March Runs

[Anelia]

First run for March and the distance is half marathon. My husband came with the bike to keep me company and to carry my bottle of water with aminos. I drank only 3 times each time 3 sips. While in winter I managed to run without eating or drinking, now I will have to bring water for my long runs.

[skhill]

I'm hoping this was the last 20F morning of the season... Ended up on the treadmill, yet again. 5.5 miles, at an 8:10 pace. It would have been 6 miles, but I was delayed getting to the gym by having to scrape the windshield. But it's great to find that a pace that fast can feel so comfortable, especially after yesterday's hill and wind workout (up and down, with the up into a 20mph headwind).

First race of the year is Saturday! Just a little 3k, and I'm hoping on a pr. The weather's looking to be good, and I'm feeling good. But I'm going to enjoy it, even if I don't make my time goal!

[Anelia]

Today I did some hill runs but I felt so heavy and unfit. Recently I can't raise my heart rate neither cycling, nor running:my heart rate in Garmin but the initial high HR is due to the monitor mistake, Í don't go to 173 in the first 5 minutes of running.

[skhill]

First race of the year is done! It was plenty warm-- about 58F at start time-- and also plenty windy. Nothing like a 20 mph headwind for the last 3rd of a race... I started out fast, with my best mile yet in 7:15. Then I faded, running into that wind. Finished the 3k in 14:04, a pr by 38 seconds (whew!). That was good enough for 3rd in the age group, as a lot of the fast 40 year old women weren't there. The woman who usually finishes every race about 5 seconds ahead of me was 4 seconds ahead of me (oh well). Can't help thinking that if I had pushed a little harder when I slowed down to gather myself for a final kick, I might have broken 14 minutes (and beat Liz too).

Now it's off to the St Pat's festival, to visit the beer tent. It's blowing even harder now, I'll need that beer after biking into a head wind getting there...

[OakLeaf]

Very nice skhill! Enjoy your beer.

Anelia, I wonder if you aren't dehydrated and/or overtrained, the way you've been describing your workouts. Has your resting heart rate gone up?

This week has been a little bit of a bust for me, with a houseguest and the motorcycle races this weekend. 20 again on Monday, a quickie Wednesday, bridge repeats Thursday and I'm going out for a quick loop yet this afternoon. I've pretty much made my footwear decision for the marathon - which is not the nice light Nikes I really want to wear but seem to be hard on my Achilles, but the brick heavy Brooks that I've done all my long runs in so far. Ah, well. Not like I was going to be setting any PRs this time in any case.

[skhill]

It took until September last year before I had a pr; got that out of the way early this year! Next Saturday is my first 5k of the year, which I need to run fast to get off to a meeting at church. And I've been invited to go riding with a couple guys I know about an hour after the meeting is supposed to end-- they're both older and less fit than me, but with better bikes and more miles in this winter/almost spring. What to do, what to do....

Oak, the shoe issue is one thing that has me reluctant to sign up for a marathon. I'm running exclusively in VFFs these days, and I've done a half in them without much trouble. Not sure about extending out to a full marathon in them, however, and I don't really want to go back to conventional running shoes. Guess getting to the finish line in good shape is the most important thing!

[Anelia]

Anelia, I wonder if you aren't dehydrated and/or overtrained, the way you've been describing your workouts. Has your resting heart rate gone up?

In fact, it's down...My HR is 35 (yes, I'm sure). I went for a regular physical and the red circle is my HR:
I'll try to drink more water before I go running.

[Anelia]

skhill,
Congratulations! This is a very fast run in the wind!

[Anelia]

Yesterday I had to run against the stopwatch to test my 1500 m by my gps did not work and I think I ran less than 1500: maybe 1300. My time was 5:29 so I guess my 1500 would be around 6 and something.

[skhill]

Race day! again. It was great weather, upper 30s with just a hint of a breeze and a bit overcast. Well, great weather once we got running; standing around waiting for the race to start was quite chilly. The race was a 5k fundraiser for an organization that has a lot of folks I know working with them (they put on fun summer day-camps, focused on helping kids who are poor readers improve their reading skills). I was hoping to run somewhere around 24:30, and that's exactly what I did (24:31). Not many of our fast local runners were there, and I find it really hard to go as fast as I know I'm capable of when I'm basically running alone (there were a handful of fast folks out in front, and then a handful of us strung out in the 24 to 26 minute range, then a whole lot of slower runners and walkers). Not sure about placement, as I couldn't stick around for the awards, but I was either 3rd or 4th among women. With how fresh I felt at the end, I definitely had it in me to go faster; maybe next time!

[Melalvai]

I decided to join a Couch to 5K group. I've done 5Ks, I've even done a trail half marathon. But I haven't run at all in a couple months, and I thought I might find someone to run with closer to my speed at a Couch to 5K group. At least I can keep up with beginners; I can't keep up with anyone in the multisport club.

I forgot the clock in the bedroom is fast and I thought I was late. I sprinted the 3/4 mile so that I wouldn't be late to the first night of Couch to 5K! I laughed at myself the whole way.

I'm as much faster than these ladies as the multisport folks are than me. But that's ok--I can definitely keep up. I was really impressed with the 2 who came out tonight: it was pretty chilly and there is snow on the ground. We might get a big crowd on Wednesday when we have more normal weather.

[skhill]

Thanks to my running log, I know it was 51F at 6:30 am a year ago today. But today, it was back to the treadmill yet again, as it was snowing. Really not that cold, but cold enough that I didn't want to get wet. So it was 6 miles in the toasty warm Y; ended up soaking wet anyway but with sweat not melting snow.

Cool thing from the results from Saturday's 5k: I passed a guy in the last few yards of the race, and it turns out that he won my age group on the men's side. Now that's something! Of course, it seems like there aren't a lot of 40ish men turning out for most local races.

[OakLeaf]

Nice job skhill!!

Last long run yesterday before tapering. I'd managed to strain my left quad the week before ... probably secondary to dehydration secondary to the mild hyponatremia that I talked about before. So I took it real easy, only did 21.5 which I'd have liked to get another couple, but it's enough considering what-all I've been through in the last year, and my leg actually felt better when I got back than it did when I started out.

Got my bib pick-up packet in the mail yesterday. It says "Runner Passport" ... does that mean I really, finally, am a runner?

[Anelia]

skhill, that was fast!
Yesterday I trained for 1500 meters and I did them in 6:42...maybe the distance was a little longer but my gps didn't work. But still, I think this was too slow. The weather was pretty cold, some snow on the ground and also I was worried because of some health issues of a family member. I hope next time my running would be better and faster.
Even if I am not happy with yesterday's run, today I needed recovery so I took a day off from training and went to sauna.
By the way, on Saturday I'm going for an orienteering race. I am very bad with maps so even if I run fast, there is a chance to get lost ot miss a point. Anyway, I do it for fun and I will watch carefully

[VeganBikeChick]

Trying to get back into my running. Right now it's still a walk/run combo as I'm running about a 12 min mile. I guess that's better than people sitting on the couch! I did a great outside run today, and tried it again today but had no stamina. I thought running 2 days in a row was supposed to make the second day easier, but it definitely didn't. I walked much more than I ran today and feel pretty defeated.