The results for the race are in. 3rd in age group and 6th overall female. I was happy about the results although I was hopping for 2 and third overall. I saw the girl who placed second, almost 2 minutes ahead of me, the winner I never did, she was almost 12 minutes ahead of me. I couldn't stop thinking if they where in better shape or if they could dig deeper than me. They did look in amazing shape, but I am not sure if I need to train more or to utilize what I have and think like a racer. For 2 minutes maybe 12 minutes ahead I am thinking she was fitter than me for sure.
Is funny how things have changed now, 2 years ago I was usually trying not to be last, and now I am placing to 10 and still feel disappointed.
I am ready to start my training again. I don't have any races booked until Boston, where I plan on staying on my same time 3:39 because is a harder course, if I can do the same pace then I am doing OK.
Here is what my training looks like until now.
I am running 6 days a week between 5-6 miles and a long day of about 12 miles. I have a one tempo day of 6 X 7 minutes miles and hill training day where I add 4X 10 second sprints at the end adding one more each week and building to up to 10. sandwich in between are 2 or 3 core training which usually is 3 sets of single legged exercises like walking lunges,single leg dead lifts, single leg squats and of course bridges, push ups and sit ups.
My next training will be like this, is a training I have used last spring that builds the mileage to 70 miles/ week. I add mileage gradually to avoid injury, only increasing 10% of total weekly mileage every 3 weeks until I am running 70 miles/ week and then cut down the mileage to 70%. The plan I took from Running Times Magazine. I am from the school of thought that more is more, I know a lot of people that run a lot less and are performing better than me. I just feel good running a race knowing that I am prepare, and my body can handle the mileage. I am only writing my plan because I have been asked many times. I am not a coach or anything , i just simply love to run and I read a lot of articles on the subject.
this is what my training will look like in miles at the end of my cycle 3 weeks before Boston, running everyday and resting on Saturday. I do adjust my schedule to fit my kids but the mileage stays the same.
week # Mon.. Tue.. Wed.. Thur.. Fri ..Rest ..Sun
Week 1 -4am/5pm ..7..4am/6pm ..9.. 8 rest ..12..total=55
week 2- 4am/6pm ..8.. 4am/7pm.. 10.. 8 rest.. 13..total=60 miles
week 3 -4am/7pm.. 11.. 5am/7pm 11.. 9 rest.. 14..total=65 miles
week 4 -6.. 7.. 8.. 6.. 7.. rest ..9..total=43 miles
I tried this training very successfully last spring but I was spent for about a month, time commitment is big and forget about having a life.
I am mentally preparing for my next year, I am exited and for the first time I am thinking winning might be a possibility, since I will be in the 40-49 age group, I am not far behind the top age grouper, only a couple of minutes. Not for the marathon but for the trail running series, being lite is an advantage when carrying yourself up a hill, I just need to work on endurance.
My favorite thing this week is Maroon 5, specially the songs " Makes me wonder" and " Wake up call" my legs get faster just listening even if I am on my 15th mile.
As for motivation, is everywhere. I have been watching Karl struggle because he is doing new things that he is not used to and watch him try hard and learn his new school ground or try and fit in his Cross Country team. I know is hard because they train outdoors and he is often running without help, he is very slow since he has to run at much slower pace just to concentrate in front of him and his breathing gets compromised because he has to look straight down in front of him with his head down because he has almost no peripheral vision.
I went to Ha Ling again on the weekend and run it in an hour, 30 minutes less that last month, I just keep thinking of Karl and how hard is for him to just do the things we take for granted. Who am I to think my life is hard when I have been giving all the oportunities to succeed. Karl has been giving and unfair advantage and he doen't complain he just deals the best with what he is giving and try to adjust his life to his new condition. I think we can all learn a lot from that.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
Danger is the new black
I still don't get why we humans behave the way we do. Buckle up when we drive but will pay money to jump out of a plane.
Danger is something that we seek right next to security. Do we need both to become happier humans or is it only the brave that attempts to have their cake and eat it too? I have a strong need to belong with my usual running friends, the marathoners but I secretly dream of racing ultramarathons. I pour though my Trail Running magazines and fantasize about all the ultras. Is the dream, the hope that you are going to do something that is dangerous but you are somehow going to come out of it victorious.
I don't consider myself a risk taker, but somewhere down the line, when the days become long and the tasks at hand become tiresome the dreams of escaping the monotony is the only thought that gets me though an other meaningless yet necessary task that I yet have to fulfill, like doing laundry. I have decided to race the Death Race, not just to finished but to actually race it. I spend my days calculating my game plan to get me there. There is a lot of information about running marathons but not a lot of running ultramarathons and climbing mountains at the same time, all I am going by my experience in my last Death Race. I didn't get passed on the flat surface, and very seldom on the incline, it was on the downhill where I lost most of my time so I am keeping the training to about the same distance, between 55-80 miles per week with speedwork and core training but adding hill training.
It should not add to any more time that I am already committing between 10-18 hours a week depending on how early I am on the training because all I have to do is to replace one of my easy runs with hill training. Other change that I am making is reversing my plan, concentrating on speedwork now and adding mileage later as suggested by Dr.David Martin from the Elite Athlete performance lab.
My favourite thing this week? My Asic Nimbus, great on the trail and the road.
I definitely feel very Lara Croft in Tomb Raider when I think about doing something so daring so bold. If you come over on a Saturday night and I am doing laundry don't be surprise if I am actually enjoying myself, I got plans of my own, plans of someday breaking out of this mold and turning into a butterfly.
Danger is something that we seek right next to security. Do we need both to become happier humans or is it only the brave that attempts to have their cake and eat it too? I have a strong need to belong with my usual running friends, the marathoners but I secretly dream of racing ultramarathons. I pour though my Trail Running magazines and fantasize about all the ultras. Is the dream, the hope that you are going to do something that is dangerous but you are somehow going to come out of it victorious.
I don't consider myself a risk taker, but somewhere down the line, when the days become long and the tasks at hand become tiresome the dreams of escaping the monotony is the only thought that gets me though an other meaningless yet necessary task that I yet have to fulfill, like doing laundry. I have decided to race the Death Race, not just to finished but to actually race it. I spend my days calculating my game plan to get me there. There is a lot of information about running marathons but not a lot of running ultramarathons and climbing mountains at the same time, all I am going by my experience in my last Death Race. I didn't get passed on the flat surface, and very seldom on the incline, it was on the downhill where I lost most of my time so I am keeping the training to about the same distance, between 55-80 miles per week with speedwork and core training but adding hill training.
It should not add to any more time that I am already committing between 10-18 hours a week depending on how early I am on the training because all I have to do is to replace one of my easy runs with hill training. Other change that I am making is reversing my plan, concentrating on speedwork now and adding mileage later as suggested by Dr.David Martin from the Elite Athlete performance lab.
My favourite thing this week? My Asic Nimbus, great on the trail and the road.
I definitely feel very Lara Croft in Tomb Raider when I think about doing something so daring so bold. If you come over on a Saturday night and I am doing laundry don't be surprise if I am actually enjoying myself, I got plans of my own, plans of someday breaking out of this mold and turning into a butterfly.
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