Post-race

From John Stanton's, "Running" (page 385)

This is the time to think of maintaining the level of performance your body has reached as an athlete. The key to maintaining your level of fitness is a maintenance program while you contemplate a new goal.

For the 10K racer, keep your long run in the 8K range and use your new level of fitness to run some fast 5Ks. Your base training is in place, and you can use 5K races to improve your overall self-assurance and speed.

Half marathon runners can schedule a long run of 12K to maintain their endurance. The half marathon runner on the off weekends can schedule some 10K races to work on strength, speed and self-confidence.

How often can we race?

From John Stanton's, "Running" (page 379)

For the most part, the longer the race, the greater the stress endured by the runner. For the trained runner, the rule of one day recovery for every kilometre raced is an intelligent guide. A 5K requires one week's recovery; a 10K racers can expect to run one every other weekend; half marathons one every two or three weeks; and full marathons one every month or two.

Your recovery time will be dependent on the intensity at which you race. The faster you race, the more recovery you will require.

Monthly Review - SEPTEMBER 2010

146.8 km TOTAL

18 hours 58 minutes TOTAL

6 1/2K instead of 9K, but that's okay ...

49:58

7:40 min/km

I slept in this morning and was soooo not feeling it when I got up this morning, but I forced myself out the door because I knew I would feel worse about not getting out. I actually felt a little stiff in the last few days because of my 12K and I have been thinking that I really should cut back on this week's mileage because I am running a 10K race this week i.e. I should be scaling back in preparation for it rather than trying to catch up on mileage for half marathon training. therefore, when I did head out the door with Kim, I took it easy and by the time I hit 4K, I knew 9K really was not feasible so I cut myself off at 6 1/2K. I am also going to take tomorrow off (I usually don't run on Fridays anyway), and I will head out for an easy 5K on Saturday as a warm-up to my 10K race on Sunday. Although sluggish, it ended up being a better run than expected and I am so glad I didn't waste a great morning for running!

12K !!!!!!! I am thrilled!!!!

1:31:23

Pace 7:34 min/km

Look at that pace! I ran 12K at that pace without stopping! I have never done this before.

If you take a look at some previous posts (in particular, July 11, July 25 & Aug. 14), you will understand why I am so thrilled today. Back in July is when I started having problems with every run longer than 10K - I was struggling. This is why I found most of the training programs I was looking at confusing because they all ASSUME that the runner can add 1-2K or 1 mile EVERY week to the long run minimum, but I couldn't understand why I had to keep adding mileage when I had clearly hit a wall. I had the same experience in the 10K running club last year. Very frustrating. I have learned since then through my reading from various sources that this is NOT uncommon, and why many trainers insist you need to listen to your body. When you look back at my long run posts, you can see that I was not progressing "according to schedule" and the only way I got over this hump was by starting a 10:1 run/walk method for the long runs.

So this brings me to today, when I was simultaneously excited and overwhelmed by the idea of running 12K on a weekday as a training run when I have yet to run 12K without walking. To not only complete it by running it the way I do with my regular runs, but at the same pace, is just thrilling!

And thank goodness for this blog and previous posts because I have a record of how I was feeling and now, of how I persevered! :) :)

To address my lack of runs so far this week since my 18K long run ... I was scheduled for a 2 day rest and an 8K yesterday. However, it literally poured all morning and afternoon so I was unable to get outside for a run. Not a drizzly rain that some people can run in - a full on downpour that soaked anyone who walked a block or more. I am scheduled to be off tomorrow but will likely run 8K tomorrow, and run on my scheduled day off Saturday in order to meet my mileage goals for the week.

IT'S OFFICIAL !!!!!!!!

I AM REGISTERED TO RUN IN THE NIAGARA FALLS HALF MARATHON ON OCTOBER 24TH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

$90+ later (including the bus and taxes), I am REALLY doing it! :) :) :)

Week NINE - Half Marathon Training - Sept. 27-Oct.3

Monday - OFF

Tuesday - 8K

Wednesday - 12K

Thursday - OFF

Friday - 9K

Saturday - OFF

Sunday - FESTIVAL CITY 10K

Total = 39K

18K :):):):):)

2:17:28

Pace 7:38 min/km

Very very very happy. :)

First, I decided Friday a.m. after a very poor night of sleep that I would not run. I had been planning to try to catch up on the days of running I had missed, but hesitated because of my scheduled long run on Saturday (today). What was more important to me - getting the mileage in for the week or doing well in my 18K? My lack of sleep helped to determine this for me. :(

It turns out that this was likely the best decision for me as I ran 18K today and it went very very well! ALL my splits except for the 16K were in the 7:30 min/km zone which really excites me! I ran with Kim and Wallace, who were great running partners, and the weather was perfect for running (10 degrees C, overcast). I ran into some issues with an ALS Walk in the park - the very large group of walkers blocked the majority of the footpath so I spent a great deal of time stop/starting at one point and running on grass/dirt along the side of the path in order to get around the walkers. In an odd sense, this might have helped me run better, in that I was concentrating so much on getting around everyone, I did not concentrate on my pace or my running much.

I think I am surprised to see that, even with the minute of walking every ten minutes, my pace is still comparable to my running pace in shorter runs. It is feeding my secretive hope that maybe I can run my first half marathon closer to 2:30 than not. I am still fascinated by how long 18K is - it blows me away that I am running all the way to Springbank Park (Byron), all the way around it, and then all the way out to Gibbons Park (North London). Wow wow wow. :) :) :)

I need to register by this Wednesday for the Niagara Falls half marathon if I REALLY am going to do it. Ben is gone for the weekend, but this is something we will need to discuss tomorrow after he gets back. :)

It helps that when I woke up this morning and put my running clothes, I suddenly noticed in the bathroom mirror how my hips have shrunk! :) :) I thought that it bode well for my long run.

10K ... a little late!

1:15

Pace 7:33 min/km

Guess who has been a bad runner this week?

Life (specifically school assignments) got in the way of running this week. I was up late a few nights and as a result, slept in rather than going for early morning runs. I made it out today with Kim and I am intending to make up for another missed 10K tomorrow morning. This will leave me 8K short for the week unless I go out Sunday, which might be pushing it since I have 18K scheduled for Saturday!

Kim went with me today and he was a superstar running partner. I had to stop at one point to pick up a soft poop (yuck!) and then had to run with it until I found a public garbage can (double yucky!). He stayed the course, in spite of barky dogs and tempting squirrels so he's my guy! :)

This is what I thought about while running this morning. I "usually" run 4 times per week. Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday are my days off. My sister is currently running 6 days a week on her new program with an optional second day off. I am not half as fit as my sister. I have been sticking to my plan because I feared over-training and hurting myself when I am in the process of losing weight and getting more fit. I hesitate running 6 days a week.

However, I have been leaning toward adding another day. Most programs have scheduled runs 5 days per week and my program was one of the few which had 4 days per week. I find it harder to get out to run after a day of rest and I am wondering if I might be more prone to stick to my training program is I added another day. I would rather add one day now and then, if I decide to follow this PR-prescribed training program, add a 6th day then.

It is suggested that we all exercise 6 days per week with one day off "officially" as a full rest day. I already run at a much slower, easier pace so I am thinking that adding another day is an additional fat burning workout of 45-70 minutes ... I will look at my schedule and see ....

WEEK EIGHT Half Marathon Training - Sept. 20-26

Monday - 10K

Tuesday - OFF

Wednesday - 10K

Thursday - 8K

Friday - OFF

Saturday - LONG RUN 18K

Sunday - OFF

My First 17K Ever! :)

2:16:05

Pace 8:01 min/km

The neat thing about all my posts for the next little while is that they will be a collection of firsts ... every weekend, by adding an additional K to my long run, means running another first! :) Very cool and I want to enjoy this aspect of my training.

I slept very poorly last night. We have company and gave them the master suite so we were in the basement room. First, we got to bed late. Second, my dog, Wallace, started baying @ 1:30 a.m. and I awoke in time to see someone's feet go by the basement window! Ben ran outside ready to catch the thief/vandal, but as it turns out, it was our neighbour. Her dog, Ralphie, the blood brother to Wallace, slipped by her at the door and decided to run over here to visit his brother! Credit to her for admitting it to Ben rather than remaining quiet about it. Unfortunately, we slept poorly for the remaining hours before Ben got up @ 4:30 a.m. to go hunting. I was so tired and wanted to stay in bed when my alarm went off, but my mom was aware that I had planned to get up @ 6:30 a.m. so guess who was tapping on the floor above my head as a friendly way to ensure I got up?!?!

So, in spite of my exhaustion, I went for my long run. My BIL dropped me off at one end of the city, the start of the Thames Valley trail, and I ran all the way downtown before taking another route by heading out to and past the University before returning home. 17K - wow! The last 1-1/2K were tough, but otherwise, I did okay! I honestly think the 10:1 run/walk is helping because it does a great job of breaking the run down into sections to concentrate on (i.e. I listen to two songs and concentrate on when I am going to hear my 1:00 minute lullaby denoting walk time rather than dwelling on how many K I have left).

I FINALLY remembered to bring my Starbucks Coffee card with me this time, but funnily enough, I was not in a mood for a coffee by the time I finished my run! :( I did use up all my water so I did buy a bottled water for my walk home.

Did you know that it is suggested that one does NOT stretch after a long run? My sister told me this and it makes good sense - I have naturally NOT stretched after my long runs, instead choosing to walk steadily for a longer period of time. When I told my sister I was doing this, she told me that it was the best thing to do. Karen is using a new training program for her upcoming half marathon (her third) and it is designed to help her break her current PR. She is really liking it, and sees a big improvement in her running. I am considering trying it for myself but will write about it in a separate post.

Next weekend - 18K !!!

Ran 8K Instead of 9K BUT Still Good on Me! :)

1:02

Pace 7:48 min/km

I feel like I should explain my pace. I actually had a half decent pace (for me) in the 7:20-7:30 zone. I checked my splits and I was good right until the last K which was done in 9:25 because I walked two hills and for the last 10m before turning the Garmin off! LOL!

Today it was POURING when I woke up and it kept raining and raining and raining all morning. I was thinking, bummer! After yesterday's run, I was actually looking forward to my 9K today see if I was moving past the mental block I wrote about earlier. At noon, the electricity went out on our street so NOTHING would work in the house - lights, oven, TV, computer, etc. There was nothing else to do BUT put on my running shoes and head out the door!

No dogs again - I am uptight about a course assignment that was due today that I was working on when the electricity went out (grrrrrrrr) so I knew I would be sensitive and grumpy with any misbehaviour so it was better to leave them at home. My run felt so sluggish and I made the mistake of wearing my running jacket because of the rain when I should have left it at home because I was soaked with my own sweat inside the jacket by the end of my run - yuck! I knew by the 5K mark that there was no runner's high or burst of energy that was going to kick in so I started chanting a little mantra to myself - get as close to 9K as you can, get as close to 9K as you can ... I also had remembered to take my Starbucks money card with me so that I could treat myself for the first time by getting coffee there on my walk home (my 9K path ends just behind the closest *$'s to my house and I never remember to bring money with me for coffee!). It made me smile to think that my motivation was coffee!

So that was my run - proud to get out in the middle of the day to run after all the rain when first thing in the morning is my best time. Proud that I persevered after feeling sluggish for the whole run. Proud that I made it to 8K when I wanted to stop at 4K ... and 5K ... and 6K ... and 7K ... !! Probably would not have gone running at all if I didn't have that great run yesterday.

And I have a music update! Picked up a new 5th generation iPod Shuffle from Best Buy yesterday - a silver with black one. Loving it so far, but the voice over voice is very odd!

Great 10K Today!

1:14:11

Pace 7:25 min/km

I am one happy camper about my run today! :)

It was a gorgeous sunny morning, but cool - 6 degrees C. I still wore shorts and a tech T, knowing that a 10K would warm me up (and it helps to have a baseball cap on, too!). I decided to go solo - I am not sure why, but I just felt like being by myself so all the mutts stayed home ... much to their displeasure because they rush to the door when they see my running clothes on, just hoping that they will be chosen to go along - pick me! pick me! :)

I sometimes wonder about my Garmin's accuracy because there are times when I look at the speed and know without a doubt that the speed it says I am going is inaccurate. I wonder what the time difference is between relaying the information to the satellite and back again because this might account for the "inaccuracy" I am seeing ...

Anyway (I use this word too often in my blog posts!), the run was steady and consistent - I felt strong throughout most of it, and I was stricter with myself for picking up the pace when I saw that I had slowed down. Today's time matches my 10K Embro race time so I am very pleased. I did not feel as strong in that race as I did today - maybe a combination of cooler weather and slightly improved running ability? :) Other runners and walkers seemed happier, too - they were quicker to say hello today and I even had one fellow say, "see you tomorrow morning!" as I ran by him a second time. My music was just right - upbeat when I needed a little more boost - and the "breeze-less" temperature was just right. You can tell by my upbeat post that I have a runner's high at the moment!

When I was running, I was thinking about why I seem to have hit this mental wall on weekly run mileage. A goal of mine since March has been to improve my running to the point that I am running for ~1 hour on average (9-10K). However, now that I am in that zone and my training schedule calls for 8K - 11K runs during the week, I am feeling a little overwhelmed by the mileage. I am wondering it this is because I haven't wrapped my head around the fact that the 10K is no longer my "long run". Or maybe because it doesn't feel as "easy" as a 6K or 7K. I am hoping that today's run, and a few more like it, will help me get past this mental block.

A note on my music ... I bought a new iPod Shuffle over a year ago - it was one of the last 3rd generation shuffles available for sale. I got it wet at the dog park over the winter and it stopped working. I put it aside with the hope that it would dry out and work again eventually. When I couldn't get a new one like it anymore, I found a used one online and bought it (my sister got a 4th generation Shuffle and I disliked it - the volume and voice over feature on the headphones really did not appeal to me). This Shuffle worked well until a week ago when I got it wet while running! :( I pulled out my original Shuffle and it works ... as long as I do not turn it off! I have been making due with it but lucky for me, the new 5th generation Shuffles are coming out this week, and Apple has returned them to the 3rd generation design (woo hoo!) with some improvements so I will snag one as soon as they hit the shelves. I only use the iPod Shuffle for listening to music while walking the dogs and when running so the more minimalist the iPod, the better. :)

On another unrelated note ... I "feel" lighter today which may be contributing to my better mood. I also noticed in the mirror while getting dressed how much better my shoulders are looking - significantly less fat and more definition. I know that I need to concentrate more on what is going in my mouth. Although I am eating much healthier, clearly I am lacking a better understanding of portion control! I don't want to lose weight fast; it crept onto me slowly and I want to reduce my weight healthily by doing it slowly. I am just feeling a bit discouraged because it is coming off a little too slowly, and as great as it is to see it come off my face, waist and shoulders, a reduction in the area above my knees and below my waistline would be better appreciated !! :)