11/28/05: This is it: 13 Miles in the Can!!

I did it tonight! I did it tonight! Of course, I never doubted I COULDN’T do it, but to run 13 miles straight, slightly under a Half-Marathon distance (yeah, I didn’t run the extra .1 mile!), I felt great! The coldness erally helps too. It was nice and chilly, that’s for sure--just the way I hope it is in January. Although I ended up lugging my jacket with me the entire run around my waist (I need to get a long sleeve tech-top), I felt pretty warm in a simple singlet, shorts and some gloves. The gloves make all the difference in the world. I would like to buy a headband too so I can use that instead of a hat for my ears.

The run was pretty uneventful, although I think I saw Sam and if it wasen’t him, I was waving to some strange guy and he was waving back:) I did get some weird chafing on my arms though from the cold I am guessing so I know I need to use more Body Glide. Also, Clif gel’s make my stomach hurt, I need to stick to Carb Boom. <--Does Fleet Feet sell it, anyone? It did get pretty lonely though, and by 9pm, there were only about 20 other runners making their rounds around the loop. Bad for safety’s sake, I know. However, I did see more cops then usual, as well as a news crew filming a segment.

Overall, I feel confident about where my running is going and how I am going to run the Half (pace-wise) in January. If I can maintain a 9:30/mile pace or better, I definelty will be happy with my efforts. However, If I can maintain a 9:20/mile pace or better, there is a VERYYYYY good chance I can finish in 2 hours flat. WOW. I remember the first time I ran 10 miles and it took me 2 hours to run it…things are looking good and getting better! I just need to stay positive through these long runs and during the tough and busy month of December. After that…!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One last thing, I decided last-minute I am going to run the Pearland 10 Miler this weekend with Jon Walk. I want to run it as close to how I will run the Half as possible. Although the 12.4 mile run at Huntsville State Park the SMARTies are doing sound like fun and I love running at that Park, I need to run a race close to ideal to the Half conditions…wish me luck--this is my longest race to date!

The STATS:
13 miles

2:01:34 total running
ave 9:21/mile

mile1:9:18
mile2: 9:43
mile3: 9:10
mile4: 8:58
mile5: 9:30
mile6: 9:03
mile7: 9:24
mile8: 9:37
mile9: 9:19
mile10: 9:05
mile11: 9:45
mile12: 9:06
mile13: 9:19

Heart-rate: 168 ave/184 max
Weather: lower 50’s, upper 40’s.

11/26/05: Another Hilly Run (With No Running Partners This Time)

Although I didn’t want to run the same route (essentially) twice, I didn’t have any internet access to G-Map another route so I just stuck to the route I already planned. Believe me, I didn’t want to run by those houses with the dogs again. Somehow though, I had a stroke of luck and the dogs were nowhere to be seen today. Or could it have been the fact it had just gotten done raining, and it was noon so it was too miserable to be outside?

Unless your ME. After a late dinner of my mom’s Mexican food (I know, I know, I am a glutton for punishment BUT IT WAS SOOO GOOD!) my stomach hurt soooo bad. Still, I had to get the miles in. Although I hadn’t planned to run when I had (the hottest part of the day with 100% humidity), at least I did it. I mean, I as a runner can’t be picky ALL the time. After all, I race in all conditions. Why should I just try to train in ‘ideal’ conditions? So I went and did it.

3 miles, my stomach hurting the whole way, the humidity sucking, and my breathing was out of control. I don’t know how I made it through this run without walking. I guess what mattered is ‘Mind Over Matter’ and I kept trucking no matter what. Overall, I was pleased with my average mile (only 11 seconds slower then Thursday’s effort) so at least I didn’t totally throw this run away. And of course, not having dogs running with me helped!

The STATS:
3 miles

28:37 total running

ave 9:32/mile

Heart-rate: 181 ave/227 max (eek!)

Weather: 100% humidity, upper 50’s.

11/24/05: A Very Hilly Run Complete with Dogs at My Real Home…

This weekend at my parents house was a great thing for me. It was nice to get away from the flatness and humidity of the Gulf and back to the hilly and dry air of Central Texas. DID I MENTION HILLY! Lol, check THIS LINK out if you don’t believe me. I had forgotten how hilly it was, and running in my old neighborhood sure quickly brought back those sore calves I would get walking to school every day…Thursday evening after a rather small meal of mash potatoes (I made them!), cornbread, sweet potatoe pie and a little bit of turkey, I got in a 4 mile trek before it got pitch-black outside. The weather felt just right…but the fact the air was sooo dry to me made my breathing a little off. In fact, about 50% of the run, I felt like I was ‘sucking air.’ Lol, it could have been the hills. Or the fact I got chased by 3 different dogs!!!!!!!!

You read that right, people can be so back-woods where my family lives (on the edge of town) that they don’t chain up their dumb dogs. And these weren’t little dogs either. The first dog came to about my shins. I shooed him away by kicking some rocks near it. The second dog was barking quite a bit and followed me about a block or so but was more interested in someone’s water sprinkler. But it was the third dog that scared me the most…he came up to about my knees and he came up on my feet soo quick I didn’t have time to react to him. He ran closely beside me and was wildily barking and flashing his teeth. All I had time to do was forcefully yell “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!!” as loud as I could and speed up. I must have scared him somehow, and he ran off, disinterested. I was pretty scared myself though, as I have never been chased by a dog in my life, so I don’t even know if I did the right thing.

Overall, despite the dogs, and the hills that never seemed to end, this run was great. It was good to get in some awesome hills and take advantage of some great fall weather. Saturday I intent to run the same route, only leaving out some hills to make the route a mile shorter. (But, still difficult…after all, my parents live in a valley, so NO MATTER where I run, it’s going to be Uphill, lol).

The STATS:
4 miles

37:25 total running
ave 9:21/mile

Heart-rate: 172 ave/188 max
Weather: Low humidity, upper 50’s.

11/22/05: SMARTie Tuesday: Back in Business!

After a discouraging 12 miler on Saturday, I took a few days off to clear my mind, refocus some positive energy into my running, and get a little antsy about putting my running shoes on again:) I was actually kind of grumpy not running for 3 days, lol, a bad sign, I know.

This workout was great though, I was finally able to partake in 180/180’s (where you run 180 seconds at 5k pace, then a recovery jog for 180 seconds). These were something I never thought I was going to be able to do at one point, lol! I guess that proves where my fitness level is going, and how much stronger my body is finally getting.

I ran with Strider Amy as she is recovering from shin splints (yikes, I know) so I was mostly able to keep up with her today. (She usually breezes right past me on most workouts). It was so fun to have someone to chat with as we did our workout. I don’t remember what we talked about, but that’s besides the point. The workout flew by and before we knew it we were done and both felt great about our efforts!

Not sure what the rest of the week has in store, running wise, as I will be at my parent’s home in Copperas Cove, but I G-Mapped two slightly different 3 mile and 4 mile courses since the local Turkey Trot was LAST weekend (was is THAT all about?!) and I’m not sure if Ft. Hood is going to hold one this year (I use to partipate in it when I was in grade school! I still have the certificates from them, I think!) And believe it or not, that could be seen as the start of my interest in walking/running for fitness…

Anyhow, have a great Thanksgiving all. I’ll be back online late Sunday night. Don’t eat too much and I can’t wait to hear about all the trotting going on! Oh yeah, SEVEN more weeks til the MARATHON!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!

The STATS:6 miles
58:00 total running

24:00 2.5 mile wu
7:00 .5 mile cd

27:00 3 miles 180/180’s
ave 9:00/mile

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: lower 50’s at start, upper 40’s at end. (brrr!)

11/19/05: 12 Miles of HELL, aka WHY YOU SHOULD NOT DO ANY SIDEWALK RUNNING…

Needless to say, I hope the heading for this journal entry gives away the agony of my run (if you can call it running that I was doing) and I hope you take away something from MY ignorance. (A teaching moment, if you will...) But, although I felt slow and sluggish after mile four of this run, I finished with a respectable 10:13/mile pace. Amazing, considering I felt horrible no matter how much water/gatorade/or GU I had.

The 12 mile run route was one I have done before, from my house, to SMART-is that 80% of this run is on sidewalks aka concrete. Lynnlee was cringing-she reminded me it’s the worst surface to run on and that she originally hurt her knees when she trained for her first Marathon exclusively on sidewalks.

Problem banished-NO MORE SIDEWALKS FOR ME EVER AGAIN.

I feel like an idiot for not realizing earlier that this route is hurting me sooo much. I mean, I FINALLY put two-and-two together after talking to her: Every long run I have done from my house has resulted in sore knees and lower back. I can’t blame it on the increased mileage because I have ran upwards of 11 miles at the Park loop (yum, crushed granite!) and not expierenced these sore issues. AHA. Makes sense. This all just means I will have to come up with some new NON-sidewalk long distance running routes over Thanksgiving. Should be fun actually, as I can get away from the yucky traffic and smog of Woodway and 610. I hate learning the hard way though with running! :(

The STATS:
12 miles

2:01:55 total running
ave 10:13/mile

Heart-rate: ?????
Weather: lower 50’s. Nice.

11/18/05: A Few Miles Before the 12 Miler Tomorrow…

I decided I needed to get in a few more miles before tomorrow’s run…although I have pushed pretty hard this week, my legs felt pretty fresh and loose. Again, another late night run…the gym is so totally boring after 10pm. I guess I shouldn’t complain though-I got the miles in and that’s what counts.

The STATS:
4 miles

About 43:05 total running
Ave 10:46/mile

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: a/c

11/17/05: Weekly Thursday 5k Run…

Tonight was officially the coldest night of Houston Marathon-training season. I believe when I started running it was in the low 40’s. I think by the time I finished, it was in the upper 30’s. So, give me credit here, no matter where you live: that is considered cold. Like bring out the tights, put on the gloves, and wear a headband. Of course, I wanted to be hardcore--I ran in a singlet and shorts. And ended up with frozen hands/fingers. Dumb me for forgetting my gloves, now I know…

Anyhow, I started out with a slow one mile warm-up, just to make sure I could handle the weather. I immediately could tell the weather was going to affect this run. My joints in general were stiff and achy. And of course, my hands were frozen. Other then that, I felt great and did a short stretching session before I tackled my 5k.

I felt slow and tired as I got started, although my mind was very active and overally excited to be tackling the first night of invigerating cool weather. In fact, I didn’t listen to any music tonight. My first mile split (9:00) was acceptable for me although slower then what I had planned to run. I had hoped the cooler weather would mean faster-then-normal splits, I guess.

In mile 2 I cruised a nice and easy 9:08 and began picking up the pace with mile 3. Mile 3 was a fast 8:49 (it actually felt good) and I could tell my body was finally warm-uped. Oh well.
Overall, I felt like a real runner tonight. Except for the chattering teeth and dumb grin I probably had on my face due to the weather. And the achy runner’s knees I had too…ohno. Hopefully it’s just due to the weather changing…

The STATS:
5 miles overall

5k: 27:52 (7 seconds faster then last week)
Ave 8:58/mile (same time as 8.4k)

One mile wu: 12:16
mile1: 9:00
mile2: 9:08
mile3: 8:49
mile3.1: 1:09
one mile cd: 10:00

Heart-rate: 169 ave 234 max (not good at all-too high due to wu!)
Weather: cold. Lower 40’s.

post script: pictures from the 8.4k. that's me in the orange hat (yeah, Cassie!). Other then the 'rockit' pictures, I look pretty miserable. (But, I really felt fine.)

11/15/05: Smartie Workout From the DarkSide!

Darkside=Ouch.

This SMARTie workout was über tough and I’m not sure why. My legs feel mostly recovered from Sunday’s effort but I just felt slow and sluggish. The funny thing is that the cold weather has (mostly) rolled in and I don’t think it really helped my run at all. Anyhow, it was a ‘Three’s Company’ crowd tonight (Coach Brett, Strider Chip and myself) since the violent-looking lightning scared everyone away, I guess. In fact, I think I counted MAYBE a total of 30 people at the Park tonight. Most nights there are AT least 300 people there.

The workout was a speciality that Brett cooked up and dubbed ‘Death Charges.’ The workout consists of: 600m at 5k pace, 100m jog, 100m sprint and then a 400m recovery loop. Wow, I am tired just typing all of that! I did this 4 times, which was the goal for the night. Honestly, I wanted to stop after 3, but I couldn’t let the [much faster] guys down. And now that I look at it, it doesn’t SEEM hard, maybe I just had the wrong mindset about it. But I was just sooo physically beat, in a way I have never felt after a workout. I could even feel my dumb right shin getting angry with me after we finished. Too bad my heart rate didn’t reflect how hard I pushed this one…

The STATS:
4 miles

One mile wu: 12:00
First DC: 6:30
2nd DC: 6:24
3rd DC: 6:42
4th DC: 6:58
½ mile CD: 5:00

Heart-rate: 170 ave 191 max
Weather: cool, low humidity. Maybe in the 50’s.

11/14/05: The Day After-A Nice Relaxed 6 Mile Distance Run!

Originally I had planned to do this run after the 8.4k (in the afternoon) but I was just too tired to want to do anything else (What a lame excuse, I know). Anyhow, seeing how that cold front had still not come through, (as I went to do some AR for the Hawthorne Heights show at #’s earlier and it was hotter then sin!!), I decided to hit the gym to get in these miles.

The run was pretty uneventful, other then my legs feeling a little tired from the previous day. I actually was more tired then I thought, so I broke the run up into two 3 mile chunks. After the first 3 miles, I did some light stretching for about 5 minutes and hit the treadmill again. Whew, I need to avoid the gym after 10pm. There isn’t much going on in terms of people-watching and the TV shows aren’t very cool either!

The STATS:
6 miles

Mile1-3: 33:03
Mile4-6: 32:22

1:05:25 total running
ave 10:54/mile

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: a/c

11/13/05: 8.4k Race Report (warning, very long!!)

Despite the outlandishly-warm weather for Houston in November (the high was 87 today! 90% humidity!), I ran the best race of my running days yet. I'm not sure *WHY*, which is a wierd thing to say/type, but I just did NOT have a good training week in my opinion. #1: i trained wayyy too hard (IMHO) for what was a 'recovery week' for me. #2: i just did not have the right mind-set this week...a lot of negative energy that didn't translate into my running very well. #3: No SMART this week for me...I felt kind of bad for not seeing my group aka I was a slacker! But, overall, now that the race is done, I can see that none of this stuff mattered/affected me.

I actually am thinking that my hard(er) training schedule this week prepared me well for the race...I felt no fatigue right before or during the race and the humidity (other then sweat in my eyes) didn't bother me. (Side note: I did crash pretty hard once I got home though--taking a 2 hour nap and later falling asleep around 8pm and waking up at midnight, wide awake!) My focus was absolutely incredible, and other then talking to one guy around the first mile marker, I was soley focused on myself. I did find enough extra energy to cheer for my club though, and the best moment of the race for me was seeing Coach Brett in a close 1st place race with Carlo Deason (I believe) at their mile 4, and I was like "Go Brett, Rockit man!" and I swear I heard him yell back "I'm gonna take him!" That was pure motivation for me and he ended up winning the overall race:)

Speedy Sam (4th overall in the 8.4k) was about 100 meters from the finish and cheered me in/really helped push me..."You're almost there! Finish strong!" All I could do was nod my head and agree. Wow, overall those last 2.15 miles cooked and I passed every single female I was in the vacinity of with the exception of Richmond's Gail Webster, who actually placed right behind me in overall standings, but she sure gave me a good chase as I was right behind her the entire race and knew I could keep up with her pace! I later thanked her for pushing me and I hope to see her at the Half Marathon as she will running it as well.

All in all, as much as I wish I could have ran the LONG one with the rest of the Striders, there was just NO WAY I could have ran the 25k today...I watched the finish line for an hour and got to see the first finishers (BTW-the 8.4k'ers had a 15 minute head start on the 25k'ers) and not many people appeared happy with their overall efforts. I saw someone throw-up right in front of me and some other assorted things that proved that the heat really got to people today. However, we Striders still had a good share of hardwear winners (13, including myself) and not everyone seemed dissapointed with how they did.

Overall, I am very proud of my efforts, and proud the HRB's too...although I didn't get to see Holden or Jen race, I did cheer for Cassie and Jon and saw Sarah at the starting line. I am curious (as I am sure everyone else is-about their own personal race) to know how I would have raced had it not been yucky-feeling today, but I surely raced up to my expectations/gave it my all so I can't be dissapointed. I love the fact I could run two 'conservative' miles and kick up the pace and mostly hold it for over 2 miles (although I almost lost it at the end as my breathing got a little crazy and I had to concentrate on my breathing to avoid hypervenalating). I love the fact I felt like I could have run another 5 miles (slowly) after the race. I love the fact I can tell I am getting faster and stronger--my training with the SMARTies is paying off in ways I never thought possible. I am definelty becoming a more-disiplined runner and much more dedicated to the entire sport. I just hope I can keep up my training through the tough and HOT off-season (Feb-July).

One final thought--I'm a little sad I won't be participating in the 30k fesitivities other then as a volunteer, but that's okay. I (just like Lisa!) get excited about being a cheerleader and being supportive to my fellow runners, regardless of club/affiliation. (I almost always cheer for my fellow racers while I am running next to them--I love some friendly competition, especially with the guys!) It's just very inspirational both spiritually and physically to be surrounded by so many great atheletes and the Houston-area has some of the best...Isn't running the greatest, I would be totally lost with out it.

The STATS:
5.15 miles
3rd place in 25-29 age group

Mile1: 9:10
Mile2: 9:32 (too slow!)
Mile3: 9:17
Mile4: 8:19 (too fast!)
Mile5: 8:42
Mile5.15: 1.36

46:38 total running
ave 8:58/mile

Heart-rate: 179/ave 203/max (this is really good for me!)
Weather: 80% humidity, lower 70’s.

11/12/05: Another Recovery Workout at the Gym…

After sleeping in today (oh, sooo nice!), I knew I needed to get in a short run before tomorrow and see how I felt after the tourturous run I had on Thursday. I actually felt okay, and had plenty of energy since I had some carbs right before I ended out to the gym. Nothing was too sore, although my hip flexors were tender from doing too many crunches on Thursday. I'll just pop some advil or something tonight and be fine. Gonna try to get some rest too, although I am going to check out a few bands and try to be back in bed by midnight to get a few hours of rest.

The STATS:
3 miles

33:00 total running
ave 11:00/mile

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: a/c

11/10/05: Thursday Night Speedwork, No Fun…

Today was not a good day for me for numerous reasons. But, rather then shrugging it off and letting it go, I brought it with me when I went running. Usually when I bring some aggression with me running, I usually let it go after a mile or so. However, I just couldn’t shake the horrible feelings and negative energy I had. Although it did help my time, I felt horrible the entire time I was running. I was mad at myself and everyone and everything else--I was a mess. And on top of that, I got some really bad blistering so I was extra mad at myself for not using the BodyGlide I brought with me!

Ah well. I still feel good about Sunday. I can do this. I just need to learn to relax and stop stressing. The stress is going to get to me before the humidity will.

The STATS:
5 miles

1 mile WU: 13:30
5k: 28:16 (ave 9:05/mile)
1 mile CD: 10:54

Heart-rate: 174/ave 195/max
Weather: 80% humidity, upper 70’s.

11/9/05: Treadmill Fun at Midnight!

I absolutely did NOT want to run tonight…I ate a late dinner and was tired from the previous day. My body is still recovering from Monday’s run, as well. It took all the strength I had to drag myself the mile to the gym. I didn’t make it out the door until 11:15pm! Ekkk.

I did it though, 4 SLOOOW miles. (well, it seemed slow in comparison to my last few weeks of running). But at the same time, it felt great. To sweat, to focus on my form, to feel every muscle in my leg wanting more…it was a good run. Unfortuently, I didn’t get home til after midnight and not in bed til after 1! Oh, it was sooo tough to get up this morning. Tonight is a 5 mile run…I’m thinking about running a fast 5k and taking the last 2 miles to cool down. Not too sure. Then I need to squeeze in one more 3 mile run before Sunday…

Not sure at this point what my goal for the race Sunday is going to be either. 8.4k is a weird and odd length-a little over 5 miles. I know I can run it quicker then a 9:22/mile, but maybe I should try to finish it with a 9:00/mile or quicker? Can I maintain that pace for 5 miles? I know I can do it for 3 miles…Actually, to be honest, it’s all going to depend on the weather. If it stays warm like it has been, I can kiss a nice PR goodbye. At this point, I am just eager to enjoy the weekend and have a fun run on Sunday! No stress!

The STATS:
4 miles

42:15 total running
ave 10:33/mile

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: a/c

11/7/05: The most fun a distance run can be!

Tonight’s run actually was off to a bad start. I forgot my GU, fuel belt, hat, contacts…lol. I was a mess. Once I started running though, as usual, I felt a little better about the stress of the day. However, due to eating a HUGEEEEEE and greasy lunch, I ended up feeling really sick to my stomach at mile 4. To the point where I almost wanted to stop running and just sit down. Why is it I always try to eat a big lunch to try to give me energy for my PM runs? Maybe this is a sign I need to start running first thing in the morning, so I can eat a ‘normal’ lunch (or even a slightly greasy lunch) and a smaller but ‘normal’ dinner…

Anyhow, around mile 5, as I was dragging my feet and about the end my run for the night, I had a savior in the form of Sam. He came up (quickly) from behind me and said ‘hey aren’t you Jessica?’ I smiled weakly and told him I was dying inside and asked him to run with me for a few minutes. My energy instantly picked up. We talked about everything it seemed. I told him after a few miles that he could leave me if he wanted, as I felt like I was holding him back, but after I/we pulled off a 8:30/mile without really thinking about it, I told him: ‘Let’s just push it to the end and run a few more miles.’

Those were the fastest 5 miles of my life, seriously. We ended up averaging about 9:01/mile, which is my fastest distance and training pace ever (overall was a 9:18/mile). Honestly, it felt great. Yes, I am still sore (and Sam told me he didn’t want to hear me complain of injuries later!) but other then that, it was good fun. The last mile (well, probably .8 of a mile) we burned at a 7:17/mile! Wow, that was FUN! Sam said I kept a good form, although we finished to the corner of Memorial Dr. and I instantly wanted to fall over, lol.

This run made me realize that everything Coach Steeeeeve has been saying to me is true (like I didn’t believe him!, I did!)—I CAN push myself more. I should demand more of my running ALL the time. And it helps having a super fast partner to train with! :) Thanks again Sam, this is one run I will never forget. We’ll have to do it again some other time, if you don’t mind!

The STATS:
10 miles

Mile1: 9:56
Mile2: 9:54
Mile3: 10:02
Mile4: 9:14
Mile5: 10:22
Mile6: 9:52
Mile7: 8:30
Mile8: 9:01
Mile9: 9:12
Mile10: 7:17 (about .8 mile)

1:33 hours total running
ave 9:18/mile

Heart-rate: 163/ave 228/max
Weather: SOO humid (90%), low 80’s.

11/03/05: A Lonely 5 Mile Run at the Park…

I have never ever felt lonely or alone when I run, but tonight was a definite first. It seemed like it was social hour at the Park…everyone was there with a buddy or friend…everyone except loser me, of course. I can count the amount of times I have done a training run with a partner on both hands. I just tend to run—alone. Granted, I have tons of fellow Striders I could run with (and fellow bloggers! Sorry, I need to put your guy’s phone numbers in my running bag…) but push-comes-to-shove, no one runs my funky pace so I usually opt to run alone (although I did try to follow the MPR’s for about ½ a mile—wow! That was tough when they average 6:30/mile!)

The first mile I ran in an even 8:30. I just let my feet take me and it just felt soooo good to move. I had my iPod going so I didn’t care about anything at that point in time. I slowed down in mile 2 to about 9:02, and then wayyy down in mile 3, speed back up in mile 4, and finished mile 5 with a strong 8:15. With this run, I didn’t care to keep even splits, I just enjoyed the run--I probably could have even run without my watch and been content. Sometimes we get so independent/obsessed with the things that are suppose to help us. Honestly, all that mattered was ME with this run. And the 200 crunches I did after the last mile (ya know, to get that nice burn going for the next day…)

Anyhow, an okay run overall on a nice evening that ended up feeling okay and not so lonely. BUT! I will be out of town until Sunday--I will probably get a 10 mile long run in on Monday (yuck!). It’s a recovery week since the 25k/8.4k is the following Sunday--I’m wayyyy excited as I have mentioned before. I am eager for another PR and to get out of this running (and health) funk I have been in for the last week…

The STATS:

5 miles

ave 9:13/mile

Heart-rate: 166 ave, 184 max

Weather: upper 70’s. breezy.

11/02/05: Recovery Run at the Gym and Running Goals for 2006…

Another fun gym run (as I have been seeming to do one-a-week now). I just get home wayyyyy too late on Wednesday’s to run at the Park (At least in my opinion, as it gets darker earlier now and I like to be done with my Memorial Park loops by 8pm, especially after Strider Lisa saw me running alone late the other day…) It was actually a good run though, as I caught myself starting to make some running goals for next year, since there are only a short 2 months left until 2006! And only 10 weeks until the BIG DAY! I think it only seems appropriate to start planning…

I think the goal that seems the most realistic to me that I made is being able to run a sub 26:00 5k by this time next year. It seems sooo crazy to me right now, but I have ran one 5k distance at UNDER 27:00 recently (without thinking about it) and I am completing 5k distances now (without pushing it or ‘trying’ to finish in a certain time) under 28:00 easily. If I continue to push myself, I think I can do this. And if I can do it, that means that in UNDER two years, I will have shaved a nice 3:30 off my first 5k time, awesome!

Other things I would like to do next year include competing in the HARRA-sponsored Iron Foot (Spring and Fall) and the Texas 10k challenge. And of course, (although technically in 2007)—the full Houston Marathon. I think what excites me the most about running it then (in 2007) is that my longest runs by the time I start training with the SMARTies again will have been 15 miles. That means I am a cool 11 miles away from the actually 26.2 miles—and that seems ‘doable.’ I have known many people train for their first marathon and only have run 5-6 milers as their longest runs ever prior to marathon training. I would like to think that all my half-marathon training will come in handy as I start those first few long runs. Afterall, my mentality with my half training has been ‘halfway there’ to where I WILL start/finish in 2007—the full freaking marathon!!!! Yeah!


The STATS:
4 miles

40:52 total running
ave 10:13/mile

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: a/c

11/01/05: SMARTie run—Kenyan Relays (my favorites!)

A great speed workout: a 200m dash at 5k pace with a short recovery while your partner runs the other 200m and then you do it again. I ran with Strider Lynnlee I believe. After 20 minutes of that in which I really pushed myself, I did a 15 minute cool-down with Strider Chip. We had a great time chatting until I got some killer side-cramping in the last 200m. Overall, it was a great workout, especially considering coming off of Sunday’s tough run and being tired from late-night Halloween festivities…


The STATS:
4 miles

11:41 1 mile warmup
10:14 of 200m
9:00 of 200m
14:27 1.5 mile cooldown

Heart-rate: n/a
Weather: upper 70’s. 70% humidity.