Winding Down

Less than two weeks until I run Hospital Hill and it's time to back off of my training.

This week will still be the basic schedule I've been following but I'll be backing off of the distance and number of hills as the first stage of my taper. Then I'll get in a couple of easy runs early next week before resting completely the few days before the race.

Today was Top Notch Tuesday but I cut back to only 4 repeats. I took the jog before and after the repeats nice and easy but tried to push myself on the sprints up the hill. After all of the hills I've been running, four times up Top Notch feels like a very short workout, which is good because I can tell I need the recovery time.

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I've been feeling a little drained the past week or two and I'm hoping the reduced workload will help me bounce back in time for the race.
Tuesday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats.
Distance: 2.93 Miles.
Time: 25:42. 8:45 Avg. (8:17, 9:06, 8:17*).
Route: 4 x Top Notch.
Conditions: 54 degrees. 7:26AM.
Run Details on Garmin

Notes: I'm Loving the temps in the mid-50's. I would take this on race day, for sure!

Daily Miles: 2.93 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 388.01 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 8,250 meters.

The Peak Of My Hills

I'm just over two weeks from the Hospital Hill Half Marathon and this week is the peak of my condensed training for the race.

The past couple of days involved running hill repeats... a lot of hill repeats.

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I saved Tuesday's workout for after work because of Monday night's track work. I went over to Top Notch while Liz did one of her prenatal workout videos. I sprinted my little segment of the hill 8 times and the physical exertion was complicated by the fact that the house at the top of the hill where I turn to jog back down was having some roofing work done. Whatever chemicals the roofers were using smelled strong enough that I was a little worried about getting a contact high. Every time I got to the top of the hill, I was gasping in lungs full of the stuff. I got through the workout fine, but I might now have cancer.

I took Wednesday off completely. I'm trying to work in a few more rest days so I can recover from the over-training I've been doing in time for the race.

Thursday was a surprising day at The Never Ending Hill Of Doom. I ran up The Hill 4 times. As is the custom on The Hill, I use the term 'ran' loosely. But I felt a lot better on my third and fourth summits than I thought I would. Maybe it was Wednesday's rest. Maybe the hill work as a whole is paying off. Or maybe it was just a good morning. Whatever it was, The Hill didn't feel as deadly and intimidating as it usually does.

So I plan to do a very brief speedwork session tomorrow in my FiveFingers and then run 10-12 miles on Sunday. After that, I'll have two solid weeks of tapering. I'll cut back on my workouts and mileage and hopefully start feeling more rested by the time the race comes around.

Tuesday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats.
Distance: 4.08 Miles.
Time: 37:40. 9:14 Avg. (8:46, 8:44, 9:43, 9:41, 0:44*).
Route: 8 x Top Notch.
Conditions: 80 degrees. 5:57PM.
Run Details On Garmin

Wednesday
Goal For The Day: Rest.
Distance: 0.00 Miles.

Thursday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats.
Distance: 5.19 Miles.
Time: 46:37. 8:59 Avg. (8:12, 7:49, 9:11, 9:43, 9:56, 1:43*).
Route: 4 x Never Ending Hill Of Doom.
Conditions: 52 degrees. 7:19AM.
Run Details On Garmin

Notes: The temperature has been all over the place so far this month. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Race Day is has one of the cooler mornings.

Daily Miles: 9.27 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 372.87 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 8,250 meters.

Routine, Routine, Routine

Hospital Hill is just over three weeks away and I've packed my week with a training routine that will get me ready for the race in a relatively short amount of time... or leave me very worn out.

I've been pretty good about working in a day off here and there, but my routine now has me running 6 out of 7 days in the week:

Monday - Speedwork with MO Run Co.
Tuesday - Hill Repeats on Top Notch.
Wednesday - Middle Distance or Rest.
Thursday - Hill Repeats on Never Ending Hill Of Doom.
Friday - Short Speedwork in FiveFingers.
Saturday - Long Run.
Sunday - Rest (Or a short, Easy Run).

I thought running this morning after last night's workout would be counterproductive so I saved it for later today. I was able to leave work a little early and ran hill repeats before dinner.

I ran 6 x Top Notch again this week and even though it was the day after some tough speedwork, I felt better than when I ran the same thing last week with a day off in between. Still, before I went to bed, I got out The Stick and tried to work out some of the soon-to-be soreness. I like our foam roller, but The Stick is great for hitting more specific muscles and working out knots and kinks. I'm a big fan and should use it even more often than I already do.

(The Stick.)

Tuesday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats.
Distance: 3.49 Miles.
Time: 29:02. 8:19 Avg. (7:43, 8:12, 8:59, 4:07*).
Route: 6 x Top Notch.
Conditions: 72 degrees. 4:59PM.
Run Details On Garmin

Notes: Free, all-you-can-eat chips 'n' salsa totally hit the spot after a good workout!!! Last week, I averaged 8:48 per mile on this run... today was 8:19 per mile!

Daily Miles: 3.49 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 334.67 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 7,450 meters.

Rain Delay

My plan for this week was to run hills on Top Notch Tuesday, rest on Wednesday, run hills on The Never Ending Hill Of Doom on Thursday, and run some FiveFingers sprints on Friday. (Basically, a repeat of last week.) But my Tuesday morning run was rained out so I'm shifting things around a bit.

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Normally, I don't mind running in the rain... especially when it's as warm as it was yesterday. But there was quite a bit of lightning around and I didn't think running to the top of the tallest hill in the neighborhood was a good idea. So yesterday was an unscheduled day of rest.

That meant making up yesterday's run today so I hit Top Notch for some hill repeats. I stepped it up to 6 repeats this week and will probably work up to 8 before winding down for the half marathon.

Today's run wasn't that noteworthy except that it was a warm one. The heat and humidity are settling in this week and we're getting a mild taste of summer. There was a breeze today and all of my downhill running was in the shade so it wasn't that bad, but when I got home, it took a long time to cool off. Bring on the cold showers!

Tuesday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats. (Postponed)
Distance: 0.00 Miles.

Wednesday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats.
Distance: 3.53 Miles.
Time: 31:06. 8:48 Avg. (8:06, 8:49, 9:32, 4:38*).
Route: 6 x Top Notch.
Conditions: 72 degrees and humid. 7:31AM.
Run Details On Garmin

Notes: I'll have to decide if I'm doing back-to-back hill days. The Never Ending Hill Of Doom is calling.

Daily Miles: 3.53 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 312.73 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 7,450 meters.

Speaking Of Motivation...

The Hospital Hill race director has been sending occasional emails to registered participants for added motivation. She recently wrote about the hills on the course and how they aren't that bad. (I'll wait and see for myself.) And today's email was about the power of words. Here's part of the email:


"My favorite part of my job is interacting with participants. Sometimes it is over email or the phone. Sometimes I get lucky enough to meet you face-to-face at an expo or a clinic. I love hearing your stories about setting goals, overcoming adversity and crossing the finish line. Your words inspire me to work harder to make Hospital Hill Run even better!

Every so often a conversation will start with, “I am ONLY a walker,” or “I am JUST doing the 5K.” Let me tell you, I am not a fan of ONLY or JUST! Actually, both words have been banned from my vocabulary.

The great thing about Hospital Hill Run presented by Price Chopper is that everyone has the same start line and finish line, and everyone in any given race passes the same distance. If you are participating in the 5K, you will cover the same 3.1 miles as everyone else participating in the 5K. Everyone in a race receives the same medal, too, whether that person is the first or the last participant. The same is true with walkers: same medal, same miles and same streets. There are no shortcuts to the finish line; everyone covers the same distance.

Words are powerful. They can empower someone to do extraordinary things or make someone feel like he or she is not good enough. I say we all need to kick ONLY and JUST out of our vocabularies. Change your words, and you will change your attitude. And, a great attitude gets you to the finish line every time. Anytime you doubt yourself, email me, and I will be happy to remind you!"

Beth Salinger
Race Director
Hospital Hill Run presented by Price Chopper
June 2, 2012www.hospitalhillrun.com

I talk about the power of words all the time at my job. The words we use and the words we choose (consciously or otherwise) say a lot about our mindset and can have a strong impact on our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Sometimes it sounds like nitpicking, but intentionally choosing words that are positive and avoiding words that are negative and limiting can make a world of difference. Ms. Salinger's email perfectly expresses the importance of positive thinking and word choice for someone that wants to get the most out of an event like a race.

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However, because I'm taking the "better safe than sorry" approach to the hills in this race, I took her previous email with a grain of salt and hit Top Notch for some hill repeats. There was nothing spectacular about this morning's run... just the knowledge that it will pay off later.

Tuesday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats
Distance: 2.92 Miles.
Time: 25:33. 8:45 Avg. (8:13, 9:00, 8:19*).
Route: 4 x Top Notch.
Conditions: 48 degrees. 7:28AM.
Run Details On Garmin

Notes: I felt like I was moving a little slower today but a quick comparison on my Garmin page shows today was pretty similar to last week. Morning runs are tough enough, but a morning run after an evening run & swim is pretty rough. It takes a while to shake out the cobwebs. I also passed 10,000 views on my blog today. Crazy!!!

Daily Miles: 2.92 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 287.46 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 7,450 meters.

A Return To Top Notch Tuesdays

I added an 'Upcoming Races' page to my blog. There are always a ton of races I want to run but I usually only get around to a handful either because of scheduling issues or cost. I hope keeping a list of races I really don't want to miss will help me remember to register early. I also hope it will give me some long-term motivation to get out and train hard.

So far, the only race I'm registered for is the Hospital Hill Half Marathon in Kansas City, MO. It's coming up on June 3rd so it's sneaking up on me quickly.

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I'm not following any strict training schedule for Hospital Hill since there's only about a month-and-a-half until the race. Mostly, I'm using this race to get my base mileage built back up so I can smoothly transition into my summer plans (that I'll talk about later).

The Hospital Hill Half is a very well-known race with 38 years of history behind it and it's obviously going to be hilly. So today, I started running hills. I plan to do at least two hill-based workouts a week leading up to the race. Tuesdays will become 'Top Notch Tuesdays' again. Thursdays, I plan to run The Never Ending Hill Of Doom.

Today was my usual warm-up run leading right into 4 sprints up Top Notch and then a cool-down run home. It was a chilly morning considering the unusually warm weather we've been having. Top Notch is a tough hill but 4 times up it isn't the hardest workout ever. I just want to ease my way into this. I have such a short time before the race, I probably won't take a long time to taper... it will mostly be build-up until the few days before race day.

Tuesday
Goal For The Day: Hill Repeats.
Distance: 2.95 Miles.
Time: 25:45. 8:43 Avg. (8:24, 8:48, 8:32*).
Route: 4 x Top Notch.
Conditions: 45 degrees. 7:15AM.
Run Details On Garmin

Notes: Running up Top Notch would be easier if people didn't park across the sidewalk. That side-step into the street near the top always makes the last 20 meters feel harder. Not a bad start, but I'll need to push myself more on the uphills.

Daily Miles: 2.95 Miles.
2012 Totals:
  Run - 264.34 Miles.
  Bike - 0.00 Miles.
  Swim - 6,550 meters.