February Runs

[OakLeaf]

Well, I signed up for a half next weekend that I'd been going back and forth about. Back before I got hurt, this one was definitely in my training plan (as was Columbus half in October). Then everything went kablooie. I'm just having trouble getting it into my head that I'm going to be able to race, I'm terrified of aggravating something, I haven't been doing any speedwork at all, I've already blown off the 5Ks I usually do, and I just need to do something to reset my head. So, I'm going to do my long run as planned tomorrow, Sunday won't be a "race" race, but hopefully it will give me a better perspective on April.

[skhill]

It's a wet Monday and I feel my age today. I was planning on an easy 5 miles, but quit at 3 as I was feeling sore and achy and just couldn't loosen up. I wonder if I might be coming down with something... I did do some upper body strenght work as I was there at the gym and had some time. I really ought to do that more often!

Oak, I'm seriously considering the Columbus too, not sure about the half or whole thing. Good luck on getting through next weekend's half!

[indysteel]

Good luck, Oak!!!

[skhill]

Made up for yesterday's crappy run with a great one this morning. It was a comfy 30F, excellent running weather. So I went out and did 6.2 miles, in 52:10. Which is faster than my 10k PR. I'm wondering if I had a timer malfunction! But I've been working on speed, and felt like I was going fast, so who knows?

[indysteel]

That's awesome, skhill! I did some "speed work" yesterday on the treadmill. It's sort of embarrassing that my speed work equates with your slow run pace, but you gotta start somewhere, right? At least that's what I keep telling myself.

[skhill]

Indy, I took a look at my running log from last winter recently, and all my runs, long short and speedy, were about 30 sec/ mile slower than now. I've cleaned up my form, put on about 5 lbs, and started taking off 2 days per week from running (instead of 1 then). It's working! But I so wish races were run at 6 am on Tuesdays, as that seems to be when I'm fastest...

[skhill]

Looking at the weather forecast for the weekend, I knew a long run was going to be today or not at all. So I got up plenty early, and when I stepped outside with my dog, what did I find but a sleety drizzle. It stopped before I finished my coffee, and the weather map looked clear, so I headed out with fingers crossed. It was going well; I got lost in a neighborhood I don't know well, which is always interesting, and had the discipline to not try to catch and pass the runner about half a block in front of me at the 4 mile mark (but I really wanted to!). But at nearly 6 miles in, the sleety drizzle started again. If I'd been wearing a cap to keep it off my face and glasses it would have been no big deal, but I wasn't. And I was concerned that things might get worse. So I cut it short and headed for home. Ended up going 7.5 miles; logged it as a long run anyway as it was my intention and pace. And of course 10 minutes after I got home the sleet had stopped again.... Gotta love February in Kentucky! season of ice storms and sudden changes...

[OakLeaf]

I did what I wanted to today and feel pretty much okay, so I'm happy ... my slowest half marathon ever, but not by much. Mainly I just wanted my head back in the racing game ... as a close second, I wanted some confidence that my body could perform under a *little* bit of pressure.

Bonus: I beat Michael Waltrip at Daytona! It was funny, because I'm not a NASCAR fan and I wouldn't have known him from Adam, but the paper had made such a big deal about four of the drivers running the half, and Waltrip was part of a group I was pacing for about mile 2-5, so lots of people called out to him. He got ahead of me for a while, but after the turnaround I picked it up a little bit, while he obviously had to save something for work later in the day. I had fun, didn't aggravate any of my injuries, good day.