(Long and less long) Runs - 12/17 to 12/24

[Grog]

It's the week before Christmas ladies!

And by the end of the week the days will start getting longer again!

Well I've had my end-of-year run with my partner today, as she's going home for the holidays on Wednesday. We ran a (self-organized) half-marathon!!! Plus, we had some sun with us, which was a great bonus!!!

We had planned to run in Stanley Park but with all the fallen tree around here we thought it was maybe not the best idea. We wanted to run on the flats because 21.1 km is the longest distance we've ever done (from a max of 17km last weekend) and we wanted to give ourselves a chance. Stanley Park would have been great, but that's life in the PNW!

So we ended up running 2 loops of our 10 k route, plus small detours to get to 21.1. The course is not hilly but it's definitely always ups and downs, mostly long progressive ups and sharp downs. The GREAT part about that course is that it finishes with a 300m downhill, instead of our usual mile-long hill!!!

We started at a 5m20s pace on the first kilometer and I was a bit worried we'd burn out before the end, but we kept up. We walked for one minute every 15 minutes or so, even when we didn't need to. Well, we finished in 1h55m18s, which is just above a 5m20s/minute pace!!! I could not have been happier.

We were rewarded with views of the ocean and of the snow-covered mountains, and a big bowl of vegetarian chili on rice when we got home (thanks to my borrowed-slow cooker).

Now on to training for that sprint triathlon in March! Training for speed, not distance.

Life is good! I'm really thankful to have the ability to run like this. I didn't think I would ever do that...

[seychelle]

Life is good! I'm really thankful to have the ability to run like this. I didn't think I would ever do that...

Yes it is. Enjoy it.

I, on the other hand, continue to walk. Did 2.6 miles today with some weird heel/ankle tingly, numbness that I haven't had before. Hopefully one day I'll be able to run again.

[EBD]

Law school exams are over, but the exam-time pudge remains . . . doesn't help that I bake biscotti to relieve stress. I was at peak fitness in October, for my first Olympic tri, running up to 8.5 miles on my long runs. I haven't maintained as well as I could have - and I always have a little trouble adjusting my lungs to running in colder weather . . . and you know, it's an old sob story. But ANYWAY now I have no excuse, so today I tried to get back on the horse by running about 6 miles. It went mostly well - slow, and stopped to walk for 30 seconds or so a couple of times, but I made it. (Didn't hurt that it was about 68 degrees and sunny here today). My legs were feeling it by the end! But just fatigue, no IT band or other pain, so I'm happy. Now I just have to keep it up through Christmas with the parents and New Year's vacation with the boyfriend! Yikes.

[Grog]

I, on the other hand, continue to walk. Did 2.6 miles today with some weird heel/ankle tingly, numbness that I haven't had before. Hopefully one day I'll be able to run again.

Running is such a harsh sport for your body. I keep thinking that what I'm doing to myself is senseless. Yet... I wish you can start doing it again sometime! You will.

[KSH]

Well on 12-17-06 I rode my bike for 37 miles and then I ran for 2 miles.

The 2 miles were HARD! Very hard. I walked some, but still kept a 10 minute mile.

My running miles are really down this month, which isn't good. I am going to try to run 2 miles at lunch today, 12-19-06.

I need to run 4 miles on 12-20-06, but it's been raining here... and I dread the idea of running that far on a treadmill. UGH. So, I might just spread it out in 2 mile stints over 2 days. Not sure yet.

On 12-24-06, I will do another 37 mile ride and 2 mile run.

[KSH]

Well I've had my end-of-year run with my partner today, as she's going home for the holidays on Wednesday. We ran a (self-organized) half-marathon!!! Plus, we had some sun with us, which was a great bonus!!!

Great job on going the distance! Very impressive!

[rocknrollgirl]

My only run so far this week was a modified brick workout. I have a short commute to work, and Monday I rode home and then got off and ran 2 miles in 17:03....not too bad for a mt biker chick! I would have maybe one or two more miles in me at that pace, and then I would have to slow down.

I hate running on the road. The next run this w/e will be on the trails.

[colby]

Wow, my runs feel so short compared to your guys'!! This week I've been doing 20-25 minute runs on a 5k loop, with 20-25 minutes of walking to make it 45 minutes total. My "long run" last weekend was 12 minutes, and I cross-trained with a day of snowboarding on Saturday.

My pace must be somewhere at or below a 9-minute mile for these 1-3 miles, but it's a pretty short distance. My "best" (most even paced and comfortable) distance is 5-6 miles, so I'll be curious to see how that goes when I get back to that point. It's been pretty cold outside lately (low 20s when I am running), so it'll be nice when I figure out how I want to schedule bike and swim workouts to go with my running workouts. Going to have to review my triathlon books and maybe talk to some people to see.

[kaybee]

I've run a grand total of SIX miles this week! It's supposed to rain in the morning, so we probably won't get out, and Saturday we'll be in the car for 11 hours, driving to see family. I'm bringing my running gear with me, but doubt if I'll have much chance to run. I'll be itching to get back to it by New Year's Eve.

Happy Holidays, everyone! Please be careful and stay safe.

KB

[alpinerabbit]

I did my first intervals today - warm up, 8x1 min tempo with 1 min slow in between. Had to walk some after #4 or 5. Lactate was painful in the second 4.... but went away again with the slow jog. Now my legs are heavy. Which might also have to do with the christmas champagne consumed at the office after the run....

My treat was the offroad dash through the trees in the end.