Training Log Archive: Anna

Event: CSU Rocky Woods Spring Meet
 

I'd forgotten how painful the first spiked-up run of the season is for calf muscles! I got out of bed this morning, hobbled around the house to loosen up, and went to the meet. I warmed up to the point where they didn't hurt, but on the trail run to the first control I was tripping over everything. I just had no control over my lower legs at all. Then my hamstring started to feel questionable, too. So I decided to quit while I was ahead. Then I took a nice long nap and listened to Sara Mae tell fairy tales to the little kids.

Walking was fine (but slow), so I helped pick up controls.

Goal this week: finally actually take a down week!!!

Event: UNO Gunstock
 

To and from MIT track w Izzy. I think this also includes drills and a 2-min pickup, but I'm not sure.

Shake-out

3k time trial at Harvard track with Alex, Ian, Brendan, SGB, and Presto.

The time was sure a surprise! I'm super excited, because I was only 0.16 seconds away from tying my 3k PR, which I'd put in the 'not really possible' category when I was thinking about my race. Yay! Time trials are also mentally hard for me, and I think I took a step forward in the mental toughness department.

I executed my plan awesomely. I went out conservatively the first lap and a half and built into a fast pace by the last mile. I tried to push earlier than the last 2 laps since I haven't done any speedwork, and I think I did a good job of that. Then I chased Alex for the last 2 laps, which was good because it can sometimes be hard to push myself in small races/time trials.

C • Awesome 9

This was my first time rabbitting. Exciting!!! The strategy was sort of tough. Normally, a rabbit is supposed to run a target pace and not worry about what the rabbit-ee is doing, but Izzy had no target pace! So I gave an explanation of what each part of the race would feel like and tried to judge how hard she was breathing. I think we went a little fast the first lap and a half and then settled into a good pace.

Reasons Izzy ran awesome:

1. She smashed the JST 3k goal, and her 3k pace was only 10 seconds off of the JST *mile* goal.
2. This was her first running race! Ever! Unless you count the mile run at soccer tryouts. And if you count that, it means she ran a faster mile pace for a 3k than she did for her mile PR. Which means she was only half a lap short of running 2 mile PR's back to back. Whoa!
3. This was a double after her morning lacrosse game.
4. Izzy doesn't get to train as much as she'd like for running, since she plays non-running sports 3 seasons out of the year. The season I quit basketball, I dropped 28 seconds from my mile time. How much could Izzy improve if she negotiated with just one of her coaches to build more of a running base?
5. She did all the little things right today. She hydrated after her lacrosse game. She ate the right amount and type of lunch, the right amount of time before her race. And she remembered to hydrate and stretch after. She even figured out a backup location after we discovered the Harvard track was being used.

This was a fun race to be a part of!

C • Thank you so much! 2

Tomorrow is my first track race in over 16 months!!! Crazy! I really have no baseline, so I'll be going completely on feel. I'm somewhat worried about not having done any speedwork, so I won't count on having any sort of kick. I'll run comfortably the first lap, then run a little harder than comfortable the next 2.5 laps, then "kick" for the last mile.

Putting my possible outcomes in perspective (and some not-so-possible ones):

If I ran a 13:30, I'd be fast enough to be on the JST!
If I ran a 12:00 (goal, a bit of a reach), the Vdot calculator says I could run a ~6-minute mile.
If I ran an 11:46 (probably not realistic), I'd be faster than I was before I got sick.
If I ran an 11:39 (not realistic), I'd PR.
If I ran a 10:59, (I won't), my race would be as good as my 3200 PR.
If I ran a 10:27 (I won't), I'd be in the best shape of my life.

Legs felt recovered today! Hamstring a bit tight but loosened up, and I rolly-sticked it while I was making dinner.

Event: CSU Park-O #5: Cat Rock
 

Ugh I was super tired! I should've run less yesterday. decided to jog the course, but then I had a hard time keeping focused. So I didn't orienteer very well, but it was fun being out in the woods!

Advanced - Splits

Hurt my hamstring doing cartwheels at the ICA yesterday, but I did a long warmup yesterday evening, and it's only a little tight today. Whew!

C • Cartwheels 3

2 laps around the reservoir. Right hamstring still sore, but I started out easy and it was fine. I rolly-sticked it when I got home.

So... last week wasn't a down week either! I thought it was only 28 miles, but it turns out I forgot to log my distance on a few things:/ I did feel fantastic today and during the long, though, so I might keep going one more week. My main goal is just to make sure I don't have any *accumulated* fatigue.

This week:

Mon: rest
Tues: threshold work with Alex's skiers
Wed: easy run
Thurs: Park-O! Might do hills or something after.
Fri: pre-meet
Sat: 3k TIME TRIAL!!! First track race since Winter 2012!!!
Sun: Long run? Alex and I were talking about doing more of our long runs in terrain.

Day 1 of my don't get beaten by Spike plan.

Joined Alex and her skiers for some threshold trail stuff at Hammond Pond. Should've brought a map, but I couldn't find a good one as I was headed out the door. It was on trails, but there was lots of jumping over stuff and lots of rocks, so I'm just calling it a terrain run.

3 x 1.4 mi, ~3 min jogging rest.

11:34
11:46
11:40

I followed Alex for the first 2, and it was good practice since she's less timid on the rocky stuff than I am. I was on my own for the last one, and it was hard. I was stumbling a whole lot more than I was on the rest of it.

The warmup and cooldown added up!