800M Repeats

Another tough workout! My goal was to maintain an 8:00 min pace for all 8 repeats, I came pretty close to it. I did run into some shoulder cramping again, but I think the issue is directly connected to breathing, so if I can just get control of my breathing when I'm over-exerting myself I might be able to keep that pain in check. We'll see how things progress. I was planning to do a little swim this afternoon, but I'm feeling pretty exhausted already today so I might just skip the swim and try it another day. Yesterday I did a bike/run brick, went to 40 min of spin and then charged on the treadmill for 20 min. It was a great workout and likely contributing to my feeling tired and a bit lazy to go for a swim.

2 x 2 Tempo Run

Wow, today was a tough workout. I went out with a goal of maintaining 8:45 for each set of 2 miles, this is the first time in a while I actually stayed with the pace I set and did not exceed my expectations. That tells me that I finally pushed myself hard enough in a training run, and I'm actually pretty proud of myself. It was a hard workout, but it felt great after it was over. Also, the weather today was very nice, about 57 degrees, 10 degrees warmer than the last time I ran!

Play it safe or push yourself?

Earlier today I went out for a 5 mile tempo run. My goal was to run it at a 9:10 pace and over the course of the 5 miles I ended up averaging 9:02. I realized during the run that each time I set out with a goal in mind, it's usually a relatively safe goal that I would tend to always meet and even exceed. Case in point today, my first mile was 9:08, then each one after was just a little faster, ending the last two miles below 9. How did it feel? Well, it felt pretty good, not seriously hard and not seriously easy. Two weeks ago I ran my last tempo run with a goal of 9:20 and I ended up averaging 9:15. I tend to do this a lot, I pad my running goals to allow myself the opportunity to exceed my expectations. I'm not sure if this is the best approach, and I didn't even realize I was doing it until today, but I'm pretty convinced that this is my tendency. I also noticed this yesterday while climbing at the gym. I tend to pick easier climbs I know I won't have any trouble with, or I'll go in the opposite extreme and get on something I know I can't climb, so there is no pressure to succeed. With me finally realizing what I do to ensure I succeed, I'm not sure how I want to handle it. I definitely think that I'm doing really well with the running the way I manage my goals, but sometimes I wonder if I could have excelled even more had I pushed myself further. With climbing though, I think that I'm holding myself back from excelling because of this fear of failure. I try to embrace the fear of failure to some degree, because it was the fear of not being able to run a half marathon that pushed me to lose 70lbs. I wouldn't never have gotten here had it not been for that fear. I can see positives with it, but there are some things where this fear holds me back. Definitely something I need to continue to watch and think about for the future.

400M Repeats

Today was my first 400M repeat workout, it actually went really well and I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. It was a relatively short workout, but the speed bursts were challenging. I used to do speed work on a treadmill in my previous training plans, 2 min on and 2 min off, this was very similar. The only difference was trying to keep a steady pace, not having the treadmill to set the speed made it difficult. Sometimes I think I miss running on the treadmill... not having to deal with weather factors, clothing, etc. Unfortunately my mindset has changed in that I am starting to feel like treadmill running is kinda like cheating and that I shouldn't really do it. My other problem though is that I'm doing an indoor triathlon soon and I'll have to run on a treadmill for that. My plan is to do some bricks on non-running days, incorporate short runs after spinning and swimming. We'll see how it all goes!

2 x 3 Tempo Run

Today was my first 2 x 3 tempo run... last week I did my first 2 x 2 run and I really liked it. Today however, was quite a bit more challenging and I think maybe that's why I didn't like it AS much as the previous one. It might take some getting used to as well. It was chilly today also, I'm still working on figuring out the best way to dress as the temps continue to drop. I ran all last winter, but its amazing how bad my memory is because I can't seem to remember what I would wear when I went running in the dead of winter! Today I had a headband covering my ears, gloves, tank top, long sleeved top and long pants. I would say for most of the run I was in good shape, but there were some times where I was pretty cold. After my run I did some stretching for about 10 min, that was all it took for my fingers and lips to turn purple! It's amazing to me how cold I can get, inside, after running. I took a nice long, hot shower and then layered up in some comfy clothes for the rest of the night.

Next run is 400 meter repeats on Thursday, I've not done these before either, so this will be interesting!

Windy and Cold

So the temps were about 43 degrees and windy when I went out for my 8 mile run today. I was planning to head to a local park to make the miles go by faster but I opted to save drive time and just run in the neighborhood. Bbrrrr! The sun barely peaked out from behind the clouds and I felt forever in a head wind that chilled me to the bone. I was going for an easy run, about an 11 min pace, just to get the miles in and feel good. I ended up averaging a 10:35 just to keep my heart rate up and hope for an increase in my body temp. It sort of worked, I was still pretty cold during the run, but better than if I had stuck with the 11 min pace. I think its going to take some time for me to get used to the winter weather running again. I remember enjoying it last year as long as I dressed properly. It's been a mild fall so far, but this was a pretty chilly run. All that said, I finished and I feel great. Looking forward to stepping up my intensity next week as I charge into my 10K training and prepare for the Detroit Turkey Trot!

A Running Blog?

I was out running today, one of my new favorite things to do, and a thought crossed my mind. Maybe I can blog about my running?! Sometimes I just want to get a bunch of words out on "paper" but I feel like my Facebook page probably isn't the best place for it. I'm sure all my FB Friends are sick of hearing about all my running, training, etc. So anyways, maybe I'll try to start writing a blog about my running. I will update my calendar with reminders so that I actually do it. I think it will be nice for me to go back later and review how I felt a year ago versus now, etc. So anyways, here's to running and blogging!! ~Cheers :)