Trotting for Turkey (November Running)

[skhill]

Treadmill today. I'd forgotten how different it feels in the legs from the road! Just 3 miles, and I sure hope the weather is better tomorrow!

[katluvr]

Yes my running has been sporadic....but I was off today so set out for a run. Did my usual 4 mile loop and took it pretty slow. It is about 76 degrees here in FL and usually that is pretty nice, but the humidity is 90%. I was drenched when I finished my SLOW run.

Speaking of speed...I have felt a bit slow lately. I am sure if I look back most of my runs are a bit faster, but I don't feel that much faster. I still long for a sub 10 min mile avg, especially on my long runs. My PR for my 1/2 is 2:10. I I want to get closer or below 2 hours. And I keep reading about how at my age (I turn 48) most runners are slowing down. But I have only been running for 8 years...so have I really already peaked? I hope not. I would like to think that my lack of speed right now is that last year I did mostly LONG slow runs in the heat and endurance building runs and little speed work and the fact that I have gained 6 pounds since Aug. (post Pikes Peak eating & drinking).

So it is time for a "training plan" and some real speed work. Jan. is a 5K that last year I finally did under 30 min so I will work to beat that and Feb is a 1/2 that I hope to set a new PR...looking at the 2 hour mark

K

[skhill]

Katluvr, there are a bunch of women in their 50s around here who are seriously fast. Most 5Ks, they post better times than any women in her late 30s or 40s. So I'm hoping for a sudden burst of speed in about 10 years time! And it was a huge thrill when I beat one of them this year-- passed her in a sprint to the finish line.

When I stepped outside with the dog first thing this morning and saw the weather forcast was correct, I was grinning. Decent running weather for the first time in almost a week! Just about jumped into my running clothes. Did about 5 miles; about .75 mile in, I realized I was at a sub-9 minute pace for the first time in a while. Slowed down after a while, but the 9:05 pace over the run was faster than I've run lately.

[jessmarimba]

So I've been in hiding as well, but I wanted to come back and report that I ran the Richmond half marathon last weekend. Until I ended up with bronchitis 3 weeks ago, my goal time was 2:03ish (I wanted to beat the full marathon world record time) or 2:00 as a stretch goal. By race day, I would've been happy to beat my last road half PR (2:09:33)

Well, I finished in 1:59:31. Woohoo!! Beat the stretch goal and beat my last PR by 10 minutes. Pretty sure I ran the entire race about 30-45 seconds/mile faster than I'd been training. I ran faster than I've run since I moved to Denver and faster than I've done any race longer than a 10K.

I've decided that I don't think I like the Kinvaras anymore though. The point at the toes doesn't match the shape of my foot, and I had some NASTY blisters on my bigger foot (and yes, the shoes are plenty big). They squish my toes in weird directions - I ended up with a quarter-sized blood blister on the inside of my foot and blisters between several of my toes. Might go for the Brooks Pure-whatever next.

For any of you east-coast runners, I love the Richmond full/half. I'm probably biased since I grew up there, but I think its great how much of the community comes out to cheer and volunteer. I had a smile on my face the entire time I was running.

[Bike Chick]

katluvr, I didn't start running until I was 50 so that probably means that I started after my peak I'm terribly slow but am improving. There are a group of women in my age group that I race against that will ALWAYS beat me. They are really fast and continue to train and get faster. One of them took third place in the mile at the 2011 National Senior Olympics; she's 60. I helped a 70 year old woman in T1 at the Florida Ironman; it was her first Ironman. These women amaze and inspire me. Maybe you just need to concentrate on speed work for a while and see if that helps. I think you can get faster if you try but imo a 2:10 hm is pretty awesome! I just keep telling myself that age is just a number.

Congratulations on your pr Jess! That's a 10 minute improvement. Great job.

[yellow]

katluvr, I didn't start running until I was 50 so that probably means that I started after my peak

Respectfully disagree! Google Helen Klein. I don't think she started running until she was well into her 50s and was a smoker before that to boot.

She is an amazing woman and a great role model for all women, not just those in the digits above 49.

And Jess, are you in the Kinvara or the Kinvara 2? I tried on the 2 a while back and it is much wider in the toebox. I hated it for other reasons, but word is that the toe issue you describe was a common complaint. Hence the change.

[skhill]

Woke up this morning thinking of all the stuff I needed to do before heading out to a 10am meeting (mostly, rolling out and shaping and baking 2 dozen croissants), and my first instinct was to skip the run. But I went out anyway, hoping it would lower the stress level. It was a good call! I've gotten done everything I needed to, even given the dog a nice walk, and still have time to sit down at the computer.

It was a windy 4 miles this morning, but I was able to do 2 into the wind then get blown home for 2 miles. Saw the first house with Christmas lights of the season, and I think I've pinpointed the location of the illegal rooster in the neighborhood. (Our zoning allows for 5 chickens per house, but NO ROOSTERS!!).

[jessmarimba]

And Jess, are you in the Kinvara or the Kinvara 2? I tried on the 2 a while back and it is much wider in the toebox. I hated it for other reasons, but word is that the toe issue you describe was a common complaint. Hence the change.

Kinvara 2. It's wide enough, I'd guess, just the wrong shape for my feet. Plus I can't keep my feet from slipping forward into the pointy section, even with them laced the way I like. Part of being a midfoot striker, I guess, is that when you land more toward the front of your shoe your feet want to go to that part of the shoe. Gravity sucks

Went out and did 6-ish this morning despite the fact that it was 25 when I got up. Our faster girl caught us with 2 miles to go (she was at the end of a 17-miler) and I managed to pace her to the end, leaving the rest of the group behind. So I'm going to try to run the last 6-8 of her 18 miler with her next weekend. It'll push me and it'll help her finish, b/c doing long runs alone just isn't fun.