Time: 70:15
Distance: ~9.8 miles
W/u: 41:45 for ~5.5 miles
W/o: 3200m time trial with Alana
C/d: 17:30 for ~2.3 miles
Mark Hadley sent an email out a few weeks ago that mentioned Alana was running a 3200m time trial on the Saturday following the Thunder Road Marathon. I wanted to help out at the time, but didn't know what the body was going to feel like. A few days out I inquired if the effort was still taking place and, if so, where.
The stage was set for Saturday morning at the JCSU track. Caitlin, Meagan and I got in a little over 40 minutes on a cold and slightly breezy morning. We ran from Caitlin's house, over to the track and added on in the cemetery. The locked gates didn't detour the three of us or Alana, her father, brother or grandpa from scaling the fence. When you have a workout to do, especially a time trial, it's on!
I shed the outerwear and received the final instructions for the pace. We were looking for 79s which just a little faster than the pace I ran for the marathon. I could do this in my sleep right? Wrong.
My first lap was 82-83. I wasn't concerned, I just hoped Alana was able to latch on when I picked up the pace over the next 400 meters. I came through in 79 on the next lap, but didn't sense that the young phenom was right on my shoulder. I kept pressing and on the backstretch of the third lap I felt a gap developing. The pace slowed a touch through the mile that we hit around 5:22-5:25 (don't remember actual split).
Over the next 1600m I tried to get Alana to fully latch on and let me do the work but that attachment never developed. I would slow on the backstretch and she would catch up, but as soon as I thought she was on and I picked up the pace, I would glance over the shoulder and see a small gap form. The splits continued to slip, nothing awful, just not the 79s we were looking for. Meagan and Caitlin jogged around giving words of encouragement, brother Bryce filmed the run, Mark and grandpa cheered and yelled splits.
On the last lap Alana had a strong final 200m to cross the line in 11:00 flat. If I had known we were close to breaking 11 minutes, I would have tried to get things rolling earlier. Oh well. It was a good run regardless in unfavorable conditions.
I know Mark has received a bit of flak in the last few weeks on the LetsRun.com message boards, but what I saw today was in total support of his athlete and daughter. I would suspect that those critical of Mark's coaching of Alana would assume that he's your typical over zealous dad living vicariously through a young talent.
Not true.
I've witnessed that dad at soccer games when I was a kid and recently saw it during one of my younger siblings baseball games. The parent's unwarranted frustration when a child isn't playing/running up to par makes everyone around uncomfortable.
There was none of that today.
I was partly responsible for the pace starting slow, but ultimately Alana didn't have a fantastic day. She ran well, but didn't live up to her expectations. She knew that she wasn't running the pace that she and Mark thought her capable of running. While the splits being read went from 79 to 82 to 86 there was never a negative tone in Mark's voice.
That impressed me the most.
Mark saw his daughter starting to fade off the pace he knows she's capable of running, yet he didn't give any signs of disappointment or discouragement. When the splits started to slow all of his recommendations were kept upbeat and positive. It was great to see the coach/athlete and father/daughter relationship being built up through running. I think if those critical of Mark were to have witnessed the time trial today, they would have little to fault him on.
Showing posts with label jcsu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jcsu. Show all posts
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Test the Body at JCSU
Time: 69:04
Distance: 10.11 miles
W/u: 24:37 for 3.25 miles
W/o: 3 x mile (2:25 first 800, 2:15 second 800) w/ 4 mins rest. 4 x 400 in 62-65 w/ 1 min rest.
C/d: 20:02 for 2.11 miles
Today I was going to be traveling with Carol Amrani who works for Balega. My scheduling meant I had to either fit in a workout prior to visiting stores or after the day was done. I voted for driving over to Caitlin's where I was to check up on her cat Cicero, warm up over to JCSU, run my workout, cool down back to Caitlin's, shower and be on the road to meet up at Fleet Feet Huntersville by 11:00 am. It's all about time management.
I had a nice easy warm up through Uptown and got to point at all the bankers rushing off to work. They were dressed in their business attire, strolled along with their shined shoes and chatted on business Blackberries. In contrast, I was in my split cut shorts, carried my water bottle and racing flats while trying not to sweat on them at stop lights. I don't take my schedule for granted one bit, it's one of the perks of my job.
I was good and warm by the time I hit the track. The objective of the workout was to change gears after 800m of the mile repeats (really 1600m repeats). I wanted to feel relaxed as possible through 800m and then quicken the stride for a couple of minutes to hit a goal split of 4:40. Things went well.
Splits:
Mile #1 - 4:41.72 (2:25, 2:16),
(4:00 rest); jogged 400m and waited
Mile #2 - 4:40.85 (2:26, 2:14),
(3:59 rest); jogged 400m and waited
Mile 3 - 4:42.65 (2:27, 2:15),
(4:00 rest); jogged 400m and waited
400s - 65.38 (60), 66.40 (61), 65.50 (61), 63.91 for 4 miles total and ~18:25 running time.
The workout was exhausting. I had to remain focused the whole time and couldn't let my mind or body wander from the task at hand. It was relatively enjoyable being able to change gears mid-interval. After the first two repeats I was struggling but knew I could make it the first 800m on the final mile effort. It was just a matter of keeping it together for the final two laps. I hung on to finish a little slow, but still respectable. Considering the temps and humidity have returned I think the miles went well. The 400s were another story.
I struggled to turn the legs over at the prescribed paces. I wanted to run 64-65 but I was about a second off for the first three. On top of that some lady just wouldn't get out of lane one despite the fact that I had passed her repeatedly. After the final interval I was spent. I gasped for air and think it was the hardest workout I've done in a few months. I'm not sure if it was designed to be so tough, but it was. You can see how tired I was from the pace of my cool down. I essentially walked back through Uptown to Caitlin's house. This time the bankers were probably pointing and laughing at me.
Distance: 10.11 miles
W/u: 24:37 for 3.25 miles
W/o: 3 x mile (2:25 first 800, 2:15 second 800) w/ 4 mins rest. 4 x 400 in 62-65 w/ 1 min rest.
C/d: 20:02 for 2.11 miles
Today I was going to be traveling with Carol Amrani who works for Balega. My scheduling meant I had to either fit in a workout prior to visiting stores or after the day was done. I voted for driving over to Caitlin's where I was to check up on her cat Cicero, warm up over to JCSU, run my workout, cool down back to Caitlin's, shower and be on the road to meet up at Fleet Feet Huntersville by 11:00 am. It's all about time management.
I had a nice easy warm up through Uptown and got to point at all the bankers rushing off to work. They were dressed in their business attire, strolled along with their shined shoes and chatted on business Blackberries. In contrast, I was in my split cut shorts, carried my water bottle and racing flats while trying not to sweat on them at stop lights. I don't take my schedule for granted one bit, it's one of the perks of my job.
I was good and warm by the time I hit the track. The objective of the workout was to change gears after 800m of the mile repeats (really 1600m repeats). I wanted to feel relaxed as possible through 800m and then quicken the stride for a couple of minutes to hit a goal split of 4:40. Things went well.
Splits:
Mile #1 - 4:41.72 (2:25, 2:16),
(4:00 rest); jogged 400m and waited
Mile #2 - 4:40.85 (2:26, 2:14),
(3:59 rest); jogged 400m and waited
Mile 3 - 4:42.65 (2:27, 2:15),
(4:00 rest); jogged 400m and waited
400s - 65.38 (60), 66.40 (61), 65.50 (61), 63.91 for 4 miles total and ~18:25 running time.
The workout was exhausting. I had to remain focused the whole time and couldn't let my mind or body wander from the task at hand. It was relatively enjoyable being able to change gears mid-interval. After the first two repeats I was struggling but knew I could make it the first 800m on the final mile effort. It was just a matter of keeping it together for the final two laps. I hung on to finish a little slow, but still respectable. Considering the temps and humidity have returned I think the miles went well. The 400s were another story.
I struggled to turn the legs over at the prescribed paces. I wanted to run 64-65 but I was about a second off for the first three. On top of that some lady just wouldn't get out of lane one despite the fact that I had passed her repeatedly. After the final interval I was spent. I gasped for air and think it was the hardest workout I've done in a few months. I'm not sure if it was designed to be so tough, but it was. You can see how tired I was from the pace of my cool down. I essentially walked back through Uptown to Caitlin's house. This time the bankers were probably pointing and laughing at me.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Mile Breakdown Workout
Time: 80:02
Distance: ~10.50 miles
W/u: 22:41 for 3.01 miles
W/o: Mile breakdown: 1600 (4:45), 1200 (3:28), 1000 (2:53), 800 (2:20), 600 (1:42), 400 (68), 200 (32), 100 (14) w/ 2 mins rest
C/d: 22:01 for 2.70 miles
I was back at JCSU less than 12 hours from leaving it. The goal this morning was to run a mile breakdown where the pace of the interval gets just a little bit faster as the distance becomes shorter. The rest would remain constant at 2 minutes for the entirety which is quite a bit at the end of the workout.
The warm up went well, but I notice a bit more humidity in the air. Also, it was going to be windy on the homestretch. I didn't stretch too much before getting down to business. I did however start with two 200 meter strides.
Splits:
31.38, (1:30), 31.82, (2:01);
4:44.25, (2:01), 3:28.73, (2:00), 2:55.77, (2:01), 2:22.30, (2:01), 1:42.22, (2:00), 65.17, (2:00), 29.36, (1:30), 13.31 for 35:10 total and ~7,000 meters of actual running.
I'd have to rate myself with a C+ or B- on this workout as it was just average at best. I felt good for the opening interval and may have got a little cocky as I tried to jog 400 meters after it. In college we always took active recovery of jogging 200m to 400m. It was a way to keep the legs moving while gaining a few extra miles. That was my goal for today as well. The 1200m interval was good, but I came through a little slow and had to push the final lap. As a result, I stopped jogging the recovery and focused on the next repeat. The 1k and 800m were tough and were the only two intervals that were legitimately off. I just didn't feel all that relaxed trying to run 69-70 seconds per lap. I regained a better focus and was able to bang out the rest of the splits with little trouble. I was even on the 600m and a little fast on the remaining efforts.
This workout pales in comparison to a mile breakdown (didn't have the 1k repeat) that I did with Tarpy my senior year at Brown. I went 4:28 (2:56) , 3:21 (1:58), 2:11 (1:28), 1:36 (61), 64 (46), 46 (28), 32. I had more speed then, but know I'm stronger now. I would have liked to felt more relaxed and less strained.
Distance: ~10.50 miles
W/u: 22:41 for 3.01 miles
W/o: Mile breakdown: 1600 (4:45), 1200 (3:28), 1000 (2:53), 800 (2:20), 600 (1:42), 400 (68), 200 (32), 100 (14) w/ 2 mins rest
C/d: 22:01 for 2.70 miles
I was back at JCSU less than 12 hours from leaving it. The goal this morning was to run a mile breakdown where the pace of the interval gets just a little bit faster as the distance becomes shorter. The rest would remain constant at 2 minutes for the entirety which is quite a bit at the end of the workout.
The warm up went well, but I notice a bit more humidity in the air. Also, it was going to be windy on the homestretch. I didn't stretch too much before getting down to business. I did however start with two 200 meter strides.
Splits:
31.38, (1:30), 31.82, (2:01);
4:44.25, (2:01), 3:28.73, (2:00), 2:55.77, (2:01), 2:22.30, (2:01), 1:42.22, (2:00), 65.17, (2:00), 29.36, (1:30), 13.31 for 35:10 total and ~7,000 meters of actual running.
I'd have to rate myself with a C+ or B- on this workout as it was just average at best. I felt good for the opening interval and may have got a little cocky as I tried to jog 400 meters after it. In college we always took active recovery of jogging 200m to 400m. It was a way to keep the legs moving while gaining a few extra miles. That was my goal for today as well. The 1200m interval was good, but I came through a little slow and had to push the final lap. As a result, I stopped jogging the recovery and focused on the next repeat. The 1k and 800m were tough and were the only two intervals that were legitimately off. I just didn't feel all that relaxed trying to run 69-70 seconds per lap. I regained a better focus and was able to bang out the rest of the splits with little trouble. I was even on the 600m and a little fast on the remaining efforts.
This workout pales in comparison to a mile breakdown (didn't have the 1k repeat) that I did with Tarpy my senior year at Brown. I went 4:28 (2:56) , 3:21 (1:58), 2:11 (1:28), 1:36 (61), 64 (46), 46 (28), 32. I had more speed then, but know I'm stronger now. I would have liked to felt more relaxed and less strained.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Workout Scrapped
Total Time: 54:21
Total Distance: 8.29 miles
Part I: 19:01 for 2.70 miles
Part II: 35:20 for ~5.59 miles
Tonight I was planning on doing some sort of track workout, but opted to stay on my weekly schedule. The idea of running with some Queens athletes appealed to me early in the day, but once I got to the track my ambitions gradually deflated. It wasn't the fact that a youth track meet was being held either. Instead of getting on the track at 7:30 pm our warm up was pushed back to 7:50 pm. The meet concluded around 8:20 and that's when the workouts began. Mike started so quick as to maximize the lights, I was still lacing up my shoes. He was doing 25 x 400 and I was going to tag along with 25 x 300. I took that as a clue to just do my own thing.
I ran a mile backwards in lane 8. Ran a mile jogging the turns and striding the straights in lane 5. Jogged another mile backwards in lane 8. It was truly backwards, rather clockwise around the track. I did 4 x 200 untimed in lane 5 before cooling down a mile clockwise.
My legs felt good to get in a little turnover. I was okay with keeping my weekly schedule the same because the lights went black about 3/4 of the way through the intervals. We also didn't leave the track until nearly 10:00 pm which meant dinner still had to be made and consumed. I've worked out late, late at night before while living in Oklahoma and sleeping afterward is always an issue.
On the plus side, Meagan and Tanya killed it tonight. Mike look strong and Simon ran tough. DII Nationals are only a few weeks away for these guys.
Total Distance: 8.29 miles
Part I: 19:01 for 2.70 miles
Part II: 35:20 for ~5.59 miles
Tonight I was planning on doing some sort of track workout, but opted to stay on my weekly schedule. The idea of running with some Queens athletes appealed to me early in the day, but once I got to the track my ambitions gradually deflated. It wasn't the fact that a youth track meet was being held either. Instead of getting on the track at 7:30 pm our warm up was pushed back to 7:50 pm. The meet concluded around 8:20 and that's when the workouts began. Mike started so quick as to maximize the lights, I was still lacing up my shoes. He was doing 25 x 400 and I was going to tag along with 25 x 300. I took that as a clue to just do my own thing.
I ran a mile backwards in lane 8. Ran a mile jogging the turns and striding the straights in lane 5. Jogged another mile backwards in lane 8. It was truly backwards, rather clockwise around the track. I did 4 x 200 untimed in lane 5 before cooling down a mile clockwise.
My legs felt good to get in a little turnover. I was okay with keeping my weekly schedule the same because the lights went black about 3/4 of the way through the intervals. We also didn't leave the track until nearly 10:00 pm which meant dinner still had to be made and consumed. I've worked out late, late at night before while living in Oklahoma and sleeping afterward is always an issue.
On the plus side, Meagan and Tanya killed it tonight. Mike look strong and Simon ran tough. DII Nationals are only a few weeks away for these guys.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
JCSU Track Fun
Time: 23:30
Distance: 3.04 miles
Map
Tonight I went over to JCSU with some Queens runners to watch their workout. Everyone was doing 4 x mile with 4 minutes rest. Mike and Futsum were hitting 4:30-4:35, Tanya hovered around 5:05 and Meagan and Jenna were at 5:20. Meagan had a miserable workout that wasn't fun to watch and less fun to run.
Mike hammered the last half of his final mile in 2:01-2:03 which put him at 4:16-4:17. Very fast.
I ended up running two laps of jogging the turns and sprinting the straights. I also did some drills before the strides. The goal was to loosen up the legs and get ready to roll tomorrow night in Uptown.
Distance: 3.04 miles
Map
Tonight I went over to JCSU with some Queens runners to watch their workout. Everyone was doing 4 x mile with 4 minutes rest. Mike and Futsum were hitting 4:30-4:35, Tanya hovered around 5:05 and Meagan and Jenna were at 5:20. Meagan had a miserable workout that wasn't fun to watch and less fun to run.
Mike hammered the last half of his final mile in 2:01-2:03 which put him at 4:16-4:17. Very fast.
I ended up running two laps of jogging the turns and sprinting the straights. I also did some drills before the strides. The goal was to loosen up the legs and get ready to roll tomorrow night in Uptown.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Speed Development
Time: 65:16
Distance: 9.02 miles
W/u: 42:47 for 6.01 miles
W/o: 2 x 100m @ 85%, 2 x 50m @ 100%, 2 x 100m @ 95%
C/d: 22:29 for 3.01 miles
I drove over to JCSU this afternoon for some speed development. Last week beat me up pretty good, but I know it's all a process to getting the fast twitch fibers to start firing efficiently again. Today's workout on paper seemed pretty easy, but trying to run near all out and relaxed is a challenge at this point. I basically strain off the line and run tense until the tape.
I put in 6 miles from the track to the cemetery and was able to meet up with Simon and Jenna. She was going to join me in the embarrassment of sprinting on JCSU's track. I even brought spike at her suggestion because there might have been some "races" planned. Simon was doing a swift 12 x 300 workout with a minute rest and ended up probably averaging 43 high to 44 low.
I did some drills and light strides prior to slipping into spikes for the first time in about a year. It was fun getting that fast feeling again. Once you put spikes on, you know it's time to run fast.
I didn't time any of the workout except my final 100m. I did the first effort with a floating start and all the others were from a standing start. I had plenty of rest between sprints, I'd guess around 2-4 minutes. The race between Jenna and I wasn't even close as her blades were no match for my raw strength. Just kidding, it was definitely the slowest 100m race in recent history on that track. Even the Mondo surface couldn't bring us to respectability.
Any guesses on the final 100m? I hand timed it with my Garmin so the accuracy might be a little off based on when I could hit the buttons. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the time knowing I was already starting to feel the effects of the two 50m efforts.
Free pair of Balega socks to the individual who gets closest. Mini-contest ends Monday at 12 pm EST.
Distance: 9.02 miles
W/u: 42:47 for 6.01 miles
W/o: 2 x 100m @ 85%, 2 x 50m @ 100%, 2 x 100m @ 95%
C/d: 22:29 for 3.01 miles
I drove over to JCSU this afternoon for some speed development. Last week beat me up pretty good, but I know it's all a process to getting the fast twitch fibers to start firing efficiently again. Today's workout on paper seemed pretty easy, but trying to run near all out and relaxed is a challenge at this point. I basically strain off the line and run tense until the tape.
I put in 6 miles from the track to the cemetery and was able to meet up with Simon and Jenna. She was going to join me in the embarrassment of sprinting on JCSU's track. I even brought spike at her suggestion because there might have been some "races" planned. Simon was doing a swift 12 x 300 workout with a minute rest and ended up probably averaging 43 high to 44 low.
I did some drills and light strides prior to slipping into spikes for the first time in about a year. It was fun getting that fast feeling again. Once you put spikes on, you know it's time to run fast.
I didn't time any of the workout except my final 100m. I did the first effort with a floating start and all the others were from a standing start. I had plenty of rest between sprints, I'd guess around 2-4 minutes. The race between Jenna and I wasn't even close as her blades were no match for my raw strength. Just kidding, it was definitely the slowest 100m race in recent history on that track. Even the Mondo surface couldn't bring us to respectability.
Any guesses on the final 100m? I hand timed it with my Garmin so the accuracy might be a little off based on when I could hit the buttons. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the time knowing I was already starting to feel the effects of the two 50m efforts.
Free pair of Balega socks to the individual who gets closest. Mini-contest ends Monday at 12 pm EST.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Runnin' with the Flights
Time: ~64 mins
Distance: 8.81 miles
W/u: 22:47 for 3.16 miles
W/o: 14 x 400 in 67 w/ 1 min rest, hammer #11
C/d: 23:24 for 2.90 miles
After Let Me Run got out I headed over to Caitlin's to start the warm up to the JCSU track. She was doing some 300s while I was scheduled to cut shapes. The last time I did some shape cutting was back in the marathon build up and it was snowing. The pace for today's effort wasn't too bad and I only had 14 of them. On February 12th, I did 25 x 400 w/ 1 min rest averaging 68.31 and last year in August I did 12 x 400 w/ 1 min rest averaging 64.15 on AG's track. The second workout was before I knew the track was a little short.
I took a good amount of time warming up properly this afternoon. I did some drills, very light stretching, and an easy stride on the grass. I also got back to doing a couple of 200s before the workout at pace.
Splits:
32.72, (81), 32.87, (4:00). Switched into flats.
67.32, (60), 65.95, (61), 66.75, (59), 66.53, (59), 66.57, (60), 66.07, (60), 66.70, (60),
66.78, (60), 66.12, (61), 67.xx, (60), 62.00, (61), 68.85, (61), 67.70, (60), 64.84 for 35:01 total and ~3.75 miles. Average 66.37.
I'll take it. I was happy to just be able to lace up the flats and hit the times. The soreness is slowly leaving the legs and I was still able to complete the workout hitting all the times. I was thankful to have Caitlin's little track group out there as they jumped in with me on number nine over the last 200m. I also had them jump in my hammer interval on number 11. I didn't let them pass me on that one.
In a few weeks I'll be averaging 64-65. That is, if it's not 80 degrees and humid.
Distance: 8.81 miles
W/u: 22:47 for 3.16 miles
W/o: 14 x 400 in 67 w/ 1 min rest, hammer #11
C/d: 23:24 for 2.90 miles
After Let Me Run got out I headed over to Caitlin's to start the warm up to the JCSU track. She was doing some 300s while I was scheduled to cut shapes. The last time I did some shape cutting was back in the marathon build up and it was snowing. The pace for today's effort wasn't too bad and I only had 14 of them. On February 12th, I did 25 x 400 w/ 1 min rest averaging 68.31 and last year in August I did 12 x 400 w/ 1 min rest averaging 64.15 on AG's track. The second workout was before I knew the track was a little short.
I took a good amount of time warming up properly this afternoon. I did some drills, very light stretching, and an easy stride on the grass. I also got back to doing a couple of 200s before the workout at pace.
Splits:
32.72, (81), 32.87, (4:00). Switched into flats.
67.32, (60), 65.95, (61), 66.75, (59), 66.53, (59), 66.57, (60), 66.07, (60), 66.70, (60),
66.78, (60), 66.12, (61), 67.xx, (60), 62.00, (61), 68.85, (61), 67.70, (60), 64.84 for 35:01 total and ~3.75 miles. Average 66.37.
I'll take it. I was happy to just be able to lace up the flats and hit the times. The soreness is slowly leaving the legs and I was still able to complete the workout hitting all the times. I was thankful to have Caitlin's little track group out there as they jumped in with me on number nine over the last 200m. I also had them jump in my hammer interval on number 11. I didn't let them pass me on that one.
In a few weeks I'll be averaging 64-65. That is, if it's not 80 degrees and humid.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
April Showers
Time: 62:33
Distance: 8.53 miles
Pace: 7:20
Map
I met up with Caitlin near Uptown and we jogged over in the direction of JCSU. I was planning on doing some 400s on the track while some other CRC members worked out. Jay, Aaron and some others met us about a mile from the track and warned us that the workout might not be happening. A youth track team was competing in a meet despite the rain and threatening thunder storms. I figured the meet would be called due to weather, but that wouldn't be the case until after we already hit up the cemetery.
I decided that I would just complete my workout tomorrow when the weather was going to hopefully be nicer. Jay and Aaron did some one minute pickups while Caitlin, Matt and I ran around about a 1k loop. We were all soaked by the time we started running back to the track where we found the meet had finally been canceled. I'm glad I ran a few miles this morning otherwise today would have been a bust.
Distance: 8.53 miles
Pace: 7:20
Map
I met up with Caitlin near Uptown and we jogged over in the direction of JCSU. I was planning on doing some 400s on the track while some other CRC members worked out. Jay, Aaron and some others met us about a mile from the track and warned us that the workout might not be happening. A youth track team was competing in a meet despite the rain and threatening thunder storms. I figured the meet would be called due to weather, but that wouldn't be the case until after we already hit up the cemetery.
I decided that I would just complete my workout tomorrow when the weather was going to hopefully be nicer. Jay and Aaron did some one minute pickups while Caitlin, Matt and I ran around about a 1k loop. We were all soaked by the time we started running back to the track where we found the meet had finally been canceled. I'm glad I ran a few miles this morning otherwise today would have been a bust.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Scoping Out the Course
Total Time: 57:26
Total Distance: 8.13 miles
Part I: 42:40 for 6.01 miles
Part II: 14:46 for 2.12 miles
This afternoon following the Let Me Run practice, I drove over to Caitlin's for a bit of running. We put in a few miles through Elizabeth with the interest of checking out the CPCC Skyline 5k course. Caitlin had printed off a small map with the directions and we followed them to the letter. I felt terrible jog/walking with the boys along the greenway and I didn't feel any better with Red. My legs are making running a struggle and there isn't much I can do about it.
We parted ways around three or four miles and I had some more time to be out there. I knew I had to do drills, but I didn't think I would be able to go through with the whole routine unless I were at a track. Thus, I jogged over to JCSU which put me just at six miles. I limped through a half-assed routine that I think will be great this spring. Jeff Gaudette is borrowing some ideas from Jay Johnson who coaches out in Boulder, CO. I wasn't proud of my effort out on the grass infield, but I at least attempted them.
I jogged back to the car and called it a day with a good amount of work put in.
Oh yea, the course this weekend could be really fast once you get through the uphill first mile. The final 1k is going to be lightening quick.
Total Distance: 8.13 miles
Part I: 42:40 for 6.01 miles
Part II: 14:46 for 2.12 miles
This afternoon following the Let Me Run practice, I drove over to Caitlin's for a bit of running. We put in a few miles through Elizabeth with the interest of checking out the CPCC Skyline 5k course. Caitlin had printed off a small map with the directions and we followed them to the letter. I felt terrible jog/walking with the boys along the greenway and I didn't feel any better with Red. My legs are making running a struggle and there isn't much I can do about it.
We parted ways around three or four miles and I had some more time to be out there. I knew I had to do drills, but I didn't think I would be able to go through with the whole routine unless I were at a track. Thus, I jogged over to JCSU which put me just at six miles. I limped through a half-assed routine that I think will be great this spring. Jeff Gaudette is borrowing some ideas from Jay Johnson who coaches out in Boulder, CO. I wasn't proud of my effort out on the grass infield, but I at least attempted them.
I jogged back to the car and called it a day with a good amount of work put in.
Oh yea, the course this weekend could be really fast once you get through the uphill first mile. The final 1k is going to be lightening quick.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Playing Track & Field
Time: ~50:48
Distance: ~6.09 miles
W/u: 19:45 for 2.58 miles
W/o?: 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m at ??? pace w/ 90 sec. rest
C/d: 17:41 for 2.11 miles
All of my readers know that I love track and field. I practically grew up on the track after taking up the sport when I was nine. I feel comfortable and relaxed spending hours at a track meet or just hanging out with friends around the oval. There is something special about the feel of the rubber, the lane lines and scattered hurdles that are common place. The one thing I don't like about the sport is that you can't "play" it.
It's fun to casually shoot hoops with friends or by yourself. It's fun to juggle a soccer ball or blast shots at an empty net. It's fun to break out the old baseball and mitt to toss the ball around with a friend. How does one play track and field? It's not really possible. There is a cool little piece in Once a Runner that talks about track athletes making up fake names and setting up scenarios to make them legends during a mock high jump competition. It's still not the same.
Running with friends and in a large group at a leisurely pace isn't playing either. While that may be fun, it's not because the activity of shuffling the legs repeatedly is fun. Those runs are fun because of the stories and laughter brought by close ones.
The closest thing to playing track and field to me is doing drills, running strides and enjoying an incredibly light workout. This afternoon I got to my roots in the sport. Caitlin and I met up over at her place and we started to jog in the direction of JCSU. Both of us wanted to get in a few strides and support Jay and Aaron in one of their last hard workouts for Boston.
The track was buzzing with activity this evening as a youth track team has started working out. I believe the team participates in the same type of meets that I used to compete at when I first started with the sport. Their practice started with lots of drills focused on the basic bio-mechanics of running. I wish I were disciplined enough to keep a drills routine twice or thrice a week. It's never too late to re-start and that's what Caitlin and I did.
We did some "A-skips" and "B-skips." Added sideways movements. Then we did butt kicks and high knees. All of these drills brought back memories of long ago practices at Santa Rosa High School's dirt track. It was fun chatting about former teammates with Caitlin while loosening up the legs.
Eventually, we got around to running a few light strides on the grass. I wanted to open up the legs and lungs with some focused efforts. At some point I decided I wanted to run a mini-ladder on the track. I slipped into flats and walked to the 100m start. The whole goal of the workout was to check leg speed and execute proper running technique.
Splits:
15.01, (90), 30.13, (91), 45.98, (90), 61.65, (90), 46.19, (91), 29.60, (91), 13.78. Roughly 13:22 for 1.4 miles.
That was a fun workout. It was the closest I could come to playing track. I felt comfortable on the ladder and tried not to strain. There was nothing stressful about the effort and that's the whole purpose of playing. It might not been as fun as dunking on a nine foot hoop, but that's the nature of the sport. I'll take what I can get on great evenings like this.
Distance: ~6.09 miles
W/u: 19:45 for 2.58 miles
W/o?: 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m at ??? pace w/ 90 sec. rest
C/d: 17:41 for 2.11 miles
All of my readers know that I love track and field. I practically grew up on the track after taking up the sport when I was nine. I feel comfortable and relaxed spending hours at a track meet or just hanging out with friends around the oval. There is something special about the feel of the rubber, the lane lines and scattered hurdles that are common place. The one thing I don't like about the sport is that you can't "play" it.
It's fun to casually shoot hoops with friends or by yourself. It's fun to juggle a soccer ball or blast shots at an empty net. It's fun to break out the old baseball and mitt to toss the ball around with a friend. How does one play track and field? It's not really possible. There is a cool little piece in Once a Runner that talks about track athletes making up fake names and setting up scenarios to make them legends during a mock high jump competition. It's still not the same.
Running with friends and in a large group at a leisurely pace isn't playing either. While that may be fun, it's not because the activity of shuffling the legs repeatedly is fun. Those runs are fun because of the stories and laughter brought by close ones.
The closest thing to playing track and field to me is doing drills, running strides and enjoying an incredibly light workout. This afternoon I got to my roots in the sport. Caitlin and I met up over at her place and we started to jog in the direction of JCSU. Both of us wanted to get in a few strides and support Jay and Aaron in one of their last hard workouts for Boston.
The track was buzzing with activity this evening as a youth track team has started working out. I believe the team participates in the same type of meets that I used to compete at when I first started with the sport. Their practice started with lots of drills focused on the basic bio-mechanics of running. I wish I were disciplined enough to keep a drills routine twice or thrice a week. It's never too late to re-start and that's what Caitlin and I did.
We did some "A-skips" and "B-skips." Added sideways movements. Then we did butt kicks and high knees. All of these drills brought back memories of long ago practices at Santa Rosa High School's dirt track. It was fun chatting about former teammates with Caitlin while loosening up the legs.
Eventually, we got around to running a few light strides on the grass. I wanted to open up the legs and lungs with some focused efforts. At some point I decided I wanted to run a mini-ladder on the track. I slipped into flats and walked to the 100m start. The whole goal of the workout was to check leg speed and execute proper running technique.
Splits:
15.01, (90), 30.13, (91), 45.98, (90), 61.65, (90), 46.19, (91), 29.60, (91), 13.78. Roughly 13:22 for 1.4 miles.
That was a fun workout. It was the closest I could come to playing track. I felt comfortable on the ladder and tried not to strain. There was nothing stressful about the effort and that's the whole purpose of playing. It might not been as fun as dunking on a nine foot hoop, but that's the nature of the sport. I'll take what I can get on great evenings like this.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Twilight JCSU
Time: 84:25
Distance: 12.08 miles
W/u: 8:31 for .91 miles
W/o: 6 x mile with ~70 sec. recovery
C/d: 38:35 for 4.86 miles
Tonight I met up with some members of the Charlotte Running Club at the Johnson C. Smith University track. We were lucky to have the lights left on for us tonight which made seeing and judging pace much easier. I guess the crew has worked out in the dark in weeks and months past. I arrived late so I missed most of the warm up from the track and only got in about a mile before the group was ready to start.
I was supposed to do this workout last Friday and opted out. It was just coincidence that the CRC was running a very similar session tonight consisting of 5 x mile with a minute rest. My very short pre-workout jog and the upper 30s meant I was going to have to use the first two intervals as part of my warm up. I ran the first interval with jacket and full tights on, the second mile I shed the jacket and finally by the third repeat I was comfortable enough to don the half-tights.
This post is late coming and I appreciate the comment from Allen who writes:
5:24.19, (63), 5:26.98, (76), 5:01.48, (90), 4:58.29, (76), 4:52.75, (79), 5:09.53 for 37:19 total and 6.31 miles.
I felt in control and pretty relaxed during this effort. Despite the cold temps the legs felt like they had a bit of pop to them. I felt good toeing off and kept my form throughout. On my third repeat I let Jay Holder and Paul Mainwaring get about 15 seconds ahead and I used them as a target to run down. I focused on inching into their lead each stride and not going out too hard. Aaron took off on what I thought was the final interval which is why the split is significantly faster. We covered the final 800 in about 2:24. Jay and Paul decided to toss in a sixth repeat which I jumped on and tried to use the interval to recover while still working. I didn't feel great, but managed to keep things together.
On the cool down I ran back to Queens University. It was longer than I wanted or expected but I was feeling good by the end of it. I'm pleased with tonight's effort and enjoyed having company out on the track.
Oh, and I'd repeat what Aaron said, but it's not family friendly. I will say that it was essentially a gentleman's challenge of manliness.
Distance: 12.08 miles
W/u: 8:31 for .91 miles
W/o: 6 x mile with ~70 sec. recovery
C/d: 38:35 for 4.86 miles
Tonight I met up with some members of the Charlotte Running Club at the Johnson C. Smith University track. We were lucky to have the lights left on for us tonight which made seeing and judging pace much easier. I guess the crew has worked out in the dark in weeks and months past. I arrived late so I missed most of the warm up from the track and only got in about a mile before the group was ready to start.
I was supposed to do this workout last Friday and opted out. It was just coincidence that the CRC was running a very similar session tonight consisting of 5 x mile with a minute rest. My very short pre-workout jog and the upper 30s meant I was going to have to use the first two intervals as part of my warm up. I ran the first interval with jacket and full tights on, the second mile I shed the jacket and finally by the third repeat I was comfortable enough to don the half-tights.
This post is late coming and I appreciate the comment from Allen who writes:
Hey, I was the old guy slogging around in the outside lanes Tuesday. Didn't get a chance to introduce myself as a) You're too fast to catch and b) I was too busy wheezing to speak more than the 'how's it going?'Allen, I did see you out there and recognized you. Here are the splits:
Just wanted to say: 1) GD dude, those looked like some fast repeats. Hope you post splits soon. 2) Are you sure you don't want to run Shamrock instead of the National? Our 1 sub-2:40 guy, Chris Lamperski (see Theoden's previous blog for a very lively comment debate on him) decided not to run it either. So we are now studless. For some reason, I'm thinking my 3:20 (if I'm very lucky!) is still not good enough to help us secure a team victory and 3) Just what did Aaron say Tuesday that 1 time he passed you?
5:24.19, (63), 5:26.98, (76), 5:01.48, (90), 4:58.29, (76), 4:52.75, (79), 5:09.53 for 37:19 total and 6.31 miles.
I felt in control and pretty relaxed during this effort. Despite the cold temps the legs felt like they had a bit of pop to them. I felt good toeing off and kept my form throughout. On my third repeat I let Jay Holder and Paul Mainwaring get about 15 seconds ahead and I used them as a target to run down. I focused on inching into their lead each stride and not going out too hard. Aaron took off on what I thought was the final interval which is why the split is significantly faster. We covered the final 800 in about 2:24. Jay and Paul decided to toss in a sixth repeat which I jumped on and tried to use the interval to recover while still working. I didn't feel great, but managed to keep things together.
On the cool down I ran back to Queens University. It was longer than I wanted or expected but I was feeling good by the end of it. I'm pleased with tonight's effort and enjoyed having company out on the track.
Oh, and I'd repeat what Aaron said, but it's not family friendly. I will say that it was essentially a gentleman's challenge of manliness.
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