Winning combination?

  Wind and cold...NOT a winning combination in my book. 
  I'm really trying to NOT get myself all freaked out about the upcoming 10K Saturday, but when the forecast came out and is predicting 39 for a high and 20-30 mph winds I tend to get a little nervous.  I have trained lots for this race, hit my pace many a time and done all I can to be prepared, but not sure I can prepare for that.  My first fault is that nearly all of my training has been on the treadmill, and the switch to the road has been a wake up call.  I definitely need to find my road legs.  My recent runs have left me less than sure about my confidence level.  I've had a few great ones, and few that leave me wondering why I am attempting my first 10K so early in the season.  (I've run the distance plenty, but the outside pace seems so different) 
  The wind is what is really scaring me.  I am a total fair weather runner.  If the wind is over 10mph I opt for the TM.  The race is right off the lake, so the certainty of lake wind and cold is 100%.  I may need to reevaluate my time goals.  The good news is that since this is my 1st 10K, I'll surely be giving myself lots of room for improvement in future ones.  LOL.  I will try to be calm and see what the day brings, but YIKES I'm getting nervous!!

Most excellent adventure

Okay, maybe not an adventure, but compared to the miles and miles I put in on the treadmill this winter, a romp around our small little town 4 times was quite an adventure to me.  I put in several outside runs last week.  The first was horrid and painful to the ego, then they progressively got better.  My goal Sat. was to start at a decent 10K pace to test my confidence for an upcoming Earth Day race, run the 6.2, rest or walk a bit, and then finish out with 5 or 6 easy miles.  I decided to carry my water in a new Athleta hand held I had purchased, but wasn't really crazy about carrying something.  I carried it the first 3 miles then flung it in my sisters yard on the way by.  I didn't bring any mid run fuel, mostly because I haven't found anything that I like.  I tried to stay at a 9:00 pace or below for the first 6.  Success!!  I finished in 54:54, which is something like 8:49 I think.  I'm gonna shoot for 8:40 on race day.  I slowed the pace after the first 10K and finished with a total of 11.25 miles.  My pace for the day was 9:47.  Not bad at all for my first long run.  I was hoping my legs wouldn't be screaming at me for going from 3.25 miles to 11.25, but so far they've felt good.  I iced and used the stick several times and I will run some repeats tonight at the gym, so we'll see.  Feeling pretty confident for next weeks race.

Redemption

  Feeling SOOOO much better after today's run!!!  I still kept it short, only 3.27 miles, but I finished uploading the Garmin with an entirely different attitude.  Today my overall average pace was 8:29, as opposed to yesterday's 9:30.  Woo HOo, 1 minute per mile faster.  I think yesterday the shock of getting back on the road scared me.  I didn't remember what it was like to have to hold my own pace rather than relying on the whirling belt of the treadmill.  I was proud of myself for jumping right back in to another outside run today rather than literally running from it.  I actually couldn't wait, I knew I had something to prove.  Now all that being said, I am still intimidated by the 10K coming up.  Haven't decided for sure if I will change the registration to 5K, or suck it up.  A few more test runs of longer distances will tell this coming week, but one thing is for sure.  This girl is BACK!!!

Did you continue your winter training outside in the cold, or were you a treadmill runner?

Did/Do you have a hard time getting back on the road?

Conclussion

  So, I finally got outside today.  I have mentioned before that I am a complete cold weather wimp.  I have not run outside since Christmas Day, and that was only because I got some new cold weather gear.  Today was a balmy 36 degrees with almost no wind, so it felt really nice.  I slipped in to the Under Armour cold geat and a light jacket, running pants and my Kayano's and I was off.  My shins hurt a little right off the bat, leaving me wondering what this run might bring.  I left with intentions of running 5-6 miles, and let's just say those intentions quickly changed.  I have really been having some issues rebounding from my long runs.  My shins seem to be sore and my calves tight for 2-3 days after.  UGH!!  I can't take that many days recovery you darn 40 yr. old body!!!  Throughout the winter I have obviously done all of my training on a treadmill, and unlike most, I love a good treadmill run.  I have increased my 5K time to around 8:00 mi. pace and can easily run 10K in 9:00 pace (or less).  Well, let's just say that confidence did NOT translate to the road.  Maybe it was just a bad run, or maybe it was my sore shins, but I struggled to keep the pace under 9:30.  YIKES!!  I ended up running 3.28 miles at a 9:29 pace.  I decided that should be enough for day one on the road.  I had better slowly venture back to avoid worse shin splints than I already have.  Isn't it said that after you're on a boat you need to find your "land legs"?  Well, I definately need to find my "road legs".  Seriously, it felt like I had never gone fast before in my life. 
  I have filled out the paperwork for a very fast approaching 10K, but I may have to consider switching to the 5K.  We'll see what happens in the next week.  I am confident that I will get my groove back, it may just take longer than I had anticipated.

10 is the magic number

  Isn't that from the Electric Company, or Sesame Street.  Ahh well anyway, it had a ring to it.   I got my long run in today on the treadmill.  I am just not up to dealing with the freezing cold and wind yet, or ever for that matter.  I grabbed a GU to try and headed to the gym to pop off the big 10.  I have had a few issues with long runs.  I usually get them done, but they're not my favorite.  I like runs that build my confidence and keeping me wanting more.  Long runs do neither of those things for me.  When I'm doing speed work I feel FAST... (relative term of course),  I race for PR's on the treadmill (LOL, I know) and feel so accomplished as I see my time improving.  Tempo runs teach me that I can sustain a respectable pace for an extended amount of time.  Long runs...I got nothin'.  I am "supposed" to run my long runs at a 10:00 (or slower) pace, which I get no gratification out of.  Today I decided I needed something to mix it up.  I decided for the first 7 miles I would run at a steady 10:00 pace, but alternate hill workouts.  It worked!  It kept my mind off the slow pace and on the fact that I was doing my leg strengthening a big favor.  My ipod died at about mile 5, so I was forced to finish the last half without music.  I have Never run without music, so this was a new experience.  Kinda liberating I must say.  The last 3 miles I ran at 1/2 marathon pace (9:05).  It did give me some confidence to know I could finish strong at pace.  Hopefully I have unlocked a secret to not only getting through the long runs, but feeling good about it.
   Oh, and about the GU.  Kudos to those of you who can tolerate them.  I tried one after 1 hour on the treadmill (even though I knew I really didn't NEED one),  I must say, I kinda gagged and threw up in my mouth.  YUCK!!  I will stick with the sport jelly beans until I find something else.  Any advice on what I might try next?

Get over it

  So, there is a race looming in the distance.  No, not the BIG 1/2 marathon I've spoke of, but a small town Earth Day 10K and 5K.  No big deal right...well, I've got a decision to make.  Am I gonna do the "oh, I'm so comfortable and confident" 5K, or the "break out of my comfort zone and suck it up" 10K.  I have trained plenty for the 10K, in fact, I'm in the middle of 1/2 training, so the distance isn't an issue, just the fear.  I feel like in a 10K I have to run fast the entire time to finish in a respectable time.  (fast being a relative term of course)  I can just buck up for 3.1 miles, but 6...UGH!!  I'd like to finish in less than 54 minutes and I am so competitive that failing is hardly an option.
  So...last night I did a test run.  I ran 6.2 miles in 54:30.  That brought me in at something like an 8:47 pace, which I would be happy with.  The real problem is that I am so confident on the TM and I panic on the roads.  Weird huh??  Everyone I know hates the TM and loves the road.  I'm this weirdo strange runner who started on the treadmill and I've gained so much speed and confidence on it that I get scared when I'm forced to step out of the box. 
  Alrighty, so here it is....I am gonna get it out in print, which means I have to do it, right.  I am gonna do the 10K.  There, I typed it..now it will become reality.  Now let the positive self talk begin...I can do this..I CAN DO THIS!!!I CAN DO THIS!!

Doing the best I can

  I am just finishing up my second week of uninterrupted 1/2 marathon training.  I say uninterrupted because the first few weeks were hampered with chest colds and shin splints.  It has felt good to get in some quality workouts and feel my speed increase.  As I progress, I am really loving the speed and even tempo workouts that build my confidence and tell my brain that "I can", indeed pull of these once believed superhuman feats.  I have been improving my 5K time to just over 8:00 pace and have recently run 6 miles all under 8:50 pace.  These runs all took place on the treadmill, so hopefully they translate to good times on the pavement soon.
  I'd be lying if I said eveything was all rosy.  I seem to be hopping from one injury or ailment to the next.  Right now I spend my days icing my right knee that is swollen and sore.  I can run through it, but not sure that is the "right" thing to be doing.  I am motivated by the fact that I need to see my miles increase for the May 1st marathon I am planning for, yet I don't want to do anymore damage.  It also seems that mid week (after 2-3 hard runs) my shin splints start reappearing.  While I can deal with the knee pain, the shin splints are an entirely different story.  The pain of running on them is sometimes unbearable.
  The temps this weekend are supposed to be in the high 40's, so I'm hoping for my first long run outdoors.  I have become a winter wimp and have done nearly all (okay, all) of my training on the treadmill.   I know that I need to get these legs ready for outdoors and the changing conditions that brings. 
  So, here's hoping for some great weather and miraculous recoveries.  Have a great weekend everyone, and RUN ON!!