speed work success ...

When I unveiled my new training plan last week, I mentioned that it included an aspect of training that I have failed to include until this point - SPEED WORK.

In the past, speed work has taken a backseat to endurance building. I run a lot of miles at a comfortable pace and a few miles faster than that (depending on who I am running with), but I've never really executed intervals or tempo runs or fartleks. At least not intentionally.

That was until this week.

On Wednesday night, I finally executed. The schedule called for 3 x 1 mile at 10K pace (7:51). So, I hopped on my best friend, the treadmill. I started out with a quarter-mile warm-up at 9:40 pace. Easy peasy. Then, I kicked it up to 7:47. Not bad. I could handle that. And that quarter-mile recovery was HEAVEN. It felt like I was walking. Repeat the cycle two more times and the first speed work session was complete.

Was it easy? No. Was it as hard as I thought it would be? No. Did I pray for it to be over? Yes.

Fast forward to this morning. KC joined me for an early morning tempo run. The goal: 5 miles, tempo miles @ 8:18 (HMP). I was kind of freaked out before we started. KC completed a hard strength workout last night and I finished my 10 miler less than 12 hours earlier. We didn't know if we could hold the pace. And it was so dark that we couldn't read our watches.

Mile 1: 8:41 - Not bad. Still warming up.
Mile 2: 7:58 - WHAT?!?! Where the heck did that come from?
Mile 3: 8:07 - Almost on point.
Mile 4: 8:04 - Please someone end this now!
Mile 5: 9:03 - Cool-down

I read those splits and I was super happy. And sweaty.

Maybe speed work isn't evil after all ...

excuses ...

I love my schedule. I follow it to a T. It's my Type-A personality. It pushes me to strive to be perfect all the time. But, don't tell anyone, I'm not. (I am pretty good at faking though.) At times, things go wrong. Plans go astray. Life gets bumpy. Or I get lazy. Like when I didn't run my scheduled 20 miler on Saturday.

The following is a list of what may or may not be excuses as to why I did not run:

1. I ran an a**-kicking five mile tempo run on Thursday (8:21 pace, if you were wondering.) I followed that run by the most sucktastic five miler on Friday. I barely survived. It was horrible. And I finished that run less than 10 hours before my scheduled 20 miler. At that point, I just wasn't feeling it.

2. I have been nursing a sore throat and some nasal congestion since Thursday. It's not getting any worse, but it's not really getting any better either. An extra day of rest was only going to help, right?

3. The temperature on Saturday morning at 6 a.m. was 70. The temperature today at 6 a.m. was 54. Enough said.

4. My iPod was non-functional. Apparently, if you NEVER remove your iPod from the armband and NEVER remove the earbuds from the iPod, your sweat will start to corrode the device. The metal was eaten away on the top (near the bezel) and the plug for the earbuds was permanently welded by calcified sweat into the plug. Not a problem until you attempt to remove it, at which point, the cord will rip off and the plug will remain. Fan-freaking-tastic. $200 later, I now have a working iPod (and will religiously be removing it from the armband after my runs).


5. Sleeping in (even if it was only until 7:45) sounded far more appealing than hitting the pavement for 3+ hours.


6. I wanted to wear my capris on Saturday. And they don't really go with my recovery socks.

7. I didn't REALLY want to run 68 miles in a seven day period (Sunday-Saturday). I much preferred the thought of only logging 50 miles in seven days (Monday-Sunday).

8. J made me.

P.S. - Those excuses were short lived. I am headed out the door right now ...

finding my pace ...

Can I just start by saying, "Wow! 80 followers!"? Seriously, when did that happen? Welcome and if I haven't stopped by yet, leave me a comment and I will be sure to.

OK, back on task. Thanks to G, and her declaration of my greatest weakness as a runner, everyone in the free world knows that I am a notoriously bad racer. I train my butt off, but when it comes to race day ... TOTAL FAIL. The problem with this (other than the obvious suckage) is that I have been using training zones based off of my PRs. That would be fine if my PRs were actually an indicative of what I can run. I started to think something was up when I was breezing through tempo workouts like they were nothing.

So, with some guidance from the wonderful and super speedy, Mel and Aron, I have finally found my proper training pace. They both said I should be pushing to keep the pace in my tempo workouts. To accomplish this, I played around with McMillan's calculator until my current long and easy runs fell into the range provided by the calculator. This then gave me a new tempo range. So I tried it out. And guess what ... I FINALLY felt like I was working to keep the pace.

Yesterday, I wanted to double check that the zones were correct, so I logged that super speedy two miles. And guess what, my time was 3 seconds slower than what the calculator predicted. Sweet, right?

And the best part is that based on these new zones, my current PRs are WAY off. It gives me something to shoot for and if I can figure out this whole racing thing, maybe I'll actually hit them ...

Recovery Sock Review ...

For my birthday, my mom and little sister were kind enough to each purchase me a pair of Recovery Socks. I have been interested in trying them out for a while (since I am such a sock lover). But to be honest, the $34.90 price tag has deterred me. So, I was super psyched when I received both the fuchsia (to match my hair) and the lime socks in the mail yesterday.

If you don't know what Recovery Socks are, here is the lowdown from their website:

The Recovery Sock® is not simply a graduated compression sock, but a totally new concept of health for your feet. It is the result of studies and research conducted in the medical field as well as in the world of sports. This synergy has produced an international patent leading to a new concept of FEETNESS.

The Recovery Sock® advantage is that it's compression socks incorporate a Patented Graduated Compression design that enhances and stimulates circulation in the lower leg - making it a superior sock. Recovery Sock's Running and Recovery Socks can help anyone looking for a boost in athletic performance!

- Worldwide Patent
- Exclusive wicking and antibacterial fiber
- Improves oxygen delivery to muscles
- Lactic acid production reduced
- Proven cramp relief
- Tested and used by World Class athletes

Compression is not a new technology; it has been used for years in medical patients with venous and arterial insufficiency. However, the application of this technology to athletics is relatively new. There is clear evidence to support compression use in promoting recovery. Using compression socks after a race or hard workout provide a substantial benefit. These garments will help to avoid venous stasis (blood pooling in the legs) and swelling. Compression is particularly helpful in depended areas of the body, such as the feet and lower legs where gravity has a greater effect on blood return. Improved blood flow after a workout results in enhanced nutrient delivery and removal of waste products to and from muscles. This creates a situation optimal for muscle repair, reduced stiffness and heaviness in the legs and possibly less soreness. Several studies have demonstrated that post exercise blood lactate levels were lower with compression sock use both during and after exercise. Other studies have demonstrated that compression socks do create a major fluid shift in the body. Compression garments are believed to improve venous blood return to the heart and allow for better cardiac output (flow of oxygenated blood from the heart) thereby aiding oxygen delivery to working muscles and increased endurance.

I decided that I would test one pair while running and then the other post-run. Here I am before sweating it up:

So, how did they work? Well, let's say I had high hopes. The socks were challenging to get on, as they are COMPRESSION socks after all. But once they were on, they were rather comfy (and SUPER CUTE might I add). But, if we're being honest here (and you know I always am) I was expecting more. Once they were on, I didn't feel like they provided any more "support" than my standard knee high athletic socks that I usually rock. With that said, I was still interested to see if they made a difference. I planned on a five mile tempo run. I figured that this would be ample time/distance/speed to test them out. Now, I'm not sure if it was. During the run, I noticed no difference from the socks I am currently wearing. In fact, I felt like there was almost too much compression on my Achilles. Not painful, just kind of annoying. I was really aware of it. (Note: this might be due to the fact that I was really paying attention to how they performed.) Overall, I'm kind of on the fence about running in them. They didn't hurt, but I'm not sure that they helped either.

For the second part of my test, I decided to wear my other pair immediately after the run and overnight to see if they helped my recovery time. Usually, when I wake up the morning after an evening run, my legs are tired. I feel it as soon as I get out of bed. Then once I get up and moving, I'm fine. On most days, I am ready to hit the pavement by 9 a.m. (two hours after waking). Today, I woke up and my legs were still tired. But, I noticed it much more in my quads than in my calves. And because of this, I was ready to run by 8:30, instead of 9. Which initially I didn't think of as much of anything. But then I thought about it. If these socks shave 30 minutes of recovery off of a five mile run, then that would be an hour off a 10 miler and two off a 20 miler. And I can see the value in that. I can also see the value in all the things that compression use has been connected to (i.e. reduced swelling, optimal muscle repair, etc.) And because of this, I am going to test them again during my long run this weekend and the recovery period afterward. Maybe then I'll be convinced. But as of right now, I'm not sure that the slightly shorter recovery is worth the hefty price tag, at least for me.

*This review is solely my opinion. I was in no way compensated for my review.