Ski Preparations and a Pace Run

The previously mentioned friend's big 3-0 birthday celebration did not pan out for tonight.

So I thought I might be able to go to boot camp!  But I had to stop at the grocery store after work to pick up some necessities for our weekend trip:

Just a couple things.  

• Like a loaf of wheat bread
• some fluff
• some PB (already had that)
• apples
• bananas
• dried apricots
• dried mangoes
• Cheez-Its
• Kashi TLC Dark Chocolate and Cherry granola bars 
• Delicious car food like Peanut M&Ms, Swedish Fish, and Sour Patch Kids
• And a 6 pack of Saranac's Adirondack Trail Mix

We like to bring our own lunch for skiing, it's a lot cheaper than buying food at the ski lodge.  The PB and Fluff sandwiches While Skiing tradition began on my husband's and my first big ski trip together to Stowe during freshman year of college.  Somehow it has stuck.  Since breakfast is on the hotel, and lunch/snacks will be cheap, we'll go out for dinner.

I didn't get back from the store in time to make it to boot camp.  But it's probably a good thing, because tonight was going to focus on legs and maybe I don't want to over do it a day and a half before I ski.

This delightful package was waiting for me at home though!

It's my next pair of running shoes!  And a Camelbak insulated water bottle with a hand strap.  More on that later though (after this weekend, probably). 

After I ripped open my package like a Christmas present, I did get in a 3 mile pace run.  Outside.  It was 7pm, so... dark, and 23F.  I wore my headlamp, I was on ice-patrol.

Warm Up: .75 miles @ 11:00 pace.  Half of which was up the big hill behind my apartment.

Tempo:  Goal was 10:23-10:42 pace.  

Based on my goal half marathon time of 2:16-2:20 (I'd love for it to be closer to 2:16 or even less!)

Mile 1: 10:10!

Mile 2: 10:20

Mile 3: 10:23

Cool Down: .55 miles @ 11:37 pace (last .10 was walking).

Total: 4.31 miles in 45:38.  

Average pace: 10:36.

Apparently I had lots of energy despite last night's spinning and tempo run.  I was afraid I wasn't going to be able to maintain the pace for 3 miles since it was outside, and outside is still icy.  I was amazed at my first mile, I actually was closer to 10:00 at the beginning and had to slow it down.  I assume it defeats the purpose of the pace run if I run it too fast.  (Unless my training goes super awesome and I think I can up my pace more than I thought??? It might be too early to make that determination).

So I slowed it down some more for miles 2 and 3, to be closer to the pace I should have been running.  Mile 3 I was more like 10:15ish until I hit a seriously uncleared section of sidewalk that had become packed snow/ice with lots of uneven footprints in it and had to slow down so I didn't break my ankle.  Then since the ice section had brought my pace for that mile down to around 10:30ish, I REALLY sped up for the last .10 of the mile to make up for it.

I was pretty pleased with myself!  I was happy to easily hit the low end of my goal range. 

I came home to find the pup had un-made the bed for us.

Tomorrow, I'm off to Killington, VT to ski!  Where I will wear my special helmet.

(Stowe, VT - 12/31/09)

I'll try to at least post a couple pictures on here or through twitter over the weekend.  Otherwise, I'll be back to the blog after the weekend!