Maria's Running Blog

It was pretty hot today, even at 8:30PM when I got out for my run. It was still around 75F - too hot for running (yeah, I know, I'm insane and terribly spoiled by cool London summers). I was sweating like crazy and didn't feel all too great. But did my 5 miles, and that's all that counts. I also got the coolest time ever for the run!

Total time: 44:44 (8:56 pace) - how cool is that, four "4"s?!

I continued my streak of lucky numbers today! I got 44:22 - how about that?!

Did my usual 5 miler. I am noticing that my runs get faster as the week progresses, it's been a pattern for 3 weeks now. I don't know why this is, one theory I have is that the body becomes more efficient as the week goes by, since Monday's run is often after a break over the weekend, and is usually the slowest run of the week. It also helped today that the "heat wave" abated, and it's back to cool 65F and it was even raining a little earlier in the day.

There were lots of people running around the park today. Several passed me, but only one was a woman. She looked like elite runner to me, very slim, maybe even too slim, her legs were all muscle and sinews and she ran on her toes. I estimated she was going at least 8:00 pace, maybe faster. The only thing she did that I wouldn't consider good technique, was that she carried her arms too far out from her body, as if she wanted to guard space around her as she ran. I couldn't see her face as she came from behind me and was quiet, so I didn't have any warning, but looking from behind I would say she wasn't very young, possibly over 40. She must have been really fast in her youth!

Total time: 44:22 (8:52 pace).

Did fartlek workout today: 14 min. warmup, 8 x (1 min. on + 1 min. off), cooldown. It was a fun workout, and already on the warmup I noticed that I was running faster than all the previous days this week. Fast segments were pretty hard, and I think I ran them too fast, but not sure of the pace - Garmin went haywire in the middle, but seemed to right itself by the end. Overall, I felt good and it was a fun workout. These are the splits I have:

1. 0.14mi - 7:10 pace

2. 0.15mi - 7:00 pace

3. 0.15mi - 6:57 pace

4. 0.17mi - 6:05 pace - this is where it started showing crazy splits

5. 0.15mi - 6:51 pace

6. 0.14mi - 7:13 pace

7. 0.15mi - 6:56 pace

8. 0.13mi - 7:40 pace - had to weave and run on the road to pass crowds of people spilling onto the sidewalk from Regents Park.

There must have been some upscale party at the restaurant in Regents Park, because I ran by some glamorous looking ladies in cocktail dresses and stilettos that were coming out with their handsome husbands in suits and ties. And there was I, dirty and stinky runner doing my fartlek! I got a few bewildered looks, but I'm sure people know that there are runners around Regents Park. It was just funny how out of place I (or them!) looked.

Total time: 43:44 (8:44 pace).

I had only a short time for a run today, due to food delivery between 8-9PM, but I wanted to still do something, rather than skip a day.

I went out and right away, did not feel good. Legs were dead and heavy, and I felt like I couldn't find a good rhythm. Probably consequences of faster running yesterday and 5 th day of running in a row. So I just slogged through my 3 miles. I'm hoping for better tomorrow!

Heard tons of very loud fireworks around 9PM - the Americans in the neighborhood were celebrating! We live in a heavily American neighborhood, complete with a grocery store that sells lots if imported stuff from US. Hearing fireworks was nice - we felt like the American spirit is alive and well, even though we had to go to work, and it's not mentioned anywhere else.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Total time: 27:40 (8:55 pace).

Did my longest run of the year today. My stomach was giving me trouble last few days, so I was worried how it will hold up for my planned 10 miles. I was careful with what I ate today, and my stomach actually behaved! I held back a little of the first loop, and after that I just kept running the same effort and felt surprisingly good. Sure, my legs got tired on the last loop, but my breathing was fine (although I felt that funny pressure in my throat - my lungs letting me know they are not 100% yet) and my energy level was fine too. I didn't have any water or gel. Overall, I'm very happy with this week of training and feel like I've made good progress last 3 weeks.

Total time: 1:31:29 (9:08 pace).

Did steady state run today. Warmed up for 15 min, then did 20 min. at a pace 1 min. slower than 5K pace. It came to 2.48mi in 20:02.8 (8:05 pace). It wasn't comfortable, but I was able to maintain the pace. Then cool down about 7 minutes. Pretty happy with this run.

Total time: 42:35 (8:31 pace).

Stride workout today. I ran 6 miles including 10 strides about 20 sec. each, at 6:30 - 7:15 pace. I felt pretty good, it was nice to get the legs to turn over faster, but I'm not happy that I got two fat goose eggs this week already. Monday was purely my lack of organization and discipline, and yesterday was... basically the same, but the weather was my big excuse - it was pouring rain all day yesterday, 24 hours without a break. I still should have run, but my motivation was severely lacking. Now I have to try and make the best of what days I have left this week.

Total time: 52:58 (8:49 pace).

Did 6 miles in the pouring rain. Not really enjoyable, but if I have any hopes of advancing my fitness, I have to stay above 30 miles a week, and so I had to go out and do my miles for today. I saw only one other runner (usually I see at least 5). The positive side was that the streets were deserted and I got the sidewalk to myself! I have to give credit to one product that comes very handy in a weather like this: Sealskinz socks. While I was totally soaked, my feet stayed warm and dry! Having wet feet is one reason I dislike running in heavy rain - I tend to get blisters if my feet are wet. Sealskinz are completely waterproof and reasonably breathable. I can't say the same about jackets: I have yet to find a jacket that would be waterproof and breathable enough for the summer. I have one, but it gets too hot when temperatures are above 60F, and so I'm soaking wet from my own sweat if not from the rain! Microfiber jackets are light enough, but not waterproof at all.

Total time: 53:53 (8:58 pace).

Didn't feel all that great, but made sure I did 10 miles to keep my long run for the week. Next week will be low mileage again, since I'm doing two races, so I have to do the best I can now. Legs felt dead.

Total time: 1:32:15 (9:13 pace).

Final track meet of the season (before the final). I ran 200m in 33.6 - no change since the last meet, and 4x200m relay. We had a strong team again, 3 ladies around 33 sec. speed, and one lady over 60 years old that runs 35 sec. for 200 - pretty darn good if you ask me! We won by 50 meters! Now we have to wait until the final score is calculated to see if we made the final. It was very close with another team in our division, so it can go either way. If we got into the final, it will be in Ashford, Kent in September.

I managed to do 4 miles of warmup and cool down, which I was happy about, since track meets are usually a waste of time in terms of putting in the miles.

I ran the first race in the club Grand Prix, which consists of 3K, 1K, 1 Mile and 5K races, all run over the two week period in July. All races, except 1 Mile, are on roads, while the mile is run on the track.

It was a little too warm for racing, around 70F and sunny. It's considered hot in Lodon :). I got to the park early and did 2.1 mile warmup. My legs did not feel god at all. I was hoping that I wouldn't be sore just yet (after doing sprints yesterday), but I was already stiff and sore by lunch time. This was a very small race, only 70 runners, and once the race started, everyone just shot off like loose canons!! I was really afraid I would be left so far behind that I could get lost, because I didn't pay attention to the route. Usually there is always someone I can follow, but in a race so small, and being so out of shape I started to worry. When I looked at Garmin a minute after the start, it said I was going at 6:30 pace. I panicked and tried to back off. Still, I went anaerobic very early, within first 3 minutes, I would say. So the rest of the race was pretty horrible. I forgot just how much 3Ks and 5Ks hurt! I did manage to pass two girls who started even faster than me, and died. I thought I was breathing heavy, but they were literally wheezing when I went past them. I took my splits every kilometer and they were 4:26, 4:37, 4:32 - 13:36 total time. The kilometer markers were very accurate. My fears of being last did not materialize, but I was 60th out of 70, so pretty close to the end. I got second in 40-45 category, but there were only 2 women in that category in the race :). Full results: http://www.serpentine.org.uk/rdb/showrace.php?race=4442 

This was my first long distance race since last year, and since my PE in January. I didn't really have any expectations, but secretly was hoping for around 13:30 at least. Didn't quite make it, but at least now I put a stake in the ground, and know where I stand. I should get additional clues from mile and 5K races next week (not doing 1K since I'll be out of town this weekend). For comparison, I ran 12:57 a year ago on the track, and I think these races can be compared, because this 3K was flat and accurately measured and the weather was similar. Based on 13:36, I think I'm looking at around 23:40 5K - not encouraging, but again, it will be a stake in the ground. I don't know how much of my slowdown is due to being out of shape, and how much is due to possible lung damage. I will need few months of consistent training to tell. I want to believe it's a matter of training.

Went for a slow 6 miler this evening. Legs are pretty sore after my two days of racing, especially hamstrings. So I plodded along the best I could.

I discovered a "health assessment" machine at work, and decided to use it (it's free). It scared me - it said my body fat percentage is 30.7!! That's terribly high, although my BMI is within the normal range. And my blood pressure is 149/80 - I never had it so high in my life! It just so happens I have doctor's appointment tomorrow to discuss my cholesterol test and some other blood work, so I will ask her to measure my blood pressure again. My usual readings were about 125/75 a year ago. 149 is way too high for a systolic pressure for a person who is not overweight and running 30 miles a week. Geez. The machne also said my heart rate is 45 - too low, it may be that low first thing in the morning laying in bed, but not in the middle of the day walking around just prior to the test. So I'm not sure how accurate this machine is, but I can do this assessment again tomorrow to compare.

Total time: 55:58 (9:19 pace).

Still sore, but feeling better. Ran another easy 6 around Regents Park, a little faster than yesterday, but still slow.

I went to the doctor today to discuss my last week's blood tests. I was very happy to hear that all tests were normal, even my cholesterol! In fact, my cholesterol is at the lowest level it's ever been recorded in my life. It is 4.8 in mmol units (used in UK), which converts to 185 mg units (used in US). My last reading in January was 240, so this is a major reduction. I credit the blog with a lot of my improvement. I didn't learn anything new on the blog that I didn't already know, but it helped by keeping the focus on nutrition, especially Sara's recipe blog. So thanks to everyone who contributed to many of the healthy eating discussions here! My LDL is still high and HDL relatively low, but I can work on bringing the HDL higher (through running) to make the ratio better.

Total time: 54:50 (9:08 pace).

I wanted to go 10 miles, but felt very tired and stopped after 7. This may be my last run of the week, as I'm leaving town for the weekend - going to my daughter's swim meet in Southampton. It's end of season meet, an equivalent to Nationals for those kids who didn't qualify for Nationals, so lots of expectations. I hope she does well.

Total time: 1:04.19 (9:03 pace).

I feel like I need another weekend to recover from the this one, after getting back from Lisa's swim meet! I couldn't run at all Saturday and Sunday as I spent 8AM - 8PM on a very hot pool deck, without air conditioning. But it was worth it, because Lisa swam 3 PRs, including a breakthrough 100m butterfly - 1:11:87! All her coaches were stunned as no one expected that much improvement (her previous PR was 1:14:02) . This time is well into the regional qualification. National time is in 1:05 range, which is still miles away, but she is still improving, so who knows... She got 4th place and missed bronze by 0.2 sec. I was so shocked after her heat that I kept staring at the electronic scoreboard in disbelief. I'm very happy for her, because it's a nice reward for all that very hard training she did all year. Swimmers train harder than runners, I think, maybe because it's less impact and their bodies can take more punishment without breaking down.  Her current load is 14 hours of swimming every week in 7 sessions.

My run was an easy 5 miler in 45:36 (9:07 pace), nothing exciting.

Went to my club championship 1 mile race (on the track). Based on my 3K time last week, the calculator predicted 6:50 mile, and that's what I was expecting. However, it went a little better than that. Maybe I had some training effect from the 3K, I don't know. I went into the slower heat and was able to keep contact with other girls the entire way, finishing fourth in the end. My quarter splits were 1:40, 1:41, 1:45 and 1:37, overall time 6:44. It felt very hard, but not as excruciating as the 3K. And now, a day later, I am not sore at all, which is rather strange for me. Last year my time in this race was 6:28, but all things considered, I'm happy with my time.

I decided not to do the 5K on Thursday - it's supposed to be a hot day (for London, at least - around 80F), and I know that I will not get time better than 23:20. I also need to be home before 10PM since Lisa is leaving for US Friday morning, so I want to make sure she packs everything and is ready. 3K and 1K gave me enough of a feedback about my current level, and I can use these times to gauge my training paces.

Instead, I will go to a track meet on Saturday (my club is asking for more people to fill all events) and then on Sunday, there is a 10K in Regents Park - right in my own backyard. It is so close and so convenient to get to, I can't miss it. I don't think I will truly race it, but I'm planning to use it as a tempo run. I will try to run first 5K at aerobic threshold, and the last 5K as lactate threshold. It should be a good hard session, and with warmup and cooldown, hopefully give me a nice mileage.

I tried to compensate a little for the last 2 days of no running. Felt okay, but I'm dead tired and need more sleep. Yesterday was stressful with late day at work and then getting my daughter ready for her trip to US this morning, staying up till midnight. I didn't get more than 6 hours of sleep this whole week.  Today I struggled to stay awake in my meeting at work.

I will try to run tomorrow morning before going to a track meet at Battersea Park. I will only do 100m, long jump and javelin at the meet, so I won't get any mileage unless I run early in the morning before going there. My goal is to get close to 30 miles this week.

Total time: 1:03:53 (8:59 pace).

I ran in the track meet today, and it was a lot of fun, as usual. Besides, I got 3 PRs out of 3 events I did, so what's to complain about? I did long jump for the first time since high school, and I jumped 3.55m, which is better than I expected (my lifetime PR is 4.40m).  I lost a lot of technique in these 20 years, because every time I landed I kept moving forward, falling on my hands in the sand. It means that I could have jumped further, but didn't have the strength (probably abdominal strength) to bring my legs forward enough to jump the full distance I was capable of.

Then I ran 100m and got 16.1sec, which is a PR in recent years, and a full half a second better than I did in the last meet. After 100m, I had 2 hour break before javelin, so I went into the park and ran 6 miles. That was great, because I got my miles in and didn't have to do it in the morning (sleeping instead). In javelin I managed to get 13.98m in the second throw, which was also a PR! In the third jump, I wanted to break 14m so badly that I tensed up and screwed up the whole throw, getting only about 10.40. Oh well, I'll try again next time.

So, all in all, it was a great day, despite pretty hot and humid weather. I'm doing 10K race tomorrow, probably as a tempo run rather than racing. I feel my quads hurting already, so it's not going to be an easy run. I may be able to get close to 30 miles for the week after all!

I woke up already sore from the track events I did yesterday. My quads, hamstrings and even my butt were hurting. The butt thing is probably from long jump. Also, my right arm and shoulder were sore (that's from javelin). So, I was in a  perfect condition to race a 10K :).  All the more reason not to race it, but use it as a tempo run as I planned earlier.

The great thing about this race is that it is in Regents Park, where I train all the time, so I was able to just run to the meeting place as my warm-up. I got 3 miles in by going the longest possible route. It was already too warm at 9:00AM. The race started at 9:30 and it was just getting warmer and warmer, I think it was around 80F and pretty humid. This is heat wave for London. There was also no wind whatsoever, which didn't help at all.

The race was 3 loops around the park, all flat with minor undulations. I saw several fast girls drop out after 4K, so I wasn't the only one suffering. It was also a very intense 2 weeks of races for the club, so some girls were really tired. I went out at about 8:20 pace, and felt very comfortable, aside from the heat. I caught up to a girl I know and chatted with her for couple of minutes before I went ahead. I was surprised at how conversational I was at this pace. On the other hand, I had no desire to push the pace any further, it wasn't like I was holding back a lot. My legs ached, but it wasn't too bad once I was in the groove. At 5K my split was 25:59 (8:19 pace). The plan was to speed up to about 8:00-8:05 pace at this point. It wasn't easy to push myself, but I thought that if I don't get moving, I'll get 52 minutes for the entire race, and I know I can do better than that, even if it's a tempo! So I started running faster, and after a while, settled into a 7:55, then 7:50 pace, and felt quite decent. I started catching and passing runners who went out too hard and were now dying. I was holding 7:50 average until 7K mark, and then it got significantly harder to maintain. I hit some inclines and the average dropped to 8:00 in the last 2Ks. I was definitely working hard by then, and I was overheating, the sun was out and it wasn't too much fun. I managed to kick the last 200m or so, and got 24:32 for the second 5K (7:58 pace). Total 50:32 for the 10K. I think that if I truly raced it from the beginning, I could have run 49 minutes or better, but it was also hot so who knows. Afterwards, I was tired, but I recovered relatively quickly. I kept gazzling water (probably 4 cups immediately after I finished, and 2 more later), and I was dripping with sweat.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with this race/tempo run. It was a great workout despite the heat, and my longest tempo since I started back after PE. It was also a very fun way to put in 10 miles of training.

After the race, there were relays of 4x500m on grass. I had the sense not to do them, I just watched (lots of fun!). When I finally started jogging home, I was SO stiff, it wasn't even funny. My legs hurt like crazy and I hobbled at 10:00 pace until my legs loosened up a little. Now, few hours later, I feel tired, but good!

I took a day off yesterday, but even today my legs are still sore since the weekend. I didn't feel all that great on the run today, but put in my miles, and that's what counts. I warmed up for 15 min, and ran 2.4 mi in 20:04 (8:22 pace), then cooled down to home.

Total time: 53:02 (8:50 pace).

Fartlek run, 8x (1 min. @5K + 1 min. slow). Fast segments were about 7:00 - 7:20 pace. I still didn't feel great, but better on fast portions than on slow. My legs are still a little sore, especially right quad.

Total time: 53:58 (8:58 pace).