If I'm going to be a a serious runner I guess I'd better start some serious training! I knuckled down this week and finally made it out to a Thursday morning threshold run. I'd never done a threshold run before, so wasn't sure what to expect.
I was off to a *great* start. I thought the start time was 5.30am (not 5.15am) and had barely parked my car when all the runners took off... huh?
Luckily I recognized a fellow Tuesday morning sprinter who is about my pace. I stuck to her like glue as she told me the game plan. 1k warm up, then 5k out doing a 5.45 pace, and returning back at a "faster" pace (around 5.20).
I tried not to let myself think about the fact that I haven't run that far since 2012! And as I was doing my best not to think, it started raining. Not heavy rain, but a definite shower.
Nope, not a great start to my first threshold run at all.
Fortunately my friend was there to keep me occupied. Our Tuesday speed session is not conducive to much talking, as I am limited to talking in the recoveries which are not very long and always broken up by the reps (running is funny that way). But here we had 12 whole km's to chat! And so chat we did.
It was lovely to run at a steady but strong pace and hold a conversation. We reached the 5k turn around easily, and started picking it up for the way back. The rain had happily stopped and I was doing great until around the 7.5k mark (really, 8.5k if you count the warm-up). That's when I started to fatigue. But with only 2.5k to go it felt silly to slow down. So my friend and I pushed on. The talking became a little more scattered as our breathing picked up. In the last km I was really struggling. The pathway narrowed so I happily settled in behind my friend and let her set the pace - I just focussed on keeping up.
We finished the 10k threshold in a total time of 56min something. Wow! Considering my pb in the 10k is 54.00, to finish a training run in 56min something has me pretty happy.
Seriously awesome!
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Twilight Run
I had put heaps of pressure on myself for my first official 5k race. After a great few weeks of training and some massive improvements in my times both at Park Run and during speed work, I felt I was capable of a personal best. Which meant I would have to run at the slowest 25.57min. My A-goal was to get a sub-25min.
I zipped over to the start of the race, meeting my friend Chris who was running her first official 5k race as well and felt (perhaps) as nervous as I! It was a 4pm start. Chris was in her element with an afternoon race. I was not. I cannot remember the last time I've had an afternoon run but I can tell you the last time I had an afternoon race: high school track & field team. I only did it for participation bonus points and hated it almost as much as it hated me. But that's another story.
On this particular race day, the afternoon weather was hot and muggy with air that felt heavy to breathe. I wanted a breeze or at least some kind of movement in the air, but there was nothing.
I stuck myself well near the front to avoid getting caught in the crowding at the race start. I had never run the Twilight run before or even seen it, but I am familiar with the grounds of UQ. When we were told the course would take us over the bridge I groaned. I had been hoping to stay on the nice, flat UQ side of the river! I know from experience that bridge is menacing. It outwardly looks like your typical, innocent bridge. But as you run or cycle on it you notice that as it is ever so slightly uphill all the way out. You are thus running on an optical illusion - it looks flat, but it certainly doesn't feel flat.
The race started and I was off! I had been able to hold about a 4.50min pace over 2k reps without feeling like I was dying at the end, so I thought to start off with around a 4.50-5.00 pace and readjust as needed.
1km: 4.51min. Felt strong, felt capable. 20% finished! I love short distances...
2km: 4.55min. Still going great. Saw some friends marshalling but chose to save my breath rather than call out to them.
3km: 5.14min. I should mention that the latter part of this km took place on The Bridge. I had hoped that being over the river would entail some sort of breeze or cooling of the weather. I was wrong.
4km: 5.22min. Yikes, I really slowed down here! The hill had sapped me of my strength and - although I had turned around and started to go downhill - I was struggling. I guess I started out too quickly, as my pace really burned off!
5km: 4.54min. It was a struggle to pick the pace back up, but I managed. I had scouted the finish line ahead so knew what to expect as I rounded the final corners. At this stage, I knew I was out of the sub-25min range but well within my PB goal. The question would be how close I got to that elusive sub-25!
Total distance: 5km
Total time: 25.23min
Average pace: 5.03min/km
When results were posted I learned something even cooler - I'd placed fairly well! Now, I know you're not supposed to compare yourself against other runners and yadda yadda yadda, but I couldn't resist.
My rankings in the 5k were as follows:
Overall: 113/1037
Gender: 32/716
Category (Females age 18-39) 13/396
The last one is especially exciting for me. 13th place against nearly 400 women ages 18-39 who ran the 5k! My head is growing as I type this. Pretty soon I'll need extra space at the start line to make room for my ego. Pretty soon I'm going to be one of those cherry pickers who only runs races where I have a decent shot of a Top-10 finish (or whatnot).
And on a last note, I had worried I might get "runner envy" as I watched the start of the 10k and half marathon at 5pm. As Chris & I watched the start of their race, a cool breeze finally picked up. It was the type of breeze that proceeds a storm, with the scent of distant rain threatening the air. I thought of the other runners out there for the next 1-2+ hours and was very grateful my race was over & done so quickly. 25min of pain is far better than 125min of pain! We cheered the starters, but what do you say to someone running either 10k or 21.1k when you are at the 50m line? "Congratulations, 50m down!" ... "Only 1-2hours to go!" ... "Keep it up!"
We got a few smiles, a few strange looks, and a few, "but we've just started!" protests as we cheered them on. Chris began to worry we'd cause a racer injury through either whiplash or tripping when someone turned to stare at us crazy cheerleaders. But I didn't get runner envy at all.
We headed home after the last starter passed us and hadn't been home for 5min when the storm hit. Big storm. It was an hour after the start time - near the end of the 10k, but only halfway through the half marathon, which was later cancelled. All that training and effort and planning and sacrifice, and then a storm hits. How frustrating! Who could predict?
And yet...I'm starting to like 5k races more and more!
I zipped over to the start of the race, meeting my friend Chris who was running her first official 5k race as well and felt (perhaps) as nervous as I! It was a 4pm start. Chris was in her element with an afternoon race. I was not. I cannot remember the last time I've had an afternoon run but I can tell you the last time I had an afternoon race: high school track & field team. I only did it for participation bonus points and hated it almost as much as it hated me. But that's another story.
On this particular race day, the afternoon weather was hot and muggy with air that felt heavy to breathe. I wanted a breeze or at least some kind of movement in the air, but there was nothing.
I stuck myself well near the front to avoid getting caught in the crowding at the race start. I had never run the Twilight run before or even seen it, but I am familiar with the grounds of UQ. When we were told the course would take us over the bridge I groaned. I had been hoping to stay on the nice, flat UQ side of the river! I know from experience that bridge is menacing. It outwardly looks like your typical, innocent bridge. But as you run or cycle on it you notice that as it is ever so slightly uphill all the way out. You are thus running on an optical illusion - it looks flat, but it certainly doesn't feel flat.
The race started and I was off! I had been able to hold about a 4.50min pace over 2k reps without feeling like I was dying at the end, so I thought to start off with around a 4.50-5.00 pace and readjust as needed.
1km: 4.51min. Felt strong, felt capable. 20% finished! I love short distances...
2km: 4.55min. Still going great. Saw some friends marshalling but chose to save my breath rather than call out to them.
3km: 5.14min. I should mention that the latter part of this km took place on The Bridge. I had hoped that being over the river would entail some sort of breeze or cooling of the weather. I was wrong.
4km: 5.22min. Yikes, I really slowed down here! The hill had sapped me of my strength and - although I had turned around and started to go downhill - I was struggling. I guess I started out too quickly, as my pace really burned off!
5km: 4.54min. It was a struggle to pick the pace back up, but I managed. I had scouted the finish line ahead so knew what to expect as I rounded the final corners. At this stage, I knew I was out of the sub-25min range but well within my PB goal. The question would be how close I got to that elusive sub-25!
Total distance: 5km
Total time: 25.23min
Average pace: 5.03min/km
When results were posted I learned something even cooler - I'd placed fairly well! Now, I know you're not supposed to compare yourself against other runners and yadda yadda yadda, but I couldn't resist.
My rankings in the 5k were as follows:
Overall: 113/1037
Gender: 32/716
Category (Females age 18-39) 13/396
The last one is especially exciting for me. 13th place against nearly 400 women ages 18-39 who ran the 5k! My head is growing as I type this. Pretty soon I'll need extra space at the start line to make room for my ego. Pretty soon I'm going to be one of those cherry pickers who only runs races where I have a decent shot of a Top-10 finish (or whatnot).
And on a last note, I had worried I might get "runner envy" as I watched the start of the 10k and half marathon at 5pm. As Chris & I watched the start of their race, a cool breeze finally picked up. It was the type of breeze that proceeds a storm, with the scent of distant rain threatening the air. I thought of the other runners out there for the next 1-2+ hours and was very grateful my race was over & done so quickly. 25min of pain is far better than 125min of pain! We cheered the starters, but what do you say to someone running either 10k or 21.1k when you are at the 50m line? "Congratulations, 50m down!" ... "Only 1-2hours to go!" ... "Keep it up!"
We got a few smiles, a few strange looks, and a few, "but we've just started!" protests as we cheered them on. Chris began to worry we'd cause a racer injury through either whiplash or tripping when someone turned to stare at us crazy cheerleaders. But I didn't get runner envy at all.
A picture of the approaching storm over the finish line. Glad I missed it!
We headed home after the last starter passed us and hadn't been home for 5min when the storm hit. Big storm. It was an hour after the start time - near the end of the 10k, but only halfway through the half marathon, which was later cancelled. All that training and effort and planning and sacrifice, and then a storm hits. How frustrating! Who could predict?
And yet...I'm starting to like 5k races more and more!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Proving Myself Wrong
I love 1k reps. I love shorter reps, too. But the nice thing about 1k reps is knowing this is how fast I run in 1k. Because essentially, all of my distance calculations are based on how fast I run in 1k.
I know if I want to run a sub-60min 10k race I have to run faster than 6min/km.
I know if I want to run a sub-2hr half marathon I have to run faster than 5.40min/km.
And I know if I want to run a sub-25 5k race I have to run faster than 5min/km.
With a 5k race coming up this weekend - my first "race" race of the year, so to speak - I was eager to see how these 1k split times would go.
My coach had me down for 4.45min/km. Now, keep in mind I was just starting to break sub-4.50min/km late last year, with a pb time of approximately 4.34.
Since my off season that time has understandably crept upwards.
This week, I was determined not to make the mistake of last week in becoming distracted on my final rep and slowing down. No, this week I would push through to the very last metre of the very last rep!
I decided to start with the fast group and hang on by my nails to their pace. I never actually finished with them, but it wasn't for lack of trying.
Rep 1: 4.36
Rep 2: 4.31
Rep 3: 4.34
Rep 4: 4.38
Woohoo! An official pb of a 4.31 pace! Some might also notice all my times were under the 4.45min pace my coach had set for me. I can't say it was a "comfortable" margin or that I was "easy" under my goal time, as there was nothing comfortable or easy about pushing myself that hard. But there was certainly some time to spare at the end. Sure my final rep was slower but not significantly so.
For once, I proved to be a faster runner in reality than I am in my mind. I guess it shows that what matters most is not always how you see yourself...sometimes it's about proving yourself wrong.
I know if I want to run a sub-60min 10k race I have to run faster than 6min/km.
I know if I want to run a sub-2hr half marathon I have to run faster than 5.40min/km.
And I know if I want to run a sub-25 5k race I have to run faster than 5min/km.
With a 5k race coming up this weekend - my first "race" race of the year, so to speak - I was eager to see how these 1k split times would go.
My coach had me down for 4.45min/km. Now, keep in mind I was just starting to break sub-4.50min/km late last year, with a pb time of approximately 4.34.
Since my off season that time has understandably crept upwards.
This week, I was determined not to make the mistake of last week in becoming distracted on my final rep and slowing down. No, this week I would push through to the very last metre of the very last rep!
I decided to start with the fast group and hang on by my nails to their pace. I never actually finished with them, but it wasn't for lack of trying.
Rep 1: 4.36
Rep 2: 4.31
Rep 3: 4.34
Rep 4: 4.38
Woohoo! An official pb of a 4.31 pace! Some might also notice all my times were under the 4.45min pace my coach had set for me. I can't say it was a "comfortable" margin or that I was "easy" under my goal time, as there was nothing comfortable or easy about pushing myself that hard. But there was certainly some time to spare at the end. Sure my final rep was slower but not significantly so.
For once, I proved to be a faster runner in reality than I am in my mind. I guess it shows that what matters most is not always how you see yourself...sometimes it's about proving yourself wrong.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
5k Accomplishments
Another great day for the New Farm Park Run! 5k of awesomeness.
Yesterday's awesomeness was extended by the chance to run with a friend as she completed her first 5k!!!
There is something so joyful about running with friends who achieve their goals. It makes me appreciate why some people go into personal training. Last year I had the chance to run with my parents on their first 5k race at the Jetty2Jetty. But seeing as how they live in Canada and I live in Australia, training together wasn't really going to happen.
So it is doubly rewarding to encourage a friend through her training for and racing of a 5k. And in complete and utter immodesty, I'd like to think that I helped her - and my parents - go just a little bit harder than they might have otherwise done.
We had a great time on the New Farm 5k course and I was so proud of my friend's strong finish. Even when things got tough she barrelled her way through. Well done, grasshopper. Well done.
Yesterday's awesomeness was extended by the chance to run with a friend as she completed her first 5k!!!
There is something so joyful about running with friends who achieve their goals. It makes me appreciate why some people go into personal training. Last year I had the chance to run with my parents on their first 5k race at the Jetty2Jetty. But seeing as how they live in Canada and I live in Australia, training together wasn't really going to happen.
So it is doubly rewarding to encourage a friend through her training for and racing of a 5k. And in complete and utter immodesty, I'd like to think that I helped her - and my parents - go just a little bit harder than they might have otherwise done.
We had a great time on the New Farm 5k course and I was so proud of my friend's strong finish. Even when things got tough she barrelled her way through. Well done, grasshopper. Well done.
Finishing 5k with both style and a smile at New Farm Park Run.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Dreaming is Unacceptable
Yesterday were 2k reps followed by 1k recovery. Just one week after the glorious 500m reps, things spiraled down. I had made the fortuitous error of not checking my goal pace prior to the morning. When I did, I realized I was written down for a lightening speed of 4.45min/km! And that - if I may remind you - is over two kms not one km. Yikes! I have yet to break that pace for my 1k reps this year!
Now, there are two things to remember as you are reading the rest of this post.
1. The course was about 1.92km long, meaning it was 800m short
2. I did not realize this until after the second set.
We started off. I kept myself near others who were going around my speed. Having no idea how to pace myself for a 2k rep at a speed faster than I had gone all year, I set my inner pacer past fast to the edge of sustainable and off I went. I kept track of my 500m split times to check-in with my pace.
Rep 1: 9.13sec
Rep 2: 9.13sec
This is where I went from shock to elation, as I learned the course was somewhat shorter and that my seemingly superhero pace was probably right on target. Still, if someone had told me I would run at that pace over 2k I would have laughed in disbelief. I wonder sometimes if it's my inner critic that is the biggest champion of my running slowly.
In the last rep, we were crunching on time and so started the final 2k after a 500m recovery (as opposed to the 1k recovery we had been doing). It was not the lack of recovery that threw me. It was - silly as it sounds - starting from a different spot. The trails were also crowded with fellow runners and I forgot to keep track of my split times. Up until 1k, this was fine. But soon after the 1k turn-around, I let myself get distracted. I noticed people I had been running with pull ahead of me, but I didn't think much of it until I had about 300m to go and realized just how far I had let myself slow down!
Embarrassed and annoyed with myself, I picked up the pace. As luck would have it, the change in course meant that the final 300m were up a slight hill.
Rep 3: 9.31sec
I'm not angry with my speed (hey, it's still faster than I might have believed possible!) but I was rather angry with why I was at that speed. Most people would logically presume that it was because I had gone too quickly the first two reps and died out. I could forgive myself if that were the reason. But no, it is because I was day-dreaming. Day-dreaming has it's place (namely, long runs) but it is really very unacceptable in a speed session. Like maggots in rice, day-dreaming does not belong in a speed session!
Now, there are two things to remember as you are reading the rest of this post.
1. The course was about 1.92km long, meaning it was 800m short
2. I did not realize this until after the second set.
We started off. I kept myself near others who were going around my speed. Having no idea how to pace myself for a 2k rep at a speed faster than I had gone all year, I set my inner pacer past fast to the edge of sustainable and off I went. I kept track of my 500m split times to check-in with my pace.
Rep 1: 9.13sec
Rep 2: 9.13sec
This is where I went from shock to elation, as I learned the course was somewhat shorter and that my seemingly superhero pace was probably right on target. Still, if someone had told me I would run at that pace over 2k I would have laughed in disbelief. I wonder sometimes if it's my inner critic that is the biggest champion of my running slowly.
In the last rep, we were crunching on time and so started the final 2k after a 500m recovery (as opposed to the 1k recovery we had been doing). It was not the lack of recovery that threw me. It was - silly as it sounds - starting from a different spot. The trails were also crowded with fellow runners and I forgot to keep track of my split times. Up until 1k, this was fine. But soon after the 1k turn-around, I let myself get distracted. I noticed people I had been running with pull ahead of me, but I didn't think much of it until I had about 300m to go and realized just how far I had let myself slow down!
Embarrassed and annoyed with myself, I picked up the pace. As luck would have it, the change in course meant that the final 300m were up a slight hill.
Rep 3: 9.31sec
I'm not angry with my speed (hey, it's still faster than I might have believed possible!) but I was rather angry with why I was at that speed. Most people would logically presume that it was because I had gone too quickly the first two reps and died out. I could forgive myself if that were the reason. But no, it is because I was day-dreaming. Day-dreaming has it's place (namely, long runs) but it is really very unacceptable in a speed session. Like maggots in rice, day-dreaming does not belong in a speed session!
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
500m Love & A Little Math
I have fallen a bit behind in writing with the excitement of "non-running activities" in my life. So let me catch you up on last Tuesday's speed session...
I had been skipping out on the previous speed sessions because it was raining (or threatening to rain, or raining the night before) and I'm sure it can't be a surprise to anyone reading this that I'm not a fan of running in the rain. So this was my first session back and what a great session to come back to!
Reps: 500m
Recovery: 500m
I love 500m. I love any reps 1k or less, but the less the better! Less than 1k means I can pour my heart into my running without worrying too much about dying off in the end. Sure, the later reps are likely to kill me, but I try not to think about later reps and instead just focus on this rep.
There was a bit of a hiccup with the goal time set for me which put me at 2.57min/500m. For those who have difficulty working out what this means, multiply that time by 2 for a 1k-pace. Or for those who are glaring at your computer screen in frustration because you hate doing math and since this is a running blog and not a math class why am I setting such high expectations, the answer is 5.54min/km pace.
I'm happy to say that I can go faster than that! The nice part about this hiccup is it gave me free reign to set my own target for the 500m reps.
I ran the reps in the time as follows: 2.18 / 2.14 / 2.18 / 2.14 / 2.17 / 2.16
Surprisingly, I had energy to spare at the end and could have gone on for at least another rep. But I'm very satisfied that all of those times were fairly consistent.
I had been skipping out on the previous speed sessions because it was raining (or threatening to rain, or raining the night before) and I'm sure it can't be a surprise to anyone reading this that I'm not a fan of running in the rain. So this was my first session back and what a great session to come back to!
Reps: 500m
Recovery: 500m
I love 500m. I love any reps 1k or less, but the less the better! Less than 1k means I can pour my heart into my running without worrying too much about dying off in the end. Sure, the later reps are likely to kill me, but I try not to think about later reps and instead just focus on this rep.
There was a bit of a hiccup with the goal time set for me which put me at 2.57min/500m. For those who have difficulty working out what this means, multiply that time by 2 for a 1k-pace. Or for those who are glaring at your computer screen in frustration because you hate doing math and since this is a running blog and not a math class why am I setting such high expectations, the answer is 5.54min/km pace.
I'm happy to say that I can go faster than that! The nice part about this hiccup is it gave me free reign to set my own target for the 500m reps.
I ran the reps in the time as follows: 2.18 / 2.14 / 2.18 / 2.14 / 2.17 / 2.16
Surprisingly, I had energy to spare at the end and could have gone on for at least another rep. But I'm very satisfied that all of those times were fairly consistent.
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