Saturday was the trail run. I managed to come in 12 out of 58, which put me in the 20th percentile. I also came in second in my age group. I would have beaten that other woman, who posted a 30-second better time, but had tired legs from the Fun Run. I also went out way too fast because they had said it was mostly downhill. (Which, yeah, technically they're right but the FIRST MILE was STRAIGHT UPHILL.) Next year I'll make that race my bitch with hill training, more rest beforehand, and better pacing from knowledge of the course.
Sunday's recovery run was an absolute bitch. I was SORE from the trail run, which was one mile uphill followed by 2.5 miles downhill on a less-than-stable trail. Loose rocks and such everywhere. All my stabilizer muscles were killing me.
Monday I did a two-mile tempo at 15:02. The first half mile was actually a 3:30 split, which was awesome, but I couldn't maintain because, hello, STILL WITH THE SORE MUSCLES. Monday night's karate class was fairly low-key, thank god. (Not that I would have sparred anyway with a race coming up.)
Tuesday's long run went fairly well, although I was still a little sore. I still managed nearly seven miles at an 8:30 pace. That night we had a Sundowner canoe race, where Dr. Z and I managed a personal best 57:56 time.
Yesterday was my day off and boy did I need it! I did go to Karate, but all we did was kata so I worked just enough to loosen my stiff muscles a bit.
Today's easy four-mile run went well. I did an 8:10 pace, which Dr. Z thought was a bit too fast. It's a hell of a lot better than last week, when I did the Fun Run at a way-too-fast 7:56 pace. Plus this was shorter AND I have twelve more hours to recover.
Tomorrow will be a very light two-mile jog and some practice for the upcoming martial arts tournament.
Saturday - My last 5K of the season!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
TOO fast? Yes there is such a thing...
...unfortunately. Last night was the first Fun Run of the year. My goal was to keep to an 8:15 pace in order to save my legs for Saturday's trail run. Unfortunately I got pulled along by the crowd and did the first two miles in 14:30 - WAY too fast. My first mile was 7:20, which is RIDICULOUS. You should have SEEN the look Dr. Z gave me when he called out my split. Once I got out on my own after mile two I was able to back off into a proper 8:15 pace. I still averaged an out-of-control 7:55 pace, which is insane for a 4.28 mile run.
So I did the Flatlander course in 33:57. The one good thing is that as its name implies, it's a flat route with almost no hills, so hopefully I didn't burn out my legs. We'll see how they feel when I do my 2 mile taper jog today. (Which, thanks to the 50 degree and raining weather I REALLY don't feel like doing.)
So today is resting up for tomorrow. I'll jog the two miles then tonight do some light kata at Karate. After that? CARBO-LOADING! Yay for pasta!
So I did the Flatlander course in 33:57. The one good thing is that as its name implies, it's a flat route with almost no hills, so hopefully I didn't burn out my legs. We'll see how they feel when I do my 2 mile taper jog today. (Which, thanks to the 50 degree and raining weather I REALLY don't feel like doing.)
So today is resting up for tomorrow. I'll jog the two miles then tonight do some light kata at Karate. After that? CARBO-LOADING! Yay for pasta!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Busy Busy Busy
Friday night was Karate. I got a lot of work done on kata and picked up my sai for the first time in months. I am SO behind in getting ready for the tournament in a few weeks.
Saturday was the 9-Miler in Tupper Lake. It was a hell of a canoe race - Dr. Z and I chased this other couple the entire way. We managed to sneak up on them but they pulled away to beat us by a slim twelve seconds. I'm evilly pleased that they will no longer be seeing us as not much of a threat. That's right, people. Watch your backs.
Sunday was a day off, but I did watch the Lake Placid Marathon. In fact, I made it up to the finish line just in time to see IronKid and IronDad finish. They were supposed to do a four-person relay, but the other two people backed out so IronKid ran eleven miles and IronDad ran fifteen. Those people need serious help. I also ended up going for a thirteen-mile bike ride, but tried to keep it in low gear with high-RPMs.
Monday was my tempo run. Despite being a little tired from the previous day's bike ride I managed a time of 24:34. Not as good as my new PR, but way under my previous one and under less-than-ideal conditions. Looks like that breakthrough is here to stay. There was also Karate, but Sensei was finally back and it was All Bunkai All the Time. Gah. No. More. Please. I HATE self-defense and I hate hate HATE self-defense based on kata.
Today I ran my long, slow run which was increased to seven miles. Seven fucking miles. I have literally never run that far in my life. I managed an 8:32 pace, finishing in 59:41, so I'm pretty damn psyched. Luckily I'm officially off the hook on adding more mileage until it's a bit easier for me. (The eventual goal is for my long run to be ten miles, upped from the original eight when I decided to do a half-marathon in September.)
Tonight is canoe practice around the lake. It's windy out so it's going to be tough, but oh well.
Saturday was the 9-Miler in Tupper Lake. It was a hell of a canoe race - Dr. Z and I chased this other couple the entire way. We managed to sneak up on them but they pulled away to beat us by a slim twelve seconds. I'm evilly pleased that they will no longer be seeing us as not much of a threat. That's right, people. Watch your backs.
Sunday was a day off, but I did watch the Lake Placid Marathon. In fact, I made it up to the finish line just in time to see IronKid and IronDad finish. They were supposed to do a four-person relay, but the other two people backed out so IronKid ran eleven miles and IronDad ran fifteen. Those people need serious help. I also ended up going for a thirteen-mile bike ride, but tried to keep it in low gear with high-RPMs.
Monday was my tempo run. Despite being a little tired from the previous day's bike ride I managed a time of 24:34. Not as good as my new PR, but way under my previous one and under less-than-ideal conditions. Looks like that breakthrough is here to stay. There was also Karate, but Sensei was finally back and it was All Bunkai All the Time. Gah. No. More. Please. I HATE self-defense and I hate hate HATE self-defense based on kata.
Today I ran my long, slow run which was increased to seven miles. Seven fucking miles. I have literally never run that far in my life. I managed an 8:32 pace, finishing in 59:41, so I'm pretty damn psyched. Luckily I'm officially off the hook on adding more mileage until it's a bit easier for me. (The eventual goal is for my long run to be ten miles, upped from the original eight when I decided to do a half-marathon in September.)
Tonight is canoe practice around the lake. It's windy out so it's going to be tough, but oh well.
Friday, June 13, 2008
New 5K PR!
Tuesday night's Sundowner ended up being cancelled due to a NASTY thunderstorm in the area that ended up closing down a lot of streets and causing a lot of damage, including to my house. Instead, we at burgers by candlelight at Mac's (the power had gone out) and watched the rain pour down. I actually bumped into P, whose boyfriend is one of the racers, which was nice. Turns out she disappeared from the speedskating oval once the snow got good on Whiteface. (Or as she put it, "I have a skiing problem.")
Wednesday turned out to be a TOTAL day off, as I fell asleep and missed class. It was probably for the best - it was sparring night and I totally wasn't up for it. Dr. Z came home beat up and happy though.
Now for the big news, I just broke my PR this morning. IronKid joined me for a run and did an excellent job of pulling me along just enough without tiring me out before the end of the run. (Which she could have done easily - her 5K race pace is 6:30.)
I took off a whopping 22 seconds for a time of 24:20. That's right - sub-24:30, baby. Also, fifteen more seconds off and I'm at a 7:45 pace. Awesome.
Wednesday turned out to be a TOTAL day off, as I fell asleep and missed class. It was probably for the best - it was sparring night and I totally wasn't up for it. Dr. Z came home beat up and happy though.
Now for the big news, I just broke my PR this morning. IronKid joined me for a run and did an excellent job of pulling me along just enough without tiring me out before the end of the run. (Which she could have done easily - her 5K race pace is 6:30.)
I took off a whopping 22 seconds for a time of 24:20. That's right - sub-24:30, baby. Also, fifteen more seconds off and I'm at a 7:45 pace. Awesome.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!
We're into Day Four of a heat wave here in Lake Placid. It's absolutely killing my running. Saturday I could barely eek out two miles at a slow 8:45 pace.
Sunday was the Madrid Canoe Regatta. As usual, Dr. Z and I had to be up at the crack of dawn. The howling winds made for a tough as hell race but we managed to come in second, beat by those machines in the other Wenonah. They have GOT to stop coming to the same races we do! LOL!
Yesterday I ran and managed to tie Fridays 5K tempo time at 24:43. I seem stuck there for the time being, but am happy considering the heat and humidity. I was at least lucky enough to get out there while it was overcast.
Karate was pretty low-key due to the heat. We mainly worked forms. I got a real good review of all three brown belt katas with Senseis Sixpack and OldSchool.
Today's run was a total damn washout. I made my 8:15 splits the first two miles, but then totally bonked out and had to runwalk the rest of the way back, making for a sucktastic time of 37:08. I hydrated well beforehand, but I think the heat got to me anyway. It was 85 and not only is the entire route in the sun, there was no wind to cool me off. What the hell. I'm so glad it's cooling off tomorrow.
In the meantime, the first Sundowner is tonight. Yay! Tomorrow is my rest day, so nothing there except Karate.
Sunday was the Madrid Canoe Regatta. As usual, Dr. Z and I had to be up at the crack of dawn. The howling winds made for a tough as hell race but we managed to come in second, beat by those machines in the other Wenonah. They have GOT to stop coming to the same races we do! LOL!
Yesterday I ran and managed to tie Fridays 5K tempo time at 24:43. I seem stuck there for the time being, but am happy considering the heat and humidity. I was at least lucky enough to get out there while it was overcast.
Karate was pretty low-key due to the heat. We mainly worked forms. I got a real good review of all three brown belt katas with Senseis Sixpack and OldSchool.
Today's run was a total damn washout. I made my 8:15 splits the first two miles, but then totally bonked out and had to runwalk the rest of the way back, making for a sucktastic time of 37:08. I hydrated well beforehand, but I think the heat got to me anyway. It was 85 and not only is the entire route in the sun, there was no wind to cool me off. What the hell. I'm so glad it's cooling off tomorrow.
In the meantime, the first Sundowner is tonight. Yay! Tomorrow is my rest day, so nothing there except Karate.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
So Far so Good
One item I forgot to mention in Tuesday's post is that I received my second brown belt stripe on Monday. YAY! It was actually pretty funny because it was the Return of Sensei and many people received stripes. It was as if he pulled Sensei Sixpack aside and said, "I'm back! Stripes for everyone!"
Tuesday's paddle went surprisingly well. Our first lap around the lake was 27:00, which I was happy with considering that we hadn't paddled in weeks. Our second lap was a blistering 26:40. Damn. That's a second only to our PR.
Yesterday was my first long slow run of the year. It was supposed to be six miles at a 9:00 pace, but thanks to me getting the turnaround Dr. Z described wrong, it ended up being 5.25 miles at a 9:25 pace. Oh well.
Last night's karate class was okay. Sensei came back to observe. It was sparring night, but I wasn't quite ready to jump into that yet, so I helped teach some white belts.
Tonight is an easy lap around the lake followed by a gait analysis at Lake Placid Sports Medicine. I can't wait to see what they have to say!
Tuesday's paddle went surprisingly well. Our first lap around the lake was 27:00, which I was happy with considering that we hadn't paddled in weeks. Our second lap was a blistering 26:40. Damn. That's a second only to our PR.
Yesterday was my first long slow run of the year. It was supposed to be six miles at a 9:00 pace, but thanks to me getting the turnaround Dr. Z described wrong, it ended up being 5.25 miles at a 9:25 pace. Oh well.
Last night's karate class was okay. Sensei came back to observe. It was sparring night, but I wasn't quite ready to jump into that yet, so I helped teach some white belts.
Tonight is an easy lap around the lake followed by a gait analysis at Lake Placid Sports Medicine. I can't wait to see what they have to say!
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Freihofers!
So...Freihofers! Yay! Dr. Z and I set the alarm for 5:30 in the damn morning. (Which, WHY do we need to start a 5K at 9:15 in the damn morning, FREIHOFERS?) Dr. Z was kind enough to drive so I could rest on the way there.
We arrived at 8:30, which was just enough time to get my chip and number, use the bathroom, and warmup. Then it was off to the pens for the start. Expecting a 25:00 finish (or hopefully a bit under), I placed myself between the 25:00 - 27:30 and 21:40-25:00 groups.
When the gun went off I quickly realized that a lot of people were, shall we say, OPTIMISTIC about their finish times and/or pace. I got stuck behind countless women going at 9:00 or so and spent the first mile trying to get with the other 8:00 pace runners.
Unfortunately I spent so much energy weaving my way through the crowd that by the time it opened up I didn't have the cardio to speed up and make up lost time. My final time was 25:39, which was 40 seconds off what I wanted, but not bad considering it was my first race and I'd been laid up for almost a month with my shin splints. Surprisingly enough, although my time was worse than I thought it was, I placed better than I though - top 15% exactly. As Dr. Z said, "2800 women had to line up behind you."
So, not bad at all. And this week I've been able to ease back into a regular running schedule. I haven't even had to ice! Tonight we start getting ready for Sunday's canoe race after a long hiatus. Hope my arm and back muscles can handle it!
We arrived at 8:30, which was just enough time to get my chip and number, use the bathroom, and warmup. Then it was off to the pens for the start. Expecting a 25:00 finish (or hopefully a bit under), I placed myself between the 25:00 - 27:30 and 21:40-25:00 groups.
When the gun went off I quickly realized that a lot of people were, shall we say, OPTIMISTIC about their finish times and/or pace. I got stuck behind countless women going at 9:00 or so and spent the first mile trying to get with the other 8:00 pace runners.
Unfortunately I spent so much energy weaving my way through the crowd that by the time it opened up I didn't have the cardio to speed up and make up lost time. My final time was 25:39, which was 40 seconds off what I wanted, but not bad considering it was my first race and I'd been laid up for almost a month with my shin splints. Surprisingly enough, although my time was worse than I thought it was, I placed better than I though - top 15% exactly. As Dr. Z said, "2800 women had to line up behind you."
So, not bad at all. And this week I've been able to ease back into a regular running schedule. I haven't even had to ice! Tonight we start getting ready for Sunday's canoe race after a long hiatus. Hope my arm and back muscles can handle it!
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