Monday, February 18, 2008

Lost Dutchman 1/2 Marathon

13-16 Feb: Absolutely nothing athletic, is that so wrong?
17 Feb: Lost Dutchman 1/2 Marathon in Apache Junction, AZ

Almost all of my family lives in AZ (minus the parents and youngest sister). I had a 4-day weekend of FREE leave, so I decided to fly down to Phoenix for the weekend. Coincidently the 1/2 marathon, among many other races, was taking place that weekend. My sister was cool with driving me down there, and she had agreed to run the 10K.

Conditions were PERFECT!
-Pre-race dinner at grandma's house, complete with ice cream sandwiches (I do well with higher fat foods)
-Perfect weather (even though I forgot my hat)
-Good night's sleep
-King girls having FUN!
-Nice scenery
-1/2 the race on a packed dirt road

The race was anything but flat. The hills weren't HUGE, but they definitely made the course more challenging. My goal was to break 1:40 and use this race as a litmus test for Boston training, which I have zero confidence about.

Splits:
Mile 1 7:56 (started in the middle of the 800+ pack, no chip timing)
Miles 2-3 15:31
Mile 4 7:38
Mile 5 7:20
Mile 6 7:19 (first half in 50:00)
Mile 7 7:21
Mile 8 7:24
Mile 9 7:37
Mile 10 8:09
Mile 11 6:53
Mile 12 6:59
Mile 13 7:14
Mile 13.1 0:46 (second half in 48:19)
Total time 1:38:19, total pace 7:29

55/848 overall
8/468 overall women
5/48 division (3/46 since first 2 were #1 and #3 overall)

This race was a PR for me. Not a huge one, but a PR nonetheless! According to the McMillan calculator, a 3:40 at Boston is definitely a possibility.


Post-race King girls at Grandma's house with her phallic cactus
(Grandma put those rocks there)

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Run (and stuff)

5 Feb: Bike 30 min
6 Feb: Run 2 x 0.75 mi (6:45 pace), 4 x 0.5 mi (6:40 pace), total 6.5 mi
7 Feb: Circuit bike workout, 25 min
8/9 Feb: Rest
10 Feb: Run 2:53 (17.6 mi, SLOOOOOW!!!)
11 Feb: Row 5k meters, yoga class
12 Feb: Run 35 min, running drills, row 9k meters

Running--Yes, my long run was incredibly slow. But that's ok! There was a lot of snow on the ground in places, the route was really hilly, and for some weird reason I was really tired. But I did it! Running outside is so much better than running indoors, even if it's snowy and cold.

Blog--Work is tough, and it's only going to become more challenging. Blog may have to go by the wayside, and posting once a week or so may be the way to go.

Pictures--Can you believe it?! This is where I work. (Actually, I work in a cubicle, but I can run here from my office!) We can see the Wasatch Front, the Great Salt Lake, and the salt flats. It's absolutely beautiful.






Monday, February 04, 2008

Run

4 February

Run: 3 hours
Strength: Random stuff
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Run--I ran on an indoor track for 3 hours today. Surprisingly, the knees aren't killing me. We've had so much snow, it's been impossible to get out there more than an hour at a time. Winter marathon training always kills me. I actually ran this run with a 3-hour break in the middle (I had to work sometime). Do you think this still has the same effect of, say, a 2.5 hour long run?

Pictures--These pics were taken in front of my house and from my house today, after the crazy snowstorm we had yesterday. The view of the mountains is amazing. The view of the mountains and the Great Salt Lake from the other side of my house are even more breathtaking.





Sunday, February 03, 2008

Bike and Stuff

3 February

Bike: 60 min spin
Strength: Snow shoveling and ice hacking!
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Bike--I love Netflix. My body had been feeling horrible since Friday, but today, aside from some pain, I was feeling much better. So I watched I Pronounce You Chuck and Larry while riding LUCKY on the trainer. A run would have been more fun, but the snow was just out of control today.

Strength--The picture below was taken early in the morning, BEFORE the constant snowfall from today. I scooped 3 feet of snow from my driveway. Not to mention the giant dam of ice just outside my garage that my car bottoms out on. Strong back = fast triathlons!!! :-)



Over 3 feet of snow on the roof. Just yesterday the homeowners association worker guys shoveled all the snow off my roof. Thank goodness, otherwise there would be 6+ feet of snow up there!