Wednesday, August 17, 2011

School mode slowly starting and a workout (or two) [2011 Running]

Today was a school day for an 7.5 hour Data Retreat. It is the first time our District has planned its 2-day Data Retreat a few weeks before the school year starts. Typically, it was scheduled during the first week of October, or last summer, it was in June. For a brief time today, we discussed the newly scheduled time-frame, and we all felt this really is ideal! With a couple of weeks before the school-year starting, we are able to look over last years assessments, analyze goals and implementation plans from last year, and then update/create new goals and an Implementation plan for the upcoming school year. Besides....it's also a nice way to slowly prepare mentally for the start of a new school year. So, tomorrow is the 2nd day of the retreat with the goal of writing District-wide Goals based on last year's data trends..... Being a math/number person, I LOVE Data Retreat!!!!! ;0)

Onto a new topic....

Have you had the opportunity to "meet" my buddy Billy Blanks here? He was my BEST PAL in 2003 when I hit my fitness-OBSESSION. One of his 30-minute Tae-Bo workouts was in my repertoir at LEAST 2x week back then.

WELL............

last night after doing a bit of strength-training on my home Smith-Machine (LOVE that machine, but it needs a little TLC for me to really hit it full-bore; the slide is sticking a little from the long down-time in the damp basement). Anyway...... so..... I have NO IDEA what made me think of my buddy, Billy, but I went to our VHS shelf to see if he was still there. Sure enough!!!!! :0) Eight years later, he still KICKED MY BUTT!!!! ;0)

30 minutes and a bucket of sweat later, my Abs and Glutes were SCREAMING at me!... "Enough! Enough! You're 8 years older than you were the last time you did this workout! Ease INTO it girl!!!!!"

Then tonight, after the close of Data Retreat, I hit the Lake Drive for what SHOULD have been a 6- mile Tempo run, but turned into only 5 (a bit too sunny and WARM!).
My goal: 6 miles with 2-3 miles @ 9:40/mile tempo pace.

Here are my numbers....with all the honest "in-your-face; you've-got-a-ways-to-go-yet" truth:
Warmup: .83 miles @11:11/mile
1st tempo mile: .96 miles @ 9:30/mile YES!!!! :0)
Recovery: .14 miles @ 14:14/mile
2nd tempo mile: .98 miles @ 11:03/mile POOP! POOP! POOP! I walked twice; just mentally shut down with the sun beating down (no shade in most of this mile) :0(
Recovery: .12 miles @ 16:13/mile (yup....even walking slower now)
At this point, I KNEW I needed to attempt another Tempo mile since my 2nd one was POOPY!
3rd tempo mile: .99 miles @ 10:25/mile (Okay.....better than 11:03, but still not at my 9:40 goal) :\
Cooldown: 1.15 miles @ 12:04/mile
Total: 5.18 miles @ 11:06/mile (average)
To note: my maximum speed had me running @ 6:47/mile pace IF I could have maintained that pace. Psht.....I don't THINK so! I still have my work cut out for me to find a happy Tempo pace; and even more importantly, is finding the happy "I-can-keep-this-pace-for-a-race" pace.

For a change of pace, I pulled out my 2007 training booklet (this was my Pre-BLOG recording method). I would consider 2007 to be the year I was best trained; the year I ran a 2:11 TWICE for my Half-marathons, on NON easy courses; the year I ran my PR for the marathon.
At this time in 2007, running a similar workout, but was geared a bit more for Speed then a Tempo run. It was a progressive 2-mile (2x1600) workout.
Phase 1 goal: 2xmile @ 10:00/mile. Accomplished: 2xmile @ 9:02/mile. YIKES! Way too fast! (18:04 total phase 1 time)
Phase 2 goal: 2xmile @ 9:32/mile. Accomplished: 2xmile @ 9:25/mile. OK! ;0)
Recovery: 400M walk
Phase 3 goal: 2xmile @ 9:32/mile. Accomplished: 2xmile @ 9:25/mile. OK! :0)
Recovery: 400M walk
Phase 4 goal: 2xmile @ 10:00/mile. Accomplished: 1xmile @ 10:00. IBS kicked in :\
Totals: 1:25:24. 739 cals burned. In HR zone: 19:16. Avg HR: 174

I like looking back at former training plans, SPECIALLY my 2007 training journal due to its motivation factor!!! Will I EVER get back to that fitness level? 2 straight miles holding 9:25's.....no down-time between them......WHEW! Yah...a WAYS to go girl!

Okay....enough fitness stuff for one post :0)
Happy Wednesday!

2 comments:

scraphappy said...

It must be the math teacher in you pulling out all of those stats. As far as training, you are far from being done with your best running years. Most of the really solid runners I know down here hit it hard when their kids get into junior high and high school because they find that they have more open hours in the day. I was a little sad when I went up an age bracket in May because I am now in the most competitive age bracket by far! So fun to look back at all the numbers -- what great motivation.

Ann Marie @ 16 Muddy Feet said...

you definitely love your numbers. I like numbers too, but then again I am not a runner. nope, won't do it. plus it is waaaaaaaaaaaay too hot outside.