Goals and a good five-miler

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July 8, 2011 by Amy B

So, I’m back. Well, I’ve been back running for a few months now, but have stayed away from blogging for various reasons. Mostly, because I’ve been too busy with life.

So let’s talk goals.

• I’m registered for the Twin Cities Marathon on October 2, 2011. This will be my eighth (!) marathon. You can officially call this a disease.
• I’m using Hal Higdon’s Intermediate I program this time around. I’ve used the Beginner program for all of my previous attempts. It’s a solid program, but I want to do more than finish. I want to PR, and I want to run a 4:30.
• In the offseason (which means the months between November – May in the U.P.), I successfully gained back 13 of the 23 lbs I lost last summer. Notice how I said “successfully?” I’m trying to make myself feel like I accomplished something. Truth is, I’m really down on myself for falling into old habits and not dragging my ass out in the snow over the long winter. So, an obvious goal is to lose that weight plus take off another ten pounds to get to my goal weight. I’ve been exercising more (especially with the training) and trying to watch what I eat, which I do. I watch it go into my mouth.
• I have really slacked in strength training, so I’m trying, trying, TRYING to get back into that without the help of a nicely air-conditioned workout facility with mirrored walls and TVs positioned in every corner. My job requires me to take the summer off, so a gym membership is just not in the budget. I’m trying to do this at least once a week to start.
• Along the same theme of weight loss, I’m happy/sad to say that the baby has finally been weaned. I’m anxious to get my body back to myself Okay, let’s be honest here: I want my old boobs back. I also want to take this opportunity to tell my body that it’s no longer needed as a milk machine, so any extra poundage it’s holding on to for that purpose can be dropped like an old habit. Seriously. Let it go.

So far training has gone fairly well. I’m managing to stay injury-free and making most of the runs. I’m making myself slow down on the long runs, which is helping out tremendously. Why didn’t I do this before? I’m also using the time as “me” time, and reminding myself of this on the days I don’t feel like completing a training run.

So there are the goals for this summer/fall. And for the winter? I need to stay active and not let the pounds creep back on. My sister’s wedding is in March and I’m in it. Enough said.

As for today’s run?

It was a five mile “pace run,” which I loosely interpret (depending on how I feel) to “whatever pace I feel like running.” But surprisingly, I had a good day.

Total time: 47:42

Average mile pace: 9:32

Best mile: 9:07

1: 9:37

2: 9:07

3: 9:51

4: 9:34

5: 9:33

My ankle started to hurt a mile in and I cut my regular five mile loop short, intending to only go four. But after the pain went away, I just kept on going until my iPhone (Nike app) told me to stop. I’m glad I kept going for the entire five. The pace was mostly comfortable, but I am pretty sure I could only keep that up for a 10K. Beyond that? Crumpled heap of goo.

Tomorrow’s run is a 9 miler, and I’ll run that one slow, aiming for a 10:30-10:45 min/mile pace, per Hal’s instructions.