On Mondays and Fridays, she rests

If you haven't seen the link to the Running Room schedule, you can find it on the bottom of the right hand side on the main page.  It takes you to a google doc where I've basically copied their info and added a column of my own so I can compare their plan to my actuals over time and see how I've stacked up.

According to that schedule, Mondays and Fridays are my two rest days of the week.  I think I like this, actually.  Seems to work for me even in the abstract right now.  Monday night Micheal and I have a date night in - we have dinner and watch a movie together, so it's nice to not have to schedule a run around that tradition.  And Friday, well Friday I'm pretty much dead so I'm happy to not have anything formal scheduled, you know?  All in all, this could work quite well for me.

So since today I rested, that must mean tomorrow I'm back at it.  On the schedule is a 4k tempo run and my plan is to complete it as early in the morning as humanly possible to avoid as much heat and humidity - and maybe even thunder and rain - as I can.

It'll be my first tempo run and, well, I have to admit I'm not 100% sure what I'm supposed to be doing.  Here's what the notes say:

These workouts are intended to be near the lactate threshold pace, 80% MHR. 

• They are designed to improve the lactate threshold for the athlete, in other words - to help people move faster
• Tempo workouts should stress the body at a specific intensity level - not more, not less.  The workout should ideally take place on smooth, flat terrain under relatively calm weather conditions
• Tempo workouts are typcially of 20-30 minute non-stop duration with a warm up and cool down added.  Alternatively, tempo repeats can consist of a few shorter sets of tempo intervals with a short rest between them.  In this way, tempo workouts can be increased to 30-50 minutes overall.
• Experience has taught that optimum benefit is gained by staying within these ranges.  More does not necessarily mean better and in this case, overstress and even injury could be the result. 

Riiiiiiiiight.  Sounds like a flippin party to me.  So I don't have a heart rate monitor, meaning it will be hard to know when I'm at 80% maximum heart rate.  It's going to be hot like Hades so not really calm weather conditions.  Apparently I'm supposed to warm up, run fast for 20-30 minutes, then cool down, somehow fitting this into 4k.  And my tempo pace is supposed to be around 7:17 according to the 2:30 finish time group.

You confused with me yet?

I'm sure there are a gazillion experienced runners who would know exactly how to tackle a tempo workout but sadly, I'm nowhere close to being one of the right at this very moment.  And I have about 8 hours to figure it out.  Ha!

Guess I'll wing it and see what happens.  Warm up first k, run balls out for k's 2 and 3, then cool down for the 4th k?  Should be interesting since I almost always run intervals - I can't see myself running at higher than normal speeds for 20-30 minutes straight when I generally take a walk break every six.  But never say never, right?!  Meh.

Of course, all this could be shot to hell if the skies open up tomorrow morning and force me on to the dreadmill instead.  I suppose if that happens it'll be much easier to control my speed but I really hope I get to run outside instead, humidity be damned.  Don't get me wrong, I love having the treadmill in the house as a backup but for me, nothing compares to actually being outside.

I guess it's all up to Mother Nature now.  In the interim, if anyone has any tempo advice they'd like to share I'm all ears!  Both Tuesday and Wednesday's runs are slated to be tempos so said advice will always be put to good use.

Wish me luck!

Dog days of summer

June 29 Plan: 3k steady  Actual:  3.01 steady

Lesson learned from yesterday, I got up much earlier and made it outside by 7:20ish.  I'll go earlier on days that I have long runs and therefore have to be outside for longer, but since I knew it was only 3k I figured it was a good compromise.  

Decided to take my almost three year old Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier named Finn with me for the run.  He's an active guy but isn't a huge fan of the longer runs - 3k is pretty much his max.  True to form, for the first k he happily ran out in front, pulling me along behind him.  I had to try to slow him down a bit as he was going faster than I wanted to but he came around quickly.

The second k he ended up running pretty much beside me, still excited to be out but much more into my groove.  And, as always, for the third k he was a few steps behind but kept pace enough that I didn't need to slow down.

As with Thursday's run, the schedule called for steady so I ran the whole thing without walk breaks.  I did, however, stop briefly once to give Finn some water as it was pretty hot, even at 7am, and then again quickly to snap this cute pic of him and our shadows as we passed in front of the park behind our house.   He wasn't too excited to stop - started to whine in a 'let's get this show on the road so I can get home' kinda way.  So off we went, rounded a few more corners, and home it was.

Even though it was only 3k and only 7am it was stinkin hot and I was one sweaty Betty when it was all said and done.  Had a quick shower then hopped back into bed with hubby to at least pretend I had a chance to sleep in.

Tomorrow is a rest day as per the schedule so I'll enjoy not having to get up super early.  I've got the day off but Micheal doesn't so will likely be up around 7 anyway.   Now to enjoy the rest of this beautiful, hot day!

First long slow - very slow - distance

June 28 Plan: 7k LSD Actual: 8.11 LSD
 
Plan called for 7k today and I was happy to get back to a bit of a distance.  It's weird - two weeks ago I ran my longest distance ever, 15k.  Felt fantastic.  There was a good degree of cloud cover and everything was in sync.  One of those overall great runs that just leave you feeling fanfrickintastic as you round the corner to home.

Last weekend I spent too much time in the garden and pooched my hamstrings.  Ouch!  Had a 5k race the next day and man, did that hurt!  So it was great to get the kms back up a bit, even a little bit!

At the same time it felt a bit strange to ONLY be doing 7k, strange though that may sound.  There was a time when the very thought of 7k would fill me with dread.  That's far, yo!  But not today.  Today I was ready to pound the pavement once again and round out week one of training.

While the schedule calls for the LSD to be run on Sundays, for me, Saturdays are way better so that's when I'll likely do most of these long slow distance runs.  This weekend was no exception, so I got up early-ish this morning to get out there.

I love sleeping in as much as anyone else so yeah, it's a challenge to get up at like 7:30 am on a Saturday to prep for a longer run.  But had I known how hot it would be I would have sacrificed sleep for better conditions hands down.

Got out the door at 8:20 and realized the error of my ways.  While the temperature wasn't insane and there was a decent breeze, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and that sun was relentless.  Zoinks.

Now, I know the plan called for 7 but I have a lovely 8k route that I like - see that nice, neat box up there? - so since I knew I was a few kms behind since missing Wednesday I thought adding an extra k wouldn't hurt anything.

Thank goodness I didn't shoot for my 10k route - I never would have made it.

At the 4.5k mark I was in rough shape.  The sun was trying to kill me.  True story.  Just beating down on me, relentless.  Didn't matter how much water I drank, I thought I was going to pass out.  I did everything I could to stay on the shady parts of the sidewalk and no dice - killer conditions.  I tried to go with my 6 and 1 intervals but at certain points it felt like I walked 6 and ran 1 it was that bad.  At one point I quite seriously considered calling my husband and asking him to come pick me up.  Yep, it was that bad.

Was incredibly happy to be home and didn't give a flip about my eventual pace or run stats.  I was just delighted to have made it.

Lesson learned - on this crazy hot days, get up earlier then go back to bed after your run.  The sacrifice of that bit of sleep will be well, well worth it.

Schedule calls for 3k steady again so I'm already setting that alarm for 6:30.  Can't have a repeat of today or I'll never survive this!!!

The first run - June 26

June 26 - Plan:  3k steady  Actual:  3.13 steady

First week in and I'm already messing with the program.  Snicker.  I'm usually a rule follower but I figure there's lots of flexibility in this stuff so I'm just rolling with it.

Training was supposed to start yesterday but I had dinner plans with a former colleague that made running in the evening impossible and it was pouring in the morning so no dice.  I'm also keeping in mind the fact that I did a 5k race on Sunday when the plan doesn't expect me to start until Wednesday so I suppose you could say I'm ahead of the proverbial game anyway.

So. Got up at 5am to get this run in as again, I'd be out for dinner so morning it had to be.  Plan called for 3k steady so I knew I could get that in easily before I had to be home to shower and get ready for work.

It was crazy humid, even at that time of day, but I was excited to get started.

I usually run intervals...not even 10 and 1's but 6 and 1's.  I know, I know.  So many of you run steady all the time and the thought of 6 and 1's is just insanity.  But for me, running is as much a mental challenge as a physical one, and I can't tell you how badly my brain needs that run every six minutes, and every second in between them.  I may have lost a good deal of weight but I'm still hauling around over 200lbs so yeah, running ain't no breeze for me.  So intervals it is and pretty much always will be.  Hence why I don't run well with others.

Plan called for steady, however, which is, as one might suspect, steady running.  No walking breaks, just running at a well slower than race pace.  So I decided I might as well give it a shot and see what happens.  It's only 3k after all - and if I had to stop to walk so be it.  No harm done.

Well, much to my surprise and delight, I did it!!  Ran the entire way with two very short - I'm talking six strides here - walking breaks to sip some water.  I mentioned it was humid, yes!?  Oy.

Pace was indeed slower than my regular interval pace but still well faster than the recommended Running Room pace for a 2:30 half finish time (I know it'll take me even longer than that and that's cool by me) so I was happy overall.

Happy it was only 3 in that humidity though.  Yikes!  This training in the summer thing will be interesting, to say the least.

And so it begins...an introduction.

A year and a half ago, a friend of mine asked if I'd be interested in doing a Learn to Run clinic at the Running Room.    Surprising everyone, especially myself, I said yes - and life hasn't really been the same since.

Let's back up a bit.  Just over two years ago, I weighed 330lbs.  Yeah.  True story.  I'd been obese for most of my life. Exercise of any kind was a four letter word of the dirtiest kind.  I'd pretty much resigned myself to a lifetime of living as an overweight person - I'd tried so many different plans and, well, nothing had worked.  Ever.

That all changed when friends introduced us to a program called Ideal Protein.  Long story short, it worked.  Really well.  I lost 140lbs and my life will never be the same.  So when my friend asked me that question I thought hmmm, I wonder what running will be like now that I'm so much lighter and healthier?  Might as well give it a shot and see what happens.

Worse case scenario I hate it and then I'll know.  No harm, no foul.   Best case?  I'll find an activity I love that can help me keep the weight off for the long term.

I guess you can figure out how that all went.

Two years ago it wouldn't be uncommon for you to hear me say 'if you see me running, call the police 'cause someone's chasing me!'  Now if you see me running, it ain't no thing.  No one's chasing me, honest.  I'm doing this because I love it.

I completed the Learn to Run clinic and did my first 5k race, the Resolution Run, on January 1, 2013.  Since then I've completed 12 5k and one 10k race.  I'm signed up for a 1/4 marathon on July 26th, a 15k race on September 20th, and now the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon on October 19th.

What can I say, I like medals.  And free bagels/bananas.

So now it's all over but the 18 weeks of training to get me there.  I'm following the Running Room half training plan but on my own instead of in a clinic but hey, I don't really run well with others so solo it shall be.

Let's see if getting there really is half the run.