Austin 10/20 (10 miler):
I had no business PRing this or even trying, if you looked at my training runs. Last year, I was just off half marathon season and a lot of speedwork and loving the lightness of my racing flats. 10 miles was like, not a thing to me. A 10 min/mile pace wasn’t a cake walk but totally doable. Long story short, I let my head get me on the back half of the course, and missed my goal time of under 1:40 by less than 2 minutes. Not that a 10:05 or whatever pace is bad, but still, I was a little bummed.
This year, I’m a different animal. I spent last year running really slow to get endurance for the 70.3 and marathon. Then, I lost all that endurance in offseason and just recently did ONE double digit run a month ago, but it was barely sub-12 minute miles. I haven’t clocked a run sub-11 minute miles except my run tests, which have been all out efforts on the oval (read: no elevation changes), and they’ve been BARELY sub 10, and only 3 miles. Also, I’m wearing these big clunky Sauconys because my stupid feet can’t run right after last year.
However, I had this burning DESIRE to PR. I wanted to show myself that I was a better runner than I thought. That this training is working. That my brain is stronger than it ever has been. Validation, I wanted it. I could taste it.
Yesterday, I was worried – I felt really really creaky, things hurt, I spent a lot of time on my feet, and I was just nervous I didn’t have any speed in me. I woke up feeling a little less creaky, but my head really was not ready to hurt myself. Boo. I had some breakfast and pooped and got going and we got in the car and the radio sucked and I connected my zune and OMG it was dead. We went back and grabbed the car charger and headed to the race. I made us stay in the car just as long as humanly possible and then we headed to the race (the charge did enough, it made it through the race). The race site was conveniently RIGHT next to my office, so we headed into work to bathroom in the nice office potties instead of the porta-ones, and then headed back to the corrals.
Corrals were elite, and then 1-10. We were in 3. I figured there had to be a mistake, as I’m not corral 3 material, but I wasn’t going to say anything. Normally, I get in my corral and I’m dodging people because people seriously underestimate their finish times, so I figured this was karmic payback. I got kinda emotional at the beginning. I was really scared of disappointing myself. Coming in at like 1:50 would really, really bum me out, but I really thought that might be a reality considering my training. However, the national anthem centered me, and then we were off, so there was no time to think anything but game on.
The first 3 miles went…. easy. I was keeping about 9:45 without much effort, and it was a little scary. I wondered what was to come on the way back, but I just tried to keep an easy stride and not worry to much. I hit the 2.5 mile tuckaway into the side street and only just saw the elites come out at mile 4 so I figured I was doing ok. I tried to run heart rate, and my goal was to stick between 165-170, but I found I was jumping between 160 and 180, and neither really felt like it was much harder than the other, so I just switched back to pace on my garmin and ran by feel, checking HR every so often. I realized this was baseline for the year, I haven’t yet done a race with enough HR data to judge, and since my goal was to PR, I’d keep myself on that track and if I fizzled at the end, so be it.
The up and downs between 3 and 4 weren’t so bad, but when I hit the long, slightly uphill stretch, I took a cue from Runthisamazingday, and pushed my visor down and just looked at feet and got into my music. I found some rainbow leg warmers I tried to stay with but they were too fast, and I thought about the fact that perseverance was following through on the goals I made when I was no longer in the same mood as when I made them, and I got up that hill only having lost about 2 seconds per mile and still felt pretty good as I hit mile 5. Half way done. And if I held sub-10s on the first 5, I could certainly do it on the last 5 because I was a badass.
Well, as last year, the last 5 was not as easy as the first half. Through 6, I kept pretty good pace. I hit 10k at just about 1 hour exactly, and I noted that it’s been a long time since I ran a 1 hour 10k. Nice. But, then we turned up to another uphill, and I threw my visor down again and chugged, and I swear it took 3 miles to get up that silly small hill, but I got through it, and then I got to my home turf. My lunch run I always run. And I got a “go Quix” and with my visor down, I didn’t know who it was, but either it was someone I knew or someone who read my bib, so I gave them the horns and kept going. It flattened out soon and I got back to sub 10 and got up the mall hill I run through often fairly quick and then got out onto the freeway onramp for the last stretch.
I found recognizable feet, one of my triathlon friends R, and stayed on him. He was coming off an injury from last year, but in his prime, he is a WAYYYY faster runner than me normally so I figured if I could stay with him, I was doing alright. I caught him on the other side, the uphill, and he was all, “hey, where’s the fire?” to which I had no brain to reply anything but “huh”? and then “words are hard” and ran ahead. 8 to 9 was HARD and while not a mountain, definitely uphill and I watched my average tick from 9:50 to 9:54, and then I made the call around mile 9 it was time to spend all the cash and try to get that average to go the other way.
I paid fuck all attention to HR, and just did what I could without puking or passing out. R passed me, and I couldn’t quite catch him, but I kept him in my sights. I stopped looking at pace and just RAN. Once we hit the home stretch I just gave it everything and willed my cramping calf muscles to hold out just a little longer and willed my garmin not to hit 1:40 before I hit the finish line and then it was there and I was going as fast as I could and then I crossed it and celebrated and then I hit stop and it just clicked over to 1:40.
10.13 miles, 1:39:57. 9:52 average. 28% of my gender beat me, 30% of my AG beat me, and 36% of the whole field beat me. I’m pretty happy with essentially a top 1/3 finish. Also, if I would have held pace (probably doable with similar terrain and some more fuel/water), I would have been within 1 minute of my half marathon PR. Like, from 2.5 years and 20 lbs ago. Also, I believe that was about all out pace in January. And I held it for 10 miles.
I waited for Zliten to cross and he did: 1:44! He got a 5 minute PR too! Fucking awesome day!
Then, we got sammiches, came home, biked 2h30 min on the trainer, and then ran 1 mile in 10:17 to fully brick the legs, and now, champagne. I will definitely pull on this day in 2.5 months when we do Buffalo Springs 70.3. While takeout sammiches and half a large pizza is not normally good nutrition, I think today is a 5k calorie burn and I’ve earned it. Even with the champagne.
Training:
This week it was just all about getting in the hours. After last week’s crazy 2.5 hours of hills, and the ensuing soreness, and the knowledge that it was a fully loaded week, and a race I actually cared a bit about this weekend, I cut everything down to easy miles and skipped weights in favor of extra stick and stretching time.
It was a challenge with all the other commitments – had to be up at 5am for transportation and came back home at 7:30 and then biked for 1.5 hours and then had to leave again, ran at lunch that day, and then hopped on the trainer as soon as I got home to finish up some more time. I had a dentist appt Thursday early, so I had to squeeze that day too. I ended up going a little light on swimming and running in favor of extra bike time, but I got in my time (for the most part).
We now are all signed up all the tris (minus Austin 70.3, which we are still deciding on):
Rookie Super Sprint Tri: 5/5
Playtri Olypmic Tri: 6/2
Pflugerville Sprint Tri: 6/16
Buffalo Springs 70.3 Tr: 6/30
Couples Sprint Tri: 7/14
Jacks Generic Olympic: 8/4
Tri Rock Olympic: 9/2
Kerrville 70.3 Tri: 9/29
We will be throwing in some supported ~50-60 mile rides about once a month (Armadillo, HotterNHell Hundred, etc), and hitting up splash and dashes as often as it makes sense with training.
Besides the race commentary, don’t have all that much else to say. See below:
Monday: Swim: EZ Laps 1500 m 00:36
Tuesday: Bike: Trainer + Josie and the Pussycats. 29.01 mi 01:26, Run: Neighborhood Lunch Loops 2.72 mi 00:30, Bike: Trainer + Rest of Josie 12.01 mi 00:35
Wednesday: Swim: Laps 1800 m 00:45
Thursday: Run: EZ Lunch Run 3.1 mi 00:34, Bike: Trainer + Fringe 14 mi 00:40
Friday: Outside Bike: Neighborhood Loopz 5.3 mi 00:22, Bike: Trainer + Bobs Burgers Butts … 7 mi 00:21
Saturday: off
Sunday: Run: Austin 10/20 Race 10.13 mi 01:40 Bike: Trainer + Les Mis 51.4 mi 02:31 Run: Bricky Brick 1 mi 10:17
Food:
Things seem to be working folks. I’ve been in the low 181-183 range all week and finding it easier to eat a little less – my tummy is finally adjusting, so yay.
I’ve eaten a few less than 100% healthy things (smart ones micro meal, a little bit of brownie, etc), so I need to watch that, as when I’m lowering my calories, I need like 95% of it to be good awesome fueling my training calories or I’ll bonk, but my little swedish meatball splurge yesterday, and the pieces of not-horkin-fiber bread today, were kinda yummy.
Just need to hold the mentality for vacation that I don’t need a billion calories, and since I’ll be away for a while, I’ll have plenty of time to taste all of the things, I don’t need to eat so much all at once. 🙂
I’m finally at the point where I’ve lost enough that different pants are fitting, and I look different in clothes I normally wear, so hopefully that is motivation not to just gain it all back.
I won’t belabor it. By the numbers this week:
Monday: 27 DQ, 1547 calories
Tuesday: 30 DQ, 1856 calories
Wednesday: 26 DQ, 1576 calories
Thursday: 23 DQ, 1501 calories
Friday: 21 DQs, 1554 calories
Saturday: 23 DQ, 1674 calories
Sunday: this day will throw everything off – consumed about 3500 and burned about 5k calories – so I’m going to not count it in the averages here.
Average DQ: 25
Average calories in: 1618
Average calories out: (estimated) 2200 (so I would expect a little over 1lb loss this week)
Weight: low was 181.0, high was 183.0. Most days, in the 181s. So that’s pretty happy. Not the 170s yet, but I can see getting there soon.
Other Stuff:
I got my hairs cut. It’s back to my shoulders. I forgot how poofy shoulder hair is, especially after just being cut. Looking forward to it settling a bit, the fro is fun and all, but… ya know. I’m not entirely sure how I don’t have a picture of it that’s not in pigtails for the race, but trust me, you’ll see more of it soon.
Left my glasses at home one day after lunch this week and instead of going home to get them, I just rocked my sunglasses in the office all day. I am so blind that it was the better option than just not wearing them. Luckily I had no meetings but I got some funny looks when I had to go talk to people. I had to explain myself a lot. I should have just said, “I’m just cooler than you”, but, I’m not. 🙂
I got to record an interview for my game. I love doing stuff like that. Oddly enough, I like to yammer on and on. Who knew?
I went to PF Changs for lunch one day. I remember their food being better. I think I’ll stick with my neighborhood places.
My badass brag – I got my second cavity filled this week with no novicain. Because I am TOUGH (and I hate needles and novicain and will happily take a little pain instead).
And now, the tale of my week is done. Tell me the story of your week in the comments.
Yum Yucky
You’ve always got so much going on. That dragon you’re training. Is that yours or someone else’s. I just a me a bowl of ice cream, which is why my week is off to an epic start.
quix
Not mine, but the picture was cute!
Miz
Im so so so so behind…catching up now 🙂