Sunday, April 26, 2020

Weekly Sweats: OMG!

 
Let's start with a joke: how do you know that someone just ran a virtual half marathon last week?
Answer: they'll tell you.


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

My goal the week after a half marathon is to run as much or as little as I want to.  Oh wait, that's my goal every week, but seriously, I do cut back on mileage.  I ran 8 miles the week after my first half, 11 miles the week after my 2nd half, and 10 miles the week after my 3rd half.

This week after half marathon #4: 20.75 miles, two weight workouts, and two OMG's.

Monday: I've taken 3 days off running with each of my previous half marathons, and Monday was 2 days out.  I felt pretty good and seriously thought about running, but as I went through my weight workout, my legs told me "nah, slow your roll, it'll be there tomorrow".

Tuesday: my legs were right.  Now that it was tomorrow, running was still there and I did an easy 3.25 miles at an 11:55 pace.  Usually I don't call out paces for everyday runs here (that's what Instragram is for), but anything under 12:xx is always cause for celebration and spoiler, I'm setting the context for what happened next.

Wednesday: I set out for another easy 3.25 miles and that's when the OMG happened.  After the first half mile I didn't feel particularly great, and tried to distract myself by increasing my cadence.  After about 0.0001 seconds my head went to runners land and I could not tell you anything that happened between then and the time my watch beeped for the first mile.  I glanced down and saw and 11:12 pace, which isn't impossible but it's pretty fast for me so yay.  I continued on and took a peak half a mile later...10:45???  That's faster than my 10k pace, I just don't see 10:xx outside of speed work or races.  I continued on at the same effort, not trying to bust a gut but also not taking it easy and held the pace for the 2nd mile.  And then pulled off an even faster mile 3 and yes I pushed it for the final quarter mile.
I've been enjoying seeing 11:30-11:59 paces on easy runs lately, but this was quite a leap.  Huh I said, enjoy the fluke.

Thursday: I was torn between doing another short run and taking a rest day, by a narrow margin I decided that a rest day was in order.

Friday: Two things happened.  I hit the weights first thing, and it's no secret that I only do weights because I'm "supposed to" (a.k.a I know I will get injured if I don't), it's not where my passion lies.  But I had a great weight workout.  And then I laced up for another easy, short run and....OH SNAP IT HAPPENED AGAIN!  I swear to you that I tried to slow down for mile 2.  Mile 4?  Ok, by then I was pushing to show off but it wasn't an all out effort, which is what it normally takes to run that pace.

I always say that these weekly recaps are chapters.  The rest of the book hasn't been written so there's no way to tell what's coming next in the story.  Am I finally getting faster or is this just a fluke?  There's no way to tell in the grand scheme of things but I very much enjoyed seeing not one but two 10:xx paced runs this week.  Will the speed continue?  Tune in next week to find out.  Better yet, tune in six months from now to find out.

Saturday: I was craving a long run like nobody's business, so I went out and got 10 miles.  I did not monitor my pace during the run and I deliberately kept it easy.  After mile 8 things got very hard, and I probably should have called it but I kept going.  11:54 for the run, and strangely even though I was dead on my feet I was able to pull off an 11:30 for the final mile.

Sunday: rest;-)

What's Next
Now that I've had a week to think about it, my current plan is to do another virtual half in mid May, on the weekend of the Big City marathon.  I want to take advantage of the gorgeous spring weather to keep my distance up (hey weather, that's a hint to get gorgeous instead of being cold all the time) and to stick to my original plan of running two half marathons this spring. 



31 comments:

  1. how fun to see your hard work pay off! I can feel the excitement through the computer screen :)

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    1. Thanks, I know these aren't exactly Olympic speeds but they're fast for me.

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  2. Nice work on that 10 miler! Yesterday, while running my virtual half, I found that my legs were still good even at mile 12! I never would have expected it. I think it's due to my strength training and if so, I'll keep that up.

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    1. The most I ever lift is a 25# KB, that's nothing compared to the weights that you rock.

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  3. Glad to read that you took off for some rest after your half. I think it's really important to do so. Maybe doing weights before you run is key for you bc you are warmed up already. I usually do them on different days. Have another great week and congrats on your progress

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    1. Who knows, it's all a mystery. I only do shorter runs after weights, no way that I would do a longer run or speedwork on the same day.

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  4. Like you, I always just play my mileage by ear the week after a half marathon.

    I love that you're already planning to run another virtual half marathon next month - that's awesome!

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    1. Exactly, there has to be an chillax sometime. I do need to take more cutback weeks overall, not just after races.

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  5. Well done!!!!! YOU are rocking those fast paces ;-) Your analogy about this "book" and only being midway through it (sorry for my attempt at paraphrasing) is so accurate. Running keeps us humble, but also can serve us some healthy ego-boosts...often times, we never know what's coming next LOL (or is that just me?). I love your enthusiasm and your sense of humor is always spot-on ;-)

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    1. Spot on, I do not have a clue what it coming next. One of the best parts of blogging is being able to look back once you know the future and have the context for the present.

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  6. Very exciting! Always fun when an unexpected pace appears - and twice! You are getting stronger. I have been doing a lot of strength training lately. It's fun to have my son joining me. I'm not sure I'd be motivated to do it otherwise!

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    1. I sure hope so! We all workout separately, but it's so much fun to hear the boys recapping the workouts, my husband asked stepson #1 about his run today, the answer was "it was a run, of course it sucked" but he was so proud as he said it

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  7. Hey there, look at you rocking those paces! Could it be that you're approaching your runs more rested than normally when you have to get up earlier to run before your commute to work? Whatever the case, I'm sending high fives your way. Keep up the good work!

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    1. I tell you what, being able to sleep in, have coffee, and eat before running is definitely a factor. I have definitely gotten used to the lifestyle.

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  8. Woohoo! So awesome to see some faster paces, especially after just finished a half!! How long have you been running?

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    1. 10 years, seriously for the past 2. It's just this year that I'm starting to see my paces get faster than 12 minute miles, not for lack of trying.

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  9. Well done!!! Seeing those paces happen so effortlessly is such a great reward! Keep it up, and you will be crushing it when real races happen again.

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    1. Exactly! I have so much room for improvement, so now is the time to get those improvements revved up.

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  10. You've done the work to get faster and it's paying off! I'm excited for you.

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    1. Thanks Marcia! Whatever lies at the end, the journey is so much fun.

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  11. Great week! Strength training helps prevent injuries and can help you get faster! ;-) I found that running intervals — or adding fartleks to runs — helped me get faster, i.e., run faster by running faster.

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    1. Yes, it's been a tricky balance between running so slow that I'm not improving and running faster than I can handle.

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  12. I love how you're looking at it as chapters. Congratulations on the amazing progress. And yes, runners' land can be a magical place

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    1. I think I'm probably more in this for "runner's land" and lying around doing nothing after my runs "recovering" that for the running itself;-)

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  13. Look at you go! Strength training isn't my favorite, but it's good for us, and no one wants to get injured or mess things up, especially not now. You are kicking butt with your miles and your paces! You should be so proud!

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    1. It is just so nice to finally see progress, you know?

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  14. How awesome! Your hard work is paying off! Congrats!!

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  15. Nice. I am not at all surprised that you are getting faster. You have been showing consistency and that is what will get you to the next level. Hooray!

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    1. Thanks Elizabeth! The next level has been a long time coming. But hey there wouldn't be anything to write about if it was easy.

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  16. Congrats! You've been working hard and now it is paying off.

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