Workout Wednesday II
Work it girl/guy.  This will be the subject for today's blog.  As you may or may not be aware, I like to run. A lot.  However, there is an element to running that I love the most... the work. Running requires a certain amount of pure grit and work that you cannot find anywhere else.
My favorite way to put in that work is through fast/slow intervals on the road or treadmill.  Let's be clear, there's different levels of 'work'.  Work level 1- jogging.  I know, in running, this is basically a curse word.  I get it, but it is far more productive than coming to a walk or dead stop.  Work level 2- running.  This means running at a moderately fast pace (i.e. marathon pace or a pace that makes you feel a little uncomfortable). Work level 3- sprint.  Like I am gonna throw up in my mouth and hyperventilate kind or running.  Or 5k pace, which ever is more difficult.

To get moving, start with your warm up, stretch, etc.  Whatever you need to get moving.  Then we start a ladder of jog (J), run (R), sprint (S)
Here it goes..
2 min J
2 min R
2 min S
3 min J
3 min R
3 min S
4 J
4 R
4 S
4 R
4 J
3S......and back down

Sound tough? It is.  The goal of the entire thing is NEVER STOP MOVING.  In the end, you end up doing the workout for well over 40 minutes so make sure that you give yourself plenty of time.
Why would one ever subject themselves to such terrible-ness? Two words, changing gears.  In a race, you rarely run the exact same pace for the duration of the distance/time.  There are times when you fluctuate from fast, to cruise control, and back to a kick.  By training your body to recognize that a. you are able to change gears on the fly, and b. you can recover from a 'pick up' you will train both your body and mind to be a better runner.
Mind over matter.  Seriously.
Work it.

ANNNDDDDD......When all else fails, do a PLOT TWIST and move on.
I had every intention of running a nice little 10k this past weekend, but that didn't exactly happen.  Friday afternoon, while singing to a terrible pop song from the 90's in my car, I got the great idea that I should 'upgrade' to more than double that distance and jump in a half marathon.  Most people would call this crazy, but here are my reasons....
1. I am not a person who is terribly good with flexibility.  I love a good plan and sticking to it.  For me to change my mind at the last second is highly a-typical.  I wanted to prove to myself that not only is my fitness up to par, but I could make changes on the fly and be okay with them.
2. Test of fitness.  I wanted to make sure that I am as fit as I think I am.  Right now, I am running better than I have in many years.  At this point, I don't see any kind of roadblock outside of injuries that can keep me from my goal, and this race instilled my confidence in the training that I have been doing over the past few months.
3. Help out a friend, and reap the benefits at the same time.  I went into the race knowing that I would not be taking home a big, fat "W" so I made it my goal to stick with my training partner and give her a great race.  We hung together through 10 miles in exactly 70 minutes, and then went seek and destroy mission on the last 5k.  It was an awesome feeling to run a really respectable time and race smart (for once!).

Sometimes life throws something at you, and your decisions can make or break everything that you worked for.  Sometimes you just gotta go for it.

Workout Wednesdays

Hey all.
In an effort to extend the proverbial olive branch of running, I will be starting to blog on Wednesdays specifically about workouts, nutrition, and all other things running.  For post numero uno, here's one of my favorite running workouts, Race yo a*& into shape.  Here goes nothing...

Running sucks.  It hurts, you sweat, smell kinda funky, miss out on drunken parties because you need to wake up early and run a race or workout, go to bed at 9 pm, and the list goes on and on....BUT there is one awesome part of running- RACING.  I love races. Granted, at least 24 hours before the smallest local race I am a hot mess and ready to vomit, I just love getting to a starting and finish line.  It is just the best feeling in the world to know that no matter what happens, I ran my butt off and left it all out on the course.  Sometimes races don't go as planned, but a crappy race is better than a great run on a treadmill or boring run on a road any day.

One great thing about races is that for the most part, there's a zillion of them to choose from.  You can also strategically plan races of various distances to prepare for a goal race.  For example, I am planning on making my big race of the year the Harrisburg marathon.  In order to meet my goal of qualifying for Boston (3:35 or lower finish time), I am planning races accordingly.  This weekend I raced a five mile that was moderately hilly, and I ran the mile splits approximately 1:15 faster than my marathon pace.  My next race will be a 10k that will again be about a minute faster than MP (Marathon Pace).  I plan on following that with a 5k and long run (15-20 miles) weekend, then a weekend 'off' (AKA lower mileage), a half marathon at 30 seconds per mile faster than MP, a 5k at full speed and long run weekend, and then my last weekend of super long (20+ miles).  Getting to marathon time is great, but being well-prepared with shorter and faster, but also longer and slightly faster is key.

Another thing races offer is the chance to try new stuff.  A new outfit? Great! New pre-race dinner? Go for it- I always stick with a gigantic vegan burrito, but you do you... New kicks? All you homey. Try new combos of stuff in races you care a little less about.  It can make the difference between dealing with the same old, same old, and learning something new about your running and yourself that you may not have known before.

Happy Hump day and stay tuned for more Work out Wednesday posts!