Victoria Marathon Training - Week 7

Pretty good week of training, I managed to get all my scheduled runs in and equipped with my brand, spakin' new GPS thingy (a GARMIN FORERUNNER 405) was able to gauge my paces accurately for a change. Novel idea.

Sunday I used the Garmin for an entirely different (more fun) purpose - Geocaching. A super fun activity defined on Wikipedia as:

"...an outdoor treasure-hunting game in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers (called "geocaches" or "caches") anywhere in the world."

So off my Dad & I went to find our first caches in the idyllic seaside community of North Saanich on Vancouver Island . We were thrilled to find the first 2 in a series called the "String of Pearls" caches all located at secluded little beaches around the peninsula.

Later that evening, back in Vancouver, IB followed me on his bike as I went my the longest run since the marathon in May (14 miles). IB wore the Garmin and fed me stats on distance, pace, and heart rate only as I demanded them.

Most of the way I found it better not to know how far I had left to go. It was a bit rough. I felt worse and worse until I was basically sobbing uncontrollably the last 200m or so. Not totally sure why - but I haven't ruled out hormones. I did have an audience. Don't think the tears would have flowed as freely had I been alone.

Anyway, I survived and managed to keep a 10:43 average pace. IB says I need to push myself more if I'm going to meet my time goals but I'm thinking it might be easier just to change the time goals.....

This Week's Training:
Monday
Rest
Tuesday
Yasso 800s - 4 x 800m with 400m jogs between
R1: 3:55
R2: 4:15
R3: 4:11
R4: 4:11
R5: 4:22
R6: 4:28
Wednesday
7 mi / 11K Easy (9:45 /mi)
Thursday
7 mi / 11K Pace (9:41 /mi Pace)
Friday
Rest
Saturday
Rest
Sunday
14 mi / 23K LSD (10:43/mi Pace)

Victoria Marathon Training - Week 6 (26K/16m)

Race Report - Divas Only 5K

At about 7:50am a rather intimate group of 24 women started assembling at the start line on the pebble path at Spanish Banks. Wearing my lucky number '3' on my race bib -I was feeling especially optimistic about achieving my 25 minute time goal .

At exactly 8am the horn signalled the start and we were off. Felt good, felt strong, looked like a winner - then at about 8:07am I came to the unfortunate realization that there were NO kilometer markers of any kind. This was not a happy surprise. Not in possession of an electronic pace-management device I did my best to keep a quick but sustainable tempo...

We were told there was only one water stop, at the 2.5K mark (which was also the turn-around point for the out-and back course). Imagine my surprise when I arrived at said water stop in roughly 10 minutes. Right about here is where I started feeling like the pace might not actually be so sustainable. So, I took a short breather of walking and then jogging, and tried to get rid of the sick feeling in my gut. I then set my sights on a lady with the pink top and a bouncing, brown pony-tail about 500m ahead and decided to try to "pick her off"...Almost caught her but then slowed down again (or she sped up) - and I slipped back in the pack.

The worst was yet to come however. I knew that the start and finish where at the exact same spot. I also knew that we had to run a little bit past the finish and then come back after one final turn around. What I didn't realize at all was how far past. Just when I thought I was on pace for a 25 minute finish, I looked up and saw fellow racers running WAY the hell up ahead and around the bend. Sick feeling came back.

Ok, so needless to say I did eventually finish, although not in 25 minutes or less. I DID, however, get my first ever age group win (first out of three in my division) and finished 12th overall (out of only 24 mind you)....in 27:05. Will try again - stay tuned!

This Week's Training:
Monday
50 min. walking
Tuesday
Yasso 800s - 4 x 800m with 400m jogs between
R1: 3:47
R2: 3:52
R3: 4:04
R4: 4:34
R5: 4:03
R6: 3:49
Biking 20 min
Wednesday
9 mi / 14K (11:30 / 7:30 Pace) - BUT there were BIG HILLS!
1 1/2 hours walking
Thursday
Grouse Grind in 1 hr. 25 min.
30 minutes biking
Friday
Rest
Saturday
Rest
Sunday
5K Race - 27:05, 1st in Division!
4 hours walking (and Shopping)

Victoria Marathon Training - Week 5 (22.5K/14m)

This was an unplanned "recovery week" due to my big night out on Friday, July 4th in New York City which (if you didn't read last week's post) resulted in something worse than a hangover.

So, yeah, Tuesday's track workout (at Brockton Oval, pictured) was pretty lame. The other runs were just so-so. My long run on Sunday was very nearly a complete write-off. I tried to go out at 9am in Pemberton when it was way hotter than hell outside, which only lasted 17 minutes before I totally gave up feeling defeated. A little panic session followed which involved me questioning my motives...in running, and in life to be honest. Thank goodness, my saintly boyfriend, IB, managed to talk me off the ledge. In the end, I managed to do my 12 mile long run at dusk in Vancouver, which took me all the way around Stanley Park. It was funny to see so many people lining the beaches - sitting on park benches or blankets, or just standing and staring at the sunset. I can't seem to do that - just sit down on the beach and enjoy the view...

Run turned out pretty well - I was even able to run the last mile in about 7 minutes, and my hope is that skill will come in handy in October when I attempt a sub-4-hour marathon.

This week's training:

Monday

1 hr. 15 Hatha Yoga

30 min. walking

Tuesday

Yasso 800s - 4 x 800m with 400m jogs between

R1 3:59

R2 4:09

R3 3:55

R4 4:01 - Not a great workout :(

Walking 30 min

Wednesday

6.5K run/walk - Not a good run :(

Walking 50 min

Thursday

30 min hill workout (ran up E.33rd bet. Main & Mackie 3 times)

Walking 50 min

Friday

Rest

30 min. walking

Saturday

Rest

Sunday

12 mi (19K) LSD, 2:06

Victoria Marathon Training - Week 4 (19K/12m)

NEW YORK CITY, June 29th-July 6th, 2008

I arrived in New York late Sunday night, after a surprisingly long and harrowing journey. After closing my apartment door behind me in Vancouver I spent approximately 12 hours being driven to the airport, checking in, clearing security, losing all my travel documents including passport at the airport, finding them collecting myself and chugging a martini before boarding, taxiing, taking off, cruising, circling the airport, landing, taxiing, clearing customs, collecting baggage, getting in the taxi line, riding in a cab from JFK to Manhattan, checking in, and collapsing into a strange bed.

I ran on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday - mostly in Central Park (pictured, left). The surroundings were not totally unfamiliar, since I did, after all, live just a couple of blocks from the park for 2 years between 2003 & 2005...But I didn't run very much back then and when I did it was more often than not on a treadmill at the West Side Y. The rest of the week went like this:

Monday
Met girlfriend JC for lunch in Soho, spent about 4 hours walking around. Met a few friends in Bryant Park for an outdoor film screening, but we were rained out before it even got started and went to rooftop bar at Metro Hotel instead.

Tuesday
Approx. 2 1/2 hour walking today. Did the 6 mile loop in Central park in just over an hour. Found it very challenging (hilly, hot & humid) - but quite interesting and different from my typical routes in Vancouver. Met a couple of girlfriends for lunch in Midtown. Treked up to Harlem to meet another gf and new baby, and checked out the Highline exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. Met friends B & T for dinner at Regional (Italian in UWS @ Bwy & W.99th).

Wednesday
Approx. 2 hours walking. Did 30 minute run including one lap of the Resevoir. Took a day off from visiting and touristing. Went to see "Mongol" at the Lincoln Plaza Cinemas.

Thursday
Approx. 3 1/2 hours walking. Did a 30 minute run in Central Park. Spent a few hours at the Metropolitain Museum of Art, including the Jeff Koons exhibit on the roof. Met my former coworkers at old office & went for Happy Hour, then went for dinner with old friend SR at a Greek place in Tribeca on Franklin Street. Saw World Trade Site, it has changed a little.

Friday
Went for breakfast in UES at the Tramway Diner, E.60th @ 2nd Ave. Headed up to the Bronx to catch a game at Yankee Stadium (Red Sox). AMAZING seats in lower bowl near 1st baseline. Left after 7th inning rain delay. Never did find out who won (Doesn't matter).

Great dinner at a cute Cuban place in the East Village. Missed fireworks (sort of saw the tops of them from 2nd Ave).

Began night of debauchery and poor judgement (bar hopping in East Village, supposed to be the night of 10 bars - we only made it to 7). Great fun descended into reckless behaviour which soon developed into a sorority night gone horribly wrong. It all took a turn for the worse at the Karaoke bar - picture 3 women in their 30s stupid drunk and vomiting in public...not good.

Saturday
What was supposed to be a lovely last day in New York among girlfriends turned into mere survival. Checked into rehab, then somehow made it to the airport for a long flight home.

Sunday
Felt human again, but I had to concede a missed long run this week. No way, no how - nothing doing.

Back to the training schedule Monday...