What a terrific week! I was telling Evan today that this is the best I have felt in – well, as long as I can remember. Evan and I are happily together in a great city, I’m happy at work, and I really do believe I’m in the best physical shape of my life. Without making much of an effort, we have been eating very healthily too – lots of vegetables, fruits, seafood, drinking plenty of fluids…anyway, life is good. J
In other news – Saturday’s 35-minute Foundation Run turned into the chance to see how I could do at a formal 5k race! Even better – Evan was willing to run this one too. It was an awesome experience for multiple reasons. First of all, I was incredibly proud of Evan, who usually reminds me consistently that running is not his thing, but he ran the entire 5k without stopping to walk! I just cannot explain my pride in his run. Way to go, Evan. J Second, I was thrilled because I ran my best 5k since high school at 23:23. I have not broken 24 minutes since I was 16 years old, and figured that time had passed – until I ran 3.1 miles recently in just over 24 minutes. My PR is 22:50, and I want to break it soon. Finally, door prizes were given away following the race, the grand prize being the “Wine Lover’s Package,” which included a one-night stay in a king-size room at the Redmond Inn, special reserve tastings at both Columbia Winery and Chateau Saint Michele, a bottle of Chateau Saint Michele wine, and a gift certificate to a local steak restaurant in Redmond. And of course, Evan won the grand prize! A grand day indeed.
I’ll start with what took place during Week 2 of 24 of my training for the Portland Marathon:
- Monday – Off (post-call day)
- Tuesday – 0:39:39, 4.61 miles (8:36/mile pace), including 6×30 second strides. Splits: 8:02, 9:15, 7:45, 8:53, 5:43. This was run on a very hilly course near my home.
- Wednesday – Core Strength Training and Stretching
- Thursday – Alternative Cardio (Elliptical Trainer) – 0:30:30, 4.24 miles (7:12/mile pace). Splits: 7:35, 7:00, 6:53, 6:57, 1:38. Again, if only I could run this fast. Someday my running pace will equal that of my elliptical pace.
- Friday – 0:40:00, 4.79 miles (8:29/mile pace), including 6×30 second strides. Splits: 9:03, 8:38, 7:43, 8:13, 6:24. Ran this one on a treadmill, but seeing how gorgeous it was outside through the window in the fitness center convinced me that this may be one of my last treadmill runs until winter.
- Saturday – Redmond Elementary Hawk Run 5k Race – 0:23:23 (Forerunner measured 3.15 miles) (7:25/mile pace). Splits: 7:06, 7:30, 7:43, 1:02. This was the terrific race experienced described above. J
- Sunday – Long Run – 1:07:48, 7.19 miles (9:26/mile pace). Splits: 9:42, 10:31, 9:30, 8:52, 9:35, 9:07, 8:48, 1:39. Evan and I camped in Manchester State Park on the western shore of Puget Sound on Saturday night. With Evan’s encouragement, I left the warmth of my sleeping bag this morning to go on what was supposed to be a one hour, five minute long run. Still feeling a little sore from my hard 5k run the previous day, I ran this week’s long run at an easier pace than last week’s. Still felt great, though.
- Total Mileage: 23.98 miles
Evan has figured out how to use my Garmin Forerunner data to create more detailed Google Earth maps of my training. Here are a few from this past week:
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Foundation Run – Tuesday, April 25, 2006
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Foundation Run (Hawk Run 5k Race) – Saturday, April 29, 2006
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Long Run – Sunday, April 30, 2006
Here’s what’s up for Week 3:
- Monday – Off
- Tuesday – Foundation Run 45 minutes + 6×30 second strides
- Wednesday – Core Strength Training
- Thursday – Foundation Run 45 minutes + 6×30 second strides
- Friday – Alternative Cardio (Elliptical Trainer) – 30 minutes
- Saturday – Core Strength Training
- Sunday – Long Run – 1 hour 10 minutes