Total distance run this week: 59 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 0
Hill training: 9 x 270m
Long run: 32 km
Other activities: cycling (44km)
Total training time: 10:15
I wish I'd had it in me to run the extra kilometre I needed to make it a nice round 60km for the week, but my long run this morning was too tough. It was already 24 degrees and humid by the time I headed out the door a little before 7 am. By the time I was schlepping home 4 hours later, the thermometer read 29 degrees with a "feels like" temperature of 38. Needless to say, I was seriously toasted by the time I made it in the door.
On the upside, the first 20km of the run felt pretty good after a bit of rocky week. My foot which had been tight and sore for a couple of weeks finally felt more normal, and I ran through some of my favourite parts of the city -- across the Central Experimental Farm, down Island Park Drive, along the Ottawa River to Parliament Hill, and then along Sussex Drive to old city hall where I picked up the Rideau River pathway back home. Unfortunately, I had somehow never noticed there's not a single water fountain for a stretch of about 12 or 13km along the Rideau River so I ran out of water 5 or 6 km from any source of drinking water -- not a mistake I'll make a second time!
The rest of my training this week went well too, although I continued to struggle with finding the right shoes. It turned out the ones I bought last weekend caused more problems than they solved so they went back yesterday and I got others which seem to work better for me. I ran all 32km in them this morning without major incident. My right leg and foot were a little sore by the end of my run, but I immediately soaked them in an icewater bath and they are feeling much better tonight. Of course, the real test will be getting out of bed tomorrow morning. :-)
Because my foot was acting up, and hill training was tough on Wednesday (again because of high heat and humidity), I skipped my 6km tempo run on Friday and replaced it with a steady 9km run instead. A sensible choice as it turned out.
My plan for the coming week is to take it a easier and let my legs heal a bit before I start building again the week after next. If the weather cooperates, I may bike a little more, but I'll try to keep my total running to a maximum of 35-40 km.
I can hardly believe race day is now only 8 weeks away -- which means there's only 5 more weeks of really hard training ahead. Time is definitely flying by!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Week 12
Total distance run this week: 56 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (9km)
Hill training: 8 x 260 m
Long run: 29 km
Other activities: cycling (20km)
Total training time: 7:30
There were lots of high points this week -- starting with a relaxed 8km recovery run and stretch on Tuesday that worked out all the kinks left over from my long run last Sunday.
Wednesday was hill training. I joined a group from the Slater Street Running Room that was tackling a steep 260m hill behind the Parliament Buildings and completed 8 hills at a consistent pace of about 5:45/km (going UP the hill) -- which is almost 20 seconds faster than I hope to run race day. Needless to say, I was pleased.
My tempo run on Friday was great too. I wasn't sure I was ready for it when I crawled out of bed at 6:30 am but, after a short warmup, I gradually increased my pace until my heart rate was where I wanted it, and settled into a nice groove for the next 6km or so. My goal pace was 6:00 min/km but because it was such a beautiful cool clear morning I had trouble running that slowly. In the end, I averaged just under 5:50 for most of the run and ran an extra couple of kilometres just because it felt so good.
I had a similar experience today. My plan was to run just 26km when I left the house a little after 7:00 this morning -- and that seemed plenty ambitious given that I'd had a few glasses of wine with friends last night and gone to bed late. But, as it turned out, it was another perfect running day -- cool and overcast with very little wind -- so I decided to make the most of it and ran 29km instead. To ensure I didn't overdo it, I ran at a comfortably slow pace throughout and focussed as much as possible on maintaining good form. I also stopped several times to stretch. Though quite tired by the end, I still felt I could have run a few more kilometres and, in fact, probably would have except that I was wearing old shoes and didn't want to risk injurying myself.
For those of you shaking your heads at the thought of me running 29km in old shoes -- I wore them as an experiment! As noted in my post last week, my right leg and hip have been acting up lately and my ART therapist thought I might need more arch support for my long runs. Turns out he was probably right. Though my old shoes don't have much bounce left in them, they do provide much more arch support than the Nike's I was wearing last weekend, and I could definitely feel the difference. I finished the run today with no pain in my right hip!
Good as they felt, I'm hoping today was my last long run in the old shoes since they really are pretty tired. I bought a shiney new pair of Saucony's yesterday which I'll try to break in this week. They're much like the shoes I had on today (also Saucony's) except that they have a bit more arch support and a cushier ride. They felt awesome when I tried them at the store yesterday but, of course, the only way to know for sure if they're going to work for me is to try logging some serious miles in them. Here's hoping.
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (9km)
Hill training: 8 x 260 m
Long run: 29 km
Other activities: cycling (20km)
Total training time: 7:30
There were lots of high points this week -- starting with a relaxed 8km recovery run and stretch on Tuesday that worked out all the kinks left over from my long run last Sunday.
Wednesday was hill training. I joined a group from the Slater Street Running Room that was tackling a steep 260m hill behind the Parliament Buildings and completed 8 hills at a consistent pace of about 5:45/km (going UP the hill) -- which is almost 20 seconds faster than I hope to run race day. Needless to say, I was pleased.
My tempo run on Friday was great too. I wasn't sure I was ready for it when I crawled out of bed at 6:30 am but, after a short warmup, I gradually increased my pace until my heart rate was where I wanted it, and settled into a nice groove for the next 6km or so. My goal pace was 6:00 min/km but because it was such a beautiful cool clear morning I had trouble running that slowly. In the end, I averaged just under 5:50 for most of the run and ran an extra couple of kilometres just because it felt so good.
I had a similar experience today. My plan was to run just 26km when I left the house a little after 7:00 this morning -- and that seemed plenty ambitious given that I'd had a few glasses of wine with friends last night and gone to bed late. But, as it turned out, it was another perfect running day -- cool and overcast with very little wind -- so I decided to make the most of it and ran 29km instead. To ensure I didn't overdo it, I ran at a comfortably slow pace throughout and focussed as much as possible on maintaining good form. I also stopped several times to stretch. Though quite tired by the end, I still felt I could have run a few more kilometres and, in fact, probably would have except that I was wearing old shoes and didn't want to risk injurying myself.
For those of you shaking your heads at the thought of me running 29km in old shoes -- I wore them as an experiment! As noted in my post last week, my right leg and hip have been acting up lately and my ART therapist thought I might need more arch support for my long runs. Turns out he was probably right. Though my old shoes don't have much bounce left in them, they do provide much more arch support than the Nike's I was wearing last weekend, and I could definitely feel the difference. I finished the run today with no pain in my right hip!
Good as they felt, I'm hoping today was my last long run in the old shoes since they really are pretty tired. I bought a shiney new pair of Saucony's yesterday which I'll try to break in this week. They're much like the shoes I had on today (also Saucony's) except that they have a bit more arch support and a cushier ride. They felt awesome when I tried them at the store yesterday but, of course, the only way to know for sure if they're going to work for me is to try logging some serious miles in them. Here's hoping.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Week 11
Total distance run this week: 42 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 0
Runs at race pace: 1 (7 km)
Hill training: 7 x 250 m
Long run: 20 km
Other activities: yoga
Total training time: 7:20
The week started slowly but ended pretty well.
Monday, I was feeling pretty tired after a big weekend of training, so decided I'd better take a rest day. Tuesday, I woke up feeling miserable and spent most of the day sleeping -- so missed running that day too. Wednesday, although still feeling under the weather, I was also itching to get back on the road - so I ran an easy 8km, then spent a mellow hour or so doing yoga postures and other stretches.
I managed to convince myself to take another rest day on Thursday, but couldn't resist doing some relatively tough workouts over the past three days. I ran a strong 7km at race pace on Friday, followed by 7km and 7 hills yesterday in high heat and humidity. Today, I ran 20km in heavy rain and wind for much of it. It should still have felt easier than last week's 26km but it didn't -- I suppose because I was tired when I started out and my right leg was a bit tight and sore after yesterday's hill training session.
My goals for the coming week are to begin building my total mileage once again (hopefully to 50 km this week), buy some new shoes, run 8 hills Tuesday or Wednesday so I have more time to recover before my long run, then run a comfortable 26 km next Sunday. I'd like also like to spend some time on my bike too if the weather cooperates. I just couldn't seem to find the time and energy this past week.
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 0
Runs at race pace: 1 (7 km)
Hill training: 7 x 250 m
Long run: 20 km
Other activities: yoga
Total training time: 7:20
The week started slowly but ended pretty well.
Monday, I was feeling pretty tired after a big weekend of training, so decided I'd better take a rest day. Tuesday, I woke up feeling miserable and spent most of the day sleeping -- so missed running that day too. Wednesday, although still feeling under the weather, I was also itching to get back on the road - so I ran an easy 8km, then spent a mellow hour or so doing yoga postures and other stretches.
I managed to convince myself to take another rest day on Thursday, but couldn't resist doing some relatively tough workouts over the past three days. I ran a strong 7km at race pace on Friday, followed by 7km and 7 hills yesterday in high heat and humidity. Today, I ran 20km in heavy rain and wind for much of it. It should still have felt easier than last week's 26km but it didn't -- I suppose because I was tired when I started out and my right leg was a bit tight and sore after yesterday's hill training session.
My goals for the coming week are to begin building my total mileage once again (hopefully to 50 km this week), buy some new shoes, run 8 hills Tuesday or Wednesday so I have more time to recover before my long run, then run a comfortable 26 km next Sunday. I'd like also like to spend some time on my bike too if the weather cooperates. I just couldn't seem to find the time and energy this past week.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Week 10
Total distance run this week: 47 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (7 km)
Runs at race pace: 1 (6 km)
Long run: 26 km
Other activities: 50.5 km cycling
Total training time: 9:10
Because of some pain in my right hip, I skipped hills on Wednesday evening and scheduled myself for an appointment with an ART therapist.
For the unintiated, ART stands for Active Release Therapy -- a lovely name for a treatment that should be listed as a method of torture somewhere. The main technique involves the therapist digging his thumbs and fingers into various tight muscles on the most painful spot he can find, then instructing you to move the affected appendage while he stretches the muscle. Yes, it's as nasty as it sounds. However, it's also remarkably effective. I've run three of the four days since I was treated with much less discomfort. That said, the jury's still out on whether I go back for more.
The other "high" point of the week was my long run today. I dawdled getting out the door today, unsure whether the 30km I cycled yesterday would make completing a planned 26km run today impossible. As it turned out, it wasn't the cycling yesterday that was the problem, it was the heat and humidity.
Contrary to the weather forecast, the sun came out and temperatures soared soon after I started my run. For much of the time, the humidity was so high I felt like I was running through water rather than air. It was bad enough at one point that I thought about cutting the run short, but in the end decided it was a good idea to practice running in the heat even if it meant slowing down in order to be able to go the full distance. It did. For the last 3-4 kms, I was barely shuffling along and taking frequent walk breaks in an effort to keep my heart rate in a reasonable range. I checked the thermometer when I got home and saw that it was 30 degrees in the shade. No wonder it felt warm.
Anyway, altogether a pretty good week of training. In the coming week, I plan to focus on recovery -- meaning I will run less and try to get lots of rest so that I'm ready to begin building again the week after next. At this stage, it feels like my body is ready for a break so I'm looking forward to taking it a bit easier -- especially next weekend when I plan to run only 20km on Sunday.
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (7 km)
Runs at race pace: 1 (6 km)
Long run: 26 km
Other activities: 50.5 km cycling
Total training time: 9:10
Because of some pain in my right hip, I skipped hills on Wednesday evening and scheduled myself for an appointment with an ART therapist.
For the unintiated, ART stands for Active Release Therapy -- a lovely name for a treatment that should be listed as a method of torture somewhere. The main technique involves the therapist digging his thumbs and fingers into various tight muscles on the most painful spot he can find, then instructing you to move the affected appendage while he stretches the muscle. Yes, it's as nasty as it sounds. However, it's also remarkably effective. I've run three of the four days since I was treated with much less discomfort. That said, the jury's still out on whether I go back for more.
The other "high" point of the week was my long run today. I dawdled getting out the door today, unsure whether the 30km I cycled yesterday would make completing a planned 26km run today impossible. As it turned out, it wasn't the cycling yesterday that was the problem, it was the heat and humidity.
Contrary to the weather forecast, the sun came out and temperatures soared soon after I started my run. For much of the time, the humidity was so high I felt like I was running through water rather than air. It was bad enough at one point that I thought about cutting the run short, but in the end decided it was a good idea to practice running in the heat even if it meant slowing down in order to be able to go the full distance. It did. For the last 3-4 kms, I was barely shuffling along and taking frequent walk breaks in an effort to keep my heart rate in a reasonable range. I checked the thermometer when I got home and saw that it was 30 degrees in the shade. No wonder it felt warm.
Anyway, altogether a pretty good week of training. In the coming week, I plan to focus on recovery -- meaning I will run less and try to get lots of rest so that I'm ready to begin building again the week after next. At this stage, it feels like my body is ready for a break so I'm looking forward to taking it a bit easier -- especially next weekend when I plan to run only 20km on Sunday.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Week 9
Total distance run this week: 44.9 km
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (6 km)
Runs at race pace: 1 (8 km)
Hills: 6 x 300m
Longest run: 23.1 km
Other activities: 22 km cycling; yoga
Total training time: 7:00
A good -- though tough -- week of training. My 5km "recovery" run on Monday turned into an 8km at race pace. Hills on Wednesday felt great, but then I ran my tempo run on Friday too fast, causing my right leg and hip to tighten up yesterday. I tried stretching them out last night, but they were still so tight and sore this morning that I had to stop several times to stretch during my long run.
On the upside, it was another perfect weekend for running -- 20 degrees and breezy when I headed out today, and my energy level was good for the whole 23 km despite the discomfort. When I got home, I took a little extra time to stretch properly and my hip seems to be feeling better now, though some ice and ibuprofen may be in order for my knee later. In the coming week, I'll try not to push quite so hard on my runs, and focus a little more on stretching and cross-training.
Number of runs: 4
Runs at tempo pace: 1 (6 km)
Runs at race pace: 1 (8 km)
Hills: 6 x 300m
Longest run: 23.1 km
Other activities: 22 km cycling; yoga
Total training time: 7:00
A good -- though tough -- week of training. My 5km "recovery" run on Monday turned into an 8km at race pace. Hills on Wednesday felt great, but then I ran my tempo run on Friday too fast, causing my right leg and hip to tighten up yesterday. I tried stretching them out last night, but they were still so tight and sore this morning that I had to stop several times to stretch during my long run.
On the upside, it was another perfect weekend for running -- 20 degrees and breezy when I headed out today, and my energy level was good for the whole 23 km despite the discomfort. When I got home, I took a little extra time to stretch properly and my hip seems to be feeling better now, though some ice and ibuprofen may be in order for my knee later. In the coming week, I'll try not to push quite so hard on my runs, and focus a little more on stretching and cross-training.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Week 8
Total distance run this week: 38.3 km
Number of runs: 4
Tempo runs: 1 (7 km)
Hills: 5 x 300m
Longest run: 20 km
Other activities: 43 km cycling; yoga
Total training time: 7:30
Once again, the highlight of my week was my long run. When I headed out the door this morning, my intention was to run just 16 km, but I couldn't resist running longer.
The weather was perfect (20 degrees and sunny with a cool breeze) and the traffic along the pathways so exceptionally light that I felt I had them almost entirely to myself. Added to which, when I reached my planned turnaround point, I found I was feeling so good and enjoying the run so much that I didn't want to turn back. So instead I carried on for another two kilometres before finally crossing the river and heading homeward.
The best part of the run was when I found myself following an unfamiliar dirt trail that wound its way along the water's edge beneath ancient old trees. It seemed amazing that such a beautiful, tranquil and untamed path could exist in the heart of the city, but there it was. And it reminded me once again of just how lucky I am to be able to run.
Number of runs: 4
Tempo runs: 1 (7 km)
Hills: 5 x 300m
Longest run: 20 km
Other activities: 43 km cycling; yoga
Total training time: 7:30
Once again, the highlight of my week was my long run. When I headed out the door this morning, my intention was to run just 16 km, but I couldn't resist running longer.
The weather was perfect (20 degrees and sunny with a cool breeze) and the traffic along the pathways so exceptionally light that I felt I had them almost entirely to myself. Added to which, when I reached my planned turnaround point, I found I was feeling so good and enjoying the run so much that I didn't want to turn back. So instead I carried on for another two kilometres before finally crossing the river and heading homeward.
The best part of the run was when I found myself following an unfamiliar dirt trail that wound its way along the water's edge beneath ancient old trees. It seemed amazing that such a beautiful, tranquil and untamed path could exist in the heart of the city, but there it was. And it reminded me once again of just how lucky I am to be able to run.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Week 7
Total distance run this week: 39.5 km
Number of runs: 4
Tempo runs: 1 (6 km)
Hills: 4 x 400m
Longest run: 21.5 km
Other activities: 21 km cycling
Total training time: 6:15
Pretty decent week of training -- though I'd have liked to find time for yoga and more cycling. Canada Day and the weather upset my plans to cycle to work a second day.
The weather was cool and damp most of the week -- which was too bad for jazzfest but terrific for training.
Long run today felt great -- especially during the first 15-16km. Got into a very nice zone while circling the Experimental Farm. I'd forgotten how good it can feel to run long. It really is magical when your body gets into a rhythm, your brain shifts to neutral and the endorphins start flowing. I think it helped that I started a little slower than usual so will try to focus on that again next week.
My only other regret for the week is that I didn't run an extra half kilometre somewhere. It would have been good to be able to record a nice round 40km for my weekly total.
Number of runs: 4
Tempo runs: 1 (6 km)
Hills: 4 x 400m
Longest run: 21.5 km
Other activities: 21 km cycling
Total training time: 6:15
Pretty decent week of training -- though I'd have liked to find time for yoga and more cycling. Canada Day and the weather upset my plans to cycle to work a second day.
The weather was cool and damp most of the week -- which was too bad for jazzfest but terrific for training.
Long run today felt great -- especially during the first 15-16km. Got into a very nice zone while circling the Experimental Farm. I'd forgotten how good it can feel to run long. It really is magical when your body gets into a rhythm, your brain shifts to neutral and the endorphins start flowing. I think it helped that I started a little slower than usual so will try to focus on that again next week.
My only other regret for the week is that I didn't run an extra half kilometre somewhere. It would have been good to be able to record a nice round 40km for my weekly total.
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