Stepping Stones 10K

Me and Jannelle Before the Race

The stormy skies of yesterday were so bad a number of races were cancelled after they had already begun. But not so with today's Stepping Stones race at the Jewish Community Center. The weather was absolutely beautiful. The 10K course was a double loop on S. Braeswood from Atwell to Rice Blvd, back around to Hillcroft and then finishing on Atwell. It was a small race, but well organized. I finished in 1:19:39, a PR (personal record) for a 10K.

Fabulous Weather

This morning the weather was still cool with low humidity. Of course it didn't take long before I was overheated. It was another 35 minutes of 50/90 intervals. Sunday will be my long run at the Stepping Stones 10K.

50/90 Intervals for Another 35 Minutes

Increasing my running time to 50 seconds has worked out fine. It seems that 5 second increases is the way to go. I'm hoping that by the start of the FBF season, I'll be well over 1 minute and ready to join the red group.
My workout today was a 5 minute warm-up, 5 minute cool-down and 25 minutes of intervals.
It's supposed to be really cool on Wednesday, but it's a rest day - oh, well.

50/90 Intervals

I decided to bump up my running time, even though it was for only an extra 5 seconds. I ran intervals for a full 30 minutes in between a warmed up and cool down of 5 minutes each. I've signed up for the Stepping Stones 10K on Sunday and hope to PR at that race.

Sienna 5K

The Sienna 5K benefiting Scanlan Oaks Elementary was held this morning. The weather was beautiful with clear skies and a cool breeze. Once the race started, it wasn't long before the heat became a bit overwhelming. The course was really nice, meandering through the Sienna Golf Course will rolling hills and lots of beautiful trees. My goal was to complete the race under the 42 minutes that I had been hitting at the 5K mark on my longer races. Ideally, I wanted to finish under 40 minutes. I am happy to say that my time was 39:42.7 - a 12:48 minute mile. I really had to push at the finish, but made it keeping my goal in mind.

Since I had a successful race today I decided to sign up for the Stepping Stones 10K next Sunday morning.

Sticking with the 45/90 Intervals

This morning I got out before the sun while it was still comfortable. I did my 45/90 intervals for 30 minutes. I've decided to stick with this routine for a while longer before lengthening the running part.

Saturday is the Sienna 5K and I'm hoping to finish just under 40 minutes.

35 Minutes

Today was another crazy day, but luckily I managed to get out in between my appointments. The air was still breezy around 8:30am. After a 5 minute warm-up I did 45/90 intervals for 25 minutes and then cooled down. It seemed easier this morning. Later in the day, my right knee started feeling funny, sort of like it was getting ready to go out on me. I iced it tonight and will take some ibuprofen before bed. Hopefully it's nothing. Wednesday is a rest day, so that will help.

New Week, New Attitude

Except for one weekend of forgoing my long run, I've pretty much kept to my exercise schedule. That means the area I need to focus on is my diet. Ever since I stopped being really watchful I haven't felt at my best. It's time to get serious again, so starting today I'm back on track.
I got up early this morning, had a light breakfast and after a 5 minute warm-up, did 45/90 intervals for 30 minutes. The air was still a little cool, although it was muggy. Summer is upon us and it's only April.

The Boston Marathon will start soon. I'm thinking about my Fellow Fort Bend Fit buddies and know how excited they are.

6 miles

I decided to go ahead with my 6 mile run today instead of taking a chance that I would oversleep and talk myself out of it on Sunday morning. Since I had appointments all day starting at 9:30am this morning, I had to wait until after 5:00pm to go out. It was still pretty hot, but at least there was a breeze. I warmed up for about 12 minutes mostly because the ground I was covering on Sweetwater was rutted and I didn't want to hurt myself. Once on the straightaway of Elkins, I did 45/90 intervals all the way down to the levee at Brazos Landing and back to Sweetwater where I walked it in for the rest of the time. It took me 90 minutes, a bit longer than I had planned, but not too bad considering the heat and the fact that I had not trained any longer than 45 minutes since the Dallas Marathon on the 2nd.

Sunday will be a rest day and then I will start back on my regular schedule Monday morning. Monday is the Boston Marathon and I'm looking forward to tracking my fellow FBFers as they run their race.

Third Training For the Week

It was a struggle, but I managed to squeeze in the last training of the week on what would have normally been an off day. Now I just need to figure out when my long run this weekend will be and for how long.

The air was cool during my 10 minute warm-up this morning, but it didn't take long for that to change. I continued with 45/90 intervals for a full 30 minutes and then did a 5 minute cool down. I felt that I needed the extra time for both my warm-up and my run. I've been really sluggish this week, attributing it to lack of sleep and having veered way off the path of proper nutrition. I just want to get a few 5K's under my belt before I revisit the elimination diet sometime at the end of May and get my eating routine back on track.

A Hard Week

Work has been really busy, so I've had a hard time getting out this week. I know the solution is to get up extra early and go, but that's been hard for me, too.

I managed to get out Monday night around 8pm and run 45/90 intervals for 30 minutes. My plans for last night were changed at the last minute, so I didn't get to run until this morning. The weather was pleasant - warming up, but still a bit cool. I ran 45/90 intervals for 30 minutes while trying to count the number of times my left foot hit the pavement. This is a technique Jeff Galloway uses to help runners increase their speed. It's not as easy to do as it sounds.

Boston Bound FBF & FLS Members

Sunday night, Andy Stewart of Finish Line Sports hosted a send-off party for the folks who are running the Boston Marathon on the 17th. It was truly inspirational hearing about some of the runners' stories from prior Boston Marathons and the trials and tribulations of the many attempts to qualify for the race.

Continuing with 45/90 Intervals

Although I had good intentions, I wasn't up for a long run today, so when I found a break in the late afternoon I went out for 40 minutes. There was a cool edge to the air, but the sun was beating down so it was really hot. After my standard 5 minute warm-up, I stayed in the neighborhood, did 45/90 intervals for a full 30 minutes and ended with a 5 minute cool down. I'll take a break on Sunday and go back to my regular Monday, Tuesday and Thursday schedule this week.
I'm trying to decide how to gear my training now since there are no long races in the immediate future.

35 Minutes in the Heat

I had a really hectic day today and was not able to get out until around 5pm. It was really hot, but since I'm tied up tonight, I had to go. After a 5 minute warm-up I did 45/90 intervals for 30 minutes. Thankfully there were a few shaded spots on my route today. It's only April and it feels like July!

Another 35 Minutes

I was able to get out early this morning so the weather was pleasant. After a 5 minute warm-up walk, I decided to do 45/90 intervals, up just a little bit from the 40/90 split. It was just right. I think I'll keep my runs to about 30 minutes during the week, but haven't decided what to do about the weekend "long" runs.

30 Minutes

Now that it's getting really hot I'll have to try to get out earlier. It was tolerable but not pleasant this morning. After a 5 minute warm-up I went back to the 40/90 intervals. With the time change and the heat of Sunday's race I've been feeling a bit sluggish, but this morning's run was easy and it felt good to get my muscles going again.

Now that I've completed the Texas Challenge (6 races of half-marathon or longer between October 31, 2006 and May 31, 2006), I need to decide my strategy from now until FBF training season resumes. I'm not interested in doing any long races until it starts to cool down again. I'm thinking that 5K's sound really good right now and I'd like to work on getting my 5K time under 40 minutes.

There's a 5K in Sienna on the 22nd, run by Coach Kari that I am planning to run.
Sienna Fun Run Info . Why don't you join me?

Dallas Texas Half Marathon- Thank Goodness It's Over!

Me, Jannelle & Bob before the Race

All I can say is I'm glad it's over. Dallas experienced record breaking heat today (high of 89) and it nearly broke me. Bob, Jannelle and I drove up to Dallas yesterday, picked up our race packets and ate an early dinner. We turned our clocks ahead for Day Light Savings and woke an hour short on sleep. I woke up with the start of a migraine and an upset stomach. I hope this doesn't continue to be a standard occurrence for out of town races! We left the hotel at 6:30am so that we would be at the State Fair grounds in plenty of time for the race, which started at 8:00am. There was a slight breeze, but it was obvious the way day was starting out that it would be a scorcher. Bob was signed up for the Full Marathon, and Jannelle and I were doing the Half. This was a smaller race than most, approximately 3000 people, so we didn't have to wait too long to get through the start. Bob took off ahead of us and after about a mile and a half Jannelle pulled back. The course took us around part of White Rock Lake which is just beautiful and through some very Tony areas of Dallas. The Half Marathon course was very hilly, but not as hilly as the Full Marathon course. There were very few spectators except for the volunteers at the water stations. I've mentioned before how important crowd support is at these races, and this one really fell short. I ran most of the course on a 40/90 interval except when I was going uphill. Around mile 10.5 I started to get light headed from the heat and the numerous remedies I had taken for my various ills, so I cut back to 35/90 intervals. I had set a 3:00 hour finish as my goal, but when I realized I wasn't going to make it, I began shooting for a PR (personal record), hoping to beat my time at the Seabrook Half. I fell short of making it by just under 2 minutes. Oh well, considering the hills and the heat I shouldn't complain. Jannelle made it in 3:34:50 and Bob, who said he would never do a Full again, finished in 7:09. After getting a bite to eat we headed home and reminisced about the day's events, which included a speeding ticket as we left Dallas.