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October 08, 2004
friday tempo run
well i took thursday off....due to a crazy packed day....i was going nonstop...despite the busyness of the day...i was able to enjoy a few moments...our high school girls team...ran in a huge all league race after school in golden gate park. our top runner, only a freshwoman, won the race overall!!!!-- that was awesome...and then our next 6 runners all finished within the top 33 runners!!! they ran in packs...their last mile across the board was their best...it was just awesome. they placed 2nd overall in the league...our best finish ever...i was so happy for them. our boys team ran well too despite the absence of three of the top guys....our top guy placed in the top 10 and ran 1 minute faster than last year!!!
today i went for a tempo run at lunch. (51:30) i ran the elbow loop plus the crossroads loop. the elbow loop is 4.6 miles...with at least one major 1 mile climb...and about 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile section on the trails...you have to negotiate traffic and lights...so it's kind of like a city run...but believe me...it would be more like a suburban run/country run to most folks...anyhow i ran the elbow loop in 30:26...i think i did this section a bit too hard....as soon as i hit 5th ave...and i was starting the crossroads loop...there was a major headwind...and i just felt beat...the next mile that i could time slowed down to 7 minutes...then i ran 6:55 and then I came back for my final mile and ran 6:12...but i was working very hard to finish strong...i'm not sure where this puts me in terms of being ready for next weekend's half marathon. while running the elbow loop i felt really confident...but then the 2nd half i started to worry...i hope i don't hit the wall next weekend...i'm driving close to 3 hours to run this race... and i'm leaving the puppies and my husband behind...so it's an investment in many ways...i j ust want to have a quality race so that the taxes (being away from home, driving a long distance, etc...) pay off in the long run...
about an hour after the tempo run i went out to the trails and ran the pumpkin alternative loop with the xc runners...the course is so fun and very beautiful. we ran easy...it was a recovery run for all of us. it's about 6.5 miles...you run 2.5 miles out on a fire road...then take a zig zag trail uphill for about a mile (pumpkin section)...and then we took a beatiful ~1.5 mile single track trail...down the other side of the ridge....only to have sweeping views of mt. tamalpais, the lake district, and the rolling foothills of mt. tam...it was just so pretty....i think everyone got carried away here and there...the scenary was just so inspiring...
i'm off now to take my friend to the airport
i m tired from the combination of runs today....but all in all it feels good
more later
Posted by liz at October 8, 2004 02:57 PM
Comments
Hi Liz, Congratulations on a great team run yesterday! How exciting to get your top finish ever! That is awesome. Your workout sounds good. I think you were probably just tired from your long day yesterday and breaking the course up into two loops probably mentally distracted you a bit. If you had done a marked 8 mile course you probably would have been more consistent. In breaking up the course into two loops you probably lost a bit of focus. I think it is a good effort. You still managed to finish with a great split and your first split was good. Hope to talk soon!
Posted by: Mary at October 8, 2004 04:23 PM