In my last training week wrap I was left pondering how to fill my race schedule. After much deliberation I finally have a plan for the next 3 months...
So here it is:
5km - 2 weeks away
Goal = Sub 25 minutes
5km - 4 weeks away
Goal = PB by at least 1 second!
I am not expecting to do any major improvements in two weeks but as it is a "virtual race" and I can pick my course and conditions I will aim to improve my previous 5km time if even by only a second.
10km - 8 weeks away
Sub 50 minutes
Half Marathon - 14 weeks away
Sub 1 hour 50 minutes
First up is the 5km and I have to admit I am completely lost as how to run a 5km race. The only 5km race I have ever done was with a client (who still hasn't forgiven me to this day for it... I may have promised we would "run/walk" but on the day she was ROCKIN it so we ran it all). So how do you pace for 5km?!!?! This is what I am thinking:
1-2km warm up (pre-race)
1st km = Just below race pace
2nd -4th km = race pace
5th km = Flog it home. . .give everything and anything that is left in the tank!
Any advice? I don't want to get to the end of the race and feel like I could have given more earlier on but I also don't want to go out too hard and not be able to maintain race pace as a result.
Even though I am loving the speed work and shorter distance training at the moment I am completely duanted by this distance for racing. I am either going to love it or hate it and I am expecting it may take me a couple of races to feel confident at pacing it like I do in a 10km - 21km distances.
So its down to business now. I have 4 races planned and I am hoping to PB in all of them. . . Game on!
Sunday 24 June 2012
Saturday 16 June 2012
ME time
My Mummy Kilometre counter has just cracked the 300km. Considering I have been running for over 9 weeks this is by no means "high mileage" in the world of running
In the world of being a mummy however, this is a LOT of "me time". In fact I have spent 31.63 hours covering these 322 kilometers. Thats an average of more than 3 hours per week I have spent away from my family and my responsibilities persuing my own interests. But I don't feel even the slightest bit guilty and here's why:
My running helps me cope
No matter how busy, stressful or chaotic life gets everything always seems manageable after a run. Running gives me time to put my life in to perspective and organise it in my own brain. Of course everything will be easier to deal with when you are pumped full of endorphins! If you want me at my best. . . catch me after a run.
Running gets me going
Its terrible to admit but running forces me to have a shower and get going with my day. The problem with being a stay at home mummy is on the days that we don't have anything on it is SO tempting to laze in the PJs all day long. My runs add a bit of structure and pressure to my day i.e. I have something to achieve in Little A's sleep time other than washing and cleaning!
"If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it"
I am setting an example
I spend my days trying to teach and guide our little guy and considering actions speak louder than words then the best way to encourage my son to live healthily and embrace physical activity is to do it myself.
Running makes me a good wife
(if not shooting your husband is a measure of being a good wife)
"Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands"
Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)
The secret to a successful marriage. . . who would have thought!?!?
In the world of being a mummy however, this is a LOT of "me time". In fact I have spent 31.63 hours covering these 322 kilometers. Thats an average of more than 3 hours per week I have spent away from my family and my responsibilities persuing my own interests. But I don't feel even the slightest bit guilty and here's why:
My running helps me cope
No matter how busy, stressful or chaotic life gets everything always seems manageable after a run. Running gives me time to put my life in to perspective and organise it in my own brain. Of course everything will be easier to deal with when you are pumped full of endorphins! If you want me at my best. . . catch me after a run.
Running gets me going
Its terrible to admit but running forces me to have a shower and get going with my day. The problem with being a stay at home mummy is on the days that we don't have anything on it is SO tempting to laze in the PJs all day long. My runs add a bit of structure and pressure to my day i.e. I have something to achieve in Little A's sleep time other than washing and cleaning!
"If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it"
I am setting an example
I spend my days trying to teach and guide our little guy and considering actions speak louder than words then the best way to encourage my son to live healthily and embrace physical activity is to do it myself.
Running makes me a good wife
(if not shooting your husband is a measure of being a good wife)
"Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands"
Elle Woods (Legally Blonde)
The secret to a successful marriage. . . who would have thought!?!?
Tuesday 12 June 2012
Back in the groove
Well another training week is done and I'm happy to say it was much more inspiring than last week!
Yesterdays tempo run included 20mins at 13kmp/h which felt great. This week also saw some 1km intervals at 4min pace!!!!
I can definitely say now I am hitting my pre-baby speeds if not better.
There was also a good mix of treadmill and pavement runs this week. As we get closer to pram runs I am looking forward to a lot more pavement runs. However I have come to really enjoy the treadmill runs and will probably still do my tempos and intervals on the treadie.
Soon we will be turning this. . .
Into this
I can't tell you how excited I am about having the little guy facing the world. As much as I love being able to gaze into him now in the bassinet set up, he is so inquisitve HE will just love the forward facing configuration. I'm also pretty sure the poor child is probably sick of staring up at my face... No wonder he goes to sleep when I put him in the pram!!!!
The wonderful world of pram running is awaiting us. How exciting it will be to share my love of running with my son.
Here are some great tips from Moms Little Running Buddy on running with a pram. . . Click here
Yesterdays tempo run included 20mins at 13kmp/h which felt great. This week also saw some 1km intervals at 4min pace!!!!
I can definitely say now I am hitting my pre-baby speeds if not better.
There was also a good mix of treadmill and pavement runs this week. As we get closer to pram runs I am looking forward to a lot more pavement runs. However I have come to really enjoy the treadmill runs and will probably still do my tempos and intervals on the treadie.
Soon we will be turning this. . .
Into this
I can't tell you how excited I am about having the little guy facing the world. As much as I love being able to gaze into him now in the bassinet set up, he is so inquisitve HE will just love the forward facing configuration. I'm also pretty sure the poor child is probably sick of staring up at my face... No wonder he goes to sleep when I put him in the pram!!!!
The wonderful world of pram running is awaiting us. How exciting it will be to share my love of running with my son.
Here are some great tips from Moms Little Running Buddy on running with a pram. . . Click here
Wednesday 6 June 2012
3 months
At what point do you wake up and realise that you are a parent? Little A is 3 months old and being parents still doesn't feel real. Somebody said to me that it was the first time they were called "Mummy" by their child that it all seemed real. I certainly can't wait to hear Little A say that! In the meantime it feels so surreal and I just pray that I don't wake up from this dream.
The last month has seen Little A change in leaps and bounds. He has gone from a baby to a smiley, interactive little boy who always wants to engage with you and who could resist these beautiful big blue eyes. . .
Little A is fully aware that his hands belong to him now and more importantly that they can do cool stuff. He is slowly mastering grasping things but mostly he just likes to put those little hands in his mouth. His favourite way to greet a new toy or person is to put it or them (their hand) in his mouth. So offer your finger at your own risk! This is his latest victim:
"Mmm Sparky you smell good"
"I wonder what you taste like"
"Come on. . . just a little nibble"
"What?!?! I was just playing"
"See. . . We are playing nicely"!
When at home we have been passing the days reading, playing and singing. As long as Little A has my undivided attention he is a very happy little boy. We are going to have to work on playing happily on his own before the next one (baby) comes along. But for now I am more than happy to make the most of this one on one time!
"Now if I could just get over there I could turn the page. . ."
Big A loves his soccer and is super excited about the Euro Cup that starts in 2 more sleeps! So for the next 3 weeks there will be soccer, soccer and more soccer in this house. Honestly I wouldn't be suprised if Little A's first word ends up being "goal" with how soccer mad our house is about to go. I am even going to try my hand at baking a soccer ball cake on Friday to celebrate the first match (not the 3D kind just a flat one). I am not renowned for my skills in the kitchen so this should be interesting.
"What do you mean I have to wait for a goal to wave it?"
"But Mum, Dad gets to stay up all night and watch the soccer why can't I?"
Now that Little A has almost doubled his size he no longer fits in to half of his wardrobe. So the other week I got to packing up all the 00000 and 0000 and some of the 000 clothes. Can you believe how much he has grown out of in 3 wee months?
Apart from that we have just been keeping warm. The cooler weather has really set in now. Which is great for running and cuddling on the couch.
Finally, here is my favourite photo from this month. . .
so unimpressed with you mummy
The last month has seen Little A change in leaps and bounds. He has gone from a baby to a smiley, interactive little boy who always wants to engage with you and who could resist these beautiful big blue eyes. . .
Little A is fully aware that his hands belong to him now and more importantly that they can do cool stuff. He is slowly mastering grasping things but mostly he just likes to put those little hands in his mouth. His favourite way to greet a new toy or person is to put it or them (their hand) in his mouth. So offer your finger at your own risk! This is his latest victim:
"Mmm Sparky you smell good"
"I wonder what you taste like"
"Come on. . . just a little nibble"
"What?!?! I was just playing"
"See. . . We are playing nicely"!
When at home we have been passing the days reading, playing and singing. As long as Little A has my undivided attention he is a very happy little boy. We are going to have to work on playing happily on his own before the next one (baby) comes along. But for now I am more than happy to make the most of this one on one time!
"Now if I could just get over there I could turn the page. . ."
Big A loves his soccer and is super excited about the Euro Cup that starts in 2 more sleeps! So for the next 3 weeks there will be soccer, soccer and more soccer in this house. Honestly I wouldn't be suprised if Little A's first word ends up being "goal" with how soccer mad our house is about to go. I am even going to try my hand at baking a soccer ball cake on Friday to celebrate the first match (not the 3D kind just a flat one). I am not renowned for my skills in the kitchen so this should be interesting.
"What do you mean I have to wait for a goal to wave it?"
"But Mum, Dad gets to stay up all night and watch the soccer why can't I?"
Now that Little A has almost doubled his size he no longer fits in to half of his wardrobe. So the other week I got to packing up all the 00000 and 0000 and some of the 000 clothes. Can you believe how much he has grown out of in 3 wee months?
Apart from that we have just been keeping warm. The cooler weather has really set in now. Which is great for running and cuddling on the couch.
Finally, here is my favourite photo from this month. . .
so unimpressed with you mummy
Sunday 3 June 2012
A whole lot of good that REST did me!
I was expecting some great runs this week after an "easier" week last week but what I got was just the opposite. Even though I hit all my target speeds I really didn't feel strong in any of my runs this week. I think I must have caught a mild version of Big A's cold as I had the sniffles and was just NOT feeling inspired.
Suprisingly I still managed to do all my 5 planned sessions but today, after a week of feeling less than peak I decided to listen to my body and traded my 90 minute Long Run for a 30 minute Easy Run. I am so pleased I did because as the day has gone on I have started to feel much more myself. Hopefully I have kicked the "lurgy" to the kerb and wont be needing 10+ hours sleep every night anymore.
On top of all the extra sleep I have also needed extra food. Between breast feeding and running I was already an energy burning machine but add in the sudden cool weather and my poor body fighting a bug and I have had to eat like a monster for the last couple of weeks to keep up with what it is demanding. To keep my energy up I have introduced a new meal to the day and it fits in nicely between breakfast and morning tea! Its kind of "breakfast round #2". I've got to stop writing about eating, I am working up an appetite just thinking about it.
After Little A was born I set my sights on a half marathon. I chose the half because getting out the long runs required for a marathon was just not going to fit into my schedule with a newborn. I also decided that as I had such limited training time I would focus on speed and not distance and just have one token long run each week to build up to the half marathon distance. This week aside, I am LOVING the speed work. A 5 minute warm up, 20-30 minutes of flogging myself and a 5 minute cool down fits in perfectly with Little A's routine and these high intensity runs are just firing me up.
And now that I am reaping the benefits of all this speed work I am wondering if all my efforts are a little bit wasted on a half marathon when I am only doing one token long run per week. Should I be focusing on shorter distances in which I will be able to maximise my speed work training and focus on the longer distances when I am focusing my training more on distance?
Do I shoot for the longer distance or do I focus on achieving 5km and 10km PBs? There are pros and cons of both for me at the moment. For example the shorter speed sessions are easier to fit in but the longer slower sessions will be easier to do when I start running with the pram soon. Realistically I could achieve both this year but even then which should I do first? Should I peak my fitness and then build up distance or build up distance and then work on speed? Decisions, decisions!
Well at least I have something to think about on my training runs this week. Hopefully I can make a decision by the end of the week and adjust my program accordingly.
All in all it wasn't my best week of running but its not always going to be sunshine and roses. On that note here's my favourite quote for the week:
Suprisingly I still managed to do all my 5 planned sessions but today, after a week of feeling less than peak I decided to listen to my body and traded my 90 minute Long Run for a 30 minute Easy Run. I am so pleased I did because as the day has gone on I have started to feel much more myself. Hopefully I have kicked the "lurgy" to the kerb and wont be needing 10+ hours sleep every night anymore.
On top of all the extra sleep I have also needed extra food. Between breast feeding and running I was already an energy burning machine but add in the sudden cool weather and my poor body fighting a bug and I have had to eat like a monster for the last couple of weeks to keep up with what it is demanding. To keep my energy up I have introduced a new meal to the day and it fits in nicely between breakfast and morning tea! Its kind of "breakfast round #2". I've got to stop writing about eating, I am working up an appetite just thinking about it.
After Little A was born I set my sights on a half marathon. I chose the half because getting out the long runs required for a marathon was just not going to fit into my schedule with a newborn. I also decided that as I had such limited training time I would focus on speed and not distance and just have one token long run each week to build up to the half marathon distance. This week aside, I am LOVING the speed work. A 5 minute warm up, 20-30 minutes of flogging myself and a 5 minute cool down fits in perfectly with Little A's routine and these high intensity runs are just firing me up.
And now that I am reaping the benefits of all this speed work I am wondering if all my efforts are a little bit wasted on a half marathon when I am only doing one token long run per week. Should I be focusing on shorter distances in which I will be able to maximise my speed work training and focus on the longer distances when I am focusing my training more on distance?
Do I shoot for the longer distance or do I focus on achieving 5km and 10km PBs? There are pros and cons of both for me at the moment. For example the shorter speed sessions are easier to fit in but the longer slower sessions will be easier to do when I start running with the pram soon. Realistically I could achieve both this year but even then which should I do first? Should I peak my fitness and then build up distance or build up distance and then work on speed? Decisions, decisions!
Well at least I have something to think about on my training runs this week. Hopefully I can make a decision by the end of the week and adjust my program accordingly.
All in all it wasn't my best week of running but its not always going to be sunshine and roses. On that note here's my favourite quote for the week:
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain"
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