Salty Running

Get chicked.

  • Blog
  • Our Team
  • Training
  • About

Month: March 2016

The Spouse as Running Coach: How to Make it Work

The Spouse as Running Coach: How to Make it Work

Poppy Posted by Poppy on March 31, 2016 8 Comments

pasted_image_at_2016_03_30_06_17_pm_720We’ve all been warned don’t mix business with family or friendships! Dual relationships can lead to some messy situations, but sometimes mixing roles is unavoidable or happens anyway. Maybe your landlord happens to be your father, your sister is your boss, your teammate is your massage therapist, or maybe you’re dating your landscaper and are training partners with your hairdresser. 

Balancing these different roles is something I know well, because, for over ten years now, and for the foreseeable future, my husband has also been my running coach.  

Our dual relationship began because I honestly felt my husband was the best fit to be my coach. We both trained under some of the same coaches, had similar philosophies about training, and we shared similar strengths: both benefiting from high mileage and long aerobic intervals. He had seen many of my successes in running so he knew what worked. Additionally, he had a big hand in my qualifying for my first Olympic Marathon Trials in June of 2003, so I knew he could help me accomplish my running goals.

Having my husband as my coach has not always been smooth sailing, but we have learned how to balance the coach/athlete relationship with the husband/wife one over the years. Here are few of the things I’ve found to be helpful to make our dual relationship work.

Read more >>

Categories: Coaches & Team Running, Marriage & Family
Tags: coaches, marriage

Poppy’s Training Log – 3.27.16

Poppy Posted by Poppy on March 30, 2016 Leave a comment

This week I was at my mom’s with the kids while my husband was up in Boston for a work trip.  It allowed for some change of scenery and venues for my runs.  I definitely felt like I rebounded from the past two weeks.  I didn’t necessarily get more sleep, but I focused on getting more fuel in me since I realized the stress of the previous weeks had me under-eating for what I was training for.  Whaddyaknow?  As soon as I focused on getting in more fuel, I started to feel better.  Both workouts went well, especially the one with faster intervals, which I was actually a bit nervous for.  I even got a few runs in with my husband at the end of the week as we had the help of my mom to watch the kids.  All in all it was a good week.

Monday:  6 miles in the morning, w/ 8x100m strides.  4 miles easy in the evening.  Got ART done on my R foot, hip, and hammy in the afternoon from a doc I see periodically whenever I’m up at my mom’s.

Tuesday:  12 miles w/ workout.  The plan was 4m cutdown tempo via: 612 / 608 / 604 / 600 followed by 1-2 easy laps (reverse) then 6-8 x 200 @ 41-42 (easy 200 jog, no faster than 60).  Did this at Riverside (high school track near my mom’s). Thought it might feel harder b/c of the temps (26 degrees when I started the workout) and extra layers of clothes I had on as a result. Thankfully, not much wind, so that helped. Could feel the cold affect my breathing slightly on the tempo and also the fluidity of my stride. Despite that, still ended up a bit faster on the tempo mostly due to the paces my legs somewhat settled into. By the time I started the 200s though I felt more warmed up and smoother. The sun came up by then and I think that warmed things up a little.

Up 28:31 (w/ a few strides), down 18:06

splits:

4 mi tempo in 24:09 (6:04/mi avg) via 6:10, 6:05, 6:01, 5:53

(5:01r, reverse laps 2-3)

200s:

41.41 (66r)

41.35 (64r)

40.77 (65r)

41.07 (65r)

40.73 (67r)

41.44 (64r)

40.72 (67r)

40.94* (67r) *this one was over 41, had trouble hitting split button with my big, bulky mittens

13:14 for the 3200 of 200s

Wednesday:  8 miles easy in the morning.  4 miles easy in the evening.

Thursday:  6 miles in the morning w/ 8x100m strides.  4 miles easy in the evening.

Friday:  10 miles in the morning w/ workout. At Riverside, with special guest appearances by Coach Tbone, Assistant Coach Conrad, and Team Manager Emmy. Was told what I was doing on the fly. Knew I’d be doing 800s at 5k-10k pace, but didn’t know rest intervals or exactly how many reps.

To start was told to run a 2:56 and take 1:45 jog rest. Ended up being a tad fast. From there was told to run what I did for the previous one and mostly did 1:45 jog rest. After 3rd 800 TPS told me to take 2:00 jog rest and then run a 5:40 1600. That was followed by 3:00 jog rest and then back to 800s at ~2:50 w/ 1:45 rest.

Very windy (14-16mph during workout) and also kind of humid as it had rained earlier and was in the process of warming up while we were out. Thought the wind would make things feel much more difficult, but it wasn’t that bad at all. Could tell in the last couple 800s that it was picking up and it definitely affected pace (would be 43 into the wind and same effort would yield a 41 with wind at back). Just tried my best not to overcompensate and keep relaxed, but fast.

Felt very strong and controlled the whole time. So much better than any workout in the past two weeks. 5:40s felt better than 6:00s of the past couple weeks. Needed this. While I haven’t necessarily gotten a ton of sleep, I think I’m feeling better b/c I’ve made a good effort to increase calories. The stress of being sick and dealing with Conrad’s tonsil stuff had me under-eating and therefore dropping much needed lbs. I just seem to be more prone to this since having Emmy, so need to be very on top of this so I don’t feel like crap running. At any rate, the extra fuel seems to have helped my overall energy. Food for the win!

Up 24:01 (w/ several 100m strides around 21), down 16:36

Splits:

2:52.81 (1:41r)

2:51.22 (1:44r)

2:50.05 (2:06r – took a little longer b/c was talking to the RHS track coach)

5:37.02 (2:57r)

2:47.93 (1:41r)

2:47.13 (1:41r)

2:45.37

Really great to have Team Sheatock there. Conrad gave me several hugs during my rest jogs (he also tried to give me one in the middle of one of my 800s and I almost barreled him over).

Did another 5 miles in the evening as a super slow shakeout w/ TPS.  Was really feeling the combo of turnover work in the morning + old age.  Oof.

Saturday:  Easy 8 miles with the hubs!  Great to run together.

Sunday:  17 miles, ~12 of those w/ TPS, while mom watched the kids again.  Great to have the time together.   This was all easy.  Legs were still feeling Friday a bit, mostly in that my hammies felt a little tired.
84 miles for the week.

Categories: Training Logs
Tags: Poppy training logs

Honey’s Training Log for Grandma’s – 3.30.16

Honey Posted by Honey on March 30, 2016 Leave a comment

Week 6 of training in the books. Wow, I am a third of the way done! Kind of a scary thought. But it’s been an exciting week since I bought my plane tickets to Minnesota for race weekend and got to run all of my workouts outside. Here’s how it shook down.

Read more >>

Categories: Training Logs
Tags: Honey training logs
What Is the USATF, Anyway?

What Is the USATF, Anyway?

Salty Posted by Salty on March 30, 2016 6 Comments

This USATF thing is certainly all over the running news, but every time we at Salty Running start talking about it behind the scenes we aren’t exactly sure how to take a stand because, well, USATF is complicated. We know it makes the rules in the USA for Track and Field; it measures race courses, puts on races, certifies track coaches, and has a handy route-mapping app on its website. Beyond that though, its definition, or what it does and what it is, is kind of fuzzy, like a bunch of letters swimming in a bowl of soup.

After weeks of the same conversations and repeated frustration over what the heck is going on at the USATF, I had enough. I bit the bullet and did some research to uncover the basics about the USATF. Read on after the jump to find out what USATF is, how it’s structured and how it relates to other big sports associations that are equally fuzzy. We’re going to keep this at a high level, but don’t worry! We’ll be back to dig deeper in future installments.  Read more >>

Categories: Elite & Pro Running, Running Community
Tags: governing body, Olympics, USATF
Patti Tomasello’s Heading Back to Boston Against All Odds

Patti Tomasello’s Heading Back to Boston Against All Odds

Dill Posted by Dill on March 30, 2016 12 Comments

imageEvery once in a while you meet a person who is so nice, so kind and so positive she doesn’t seem real. To top it off, these people are usually beautiful and talented too. I often secretly wonder what their flaw is. Maybe they don’t make their bed every morning, or they pick their nose, or maybe their house is really dirty (crap, I’m describing myself). I want to find out something, anything, to make me feel better about my cynical and sarcastic self. Something that evens the score, so I don’t feel down a few points with my impatience or my lack of the shiny happy vibes that they have.

Unfortunately I’ve had to accept that not everyone has a hidden evil flaw. My friend Patti Tomasello, for instance, has a laugh, a smile and positive energy that fills a room before her foot even crosses the threshold. Patti is a nurse by day, a talented runner by crack of dawn and a loving wife, mother and grandmother. She’s currently training for her third Boston Marathon and her training has been anything but “according to plan.” Read more >>

Categories: Marathons
Tags: Boston Marathon
Caffeine and Running

Caffeine and Running

Tea Posted by Tea on March 29, 2016 15 Comments

imageCaffeine is everywhere these days. It comes in gum, gels, and jellybeans, and even in sprayable cans, powdered form, and, briefly (pun intended), in underwear. And certainly, for many, it comes in the form of a morning cup of joe.

Runners especially seem to cling to the caffeine. After all, training can be exhausting, often taking place in the wee hours of the morning or after a long day at work. We need a jolt to get out the door … and maybe a caffeinated gel to get through the final miles … and maybe another cup to revive us enough to tackle the rest of our jam-packed days … and then maybe an afternoon latte to stagger through to 5:00.

But there’s a lot of talk about caffeine and whether it’s good or bad for us, especially as runners. Does it give us a boost or give us the trots? Does it dehydrate or replenish? If we drink that morning coffee day after day (along with the afternoon mug) will it still give our run a boost? Below is a summary of what we know about our daily cuppa. Read more >>

Categories: Food & Nutrition
Tags: caffeine, coffee, runner's trots, tea

Spearmint’s Training Log 3.27.16

Spearmint Posted by Spearmint on March 28, 2016 7 Comments

This week was kindof a down week which was nice and also weird. I have an irrational fear of accidentally peaking and wasting everything I’ve built up, when I pull my mileage back a little on down weeks….pretty sure an accidental peak isn’t a thing at all but it seems like a very serious issue to me when I’m in a deep-thinking sesh during a training run :)

Monday- 4 mile morning run/9 mile evening run +core and abs

Tuesday-4 mile morning run/Pre race workout. 4×400, 1×1000, 4×400, 4×200 strides with 200 jog in between.

Wednesday-4 mile morning run/10 mile evening run

Thursday-9 mile morning run

Friday- 2 mile shakeout in the morning + core and abs. Drove to NC State for a 5k workout at Raleigh Relays. Super fun to get back on the track after a year. Also scary! Got in a good workout though, so mission accomplished.

Saturday-6 miles easy

Sunday-17 mile long run

Total: 85

Categories: Training Logs
Tags: Spearmint training logs
Lacking Motivation After a Big Race? You’re Not Alone

Lacking Motivation After a Big Race? You’re Not Alone

Paprika Posted by Paprika on March 28, 2016 4 Comments

imageHave you ever had this happen to you following a big race? After a few days of celebratory with drinks, burgers, and congratulations, a deep nagging feeling of, well now what? surfaces, especially if you achieved a personal best. This feeling may be exacerbated, though, if the training segment went perfectly according to plan, but the dream race didn’t come to fruition.

How often are runners told to use a disappointing race as motivation for the next race or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, to keep the momentum rolling after a great performance? But what if, after either a great race or a terrible one, your motivation to continue lacing up the trainers just isn’t there?

No need to worry; you’re not alone.  This common phenomenon, known as “the post-race blues,” strikes novices, elites, and everyone in between. Read more >>

Categories: Racing, Running and Mental Health
Tags: post-race blues
Barley’s Boston ’16 Training Week 12

Barley’s Boston ’16 Training Week 12

Barley Posted by Barley on March 28, 2016 7 Comments

This was supposed to be the highest mileage week I’ve ever done(76). This was supposed to be the big confidence boost, and reminder that I CAN do it. I did so much life prep to get ready for this week and left little unplanned. Life happens though right? I made some decisions and I think they were the right ones, which didn’t leave me with the miles as planned but the confidence isn’t gone.

Wednesday was the first of the two monster days for the week. 16 miles after work, and I chose to do it outside regardless of the weather. It was 30 degrees, windy, and there was some form of precipitation coming down during almost the entire thing. But, I didn’t want to use the treadmill as a crutch for a plethora of reasons. I had a warm-up, 3 sets of a 4 mile block (2.5 work, 1.5 of recovery), and a cool down. The 2 longer intervals were done at T pace and the shorter ones were more true interval paces. I was tired, and cranky and admittedly just gritted my way through this one.

Friday I was tired, and then the spiral started. My car wouldn’t start, not like a dead battery type of thing- I’m talking car crapped out kind of thing. We won’t discuss everything about my car here, but I’m pretty sure most adults know what it’s like. Cars are money pits, and it always happens at the worst time for something to go wrong. This left me with limited transportation, behind at work from missing the time at office Friday, and rushing to figure out what to do. As the day went on, I was more emotional by the minute (I think life in general, not just the car). I made the call not to run. I didn’t want to run, I didn’t think it would help and I actually think putting my body through it even for a short time would have done more harm to my system.

I finally broke down, but Brian did his thing and had me laughing on the phone and excited to go to dinner with 6 of our friends that night. Shower + some cute clothes = I felt 100x better. I had wine, and great food and we all laughed while sharing stories around the table. I check my phone more compulsively lately because of my sister being so close to baby time, so I peeked at my phone while laughing and sipping my drink. Which then led to me abruptly getting up and running outside to make a call after finding out in a text that my Aunt had a massive stroke and doctors gave her 1-3 days. Good Friday, you weren’t so good.

Saturday was spent catching up on work at office, and then the rest of the day was car shopping. I never realized how much time you actually spend at a car dealer. By the time we got home, running didn’t make sense and I honestly still didn’t have the motivation to get out there.

Coach had told me to make Sunday’s long run easy pace instead of adding in the MP miles, but I woke up feeling decent. I asked if I could try the workout in the long run if I felt good. Yes, of course. Two rest days weren’t the worst thing for my body, but mentally I HATED that I couldn’t handle the big week I was expecting to do. I of course worried I derailed myself for Boston- good old peak training and pre-taper emotions going on y’all. 2 days off will NOT kill you.

Screenshot_2016-03-27-10-33-19-1So on Sunday I ran to Easter dinner- the long way and the hilly way. I ran in the sunshine by the water, and I nailed the run (6:38 avg for the 10 MP miles). 24.29 miles later I was sitting in a driveway with Brian and his parents drinking a beer, sunburned but feeling oh so happy. Funny how those things work out.

Monday: 35 minutes treadmill recovery run + 30ish minutes strength training/Yoga
Tuesday: 9 Easy miles outside after work + 15 Minutes Yoga
Wednesday: 16 miles total w/ 3 x (1600-1200-800-400) + Yoga
Thursday: 6.2 treadmill recovery miles + Yoga
Friday: Rest20160327_142331
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 24.29 mile long run (with 10 miles at MP mixed in-alternating with easy miles)
Week Totals: 59.9 miles + 1 strength/3 yoga sessions
Beers Drank: Guinness
Boston Training Mileage to Date: 665.9 (55.49 avg. miles per week)

This coming week is last hard week before a 2 week taper. Everything is sort of tentative because my Aunt is a feisty Russian holding on for her life, and my sister could bring new life in at any moment- family will always come first. If all goes as planned though, I’ll be running Syracuse Half Marathon on Sunday as a marathon workout and my last long effort before the big day.

Also…#OrangeNation #GoCuse! Both Men’s and women’s teams are in the Final Four! That was a bright spot this week.

Categories: Training Logs
Tags: Barley training logs
Readers Roundtable: What’s “Mom” Got To Do With It?

Readers Roundtable: What’s “Mom” Got To Do With It?

Catnip Posted by Catnip on March 28, 2016 52 Comments

imageHave you heard? A lady who has children did something impressive! You can’t miss these headlines, especially in the running world – hello #motherrunner!

Of course there are impressive dads out there, but there’s no hashtag, and rarely a “dad” headline. By labeling accomplished women, but not men, according to their parental status, are we reinforcing the outdated tradition of women being primarily responsible for the home and kids?

And further, does the “mother” label divide women? I know firsthand that motherhood changes running, but then again, so does grad school, a demanding career, illness, or any other major life change. How about those women who don’t have kids but feed the poor, kick cancer’s ass, build a life’s work, or write a stunning dissertation? When balancing running and life, is motherhood somehow more worthy of admiration?

By working to be inclusive for mothers, have we gone overboard and become exclusive of women who choose not to have children, or those who just aren’t there yet?

What do you think about the mother runner label? 
Categories: Readers Roundtable, Running Community
Tags: Motherhood
Pumpkin’s Fargo Marathon Training Log- Week 10

Pumpkin’s Fargo Marathon Training Log- Week 10

Pumpkin Posted by Pumpkin on March 27, 2016 3 Comments

Happy Sunday! This week of training was pretty up and down. After having a fantastic week of training the previous week, this last week started out pretty rocky. Last Sunday I did my longest long run in a long time (15 miles) and Monday I was supposed to do 7 easy miles. I hopped on the treadmill, made it about a half mile, and had to bail. I was having some weird stomach pains and after a pre and post dinner treadmill attempt, I decided to make Monday my rest day. Not a great way to start out my week and really hated swapping my rest day, but I had to listen to my body (this is always a struggle for me!). Wednesday was another cruddy run, but this was maybe because I MAYBE ate a ton of pizza for dinner and MAYBE that was a terrible plan. Another change in plans after I bailed on that run halfway through and had to tack on the miles to the rest of my runs for the week. The story ends well with two FANTASTIC outdoor runs to finish out the week.

Okay, this is getting long. I have TV to watch.

Monday 3.21: .53 miles before I decided to call it a day.

Tuesday 3.22: Speed work on the treadmill 4 x 1200, 400 recovery. 5 miles total.

Wednesday 3.23: 2.5 miles of my scheduled 5 before my pizza mistake forced me to quit.

Thursday 3.24: a VERY ugly tempo run on the treadmill. 8 miles at tempo pace, but there were several breaks. I really struggle on the treadmill on runs longer than 6 miles… and I’m just really sick of the treadmill. 9.5 miles total.

Friday 3.25: Treadmill AGAIN. Our Spring weather turned to snow today- the sloppy, wet variety. 8 incredibly boring miles, easy pace.

Saturday 3.26: was supposed to meet my friend Michele for an early morning run, but when I woke up, the windchill was 9 degrees and 20 mph wind. NO THANK YOU. Went back to bed and was able to meet up with Michele in the afternoon for a sunny, much warmer run. Legs were tired at first, but I finished really strong – was even able to push for a few miles close to marathon pace, which has been hard for me lately on my tired legs. 9 miles.

Sunday 3.27: Hoped that my Easter lunch wouldn’t come back to haunt me on my long run. It didn’t. A great run. sunny, warm, and felt really strong today. Very happy my week of training ended on a high note. It didn’t start out so great. Because I got confused and went too far in the residential loop, I ended up with a bonus .67 miles. 10.67 total.

 

Total miles for the week: 45.17

 

this is the face of someone who has had far too many treadmill runs this week.

 

yay! a great long run! so happy to be back outdoors.

 

Categories: Training Logs
Tags: Pumpkin training logs

Caraway’s Training Log – 27.3.16

Caraway Posted by Caraway on March 27, 2016 2 Comments

This week started off cold and dark, but ended with warm, sunny spring weather that made it impossible to stay inside on the long Easter weekend. We all had a slight cold and my recovery app, ithlete, told me to take it easy on four consecutive days (Tuesday-Friday). Took this warning progressively more seriously, starting with “ignore” on Tuesday and moving into self pity mode by Thursday.

Monday 3/21: No running, one hour Pilates mat class.

Tuesday 3/22: slightly elevated heart rate in the morning and a warning from ithlete to chill out. Ignore ithlete. 3.7 very lethargic, slightly nauseous miles from work to the train station. Upper body and core strength training.

Wednesday 3/23: Again with the heart rate. Sniffly and tired. Ithlete says take it easy. 3 mile jog after work, 15 minutes easy yoga.

Thursday 3/24: Wake up feeling groggy and sinusy. Ithlete is all, “girl take a damn hint already”. Don’t have to work, so go into full-on self-pity mode with blankets, cats, and bad movies on the sofa. 25-minute super slow jog and 15 minutes of yoga in the afternoon.

Friday 3/25: Still groggy but not as bad. 20 minute easy jog and 15 minutes of hip/core strengthening stuff to keep from atrophying.

Saturday 3/26: feeling much better. Ithlete agrees. Spend a warm, sunny afternoon in the woods with the small dude, followed by 4.5-mile hilly fartlek.

Sunday 3/27: Many Easter pancakes are consumed, together with vast amounts of maple syrup. Roll self out the door for easy effort, hilly 8-miler.

Total: 24-ish miles.

Categories: Training Logs
Tags: Caraway training logs
Catnip’s training log – 3.27.16

Catnip’s training log – 3.27.16

Catnip Posted by Catnip on March 27, 2016 4 Comments

Not refueling (I'm not a machine) but EATING after my 16 miler!
Not refueling (I’m not a machine) but EATING after my 16 miler!

Somehow the topic of TV came up in conversation with three different people this week. I feel as if telling someone I don’t own a television is one of the most shocking things I could say! One person even asked what I do. Well, I read a lot! And, since you’re reading my running log you’ll know that I run a lot and that means lots of podcasts. Quite a few are  share-worthy this week so here we go!

The Illegal by Lawrence Hill. I grabbed it at the library because it had a runner on the cover and it did not disappoint! The author writes knowledgeably about racing and training as well as immigration, racism, and politics.

Magness and Marcus on Coaching: Episode 28 – The Psychology of Breakthroughs. Several good observations, above all that having a breakthrough doesn’t mean you need to bump up your training the next week.

The Undisclosed Podcast.  I was a junior in high school when Hae Min Lee was killed so in a weird way I feel a connection and a responsibility to witness justice in this case.

Reply All: #57 – Milk Wanted. This is one of the podcasts on auto-download and I really appreciated their look at breastfeeding and milk-sharing.

And now for the actual running…

Monday: 3.4 in the morning @ 8:41 average, 7.4 @ 8:18 after work.

Tuesday: Unfortunately I had no way of shuffling things to do this fartlek outside so I braved it on the treadmill – 20x 1 min hard/1 min jog. Started at 10.1 mph and the fastest ones at 10.6. It was hard but I still felt unsatisfied with it, probably because it was just weird to do on the treadmill. Total was 8.3 mi @ 7:19 average pace.

Wednesday: 11.5 miles @ 8:10 average on the treadmill.

Thursday: This one was satisfying! More than that – maybe even a runner’s high. Ran 5 miles tempo in 30:36 — with no bathroom break!! In the middle I fell into the trap of thinking I should slow down before I realized I was just bored and snapped out of it. Total was 10 miles @ 7:14 average with the warmup and cooldown.

Friday: I’ve been struggling to knock out the Friday doubles recently, despite having a flexible schedule on Fridays. After a fun morning with friends, ran 3.5 @ 8:52 average and then hopped back on the treadmill for 6.2 @ 8:30 pace after JB went to bed.

Saturday: 16 miles @ 8:53 average on hilly trails. Wonderful morning!

Sunday: 11 miles @ 8:43 average pace, more than half of this with friends!

total = 77.3 miles.

Four weeks until the Glass City Marathon!

Categories: Training Logs
Tags: Catnip training logs
Caper’s Week 15 Boston Marathon Training Log – 3.27.16

Caper’s Week 15 Boston Marathon Training Log – 3.27.16

Posted by Caper on March 27, 2016 2 Comments

image

This week, I had an amazing goal marathon paced run that was faster and at a lower effort level than the NYC Half Marathon I ran a week ago. Also, my cruise interval speed paces started to dip below 7:00 per mile pace.

Monday – 6.8 miles, post-race recovery pace (9:22/133 bpm) on CP dirt bridle path which was a gorgeous, frosty wonderland, coated with the last dusting of snow for the season. Felt surprisingly good for the day after a half marathon; I have been more sore and higher stress score after several hard Sunday workouts this training cycle. Strength work: 95 second side planks, single leg toe touches, form drills

Tuesday – 8 miles recovery/easy (9:02/141 bpm) mostly on CP dirt bridle path. Forsythia and magnolia blooms are glorious and seem to have survived yesterday’s snow. Strength work: 2×30 weighted eccentric heel drops, weighted hamstring exercises, 3500# deadlift.

Wednesday – 11 miles, with 3 mile tempo (7:22/169 bpm, 7:08/174 bpm, 7:17/177 bpm — 7:15/173 bpm average). Then 3 miles steady state (8:09/164 bpm avg)(8:09/163 bpm avg for entire run). I had hoped to run 2×3 miles and was pleasantly surprised at how low my heart rate was at my 7:15 target pace. But after the first interval, on two attempts, my body refused to resume my target pace, even though my heart rate was not high, so I decided to simply do a steady state run which gives an additional modest fitness benefit. Strength work: planks, weighted eccentric heel drops, 4×20 goblet squats w 40# weight, weighted hamstring exercises.

Thursday – 11.3 miles with 3 mile tempo (6:57!/171 bpm; 7:05/176 bpm; 7:08/178 bpm — 7:03/175 bpm average)! (8:09/158 bpm avg for entire run). Woke up with a low stress score (16) and decided to go for the rest of the six miles on my agenda for this week at MP effort. Excited to run these paces and think I lack good running economy at them because I have almost never run this fast. Strength work: 4×20 push ups.

Friday – 10.25 miles easy (9:02/147 bpm) with 7.5 on CT trails with Deena doggie, and remainder on track, with strides at end. Spotted the first spring buds in CT, which is a few weeks behind NYC.  Couple slow splits after falling trying to navigate our way around another dog. 7:58/155 bpm 9th mile on track. Strength work: 3×35 weighted eccentric heel drops, 3×20 single leg goblet squats, single leg toe touches, 3×20 reverse lunges, 3×20 lateral lunges, 4×10 box jumps (oof! needed a nap after this after not doing plyo for several weeks).

Saturday – 16 miles in CP with 11 miles at GMP (7:31/170 bpm average for GMP miles and 7:40 average for run). Best GMP run ever!!! I ran GMP miles 10 seconds per mile faster than intended — faster than my pace during the NYC Half Marathon last week and at dramatically lower effort level. In fact, my effort level was so comfortable that I had a runner’s high for more than 30 minutes of it. 8:21/146 bpm first mile. Strength work: planks, single legged toe touches; Kettlebell swings, deadlifts.

Sunday – 11.3 recovery pace (8:41/139 bpm) miles, 7.3 on CT trails with Deena and 4 miles on track with strides at end. 8:22/147 bpm 10th mile and 7:36/158 bpm 11th mile on track (including strides). Running watch has increased its estimate of my V02 Max to 57. I don’t quite believe it but am happy to be seeing continued improvement.

Happy Easter!  Three weeks til Boston!

Weekly total: 75

Categories: Training Logs
Tags: Boston Training, Caper training logs
Pimento’s (Newport Marathon) Training Log 3.26.16

Pimento’s (Newport Marathon) Training Log 3.26.16

Pimento Posted by Pimento on March 26, 2016 1 Comment

FullSizeRender (40)It’s Spring Break here in Oregon, and we started off the week with a couple of nights at the coast with friends. Since then, we’ve been home catching up on house projects and spending time together. I’ve had a big running week (though a little lighter than last week), but my body is adapting nicely to the uptick in mileage and I’m feeling (and seeing) results from the core work as well, smoother push-ups in bigger sets being one of them.

The ‘mill and I spent too much time together again; with awful weather at the start the week and both kids at home, I got 32 miles done in my garage this week. Whew. Most of my running group was out of town for group runs this week including the long run on Saturday. Luckily, I got two newer guys to meet up with who were down with the workout (20 with 12@7:10). Feeling really strong and positive about how this training season is unfolding.

Perhaps most exciting, I got two –count them– TWO new sports bras this week. Why is this exciting? Well, as I’ve confessed before I am a bit of a running cheap-skate and I have a physique that doesn’t require much bra support, so I still run in the first sports bra I purchased when I started running eight years ago, then another three-year-old one. Don’t judge, please. The vinegar and baking soda trick has kept that thing usable, but the time had come. So Thursday, I found two very cute (and cheap!) bras at TJMaxx, and am considering a burning ceremony for that first bra, which has seen me through so many runs and races it’s mind boggling. Maybe a good eulogy, too? Hmm.

Sunday: 6 miles, recovery pace. Enjoyed a run at the coast with my dog and friend Desiree. Beautiful views as we ran over the Waldport/Alsea Bay bridge and along the ocean on roads.

Monday: 10 treadmill miles, 8:30 pace. Got home from the beach around dinner time, unpacked the car, then settled down on the ‘mill and watched “6 Feet Under.”

Tuesday: 12 miles, treadmill workout. Warm up- 3 miles, Workout- 5 miles @7:10, 3 miles @6:48, Cool down- 1 mile. Yes, that’s 22 miles on the ‘mill in less than 18 hours.  Core and upper body work.

Wednesday 6.03 miles, 8:28 pace. Ran with the dog in the cool, wet sunshine. Core and upper body work.

Thursday: 10 miles, treadmill workout. Warm up- 3 miles, then ladder workout from 6:40 pace down to 6:00-minute pace and back up until you get to 10 miles. This ladder starts with five minutes at 6:40 pace followed by five minutes recovery pace, then four minutes at 6:30 with four minutes recovery pace, down to one minute at 6:00/recovery minute, repeat and work back up the ladder. It is one of the BEST workouts for the treadmill, in my opinion, to get the miles in. Lots of sweat.

Friday: rest day. Boxed with my husband and did my upper body/core routine.

FullSizeRender (41)
Waldport/Alsea Bay Bridge

Saturday: 20.24 miles, with 12 @ 7:09. Warm up- 4+ miles (7:45), 12 miles @7:09 pace, Cool down-4 miles. (8:19). Met up with my friend Sam, and another new guy at 5:30 am in the dark, cold Eugene rain. I wasn’t feeling my absolute best, but this was the first 20-miler either of them had done, so I had to rally. I have never listened to music when I run outside, but Sam brought me a pair of wireless earbuds so he could play DJ for both of us. A little dubious, I agreed since we both like heavy techno.

It was definitely what I needed today, after conversation eased off several miles into the faster paces, when I really felt not awesome, the music gave me something else to focus on and pump me up a bit. I strided (strode? I don’t know) out the last mile for 6:56 in front of the guys. Great run, mission accomplished. Upper body and core after. And my husband’s epic homemade whole wheat, buttermilk, coconut pancakes.

Weekly total: 64.27, core workouts: 4

Categories: Training Logs
Tags: Pimento training logs

Posts navigation

Page 1 Page 2 … Page 6 Next page
  • Categories
    • Features
      • Ask-a-Salty
      • Elite & Pro Running
      • Friday Fun
      • History
      • Interviews
      • March Madness!
      • News
        • About Salty Running
        • Comment of the Month
        • Comment of the Week
        • Salty In the Press
        • Salty Updates
        • Weekly Roundup
        • Writer Bios
      • Readers Roundtable
      • Shoes and Gear
      • Style
      • Travel Running
    • Healthy Running
      • Body Image
      • Food & Nutrition
        • Recipe
      • Injury & Prevention
      • Running and Mental Health
      • Safety
    • Running + Life
      • Coaches & Team Running
      • Ethics
      • Feminism
      • Making Time to Run
      • Marriage & Family
        • Infertility
        • Post-partum Running
        • Running while Pregnant
      • Motivation
      • Running Community
      • Running on a Budget
    • Sponsored
    • Training & Racing
      • Cross Training
      • Marathons
      • Masters Running
      • Mental Training
      • Race Reports
      • Racing
      • Running for Beginners
      • Running Goals
      • Trails & Ultrarunning
      • Training Basics
    • Training Logs
  • Archives
    • February 2019
    • December 2018
    • November 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • About
    • Login
    • Join the Team
    • Work With Us

    Subscribe

    All content ©2012-2019 Salty Running