Short week coming up - leaving for long weekend in Texas (for Scott's bike ride) early Friday morning. Probably going to get in one long run on Sunday (at least that's the current plan) but otherwise no exercise planned.
Monday
Did: 4.61 mi @ 8:53/mi
Ran the cross-country trails at work today since Sunday was full rest day. Felt good to be outside on Earth Day! It's already getting pretty warm though. Gonna be a hot summer.
Tuesday
Did: 6.2 mi @ 7:57/mi treadmill speedwork
I was mentally tired this morning, so even though it was lovely and cool outside, I opted for treadmill because 1) I needed to get done quickly and 2) I wanted to zone out and listen to music instead of worrying about where I was going, how much farther I needed to run, and watching out for cars/people/animals etc. Ended up being a great run, did 4x800, 3x400, and a final 800 all under 7:00/mi pace getting progressively faster with each interval. Final 800 was sub-6:15/mi pace. I actually felt like I was leg-limited on the speed for these... cardio felt pretty sustainable for each up until the last 800 which was doable but I felt the push.
Wednesday
Did: strength
Finally felt good and got in a good strength session - went for a full hour! Did all the normal lifts and worked in a good amount of core, too. Yes yes yes.
Thursday
Did: Short Track - 6 laps
Completed 6 laps in the Short Track race on Thursday night for a total of 5.5 miles in just under 35 minutes. It was a tough little sprint but happy I was able to participate!
Friday & Saturday
Travel to Texas
Sunday
Did: 6.02 mi @ 12:47/mi
Went trail running with the friend I stayed with in Austin TX at the Zilker Botanical Garden / Barton Springs. It was a really pretty run along a creek with some gorgeous canyons and rock formations on either side. I didn't stop to take any photos but loved the scenery and being out in the woods. Made me start considering some more trail running in my near future...
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Sunday, April 21, 2019
Post V2V Week
Uh, yeah... not a great week. After a week of stomach bug, I then came down with what I can only assume is terrible allergies. Congestion, sneezing, burning eyes... ugh. Can I just be healthy and have a normal week??
Anyway, didn't do much this past week...
Monday
Did: 30 mins core/strength
This was rushed and half-assed, but I felt good that I did something. Legs were incredibly sore from Ville to Ville, so only did core & upper body stuff. Lots of stretching too, but that didn't even help. They weren't "I-need-to-be-stretched" kind of sore... they were just "omg what did you do to me" sore.
Tuesday
Did: 6.22 mi @ 9:06/mi avg
Work from home day but too much to do to get in a midday run, so decided to run from Furman to go pick up D from daycare in TR. I ran with an empty stroller (and felt super awkward doing so) up to get him, then we ran back to the car. It felt a lot harder/slower than ~9-minute miles due to the sore & tired legs (still).
Wed-Fri
Did: nada
Saturday
Did: 10.02 mi @ 8:38/mi avg
Ran with the early group because I just wanted some early miles and didn't feel like making a multi-hour ordeal with the stroller and eat up a lot of the day... SUCH a good call, despite the 5AM alarm on a Saturday. It was chilly (!!) and perfect, great company made the miles tick by easily, kept a solid pace that I kept thinking was slow/easy but ended up being pretty darn quick for a 10-miler. Yes! This is what I needed.
Week-ending thoughts: Please, just let me stay healthy for a while.
Anyway, didn't do much this past week...
Monday
Did: 30 mins core/strength
This was rushed and half-assed, but I felt good that I did something. Legs were incredibly sore from Ville to Ville, so only did core & upper body stuff. Lots of stretching too, but that didn't even help. They weren't "I-need-to-be-stretched" kind of sore... they were just "omg what did you do to me" sore.
Tuesday
Did: 6.22 mi @ 9:06/mi avg
Work from home day but too much to do to get in a midday run, so decided to run from Furman to go pick up D from daycare in TR. I ran with an empty stroller (and felt super awkward doing so) up to get him, then we ran back to the car. It felt a lot harder/slower than ~9-minute miles due to the sore & tired legs (still).
 |
| Awkward. |
Did: nada
Saturday
Did: 10.02 mi @ 8:38/mi avg
Ran with the early group because I just wanted some early miles and didn't feel like making a multi-hour ordeal with the stroller and eat up a lot of the day... SUCH a good call, despite the 5AM alarm on a Saturday. It was chilly (!!) and perfect, great company made the miles tick by easily, kept a solid pace that I kept thinking was slow/easy but ended up being pretty darn quick for a 10-miler. Yes! This is what I needed.
Week-ending thoughts: Please, just let me stay healthy for a while.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Ville-to-Ville Race Week
Well, this week did NOT start off well... ended up with a stomach bug Sunday night, stayed home sick from work Monday, still didn't feel great Tuesday. It's Wednesday now, and I'm feeling... okay? So far so good, at least. We'll see how the rest of the day goes.
Monday
Did: nothing
Basically slept all day. Ate saltine crackers and chicken soup.
Tuesday
Did: #10kTuesday - steps-only edition
I made myself walk the treadmill desk at work to keep the streak alive... but only barely.
Monday
Did: nothing
Basically slept all day. Ate saltine crackers and chicken soup.
Tuesday
Did: #10kTuesday - steps-only edition
I made myself walk the treadmill desk at work to keep the streak alive... but only barely.
Still felt crummy in the evening, ate more chicken soup and saltines, went to bed early.
Wednesday
Did: rest
Feeling SO much better, but don't want to risk pushing it too soon and back-sliding. Plus, having consumed about 1200 calories in the last 72 hours, I'm a little on the energy-deficient side. Rest is best.
Thursday
Did: rest
Ugh, relapse. I ate a normal sized dinner last night and paid for it this morning. Didn't sleep well, stomach was rumbling and growling all night. SO tired of this. I'm missing the first Short Track Race of the season, too. :(
Also, the weather forecast for Saturday during Ville-to-Ville is TERRIBLE. Thunderstorms all day.
Friday
Did: rest
Saturday
Sunday
Did: rest
Despite stomach bug terrible-ness, the race ended up going REALLY well on Saturday and we ended up with gorgeous weather for all but about 30 minutes of the entire day. So much better than expected!
Ville-to-Ville Relay
Ok, it's been a few days... I'm late posting but...
Man, what an exhausting and FUN day!
I participated in the second annual (and my second) Ville-to-Ville Craft Brew Relay - a 75-ish mile relay race from Asheville, NC to Greenville, SC. Last year I was the team captain and organized a group of friends to run, all of whom had done relays together before, and we had a blast. This year was different - I knew 2 people of the group of 7 on the team (6 runners + 1 driver) and we represented Quest Brewing Company, one of the local craft brewery sponsors of the event.
We met at 3:30AM and drove up to Highland Brewing in Asheville for our 6AM start. It was an early morning, but had a fairly calm and smooth drive up. I was Runner #2 (running legs 2 and 8), so I knew I had a little time before my first leg would begin. I enjoyed my coffee on the ride up and we all hung out to await the start of our race.
It wasn't long before the first runner was off, and we piled into the minivan to head to the first transition zone where I was to take over. I hit the port-a-potties and ate a snack as the rain started to sprinkle, but it tapered off as the sun began to rise and I spotted runner #1 coming into the transition. Time for me to go!
First Leg: The Hillman
5.95 mi @ 8:38/mi avg, 725 ft elevation
I ran this leg last year, and I remembered it well. I knew the hill was going to be KILLER even though I'd trained for it this year. My one goal: don't walk. I knew I had to save some of my energy just to get one foot in front of the other going up, so I took the first mile pretty slowly.
The climb started and I just focused on steady pace, not pushing, not trying to "speed" up the hill, just knowing it would take a LONG climb and that it was about a mile of hard stuff before it would crest. I think being familiar with the climb and knowing about when it would end was very helpful this year. My pace on the climb (10:45/mi) was faster than last year when I walked a good bit, but overall I was slower on the leg as a whole. I'm ok with that. I felt good, and I also knew I had a long leg (the longest leg of the entire race) ahead of me.
Finished the climb up to the fire station for the transition and earned my sweet Hillman sunglasses.
Not much time to relax, back in the van and onto the next leg!
The next few legs went by smoothly. I made sure to eat a good bit of the food I'd brought since my almost 9-mile leg would start around noon, so I knew I'd be hungry by the end of it. Before long, it was time...
Second Leg: 8.8 miles to Hotel Domestique
8.8 mi @ 8:32/mi avg
The trick of this second leg was the fact that it was about 6 miles of downhill running, followed by 2 miles of rolling flats, then a mile climb up to the transition. aka QUAD KILLER.
Honestly, 3 miles into the downhill, my quads were aching and I was wondering how the HECK I was going to make it through the straight flat road that I knew was ahead of me, not to mention the final kicker of a climb (it doesn't look like much on that elevation profile, but I promise, it hurts). I tried to take the downhill nice and slow/easy so as to save my legs for actual running, but it didn't matter. TOASTED by the end.
.... I was SO ready to be done by the end.
Man, what an exhausting and FUN day!
I participated in the second annual (and my second) Ville-to-Ville Craft Brew Relay - a 75-ish mile relay race from Asheville, NC to Greenville, SC. Last year I was the team captain and organized a group of friends to run, all of whom had done relays together before, and we had a blast. This year was different - I knew 2 people of the group of 7 on the team (6 runners + 1 driver) and we represented Quest Brewing Company, one of the local craft brewery sponsors of the event.
 |
| 6AM Start Time |
Headlamps eagerly awaiting the start
It wasn't long before the first runner was off, and we piled into the minivan to head to the first transition zone where I was to take over. I hit the port-a-potties and ate a snack as the rain started to sprinkle, but it tapered off as the sun began to rise and I spotted runner #1 coming into the transition. Time for me to go!
First Leg: The Hillman
5.95 mi @ 8:38/mi avg, 725 ft elevation
 |
| Why's it called The Hillman? |
 |
| I enjoyed the scenery of gorgeous mountain sunrise... |
 |
| ...and watched the road wind ahead of me. |
 |
| V2V! |
 |
| Woo hoo! |
 |
| 😎 |
 |
| And more mountain sunrise |
Second Leg: 8.8 miles to Hotel Domestique
8.8 mi @ 8:32/mi avg
The trick of this second leg was the fact that it was about 6 miles of downhill running, followed by 2 miles of rolling flats, then a mile climb up to the transition. aka QUAD KILLER.
 |
| That downhill... |
 |
| Started at the State Line |
 |
| Down, down, down |
 |
| I look happier than I felt. |
And just in time, too, because the storms rolled in as soon as I got to the van. We spent about 30 minutes on a rain delay at the next transition, but quite frankly, I didn't care because I was DONE!
The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying time with the team, cheering on the rest of the runners, chatting with friends on other teams, and just enjoying the gorgeous day.
 |
| 6/7ths of the Team at Swamp Rabbit Brewery - beer time! |
We arrived at the finish line area around 5pm to await our final runner, and as part of the Quest team we had access to the VIP area (free beer!). The food didn't get served until 6pm which was a bummer, because we were all quite hungry by that point. But hey, it was all free, so I can't complain.
 |
| Team finish! |
Overall we completed the race in 11hrs 21 mins and some odd seconds, but that time included the rain delay so we really probably ran it in less than 11 hours. Super fast and better than our goal of 12 hours!! I'm proud of us, especially considering we went into the event with no goals. Plus, I made new friends, which is always fun. :)
 |
| Finish line in the distance |
... until next year, V2V!
(Yep, Team Quest is already signed up for the 2020 race... which sold out in less than 24 hours)
Monday, April 8, 2019
Ville-to-Ville Training (1 week to go)
Week beginning thoughts: Oh please, please let this be a "normal" week.
Monday
Did: strength
I honestly did NOT have the time to take for this workout, but I did it anyway. It was a little half-hearted because my mind was elsewhere, but got it done. Discovered my quads are sore from my hill run yesterday (eek). Also did a new 7-minute core routine from Runner's World... we'll see what's sore tomorrow.
Tuesday
Did: 6.27 mi @ 9:02/mi avg w/ 6x hill repeats
First off: yes, my abs, back, obliques are all SORE.
I'd wanted to get this run done earlier (working from home today) but was waiting for a phone call... then that phone call never happened... so I went out around lunchtime. Turned out to be beautifully sunny, cool, and breezy, so I'll take it. Decided to run in the neighborhood and incorporate the awful hill out the back of the neighborhood into some hill repeats. I probably should have done like 8, but had already talked myself up from 5 to 6 repeats, so I felt good with that.
Each hill repeat was about 50ft elevation gain over ~0.15 mi and I kept each one around 1:10-1:15 (got one in 1:09!). Felt like a nice hard effort, and as can be seen, the rest of my run wasn't exactly flat either.
Wednesday
Did: 7.0 mi mountain bike
Work lunch bike ride! Ahh yes now that the weather is getting nicer, I *NEED* to get out during the day. This was a great ride, joined by a colleague & Scott, a nice hour spin through the woods. Felt good on the climbs and thankfully the crazy leg soreness from yesterday seems to be subsiding.
Thursday
Did: 4.06 mi @ 7:48/mi
When you're pissed off at work and go rage running...
Monday
Did: strength
I honestly did NOT have the time to take for this workout, but I did it anyway. It was a little half-hearted because my mind was elsewhere, but got it done. Discovered my quads are sore from my hill run yesterday (eek). Also did a new 7-minute core routine from Runner's World... we'll see what's sore tomorrow.
Tuesday
Did: 6.27 mi @ 9:02/mi avg w/ 6x hill repeats
First off: yes, my abs, back, obliques are all SORE.
I'd wanted to get this run done earlier (working from home today) but was waiting for a phone call... then that phone call never happened... so I went out around lunchtime. Turned out to be beautifully sunny, cool, and breezy, so I'll take it. Decided to run in the neighborhood and incorporate the awful hill out the back of the neighborhood into some hill repeats. I probably should have done like 8, but had already talked myself up from 5 to 6 repeats, so I felt good with that.
 |
| Spiky little hills |
Wednesday
Did: 7.0 mi mountain bike
Work lunch bike ride! Ahh yes now that the weather is getting nicer, I *NEED* to get out during the day. This was a great ride, joined by a colleague & Scott, a nice hour spin through the woods. Felt good on the climbs and thankfully the crazy leg soreness from yesterday seems to be subsiding.
Thursday
Did: 4.06 mi @ 7:48/mi
When you're pissed off at work and go rage running...
At least it was a lovely sunny day!
Friday
Did: rest
Saturday
Did: 7.09 mi @ 9:58/mi
Run with friends! D and I parked in TR and ran a warm-up mile before meeting with Megan & Baby A to run down to Furman where we met up with Dale & Robin then headed back up to TR. Enjoyed a nice coffee shop hang-out after the run which was just such a nice way to start Saturday!
Sunday
Did: 8.87 @ 9:14/mi avg
Altamont run to start off the day! Was a nice foggy morning, took things slower than last time, but felt pretty good and didn't have to stop to walk. ~23 min on the ascent, 18 min on the descent.
Did: rest
Saturday
Did: 7.09 mi @ 9:58/mi
Run with friends! D and I parked in TR and ran a warm-up mile before meeting with Megan & Baby A to run down to Furman where we met up with Dale & Robin then headed back up to TR. Enjoyed a nice coffee shop hang-out after the run which was just such a nice way to start Saturday!
Sunday
Did: 8.87 @ 9:14/mi avg
Altamont run to start off the day! Was a nice foggy morning, took things slower than last time, but felt pretty good and didn't have to stop to walk. ~23 min on the ascent, 18 min on the descent.
 |
| Comin' for ya |
 |
| Windy roads |
 |
| Made it! |
 |
| Foggy |
Monday, April 1, 2019
Busy travel week
Week beginning thoughts: This is gonna be a "just do 10kTuesday" week until I get to the weekend due to work travel. I'm OK with it.
Tuesday
Did: 6.20 mi @ 8:20/mi avg
21 week streak for #10kTuesday! Got up early to do this on the hotel treadmill, and it felt oddly hard despite getting sufficient sleep. Did 3x1mi repeats, 800, and 400.
1 mi: 7:31, 7:15, 7:09
800: 3:30
400: 1:43
Saturday
Did: 8.75 mi mountain biking
Went to meet Scott at Dupont after he finished with his trail workday and got to do a solo loop while he and D enjoyed the Kid's Loop. Hit Rocky Ridge first, which felt great after the long gravel climb, then mostly stuck to forest roads before rejoining the family. Beautiful day in the sunshine!
Sunday
Did: 6.25 mi @ 8:22/mi avg
Altamont run from Furman with a couple of friends in preparation for the Ville-to-Ville relay in a couple of weeks where I'm once again running "The Hillman" leg i.e. the hardest leg of the race. Whee! Climbed a total of almost 900 feet on this run over the first 5k, then descended back down for the final 5k. Short and sweet and showed me I definitely need to train on some more hills. Woof!
Week-ending thoughts:
Ok, time to stop messing around and get back to a regular routine.
Tuesday
Did: 6.20 mi @ 8:20/mi avg
21 week streak for #10kTuesday! Got up early to do this on the hotel treadmill, and it felt oddly hard despite getting sufficient sleep. Did 3x1mi repeats, 800, and 400.
1 mi: 7:31, 7:15, 7:09
800: 3:30
400: 1:43
Saturday
Did: 8.75 mi mountain biking
Went to meet Scott at Dupont after he finished with his trail workday and got to do a solo loop while he and D enjoyed the Kid's Loop. Hit Rocky Ridge first, which felt great after the long gravel climb, then mostly stuck to forest roads before rejoining the family. Beautiful day in the sunshine!
Sunday
Did: 6.25 mi @ 8:22/mi avg
Altamont run from Furman with a couple of friends in preparation for the Ville-to-Ville relay in a couple of weeks where I'm once again running "The Hillman" leg i.e. the hardest leg of the race. Whee! Climbed a total of almost 900 feet on this run over the first 5k, then descended back down for the final 5k. Short and sweet and showed me I definitely need to train on some more hills. Woof!
Week-ending thoughts:
Ok, time to stop messing around and get back to a regular routine.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)