I'm linking up with the Weekly Run Down, please head over to Kim and Deborah to check it out.
Monday: weights and 4.25 slow paced miles in the great outdoors.
Tuesday: we had a short-lived freeze out that kept me indoors for 6.3 treadmill miles. I didn't mind too much since the forecast is good from here on out so I think there is an excellent chance of this being the Official End of Treadmill Season.
Wednesday: weights, running rest day
Thursday: the day that I have been waiting for since January when winter set in! I headed up to "Speedwork Park" (my name for the park 1 mile away from my house with a flat walking trail) and let loose. My workout was 1.5 miles warm up and then a ladder of 0.1-0.2-0.3-0.2-0.1 miles fast/equal recoveries slow x 2 and then cool down to get to 6.25 miles total. Since it's my first speed workout in a good long while, my only goal was to get the speed under 11 minute pace but I found that I was able to "snap back" to 10:30 pretty easily. On the last interval I went all out and got my pace under 9 minutes just to show off. Everything felt good.
Friday: another freeze out. My general rule is that if the first digit of the temperature is a 1 that I'm not running outside but every rule must have an exception. I bundled up and went for it with 4.25 miles. Oh yes, I did my weights as well.
Saturday: I met up with friends so my long run of 7.35 miles felt like it was 5 minutes in duration. Here's outtake #2 for the wristie. I just couldn't make it happen.
Sunday: 3.5 miles to close out the week.
What's Next
Yikes, I am running a real live race next weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the hilly 15k that I described here, and I'm not exaggerating that much when I tell you that it's 4.5 miles downhill and then 4.5 miles straight back up. My tentative plan is to run with my friends. They have run the race before and they know how to pace it. It's my first 15k so it's an auto PR. And yes my bad that I've only been planning on running this race for a year (it was my first race cancellation of 2020) and in that time I never managed to get around to hill training.
For regular running, I'm going to take a stab at the "get faster" plan from RunCoach that I started last fall just as I hit burnout. I will start a bit slower than the prescribed paces and see what happens.
I am doing a lot of soul searching about how much longer I want to be self trained. Yes I've made progress with my "do what I wanna do" plan BUT what would happen if I spent some time working with someone who knows what they are doing???
A good example is my strength training program. Undoubtedly my body is in a better place now than it was in December when I started. I like it well enough and I'm able to follow it. But there are so many exercises that I don't fully understand and I'm not sure if I'm doing them correctly. It just wouldn't hurt anything to get a few personal training sessions ya know?
The only thing holding me back is the fear that I wouldn't be compatible with my trainer...basically it's exactly the same thing that kept me from trying online dating for so many years (the TL&DR version is that I met my husband on day one). And so what? The very worst case is that it wouldn't work out and I'd go back to my "throw everything at the wall and see what sticks" plan and then try again with someone else.
The punchline is that I've done some research and I think I have my coach picked out. It's someone local who knows my area's races, is RCAA certified, works with some of my friends and is highly recommended, and is quite reasonably priced. My finger is on the trigger...I just don't want to pull it quite yet.
Yay for being able to run outside more! Hopefully its the end of treadmill season. I bet you would see alot of progress with a coach. It sounds like the one you have in mind would be a great fit! I think it also helps to have a call with them just to ask questions and get to know their training philosophy and personality.
ReplyDeleteYes, I need to do it. We'd talk first but based on what my friends have told me I doubt there would be anything in the conversation that would stop us from working together. At this point it's really a "when" and not an "if".
DeleteFinding the right coach or trainer is a lot like dating. You have to have the right fit personality wise. Let us know how it goes!
ReplyDeletelol, don't worry...whatever I do you know I'll be writing about every last detail!
Deleteblue skies are the best sight. No if only it would warm up and the wind stop!!
ReplyDeleteI hesitate too to get a coach. It's a lot of money and what if I didn't get any better? I also think I would want a coach that I could see in person rather than just online emails. But that's me. Good luck. There are a lot of good coaches out there.
Yep, one of my fears is what if I didn't get any better? It would only cost a lot of money if it worked out and I kept working with the coach so I'm good with that part.
DeleteThe sun has been messing with my photos as well! Yesterday on the IAT, I struggled to get good shots. No complaints but with the sun and the snow, it was really bright! In fact, I got a little sunburn on my face.
ReplyDeleteYou know I'm a big fan of having a coach. They give you an objective look at your training. You have to swallow your pride sometimes--but it's totally worth it. When I ran my first Chicago marathon, I used a Hal Higdon training program (free on the internet). I crashed and burned. It was humiliating. When I did #2, my CrossFit coach trained me and I finished over 1 hour faster. Plus I felt great after. But yes, you have to find the personality match. I've been lucky with my coaches!
Let's be real, the risk of having a personality mismatch is way less than the risk of all of the things that I'm missing out on by trying to do my own thing. Even if I didn't continue with the coaching for ever I think I could learn a lot in say, a year and be so much better off.
DeleteI'm on the coaching fence as well. I had one not-so-ideal experience with a coach, and it kind of scarred me. I've been doing alright on my own, but I know it could be even better if I found the right person to work with. I'm just gun shy about even beginning the process...((sigh))
ReplyDeleteI'm totally gun shy, just minus having the bad experience. The best thing about my "self coaching" is that I really enjoy it. But I do feel that working with someone for a bit could really help me.
DeleteThat race sounds so hard! I bet a good coach could make a real difference — I say pull the trigger!
ReplyDeleteI'm close!
DeleteI have been very lucky in my experience with working with running coaches. I don't think I would have wanted to attempt marathon training without one. I learned so much! And, yes the personality fit is important.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your decision!
Oh my goodness I would never, never, ever attempt a marathon with my own training methods. And TBH I really don't want to run another half on my own training. I think it's more of a "do I do it now or do I wait until this summer" decision.
DeleteAh, the big "coach" decision!!! I've also been thinking about it. Part of what stops me is I always love trying to figure everything out on my own. But I've had so many setbacks over the last decade that I have to admit that maybe I'm not doing such a great job at it! We'll see... I'll look forward to hearing all about your experience.
ReplyDeleteYES YES YES!!! While there are so many reason why I *should* work with a coach, I love doing my own thing so much.
DeleteYou did a great job becoming friends with your treadmill, but I'm glad you were able to get outside in the sun! That blue sky- wow!
ReplyDeleteYay for an in person race, but WHOAH- that course sounds intense! Good luck!
Thanks! Of course I'm a bit scared but I'm looking forward to the race. Not least of all because it's a real race.
DeleteI get what you're saying about picking out a coach. It's a big decision (but then again, unless you're an Olympic hopeful, maybe not.... haha!). It's important to find the right one. That's great that you found your speed again when you hit the trail. I've had very few runs on the treadmill this winter. I actually miss it! I've got a lot of TV shows to watch.
ReplyDeleteGreat point! I have way less on the line than an Olympian with this one. My treadmill TV well is completely dry so thank heaven that I can be outside again.
DeleteNice running miles this week. Isn't it true that the miles fly by when you run with friends? I love that! Good luck on your 15k next weekend. That actually sounds like an awesome race. There's one 10 miler near me that is the same format - downhill first half, uphill second - and I always loved that race.
ReplyDeleteIt is going to be awesome! Yes I'm scared of the hills but they can't all be flat courses.
Deletegreat week and how exciting about your race coming up!
ReplyDeleteI find that working with someone actually motivates me a bit more, but I think you are already a bit more self-motivated than I am. If you already know someone local who is working with some of your running friends then just do it. What's the worst that can happen? you hate each other and you paid for a month (or whatever. Ok if you have to enter a 6 month contract maybe this is not the best solution). I've always gotten the best results with someone helping me. Obviously we are all different and your mileage (figuratively) may vary.
EXACTLY! It would just be a month-to-month arrangement, and at this point it's kind of about the cost of not making progress by continuing to work on my own.
DeleteI'm so excited for you to hire that coach! It sounds like you put in a lot of thought and research, so that should be great.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your 15k! Our big 15K is this weekend or next (I forget), and it's a beast with bridges!
I'm seriously thinking about it! I'm so excited to get to do a real race this weekend, hills or no hills.
DeleteSeriously I cannot imagine 4.5 downhill and then up again. How is that possible? Have a great race! Hire the coach. It looks like you've made up your mind already. Do it!
ReplyDeleteI hear you! I'm seriously considering it.
DeleteYay for running outdoors more! I don't mind the treadmill but nothing beats running outside, especially when the weather is great.
ReplyDeleteI hired a coach for a few of my marathons and it was the best decision ever! I loved having a training plan designed for me and my coach always provided encouragement when I needed it.
Yes...I need to pull the trigger...soon.
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