Last week’s training went pretty well, there was a couple of days that I didn’t get as much mileage in as I would’ve liked. But sometimes that’s just the way it is when you’re running comes after Family and work. Thursday was April 1st or April Fool’s day and the weather here really was playing a joke on us. I started my run from Hawlerak Park in brilliant sunshine being passed by guys on Skateboards in shorts and t-shirts, but by the time I was have way through it had started to snow. It was at that point that I was glad to be a little over dressed. Most of my running is easy running, it’s still reasonably fast compared to the speed I ran my long run on Saturday as I was starting to feel the weeks training in my legs.
On Wednesday I ran 10 x 1minute hard, 1minute easy, at a speed that was supposed to be faster than my 5K speed. This is a harder workout than it sounds on paper, by the tenth hard minute I was happy to be done. Thursday was a double day of easier running, because on Friday I was to run 5x2K with 2.5 minutes recovery and then 3x200m with 200m recovery. Each 2K was to be run in around 7 minutes, so it was to be hard but not so hard that there was going to be a huge difference between the first interval and the last.
With Friday being a holiday (Good Friday) I didn’t have to work, so I was able to do this workout at any time during the day. I met my training Partner Marc for the run over at Foote Field, where we had a good warm up before we started the intervals. The Weather was great, the sun was shining, I even managed to get sunburnt a little which was odd considering it wasn’t even all that warm, it may have been a wind burn though as the wind was blowing pretty good. Marc had just come back from a couple of days in Vegas, so he was pretty tired. But I was happy to have the company for this run. While on the track, we were joined by two of the ladies from our training group, they were doing 4oom repeats. There was also a sprinter on the track work with his coach. Otherwise it was a very quiet day. Even with wind getting up as the workout neared it completion I was able to run each interval in sub 7 minute pace and then the 200m in around 31 – 34 seconds.
It’s interesting to watch sprinters train and how different it is when compared to a long distance runner. They work a lot more on the mechanics of running than endurance guys at the start of their workout and then they do their intervals or repeats, but the most interesting part was the amount of rest that was taken, there was a couple of times that I thought the guys had finished for the day only for them to come back and work on something else. It was good to watch someone that’s practiced how to run, to see their stride technique. I’m sure they must cringe when they see distance runners trying 200m repeats.
When I got home and had a bit of a rest I met up with my wife and her sister (who had just come in from Vancouver for the Easter weekend) as they took the little guy over to the playground not far from our house. He really loved being there, he loved the slides. He never seemed to get bored and would try to climb up the stairs even though the steps are a little further apart than his little legs can handle right now, I went down a couple of the slides with him and so too hear him laugh brings me great joy and happiness. We went back on Saturday after I got back from my Long run out in St. Albert, but he didn’t seem to like it as much as he watched other kids play before he decided that he wanted to get in on the action.
On Saturday I hooked up with Marc and we ran over the course of the St.Albert 10 miler, that we are racing on in two weeks. I haven’t made up my mind as to running over this particular course. As sometimes it’s better to not know what you’re facing. The St. Albert course is interesting though with the first 10K being either uphill or downhill, the uphill sections are not very hard but it’s easy to see people going out a little too fast in the beginning and then paying for it after wards. Each uphill section goes up like steps as there is a little flat piece at the end of most of the sections. It’s actually the last 6K that are the toughest as its mostly hills. Thinking ahead it will be interesting to see how this race goes as it’s the first race in the Timex Series here in Alberta, so I’m thinking it’s bound to attract some of the best runners in the province. My goal for the race is to run the best time that I’m capable of and not to worry about who may or may not be there I’m also hoping to beat my time from last year, when I went under the hour for 10 miles for the first time. This is one of my Fitness testing races in the build up to the Calgary Marathon, the only other race that I’m going to run is a week later and I’m not sure if I’m running it yet. The Policeman’s Half Marathon is on April 25th and I think it would be a good race for me as I have about 4-5 weeks to get my act together for Calgary.
Ideally I’d like to get a good time for the 10 mile race and then run at or better than that pace for the Half Marathon and then run the marathon at those paces. It’s not the end of the world if I blow up trying to hard in the Marathon as I’m thinking of also entering the Edmonton Marathon in August. This year I thought I’d support more local races.
Training completed last week:
Monday – 20 minutes in V5fingers + 30 minutes yoga
Tuesday – 50 minute run (no afternoon run as I was picking the family up from the Airport)
Wednesday – 50 minute run (10x1min on/1min off)
Thursday – 50 minutes am + 70 minutes pm
Friday – 5x2K +3x200m/200 rec
Saturday – 30K (including over the 10 Mile course in St. Albert)
Sunday – 65minutes easy
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