One Week Changes Things

With the first week of summer, officially in the bag I could not be happier with how things are going. Last week I was trying to get the lead out of my feet and semi accomplished that after two races in a row.


This week has been just the opposite I have had troubles slowing down in some of my runs. Some of this is the starting of doing speed work on the track. The last two workouts were good and showed that I could increase the amount of the intervals that I do. Right now, I am just sticking to the 800’s but will try some mile intervals later in the summer. There is a slight problem that I will have to deal with next week and that is running on vacation. It has become easier in recent years but is still difficult to do. I tend to be pulled into many different directions and have to sacrifice my run for another activity that has nothing to do with running or fitness. I am just starting to get more mileage under my feet and now this…I should not be so selfish since I do not see my family all that often I should just take it as it is and run what I can, when I can.

My run today (6-16) did not feel as good as some of the earlier runs this week but I have been throwing the mileage down so I guess a 7:20-7:25 pace over 9.7 miles are not very bad. I would like it closer to marathon pace but I guess not all runs can be the best ever; some just have to be pushed through and be happy with the results.

I have seen some of my fellow runners in the area out on the streets this is nice to see. Not too many years ago, I would hardly see anyone else running. Even back in Minot I would never see others out running and now there is healthy number of races in the area. Which means that there is a good number of people out running to support these races. I have not however seen any of the cross-country team out running but they are logging their mileage on the website. I am so pumped to see how many of these athletes continue to run through the summer. Much of my training is in part to make sure that I can keep up with these runners when fall rolls around, not to mention races during the summer. They have already beaten me too many times (once Mile4Megan 3 of the boys beat me) I need to reestablish the picking order and that I am on top. I am afraid that I will very quickly become lower as time moves on and these runners will start to surpass me in races results. Time will tell.

Get the Pb Out of the Legs

In the days leading up to the Miles 4 Megan race (5-30-10) and the 10Kato (5-31-10) I was having a difficult time running fast. My legs felt as though they were tired. There was no spring in them, no drive, it was has if my shoes were made of lead. So going into the races I was not feeling as if I was going to perform at a sub par level. This really bothered me because if I race I want to run at a high level and run as fast as I can and do my best.
In the Miles 4 Megan race I was defiantly not there, it was weird, I was with the lead pack and never had the intensity that I should have had in a race. I ended up finishing in 5th place and 19:34. To me that time was not acceptable and was disappointed. At the 10Kato I had some positive things going for me. The weather was really nice low to mid 60's and little wind. My goal going in was to run strong. I had no goal time but wanted to average 6:45 miles. I was able to run within myself and not go out too fast at the beginning and actually make splits that I was happy with. The result was okay 22/286 and 41:44.
So after the back to back races my legs were taxed, but they held up. The following week has been a different week in training because my legs are able to go fast. They have their spring back, I am able run fast in training. This is obviously a good thing and I am looking forward to the upcoming summer to ramp-up my training and begin racing more consistently.