. I ran up Morehead and turned down a street to go into Latta Park. I now was running to the "finish". Matt was waiting on me at Starbucks on East Blvd. I upped the pace a little bit and finished strong. It took me 2:00 to run 14 miles. I was good with that.
Matt and I went home and I ate a small sandwich while sitting on the couch. Next thing I knew, the girls were home from school. I had gone to sleep (after eating around 1100) and didn't get up until after 1400. Oh my goodness! I was wiped for the rest of the day. 14 miles shouldn't do this to me, and I had 7 miles tomorrow!
Today was a 7 mile recovery run. I get up at 0500 and it is pouring outside. Oh my! This is going to be fun. I was meeting my running group at 0700 and was not looking forward to running in the cold rain. However, by the time 0700 came, it was only misting. My legs were tired from yesterday and I knew I had David Taylor to run up. The energy of this group got me through the run. I had a good time and took David Taylor in stride! I averaged around an 8:40 pace for this run.... that's around what I wanted.
And then Sunday is the Big Attic complete with running, jumping, yelling, and evacuating the kids from the theater because someone pulled the fire alarm! Never a dull moment!
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