San Jose Bike Path Workout

2 mile w/uTarget: 3x1k @3:45, 1 min. jog; 10k @3:50/k (6:10/mile), 3 min. jog; 3x1k @3:40Actual: 3:43, 3:41, 3:50 (got lost); 10k @38:15 (6:08/mile); 3:36, 3:41, 3:361.5 mile c/dTotal: 13.5-14 milesThis workout was supposed to take place in Palm Springs, but no thanks to United Airlines that was not to be the case. As we were traveling to the airport from downtown San Francisco with Jordan's aunt Emily (she of "red eye flight before running the turkey trot 10k" fame ), we got an automated call saying our Wednesday evening flight had been canceled...

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Week in Review

102 miles3 doubles2 days in Cali30k long run4 AFDsFor what may be the first time in my life (although I can only speculate as I'm too lazy to research this), I logged back-to-back 100+ mile weeks. Many of these miles took place in the dark of night (even more in the dark of morning) amid a busy work and travel week. The good news is that it's all downhill from here! With three weeks to go until the Trials I'll enjoy somewhat of a taper in mileage as well as a significant cutback in workouts and "hard" runs. I've still got one big effort on tap...

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Christmas Day Long Run

Target: 18-20 miles @progressive paceActual: 30k in 2:06Greetings from the glorious, sunny, cloudless state of California! After a long Christmas Eve-Eve of travel, we arrived in Santa Rosa and were greeted by Jordan's mom in the wee hours. The following morning we groggily suited up and met Jordan's high school buddy Steve Laurie for a medium long run at Annadel State Park, which both of them remain steadfastly convinced is the best training ground in the country, if not the entire world. (For the record, while the trails are expansive and the...

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3x20 Minutes in the Dark

2.5 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 3x20 minutes w/4-5 mins. rest; first 10 minutes @10k pace, last 10 minutes @marathon paceActual: Above (see Jordan's blog for splits)2 mile c/dTotal: 14.5-15 milesWith only three weeks remaining until the Trials, things are getting pretty serious around here. Jordan wants me to complete three more substantial workouts in the next few weeks, and with several ideas rolling around in his head he put in a call to Jeff "G-Unit" Gaudette to solicit his advice. Together they decided on today's effort, designed to start things...

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Week in Review

100 miles3 doubles20 mile long run20k tempo run2 runs with Pops4 AFDsPraise the Lord, I finally hit 100! The majority of the week was about as un-glamorous as any in recent memory, as I completed more runs on treadmills and by the light of my headlamp than I ever care to again. But where there's a will there's a way--and if that way has to come via a 38+ mile Saturday and Sunday, then so be it. That's right, I followed up Saturday's tempo run with an even longer (albeit much slower) run with Jordan and Dad on Sunday morning. Despite sleeping in...

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20k Tempo Success

2.5 mile w/uTarget: 12 miles @6:05-6:10Actual: 20k @6:05 pace (1:15:52)19:10 for 5k; 38:05 for 10k; 57:10 for 15k; last 5k @18:423 mile c/dTotal: 18 milesFirst things first: Jordan actually said he was impressed with my workout. Out loud. And better yet, in writing. This is unprecedented, folks. I'm tempted to just leave it there and call it a day for this blog entry. However, since I know you're dying to continue reading, I'll share a bit of insight into how the workout went down.For starters, it was a rare treat to sleep in. I woke up before...

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Downtown Louisville Workout Disaster

4-4.5 mile w/uTarget: 4x1k @3:25, 4x800 @2:45, 4x400 @80, 4x200 hardActual: 4x3:15-3:25, 4x2:45, 4x80, 4x401 mile c/dTotal: 13+ milesWell, this was an unmitigated disaster. I'm staying in downtown Louisville for work, and the bike path that I thought traced the outline of the river was practically nonexistent (or at least I never found it). Instead I ran all of my intervals on what was basically a glorified sidewalk in full view of all the morning commuters. I'm sure they were wondering why the spandex-clad lunatic girl was sprinting back and forth...

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Week in Review

94 miles20.5 mile long run2 doubles6 days in TX3 AFDs (oops)Once again, despite an insane week of travel and work I somehow managed to hit my workouts and mileage. Even better, I benefited from over half of it--at least some portion of six of those days--taking place on soft surfaces. At this point in the training cycle my body needs every reprieve it can get, and I have no doubt that removing my legs from the punishing pavement helped mitigate the damage done.That said, with just five weeks until the Trials much of the hardest work is still ahead...

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Indie 5k: Fastest Vendor in America!

4.5 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 5k race @17:25 or faster + extraActual: 17:22, ~10 minute rest, 5x60-90 secs. @5k paceResults2.5 mile c/dTotal: 12 milesSo, having not run a 5k in many months, apparently I forgot that it essentially necessitates sprinting as hard as you can for three miles and then running even faster for the next 40 seconds. This is inherently not what one would call "fun." However, if said 5k takes place in the middle of the biggest...

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Trinity River Trails Fartlek

AM: 40 min. w/u (5+ miles)Target: 2x1 min.; 1x5 min.; 2x2 min.; 2x1 min. all @5k paceActual: Above, plus 5x30 sec. on/off ("Out" in 40 mins., "back" in 34)1 mile c/dTotal: 10.5 milesPM: 43 mins. (5.5 miles)Brrrr, was it cold this morning! Despite my expectation of mild, if not warm, weather in Texas, it's been downright freezing since I landed in Austin on Monday morning. As someone who hails from this glorious state, I should've known that just because it was 70 degrees on Saturday doesn't mean it can't be 30 degrees and raining on Sunday, which...

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Week in Review

94 miles2 doubles10.5 mile Boston tempo20 mile long run4 AFDsEven as I type this, I'm shocked that I was able to run almost 95 miles this week. The intensity of my work schedule and the resultant non-running-related exhaustion should've rendered serious training almost impossible, but somehow I got it done. For future, that simply means that barring injury or illness there are no excuses for not putting in the miles!Admittedly, a substantial long run helps. I ran over 35 miles on Saturday and Sunday alone, which bumps up the total mileage number...

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Charles River Tempo with the BAA

2 mile w/uTarget: 60 min. tempo @6:00-6:05 paceActual: 1:03:30 for 10.45 miles: 6:25, 6:07, 5:57, 6:00, 6:02, 5:59, 5:57, 6:03, 5:57, 5:533.5 mile c/dTotal: 16 milesAfter what turned out to be a busy and exhausting week of work--including three consecutive 12-14 hour workdays--nothing could have made me happier than Emily's email suggesting that we start the workout at 10am today. Coincidentally we had nearly identical tempo runs on our schedules, and the idea also interested fellow BAA runner Teresa and BAA coach Terry Shea. I'll admit I was just...

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Sub-6 before 6

3 mile w/uTarget: 5x3 mins. w/2 mins. rest; 5x2 mins. w/1 min. rest; 5x1 min. w/30 secs. restActual: Above~2 mile c/dTotal: 11.5-12 milesIn my opinion, there is no reason to ever get up at 5am. The one exception might be if you have to catch an early morning flight (which I will be doing next week) or perhaps want to snag some killer deals at a Saturday morning garage sale. Today, however, waking up before the rooster was an absolute necessity due to the rigors of the sales meeting. The fact that Jordan and I were at the office preparing for said...

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Week in Review

86 miles3 doubles21 mile long run2 nights in State College, PA30 hours in the car6 states (MA, NY, PA, WVA, OH, KY)Praise the Lord, we survived! The drive to and from Ohio was no picnic but well worth the time spent with family and friends. Many would say that the highlight of Thanksgiving is the delicious meal, and while ours was certainly tasty, the running nerd in me must admit that nothing beats starting the holiday off with a spirited race and an enthusiastic cheering squad. (Well, winning would've been better. But I tried.)Another unexpected...

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102nd Annual Thanksgiving Day Race Recap

2-2.5 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 10k race @35:30-35:50Actual: 35:39; 2nd place overall femaleResults1/2 mile c/dTotal: 9 milesEver since deciding to come to Ohio for Thanksgiving, I knew Jordan and I had to run the Cincinnati turkey trot. Two years ago we'd planned to race the 100th anniversary event, even going so far as to pre-register and pick up our packets a few days in advance, but then Jordan very selfishly came down with the swine flu the...

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Week in Review

95 miles3 doubles3 runs with Caitlin19+ miles in PVD5 AFDsBoth in terms of quality and quantity, this is one of the best training weeks I've had this year if not ever. I nailed two workouts, ran longer than usual on Sunday and added 95 total miles to the books. Even better, I got to do it with some great friends. It was awesome having Caitlin in town this weekend, just as much for the relaxed hang-out time as the running (although that was pretty...

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Marblehead Neck Tempo With the Three Musketeers

3+ mile w/uTarget: 8 mile tempo @6:10 paceActual: 13.47k (8.4 miles) in 51:11 (3:48/k ~6:05/mile)3k cooldownTotal: 22k/13.8 milesCaitlin's in town! Caitlin's in town!Okay, giddiness aside, it was awesome to have my training partner back matching me stride for stride on today's workout. I have no doubt that I pushed harder and ran faster than I would have solo or even solely with Jordan, simply because of the positive energy and affectionately competitive spirit that our presence brings out in each other.In a stunning turn of events, Jordan is caught...

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Longest Track Workout Ever

3 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 3200, 2000, 1600, 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 400, 200 all w/400m jogActual: 11:50 (5:55/5:55), 7:14 (5:46 through mile), 5:44, 4:14 (2:49 through 800), 3:30 (2:48 through 800), 2:44, 2:01 (79 through 400), 76, 35Total time: 58:17 for 14.2k/8.8 miles (11k workout plus 3200m jogging)3k cooldownTotal: ~14 milesAny way you dice it, this workout was destined to take up a large chunk of time. Jordan and I were up well before 6am to prepare, and after firing off a few work emails we put on our costumes and headed out the door. Continuing...

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Week in Review

87 miles3 doubles2 runs with the BAA girls5 AFDsBelieve it or not, I actually spent the entire week at home--that's seven consecutive nights in my own bed, which is just craziness--and actually began forming some semblance of a routine. Jordan was gone from Tuesday until Saturday night, which made my solo Wednesday workout particularly challenging, but his absence also afforded me the opportunity to hook up with a new group of girls that I will hopefully continue to train with throughout my Trials progression.On Friday evening, facing a completely...

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Threes

2.5 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 10-12 x 800m @2:40 w/90 sec. restActual: 2:40, 2:42, 2:40, 2:41, 2:39, 2:40, 2:40, 2:40, 2:40, 2:392.5 mile c/dTotal: 10+ milesAfter Saturday's workout debacle in Central Park, I was feeling less than confident about hitting even faster splits for just a slightly shorter distance today. It also didn't help that Jordan is busy changing lives in upstate New York all week, which meant I would be rolling solo. The section of trail I'd selected along the Marblehead dirt path, which is flat as a pancake and almost as straight,...

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Week in Review

87 miles1 double3 days in NYC27 hours in the car8 states + 1 districtThe fact I was able to run almost 90 miles during what could arguably be considered one of the busiest weeks of my life is a small miracle. That I also managed to complete two workouts (notice I said "complete," not "successfully complete," thanks to my underwhelming effort in Central Park) and a long run, all with only one double, gives me the confidence that my upcoming marathon training cycle can be executed no matter the location or life circumstances. Each week, each workout...

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NYC Marathon Weekend

Friday, 11/4: Rockefeller Preserve w/Madeleine78 mins. + strides10 milesSaturday, 11/5: Central Park w/Jordan4.5 mile w/uTarget: 8x1k @3:30 w/2 min. jogActual: 8x1k @slow w/2 min. jog4 mile c/dTotal: 14 milesSunday, 11/6: West Side bike path, Prospect Park, Brooklyn w/Jay, Heidi and Jordan1 hour 48 mins. + 7 mins. ; 16 milesWow, what an amazing weekend of all things running-related. If you aren't a fan of the sport you could probably think of better ways to spend a few days in the Big Apple, but as far as Jordan and I are concerned it was an absolute...

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Ipswich Bike Path Tempo

3 mile w/u + stridesTarget: 8 mile tempo @6:05-6:10 paceActual: 13k (8.08 miles) @50:00 (6:10 pace)2 mile c/dTotal: 13 milesAfter two consecutive days totaling 20+ hours in the car, a 10pm arrival to our new home in Marblehead and an alarmingly early 5:30 wakeup call on Wednesday, I was not super pumped about attempting this workout. My legs were still quite sore from packing and moving, not to mention tight from being crammed in the car, and I was running on little sleep. Fortunately/unfortunately, when your boyfriend also doubles as your roommate...

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Week in Review

66 miles0 doubles1 workout1 night as a flamingo4 AFDsTrue to plan, I took a glorious "down" week from running, which consisted of only one workout, no long run and absolutely no doubles. It was quite odd. Also true to plan, I managed to make the most of my downtime by fitting in a massage with Byran, a stretching/bone cracking session at Greenapple Sports & Wellness, and plenty (read: too many) meals out with friends and glasses of wine. The...

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McAlpine Tempo Run

2 mile w/uTarget: 5 mile tempo @5:50ish pace; 5x30 sec. surges w/1 min. jogActual: 29:14 (5:50, 5:56, 5:54, 5:48, 5:46); 4 min. rest; 5x30 sec. w/1 min. jogOnce more for old time's sake, I met Caitlin and Pezz at Old Bell for some good, solid tempo action. I was not solo, as my friend Dane is in town for a quick visit and I somehow managed to convince him to join us for this early workout despite his body being firmly set in Mountain time. We all rolled up to the parking lot a few minutes early, a rare enough occurrence on its own, and promptly...

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Week in Review

85 miles3 doubles5 days in Dallas5 AFDsOverall I'd consider this a very successful week from just about every vantage point. I found a way to maintain the quality and quantity of my training despite a hectic travel schedule, enjoyed the opportunity to see some old friends and spend time with my parents, and helped the inaugural 13.1 Dallas event go off without a hitch. The remainder of my weekend following the event could not have been any better....

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