HMF Run The Rent – 5k Race Recap

by Katie on July 29, 2014

You’re getting a two for one here.  A race recap AND a mini weekly recap.  Lucky ducks.

I don’t quite know where to begin with the weekly recap because it was a slight DEBACLE of a training week.

68 miles

ahhhhh!!!

slightly shameful for what was 12 weeks out from hartford marathon…now less than 11 weeks out, minus 10 days taper = 9ish weeks of training.  just some quick, psych myself out math that the marathon is steadily approaching.  I will say that it is nearly impossible to pull together good running when life stress is trying to kill you.  So, I worked with what I had last week.  I had 68 miles.  and I’ll be happy about every single mile.  Especially when 3.1 of them were a good 5k in the middle of marathon training.

I had no significant workout planned for last week.  I was planning on running a 10 mile race in Rhode Island on Friday night.  There was also a 5k on Thursday night.  I could not do both.  So, I chose the 10 miler.  Well, we know how plans sometimes go…they don’t “plan out”.  I knew by Wednesday that the 10 mile race was not going to happen.  However, on Tuesday, I did not know the 10 miler was not going to happen, so I offered my registration skills to help out at the 5k on Thursday night that I was not running because I was running the 10 miler.  If I can’t race, I could help.  When the 10 miler fell off the schedule, I thought, Oh Crap, now I’m volunteering at the 5k from 4:45 – 7:45, and not racing the 10 miler.  I went from having two possible races to no races (the 5k was 10 minutes away, the 10 miler was 2 hours away – slight difference).  I emailed the girl in charge of volunteers at the 5k and said, hey, I would love to run the race, however, I am committed to volunteering – so this is your call, but, can I volunteer from 4:45 -6:15, jump in and run the race at 6:30 and finish volunteering after?  She said, sure thing!  So, I registered people for an hour and a half, jumped in and ran the race and then they didn’t need me after.  I have to say, I had a blast registering people.  So fun to chat with people for half a second before a 5k.

It was probably about 83 degrees when I got to the volunteer tent and it was right at dinnertime.  I was starving and hot by 5:30.  I grabbed a bottle of water and had a gu at 6pm.  I had to get something in my stomach.  That was all I had.

It had cooled slightly, it was probably about 80 degrees, humid and sunny by the start at 6:30pm.  Not bad for a late July race in CT.  I started to get a migraine.  I found out two days later why.  Lovely hormones.  I’ve been getting migraines lately at that time of the month, you know…super fun.  I was standing at the start and was actually slightly concerned because if you’ve ever had a migraine, you know this feeling – you can’t see anything….but spots, everywhere, and it was sunny.  I was really annoyed.  I put my sunglasses on, hoping that it would at least not get worse.  seeing white spots is tough.  I think it was a combo of the heat/humidity, the good old monthly cycle and staring at a computer screen for an hour and a half registering people.

This 5k is PANCAKE FLAT.  no up.  no down.  This was the second year I ran it and only third year of the race.  It’s flat, but it’s on an old airstrip at Pratt and Whitney, and it is really windy because it is wide open space.  There was a tailwind for about the first 3/4 mile (hello 5:18 mile 1), then we turned and ran into some good headwind for the next 2ish miles and then kind of a sideways at the very end, last 1/4 mile or so.

I ran just 6 easy miles that morning at 7:00 avg pace because I knew I would be running the 5k at night.

I don’t train for speed or 5k’s – very different from marathon training, but good mental racing to learn how to run when it hurts.  I do not like them.  They do hurt.  My speedwork just kind of started up again and it’s just about every other week.  Not lots of speed work going on in the middle of marathon training.  So, I wasn’t really sure I’d get under 18.  I’ve only run one sub 18 minute 5k.  Then again, I really don’t run 5k’s.

Mile 1: 5:18

omg.  why did I do that.  I just destroyed all chances of running a decent 5k

Mile 2: 5:33

I might be able to hold on to this…if this wind goes away

Mile 3: 5:37

Ok…I can finish this…

Mile .13: 5:22

finished

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17:12

2nd overall

1st female

New Course Record

Surprise new 5k PR by 36 seconds

It was a small race, just over 300 people

I really like this race.  I think it will be one that I do every year.  I think it’s very family friendly, but you’ll have to ask my husband – he managed the kiddos.  It’s at Cabelas, which is kind of a fun place to go, if you like that sort of thing.  They’ve got burgers for everyone after and donuts and ice cream.

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What more could you want.  A beer truck?  Yes.  They have a beer truck.  No reason not to run.

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So, it was a great race.  Migraine diverted.  I got to volunteer.  I got to run.  We had burgers and beer and ice cream and all happy things at the end.  Oh, and a $100 Cabelas gift card that went straight to the husband for his race support efforts.

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I had no long run on the schedule when the 10 mile race was the Friday night plan.  When that changed, the schedule changed.  I got a 20 mile long run put on the schedule.  If you recall the aforementioned 5k “time of the month” migraine, last week was a precarious time and my energy is ALWAYS lacking in those few days.  Crazy fatigue in that part of the month and it made this “easy” 18 miler VERY challenging.  I just wanted to quit at about every mile beep from 13 on.  Misery.  My long runs all serve a different purpose – sometimes they are straight up long runs, sometimes they’ve got some tempo fun in the middle.  Thank goodness this was your standard long run, because I called it at 18 miles.  I also ran out of time because I just had to have my extra 15 minutes of sleep – I had to get back for the husband to do 18 trail miles, and he held off until 8am to go.  I got 18 miles in @ 7:00 average pace.  Not my most shining long run.  They can’t all be.

Back at it this week and hoping/planning on getting the miles back where they should be with some good runs and stress workouts.  Good times!

5k’s – Love ‘em or Hate ‘em?!

Best post race food you’ve had?  

PS – Please take a moment to vote for me in the Runner’s World Cover contest, if you feel inclined!  The link is over to the left!

{ 7 comments }

Better Late Than Never – Weekly Recap

by Katie on July 25, 2014

Best of intentions to get the week in review up last Sunday – did not happen.  Today will have to do.

A number of you have even requested a “day in the life” type post.  I would be happy to oblige.  At some point I will get that written.  For now, just picture something like a three ring circus happening.  every. single. day.  I love my circus animals.  We have fun together.  It’s work, but it’s fun.  I’m enjoying the summer with my little people.  They’re hysterical, and busy, and whiney, and full of life.  It’s sometimes hard to tell if they are enjoying the summer with me, because as their dear mother, I seem not to have the ability to ever truly please them…no matter how many donuts I buy them.

Before I get to the recap of last week, here are a few little things I have experienced in training in recent months:

1.  Consistency Pays Off

Whether you are nailing your workouts, your paces, your miles, or not – stay consistent and all of those things will fall into place when it is time.  Don’t give up or get down on yourself when you don’t see the time on the watch that you want to see.  Put in the effort and more importantly the time, and you will make progress.  Slowly, but surely.  Training, running and goal setting are truly a testament to “slow and steady wins the race”.  I mean this in the sense that you don’t need to push, push, push and expect to see results and speed and change happen overnight.  Slow and steady.  Consistent. Patience.  Sometimes you back track a little.  You reassess and keep going.  That gets results.  Then, you go out for a run and all of a sudden that slow and steady consistent running has brought you to a place of fitness that you’ve been waiting and working for.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.

2. Hard Work, Works

I’ve said this before, but the hard work of running, the stress workouts, the long runs, they don’t really ever get easier, you just get stronger, and then you pick it up another notch.  They are always work.  They will be tough.  That’s the point.  You almost have to trick your mind into believing that even thought it’s hard, you can do it.  That’s where the consistency also comes back into play.  I’ve done this one particular workout a number of times.  It always stresses me out.  It always feels like it will be tougher than it is going into it.  But, each time I do it, I do it.  That gives positive mental feedback of prior successful workouts to fuel me through it for the next one, with the reassurance that I can do it, because I have done it before.  It will be tough, but after 3 or 4 times of doing certain workouts, I just resign to the fact that it will be hard, but it will be done, and done well.

3.  Stay in the Mile

I’ve had to rely on my “stay in the mile” mantra a bit more lately than I usually do.  Maybe it’s the heat, or the stress of life that makes the hard workouts feel harder, but this is a good one.  You get out of the mile, it can be a downward spiral.  On mile 2 of an 8 mile tempo, you DO NOT want to be thinking, “OMG, I have 6 miles left of this”.  I’ve had to break it down to stay in the 1/2 mile.  Break it down people.  Stay in the moment, stay in the mile.

I think that’s it for now

Let’s look at last week.  There was a lot of “work” in last weeks running.

I also had to shuffle the schedule around a bit, because I wasn’t going to be able to run last Saturday. *GASP*!!!.  According to my training log, the last day off I had was Boston Marathon recovery.  That was about 3 months ago.  I didn’t feel like I needed a day off (although, I have to say – the day off was pretty fantastic, so maybe I did need it).  My husband was gone from 2am until about 9pm doing a hike up and around Mt. Washington.  I have been known to take the kids to the track and let them run their crazy little heads off and play while I do laps, but I just wasn’t feeling it last weekend.  I still wanted to make sure I got my miles in, so I did an extra two double days to make up for the missing Saturday miles.  I really enjoy the double days.  That second run is so short and easy.

84 miles

10 runs

2 workouts + 1 Tempo Long Run

 Monday Workout – am: 10 miles @ 7:11, 12 x 600′s, 90 second recovery jog

pm: 4 miles @ 7:25

I think I despise speed work.  I am not speedy in the true speedy sense of the word, relative to my training and running.  I much prefer the longer endurance stuff.  For that reason, this might be one of my least favorite workouts…tough.  So, I don’t look at my watch at all when I run these.  I go by effort.  I’m given a range (1:59 – 2:01), I run.  I look at my watch after.  I am happy to find that all of them landed in that range, with the last three the fastest (1:58, 1:59, 1:56).  12 is an excessive amount of 600′s.  Doing the work.  And, if they don’t fall in that range, that’s a bummer.  But, I’m learning what kind of effort corresponds to that workout.

Tuesday – am: 10 miles @ 7:05

pm: 4 miles @ 7:17

Crazy humidity on Tuesday and Wednesday.  The breathing is tough.

Wednesday – 10 miles @ 7:17

Thursday Workout – am: 11 miles @ 6:36, with a 5 mile WAVE tempo in the middle

Goal – 1/2 mile @ 6:10 – 15, 1/2 mile @ 5:40 – 45, for 5 miles

Actual - 6:15/5:47, 6:10/5:43, 6:09/5:39, 6:14/5:44, 6:08/5:38

pm:  5 miles @ 7:03

Friday – am:  10 hilly miles @ 7:09

pm:  4 miles @ 7:30

Saturday – OFF

Sunday Tempo Long Run – 16 miles @ 6:42

Goal – 4 mile w/u, 8 mile tempo @ 6:09 – 6:12, 4 mile c/d

Actual – 3 mile w/u, 8 tempo @ 6:07, 5 mile c/d

Splits: 6:09, 6:07, 6:03, 6:15, 6:13, 6:03, 6:12, 5:53

Very happy with this workout to wrap up this week of training.  I’ve done this one a few times, and this one felt fantastic.  I felt like I was fairly comfortable in that zone.  “Smooth and relaxed as possible” is the name of the game in these long tempos – I felt as smooth and comfortable as I could be at that pace.  Smooth, controlled. calm breathing.  Training to get comfortable at marathon pace.  That’s a little frightening.  I don’t want to talk about that marathon pace right now.

I think we are closing in on close to 11 weeks out from the marathon.  The weeks are ticking by.

I ran a last minute 5k tonight, so I’ll get a post up about that.

Thanks for reading!  Happy running!

{ 10 comments }

Three for Three and a Voting Opportunity

July 13, 2014

If I actually get this post up in a timely manner, I will be three for three on these weekly updates that I started.  That’s good news.  I’m following through. It was a fairly mellow week, compared to the previous week – thank goodness – because I ended up having to push a workout back one […]

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Tempos Galore

July 6, 2014

There’s a lot of tempo running going on here lately.  More tempo than I think I’ve ever consistently run. All sorts of tempo Aerobic threshold tempo Lactate threshold tempo, aka, death by tempo Tempo interval Tempo Thursday Tempo in the middle of a long run It’s the lifeblood of marathon training It’s everywhere This week, I […]

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Recaps…All Sorts: Ironhorse 10k and Training

June 1, 2014

Well hello I’m back to give you what is a grossly overdue recap of a 10k race, that took place on June 1st.  yeah.  little bit delayed. I’m also here to give you what were my intentions of weekly Hartford Marathon training updates.  I’m 4 weeks behind on that one. Just like that, it’s back […]

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Recovering and Up Next

May 7, 2014

The marathon distance is hands down my favorite distance to run.  It’s a funny thing that happened because I disliked the distance very much after my first one.  I love all the work that goes into them.  The long runs are probably my favorite part of it all.  I look forward to them every week. […]

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Boston – The Details

April 30, 2014

You all can thank my husband for the posting of this Boston recap, as he is breathing heavily down my neck making sure I get it written and posted.  The kids are in bed and he’s ever so kindly put on a man flick so that I am not distracted by what is on TV. […]

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Boston

April 23, 2014

I don’t quite have the energy or the words to write at the moment to do justice to the Boston Marathon, not yet anyway. This was my first time running it and hopefully not my last It was a unbelievably fantastic experience.  Upon my return from the race, my fresh faced children didn’t skip a […]

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The Week in Miles

March 23, 2014

One week out from the half marathon and 4 weeks to go until Boston I am starting to get excited.  I think a good tune up race will do that – increase the marathon excitement.  No matter how the marathon goes, I’m thrilled with the race that told me I should be in good shape […]

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New Bedford Half Marathon 2014

March 18, 2014

The following words came out of my husbands mouth on the way to the race on Sunday: “WHY don’t you just run a 1:17:59.  Get in the 1:17′s” Then, these words came out of my mouth: “Well, my sweet love, I am just not a 1:17:xx half marathoner…yet, easier said than done.  That’s just the […]

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