Sunday, October 25, 2020

Weekly Sweats: The Final Fartlek

 

The goal this week was to take it easy enough to finish recovering from my fall half marathon bender and then transition over to 5k work.  27.8 miles later I think we're on track!

I'm linking up with the Weekly Run Down, please head over to Kim and Deborah to check it out.

Monday: 4.5 treadmill miles thanks to a freak rainstorm.  Even though the temperature was decently warm, there was a good inch of water on the roads and the storm clouds made everything pitch black long after sunrise.  Surprisingly my body welcomed the treadmill and it was a good run.

Tuesday: Rain, rain, and not one ray of sunshine.  It was barely nice enough to be outside so I went for it with 6.25 miles. For lolz I did one of the middle miles at 5k pace.

Wednesday: off!

Thursday: Fartlek day!  Fun in the fog for week 4 of 4 from here.  I don't take a lot of photos on the run, but fog is always a worthy exception.  A descending ladder of 5-4-3-2-1 minutes at increasing effort with 2 minute recoveries for 55 minutes total & 4.83 miles.  Can I just say again how much I enjoyed these workouts?  And how much I enjoy pushing myself in the 5k pace range?

Friday: hill run!  4.25 miles

Saturday: Long run day, and with no half marathons on the schedule until next May, I'm free to make long runs as long or as short as I want.  I went out to the bike/hike trail and set off on a section that I've never done before and let my mind run along with my body.  Out and back gave me 6 miles and the desire to get a little more, so this ended up being an 8 mile run.  I let loose in the final mile with the goal of getting under an 11 minute pace...oh snap I got a lot under 11 minutes with my final mile at 10:20.

Sunday: off! 

Raising the Stakes

The big exciting news of this week is that the Turkey Trot that I ran last year is scheduled to be an in person race, so I'm in.  With all of the usual COVID caveats...our numbers are trending in the wrong direction, but it's a small race in a small town so I'm willing to risk $25 on this race taking place and OK if it doesn't happen.  This is a big goal race to finally get the elusive sub 30 (current record: 30:11).  The course is pretty flat but not as flat as my virtual 5k racing ground, so in this case the "real" race will make it a bit harder to hit the goal...and it will be so much more satisfying if I make it.

P.S. Deborah's post on Virtual Turkey Trots was well timed...that's what prompted me to check in on the real race;-)

32 comments:

  1. Your weather is looking much like my weather this past week. That's exciting about the turkey trot! My friend and I are starting to brainstorm our strategy for our local TT. We gotta make it COVID compatible, of course, but with it being a relatively "small" event (there's usually 100-125 people), I think it's manageable.

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    1. My race is doing staggered start times every half hour between 7-10AM. The race is on backroads so they can shut things down for the morning.

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  2. We had some weird fog this week too. Very October like! Wow exciting about the in person turkey trot hope it happens for you. Thanks for linking up

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  3. I love your term "half marathon bender". Haha! Switching your focus to the 5k sounds like a good idea. We had some fog here last week but not as thick as yours. We had an all time high of new covid cases here yesterday. Not sure how any turkey trots will happen here. Sigh.

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    1. We're at an all time high here as well, things sure went downhill fast. Plan B is to the race virtually if live racing gets shuts down.

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  4. Even though the live 5K course isn't as flat, I'm betting the thrill of the crowds will get you swept up into a faster pace! It sure helped me at my 10K yesterday. I properly warmed up, and then was able to go out too fast on my first mile! oops. I've got a good feeling about your race!!

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    1. I'm hoping so. I just have to figure out how to run all out without going out too fast...the devil is in the details.

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  5. Woohoo on the Turkey Trot! It seems that as long as they handle registration and lining up properly, smaller races can go off without becoming super-spreader events. ;-) I had my share of foggy runs this week too.

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    1. Exactly, I just can't think of any reason why we can't have the in person race, since it's small to start with. Fingers crossed!

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  6. oh how exciting to potentially get that sub-30 in a live race! Cases are trending in the wrong direction in a lot of places but hoping your race can still happen safely.

    That rainy pic is quite pretty actually!

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    1. Our numbers have been dreadful for the past week. There's just no way to predict what things will look like by Thanksgiving but I'm willing to risk $25.

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  7. Nice week for you! I almost had to resort to the TM on Friday, but I'm glad I didn't. I know there will be plenty of TM runs in my future.

    My upcoming TT is virtual. There's a live TT nearby but I'm good with the virtual one, since it's a half marathon.

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    1. If not for WFH I'd be on the TM every weekday morning. I'll take it over not being able to run at all. Hopefully the weather will stay decent for a while longer.

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  8. I think we had similar weather here this week too - so much fog, it was kind of eerie!

    So exciting about the Turkey Trot!

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    1. There was one day this week when everyone from the East Coast to Iowa was posting fog pix. Very weird!

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  9. I love a good foggy run photo! So exciting that you have an in person race! I hope it happens!

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    1. Fog like that it pretty rare, I've always got to get a pic when it happens.

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  10. I hope you can do your live race! And I'm sure you will be able to break 30 minutes. Can't wait to hear how it goes!

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    1. Yes, I just have to figure out how to go "all out" without going out too fast.

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  11. That is exciting news about the Turkey Trot!

    I don't have a treadmill so I am hoping that the next couple of months I can still run outside.

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    1. Me too. As long as it's light, not too cold, and not icy or snowy I'll stay outside.

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  12. Nicely done on the speed work, isn't it fun when the last mile is the fastest? Awesome to do the middle miles at 5K pace. Your training has really paid off.

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  13. Yay for the Turkey Trot! I'm betting you'll hit that sub-30!

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    1. Thanks Michelle, I sure hope so. The race itself kind of scares me but the training is fun.

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  14. Look at all that fog! It's spooky which is perfect for the season!

    You are going to crush your turkey trot! I am so excited that you will have the chance to get that PR AND get back to in-person racing. You've got this!

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    1. Thanks Jenn! Fingers crossed (for the race and for my performance that day).

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  15. Lucky you. All our our Turkey trot races are virtual this year.

    GL to you on that sub-30. If not this race, it'll be one n 2021.

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    1. Thanks Darlene! You're reading my mind exactly...I may not make sub 30 but that's OK, it will happen soon.

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  16. Fingers crossed for that sub-30! Our Thanksgiving Day race is virtual, but I signed up anyway since the proceeds go to a very good cause. My friends and I are going to run it together on Thanksgiving morning, and weather permitting, have our annual post-race brunch afterward on our deck using our new patio heaters.

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    1. Exactly, if I don't get the real race I still get to send $ to a good cause. There are certain races that are guaranteed to get my dollars.

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