looking ahead

[ilanarama]

I think I've finally recovered from last week's 5K. The problem with running slowly most of the time (and not really pushing hard workouts) is that racing so much faster than any of my training takes a toll on my body. I mean, yay magic pixie dust (and downhill courses la la la) that let me average 6:50 pace for 3.1 miles, when I have only run that fast or faster for max a quarter mile at a time (and not many of them!). But ow ow owie afterward.

This week I have run every day, between 3.8 and 9.3 miles, two runs on the trails and the rest on pavement (rec trail or road). If I run at least 5 tomorrow I'll have 41 miles for the week, same as last week, but I'm hoping to do a bit more than that. Pretty much all my running is slow (relative to my race times); ~9:15 pace on the road, 11:15 on trails.

I'm registered for the Steamworks Half Marathon on 6/9, which is a really awesome race I have run three times and worked at twice (while injured). Rolling hills on a country road, 300 runners, free microbrew at the end. I'm also probably going to run the Narrow Gauge 10-miler on Memorial Day Weekend, which I have run twice. This is the oldest race in Colorado, and involves a steep climb up the back switchbacks on the college mesa, a run around the rim (in the opposite direction of last week's 5K), and then down the fast, straight road off the mesa. (It also involves crossing the train tracks, and both times I ran it I got stopped by the train, although only for ~20 seconds.)

Looking at my training in 2009, which is the year I PRed both at Steamworks and Narrow Gauge, I was averaging 45mpw in the weeks before the race. But I was also running a whole lot more slowly for the most part (although I was doing workouts, intervals and tempos) and at this stage (mid-April) I was only averaging about 30mpw. So I think I'm positioned to get a course PR at both races again. (I don't think I can get a half PR at Steamworks, but I think I can come in under 1:40, which would be a second-best finish and a course PR.) We shall see!

Comments

[ainsley]

I am glad you've recovered from the magic pixie dust!

Your progress is wonderful and inspiring.

[ilanarama]

Thank you!

[smalltownraces.blogspot.com]

Since i don't do too much trail running, it's interesting to me how easy paces translate on trails. two minutes /mile is a lot! I would have to change the field on the watch to strictly heart rate to be good.

Owie is right. You are doing well to be running that much after a hard 5k. The more you do, the less each one hurts I hear :)
Bring on another PR half!

[ilanarama]

Well, around here trail running comes with very steep hills and rocky and uneven surfaces - I bet that on flatter trails the difference is a lot less. (We just don't HAVE any flatter trails!) For example, on the typical trail run I do, I start out basically having to walk up a short tight steep connector at 15% grade, then I hit this very rocky and loose section at 8-10% grade which I can run at about 14:00 pace, then it flattens out but is still quite rocky, and my average pace is about 12:00 for a while until it starts going steeply up again, fortunately without the rocks. Then it's flat and downhill for a while, not too bad but I still am not going any faster than 10:30, and then uphill again, and then finally I get a longish mostly-flat section for almost a mile before it gets steep down and then steep up again. And so on.

[blnchflr]

Rolling hills on a country road
Mmm, sounds nice, though I know I'd probably call those hills mountains :D

Looking forward to race reports!

[ilanarama]

Well, hopefully you will get to find out this autumn!

[blnchflr]

I'll find out just what it means to have spent practically all my life max. 10 m above sea level :D

[ilanarama]

Yeah, I suspect you're going to pretty much want to just walk as opposed to run. The lack of oxygen is really noticeable when you have sea-level lungs.

[(Anonymous)]

Nice running streak and mix of trails/pavement. Good that you let yourself recover from a 5K! Keep up the good training for Steamworks and Narrow Gague!

[(Anonymous)]

That comment was from Greenlee/Elizabeth.

[ilanarama]

Thanks, Elizabeth! I can't imagine running 2 5Ks in 2 days, though... :-)

YAY

[mayberryrunner.blogspot.com]

I'm really excited to see where the new 5K PR puts you in the half marathon. It's got to be someplace good! :) I've heard a lot of cool things about Steamworks. I'm looking forward to that RR, too. Keep up the good work!

Re: YAY

[ilanarama]

Thank you! I'm feeling pretty excited about getting some more shorter-distance PRs, yay!