« Hurd Park Run | Main | Aetna Loop »
August 25, 2004
Out and Back Christmas Tree Loop
Late Night Run
I stayed up way too late last night so my day today was very delayed. Everything was set back by about four hours. I helped my Mother clean her office at work for most of the day. When I got home it was already 7:30 p.m. By the time I got out the door for my run it was 8:20 p.m. I wanted to run at least 7 miles and hopefully maybe 10 miles. I decided to run an out and back course and once I started to feel good I changed my mind and decided to run the Christmas Tree 10 mile loop that my sister and I run every Christmas morning. I felt better through each mile. I wore a head lamp so that cars could see me and was really impressed that the cars moved over so much when they went by me. After about 35 minutes I passed a barking dog that was going berserk. It was out of control. I was on a dark woody road and felt uncomfortable. At that point I decided my run would be an out and back run. After 37.30 I turned around excited from the barking dog and decided to run a negative split run and pick it up on the way home. I felt good the entire way home so with a mile to go I decided to do a time trial. I hit the split time on my watch and took off. I felt really good and was excited to be testing myself after avoiding it for way too long (it's been almost a year since I have done any real speed work due to a knot in my quad that is impossible to break up, every time I run under 7 minute pace it seizes up!). I decided not to look at the watch until I got home. I could have checked my split at the half way mark but I did not want to be distracted. I was anxious to see my time and see where my fitness was. When I hit the driveway to our house I stopped the watch and looked down. The time was a very disappointing 6.37. I was crushed. While I was running I felt great. I was not terribly out of breath but I felt in control and was secretly hoping for a 6.10. My overall time was 1.08.03 so I definitely ran a lot faster on my home so that aspect of the run was good. My quad tightened up with 400 meters to go when I really tried to extend myself. After tonight's time trial I am determined to try to incorporate more speed workouts into my running despite some discomfort I may feel in the quad. Testing myself will remind me that my quad is tight and force me to massage it more often. As soon as I entered the house I used the stick to massage the muscle and try to work out the kinks. I could feel with the stick where the knot was because there is a bump when you go over that part of the muscle. I hope I can pay more attention to that area and over time work out the knot. Tomorrow I think I may try to do a long fartlek run to begin working on some speed again.
Posted by mary at August 25, 2004 8:13 PM
Comments
Regarding being disappointed about your split time, perhaps it was just a case of the syndrome many runners seem to suffer from - feeling like you're running faster than you really are when it's dark out. I've talked to other people who have experienced this - you feel like you're flying even when you're not. I have no idea what causes it, but almost everyone I've talked to about this has experienced it at some point. Good luck with the speedwork!
Posted by: Alison at August 26, 2004 7:54 PM
Alison, that is a good point. When I have done those all night relays my times are always slower than I expected. I did two repeat miles today in the middle of my run and felt better. I ran 6.26 and 6.24 and felt like it was a good tempo pace. I definitely have to start doing more speed work this fall. You will help to inspire me. Thanks for the note! More soon, Mary
Posted by: Mary at August 27, 2004 10:10 AM