AM: 2 mile w/u
Target: win, don't get outkicked by old guy
Actual: 17:46, first female, second overall (to Jordan, not old guy)
Results
1 mile c/d
Total: 6 miles
PM: 5 miles easy
Daily total: 11 miles
The 11th of 12 installments of the YMCA North Shore Race Series took place right here in Salem, starting at the Willows and essentially traversing the Thursday night Wicked 5k course. As per usual, Jordan and I were planning to set up the Karhu tent and also hop in the race. However, this particular event was going to be special because Jordan's dad was in town visiting and would be running his first 5k ever! A few months ago he asked Jordan to structure a run/walk program for him, which he has been following diligently, and when I discovered that this race was taking place the same weekend of his visit, I suggested he sign up. The stars were aligned for his first attempt at the distance.
Setting up our tent near the water, it quickly became apparent that yesterday's calm air had given way to a biting 20mph wind. We would essentially be running the first two-thirds of the course with it directly into our faces, then (theoretically) get a nice little boost for the last mile. On my short warmup with Jordan, my legs felt like bricks. Ever since Thursday they've been heavy and stiff, and I had struggled to maintain 7:30 pace on what should've been an easy 15-miler on the Boston course with Stef the day before. As Jordan took off on a few pickups during our warmup jog, I could only chuckle. At that moment, I honestly felt like running faster than 8-minute pace would be impossible.
We returned to our tent to peel down to our racing costumes and had to laugh as Jordan's dad walked up. Having just arrived from 90-degree Palm Springs 12 hours prior, he was bundled up in not one, but two long-sleeve cotton race shirts plus two other long sleeve tops. Ever the vigilant Craft rep (and embarrassed son), Jordan quickly dug through the inventory in his car and produced a Be Active Extreme baselayer. Gary was sternly advised that he could pick one other piece to put on top of it, not a race shirt (first sign of a noob!), and he was sent toward the starting line much lighter and leaner than he'd originally planned. As we all queued up, it seemed as though Jordan's victory would be all but guaranteed. There were a few younger guys up front who also seemed fit, as well as some familiar faces from previous YMCA races, but I was relieved to realize that I probably wouldn't have to go to the well.
We took off at what felt like a sprint, likely due to a combination of the cold wind, my slight wine hangover and, well, the fact that my legs already felt like crap. Within the first 400 meters it was obvious that Jordan was going to sail away unchallenged, and I found myself eyeing the two younger guys who had started out a few steps ahead. Suddenly, out of nowhere, an older gentleman whom I've seen at other YMCA races popped to the front of the group and easily put a few strides on us. We split the mile in 5:40--not fast, but a near miracle given my dead legs--and I summarily dropped the two younger guys, but my gray-haired nemesis continued to push the pace. For the next 10 minutes I kept expecting him to pull away from me, but instead he seemed content to maintain a five meter gap. With 400 meters to go, I pulled up alongside and then found another gear to put some distance between us. It's embarrassing how relieved I was, but I knew Jordan would never let me live it down if things ended differently.
As soon as I crossed the line, Jordan and I began jogging the course in reverse to find Gary. We spotted him just past the two-mile marker, looking fresh and strong (and not the least bit cold!) while maintaining his run/walk intervals. We trotted along next to him for the final mile until I darted across to the finish to snap this great father-son shot. It was fun for Jordan and I to finish 1-2 overall, but I'm way more proud of Gary for embracing the challenge of his first 5k and then absolutely hitting it out of the park. It's never too late to become a runner!
Wednesday, May 15
AM: 8k easy + strides
PM: 5k of 1 min. on/1 min. off
Target: 3 miles in ~20 minutes
Actual: 19 mins. on/off, 5k in 18:30
Daily total: 12 miles
Thursday, May 16
AM: 11k easy
PM: No Rest For the Wicked "5k" in 17:45 (=17:55-18:00 for true 5k)
Daily total: 21k/13 miles
Saturday, May 18
AM: Journey For Sight 5k
Target: Win
Actual: 17:45, 1st place female (3rd overall), $100
PM: ~4mile w/u and c/d with Sarah at the NBB Twilight Meet (more on this later)
Daily total: 12-13 miles
Okay, so technically the rest between 5k #2 and 5k #3 was more like 36 hours, but that doesn't make for as catchy of a blog title. The point is, after doing nothing but shuffling/hobbling around for nearly three weeks, I decided it was time to put on my big girl pants and attempt a few workouts. I considered several options but ultimately settled on minuters, which essentially is as challenging as you make it, and set the ambitious goal of covering three miles in 20 minutes. After warming up with Jordan and our coworker Scott, I embarked on the same loop as the NRFTW Thursday night 5k (which, at the time, I didn't necessarily plan on running the following evening) and settled into a nice rhythm. Much to my pleasant surprise, I'd discovered on the morning strides that my lower leg/shin actually feels much better and looser when running hard than when running easy, a reality that was reinforced tonight. By the second half of this loop I was really rolling, and I was excited to pass through the "finish line" of the Thursday night run right around 18:20. I continued that hard minute and finished gasping for air but quite pleased with the end result.
Cut to 24 hours later, and Jordan and Scott and I were jogging over to the Common to join the Thursday night running group. It was the warmest day of the year thus far, easily in the upper 70s, but with a dry, 20+ mph wind that would push us through the first half of the run and smack us in the face during the second half. I actually planned on just jogging, and through the first minute or two was content to tuck into the group, but then for one reason or another I changed my mind and my gears and took off after the two guys in the lead. Jordan had also planned to run easy and was behind me at this point, but naturally he couldn't stand for me to be ahead and finally overtook me about a mile in. Understandably, this effort felt harder than last night given my tired legs and the ferocious headwind, but I still expected to finish around 17:30 or so. I ended up only 15 seconds off that target but still a bit frustrated. Just as I was excited about last night's effort, I was perplexed in equal measure tonight. How was it possible for me to run hard for more or less the entire loop, as opposed to taking a break every other minute, and yet somehow only finish 30 seconds faster?!
The third 5k in this series took place Saturday morning in the nearby town of Reading. I found this race online Friday evening as I was tucked into my second glass of vino and saw that they offered $100 for the winner--not normally enough to entice me considering the $30 entry fee offset, but Reading is only 15-20 minutes away and I thought it would be a good motivator to continue my streak of hard running. With Jordan otherwise engaged, I drove over to the Reading ice hockey arena by myself and warmed up solo before stepping up to the front of the starting line with the relatively small crowd. For a few glorious seconds I harbored the idea of winning the race outright, but after spotting a speedy-looking younger guy in a team singlet I acknowledged that dream would probably not come true. (I'm pretty sure this is how Allen Strickland feels at the start of every race--except, ironically, today!) From the gun (more like a barely audible "onyourmarkgetsetgo" from one of the race organizers), I could tell almost immediately that my legs were flat and tired. And why wouldn't they be? Nothing hard for almost three weeks and then this three-pronged assault?! A short, steep hill less than 600 meters into the race effectively zapped my energy, and with only two guys ahead of me and no women close behind I had little incentive to pick up the pace beyond tempo effort. My finish time was lackluster but I was pleased to find my leg holding up after three hard workouts in almost as many days. As I tweeted afterwards, even if you're out of shape, even if it's a small local race...it's still really, really fun to beat (almost) all the boys! Even better, less than an hour later I was back in the car and on my way with a crisp hundo in hand. Not a bad start to the weekend!
So, taking this 5k trifecta as a whole, I'm actually somewhat encouraged. I've got five weeks to run these 5k times consecutively without the 24-hour break, and if I can just keep my body in one piece I know it's possible. I'm encouraged by the apparently minimal fitness loss I've sustained since Italy, so now it's time to keep the momentum going!
AM: 8 miles easy
PM: 2.5 mile w/u
Target: 5k tempo
Actual: 4.99k in 17:16
1/2 mile c/d
Daily total: 14 miles
The last time I ran this 5k fun run almost a month ago, I finished in 17:17. The week before that, 17:20. So I suppose I shouldn't be entirely surprised that tonight I finished within a few seconds of both of those efforts. I've got consistency going for me, which is nice.
Unlike those other two instances, however, this one was special due to a particularly high concentration of Karhu and Craft participants. In honor of our new hire, Stacy, being in town for training, Jordan and I also convinced several other of our coworkers to attend. (Potentially this was accomplished by luring them with the prospect of beer and food afterward.) It was definitely cool to jog up to the triangle after our warmup and see Stacy, Scott, Chris and Jenn in addition to the increasingly familiar faces of the regular Thursday night contingent.
To be honest, as for the run itself I felt pretty beat. I've been especially tired this week--I'm assuming it's not good when your first thought upon waking every morning is the mental calculation of how many more hours until you can return to the inviting folds of your comforter--which I'm guessing is due to residual fatigue from last week's trip. (Which trip, you ask? The one I promised to regale you with in great detail in my most recent Week in Review? What can I say...I'm even too tired to blog.) I had an amazing time soaking in the beautiful Pacific Northwest summer weather and running in some great locations--Forest Park in Portland, Greenlake in Seattle and the exquisite Stanley Park in Vancouver, to name a few--but I honestly think my body is still recovering from the combination of hours upon hours of driving, Friday night's restless redeye flight and the time zone difference. Oh yeah, and running 100+ miles somewhere in between. At any rate, despite my best attempts at recovery I just haven't felt superb on a single run this week, and tonight's tempo was no exception. I let Jordan drag me around and managed to hang on with mounting dismay as the screws gradually tightened from a lackadaisical opening kilometer to a seemingly all-out final one. The only time I've been more relieved to finish this run was the week when my lunch found itself barreling through my digestive tract like a high-speed bullet train with an indecorous one-way ticket. At least on that night I had something to distract me from the discomfort of the actual workout. Given how I felt tonight, I was actually pleasantly surprised to see the final time flashing on my watch at the finish. And with the rest of the Karhu crew following closely behind, there was little time to dwell on how terrible I felt. No rest for the wicked...especially when it's dinnertime!
AM: 60 mins. easy (8 miles)
PM: 1.5 mile w/u
Target: 5k@ goal MP (18:30-18:45)
Actual: 4.99k @17:17
1/2 mile c/d
Daily total: 13 miles
I was really planning on running marathon pace tonight, pinkie swear. Jordan didn't attend and I didn't think anyone else would be there to drag me along--but, alas, I was wrong. A new (to me) runner named Mike was among the crowd that met in the Salem Common for tonight's run, and just before takeoff a few of the other guys mentioned that he was pretty quick. This was confirmed when he shot to the front of the pack less than 100 meters into the race. "How fast are you running tonight?" he asked good-naturedly as he glided by me. I sighed internally, acknowledging that keeping pace with him would involve tossing self-restraint out the window for the second week in a row. "As fast as you make me," I replied.
I never feel great on the first mile of this run due to the slight uphill grade, but tonight that was especially true thanks to the oppressive humidity pervading my every breath. The sky was on the cusp of a thunderstorm but wouldn't quite break, and as a result I felt for a minute that I was transported back to a swampy North Carolina summer evening. Yuck. Apparently Mike felt no such hindrance, and by the approximate area of the imaginary one-mile marker he'd put at least 10 meters on me. At halfway that distance had doubled, and I found myself struggling to stay motivated. If my breathing was shot and he was outdistancing me by a comfortable margin, what was the point of pushing? Why not just settle in and cruise to the finish? Instead, I urged myself to refocus. As silly at it sounds, I think even "races" like this one--as relaxed and insignificant as it is--can serve as a great opportunity to practice strategy and, more importantly, mental tenacity. I locked my gaze on Mike's back, and with each stride I could feel him coming back to me ever so slightly. With only a few minutes to go I'd cut the lead to less than 10 meters and was pretty sure that Mike was none the wiser. If I timed my kick just right, I might be able to sneak past him. That is, if he couldn't hear me huffing and puffing like a 60-year-old chain smoker, a conditional that was becoming less and less likely the harder I pushed. Sure enough, just as we rounded the final turn and began descending the 30-meter downhill section to the finish, he stole a glance over his shoulder and saw me approaching. In one seemingly effortless motion he found another gear and charged away, finishing at least a full decisive second in front of me. To my pleasant surprise, despite the weather I'd actually managed to chip a few seconds off last week's time--but then again, I didn't have last week's, um, adversarial digestive conditions to slow me down, so it basically all evens out. I'll take it.
Unfortunately, it looks like after tonight I'll be taking a few weeks' hiatus from No Rest For the Wicked. Next Thursday I'm actually racing a local 5k in Beverly near our office, and then the following week I'll be traveling for work. Perhaps when I return I'll be ready to give Mike a proper challenge.
AM: 70 mins. easy (9+ miles)
PM: 2.5 mile w/u
Target: 5k tempo @goal MP (18:30-18:45)
Actual: 4.99k @17:20
1/2 mile c/d
Daily total: 15 miles
A few weeks after my first appearance at the No Rest For the Wicked Weekly 5k, I was excited to return with Jordan in tow. As I decided after that initial outing, my goal for the workout tonight and going forward was/is to run at or slightly faster than my goal marathon pace, or somewhere in the 5:55-6:00 range. It's never too early to start getting comfortable at a clip I'm allegedly going to maintain for 26 miles.
For some reason, however, Jordan failed to get this pacing memo (or simply didn't care), because less than five minutes into the run I could tell (or at least hoped!) we were running quite a bit ahead of schedule. My legs felt fine, but my breathing was already noticeably quicker than the previous time when I'd been able to engage in some light banter with the lead guys. This time, Jordan and I were well off the front but trailed closely by a bespectacled young gentleman whose name I would later learn was Billy. With no reliable distance markers (I glanced at my watch when passing a prominently spray-painted "1 mile" scrawl to see 5:05, which was clearly wrong), I had nothing to rely on but effort and Jordan's lead. But so far, despite the quick pace, all was going well.
About halfway through the run, however, I became suddenly aware of what can delicately be referred to as alarming gastrointestinal discomfort. For the remainder of the run, as the minutes ticked agonizingly by, this situation became increasingly dire. Perversely, this could be described in some ways as beneficial, as I was so laser focused on keeping my dignity intact that any fatiguing of my legs or lungs barely registered. I suspected I was slowing considerably--a reality compounded by the fact that we had to come to a screeching halt at one busy intersection, costing us at least five seconds with the clock still running--but that was quite honestly the least of my concerns. Imagine my surprise, then, when I saw the decidedly not-slow numbers flashing on my watch as I crossed the imaginary finish line. (And, for the record, I was able to hold things together without resorting to an Allen Strickland-like x-rated maneuver--which, I must add in fairness to Allen, is not to say that I haven't done so before.)
I'm not going to lie; I'm pretty pumped about the implications of this run. Namely, that despite not doing a real "workout" for almost two months, I'm actually in pretty decent shape. Jordan's Garmin measured the course a hair short, 3.09 miles as opposed to a true 3.1, but that was largely offset by the aforementioned unplanned intersection stop. To run ~15 seconds off my road PR at a summer fun run in the middle of another 100-mile week indicates that my Summer of Malmo training regimen is working splendidly. For now, time to keep on keepin' on!
AM: 8 miles
PM: 2 mile w/u + strides
Target: 5k uptempo
Actual: 5k in 18:57
1 mile c/d
Daily total: 14 miles
Since moving to Salem a few weeks ago, Jordan and I have settled on a couple running routes through town that we repeat most days. As much as I like these routes (and Jordan, for that matter), I've definitely been looking forward to meeting new people and exploring some new roads. Last week I did a quick search online to learn more about a local running group I'd heard about previously, and discovered that every Thursday night the "No Rest For the Wicked Weekly 5k" is held starting just a few minutes' jog away from our house. This "race" is actually just an informal gathering of local runners who tempo, jog, walk or otherwise traverse a 5k road loop through town. Today, despite having slogged miserably through my morning run--suffice it to say the second 100-mile week has been much less of a treat than the first--I reasoned I had nothing to lose by lacing 'em up, meeting the group and trying to loosen up the legs with some uptempo running.
A half hour before the appointed start time, I jogged over to Washington Square--which is actually a triangle--and shuffled through a few warmup laps. I saw a group of fit-looking people forming near the main entrance and assumed they were my new running buddies. Almost 20 people had assembled by the appointed 6:45 start time, and after a round table of introductions and pace goals (conducted, I suspect, mostly for my benefit, which I appreciated) we were off. Based on the aforementioned introductions I deduced I'd likely be sticking with a few of the front-running guys, and less than two minutes in I could tell I was correct. Having not done much uptempo work in recent weeks (hell, months) I had a difficult time gauging pace but guessed we were running in the low 6-minute range. Much to my surprise given how weary my legs have been the past few days, the pace came quite naturally. I didn't want to break from the guys and get totally lost (even though, as it turned out, our course retraced Jordan's and my morning run almost exactly but in reverse), so I opted to stick close by instead of pressing on the gas. The final half mile or so was a bit of an obstacle course as we ran back into the congested downtown area and bobbed and weaved around some traffic, but I finished the course feeling no more winded or fatigued than when I'd started. Inexplicably, running close to marathon pace actually felt better than the 7:00-8:00 "easy" runs of the previous few days.
In the context of my high-mileage summer training, I definitely think this will be a worthwhile run to attend when possible. Everyone was super friendly and welcoming--and they go out for pizza and beers afterward, which is guaranteed to entice Jordan to join--and it's ridiculously easy to jog four minutes over from our new place to meet them. Now that I know the course, I think I'll aim to lock into goal marathon pace (5:55-6:00) every time I run this loop. Being able to manage that comfortably in the summer months after running 8-10 miles in the morning will be a great way to segue into fall marathon training.
