Half Marathon Training - Week 5, Day 1

I was hoping to get a trail run in today but I couldn't find out what the conditions of Cottonwood Trail was after all the rain washed out the majority of the trails about 3-4 weeks ago. I didn't want to do another long run on asphalt since my hip flexor was really bothering me yesterday's run. So instead of 5 miles, I did a fast 2 mile out & back run, just to get something in today. And plus my 10K race is Saturday (day 4) so I should still get in 10-12 miles this week.

I started out at a comfortable 10:40+ pace for the first 1/2 mile and then increased the pace and intensity as I ran the remaining 1.5 miles. My first mile was 10:40, about 10 secs slower than my 5K race pace at about 60-70% effort. Once I hit the 1 mile mark, I turned around and increased the pace to around 70-80% of max effort. With 1/2 mile left to go, I put it into 80-90% effort and mile 2 averaged a 9:22 pace.

Today's Workout: 5 miles - Easy
Today's Weather:  48°F Sunny, Winds N 13 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 4, Day 4

I met a group in downtown Greenville to run the last 3.5 miles of the Reedy River 10K course. Great group to run with and very friendly and welcoming! We started off at the Reedy River bridge and went through Cleveland park which to my surprise was much flatter than I expected.

We kept a comfortable 11:00 - 11:40 pace during the entire run for the exception of a few hills at the end that did slow me down to a walk. My hip flexor starting hurting big time which made the last mile and hill even tougher.

I feel pretty about the course but I think the final half mile is what is going to be the toughest part.

Today's Workout: 3.5 Miles Easy
Weather: 44°F Sunny

Half Marathon Training - Week 4, Day 3

The winds were brutal and it was downright cold. Here when I thought I could finally put away my winter running clothes, old man winter visits again. I originally had planned for 4 miles but with the winds, decided 3.5 miles was plenty. The first lap was alright but tough going into a 20 mph headwind uphill but I was able to power through it. The second lap I was hurting in my calves and ended up walking quite a bit up the hills. Third lap was pure torture, as I could already feel the fatigue sitting in and my legs just didn't want to go any further.

Overall this was probably one of the toughest training runs I've had and the cold and very windy conditions made it even tougher.

Today's Workout: 3.5 Miles - Hills
Weather: 37°F, Sunny. Winds NNW 22 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 4, Day 2

I was going to do my run earlier around 9am but the fog was so dense that I decided to just wait until lunch time. The humidity was still 100% so I knew it wasn't going to be a very comfortable run. I started out with a very slow 10 min warmup jog/walk to get everything loosen up.

The first 8 min tempo went pretty good, until I got to about the last 3 mins and things started to hurt. I was averaging anywhere between a 9:20 and 9:40 pace, which was way too fast since I was forced to walk a bit during the recovery jog. The second 8 min tempo, I just didn't have much left and when I hit the two steep hills, it took 100% effort just to walk up them.

Overall, it was a very tough run and I did the entire tempo intervals wrong! I guess I'm going to have to set goal zones on my Garmin 305 to prevent me from running too fast which I almost always do with tempo and speed work.

Today's Workout: 10 min warmup, 2 x 8 min tempo interval with 5 min recovery jog.
Weather: 58°F, Partly Cloudy, Winds SW 6mph, Humidity 100% (yuck)

Half Marathon Training - Week 4, Day 1

Really this is week 5 but since last week didn't go as plan, I guess it's week 4 and I'm a week behind. The first couple of miles, I really didn't think I was going to be able to go the full 5 miles, I was tired and really couldn't find a comfortable pace. Finally once I hit the 5k mark, I realized I felt stronger and was able to settle into a comfortable 11:16 pace the final two miles. In fact, I felt so good, I decided to finish my run with 6 x 30 sec sprints and to my surprise ran then in 5-6 min pace but of course I could only keep that pace for 30 secs max.

It felt great to finally complete a "long" run again and strong for that matter. The weather was absolutely gorgeous 64° and sunny so a lot of folks out walking and running. It's too bad the weather is going to turn colder and get back down in the 40s by the end of this week. I was really loving the warmer weather. 50s and 60s make for some great running weather!

Today's Workout: 5 Miles or 60 mins (whichever is longer)
Weather: 64°F Sunny, Winds SSW at 5mph

Back on Track, Sort Of

It's been 5 days since I went on my last run which was a slow and painful 3 miles. The last few days I have suffered from severe lower back pain which I think was in part of trying to walk my brother's 90 lbs German Shepherd. It wasn't her pulling but her stopping suddenly that I think did it in for me and then the tugging to get her moving again.

Tuesday, I decided to give inline skating a go for the first time in probably over 5 years. That helped worked my glutes and thighs while keeping my back from hurting as much. In fact, I think it helped loosen it up. I'm definitely going to incorporate more inline skating as a form of cross-training along with cycling once the weather warms up.

But today, I decided to try a short and easy 5k run on my normal neighborhood loop. I started the first mile at what I felt was a very easy pace only to realize I clocked a 10:39 first mile, must faster than my usual "easy pace". I felt really good and had no lower back pain so I kept going only to clock an even faster 10:07 2nd mile. At 2.3 miles, I hit the first steep uphill and decided to just walk up it and for a little while to catch my breath some. With 1/2 mile left to go, I started jogging again, this time clocking a slower 11:13 third mile. With about .2 miles left to go, I started to get a painful side stitch which prevented me from finishing strong as I normally do but to my surprise, I finished in 33:01, just 34 secs slower than my 5K personal record and I wasn't even trying to run fast! It felt good to get a great run in, especially since the last week and half hasn't gone as plan.

Then when my husband got home from work, we went on a 1.5 mile walk around the block so I got in a total of 4.6 miles today. Woohoo!

I'm planning to get back on my half marathon training on Sunday and with temps expected to be in the low 60s, I'm super excited!

Today's Workout: 5K Run - Easy Pace
Weather: 55°F, Sunny, Winds NNE 8mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 3, Day 3&4

This entire week got messed up due to the weather and I haven't been running well either since that 7 mile run. Thursday, I attempted to run with my brother's German Shepherd but she kept stopping and it was a lot of tugging on her to get her to keep moving. Today, I was suppose to run 90 mins or 8 miles, whichever is longer but after 2 miles I started getting really bad lower back pain and hip flexor pain. That caused my form to change and every step it felt like someone taking a knife in my back so I decided it was probably best to just end my run early rather than risk further injury. I'm just sick of all the winter weather and cold. It's supposed to be in the upper 50s this time of year and we've barely broke out of the 40s. There is even the threat of light snow showers tonight. I'm so ready for spring and after today's run, I just don't know how many more cold weather runs I have left in me. I was really hoping to be running in shorts again by March but we'll see.

Today's Workout: 3 mile run
Weather: 43°F Cloudy, Winds 5 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 3, Day 2

It was a very windy day so I altered my workout today. I bought my dogs a new hands-free leash that I attach around my waist. Wow, I was amazed how much simpler even walking them would be, let alone running. I took them out individually and took Kato out first since he is always the most excited about his walks. He did amazingly well and loved it. He stayed right next to me although wanted to go a bit faster than I was running which at 16 lbs, the little guy can run fast, just not very long so I just did 30 sec jogs with him with 2-3 min walking breaks.

Next it was Kelsey's turn. She was excited at the start and jogged with me the first time. She stayed beside me but slowed down. I felt tension so I had to stop and walk. Just 10 secs of jogging and she was done. She's more of a walker so we pretty much walked then on out.

Once I dropped the dogs off at the house, I then decided to do a fast 1 mile tempo run since I was pretty much already warmed up. The wind was pretty brutal. The first 1/4th mile is uphill and the wind was against me....a 25 mph gust hit me head on and going uphill, that felt like a wall and it stopped me dead in my tracks. Once it subsided, I continued on but it pretty much took everything out of me. Once I turned and went with the wind, it was much better. Still, it was a slow mile at 10:19 but on the RPE scale, it was 8-9 effort and went as fast as I could given the very windy conditions.

Workout: 3 Miles Hills (planned)
.75 walk/run with my dogs individually + 1 mile tempo run (actual)

Weather: 42° F Sunny, Winds 17 mph with gusts up to 25 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 3, Day 1

I really was not looking forward to this run at all. I mapped out a 7 mile route in my neighborhood and off I went. I did my usual run 4 min, walk 1 min intervals as I always do with runs an hour or longer. It was a bit on the chilly side and clouded up quite a bit from this morning.

I felt great the first 45 mins and then things started to get a little more difficult. At 5.5 miles as I was going down the long steep hill, I started feeling blisters forming on the balls of my feet. It's also when I noticed my legs, hips and calves start to hurt as well. I was 1.5 miles from home so I had no choice but to keep going. Every step was becoming more and more painful but I just pushed through. My breathing was great, I wasn't out of breath or even felt tired, it was all physical pain. My body just wasn't doing what the mind wanted it to do.

I did my best to slow my pace down and focus on completing all the running intervals without having to walk once, even going uphill and I succeeded with that. I finished the course with "Heart Attack Hill", a long and steep hill that you climb up and yes, it's usually where my heart rate spikes which is why I gave it that nickname.

After the run, I walked until my heart rate was below 90 bpm then went inside and probably stretched for a good 20-30 mins. It felt good to finish my first 7 mile run.

Workout: 80 mins or 7 miles (whichever is longer)
Weather: 42° F, Mostly Cloudy, Winds 8 mph

Half Marathon Training - Week 2, Day 3

This week is slightly off schedule because of the weather and with rain approaching this afternoon, I went ahead and did my run before lunch. So instead of the 4 miles + speedwork, I went ahead and just did an easy 5k run, focusing on form and breathing and not worrying about pace much.

It was cold. At least compared to yesterday's mid 50s and sunny where I was in shorts and a tee shirt. Today I was back in my running tights and long sleeves today which made it feel like I was running through mud. From the first step to the last, I didn't really enjoy this run at all and just wanted it to be over with. Still it feels good to get my run in and not make the excuse to skip it because of the weather.

Workout: 3 Mile Run - Easy
Weather: 38° F, Overcast. Winds NNE 6 mph.

Half Marathon Training - Week 2, Day 2

I had to wait and run today since yesterday was very raining and never got the chance to get in my run. It was a beautiful day, mid 50s and not a cloud in the sky and virtually no wind. Warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt and be comfortable. I started out with my usual 10 min warmup jog then did three 6 min tempo intervals with a 5 min recovery walk/jog in between. During the tempo intervals, I paid special attention to my breathing and form. The first tempo interval felt great. I kept my pace consistent and breathing under control. The second interval I think I started out a bit too fast because it felt like it was never going to end and ended up slowing down a lot towards the end. Then in the last tempo interval, I did pretty good up until the last 90 secs that went up a steep hill...not fun but I made it. Overall, this tempo run felt great once I was done but it did feel tougher than I expected probably because I was a little hungry and not properly hydrated.

Workout: 10 min wamup, 3 x 6 min tempo w/ 5 min recovery in between.
Weather: 54° F, Sunny. Winds Calm.