The Tempo Runs

What's the difference between a speed workout and a tempo run? I'm sure I should probably google it but those have been my runs this week - one speed, and one tempo. Tempo seems to alternate between race pace and "steady" pace (whatever that means) for 1 mile at a time, and speed seemed to be a shorter sprint with little recovery jogs inbetween. I guess that makes sense?

The speed run on Tuesday called for the following, with .25 mile recovery jogs in between.

1 mile warm up

1 mile- 10k pace (8 min mi)

.75 mi - 10k pace (8 min mi)

.5 mi - 5k pace (7'30'' min mi)

.25 mi - 5k pace (7'30'' min mi) 

.75 mile cool down

So, I'm still working on finding my true 10K pace - but my best pace ever for a 10K distance was during an 8 mile training run, so I based it off that (my average pace was 8'06" during that run) so I figured that was a good goal to set.

Well, my first "fast" mile ended up being average 7'55" (fastest at 7'34"!) - about 10 seconds faster than I wanted to be, and it ultimately killed the rest of my workout. I was so winded by the end of it, .25 recovery miles wasn't enough... I slowed down to about a 10'30" pace. Ugh. I tried again to run around 8'06" for my .75 mile segment, only to peak even faster (7'19", woohoo downhills!) and further screw myself for the rest of the workout.

I essentially did the workout backwards - I should have been a little slower at the beginning, to fly at the end when I was supposed to be doing 7'30" (or 5K pace) splits. I'm sure I could have done the workout as it was intended, but sometimes I just have no concept of my pace, and Nike isn't really that great at telling me what my pace is while I'm running it. Maybe I should get a Garmin...?

So, I attempted to run 7'30" for my 5K paces (.5 mile and .25 mile segments), but I was so tired that I could only muster peaking at 7'42" for the briefest of moments, and I mainly hovered a little faster than a 9 minute mile for the rest of the half mile segment.

The last segment, the tiny orange color midst that sea of red, which was supposed to be my fastest, ended up only peaking for a brief second around 8'53" before plummeting back down to almost a 10 minute mile.

Lesson learned!

This morning, I knew I had to knock out a 9 mile tempo run, so I got up early so I would have enough time to go to a Restore Yoga class at 9:30. The workout would look like this:

1.5 mile - warm up

1.5-2.5 - half marathon pace (8'50")

2.5-3.5 - steady pace

repeat, and alternate between half marathon and steady pace, in 1 mile increments, until:

7.5-9 mile - cool down

The average pace by mile picture doesn't really work in this case, so I looked at nikeplus.com to see what my paces looked like when I was sprinting:

So, all those green tops? Those were my mile splits - all around the same speed, and all around 8'20"! That was better than I was hoping for - my PR half marathon pace time is 8'52", so I was aiming for around that.

I wasn't really sure what "steady pace" meant - just, my normal pace? That varies every day, so as you can see I tried to kind of keep around the 9'30" mark for my "steady paces", but soon got tired from all the energy I was exerting on the sprints, so I dropped back down to well past 11 minute miles as it got to the end there.

I tacked on another little half mile split before I started the cool down, since technically I was running at a "steady pace" for miles 6.5-7.5 and didn't want the whole rest of the workout to be so slow.

I mean, I'll take what I can get - I haven't done speed in a really long time, and lately all my workouts have felt really slow - so this was a nice change of..pace. Hah. Hah. I'm hilarious.

Nerdy running post, ftw!

I Ran The Highlands!

Hello from Dallas! I arrived last night (Friday) around 10 and went to sleep as soon as I unpacked and my head hit the pillow. I was exhausted!

At least it was a nice day!

This morning, Saturday, I knew that the Run The Highlands 5K was going to start at 8:45am- a pretty early start (that's 6:45am Seattle time!) for not a lot of sleep the night before. But, I also knew that I needed to run at least 3 miles this week, so if I wasn't going to do it at 8:45, I knew had to do it at some point in the day. With my second bridal shower later that afternoon, it might as well be when I'm half asleep!

This was a hard sight to leave!

The other benefit of running this race was that it was only about a mile away from my house. So, I figured I would make it a little tempo run - 1 mile warm-up, 3.1 miles tempo, and 1 mile cool down. Even though I haven't really been running a lot, I figured it was too perfect an opportunity to pass up.

Run The Highlands, hosted by the Lake Highlands Junior Women's League, is a certified 5K Race, 1 Mile Family Walk, and Carnival to benefit the Lake Highlands community. I grew up and went to school in Lake Highlands, and couldn't believe I had never heard of this event, so I was really excited to learn that I would be in town to participate, and make this race my first official race of 2014!

I started running away from my house at 8:25- enough time to get me to the race, and registered, in time for the 8:45am start.

I had to literally slow to a walk when I ran into a narrow sidewalk behind two ladies that were on their way to the event. Ah, well. I was averaging about 9 minutes/mile before I had to start walking.

I got there with just enough time to register and get in line before I heard the countdown begin!

A good crowd! The final number was 335 registered participants- the smallest race I've ever participated in!

Tired, but ready to run!

So many puppies!!

The race started promptly at 8:45am, and I realized I was at the back with the strollers too late - so it took a little bit to get going. Had I been in the front where I probably should have been, I would have gotten a better start. However, considering I had just run a mile, I was faring pretty well.

There were two aid stations - one at the 1.6ish mile mark, and another at the 2.6ish mile mark. Kind of random, but I didn't need any water since I had my handheld with me. I think from now on, I'm never running a race without it!

Picture is from December - but I use this during almost every run!

They also had a decent amount of spectators. Since the race went through neighborhoods, a lot of families were on their front lawns cheering us on (one family had a little water station!), and at almost every curve, there were even people with signs! I'm sure they were really there to protect the cones marking the curve, but still! I felt really supported throughout the race.

Despite that emoticon, I felt really, really tired throughout. There were a surprising amount of steep hills that I wasn't anticipating. I also hadn't been running a lot, and when I was, it certainly wasn't at race paces. But, I did feel the itch to start racing again. I'm excited - I have a 5K on my calendar for when I get back to Seattle, which is the beginning of a whole lot of races for the summer and fall in Seattle. I hope I get to go to as many as I can! I can feel the racing bug has bit :)

By the time the race was over, the sun was shining!

After crossing the finish line, I walked around for about 30 seconds, found a water bottle, and guzzled it down. I felt really nauseous after the race - I had really pushed it and gave it my all at the home stretch. My Nike+ shows my speed at the end as 7 min/miles. Wow! So speedy. Glad I still have that in me.

I noticed the people at the finish line giving out medals, and I can never resist some sparkle.. so I swallowed my embarrassment and went ahead and asked if the medals were for everyone. The lady looked at me and said, "Well, technically they're for the kids - but if you want one, we have plenty extra!" and honestly in a situation like that, what can you do but take it??

The cutest medal I have ever received- and the cutest I have ever looked.

After a minute or two of rest, I ran home.

Altogether, 1+3.17+0.83= 5 Miles for the morning! I felt really, really accomplished and so glad I got up to run. Run The Highlands is a fun run, with a challenging course, and not too tightly packed that you never feel like you actually got a chance to race. I really enjoyed it!

I ended up getting 2nd place in my division! I thought that was super, SUPER cool. This 5K is technically my slowest, if you look on my sidebar under "Races", you can see that it's one second slower than my very first 5K. But you know what? That's fine. I didn't train at all and I had no expectations. I ran because I wanted to, and that is enough!

Have you ever registered for a race on a whim?

My Christmas Wish List (and 5 Miles)

On the first day of Snowflake Lane, JW took these lovely pictures of me, in case anyone wanted to see:

We sing along to the lyrics, so all the pictures turned out bad. Haha!

A blurry but a goody.

The best face.

After Snowflake Lane yesterday, I completed a 5 mile tempo run on the treadmill (surprise, surprise) and I was really happy with how it turned out. I started with 1 mile at 5.5, then did 1.5 miles on 6.9mph and 1.5 miles on 7.0mph, all at a 1.0 incline. Then I cooled down for 1 mile.

I've been sleeping really well lately - going to be by midnight, and waking up around 8. I can definitely tell the difference in my energy levels in the morning, but it hasn't really been lasting throughout the day. In any case, I'm most productive in the mornings, so I got a TON of work finished that had been nagging at me for the last couple of days. I spent the rest of today buying presents and sending e-mails. Christmas really gets confusing when you're buying and exchanging gifts for people that are in a different state!

I've also been slowly making a Christmas list. Here are a few choice items on the list:

Mizuno Wave Riders 17 - retailing for $115, I can get them at Road Runner Sports for $103. Ships December 16.

Sport Hook, to hang my medals on

Nathan Sprint Plus Handheld Bottle Carrier, on Amazon

I'm also looking to get some kind of Water Bottle - Camelbak, maybe. I left my old green water bottle on an airplane earlier this year and I've really missed it. I've been using my Nathan water bottle as a casual water bottle, but it really should be kept for my long runs.

What's on your Christmas list?

Food Poisoning Makes Running Difficult

We're in tech week of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and our time at the theatre has gotten increasingly longer each night. We open tomorrow night - eek!

I ended up moving a workout - the 9 mile tempo run that was supposed to happen on Wednesday had to happen on Thursday.  On Tuesday night, I woke up around 3:30am, and continued to wake up on the hour, with what I've now diagnosed as food poisoning. I had eaten some green beans on Tuesday that had been in the fridge for maybe a few weeks? I checked them before I ate them, and they looked okay - but lo and behold, my stomach did not agree, and I ended up throwing up for 3 hours. Greeaaat. 

I decided that running 9 miles after no sleep and vomiting wasn't the best combination. So, I waited until Thursday to run. I was still tired from the previous night's rehearsal (we were there until 11:30!) so I didn't get up early to run, and since Seattle is going through a HEAT WAVE, I decided to do the miles on the treadmill. 

Calorie count is wrong - the app originally thought I had run over 10 miles, but nope.

Tempo run, with the first and last miles the slowest. Pretty good!

I watch Conan during my runs - sue me. (first half)

(second half)

So, total distance ended up being 9.06 miles with 938 calories burned. Sweet! I had Nuun with my water (I'm coming around to it!) as well as some Gatorade Prime chews during the run.

I've got a small, 15 minute NTC workout tomorrow, and then it's my mission to get up early on Saturday to knock out 18 miles before my second performance that night. Eep!

The Big Dipper Tempo Run

On Tuesday, I completed the NTC Intermediate Get Strong Perfect Score, the first NTC workout that I had completed previously. Full disclosure: I hated it. It was in the morning, and I just didn't have the energy... I mean, I sat through one of the exercises, I was so unmotivated! I'm pretty sure it's because I hadn't completed a full NTC workout since the Wednesday before, (which was the wrong workout, let me remind you). Oh well... at least I did it, right?

Back to running this morning!

I rolled out of bed, almost literally, at 6:45 to go and conquer a 6 mile tempo run around the neighborhood. I had planned out my run via Google Maps the night before, so I at least knew where I was going to run instead of aimlessly running around and getting stopped by dead ends. Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn't tell you where the hills are.

I tried this G Series Prime 01 before I went out. Can I ask Gatorade buffs: WHY is this in a squishy pouch when the liquid inside is NOT a gel? Being my curious self, I expected it to be gel-like, and I gripped it so hard during my first sip that it ended up shooting to the back of my throat, instantly choking me. At 7 in the morning! I spent at least 5 minutes trying not to cough up a storm and get the liquid out of what felt like my lungs. Ugh. Not a good start.

I also packed these for fuel:

Ugh. Has anybody tried these? I do NOT recommend them. I ate one around Mile 2 and almost spit it out - I felt like I was chewing a tire. The consistency was much too hard, not at all like the gummi-ness of my Clif Shot Bloks. Once I got home, I threw the rest of the pouch away. Never again!

So, my fuel wasn't as top notch as it usually is. That's okay, I'm learning what I like!

Big Dipper Run?

I started the run with a slight incline, and then turned the corner, and there it was. The MOTHER of all hills. Here's a street view shot for you to understand my horror at what I'd done.

Maybe you can't tell because of the fish-eye of Google... but it was steep!

Um. Okay. So, no matter that miles 2-5 were supposed to be at "tempo" pace (which to me just means sprint), I had to do it uphill??

Despite all of that, plus feeling like I was gonna die in the middle of the 2nd mile, I actually did okay on my tempo run. What goes up must come down, right? The only reason why miles 3 and 5 were SO fast were because I was running downhill or on a flat plane almost the entire time. I felt like I was flying! It was still hard, of course, but I'm sure if it had been flat I would have only been getting in the mid 8s, like mile 4.

Hmmm, interesting. I still don't think it counts since it was on hills!

In any case, I'm glad it's over, and now the only run left for the week is my extremely slow 12-miler. I've been meaning to make a special playlist of slow-but-motivating songs for this run. That, or listen to an audiobook to keep my mind off of how long I'll be out there. The instructions say to run it 1-2 minutes slower than your regular pace, so I'm just gonna try and hit around the 11s and 12s.

Have you ever ran while listening to an audiobook? 

Nut Roll Tempo Run

On Wednesday, I completed my first Tempo Run of my marathon training. I ate a Larabar Uber Roasted Nut Roll (I can't help but snicker at that name) about 15 minutes before the run, and didn't have any problems. However, the rest of the run was a disaster.

1) My sunglasses broke on Monday, and I forgot to bring my other pair. So I couldn't exactly go out like this:

Obviously taken after my workout, but yeahhh.

2) I forgot my water belt, so I had to hold my water bottle. 3) I forgot my headphones, and 4) I forgot my arm band, to hold my phone. Oh, and 5) It was 6:30 in the evening. HOT.

I had my water bottle in one hand, and my phone in the other, while squinting in the sun and looking like a fool. Just imagine it... pumping my arms while holding two bulky objects. Ugh, disaster!

Beautiful, but SO HOT.

So, it being my first tempo run, I didn't really have a number in mind, just that I wanted to go fast. I feel like there should be a little more structure to my tempo runs but if so, then I'm at a loss. All that was in my mind was "Run as fast as you can!" So.. I tried. I did a warm up mile going one way, turned around, sprinted 2 miles, and then turned back around and did a cool-down for 1 mile.

I'm happy that my 1st and 4th mile were about the same speed, and I suppose I'm okay with my "fast" speed being in the low 8's... I don't know, I'm disappointed still. Some of my other runs have been in the 8s on the average... ah, well.

Super hot, but glad that the run was over!!

Fortunately, I didn't have to go to rehearsal after this run. So ready for this week to be over!