March 2016 Running Challenge

@ceckhardt369 My husband is always asking me why I don't turn my obsession with fitness into extra income! I'm just a loner :-p I'd love to be a trainer in another life but not this one. Haha.

@Stoshew71 Thank you! Feels good to start feeling better.
@Elise4270 Thank you as well. Sorry for not checking in earlier with an update. Was limited in keyboard use and honestly a little depressed.
@WhatMeRunning Thank you! The best news of all is I'm alive and only broke my clavicle. Very thankful.

March Running Totals (miles)
[2/28 – 7.78 easy]
[2/29 – 7.22 easy + 4 strides]
3/1 – 9.31 warm up + 8 x Yasso 800s
3/2 – 6.02 easy
3/3 – 15.05 easy
3/4 – scheduled rest day
3/5 – 17.01 2 easy, 13 MP, 2 easy
Weekly total 62.39 vs. target 62

3/6 – 7.70 easy
3/7 – 8.17 easy + 4 strides
3/8 – 11.67 warm up, speed work, cool down
3/9 – 11.03 easy
3/10 – 8.92 warm up, speed work, cool down
3/11 – scheduled rest day
3/12 – 15.10 easy 2 solo, pace 8, race 5
Weekly total 62.59 vs. target 62

3/13 – 11.00 – 4 easy, 3 MP, 4 easy
3/14 – 5.74 easy + 4 strides
3/15 – 7.96 easy
3/16 – 9.41 easy
3/17 – 9.79 easy
3/18 – scheduled rest day 2.38 easy
3/19 – 22.03 (14 with 8:00 pace group + 8 solo)
Weekly total 68.31 vs. target 68

3/20 – 7.39 easy with stride at end
3/21 – 8.24 easy + 4 strides
3/22 – 11.46 easy, speed work, easy
3/23 – 7.76 easy
3/24 – 12.13 aborted long workout, cool down
3/25 – scheduled rest day
3/26 – 15.10 warm up, 15K race, cool down
Weekly total 62.08 vs. target 62

3/27 – 7.60 easy
3/28 – 7.55 easy + 4 strides
3/29 – 10.83 warm up, speed work, cool down
3/30 –
3/31 –
[Target for week ending 4/2 is 56]

March total to date – 266.35

Goal – 56, 62, or 68 miles per week, per training plan
Expected March total - ~282 miles

Today's notes – Today's assignment was 2 miles at E, 3 x 2 miles at T with 2 minutes recovery, 2 miles at E. I ran 2 miles from the car to where the club meets as a warmup, and listened to the pep talk. Of course, my workout didn't line up with what most of the club was doing; they were doing 800s and 1000s and later Kenyan surge drills. So after the obligatory drills, I set out to run the workout. Ran my 2 miles at E. Ran the first 2 miles at T, jogged the 2 minute recovery. Ran the next 2 miles at T, was compelled to walk the 2 minute recovery. Ran 400m at T, and I was done. Crapped out before finishing the workout again.

Walked back to where we meet. Stretched, and thought about things. Talked to Coach when he got there. I think it's my ankle. It feels good, and it lets me run as far as I want easy, and it let me run a hilly 15K last Saturday at an average pace of MP minus 10 seconds; but I think working on healing is sucking up more energy than I normally notice, and this shows up when I attempt a challenging speed workout. Thought about that while I ran the 2 miles back to my car as a cool down.

Fortunately, the speed workouts for the rest of the training plan aren't as challenging as the last two were.

Next week I go into final taper for 2 weeks. The assignments are specified each day, and I couldn't get the mileage to add up to as much as the plan calls for on a weekly basis. So I asked Coach which was more important, following the specified limits or hitting the weekly mileage target. With no hesitation, he said to follow the specified limits and taper to the lower mileage.

I had been thinking that way, but I tend to doubt myself. Absent feedback from Coach, there's a good chance I would have talked myself into modifying the assignments in the final 2 weeks to add up to the weekly mileage targets. Like many other runners, I'm stupider for myself than I am for other people. That's one reason it's a Good Thing to have a coach.

2016 races:
January 1, 2016 Resolution Run 7.5 mile (Mendon, NY) finished in 53:58
January 9, 2016 Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Gates, NY) finished in 1:30:59
March 12, 2016 Johnny's Runnin' of the Green 5 mile (Rochester, NY) finished in 32:32
March 26, 2016 Spring Forward Distance Run 15K (Mendon, NY) finished in 1:05:24
April 18, 2016 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA)
April 24, 2016 Flower City Challenge Half Marathon (Rochester, NY)
July 16, 2016 Shoreline Half Marathon (Hilton, NY)
September 18, 2016 Rochester Marathon (Rochester, NY)

No time to read, so posting and running...lol. I sure hope I'll have more time to stay on top of this group next month!

3/1.....3.0 @ 10:40 on the TM, plus strength training
3/3....3.5 @ 11:25 on the TM
3/5....4.5 @ 10:33 on the TM ( .5 walking and 4 @ 10:00, which I think is my farthest distance at that speed)
3/8....4.5 @ 11:53 on the park trail
3/9...2.5 @ 15:00ish walking the world's fattest, most slothful dog
3/10...4.25 @ 11:37 on the rail trail near my house. It was so nice to be outside--and warm!--at 6 am!
3/11...3.00 @ 10:39 on the rail trail
3/14...3.0 @ 10:56 on the rail trail--it was a little wet and slippery; I almost landed on my rear in the creek at the water crossing!
3/15...3.0 @ 10:24 on the treadmill and strength training
3/17...2.25 @ 11:06 on the treadmill and strength training
3/21...5.0 @ 12:00 on the treadmill
3/23...3.25 @ 10:39 on the treadmill and strength training
3/25...3.0 @ 10:57 on the treadmill and strength training. So very, very sore!
3/28...5.0 @ 12:00 on neighborhood streets on a beautiful day!
3/29...2.0 @ 12:00 on the treadmill and strength training

kristinegift wrote: »

@Elise4270 You could definitely win an AG with a 25 min PR, but just don't sign up for a race that attracts a lot of Masters runners! Some of the 40-something women in my Oiselle team can run 18-19 minute 5ks weekend after weekend. They amaze me!
I am also hemming and hawing about summer training. I'd like to keep up my marathon momentum, but maybe a few months off would be nice. I guess I'll have some time to think about it in May while I reverse taper my legs!

On athlinks (stats listed too) I saw a few races with very low turn out. Less than 300. Might be a good place to start. I got 2nd once with a 35:xx, but my husband registered me as a male. So no medal.

Nice thing about the 5k is the recovery time will be less. Maybe I'll try to run 5 or 6 throughout the summer. My 5k race list may start to look like @WhatMeRunning 's HM list. I'm stoked with a new goal.

Those Oiselle birds are flyin'!

@Ch1psNQueso - oh my gosh - I'm so sorry about your bike accident. Glad you are back.
@skippygirlsmom - I was dying laughing at your spider story. How in the world did you not completely lose it!? I would have just told the guy NO WAY and I don't care if I make my daughter deathly afraid of spiders! You killed a spider in the garage with your bare hands... WOW.
@WhatMeRunning - love the beaver story - was cracking up on that. The image of a beaver turning around and looking at you... LOL
@ohhim - You are right, it is much better with a group. I had a great group with my 63 mile tour de cure ride and another one I did last year. Hopefully some of them will do the 100 miles... but I think they may not want to and it's the faster riders who want to do 100. I'm improving but not sure I can sustain a 20+ ride for that long.

Wow - can't keep up with all these posts! But trying! What a great group!

ROBOTFOOD wrote: »

@kristinegift Ya. 60mph gusts (70 yesterday). I'd say 35-45mph sustained. Wind sucks, but for a (flat?) race it shouldn't be that bad. Throw in big verticals though and you will be questioning continuing every 1/10mi lol. Good luck on you're race!

Yep - you are getting the winds that we had yesterday and today in So. California! I didn't go out today because they were so bad! Hope they die down a bit before your race!
@Ch1psNQueso - Wow! I had wondered where you had gotten off too and assumed you were busy with life! I am so sorry about your accident and hope you did more damage to the car than it did to you!
@Stoshew71 and @kristine - You all here are my running community since there isn't much of one around my area!
@greenolivetree - I run because it makes me feel great! I didn't need/want to race but discovered it is lots of fun, I get to commune with lots of other runners and have a great time and I discovered I have just a tiny bit of a competitive streak with myself
@ceckhardt369 - I love the sense of accomplishment too when I can lift at a heavier weight than I ever imagined possible! It is equally addicting to me as running is.
@jstafaz - You definitely have to get over the hard painful initial running part before it gets easier and then addicting! But then there is no turning back though...
@Elise4270 - I got 2nd in my age group in a 10k in Seattle in the pouring rain and finished under an hour (9:30 pace) and that is also my fastest pace for a 5k... Both were 2 years ago. I just can't get excited about a 5k, I can't get going fast enough. Now that I have aged up I am considering doing a few more 10k's mixed in with my HMs but I can't compete with most of the masters runners out here.

@Stoshew71, @MobyCarp that was some great inspiring writings in couple of pages. I have bookmarked these pages, to go-through again in future when I need motivation.

@Ch1psNQueso... Glad you are back, welcome back.

@Orphia They do actually adjust very well (for me at least). I run in the dark all the time.

Regarding difficulty setting race goals, I used to find setting goals for races hard, in my previous running life (as I like to call it), but this time round I've gotten much better. My personal trainer suggested that I set three goals for each race rather than just one, then you can feel your pace out on the day and are less likely to be discouraged. He recommended that I set an 'acceptable', 'good' and 'amazing' target for each race - so for my half marathon this weekend my 'acceptable' is 2:30, my 'good' would be 2:20 and my 'amazing' would be sub 2:15. I know I should be able to do 2:20, but having turned my ankle this weekend at a gig I've made it my 'good' time instead of my 'acceptable' time. This makes goal setting much easier for me