I am so annoyed by irresponsible dog owners! Twice in the past three days I have had run in's with unleashed dogs. The first time, the owner said, "Oops! I didn't think we'd see any runners today." Really??? On a beautiful, sunny morning in October you didn't think you'd see ANY runners??? And then today, the woman saw me coming and when her dog jumped up, putting both paws on my chest and yanking out my ear buds, exclaimed, "Buster! What are you doing?" No apology. Argh!!! Guess I'll have to start running with a stick. A big one!
chrissy1 says:
Luckily u didn't get hurt. I hate when the dogs sh*t and the owners leave it.
Tomorrow is a day of firsts...I will be running my first 10K...I will be running in my first woman's only race...and I will be running my first Boston race. I am super excited!!!
I am very excited to have completed what I consider my first long run...6.5 miles. All summer I was training for a sprint triathlon and my longest runs were 4 miles...it felt so good to get out in the cool air this morning and really cruise. My endurance is good....I think I could have gone longer...but I'm training for a couple of 10K races coming up in October and didn't want to over-do it. I'm really loving the longer distances. Who knows? Maybe a half-marathon isn't out of the question...
I've been focusing on cross training for my triathlon all summer, but now that that is over, I need a new training goal. I just signed up for a 10K in October. I have been running 4 miles atleast 3 times a week for the entire summer along with biking and swimming. I'm looking for any tips for increasing my speed/distance as I train for the 10K. Thanks!!!
strutton1313 says:
Hill work has helped me improve my times this summer. I feel stronger. When I run now I put out the same amount of energy as before but my times are now faster. Track work is also good for adding speed. I plan on starting the track work when I get a little closer to my race. Good luck!
johnnyk8 says:
Hill work and the treadmill are great tools for going fast and teaching you that you CAN go fast for sustained periods of time.
professorbeast says:
The best specific 5k/10k speed work for me has been mile repeats. Do 1-2 mile warm up, then run 1 mile at 5k race pace to start (try and run negative splits so that your last run is 10 seconds or so faster per mile than your 5k pace), 1/4 mile jog (or let your heartrate get down to where you run your easy runs) and repeat. I do 3-4 repeats, and try to run negative splits.
This is the one thing that I can point to that really got me out of a plateau.
I completed my first tri today! It was AWESOME!!! It was a shorter sprint tri for my first race and the whole experience was just amazing. I have never felt so proud of myself for finishing any race before. I just kept thinking "this is what you trained so hard for all summer long" as I went through each leg of the race. I was most nervous about the open water swim(.25 mi), but once I got in the water, I swam at a comfortable pace and I finished faster than I had in my pool workouts. The bike was a 10 mile hilly course. I breathed in the fresh pine air and just reveled in the fact that I was actually doing this. The run was 1.5 mile out and back course with LOTS of hills. I didn't run my fastest, but I picked up speed as I crossed the finish line and I finished strong. This was a life-changing event for me.
It's been quite awhile since I've written here, though I read everyone's posts every day! :) Originally, when I joined in January, I thought that my goal was to run a half marathon. Somewhere along the way, that goal morphed into completing a lifelong dream of doing a triathlon. Long story short, I ran into someone who competes in tri's all of the time, mentioned that I always wanted to do one, was told that I absolutely could do one, and I signed up that very night! The rest of the summer has been spent swimming, biking, and running in preparation for the race. That brings us to today...I'm just a little over a week out to my first triathlon (Sept. 12th). I'm getting ready for a taper week...feeling excited beyond belief...and maybe just a little nervous as well. I'd love any advice that you all have to offer.
adigerati says:
My advice? Give it your best tri! (that was bad)
Good luck, have fun with it.
johnnyk8 says:
Nice!! Tris are such a great accomplishment. If I ever built up the stones I would do a tri as my first race.
Today was my first ever 5 mile road race. I had been hoping for sunny weather, but mother nature had other plans. It is rainy, windy, and chilly here! I was motivated to complete the race because it was the third part of a 3 week series. My shoes were waterlogged and I could ring out my shirt sleeves, but the whole way I kept thinking that my breathing was nice and even and my pace was steady. I finished a little slower than I had hoped for (by 2 minutes) but I am really proud that I crossed that finish line!
