I made a decision a while back to work on getting my pace down. I’ve been comfy at 9:30 for a while, it’s really become my easy pace. My body automatically goes there. So, I’ve been trying to break that since I want to break a 1:45 half this year. It may just be my pea brain, but if I want to run an 8 minute mile in a race I need to run faster on training runs (at least sometimes). That being said, 8′s are tough. Real tough. Like vomit pace for me right now. But I guess that’s where I find out what I’m made of!
I feel like a little bit of a slacker lately. I need to find a good schedule that works for me again. I like Monday mornings at the gym, good way to start the week off. Friday’s are almost always rest days for me. Wednesday is usually a gym day (but not the last 2 weeks). And Saturday long run.
Training last week:
Sunday: Gym day
Monday: Gym day
Tuesday: Tempo run, 1.5 miles tempo, .5 mile recovery, that tempo part included a double hill, we ran it 4 times. Total miles 7.5, average pace 9:06.
Wednesday: Rest day
Thursday: 4.25 miles, average pace 8:35
Friday: Rest
Saturday: Raced a 5k
Saturday was my first 5k race in almost a year. I haven’t really been training to PR it specifically, but was going to try. It’s a race I’ve done before, close to home. I love those races. Easy in and easy out. They had a new course this year and I think I like it better than the old one. I got up about 2 hours early and ate a really light breakfast (first mistake). We headed over to get our shirts and then had time to kill. Hence the second mistake, no fuel. I completely forgot about taking something else to eat or at the very least a gel.
Race started and I was feeling good for 1 mile. I swear I could feel the exact moment I used all my energy. It was gone, y’all. Nowhere to be found. I used whatever I had to get me from mile 2 to the finish. I could feel myself slowing down some. Got near the finish line, it’s in a park so you think you are almost there then you make a right turn and have about 1/2 mile in the park before coming back to the finish. I crossed paths with Ally and kept pushing.
One of my friends was out there yelling at me to run faster (thank you Dana!) It was her revenge for me telling her to run faster at track! In the end I got a PR but I know I could’ve done better had I prepared better. My PR last year was 22:30, I got a flat 22 in this race. Ally got a huge PR, almost 3 minutes for her first sub 20 minute 5k. I’m so proud of her!
We both placed first in our age groups.
Last week was the district track meet for Ally. She finished the season so strong, took 2nd place in both the 1600 and 2400, finished less than a second by first place. They were so close we couldn’t tell in the stands who won. She PR’d both distances as well. I’m looking forward to seeing her compete again. Final 1600 was 5:36 and 2400 was 9:08.
Softball season started but already halted because of the rain. We need it desperately here, so I’m trying not to complain. I’m pretty sure we will have lots of make-up games to play!
Are you training for anything?
Did you run today?
Happy running,
She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. Proverbs 31:25
