This week I finally ran a race, and I went big…go big or go home right?
Actually, that is terrible advice for running, but here we are.
| Monday: | Easy 60 minutes |
| Tuesday: | 6X800s with 2 mins rest |
| Wednesday: | Easy 60 minutes |
| Thursday: | OFF |
| Friday: | Easy 45 minutes |
| Saturday: | Tidewater Striders 15 Miler |
| Sunday: | Easy 45 minutes |
Thoughts:
A while ago, I had planned to drive back home to visit my parents in late January. January is one of my least favorite months of the year because it’s normally cold (which half of this month was), there isn’t a whole lot to “look forward too,” post-holiday blues and just overall meh. This year with my husband deployed, I knew if I didn’t have something to “look forward too,” such as going home for a weekend, it would be even tougher.
My running for the week was great. My easy runs were boring and easy and my workouts and hard runs went well.
Tuesday: 6X800s (6:05 pace)
I had crammed a few workouts shortly together, so my legs felt fatigued. Much of the week was busy, plus I wanted an extra day of easy running between my workout and racing. I’m glad I did my workout on Tuesday, but it did mean doing it on fatigued legs. It wasn’t my best workout, but it went well for the day. Lately, I’ve been doing workouts on the road, and while they are a bit slower than the track or treadmill, there are more elements of an actual race (like wind, bumps in the ground), so I have preferred it.
Race: Distance Series 15 Miler (1:39.46) (6:35 pace)
I have so much to say about the race. I’ll have a race recap sometime throughout the week. I hadn’t run more than a half marathon race since my full marathon 3 years ago. I had no idea what to expect and how to race it. Ultimately I thought of it as a half marathon with a bonus round.
My strategy was run hard and see where I’m at fitness-wise. I was hoping to be under 1:45, but truthfully I didn’t do a lot of research about that time goal. I started in a pack with my good friends Steve and Andrew, and when they started a workout I went with another female, and we ran until mile 7-8. After mile 8, I ran most of the race alone but there was always something to look at. I kept my eyes focused on the next person ahead and ultimately passed a few people towards the end. I ran the last mile in 6:07 which I am incredibly pleased with. I’ve been working on my kick, so this was great motivation. I’m happy with the race and it gives me a good baseline of where my fitness is.
Posts from the Week:
Why There is No Best Running Shoe
Questions for you:
What is the longest race you’ve run?
What is your favorite month of the year? Least favorite?
That was one heck of a 15 miler. Amazing job!
February for me is the worst! At least it’s a little shorter than the rest of the months. I love summer! I think my favorite month is July.
February is usually rough too but since it’s a few days shorter, I feel like it flies by. 🙈
Congrats on the 15 miler and an excellent time too! That’s a long race for a comeback from the cold, but you are an experienced runner so I think going big or going home was fine (not like you weren’t putting in the miles and workouts). I agree that January can be a depressing month, with Christmas being over and not much to look forward to, and I can’t imagine how it feels to have Tim deployed along with that. I hope you have a great week this week!
Thanks as always for your support Amy, and I hope you have a great week too.
You’ve got the eye of the tiger in that race photo! So exciting to see you making your racing comeback. I can’t wait to see what you do this spring!
A half marathon with a bonus round? A BONUS ROUND!
I used to think of swimming the mile in college as 3, 500s and a bonus round and I think that’s why it came to mind LOL
You are amazing!!! A 6:06 mile AT THE END? GOOD for you girl!!!!! You are awesome!!
Congratulations!!! That sounds like a fantastic race and that last mile? Whew. Wow! Can’t wait to hear more about it.
Incredible pace and such a speedy finish!! I definitely agree on January- it’s my least favorite month.
Well impressive Hollie. Great to share a few miles with you!