August 2011

Speed Work Wednesday: Endurance Intervals

by blueeyedrunner on August 31, 2011

Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.

~Colin Powell, American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army

Good Morning!

So, we are still without power. The electric company predicts that it will not be back until September 4th so we are still staying with my parents. Tomorrow, I go back to work for meetings then the students come back on Tuesday.

Today was my last day of freedom so of course I had to get in a decent workout.

*Speed Work Wednesday*

The Workout According to the Training Plan:

*2 miles easy, 4 x 1 mile @ 10k pace w/ 3 min active rest, 2 miles easy

MY Workout:

*1.5 mile warm up

*4 x 1 mile @ 10k pace: 6:27, 6:25, 6:24, 6:44
10k goal pace is 6:30

*3 min jog between splits

*1.5 mile cool down

Total: 8 miles @ 7:44

This was a great workout, but harder than I expected it to be. My dad and I are racing a 10k this weekend and I am shooting to run a 6:30 average pace for the whole thing. Back in June I ran a 5-Mile race at a 6:31 pace and it was a hot night. I think I can hold that for an extra mile. We will see.

Remember that exciting news I hinted at earlier in the week? Well, our engagement shoot is featured in this month’s issue of Millennium Magazine!

Have lots of errands to run before I go back to work tomorrow!

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Spotlight on Kara Goucher

by blueeyedrunner on August 28, 2011

Happiness is that state of consciousness which proceeds from the achievement of ones values.

~Ayn Rand

Hello!

Well, so far we have survived the wrath of hurricane Irene. The rain has stopped but its still reallllly windy here and unfortunately, our apartment has no power. We are currently at my parents house…my mom made a fall feast. It was like Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey, stuffing, veggies, sweet potato fries. Delicious. Definitely better than sitting in our dark apartment eating leftover pizza. Right now we are digesting while we wait for the homemade apple pie

Thanks for your comments on yesterday’s workout! I am proud of that run. Today, unfortunately, it was unsafe to run outside so I did some arms, legs and abs indoors. On the training plan tomorrow is 6 easy. Luckily the weather tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful!

Since there is not too much to report on as far as workouts go, I thought I would share some info on Kara, one of my favorite runners. I love reading about the elite’s workouts and training plans.

Kara is such an inspiration and I was lucky enough to meet her last year:

Kara, 5 months pregnant.

She even signed my race bib:

Anytime I find something about Kara in a magazine, I rip it out and keep it for inspiration:

Check out a week of Kara’s training. Crazy! No wonder she is so good!

*Who is your favorite athlete?

*Live on the east coast? How did you weather the storm?
I know we are lucky but I am anxious to have power back. Almost all the back up lights in our building are already burnt out…

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The Crazy Weekend Workout.

by blueeyedrunner on August 27, 2011

Dear Brad Hudson,

Why are you trying to kill me?

Sincerely,

Blue-Eyed Runner.

Hows that for an inspirational quote?

Well, we did it. I had to modify the workout a bit but don’t worry, it was still tough.

The workout according to Hudon’s training plan:

14 miles total.
6 miles easy; 5 miles w/ 1 min @10k pace, 1 min easy; 1 mile easy, 2 miles hard.

My Workout: 7 miles easy; 5 miles w/ 1 mile hard, 1 mile easy; 1 mile easy = 13 miles

Overall Stats:
13.06 @ 8:14 average pace

7 easy miles: 8:41, 8:43, 8:55, 8:47, 8:41, 8:36, 8:32

5 hard miles: 7:17, 7:10, 7:17, 7:13, 7:23

My hard minutes were somewhere between 6-6:30. I used a timer, not my garmin to track the minutes because they are supposed to be fartleks and I didn’t want to get too caught up in each individual split, I was more interested in what my mile pace was for the 5hard miles.

Final Easy Mile: 9:28- That is how shot I was after this workout!

Speed Chart:

Elevation:

Now I am recovering and bracing for the hurricane! I just heard on the news that this storm is as big as Europe…so crazy!

*Tell me about your weekend workouts!

*Do you live on the east coast? How are you preparing (or did you prepare) for the storm?
We ordered a pizza, got some magazines and just rented a movie. I was supposed to go to a bridal shower today but thank god it was rescheduled!!

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Weekend Workout: Long Run Plan

by blueeyedrunner on August 26, 2011

Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary line and adding to one’s liberty.

~Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss philosopher, poet and critic

Whew. What a week. The summer is winding down. This week in New Jersey we had an earthquake and tomorrow we are expecting Hurricane Irene. Tomorrow I plan to meet my dad for our long run, hopefully before the storm hits. We have a tough workout planned for tomorrow:

*14 mile run.
Broken Down: 6 miles easy, 5 miles: 1 min @ 10k pace, 1 min easy. 1 mile easy, 2 miles hard.

Um, seriously? I am posting about it now so I have more motivation to stick to it tomorrow My planned 10k pace is 6:30. I will try my hardest to stick to the workout.

*What is the hardest workout you have ever done?

*Tell me about you about your weekend workout!

Have a fantastic weekend!

*I have some exciting news to (hopefully) share next week!

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