My first week of training for my 5K PR went well. The intervals were fine. What was I worried about? There was one additional change to the plan, though. I was feeling a cold coming on yesterday so I ran an easier, shorter run (4.67 miles) than I had planned. No worries -- the easy run felt great and was just what I needed to keep the cold away.
The other thing I realized is that I really don't need to do hill repeats during this training cycle. I run plenty of hills over the course of my weekly runs (seriously! You should see how hilly it is around here!) so I believe it would be better for me to replace the hill repeats with a different speed workout. I'm going to try for 6 x 800 @ 3:35.
Here's what's on tap for this week:
Mon: easy 3m
Tues: easy 4m
Wed: 2 mile warm-up, 6 x 800 @ 3:35 w/400 rest, 1.5 mile cool-down (8 total)
Thurs: easy 4m
Fri: Rest
Sat: easy 4m, 4 x 100 strides, 400 recovery (4.5 total)
Sun: Rest
Total: 23.5
I pushed my rest days to later in the week because I'm running a tune-up 5K on Monday (8/7). I'm actually excited for the race because I haven't run one since June. It will be a good test for me.
In other news . . .
I'm in love with my orthotics! My much-anticipated orthotics arrived to very little fanfare about a week and a half ago. I've been wearing them in my trusty Brooks ever since. And, ho ho ho! What a difference they make. My legs feel terrific! Honestly. The orthotics make very little difference for my poor bunion-ized toe. But! My legs! It's like they've been realigned, oiled up and are now moving smoothly. I've noticed a real difference and it makes me wish I had visited a podiatrist years ago.
My advice to anyone who has even the tiniest glimmer of a spark of possible interest in visiting a podiatrist is to do it. Do. It. You can learn about podiatry and find a local podiatrist at the APMA web site here.
And two last things: I have a super-awesome guest post coming tomorrow and a giveaway post on Wednesday. So be sure to check back :-)
OK, everyone, I hope you all have a great week!
~ Felice
Monday, August 31, 2009
Week 2 of the PR plan.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Your running book list.
Thanks again for all of your book recommendations in response to this post last week. I've compiled a list of the books so if you have any interest, here is what was recommended (with the number of recommendations in parentheses):
Born to Run
Books by George Sheehan (2)
My Life on the Run
Ultramarathon Man
The rest of the books all had one recommendation each:
Just a Little Run Around the World
Books
The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women
Runner's World Performance Nutrition for Runners
Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes
The Looniness of the Long Distance Runner
I've already read a few of these (My Life on the Run, Ultramarathon Man, Duel in the Sun, The Runner's Body, Run Less Run Faster, and In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan) so my plan is to start with the first three books and work my way down the list over the next few months. Look for reviews this fall!
Do you have any additional suggestions? Feel free to let me know!
* * *
It's a beautiful Friday here in upstate New York. My little guy has a cold, unfortunately, so we've been taking it easy yesterday and today. But, tomorrow, my parents are watching him for the day and Owen and I are heading north to bet on the thoroughbreds in the "Mid-Summer Derby." Wish me luck!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
~ Felice
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Repeated success.
Had a good meeting in NYC yesterday. It's a potential big project for me so I was a bit nervous before heading down there but everything went well so I'm excited!
Now, back to running . . .
Ah, yes. My Tuesday intervals. The plan was for me to run 1.5 miles for warm-up, 6 x 400 @ 1:45 and then a mile cool-down. I made sure to hydrate well in the morning and eat a late morning snack. After feeding my son some lunch, I put him down for a nap and headed into the basement for my speed work.
(Luckily, I didn't run into any creatures down there!)
I did it! And it was tough. Oh, yeah. Very tough. Maybe I don't warm-up well or something because the first repeat was really hard to finish. The second one was a little easier and then the third, fourth and fifth repeats felt OK. The last one was puke-worthy, but I finished it. I'm thinking that maybe I need to get up to speed a little at the end of my warm-up. I ran the 1.5 miles at a 10min pace -- maybe I should increase my speed over the last half mile? I'm not sure. What do you speedsters do?
Anyway, after the speed work I cooled down for 1.25 miles and followed the workout with a nice stretching session. It feels good to be in training mode.
After my off (travel) day yesterday, I'm back for an easy 4-miler this evening. The weather is crisp today so I can't wait to head out! Yay!
Have a good day!
~ Felice
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Out of town and running abroad.
I'm off to a meeting today in my old stomping grounds: NYC. Wish me luck!
So, I'm leaving you with a guest post. Planning a trip to Europe anytime soon? Well, today is your lucky day because Renato from RunAbroad.com has information on six seaside races in Europe. And, oooooh, they sound like fun! Nice, Trieste, Barcelona . . . check them out.
I'm already imagining myself running alongside the Mediterranean . . .
Six great European races to take a deep breath of salty air
Warm up on the beach, run along the seaside and take a deep breath of salty air: Europe offers great short (5 miles) and long (up to 26.2 miles) races to enjoy sea, sun and fun.
Mitja Marato de Barcelona, Spain
The half marathon run takes place in the city centre of Barcelona, starting from Passeig de Picasso and crossing the finish line at the (very appropriate) Arc de Triomf. Plaza Espana and the port are part of a great sightseeing tour in the popular tourist destination.
Sussex Beacon Half Marathon, UK
www.sussexbeacon.org.uk/halfmarathonhtml
The chance to smell the sea, do stretching on the Brighton Pier and run with hundreds of gulls are the plus of the half marathon in Brighton: starting and finishing at Madeira Drive, the race is a pleasant 13.1 miles run through the city and along the seafront of Brighton and Hove. The Sussex Beacon Half Marathon takes place in February.
Nice Half Marathon, France
If you had been in French Riviera and Côte d'Azur in spring you know already why you should join this event, otherwise check the weather forecasts and few pictures of Nice online: a half marathon ("the incontrovertible") and a 10 km by the seaside ("the alternative") are the major events of the Semi-marathon international de Nice in France, a chance to run the celebrated promenade along the Mediterranean.
Bavisela Trieste, Italy
Many marathons pretend to be international but for Trieste the title "European Marathon" is well justified: just few miles from the Slovenian border, the city is not far away from Croatia and Austria. The marathon starts in Gradisca, cross Monfalcone, Duino and continues along the "Strada Costiera". Enjoy many miles along the seaside before finishing in Trieste. Get ready for May 2010.
Beachy Head Marathon, UK
Formerly known as the Seven Sisters Marathon, Beachy Head is a multi-terrain marathon (almost no road-running). The cross-country challenge covers most of the hills around Eastbourne, a Victorian seaside resort, including Beachy Head, at 162m, the highest chalk sea cliff in the country. Fly to the UK the last weekend of October.
Les Foulées du Gois, France
Les Foulées du Gois is a race against the advancing tide on the Gois, just 8 kilometers from the main land to the island of Noirmoutier and back, thanks to an historic causeway. Sea everywhere, wet feet: not a proper race but a different experience all together. Enjoy a unique run in the Vendée next June.
Don't forget to pack your swimsuit and a pair of running shoes! Have fun!
Renato
