Training Week 127
Monday | March 19, 2012: rest
Tuesday | March 20, 2012: 6 m run (5×5 minutes with 2 minute recovery)
Happy summer! Oops! I mean spring! Tuesday was the first day of spring, but it might as well have been summer. Temps in the upper 70s, great for lunch outside… not for running. Blah blah blah, broken record, blah.
Tuesday was my 5K simulation run – 5×5 mins at 7:35-7:40 with two minute recoveries. 1 mile warm-up, 1 mile cool-down. In classic Kim-style, I botched the speedwork. Felt strong on the first two intervals (7:31, 7:42), awful and dehydrated with a burning left forefoot on the second two (7:51, 7:40), and just wanted to finish on the last one (7:43). All signs point to… no 5K PR. That is okay. I don’t really deserve it if I can’t work hard for it!
Let me just say though, this did feel like a 5K simulation. Dry mouth, wanted to throw up, burning feet… yes.
Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 78° | End Temp: 75° | Time: 54:34 | Avg Pace: 9:06
Wednesday | March 21, 2012: rest
Thursday | March 22, 2012: 6 m run (easy)
I was supposed to run Wednesday and Thursday, but my Wednesday got messed up and I had to push everything back a day. Ugh. It’s all my fault, by the way. I was a bit of a pissy-pants this week.
Anyway, this run was a bit in the rain, all muggy, and with tired legs and lungs. And what is with the bugs? Yuck! Can’t wait to see what “summer” brings… ha ha!
Distance: 6.0 | Start Temp: 76° | End Temp: 71° | Time: 56:45 | Avg Pace: 9:27
Friday | March 23, 2012: 8 m run (easy)
This has not been a week of easy runs. I started this run in the rain, which felt awesome. Then it stopped raining, and the humidity, and heartburn (I think? Never had it before) and the smelly trees (seriously – why do these trees smell so bad?) made it challenging. What an off week!
Distance: 8.0 | Start Temp: 59° | End Temp: 60° | Dew Point: 58° | Humidity: 92% | Time: 1:20:25 | Avg Pace: 10:03
Saturday | March 24, 2012: 3.25 + 3 m run (easy)
In the morning I met some Chicagoland bloggers for a fun meetup and run in the city!
When I got back in I fit in three more miles to get to six for the day.
Distance: 3.25 | Temp: 49° | Time: 35:04 | Avg Pace: 10:48
Distance: 3.0 | Temp: 60° | Time: 26:30 | Avg Pace: 8:50
Sunday | March 25, 2012: 12 m run (2 miles @ HM pace) + 26.5 m bike
Sunday’s workout ended up being… really long. And really fun!
I had 12 miles on the schedule with two ten-minute half marathon pace (8:30) intervals with a 5 minute recovery between. Being genius, I waited to start this long run at the hottest time of the day (I wore sunscreen this week). But! Right before I started my run Erin sent me a text to ask if she should come over for a bike ride. Of course!
So I did a 4 mile warm-up, one 10 minute set at 8:28 pace, then stopped at the house to go to the bathroom. And stopped again during my recovery to take a picture of the world’s Round Lake’s smallest turtle.
Then, 10 more minutes at 8:22 pace, followed by another bathroom stop, then a few more miles with another bathroom stop… yeah, my stomach was sloshing around and not feeling so great. But at the last stop, Erin was at my house so she rode while I ran my last 4 miles on the portion of the Millennium Trail. The Millennium Trail is so hilly for Illinois. It’s nice to have it nearby as an option, but damn, those hills.
After a popsicle break (foreshadowing: not proper refueling after a 12-mile run) we set out to ride the entire Millennium Trail, which is about 13 miles long. The cool thing is that you can get to it from our house! So, if you forget your helmet, and you are close enough to the house when you remember, you can turn around and get it. Just in case that ever happens to me…
We took a leisurely pace on our bikes (I should mention the trail is mostly crushed limestone). I remember thinking it was windy on the first part of the out and back and that it would be nice to have the wind at our backs on the way back (it wasn’t).
We chatted a lot and stopped a few times. I had to take a picture of a normal sized turtle (thumb included again for reference).
It was really awesome to spend this much time with Erin, because this is basically what we did last summer when we were training for Milwaukee. We did as many of our long runs together as we could… then usually spent time together after the run. And this bike ride felt just like that, complete with me being a bit out of it and slow at the end (just like with our long runs!!!). Yeah. That popsicle, and later on, GU, was NOT enough. We were both really hungry when we got back to the house!
It totally cracks me up that I bike 26.5 miles slower than elites run marathons. Ha ha ha.
Anyway, this ended up being a great day! I love all that one-on-one gab time! Thanks for coming over, Erin!
Also, I should mention that I really like the long runs with fast paces in them. Makes them end quicker, and boosts your confidence when you can do it!
Distance: 12.0 | Start Temp: 76° | End Temp: 64° | Time: 2:04:22 | Avg Pace: 10:22
Bike Distance: 3.0 | Start Temp: 64° | End Temp: 54° | Time: 2:42:02 | Avg Pace: 9.8 mph
Week Summary: 38.25 miles
Themocracy
Look at all those miles! High Five!
That big turtle looks like he is going to bite your thumb off!
Is that a snapping turtle??
Probably. We have them where we live.
Glad you had such a fun day with Erin! And that is one TINY turtle 🙂
That’s a pretty packed week. Last year (I think) I saw a ton of those itty-bitty turtles in our neighborhood. I kept wanting to move them off the street each time I’d see one (I saw a few smashed).
I stopped to move them when I saw them (only twice, but still). 🙂
Those trees are SO GROSS. They were on my college campus and I’m seeing more of them around town. Yes, they’re pretty … from far enough away that you don’t have to smell them.
What the heck are they? Really, the smell makes my stomach turn!!!!
We saw a tiny turtle like that yesterday on our walk, too!
the trees smell bad? i have one like that in my yard and I didn’t think it was that bad…interesting.
Sorry I missed you guys on Saturday! We’ll definitely have to meet up some day!
Do you have a lot of them in your neighborhood? We do and they are all over the city. A few people have told me the smell is disgusting to them too.
the mini turtle!!!! i am dying, he is so cute!!!!
You had a busy, busy week! No wonder you’re wiped out today. At least the temps are cooling off for you?
Nice runs!! I would confuse myself with all the different pace times and miles you throw in there lol. And that mini turtle IS CUTE.
LOL, a few times during some runs in the past few months I have had to stop to look at my calendar to see what type of workout I am supposed to be doing 🙂
Lady, I think that’s a snapping turtle, and I’m serious–it could bite your thumb off! AHHHHH! I love turtles though, especially tiny ones, though I think they carry salmonella.
I hate bugs. They somehow die in my sweat, and then they’re stuck to me, which is disgusting.
Mica, you should see the turtles that show up in my neighborhood – http://www.ilaxstudio.com/blog/2009/06/13/new-turtle-friend/. Crazy, right?!??!?
Also, looking at your banner photo – did you all plan to wear blue or was it a coincidence? Love the photo. When I come to visit you, you have to take me to see that bean.
Come visit!!!!!!!!!!!
We were instructed to wear blue 😉