Each Day Is a Gift

Good job on toughing it out. You are at a point in your training where the goal race still seems so far away but it seems like you have been training for a long time. It's a tough time in the training cycle. Just keep getting out the door and putting in the miles and you will snap out of this.

Great job this morning! You make me want to get out and run after reading your blog. There will be tough days, and today was one of them! Great job conquering the running demons!

You are so tough!!!!

Okay ... what is the deal this week? I don't want another week to pass without us getting together.

Thanks guy and girls! NO, I was not tough. If I were tough, I'd be at the HS track kicking 1000 meter repeats like the schedule says to. I'm ready to throw away the book and just run for FUN.

Speaking of which, Teena, I'm good any day. We need to do temple early, short run fast and breakfast quick so that Kelli can be home by 10 am. Or we can do it after she takes Ashly to soccer; lunch, temple and run in the gym where there's air condition. What do you think?

I'm good for whatever.

Maybe you and Kelli should plan it and I will make it work.

I have to take the kids to the dentist, so need to be going soon, but I will check back when I get home from class tonight.

If we started at 5:30 we could be done by what? Hmmm ... we could even start at 5:30, then run to Kneaders, what time do they open?, and then run back to our cars. I don't know ... just brainstorming here.

Yep, I think you're tough too! I hate speed work, notice my blog i kind of avoid it. lol, way to get up and do it even though you didn't want too!

Great job on getting it done. Tempo run or speedwork. I would go with tempo for sure. They are just so much less painfull if you ask me. I would try not to change up the plan too much though. I have do the FIRST plan training about 5 times now. And they are tougher for sure. But it also allows you time to do other stuff and less injury. Just make sure you dont do 2 of those days close together. And I wouldnt do any hill work days in addition to it. Or you will be asking for trouble. If all possible too. Find as flat as possible route for the tempo run. So you arent changing up your speeds. And can focus on a constance effort at a pace. And not all over if you can. Like that road I run on is just a bit over 2 miles long. So I just run up and down that. Everything else is just to hilly.

Oh and by the way. You are doing so awesome. Those splits are a bit fast but so right on. And with doing the slower mile first and 2 after is just perfect. Your doing great.

Mark,

You know how FIRST have 3 key workouts: intervals, tempo and long. I just had a hard time doing speed interval first part of the week. So I chose to do tempo first; then intervals midweek. I don't really Xtrain (biking, swimming) so I thought I could run easy hill on one of the Xtrain days. What do you think?

I have another question about the long run. This week's schedule says to run 20 miles @ 10:21/mi. I want to run that RHPC 1/2. So what if I run 13.1 with 10 mi @ marathon pace (low 9's)?

Oh, another question, what are you going to run on Sat. July 25, the day after DNews 10K? The FIRST has a 20 miler that day and it seems to have you running 20 miles every other weekend. Thanks for your advice!

Smoothie ~ Nice run!! If you have too, do your tempo runs on a treadmill, that way you'll know you "hit" your paces.

For what's it's worth.....I'd do your half on Saturday and then the other 7 miles later in the evening - no cheating in your training here! Also, the weekend of July 24th - I plan on substituting the 10k for my "speed work" and doing the 20 miler earlier in the week followed by my tempo run on Saturday.

Just be careful doing hills. A lot consider the hills and speedwork the same thing. I would keep it easy so you are able to do the set ones. Since they are harder then your normal ones. So if you do hills make sure to do it easy. Like 60% or so and keep it short. Or just sub your speedwork for a hill workout. I felt with doing the workouts and cycling was great. But had to make sure not to push it too hard on the bike or I wasn't recovered enough for the more important workouts.

As for your half run and needing a 20. If you choose to do the half. I would run it as a half and do your half paces for it. And do it as a time trial to see where you are at. And if you feel better later do a few more later. But do like 1-2 mile warm-up and then do your half as a half pace. And maybe another couple later if your up for it. Just make it much slower. Even slower then the 10:20 and just do it nice and easy recovery run. But your effort at a half with a good warm-up and maybe couple easy after later would be perfect IMO.

As for the 10k. We are going to change it up for say. Not sure how we are going to do it right now. But just make sure you give a rest between your hard runs. And change it up is fine. So we might be doing a long on Mon. Speed on Wen and tempo for say on Fri.

Its nice having so many 20s in the one your doing. It has 6 of them for the 16 week period. But if you miss one and do a race here or there I wouldn't sweet it to much. Just make sure to get in as many as you can and you will show up race day ready to go. And knowing you will be able to do it. And I am sure you will be happy. I believe that Rhett has done the FIRST program too. And has changed his up a bit with doing 15 and 20s every other week.

Hope that helps you some.

You are all TOO hardcore!!! LOL

I'm with Dale! you guys are NUTS!!! .... oops, I mean hard core ;)

Smooth- I need you to tell me what to run and when. I think your tempo was dead on- compared to mine this morning. How do you do that??? You amaze me!!!

THANKS Kristi and Mark for the advice. This is my thinking on hills. I'm just going to run them easy. I guess I worry that the FIRST workouts do not prepare the legs for the hilly marathons in Utah. I will make sure there's a rest day between hill and speed or tempo.

Good idea on running the 1/2 as time trial. I have never done 2-a-day. So I like Mark's idea of running the half at half race pace and add a few recovery miles at the end.

The problem with switching around the workouts the week of DNews is you'd have to switch it around the week before. Otherwise you would have an 18 miler on Sat. the 18th, then a 20 miler on Mon the 20th. Hmm, may be I'll run 20 on the 18th and 15 on the 25th, the day after DNews 10K. That's doable, you think?

Okay Smooth ... sorry to interupt here ... but what is the deal this week my soul sistah????

Marion,

I love tempo run. Like Mark said, find a fairly flat route to run them. The idea is to keep your pace steady at a somewhat uncomfortable but controllable pace. I think I ran my 4 a little too fast this morning. Do tempo run once a week. Start with 3-4 miles and up to 6 or 7 miles.

Teena,

How about we meet at the temple on Thu. at say 10:15 am? Get take out from Kneaders or Zupas then work out at your home gym? Steven has football in the afternoon; but I'll make him ride his bike. Not sure if that works for Kelli though.

Sounds great to me ... or we could just skip the workout part since Kels has such a huge workout Thursday mornings.

Kel, what do you say? You get to decide. :)

Nice work and EXCELLENT info everyone! I LOVE reading your blogs Smooth! They are informative and FUN, plus you are the most dedicated runner around!!!

Looks like you got the right idea for sure on what you will do. This first part of the training I am not as concerned about changing things up as much. My last race I have planned is DesNews so that then it will be just following the schedule till SG. After doing DesNews you could also just turn that long run into a long easier one. And not worry to much about paces as much. Just take it easier the next day but make it longer. I think we will have to toy with the idea. Hmm

Something to think about also with your hills. I like to thing I get some hill work both up and down on my long runs. And try to find hills and such at the same point in each run if I can. To make that day the most like race day as I can. So training some downhill and some uphills on that day is where I get in that other training. And try to stay flat for the other 2 days.

Wow that was alot of info, I don't understand half of it, okay....all of it! Good luck in whatever you do Smooth!!!I would do anything to run like you, except for train like you!! :) lol!!

Nice tempo run Smoothie. I always struggle following a plan.