Never say die

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/30/2008
• Time: 22:21:26
• Total Time: 1:00:00.00
• Calories: 700
• Distance: 7.2 miles

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/30/2008
• Time: 22:09:19
• Calories: 200
• Distance: 2.5 miles

Crap. Today was supposed to be my long run. I wanted to do 9 miles. But all of my trainers are worn out and just irritate my IT band like nothing else, so I hurt so bad, I had to call it quits super early. Ugg. I need to buy new shoes ASAP.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/28/2008
• Time: 07:44:39
• Total Time: 00:21:53.00
• Calories: 260
• Distance: 2.7 miles
• Average Pace: 8:06.49/mile

Coach kicked our butts today… And on a Saturday, no less.

Holy crap. So we had a anaerobic lactate threshold work out today at 6:30am on this beautiful Saturday morning… the one day of the week I have to sleep in…

Basically, we did a 2 mile warm up, stretched, ran a few strides, and then ran 3 miles on the track, with negative splits, followed by a 2 mile cool down. All for a total of 28 laps around that dang track. I’m a cross-country runner… I hate tracks.

Anyways, this is what my times looked like:

Warm up 2mi- 16:13
1st mi-7:19
2nd mi-7:09
3rd mi-7:05
Total work out time-21:34 for 3 miles (Avg=7:11/mile)
Cool down 2mi-16:17
Total=54:05/7miles

Coach wanted my time on the 3rd mile to be sub-7 minutes, but my IT band was flaring up, and I don’t think I could’ve pushed myself much harder if I wanted to (and I did want to!).  I was just happy to end up with negative splits at all, because I sure felt like I was slowing down.

That was one of the hardest work outs I think I’ve ever done. I did hurt afterwards and my stomach felt a little woozy, but I still didn’t feel completely and totally awful. Which means I must be in pretty decent shape after all. My body’s response to these work outs continues to surprise me. I am an athlete!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/27/2008
• Time: 08:45:53
• Total Time: 00:54:05.00
• Calories: 720
• Distance: 7 miles
• Average Pace: 7:43.32/mile

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/25/2008
• Time: 14:50:28
• Total Time: 00:32:51.00
• Calories: 400
• Distance: 4.2 miles
• Average Pace: 7:49.36/mile

Wow. Okay, so today’s work out was awesome. We did 600×6 with 200m jogs in between. I averaged a sub-7min pace on the 600s, which was even faster than what coach wanted. Basically me and another girl on the team were supposed to be running the 600s in 2:37, which was a flat 7/mile  pace, and we were supposed to do 6 of those while jogging 200 meters in between. Well we did half of them in under 7 minutes. In fact, 2 of them we did at a 6:20/mile pace. On the last one, I slowed down and let my teammate get ahead of me because my IT band was flaring up and I was really starting to feel it, but when I passed the 400, my coach was telling me to catch up so… I did. I sprinted the last 200, caught up, and finished at exactly 2:37, like I was supposed to.

Overall, it was an amazing work out, and coach was totally happy with where the team’s at. Which makes me happy.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/23/2008
• Time: 08:23:57
• Total Time: 1:05:00.00
• Calories: 890
• Distance: 7.25 miles
• Average Pace: 8:58.12/mile
• Max Pace: 6:20.15/mile

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/22/2008
• Time: 19:35:49
• Total Time: 00:12:05.00
• Calories: 115
• Distance: 1.5 miles
• Average Pace: 7:33.4/mile

Wasn’t much of a long run, but my legs felt a little heavy and sore from yesterday. Otherwise, loved the run. Real relaxing.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/21/2008
• Time: 08:48:36
• Total Time: 00:50:00.00
• Calories: 515
• Distance: 5.32 miles
• Average Pace: 9:24.26/mile

I ran in my 5K today, it was a trail race, and just a gorgeous trail at that. I did 22:29, my best 5K time ever! And I took 1st in women’s, 2nd overall! I’m so freaking excited!!!

The course was just awesome though. It was a lot like my cross-country course at the college, but the uphill parts were longer and slightly more gradual. There was a portion of the race that was along the lake beach, through sand. That KILLED. Especially since it was at the beginning and right at the end. Coming back, you could see the finish line, but you felt like you were just sinking into the sand. Not only that, but the sand portion was UPHILL. Killed my calf muscles.
I started the race out ahead of everyone, and was basically waiting to tire out and lose momentum, or to be passed up by a bunch of people who were just pacing themselves. Never happened. At one point, I did lose the main trail and got off on the wrong path, but I backtracked and got back on the trail just before the woman behind me. I then had to start sprinting for the last quarter of a mile, because I didn’t want to give up my 2nd place when I was so close to the finish.

I have to say, my head was definitely in the right place the whole time, and that’s what won it. I started off reciting my favorite Bible verse. “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1). That always helps motivate me.

Then the whole race, I was just totally keeping myself positive. My thoughts basically went like this, “Wow. This is a nice trail. I like how challenging it is, and it’s still enjoyable. Nice area, too. This is just like my cross-country course. I run my xc course so much, this is a piece of cake. I can do this, I’ll own this course, just like the course back home. Wait… am I the first girl? Where is everyone else? Holy crap, there’s just that guy ahead of me. I gotta keep up with him. Okay, here we go. I got this. Can’t touch this, duh nuh nuh nuh.”

Okay seriously, that’s what I think about for the twenty-some-odd minutes that I’m racing. It totally makes the entire thing fly by. Before long, I’m passing mile markers and going, “1.5 miles? Seriously? Okay, halfway done and not even breaking a sweat. Let’s go!” And when I saw the two mile marker, I felt like celebrating, because I felt like I was still just warming up, no sweat. So then I kicked into full gear, knowing that another 1.2 miles was nothing at that point.

Makes me want to go out and run a half marathon.
Speaking of which, I think I’m going to do a long run tomorrow. Maybe even a full 9 miles (yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve done long runs… Gotta start small).

Oh, and new rule for when I run: No negative thoughts!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/20/2008
• Time: 15:46:02
• Total Time: 00:22:29.20
• Calories: 300
• Distance: 3.11 miles
• Average Pace: 7:14.26/mile

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 09/18/2008
• Time: 19:55:16
• Calories: 200
• Distance: 2.5 miles