Yes, if you read the fine print, the turkey man has "all natural breasts" :) Week 4: Alright, stupid title I know, but bear with me. This week takes control and lots of it. As usual, I have 3 runs to absolutely dominate, the sprint, tempo, and long run. I am signed up for the CU-ICAR Turkey Trot for Thanksgiving morning, which is an 8k. Question is, do I substitute this out for the sprint or the tempo day? I do not want to be a slave to my Garmin on this day attempting to hit certain paces, I want to run free, like the turkey who crossed the road in several lame jokes we all have heard, o.k., it was a chicken, but who cares anyway. I would normally run this 8k "all out" in an attempt to PR or win my age group. But, not this year. This year is different, my goal is not to win the Turkey trot, my goal is to start the Albany marathon on March 5th. All too often I've gotten excited about local events and hammered forgetting that I'm actually digging a hole, one that encompasses overtraining and an overzealousness to have immediate gratification, to receive immediate results. No Danielson, I must be patient. I must slow for I will be running 20 miles on Sunday. I am committed to run this Turkey Trot as a training run, pacing wisely, giving 80% or so. I am not a shovel, I will not dig holes. I will rest and be well watered and planted so that the fruits of my labor will blossom on March 5th and not a single day before.
11/22 TEMPO- Goal 1 mile easy, 4 miles at 7:50, 1 mile easy. I had a little bit of a tough time getting motivated after working a swing shift at work, but out the healthcare center I went to run in overcast conditions with my good friend Danette. After the quick warm-up I settled in, hitting an exact 7:50 split for mile one. Good, I thought, right on it. As I ran the rollers out to Central and back I kept a constant eye on my Garmin. I was running too fast, but warming up nicely. I made a determined and very disciplined move to slow down. Why you say? Why do you slow down? No, my race is not today, I don't want to dig holes. Stick to the plan! And, taking much effort, I did slow, although I wanted to be the horse to the barn. My last tempo mile being 7:49. Working with Alzheimer's patients everyday teaches me patience, and to a certain degree, tempo running has that same effect. Run the plan now so you can run the race on race day.
Tempo avg: 7:43
Avg. HR 160
11/25 Trees for Greenville Turkey Trot (sprint day). BE SMART!! OK, I DID 'IT' AND 'IT' TOOK A CONCERTED EFFORT!! I RAN SMART AND DID NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE HUBBUB, OR THE THRILL OF THE RACE. I RAN MY RACE!! I'M VERY EMPHATICALLY TYPING THIS IN ALL CAPPS BECAUSE THIS WAS GOOD DISCIPLINE! Here is the scoop:
The day that was dreary and damper, did not put a hamper, on our Turkey Day scamper. Danette and I used this as a training run, a way to have fun, and a means to eat a ton.
I ran a solid sprint pace, because this is not my race, Albany marathon is the place!!!
I was smoked at the end, by guys sprinting with big ego heads,
Huffing and Puffing
but, did I even care or dare to stare?
NO! because today is not my race.
Last year I ran this at a 7:04 pace with an avg. HR of 172! This year, 7:24 pace with avg. HR 162, 10 solid beats less. I did not dig a hole today and feel confident that I can accomplish my first 20 mile run this Sunday at the given pace.
Special Congratulations to Danette who placed 2nd in her age group on our training run. Her prize was a very green coffee mug, but her true prize was the confidence she gained that will spill over to her long run later this week.
11/28 Goal: 20 mile run at 9:23 pace. My longest run EVER was completed today! I started out at 0730 with Amber and a random girl she knew named Shelly, who was running 11 at a faster clip. Amber was going to just run for fun not knowing that she herself would end up with about 18.5 miles. An hour into the run we looped back and picked up two more runners who would split and do 10 and 15 miles each. It was nice having at one point 5 runners in a pack! The miles were ticking by and the sun was warming us up. The stinky waste treatment plant and the smell of old beer from last night's Clemson game could not keep our spirits down. I felt good today, building confidence, practicing trying to open those little hammer gel packs with my very cold hands. My dexterity sucked and I generally would pass the gel over to someone else who would easily open it for me. I'm thankful for great friends! At mile 12 my feet began to hurt, but whoa is me and you just got to keep going. I practiced gel-ing responsibly today and never felt my energy drop. My cardio is good, it is my body that aches. With .2 miles to go I saw an old crusty sign and pretended it was the banner I would run under at Albany. I threw my hands up victoriously as I crossed under the rusty metal piping. And, then I ran straight into the woods for a quick potty break. Sweet relief. It is hard for me to fathom that I just ran for 3 HOURS! And, that I would run for another 6 miles in the marathon. Today, I practiced running very upright at the end, with good steady form. I know I will be ready to run 26 on marathon day.
11/22 TEMPO- Goal 1 mile easy, 4 miles at 7:50, 1 mile easy. I had a little bit of a tough time getting motivated after working a swing shift at work, but out the healthcare center I went to run in overcast conditions with my good friend Danette. After the quick warm-up I settled in, hitting an exact 7:50 split for mile one. Good, I thought, right on it. As I ran the rollers out to Central and back I kept a constant eye on my Garmin. I was running too fast, but warming up nicely. I made a determined and very disciplined move to slow down. Why you say? Why do you slow down? No, my race is not today, I don't want to dig holes. Stick to the plan! And, taking much effort, I did slow, although I wanted to be the horse to the barn. My last tempo mile being 7:49. Working with Alzheimer's patients everyday teaches me patience, and to a certain degree, tempo running has that same effect. Run the plan now so you can run the race on race day.
Tempo avg: 7:43
Avg. HR 160
11/25 Trees for Greenville Turkey Trot (sprint day). BE SMART!! OK, I DID 'IT' AND 'IT' TOOK A CONCERTED EFFORT!! I RAN SMART AND DID NOT GET CAUGHT IN THE HUBBUB, OR THE THRILL OF THE RACE. I RAN MY RACE!! I'M VERY EMPHATICALLY TYPING THIS IN ALL CAPPS BECAUSE THIS WAS GOOD DISCIPLINE! Here is the scoop:
The day that was dreary and damper, did not put a hamper, on our Turkey Day scamper. Danette and I used this as a training run, a way to have fun, and a means to eat a ton.
I ran a solid sprint pace, because this is not my race, Albany marathon is the place!!!
I was smoked at the end, by guys sprinting with big ego heads,
Huffing and Puffing
but, did I even care or dare to stare?
NO! because today is not my race.
Last year I ran this at a 7:04 pace with an avg. HR of 172! This year, 7:24 pace with avg. HR 162, 10 solid beats less. I did not dig a hole today and feel confident that I can accomplish my first 20 mile run this Sunday at the given pace.
Special Congratulations to Danette who placed 2nd in her age group on our training run. Her prize was a very green coffee mug, but her true prize was the confidence she gained that will spill over to her long run later this week.
11/28 Goal: 20 mile run at 9:23 pace. My longest run EVER was completed today! I started out at 0730 with Amber and a random girl she knew named Shelly, who was running 11 at a faster clip. Amber was going to just run for fun not knowing that she herself would end up with about 18.5 miles. An hour into the run we looped back and picked up two more runners who would split and do 10 and 15 miles each. It was nice having at one point 5 runners in a pack! The miles were ticking by and the sun was warming us up. The stinky waste treatment plant and the smell of old beer from last night's Clemson game could not keep our spirits down. I felt good today, building confidence, practicing trying to open those little hammer gel packs with my very cold hands. My dexterity sucked and I generally would pass the gel over to someone else who would easily open it for me. I'm thankful for great friends! At mile 12 my feet began to hurt, but whoa is me and you just got to keep going. I practiced gel-ing responsibly today and never felt my energy drop. My cardio is good, it is my body that aches. With .2 miles to go I saw an old crusty sign and pretended it was the banner I would run under at Albany. I threw my hands up victoriously as I crossed under the rusty metal piping. And, then I ran straight into the woods for a quick potty break. Sweet relief. It is hard for me to fathom that I just ran for 3 HOURS! And, that I would run for another 6 miles in the marathon. Today, I practiced running very upright at the end, with good steady form. I know I will be ready to run 26 on marathon day.
Distance: 20 miles
Avg. Pace: 9:14
Avg. HR: 146
nice analogies wein! i have definitely gotten caught up in not-"A"-races; i've always blamed it on my competitiveness though (instead of hardheadedness) :)
ReplyDeleteyou never know, your not-all-out-pace may still earn you an AG award!
hope you have a happy thanksgiving, and good luck in the turkey trot!
Thanks Z! You are more competitive than hardheaded for sure :)haha.... Feel like joining me on a long run in Clemson on Sunday? The more the merrier I say. 9:23 pace.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you as well!