Gaining Speed and Half Marathon Goal

After several months of hit-or-miss speed work this spring and summer, I made more of an effort to get to the track this fall.

400s:
June 11: 
Two sets of 5x400m with 400m recovery and 400m between sets.
First set ranged from 1:46-1:53/average 1:51
Second set ranged from 1:43-1:53/average 1:47

October 29: 10x400m with a 200m recovery
Ranged from 1:38-1:45/average 1:42

December 3: 6x400m with 200m recovery
Ranged from 1:37-1:40/average 1:38

800s:
Last September:
7x800m, 90 sec recovery
Ranged from 3:39-3:42/average 3:41

October 15:
8x800m, 2 min recovery
Ranged from 3:22-3:39/average 3:30

November 19:
6x800m, 90 second recovery
Ranged from 3:24-3:29/average 3:26

1000s:
October 1:
5x1000m, 200m recovery
Ranged from 4:34-4:43/average 4:38

October 22:
5x1000m, 200m recovery
Ranged from 4:33-4:37/average 4:35

November 26:
5x1000m, 200m recovery
Ranged from 4:23-4:27/average 4:24

Basically I am listing all of this out to boost my confidence in my ability to run a solid half marathon this Sunday.  My current PR from last year is 1:54:48 (8:45 pace). I beat that on my 12 mile run two weekends ago, averaging 8:35 with a 7:50 final mile and talking most of the run- except for the last mile. 

I have noted that I again avoided long tempo runs.  I did a few mid-distance runs involving 3-4 miles in the middle around a 5k pace, many solid long runs, consistent speed work, plenty of hills, some trail runs, and cross-training in the form of cycling.

Let’s put up some goals.

A Goal: Sub-1:50 (<8:23 pace)
B Goal:  Better than my second to last long run (<8:35 pace, <1:52:30)

For easy math-on-the-run purposes,  an 8:20 pace would be nice. Each 3 miles would be 25 minutes and it would mean a 1:49 and change.

Weather will be fantastic for running but borderline cold for standing around before the 8am start. It’s a point-to-point course, so I may have to actually plan out throwaway clothes or a drop bag for the first time ever.

Now the trick is to turn off my brain which has a tendency to tell me my goal paces are too fast.

2011 vs. 2012

Quick, before the first month of 2013 ends!  Let’s compare the last two years of running.

	2011	2012	Δ
Miles Run	1000.28	1120.40	+12%
# of Runs	185	199	+7.5%
Avg Distance	5.40	5.63	+4%
Avg Miles/Wk	19.24	21.55	+12%
Avg Speed	5.4 mph	5.9 mph	+9%
Elev Gain	25,802 ft	72,774 ft	+182%
Calories	90,296	82,577	-8.5%
Half Marathon PR	2:06:49 (Nov)	1:54:48 (Dec)	-12:01 (-9.5%)
5K PR	28:07 (Aug)	25:11 (May)	-2:56 (-10.4%)

More miles and more elevation gain at a faster pace with fewer calories burned.

All this to say: I guess I have become more efficient at running.  Also, I like numbers.


^Thanks, Daily Mile, for the pretty bar graph.

What’s next?

So I was pretty pleased with my mid-June half marathon and figured I’d just relax for a bit after. On July 4th I ran my first 10k, then the next day a local Cross Country Summer Series began that lasted 7 weeks…and then I blinked and somehow summer was over.

If you run at least 3 of the 6 weeks of the summer series, you’re eligible for awards in the 7th week Finals race.  I ran 3 of the races and the Finals.  It’s a 3 mile long hilly course; part-road, part-sand/dirt.  I ran the first three in 25:14, 24:16 (a freak cooler week in the mid 70s), and 25:16.  For every race except the one I labeled as “freak cooler weak,” it was in the 90s still at 7pm… including the Finals, which I ran in 24:21. 

It was good enough to get me 3rd place in my age group!

Why there aren’t more female runners here in the 25-29 age group, I don’t know.  I would guess part of it is that it’s the baby-making years; a friend thinks it’s such a big running community that the serious runners are burnt out by 25 after running through high school and college and take some time off.

Here’s the beginning of “Killer Hill,” somewhere around mile 1.5 on the course, as seen from the freeway.  I will admit, it doesn’t actually look that impressive in this picture.

So, what do I do now? I’ve mentioned before that I won an entry to the Griffith Park Trail Half Marathon on November 17th.  I’ve also been thinking of signing up for the local half marathon 2 weeks before.  It’s mostly flat and will be a good PR course.  Good or bad, the course also consists of paths I run or bike on all the time.  Home field advantage?

Somehow that half marathon has snuck up on me and is only 9 weeks away, so I guess I better get my act together with a training plan.  While I didn’t write out a plan yet, I at least tried to get back in the swing of things this week with a tempo run on Thursday...my first since the end of June.  I did a 5 mile hilly tempo run at an average pace of 8:38 which is where I should be based on the training paces I was using to train for my June half.  

I’ve been a little unfocused the last 8ish weeks. I have run those XC races, a few weeks of track work, some hill runs, and the rest have been long runs ranging from 9-12 miles at an easy pace, or shorter easy runs. And some hiking and biking.  I may have improved a little at shorter distances, and I’ve at least maintained my long run base, but I am sure I have done nothing to improve my pace for longer runs.

Pictures make a post more interesting.   I don’t know why my calves look plastic.
And these new Adidas Adizero Tempos will help me run a fast half; I’m sure of it.  [Coming home with new shoes—and these were not handouts from the brand rep—is one side effect of working in a running store…]

I may do another little nearby 5k at the end of September to see if I need to update my training paces.  I guess I could also plot out 3.1 miles on my own (for free) and run it hard…

Anyfart, I need to figure out a good time goal for this early November half.

Once upon a time a read you could expect 3-5% improvement with strictly following a training plan. A 3% improvement over my 1:57 would be a 1:53:30 (8:39 pace); 5% would be 1:51 (ambitious?)  Runner’s World’s Smart Coach says I could get to a 1:52 (8:33 pace) with training hard for the next 10 weeks. Anyway, let’s see if I can get somewhere in that range.  If you think I might be wrong, please feel free to share what you think would be a more appropriate time goal :)

What fall races are you running?

Taper Week

Saturday is my fast (hopefully) and flat half marathon along the ocean!

I don’t really know if I did an awesome job of tapering this week, but I did cut back on my mileage a little, ran more miles at an easier pace, I’ve been getting a solid 8 hours of sleep every night, and I’m working on the hydrating, so that’s all good.

First, let’s go back to last week. Mostly so I can mention our hike and share some pictures.

On Monday the 4th I had a sweet tempo run.  Goal pace was 8:38 for 5 miles; I ran 5.34 miles at an average pace of 8:33 and didn’t feel like death at the end.

Tuesday was a 6 mile fun run from the running store, avg pace of 9:33.

Wednesday I squeezed in 2 easy miles in honor of National Running Day.

Thursday I got in some quick speed work, 3x1k in 4:45, 4:48, 4:48 (goal was 4:46) with a .15mi walk/jog recovery in between. Then 3 easy miles at the end with a friend.

Friday Dan and I did a 7.5 mile hike at our nearby favorite Placerita Canyon.  We started our usual way and took a new route down.  The views looked a little like this:

  

  

We followed the ridgeline all the way down. Unlike the trail we took up the mountain, our way down was pretty exposed and it got pretty hot later in the morning.

  

Super awesome self portrait and one of the many steep parts we came down:

  

We saw some wildlife:

  

I recovered from my shock after being the one to discover the rattlesnake just in time to snap a picture while it was slithering off the path.  And a horny toad: a pretty cute little lizard with a stumpy tail.

The elevation looked a little something like this:

Despite some good stretching, the downhill left my legs a little sore later that day and I thought it would be good to take Saturday off from running.  Also, the 2+ miles of rocky/sandy uphill/downhill made me realize I should get some shoes that are actually meant for hiking.  I’m thinking a good pair of trail running shoes will work for both hiking and the increased trail running I’ll be doing to prepare for November’s Griffith Park trail half.

10th/Sunday was my last “long” run. I ran the first 5-ish easy, then picked up the pace for the last 2 miles, running somewhere between tempo and race pace.

11th/Monday: easy 3 miles

12th/Tuesday:  easy 4ish miles in the morning; 6x400 at night (goal pace was 1:51, I ran them in 1:43-1:48).

13th/Wednesday: 25 minutes of yoga, hip opener.  Then some crunches, pushups, and a plank.

14th/Thursday: 3 miles at race pace: 8:51, 8:57, 9:04.

Friday I will rest.

Saturday morning is game time!

My primary goal is to break 2:00, and I would be thrilled with anything closer to a 1:57, for no real reason than that it would be more solidly sub-2.  My most recent 5k suggests a 1:56:39 HM, but I’ve only been running the corresponding training paces for 5 weeks, so I’m not sure how attainable that is.

HM Time	Pace
1:59:57	9:09
1:59:05	9:05
1:57:59	9:00
1:56:54	8:55
1:55:48	8:50

While it has been hitting the 80s and 90s where I live this week, thanks to the race course being along the ocean and the marine layer, it should be cool and overcast Saturday morning in Ventura:

March Recap

Previously recapped:
March 1-4: Ran 14.99 miles, Hiked 7.78 miles
March 5-11: Ran 26.18 miles, Hiked 5.22 miles
March 12-18: Ran 22.86 miles, Hiked 11.12 miles, Skied 5 hours

The rest of the month:
March 19-25: Ran 21.64 miles including a mostly-trail half marathon
March 26-31: Ran 18.93 miles (included a short hilly run, track workout, short easy run & tempo run) + walked 5.5 miles on sand, that counts for something right?

 


I like scenic drives home:
 

Also did a core + arm workout and a short 20 minutes of yoga. I deferred last weekend’s 10 mile long run to Monday because we skied on Sunday so I needed to save my legs.

Last line on the sign says "Easiest Way Down"

March totals: 104.6 miles run; 24.12 miles hiked
2012 Running Total: 221.71 miles (Yeah, January & February were pretty weak).

What’s going on in April?

• I’d like to have another 100+ mile running month.  I have no excuse not to be running more than I am right now.
• I miss my bike. I’m really going to cart it down to the bottom of my giant hill and ride it on the bike path.
• More hiking, less skiing. Sadly ski season is probably just about over. (Also, oddly, we have skied more in the past month in Southern California than we did in the last 2 years of living in New Jersey).
• Hopefully more trail running.  Now that it’s light out later at night, my running group has a few organized week night trail runs starting this month.

Next Training Plan Conundrum

After the Chesebro Half Marathon this Saturday I'll pick back up with an official training plan for my next half marathon which will be 12 weeks later.

A couple weeks ago I signed up for a teeny tiny FLAT half marathon along the ocean in Ventura, CA that was recommended to me by a fellow running club member who ran it last year. It's reasonably priced by half marathon standards (though not by my husband's standards, as he feels I should pay nothing to run) and it supports a non-profit organization.   I thought a June half marathon would be out of the question, but apparently it will be cooler with the breeze coming off the ocean and the 7am start should mean it's not too hot out yet.

My goal? Break 2 hours.
I think this is a reasonable goal. Please tell me if you disagree.

Let's take a walk down Half Marathon Memory Lane.

April 2010, my first half marathon:  2:21:10
Sept 2010, aka "The Suck": 2:30ish.

April 2011: 2:19ish
May 2011: 2:15:32
Sept 2011: 2:12:01
Nov 2011: 2:06:49

If I could shave 5:12 off a half marathon in 9 weeks, I'd like to think I can work to shave 6:50 off in 12 weeks.  Why not.

Now my question is, which training plan to use.  As previously mentioned, I am a fan of the Run Less Run Faster/FIRST Training plan and felt I saw great progress with it in the fall, using it only for a short period of time.  However, the RLRF plan calls for only 3 quality runs a week, with 2 days of cross training.

Until either the State of California fixes its disaster of a budget and positions magically appear OR I find myself a new line of work, I will likely have plenty of time on my hands for lots of running, not to mention nice weather most of the time.  3 "quality" days of running was great so I could be picky with when I ran in NJ where it rained often enough. 

Regarding the cross-training, while I enjoyed my old gym's group classes, I would prefer to not spend money I myself am not earning on a gym membership here.  I do have a bike and if I grow some muscle so I can lift that thing, I could start carting my bike around in the back of my car to bring it to a nearby mostly-hill-free bike path for some cross training.

It kinda defeats the purpose of using Run Less Run Faster if you add in 2 more days of running, huh?


(Re)enter Hal Higdon. 

I used his plans last Spring.  I'm now considering the Advanced or the Intermediate.  For both, you should be capable of running 30-60 minutes a day, 5-7 days a week.

The advanced plan includes speed on Tuesdays, tempo on Thursdays, and long runs on Sundays just like my running group, with shorter easier runs 2-3 additional days a week.

vs          

 
Regardless of which plan I use, I hope to/expect to keep up with our weekend hikes we've been doing every weekend since we moved here. I think that can count as cross-training, or at least counts for not using my muscles the exact same way running uses them.

1. Thoughts on my time goal for June- Ambitious? Reasonable?
2. Do you use an official training plan?
3. Cross-training: yay or nay

Holy Hills + February Recap

For the last 11 days, my legs have been trying to adapt to these:







I think it’s safe to say that I don’t need to do any dedicated hill training now that this is my terrain for long runs, speed work, and tempo runs.

February Recap
In two words: Kinda lame.

Feb 1-5: 75 minutes of yoga, 6.22 miles of running

Feb 6-12: 9.06 miles of running, approximately 29 hours of sitting in a car.

Feb 13-19: 5.13 miles of running, approximately 22 hours of sitting in a car.

Feb 20-26:  24.51 miles of running + 6 hrs of skiing 

Feb 27-28: 3.8 miles of running (+ a longer run today)

February Totals: 1 yoga class, 48.72 miles of running, 6 hours of downhill skiing.

I did some a couple sets of pushups throughout the month, probably 1x/week, on average.  I hope packing and unpacking counts for something; there was some heavy lifting involved.  I did an occasional plank here and there but no specific core work.

I am aware that going from three weeks of <10 miles of running to a week with 24 miles of running might be stupid, but I needed to move!  I felt fine throughout my running and in fact, the one day of skiing impacted my calves more than the hill running did (Seriously, I took 2 days off from running: I only wore compression socks or calf sleeves, foam roller-ed them, and walked a lot).

I’m saying it now so I will stick to it: My goal for March is to run 25 miles a week, with a day of arm stuff/pushups, and a day of core stuff (crunches/planks).  This weekend I've decided I will join a local running group so I can meet some people in the area and learn some new running routes!

1000 in 2011

Since I posted some 2011 goals last January, I suppose I should revisit them now that it's January 1, 2012.

source

• Run a sub-2:20 half marathon.
• Done.
• April 3: ~2:18:55
• May 22: 2:15:32
• September 18: 2:12:01
• November 21: 2:06:49
• Check my work email from home LESS frequently.
• Done.  
• Hard at first, but became easier.  Now that I'm out of the habit, I prefer the work/home separation. Currently I only check my work email at night if I'm eagerly awaiting a response to an email I sent that day or if I need to confirm something like the time of an early morning meeting the next day.
• Knit more than I did in 2010.
• Eh.  Can't say that I did.  
• I thought about it a couple times but got a little overwhelmed by my half-started projects from over a year ago. I dropped a couple lbs over the year which means the sweaters I had started in 2009 or 2010 wouldn't fit now anyway even if I was able to pick up right where I left off.
• A friend works for Special Olympics of N.J. and knowing that I knit, she told me a couple weeks ago about their yearly scarf project for the winter games.  So I picked up yarn in the specified 2012 colors and got to work over winter break.

• Have Less Clutter.
• uhhh not so good at this one.  Please don't look at my kitchen table right now.
• I did a much better job of buying less clothing, and I did several "clean outs" over the course of the year to donate stuff (or list nicer stuff on Ebay) that I hadn't worn in over a year or stuff where I said "eh, maybe I'll wear this" and didn't.
• Slow down, be more "present."
• Meh. I don't know if there was ever a good way to judge progress on this. 
• Starting with my husband having a job interview in July or August, I was thinking about where we would end up, when he would actually defend his thesis, how long I'd be able to stay at my current job, whether or not I'd be here in NJ to run certain races next year, etc. (The answers are: California, early February, end of January, and no).

I will also continue to focus on getting a good night's sleep, drinking lots of water, and supplementing my running with things like riding my bike (when the weather allows), spinning class, boot camp class, core work, etc.

•  Mostly did a good job.
• I think I did great with drinking more water.  I bring a refillable bottle of water to work with me most days, and I kick myself when I forget it. 
• I need to refocus on the sleeping part. Or at least going to bed earlier, so I can be a morning workout person again.  Currently sleep wins over an early morning cold, dark run.
• I kept up with boot camp the whole year, except for in the summer when it wasn't offered, and therefore I did not belong to my gym.
• I was going to spinning regularly early in 2011 (wasn't at the gym this summer so I rode outside), then this fall I returned to spinning but the instructors were different and not as motivating so I lost interest early on.

Also, thanks to squeezing in a New Year's Eve run, I was able to hit 1000 miles run in the year 2011!  This arbitrary nice round number was not a goal of mine from the start, but I realized sometime this summer that with some work, it was a number within reach .

While Garmin Connect is the main website I use for looking back on my runs/workouts, (and is the program I used to keep track of my yearly mileage), Daily Mile has the social aspect and makes the numbers look prettier in graphic form.  However, note that I didn't start using Daily Mile consistently until mid-late January, so it's not accurate for January.

I guess it's time to think about 2012!
What was your biggest accomplishment in 2011?

Next race?

For the first time in about a year, I have NO next race lined up.  It's a weird feeling.

However, I am strongly considering the Chesebro Half Marathon on March 24, 2012.  It's part of the Great Race of Agoura Hills.  The Chesebro half is 5 miles on roads, and 8 miles on trails.

If it rains a lot which can make for unsafe trail conditions on a mountain, you get moved to the other half marathon taking place that same day, all on roads- the Pacific Half Marathon (this apparently happened last year).

 source

 source

It would not exactly be an ideal course for a PR:

 source

 But I think the scenery would be nice:

source

source

You may be thinking to yourself, "A trail race in the mountains?  There are no such mountains in New Jersey."  

And you would be correct.

Dan has accepted a job offer near Los Angeles.  After he defends his thesis, we will be moving to California in early February!  In the mean time, I am trying not to freak out too much about our upcoming move and I am distracting myself from the nitty gritty details by looking into west coast races.

Some other trail races that caught my eye include...

The XTERRA Malibu 6k or 22k on April 29th.  I kind of wish there was an in-between option.  The XTERRA Malibu Creek Challenge promises some of the best views in Malibu.

 source

22k recaps with pictures here and here and here.

22k

6k

My husband also found for me the Leona Valley Trail half marathon (not until September 29, 2012).  There's a nice blog recap with lots of pretty pictures here.  

source

But this one is another leg killer:

Clearly there will be lots of trails nearby with some serious elevation change.  No more complaining about the 90 feet of elevation change over a third of a mile that exists immediately behind my apartment.

While I am looking forward to some really scenic trail running, I also hope to break a 2-hour half marathon in 2012 so I am in search of a flatter road race where that might be possible.  

1. Anyone have any race recommendations for the LA area?

2. What is your next race?

3. Also, I am currently accepting successful long-distance or cross-country moving stories.

I have only lived in Western NY and now NJ...our move to CA will be quite an adventure!

T minus 6 days

For my Philly half marathon training up until last week, see this post.

Here are some fall pictures from this past week to make this post prettier before I flash a bunch of numbers.

Now here's the last 3 weeks of my training plan:

10/31-11/6	boot  camp	spin	2x[3200,  400R]	spin  +abs	5@  MT	rest	12 HMP+20	21
11/7-11/13	boot  camp	spin	5x[1k,   400R]	spin  +abs	2E,  3@ ST, 1E	rest	8 HMP+20	20
11/14-11/20	boot  camp	spin	6x[400,   400R]	rest	3 E	rest	The Half	8+13.1

And what I actually did:

10/31-11/6	boot  camp	rest	5@ MT	rest	6.35 Easy	8.6 mi bike	5x[1k,   400R]	~17
11/7-11/13	boot  camp	rest	12 HMP+4	rest	5 Easy	2E,  3@ ST, 1E	8 HMP+30	31.6
11/14-11/20	boot  camp	spin	6x[400,   400R]	rest	3 E	rest	The Half	8+13.1

As we are just starting the week of the 14th...that week is only my projected plan.  I know boot camp will have a focus on arms Monday night, so that's a plus. Tuesday, I'm undecided on whether or not to go to spin class- it's been a couple weeks so maybe I shouldn't go.  Wednesday and Friday I hope to get my runs in before work so I am in morning-running-mode for Sunday.


This week I will:
-Try really hard to go to bed early and get up earlier every morning this week.
-Make sure I drink lots of water and start doing that Monday.

My super amazing A-Goal for Sunday will be 2:07.
Kara and Kristy say I can do it, and I don't want to let them down!

My B-Goal is 2:10 or less (which would still be a 2 minute improvement over September 18th).

That's all I got.