RWRUNSTREAK Day 22 – Danno!

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December 20, 2013 by Amy B

Today’s run(ch) was extra special, because (not as well known because he’s not on Instagram) Team /var/run member Danno joined for the first time.

Instagram-less Danno! And you probably recognize those other nerds.

We thought a walk/run loosely structured interval-ish thing might be good for a non-intimidating introduction into the team /var/run(ch) experience. I think it went pretty well. Everyone was able to run at their own pace. Win, win.

I’ve been pretty surprised by my splits inside. I realize a 200m sprint isn’t very far, but for someone (like me) who has never really done real “speedwork,” it’s challenging and completely new. I’m sure someone will tell me UR DOING IT WRONG, but we’re just getting started. And it breaks up the monotony of just running around in circles.

I will say that I was pleased with split #5 – I was running alongside Josh and Nancy and trying to pace myself at a slightly sub-8:00/mile pace but with enough left to dust Josh at the end.

This morning I woke up early to have my farewell ride with Nancy’s trainer before I’m trainerless for a few weeks. (Actually, the trainer is sitting at my mom’s house, but my bike will be 600 miles away. Problem.)

I don’t really know if the trainer is the equivalent of a real “on the road” biking ride, and while my average speed (below) is pretty fair, my HR doesn’t spike like it does when I’m running. The average for this ride was 122bpm, which is really low for me. (My average during normal runs is usually high 130s or mid-140s).

However, my legs definitely feel it. Not in the quad-crushing way I expect most bike rides to feel like, but it’s a challenge to keep the legs spinning and cadence up. It feels more like an extended ice hockey session, which is probably why my coach was always bugging us to ride bikes during dry land training. Um, hi Coach. I’m doing it now. And you were right.

Too bad I haven’t skated all year. Might have to drop in on a few rentals to test out the legs.

In other related news, today is the Team /var/run holiday run(ch) party. Running, burritos, and beer. It sounds like an excellent way to kick off my holiday break.

I also saw a (good) number on the scale this morning that I haven’t seen since before the marathon. I’ll save that for another post.