Monthly Archives: May 2007

Two fast work-outs

0, 03mi, lactate threshold run, vo2 max

Start time: 5/11/07, 6:00pm
Location: McLean High School
Distance: ~3.25 miles
Average pace: 9:30min/mile & 6:20min/mile

Start time: 5/15/07, 6:00pm
Location: McLean High School
Distance: ~3.7 miles
Average pace: 9:30min/mile & 7:00min/mile

Last Friday was my first VO2 Max run, which was like last Tuesday’s Lactate Threshold Run… only faster. Well, that was the idea. Laura and I did it together again, but we were never able to nail our projected 6:00min/mile pace. We were always about 5 seconds off at the quarter mile mark, which actually places us around a 6:20min/mile pace. Still, not bad for four 2-minute bursts of speed the first time out of the gate.

Then, yesterday, was the return of the LTRs, but with 6 2-minute reps instead of just 4. That went really well… aside from the lower-calf problems I’ve been having for a few weeks with a general soreness/stiffness. I suspect that I’m going to have to take a couple of weeks off and see if that does the trick, as frustrating as it is. (It’s really hurting today, which is not good.) I’d rather have to take time off now than right before the marathon. *sigh* Not happy.

Off-Tempo

0, 02mi, tempo

Start time: 5/10/07, 7:30pm
Location: Arlington Boulevard Trail
Distance: 2.50 miles
Average pace: 8:12min/mile

Thursday’s scheduled run was a Tempo run, which for me is supposed to be at an 8:30min/mile pace. I plotted out a route where I knew every half-mile marker, and set out to see how I would do. Unfortunately, for the second time in the past week or so, I’d neglected allergy medicine. I at least had taken a morning dose but I’m so not used to needing a late-afternoon/early-evening dose that it keeps slipping off my radar until it’s too late. My head felt like it was packed in cotton and it was extremely uncomfortable at best to run. I finally gave up with half a mile to go, because I just felt horrible; it was hard to breathe and really unpleasant. On the bright side, while I started off a little too fast (oops) I’d done a pretty good job of hitting each half mile around the 4:15 mark; the exact times were 3:46, 4:01, 4:14, 4:08, 4:18. Next time, hopefully, I’ll be a little wiser when it comes to the Allegra.

Spring In My Step

0, 03mi, lactate threshold run

Start time: 5/8/07, 6:00pm
Location: McLean High School
Distance: ~3 miles
Average pace: 9:30min/mile & 7:00min/mile

Yesterday, Laura and I ran the first of our “Lactate Threshold Runs” which involve short bursts of running at a faster pace, with slight breaks between them. The schedule was as follows:

10 minute warm-up jog
4 2-minute bursts at a 7:00min/mile pace, separated by a 1-2 minute walk
10 minute cool-down jog

We headed over to McLean High School to use their track, since it’s nice and flat, has no traffic, and is easy to figure out distance since it’s a quarter-mile loop. So we did the warm-up, then headed around for our first lap. At our correct pace, we should run one lap in 1:45, with 15 more seconds to go. So we took off along its wonderful bouncy surface (I do love new tracks) and the first loop was done in… 1:30. That’s a 6min/mile pace. Oops! We were more on track for the others, though, and Laura was a great person to run with.

Once we were done (amidst the occasion dodging of the women’s soccer team which was setting up for a game), we hit our warm down jog for another mile, then headed on out. A good time! As the LTRs continue we’ll be having additional loops to do, but for now it was a nice start.

I need to find me a 5K race!

0, 03mi

Start time: 5/6/07, 8:00am
Location: Capital Crescent Trail
Distance: 3 miles
Average pace: 7:55min/mile

Empowered & Fit started their training season this morning; I’ll be doing some assistant coaching this season but on the days I’m not, I’ll be out there running. So, it was time trial morning where you figure out what group you’ll be in. I was in the first group to head out, and while I wasn’t the first one to finish (that was Andreas with his 6min/miles… good lord…) I was quite pleased to knock out a 23:46, which means that on my training days I’ll be with the 9min/mile group. I’m happy with that. Even better, on the days I’m running on Sundays, I’ll get to do so with Laura and Dave and Paul and the rest. Yay!

Scavenger Hunt

0, 05mi, custis, pacers arlington

Start time: 5/3/07, 7:00pm
Location: Clarendon and the Custis Trail
Distance: 5.4 miles
Average pace: 8:57min/mile

This was both fun and deadly; a scavenger hunt as part of a running route. It started out like the normal Tuesday Clarendon run from Pacers, but we went the opposite direction on the Custis Trail and ran a little over an extra mile as a result. The course? Also full of hills. Yay, hills.

But hey, I won a $100 gift certificate so I’m not complaining!

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=921565

Quickie

0, 02mi

Start time: 5/1/07, 6:30pm
Location: Arlington Boulevard Trail
Distance: 2 miles
Average pace: 9:06min/mile

The plan was to actually run 4 miles, not 2, but my calf was feeling a little stiff and I quickly decided that discretion really is the better part of valor. That, and there was a breeze kicking up a nasty amount of dust and dirt from the road and I was actually starting to choke. Fun!

Belated Saturday

0, 10mi

Start time: 4/28/07, 8:00am
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 10 miles
Run:Walk Ratio: 6:1 (& none)
Average pace: 11:00min/mile

On Saturday I went running with some of my old running buddies—Carla, Chanty, Craig, MJ, and Randy. It was all about running with them and enjoying the good company, so they picked the pace (and a run:walk ratio, which I haven’t done in quite a while!) and off we went. It was good to catch up with them, if a little slower than I was used to. Randy and Chanty needed to slow down on the way back from the inital 8 miles, so we said farewell to them around mile 6. MJ finished up at mile 8, and then Carla and Craig and I picked up an additional two. Carla wanted to try dropping the walks at that point so we did the last two miles that way. It was a nice way to wind down the non-marathon-season.