Changing Expressions

Another day at speed session! Sadly, after many a 4.50a.m. wake up on Tuesday mornings, I think this has marked my last Tuesday speed session in Australia.
I honestly didn't think much about it at the time, as I figured I would keep going so long as I had a car to get me there. So I listed my car on a trusty website this morning and sat back to do other things...and it sold within a few hours!
If I had known this would happen, I would have made a bigger deal about today being my last session. But you never know...maybe I'll convince someone to give me a lift to next week!
The morning started out great. 6x 200m reps.
The goal time given to me was 52sec/200m. B.I. (Before Injury) I was laughing my way through these and would often get between 50-52sec, easy.
A.I. (After Injury) I am still struggling with fitness and clocked in at a 53-54sec average. I know it's not that much slower, but think of how 2-4sec slower per 200m can add up over time! That's between 10-20sec slower on just 1km...and about 1min slower across 5k!
Funny we should talk about that, since at the end of the 6x200m repeats there was a 3k time trial to slog through.
One of the girls cleverly spoke up to say what we were all thinking: can we go in the opposite direction to hit the uphill part only once instead of twice?
This may be confusing for some of you, so let me lay out the floor-plan of the loop we do:

X ...........[flat]............START/FINISH..............[mini-hill]............X

Now, imagine that "X" marks the turn-around point 500m from the start/finish line, so going out to the X and back is 1k. To get 3k, you would start in one direction, turn around at the "X", then go all the way past the start/finish (1km) to the other "X", then again past the start/finish (2km) back to the first "X" and then finish (3km). Confused yet?
Traditionally, we always started in the direction of the mini-hill, and end up hitting it twice. It is tough every time, but one really feels it on the second loop! Which is why I know I wasn't the only one excited about the prospect of running the hill only once! This may be a new trend. Even among us keen runners, laziness prevails!
Deep down inside I was hoping to make it in under 16min. My start was strong with a 5-min pace at the 500m marker. And then I realized I was being ridiculous since I was too exhausted to hold that pace.
So I dug deep, stared at the back of the gal in front, and focused on not falling too far behind her.

Total distance: 3k
Total time: 16.10min
Average pace: 5.23min/km
Split times: 5.10/5.30/5.30

Siiiigh! Even in the 3k I'm averaging similar speed to what I did in my 5k (and slightly slower, if that).
I know lots of people have been telling me how wonderful I'm doing considering I'm bouncing back (?staggering back) from an injury, but there is a quote I remember from junior high that really resonates with me right now:
"It's not good enough to be great if you have the ability to be better"
I feel like I have the ability to be better...but most of the improvement seems to be in my mind!
But then the little Jiminey Cricket sitting on my other shoulder reminds me of one of my other favourite sayings:
"If plan A fails, there are still 25 more letters to the alphabet. Stay cool!"
Maybe I should focus on this second motto for a change, and let the first one go.

B-Goal Begotten (Barely)

After Saturday's time trial fail I just couldn't resist...I had to give it one last try. To gear up for today's 5k time trial, I even took a rest day on Sunday. Every athlete needs a couple of those!
I woke up to rain last night and was not looking forward to running in the rain this morning, but fortunately Lady Luck was on my side and it wasn't raining at all...it was, in fact, nice and cool. Perhaps not race day conditions, but I wasn't going to complain.
From the start I was feeling a bit better than Saturday, but that feeling quickly faded by the 2nd km.
Once again,
A-Goal: sub-26min
B-Goal: sub-27min

Unlike a murder mystery novel, the title of my blog often gives away the ending. Yes, I squeaked in under my B-Goal.

Total distance: 5.0km
Total time: 26.45min
Avg pace: 5.21min/km

At the beginning I decided to vary my route slightly to put my last 300m up a very slight incline. By the time I hit said incline I was cursing my stupidity! I know the race will be a lot hillier, but today was about proving to myself that - despite the major set-back from my sprained ankle less than 8 weeks ago - I was fit enough to participate in the relay.
I'm too hard on myself to say I'm super proud of this time. But I'm satisfied. I set myself a pretty tough goal when I started back to running just 3 weeks ago - to drop my 5k time by an average of at least 20sec/km. For the mathematicians out there, I managed to drop 24sec/km.
With only a few days to go, I know I won't be as fit as I wanted to be for the relay. But I'll be as fit as I can be, which will have to be enough.

Fantasy World

This morning I felt it was time to do another 5k time trial to see how I'm gearing up for the relay in T-6 days.
I matched relay conditions as close as I could:
-I ate nothing but junk food yesterday (I couldn't help it! Between a farewell morning tea, pizza courtesy of a friend, & a games night featuring lots of desserts, I was fighting a losing battle)
-I started the run with sore legs from working out last night
-I ran later in the morning so it would be warmer

It may not have been a deliberate set-up for relay conditions, but it is what I expect will be happening next week, so take advantage! With the exception of heaps less sleep and heaps hotter weather. But it's the general idea.
A-Goal: sub-26min
B-Goal: sub-27min

Actual time: 27.08.

In the 2 weeks since my last time trial I have barely knocked 95 seconds off my time. For the mathematicians, that's 19sec/km. Considering that last time I held myself back for the first 2.5k & maintained an easier pace, it really isn't much improvement at all.

I guess I can say that my legs weren't shattered as much as they were at the end of the last time trial and that my ankle held up fine. But in the end, I was really disappointed. I had hoped to come so far so fast in building my fitness back up, but now I wonder if I was being realistic with my goals, or if I was living in a fantasy world. If only my dreams could match reality! In my mind, I am such a fast runner...

And also in my dream world, rainbow-powered electricity saves us all from the effects of global warming.

Building Slowly

On Friday I had a pretty busy day on the Gold Coast between work during the day, then an evening of fun out with co-workers. In between I had a couple of hours to spare. I brought a book down with the intention of maybe reading a book on the beach, but with a weekend away and the upcoming race, I decided to spend the time going for a run rather than resting up for a weekend out. I stopped at the beautiful Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast and did 7k on the beachside boardwalks and around the little park area & look-out. The trail was uneven and parts were hilly, which was a good test for ankle endurance. It was hard and I even had an ankle roll - but thankfully it was my left ankle so I was up and running by the next step.

A gorgeous day and a gorgeous trail. I shoulda coulda woulda gone harder, but that wasn't my goal of the day - my goal was to up the distance and just finish it.

Total distance: ~7k

Total time: ~45min

Back from a weekend in Melbourne where I ate lots and lots of high quality chocolate (yum!) to a humid Brisbane morning. Everyone was feeling the heat & humidity today as we groaned over the 3 x 2k reps on schedule [with a 1k recovery jog].

The goal time my coach had me down for was laughable given my lack of fitness - 4.48min/km! Considering last Tuesday I was hovering between 5.15-5.30min for 1k reps, I was hoping to go around 5-5.10min/km for this week.

First rep splits: 4.58 / 10.09 >> Goal achieved! Although I slowed down the second half, I was still happy with this overall.

Second rep splits: 5.35 / 10.55 >> Goal not achieved. But at least I did pick it up in the second half of the rep.

Third rep splits: yeah, right. I was dying and my ankle was starting to hurt, so I did stretches instead and tried not to feel too guilty over slacking out of the last rep. Fortunately my fellow runners were very supportive of my decision, if not a little jealous.

It's getting into crunch time leading up to the relay! There's only so much training I'll be able to fit in over the next 7 days and then I need to take a bit of recovery before hitting the relay. My speed is not where I'd hoped/wanted it to be, but it's building slowly, as is my endurance. The true pressure cooker test will be the relay itself.

The Laziest Option

I was faced with a couple options on my run today, both with benefits and downsides.
Option #1: run at 5.15am with the group. The bonus: I'd likely go faster & push myself harder
Option #2: run later in the day by myself. The bonus: sleep in! Plus, it meant I could run a bit later in the day when it's hotter to acclimatize myself to racing in the heat.

Celebrating a friend's birthday last night quickly eliminated Option #1, so I woke up late. As I was dragging on my running clothes, another dilemma occurred to me. Since I wasn't letting the group decide where to run, that meant I would have to decide where to run! Which left me with two more viable options.
Option #3: run around Anzac Park a couple laps to make up 5k. The bonus: it would get me back to running hills (which the race will have plenty of) and it's the closest to home option
Option #4: do a 5k time-trial along the river. The bonus: see my improvement since Monday!

Laziness prevailed, so around Anzac Park I went. I knew I wasn't pushing myself when I caught myself reflecting on life rather than focusing on controlling my breathing to control my heart rate and check my watch to see my speed/time/distance while keeping good posture and placing my feet just so and checking my watch again to see when I can stop running and...you get the idea.
All up, I did 5k in around 30min. Considering it was all hills and I wasn't pushing myself, I call this a success! And I even had energy to spare at the end. I know, I know. Naughty me kicking back when I'm so close to the race. But...well, my mind was in such a tizzy over life stuff that I really did need the space to think.

Goodbye Cushy Butt, Hello Fatigue!

The vacation is over.
As horrible as it is to get injured...there is a little something nice about it. That something nice is guilt-free days of not setting the alarm clock for 4.50am, and the way ones butt begins to carve a perfect shape into the couch after one has parked it there for many weeks of lazy bliss.
And then the other something nice is that return to training. That careless, "I'm taking an easy day" excuse one throws out to fellow runners and coaches alike when there is something hard coming up. 3k time trial? No thanks, I'm still recovering from my injury! I'll stick with my 200m reps and then walk back to the car.
But then there comes a point where one has to face the music. That day was yesterday, when I learned that fitness was having a greater impact on my run than my ankle. No more excuses! It's time to let the couch cushions resume their normal shape and get my cushy butt back to training. It's time to remind my muscles what it feels like to get fatigued after a hard work-out.
This morning we had 3-4 1k reps followed by a 1k recovery.
The pace my coach set me was 5.30min/km to start, progressing 5sec faster each time. Seeing as how I finished at a 5.30 pace yesterday, I was pretty sure I could do it.
I find it hard to pace slower, so I joined up with a gal who was set to go at 5.15 and planned to keep track by going just a bit slower than her.
Somehow that fantastic plan didn't quite work, and we ended up pushing each other! I ran until there was nothing left in my energy reserves. But the good news is, my ankle is holding up beautifully, even if my endurance is not.
First 1k rep*: 5.10min (and only because I slowed us down on the second half of the run, after seeing our time at the turn-around!)
Second 1k rep*: 5.12 (this was a push for me)
Third 1k rep: 5.28.

*I should also note that even in the recovery 1k jogs I could feel my heart rate was elevated. I probably should have taken a slower recovery! That is the bittersweet result of running with friends...they push you wonderfully in the reps, but sometimes also push you too hard in the recovery!

As you can see by my rapidly dropping 3rd rep, I was at my absolute limit. There was an option to do a fourth rep, but I was so exhausted I walked back to the car instead. Yep, I WALKED back.
Because sometimes running is over-rated. Or maybe it's just that my endurance is ridiculously non-existent.

Hitting the Moon

The goal: 5k time trial to see how my ankle holds up
The thought: I was rather nervous of this "time trial", as it would test me to see whether I had it in me to continue forth with my goal of being in the relay or not this year.
The reality: my fitness gave out long before my ankle

My second official run back since end of September BI (Before Injury). I was a bit nervous as last week I could only handle a walk/run of about 3k total.
But I know that my ankle has been improving every day, so I was hoping to run a 5k non-stop. And (truth be told) I was hoping to run a 5k under 30min to prove that my fitness wasn't completely shot after so much time off my feet.
I started with a really long warm up that included stretching, strides (5x50m) and calf raises. Gone are the days when I could just start running and not worry about it! Oh, carefree days of injury-free bliss, how I miss you!
The first 2.5k I kept to a strict 6min pace. No sense pushing it, and if I needed to slow down, well...I'd slow down. The second 2.5k I decided to push it out as hard as I could, to see what happened and how I held out.
As mentioned, my fitness gave way long before my ankle. My treasured ankle hovered on the pain scale between 0/10 to 2/10 the entire run. My fitness levels were less accommodating, and it was all I could do to hold a 5.30min/km pace the second half of the run.
I ran to exactly 5k and pulled up with a time of 28.45min. I felt like I had just run a big race...my legs were absolutely shot at the end and I was sucking in air like a fish out of water. But I was not unhappy with my time.
I hope to get down to around 26min for 5k before the relay on November 22nd. So I have about 18 days to knock just under 3min off my time (that's about +30sec/km). Yikes! While this may be "to dream the impossible dream", a part of me also wants to misquote someone famous;
"Shoot for the stars. Even if you miss you'll land on the moon".

At least now I believe I'll actually be able to compete in the relay. It has been a stressful 5 weeks of wondering if I could still compete in my favourite race of the year...and wondering if I'd be brave enough to pull out if necessary.