Week 9 of the training plan

First, to report on Saturday's run... we did a 3 mile Azalea District run with time goals. Our original intent was to run negative splits of 12:00, 11:30, and 11:00. That might have been a little ambitious for the temperature and humidity (heat index in the high 90s, humidity about 60%). We ended up hitting 12:25, 12:05, 12:10 which still makes for great consistency for splits on a continuous run.

Technically, this was the longest continuous run we've done together in possibly years (although it only exceeds previous continuous runs by about 1/4 mile). I grumbled a bit, but we made it through. I didn't have any complaints with my hips, ankles, or tummy. I had a bit of tenderness in my right shin, which required some icing.

That run puts another week in the books, so a notch on the thermometer.

Monday's run was actually really rewarding. In 30 minutes, we covered about 2.55 miles for a pace of 11:34. With temps/heat index of 85/89 and humidity of 60%, I was pretty happy with that. Again, no major physical complaints with the exception of my right shin.

For the rest of this week, we've got:

Wednesday - 30 min run (we'll either do a generic jog or hill work)
Saturday - 9.5 mile run (a new "longer than ever)

In the meantime, here's a neat article on "structural v. metabolic changes" and injury. Basically, the thesis is that new runners often find themselves in a position where their aerobic conditioning far exceeds the conditioning of their muscles and joints. If they push themselves past their physical conditioning, they are vulnerable to injury.
http://runnersconnect.net/running-injury-prevention/why-runners-get-hurt/

Also, I am totally IN LOVE with this Anytime Black Forest Blizzard recipe from September's issue of Runner's World. Any combination of cherries and chocolate will win me over.

Something clever, and a new record

To wrap up last week's runs:

We had this speedy-q run on Friday (Wednesday and Thursday got delayed due to some kind of illness that manifested on Monday). It was a 30 minute run in which we covered just over 3 miles (9:58 pace, awesome awesome). It's pretty evident that occasional intervals of speedwork help me keep a good pace throughout the entire run. Sometimes, my legs just need a wake-up reminder. This was probably the best paced run we have ever had.

On Saturday, we ran a new record distance of 5.71 miles. The training plan target was 6.5. We ran for 75 minutes (a 15 minute increase from our last record long run). Mentally, I was in a much better place this time.  I also got through the whole run without ANY join pain (some mild fatigue in the left hip) and only minimal tummy cramping. One note, though: do NOT run south on Robertson Ave past 5th street. It is extremely dark, there are no sidewalks, and it has a surprising amount of oncoming traffic. Old Jacksonville Hwy, however, has some great sidewalks - really wide and flat. It was sooooo nice to get away from hills for a while.


And another week in the books means another notch on the thermometer:

I think it's about time to cross something of the Wish List. First down will probably be the Camelbak Annadel Hydration Pack from REI. As our long runs get longer, a small gatorade bottle isn't going to cut it anymore. Also, I'd really like to have a pocket for holding keys/phone/etc. Especially the phone. As we venture further and further from the house (or anyone's house), I'm getting a bit squeamish about not having one on me.

Monday's run, another adventure

For this run, I don't have much to say beyond what I wrote on my Dailymile account:

"Well, we made it at really great pace (10:42)... but just before the 2 mile pace, we got caught in a HUGE lightning storm. We got totally soaked, and had to stumble home early. I could not see anything because of the rain on my glasses. Matt had to hold on to my arm to get me home (I ended up taking off my glasses because I could see better without them. I have 20/200 vision)

To make matters worse, running up College St I became suddenly aware of impending intestinal DOOM coupled with sudden weakness. Second run in a row this happened. Got home, dealt with crisis, took a shower, passed out. Experienced lots of sickness/issues the next day. Apparently, I got a bug from my husband. Still dealing with it, and probably have to delay today's run.

But, at least we had a good pace and no real joint issues! (Just a little nagging in my hip)"

So, there's that. Also, the temperature was in the low 80s so it was really nice. That humidity is something else, though. It feels like breathing pea soup. We did some mild speedwork until the Impending Intestinal Doom hit, at which point I abruptly stopped running.

This week's training plan:
Monday - 30 minute run  24 minute run
Wednesday - 30 minute run 36 minute run (to make up for Monday's lost time)
Saturday - 6.5 miles (Plan to run/walk 85 ish minutes, approximately 6.5 miles worth of 13:00 pace. Run 10 minutes, walk 3 minutes)

Checking in, nothing crazy

Well, our running schedule is still a bit wonky from last week.

This week's schedule is:

Monday Tuesday: 30 minutes
Wednesday Friday: 30 minutes
Saturday: 2.5 miles

We did get in a really good, solid 30 minute run on Tuesday (temperature was like 80 degrees, phenomenal). We kept up a pace of about 10:50, with a great attitude throughout. After 10 minutes of warm-up, we alternated between Matt's pace (1:00 minute, a bit speedier) and my pace (3:00 minutes, slow and steady). With each round, Matt got slightly faster, culminating in a really good clip on the last fast stretch.

I'm really looking forward to the 2.5 mile run this coming Saturday. Last weekend's long run was a 5 mile (ish).

The training plan I'm on has periodic tapers to prevent injury and allow my joints to rest. I also think there's a psychological benefit to it.

In any case, we're supposed to run 30 minutes tonight. It's pretty warm again, so we'll probably wait until after 8:00. Hopefully, I'll have good results to share.

Oh yeah! Almost forgot... I keep meaning to talk about the new running clothes I got. After picking up a technical tee from the East Texas Striders, I was converted. Up until that day, I'd been running in whatever clothes I had lying around (mostly cotton t-shirts, thick cotton workout capris, etc). HUGE mistake.

So, I've picked up another technical shirt (BCG from Academy), some basketball style shorts, some "compression" pants (maybe a bit too cheap to be really effective). I love them so much. I also bought a breathable hat, so I can keep the sun of my face/scalp without smothering.

UPDATE:
Uggggh... we just stepped out for our 2nd run of the week and found a GIANT LIGHTNING STORM waiting for us. It's converging from the east. I feel really upset. Should've checked the weather (I really should get in the habit of that anyway), because then I would've known to leave earlier. This is our normal time during the week (about 9:00pm).

Our gym closes at 5:00pm on Fridays, so we don't have an alternative planned. I feel really really wound up and antsy now.

The current plan is to run twice tomorrow (wahhhh), once in the morning and once in the evening. Sigh.

Tyler Azalea 10k

I don't want to get ahead of myself, but the Tyler Azalea 10k could be a neat event to look forward to after the Tyler Half. I find that I do MUCH better with my running when I'm training for a race. With the 10k in March, I could take advantage of the winter training to work on getting mas rapida (that's "faster" for you monolingual runners out there)!

Other races in our area after the Tyler Half:

The Texas Half - Irving, Tx February 13, 2013
North Texas Warrior Dash - Location and date not yet posted, but we've got to get back in the swing of things after missing the 2012 race, which would have been our third year in a row as a couple. Stupid bronchitis.

Not quite in our area, but still under consideration:

Run For Your Lives Zombie 5k - Austin, Texas. December 15, 2012 (We've talked about signing up as zombies, which drops the price from $75+ per participant to $25. You can still run in a later wave if you choose, but you won't be eligible for prizes. On the plus side, it's a professional zombie make-up job. Sweet! Matt's less than enthused about the December date).

Texas Spartan Sprint - Burnet, Tx, May 18/19, 2013. Distnace is around 4 miles with 10+ obstacles.