Tuesday, May 26, 2009

I ran 20 minutes straight - and look I have proof!! Look at the big plateau after my 5min warm-up walk. Yes, that my friend is me running at 4.7mph for 20mins solid. I rock. Now if you would only ignore the last half of the run, where the 20mins of running obviously made me tired and I couldnt keep a consistant pace to save myself, it would be all good. Please give me that luxury and focus on that beautiful plateau!So Nike+, after its terrible beginnings (trying to set it up and get the sensor to recognise the Ipod was a challange) I have really grown attached to the sensor in my shoe and my trainer letting me know periodically how much time I have left. To top it all off after I finished my run Friday, the nice man who counts down the time/distance left to my goal sums up the run stat's as usual and then who should I hear - Tiger Woods.
"Hi, this is Tiger Woods. Congratulations, you have just run your fastest mile"
I have heard about the infamous celebrity quotes but until Friday I haven't recieved any of my own. Okay so it's a little cheesy - but let's face it I'll take whatever support and motivation I can get!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Training program begins. I plan to follow "Marathon and Half Marathon: The complete 26-week training program (The beginner's guide)" to train for the Athen's Classic Marathon. I used this program for the half marathon in Rio and found it quite effective. The program consists of three weekly runs; two timed weekday runs and one long distance run on the weekend. Each week is classified as moderate, building or recovery. I enjoy the fact that after the building week you can look forward to an easier week following. I think that for me this is the best course of action compared to steady moderate weeks. The long runs begin with 5km the first week and "gradually" increases with a 10km run on week 6, a 21km run on week 15 and then the peak mileage of 32km on week 23. I interpret the peak mileage being dramatically under the overall distance is that you should have the last 10km in shear determination left over.

Until now I have been in "pre-training" trying to get re-accustomed to exercise. In theory I was hoping to do three runs a week during pre-training but as the record shows that didn't always happen. I am writing today to ask that you hold me accountable to my training program, no excuses.

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Sudbury Rocks Race, Run or Walk for Diabetes. On Sunday May 3, 2009 I ran the 5k race at the Sudbury Rocks Marathon! I posted a chip time of 42:04 and came in 45/64 of women in my age range (20-29). 332/520 overall. Yay for being not last! And not completely terrible considering I had only 4 training runs before the race. Procrastination in my name! What was extra special is that I started the race with my friend Ching. She, however, is not into the endurance running and therefore took off like the wind finishing under 30minutes! (Which by the way is my 5km time goal - so jealous). I was doing okay for much of the run. The last kilometer I had a side stitch on my left side and ran with my fingers pressed into my side. "I can't walk now, the finish is just around the corner...sort of." Ching and Dave were waiting for me at the finish! I have another metal to add to my collection! Go figure that I would start having a collection of running metals and bibs.