monday, 16 miles . . .
2 mile warm up
4 mile tempo (5:20)
4 min. easy
3 mile tempo
3 min. easy
2 mile tempo
2 min. easy
1 mile tempo
2.5 mile cool down
tuesday, 10 miles . . .
6 miles easy
8 X strides with full recovery
wednesday, 8 miles . . .
thursday, 13 miles . . .
friday, 18 miles . . .
saturday, 5 miles . . .
2 miles easy
6 X strides with full recovery
. . . i regretted not running on this beautiful morning. though i will say, my muscles needed the rest and it was good to not have to wake up too incredibly early (as i must do if i am to run on a sunday morning). but getting my breakfast and seeing the early morning sky filled with reds and pinks and dark blues and clouds streaked and no wind and no rain, i was so tempted.
. . . this could have been one of the tougher workouts of my ever so short running career. besides being so incredibly long (10 miles of tempo), mentally it was grueling. i did my warm up and was greeted once again by my new friend the blue heron. nearly in the exact place as last friday. again he did not allow me the joy of watching his flight.
next i went to the bathroom and when i came out the track was overtaken by runners. i actually don't mind this. speedwork is so difficult for me and even more so by yourself. and although none of them run with me, i use them for encouragement nonetheless. i imagine that they know what my planned workout is, along with proper paces, and that my watch is forever before their eyes. they are my accountability, they push me along. they guy in lane eight, the old timer cinched in spandex. the newbie in lane one wearing his hooded sweatshirt. the faithful pair in lanes four and five who seem more fitted for lifting, yet have found a certain peace in running. they pushed me through my first four miles. but at the end of those four, i felt so weak, so spent, i had no idea how i would finish this workout, let alone hit the next three at tempo. i tried to just focus on those four minutes of easy pace, not on what was to come. i tried to relax my breathing, to live in those four minutes. to stretch those four minutes. to allow them to spread throughout my whole being, slowing my heart, giving me strength.
and then i was off again. three miles at tempo. and somehow, i found strength, reserve that i didn't know was even there. my mind was allowed to float free for the first mile without really focusing while at the same time hitting my tempo. mile two was difficult. i tried focusing. my mental image of the child. running for running's sake. for pure joy. running free. with that mile over and only one more to go, i felt better even though it was still a push. and now only three minutes of rest. it's just not long enough. i tried some of the same tricks. i tried to convince myself of my own strength, of my will, of my ability. that i am fast, fast enough. that it was only ten minutes. and what is ten minutes anyway?
and then i was off again. two miles at tempo. already feel weak, but able to push through the first half mile and a bit of the rest of that mile. but then things fall apart. every muscle is strained, i'm tensing while trying to relax while trying to push. things continue to go down hill. but then it is over. two minutes of rest. two minutes is nothing. i have been defeated but i will not bow down. not with only one mile to go. i will finish this workout or die trying. this may be the slowest tempo in history, but i'm going to do it. and i did and it was.
. . . a laughably clunky beginning to this run. will it be this painful for the next hour? i made the mistake of running all of my tempo work without switching directions on the track. my right butt has paid for this oversight. fortunately i did some yoga last night and just after i made it off of my street the pain ceased. it has warmed up considerably today. after the six miles at easy, i stop by my house and shed one pair of gloves and my long sleeve shirt, shoving them in my mail box, keeping my hat company which i left at the beginning of my run. so tempting to just walk into my house without doing these strides. got to keep going. don't even think about doing that. first stride feels a little clunky and slow. but as they progress, i'm getting faster and faster. i'm able to actually focus on relaxing, lengthening my stride, and a quick turnover. even the recovery at easy pace between each one becomes progressively easier. i'm consistently eight seconds faster than this pace even though i feel like i'm running slow. this shows me that my body is adapting to this training regimen. i remember just two weeks ago having to struggle to keep my easy pace between these strides. about an hour after my run, the rains came pummeling down. i love when i miss the rain.
. . . a powerful harsh wind. so fierce all the power in my neighborhood has gone out including the traffic lights, which made for an interesting drive downtown. the wind was like a river current for the first few miles of my run, pushing me along it's course. before i turned into it, i was seven seconds faster than my easy pace. but now it is in my face. at times this running feels anaerobic and i have to push into or fear for going backwards. shorter run than expected, my alarm didn't wake up.
. . . the wind and rains have both died down. the sky was amazing, clouds streaking, the mountains peaking out, the sun bringing soft pinks, just the thinnest of layers. i felt powerful during most of this run. really on top of this easy pace. felt like i could have gone all day. until i hit those last two miles. i wonder if it is a nutrition thing, if i need to start taking in some calories during runs that are longer than ten miles. whatever the case, things just came a lot harder. but i kept my pace. i really didn't want to do this run. i got out of bed a little after 6:30 and pictured myself just going back to sleep. so much of me wanted to. on this side of the run, i'm glad that i didn't.
. . . and again i miss the rains, this time by mere minutes, mere minutes i tell you. just as i'm walking to my front door, the heavens break loose. mass flooding the rest of the day, cars and trucks pushing hard through large puddles on the side of the road, spraying water, cascading over the side walk, the very same sidewalk i was running on this morning. my timing has been perfect this week. though tomorrow looks less than hopeful.
stage one of this 18 miler was one of mass overheating. i mistook the temperature quite largely. fortunately five miles into the run, i was by the church and dropped off my under shirt and thicker gloves in my office. this actually turned out great because i could drink water from our cooler, cold and refreshing. i also had to visit the port-a-potty a half mile from the church.
stage two was the greatest part of the run. from mile five to the willamette track at mile eleven, i felt great. perfect body temp. now, my right hamstring which was a little tight (not hurt mind you) had loosened up considerably, my stride felt long, i was cruising easily.
stage three was the most boring. for some reason i decided to do two miles around the track. even now i don't know why. it seems like i had a few reasons, next to a bathroom and water fountain (which i used both), some good flat before the hills back, didn't feel like hitting downtown traffic, etc, whatever.
stage four was difficult but triumphant. four hills. the first on a mulch path. the second a long but relatively gentle grade. the third shorter but steeper. the last even shorter and much steeper. surprisingly, i kept my pace without much of a push. i think back to this same route (only without the track work making it 15 miles) and how hard it was at this pace two weeks ago. this is encouraging.
stage five, the final three miles was sheer death and misery. i was cruising downhill thinking myself home free when a vicious side ache similar to the one from last week hit me. this small ball of fiery pain in my lower right lung, making it difficult to breath and even stand up straight. i considered stopping, lifting my hands over my head, and deep breath the thing out. but then i had this thought . . . what if this happened in my marathon? what would you do? would you really just stop to work it out? my will answered back with a resounding NO!! never. this is my commitment, to never stop and walk during a race, not even last august when i had broke my foot on a 5k. you've got to figure this out. you've got to keep your pace and attempt to breath it out or else just suffer through it. but do not slow down, do not stop. i wish i could say that in the face of this resolve the side ache quivered back into it's lair from which it came, but that was not the case. it stuck with me until the 18 miles was complete.
. . . and again i miss the rains, this time by mere minutes, mere minutes i tell you. just as i'm walking to my front door, the heavens break loose. mass flooding the rest of the day, cars and trucks pushing hard through large puddles on the side of the road, spraying water, cascading over the side walk, the very same sidewalk i was running on this morning. my timing has been perfect this week. though tomorrow looks less than hopeful.
stage one of this 18 miler was one of mass overheating. i mistook the temperature quite largely. fortunately five miles into the run, i was by the church and dropped off my under shirt and thicker gloves in my office. this actually turned out great because i could drink water from our cooler, cold and refreshing. i also had to visit the port-a-potty a half mile from the church.
stage two was the greatest part of the run. from mile five to the willamette track at mile eleven, i felt great. perfect body temp. now, my right hamstring which was a little tight (not hurt mind you) had loosened up considerably, my stride felt long, i was cruising easily.
stage three was the most boring. for some reason i decided to do two miles around the track. even now i don't know why. it seems like i had a few reasons, next to a bathroom and water fountain (which i used both), some good flat before the hills back, didn't feel like hitting downtown traffic, etc, whatever.
stage four was difficult but triumphant. four hills. the first on a mulch path. the second a long but relatively gentle grade. the third shorter but steeper. the last even shorter and much steeper. surprisingly, i kept my pace without much of a push. i think back to this same route (only without the track work making it 15 miles) and how hard it was at this pace two weeks ago. this is encouraging.
stage five, the final three miles was sheer death and misery. i was cruising downhill thinking myself home free when a vicious side ache similar to the one from last week hit me. this small ball of fiery pain in my lower right lung, making it difficult to breath and even stand up straight. i considered stopping, lifting my hands over my head, and deep breath the thing out. but then i had this thought . . . what if this happened in my marathon? what would you do? would you really just stop to work it out? my will answered back with a resounding NO!! never. this is my commitment, to never stop and walk during a race, not even last august when i had broke my foot on a 5k. you've got to figure this out. you've got to keep your pace and attempt to breath it out or else just suffer through it. but do not slow down, do not stop. i wish i could say that in the face of this resolve the side ache quivered back into it's lair from which it came, but that was not the case. it stuck with me until the 18 miles was complete.
. . . and now today i leave for camp, but before i go, i must finish these final 5 miles. alarm failed to wake me up again, fortunately had enough buffer time to still get in this run and make it to the church ten minutes before everyone else. i hate telling everyone as the leader to be there at a certain time and then arrive late. i felt really slow for the meager 2 mile warm up, right leg still sore in the butt and hamstring. loosened up in time for the strides. however those felt exceptionally slow. not a great way to end a week of training but at least i got in all my miles during a crazy week (more of this sort of craziness will follow) and i beat out the rain once again.
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