The path to my fixed purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run.
Well, on Monday I thought I was getting sick… and I was right. Ended up staying home from work yesterday, and even though I made it to work today I thought it would be best to ditch tonight’s run.
Which is more than a little disappointing, because the weather today was perfect.
Well, it’s been eight weeks and I’m officially done with the Hal Higdon 5K Intermediate Training Plan.
I started the plan on September 3 (W1D1), and at the time it looked like a tough training plan. As it turned out, it really wasn’t too bad. I really enjoyed the mix of speed work (i.e. 400 meter intervals), tempo runs, and long runs. Unfortunately some leg issues forced me to skip a couple days throughout the plan, but overall I think it went fairly well. Hal Higdon knows how to put a good plan together.
That means I’m not on a plan right now… which means I need to stay focused and keep the motivation up. So I did an easy “day after the race” 10K loop of the neighborhood yesterday. Covered 6.22 miles in 1:07:21 (10:50/mi pace). Splits were 10:39, 10:58, 10:50, 10:51, 11:03, and 10:59/mi.
I have some races coming up, but I need to pick a new plan to keep me moving forward. But for now, I’m coming down with what appears to be a cold (at best) so some rest is in order.
Saturday was the St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral annual Great Pumpkin Chase 5K in Harrisburg.
It was absolutely pouring rain and about 55 degrees when I woke up. By the time I arrived on City Island and picked up my race packet it had slowed to a drizzle, but everything was wet and people were already looking a bit soggy. I would estimate there were just under 200 people there, undeterred by the weather. After a few words from one of the race organizers, the Great Pumpkin (heh) had the honors of starting the race… and we were off.
The paved path/road loop on the island was pretty much flooded in places. It ranged from large puddles in some sections to areas with well over an inch of standing water. Nate and I traded positions back and forth as we splashed through the water and looped the island. Definitely a blast, but I ended up coming out of the gates way too fast. The first split was just after a hard left onto the Walnut Street Bridge. Considering my 1-mile PR stands at 7:45, I was a little surprised to have a 7:47 first mile.
Crossed the river and made a right onto Front Street, heading South along the river down and under 83. Turned-around and headed back up Front Street through the park, ending across from the cathedral.
My unofficial time was 26:58 (8:41/mi pace) according to the clock. According to my Garmin, I covered 3.13 miles in 26:56 (8:35/mi) with an average speed of 7.0 mph and a max of 10.6 mph. Splits were 7:47, 8:39, and 9:18. Last tenth (0.13 mi according to GPS) at an 8:44/mi pace. Burned about 467 calories.
I’m admittedly rather disappointed in my time because I was hoping for a PR.
But overall the race was really good. It was well organized, had a fun atmosphere, awesome shirts, and a dude dressed like a pumpkin. Not sure what else I could ask for. :)
Today was Week 8 Day 4 of Hal Higdon 5K Intermediate Training Plan.
Two miles tonight. My goal was to push a bit, but to not go too crazy.
Ran 2.00 miles in 16:22 (8:11/mi pace) with an average speed of 7.3 mph and a max of 10.6 mph. Splits were 8:13 and 8:09. Burned about 290 calories.
Rest tomorrow. Race Saturday.
Today was Week 8 Day 3 of Hal Higdon 5K Intermediate Training Plan.
Thirty minute tempo on the schedule today, so I did 10-10-10. Total was 3.05 miles in 30:00 (9:49/mi pace). Average paces for each of the ten minute blocks were 10:28, 8:28, and 10:51/mi. Burned about 459 calories.
The whole tempo run concept has been a tricky one for me to grasp. Run too slow and there’s really no benefit, but if you push way too hard then it doesn’t really do what it’s supposed to do.
This time my goal was to start extremely slow (~12/mi) and ramp up to about 10/mi at the 5:00 mark. At the 10:00 mark I stopped looking at my Forerunner and just ran at a pace that felt “comfortably hard” for the next ten minutes. At the 20:00 mark I started slowing it down as gradually as I could, hoping to get back to 12/mi at 30:00.
I have no idea if that’s the right way to do it or not. According to Hal Higdon, the fast portion should be at my 10K pace which is roughly 8:42/mi. So I guess tonight’s run was about right.
PS. GPS signal was a bit wonky in the beginning. I wasn’t actually doing 20-minute miles. :)
Today was Week 8 Day 2 of Hal Higdon 5K Intermediate Training Plan. The schedule has me tapering this week.
Ran 2.00 miles in 15:51 (7:55/mi pace) with an average speed of 7.6 mph and a max of 9.6 mph. That’s a new unofficial 2-mile PR for me, beating my previous time of 17:23 (8:41/mi pace) from back in July. I’m pretty happy with that. Splits were 7:59 and 7:51.
Only two workouts left before the race on Saturday.
Week 8… the last week of the Hal Higdon 5K Intermediate Training Plan.
Rest day. :)
Yes, I’m still on the Hal Higdon 5K Intermediate Training Plan. :)
W7D5: Rest day… so that was an easy one.
W7D6: Supposed to be a five mile “fast” run, but I shortened it to 5K. Ran 3.11 miles in 27:16 (8:46/mi pace) with an average speed of 6.8 mph and a maximum speed 9.4 mph. Splits were 8:23, 8:42, 9:20, and finished out the last 0.11 at a 7:52 pace. Burned about 465 calories.
W7D7: Seven mile long, slow run scheduled. Ran 7.00 mile in 1:11:43 (10:14/mi pace) with an average speed of 5.9 mph and a maximum of 8.5 mph. My 1-mile splits were: 9:30, 10:27, 10:23, 10:19, 11:33, 10:08, and 9:19. Burned about 1050 calories.
Back on the plan. Feeling good.
I was scheduled for three miles today, and my legs felt good enough to do it. Deciding to err on the side of caution however, I ditched the run and did the elliptical trainer instead. Cranked the resistance up to 10 and went strong for 30 minutes. Definitely a good workout.
After the elliptical I hit the bench and did 10-8-6 with 100, 110, and 120 lbs. respectively. I might fine tune the reps and weights over time, but that seemed to work well enough for now. Like I said, I’m not convinced bench pressing will actually help my running at all, but it’s kind of fun. Finished out the night with my 20 lb. dumbbells. Did the usual routine, but was able to take the curls and arnolds up to 12-12-12 each.
So far I’ve only logged three miles this week, and I have another day of rest scheduled for tomorrow. There are two long runs on the plan for Saturday and Sunday. I’ll see how it goes.
