TC Loony Challenge: Virtual 2020

Registration: I register online; nice and simple.  TCM sends me an email when registration opens up.  One of the reasons people register for Loony is they really just want to run the 10 mile, and having a race or two the day before seems okay?

Packet Pickup: Packets were mailed this year.  A bit of controversy here:Based on the mailing schedule, 10K and 5K packets cannot arrive before the original race day.  Loony and some other packets were mailed a week earlier. So I had my medal and finish line ahead of Dungeon Master. Obviously we shared for the pics.

SWAG: The SWAG is good but also very bad/cheap and it annoys me.  (It's the sole reason I'm even doing a race review this year.) 

I'll start with two new items this year: the mask is on point.  It's one of the better masks I have, especially since I apparently lost my 1 mile mask?  Second, the finish line tape, which is mostly so you can take/post pics, but it's sweet. 

Old items, and things that annoy me:  The shirt for the 10K and 5K: it's ONE shirt.  They used to be two shirts of two different colors.  The medal for the 10K and 5K: It's ONE medal.  This annoys me. It's cheap.  And also unimaginative.  In every year before this, the 10K shirt had one color and the 5K shirt another.  Though in 2018 they did do the cheapass thing of having the same medals for the 5K and 10K.  Not enough people must've complained because they're still doing it.  There's also a 10mile medal and shirt, and a gift bag which looks nice.

Transportation to and from the race:  LOL.  I just left this here for fun.

Course: I made "programs' on my Garmin for the 10mile race (I was at Rush Creek Trail), the 10K race (I was on Shingle Creek), and 5K race (we were at aPalmer Lake). I just ran until my watch said I was done. 

Pace Team: For the 10mile, Olive rode her bike next to me.  10K was alone listening to The Bee Keepers Apprentice.  5K was with Dungeon Master and it's hard to tell who was pacing who in that one.

Race Recommended For:  If you're one who wants to do the 10 mile, doesn't want to do the lottery, and these other races sound fun, this is absolutely for you.  Also, I'd say people who are trying to build a base.  Normal training for Loony is back to back long runs.   

COVID Diaries - October 1

 

TC Loony Challenge Race Review

Registration Online.  Register early for the race series.  It's popular because it's a guaranteed entry to the 10 Miler.

Packet Pickup: For the series, racers get a 'Saturday' bib that uses 1 number for both races (Take a lesson Flying Pig) and one number for the Sunday Race.  The Sunday bib has a little 'Loony Challenge' emblem on the front, and you get back tags for both days.  The expo is also the TC Marathon Expo.  It has a good mix of vendors, races, and local charities.  I picked up a hat while I was there. I looked in the official store but I wasn't wild about anything they had.

SWAG:
Saturday: 10K Medal and shirt; 5K Medal and shirt, one pair of gloves.  The 10K medal and 5K medal are the same, which is different from years past, and seems pretty cheap to me.  Like, oh, now I have two of this medal.  WTF?
Sunday: 10 Mile medal and shirt.  Pair of gloves.  The shirt is neon.  It's definitely one of the uglier shirts I've ever seen. Free beer at the finish for those over 21.  This year there were vodka samples too, so that was on point.
Race Series: Vest for the series.  Medal for the series.   The vest is a pleasant surprise.  It's a nice weight, zippered pockets, and even a secret inside zipper.  The medal for the series is always one of the prettier medals I get every year.

Transportation to and from the race:
Expo: Bus to/from West 7th, where I'd parked and met a friend for lunch.
Saturday: Bus/Green Line to the races and then Green Line to Dungeon Master's car to get home
Sunday: Bus to the start line; Green Line to a stop where I met Olive and we cheered for the marathon for a while before she took me home.

Start Line:
10K/5K uses a start line next to the finish.  This year, no joke, there was a box truck parked on the course , 100ft past the start.  It was fenced off and everything.  They knew it was going to be staying there.  Truck/fencing situation lead to a horrible bottle neck after the start. They should've just fenced off the course to that width from the start for both races.  10K and 5K races are a mass start.  The 5K in particular should be a wave start.  It is way too crowded with kids seeding themselves incorrectly. 
10 Mile start line is in Minneapolis.  This year there were 4 corrals, which meant I started around 7:25am.  I was to the front of the corral, so I got to see the other corrals going off.  That was fun. The 10 Mile start is fun because some of the marathon runners come and cheer at the start line and it's one big park.

Course:
10K: Same as it always has been.  Out and back along Summit Ave with a fair amount of climbing.
5K: Reverted to the old (bad?) course after the fantastic changes they made in 2017.  The 2017 course was a loop.  The old (or current I guess?) course is an out and back with 2 way running along Summit Ave.  It is waaay to narrow for the number of people on the course, and for kids who don't get the concept of 'two way traffic'.  I watched kids and adults almost run into the elite runners coming 'back' because they were on the wrong side of the street.  This is another reason they should do wave starts.  It's just better for runner safety.  (I do think kids belong in this race and it's a well done race for kids.  There are some things the organizers could do to make it safer for all the competitors, especially kids who've never run a race before and don't know the etiquette.)
10 Mile: This course has been the same for a long time (as long as there's not a land slide in the way).  The course has a lot of climbing, particularly in the middle.  I find it challenging but super fun.

Pace Team:
10K, 5K: No pacers
10 Mile: Well, there's what the website says, and then there's what happened.  There are pacers for this race.  However, the corral/pacer situation was a total cluster.  Last year I ran a 1:54 which put me in Corral D today.  (I was 32021, and Corral D started at 32000, so I was close to getting into Corral C).  Based on last year's time of 1:54, obviously a good goal would be 1:50 right?  The 1:50 (11:00/mile) pacer was in Corral C, so I couldn't run with them.  (Ok; sometimes that's how things break down.). Oh, by the way, the 2:00 pacer (12:00/mile) also started in Corral C.  I think that person was straight up in the wrong place.  I passed her in my last mile and NO ONE was with her.   Because really, if you qualify for Corral C, you run faster than a 12:00/mile.  A lot of people in Corral D run faster than that.  For next year, if the corrals are split at the same paces, they should have a second 1:50 pacer in Corral D.  And the 2:00 pacer also needs to start in Corral D where they belong.

Fan Support:
10K, 5K: People do come out for this and stand on Summit.  It's not a ton of people but there is some support.  The chute into the finish is packed with people, so that's always a blast.
10 Mile: I thought there were more people out than last year.  Or maybe I was just paying more attention this year?  There's a ton of people downtown, and this year there were a few spots of people along the River Bottoms as well.  SE Mpls and into St Paul there were lots of people, and Summit Ave is always crazy.  I ran by the free beer at mile 8.  I thought it'd just make me sick.  Butif it's your cup of tea, it's there.  Apparently I also ran by Whiskey shots.  That doesn't sound like something I'd pass up. 

Finish:  All 3 races have the same finish line in St Paul near the Capitol.  As a runner, it's the best finish line of any race I've ever done. It is amazing.  And then there's what happens just after the finish line.
5K/10K: Finish area is super family friendly and the 'chute' is pretty small.  There's medals, water, bananas, and a couple other snacks.
10 Mile: The first part of the finisher chute is pretty standard.  Bonus here because they usually have hot broth.  Might as well be manna from heaven.  Shortly after that things go haywire.  The chute is crazy long and winding.  It's just walking around, the only other thing there is in there is baggage.  Outside the chute are a few other amenities.   The changing tent and family reunion area were in a field that was unfortunately pretty soggy this year.  In the changing tent a lot of runners stood on their mylar blankets to change and stay out of the mud. After I was warm and dry, there's a beer garden. There's also a PR bell that I couldn't find this year.  At some point, I was done walking and looking for it, so that's partly on me.

Race Recommended For:
Race Series: Is great for someone who wants to run a lot over the weekend, but not run the marathon. It's okay for slower/back of the pack runners but not walkers.  You need to run a 10K comfortably in 1:25 or less.  (Because the 5K starts 1:30 after the 10K.)  For me, training for two back to back days of racing was a good challenge for my endurance and my strength.
10K: Fasties, first timers, race walkers, anyone who loves a big race, anyone who wants to try a well supported 10K. There are race walkers and walkers in this race, but not as many as in the 5K.
5K: Fasties, first timers, race walkers, walkers, and kids who are big enough to do a 3 mile race.
10 Miler: Fasties, first timers, race walkers (I have been passed by many race walkers here), anyone who's looking to go up in distance from a 5K or 10K, anyone who wants to increase their speed over a longer race, anyone who likes climbing or hilly races.

Bonus: I put my series results on this report last year, so including it here again.

TC 10 Mile Race Report

Start time: 7am for Corral A and the elite men.  My corral started around 7:25am.
Weather: 40s, wind around 5mph.  It actually felt a bit warmer than yesterday

Wardrobe:
Pre-race: I had on throw away pants, throw away top, and throw away gloves (old pair of socks)
Race: Nike shorts, Illuminite top, fleece head band, compression socks, Skora shoes
Post-race: Wool shirt, sweat shirt, and my new Loony Challenge Vest, Hat, Sweat pants, compression socks, gloves.  I should've brought a second layer for my legs becuase I was still cold.
Transportation: I took the 5:40am bus to the race.  Post race, I took the Green Line over to Prospect Park, Olive picked me up, and we watched the marathon over in her neck of the woods.

Route: This is the regular TC 10 Mile route.  I think they legit had some of the mile markers misplaced.  I hit mile 1 early, which should not have happened, and I hit mile 2 super later.

Plan/Goals: My 'scary' goal was to run 1:50.  I kind of let that go when I realized the 1:50 pacer was not even going to be in my corral.  My A goal was to beat last year's 10 Mile and Loony Challenge times.
My 'plan' was to run a solid pace, and then not look at pace at all during the climbs.  On the climbs I used some of the advice from here including that one about 'run like we are lifting you up and carrying you to the finish' which for some reason made me feel lighter on the hills.

Execution: I did not run an 11:00/mile pace, but I did beat last year by almost a full minute. I got a little wild at the start, and paid for it later.
I had a good cadence on the hills, and just suffered up them.
I put my foot down the last mile and cruised on home.
Nutrition: I wound up being very hungry, like I wanted some calories for this run.  I had a pre run Avocado (3/4 of one) with salt.  I should've had a banana or a Larabar or something too.  I wound up taking Gatorade at miles 3.5, 5, and 7 and the calories made me feel a bit better.

Results: 1:52:58 or an 11:18 mile for the 10 Mile.   Loony Challenge results are an 11:14 mile, which is a 8 second/mile increase over last year.  Over 19+ miles, I'll take it.  That increase in speed really hurt.  Especially today.    Last year Loony Results and 10 Mile results for reference. 

From today, I learned: Hard work in training pays off on race day!
Plan for hills.
I think the marathon is going to hurt.
Don't run the first mile too fast.
More calories the second day of a two day series.
SWAG: Long sleeve shirt and a medal.  Plus a pair of gloves. And a free beer at the end of the race for those over 21 with an ID.
Remember for next time: Bring a second layer for my legs post race.
The 5:40am bus is actually the 5:36am bus on Sundays.
Bonus: There were vodka samples in the beer tent.

TC 10 Mile Race Report

Start time:7am for Corral A.  My corral started around 7:20am. I think they need more corrals because this race was crowded.

Weather: Not the best.  50s and rain, or 50s and wind.  Roads were wet.  The best part was the amazing full rainbow we saw before the start.  About three minutes before the sky opened up.

Wardrobe:
Throw away clothes: Top and bottom from GoodWill.  I took them off when Corral C started to move towards the start.
Shoes: Purple Skora Phase because I know how those shoes perform in the wet.  I was confident of my footing the entire race.
Bottoms: Nike running shorts because they had pockets for my Larabar and a zipper pocket for my keys
Top: Orange Singlet
Other: Race belt, orange visor, orange compression socks

Transportation: 5:40am bus to the race.  Dungeon master gave me a ride home which was a surprise.

Route: TC 10 Mile route. This is a hard course.  Flying Pig is hard because of the climbing.  In some ways this is harder because there's not really a down.  It's like go up and up and up and oh, look, you're done.

Plan/Goals:
Goal: My A goal is to run an 11:40 for the race series.  I knew I did well on the Saturday races but I purposefully did not look at my results before Sunday because I didn't want to be thinking did I go too hard on Saturday?  So I was really just telling myself to run 11:40s today.
Plan: My mental game was so strong this year.  I'd thought about everything, and had a plan for it.  There's all the normal stuff like when am I going to take gels and which water stops should I use?  I also thought about 'what will I tell myself on the hills?' and 'what pace/effort should I use on the big hills?'; 'what do I tell myself as people are passing me on the hills?'; 'what do I tell myself if my paces are slower than I wanted?' and 'what if it rains?' thought I admit I wasn't totally expecting that.
The real plan I kept telling myself was 'run with your heart' and 'run to feel good'. My mantra, which I also gave to Dungeon Master was “I am a discomfort master.  I thrive in all conditions.  Everything I need to succeed is already within me.  It is here to stay.” I mostly just kept saying 'I have everything I need to succeed'

Execution: Mission totally freaking accomplished.  I started off fast, totally didn't pay attention to my pace on the Franklin Ave hills, then did pay attention to pace until I got to the Cretin Ave hill.  After that, I mildly paid attention to pace but mostly tried to stay strong and feel good.  And it felt fantastic.

Nutrition:
Morning: Salted avocado slices around 5am
During race: Bite of Larabar at mile 4 or so, water just after that.  Bite or Larabar around mile 7.  That is all. The rest of the water stops were way too crowded.  I just stayed away.
Post race: Well, sigh.  This is when the wheels fell off the wagon. 

Remember for next time:
GoodWill - go on Tuesdays which is Blue Tag sale day.  I had a blast this year. 
Strong mental game is the key to having a great weekend.  This is probably the best mentally prepared I've ever been for any race.
Tapering was done correctly this year, even though it felt like too little running.  Results speak for themselves. 
Just Fine: Music is everything.   No time for negative vibes because I'm winning.  I focused on having a positive playlist for this race. Mary J Blidge carried me up 'the hill in a place where there shouldn't be a hill' AKA the River Flats. I'mma still wear a smile if it's raining.  Indeed. Other hits from this playlist include Work This Body, Mountains Beyond Mountains which is appropriate for Summit Ave, and Super Duper Love.

Bonus: I got a ride home!
I got a mug of coffee at the finish
I did not get my free beer
I did not get to ring the PR bell.  But I earned it.

TC 10 Mile - Race Review

Registration: Online.  My registration for TC 10 Mile was included by registering for the TC Summit Challenge that probably deserves it's own post.  For those not participating in a race series, the entry is by lottery.

Packet Pick Up: There is a huge race expo for the TC Race Weekend.  Races include TC 5K, TC 10K, TC 10 Mile and the Marathon, as well as a bunch of kids/family races I don't pretend to understand.  Race expo is at the Xcel Energy Center and it's always a big deal.  This year I met Olive for some big shopping.  I found good deals on running belts because all of mine seem to have broken right at the end of my training session.  Olive found her dream pillows at the expo.  We both had a good time.

Weather and Wardrobe: Start temps for the 10 mile were 35* and 90% humidity.  I wish I was joking.  I take a city bus from my house to the start line, so I was outside from 5:30am on.  Race starts at 7am for the Pro Women and my corral took off around 7:20am.

• Throw away layers: Sweat pants, a fleece top I didn't want, fleece headband, and mismatched socks used as gloves
• Shirt: I work my 'ugly Christmas sweater' running shirt and it was totally the right decision, technical short sleeve shirt underneath as well
• Bottom: Saucony full length tights
• Socks: Smart wool socks
• Shoes: Brooks Green Silence
• Head: Visor.  I did not wear sunglasses.  I thought they would've fogged instantly in all the humidity.

Start Line: Race starts in downtown Minneapolis near the Viking Ship.  (I refuse to learn the real name of the Vikings stadium).  10 Mile and Marathon have different start lines, though they are within a block or two of each other. 

• Weather: Runners were not allowed inside the Viking Ship which was a bummer because it was really cold outside.  Apparently this will be different in future years.
• Amenities: There seemed to be plenty of potties.  I walked a block or two off the starting line to use the 'Marathon' potties which had basically no line.  That's fairly amazing given the number of people there. 
• Corrals: So, my Corral seemed to have the most people.  From the train station, Corral C is the easiest to get to.  The other two corrals seemed to involve some walking, and knowing which way to go.  It didn't bother me.  I couldn't tell if the fasties I saw in my corral meant to be there, or just got to the race late and didn't really know where else to go.

Course: I finally got to test out the 'real' course.  The past two years I ran on a modified course.  West River Road had been closed due to a mud slide and ensuing reconstruction of a hill side and some other stuff.

• Downtown: The course starts in downtown and runs by the Guthrie and a few other landmarks.
• The River: Everyone remarked on how amazing this part of the course was.  There were ice chunks floating around and steam rising off the river, with the some coming up over it.  It was early in the course and fairly down hill, which also probably helped everyone's enjoyment.
• Up the hill to Franklin Bridge: Let the climbing begin.  Don't try to win the race on this hill.
• Over Franklin Bridge: There were lots of spectators here
• Up East River Road for a while: The 10 mile and marathon courses are the same on this side of the river, so I'd see marathon mile markers and I knew then I had 0.2 to go to get to the 10 mile marker.  There are a few hills, but this is the last reprieve before more climbing
• Up the hill to Cretin: Big hill.  Don't try to win the race on this hill.
• Along Summit Ave, more hills: Summit Ave is climbing to "the Summit" which means it's still a lot of up, though nothing as steep as the climb to Franking nor that damn hill before Cretin. The spectators are out in full force here and there's parties every block or two.  My favorites for this part were the sign that said "Summit Ave is your B!tch" and the people that hand out beer.
• Look for the Cathedral: Nothing like being on Summit, rounding the corner and seeing that Cathedral come out of nowhere.  Now it's really downhill to the finish. 

Finish: The finish line with the cathedral on the left and the Capital way off in the distance is fairly amazing.  Even if it didn't have the emotional piece that goes with the finish line, this part of the course would be amazing. The finish area is well done.  Bag check was easy.  There is a changing tent which I used.  Lots and lots of good food including hot broth for recovery.  And then there's the beer garden. 

Race Recommended For:

• New to going far: If you want to go longer than a 5K or 10K, this is a good step up in distance before trying the half marathon.
• Experienced: This is a great course and a well done race.  Go enjoy yourself.
• Climbers and mountain goats: Any trail person that wants to try a road race, this is the one for you.  For a road race, there is a lot of up.
• Anybody: This is a really well known and well done race.  Just try it.

My Race: I was happy with my race but disappointed with my time.  I thought I could've done a little faster given my training this year.  But when I think about how I was feeling, I was digging pretty deep.  I did go hard, and I did negative split the race. Intellectually I know I should be happy with this, but I can't help feeling a bit bummed too.

Lessons Learned: I need to have a better mental game on race day. 
The best race I had all year was Red White and Boom.  I think a big part of that was having such a strong mental game going into the race. I knew what paces I wanted to hit starting out, I knew my plan for the hill, and then I knew what I was going to do in the middle and end of the race.
This race, I knew to not start out like a nut, and not to try to win the race on any of the hills.  I had no mental game for the back half of the race other than "I wonder if I can hit this pace".
In the first part of the race, I hit paces okay.  I'm not sure if I could've gone faster in the first mile or two, but I really wasn't feeling it at the time.
I did maintain my senses on the hills and let people go by me.
Everything after the Franklin Bridge is where I had the most room for improvement. I just kind of turned off my watch and tried to go by feel.  I should've had a "try for this pace, if not, then use this pace as plan B" strategy.  I didn't have enough confidence in myself that I could hit my A paces, especially while climbing up Summit, and I didn't have a back up plan.

TC 10 Mile - 2 Weeks to Go and 1 Week to Go

Two weeks to go 
Two weeks to go started with a bad run and the panic attack from hell. Which caused me to do only heart rate based work outs and abandon all else.  Plus, I feel much better for surviving the panic attack.  And when I get done with this damn race training, I want to do all the fun things including all the classes I haven't been to in forever.  ::Phew::


Sunday
Plan: Long Run
Actual: Run 10.15 miles and I don't want to talk about it.  Walk/run 3.3 miles with a friend.  Foam roll and stretch.

Monday
Plan: Run 1 mile, elliptical the rest
Actual: 4.15 miles run outside on my favorite route.  Pity party from yesterday is over.  Today helped me remember that I like to run, and running should only be used to make myself feel good.

Tuesday
Plan: Low heart rate run, elliptical.  Lift weights?  We'll see if I've recovered from Sunday
Actual: 2.3 miles on the treadmill, Avg HR 129 (this was a good run), and then 60 mins on the elliptical.  For many reasons I opted to skip weight lifting.  The one I'll share on here is that the TRX frame is now caught in a construction zone at the gym, and it would've annoyed now.

Wednesday
Plan: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.2 miles run, very early in the morning.  Very early.

Thursday
Plan: 1 mile run, elliptical the rest this can be switched with Saturday if I want
Actual: 5.75 miles run, Avg HR 136.  Bonus spin class for 20 mins or so. 

Friday
Plan: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.21 miles.  Avg HR 126.  For such a low heart rate this was a very fast run.  Mildly encouraged.

Saturday
Plan: Low heart rate run, no more speed.  Maybe Zumba?
Actual: 4.15 miles run and some walking and taking pictures around Lake Hiawatha.  No Zumba.

One week to go
Sunday
Plan: Long Run at Ft Snelling
Actual: No long run.  I woke up not feeling it and thought to myself, "why would I do this when I feel like crap?  Rest will be better"   Instead I ran 2.55 miles to get Ice Cream and then walked 1.5 miles home.

Monday
Plan: 1 mile run, elliptical the rest
Actual: 5 mile run.  It's a gorgeous day and I was not going inside to an elliptical.  I did feel mildly guilty for not doing yesterday's last long run.

Tuesday
Plan: Low heart rate run or 1 mile run and elliptical
Actual: 1.20 miles run, low heart rate.  No elliptical. 

Wednesday
Plan: 1-4 miles run, or 1 mile run and elliptical
Actual: 4.2 miles run with a friend. 

Thursday
Plan: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.2 miles run

Friday
Plan: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.2 miles run, stretching

Saturday
Plan: 1 mile run, cheer for friends in the 5K
Actual: 1.2 miles run, stretching, yoga.  Cheering for all of my friends.  Then I spent the rest of the day watching IM Kona.

TC 10 Mile - 3 Weeks to Go

Sunday
Planned: Long Run
Actual: 12.65 miles.  This was a rough run.  I kept the heart rate in check mostly but it was slower than I wanted.  Perhaps I couldn't made better decisions last night regarding nutrition and fluid intake?

Monday
Planned: Hills or trails
Actual: 3.02 miles, little neighborhood hill route.  Apparently the bad decisions regarding nutrition and fluid continue.  I meant to do a longer

Tuesday
Planned: Low heart rate run, lift weights
Actual: 3.73 miles, Avg HR 138.  15 mins elliptical.  TRX/Kettlebell class. I got started a bit late because work was trying to win today, so I didn't spend as much time on the elliptical as normal.

Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.22 miles.

Thursday
Planned: 6-10 miles.  (I used to make this 8-10 miles and that seemed to be setting myself up for failure.)
Actual: Laid in bed instead of running.  Eventually did 1.23 miles.

Friday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.21 miles run, 3.5 miles walk with a friend.

Saturday
Planned: Constant speed 20 mins, 5 recover; 15 mins, 4 recover; 10 mins
Actual: 20 mins at 10:37 pace (this was a mistake); 15 mins at 11:12 pace; 10 mins at 11:25 pace including that massive hill at the end.  I ran the first 20 mins by feel.  Mistake because I took it out way too fast, and it made it hard to hold the pace at the end.  All valuable lessons for race day.

TC 10 Mile - 4 Weeks to Go

This is a Step Back Week.  It was perfectly timed to coincide with my parents visit.  I am so glad I didn't have to fit in a long run while they were here.

Sunday
Planned: Low mileage, low HR
Actual: 4.15 miles, Avg HR 133 (though honestly the HR was all over the place).  Bonus walk around Lake Harriet with the parents.

Monday
Planned: Low mileage, low HR
Actual: 4.15 miles with a friend.  This was a speedier run than I had planned, but I loved the company.  Zumba in the evening with Mom.

Tuesday
Planned: Low HR run, lift weights
Actual: 1.21 miles running, Avg HR 134.  60 mins elliptical.  TRX/Kettlebell class.  Foam roll. The trainer introduced the rowing machine today.  It was much harder the way she does it than the way I'd been doing it.

Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.21 miles, Avg HR 132.  I just ran a 12:45 mile with a heart rate below 140! 

Thursday
Planned: 6+ miles
Actual: 4.12 miles.  So many excuses in my head for doing a short run.  But really, it was a good run and I'm okay with it.

Friday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.2 miles run.  Bonus walk at Palmer Lake with a friend. We saw a turtle and called it our spirit animal.

Saturday
Planned: Constant speed 3x10 Mins, 4 mins recovery
Actual: Completed.  Laps were at 10:56, 10:59 and 10:52.  I found myself liking this workout a lot.  Bonus walk at Lake Calhoun with a friend.  Today we saw an Eagle and said that was our spirit animal.

TC 10 Mile - 5 Weeks to Go

Sunday
Planned: Long Run
Actual: 10.91 mile run, Celebrating Franklin Ave Bridge and W River Parkway finally being done with construction.  20 mins kettle bells.  10 mins stretching.  I wanted a run just a bit longer than this route.  Since mileage was a little less, I went a bit harder with the weights.

Monday
Planned: Hills or trails
Actual: 6.61 miles, 50th/Lyndale route.  There were a lot of people out today, biking with kids and walking dogs.  I was glad for the parts of this route that were nowhere near the creek and therefore way less crowded.

Tuesday
Planned: Low heart rate run, lift weights  (am now realizing this has to happen in the morning because I have family coming into town in the evening)
Actual: 2.35 miles treadmill run.

Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 5.11 miles low heart rate run, Avg HR 138.  28 mins body weight finisher.  Tuesday and Wednesday got flip flopped this week.  I couldn't go to the gym this morning (where the actual weights are), so I did something else.
4X 15 push ups, 15 calf raises each leg, 25 squats, 25 single leg dead lifts each leg; then walking leg raises, walking bicycles, and that twisty motion that I don't have a name for.  The 4 sets of the first stuff was awful.  Never again do I want to do 25 single leg dead lifts per leg 4 times through.  That was forever long.
Update from days later: 4x25 single led dead lifts/leg is too high volume, even without weights.  My ham strings were shot for several days. 

Thursday
Planned: 8-10 miles
Actual: 5.75 miles (or so, GPS had an issue).  This was a hot, and not purposefully high heart rate run.  I was glad when it was over.

Friday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.24 miles in the cool morning weather.  Excellent.

Saturday
Planned: Pick speed work or do an easy run
Actual: 4.15 miles easy. It was cool enough I wanted to run, but I was exhausted and didn't feel like speed work.

TC 10 Mile - 6 Weeks to go

This is what training while not having good mental health looks like.

Sunday
Planned: Long Run Hill Run
Actual: 5.25 miles of my creek/48/46/44th hill run route.  At 4:48am.  I swapped long run and hill run days this week, so that I could cram in the State Fair on Sunday.

Monday
Planned: Hill Run Long Run
Actual: 11.32 miles, interval run.  No one is more surprised this actually happened than me.

Tuesday
Planned: Low HR run, lift weights
Actual: 1.20 miles.  I felt like crap.

Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 5.2 miles.  15 mins kettle bells.  This doesn't totally make up for yesterday, but it is a step  in the right direction.  PS - I've accepted what kind of person I am and set my alarm for a late wake up call. That 8-10 miles is happening in the afternoon tomorrow.

Thursday
Planned: 8-10 miles
Actual: 4.1 miles at the end of the day, and it was a miracle that I got that far.  Go ahead, ask me how I'm doing.

Friday
Planned: 1 mile run
Actual: 1.23 miles.  Bonus walk around Palmer Lake with a friend.

Saturday
Planned: W/u; Constant speed 20mins, 5 mins recover; 15 mins, 4 mins recover; 10 mins; c/d
Actual:

• 20 mins at 11:09 pace 
• 15 mins at 11:07 pace
• 10 mins at 11:56 pace. 

I was happy with the first two efforts and exhausted by the last effort which involved a fairly big hill.  I did the run much more by effort than by pace.  I was glad I didn't go out too hard, but also having second thoughts about my goal race pace.

TC 10 Mile - 7 Weeks to Go

Sunday
Planned: Long Run Hill Run
Actual: 7.95 miles, all the hills Cincinnati has to offer.  I don't have a 10-12 mile route in Cincinnati  and it seemed silly not to take advantage of the hills, so I swapped long day with hill day this week.

Monday
Planned: Hill Run  Long Run
Actual: 11.2 miles on the Minnetonka LRT trail.  This was not my favorite run ever, but I was happy to get out and visit this trail.

Tuesday
Planned: Low heart rate run, lift weights
Actual: 6.14 miles, Avg HR 133.  TRX/Kettlebell class.

Wednesday
Planned: 1 mile easy
Actual: 1.21 miles, 8 minute abs.

Thursday
Planned; 8-10 miles, Z3  Run by feel
Actual: 8.01 miles.  Run by feel worked really well.  For the main set Avg HR of 145. Go me!  Quick finisher of 10xsquats, lunges, calf raises, single leg dead lifts.

Friday
Planned: 1 mile easy
Actual: 1.23 miles in the morning before work

Saturday
Planned: Constant speed 2x 20 mins, 5 mins recover
Actual: Set 1 in 11:03/mile,  Set 2 in 11:31/mile.  This was not a good run.  First, I was wearing shorts that ride up like no other and I was wicked uncomfortable.  Second, I started out Set 1 waaaay too fast and paid the price.  I guess that's a good lesson for race day.  I don't know why I have to keep learning it over and over and over this year.