Thursday, March 10, 2011

Guess who decided to show up yesterday!

After blogging about how crappy my running legs have been feeling, they decided to show up for yesterday's noon run. Yesterday's workout was a double.  In the early morning hours I decided to jump on the rollers and do a 1 hr 20 min cycling workout. With the workout in the bag, I didn't care about how much my run would go as long as I got in a double.

The scheduled run was a 10k tempo run @ moderate tempo which is about 6:11 min/mile pace for me.  I decided to do the workout on the George Washington bike trail and start heading out south towards the 14th street bridge. As anyone who's run or ridden on the GW bike trail knows the wind can be relentless.  The way out was a constant headwind and based on how my running has been feeling I wasn't sure I was going to keep the 6:11 per mile pace. My warm up is usually from my office to the start of the trail which is about half a mile. I felt a sense of good vibrations during the warm up.  My legs felt alive but only time would tell. So here is my workout.

Mile 1 at 6:07 min/mile pace
Mile 2 at 6:08 min/mile pace
Mile 3 at 6:12 min/mile pace
Mile 4 at 5:59 min/mile pace
Mile 5 at 5:52 min/mile pace
Mile 6 at 6:10 min/mile pace

For mile 4 and 5 I got a bit off track and went a bit harder due to the tailwind on the way back. I decided to scale back at mile 6 and keep the tempo I was suppose to keep. I'm very pleased with the workout.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Changing Lanes

If you recall one of my 2011 goals was to run the Marine Corps Marathon.  I decided against that to once again run the Back Yard Burn 10 mile trail running series in the  fall.  This coming year they have added a 5th race to the series.  The 5th race is at Laurel Hill which is literally right in my back yard.  I can actually walk to the start of the race which is sweet for pre race jitters and prep.  Makes the morning easier. 

I still want to attain the goal of running a marathon in 2011.  I have to do some google searching and see which one fits my schedule the best.  It has to be somewhat local and easy to get to.

As for early season racing, looks like I'm still on track for the Chesapeake Bay Duathlon.  I have finally managed to lose those last 5 lbs.  That said, my running is not going as I would like in terms of feel.  Lately I feel I have cement blocks in my shoes.  I may not be drinking enough water or just not getting enough sleep.  I can fix the hydration issue by getting more H2O but the sleeping, well that's not as easy.

Its not easy to get a full nights rest when you have toddlers tugging at you in the midnight hour asking you for the potty or some water.  I was thinking I might just duct tape them to their beds to solve that issue.  On top of that they both end up in our bed anyways right along with an 80lb pit bull.  I shit you not, I end up going into my little girl's room to sleep in her bed which is accessorized with DORA THE EXPLORER.  Doesn't make for the best rest, but trying to get comfortable in a bed with extra bodies doesn't either. 

Well, I hope you're sleeping better than I am.  Have a great day.