Speedwork

I'm getting faster! I really am! I did speedwork this morning...3x800 at 7mph (with the last one increasing to 8mph) with 400 recoveries at 6mph. On my treadmill, the mph is all I have to go by. However, I found this: Treadmill Pace Conversions. I'm going to post this in front of my treadmill! Since my training plan from SmartCoach tells me how fast in minutes/mile to go, it's kind of necessary to have some clue.

That means I ran 2 4:16 half-miles followed by one in 4:06. Not bad. Especially since I kept my recovery at a 10:00 mile (or 2:30 quarter mile).

I've got a five-miler coming up this weekend, and I'm hoping I can get outside to run it.

Gotta love that treadmill

I know that most people hate the treadmill, and I will readily agree that running outside is so much better...but the alternative is not running, so I'll gladly take that running contraption in my garage.

I wasn't able to run my long run this weekend due to the Mission Hope Craft Show that my mom organized again this year on Saturday and a killer headache on Sunday. But with the White Rock Marathon Relay just two weeks away, I know I need to log some miles. So I did. I got up at 4:30 this morning and logged 5 miles in 50 minutes! I'm thrilled with that. I did learn a couple of things though: 1. The garage is not cold enough yet for long tights, but I did like the compression feeling of the tights themselves. 2. Running without the iPod is great for shorter distances, but the longer distances? Not so much. Lucky for me that even though my iPod wasn't charged, we have Dish on the TV out there and I can get the Sirius/XM stations on it.

This morning's run was helpful in more ways than just logging miles. I went to bed really feeling uneasy and restless. Nothing's really wrong. I just couldn't sleep because I've got a lot on my mind. Money. The holidays. Cooking. Doctor's appointments. Possible injuries. The kids. Parenting in general. The house. I just felt like a jumbled mess. I can't say that 5 miles was a miracle worker, but I definitely feel a little more capable of handling these things.

And with that being said, I must head home and get some of those things under control.

Tempo Run, or my version of it

Today is Wednesday. Wednesday is speedwork day...reminds me of a song my grandmother used to sing. Today, I attempted a tempo run. But I didn't like the definition of tempo run...race distance at race pace...why not just run the race? So, I ran at 6.0 mph on the treadmill to start, and bumped it up by .2 every 1/2 mile until 6.6 and then backed it back down. So it looked something like this:
.5 mile walking (8:30)
.5 at 6.0
.5 at 6.2
.5 at 6.4
.5 at 6.6
.5 at 6.4
.5 at 6.2
.5 at 6.0
(total 3.5 in 34:00)
.5 mile walking (8:30)

I'm pretty thrilled...I actually felt like I could have gone farther and faster. I'm so glad I made myself get up and on that treadmill this morning!

"Hills"

After sleeping in yesterday, I knew I needed a run this morning. However, the kids both ended up in bed with me by 3:30 this morning. Hubby was sleeping on the couch (and no, he wasn't in trouble) because he's got a cold, so I didn't mind. At least it wasn't too crowded. However, it took me until 4:15 or so to get back to sleep...and that darn alarm clock went off at 4:50 as planned. I hit the off button...sat there...and finally climbed out of bed. I hit the treadmill for a "hill" workout...or at least an attempt.

I warmed up for a few minutes (which is really when I wake up, get a drink and get the iPod situated). Then I rotated 3 minutes on an incline with 2 minutes at 0% through a 2%, 4%, 6% and back to 4% before finishing up. I should have gone longer. But I did it.

My only problem right now is I'm having some pain in my shin/calves. Most of the pain is on the inside top of my shin, to the inside of the bone before the actual "calf" muscle starts. I'm a little worried about it because I can't identify the source. It even hurt when I kneeled down in my son's floor to pick up a jillion cars. It hurt at the beginning of the run but seemed to handle the "hills" ok, but then they hurt again at the end with the calf tightening up pretty quickly.

With my 10K a little over a week away, I'm getting nervous. I'm just not sure I've done enough. I never did get that core training habit down. And I know my abs need to be stronger. Seriously stronger.

I have decided to walk the 18 miles on Saturday and see how I feel. If I'm up for it, I'll run a long run Sunday morning and then run Tuesday/Thursday before the race. If I can't run Sunday, I'll run Monday/Tuesday/Thursday before the race. Can't believe it's this close!

Getting stronger

I love that I actually feel stronger with each run. I couldn't run yesterday due to a sick kid, so I ran today...3 miles in 30:46. I mostly kept a 10 minute mile pace, but I had to take two quick walk breaks...so I made up for them by amping up the last mile. Every quarter mile, I upped the treadmill by .2 (so 6.2, 6.4, 6.6) to finish up. I was absolutely pouring sweat!

I couldn't seem to cool down though. I felt awfully faint and sat down in the shower for a bit (passing out would not be a good thing). Even after my shower, I was still sweating. However, once I got to school and finally cooled down, it's like my motor went into turbodrive in reverse...I was freezing! I don't know if that's a normal thing or not.

Another weird thing, I'm wondering if anyone else who runs experiences some sort of wrist pain/numbness. It seems to happen mainly when I run on the treadmill, although I've felt it after regular road runs as well. It goes away fairly quickly, but it almost feels like my wrists swell.

I also developed a blister...maybe my first. And it's in the weirdest spot. It's on the edge of my heel on the side. I felt the hotspot toward the end of my run. It's between the insole and upper of my shoe. I know, cotton socks aren't good. But I've just gotten used to them. Plus, I bought my shoes a half size larger to try and save my toenails. If I switch to synthetic socks, I'm afraid the fit will be off. Hmm...things to think about.

Intervals, ugh

I figured out a way to do my intervals without losing momentum...the treadmill. Yes, it's that dreaded contraption in the steamy garage, but it worked better than my own motivation on the road...at least for this particular day. I just set the treadmill to one of its preset workouts. Why I didn't think of that earlier, I have no idea. Just like I didn't think to use those workouts and the incline on regular workouts to simulate the road a little more. Duh. Well, you'd think, huh?

But, yesterday, I finally thought of it and set it to one in the "weight loss" category, mainly because I didn't have time to go through all of them to figure it all out at 5 a.m.

I set it to one with a max speed of 7.7 and max incline of 2.0. Wow. I normally do my easy runs at 5.5, maybe a 6 if I'm feeling tough. But I found the more I did the 7.7, the happier I was at 7.0. Crazy. In a good way. I may up tomorrow's speed on my regular run to see if I'm still comfortable there.

But, I realized after the fact, I was supposed to run hills this week. I don't know if that's possible on the treadmill, but I'm going to find out next week. I'm sure I'd be happier outdoors, but I just can't run in the dark that early, and it's still too hot after school.

Still, it was a good workout. I was pouring sweat...literally. And I had a second fan in there, albeit a small one. I'm looking at getting a big one to mount on the wall. Not that it would help. I did cut the workout a little short by about one interval. I guess I'm going to have to resort to getting up at 4:45. That was always my rule...no getting up when a 4 starts the time. But it's one of those rules I may have to break in order to get it all done.

Tomorrow is an easy run, 3 miles if I have enough time. I'm looking forward to my weekend long run outside, but even that may get shuffled around. My 3-Day team is walking 12 miles Saturday morning and I hate missing out on the team walk.

Treadmill fun

Ok, normally, I hate the treadmill, and while I wouldn't exactly say I love it, it accomplished the job for which it was designed this morning. I've decided I can't run outside at 5...too dark, too many noises, not enough peace, which is why I run in the first place. So, I skipped Wednesday's speedwork...part rebellion against having to run indoors, part some soreness/pain I was waiting to see which way would go, part exhaustion from being back at school. And after some stressful and upsetting events this week, I needed a run. Needed does not do that feeling justice. So I ran. And it was hot in the garage, where the treadmill is. But I ran. And it felt great. And while I wasn't actually moving, I could feel the worries falling behind me. And I so needed that.

But tomorrow, I'm back out on the road because it's Saturday and I can wait until 6:30 to run. Which I will do...before I go to work to finish up my classroom.