Yasso 800s in the mix.

After focusing on marathon goal pace miles for the last few weeks, I decided I would run Yasso 800s yesterday. I wanted to test myself with some speedwork to kick off the week. My plan was to run 8 Yasso 800s, which requires me to run them at my goal marathon time, converted to minutes. So, 3:50-ish (my goal is 3:52).

If you're not familiar with Yasso 800s, here's a page that explains how they work.

I warmed up for about 3/4 of a mile and then took off running. I ran each 800 with a rest lap in between, where I jogged 400. Here's what my laps looked like:

Lap 1: 3:47 
Lap 2: 3:45 
Lap 3: 3:42 
Lap 4: 3:45 
Lap 5: 3:42 
Lap 6: 3:46
Lap 7: 3:48 
Lap 8: 3:41 

No 3:50s, but I was able to hold on. I mean, look at that 8th lap compared to the 1st -- 6 seconds faster! And I wasn't dying at all during these intervals. In fact, I felt really good. Really strong. I almost added on two more laps. But then I reminded myself to stick to my plan. No need to go all crazy with the Yassos!

That workout was a win. Now, I'm shifting my focus to my 20-miler for this weekend. I don't know where or when I'll do this run but I fully admit that I am already getting excited for it! 

Thanks for stopping by -- have a good week!

 

Long and faster.

At long last, my running is starting to return to normal.

I ran 59.7 miles in July, which is a HUGE bump up from the measly 7 I ran in June. Over the course of those 59.7 miles, I've slowly begun to feel like I'm overcoming my hip injury. I'm running longer, including a 7 mile run last weekend, and my weekly mileage is creeping up -- to 20 miles last week!

I'm also running faster. For most of my first month back to running I've been going at a slow pace. I had to walk up hills for the first two weeks (doctor's orders!) and I was also a bit afraid to push it. Slow is the way to go when coming back from an injury.

But then, I started to feel better. And I developed an itch to go faster. So, on Thursday, I did some speed work. I met my friend Bridget to run at the track and after we warmed up a bit we ran a fast half mile. Then we split up and she ran some sprints and I timed my mile.

Surprisingly, I ran my mile in 6:44.

And I wasn't even gasping for breath! Instead, I felt pretty good. I felt like I was running a steady, strong, fast pace. I almost -- dare I say it -- felt like I could have gone faster.

What a great feeling! Great feeling any time, I suppose, but especially so when returning from an injury. Two months ago I thought I was washed up. Now, I'm full of hope.

I'm back.

Well, on my way back. But that's more or less the same thing, in my book!

Now, I need to focus on continuing to build my mileage while continuing to heal my hip. Switching to the half marathon in October is looking more and more likely . . .

Have a great week, everyone!

Running in the morning?

During the week I am an afternoon runner. Ideally, I'd run in the early evening, outside, but that doesn't happen. So, I run in the afternoon, on the treadmill. And I'm fine with that. It works.

Today, though, I shook things up. Like some sort of efficient running person.

I ran in the morning.

Intervals, no less.

Yup. That was me, sipping a quick pre-run smoothie, going straight from robe to running gear, warming up and then dropping down to run speedy intervals.

I wasn't sure how it was going to work out -- I hadn't even had a cup of coffee! -- but it worked out well. I ran a nice and easy mile or so and then ran one of my favorite speed workouts.

14  x 2 minute repeats that looked like this:

• 30 seconds @ 6:48 pace
• 60 seconds slow
• 30 seconds speeding back up to pace

I cooled down for a half mile or so and basked in my success.

But not for too long because I had to hurry up and get clean and dressed before our first playdate of the day arrived. I know, tough life. Hey, it's vacation week and my boys have a busy social schedule -- keeps them active and that keeps me happy.

Let me tell you: Getting a good, slightly tough workout in before starting the day was quite the feeling. I usually don't have that feeling until the weekends when I often run in the morning. So today it was a nice treat. I may have to try this more often!

Do you run in the morning? 

What workouts do you prefer to do in the morning rather than later in the day?

Thanks for stopping by!

Fast 40!

Looking for a way to shake up your treadmill running routine and get fast at the same time? Look now further -- I've got just the workout for you.

I'm loving this fun, fast, 40 minute run. And it really is fun. And will get you fast. And, honest, it just takes 40 minutes.



*     *     *

Warm up for 10 minutes

4 x 2 minute 10K intervals: Run 30 seconds at 10K pace, jog/walk 90 seconds

4 x 2 minute 5K intervals: Run 1 minute at 5K pace, jog/walk 1 minute

4 x 2 minute 10K intervals: Run 30 seconds at 10K pace, jog/walk 90 seconds

Cool down for 4 minutes

Some tips: 

• Use the last 15 seconds of your jog/walk interval to get back up to speed. That way, you start your fast section at the right speed.

• Since you repeat the intervals every 2 minutes, it is easy to keep track of this workout by saying you'll run the 10K intervals at minutes 12, 14, 16 and 18; the 5K intervals at minutes 20, 22, 24 and 26; then back to 10K for minutes 28, 30, 32 and 34. Cool down starting at minute 36.

Enjoy!

Shake off the lousy run!

It's race week! The ZOOMA Cape Cod half marathon is this Saturday, which makes this a lousy time to have lost my mojo.

What happened to it?

I certainly don't know. I've going along nicely: A strong 10-mile race in August, a new 5K PR while on vacation, a little too much chaos the following week that led to some low mileage, a new-found love of stroller running. And then . . . bam! Mojo gone.

Yesterday's run rotted. If you know me at all, you know I rarely have anything other than good things to say about my runs. I love running and, in my book, even a not-so-great run is something worth enjoying.

But yesterday was tough. I couldn't get my breathing right. My legs felt like lead. My head felt like it was about to fly away on its own. I felt off. I had no mojo.

I tried speeding up. I tried slowing down. I tried doing some long division in my head. Nothing worked.

It was just one of those runs.

However. As I said, I have this half marathon on Saturday and I'd like to have a decent race. I need my mojo back and I need it now.

My plan? Shake it up. This morning I'll run a speed workout that I haven't done in quite some time:

10:00 warm-up (about a mile)
10:30 of 30 seconds fast (7:00/mi), 60 seconds slow (9:30/mi)
10:00 of 60 seconds fast, 90 seconds slow
cool down

I need to shake out whatever it is that needs shaking out. Let's hope this workout does it!

What do you do when you have an off run or need to shake things up?

Have a good week!

~ Felice

Killer legs.

Holy cow.

My legs are screaming right now. In a good way. I hope.

My workout? It was a killer. Kill. Er.


Wanna try it? 

1 mile jog to warm up
6 x 400 repeats in 1:45 (7 min/mile pace) w/400 jog/walk recovery
1 mile cool down


100 squats
15 push ups
75 squats
15 push ups
50 squats
15 push ups
25 squats
15 push ups

Done.

Really. Done.


Remember these ham-hocks?



Yeah, I'm whipping them into shape. Squats and speed.

Do you have a favorite killer leg workout? 

Plan to try this one? Let me know how it works out!

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Felice

Favorite marathon workout.

I have a new favorite workout, my friends. I still love the long run (woo hoo ~ 22 on the schedule for Sunday!) and I'll always be a fan of 400s at 5K pace and 200s at mile pace.

But! This new favorite rocks and I really, really, really hope it sets me up to run well on May 6th.

The workout in question? Two-mile repeats. I love this workout. To paraphrase Ferris, the workout is choice.

Today was the second time I knocked off two-mile repeats. (They've been on the schedule three times but I had to miss one workout when I was sick.) The way that I run them is like this:

1.5 miles warm-up (going from 10:00 pace to 9:00 pace)
2 miles at slightly faster than marathon goal pace (around 8:20)
quarter mile rest
2 miles as above (8:20 pace)
1.25 miles cool-down
7 miles total

It rocks! Because the pace is not killer, I never feel like I'm dying while running the fast portions. But, two miles is a fairly long fast interval, so I definitely feel like I am pushing it and making myself work. Since I run them at a little faster than marathon goal pace, the workout is a good mental one. A confidence booster, for sure.

My one regret with this training cycle is that I haven't run two-mile repeats more often. And I wish I could do three of them, instead of just two. But, I have the time for two so that's what I do.

I'm already looking forward to running them next week!

What is your favorite running workout? 

Any other two-mile repeat lovers out there?

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

Running fast, running long.

Some people like to rest-up well the day before a long run. Long runs are, after all, the bread and butter of a marathon training plan so it makes sense to go into them with fresh legs. Right?

I guess. To some degree.

For me, though, I go in to my long runs with not-so-rested legs. My theory is that there will come a point in the marathon when I'll have to run on tired legs. Possibly very tired legs. I need to be prepared for that -- both physically and mentally. So, I've been fitting in a good run the evening before my long runs.

Like this weekend. I had 14 on the schedule for Saturday morning at 7:30. Friday afternoon at 3:30 I kicked things up with a speed workout. I warmed up, ran 6 x 400 at 7-7:05 pace, cooled down -- total of 6 miles. Later, I made sure to roll my legs. On Saturday, I met Melissa for the 14 miles and we rocked them! We chatted the entire run and floated along at what felt like a nice, comfortable pace for the entire run. Overall, our pace was 9:22, with our last mile at 8:57. Best of all is that it felt so very easy! (Helps having a good running partner!)

I've done similar routines before my other long runs, too. For example, for both of my 20-milers, I ran about 4.5 miles (with the last mile or so at marathon goal pace) the evening before.

For me, packing in tough-ish repeats the evening before a morning long run builds the strength and endurance to be able to push it during the late stages of the marathon. Knowing that I've run well on these back-to-back runs should give me a mental boost. I hope so, anyway!

Is running hard the evening before an important long run crazy? Or wise? I'm hoping it is the latter. In fact, this training cycle, I'm subscribing a little bit to this philosophy:

Source: http://piccsy.com/2011/08/stuff-that-average-people-dont-understand/

We'll see how well it works on May 6th!

And what about you: Do you rest or run hard the evening before a morning long run? 

After running fast on Friday and running long on Saturday, I ran easy on Sunday. It was a great weekend of running!

I hope you all had a good weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

~ Felice

As fast as me?

Even though I already wrote about Saturday's run, I have to rewind and tell you about Friday.

Not necessarily the run itself, which was great -- speedwork in the evening, hit quarter-mile repeats all at right around 1:30 (6min/mi pace) -- but something that happened afterward.

When I got back from my run, no one was home. Owen had taken the boys to go pick up a pizza for dinner (yay for Friday night pizza!) so I cooled off for a bit and waited for them. I changed out of my super sweaty clothes into dry ones, but was still wearing my running shoes when the guys got home. And since I had done speedwork, I was wearing my speedy sneaks.

These:

Yeah, Conal likes to ham it up . . .

Anyway, so I was wearing those speedsters and when Conal got home and saw them he asked, "Why are you wearing those running shoes?"

"Because I they're my fast running shoes," I answered.

"Did you run fast tonight?"

"Yup, I did. I ran really fast."

"As fast as me?"

I had to smile. "I think so, Conal. I think I might have run as fast as you."

He thought about that for a second and then gave me a little head nod. I get the feeling he wasn't entirely convinced that I actually ran as fast as he does but that's OK. I like a runner with confidence and Conal surely has that; he tells me all the time how fast he is.

And truth is, it probably won't be all that long until I'm not running as fast as him.

Sigh.


So, have a great week, everyone. Run as fast as Conal!

~ Felice

Plan B? What's a Plan B?

Have you heard? There's a heat wave going on so it is hot. I know! It's summer. And it's hot! Go figure . . .

Anyway, yesterday was really hot and -- wouldn't you know it -- I had a 5 mile tempo run on the schedule. Before heading out for my run in the evening, I double-checked my training plan, just to make sure I was right. Yup. Wednesday, July 20: 5 mile tempo. Sigh.

I told Owen. He told me it was hot. I said I knew. He said I had to remember to be flexible. I told him I would skip the tempo run. He told me that was a good idea.

So, that was that. I planned to skip the tempo and run 5 easy miles. I started up the hill that begins my regular running route and I was going sloooooow. I kept on running but as I got half-way up the next hill I felt like giving myself a big smack on the head. What are you doing? I asked myself.

Are you really giving up on your plan this early in the training cycle? How are you going to go after your A goal in the half if you let a little heat get in the way of your Plan A? This is July. It's hot. You knew you were going to have to train through the summer when you signed up for the race. So what are you doing? You need to suck it up, Happy Runner. Suck. It. Up.


You had better believe that when I hit Mile 1, I picked up the pace.

My original plan for the 5 mile tempo was a 1 mile warm-up followed by 3 miles at 8:00/mile and then a 1 mile cool-down. I went for it. Heat and hills and all.

The 3 fast miles didn't exactly hit the pace I was shooting for -- I averaged 8:14 per mile for the 3 miles instead of 8:00 -- but, you know what? That's fine. My effort was undoubtedly there. I pushed on and felt better for it.

Tempo run #1 . . . DONE!


Plan B? What's that? We're all about Plan A here!


Stay cool, everyone!

~ Felice

Lighten up.

I'm back among the living. But before I tell you all about that, let me get to some good news: The Gotein winner!

Thanks to everyone who entered. The winner (chosen using random.org) is Heather from The World Through My Eyes. Congrats! Send me an email at felicehalf at yahoo dot com and I'll send you your goodies!


*     *     *

OK, so, back among the living. Yes, indeed.

For the past week or so I was going bonkers with business writing. Spelling rules (i before e except after c . . . ), punctuation (the apostrophe is for possession and contraction only, not for plural . . .), the use and mis-use of PowerPoint. I've covered it all. And now I am done. Deadline met.

And just in time for the long holiday weekend. Phew!

I still made time for some runs and plenty of fun with my boys because, after all, that is my job. The fun with the boys part, that is. I can only wish that running was my job. Maybe someday.

Speaking of which, I contemplated taking the RRCA coaching course that is going to be offered in NYC in September but it sold out just. like. that. Coaching dreams on-hold for a while longer.

Sigh.


Anyway, today I am taking a leap and heading out to my local Fleet Feet to grab up some light weight racing shoes. Racing flats? Probably not that light but I am looking for something lighter than the shoes I wear right now. I have plans people and my biggest one right now is to get my half-marathon time down to around 1:45 (my current PR is 1:49). Lighter shoes could help. So would giving up ice cream but do I really want to do that?

Nah.

(Do not judge.)

We'll see how it goes with the lighter shoes. I love my current running shoes -- my dear Somnios -- but I think that for speed work and races, lighter will be better.

Do you race or do speedwork in lighter shoes? Do you like them? 

Have the lighter shoes made a difference for you?

I'd love to know.

Off to get speedy -- and, hey, I just happen to have speedwork on the schedule tonight. Running serendipity!

Have a great day!

~ Felice

Fast running. Winner. Giveaway.

Or, three things Thursday. Here they are:

Fast running

Speedwork was on the schedule for yesterday evening. I was worried about the rain but it held off and I actually had to wear my sunglasses. Crazy stuff!

My plan called for 8 x 400 @ 1:45 (7min/mi pace). I ran a one mile warm-up and then hit the intervals:

R1: 1:33 (started too fast)
R2: 1:29 (C'MON!)
R3: 1:39 (OK, getting better)
R4: 1:33 (too fast again)
R5: 1:31 (way too fast)
R6: 1:42 (yes! that's the way)
R7: 1:33 (wow, my body likes that pace, huh? third one at 1:33)
R8: 1:36 (good to be done)

And then I cooled down.

Yes, I know. I ran them too fast. That was not my intention. My intention was to run them at the prescribed pace so I could reap the most benefit but I went too fast. I don't know what to do about this, I really don't, because I run my intervals too fast almost every time. Next week I have mile repeats on the schedule and I'm usually better about running those closer to the correct pace so we'll see what happens.

In the meantime, though, I will say that I felt really, really strong running each repeat. My legs and lungs felt great and this morning my legs are a little tired but mostly fine.

Winner

I chose the winner of the Running on Empty giveaway, using random.org. Thanks to everyone who entered! The winner of Marshall Ulrich's book is:

Lauren @ TheRunningCook

Congratulations, Lauren! Send me an email (felicehalf at yahoo dot com) with your address so you can get your copy of the book!

Giveaway


When I hosted the Sony W-Series MP3 player giveaway earlier this year, tons of you entered and that was great! Since there could only be two winners, that meant that tons of you missed out.

Never fear -- you have another chance! Lindsay over at Chasing the Kenyans is giving away two of the MP3 players  now through May 27th. So, pop on over there are enter to win. When you do, let her know that The Happy Runner sent you! Good luck!

Have a great day, everyone!

You can vote once 24 hours!
Please give me some love and vote for me -- and some of the other awesome moms on the list!
THANK YOU!!

~ Felice

Mack truck hicks?

Apparently, people don't know who I am.

They land on my blog after searching terms like:

Mack trucks hicks
Sexy tennis ball runners
Veiny feet
Kara Goucher
Runners belly

Now, I may live in upstate New York but I am no hick. And, people, you've seen the hamhocks so "sexy tennis ball runners?" Nope, not here. Veiny feet? Perhaps . . . and I guess I have written about Kara on a few occasions so that one might make sense. But runners belly? Pregnant belly, post-baby belly -- sure, yeah, I've got all of that covered.

Strange what terms people search for, isn't it? Stranger still to see what lands them on my site. When I looked at my list of search terms on Google analytics it was mostly boring: The Happy Runner, Happy Runner, mom runner, 5K training plans . . . you get the picture.

But, mack truck hicks?

What exactly are mack truck hicks? And why does Google think people will find them on my blog?

And why again, when I searched for mack trucks did this image come up?

I mean, it is so 100% true but, huh. Mack trucks, eh?

(And, yes, I would like to use that female-designed novelty shopping cart when I do my grocery shopping. I believe it would ROCK.)

Anyway, checking out the search terms was my little diversion this morning. Got a blog? Go check out yours!

Speedwork on the schedule for tonight. Still without a treadmill but that's OK, I'm getting used to my rainy runs. Yesterday's run was another drizzly one, today probably will be, too. Sigh.

Happy Wednesday!

And remember:

THANKS!!

~ Felice

Picking up speed and April recap.

Switching gears from half marathon training to training for a 5k means shorter and faster runs. But the fast runs have been somewhat elusive -- I bagged my speedwork once because I had heavy legs that just refused to pick up the pace. Then, this past week, I played a lot of soccer and hopscotch so I skipped speedwork on the first day it was scheduled, and on the second.

That led to Friday. If I was going to get the speedwork in, it had to be Friday evening. So I set out to run 6 x 400 (quarter miles) at a 7min/mile pace. The first quarter after my warm-up showed up in the middle of a hill. Fast quarters, uphill? Why not? I went for it and, to my surprise, ran it in a 6:30 pace. Yay!

The way my route worked out, I ran all but one of my repeats uphill and my rest intervals were downhill. For me, that's actually the best way because running fast downhill can do a number on my knees.

And they were all at a 6:20-6:30 pace, except for one of the intervals, which I extended to a half mile and ended up running in 3:31 (about 7min/mile pace).

That, my friends, is fast for me! This could mean good things for the rest of my spring/summer speed. I followed Friday's fast run with a long run on Saturday (legs felt good) and a short, easy run on Sunday. Sunday's run was after we participated in the CROP walk for hunger and, unfortunately, I just felt blah on that run. Didn't matter -- my fast Friday and long Saturday were both great!

And now, the month that was.

April stats:


Running (miles): 88.1
Cross training (sessions): 5

My cross training included some weights, along with plenty of soccer, hopscotch and baseball (mostly pitching . . . can you tell I have a 3-year old?)

My mileage was right on target. April was a good month for me: My first half marathon, post-race rest and recovery, the start of 5K training, and my baby turned 6 months old. Big month!

Happy May, everyone! Have a great week.

~ Felice

Muthah. Runnah.

Now that was more like it.

After a few days of doubts, I was determined to have a great speed workout today. On the schedule? 5 x 1K. You can be sure that I called upon my inner muthah runnah for this one.

I've never done a 5 x 1K workout before but Matt Fitzgerald (he of the many, many articles and books on running) recommends them (in this Runner's World article) to train your brain in preparation for a 5K. The idea is to run them at 5K pace so you can be confident on race day that you can, indeed, run the distance at your desired pace.

Simple enough.

And yet, hard.

Well, I did it. I set out in my HILLY neighborhood to do my thing (Owen was home sick -- unfortunately for him but fortunately for me -- so he stayed in with Conal). I warmed up for a little over a mile then set my Garmin to beep at 1 kilometer. I planned to recover from each repeat for about 3 minutes. Here's how my repeats worked out:

1 - 4:11 (oops, too fast!)
2 - 4:31 (nice!)
3 - 4:39 (a little too slow)
4 - 4:26 (really nice!)
5 - 4:31 (yay!)

Then I cooled down for about a mile, running 6.1 miles total.

My goal was to run the repeats at 4:35, which is equivalent to about a 7:23 pace and would get me a 22:55 5K. As you can see, for all but one of the repeats I was able to beat that goal. Take that doubting brain!

I'm glad I was able to get outside to do this workout because I covered a lot of hills in each kilometer, just as I'll have to do on race day. That gives me much more confidence than grinding out miles on the 'mill. And confidence is what it's all about.

Several of you left comments wishing me luck with today's speed work and I just want to give you a big thanks. I called upon those wishes when I was feeling like I needed to slow down so thanks for helping me make it through!

Happy Wednesday!

~ Felice

That. Was. No. Joke.

Wow. 10 x 200 -- done. With moderate success.

But first, let me back up to earlier in the day. I had a follow-up appointment with my podiatrist who checked out my foot again and told me that, yes, I should have surgery. He doesn't like the fact that my toe has only about 10% of the mobility that it should have. Yeah, I don't like that too much, either. So, he recommends surgery. But, he's scheduling surgeries for December and January right now, which means that if I want to have the surgery this winter, I have to get on it.

Argh!

I have to give this a lot of thought. Right now, I'm leaning toward sucking it up for another year or so and considering the surgery for next winter. My orthotics are working well, keeping my legs and joints in line. They should slow the progression of my bunion so it might not get all that much worse over the next year. But, what if it does? I'd kick myself if I don't get the surgery this year and then end up hobbling around next spring/summer. Argh . . . such decisions!

OK, so that was the morning.

For my afternoon, I called upon my inner muthah runnah and ran the speediest speed I think I've ever run!

It was, as I wrote in my title, no joke. No joke!

I started with a nice warm-up and then sped up for a half mile. I recovered then sped up again for two 400s. They were all run slower than my target for the 200s and I think the gradual build up worked well for me.

After the two 400s, I broke it down and ran with focus, determination and -- most of all! -- speed. The first five weren't too bad. But, number six? Um, hmm . . . that one threw me off. I had to slow down at the end and I finished it in about :50 (rather than my target of :45). I was really bummed and my mind started to go into silly brain mode and think about how I was going to have to quit and that this was going to be yet another failure.

Fortunately -- or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it! -- I had to face the index card. As you may remember from last week, I just can't let an index card down. So I shook off the poor performance of the sixth repeat and got back to work.

I finished the next three repeats a bit slower than the first five, but I finished them strong, so I felt OK about it all. Then, I busted it for the last repeat and cooled down for a mile. Here's what my workout looked like:

1 mile @ 10:00
800 @ 4:00 w/400 rest
2 x 400 @ 2:00 w/400 rest
200s (w/200 rest):

• 1-5 - :44-:46 (yay!)
• 6 - :50 (boo!)
• 7-9 - :48 (eh.)
  
• 10 - :45 (yay!)

1 mile @ slooooooooow
Total: 6.25

Never have 6.25 miles made me feel so wiped out and yet so strong. It's true, I wanted to quit. Repeatedly. I kept thinking there was no way I could complete the workout, and yet I did it. I held on. I found a way to push through the dying feeling and get it done.

I was a foam rolling maniac last night and, today, my legs feel OK. Tired, but OK.

And now, this muthah runnah is off to be just mom. Have a great day!

~ Felice

Peppy.

In my last post, I wrote about how my legs had felt like lead during Sunday's run. I had Monday off and then, yesterday, was scheduled for an easy 4-miler. I usually go at about a 9:30 pace for easy runs. Yesterday, though, I had to kick it up a notch.

When I headed out, my legs were leaden. Again! I didn't want anything to do with leaden legs so I told myself to shake it up, which, in this case, meant speeding up a bit. I ran hard up the big hill in my loop and then kept on going. I didn't speed up too much, just to an 8:45 pace. It helped. I felt so much better! The leaden legs were replaced with smoothly moving striders. It was just what I needed!

Today, though, I have speed on the schedule. I'm hoping that my slightly faster run yesterday will have prepped my legs a bit for today -- I need them to really work!

* * *

So, if you're interested, the toddler gymnastics class was a big hit. Conal loved it. He used the trampoline, the balance beams, high bar, parallel bars, everything! It was just great.

And . . . Marlene is having a Halo giveaway on her blog here. Check it out!

Have a good day!

~ Felice

Running on auto-pilot.

I'm not going to lie: My intervals session yesterday was hard. Really hard.

But it was also easy, in a way. I did something new this time. I wrote out my workout (which I ran on the treadmill while Conal was sleeping) on an index card, noting my prescribed speeds, distances and what my elapsed mileage would be after each interval. That way, I didn't have to think about a thing. I just looked at my little workout card and ran.

I felt very official. And since the plan was outlined in great detail, I had to complete it. How could I face the index card otherwise? So, I did it. Here's what I ran:

1 mile warm-up
400 @ 2:00 (400 rest)
4 x 400 @ 1:45 (400 rest)
4 x 200 @ :45 (200 rest)
1 mile cool-down

When I got to those speedy (for me!) 200s, I thought I would pretty much die. Or puke. Well, the first one was fine and actually made me feel like I could run fast if I wanted to. And the second one was OK, but the third one? The third one had me on the verge of puking for real. As you can imagine, the fourth one pushed me even closer to the verge. But the thing about those short repeats is that they are over in no time. I mean, 45 seconds? Even I can take the pain for 45 seconds.

Today is a much-deserved rest day. I'm feeling good about this week's running so far: The race on Monday, easy runs on Tuesday and Wednesday and then speed on Thursday. Today, I'll just kick back and let my legs recover.

But first, in an effort to do our part, Conal and I are off to donate food in honor of the day. It's a small thing, I know. But it is what we're able to do now, today.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

~ Felice

Spectating and speed.

It's been ages since I wrote a Take it and Run Thursday post. I guess I was just out of my routine with the whole summer business that was going on.

Well, today is a crisp sunny day that feels solidly like fall so if I'm ever going to get back to a routine, today would be the day to do it.

So. Take it and Run Thursday. The topic this week is spectator tips:

Now that we're heading into the fall and winter marathon seasons, and we've talked a lot about how to prepare for races, let's talk about spectators. What do you like and dislike from spectators out on a course? Are cowbells good or bad? Do you prefer to have someone waiting with food or Gatorade? What tips can you give for people who are just out to watch the race and not participate?

I haven't run a marathon since 2004 so I have to really dig back in the ol' memory box for this one! Hmm . . . what did I like? Well, I was lucky and had some great spectators, namely my husband who mapped out several places to meet me and cheer me on along the course. He also met up with some other friends and family members along the way. To me, just having people out there for me was the best. They didn't need to do anything other than smile, wave and give me a little cheer to bouy my spirit.

But if it is specifics you want, it is specifics you will get:

• In any race (marathon or not), having people cheer you on by name rocks!
  
• So does being told that you are running strong.
• Reminders, like "relax your shoulders" and things like that can work, too. A spectator said that to the runner just ahead of me in my 5K on Monday and I immediately relaxed my shoulders and felt looser.
• Telling runners that there is a specific distance left or something useful about the upcoming part of the race is helpful. For example, saying, "half mile to the finish" or "there's a sharp left after this hill" is good. Saying, "you're almost there!" when you still have a way to go is not.
• Music can be fun. In a 15K that I've run a few times, there is a tough hill just past the 10K mark. Runners are fading by that point. But there is always a couple who park their car half-way up the hill and play motivational music (theme from Rocky, maybe?), dance like maniacs and cheer people on. It's terrific!
  
• Cowbells? Oh, I don't know. Yes, they show that the spectator is exuberant. But they are also loud and sharp and jarring.
  

So, there you have it. My thoughts for spectators.

And now for the speed. I switched my workouts again. I was supposed to do the speed work yesterday but I felt sluggish and didn't want a repeat of last week. So, I ran easy instead and pushed the speed work to today. Nothing like a little mid-week procrastination . . .

I'm going into today's workout with a MUCH better attitude than I had last week. I can do it!!!

One last thing before I sign off: Mel -- Tall Mom on the Run is having a v. cool giveaway on her site. Check it out! And have a good day, everyone!

~ Felice

Good news and bad news.

I'll get right to the good news, since it's quicker: My hip feels fine. No worse for the wear after yesterday's speed work. So, that's good.

And now the bad news.

My speed work sucked. And I have no one to blame but myself. Me. The Happy Runner. The Happy Runner who, yesterday afternoon, would have been more aptly named The Self-Defeating Runner.

The fact is, I ruined my run. All morning I was thinking about my planned speed work. Thinking, "This is going to suck. It's going to be hard. Very hard." Telling myself, "You're going to have a hard time with this one, Felice. It's not going to be easy. You're probably going to quit."

Well, that works. That kind of self-talk just really makes things go well.

Or not.

My run fulfilled my thoughts. It sucked, as I said. I finished my warm-up with some strides and then got down to business. I was supposed to run 6 x 800 @ 3:35 with 400 rest. Well. Hmm . . . my first 800 was a struggle -- complete and utter struggle -- for 3:39. OK, fine. So I struggled with the first one. Not unusual.

But then I couldn't finish the second one. Maybe I ran 400? Maybe 600? Not sure. I was so . . . off.

And then I couldn't finish the third one. I quit after one lap.

I tried to regroup and decided to run two more 400s, at 1:50. Done. No problem. Then I decided to run slow 800s, which I did. I ran 2 x 800 @ 4:00. I finished with 4 x 200 @ :50 and cooled down for 1.5 miles.

And then I wanted to cry. Is that overly dramatic? Really! I was so flippin' disappointed! I mean, I sabotaged my own workout; I have no one to blame but myself. For real. Why did I do that? Why couldn't I push through and finish what I started?

I have no idea.

I guess I can be happy with the fact that the overall distance run was as planned (8 miles), as was the speed part. It just wasn't as fast as planned nor were the repeats as long as planned. The worst part is that my legs, my lungs and -- most important of all -- my brain just didn't have it today. At all. It was, in other words, a speed-work FAIL.

Can I hear an UGH, Internet?!?

Thank you.

Sigh.

All right, now, lest this post become any more whiny and annoying than it already is, I will sign off but not before leaving you with some photos of my toddler, running his little heart out.


I hope everyone has a good weekend!

~ Felice

(PS: If you want some business/personal calling cards, remember to enter my giveaway here.)