Well here we are again at the end of another training week or the start of another. Depends on which direction you're looking. Another high mileage week completed. 53k this week. I was looking back out my training schedule for the 2011 Bluenose and at this point last year, my weekly mileage was 28k. I'm either way ahead of the game or I was sadly undertraining last year. Looking back, I think I know which one it was but hindsight is 20/20.
On Tuesday, Stacey and I ran 10k together, she set a PB of just over 58 minutes due to my expert coaching and guidance. lol I ran an extra kilometer to cover my mileage. Should i have been running that fast on what's supposed to be an easy run, nope. It was cold that night and I wanted to get home quick, lets just stick with that story.
Thursday looked to be a wet/rainy run during the afternoon but I was fortunate enough to get a break in the bad conditions long enough to get my 12k run in the books. It was a weird run for me, my heart rate monitor didn't boot up right because it was giving odd readings for my whole run. I also made the mistake of loading a program and trying to have it guide me to a specific pace. I think i spent more time watching my monitor than just working on my running and breathing. I lost focus.
Friday, I took advantage of another day off from work to get my 5k and 6 strides in. Again, I did this in my minimalist shoes. Its a good thing because we had more bad weather on the Saturday. That's 3 weeks in a row that Saturday has either rained or snowed or ice pelleted or sleeted out. Is sleeted a word?
Sunday was another long run, like they all are now. This time the distance was to be 25k. To prepare for the Bluenose Marathon, I decided to go into Halifax/Dartmouth and do my run on this years' route. It was partly sunny but very windy, which at times helped and, at others, hurt my pace. It was so windy that the MacDonald Bridge was actually rocking a bit. When I was running on the center span, I didn't quite feel right. It was like my feet weren't coming down where they were supposed to. I got slightly "lost" in Shubie Park and wound up cutting about 1km off my run. During this unexpected shortcut, I had unknowingly run into the "dogs off leash" area of the park. Fortunately, the myriad of dogs there were more interested in sniffing each others' butts than to chase me! The last thing I wanted was an unplanned spike in pace at that point of the run. Stacey met me on my way back across the MacDonald bridge and finished the final 6k of my run with me. I threw a little extra in the run at the end to try to make up for the "shortcut" but still finished my 25k at 24.3k. Close enough for me. I burned close to 1500 calories in the 2:36 run. My music of choice was The Fray and Tears for Fears Greatest Hits.
This week is yet another mileage high, 57k with my longest run of 27k next Sunday. This time I'll run the 2nd half of the marathon route and add an extra 6k, which Stacey will probably join me for.
onward and upward
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
"Recovery Week"...riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight
Well after a 51k week last week, I had finally reached one of my recovery weeks. this week I only had to run 45k but at a more relaxed pace. So thats what I did, until yesterday. I did my usual Tuesday night run (9k)with my better half, taking it easy the whole way. Still turned out to be a bit of a slog due to the snow/ice on the sidewalks, but hey, its winter and you have to learn to expect that, right?
Wednesday was my night off so I stuck with the program of working on my hips, and IT bands with the foam roller. On Thursday, I ran 8k with Stacey running the final 5k with me on the track. For me, the jury is still out on track running. the surface is nice and soft but the variety of running leaves a little to be desired. kinda like one step up from a treadmill, which i compare to a hamster on a wheel. Sure, you're making it spin but you ain't goin' nowhere and for me, the whole point of running is to actually go somewhere.
On Friday, I took advantage of another day off from work to run my 5k recovery run with 5 or 6 strides tagged on to the end of it. I think I ran the 5k in 30 minutes, not blazingly fast but thats not the point. I notice that i don't focus so much on times anymore but what my average heart rate is for a given run. that gives me a better idea of how hard i'm working. As with the previous Friday, it was warm enough to wear shorts and this was another run with the New Balance Minimus shoes.
On to my long run. Like two weeks ago, this was a 22k run from home to the Halifax Shopping Center, where I would meet Stacey and have a cupcake as a reward. This was also my 43rd birthday and during a couple of times I thought to myself, "how many 43 yr olds can run 22k?", of course my mind answered back "how many are dumb enough to try?" lol I was concerned going in to this run because my knee was a little sore during the morning before the run. I don't know if its from the work from the week catching up with me or going up and down our steps so much due to keeping the wood stove going. It could also be paranoia for the upcoming run. The long runs still make me nervous. I keep thinking back to by blowout during the Valley Harvest. anyway, I had a great run, no knee/hip issues again. I ran 22k in 2:12, which was faster than I should have run it given that it was supposed to be a recovery week. I got a little carried away at around the 13k point when I saw that I had the opportunity to catch and pass someone so for the next 4k I passed her and left her in my dust. lol I burnt 1400 calories and my avg heart rate was 161 bpm. I rocked the run listening to Dave Matthews' "Crash" and "Before these Crowded Streets"
I'm going to need new running shoes soon as my Kinveras are almost worn out. I usually like to limit my shoes to about 500k before retiring them to pasture. I may buy two pair as I've noticed that on my long runs, my feet swell up and make my current size a little too tight. What I'll probably do is buy one pair thats 1/2 size larger and just wear them for my long runs so my toes don't wind up all scrunched up in them.
I have some big mileage weeks coming. 53k this week, 57k next and 60k the following week. Crap. Another test. I suppose I should make the physio appointments now in preparation. When does it all end? oh wait I know, May 20th at around noon or a little later.
Onward and upward.
"Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight" - Bruce Cockburn
Wednesday was my night off so I stuck with the program of working on my hips, and IT bands with the foam roller. On Thursday, I ran 8k with Stacey running the final 5k with me on the track. For me, the jury is still out on track running. the surface is nice and soft but the variety of running leaves a little to be desired. kinda like one step up from a treadmill, which i compare to a hamster on a wheel. Sure, you're making it spin but you ain't goin' nowhere and for me, the whole point of running is to actually go somewhere.
On Friday, I took advantage of another day off from work to run my 5k recovery run with 5 or 6 strides tagged on to the end of it. I think I ran the 5k in 30 minutes, not blazingly fast but thats not the point. I notice that i don't focus so much on times anymore but what my average heart rate is for a given run. that gives me a better idea of how hard i'm working. As with the previous Friday, it was warm enough to wear shorts and this was another run with the New Balance Minimus shoes.
On to my long run. Like two weeks ago, this was a 22k run from home to the Halifax Shopping Center, where I would meet Stacey and have a cupcake as a reward. This was also my 43rd birthday and during a couple of times I thought to myself, "how many 43 yr olds can run 22k?", of course my mind answered back "how many are dumb enough to try?" lol I was concerned going in to this run because my knee was a little sore during the morning before the run. I don't know if its from the work from the week catching up with me or going up and down our steps so much due to keeping the wood stove going. It could also be paranoia for the upcoming run. The long runs still make me nervous. I keep thinking back to by blowout during the Valley Harvest. anyway, I had a great run, no knee/hip issues again. I ran 22k in 2:12, which was faster than I should have run it given that it was supposed to be a recovery week. I got a little carried away at around the 13k point when I saw that I had the opportunity to catch and pass someone so for the next 4k I passed her and left her in my dust. lol I burnt 1400 calories and my avg heart rate was 161 bpm. I rocked the run listening to Dave Matthews' "Crash" and "Before these Crowded Streets"
I'm going to need new running shoes soon as my Kinveras are almost worn out. I usually like to limit my shoes to about 500k before retiring them to pasture. I may buy two pair as I've noticed that on my long runs, my feet swell up and make my current size a little too tight. What I'll probably do is buy one pair thats 1/2 size larger and just wear them for my long runs so my toes don't wind up all scrunched up in them.
I have some big mileage weeks coming. 53k this week, 57k next and 60k the following week. Crap. Another test. I suppose I should make the physio appointments now in preparation. When does it all end? oh wait I know, May 20th at around noon or a little later.
Onward and upward.
"Nothing worth having comes without some kind of fight" - Bruce Cockburn
Sunday, February 12, 2012
51k week in the books.
Well its Sunday morning and I'm doing some well earned relaxing after the week I've had.
Tuesday - Stacey and I ran 10k together. our usual 10k route from our place to just past the Sackville Sports Stadium and back. No issues for me though Stacey has 2 blisters from the previous week that she's dealing with.
Wednesday - no running so I did a few strength exercises for my hips and knees.
Thursday - I run over to the track (3.2k) and meet Stacey there for the workout portion of my run. The weather was nice and the track had a couple of icy spots on it but not enough to stop the 6k workout portion of my run. Running on a track is nice in one way, its soft but you don't really get a break from running on it either like you would when you get to run downhill for a bit on streets. I wind up running 6k in 29:33.
Friday - I decide to bump my runs from Saturday/Sunday to Friday/Saturday due to the forecast so today i a 5k recovery run followed by 6 strides. I don't bother timing these runs because i don't care what time i get. its just an easy run. I was happy with being able to run the whole thing using my pair of New Balance MT10's. I usually wear Saucony Kinveras but today i decided to go a little more minimalist and it felt good. No pain issues at all.
Saturday - my 24k run. I start at 6:45 am and manage to get the whole run in before the rain starts. I'm sure glad now that i ran it yesterday and not today judging by the amount of ice out there now. I finish my 24.1 k in 2:36. not blazingly fast but I'm still ahead of last year. I spent most of my run listening to Coldplay and the Foo Fighters. Three runs in three days leave me very tired. I'm used to alternating between a day of running and a day off so this was pushing it for me. No pain though and that makes me a happy camper!
My coach sent me my weekly schedule up to the Bluenose Marathon and I gotta say that it's made me nervous. I'm going to be putting in some big weekly mileage figures and some very long Sunday runs (22k to a max of 34k). This is nothing at all like the schedule i made up for myself for last years marathons but then again, I wasn't happy with last years results (4:48 and 5:22) so doing all this extra running can't hurt. At this rate i'll need a new pair of Kinveras before the Bluenose as my current pair will be worn out.
I was thinking about a question a friend asked me a while back about my running. He joking asked me "what are you running from"? I likely had a smart-assed answer at the time but during my long run yesterday, I asked myself the same question. I had plenty of time to answer it this time. Its not all about what I'm running from, its what I'm running to. What that is? I don't know. Will I know it when I get there? I don't know, probably not. Am I enjoying the journey? Definately. Would I give it up for my previous life of getting by doing the bare minimum? NEVER. Thats what I'm running from.
Onward and upward.
Tuesday - Stacey and I ran 10k together. our usual 10k route from our place to just past the Sackville Sports Stadium and back. No issues for me though Stacey has 2 blisters from the previous week that she's dealing with.
Wednesday - no running so I did a few strength exercises for my hips and knees.
Thursday - I run over to the track (3.2k) and meet Stacey there for the workout portion of my run. The weather was nice and the track had a couple of icy spots on it but not enough to stop the 6k workout portion of my run. Running on a track is nice in one way, its soft but you don't really get a break from running on it either like you would when you get to run downhill for a bit on streets. I wind up running 6k in 29:33.
Friday - I decide to bump my runs from Saturday/Sunday to Friday/Saturday due to the forecast so today i a 5k recovery run followed by 6 strides. I don't bother timing these runs because i don't care what time i get. its just an easy run. I was happy with being able to run the whole thing using my pair of New Balance MT10's. I usually wear Saucony Kinveras but today i decided to go a little more minimalist and it felt good. No pain issues at all.
Saturday - my 24k run. I start at 6:45 am and manage to get the whole run in before the rain starts. I'm sure glad now that i ran it yesterday and not today judging by the amount of ice out there now. I finish my 24.1 k in 2:36. not blazingly fast but I'm still ahead of last year. I spent most of my run listening to Coldplay and the Foo Fighters. Three runs in three days leave me very tired. I'm used to alternating between a day of running and a day off so this was pushing it for me. No pain though and that makes me a happy camper!
My coach sent me my weekly schedule up to the Bluenose Marathon and I gotta say that it's made me nervous. I'm going to be putting in some big weekly mileage figures and some very long Sunday runs (22k to a max of 34k). This is nothing at all like the schedule i made up for myself for last years marathons but then again, I wasn't happy with last years results (4:48 and 5:22) so doing all this extra running can't hurt. At this rate i'll need a new pair of Kinveras before the Bluenose as my current pair will be worn out.
I was thinking about a question a friend asked me a while back about my running. He joking asked me "what are you running from"? I likely had a smart-assed answer at the time but during my long run yesterday, I asked myself the same question. I had plenty of time to answer it this time. Its not all about what I'm running from, its what I'm running to. What that is? I don't know. Will I know it when I get there? I don't know, probably not. Am I enjoying the journey? Definately. Would I give it up for my previous life of getting by doing the bare minimum? NEVER. Thats what I'm running from.
Onward and upward.
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