Windmill 10K

On Sunday morning, I ran another DSE race in San Francisco.  This was a 10K race that went up and back down Golden Gate Park, starting and finishing at the windmills near the Great Highway.  I'd trained quite well for the past few weeks and tried my best to do quality workouts while on blizzard-cation in New Jersey  :> In addition, my coach had planned some tuning-workouts last week that were hard in a very good way.

I ran the race in 46:36 (7:29 pace) and was the 5th overall woman!! This is a personal best for me, and it represents a breakthrough in my race pace since the Fall.  Soooo, what does a breakthrough race feel like?

Well, I did a good warm up and lined up near the front.  It was a clear, cool, and crisp morning for a race. I worked hard but not too hard in the first mile.  I checked my heartrate and trusted my coach that Zone 4 was okay for racing, and that I could hang on for 40+ minutes in Zone 4. I focused on people in front of me and closing the gap. I also paid attention to the terrain---if it was flatter, I pushed myself, if it was the end of an uphill, I'd work my arms, and if it was a downhill, I'd let myself cruise.  I reminded myself it was only 6 miles and celebrated getting to the turnaround at 3.1 miles :) I also reminded myself that it was supposed to hurt and to go that "hurty" place :O

With less than a mile left, I just told myself to bring it in and keep moving.  I was pretty out of it for the last 1/2 mile and really could only concentrate on one stride at a time.  There's something about driving down to the finish line in which your vision ONLY sees the finish line. Woh, I think I might be addicted to 10Ks!

No sun Sunday

Today, I am grateful for the Bay Area's fog! I had a strong 11 mile run in Alameda--with obscured views of SF ;)

I ran most of the workout in zone 2 and am finally learning how zone 2 feels. Zone 2 is the Goldilocks pace, which is not too easy & not too hard. I ran the last 2+ miles in zone 3, which meant that my endurance muscles had to kick it up a couple notches, and, you know what?? It was fun!

This coming week's training plan includes a track workout and a couple longer runs, which should be challenging. I think it'll be key to take good care of myself, including a bit of post-vacation detox.

Heap of heat

Running on the east coast in July requires, well, huevos!!

To get in a 10 miler, I got on the road at 5:45 am and still encountered humidity & heat. On the bright side, I got to explore a lovely neighborhood in Philadelphia. And, the greenery and wildlife (deer, bunnies, and squirrels) are precious :)

Ten miler

For this week's long run, I did a 10 mile progression run. I went back to Alameda since I can do a flat route on a nice (and safe) path/trail without dealing with cars or traffic lights!

I started out really easy and let myself ease into the run. By mile 3, I ready to work a little harder but kept running at a pretty easy pace. For miles 4-7, I ran just under 10 minute pace. At mile 7, I picked it up to Zone 3, so my last 3 miles were the fastest. At one point, my legs wanted to go faster, but my heart rate was already high enough, which cued me to back off a little bit to conserve energy for a good finish. It was getting hot, but I kept telling myself to run strong and finished with some speed :) Once I cooled down, stretched, and drank some water, I really didn't feel like I'd run 10 miles....I suppose that's a sign that I'm getting in shape ;P

Next week will be nutsarella, so I'll be cramming in a few workouts, including hill repeats and fab fartleks!

This week

I've been following my coach's lower mileage philosophy but ran 32 miles this week. My legs are feeling stronger, and I think my running form is improving, too! It seems like every workout includes some type of 'quality' OR is an easy-paced recovery run.

Today's workout was an 8 mile progression run. I drove out to Walnut Creek for a flat running route---even though the temperature is higher out there. The first few miles were at a really easy pace, but I started working around mile 4 (Zone 2). BTW- I'm learning that the high end of Zone 2 is still fairly easy but requires me to concentrate and not just jog around ;O

Then, for miles 6-8, I maintained a medium-hard pace (Zone 3), which was about 8:30 pace. At the end of the run, I felt like I'd worked hard but wasn't completely wiped out, which is a good thing :)

Progression run

I woke up too early (after not enough sleep) to get my workout in before the heat arrived. I drove out to Alameda and started the run at a nice & easy pace (zone 1-2). At mile 3, I picked it up to 8:50 pace, which felt really good. That pace, on the flat waterfront trail, made my legs happy :) At mile 5, the real work began......So, I pretended like I was running another 5K and dropped to 7:54 pace. At that point, I could feel a bit of tiredness in my legs, and I was breathing very hard (zone 4). I jogged for a couple minutes and then walked for a few minutes to cooldown. Best part of the cooldown---getting an iced latte!

Testing

Today's 20 minute fitness test was a beastly way to start a Friday. I warmed up and incorporated three 20 second sprints/strides. I had to stop and re-position my heart rate monitor due to a SNAFU :O Then the fun began with the first mile at 7:47, then 8:06--at which point my legs felt like jello!! But, truckin' onwards, I hit sub 8:00 pace for the last half mile.

When I finished the 20 minute interval, I felt downright woozy, and my system did not know which way was up....Overall, I ran just over 2.5 miles in 20 minutes and gave it my all. Now I'm curled up with coffee, a blueberry muffin, and some good music.

Something new

For the past couple runs, I've been wearing my heartrate monitor.

On Friday, it was an epic fail because, according to the monitor, I took a nap a few minutes into the tempo run....In other words, the monitor's band failed to get accurate readings from my heart. Oops. Today, I do think that I got clear data from my 7 mile run, and I learned that big hills definitely pushes up my heartrate!! So, I'd like to keep tracking my heartrate to figure out more about my pacing.

Graphing and analyzing

Here's my heart rate data from today's run...Generally, I should run my general endurance/easy-medium runs in the 132-142 bpm zone. Uphill running works your heart differently, so up to 153 is alright. Today's run involved a long, gradual uphill to Piedmont Avenue, and then a nice downhill back home. And it seems that my heart rate really evens out in the high 130s toward the end of the run (picture perfect, in my humble opinion!). I'm not completely sure how this heart rate data is helping me, but I've got a bit of extra time on my hands and am taking advantage of Garmalade's diverse functions!!

Heart to heart

I'm trying to use my Garmalade's heart rate monitor. So, I calculated my maximum heart rate (around 189 beats per minute) based on a formula from Runners World. And then I determined my endurance heart rate zone (123-142).

And, on today's run, I averaged 139 bpm. Pretty neat, eh?!?! It was cool to see how my heart rate went up *a lot* on big ole hills AND how my rate went way down while running downhills or jogging. But there are still things to figure out, since the monitor's band is not that comfortable (fits by the bottom band of my sports bra) and I'm not completely sure what my precise maximum rate is....