Well it should've been 20 miles this week but due to a very bad storm that left the house without power for a day and the neighborhood in a mess, I canceled a walk/run on Tuesday. But the rest of the week was rather good on the 'run front'!
Monday & Wednesday were TEAM Weight Loss Cardio days. Monday I ran 2.66 miles in 30 minutes on the treadmill during my fitness assessment. I could have run faster but decided to ease into the morning at 6AM. Wednesday was a full workout, going 3.25 miles and doing some good work with hand weights and the resistance bands. Oh, those poor shoulders!
On Wednesday night I was supposed to run with my CARA 10K Training group. But I got an email at the last second saying they canceled it because our meeting place was still without power. But I needed to run so I found a 'fun run' in Crystal Lake sponsored by the local running store (The Running Depot). Good store by the way, I might buy my next pair of running shoes there.
They had about 40-50 people there, broken out into multiple groups based upon distance and/or pace. I ended up running with two guys who were doing a walk/run. So we head off. Much to my surprise, these guys are running a 9-9:30/mm pace (that's fast for me). I told them my usual pace was much slower. They kinda ignored my 'hint' and kept running at 2/1 minute intervals. And we were going to run for 40 minutes!
Well, I let my testosterone get the better of me. I couldn't let these guys leave me in the dust on my first time running with this group. My manhood was at stake (note: this is a bad way to think, people! Do not follow my example here!) so I decided to just 'suck it up' and hang with the big boys. So I ran my butt off.
Surprisingly, I was actually able to keep up with them! At the end, I averaged a 10 minute pace, taking into account the walk segments. But the run segments were usually between 9:25 and 10:20 minute mile pacing. By the time we were done, I had run 3.5 miles at an average 10:00/mm pace! Thankfully, there were sandwiches and stuff after the run. I actually felt okay but I knew even with stretching, I was going to likely 'pay for this' on Thursday.
Thursday started with some stiffness/soreness in my left quads. Right quads were just tired. But I had promised a friend that I would walk with him early that morning before work. He lives about 2.5 miles away from me so I had originally planned to run to his place, then walk 3 miles with him, and then run home. NEW PLAN! I drove to his house instead. We got a good 3.1 mile walk in, and I found that it actually HELPED my legs to feel better. Perhaps the walking got them all warmed up and pushed out the Lactic Acid. Don't know. But after driving home and showering (cold shower), they felt great and that made work much more comfortable. So next week, I am walking with him on Tuesday and Thursday morning at 5:30am. This time, I plan on running to/from his house.
Friday was supposed to be another Cardio day. But when I woke up that morning, the body said "More Sleep is Required". So I chose to listen to my body and sleep until 8AM. It made a big difference! Besides, Friday was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 2 and I did not want to sleep through the movie! (Which was AWESOME just in case you were wondering).
Today was a great LSR (long slow run) day! Some days you get out there and everything just 'clicks'. That was today! I went to my Weight Watchers meeting where I lost 1.6lbs. Score! That brings me to 95.8 in total. I am so close to that magical 100 lbs I can almost taste the victory! Then, I came home to begin my run.
Before I continue, I have to apologize to my friend Mark. He and I had planned to run at a local park this morning at 5:30am. But for some reason, I had it in my brain that we were running AFTER my WW meeting. Ooops! Sorry, Mark! My bad! Hopefully, he will forgive me.
So, back to the run. I decided to run the route I will be taking to my other friend's house (the one who I walk with) so I can gauge who long it will take me. That way I can plan for when to leave the house, right? So I strapped on the fuel belt with bottles of water and G2, turned on the recent podcast from "The Marathon Show", and headed out.
I am not sure what was different today but the running was smooth and steady. It was around 75 degrees, no breeze, and a bit humid, but it was all good to me. I ran the 5 miles at a pretty steady 11:30 pace. Heart zones stayed between 2 and 3, and everything just felt great! If I can run my 10K like this next month, I will be ecstatic!
Tomorrow is a new week and will start it with some Strength/Core Training with my PT Meghan at 9AM. I am looking forward to working on my Core and getting some new exercises that I can do at home. The end of next week will be a long weekend vacation in Michigan. While I am out there in the Manistee National Forest, my plan is to swim the local lake from one side to the other, and then run around the lake back to the cottage. I haven't mapped it out yet but I figure it must be at least a 15-20 minute swim and a 3 mile run. I might film the swim part just to prove I did it. LOL
Updated Race Schedule
Yeah, I found a few more 5K races I want to compete in during the Fall. I see them as speed runs, something to help keep me motivated as I train for the Disney Half in January. And to be honest, the goody bags will be cool too! I think this will be my 'final' run schedule for 2011.
- August: Windrunner 10K
- September: Chicago Half Marathon & 5K (running the 5K)
- October: Chicago AIDS 5K & The Pumpkin Stampede 5K
- November: Hot Chocolate 15K & Schaumburg 5K Turkey Trot
- January 2012: Disney 5K & Half Marathon
Looks like the Fall/Winter is going to be busy! I am going to have to figure out my thermal/cold weather gear needs at some point, right?