Running without much sleep is like driving a car without much fuel... you get along for a while without really noticing it until one day you have to pull over to the side of the road because there's nothing left.
Tuesday was a day for pulling over. Those busy days and sleepless nights came back to haunt me.
I started well. As we were re-doing the "Kenyan Run", I put myself in the slightly faster group this time. You see, my fastest 1k time is (consistently) just over 5.00 minutes...say, around 5.06 or 5.08. So when the choice came up to go in the 5.00 group or the 5.15 group I chose the 5.00 group, as previously when I had chosen the 5.15 group for the Kenyan run I felt I hadn't worked hard enough.
But then this Kenyan run was slightly different. We had 2km to run at pace across 3 different speeds, starting 1.15 sec slower than our fastest 1k time trial and getting 30sec faster each lap. So when I put myself in the 5.00 pace group, my laps were to look as follows:
Lap 1 (0-2k): 6.15min/km
Lap 2 (2-4k): 5.45min/km
Lap 3 (4-6k): 5.15min/km
The first lap was easy and I blitzed it, controlling myself slower. The second lap I did at exactly pace (even when my pace group went on to run it slightly faster)...but I struggled the entire way through this one. Within 50m of starting the 3rd lap, I knew I had no energy left. And as I thought it, it came true. I slowed considerably and conceded defeat. How frustrating! Less than a month ago I could run a 10k race at a 5.30 pace and feel that I was holding back...but today it was all I could do to shuffle through 2km of a 5.45 pace.
There was only one thing left for me to do: get a good night's sleep that night and start fresh the next day. Zzzzzz...
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
24k. Yes, that's right. 24K!!! (And I don't mean diamonds)
So I have a bit to catch up on today! Thursday we did another hill session (surprise!). If there is one weakness in me, it is hills. And distance. And speed. Okay, let's just say that hills greatly diminishes my ability to do the latter two.
At hills we did 5x50m sprints followed by a 1.5k loop. And then we did it all again! The one thing I can do decently is sprint over short distances. So, the 5x50m sprints were alright... it was the 1.5k loop that really had me going. My coach gave me a massive handicap going into the loop. But that didn't stop other runners from passing me!
Distance: 6.64km
Time: 46.20min
Pace: 6.58min/km
Elevation: 138m
And today was our long run. I did no less than 24k. TWENTY-FOUR KILOMETRES!!! That is nearly 50% longer than the longest run I've run this year. Yikes! I was rather worried. You see, I was supposed to have been running 20k's the past few weeks, but that was cancelled due to my injury and other intervening factors.
So while everyone else in my group has been happily doing 20k's the past four or five weeks, I have been contending with injury and fighting to get in those shorter distances. I was fine the first 12k, despite our group going out way too fast for me (race pace, anyone?). I think I kept up until about the 14k mark and then I started to slide backwards. And once I started to slide, I seemed to gain momentum...just going the wrong way. Before I knew it my legs were aching and shaking and I was desperately wanting to finish and get it done. But I didn't stop.
I had a momentary sense of ghost pain in my knee around 18k and the weird sensation of my legs almost giving out on me at 22k. But I pulled up at exactly 24k!
Unfortunately, I had accidentally turned off my fancy watch for a km of it, so I can't offer any accurate ideas of how I actually did.
By guestimation, it took me just over 2h32min to complete the 24k, average pace ~6.23km, and average elevation >288m (hey, that's more than the hill session yesterday!).
I am fully, truly sore from that run! As Anne of Green Gables might say, deliciously sore.
At hills we did 5x50m sprints followed by a 1.5k loop. And then we did it all again! The one thing I can do decently is sprint over short distances. So, the 5x50m sprints were alright... it was the 1.5k loop that really had me going. My coach gave me a massive handicap going into the loop. But that didn't stop other runners from passing me!
Distance: 6.64km
Time: 46.20min
Pace: 6.58min/km
Elevation: 138m
And today was our long run. I did no less than 24k. TWENTY-FOUR KILOMETRES!!! That is nearly 50% longer than the longest run I've run this year. Yikes! I was rather worried. You see, I was supposed to have been running 20k's the past few weeks, but that was cancelled due to my injury and other intervening factors.
So while everyone else in my group has been happily doing 20k's the past four or five weeks, I have been contending with injury and fighting to get in those shorter distances. I was fine the first 12k, despite our group going out way too fast for me (race pace, anyone?). I think I kept up until about the 14k mark and then I started to slide backwards. And once I started to slide, I seemed to gain momentum...just going the wrong way. Before I knew it my legs were aching and shaking and I was desperately wanting to finish and get it done. But I didn't stop.
I had a momentary sense of ghost pain in my knee around 18k and the weird sensation of my legs almost giving out on me at 22k. But I pulled up at exactly 24k!
Unfortunately, I had accidentally turned off my fancy watch for a km of it, so I can't offer any accurate ideas of how I actually did.
By guestimation, it took me just over 2h32min to complete the 24k, average pace ~6.23km, and average elevation >288m (hey, that's more than the hill session yesterday!).
I am fully, truly sore from that run! As Anne of Green Gables might say, deliciously sore.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
That Little Bit More
In my mind, I am an amazing runner. So when someone shared a photo of me on facebook, I thought I'd share it on my blog...
Today we had sprint intervals, where the sprints were either 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 minutes long and the recovery 1 minute. The catch? We didn't know which interval we were on!
Oooh, this is a struggle! More so because - for me - I can dig down deep at the end and push a little harder. For example, if I am starting to slag from fatigue but in my mind I know that I am almost through a drill, I can find it in myself - usually - to give that little bit more. But in all honesty, when I don't know when that next recovery is coming (or when I know it's a long way off), I save that little bit more in reserve in case I need it down the line. Today, without knowing when the end of the rep would come, I really struggled to dig deep and find that push in me.
I did try to break out of that habit today. I really did. I tried to run every metre as if it were my last before recovery. I started off well in this goal by pacing myself with some slightly faster friends. I endeavoured to stick with them for the duration of the workout. The first few minutes I did just that. Easy! But then I made a mistake. I thought I could push myself just that little bit faster and so I did for one beautiful rep...Only to exhaust myself for subsequent reps. And as my energy depleted I fell behind more and more with each rep.
Discouraged, my mind filled with self-doubt of "you can't keep up with them! Why are you even trying?" And to my disappointment...I listened. Oh, I still worked at a hard pace, but that little bit more remained out of my grasp. Why? Because I listened to the voice of self-doubt and couldn't rationalize it away with the knowledge of being 'almost done'.
But still. If running is a mental game, then overall today I had a decent match.
Total time (including warm-up + cool down): 50.55min
Total distance: 8.18km
Avg pace (including walking recoveries): 6.13min/km
Here's wishing on everyone out there that ability to find that little bit more in them.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Interpreting Instructions
As most of you know, I am very good at following the strictest instructions ... or at least, my interpretation of the strictest instructions! Can I help it if I have a creative mind?
My physio/podiatrist buddy told me to run 3-4x between this week and next week. And he also told me to keep my runs to 5k max. Upon questioning, I was told that "up to 8k is fine. But I don't want you to be too far from home when your knee starts to hurt". I was then told that I needed to come in this week having run so that my knee was max sore so he could figure out exactly what was going on.
The assumption being, of course, that my knee would give out at about 5k. This held very true for Friday's run - much to my dismay!
I started my day with the prescribed physio exercises - and you can bet I'll be doing them faithfully for the next few weeks! Then off to meet the group for my first long run in a few weeks. Yikes! I had a game plan in mind: starting at the 4k mark, I would gage how I felt every km and turn around when things started to niggle (a precursor to pain). If necessary, I had steeled myself to - ulp - walk back.
The 4k mark came along...the 5k...the 6k... and so I reached a dilemma. Did I run the prescribed mileage of "up to 8k" (okay, so I'd already failed on this point) or did I push myself towards that point of pain so Mr Pod-Physio could figure out what was wrong?
I will give you a few seconds now to ponder what decision I might have made.
...
Well, as it turns out, I had an awesome friend running who was also on the "injury watch list" so to speak. At the start, we agreed to do the 12k together. But then we chatted at the 5k and both felt strong enough to keep going to the 7k mark. What's an extra two kms, right?
The 7k mark came and went...so what's another 500m? We can turn around there, right? That will be a nice, solid 15k round trip.
That 7.50km number rolled around and it was oooohhh so tempting to keep going. But then what if my knee gave out at 8k and I was stuck trekking back all that distance? Dutifully, I turned around with my friend. We had the best of conversations. I can't remember the last time I've talked so much on a run!
And deep down inside, I was doing a little dance as I passed the 12k mark and still no pain.
At just over 15k we hit the end. And NO PAIN!!! That's right, folks! Whether it was the patched shoes, the great conversation with my fellow running (and blogging!) friend, or simply two weeks of rest, I felt great.
But then, how could I go back to Mr Pod-Physio like this? So I turned around and kept going for a mini-loop. Admittedly, a little gnawing of guilt came my way, so I decided to turn back and finish the run before I went just that one step too far. I was - at this point - well passed that "up to 8k" recommendation. At the end of the run I then went home and did something I don't do enough of: stretches. I feel virtuous.
Total distance: 16.8km
Total time: 1.43.16
Avg pace: 6.09km
What can I say, other than AWESOME! Here's hoping the next few weeks prove to be even better.
My physio/podiatrist buddy told me to run 3-4x between this week and next week. And he also told me to keep my runs to 5k max. Upon questioning, I was told that "up to 8k is fine. But I don't want you to be too far from home when your knee starts to hurt". I was then told that I needed to come in this week having run so that my knee was max sore so he could figure out exactly what was going on.
The assumption being, of course, that my knee would give out at about 5k. This held very true for Friday's run - much to my dismay!
I started my day with the prescribed physio exercises - and you can bet I'll be doing them faithfully for the next few weeks! Then off to meet the group for my first long run in a few weeks. Yikes! I had a game plan in mind: starting at the 4k mark, I would gage how I felt every km and turn around when things started to niggle (a precursor to pain). If necessary, I had steeled myself to - ulp - walk back.
The 4k mark came along...the 5k...the 6k... and so I reached a dilemma. Did I run the prescribed mileage of "up to 8k" (okay, so I'd already failed on this point) or did I push myself towards that point of pain so Mr Pod-Physio could figure out what was wrong?
I will give you a few seconds now to ponder what decision I might have made.
...
Well, as it turns out, I had an awesome friend running who was also on the "injury watch list" so to speak. At the start, we agreed to do the 12k together. But then we chatted at the 5k and both felt strong enough to keep going to the 7k mark. What's an extra two kms, right?
The 7k mark came and went...so what's another 500m? We can turn around there, right? That will be a nice, solid 15k round trip.
That 7.50km number rolled around and it was oooohhh so tempting to keep going. But then what if my knee gave out at 8k and I was stuck trekking back all that distance? Dutifully, I turned around with my friend. We had the best of conversations. I can't remember the last time I've talked so much on a run!
And deep down inside, I was doing a little dance as I passed the 12k mark and still no pain.
At just over 15k we hit the end. And NO PAIN!!! That's right, folks! Whether it was the patched shoes, the great conversation with my fellow running (and blogging!) friend, or simply two weeks of rest, I felt great.
But then, how could I go back to Mr Pod-Physio like this? So I turned around and kept going for a mini-loop. Admittedly, a little gnawing of guilt came my way, so I decided to turn back and finish the run before I went just that one step too far. I was - at this point - well passed that "up to 8k" recommendation. At the end of the run I then went home and did something I don't do enough of: stretches. I feel virtuous.
Total distance: 16.8km
Total time: 1.43.16
Avg pace: 6.09km
What can I say, other than AWESOME! Here's hoping the next few weeks prove to be even better.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Patchwork
I discovered a match made in heaven last night. No, I'm not talking about a new pair of shoes. I am, rather, talking about meeting a podiatrist AND physio rolled into one! This was extra awesome, as I didn't know whether my knee problem stems from a shoe issue (for podiatry) or a muscle issue (for physio). So why not see two for the price of one? Awesome!
So I walked away with not only some strengthening exercises, but also some fixed up shoes. I think the best part was that - when I asked if I needed new shoes - he replied "let's work on fixing up this pair first." Even more awesome! They may *look* like the same innocuous pair of runners on the outside...but inside there is some pretty cool patchwork going on with the aim to fix up my running form.That's the happy news.
On the unhappy news. I went back to running again today. Great because, hey! I'm running. Bad because - as predicted from my physio/podiatrist buddy - I felt my knee flare up after the 5k mark. At about 5.34km into the run, to be precise. Boo! I was crossing my fingers for a quick fix!
The patched up shoes took a bit of getting used to. The first 5k had me reacquainting myself with my right hamstring. Heelllllooo right hammy! I haven't felt from you in far too long.
Why my right hammy? Because I now have an extra insole (courtesy of my retired runners) inside my right shoe to even out my gait. Who woulda thought my right leg is shorter than the left? I certainly never measured!
But at 5.34km my left knee reminded me why I was visiting a knee doctor in the first place. I was under instructions to mark the place where I started feeling pain. My answer: 5k.
So if I was entered in the Gold Coast 5k race, no problem! Unfortunately, the countdown is on! 6 weeks left to sort out that knee problem and still have enough fitness to enter the race. My question is no longer will I get a PB.
The big question is: will I be able to race???
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Getting to the Start Line
There are numerous things a runner has to worry about the morning of a race. "How can I balance out fluid intake with toilet accessibility?" is my main focus for the big races. But on a 4.5k fun run with friends, I found myself surprisingly more concerned about what are normally secondary factors in my races.
The first factor: do I have the correct race bib on? Yes, I very nearly walked out the door wearing the bib from good ole Noosa 10k! Fortunately, as I was pinning it on in the mirror, I was able to correct this error before I left. It would have been like showing up to the wrong party.
The second factor: How will I get to the start line? There are numerous options available:
1. Car - eliminated. The event is at South Bank and I only drive to South Bank under duress. Plus, parking would be terrible.
2. Public transport - eliminated. My flatmate opted for the bus. I might have been tempted by the ferry but I'm not a fan of the bus. And since this is the first year I was running the 4.5k rather than the 8k, I felt a little extra exercise was in order.
3. Bicycle - tempting to ride in with a friend, but this option was eliminated in favour of my master plan -
4. Run. Odd? Absolutely! Rationalized? Always!
So, run it was! I got more than a few strange looks running 4.3km to the start line while wearing my race bib, but all in all it was a pleasant jog into South Bank.
Unfortunately, by the 2nd km my knee started to hurt. Fellow runners will understand how depressing that is! And so, while originally planning to run home at the end, I had taken along a quiet lifesaver in the form of my bus pass. And with a long forlorn look at the beautiful sunny road stretching out before me, I opted for the bus.
Let my knee live to fight another day.
The first factor: do I have the correct race bib on? Yes, I very nearly walked out the door wearing the bib from good ole Noosa 10k! Fortunately, as I was pinning it on in the mirror, I was able to correct this error before I left. It would have been like showing up to the wrong party.
The second factor: How will I get to the start line? There are numerous options available:
1. Car - eliminated. The event is at South Bank and I only drive to South Bank under duress. Plus, parking would be terrible.
2. Public transport - eliminated. My flatmate opted for the bus. I might have been tempted by the ferry but I'm not a fan of the bus. And since this is the first year I was running the 4.5k rather than the 8k, I felt a little extra exercise was in order.
3. Bicycle - tempting to ride in with a friend, but this option was eliminated in favour of my master plan -
4. Run. Odd? Absolutely! Rationalized? Always!
So, run it was! I got more than a few strange looks running 4.3km to the start line while wearing my race bib, but all in all it was a pleasant jog into South Bank.
Unfortunately, by the 2nd km my knee started to hurt. Fellow runners will understand how depressing that is! And so, while originally planning to run home at the end, I had taken along a quiet lifesaver in the form of my bus pass. And with a long forlorn look at the beautiful sunny road stretching out before me, I opted for the bus.
Let my knee live to fight another day.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Lazy Does It
So, as you may have guessed I've taken a lazy week...er, "rest" week. I am more than a little concerned about my knee so I thought I would indulge in a complete week off. It didn't start out that way. It started out with taking off one session, but then one thing led to another and then...well... you know how it goes. So to make up for lack of running achievements, I am posting you more photos from the Noosa 10k!
Some of the team during the team photo. Unfortunately a fair few of them were not around. But I'm there in my trademark green hat, courtesy of the Ipswich Park2Park race I ran last year.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Game Plan (Noosa 10k race)
I was very
worried going into my first 10k race of the year. You see, after last Saturday’s
horrific rain run I developed a little niggle in my left knee. By Friday,
this little niggle was in full-blown pain. I should have skipped Friday’s run
but I went anyway. Big mistake! I could barely limp through the 6.4km loop at a
6.29km/h loop.
Saturday I didn’t
run, but I did lots of walking in Noosa and my knee was quite sore still. So I
came up with a Game Plan.
You see, this
is the first 10k of the year, and for me it is just a prelim to the Gold Coast
Half. So why blow it all now? My Game Plan was as follows: keep the pace easy
and steady and see how my knee goes. Walk if necessary.
It seems smart,
right? No sense doing unnecessary damage! But, the problem is this: I didn’t
make a contingency Game Plan for “if my knee feels great”. Which it did. The
whole way! So I decided to follow some logic. My pb in the 10k is 54.18. So heading
around the course at a cruisy 5.35 pace I thought “awesome! I can SO keep this
up and get a new pb! Easy.” Afterall, 5.35 x 10k = 53 min and a half minutes,
right?
Does anyone
else see this simple mathematical error? I did...at the 8k mark! What I thought
was logic turned out to be illogic. 5.30 x 10k = 55min!!! Silly girl.
*Siiiigh*. No pb for me today. No way could I make up the time.
Still, for a gal
who hasn’t gotten below 58min in the 10k in the last three years, a 55min time
isn’t a shabby start to the year. Plus, having felt so good throughout the run
going at (essentially) just below my goal half marathon race pace, the season
is looking encouraging!
Distance: 10km
(or 10.01km)
Total time:
55.10 min
Avg pace: 5.30min/km
Elevation: 10m
In the last
600m, I had my customary sprint finish. Unfortunately, as I passed a girl who
had been pacing the same as me throughout the race, my instincts at training
kicked in. You see, in the sessions if I’m sprinting past someone who is
lagging, I’ll encourage them to push alongside me. Usually this ends in said
person finishing before me, but whatever. It’s just training.
So when I
passed this girl with 400m to go, I called out “come on!” She looked at me,
startled, then started to sprint with me...and then past me. Oops! Fortunately
for me, she was clearly not a sprint finisher. She stayed with me in the end,
but I finished 2sec ahead of her. Heh heh. Next time, I will button my lips and
silently cackle as I pass people at the finish line rather than egging them
into joining me.
Split times:
1k: 5.37
2k: 5.30
3k: 5.33
4k: 5.34
5k: 5.29
6k: 5.26
7k: 5.31
8k: 5.32
9k: 5.31
10k: 5.14 (sprint
pace: 3.51)
And the rest of
my running squad did fantastic! So many personal bests, and two people on the
medal stand. It was beautiful weather, a great course, and a great crowd. I
will definitely look to hit up this course next year!
ps - this is me chilling out at the markets the day before the race. It's not always about race day but the journey leading up to it.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Jellyfish Muscles
Today's hill run was so steep it took physical effort to run with decent posture. It is tempting for me - when hills get REALLY steep and I get REALLY tired - to bend forward into them. However, this puts the pressure of running on my lower back, which is not so good. I had to physically straighten myself more times than I should have, because fatigue tried to convince me to collapse into myself as a jellyfish might. Those old jellyfish muscles of mine just couldn't keep me straight!
I was absolutely wrecked at the end of this session. When downloading the info at a later time, I could understand why! On average, my hill runs this year have been ~215m elevation, with a variance between 180m and 232m. (You'll have to trust my math skills - I've calculated it out). Today, the grand total was: 270m!!! That's a lot extra!
For this hill run, we started at the top of Mt Coot-tha and ran down to the bottom (slow, easy jog as it was pitch black out and our running lights only illuminated so much of the rocky trail), then did reps at some of the steepest parts. I lost count of how many reps I actually did. Less than my mind wanted and more than my body wanted.
Total time: 46.41min
Total distance: 4.64km
Total elevation: 270m
Avg pace: 10.04min/km
At the end, as we climbed the final 110m elevation, I struggled to keep up with the group. I didn't fall behind by a heck of a lot as I have in previous sessions, but I definitely was lagging. One of the faster runners came back to cheer me on. "Not much further!" He encouraged. "Run the rest of the way with me." Yeah, right. I was wheezing something fierce at this point. In my attempts to keep up with the group I had been pushing myself to "run" most of the way - something I wouldn't have done had I been on my own. I had just picked a tree ahead to start walking at when he arrived.
And...Admittedly, his kindness was also choking me up a bit. I have a tendency to get emotional when exhausted. When a fellow runner chooses to run back DOWN the hill just to cheer me on in running UP it, that's more than a small kindness. At least to me.
Thank you to all the faster runners out there who stand back to encourage the slow jellyfish like me...and never once make us feel like a burden. You are what make the group runs about the group rather than the run.
I was absolutely wrecked at the end of this session. When downloading the info at a later time, I could understand why! On average, my hill runs this year have been ~215m elevation, with a variance between 180m and 232m. (You'll have to trust my math skills - I've calculated it out). Today, the grand total was: 270m!!! That's a lot extra!
For this hill run, we started at the top of Mt Coot-tha and ran down to the bottom (slow, easy jog as it was pitch black out and our running lights only illuminated so much of the rocky trail), then did reps at some of the steepest parts. I lost count of how many reps I actually did. Less than my mind wanted and more than my body wanted.
Total time: 46.41min
Total distance: 4.64km
Total elevation: 270m
Avg pace: 10.04min/km
At the end, as we climbed the final 110m elevation, I struggled to keep up with the group. I didn't fall behind by a heck of a lot as I have in previous sessions, but I definitely was lagging. One of the faster runners came back to cheer me on. "Not much further!" He encouraged. "Run the rest of the way with me." Yeah, right. I was wheezing something fierce at this point. In my attempts to keep up with the group I had been pushing myself to "run" most of the way - something I wouldn't have done had I been on my own. I had just picked a tree ahead to start walking at when he arrived.
And...Admittedly, his kindness was also choking me up a bit. I have a tendency to get emotional when exhausted. When a fellow runner chooses to run back DOWN the hill just to cheer me on in running UP it, that's more than a small kindness. At least to me.
Thank you to all the faster runners out there who stand back to encourage the slow jellyfish like me...and never once make us feel like a burden. You are what make the group runs about the group rather than the run.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Truth vs Pride
Today we had to decide between honesty and wishful thinking. Truth vs pride! After a brief warm-up, we were asked to stand in a group de-marking our fastest 1k time. Oooh! Nervous chatter followed as our coach began marking off groups, starting with 3.15 pace. There were those that didn't know and those who pretended not to know.
As the time moved up in 15 second increments, the moment of truth had arrived...or would it be the moment of pride? I can tell you are all waiting in agonizing suspense to find out which side of me won.
In the end...neither won. It was the moment of peer pressure! As the time increments moved up, I heard 5.00 pace called and I started to sidle over. But nobody else was moving. Hmm. Could I be mistaken? I could swear some of these people are faster than me and yet the only other person thinking of joining that 5.00 group is well known to be faster than us back posse members. So when the 5.15 time was called and a huge crowd converged to that area, I slunk over to join them.
Today we did a Kenyan run. This is where we run 6k total in 1k laps, starting at 75sec slower than our fastest time and moving 15sec faster each lap until we end with our fastest time. Confused yet? Here is an ideal of what I should have run:
1k: 6.30
2k: 6.15
3k: 6.00
4k: 5.45
5k: 5.30
6k: 5.15
In truth, this is the actual lap paces run vs what we should've run it in.
1k: 6.14 / 6.30
2k: 6.06 / 6.15
3k: 5.55 / 6.00
4k: 5.40 / 5.45
5k: 5.24 / 5.30
6k: we didn't get to do as training time had run out.
So it wasn't too far off. But I was disappointed because I didn't find it super challenging. I spent most of the time chatting with the others. I wish I could've gone another round to see how the 5.15 ended up. But it makes me think that next time I should start in a faster time trial!
As the time moved up in 15 second increments, the moment of truth had arrived...or would it be the moment of pride? I can tell you are all waiting in agonizing suspense to find out which side of me won.
In the end...neither won. It was the moment of peer pressure! As the time increments moved up, I heard 5.00 pace called and I started to sidle over. But nobody else was moving. Hmm. Could I be mistaken? I could swear some of these people are faster than me and yet the only other person thinking of joining that 5.00 group is well known to be faster than us back posse members. So when the 5.15 time was called and a huge crowd converged to that area, I slunk over to join them.
Today we did a Kenyan run. This is where we run 6k total in 1k laps, starting at 75sec slower than our fastest time and moving 15sec faster each lap until we end with our fastest time. Confused yet? Here is an ideal of what I should have run:
1k: 6.30
2k: 6.15
3k: 6.00
4k: 5.45
5k: 5.30
6k: 5.15
In truth, this is the actual lap paces run vs what we should've run it in.
1k: 6.14 / 6.30
2k: 6.06 / 6.15
3k: 5.55 / 6.00
4k: 5.40 / 5.45
5k: 5.24 / 5.30
6k: we didn't get to do as training time had run out.
So it wasn't too far off. But I was disappointed because I didn't find it super challenging. I spent most of the time chatting with the others. I wish I could've gone another round to see how the 5.15 ended up. But it makes me think that next time I should start in a faster time trial!
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