My Running Peaks and Valleys
OK so it's been a while since my last post. I'll start with the Anthem 10k in Louisville 3 weeks ago...
The race came after a relatively large volume running week, so I was unsure of how I was going to feel. I would say that this year is the year that I turned into a distance runner. I have run 5ks in the past, and done two half marathons, but I have never trained as much as I train now. I competed in 3 10k races this past summer, and my PR was 54 something. I always had the thought that it would take a lot to break 50 minutes. So I figured out that I would have to run at about an 8 minute pace to do this. It would be a stretch, but I was willing to try.
I ran the first mile easy, and I got to mile marker 1 and was surprised to see it read 7:35. Way too fast! I tried to slow down and got to mile 2, again 7:35! I still felt really good so I decided to just try to keep that pace and see how things went. I really expected to be walking at mile 4 or 5.
I ended up finishing at 47:00. I couldn't believe it. When we got home I quickly looked up my VDOT number in several different tables and saw that it predicted my marathon times to be between 3:33 and 3:40. 3:40 is Boston! This got me really excited until...
The Papa John's 10 miler this past weekend was a tough race. It was hot, and since last summer I haven't run in weather that warm. I was not prepared for the heat. The course takes you through part of the marathon course through Iroqouis Park which is full of hills. I ran with Kristin for the first few miles until the park. We were talking before the race about possibly running 1:18:00 which is a 7:48 pace. (This would keep me on track with my VDOT for a 3:40 marathon). We decided it might be tough but thought we could do it. We took the first mile easy, but it still felt quick. This time we got to the mile marker and I was surprised to see it read 8:30. Surely we were running faster than that. Kristin was much stronger during the race than I was. She was strong in the hills, and definitely had more kick than I did at the end, but very generously stuck with me and brought me across the finish line with her. I was grateful also to have Hayley to run the hills with. I couldn't have made it without the two of them.
I finished in 1:24:37. Quite a bit slower than I had hoped, but with the heat and conditions it wasn't a horrible run. I am still running faster than I ever have, or thought I could have, so I am happy with that. When I looked up my VDOT after the 10 miler I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed. I just need to keep in mind that it's my first road marathon, and any time will be a good time.
The race came after a relatively large volume running week, so I was unsure of how I was going to feel. I would say that this year is the year that I turned into a distance runner. I have run 5ks in the past, and done two half marathons, but I have never trained as much as I train now. I competed in 3 10k races this past summer, and my PR was 54 something. I always had the thought that it would take a lot to break 50 minutes. So I figured out that I would have to run at about an 8 minute pace to do this. It would be a stretch, but I was willing to try.
I ran the first mile easy, and I got to mile marker 1 and was surprised to see it read 7:35. Way too fast! I tried to slow down and got to mile 2, again 7:35! I still felt really good so I decided to just try to keep that pace and see how things went. I really expected to be walking at mile 4 or 5.
I ended up finishing at 47:00. I couldn't believe it. When we got home I quickly looked up my VDOT number in several different tables and saw that it predicted my marathon times to be between 3:33 and 3:40. 3:40 is Boston! This got me really excited until...
The Papa John's 10 miler this past weekend was a tough race. It was hot, and since last summer I haven't run in weather that warm. I was not prepared for the heat. The course takes you through part of the marathon course through Iroqouis Park which is full of hills. I ran with Kristin for the first few miles until the park. We were talking before the race about possibly running 1:18:00 which is a 7:48 pace. (This would keep me on track with my VDOT for a 3:40 marathon). We decided it might be tough but thought we could do it. We took the first mile easy, but it still felt quick. This time we got to the mile marker and I was surprised to see it read 8:30. Surely we were running faster than that. Kristin was much stronger during the race than I was. She was strong in the hills, and definitely had more kick than I did at the end, but very generously stuck with me and brought me across the finish line with her. I was grateful also to have Hayley to run the hills with. I couldn't have made it without the two of them.
I finished in 1:24:37. Quite a bit slower than I had hoped, but with the heat and conditions it wasn't a horrible run. I am still running faster than I ever have, or thought I could have, so I am happy with that. When I looked up my VDOT after the 10 miler I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed. I just need to keep in mind that it's my first road marathon, and any time will be a good time.
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