Amsterdam 8

The Amsterdam 8km race was great. Getting there was a little too exciting. The bus connection skipped the stop at the marathon expo center due to the marathon and took us up and around so we had to literally run 15 minutes back to the start area. one of my colleagues thankfully was able to pick up our start numbers from the expo and bring them to us, so we could start on time.

I planned a pace I thought my new running buddy C could handle (under 7 min/km) with a one minute walk break every 1/2 km (so every 3 1/2 minutes, more or less, like we practiced). She did beautifully, though the last couple km saw her stop talking and refuse to tell me any jokes. I was trying to keep her talking so as to make the distance fly by faster. She told me afterwards she was thinking evil thoughts when I was trying to keep her from falling behind too far between walk breaks. We finished together in 55 minutes, which was so fantastic for her first time. She said in the beginning of the race she was self-conscious, and didn't feel at all like she had any business out there on the course. She was particularly nervous about all the spectators. She got a big charge from spectators calling out encouragement to her by name (names were on our bibs). By the end, Christel had such an adrenaline rush, finishing in Olympic stadium, making half a lap to cheering crowds. She earned her finish medal! 

The temperature was perfect - a bit on the chilly side but clear blue sky and sunny. A new women's course record was set. We stayed in the stadium to watch the men's and women's winners finish. I felt so inspired watching these talented runners.

counting down

Here's my homework and the suggested pace, which my ego says is SOOO slow. And I don't think I like this walk break ratio. On my long runs, he's had me doing 1 min walk:1 min run. Hmmmm.

I will do the homework and think about these suggestions.



I'd like for you to practice the pacing and walk breaks during your Tuesday run this week.

Try to hold a pace of 8:15 by running for 20 seconds and walking for 40 seconds for 2 K. Then shift to 30-30 and see if you can maintain that same pace. This will help you choose the walk break that will work best for you.

Line up at the back again so that you will have freedom of movement.

1-8km--8:30/km
9-16K--8:20/km
17-21--anything you want.

First Long Training Run 11 April 2009

I ran 13 or 14k Saturday. It was fun. Only thing was I ran 5k on Friday since my mid-week runs got off by a day - so my knees were still a little sore even this morning - just going up the stairs. They were fine when I took a spin with a friend who hadn't been on her bike since Oct. Easy 27k. Earn those chocolates! Odie slept a lot today. He ran both Fri & Saturday and was, well, dog-tired.


Weekend Workout Assigned: 10k
Actual: ~13.5k
Time 1:47 HRM 148 average; 168 max
Pace: ~ 10k/60 min. I took walk breaks when I felt like it. First one after about 15 minutes. More frequent after the first hour. I stopped to chat with my husband and son, who had camped on the beach overnight to get a good storage spot for the Hobie Cat at the sailing club. Stopped at the end to chat goodbye to running buddy. I subtracted chatting time to arrive at the estimate, using a pace of 10k/60min (my last race pace - probably a bit generous); actual time minus ~20 minutes standing around talking. A lot of walking towards the very end.

Comments
I estimated the distance because I ran on the beach, without obvious landmarks. I based my estimate on a comparable pace on other runs where I know the distance. I realized Saturday morning that the GPS I wanted to carry lacked fresh batteries. I commit to better prep & planning for next week.

Weather & Temperature: clear and sunny; 20C - probably cooler when I started out.

Aches & Pains? My knees were a little sore immediately afterwards. They were tender climbing stairs on Sunday morning. Took 200mg advil & extra dose of fish oil. Felt fine during & after my bike ride on Sunday. My mid-week training schedule was off by a day due to family committments. So I ended up running my second mid-week run on Friday morning, rather than on Thursday. Next week I won't run the day before the weekend run.

Questions for the Coach:
1. I do not know how to pace myself using a time/distance metric. I have always trained with a heart rate monitor and by adapting to my current physical condition - perception of effort, breathing, fatigue, etc. Do I need to carry a GPS? Run somewhere else on a pre-measured route?

2. I want to increase my pace. The woman I am running with on Saturdays can run faster, but has been satisfied with my pace so far. I'd like to try to speed up. When/how do I work on this? Once a week on my mid-week run, I have been adding high intensity intervals - short sprints followed by walk recovery.

3. The Paris race features a huge hill. How should I prepare for it, considering I live in "the low country"? I have been running up a hill near my house and running up a long flight of stairs in the Dunes. Is this enough? Add in treadmill with incline?

Next Week's Planned Workouts

Sunday - 26K bike ride (done)
Monday - easy row - weights (when I get done with this post!) (DONE - skipped the weights)
Tuesday - 30 - 45 minute run (at least 5 K) HIIT - Swim laps
Wednesday - easy row & weights
Thursday - 30 - 45 minute run (at least 5 K)
Friday - easy row & sauna (rest before run)
Saturday - assigned training run - 5k

Begin with the end in mind

I've decided to run my first half-marathon. I had so much fun running my first 10k in March, the City-Pier-City in The Hague, that I immediately started looking for my next goal. A half-marathon seemed impossible. So I picked a 16 K race, La Grande Classique in Paris in September. Then some of my colleagues at work talked up the Amsterdam Half-Marathon. So I set a new goal and will use the Paris race as a training tool.

I am using these goals to help me achieve my ideal body weight. I will use this blog to share my training plans, my progress, and my trip across the finish line. To help me meet my goals, I've enrolled in e-coaching with Jeff Galloway.