End of week 7, start of week 8

Been busy. So, got the slightly long run in over the weekend while visiting Susan in Boston. Run was supposed to be 90 to 105 minutes and it was scheduled for Saturday but I did it on Sunday. I was also supposed to get an easy run in on Friday but I skipped that one.

Anyway, had a nice ten miler in Boston. Susan took me on a route from Somerville through Cambridge, along the Charles and back up Mass Ave through Harvard Square to Somerville. She did almost to the seven mile point with me, until she thought I could find my way home on my own. I was proud of myself for not getting lost, although honestly it was pretty easy since I just had to stay on Mass Ave and remember where to turn right in Somerville. It was a little confusing coming through Harvard Square, and I had to ask a couple of people before I found someone who could point me in the right direction! (It was move-in weekend and there were a lot of confused freshman and families wandering around.)

We started out in the 11s and gradually crept up into the 13s as Susan's lack of fitness (and inability to drink or eat while running) took its toll. She took the T back to her apartment as planned after leaving me, and she felt better as soon as she stopped and had some Gatorade.

After Susan left me, I dropped down into the tens, but felt like I would have gone faster if the sidewalk had not been so crowded. This route would work better earlier in the morning when there are not so many people out wandering around!

It was not bad running weather even though we got a late morning start. I felt great the entire way and honestly like I could have even gone another 10 if I had the water and GU and time. I know we were going slow but still, it was great to feel good after a ten miler. 10.08 miles in 1:57 or so.

Okay, so today I decided to do the tempo interval workout that I was scheduled for yesterday, which I took off because I was traveling home and also would have needed an easy day anyway. Workout was supposed to be 20 minute warmup, then 4-5 x 1000 meters (or 8 minutes) at 8:24 - 8:43 pace, with three minute recoveries, followed by 3 x 200 meters (or 40 seconds) with one minute recoveries, and then the 10-20 minute cooldowns.

It wasn't that hot today but it was very humid, so I once again hit the treadmill. I did the 20 minute slow warmup, but I went straight from 3.5 pace to 5.0 pace so it was just a tiny bit faster overall. Then I tried to do the intervals at 6.9 mph, which is 8:41 pace, right on the slow end of the range. I was surprised that these long intervals were not done much slower than the shorter intervals I had to do last week. On the recoveries, I walked for 30 seconds, then jogged for 2 1/2 minutes.

I found eight minutes at 8:41 pace to be rough. Near the end of the second interval, I got a twinge in my left knee. So I had to slow it down a little for the second two intervals. I went down to 6.8 mph or 8:49 pace, which is outside the slow end of the range. Bummer.

Anyway, I had a rough go of it. Most trouble I've had completing one of these workouts.

I am not quite sure what you are really supposed to do with the shorter interval section of this workout. Same problem I had last week. I suspect maybe you are supposed to do them faster but how fast? And the knee twinge scared me. I ended up doing them at 7.0 mph or 8:34 pace, but I ran for a minute instead of 40 seconds because after an hour, the treadmill doesn't display time in seconds. On the recoveries, I walked 30 seconds, jogged 30 seconds.

Then to finish up I went pretty soon to the standard treadmill five minute cooldown program, instead of jogging for 20 minutes. I figure I don't need the cooldown so much. The intervals are the meat of the workout.

Anyway, it was a total of 6.69 miles in 1:15. Iced the knee afterwards and seems okay.

Tomorrow it's just a recovery run of 30 to 45 minutes.

I Had Forgotten How Lovely Ice Baths Feel

It's Week 4, Day 1. Today's workout was the Fartlek intervals again, just like last Monday. It's a lovely day, temperatures cooler and less humid, so I got it done outside. Outside is better because I don't baby myself as much as I do on the treadmill. I do the warmup faster, I get some hill running in, and I run the intervals more on perceived effort than some artificial pace that I set on the treadmill.

I went out around 10:30, following a long dog walk around the park. I decided to do a route that covers the Murray Ave. trail, because that would give me a good stretch to get the intervals in without having to stop for traffic. The workout was supposed to be 10-20 minute warmup followed by 8-10 time 2 min at 5k to 8k pace, with 1 minute recovery jogs, followed by a 10 to 20 minute cooldown.

So I did about 20 minutes of warmup, did the intervals as prescribed except for the recoveries I walked 30 seconds, jogged 30 seconds, and then finished up with a bit over 10 minute cooldown. My total time is a little bit approximate because I forgot to start my watch until I got out to Erie Ave., but it was about 57 minutes and I covered 5.77 miles.

The route was out to Erie, down Erie, around the Broadview loop, back out Erie and across to Murray Ave., out to Settle and back, up Erie, and around the neighborhood.

I felt a little gimpy, especially at the start, probably as a result of the weekend of agility and maybe not getting enough sleep. I'm also a little congested and have a slight headache (maybe a sinus thing, or maybe again, just fatigued). But I didn't have any particular problems during the run.

On the intervals, I switched the Nike pace band over to show pace instead of miles, and I just tried to keep it around 8:30. Of course, I went up and down depending on the hills. The route worked out pretty well, because I got around 6 intervals in on Murray, and then finished the last two on the hill, so the cool down was around the neighborhood. The only times I had to stop for traffic were in the beginning when I crossed Erie at Saybrook and when I crossed over to get to Murray.

When I got home, I fixed my glass of chocolate milk and I was ready to sit down with the bag of frozen peas on my left knee. But then I started thinking about how my hips and my thighs really felt stiff also, and decided to take an ice bath. Haven't done that in awhile. So I dumped all the ice out of the ice maker into the tub and filled it up with cold water and hopped in for ten minutes. I had forgotten how great that can feel after a hard effort.

Right now I am sitting outside on the patio with the dogs, because it really is a very lovely day. My head still hurts a little but overall I feel pretty good.