800s |

02/05/2015
by She's Going the Distance 5 Comments

Turn It Up To 11!!

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 20 min running drills, 8 miles (intervals- 8 x 800s), 30 min core

The last time I did 200s on the treadmill I went to 11mph– ELEVEN! That’s a 5:27 pace! When I think of running at that pace, i get really excited, cause I have a TON of room to grow as a runner. When I think of elites running that pace for the entire duration of a marathon, it makes me feel not-so-cool. But at the same time, running’s not my job sooooo… i do what i can. 🙂

from Monday’s run outside. sooo pretty 🙂

Lisa @ Running out of Wine had a really great post today about letting go of obsessive tendencies to count miles (similar to how people count calories.) And it made me think of the transition from continually building mileage to train for long distance races to basically sticking around the same weekly mileage (about 25 for me) and focusing more on increasing speed at a short distance. Training has been so different and it’s hard to turn off the yearning to add miles each week.

There are days when a speed workout ends at 5 or 6 miles. The distance runner in me always says, “just do one more cool down mile–add to your weekly mileage total!” Usually i’d give into that, but right now i’ve been asking myself if the several extra miles a week are worth risking injury, helping with my 5k time goal, or taking extra time from my post recovery. Instead of the “extra mile” i’ve been focusing more on warming up, cooling down and foam rolling.

Make sure you ask yourself what that extra mile or two or 3 is adding to your training. Always listen to your body and quit if you are feeling pain.

Not gonna lie: Today I wanted to quit. 8 x 800s are so hard to run (800s are 1/2 mile). By the time 800 interval #5 came and went I wanted to end it at 6. However, just like when you strength train, the last few reps are going to be hard. If you don’t do the hard reps your muscles and body won’t change. Something came over me when I realized this and I ran the last 800s faster than the first half.

1 mile warm up @ 9:05/pace (in between each interval i jogged .25 mile @ 10:00/pace, last 2 intervals I walked for 30 seconds, then jogged)

3 x 800s @ 6:33/pace

3 x 800s @ 6:22/pace

2 x 800s @ 6:18/pace

1.5 mile cool down @ 9:15/pace- total miles 8.

This was me before the torture of the 800s. ughhhh.. my pony tail never looks that cute. Only before bed or before a workout. Am I right ladies? Dudes, you’ll never know what it’s like to plan out your workouts around your hair.. it blows. Like the dryer you have to use after the shower

InstaRun

Tell me about your workout from today!

How much time do you put aside for the foam rolling and recovery?

08/18/2014
by She's Going the Distance 12 Comments

29th Birthday!

My 29th birthday started out with an early morning 6 X 800s track workout. I ended up running around the street I started my running journey on. It’s almost a perfect mile loop which worked for an 800 interval and a recovery lap. When I first started running, about 7 years ago, the goal was always to try and make it down the street to the stop sign, which was a half mile.

not the stop sign, but a sign in Indiana!

Trying to make it to the stop sign was always a struggle. This was back when running 1-2 miles without stopping was the hardest thing ever. It was so difficult to push past the sign and continue on. My pace used to be 12:30/mile and I never thought I’d be sprinting past that sign a few years down the road. I wish my future self could have told that sweaty, tired, past Cori that she gets a little faster, running gets easier and she actually will enjoy it 🙂

Each split I did the morning of my birthday was between 3:00-3:10 or 6:00-6:20 pace. Every time I passed that sign I felt so much more confident entering the last year of my 20s. I cannot wait to see how I rank as the oldest in the 25-29 age group throughout the year!

I spent the day with family, a carrot cake, my favorite pizza and a campfire with s’mores! I cannot tell you how much I’ve missed pizza from home. Nothing compares to it near me.

what a beaut!

I really soaked up time with a few people while I was out here and I can’t say enough how much I love all of them. And campfires. I really love campfires.

Jaxon, Brant & Mason

SIL Trish, Brant & Jaxon

Running while on vacation this time didn’t go terribly. I only missed a run or two and I’m planning on waking up early to squeeze in a long run before I take off. When I’m back into the normal routine of things this week i’m buckling down and 100% focusing on finishing marathon training like a beast. I’m getting excited!!!!!

clearly, i’m not the only one who enjoys S’mores!

Weekly Recap

Monday: 8.5m 7:41/pace, 25min back & hamstrings, 10 abs

Tuesday: 25min chest/shoulders

Wednesday: 7.1m easy 8:44/pace

Thursday: 20 min back

Friday: 7.3m track workout 800s

Saturday: 10 min 50 pushups, abs

Sunday: Rest

Total Miles: 22.9

What is your next race!? I’m doing the Geek Run 5k next Sunday!

07/30/2014
by She's Going the Distance 9 Comments

Between White Lines

Monday: “The 120” Workout, 15 abs

Tuesday: 30 min total body cardio workout, 3m easy 8:45/pace

Wednesday: 6m track workout 4 X 800s 7:40/pace

Woo! I’m ready to talk about a few awesome workouts i’ve done over the last few days..

“The 120” – I had about 25 minutes to kill between clients so I made up a quick, fun, challenging arm workout. You start with 15 pushups (good ones!) and then do 15 TRX high rows w/shoulder rotation (if you don’t have a TRX just do inverted rows or straight up barbell rows. Then you go to 14 and 14, 13 and 13.. all the way to 1. When you finish you end up doing 120 pushups and 120 rows. KILLER shoulder/chest/ab workout. And it’s way harder than it sounds. It starts as strength and as the reps go down so should the rest time in between, turning the workout into endurance… love it!

Last Friday’s front squat/dead lift workout w/Arielle!

Last week I did a ~~faster than I should have run,~~ an impromptu tempo run. My splits were 7:52, 7:36, 6:58. 7:56, 8:15. I blame that Sun Models song I told you about last week. It will be a fantastic song toward the end of fall races. And holy mother I can’t believe my legs have speed again. Fall racing is looking up!

Today I decided to hit the track for realz. I started with a 1 mile warm up 9:05/pace <—that took some restraint, but I have to focus on keeping my warm ups/cool downs and easy running EASY.

7:00am walkers

I wanted to keep the track workout simple & short. I’m still being cautious about overdoing it, but it’s time to start marathon training and to do that I have to push my legs a bit. 4 X 800s was the workout.

Reunited and it feels so gooood!

Splits (with 1-lap easy recovery in between each interval)

1 X 800 3:23

2 X 800 3:20

3 X 800 3:03

4 X 800 3:00

Mile splits: 9:05 warm up, 7:12, 6:45, 6:55, 8:00 cool down, 8:15 cool down

and I kept track of my splits like a caveman…There are literally small piles of rocks that add up to the number it should say digitally and sticks that are the colon time divider. And where there aren’t any rocks it’s means zero. I’m ridiculous, but it worked… Then I realized I had a phone to use to keep track of my splits and felt like a huge idiot haha. It was fun anyway.

I felt like I could have gone longer, gone faster, but I was just so ecstatic that it was happening I didn’t care too much about pace or distance. I just wanted to run fast. It was the first time since April that I felt like I wasn’t inhibited by an injury.

And i couldn’t help but laugh because every time I see those white lines at the track and i hit a workout hard…all I can think of is Jack Black.

(source)

Have you ever seen a girl so happy to do 800s?? Also– you know it’s laundry day when i’m wearing white socks

Last Week

Monday: 3m 9:25/pace

Tuesday: 6.6m easy progressive (9:00-8:00pace), 40 min full body cardio/strength workout

Wednesday: Rest

Thursday: 3m 9:59/pace, 30 min triceps/biceps, 15min full leg TRX

Friday: 7.3m 8:14/pace, 20 min legs (straight leg deadlifts + front squats 70lb bar)

Saturday: 5m easy 8:46/pace, 20 shoulders

Sunday: Rest

Total Miles: 24.6

Track – Love it or hate it?

01/16/2014
by She's Going the Distance 8 Comments

The Afterglow

Monday: 4.5m easy 8:37/pace

Tuesday: 15 min chest, 10 min abs

Wednesday: 5.3m track workout, 20 min back, 10 min abs + tons of stretching/T.P.

I don’t know what it is about track work, but i freak out before it happens. The nerves kick in like I’m heading out for a race, I try and talk myself out of the workout or try to psych myself up for it. I hit the bathroom like a million times before I leave the house, tie & re-tie my shoes, all to attempt to put off the inevitable. (My new running coach recently posted about the weird things that happen during track workouts, and i could relate to almost all of them. )

No matter how nervous I get about running in circles, I know it’s the necessary evil to measure, test and improve speed. The nerves come from wanting to do well and see improvement, the excitement comes from the unknown of what’s about to happen.

The workout was short, to ease into the first track workout of the 2014 season. It was a 2 mile warm up, 4 X 800s and a 1.3 mile cool down. I ran each of my 800s progressively faster starting at a 7:20 pace, finishing with a 6:12 pace. Overall I was stoked. I started conservative, as I usually go out too fast on the track, but also I needed to pay special attention to my right hip & ankle. Verdict? They felt perfectly normal with no pain or tightness. All the Trigger Point tools and foam rolling is really paying off! I’m already looking forward to the next track session to see what kind of numbers I can put up.

my mug right after I was finished!

I love telling my clients to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you do the same thing day in and day out you won’t see change. Here’s my big plate of cheese—>When you attempt something that’s difficult, different, scary or new you will be a stronger person when you’re finished. It’s why people tend to feel like they can accomplish ANYTHING after they cross a finish line. All of a sudden those things you assumed you could never do seem attainable.

This of course isn’t just about running. A lot of my mental clarity and decision making come after a hard workout. If I can make it through I can do the next big thing. Whatever that may be!

enjoying the afterglow…and the remaining 70 miles left in these Brooks PureFlows

What was your last hard workout, or last difficult thing you overcame?

08/28/2013
by She's Going the Distance Leave a comment

my 1/2 marathon is such a creeper…

I was looking at my training plan for the Sept 15th half i’ll be doing and it’s in less than 3 weeks! (It really did creep up on me). Which means this week counts big time, so i hit the track for 800s.

800 meters is 1/2 mile. My goal was to hit 3:30 for each half mile (a 7:00/mile pace.) I ended up doing a little faster than i thought. Good news before a race!

Workout Breakdown

1 mile warm up

1 X 800 time: 3:30

2 X 800 time: 3:26 First mile 6:56

3 X 800 time: 3:28

4 X 800 time: 3:27 Second mile 6:55

5 X 800 time: 3:21

6 X 800 time: 3: 20 Third mile 6:41

1.5 mile cool down

Track work is rrroouggghh. But it is the necessary evil to gain speed. Plus it keeps the mind busy by doing a little bit of math on the warm up mile to the track. Word of advice, if you can find a partner to do these workouts with you it goes by so much faster. Always bring a cold drink and expect the workout to be hard. One day I will bring cold beer and friends to complete the Beer Mile.

Expect a lot of posts while I encounter the dreaded taper next week..

IMAG1523

Anyone training for a race?

Advice while tapering or pre-race tips?