8 hill repeats!
It's funny how perspective works. When I first headed up "hospital hill" for 5 repeats (a few weeks ago), it really didn't look that bad. I was disappointed with how gentle of a slope it was. But looking at it with the prospect of doing 8 hill repeats was a different story!
Or maybe it was because another runner explained to us the other day that hospital hill is steeper and longer than the infamous 'Heartbreak Hill' of the Boston Marathon. See? Perspective!
Recovering from a bit of a bug, I decided to take each hill individually and see how far I got (just in case my energy failed me in the end).
The first two repeats were tough. I was slow and unmotivated! But on my third repeat I felt a bit more energy and picked it up a bit more, and same with repeat #4. I made it through 8 in no time! My fellow runners (aka - cheering squad) really helped my motivation and I found I was able to push just a little bit harder, even at the end.
I then had to struggle to run to the car, as my legs felt like absolute jelly.
Unfortunately, I've been finding over the last few weeks that I get pretty bad insomnia after hill training night. I fall asleep just fine, but then wake up around 2.30am with my legs quivering with fatigue, and can't seem to get back to sleep.
I love, love, love the feeling of getting stronger! And I know I am getting stronger every week. It's a great feeling! But I'm not loving the ensuing insomnia. I wish there were something I could do to fix that.
Thursday, March 29, 2018
Consistency
I had a great run with one of our clinic members on Tuesday. We did a "just under" 5k loop. This was, in fact, a repeat of a run we had done early January.
The first time we ran that route we did it in 35.37. This round we did it in 31.56. That's about 3.5 minutes faster! It was so rewarding to see the runner's improvement. It's that time in the training when the consistency is starting to really pay off for our clinic members, and it's really fun to see that and be a part of it!
And I've noticed that as the weather gets nicer, I've been groaning less and less about going out to run. Looking forward to the paths to finally be cleared! Every time we get close, it seems to snow a bit more.
The first time we ran that route we did it in 35.37. This round we did it in 31.56. That's about 3.5 minutes faster! It was so rewarding to see the runner's improvement. It's that time in the training when the consistency is starting to really pay off for our clinic members, and it's really fun to see that and be a part of it!
And I've noticed that as the weather gets nicer, I've been groaning less and less about going out to run. Looking forward to the paths to finally be cleared! Every time we get close, it seems to snow a bit more.
Monday, March 26, 2018
Come on, Spring!
I am getting really, really tired of running on ice!
After taking a week off due to illness, I returned to do a 16k.
I have to admit that, unlike last week, this 16k felt light and breezy by comparison! No slushy snow to trudge through. I noticed the difference when I only checked the distance on my watch every 4-5km instead of every 400-500m. And while I was very grateful to not have any slushy snow, I am really, really sick of the stupid ice!!! Every afternoon brings wonderfully warm weather, which melts the snow from the grass and lets it run down the sidewalks. And every night that water freezes into hard ice, which doesn't melt until the late afternoon. Not helpful when you're running at 9am!
No falls so far (knock on wood!), but I am waiting with baited breath until the paths are consistently clear and free of ice. Oh, what a joyous day that will be!
Total time: 2:06:57
Total distance: 16.6km
Average pace: 7:39min/km
Heart rate: 151 bpm (80%)
I can't believe I've managed to run through winter this year. It has been a trial, that's for sure. The things I don't often talk about is how it affects my body. Following the long runs in particular, I frequently peel off my layers of clothes to find the skin on my legs is a mess. I either suffer from frost burn or rashes from hips to knees. Sometimes it itches, sometimes it just hurts. Fortunately, a shower typically helps my hypersensitive skin calm down. But it is neither a pleasant feeling nor a pleasant sight! Have I ever mentioned that I miss running in warm weather?
After taking a week off due to illness, I returned to do a 16k.
I have to admit that, unlike last week, this 16k felt light and breezy by comparison! No slushy snow to trudge through. I noticed the difference when I only checked the distance on my watch every 4-5km instead of every 400-500m. And while I was very grateful to not have any slushy snow, I am really, really sick of the stupid ice!!! Every afternoon brings wonderfully warm weather, which melts the snow from the grass and lets it run down the sidewalks. And every night that water freezes into hard ice, which doesn't melt until the late afternoon. Not helpful when you're running at 9am!
No falls so far (knock on wood!), but I am waiting with baited breath until the paths are consistently clear and free of ice. Oh, what a joyous day that will be!
Total time: 2:06:57
Total distance: 16.6km
Average pace: 7:39min/km
Heart rate: 151 bpm (80%)
I can't believe I've managed to run through winter this year. It has been a trial, that's for sure. The things I don't often talk about is how it affects my body. Following the long runs in particular, I frequently peel off my layers of clothes to find the skin on my legs is a mess. I either suffer from frost burn or rashes from hips to knees. Sometimes it itches, sometimes it just hurts. Fortunately, a shower typically helps my hypersensitive skin calm down. But it is neither a pleasant feeling nor a pleasant sight! Have I ever mentioned that I miss running in warm weather?
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
Slushy Snow
Distance: 16.4km
Time: 2.07.13
Average pace: 7:45min/km
Average heart rate: 156bpm (83% of max)
Ooof!!! Only four of us set out on the 16k that morning. We started on some cleared paths, but within the first km it went downhill (the trail condition, not the actual route...if anything there was a bit more uphill than down).
Having snowed about 8cm the day before, I was expecting wet feet and a tough run, and I wasn't disappointed. Snow packed under my shoe treads, making for an uneven foot landing, and occasionally I hit ice underneath the snow. My pants dragged and became wet and heavy, dragging even more. And this was only at km 5! Not even a third of the way through! Every step I kept thinking, why?! WHY do I do this?! The stabilizer muscles in my knees and ankles were aching with fatigue, and I wondered how I would be able to finish the entire distance.
But then around km 7 we got out of the trails onto the sidewalks. Where the occasional awesome neighbour had already shoveled! And though these places were few and far between, for whatever reason there was also less snow on the sidewalks which made for easier running.
And - oh joy! - those last 2.5km when we were back on the fully-groomed trails. Bless you, early morning city workers! Bless you for clearing the snow from the paths! With the joy of snow-free prospects, I felt much more light-footed in the final stretch of the run.
Time: 2.07.13
Average pace: 7:45min/km
Average heart rate: 156bpm (83% of max)
Ooof!!! Only four of us set out on the 16k that morning. We started on some cleared paths, but within the first km it went downhill (the trail condition, not the actual route...if anything there was a bit more uphill than down).
Having snowed about 8cm the day before, I was expecting wet feet and a tough run, and I wasn't disappointed. Snow packed under my shoe treads, making for an uneven foot landing, and occasionally I hit ice underneath the snow. My pants dragged and became wet and heavy, dragging even more. And this was only at km 5! Not even a third of the way through! Every step I kept thinking, why?! WHY do I do this?! The stabilizer muscles in my knees and ankles were aching with fatigue, and I wondered how I would be able to finish the entire distance.
But then around km 7 we got out of the trails onto the sidewalks. Where the occasional awesome neighbour had already shoveled! And though these places were few and far between, for whatever reason there was also less snow on the sidewalks which made for easier running.
And - oh joy! - those last 2.5km when we were back on the fully-groomed trails. Bless you, early morning city workers! Bless you for clearing the snow from the paths! With the joy of snow-free prospects, I felt much more light-footed in the final stretch of the run.
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Ding, Dong, The Witch Is Dead
Like the Wicked Witch of the West, the ice that once cursed our Hospital Hill was nothing but a puddle of water tonight. Oh, clear pathways! How I've MISSED you!!! The freedom of being able to dictate my own pace rather than having the ice dictate it for me.
Boy, did I run hard tonight. I really didn't want to go. And when I got there, I was sort of keeping my fingers crossed nobody would show up and I could turn around. And when I started running (because 3 others showed up), I told myself that since last week I did one extra hill, this week I could allow myself to do one less and only do five.
And when I started up the hill...all bets were off! I was bound and determined to run all 6 hills, and determined to go hard.
The thing that you don't realize if you haven't run hills is how tough hills are to run. You're out of breath. You're wheezing. You collect thick, ropy saliva in your mouth that covers your airway but you don't have the breath to spit it out so instead you just open your mouth wider and gurgle a little bit. There is nothing graceful about running hills, I tell you! But oh, they are satisfying when you are finished!
6 hill repeats, done and dusted!
Total distance: 8.37km
Total time: 51.46min/km
Pace: 6.11min/km (faster than my tempo runs! Yaow!)
Heart rate: average: 165bpm (88%); max 179bpm (95%)... no wonder I was wheezing!
...and I may have been singing another few little ditties in my head about the lack of ice tonight! I'll let you guess what one of them was based on the title of this blog.
Boy, did I run hard tonight. I really didn't want to go. And when I got there, I was sort of keeping my fingers crossed nobody would show up and I could turn around. And when I started running (because 3 others showed up), I told myself that since last week I did one extra hill, this week I could allow myself to do one less and only do five.
And when I started up the hill...all bets were off! I was bound and determined to run all 6 hills, and determined to go hard.
The thing that you don't realize if you haven't run hills is how tough hills are to run. You're out of breath. You're wheezing. You collect thick, ropy saliva in your mouth that covers your airway but you don't have the breath to spit it out so instead you just open your mouth wider and gurgle a little bit. There is nothing graceful about running hills, I tell you! But oh, they are satisfying when you are finished!
6 hill repeats, done and dusted!
Total distance: 8.37km
Total time: 51.46min/km
Pace: 6.11min/km (faster than my tempo runs! Yaow!)
Heart rate: average: 165bpm (88%); max 179bpm (95%)... no wonder I was wheezing!
...and I may have been singing another few little ditties in my head about the lack of ice tonight! I'll let you guess what one of them was based on the title of this blog.
Triple Twos
Two of us ran 2k out and 2k back. Triple twos for our 4k Tuesday!
The pace was a bit faster, but comfortable.
Distance: 4.04km
Time: 25.37min
Pace: 6.21min/km
Average heart rate: 161bpm (86%)
A little bit icy in parts, but it's MELTING, MELTING!!! Hooray!!!
Monday, March 12, 2018
Icy Adjustments
Total distance: 14.6km
Total time: 1:44:50
Pace: 7.11 min/km
Average heart rate: 153 (81%)
It was a great group today! Everyone was around the same pace, which made it easy to stick together and flip-flop around positions and running buddies.
Unfortunately, my co-leader (who knew the route) couldn't run as she was sick. Fortunately for me, at least half of my group members were familiar with the route and able to lead me around. Plus, I had the written directions to follow.
We did a few adjustments to the route because it was ICY!!! Not everywhere, but there were some sections of partially-melted deep ice. This meant as you walked carefully over the slick surface, you were liable to break through and land in ankle-deep water! Ick. Not fun. As such, we took a few more walk breaks than originally planned.
The bonus of having a group running the same pace was that when we made those adjustments to the route, we didn't leave anybody behind. And despite the route changes, we did make it back in the rough approximation of 14k, with a few hundred metres extra for kicks.
I am really, really looking forward to running when the sidewalks are 100% ice free!
Total time: 1:44:50
Pace: 7.11 min/km
Average heart rate: 153 (81%)
It was a great group today! Everyone was around the same pace, which made it easy to stick together and flip-flop around positions and running buddies.
Unfortunately, my co-leader (who knew the route) couldn't run as she was sick. Fortunately for me, at least half of my group members were familiar with the route and able to lead me around. Plus, I had the written directions to follow.
We did a few adjustments to the route because it was ICY!!! Not everywhere, but there were some sections of partially-melted deep ice. This meant as you walked carefully over the slick surface, you were liable to break through and land in ankle-deep water! Ick. Not fun. As such, we took a few more walk breaks than originally planned.
The bonus of having a group running the same pace was that when we made those adjustments to the route, we didn't leave anybody behind. And despite the route changes, we did make it back in the rough approximation of 14k, with a few hundred metres extra for kicks.
I am really, really looking forward to running when the sidewalks are 100% ice free!
Thursday, March 8, 2018
How Much I Love You
I sang a little song to myself as I was running up our 5 hill repeats...lots of happy little songs, because hills make me happy! So happy that I didn't mind the excuse to run up a bonus hill at the end, just because I could.
One of my little diddies I sang (to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine")
You are my hill reps, I love you hill reps!
You make me happy, when I'm a grump!
You'll always know, hills, how much I love you!
Because I cheer, and give my fist a pump!
Not one teaspoon of sarcasm, either. I think in part it's because deep down inside, I'm a very lazy runner. The less time I have to spend getting stronger for running, the better.
One of my little diddies I sang (to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine")
You are my hill reps, I love you hill reps!
You make me happy, when I'm a grump!
You'll always know, hills, how much I love you!
Because I cheer, and give my fist a pump!
Not one teaspoon of sarcasm, either. I think in part it's because deep down inside, I'm a very lazy runner. The less time I have to spend getting stronger for running, the better.
Still Tired
I wasn’t fully recovered from Sunday.
This was clear to me when I headed out on my run on Tuesday evening. The distance was an easy 4k, and the pace a nice tempo pace. The path was clear, the route was gorgeous (we were running towards the sunset!), and the weather a decent -8C or so. But from the first 500m I was struggling. I kept checking my watch as the mileage slowly creeped upwards. Finally, at 2km we turned around. It could not have come soon enough!
Our small group of 4 managed to do some wonderful negative splits…we started off the first 3km between 6:25-6:50 min/km, then sped up to a nice 6:15min/km for the final km.
Distance: 4.1km
Time: 26.39
Pace: 6:30
Heart Rate: 154 (82%)
Monday, March 5, 2018
Playing Catch-up
It snowed about 10cm over the weekend. I was overly optimistic in thinking the sidewalks and trails would be shoveled.
Nope!
There were a lot of us in the clinic today, so my co-coach and I agreed that she would take the front of the pack, and I would take the back of the pack. I carried the written instructions for the route with me (I was not confident I could find my way without directions). Off we went!
Running single file through the deep snow was tough. Luckily, I wore some extra thick socks, and they kept my feet warm and dry for the first 5km.
The really unfortunate thing was that for one long, uphill road, the snow plows had been through to clear the road. Which meant they cleared all the snow from the road straight onto the sidewalk. Thus, between about the 2-5km markers it saw us running uphill in about 15cm of snow. And because I wound up in the middle pack, I took my walk breaks going back to check-in with the last group, then at the start of the running I would go a bit faster until I caught up to the middle group.
Fortunately, at around 4k the back group decided to head back to finish with 6k.
Unfortunately, this left me over 1km behind the front group (who I could see far ahead on the long, straight road).
But hey, I could easily catch up! Once I'd determined that the 6kers would stick together, I took off, hoping to do a quick sprint to catch up to the front group. But the faster I ran, the more I slipped in the snow. So really, I wasn't making any gains at all!
Over 1km later and I was barely making any gain on the group in front. Fortunately, they took their walk break (I didn't) and that's when I really started to close the gap. But boy, was I struggling! The lights were in my favour when we hit a busy intersection, as I caught up enough that they saw me. So despite being on opposite sides of the street, they waited the lights through so I could rejoin them. This was between the 6-7k mark, and I was exhausted. It took me over 2km of hard running to catch up!
This also meant we were only halfway through the run.
It was a long, tough slog right up until the 9k mark. At the 9k mark, a beacon of light in the form of the city worker clearing the sidewalks made all of us smile and cheer. The rest of the way we got to run on actual ground as opposed to 10-15cm of snow, and the difference was wonderful! Plus, we were on our way back down the hill towards the river for the final stretch.
And you know the best part? Besides finishing, of course. And besides the post-run shower... The best part was that my knee was just fine! It hasn't bothered me at all since returning from SE Asia. Maybe the thought of having to get an MRI scared it back on the straight and narrow pathway.
Total distance: 12.95km (I ran a bit farther than others due to going back and forth between groups)
Total time: 1.42.20
Average pace: 7.56 min/km*
Average heart rate: 170 bpm (max: 190bpm - probably when I was going up the hill).
*To give you an example of how the snow affected us: km 2-9 the average pace was around 8.15min/km, but km 10-13 the average pace was 7.15min/km...about 1 min faster on average, even though we were at the end of the run!
Nope!
There were a lot of us in the clinic today, so my co-coach and I agreed that she would take the front of the pack, and I would take the back of the pack. I carried the written instructions for the route with me (I was not confident I could find my way without directions). Off we went!
Running single file through the deep snow was tough. Luckily, I wore some extra thick socks, and they kept my feet warm and dry for the first 5km.
The really unfortunate thing was that for one long, uphill road, the snow plows had been through to clear the road. Which meant they cleared all the snow from the road straight onto the sidewalk. Thus, between about the 2-5km markers it saw us running uphill in about 15cm of snow. And because I wound up in the middle pack, I took my walk breaks going back to check-in with the last group, then at the start of the running I would go a bit faster until I caught up to the middle group.
Fortunately, at around 4k the back group decided to head back to finish with 6k.
Unfortunately, this left me over 1km behind the front group (who I could see far ahead on the long, straight road).
But hey, I could easily catch up! Once I'd determined that the 6kers would stick together, I took off, hoping to do a quick sprint to catch up to the front group. But the faster I ran, the more I slipped in the snow. So really, I wasn't making any gains at all!
Snow!
Over 1km later and I was barely making any gain on the group in front. Fortunately, they took their walk break (I didn't) and that's when I really started to close the gap. But boy, was I struggling! The lights were in my favour when we hit a busy intersection, as I caught up enough that they saw me. So despite being on opposite sides of the street, they waited the lights through so I could rejoin them. This was between the 6-7k mark, and I was exhausted. It took me over 2km of hard running to catch up!
This also meant we were only halfway through the run.
It was a long, tough slog right up until the 9k mark. At the 9k mark, a beacon of light in the form of the city worker clearing the sidewalks made all of us smile and cheer. The rest of the way we got to run on actual ground as opposed to 10-15cm of snow, and the difference was wonderful! Plus, we were on our way back down the hill towards the river for the final stretch.
And you know the best part? Besides finishing, of course. And besides the post-run shower... The best part was that my knee was just fine! It hasn't bothered me at all since returning from SE Asia. Maybe the thought of having to get an MRI scared it back on the straight and narrow pathway.
Total distance: 12.95km (I ran a bit farther than others due to going back and forth between groups)
Total time: 1.42.20
Average pace: 7.56 min/km*
Average heart rate: 170 bpm (max: 190bpm - probably when I was going up the hill).
*To give you an example of how the snow affected us: km 2-9 the average pace was around 8.15min/km, but km 10-13 the average pace was 7.15min/km...about 1 min faster on average, even though we were at the end of the run!
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Hospital Hill
After hearing so much about the notorious "Hospital Hill" that our group runs at I was...a bit disappointed!
I love hills. That's not sarcastic, either. I. LOVE. HILLS.
They remain one of my favourite workouts, because they are short and punchy!
We met at the bottom of the notorious Hospital Hill, and did a 1k warm-up loop. The hill was a decent distance, but much less steep than the hills I would typically challenge myself on.
The truly unfortunate part was how icy it was, which made it treacherous to go too fast. Running uphill, there were definite moments where I had to slow down a bit to be sure of my footing, and when I went back downhill I definitely walked those sections.
Maybe the hill will seem more challenging when the sidewalks are clear and I can really push the pace.
Or maybe I'm a weirdo about hill training...even among runners.
I love hills. That's not sarcastic, either. I. LOVE. HILLS.
They remain one of my favourite workouts, because they are short and punchy!
We met at the bottom of the notorious Hospital Hill, and did a 1k warm-up loop. The hill was a decent distance, but much less steep than the hills I would typically challenge myself on.
The truly unfortunate part was how icy it was, which made it treacherous to go too fast. Running uphill, there were definite moments where I had to slow down a bit to be sure of my footing, and when I went back downhill I definitely walked those sections.
Maybe the hill will seem more challenging when the sidewalks are clear and I can really push the pace.
Or maybe I'm a weirdo about hill training...even among runners.
Friday, March 2, 2018
Reluctantly Returned
Had I not been coaching, you can bet your best bunny hugger I would not have gone for a run Tuesday night! Having just returned from a gorgeous 3 week vacation in southeast Asia, I felt jet-lagged and unmotivated. But since I was coaching, the point was moot and I dragged my reluctant butt out to the Running Room store. As my husband said, “you’ll be happy you went.”
We did a 4k tempo run at a nice, brisk pace.
Total distance: 4.14km
Total time: 25.51min
Pace: 6.15 min/km
Average heart rate: 159 bpm (85% of max)
Yep! I’ve totally started wearing a heart rate monitor! I don’t think you can call it “heart rate training” per se, but it’s a start.
And my husband was right…I was glad I went!
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