Training Log – Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon (Week 1)

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Coco

Well, here goes!

I am officially starting my training program for the Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon. I still can’t believe I will be running 13.1 miles in a few weeks, and I am even more surprised that I am contemplating my “next Half” after that–see what happens when you have a bunch of crazy runner friends!

My main goal for Annapolis is to train without getting injured and pace myself during the Half so that I finish happy and want to sign up for another one. 🙂 Based on my finish time in the GW Parkway Classic, I think I can aim for a sub-9:00 min/mile pace.

I am going to follow the same basic pattern I did for training for the GW Parkway Classic, doing weights on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, running on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and taking a rest day (with yoga or a walk) on Sundays.  One of my weekday runs will focus on speed work or hills (alternating weeks) and the other will be easier (and preferably outside).  Stretching, foam rolling and yoga will continue to be integral to my injury-prevention program.

April 18
21 min elliptical
free weights:
deadlifts/military presses/push-ups
plie squats/tricep dips
lunges/bicep curls
squats/lateral raises
bent-over rows/hamstring curls/leg extensions (Bowflex)
chest flies/crunches (on fitball)
side-lying leg lifts/crunches (on mat)

April 19 (speed intervals)
Warm-up: 5 min @ 3.7 mph; 5 min @ 5.7 mph; 5 min @ 6.0 mph; 5 min @ 6.3 mph; 5 min @ 6.5 mph
Intervals (Set 1): 2 min @ 6.7 mph, 1 min @ 6.0 mph X 3
Intervals (Set 2): 2 min @ 6.9 mph, 1 min @ 6.0 mph X 3
Intervals (Set 3): 2 min @ 7.1 mph, 1 min @ 6.0 mph X 2
Cool down: 90 sec @ 6.0 mph; 90 sec @ 5.7 mph; 4 min @ 3.7 mph
Notes: I wanted to do a long warm-up since I haven’t pushed my pace since the race. I think that was good, but next time I may cut down the time I spend @ 6.3 mph and 6.5 mph (maybe to 3 min each?) because I won’t always have 55 min to spend on the treadmill. The 7.1 mph pace felt challenging, but good and not insanely fast. On the other hand, my lower back is feeling a bit tight, and I do think those last intervals are to blame.

April 20
10 min elliptical
free weights: same routine as April 18
Notes: I had to leave the house early for a day trip to Boston, so I cut my elliptical time short, but I still was able to do my full weights routine.

April 21
4.5 mile neighborhood run
Avg pace = 9:20 min/mile
Notes: My split times were all over the place from almost 10:00 min/mile for my first (warm-up) mile to 8:30 min/mile for the last 1/2 mile. The weather was great (mid 50’s) and I felt really good.

April 22
20 min elliptical
free weights: same routine as April 18, plus I added a few reps of the crazy “upside down plank up the wall” that I saw in Self magazine. Yowzie!

April 23

Twists program of my Rodney Yee A.M. Yoga for Your Week DVD

April 24 (Easter Morning Run)
9.0 miles over the Wilson Bridge to National Harbor
Garmin Data: Total Distance = 9.0 miles; Avg. Pace = 9:20 min/mile
Split Times: 9:44, 9:21, 9:06, 9:04, 10:14 (hunting for water at National Harbor), 9:25  9:04: 9:00, 8: 59

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#Fail

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Coco

Monday . . . tax day . . . what else could go wrong?

Oops! Aren’t they supposed to put the flood walls all the way across?

Is that the river gushing in to the fountain plaza?

Maybe we won’t eat dinner at The Riverside Grille tonight.

Or have lunch at Fishers & Farmers.

At least I didn’t have to get my car towed out of the garage!

I hope you didn’t have a bad day!

Posted in Work | 4 Comments

A Time For Everything

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Coco

Today I was reflecting on the passage of time, and trying to find some context for my thoughts, when this oft-quoted passage from Ecclesiastes (chapter 3) came to mind:

There is a time for everything,  
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die, 
a time to plant and a time to uproot, 
a time to kill and a time to heal, 
a time to tear down and a time to build, 
a time to weep and a time to laugh, 
 a time to mourn and a time to dance, 
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, 
a time to embrace and a time to refrain, 
a time to search and a time to give up, 
a time to keep and a time to throw away, 
a time to tear and a time to mend, 
a time to be silent and a time to speak, 
a time to love and a time to hate, 
a time for war and a time for peace.

  • One week ago, I ran a great race at the GW Parkway Classic 10 Miler.
  • One month ago, my father passed away.
  • One year ago, we were visiting my daughter at college in New Orleans, eating beignets and gumbo before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill closed many gulf coast fisheries, and before my daughter decided she’d had enough of the Big Easy and transferred to a university in Colorado. I think she’s pretty happy with her decision.
     
     
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A Neurotic’s Guide to Visiting A Church

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Coco

I can’t believe that it is Palm Sunday already, and Easter is next weekend! At this time of year, many people visit a church that they don’t attend regularly. They may be staying with friends or family, and going with them to their church, or they may be attending church on their own because Easter is such a major Christian holiday.

palm sunday

As comfortable as I am with my faith, I am always uncomfortable visiting a church.  While almost every church has a sign that says “Visitors Welcome” or “Join Us,” I always wonder if I will be welcome, or if I will commit some faux pas that will have the regular members hoping that I don’t darken their door again. I thought I would put together a guide to visiting a church with a few things I do to put myself at ease. Continue reading →

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Steady Saturday Run

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Coco

Today I planned a 6 mile run to round out my “in between” week after the GW Parkway Classic and before I start (continue?) training for the Zooma Annapolis Half Marathon. The weather forecast called for rain, but I thought I could at least get a few miles in before I got wet. As I got ready, the sky got darker, but the rain held off.

I’m pretty sure I lost my iPod Nano at the race last week.  Today I discovered a hole in the fanny pack I had it in, so it probably fell out while I was walking around afterwards. 🙁 Luckily I still have my old (first generation!) iPod Nano. It has some good playlists on it, and only needed a few hours on the charged to be ready ready for use.

I tried to plan a route that is not too hilly, but that’s really impossible for my neighborhood. My 4-ish mile route is the least hilly route, but it’s hard to make that one longer without adding hills or running on the track (which I honestly didn’t think of this morning). The route I took today has a short hill at the end of mile 1, a longer hill in the middle of mile 2, and is pretty much all uphill (with varying degrees of steepness) from miles 3-5.  So much for an “easy” route!

My pace was amazingly consistent:
Average pace: 9:30 min/mile
Split times: 9:35, 9:28, 9:24, 9:28, 9:30, 9:30, 9:35 (last 1/2 mile)

For my Half Marathon Training, I think I need to pick a long run pace and use my Garmin to stick to it, so I don’t run too fast. Maybe 9:40 – 9:45 min/mile?

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