Monday Runday • W5/D1

It’s Monday, so that means it’s a new week of half marathon training! I’ll be taking on a total of 24 miles and incorporating a few more workouts into my cross-training.

First up this week is a 4 mile run at an easy, comfortable pace. I only have to finish the last mile at a faster pace than the first 3.

If you’ve been following my blog, you’re probably seeing a pattern here. Every Monday… EVERY MONDAY is the same run. The only variation is the distance. Sometimes 3 miles, sometimes 4 and (coming soon) 5 miles! *gasp*
dun, dun, duuuuuuuun!

I assume it’s this way to ease the transition from my Sunday rest days to my more intense Tuesday runs. It’s an easy run while still demanding some speed work to get that last mile in at a faster pace.

So back to the run today. I headed out still a little sore from the two runs on Saturday. My quads were a little sore and my hips and right knee were starting to hurt me. I didn’t feel injured or like I was going to be injured, I think it was just some residual tightness or soreness from the effort put in during the latter half of last week; nothing a good stretch and run couldn’t get rid of.

When I left the house it was so nice outside. 65°F (~18°C) and sunny. Compared to the way the weather had been lately, this was a godsend.

My hip was still bothering me for the first mile, but something happened around mile 1.5 where the dull pain disappeared. I don’t know what happened, but whatever was going on in there must have worked itself out.

For the rest of the run I didn’t feel a thing. I was reserving most of my energy for the last mile where I’d give it all I had. I did just that.

Once my phone showed 4.00 miles, I booked it. I ran as fast as I could for as long as I could. I don’t recall running that fast ever in my life. I was breathing heavy, I was sweaty, and water kept flying out of my squeeze bottle. To the women getting into their car in a nearby parking lot, I probably looked as though I was having a semi-coordinated seizure, but that’s just me sprinting… no worries, ladies.

After a brief slowing of the pace (but still running), I approached the steepest hill in town. This time I planned it so I would be running down the hill, not up. And I wouldn’t just be running down the hill, I would be sprinting again.

I read an article (I can’t remember what it was called) about running down hills at full effort to fix relentless quad pain. I’m not recommending it at all… but I did it. I ran full speed (or as fast as my legs would safely let me go) down the hill. Before, I was afraid of going too fast because, well let’s face it, some of us are a little top heavy… and I sort of like my face unbroken. But after hearing how it benefitted the woman in the article, I figured I’d give it a shot. What could it hurt…? Well everything, to be honest. Tripping down a hill could hurt everything.

But I didn’t trip. I ran even faster than my previous sprint thanks to determination (and a little help from gravity). I ended up reaching an 8:24 pace down this hill. I have not recorded a faster pace in my six months of running.

The last mile ended up being an 11:15 average. Not terrible for me, but I’d like to see more runs that average that throughout the whole thing, not just the last mile. But that’s what speed work is for. Regardless, the fact that I kept a steady pace and I still reserved enough energy to bust out a two sprints in the last mile says a lot. It says that I am starting to build endurance, which is a key element in a half marathon race.

-Tony

A Change of Pace • W3/D6

As I set out on a cool Michigan morning for a 6 mile run in a neighboring town, I felt a little nervous, a little excited and a little overwhelmed. I had ran over 6 miles only one other time before and it was a run/walk combo. I told myself that this is a long run, I’m not going to walk today… looking back at the last week that probably wasn’t going to happen anyway, but it was a challenging, but achievable goal.

After a brisk warm-up walk, I started to run. Knowing that this was a long run, I slowed to a pace a little more than I would normally run during the week.

It didn’t seem long at all before that guy in my ear buds told me I had gone one mile. “Wow, I don’t even feel the slightest bit out of breath or sore”, I thought, “I’m doing ok.”

At mile 2, I felt locked in. Yeah, I was running a little slower than normal, but I knew that if I kept at this pace, I could run all day. I was in a zone where I felt confident, strong, and unstoppable. This continued through mile 3.

When I planned my route, I was supposed to turn and run up a long hill that I had the hardest time conquering in my very first 5K in April of this year. I told myself that I had been through four months of running since then so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Just about the time I reached the base of this long hill, the man in the ear buds told me that I was now on mile 4. This hill was just shy of a mile in length, so basically all of my 4th mile would be this monster of a hill.

I made it all the way up the hill without stopping or walking. I kept my head down and just ran. I knew looking up and seeing how far I had to go could affect me mentally, so since I was running on the empty sidewalk for this section, I kept my focus on each slab of concrete as I came up to it… basically breaking the hill into very small, manageable pieces. I’m happy to say that this was my fastest mile. Pssshhh… I showed that hill.

I was familiar with the route I was taking and new that on the final mile there was one more fairly large hill that I had to get up, but to get to it I had to tackle the 5th mile which was, lucky for me, mostly downhill. My 5th mile was my second fastest mile of the day, coming in just six seconds slower than the mile 4.

Now, I was at the bottom of the last hill. Although much shorter than the previous hill, this one had a much steeper grade to it. But I was finally starting to feel it. It was now about 10:30 and the sun was mercilessly making everything hotter. I was in a shadeless, open field with the sun now cooking my dark gray shirt… yeah, I know now that it wasn’t a good clothing choice.… I was now starting to feel the last 5 miles worth of running. I wanted to be done. I wanted to walk.

“But I have gone this far without walking,” I told myself, “I just have a mile to go.” I knew that on the other side of that hill was a nice downslope that I could treat myself to and finish off this run.

As crazy as it sounds, as I started to run up the hill “Gonna Fly Now”, the theme song from Rocky came on. Just as in the movie where Rocky finally climbs the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art after a few unsuccessful attempts, it seemed fitting that this song had started to play as I was reaching this last hill of the run and I was running on fumes.

Thanks to the ironic situation and some halway decent effort, I had gotten up the hill just fine. I even shamelessly threw my fists in the air to recreate the scene… F it, There was no one around anyway.

I’m proud to say that I ran the whole 6 miles without stopping. All my splits (individual miles) were within 23 seconds of each other and most of them were much closer than that.

I really needed this “win” after the rough mental beat down I gave myself this week. I found it so easy to criticize myself for coming up short when what really matters is that I’m out here making a difference for myself… the half marathon is just something to work toward. Just as fellow WordPress blogger, usabaker, told me: remember the reason I started running and try not to get wrapped up in the race aspect. I should keep the fun in running and not become a slave to it so much. (By the way, thank you!)

So with that in mind, tomorrow’s rest day couldn’t be more well-timed. I’m looking forward to sleeping and doing nothing again. I found that’s the area of the program I’m fairly good at.

-Tony