May 2017 Running Challenge

I guess the rest of the world never read Born to Run.....

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-40006985

Hey all... I have been MIA from here, but have still been running... not as much as I would like, but doing okay considering my schedule the past couple of weeks. I just got my youngest married off this past Saturday, so officially an empty nester now. Last Monday I was in a pretty bad car accident when some yahoo went thru a red light, but I walked away with minor abrasions, contusions, and sore neck. Totaled my truck though, so that sucks! That day was also the last day before the fee increase for the June 3rd 10K I was planning on doing, so I didn't sign up as I wasn't sure how it would affect my training.

Anyway, this is where I am at... might come out a little short, but we'll see...

5/2 - 4 mile riverfront run, avg pace 8:36/mi.
5/4 - 6 mile downtown run, avg pace 8:41/mi.
5/6 - 3.11 mile greenway trail, avg pace 8:12/mi.
5/7 - 6 mile neighborhood run, avg pace 9:01/mi.
5/9 - 6 mile tempo run, avg pace 10:00/mi
5/11 - 5 mile downtown run, avg pace 9:00/mi
5/13 - 5 mile greenway trail, avg pace 8:41/mi.
5/14 - 7.5 mile large sidewalk loop, avg pace 9:25/mi.
5/17 - 3 mile greenway trail, avg pace 8:57/mi.
5/18 - 6 mile neighborhood run, avg pace 9:08/mi.
5/19 - 5.25 mile neighborhood run, avg pace 9:05/mi.
5/22 - 3.11 mile downtown run, avg pace 8:53/mi
5/23 - 5 mile downtown run, avg pace 8:56/mi.


65/80 total miles.

WhatMeRunning wrote: »

On the topic of being slow in warmer temps, that's a very real thing. Your pace will be slower and slower the warmer it gets. As summer keeps coming on and it gets warmer and warmer, expect to get more and more slow. If you try to push to maintain your pace you are making the effort more strenuous, as if you were running longer/further, making you more tired. Run by time@effort as it warms up, not distance@pace.

There is a thing called heat acclamation, but it does not mean you get the same pace you had in early Spring, or even feel all that good about running in the heat. Running in the heat sucks, plain and simple. What heat acclamation does though is make it a little less sucky, and when temps start cooling down in the fall all of the sudden you are no longer slowed down, and as long as you trained and adapted all summer you will be running faster and easier than in the Spring (as long as it's not a hot fall day, those are also slowish). Just don't expect a summer full of runs as glorious as the ones in March and April.

This article describes what happens a bit better, although it may mislead you into believing you can run at 100% full speed in 90+ degree temps after just a couple weeks. Don't fall for that. You're gonna be slower in that heat. Especially if there is humidity, sweating doesn't help much in humidity.
http://running.competitor.com/2014/07/training/heat-acclimatization-for-runners_12035

Sorry I missed seeing this earlier. I will take a look at the article. I guess since I first started running last April, all of my initial C25K program running was thru the summer months, so I didn't know what to expect. I was more focused on just running the required intervals than pace for the most part. This week has been significantly cooler again (I think it was in the 40's for my run this morning) and still my pace isn't very much improved. I think part of my problem is that I'm not currently following any training plan, just winging it on my runs and I do so much better when following a plan.

Got another 5 down this morning, but it was raining so I hit the treadmill.

@Stoshew71 "daily double" made me instantly think of jeopardy, which if there's ever a runner's jeopardy, I want all of you on my team haha

3.7 mi done tonight. It was a beautiful, cloudy, cool, windy evening when I got off so I raced to the park. It cooperated until I finished the warmup and it turned steamy. Continued on anyways. Hit the cool down and it went back to cloudy. I think it was testing me but I passed hopefully?

Thanks @skippygirlsmom and @Stoshew71 - it was a really poor showing for me but clearly a lesson I needed to learn the hard way. @MobyCarp I am happy to be in such good and overly ambitious company haha.

@KatieJane83 you looked awesome at your HM- wishing you a lot of luck in chasing that sub 2 hour HM down soon!

@MNLittleFinn the course looks flat/gently and gradually inclined from what I could see in the video. I'm not sure if I missed it while watching or what but I didn't see any super crazy hills at the time stamp you referenced? Or is it notorious just because of its late placement in an otherwise level course? The last km of RDM was downhill, the incline you had to fight to get up there was big but even with my hurting unit it was manageable. I am pretty sure you'll ace this course!

2---3.11
4---5.16
6---6.62
7---2.4 walk
9---4.64
10th-15th in Georgia- lots of walking and ghost tours.
14---5.23 beach run
16---4.22
18---4.87
20---5.42
21---4.26
23---4.53

50.46/60

UPCOMING RACES

July 8- XTERRA Jurassic Trail Run, 5K.  Glen Rose,TX
Dec 2- POOP trail run, Hoping for a half! Norman OK.

Got out for a run 6.31 miles tonight. It was cool, but not raining and the sun was out. There was a point where I spotted a nice rainbow despite no rain. I was going to stop and take a photo, but zombies started chasing me (Zombies, Run! app) and I couldn't take time to get my phone out. When I came back around again, it was gone.

May Running Totals (miles)
5/1 – 5.16 easy
5/2 – 6.67 easy
5/3 – rest day
5/4 – 8.08 easy
5/5 – rest day
5/6 – 11.23 loosely paced run
5/7 – 11.08 easy with fast finish
5/8 – 5.23 easy
5/9 – 8.16 warm up, speed work, cool down
5/10 – 5.66 group run
5/11 – 7.25 easy plus 5 strides
5/12 – rest day
5/13 – 15.07 paced run
5/14 – 7.20 easy
5/15 – 6.03 easy
5/16 – 10.63 warm up, speed work, cool down
5/17 – 3.35 recovery run
5/18 – 8.61 warm up, workout
5/19 – rest day
5/20 – 8.06 paced run
5/21 – 7.90 warm up + Lilac 10K
5/22 – 6.24 easy
5/23 – 6.97 warm up, speed work, cool down

May total to date – 148.58

Nominal Challenge Goal – 200 miles
Real Goals: Stay healthy. Build base. 5/28, start training plan toward MVP Rochester Marathon.

Today's notes – It was another warm day, 72º F (22º C) for running at club practice this evening. It will get warmer later in the summer, and true summer humidity hasn't shown up yet; but this is a good start for acclimating to warm weather running.

Did my 2 mile warm up, and looked at the workouts on the board. I felt intimidated by the workout for McMullen Mile, which is the next race on my schedule. I just ran a hard 10K Sunday, and running fast didn't seem very appealing. Maybe back off to the Buffalo Marathon workout, 3-4 x 1000 at T pace? Coach was fine with that idea.

Well, I set off on the track. At 200m, I looked at my watch. 42 seconds, right on my R pace for a VDOT of 52. It felt good so far, so I made a snap decision to convert this into the McMullen Mile workout: 2 x (800, 400, 200) at mile race pace or faster, with full recovery. Took the recovery walking around before the 400 and 200, and walking the other 200 of the track before the second set. It was intense, and I came in with respectable splits for the speed intervals: 2:52, 1:22, 0:39, 2:51, 1:24, 0:40.

This short fast stuff isn't really in my comfort zone. I've run only one race shorter than 5K in my life, the 2015 McMullen Mile. Coach asked what my goal was for the Mile this year; I told him to finish faster than I did 2 years ago. Today's splits would indicate that I'm on track to do that.

Two years have made a big difference in how I view myself as a runner. In 2015, I gave an estimated time of 6:20 when I registered for the Mile. This was scientifically chosen as a time too slow to be included in the Elite Masters heat, because I knew I wasn't an elite. In my heart, I thought I could run a 6:15 or 6:10, and maybe beat 6:00 if all went well; I actually ran a 5:50. That surprised some people, including me.

This year, I gave an estimated time of 5:50 when I registered for the Mile. That will put me in the Elite Masters heat. This year, I'm comfortable that I belong there. If I run faster than a 5:50, I don't think anyone will be surprised.

After taking some time to recover after this evening's intervals, I felt like I really hadn't run much. So I stretched the traditional 2 mile cool down run out closer to 3 miles, and ran some of that trail I posted pictures from the other day. That was a pleasant evening run, but even when I got done it felt like I hadn't run all that much today. I'm still a distance runner at heart, even though I will gear up and run as well as I can for the Mile.

2017 races:
January 1, 2017 Freezeroo #2 (Resolution Run 7.5 mile) (Mendon, NY) Finished in 50:45
January 7, 2017 Winter Warrior Half Marathon (Gates, NY) Finished in 1:32:40
January 14, 2017 Freezeroo #3 (Pineway Ponds Park 5 mile) (Spencerport, NY) Finished in 33:42
January 28, 2017 Freezeroo #4 (Hearnish 5 mile) (Victor, NY) short course, finished 4.88 miles in 32:50
February 4, 2017 USATF Cross Country National Championship Masters 8K (Bend, OR) Finished in 35:39, team won the 60+ Men's cross country championship
February 11, 2017 Freezeroo #5 (Valentines Run "In Memory of Tom Brannon" 8 Mile) (Greece, NY) sat out due to training schedule
February 25, 2017 Freezeroo #6 (White House Challenge 4.4 mile) (Webster, NY) short course, finished 4.34 miles in 27:51
March 11, 2017 Johnny's Runnin' of the Green 5 mile (Rochester, NY) finished in 33:25
March 18, 2017 USATF Masters 8K Championship (Shamrock 8K, Virginia Beach, VA) finished in 30:59, PR for 8K
April 17, 2017 Boston Marathon (Hopkinton, MA) finished in 3:49:42
April 30, 2017 USATF Masters 10K Championship (James Joyce Ramble, Dedham, MA) finished in 39:54, PR for 10K
May 21, 2017 Lilac Run 10K (Rochester, NY) finished in 40:04
June 9, 2017 Charlie McMullen Mile (Rochester, NY)
June 18, 2017 Medved 5K to Cure ALS (Rochester, NY)
July 28, 2017 Karknocker 5K (East Rochester, NY)
September 17, 2017 MVP Rochester Marathon (Rochester, NY)
November 23, 2017 Race with Grace 10K (Hilton, NY)