Happy birthday

Last week, my hubby gave me an early birthday present....a Bosu ball! I've been learning how to do fun arm & core work, such as push ups and planks on the ball. It's a good kind of ouch ;)

Today, which is my actual birthday, I woke up early to do a base run with 5 hill sprints. I felt strong in Zone 2 and concentrated on my sprinting form during the hill sprints. And, my copy of the Hudson training book arrived in the mail this afternoon! I can't wait to read it to learn more about the importance of hill sprints and the method behind the madness of Fartleks! Apparently, my coach's training philosophy is aligned with Hudson's....

Tonight, I'll be celebrating AND making a running-related wish!!!

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!

Champions

First off---congrats to the USA soccer team for a legendary goal this morning. WOW!!

Cookies and red wine is not a dinner of champions....and maybe I learned my lesson about doing a hard workout after a not so ideal dinner! Today's fartlek workout was tough, and I did the four repeats. But after cooling down, my tummy let me know that it wasn't too happy with me :(

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 :)

Love at first step

My new running shoes are.....

Nikes! They just felt oh-so-right at the running store (Transports in Oakland). I've had a few couple great workouts in them and now need to deal with the accumulation of beat up running shoes floating around our place!

Ace of Base

This is my base training period, and I'm enjoying (and acing, if I do say so myself!) my base runs. These workouts are meant to be strong and steady, with my heart rate in zones 1 &2, so not too easy OR too hard :)

Today's just-right run was 6.8 miles at 10:10 pace with a few hills (thanks to Oakland's up and down terrain).

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!

Five hills, five things about me

Today's workout include five, 20-second hill sprints. My legs burned as I pumped my arms and huffed and puffed up the hill! Here are five things about me:

1) My favorite birthday cake had pink buttercream frosting and a ballerina cake topper on it

2) I used to sort and analyze my Halloween candy

3) In high school, I was obsessed with the Velvet Underground

4) Seeing the gray whale migration in Baja was incredible

5) My favorite cocktail is either an Old Fashioned or a caipirinha

Polo Field 5K

My coach encouraged me to race a 5K because racing helps you gauge your fitness/heart rate zones and gives you practice in pacing, racing, and dealing with pain :> So, I found a DSE 5K (3.1 miles) race in Golden Gate Park. This morning, I had a good breakfast (1/2 bagel w/ peanut butter & coffee) and sipped gatorade while driving over to SF. Then I jogged two warm up miles with Jenica and threw in three strides. I got nervous and took a gel about 10 minutes before the start.

Mile 1 included a fun downhill and my pace (7:22) felt too easy--probably thanks to adrenaline. But the second mile had a serious, neverending uphill (earned an 8:14 pace). I reminded myself that I run lots of hills where I live and kept working up the hill. It really helped me to focus on a man just in front of me, and then I passed him on a flatter section. Next, I targeted a woman in front of me.....I really worked to gain on the woman and was close behind her at the very top of the hill. My legs burned (third mile @ 7:52), and I kept checking that I was in zone 4, which is sub-threshold....Translation?? Painful!!

With about half a mile to go, I tried convincing myself that I was just doing an 800 interval on the track and really worked my legs. This part was downhill (final .14 @ 7:00 pace), but by the finish, I was pretty out of it. I finished in 24:26 and felt totally woozy & pukey in the finish chute. Later, I found out that I was the 6th overall woman!! This race was a successful 5K experience, and I'm happy with my new speed & strength training.

Wish list

Something about summertime and perhaps my upcoming birthday (32!!) is causing me to have a serious hankering for some new running gear:

1) Snazzy running skirt

2) Bosu for functional training (ie- core & arms)

3) Yummy socks

4) Black running hat

5) Oh, and I need new shoes (I think I'll reconvert to Brooks), too :)

I tend to purchase my running gear from a variety of places....Online, I've found great deals at runningwarehouse.com. So, my hubby is well-accustomed to packages arriving in the mail with squeaky running shoes!! But I like shopping locally at Transports in Oakland and Berkeley or Sports Basement (with megastores in SF).

Swim on

Happy National Running Day! Whether you're running a mile or a marathon, playing tag, ORsetting records, you ARE a runner. I truly believe that us humans are designed to run.

I celebrated my runner-dom by going for a swim at a public pool in Oakland :) Today was a rest day, so I took it easy and enjoyed swimming some laps of breaststroke . In the water, I could feel my arms, chest, and back working, and now my triceps and back are sore, but in a good way.Tomorrow's coach-prescribed workout includes a ladder at 5K pace....should cause some pain!

Yup, this is my swimsuit, cap, and goggles!