Today is Fish's birthday. He is 6! And let me tell you, he is very excited about being 6!!
We ran from Skeeter's today. They talked about how these were real nature trails, so I got very excited about finding real trails close to home. I debated about whether or not to wear my regular shoes or my trail shoes. I finally made the decision and donned my trail shoes.
One of my socks was bugging me before I even left the house, so I turned it inside out. The other one felt fine so I left it alone.
I ate a Gu (triple berry) before leaving the house. I noticed today that this one had caffeine. I don't do caffeine because I am a lunatic when it is in my system. But, I took it anyway because I didn't have any other choices and I figured I'd run the stuff out of my system pretty quick.
We started the run after a talk from Rich about slowing our pace down and remembering what we had learned about HR training. I had already decided that I was slowing way down today. I need to slow these long runs down. As we headed out, the usual crew was running their usual 8 something pace. So much for the talk. I did get a bit frustrated because I knew if I was going to run properly, I would be running alone. I didn't join this group to run these long runs alone, not so much because I want to talk with someone, but more for safety. It's dark when we start and I don't know the routes, not to mention, it's not safe to be running these trails alone. If I am going to run the marathon at a 9:30 or so pace, I would think my slow runs would need to be a bit slower than that. maybe 10:00 or 10:30 according to what I've been reading. Not too mention the HR thing. Slow runs should be run in Zone 3 and most of mine have been in Zone 5. These other folks are running quicker than a 9 min pace on the slow runs which is great for them, but they probably aren't really a yellow group runner. I think this is why so many yellows moved down to the red group.
So I dug in and decided that I would just run the best I could, if I got lost or nervous about being on the trails alone, I would head to the street and just run the familiar paths. I'll be running the marathon alone, so I need to get used to that.
I ate another Gu at mile 3 and then ran into Ruth. She had run a 20 miler on Tuesday and was having a rough run. I walked with her and realized that she really didn't know where she was going either. I figured between the two of us, we could handle these trails together. We finally found the trail and wouldn't you know it, it wasn't a dirt nature trail, it was a concrete path just like all of the others I run on around here. So much for the trail shoes. What a dork! It was a pretty secluded trail and very pretty, but I could have easily gotten lost if not for the map.
Ruth needed to walk quite a bit, so I stayed with her. She told me to go on ahead, but I couldn't. To me, safety is more important than my pace. Besides, if I left her alone, I'd be alone too and these trails could hide a weirdo just about anywhere.
We hung in there and at mile 6 or so I ate my final Gu. We came close to the finish but it wasn't quite 9 miles, so I continued on and ended up tacking on .44 miles etc.
It was a nice run. My HR was in Zone 3 longer than usual, but I did hit Zone 4 for most of the run. I think this is because did the first 3 much faster than I wanted to.
And the sock situation? Well, the one that was turned inside out felt great. The one I didn't turn has a rubbed area on the toe. I guess I'll be turning my socks for my longer runs now.
I felt great at the end of the run. I actually think I could have run the 2 miles home. Probably to do with the Gu and caffeine.
Ruth also told me about Surfside Marathon which I know Barbara ran last year. I may consider running this. We'll see about dates and how it will fit in with preparing for TIR.
Total Miles: 9.44
Total Time: 1:40:30
Avg. HR: 169
Avg Pace: 10:45
Ate a Gu
Mile 1: 9:53
Mile 2: 9:54
Mile 3: 12:54 (Ate a Gu and then met up with Ruth and walked with her. She had run a 20 miler this week and was having trouble. I am a firm believer in not leaving someone behind, especially a woman)
Mile 4: 10:16
Mile 5: 11:55 (walked with Ruth some more)
Mile 6: 12:13 (same as above, plus we were trying not to get lost! Ate another Gu.)
Mile 7: 11:22
Mile 8: 10:26
Mile 9: 9:26 (Was able to run ahead of Ruth since we were on the main road again and there were others around)
Mile .44: 9:04
Total Miles for the Week: 20.8 miles
Weight 124.0
2 comments:
Karen, would you post something sometime about what %'s you have as they correlate to the zones?
The ones I use are 1 is 60-70%; 2 is 71-80%; 3 is 81-85%; 4 is 86-90% and 5 is 91-100%.
Is that the same as you?
Oops; sorry. I also meant to throw in there that I was glad you found someone to run with.
We run pretty much the same path each week but add on distance at the end so the only new part to learn is typically just 1/2 mile (out and back) farther than the week before.
Sure, not the most exciting after you've done it 100 times, but it sure beats the alternative. I have to say I really do prefer the out-and-back though because it significantly increases your chances of seeing more people out there in case you were to get turned around.
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