I've been a little - no, a lot - sore since the run on Sunday. My calves have been extremely tight, but I really needed to get in a good 45-minute run today. So I took a little extra time at lunch to hit the trail.
And much to my surprise my calves were ok and I nailed a great 10k in 44:50. That's a PR for me! Average pace of 7:21 per mile.
Feeling good with just 23 days left until the RB Marathon!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Two Weeks Later....
I hadn't done any training since the Cape Du because of a crazy work schedule and an illness, but yesterday I was able to get out and do a great long run.
I wasn't quite sure how well it would go after two weeks of nothing. But the sun was shining on what was probably our last nice day of the year and I was ready.
The plan was to do a two-hour run. I figured I'd head out on the trail and go towards the State Park, turn around at the hour mark and head home. My first seven miles were relatively fast, ranging from 7:45 to 7:57, and finishing at 1:57. This was good, since my goal for the marathon is 7:55. I could feel a blister starting to form on my right foot (I realized too late that I'd forgotten to tape it) but I kept going. What was the alternative?
My last eight miles were even better. My pace ranged from 7:30 to 7:47. I ended up doing about 15.25 miles in the two hours, averaging 7:45. Could I have kept that up for another 11 miles? Probably not, but it made the thought of 7:55 much more doable.
Another good thing form the run was that I PR'd my half-marathon time. I did 13.1 miles in 1:41:27.
All is good.
Today is a day off from training, which is good. I need to let this blister heal.
I wasn't quite sure how well it would go after two weeks of nothing. But the sun was shining on what was probably our last nice day of the year and I was ready.
The plan was to do a two-hour run. I figured I'd head out on the trail and go towards the State Park, turn around at the hour mark and head home. My first seven miles were relatively fast, ranging from 7:45 to 7:57, and finishing at 1:57. This was good, since my goal for the marathon is 7:55. I could feel a blister starting to form on my right foot (I realized too late that I'd forgotten to tape it) but I kept going. What was the alternative?
My last eight miles were even better. My pace ranged from 7:30 to 7:47. I ended up doing about 15.25 miles in the two hours, averaging 7:45. Could I have kept that up for another 11 miles? Probably not, but it made the thought of 7:55 much more doable.
Another good thing form the run was that I PR'd my half-marathon time. I did 13.1 miles in 1:41:27.
All is good.
Today is a day off from training, which is good. I need to let this blister heal.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Cape Henlopen Duathlon
Today was my first race since Ironman - the Cape Henlopen Duathlon.
The day started out cold, with me catching the alarm 2 minutes before it was to go off: 5:45am. Meyer went with me and we got to the site around 6:45 which meant I had plenty of time to rack my bike and warm up. There wasn't really any transition to set up since all I needed to do was throw off my running shoes and put my helmet on for T1 and just do the reverse for T2.
By the time the race started - 7:45 - the sun was starting to shine and it began to warm up. My pace on the first run was slower than I'd expected. I held back a bit, not wanting to burn up too early, but in retrospect I could have gone a little faster. First run leg: 1.5 miles, 11:16, 7:31 average pace.
T1 went well. I got through in 37 seconds, which was the second fastest individual T1. 2 relay teams were faster by a couple seconds, but since that's just a hand-off of the timing chip, I don't count it.
The bike started out bad. Before I even mounted, I had problems with one of my water bottle cages and dropped a bottle - twice! I finally took off, and settled into a good but challenging pace. At about mile 4 there were 3 speed bumps. Speed bumps?!?!? Well, I took the first one too fast and lost my water bottle, so no more water for the rest of the bike leg. The rest of the bike went well. Thank you to the state trooper who yelled at a car to get it to go (don't know what the driver was thinking) so I could miss hitting it by a couple feet instead of a couple inches. Bike leg: 14 miles, 41:26, 20.3 mph.
T2 went well too. I had a great dismount and only lost a second or two by a guy taking his time getting past my bike rack spot. I got the shoes on quickly and was off in 42 seconds - again, one of the fastest T2 times of the day.
The second run leg was tough at first. I didn't have the jelly legs that so many people get after the bike. I simply had tired legs. I was able to keep a decent pace, however, and actually pick it up for the last mile. I was definitely feeling the effects of not having that water on the bike. Second run leg: 3.1 miles, 22:12, 7:10 average pace.
My overall time was 1:16:11 which was good enough for 5th in my age group and 25th overall.
And as I always do, I came home after the race and took a nap.
The day started out cold, with me catching the alarm 2 minutes before it was to go off: 5:45am. Meyer went with me and we got to the site around 6:45 which meant I had plenty of time to rack my bike and warm up. There wasn't really any transition to set up since all I needed to do was throw off my running shoes and put my helmet on for T1 and just do the reverse for T2.
By the time the race started - 7:45 - the sun was starting to shine and it began to warm up. My pace on the first run was slower than I'd expected. I held back a bit, not wanting to burn up too early, but in retrospect I could have gone a little faster. First run leg: 1.5 miles, 11:16, 7:31 average pace.
T1 went well. I got through in 37 seconds, which was the second fastest individual T1. 2 relay teams were faster by a couple seconds, but since that's just a hand-off of the timing chip, I don't count it.
The bike started out bad. Before I even mounted, I had problems with one of my water bottle cages and dropped a bottle - twice! I finally took off, and settled into a good but challenging pace. At about mile 4 there were 3 speed bumps. Speed bumps?!?!? Well, I took the first one too fast and lost my water bottle, so no more water for the rest of the bike leg. The rest of the bike went well. Thank you to the state trooper who yelled at a car to get it to go (don't know what the driver was thinking) so I could miss hitting it by a couple feet instead of a couple inches. Bike leg: 14 miles, 41:26, 20.3 mph.
T2 went well too. I had a great dismount and only lost a second or two by a guy taking his time getting past my bike rack spot. I got the shoes on quickly and was off in 42 seconds - again, one of the fastest T2 times of the day.
The second run leg was tough at first. I didn't have the jelly legs that so many people get after the bike. I simply had tired legs. I was able to keep a decent pace, however, and actually pick it up for the last mile. I was definitely feeling the effects of not having that water on the bike. Second run leg: 3.1 miles, 22:12, 7:10 average pace.
My overall time was 1:16:11 which was good enough for 5th in my age group and 25th overall.
And as I always do, I came home after the race and took a nap.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Recovery Run
Today was a simple recovery run, after yesterday's brick workout. I was supposed to do 10 minutes in heart rate zone 1 and 20 minutes in zone 2. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor and just settled into an easy to moderate comfortable pace.
I ended up doing 4 miles at a 7:47 average mile. The good thing is that it felt very comfortable, which means my goal of averaging 7:55 per mile for the marathon next month is certainly doable.
Weather: 69 degrees, sunny
4 miles
7:47 average per mile
6 days 'til the Cape Henlopen Duathlon
47 days 'til the Rehoboth Beach Marathon
I ended up doing 4 miles at a 7:47 average mile. The good thing is that it felt very comfortable, which means my goal of averaging 7:55 per mile for the marathon next month is certainly doable.
Weather: 69 degrees, sunny
4 miles
7:47 average per mile
6 days 'til the Cape Henlopen Duathlon
47 days 'til the Rehoboth Beach Marathon
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Good End to an Easy Week
This week was much easier than I intended it to be. Because of some work obligations, I wasn't able to do all of my training sessions, and I substituted some Spinning classes (teaching them) for a couple workouts.
Today I did a brick workout. I did 26 miles on the bike at a 17.8 mph pace. Around the 3rd mile I passed a couple riding together. When I stopped at the next traffic light, they caught up. One asked, "Are you doing Florida next month?" I said no, that I'd just done Wisconsin. The other came up and simply said, "My hat's off to you, Ironman." (That tattoo must be more visible than I thought.) It lifted me up and my pace quickened for the next few miles, even thought there was a nasty headwind.
I had my shoes set up for the run so I could get a practice transition in. I got off the bike, had my helmet off and my shoes on in no time and was off for a quick 20-minute run. I caught up with a friend and ran with him for a half mile before turning around and heading home. On the way back I saw Meyer, who was out for a 7-miler. I ended up running 2.8 miles at a 7:05 pace. I want to get that down to under 7:00 for next Sunday's duathlon.
Today I did a brick workout. I did 26 miles on the bike at a 17.8 mph pace. Around the 3rd mile I passed a couple riding together. When I stopped at the next traffic light, they caught up. One asked, "Are you doing Florida next month?" I said no, that I'd just done Wisconsin. The other came up and simply said, "My hat's off to you, Ironman." (That tattoo must be more visible than I thought.) It lifted me up and my pace quickened for the next few miles, even thought there was a nasty headwind.
I had my shoes set up for the run so I could get a practice transition in. I got off the bike, had my helmet off and my shoes on in no time and was off for a quick 20-minute run. I caught up with a friend and ran with him for a half mile before turning around and heading home. On the way back I saw Meyer, who was out for a 7-miler. I ended up running 2.8 miles at a 7:05 pace. I want to get that down to under 7:00 for next Sunday's duathlon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)