Workouts - October 19, 2015
This one is a bit late, because I was away over the weekend. I turned down the volume and intensity this past week, as a mini taper before my half marathon on Sunday.
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5.3 @ 8:43 on my favorite loop around town. This was the run where I busted out my new shoes and broke them in a little. These shoes are going to get me through two half marathons and a 10k, then take over when my current pair starts feeling too soggy.
Wednesday: 5.6 @ 8:32, tried to keep it fairly flat and close to home. This is easier said than done in Birmingham, and I usually end up running along the train tracks and through the industrial park. It's not scenic, but it works.
Thursday: 5.1 @ 8:42. This was the last "real" run before my race, and it was a fartlek workout on the treadmill. McMillan says to do a fartlek run three days out, so I figured why not?! I don't really follow any particular training plan, and I prefer to listen to my body and consult popular plans like McMillan. It was fun to feel some speed in my legs without totally exhausting myself.
Friday: Just my hour-long vinyasa yoga class. It felt weird walking straight into class cold, because I normally run beforehand.
Saturday: I planned to do a little 2-3 mile shakeout, but that totally didn't happen for me. As it turned out, Saturday was bonkers insane. My husband decided a while back that he wanted to do a 16-mile trail race at a nearby state park, so we were up early. We had to get the dog to the kennel and drive to his race, toddler in tow. We got him there 10 minutes before the start! He ended up winning second overall and a big cash prize, so I'm glad we went. I really enjoy the trailhead scene at these races. W can run around and play with other feral runners' kids, and I can make good decisions like grabbing beer and potato chips from the aid station. Which I did. YOLO.
We hung around the trailhead for a while, chatted with friends, and had some snacks. Nate's running buddy won first overall, so we took some silly pictures. We are actually planning to run a trail ultramarathon this December as a four-person relay team -- the running buddy, his fast wife, Nate, and me. Relay = we all get to run, and no babysitters needed. After that, it was back home to grab our luggage, eat quick lunches, and drive to Chattanooga. I was trying not to stress (as I am prone to do before big races), so once we arrived we just strolled a few miles around downtown Chattanooga to relax. No shakeout.
Sunday: Race day! I jogged the 1.7 miles to the starting area for the race very, very slowly. I took my time and really shook my legs out. It was pretty cold out, so I was glad to get my blood pumping. I ran the half marathon at an 8:10 pace, beautiful splits, no wall in sight, and had a fantastic time. That should have brought me in to the finish line at 1:47:xx, but because of a slight problem with the course (which affected all runners similarly), my official time was recorded as 1:41:45. I'm trying to be a good sport about the timing error, but I am completely elated with my race result. I will do a recap later in the week, of course. I ran a very strong race, with even splits and less than 5 seconds of walking, and I'm super excited to see what I can accomplish now with the rest of fall. Oh, and P.S. I didn't feel ANY pain during the race, and I am fairly confident the hip injury is behind me (KNOCK KNOCK).
I'm planning a few posts about the race when I can make the time, but for now, I'll leave you with this photo of my mean mug at mile 12:
Have a great time this week, everyone!
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 5.3 @ 8:43 on my favorite loop around town. This was the run where I busted out my new shoes and broke them in a little. These shoes are going to get me through two half marathons and a 10k, then take over when my current pair starts feeling too soggy.
 |
| This is not relevant to the post, except to show you the beautiful from-scratch apple butter and pie spice rolls I made. And my slippers. Two things that are very important to race week. |
Wednesday: 5.6 @ 8:32, tried to keep it fairly flat and close to home. This is easier said than done in Birmingham, and I usually end up running along the train tracks and through the industrial park. It's not scenic, but it works.
Thursday: 5.1 @ 8:42. This was the last "real" run before my race, and it was a fartlek workout on the treadmill. McMillan says to do a fartlek run three days out, so I figured why not?! I don't really follow any particular training plan, and I prefer to listen to my body and consult popular plans like McMillan. It was fun to feel some speed in my legs without totally exhausting myself.
Friday: Just my hour-long vinyasa yoga class. It felt weird walking straight into class cold, because I normally run beforehand.
Saturday: I planned to do a little 2-3 mile shakeout, but that totally didn't happen for me. As it turned out, Saturday was bonkers insane. My husband decided a while back that he wanted to do a 16-mile trail race at a nearby state park, so we were up early. We had to get the dog to the kennel and drive to his race, toddler in tow. We got him there 10 minutes before the start! He ended up winning second overall and a big cash prize, so I'm glad we went. I really enjoy the trailhead scene at these races. W can run around and play with other feral runners' kids, and I can make good decisions like grabbing beer and potato chips from the aid station. Which I did. YOLO.
 |
| My badass husband wrecking a 16-mile trail race in 2:15:58. Ca$h money, y'all. |
We hung around the trailhead for a while, chatted with friends, and had some snacks. Nate's running buddy won first overall, so we took some silly pictures. We are actually planning to run a trail ultramarathon this December as a four-person relay team -- the running buddy, his fast wife, Nate, and me. Relay = we all get to run, and no babysitters needed. After that, it was back home to grab our luggage, eat quick lunches, and drive to Chattanooga. I was trying not to stress (as I am prone to do before big races), so once we arrived we just strolled a few miles around downtown Chattanooga to relax. No shakeout.
 |
| Toddler on the loose at the trailhead. |
Sunday: Race day! I jogged the 1.7 miles to the starting area for the race very, very slowly. I took my time and really shook my legs out. It was pretty cold out, so I was glad to get my blood pumping. I ran the half marathon at an 8:10 pace, beautiful splits, no wall in sight, and had a fantastic time. That should have brought me in to the finish line at 1:47:xx, but because of a slight problem with the course (which affected all runners similarly), my official time was recorded as 1:41:45. I'm trying to be a good sport about the timing error, but I am completely elated with my race result. I will do a recap later in the week, of course. I ran a very strong race, with even splits and less than 5 seconds of walking, and I'm super excited to see what I can accomplish now with the rest of fall. Oh, and P.S. I didn't feel ANY pain during the race, and I am fairly confident the hip injury is behind me (KNOCK KNOCK).
I'm planning a few posts about the race when I can make the time, but for now, I'll leave you with this photo of my mean mug at mile 12:
 |
| Game face. |
Have a great time this week, everyone!
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