Blog Neglect

Slacker!  That's me!  We flew home and I didn't blog at all.  I was really sick for about 10 days, so there wasn't much to write about.  I'm not going to bore you with all the details of every run or ride, but here's a recap of each week:

Week Ending September 28th:
Running:  17.84
Cycling:  32.21 (this was one ride!)
Total 50.05

Week Ending October 5th:
Running:  24.46
Cycling:  9.38
Total 33.84

Week Ending October 12th:
Running:  16.99
Total 16.99

We've been back in Hawaii for a week and I've had a really awesome week of running - details tomorrow!

Marathon Recovery, Week 3 Results

I got back on track this week!  Two good runs and two good rides.  I decided to go back to posting my weekly recaps on Saturdays - I just don't have time on Sunday.  So this week will be Monday through Saturday.

Monday:  Rest
Result:  Rested

Tuesday:  Four easy miles.
Result:  Rode 7.25 miles in 37:01, 11.8 mph ave speed

Wednesday:  Five miles.
Result:  Ran 5 miles in 53:17, 10:39 pace

Thursday: Four easy miles.
Result:  Rested

Friday:  Rest.
Result:  Rode 9.94 miles in 1:10:12, 8.5 mph ave speed
There is a big difference between riding on the road (see Tuesday's average speed) and riding on the trail (today's average speed)

Saturday: Run 60 minutes. No planned pace or distance.
Result:  6.08 miles in 1:03:41, 10:29 pace.
The plan was to run for an hour.  I wanted to run 6 miles in that hour.  I was at 5.68 miles when I crossed the one hour mark.  And I felt good doing it!

Miles this week
Running:  11:08
Cycling:  17:19
Total:  28.27

I just finished the first half of 2012.  My miles to date are:

Running:  690.90
Cycling:  184.15
Total:  875.05

This is significantly lower than previous years, but my goals for this year have been significantly different!  In the past, I've been all about the miles.  The more the merrier!  This year, I've been focused on quality miles ~ making every mile count, working on speed and endurance.

Tempo Run and Active Recovery

Today was my first Tempo Run.  Here is the description from my training plan:

Today you'll do a tempo run. After a two-mile warmup, run 3 miles at your tempo pace (8:30/mile), then cool down with three miles of easy running.

Your tempo pace should feel hard but controlled. You won't be able to talk comfortably at your tempo pace, but it shouldn't feel as if you're racing.

2-mile warmup
3 miles @ 8:30/mile
3-mile cooldown

8:30 pace feels like racing to me!  After warming up for 2 miles, I was able to run an 8:58 mile, but knew I couldn't sustain it.  I also knew I have a 9 miler on Thursday and 18 on Saturday and couldn't afford to be sore for several days by overdoing it.  So, I backed off my pace and kept it under 10 minutes a mile.

At about the six mile mark, I took a walk break for about 1/2 mile.  After a minute or two, I thought about running, but made myself walk until I turned on a certain street.  I kept moving at a quick pace, but did not run.  This is known as "active recovery."

Active recovery has been found to help athletes recover more quickly than complete rest.  One study found that "After hard intervals, one group rested completely while a second group exercised at 30 percent intensity between intervals. The active group reduced blood lactate levels faster and could achieve a higher power output throughout the workout."  So walking in the middle of a hard run is actually better than cutting the run short and trying to keep running the entire time.

I have never intentionally done active recovery before today, but was very pleased with how I felt after that short walk break.  I was able to bring my pace under 9:00 minutes a mile for a short while and kept it under 9:30 for more than a mile.  This is definitely something I will be incorporating in future workouts.

Motivational Monday

I'm starting a new feature ~ "Motivational Monday."  These posts will be quotes or stories about runners who inspire me.  I hope you'll be inspired, too!  I posted this quote on McMoments and Memories a couple weeks ago:

Running is just you, the work you put in, and the clock. You can't cheat yourself. If you don't put in the miles, you can't go to the starting line thinking you're going to pull a miracle out of nowhere. You get out exactly as much as you put in.
~Desiree Davila

I did a 10 miler yesterday morning.  It felt SO good!  The air was clean after the rain we got on Saturday and I was well rested.  I was watching my pace quite a bit ~ it was about 11:04.  At one point I said, "That's almost 2 minutes slower than what I need to run a 4 hour marathon."  On the heels of that came this thought, "That's why I'm training." 

I'm not ready for my marathon yet, but as long as I don't cheat myself in the training, on June 3rd I'll be able to say I've done my best!

Marathons by the Numbers

I thought this was a really cool chart.  I definitely live in the right state - with 76 marathons per year in California, I should have no trouble finding marathons to run in!