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March 31, 2007

Half Mile Repeats

Thank you so much for all of the beautiful comments! I wasn't too sure that I would receive any feedback since I had abandonded this page for so long . . . I always forget how amazing and warm the running community and culture is (as eccentric and strange as it can be, it always feels like "home" to me). I also need to give a shout to Corrado for being the most faithful blog reader, and to Katie (we need to talk, sister!!!).

This week has marked another build back week. I ran an easy 7 on Monday, but I think my adrenaline from the race was still pulsing through my body - I started out rolling away 6:45s like they were 8:00s. Not to worry, though, I pulled back and kept myself under control :) I took Tuesday off. I ran a progression run on Wednesday starting at 8:00 pace and working down to sub 6:30. I took Thursday off and I ran 9 "butters" slow miles on Friday.

Today I met my new crew at a neat place called "Bunker Hill" to run a couplel of halfs. We did a 2 mile warm-up and then the rest of the workout was to run a continuous 6 mile route alternating hard/not as hard halfs. My assignment was to run the first half sub 3:15 and then run the second half at a reasonable pace that would keep me under 7:00 for the mile as a whole. I did the first half with J, K, and H in 3:10 and finished the mile under 7:00 and then launched into the next half and ended up running alone in 2:58. The next four pretty much repeated that: all of my halfs were around 2:58, and then I finished the final one in 2:53. I was surprised to feel refreshed and comfortable the entire workout . . . in fact, I keep waiting to wake up from what seems like a really cool dream. After so many years of struggling with my running, it seems to be coming together - FINALLY. (knock on wood). Whatever is going on, I don't want to wake up any time soon!!

I am meeting J. tomorrow for an easy 15 (if the thunder storms wait to tumble in until after 10:30 . . . when we will be done running). I'm looking forward to finishing another strong week, but I am not looking forward to returning to school on Monday. I would write about that inferno, but I don't have the energy to descend into it anymore. It's been an extremely tough and difficult year for too many reasons that I do not care to divulge. Let's just say I am BEYOND ecstatic to put this chapter of my life behind me on May 15th. I need a break from academia; it can be a *really* creepy and daunting place!

Posted by bridget at 6:54 PM | Comments (7)

March 28, 2007

31:12 . . . Not Quite the Shuffle I Was Anticipating

So after taking a vacation from running for 4 months, I picked it back up toward the end of November, and with my rekindled relationship, I decided to treat my long time friend with a new respect (kind of). For the first time in my life, I adopted a "I really don't give a sh*t what happens" attitude; I allowed myself to rediscover and re-light the fire for running that I felt the first time I turned a track - pig tails flying in the wind - at the age of 7. I don't know why now or what exactly triggered this, but it's about time! I never lost my passion for running, but I definitely took it too seriously at times and I beat myself up a little bit too much for unmet goals. For years I have felt that I am capable of running much better than my race times confessed . . .

I've been all over the map in terms of training too. I have run anywhere from 20 - 75 miles/week, but I usually keep it steady around 50. Since November, I have hugged 50 once, but I have been content to hang out with the 30s. I have not run one 7 day cycle - I am lucky to log 3-5 days/week with an occassional 6 day cycle :) The most pronounced difference (other than the fact that I feel like I am getting old!) is that I have been running with my friend Howard and a few other people. We are all over the place in terms of our abilities, but we keep it fun and we always warm up and cool down as a group . . . there are about 6-7 of us who meet regularly and I feel like we have our own little team. So the most consistent thing about my running has been the introduction of 1-2 workouts/week. I won't dive into my running history, but I have never been a consistent fast runner. I kind of like jogging.

We do a lot of endurance work and recently we started to do half mile repeats. My times have been anywhere from 2:59 - 3:12 (depending on the workout and the number of reps) so I had absolutely NO idea what to expect at this year's Shamrock Shuffle 8K. My primary goal was to have a blast and run as comfortably hard as I could for as long as I could.

I flew through the first mile in 6:04 and immediately pulled back because I didn't think there was a chance in hell I could sustain that pace. The scary thing was that it felt good, easy, and comfortable! I missed the 2 mile mark, but I hit 3 in 18:37. Since I am incapable of doing math while running, I didn't try to figure out my pace. But I knew I was running well because I don't recall ever running through mile 3 under 19 minutes in a race that wasn't a 5K. I hit 4 in 25:01 and it kind of hit me then that I was going to run a PR. Mile 5 rolled by in 31:12 and I had a new PR. 6:16 pace. I have never come close to that in my life for an 8K. I think my last PR was something like 32:51. Needless to say, I am quite giddy and excited!

My goal now is to survive the final few weeks of school, look for a teaching job, and KEEP RUNNING. I'd like to do a half in June.

I hope all are well and happy!

Posted by bridget at 12:10 PM | Comments (5)

It's Been a Long Time

I cannot give a recap of the past couple of months because they literally came and went in a blur . . . a snap of the fingers. But one of my friends recently emailed me and he said, "I know you are really busy, hence no blog entries." It struck me that I last left my blog in a depressing, sad state of affairs. I vaguely recollect my last entry, but I think it had something to do with a potential stress fracture in my lower back. I never did get a MRI, but with a lot of walking, no running, and even more rest, the pain evaporated. It definitely took a few weeks - probably about 8 or so - but my running hit a dead end anyway. My Fall semester was a complete whirlwind . . .

The craziness began toward the end of August when I was assigned to teach two sections of freshman composition at the same time that I was taking 3 graduate classes. That might sound like a lot, but it nearly killed me (no exaggeration). I subsisted on 4 hours of sleep and lots of coffee; I wasn't exactly "healthy" as the semester spiraled out of control. I always felt like I was 5 steps behind. Nevertheless, I finished (crawling, beat down and crying) and I enjoyed my Christmas break. I had grand visions (delusions) that I would get SOOOO much accomplished over break . . . but what did I do instead? Oh yeah, I rediscovered running and an entirely new attitude.

This semester has been equally as frustrating in terms of lack of sleep and work load, but I decided not to completely subtract running from the equation. I am still running - 3-5 days/week - but I am running faster than ever before. Weird.

I'll start a new entry to explain my most recent race outing, but I thought i would lay down some kind of re-introductory foundation first.

And for those who might be new travelers to this site: I have been here for 3 years and my goal - alas - remains the same: run a sub 3 marathon.

Posted by bridget at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)