Running For My Life

Due to weather issues, I went to the Pettit Center for my long run yesterday.  I was running with my friend Bill when a runner named Keith from Madison came up behind us and started a conversation.  We ran with him for a few miles and discovered that he was in town for a USATF coaching clinic, and more impressively, he can run a 5K race in 14:50 at age 38!!!  That is simply amazing.  And I thought I was getting fast when I ran a 5K last month in 18:23!  It’s always instructive to talk with someone like that as he said he was at a clinic last week with the US Olympic Marathon coach and he passed on some pointers to us from that.

After the run, I rushed home to shower and change so I could head up to Green Bay for the Packers awesome victory over the Seahawks.  Then it was back to Milwaukee for a holiday party for InStep (the running stores of which I am part-owner).  What a long, fun day!!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 01/12/2008
• Time: 06:00:00
• Total Time: 1:54:20.00
• Distance: 15 miles
• Average Pace: 7:37.43/mile

8×400 intervals on treadmill

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 01/11/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:14:24.00
• Distance: 9 miles
• Average Pace: 8:15.87/mile

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 01/10/2008
• Time: 07:00:00
• Total Time: 00:09:40.00

After 6 weeks of not being able to run on the path near my house due to heavy snow cover, I finally got back on this morning. The 33 inches of snow melted in just two warm days, allowing me to give me knees a break from the pavement and reclaim my path from the snowmobilers. It probably won’t last long as more snow is on the way….

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 01/10/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:18:35.00
• Distance: 9 miles
• Average Pace: 8:44.02/mile

I would so much rather be running than riding my exercise bike, but I think the “off day” helps. The rest of the week looks like this: tomorrow 9 miles (inc. 8×400 intervals), Friday 9 miles, Saturday 15 miles.

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 01/09/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:11:30.00

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 01/08/2008
• Time: 07:00:00
• Total Time: 00:09:35.00
• Distance: 5 miles
• Average Pace: 1:55.02/mile

2 miles @ 8:35, 5 miles @ 6:43, 2 miles @ 8:36

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 01/08/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:07:57.00
• Distance: 9 miles
• Average Pace: 7:32.83/mile

Our normal high temperature in Wisconsin for this time of year is 27 degrees.  Our record high is 46 degrees.  Today it was 70 degrees.  So what happens when it gets 70 in early January in Wisconsin?  Major tornadoes.  We had several tornadoes touch down in our area today including one only a few miles away from where I work that destroyed several houses and injured numerous people (including one of my co-workers’ husbands).

Of course this being Wisconsin tomorrow we are supposed to get a few inches of snow, but not enough to replace the three feet of snow that has melted over the past two days.  Crazy!!!!!

I did manage to get a 9-mile training run in this morning in the rain while dodging the puddles that are all over the streets.  Tomorrow we are expecting flooding as the nearby Fox River is at 4-6 feet above flood level.

As for my Boston Marathon training, it is going great.  My legs feel awesome, and I am getting my mileage in.  Let’s hope my legs feel this good in 3 months!  I am optimistic that the weather will stay warm so I can stay outdoors.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 01/07/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:17:42.00
• Distance: 9 miles
• Average Pace: 8:37.99/mile

I finally had the time to calculate my running and cycling totals for 2007.  In an odd coincidence, the two totals were exactly the same:  1,852 miles of running; 1,852 miles of cycling (all of the cycling was done on the air bike in my basement; not on a real bike).

I ran 247 times for an average of 7.5 miles per run.  I cycled 150 times for an average of 12.3 miles per ride.  I worked out 289 days in 2007, which was just about 80% of the days.  All of these totals are personal bests.

My goal for 2008 is to break all of these records again.  I would like to run 2,000 miles.

Since I took Thursday and Friday off to recover from my vacation, I decided to increase my scheduled 17-mile run to 20 miles yesterday. It was the first 20-miler I have done since last April. It felt great and I was still full of energy (physically and mentally) when I was finished. It is so cool to be able to pound out 20 miles and feel like you’ve run 5! That’s the benefit of lots of hard work.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 01/05/2008
• Time: 06:00:00
• Total Time: 2:44:20.00
• Distance: 20 miles
• Average Pace: 8:13.15/mile