Back on the trails, today! I love trails. The group I run with has grown considerably since I started with them last October. I hope that means there are more runners at my speed.
Having been frequently left behind last year (with the exception of my friend Barry who would always wait for me and make sure I was okay), I had the feeling that two months of not running would not have magically improved my speed or fitness.
I nervously opted this first run to go with a group of ladies more keen on the 5-6k loop as opposed to the 10-12k loop. We set off at a relaxed pace and quickly fell behind the main crowd.
The day was surprisingly cool and we enjoyed a nice easy walk/run. It helped me to regain my confidence and I think next fortnight I'll be ready to run with the main group. As much I loved not being the one lagging behind for once, I missed the sense of accomplishment that comes from a challenging trail run. Besides which, I need to get in better hiking form for my massive Grand Canyon trip coming up in May!
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
No Hat? No Problem!
Today was my first Park Run. For those not in the know, the Park Run is a free weekly 5k timed run (or race, if you will) that has numerous locations all around the world. Yep, if I bring along a printed piece of paper with my bar code, I can run at any park run event in the world! Sweet deal!
I nervously threw my things together this morning. Shoes? Check! Watch? Check! Bar code? Check!
Only when I got to New Farm Park did I realize I had forgotten an important part of my running uniform - my hat! I have run in a hat almost every run for the past two years. It may not seem like a big deal, but when the day is hot and the morning sun is reflecting off the river, it is a bit of a nuisance!
After they ran through a quick race brief (pun intended), I nervously joined in with the crowd at the start line. My B goal was a sub-30min 5k, but could I do it? I remembered that my unofficial 5k pb was 27.40min, so that number kept bouncing around in my head. And then I thought of a sub-25min run and how that was my goal for this year.
Race brief. I'm right at the front and looking decidedly unimpressed next to the enthusiastic lady in orange.
But in the end I settled my mind on a sub-30min run with no other expectations. After all, I was doing this run for a time trial. You see, I'd like to do the Park Run once a month or so to gage my fitness & speed levels and determine where I need to go. This being the first run, I wanted to think of it as my baseline time.
And as I lined up at the start, who should I see but my 500k relay nemesis? Fate! He didn't recognize me without my superhero cape. I thought of saying hello, but resisted. Today was about focussing on my own race!
Somewhere in this picture is me and my old race nemesis.
Okay, seriously. It was a pride thing. Having hardly run since that 500k relay, I was fairly certain I wouldn't beat him and didn't want it to be too obvious during the race how far behind him I was.
Off we went at the start. As usual in a race, the starting pace was slow as people fell into different rhythms. Full of energy at the beginning, I shot around a few people and settled into a steady pace of 5.15min/km. I didn't want to burn out after 3k and so held myself back. This turned out to be a smart move.
The 5.15 pace felt easy for the first 2k. And then I started to feel it. Things became more of a struggle as I endeavoured to hold onto pace.
And that's when the number 27.40 came into play. If I could just keep this up, I would get under my unofficial pb time! Wouldn't that be a cracker start to the year?
I did my best to push it harder, but it was tough! I dug deep, gritted my teeth, and aimed for a final push in the last 400m. I saw the timer on my watch ticking ominously on. Would I make it? Could I make it?
Total distance: 5.00km
Total time: 27.41 sec
Oooh, so close! But no matter - 1 sec off my unofficial pb in my first 5k of the year is still a cracker start! Now that I know where I'm at, it's time to see where I can go.
I nervously threw my things together this morning. Shoes? Check! Watch? Check! Bar code? Check!
Only when I got to New Farm Park did I realize I had forgotten an important part of my running uniform - my hat! I have run in a hat almost every run for the past two years. It may not seem like a big deal, but when the day is hot and the morning sun is reflecting off the river, it is a bit of a nuisance!
After they ran through a quick race brief (pun intended), I nervously joined in with the crowd at the start line. My B goal was a sub-30min 5k, but could I do it? I remembered that my unofficial 5k pb was 27.40min, so that number kept bouncing around in my head. And then I thought of a sub-25min run and how that was my goal for this year.
But in the end I settled my mind on a sub-30min run with no other expectations. After all, I was doing this run for a time trial. You see, I'd like to do the Park Run once a month or so to gage my fitness & speed levels and determine where I need to go. This being the first run, I wanted to think of it as my baseline time.
And as I lined up at the start, who should I see but my 500k relay nemesis? Fate! He didn't recognize me without my superhero cape. I thought of saying hello, but resisted. Today was about focussing on my own race!
Somewhere in this picture is me and my old race nemesis.
Okay, seriously. It was a pride thing. Having hardly run since that 500k relay, I was fairly certain I wouldn't beat him and didn't want it to be too obvious during the race how far behind him I was.
Flashback to my more fit days: 500k relay with my fellow competitor on the right of the shot.
Off we went at the start. As usual in a race, the starting pace was slow as people fell into different rhythms. Full of energy at the beginning, I shot around a few people and settled into a steady pace of 5.15min/km. I didn't want to burn out after 3k and so held myself back. This turned out to be a smart move.
The 5.15 pace felt easy for the first 2k. And then I started to feel it. Things became more of a struggle as I endeavoured to hold onto pace.
And that's when the number 27.40 came into play. If I could just keep this up, I would get under my unofficial pb time! Wouldn't that be a cracker start to the year?
I did my best to push it harder, but it was tough! I dug deep, gritted my teeth, and aimed for a final push in the last 400m. I saw the timer on my watch ticking ominously on. Would I make it? Could I make it?
This is me struggling to make it...then noticing the camera and forcing a smile.
Total distance: 5.00km
Total time: 27.41 sec
Oooh, so close! But no matter - 1 sec off my unofficial pb in my first 5k of the year is still a cracker start! Now that I know where I'm at, it's time to see where I can go.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Construction
I was stiff and sore from getting my body back into the routine of lifting weights and running sprints. But when my friend asked me if I would run with her this morning, my immediate answer was of course!
We set out on our traditional 4k. Another time I might have pushed it a bit farther, but another time I wouldn't have had a job interview in the morning.
The breeze was cool and the day lovely for running. We chatted as we jogged along, and slowly my stiff muscles started easing up. 100m shy of our target distance, we were cut off! For construction purposes, the lovely bike/pedestrian trail had become a gated "bike only" trail, with us lowly pedestrians relegated to the narrow, dingy sidewalk squished beside a busy street.
The pathway was wide open and no one manned the gate to turn us away. It was too tempting! I don't know who talked whom into what, but next thing you know we were jogging down the "bikes only" section of the sidewalk. Well, my friend was jogging. I think I was just slinking.
Some friendly construction workers stopped us and pointed out our "error". Because the trail had only recently closed, they suggested it wouldn't be a problem if we continued on through but please remember to take the other path next time.
We jogged back home, finishing strong at the very end. Because that's the best part!
We set out on our traditional 4k. Another time I might have pushed it a bit farther, but another time I wouldn't have had a job interview in the morning.
The breeze was cool and the day lovely for running. We chatted as we jogged along, and slowly my stiff muscles started easing up. 100m shy of our target distance, we were cut off! For construction purposes, the lovely bike/pedestrian trail had become a gated "bike only" trail, with us lowly pedestrians relegated to the narrow, dingy sidewalk squished beside a busy street.
The pathway was wide open and no one manned the gate to turn us away. It was too tempting! I don't know who talked whom into what, but next thing you know we were jogging down the "bikes only" section of the sidewalk. Well, my friend was jogging. I think I was just slinking.
Some friendly construction workers stopped us and pointed out our "error". Because the trail had only recently closed, they suggested it wouldn't be a problem if we continued on through but please remember to take the other path next time.
We jogged back home, finishing strong at the very end. Because that's the best part!
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Shake It Up
Today I did three sets of three 200m sprints followed by a 1k time trial. It had rained last night leaving me with the false hope that it would be cooler this morning. It was cooler...until the sun came up. Then it just got muggy.
One of my goals this year was to shake up my running routine. My High School English teacher would note the symbolism of how this reflects my shaken up life. And for once, she wouldn't be far off the mark. I was nervous to be with a new group after two years of predictability in my running. But it was a heap of fun. I was impressed that every split time we ran was recorded so that in future sessions, we can have personalized goals dependent on our previous times.
Since this was my first "serious" run since the 500k relay in November, I was really nervous on how I'd perform. I recognized a few runners that were near-ish to my pace, so I stuck with them. On the first three reps of 200m we were running a consistent 56 seconds. I was happy with this - it pushed me, but not too much. My usual MO is to keep a rocking pace the first half of a speed session and then sputter and die the second half. Not today! Today my goal was to keep something in reserve until the end.
The second set of 200m the first set. In the third set, I accidentally ended up pacing our group for the first rep and having no idea what time we'd started, I set us at a 54 second pace. Actually, I'm pretty happy with how close I came to the 56 second goal! Still, I slunk behind our usual pacer for the next two sets.
We had a breather before the 1k time trial. As mentioned, I was curious as to how I'd do. Last year with my Galeforce group I'd gotten down to three consecutive 1k reps of sub-4.45 minutes. But that was in August, before I got sick post-Whitsunday race in September! It took me a long time to recover from that. And then there were those four delightful weeks of rest over Christmas...
I started out too fast on the 1k, as I always do. But I kept pushing myself to keep the pace. I focussed on the shirt in front of me (yes, a fellow runner was wearing said shirt) and made it my goal to stick with him. A practical goal, as I forgot to check my start time and thought it would make sense to let someone else do the recording for me.
It was tricky in the middle as there was just that little bit of an uphill. Not an uphill you'd notice in a 10k race, but one you might notice in a 1k time trial.
Total time: 4.57 minutes.
Woohoo! So relieved that - despite all that's happened over the past few months - I am still starting off with faster 1k time trials this year than I was last year. And you know what? Even at the end of it all I felt like I was holding just a little bit back. I don't regret it, since it was my first tough running session since November. But I am super excited by both the results and potential. Look out, 5k races! I am going to kick your butt this year.
One of my goals this year was to shake up my running routine. My High School English teacher would note the symbolism of how this reflects my shaken up life. And for once, she wouldn't be far off the mark. I was nervous to be with a new group after two years of predictability in my running. But it was a heap of fun. I was impressed that every split time we ran was recorded so that in future sessions, we can have personalized goals dependent on our previous times.
Since this was my first "serious" run since the 500k relay in November, I was really nervous on how I'd perform. I recognized a few runners that were near-ish to my pace, so I stuck with them. On the first three reps of 200m we were running a consistent 56 seconds. I was happy with this - it pushed me, but not too much. My usual MO is to keep a rocking pace the first half of a speed session and then sputter and die the second half. Not today! Today my goal was to keep something in reserve until the end.
The second set of 200m the first set. In the third set, I accidentally ended up pacing our group for the first rep and having no idea what time we'd started, I set us at a 54 second pace. Actually, I'm pretty happy with how close I came to the 56 second goal! Still, I slunk behind our usual pacer for the next two sets.
We had a breather before the 1k time trial. As mentioned, I was curious as to how I'd do. Last year with my Galeforce group I'd gotten down to three consecutive 1k reps of sub-4.45 minutes. But that was in August, before I got sick post-Whitsunday race in September! It took me a long time to recover from that. And then there were those four delightful weeks of rest over Christmas...
I started out too fast on the 1k, as I always do. But I kept pushing myself to keep the pace. I focussed on the shirt in front of me (yes, a fellow runner was wearing said shirt) and made it my goal to stick with him. A practical goal, as I forgot to check my start time and thought it would make sense to let someone else do the recording for me.
It was tricky in the middle as there was just that little bit of an uphill. Not an uphill you'd notice in a 10k race, but one you might notice in a 1k time trial.
Total time: 4.57 minutes.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Baseline time
Today it was time for me to hit some hills. Nothing strenuous or tough - my goal was to map out a route near my house that would be 5k. It ended up being just under the distance, but with a bit of tweaking for next time I'll be able to get it a little closer.
Although there were no super steep or super long hills, there was nothing flat about it.
I can't say I ran it fast. I can't say I ran it well. But I can say I ran it. With an aching back (still tight from the long air plane ride back to Brisbane) and some stiff hamstrings, my motivation to self-challenge was at a minimum. I settled for running a "baseline time" of the year which hopefully will improve in future weeks. And hey, kudos to me because this is the first training run I've opted to do on my own since...well, since a long, long time!
Total distance: 4.85km
Total time: 33.58min
Average pace: 7.00min/km
Although there were no super steep or super long hills, there was nothing flat about it.
I can't say I ran it fast. I can't say I ran it well. But I can say I ran it. With an aching back (still tight from the long air plane ride back to Brisbane) and some stiff hamstrings, my motivation to self-challenge was at a minimum. I settled for running a "baseline time" of the year which hopefully will improve in future weeks. And hey, kudos to me because this is the first training run I've opted to do on my own since...well, since a long, long time!
Total distance: 4.85km
Total time: 33.58min
Average pace: 7.00min/km
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
A Little Bit Something
Another day, another run! A little bit cooler out, so we went a little bit further and a little bit faster, with a little bit more running and a little bit less walking. "We" being my friend and I.
After having such great coaches and running inspirations in my life to push me along, it is refreshing to be able to turn the tables and help a friend achieve her goal of running her first 5k non-stop. Since my running goals this year are humble in distance, shorter training days are just fine with me. Plus, after four weeks of lying on the couch eating brownies and chocolate chip muffins (thanks, Mom!), it is good to be back doing any form of exercise.
Today we did the same route with the goal of running more. We ran almost 150m further and still shaved a minute off total time, so I call it a success for Day #2 back in running!
After having such great coaches and running inspirations in my life to push me along, it is refreshing to be able to turn the tables and help a friend achieve her goal of running her first 5k non-stop. Since my running goals this year are humble in distance, shorter training days are just fine with me. Plus, after four weeks of lying on the couch eating brownies and chocolate chip muffins (thanks, Mom!), it is good to be back doing any form of exercise.
Today we did the same route with the goal of running more. We ran almost 150m further and still shaved a minute off total time, so I call it a success for Day #2 back in running!
Monday, January 14, 2013
From Hot to Cold & Back Again
After a beautiful hiatus from running, I dragged myself back into it this morning.
The past month has been spent winter sporting in the Canadian Rockies. I re-learned how to cross-country ski (although some might argue I'd never learned it to begin with), sped down the mountain side with alpine skiing, and even did a bit of snow-shoeing. I did see some crazy committed people running outside, but the -20C weather and icy roads did not tempt me to run in the least. Unless I was running from the people I'd thrown a snowball at, but that was the exception.
This is actually a really steep hill. It may not look it, but I promise it is! It seems steeper when it is day 3 of learning to cross-country ski.
From the cold Canadian winter to the hot Australian summer. It's been a challenge to adapt!
Today I decided I'd done enough moaning about jet-lag. I strapped on my running shoes and went out for an easy walk-run with a good friend.
Neither of us were keen to make it a challenge, so we went for 4k along the river. Thankfully there was a cool breeze to support us.
My life is complicated and messy this year so I've counter-balanced that by making my running goals simple. I've always been star-struck by the longer distances in running, pushing myself to go further and further. Since I won't have the time for long distance training this year, I'm challenging myself in a different way by keeping it short and sweet.
Hence, my one simple running goal is this: to improve my 5k pb. As of now, it unofficially sits at 27.40min - unofficially because of the very few 5k races I've participated in, none of them were taken seriously.
The past month has been spent winter sporting in the Canadian Rockies. I re-learned how to cross-country ski (although some might argue I'd never learned it to begin with), sped down the mountain side with alpine skiing, and even did a bit of snow-shoeing. I did see some crazy committed people running outside, but the -20C weather and icy roads did not tempt me to run in the least. Unless I was running from the people I'd thrown a snowball at, but that was the exception.
From the cold Canadian winter to the hot Australian summer. It's been a challenge to adapt!
Today I decided I'd done enough moaning about jet-lag. I strapped on my running shoes and went out for an easy walk-run with a good friend.
Neither of us were keen to make it a challenge, so we went for 4k along the river. Thankfully there was a cool breeze to support us.
My life is complicated and messy this year so I've counter-balanced that by making my running goals simple. I've always been star-struck by the longer distances in running, pushing myself to go further and further. Since I won't have the time for long distance training this year, I'm challenging myself in a different way by keeping it short and sweet.
Hence, my one simple running goal is this: to improve my 5k pb. As of now, it unofficially sits at 27.40min - unofficially because of the very few 5k races I've participated in, none of them were taken seriously.
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