Back in the saddle?

Race Judicata

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Location:

Phoenix,AZ,

Member Since:

Jul 23, 2007

Gender:

Female

Goal Type:

Boston Qualifier

Running Accomplishments:

5K: 22:15 (January 2005);
10K-48:40 (November 2005)
Half-marathon: 1:50:25 (, March 2006);
Marathon: 3:54:16 (January 2006)

Short-Term Running Goals:

BQ

Finish half marathon in January 2010

Run consistently

Lose pregnancy weight + 10 pounds

Long-Term Running Goals:

Complete an Ironman triathlon; run the Comrades Marathon in South Africa (55 miles)
Marathon: sub 3:30
Half marathon: sub 1:40
10K: sub 42 minutes
5K: sub 21 minutes

Find out what my potential is and reach it.

Personal:

I've been running since high school (mid-1990s) and do pretty well when I'm focused on a goal. My main problem is running consistently when I'm NOT training for something specific. I'm an attorney, and I've been married to my husband, also a runner, for 5 1/2 years. We live in Phoenix, Arizona. We had a beautiful baby girl, Caroline, in August 2009.

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Miles:	This week:	0.00	Month:	0.00	Year:	0.00

Sun, Sep 16, 2007

Race: Race Judicata (3.1 Miles) 00:26:20, Place in age division: 3

Easy Miles	Marathon Pace Miles	Threshold Miles	VO2 Max Miles	Crosstraining miles	Total Miles
0.00	3.10	0.00	0.00	0.00	3.10

Today I ran the race that I have helped organize for the past 9 months. I woke up at 3:45(!) to get to the race site to help set up, and the race started at 7:00. It is still hot this time of year in Phoenix, and this morning was no exception.

I started at the back of the pack and had to pick through some runners. I know that's bad and wastes energy, but I tried to keep the darting around people to a minimum. The course makes several sharp curves for the first quarter mile, so it's hard to pick up any real speed. I ran the first mile in 8:10 and hoped to gradually speed up. I didn't really have a time goal, but I hoped to beat my time at this race last year, which was an 8:11 pace. One weird thing was that I kept passing people, even though I slowed down to an 8:30 pace after the first mile.

In my entire history of running, I have never worked out the day before the race (except maybe in high school), so I didn't really know what it was like to race on tired legs. However, yesterday I not only worked out, but I did a long run of 10 miles. So I was TIRED today. I'm not thrilled with my time, but I can cut myself some slack because of the workout yesterday and my lack of sleep! My heart rate recovered quickly after the race.

So, I ran the entire race at an 8:23 pace, which I hope to be my marathon pace. Gotta pick it up! I think we start more serious speed training this week. I'll tell you all right now, I'm taking tomorrow off-my legs need it!

Comments

From Kerry on Mon, Sep 17, 2007 at 11:29:34

Congratulations on hanging in there and winning third place in your age group! It can be really tough to race right after doing a long run. You've earned a day of rest.

From Sasha Pachev on Mon, Sep 17, 2007 at 11:31:27

Shauna - the problem is not the lack of speed, it is still the lack of based. You did better in the first two weeks of September than in August. However, there are still some things that I think can be done better. Do not run less than 5 miles on any day, but at the same time do not run more than 8, even in the long runs. Train 6 days a week with one off, no exceptions, no excuses. Do not do anything that would interfere with your ability to cover 5 miles at 11:00 mile pace. You can pick up the pace occasionally for fun (be careful, though), but the majority of your mileage should happen at around 10:00 pace until you demonstrate a higher degree of fitness in a race than what you currently have.

Follow the above routine for a month or so. Once this starts feeling like you are not even training, increase the minimum length run to 6 miles, and the maximum to 10. Do that for another month, then race a distance between the 10 K and the half marathon on a certified course.

Regarding the mental approach - forget the next marathon you are training for. I believe one of the greatest favors many (if not most) runners can do themselves is to discard the mentality of training for a race, and start training for long term fitness. Once it is reached, there will always be a race to prove it. A good runner does not train for a race, he tapers for it.

From Shauna on Mon, Sep 17, 2007 at 16:25:52

Sasha,

Thanks so much for the advice. It's hard to accept that I'm just not in the shape I need to be to qualify for Boston right now. But, I know Boston is not going anywhere!

So, 10:00 miles? That seems slow for me, but I have heard more than once that the best way to get faster is to run slower (at first, anyway). We'll see how it goes!

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