10/23/05: Conroe 10 miler-My first long SMARTie Run!
Another day of incredible weather, and a tad bit COLD as I got out of bed at 6:35am after a long and crazy-fun time at Buzzfest the previous night…I didn’t even have enough energy to wash my face or really eat anything, I just got in the car and prayed the cool weather outside would get my blood going again. Sure enough, it worked, and I was wide awake after my rather short 20 minute drive to Conroe (from Huntsville) to meet up with everyone for a 10mile/13mile run.
I opted for the 10mile run and actually had company, as I was joined by Strider Mark, who helped pace me the last 3 miles when I thought the rolling hills were going to get the best of me (he took off the last 2 miles though!) The run felt so great-the cool weather-the sun peaking through the trees-the huge, very pretty homes-the wild dogs, squirrels and deer, lol…I ran really strong despite feeling cranky the first 4 miles and my Camelbak weighing a ton (and I certainly was not drinking enough so I was carrying more water then I needed.) I did try Carb-Boom for the first time though and it did help-and my stomach didn’t freak out. I think I am just going to mix them with water though and carry some in a Fuel Belt bottle…one package is an awful lot for me at a time…
The best part of the morning was AFTER the running though when Coach Steve convinced me to stay for breakfast at the IHOP down the road…I wasn’t really hungry but I didn’t want to turn down the social opportunity. I sat with 3 fantastic Masters Striders runners (who all happened to be British): Allison, Karen and her husband Tim. They are some of the strongest runners in their age-groups here in Houston so I felt like it was a bit of an honor to talk to them and pick their brains a little about running. The conversation that probably stuck the most with me was the fact that Karen believes all runners need to show professionalism and know the difference in their training paces (ie: easy vs. tempo vs. speedwork vs. long run…) I admitted to her that was something I knew I needed to start working on, since I tend to stick to ‘what is comfortable’ regardless of what type of run I am doing.
I think my thought process is showing that I am ready to yet again-take my running to the next level. I know that RIGHT NOW, I am running my easy runs slower then my distance runs, but to say that I ‘conciously’ think about it while I am running and can tell when I am pushing myself more and ‘adjust’ to fit my training--I don’t. Maybe I am missing her point, but in the end, I just want to improve off of what I already know and push myself more in my training overall. Today’s long run, with an average mile of 9:54, proves that! Wow, and I could have ran 3 more miles at this pace! WHATIF I can keep pushing myself until the Half like this?! Amazingly enough, I am hardly sore the day after either, just a little tired…it feels great to be getting stronger!
The STATS:
10 miles(Steve said it was a little more though)
1.39 hours total running (negative split on the last 5k!)
ave 9:54/mile
Heart-rate: 168 ave/235 max
Weather: lower 70’s…low humidity.
Another day of incredible weather, and a tad bit COLD as I got out of bed at 6:35am after a long and crazy-fun time at Buzzfest the previous night…I didn’t even have enough energy to wash my face or really eat anything, I just got in the car and prayed the cool weather outside would get my blood going again. Sure enough, it worked, and I was wide awake after my rather short 20 minute drive to Conroe (from Huntsville) to meet up with everyone for a 10mile/13mile run.
I opted for the 10mile run and actually had company, as I was joined by Strider Mark, who helped pace me the last 3 miles when I thought the rolling hills were going to get the best of me (he took off the last 2 miles though!) The run felt so great-the cool weather-the sun peaking through the trees-the huge, very pretty homes-the wild dogs, squirrels and deer, lol…I ran really strong despite feeling cranky the first 4 miles and my Camelbak weighing a ton (and I certainly was not drinking enough so I was carrying more water then I needed.) I did try Carb-Boom for the first time though and it did help-and my stomach didn’t freak out. I think I am just going to mix them with water though and carry some in a Fuel Belt bottle…one package is an awful lot for me at a time…
The best part of the morning was AFTER the running though when Coach Steve convinced me to stay for breakfast at the IHOP down the road…I wasn’t really hungry but I didn’t want to turn down the social opportunity. I sat with 3 fantastic Masters Striders runners (who all happened to be British): Allison, Karen and her husband Tim. They are some of the strongest runners in their age-groups here in Houston so I felt like it was a bit of an honor to talk to them and pick their brains a little about running. The conversation that probably stuck the most with me was the fact that Karen believes all runners need to show professionalism and know the difference in their training paces (ie: easy vs. tempo vs. speedwork vs. long run…) I admitted to her that was something I knew I needed to start working on, since I tend to stick to ‘what is comfortable’ regardless of what type of run I am doing.
I think my thought process is showing that I am ready to yet again-take my running to the next level. I know that RIGHT NOW, I am running my easy runs slower then my distance runs, but to say that I ‘conciously’ think about it while I am running and can tell when I am pushing myself more and ‘adjust’ to fit my training--I don’t. Maybe I am missing her point, but in the end, I just want to improve off of what I already know and push myself more in my training overall. Today’s long run, with an average mile of 9:54, proves that! Wow, and I could have ran 3 more miles at this pace! WHATIF I can keep pushing myself until the Half like this?! Amazingly enough, I am hardly sore the day after either, just a little tired…it feels great to be getting stronger!
The STATS:
10 miles(Steve said it was a little more though)
1.39 hours total running (negative split on the last 5k!)
ave 9:54/mile
Heart-rate: 168 ave/235 max
Weather: lower 70’s…low humidity.
posted by Jessica, a Austin Runner AND triathlete at
1:05 PM
1 Comments:
I do the same thing -- just run at whatever pace is comfortable. For me, I think it's because based on my best 5K time ever, my "long run" pace should be something like 12:30 and that just seems too easy...
By
Sarah, at Tue Oct 25, 12:45:00 PM
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