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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