Good weeks and bad weeks...

Sometimes you can go out for a run, and feel great. Your legs feel fresh, the temperature is just right, and you feel like you could keep going for miles and miles. This week was not like that. The weather has been horrible. It has seemingly been snowing and/or raining since Monday. The roads have been slippery, so I was putting off my first run of the week. Suddenly it was Thursday and I hadn't run a mile all week - so I had to get out there. I ran three miles in the pouring rain/freezing cold. It was awful. Saturday I ran four miles in the morning as a light snow was falling. It wasn't as bad, but it wasn't great. Today I had my long run - 12 miles. The weather was ok, but that's about it. My legs just felt heavy and slow the entire time. Many parts of the path still had a covering of wet slushy snow, which was very slippery. At about mile 3 I began to regret the enromous burger and beer I had yesterday for lunch. Around mile 7 I made an emergency stop to use the restrooms at a local gym. The entire time I felt slow and weak. I probably should have brought more to drink than 12 oz of Gatorade. Either way, it is weeks like this that make future weeks easier and more enjoyable. This week was tough, but I was able to fight through, log the miles I needed to, and next week is a taper week - all runs are 6 miles or less. I think after four straight weekends of 10+ mile long runs, my body is ready for a break.

I am still on pace for my goal of 1,000 miles this year! So far I have raised over $16 of my own money, and I have continued to hear other people say they are interested. As the training gets tougher, I know this will be the added motivation I need to push through!

Raising some real money now!

As you know, this blog is about how I am personally going to donate 10 cents a mile for every mile I run in 2010 (see first post for all the details). I'm over 141 miles for the year, and feeling great. More and more people have been expressing interest in adding to my donation amount, which makes me even more inspired to go out and rack up the miles.

This week I did a tough speed work out. I ran 5 miles to warm up, then did 3 x 1 mile repeats at around 7:00/mi. Luckily the weather was around 40 degrees, instead of the recent sub freezing temperatures. Today I ran a steady 11 miles and really felt great. The middle distance runs are getting easier and easier, which is great, because the 20 mile training runs will be here before I know it!

The first road race of the year is less than a month away - the O'Hartford 5k on March 14. I am confident I can beat my time from last year, but I don't know if I'll be in good enough shape to set a 5k PR. I think I will be shooting to run around 22:30 or so, depending on how I'm feeling and what the weather is like. These tough tempo runs and speed workouts will definitely help me get into better 5k shape.

Thanks for reading!

Marathon training begins

This is the first of my 16 week marathon training program for the Vermont City Marathon, on 5/31. I have been running 18-20 miles a week for about two months now, but just doing relatively easy runs. Last night I did my first work-out: a 3 mile tempo run, with a warm up and cool down. I was able to run the 3 miles at about 7:48/mi, but I was dying! It's hard to believe I could have run that speed for 4 times as far last September. Last year at this time, I was running much fewer miles and at a much slower pace. I'm definitely encouraged and looking forward to seeing improvement each week.

Running in the cold has been ok, until this weekend. I was hoping to do a 12 mile run this past Saturday. I decided to split it into two 6 mile runs when I wasn't warming up. The wind was brutal. Running outside in the winter is ok until the wind chill dips below 10-15 degrees. I am really ready for spring time running (minus the rain...).

If you have never seen this site before, check out the first post. I am over 100 miles for the year, and that means over $10. I think my first race will be the O'Hartford 5k in March, but it will be very tough for me to beat my 5k goal so early in the season. Either way it should be a fun start to the race season!