August 30, 2004
am run
Got up early this morning again...5:20 to head out for a 5:45 run with friends. There were five of us this morning who somehow managed to crawl out of bed and get to the starting point. We all seemed a bit tired this morning and just took it easy. The run felt incredibly relaxed. I think I definitely needed an easy recovery run. We ran the usual morning 8 (64:29). This afternoon the xc team that I coach has their first practice meet in the city. It should be fun to see how they do!!!
More later.
Posted by liz at 07:20 AM | Comments (1)
August 29, 2004
Sunday Long Run
Very quick update.
Just ran ~12+ miles. (Ran about 90% of the Double Dipsea.) Lots of climbing and descending. Compared to the valley I live in, the mountain was so cool. The fog was rolling in, the sun was setting and I didn't feel too bad. I ran with my brother in law. We ran easy for most of the run. We threw in one 12 minute surge on an uphill and a few other small surges. All in all it was SOOO nice to get out of the heat and run on the cool mountain.
More later.
Posted by liz at 08:28 PM | Comments (0)
Easy run/ XC race
The last couple days here in northern california have been very hot. Yesterday afternoon it hit 101 inland (where I live) and even along the coast it was pretty warm.
On Friday I ran with the students....I ran the first half up front with the top runners and then came back a different route only to find about 7 student athletes trying to hide in the woods , skip running, avoid the heat... Seeing me...they knew they were busted.... I looked at them and said... And you are so obvious too...if you are going to try to skip a run, take a short cut, etc... you need to be a lot more creative and effective than that...! I ended up running a total of 4 and then I jumped into traffic to go visit my sister in the east bay (turns out there was TONS of traffic!)
On Saturday I got up very early....5:45 am to head down to Santa Cruz for the first xc race of the season. There are about 10 races in the PAUSATF series, your best 6 races are scored and the races are scattered all over the bay area. The past few years I've placed high enough at the end of the season to end up in the top 5 overall (Open Runners) and earn comp entries for all xc races the following year.
This year I'm comped...but I don't feel as pumped up as I have in the past. Maybe it's because I just finished the first week of school and I'm tired from coaching, teaching, lesson plans, socializing, and multi-tasking constantly.... I 'm not sure. My goal at the start of the season is to try to score high enough overall that I can end up in the top 5 at the end of the season...but this year I'm not even sure if I'll be able to run 6 races...we'll see.... I still went down to Santa Cruz...with the hopes that since it would be the first race of the season not many people would show up and the atmosphere would be low key. Well---it ended up being somewhere in between. There weren't tons of people, but the competition proved to be very good... lots of folks seemed to be in very good shape, if they only get more fit I'm afraid to see how fast they'll run in November!!!!-- and the atmosphere was definitely relaxed before and after the race.
The course is beautiful. The first 2 miles are uphill on fireroads. Miles 1.3 to 2.2 are exposed ...so it was pretty hot ....but the majority of the course meanders along a beautiful trail covered with huge redwood canopies...! One really couldn't complain... The final 2 miles are almost entirely downhill. The last mile is still downhill but with a few good rollers....so if you felt could you could really pick off people on the rollers...
I started off easy...(for me). I tend to go out fast in any race...I just get excited...and think oh today is going to be my day I'll be able to keep up this insane pace the entire distance. Well yesterday I just went out conservatively. (my first mile was only 6:58--it was uphill---but it still felt strong and relaxed!!)..around 1.5 miles I started picking people off...by the time I got to 2 miles I had moved up to 6th place with two runners in hot pursuit of me. Between miles 2 and 3 I felt really good running with the woman who was in 7th. She pushed me a lot and I felt like...this is great...hopefully we can work together and pick off a couple more runners between here and the finish. Well--- that's not exactly how it turned out...
around 3.2 miles or so..i just felt really flat all of a sudden...I dropped into 8th place and played the hold on game. I just thought...hopefully no one else will pass me...I'm somewhat comfortable but really can't make a move ... I just felt tired. On the last turn of the race with 75 meters to go...I got passed...i tried to
go with the woman...but I had nothing left in my legs... I 'm pretty sure I ended up 9th..and ran 25.51. The only mile I checked my time was mile 1. I think I'll start taking splits for my races b/c I'm really curious what my last mile in this race was...I felt like I kind of hit the wall....but I'm not sure.
Since it's the start of the xc season...the result/race isn't too bad. I just didn't have that magical feeling where you feel like you are flying. It felt much more like some of the tempo runs I've been running...which is probably a good thing...since I really went into the race thinking ok...this is to see where you are at...the first 2 miles should be a tempo effort and the 2nd 2 miles should be more of a race.... I think as the season continues...if I can keep everything in balance...sleep, work, workouts, etc... I should have at least one magical race...where I feel like I'm flying and surging and coasting....the entire way.... We'll see...
Today I feel pretty good. I'm tired overall...but not sore or hurt. Later on this evening I'll run between 13 and 14 with my brother in law.
More later!
Posted by liz at 03:17 PM | Comments (1)
August 26, 2004
Runs w/the student athletes
Yesterday afternoon I ran about 3.5-4 miles with the high school team that I coach. I acted as sweeper for the first 2.5 miles and then I picked up the pace to look for some runners who went off course a bit. The run was nice and easy and pretty much in the shade the entire time.
This afternoon I ran the MA DIPSEA (~7 miles) course with 5 of the boys from the xc team. The hills took a toll on them, but they were such good sports and ran tough considering the conditions. It was very warm this afternoon. I can not wait to get a cold drink. I'll stop at the corner store on my walk home from work tonight.
Last night the puppies were better. I am trying the technique Meghan suggested...! I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep. Saturday I am running a 4 mile xc course in Santa Cruz. The first 2 miles are uphill the second 2 are pretty much rolling downhill. I need to rest a bit before then. I think I'm going to use the race as a glorified tempo run... we'll see!
More later
Posted by liz at 05:17 PM | Comments (2)
August 25, 2004
Early AM Run
After what seemed like a very long night (after girls night etc)...my two dogs, Xander and Cosmo, kept me up all night. Cosmo--the whippet sleeps in the bed every night and Xander the boarder collie hangs out on the floor guarding us...however if I sleep on the outside of the bed (not the wall side) Xander constantly comes over , licks my face, tries to jump in and squeeze next to me in bed, with my husband, Cosmo and me...it gets pretty crowded....! Well last night...Little Cosmo whined sooooo much. She's a very calm, quite good good whippet. However when she does communicate verbally with us...she's persistent and doesn't like to give in. So if she wants water or if she'd like to go outside...she'll just sit by that respective door and whine---wait awhile---whine---wait awhile....until someone (usually me) helps her out. Well--last night---she was whining and whining b/c she wanted to leave the bedroom and who knows--get some water--maybe some food, maybe she had to go to the restroom--I don't know I can't read her mind... But the thing that got me going was my new "policy". I've decided Cosmo can wait...i shouldn't cater to her wishes at 3 in the morning. She's crated during the day and she can probably hold it if she has to go to the bathroom...I've just started to get the impression that sometimes she must take advantage of me. She knows I know she's incredibly sweet and cute...so it's hard to say No to such a good good dog...but I've decided she's 2 now and she can make it through the night without me. Well--I tried... I didn't let her out of the room. When she crawled out of the covers and ran to the door to whine I got up and put her back in bed --at least 3 or 4 times. Then finally I put her in her crate She hates that especially if we are so close to her (she's fine when she knows we're not home...)....so anyhow I put her in the crate...and for at least 2 hours she was quiet.... & then she starts whining again....between 4 and 5:20 she whined once every 5 minutes....and I just couldn't fall asleep or ignore it...and i didn't want to crack and let her out. Luckily (?) I was getting up at 5:20 and I finally let her out. She wanted a little drink of WATER!!!! Can you b elieve that? She's pretty spoiled. We'll see how this training goes the next few days...but I 'm so tired today---I may not be able to keep up with little Cosmo through the night...I have to remind myself...for her it's no big deal--she sleeps most of the day anyway... Ahhhh- we'll see...
and then Xander too last night was crazy ...he kept squeezing in and jumping up on the bed next to me. A piece of me likes it...b/c for the first 8 months of his life...he was extremely independent and never sat next to us --- so he'd come out of his shell so to speak.... but b/c he's such an alert dog...it's no fun having him snuggle up to you in the middle of the night only to be awoken by a deep fierce voice and a wagging tale....b/c Xander heard something out in the backyard---who know what it is...my dad would probably say....Liz--for christ sake he can probably sense the mouse 5 miles down the road taking a crap..! i would n't go that far...but he is pretty vigilent.
Oh well--needless to say I'm pretty blasted today.
I met some friends at 5:45 for an 8 (62 mins) mile run. I was tired but really glad to be out of the dog house for awhile. We ran nice and easy and talked the entire way.
Phew!!!
More later
Posted by liz at 12:51 PM | Comments (3)
Long Day
This morning I got up early and met a fellow colleague/friend at Phoenix Lake. We ran Yolanda (~4.5 miles) nice and easy. The air was crisp and it was a beautiful way to start the day. We talked the entire time and after the run we stopped at Shaky Grounds for a cup of coffee!
At practice I ran at the back of the pack to make sure no one got lost/injured. We ran Tennessee Valley, which is the site of the school's "Home Cross Country " course. It's a bit ironic because it's a good 10 miles away from the school, but it's a beautiful 3 mile course, with parking, and a wide open trail for multiple use purposes (biking, horse riding, running, etc). The course goes out to the ocean on a single track and comes back on a fireroad. The first half is very flat the second half is a bit rolling. The Valley was covered in a cool, cold fog. No one jumped in the ocean today. (Typically at least a handful of kids come back to the vans dripping and laughing because they took a dip in the cold Pacific!).
( I'm always amazed that the student athletes I coach don't rave and go on and on more about the places we get to run every day. I've lived here 5 years and I'm still not over how lucky and privileged I am to be able to run on the most beautiful trails every single day. At practice we shake it up so much. They never do the same course two days in a row. They get to run on mountains, along the ocean, through canyons., through waterfalls...it really is awesome. They don't even have to drive to the trail themselves, or worry about parking, or how to get to these fabulous destinations... All through high school and even some in college most of my runs were on the roads. There just weren't a lot of trails to run on....but now I'm literally surrounded by a diversity of trails all around me. I'm sure one day it'll hit some of these student athletes.... just how unique their geographic, cultural, personal setting is....and maybe somedays even now it dawns on them... I guess sometimes especially when it comes to running I just wear my emotions on my sleeves..and I can't help getting caught up in my surroundings...!!! and how lucky I am all around. ))
After practice I met up with my husband and took the car into the city. Since a friend of mine was hosting Girls Night out in the city...I decided I should jump into the all women's track workout that the racing team (Impalas) I'm on was hosting (They have Track workouts every Tuesday night and Saturday workouts --usually in golden gate park...). I knew I'd be tired going into this workout...but I also know it's so important to run with a pack of women...especially if you plan on racing with a pack of women...! I found the group on the Polo Fields. Just as I arrived they were starting their striders. I joined them and realized my legs were pretty beat. I decided not to go too crazy and jump to the front of the pack once the interval started...I decided to hang back a bit and go by effort ... Our workout was 6-8 800 m repeats on the Polo fields. The loop is 1000 meters; so we got 200 meters break/jog in between...and the loop is all dirt and sand...so the footing isn't perfect....but it's not horrible either...! I ended up hanging out in the middle of the pack for most of the 6 repeats I did. My times ranged between 2:53 and 3:01. The effort felt harder than the times might indicate and I think that's because I was tired from my previous runs (today and over the weekend) and the start of school...I think the surface is also challenging ...it's hard to run smoothly between the single track and the sand. I ran literally with about 8 women for all 6 intervals...we were all in a tight pack and there were women in front and behind us...I just think that kind of density is so great....and it makes the workout so much easier. All in all, now that the workout is over--I am very glad that I did it and I realize I need to go to more organized track workouts b/c the training, feeling, results are very hard to attain by myself!!!
Ladies night was very fun. We had dinner, dessert, talked and talked and talked....Ahhh--it was a great way to end a very long day.
Posted by liz at 12:24 PM | Comments (1)
1st day of school/practice
Today was our first full day of school. I taught one biology class and attended many meetings. After school we had our first xc practice with the team. Over 37 girls and boys showed up for practice. It was kind of overwhelming, but fun! I ran with the team around Phoenix Lake (19.10). That's the only run I did today. I get so worked up at the start of the year, worrying about everything, that I just felt beat.
After the run I went to go see the movie Garden State. It is a GREAT show. It's funny, kind of romantic and just a fun good story to get lost in.
Posted by liz at 12:19 PM | Comments (1)
August 22, 2004
PS: Awesome olympic marathon
I was sooooo excited to see hwo well Deena ran! It's great to have a US runner perform so well when it counts. tough, smart, gutsy-- the race by deena was just awesome.
Her run today inspires me to stay on task and keep focusing on the Cal Int'l marathon in december. The training can be so tough-- but with great role models- and with the costs of going for a goal and trying to be a better runner/athlete, etc... not so high for me personally; I feel like I really have to go for it. My goal for Cal is 2:57. I haven't done a marathon since Las Vegas a few years ago in the windstorm...So many people dropped out on this particular day... I ended up 6th.. for women..and ran 3:14...but it felt like a 5 minute mile...I was so beat...After that race I was so unmotivated to train really hard...I kept thinking why waste all that time...to only try to run a few minutes faster...when the reality might be....the weather on race day is going to be horrible and you'll be faced with it...! My attitude now is better...even if it's pouring at Cal...at the very least I can compare my time to Vegas and say...run faster than you ran in that wind storm... and that should provide me with a little satisfaction....
We'll see... As the months pass I'll be running more long runs and my tempo runs will increase in distance but not much else will change. I plan on running lots of xc races this fall (they make you tough, they are great workouts and they are so much fun...), I'll run the Jamba Juice 5k in September (hopefully sub 18:30), the Humboldt 1/2 marathon in October (hopefully sub 1:25), the Clarksbury 30k in November (the first half 7 minute pace the second half faster) and then the Marathon (hopefully sub 3 hours...and maybe a 2:57!!!) in early December.... we shall see... this is my mini road to "Athens:" or rather "Cal".
More later
Posted by liz at 03:57 PM | Comments (1)
Sunday Long Run
It seems like lately I haven't been getting in a "traditional Sunday Long Run". I used to love love love these runs. They'd be the highlight of my week. It would be a chance to run with old friends, or new friends, explore new trails, new routes, etc.. After every Sunday long run we'd all go out for brunch...
It was so fun. ... Then...as I got into a serious relationship, my big group Sunday long runs became less and less important. If I ran with a big group, went to breakfast, etc... at least 1/2 my day would be shot...and I'd have no time to spend with my (then) boyfriend. So I think that's how I started getting out of the habit of planning big group runs on the weekends....
I think I'd like to do more of these runs now. Not every weekend...but maybe twice a month. it 's such a fun social outlet and the runs can be tough or long or easy...whatever you want to make of them...
--- Anyhow; today I decided to get up and try a solo long run. I knew I'd have to get it in as soon as I got up in the morning or else I'd find many excuses to cut my run short as the day went on.
So- I did indeed get out the door 15 minutes after I woke up. I felt guilty not taking the puppies with me. I worried about the deer on the route and I also worried that I'd have to tend to them quite a bit...distracting me from my task at hand-- a Sunday long run . So I took off -- with a bottle of gaterade and a GU just in case. I did a course right from my house called "The MA Double Dipsea". It's got a 30 minute climb on trails in it, a 10 minute steep trail climb at the end, lots of rolling hills on the trails and at least 2.5 miles of roads at the start, 1 mile of roads in the middle and less than a 1.2 mile of roads at the end. It is a loop course . And on Sundays these particular trails (wide open fire roads, exposed) are streaming with mt. bike riders.
At the start of my run I felt pretty tired from running hard on Friday and running a little fast on Saturday. Once I hit the uphill (the long one) I started to feel better, but didn't want to kill myself early on. By the time the rolling hills came I felt great and I just cruised it in the last 50 minutes or so.
I ran for 1 hour and 48 minutes. I'd say the course is between 13.5 and 14 miles.
Later this afternoon I went swimming with a few friends and my husband. We swam laps and then toward the end of the workout we held silly competitions (who can swim under water the longest, who can climb down the ropes in the water the fastest, etc...).
Tonight I 'll try to relax as much as possible and get ready for the first day of school tomorrow. The summer went by so fast. I'll be teaching biology and AP biology this year...as well as coaching xc and track and field... Here's to another year...
More later!
Posted by liz at 03:30 PM | Comments (1)
August 21, 2004
5.5 mile run
Today I ran through the headlands. I ran to the finish line of the headlands 50k. My brother in law competed in that event today and ran quite well (13th overall and ran under 5 hours...; the course is brutal!). I had my husband drop me off at a trailhead and I ran at a good clip out to the finish line. The course was at least 5.5 miles (41:24)...the temperature was awesome (cool, a great breeze, no heat!).
Tonight we are playing Lucky Shirt Poker. I hope to do really well.
More later
Posted by liz at 03:29 PM | Comments (1)
August 20, 2004
Tempo Run
Today was a long day. It was my last day to kind of sleep in. I didn't need to be at work until 10; so I was planning on getting up and watching the Women's Gymnastic All Around Olympic Final that we had taped. Unfortunately I got up and the show was deleted... I decided to do a few chores, update this blog, and watch a bit of the women's soccer semifinals against Japan.
I worked for about 5 hours this afternoon. & then...I thought do I have enough in me to do a tempo run. My plan was to do a 3 mile rolling hills course on roads twice. I was feeling tired but I thought I might as well try to get this workout in.
The first mile has quite a few turns but is relatively flat. The second mile is rolling hills the entire way and the third mile includes two gradual gradual inclines (these are ever so slight...).
I decided to go clockwise first and on my second loop run counterclockwise. I felt great the first loop. I ran 6:35, 6:25, and 6:18. On the second loop my first mile was slightly downhill and I ran an easy 6:06. My 5th mile was the toughest (remember this is the rolling hills mile...) . I just hit the wall...and ran 6:45. I decided to tempo 1/2 more mile (3:15) and then call it quits. Overall I'm glad I got the workout in; but it was one of the toughest workouts I've done in the last few weeks. It was about 80 degrees; no humidity. I warmed up ~ 1 mile and colled down 1.5 miles.
I am soooo glad this workout is behind me.
More soon!
Posted by liz at 06:07 PM | Comments (2)
Another Update...
The last week has been so busy. School (I'm a teacher, dean & coach) is starting up again-- so I've been busy talking to our xc captains, going on our big senior retreat, meeting with colleagues to talk about curriculum for the upcoming year, etc.!
Friday
I drove up to Portland, OR last Friday. It was a super long trip, but I made it with an old college friend, teammate and we ended up talking nearly the entire time. We had Cosmo, my whippet, with us and we were hoping we might be able to stop in Eugene and show Cosmo the Prefontaine trail...but alas it was too late by the time we made it that far north.
Saturday
I got up super early on Saturday (4:45 am) so that I could surprise my husband and come back early to the bay area. The traffic really wasn't too bad. I stopped a lot for cold water and to use the restrooms. A few times I would get off an exit and then I'd have to drive a few extra miles to find the correct on ramp that was going South! I ended up getting back to the bay area around 3:30 or so. I was so tired but happy to be back. As soon as I got home I realized that I had to drop something off at the mailbox downtown. I decided to talk the puppies with me and run down with the dogs and my package! This turned out to be quite an adventure. The post office wasn't open by the time I got there so I had to run back home with this heavy package...luckily by this point the puppies weren't pulling as much...but I still must have looked funny with 2 dogs dragging me around town and a huge package under my right arm! Once I got home I dropped off the puppies and package and decided to run ~3 more miles easy to prepare for Sunday's "workout"/"fun run/race". I ran the 3 miles really easy...the night was cool and it felt nice to be free and running after being in the car so long.
Sunday
Today I ran a hilly hilly 4.8 or so mile club run. These club runs are once a month. Some people race them every month, some people run them for fun and others just go out to ensure they beat their rivals.
I decided to use the run as a warm up for the xc season. I wanted to see where I was at and my secondary goal was to make sure I beat my brother in law. We run together quite a bit and he can be very competitive ( I guess I can be too). But I really wanted to beat him.
The run is flat for the first mile. Then you climb up a 600 -700 meter hill. Then there is a very steep down hill...it's at least 800 meters long... and then you have to climb up two more hills. One that is very gradual, but long. The other that is very steep and pretty long especially if you hate hills. The final mile of the race returns on the first flat mile we started off on.
As soon as the run started my legs felt so tired. I wondered if I was tired from all of the driving I had done or from the workouts I had done the last few days. For the first mile my brother in law ran right behind me. Once we hit the first hill, I felt better. I didn't want to go up too fast, because I knew we still had at least 1 mile up of hill left later in the course. On the big downhill at least 6 men passed me. They were just flying! No brakes on them. Finally we hit the mile up hill and I just felt great. I gradually started to pick guys off and by the top of the steep hill I had caught the main pack...we were running in the top 5 -10 overall. Unfortunately on the final mile stretch the guys pulled away from me...and I had to just try to hang on. No one passed me, so that was good. I finished in 11th place overall. First woman overall. & over a minute in front of my brother in law. I think I have a lot of strength right now, not much speed but that doesn't need to come along until November...!
I ran 31:46
Monday
Today I ran 8.1 miles with my brother in law. We ran on the mountain down to the ocean. It was a beautiful run. We ran the first half at a good clip and the second half pretty easy (it was all up hill and my brother in law wanted to start his taper for a 50k he's doing this weekend!).
In the afternoon I ran 3.5 more miles with some athletes that I coach. We ran easy around a lake. It was great.
Tuesday
Today I really wanted to get into the city to do a hill workout with a women's team that I compete with. Unfortunately my husband and I had to finish up a Postering job that we are working on for a friend of ours. We ended up driving around the county for 3+ hours between 5-9 to finish up the job. After working a full day and driving around town I really wasn't up for a run at all-- so today was a day off!
Wednesday
Today I was up in the country. I was involved with the Senior retreat at the school I teach at. My job was to lead the hike. Over the two days I led four groups of students on a 2 mile hike that took the students to a peak of about 900 feet... the view was awesome ; not everyone got to see the view however because in the morning the fog was incredibly thick. In between hikes I decided to take adventure of the "hike route" and I ran some hill/mountain repeats. I ran 3 x ~ 1 mile ish reps. I didn't bother timing myself because I just wanted to go entirely on effort. I decided to pick up the pace on each rep. The workout was awesome. I began the workout as the fog was rolling in. As soon as I was done, my legs were absolutely beat. (but i felt great!!!) I think hill workouts are my favorite types of runs. The challenge is so concrete and obvious. It really is action in the line of the greatest resistance. No matter how you feel you are always getting a good workout in and when you are done you just feel great!
Thursday
Today I got up early and ran with some students. We ran about 2.5 to 3 miles. I led a few more of those 2 mile hikes and then in the evening I ran with some club friends over by the lake. We ran about 6.5 to 7 miles. The route included a hill that's about 1000 feet. We started the run around 5:15 and the temperature and atmosphere was just perfect. By the time the run was finishing up the colors were just starting to hit the sky and the lake was started to pick up the colors too...it was just beautiful. I was a bit tired on this run. My legs were pretty beat from the hill repeats and all of the hiking. All in all it was a good day...being outside so much was just Great!!!!
Posted by liz at 10:11 AM | Comments (1)
August 13, 2004
A few more runs
Wed. Night PM Run
I ran around Phoenix Lake tonight with a few of the athletes I work with. We started in the lower parking lot and ran up and around the lake. The pace was conversational and the company was great. ~26 minutes (3 + miles)
Thursday AM Run
This morning I ran 7 miles with a great college friend who is in town briefly for a visit. We ran the "Pantoll Loop" . It was absolutely beautiful! Half way in we stopped and put our hands and feet in the Pacific Ocean! It was a great conversational fun!
Thursday PM Run
Knowing that I got very little sleep last night (~4.5 hours or so) I decided to cut my tempo run short. I ran with my brother in law and instead of running up on Crown Road (trails) we ran on the local bike path (all of the miles are marked to the 1/4!!!). We decided to do
3 x 1.5 mile tempo repeats with the goal of gradually increasing the pace of each interval set. The wind was fierce on the 1st and 3rd repeat. We averaged 6:34 (1st repeat) , 6:21 (2nd repeat) , 6:17 (3rd repeat). It felt pretty controlled and relaxed.
Posted by liz at 12:14 AM | Comments (1)
August 11, 2004
AM RUN
This morning I got up pretty early to run 8 miles with my training partner from last spring and my brother in law. The temperature was perfect and the course was pretty flat compared to what I usually run. We ran for 59:45. It felt nice to get an am run in.
Later on this evening I am meeting some of the athletes I coach and I'll run another 3-5 miles (easy).
Posted by liz at 08:31 AM | Comments (1)
August 10, 2004
Hill Workout
Tonight I ran 5 x 800 meters on a steep uphill near my home. The hill starts off with a slight incline, then gets a bit steep, then levels out a tad and then finishes very steeply.
My recovery was active. As soon as I got to the top of the hill I would turn around, keep running until I hit the start where I would turn around and start the next repeat.
I ran 3:50, 3:43, 3:39, 3:34, 3:22. My goal was to start off at a tempo pace and gradually pick up my pace. The first 3 felt great -- smooth , controlled, etc. The last two I really tried to get my heart rate up and push the steep sections. I felt good; and I think I can go faster next time.
I'll repeat this workout next Tuesday with the goal of running each of my 800s a bit faster and perhaps I'll throw in 1 or 2 extra repeats.
This workout is geared for xc and strength training. It should help me with marathon preparation as well as 5k, 10k strength ! We'll see...
Posted by liz at 10:56 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2004
pm workout
Tonight ,due to my sore back, I did laps in the pool for ~ 40 minutes. It felt great!
Posted by liz at 08:55 PM | Comments (0)
Update!
Friday- "Dog Run"
I ran easy up on the ridge with my twin sister and my two dogs (a whippet and a boarder collie)! I'd say the run was about 8.5 - 9 miles. The weather was warm and the pace was easy... Just a nice recovery run!
Saturday- Easy Jog
Ran about 3 miles on trails in Clayton with my two sisters, my sister's dog Macy and my future brother in law. It was extremely hot. The pace was very easy.
Sunday- So Cal Run
Ran about 9 miles between 7 min pace and 7:15 pace with the dogs and my brother in law. Ran in Long Beach (I used to live there ~ 5 years ago). The course was very flat -- via Belmont Shore, Naples, Downtown Long Beach and Ocean Ave). It was a bit warm... other than that... a great run.
Monday - am run
Ran 3.6 + miles with my brother in law and an athlete I coach. Ran a mini version of the MA Dipsea course. It was very warm. Ran the hill hard.
Today my upper back is extremely tight and sore. If it doesn't feel better I may not go on my pm 8 mile run?!? We'll see...
Posted by liz at 06:38 PM | Comments (0)
August 05, 2004
Easy / Tempo Run
Lifting and Easy Run
My twin sister actually persuaded me to lift earlier this morning. I really don't enjoy lifting at all. I stare at the clock the entire session. I feel like if I make it through the lifting workout I deserve dinner, a movie and a huge apple pie ... indulgent, lazy things of that nature... This time I actually made it through about 15 minutes without quitting or complaining. I was impressed.
After the lifting my twin sister and I took off for an easy run. She's still recovering from her 50 mile run ( I think she's crazy for running so soon after her race, but...).
We ran together for 53 minutes on a course I like to call the "MA Dipsea". The course has two very big hills about 1.5 miles apart from one another... this to me really makes the course...! We talked the entire run and it felt very easy.
Quick Disclaimer: If my twin sister was NOT moving across the country in the next two days..I definitely would not have run twice today (and certainly I would not have lifted!!!)
Tempo Run
My main workout today was a ~ 6 mile tempo run. I ran the workout with my brother-in-law. The course is a 2.9 to 3 mile stretch of dirt road up on the mountain top. It's very flat and runable. There are many turns and twists on the course that keep you guessing in terms of the finish line. Our intention was to run out at a comfortable tempo pace (between 19 and 20 minutes) and return pushing the pace a bit (sub 19 or 19 flat ish).
The weather was great. A cool wind and lots of shade provided the perfect atmosphere for an early evening tempo run. We ran out in 18:34. It felt really great. (smooth, easy, nice.) We took a two minute break and then turned around and came back. My brother in law had about 6 seconds on me half way through the 2nd run. At this point I decided I had to go after him and finished maybe 4 or 5 seconds in front of him; running back in 17:41.
More later...
Posted by liz at 06:17 PM | Comments (1)
Greetings & A Recovery Run
Introduction & Greeting
I'm 29, married, female, an identical twin, a teacher, dean, and coach. I've been running xc and track and field since the 9th grade. I ran for a division 3 college about 8 or so years ago. Since graduating I have continued to run, train and race all sorts of distance from the 1500m to the 50k trail races. My PRs range from ~4:45 (1500m)(YEARS AGO) to 29:46 (8k) to 37:30 (10k) to 3:05 (marathon) to 4:02 (trail 50k)...
I love trail running/racing. During the fall I run lots of cross country races to get in shape and just to be out there. That is also why I brave the ultra 50ks; the scenery is amazing & the courses can be very tough. I think xc racing is the purest form of running; no excuses - any weather goes - times don't matter - (Actually George Sheehan sums it up the best "Cross Country is free running at its best. Just me and the land. Me and that crisp air. Me and the leaves underfoot. Me and the silent hills. That's cross country. Just me and the breathing and the leaves crunching underfoot on those silent hills. Nature has given up the ghost. Everything around me is dead or dying and I feel reborn. I am at my best." Running & Being '78)
Within the next 6 months my plans are to build a strong base and run a great marathon (2:55) either Cal, Vegas or Napa (all of which unfortunately can have terrible weather!!!!). Along the way I hope to improve on my 1/2 marathon (~ 1:25) which I've only raced twice and run some great xc races!!!
Although I'm not an elite runner I feel like I have a pretty privileged life because running inspires me and helps me realize things I never knew about myself or the world.
A Recovery Run
Yesterday I ran for 1:07. 39 with my twin sister Mary (who is also a blogger). We ran easy. My sister was recovering from a 50 MILE race and I was recovering from a 20 mile trail run.
The run yesterday was a bit warm, but beautiful. We ran into one of the high school athletes I coach and ended up running with her for the second half of the run.
Later on today I'll do a tempo run on the trails.
More later...
Posted by liz at 09:31 AM | Comments (0)