A good Turkey Day!

Yesterday was my first ever Turkey Trot. I assume that is the un-official name given to any race on Thanksgiving morning. There were a lot of people there for the run. I haven't seen the official tally, but I think it was more people that I'd run with before. I really liked how they had signs at the start for expected pace. I lined up at the front of the 9 minute/mile mark, exactly what I ran for the first mile. That first mile was crazy: With all those people running together, and so many of them having lined up in the wrong spot, it was mayhem while everyone sorted themselves into the proper position in the pack. However, it seemed to settle down after that, and I certainly got into a groove. I got my splits at each mile, but didn't think to look at them, only my overall time. I did a lot of math during my run: how fast was that mile, where am I now, will I beat my target time of 52 minutes, and most importantly how long will it take me to run that last tenth of a mile. That's right, I calculated the last tenth of a mile, forgetting that it was actually 6.2 miles. At the 6 mile marker, I thought if I kept up the pace I might actually beat my super goal time of 50 minutes. 50 minutes came and went, and I still couldn't see the finish line. I was livid with the race organizers and totally lost focus when I probably needed it most, and it shows in my final split (although I still think the finish line was off!)

This morning i'm sitting at my computer, drinking coffee, remembering the race. I had a blast, and if nothing else got in a good hard workout to make up for my two plates of Thanksgiving lunch. When I strategize for a race, I always base it on a 10 minute/mile pace. I think it is time to adjust my strategy!

Ready for Thanksgiving

Two days until Thanksgiving, and the annual Turkey Trot. I haven't run in a 10K in over 20 years, and just getting over a cold I'm a little nervous. I'm not so nervous about how I will do compared to others, I'm actually worried that I might not be able to perform up to the expectations of my trainer. As we discussed race strategies yesterday she mentioned an initial pace of 7:15 as perhaps being a bit too quick. I seriously doubt I can get that quick early on, maybe for the last mile if I'm feeling great. Right now I'm doing these races for run, so I don't really care about the time. At some point I will want to change that approach, and be more competitive.

If I hadn't gotten sick, I'd be aiming for a sub-50 time. I think a more realistic time for me for this race is 52-53. Then again, when the race starts and the blood is pumping hard, the body does things you don't expect. Let's aim for 52 and see how things work out...

Cold and Flu Season

Has it really been two weeks since I got this cold, and one week since my last real workout? Yes, and it is very depressing. I was working so hard, and making such good progress, now I'm afraid all of that will be lost and I have to start all over again. I signed up for a race Thanksgiving day. I still plan to run, but perhaps will have to adjust my expectations. In two and a half weeks I travel to San Francisco for an uphill 10K race, goodness knows how my lungs will survive after what they have been through this past week!

The best news is that I'm not 25 anymore. I wish I still had the energy and stamina of a 25 year old, but with age I've learned to accept the limitations of my body. I will do the best I can, and that is all that I can do and expect. I'm going running tomorrow. It may not be long or far, and it may not be fast, but I'm going running. And when I'm done, I'll be one day closer to my first half Ironman!

Now, let me to take my cough medicine, inhaler, and get to bed!

No time to get sick!

I can't believe it, Tuesday afternoon I started feeling not so well. I finished my workday with a fever, and foolishly decided to try and do my swim workout, when I really wanted to sit in the hot tub and get warm. I abandoned the effort after 20 minutes. I couldn't keep track of my laps, and didn't have the energy to post the required effort. I planned a sick day yesterday but work wouldn't leave me alone. They even called me at 10 pm, knowing I'd been sick all day.

I don't have time to be sick! I have a long scheduled bike ride in 10 days, a 10K on Thanksgiving day, and another one a week after that. This is all to get me ready for my next real race, the HIM in April.

I got a good night's sleep last night and feel much better. I'm going running this afternoon!

Hardest weekend to date

This past weekend was a good/tough weekend of training, at least for where I am today. I'll probably look back in a month and laugh at that statement. I swam 2000M worth of drills Friday, rode 45 miles in Magnolia Saturday, and then ran 6 miles Sunday. Stupid me went to Aerofest yesterday, a 10 hour concert featuring 7-8 bands. I am so glad that today is my day off because my legs are pretty tired!