TC 10K - 2 Weeks to Go

Sunday planned: Run 1 miles
Sunday actual: Run 1.18 miles, walk 2 miles
From today, I learned: I had a much better warm up than yesterday.  So that's progress.

Monday planned: Quality workout
Monday actual: Tempo workout on the treadmill done.  Early but not at the very crack of dawn. Bonus abs and leg day.
From today, I learned: Getting out of bed was the hardest part of this workout.  No joke.

Tuesday planned: Run 1 miles; Tuesday weights
Tuesday actual: 1.3 miles on the treadmill.  Tuesday weights and abs done.
From today, I learned: It's always hard to run after weight lifting.  Sometimes I feel like the treadmill is going way too slow.

Wednesday planned: 5 miles easy
Wednesday actual: 4.34 miles done in the morning, listening to an audio book about investing.
From today, I learned: I did this one in the dark, because my body woke me up naturally at 5am.

Thursday planned: 4 miles easy; Thursday weights
Thursday actual: 5.19 miles; Thursday weights.  (Mileage is swapped for yesterday.)
From today, I learned: I ran by my coach this morning, we were going opposite directions though.  I had a bonus walk with Dungeon Master in the evening.

Friday planned: 4 miles easy
Friday actual: 5.15 miles in the middle of the day listening to a book.
From today, I learned: I felt like garbage starting this run, but felt better as I went on, so I went a bit long.

Saturday planned: 5 miles easy
Saturday actual: 4.99 miles of trying to outrun a headache
From today, I learned: It is sort of possible to outrun a headache.

Quality Miles Monday: The Three Two workout

Plan: Warm up; 6x 3:00 at race pace, 2:00 easy, cool down
Actual Mileage: 0.75 miles walking warm up; 3.85 miles working out.  No cool down because I had to, um, jump off the treadmill for a moment.
Route: Treadmill!   Actual paces were
First 10 mins started at 4.1mph and went up 0.1mph every 2mins as a running warm up after the walking warmup.
3:00 at 6.2mph, 2:00 at 4.5mph
3:00 at 6.2mph, 2:00 at 4.6mph
3:00 at 6.2mph, 2:00 at 4.7mph
3:00 at 6.2mph, 2:00 at 4.8mph
3:00 at 6.2mph, 2:00 at 4.9mph
3:00 at 6.2mph, 2:00 at 5.0mph
And then I gradually backed off the pace from 5.0mph down as my cool down.  But I had to abort the cool down and go handle some other business instead.
High Points of the workout: I felt like I could do this all day.  My pace felt smooth.  Even as I made the 'easy' times harder, they felt like a rest. Coach asked me my favorite workout of the actual workouts and this may be it.  Or maybe it was just having a good day.
Struggles of the workout: Keeping it real here.  I almost did not get out of bed for this.  Hardest part of today was waking up.  And then trying not to poop my pants, but we're all good there.
From the high points, I learned: I practiced staying calm even when my lungs were burning.  I'll need that on race day.
From the struggles, I learned: I'm glad I didn't let myself go back to sleep. Because here we were at 9am and my workout is all done for the day.
Next steps: As I was running, I started thinking about the last time I really raced hard, and how excited I was for that race, and how excited I was about being on the pain train the entire time.  Really. I could not wait.  So, I'm putting myself in that head space again.  Ride the pain train.  It'll be great!
Bonus: I did legs and abs today, since I didn't really do a good cool down on the treadmill.

TC 10K - 3 Weeks to Go

Sunday planned: Run 1 miles
Sunday actual: 1.24 miles.  Bonus 3 miles walk with Dungeon Master. Leg day.
From today, I learned: Just running in the heat in advance of tomorrow.

Monday planned: Quality workout
Monday actual: Quality workout 3x1 mile at race pace with coach. 
From today, I learned: I got to meet my coach in real life!

Tuesday planned: Run 1 miles; Tuesday weights
Tuesday actual: 1.3 miles on the treadmill.  Tuesday weights done.  Tuesday abs done.
From today, I learned: I did heavy squats with my knees banded today, and that was the correct cue for me.  I think my form was much better.

Wednesday planned: 6 miles easy
Wednesday actual: 4.24 miles in the middle of the day.  Listening to a book.
From today, I learned: This was a fun run.  I like the reading/running combo.

Thursday planned: 4 miles easy; Thursday weights
Thursday actual: 5.89 miles (6 miles run from yesterday); Thursday weights
From today, I learned: This was a nice/easy run, but my legs felt tired because I lifted weights first

Friday planned: 4 miles easy
Friday actual: 4.38 miles in the heat
From today, I learned: This run was all about "where is the shade?"  Literally, that's all I wanted, the whole time.

Saturday planned: 6 miles long run
Saturday actual: 6.7 miles over the tracks and around the lake in Robbinsdale.
From today, I learned: I learned how to complain about a train blocking the road for too long. Or, I made an attempt by emailing 311.

6 miles in the "it won't rain"

Plan: 6 miles easy
Actual Mileage: 6.7 miles

Route: Over the tracks, along Victory Memorial Parkway and around Crystal Lake
Weather: Weather channel said it wouldn't rain. That was a lie, but it didn't rain a lot.
High Points of the workout: I started going harder and harder at the end.  Just to let myself get used to the feeling of going hard and not panicking.

Struggles of the workout: I was really stiff when I started out.  Super stiff.

From the high points, I learned: Go hard.  It can be fun.
From the struggles, I learned: Perhaps I should, like, do a warm up?  I mean, really, this is one of the things I improved a lot for weight lifting.  I do a much longer warm up now.  Maybe I should think about doing one for running.
Next steps: I'm sure I'll be on YouTube all day thinking about running warm ups.

Bonus: I learned how to use 311 to complain about a train blocking an intersection for too long.

Quality Miles Monday: Running with coach

Plan: Warm up.  3x 1 mile at race pace; 5:00 easy.  Cool down

Actual Mileage:  5.90 miles

Route: Out and back through Loring Park and on the Cedar Lake Trail

Weather: Super hot.  It was about 85* with humidity but there was also wind.  We are having what Minnesota calls "second summer".  It's the season right after "false fall".

High Points of the workout: The first mile went well and was smoother than I expected.  Coach was telling me to slow down so that was nice.

Struggles of the workout: The second mile felt hard.  The third mile felt slightly better until I felt like I was going to poop my pants.  So I had to decide how exactly I was going to embarrass myself with Coach.  Either stop the third set early or have a different issue.

From the high points, I learned: The beginning of the race may feel okay.  I need to watch my pacing.  It was much easier to not go out like a nut with someone else there.

From the struggles, I learned: The rest of the race is going to be hard. I will need to keep working so it doesn't hit me like a truck.

Next steps: I think I could've prepared for this run more mentally.  In my head I was all "Oh, I'm going to have someone to run with so it won't be so bad."  No.  WTF.  It's still crazy hard work.  So I will still need to do all the normal 'mental' work ahead of the race.  Picturing things going well, and thinking how I want to react if something doesn't go as expected.

Bonus: I kept thinking of all these things I wanted to tell my coach  except I was super out of breath and couldn't talk.  I was saying "me being quiet doesn't mean I'm grumpy" At least we know I was working because that was not my conversation pace!

Never Have I Ever...

Taking the Long Way Home wants to know all the rules I've broken while running:

Never Have I Ever:

Banditted a race: Definitely.  The most memorable one I straight up did not pay for was one of those night color/light runs that costs like $60/person, has no chips, and is super  crowded.  It was so crazy busy I just lined up with my friends and had my jacket on so no one noticed that I didn't have a bib. I did not feel bad.

Performed a snot rocket/farmer blow: How is this even a question?

Tripped when running and was seen: The most memorable time was when I fell head over heels and some guy stopped and was looking at me.  I was like "yeah, come back, I need your help". It's better to fall when only one person can see you because they stop.  If it's a crowd everyone ignores you.

Gone #1 outside when running: Yes.

Gone #2 outside when running: Yes. The first time I had to do this it really freaked me out.  I've gotten much calmer since then.

Stopped to use a construction port o pot: For sure.

Had a black toenail from running: I definitely did after running Amsterdam, but generally I've been pretty lucky.

Painted nail polish on a toe where a nail used to be: I've had black nails but haven't yet lost any.

Worn bandaids on my nipples: No.  I feel like this is a guy thing.

Owned more than 5 pairs of running shoes at once: Yes.

Literally run errands: Yes. I have.  But it really depends on the errands.  Like, I've never just run over to the grocery store.

Stopped running and; walked home: Yes.

Stopped running and; called for a ride: Not yet.

Worn more than one running watch at a time: No. But I have definitely run a watch and multiple apps on my phone.

Run after 10pm or before 5am: Yes.  Both?  Have we talked about all the times I've run Ragnar?

Run with a dog: Yes.  This is a rare thing, but it has happened.

Puked from running: Yes.  After one of the Flying Pig Halfs.

Slept in my running clothes:  Again.  Have we talked about Ragnar?
Run in a costume: Yes.  Many times.

Run a beer mile: I mean, no.  But, Ragnar?  Also, Brew to Brew?

Planned a vacation around a race: Of course!  Amsterdam and a few trips to Cincinnati.

TC 10K - 4 Weeks To Go

So I had this post almost completely ready to go and then suddenly, it was blank.  Sigh.

Sunday: 3.3 miles in the afternoon.  I honestly wasn't sure this would happen though, so go me!
Monday: 3.9 miles on the treadmill doing a tempo workout.  Plus bonus walking before and after the workout and bonus abs.
Tuesday: 5.85 miles in the morning, Tuesday weights.  Weights were actually done before the run due to sunrise times and not wanting to run parts of this in the dark. 
Wednesday: 4.2 miles in the afternoon.  With a poop break.  That could've been much worse.
Thursday: 1.3 miles on the treadmill. Thursday weights.
Friday: 3.2 miles in the morning.  First headlight run of the year.  After this I started shopping for more reflective gear! 
Saturday: 6.3 miles, long run with tempo miles at Palmer Lake.

Long Run Saturday

Plan: 6 miles; middle 2 miles at race pace

Actual Mileage: 6.3 miles, plus 0.3 miles walking back to the car

Route: Two laps around Palmer Lake plus a walking cool down.

Weather: Low 60s and a touch of wind

Wardrobe: I wore a dark blue shirt because the sun is shining and I wanted to feel the heat and the solar power.

High Points of the workout: First "fast" mile felt strong.

From the high points, I learned:  I actually was probably going too fast at some points.  My pacing was really uneven.

Struggles of the workout: Second "fast" mile was a struggle. I felt like I slowed down but I definitely tried to keep kicking.

From the struggles, I learned: I kept a good attitude in my head, after an initial "I can't kick that hard for that long" I was all "if you think you can't or you think you can, you're right" and then I tried harder.  So that was positive.

Next steps: I told my coach I am definitely looking forward to running with her.  I think having another person around to pace off of will be a real boost for me.  Looking at this has also helped me understand why I like doing these fast paced workouts on the treadmill.  My pacing doesn't get nearly as screwed up.
 

Bonus: I did leg day exercises after the run and then walked back to my car.

Quality Miles Monday: Half Mile Repeats

Plan: 4x0.5 miles at 10:00/mile, 0.25 miles easy

Actual Mileage:
0.75miles walking warm up
4 miles - actual work out including 0.5 miles running cool down
0.25 miles walking cool down

Route: I did this on the treadmill.

Execution:
0.75 miles walking warm up, watch off.  Starting at 3.0mph and going eventually up to 3.6mph
0.5 miles 'warm up' running going from 4.2 to 4.4mph
Sets 1, 2, and 3 were 0.5 miles at 6.1mph or 9:50/mile, and 0.25 miles at 4.4mph (I think)
Set 4 started at 6.1mph until half way, and then incrementally got jacked up all the way to 6.6mph, but most of it was at 6.1 and 6.2mph.
Running cool down was starting at 4.9mph and basically going down 0.1mph every 0.1 miles, until I got to 4 miles.
0.25 miles walking cool down.
Bonus abs workout as well

From today, I learned: My first point here is that I legit took out my ear buds for this workout.  It was easier for me to count my paces and stay in a rhythm that way.
Second point is I tried to focus on having 'light' footsteps.  The first set, I felt like my foot was slapping the treadmill or something.
Third point is that I really tried to not have "chicken wings" on the treadmill.  Which is an issue I've noted in the past as well.  I did try to tuck in and stay compact.
Fourth point is that I'm glad I could keep running after the fourth set.  Even though part of me was all "how am I going to run a whole race faster than this?!?" 

Bonus: The showers at the gym are not fixed.  Apparently they'll be done tomorrow.

TC 10K - 5 Weeks to Go

Sunday planned: 3 miles easy
Sunday actual: 1.19 miles after walking around the state fair all day with Olive.
From today, I learned: Coach totally understood why I did not do this workout as written!

Monday planned: Quality workout
Monday actual: Run 5 miles easy, in circles, listening to an audio book.  In the heat.
From today, I learned: I was in my bliss.  I loved the book.  The heat didn't bother me.

Tuesday planned: Run 1 miles, Tuesday weights
Tuesday actual: 1.25 miles.  Tuesday weights.  Bonus Tuesday Abs
From today, I learned: It was a gorgeous looking day outside but the winds were 25mph, so I ran on the treadmill.

Wednesday planned: 5 miles easy
Wednesday actual: Quality workout, swapped with Monday
From today, I learned: This workout always looks easier than it is. It's always hard.  But it may be one I just keep doing forever to get better at it.

Thursday planned: Run 1 miles, Thursday weights
Thursday actual: Run 4.5 miles on Blue Hill trail.  Thursday weights.  Bonus leg exercises
From today, I learned: My biggest learning was lifting weights.  I did my normal warm up and then basically ran through it again, and I felt a big difference when I got to the actual weights.  It was easier for me to keep my knees/toes in the right position.

Friday planned: 4 miles easy
Friday actual: 1.2 miles in the morning before work
From today, I learned: I had a great run yesterday.  I'm okay with taking it easy today.

Saturday planned: 7 miles long run
Saturday actual: 7.1 miles, back and forth around Lake Nokomis.  This is after a 3 mile bonus walk and checking out Monarch Festival with Dungeon Master.  I stretched after the run and then again in the evening.
From today, I learned: This wound up not on purpose being a progression run.  The last running mile I was like "just go hard to that tree" and then "now go hard to the next tree" all the way around the lake. 

Quality Wednesday: This workout still looks easier than it is

Plan: Warm up, then sets of 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 minutes at progressively faster speeds with 2mins in between for rests.  Cool down.
Actual Mileage: 2.5 miles running, 1 miles for a warm up and cool down
Route: Warm up and cool down were on the track.  The main sets were on the treadmill for speed accuracy. 
Execution: I decided, because this workout looks mild on paper, that I'd try to run each set slightly faster than the first time I ran this workout.  So, what happened was
5:00 at 5.8mph or 10:21/mile
4:00 at 6.1mph or 9:50/mile
3:00 at 6.1mph or 9:50/mile
2:00 at 6.3mph or 9:31/mile, and this is about where I tore my headsets out because music was making things worse
1:00 at either 6.3 or 6.4mph, I honestly can't remember which.  Again, in silence because music was not helping my rhythm at that point.
From today, I learned: This workout always looks much milder than it really is.  I think I would've done better with a longer workout on the treadmill before I started jacking up the speed.
I'm proud of myself for trying to make this one just slightly harder and sticking with the pain.
Bonus: I did 'leg day' exercises as my warm up as well.

TC 10K - 6 Weeks to Go

Sunday planned: Run 1 miles
Sunday actual: Walk a couple miles, run 1, foam roll
From today, I learned: I'm digging the foam roller

Monday planned: Tempo workout
Monday actual: Tempo workout sort of accomplished.  Foam rolling accomplished
From today, I learned: I tried the hard thing and came up a bit short, but I have time to keep trying

Tuesday planned: Run 1 miles, Tuesday weights
Tuesday actual: Run 1.3 miles outside.  Bonus plyos after the run, 2:00 only.
Tuesday weights done.  Bonus Tuesday abs also done. 
From today, I learned: Point 1: My 'oustide' route by the gym is 1.3 miles.  My watch gets lost sometimes.
Point 2: There's only 1 working shower at the downtown gym (for women) until after September 6. That was new information for me today.  Luckily the logistics worked out.
Really, I'm proud of myself for trying to get the 'extras' done like abs and trying plyos.

Wednesday planned: Run 5 miles easy
Wednesday actual: 4.5 miles on Blue Hill trail. (Twice in two weeks!)
From today, I learned: I felt like garbage again today. Belatedly I realized that this run and Monday's crap show could be related to current biological needs.  Sigh.

Thursday planned: Run 1 miles, Thursday weights
Thursday actual: 1.17 miles on the Midtwon track.  Thursday weights.
From today, I learned: Point 1 - Downtown womens showers are under construction.  Point 2 - I think it's time to start using the notebook again for weights workouts.

Friday planned: Run 3 miles easy
Friday actual: 3.34 miles in the morning, bonus 'leg day' before the run
From today, I learned: Those leg exercises may or may not be meant to do before a run.  They may not be 'dynamic' enough.

Saturday planned: Long Run
Saturday actual: 8 Miles at Elm Creek.  Bonus 'leg day' workout at the end.
From today, I learned: Something happens on Saturday mornings at Elm Creek.  It's good I got there early.  I said I saw more people today at Elm Creek than all of the other people I have ever seen there, so it was quite a crowd!

Liz Dream: just (sort of) like real life

Liz Dream:
I was going to see this patient.  But in the dream and in real life, the ‘patient' is also the author of a blog I read.  So I had to act like not a total creeper while talking to Blog Author about his health care directive wishes.  And the children of Blog Author kept coming in and just being little kids and Blog Author kept having to wait for spouse to come shooo the kids away so we could continue talking about “what if you need CPR or a feeding tube”.

I was late leaving that house because of all the interruptions with the kids, and because health care directives take for ever.  Even in dreams I can't make this shorter.   So obviously I didn’t get to eat lunch. So much of this dream is like real life.

I think I may have wound up raiding Blog Author’s pantry (it could’ve been my own food, that part of the dream is hazy) and wound up with pretzels and crackers and instant mac n cheese and similar high carb comfort foods. (Mmmmm.  That part of the dream is probably based on my current W30 status)

Excellent.  High car comfort foods! Because: my next patient was feeling nauseous and needed help picking different foods that he could eat.  So dream social work Liz is all “I’ll just bring this guy some food and we can try it together.  I’ll get lunch and he can sample.”

Y’all, my next dream patient was Dwayne the Rock Johnson.  Dream social work Liz brought kraft mac n cheese to the Rock and he straight up loved it.

Quality Miles Monday - not so fast?

Plan: 3x 1 mile at goal race pace

Actual Mileage: 5.58 miles

Route: Along the creek and the river, the 'longer' route goes farther north before coming home

Weather: Glorious.  In the 60s with some wind.  I was planning on doing this one on the treadmill.  (Perhaps that would've been the better choice?)  I just couldn't make myself go inside for this one. 

Execution: From "ok" to 'meh' to 'big fat fail'

• Warm up: I warm up over a mile, because I had to make sure I wasn't going to get stopped by a train in the middle of a fast set.
• Round 1: 10:04/mile.  This is basically the right pace, a couple seconds off, but there's a lot of twists and turns under the bridges down there.
• Round 2: 10:46/mile.  This is too slow. Oh good, I'm starting up a hill, my favorite I knew this one might be off.  I tried not to care, but also to make up the speed.
• Round 3: 11:04/mile.  I don't know what my issue was here.  I was soooo stiff, I just could not make my body turn over any faster. I really tried to focus on a strong back kick and 'clawing' the ground to propel myself forward but nothing helped.

From today, I learned: I'm still processing.  I think I could've hit the paces on a treadmill but it would've been hard.  But I need to learn how to hit these paces on the road.  So I'm not sure if I should just never see the treadmill again, or if I should go there sometimes for a morale boost. For today, I think I'm proud of myself for trying the harder thing even though it didn't work out perfectly.

Bonus: Let me tell you about all of the cooking I did today.  It's been wild! I'm sort of doing W30, but obviously not the full on version because the first thing I did was...

• Making yogurt.  This is my first attempt.  I used whole milk and no cream.  It's currently straining in the fridge to turn into 'Greek' yogurt.
• Rosemary Chicken Thighs with fresh rosemary from my garden. I used lemon juice from a whole lemon instead of broth for my marinade.  And there's a lot of garlic in mine.  I think it's the best chicken I've ever made.
• I had the chicken with some potatoes and some Sage Mushrooms (the sage is also from my garden).  Fungus was made yesterday.
• Chile Verde is made but I have not cooked up the meat with it.  My slow cooker was busy making yogurt.
• Lastly, I made Steak Bites for lunch for the week.  I knew my mental health was improving today when I set off the smoke detector and got annoyed rather than having a panic attack.  Life is what it is. 

Favorite Running Shoes: 2019

The number of times I've talked about shoes on this blog is really impressive.  How to tie shoes comes up more often than you'd think.  Early on I realized whatever shoes I like, they will stop making.  Then I started experimenting with new brands of shoes.  Last year, Tuesdays on the Run also asked about the shoe situation. 

Today is the 2019 Shoe Situation. Thanks again to Tuesdays on the Run. 

I have four pairs of shoes in the current (read: summer) rotation.  I don't know why my NB Minimus aren't in the rotation right now.  Perhaps I should find them in my closet?  My big "trail shoes" I wear a lot in the winter in the snow, but they go dark in the summer.

Xero Prio are my ''easy day' shoes and also my main weightlifting shoes. I wear their cousins, the lena to work most days.

Merrell Trail Crusher (another in the long list of shoes they don't make anymore) are another 'easy day' run as well as any run with a varied surface.  I've run some races in different versions of this shoe.

Brooks Launch are my "fast day" shoes for tempo runs, hard treadmill runs, and 'speed' workouts.  To me, they feel like "a lot of shoe" but to most people they are more like flats.

Skora Phase are my racing shoes, rainy day running shoes, and sometimes weight lifting shoes. These are the best shoes I have for running in the rain.  The sole is beyond 'sticky'.

Long Run Friday: Blue Hill Trail

Plan: 7 miles easy
Actual Mileage: 8 miles.  Because logistics.

Route: I ran the "long" Blue Hill Trial Loop first.  On my second time around, I took a shortcut across the top, just to decrease the mileage.

Weather: 70s, partly cloudy, a bit of wind.  Absolute heaven!
Wardrobe: I wore an Ink N Burn outfit with compression socks for this one.  Long socks is one of my only requirements for trail running.  I used my Merrels today and they did great. I could've actually done this one in my Minimus shoes if I'd planned ahead.
Execution: This was actually a hard run.  The footing wasn't as good as it has been in the past.  Mostly due to unevenness of the grass and tons of groundhog mounds.  (Or really, name your subterranean mammal that digs mounds, I'm not fussy.) 

From today, I learned: I'm proud of myself for gritting this one out.  I focused a lot on "leading with my hips" up the hills and on the uneven footing.  And then I focused on really enjoying the spots with great footing.

Bonus: This is the trail I think "If Chris ever comes to town, I'm taking him here and showing him all the poop".  There was one pile I am reluctant to identify as bear poop.  It was big.  But I don't want that to mean there are bears near that trail.

Would you ever...

I was reading a race recap and at the end, the author asks " Do you have a hard time paying for local races if you run the route on a regular basis?" which obviously turned my brain on.  There are some races here I adore, train on the course, and look forward to.  And there are some that I'm like "no, this is a stupid course and I cannot deal".  There's also a couple that I'm all "no, this is a ridiculous race organizer and they cannot have my money".

Races I'll definitely run, and I do train on the course:
Twin Cities Marathon and TC 10 Miler: I will always pay for because they are THE race of the year, and usually my A race. Races and packet pick up are really well organized (which feels different than the authors post).  It's such a fun atmosphere because it pulls out tons of people from the community.   The race is so well supported that runners can really get the best out of themselves on the course.

Get in Gear (when it doesn't conflict with the Flying Pig).  Again, it's a well organized race.  I and friends of mine have had a blast there in the past.  It's also sometimes used as a championship race so it pulls in some super fast runners.  I haven't run this one a ton because it's the week before Flying Pig, but I often come out and cheer. Last time I was there to run, I had a great race.

Flying Pig.  Not that I live in Cincinnati but I train on the full course when I'm home (miles 10-13 or so?).  When I'm doing long runs, I do wind my way down to the half marathon course as well.  Again, it's THE race for the area.  It's well supported.  Also, these miles of the race are not known for their nature and scenery.  Cheering crowds are usually a lot of fun though.

Races I'll sometimes run, and I do train on the course:
5K at Lake Nokomis: Am I in the mood to race?  Is the race reasonably priced?  Do I like the race organizer?  If the answers to those questions are yes, I'd hit it up whenever.  But there are some crazy expensive races sometimes (Hot Chocolate Run?  Bacon Run?  Pretty much any race named after a food.)

Races I don't plan to run because of the course:
City of Lakes Half Marathon is two loops around Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska. Just, no.  I'm not paying any money for that course.  It's a two loop course, which is boring, and I can only imagine how crowded it gets when the fasties are on their second loop.

Hot Dash.  I'm sorry, I totally avoid this one.  (Even though it's a TCM race, which means it's well organized.)  This is a different course than the year I ran it.  Even now, it feels like 'these are the roads the City of Minneapolis will let us use today' rather than a course that really captures my interest.

Bonus: Races I don't train on the course a ton, but I love the idea of the course: 
Red White and Boom has a great course.  It's the only really big event I know of that highlights Victory Memorial Parkway and North Minneapolis.

TC 10K - 7 Weeks To Go

Sunday planned: Run 1 miles
Sunday actual: 1.25 miles back and forth by Mom and Dad's house
From today, I learned: Get up and get it done.

Monday planned: 5 miles easy
Monday actual: 4.65 miles "easy" on the Cincinnati hills.
From today, I learned: I love running down hill most of all things in life!

Tuesday planned: Run 1 miles, Tuesday weights
Tuesday actual: Run 1.19 miles in the morning.  I did not do weights.
From today, I learned: Going back on the W30 type way of eating, I always feel like death!

Wednesday planned: Quality miles Monday today
Wednesday actual: I nailed the workout!
From today, I learned: Focus, determination, and a positive attitude really helped me here.

Thursday planned: Run 1 miles, Thursday weights
Thursday actual: Run 1.3 miles (or so, my GPS gets lost downtown).  Tuesday weights today, and Tuesday Abs as well.
From today, I learned: I applied my determination attitude to abs and it was genuinely helpful.

Friday planned: 3 miles easy
Friday actual: 8 miles on Blue Hill Trail
From today, I learned: This was a harder trail run for me.  The footing wasn't as good this time, mostly due to moles or groundhogs or some other mammal that puts mounds all over the place.  I'm glad I made the effort.  It was a gorgeous day

Saturday planned: 7 miles long run
Saturday actual: 3.27 miles, easy in the morning
From today, I learned: I was sore as crap after the trail run.  It took me the first 2 miles to warm up.

Quality Miles Wednesday: Lactate threshold workout on the mill

Plan: Warm up 1 mile
15 mins at 10:45/mile, 5 mins easy
10 mins at 10:00/mile, 5 mins easy
5 mins at "as fast as I can", 5 mins easy
Cool down
Actual Mileage: 0.8 miles walking warm up,  4.3 miles for the "workout" and 0.4 miles walking cool down.
Route: I was on a treadmill so I could hit the paces properly.
Execution:
Walking warm up: 0.8 miles, I started at 3.0mph and jacked it 0.1mph every couple of minutes.
5 mins easy running, 4.2mph- just to get things started
15mins at 5.6mph or 10:42/mile.  First couple minutes felt like death and then it was all "wow, I could actually go faster than this if I needed to.  Okay"  Followed by 5mins at 4.2mph
10mins at 6.0mph or 10:00/mile.  Again, the beginning sucked followed by "okay, this is faster but I'm doing okay here, just see how far I can get"  Followed by 5mins at 4.2mph
4 mins at 6.2mph or 9:40/mile and the last 1mins at 6.3mph or 9:32/mile
5 mins easy running
Walking cooldown going the other way with the speed.
From today, I learned: This was the best attitude I've had almost any workout I've tried.  I was open to the pain and learning from the pain, and really just wanted to get this thing right.  It was a hard workout, and not one I'd like to do often but I can do it.  Doing it right made me feel great.
Bonus: I told my coach I was so happy for myself to get this one right!

TC 10K - 8 Weeks To Go

Sunday planned: Run 1 miles
Sunday actual: Walked 1 mile, ran 1.16 miles, walked 1 mile home
From today, I learned: I got up in the morning just thinking I'd run, but then I'm all "I could walk to the marsh and run there" So that's what happened.  Then I had donuts for breakfast.

Monday planned: 4 miles easy
Monday actual: 4.22 miles in the morning.  Tuesday weights in the afternoon becuase I have scheduling issues this week.
From today, I learned: This was actually a fun run.  I literally tried to stop and enjoy the flowers because it was an easy day.

Tuesday planned: Run 1 miles, Tuesday weights
Tuesday actual: 1.35 miles in the morning.
From today, I learned: Getting up early paid off.

Wednesday planned: Hill repeats
Wednesday actual: Hill repeats in Cincinnati. Same route as here.
From today, I learned: That hill is crazy steep.

Thursday planned: Run 1 miles, Thursday weights
Thursday actual: 1.21 miles in the morning.  No weights because I'm on vacation.
From today, I learned: It's hot in Cincinnati.  Also I wished I'd worn clean clothes because I ran into a neighbor of Mom and Dad who actually wanted to hug me.

Friday planned: 4 miles easy
Friday actual: 1.25 miles in the morning.
From today, I learned: There was no way I was running 4 miles this morning.  Sometimes it's better to rest.

Saturday planned: 6 miles, middle 2 at race pace
Saturday actual: 6 miles, middle 2 at 9:55 and 10:15/mile, so not perfect but definitely a solid effort.
From today, I learned: I learned how to 'pace' myself on the open road and not rely on a treadmill.  This was also a great effort for mental toughness. 
Bonus 1 mile walk back to the car.

Long Run Saturday: Pickups in the rain

Plan: 2 miles easy; 4x 4:00 at 9:50/mile, 4:00 easy, cool down
Actual Mileage: 6.7 miles
Route: Along Victory Memorial and Crystal Lake (which is actually in Robbinsdale)
Weather: 60s and rainy.  It wasn't terribly windy but there was some wind on the way out.

Execution:
Warm up/2 miles easy: This took longer than I thought.  Stop 1 was talking to a friend walking her dogs.  Stop 2 was for a train.  Stop 3 was an actual stop light.  Then I got moving okay
Faster sets: My goal was to see what running a 9:50/mile "feels like" on the road.  I can do it when the treadmill is telling me how fast to go, but I need to learn to do that myself.  I tried to glance at my pace every 30 or 40 paces to get an idea, but not to go insane looking at my watch.  If I was on pace great.  If I was too slow, I'd try to pick it up and not panic.
Set 1:  9:38/mile.  This one felt good, and it ended on a downhill which was nice.  I had to hold my body "stiffer" but also "more springy" than normal to hit this pace, and I was able to run without dying the slow set after it.
Set 2: 10:09/mile.  This one was up a hill. So I told myself "see what it feels like to run fast up hill" and "see if you can hit this pace up hill"  I couldn't really, so that's an area I'll need to work on before race day.  I'm not sure if I don't have that pace up hill, or I have it but I'm afraid to use it, or I have it but I don't know what it feels like.  Probably a bit of the last two.
Set 3: 10:03/mile  Just feeling a little tired.  It's close to the right pace but not perfect.  At the end of this set I came to the steepest hill on the route.  I walked it for my slow set.  I just could not...
Set 4: 9:40/mile  I told myself to really go for this one because I only had the cool down left after.  It was hard but not insane, and I was able to run the cool down, and see yet another train.

From today, I learned: Having a positive attitude and viewing this as a chance to learn really opened me up on this run.  Instead of "I have to get this perfect" it was "see how much you can do and what you can learn about how the pace feels" and it was a great opportunity.

Bonus: Did I mention the rain?

TC 10K - 9 Weeks To Go

Sunday planned: Run 1 miles
Sunday actual: 1.2 miles in the morning.
From today, I learned: It is soooo hot.

Monday planned: Tempo workout
Monday actual: 0.75 miles walking warm up; Tempo workout completed correctly; 0.75 miles walking cool down
From today, I learned: A positive and curious attitude make my body stronger!

Tuesday planned: Run 1 miles; Tuesday Weights
Tuesday actual: 1.19 miles in the morning.  Tuesday weights and abs in the afternoon.
From today, I learned: I was glad I did this outside in the morning.

Wednesday planned: 4 miles easy
Wednesday actual: 1.26 miles in the morning in 105% humidity
From today, I learned: I looked at the weather and swapped Wednesday/Thursday runs.

Thursday planned: Run 1 miles; Thursday Weights
Thursday actual: 4.15 miles in the morning.  Thursday weights and bonus abs in the afternoon.  Bonus walk with Dungeon Master in the evening.
From today, I learned: The best thing I can say about this run is I did not poop my pants.  But that's not the worst thing to say about any run.

Friday planned: 3 miles easy
Friday actual: 3.47 miles in the morning
From today, I learned: I picked this route for the shade.

Saturday planned: Long run with tempo work
Saturday actual: 6.7 miles with tempo work in the middle.
From today, I learned: Again, a positive attitude helped me see this not perfect workout as a great building block.

Quality Miles Monday: A Positive Attitude Makes the Workout

Plan: Warm up; 6x 3:00 at 9:50/mile, 2:00 easy, Cool Down
Actual Mileage: 3 miles on the treadmill plus walking warm up and cool down
Route: I did this on a treadmill so I could know I was hitting the paces properly
Weather: That would be the other reason I did this one on the treadmill

Execution:What really happened (paces from the watch are obviously wrong here)
Warm up: Walked 0.75 miles on the treadmill, jacking the speed from 3.0mph to 3.6mph or so, over roughly 15 minutes. Also, I finished an audio book and switched to "speed music".
Work out:
5:00 of building up
3:00 at 6.2mph, 2:00 at 4.2mph X6 sets.  Set 1 was the hardest, after that I got my head around the situation.  It felt both harder/faster paced, and also more 'relaxed/shoulder down the back' than I expected.
Then, cooling down for 0.75 miles, also walking

From today, I learned: I approached this like "I wonder how this pace will feel?" and "how many sets/minutes can I do?"  Which was a much better attitude than "OMG, I will fly off the back of the treadmill and break all my teeth" (obviously also a thought I had).  So, I'm trying to bring a good attitude to these harder workouts.
Bonus: I did a 'leg day' workout afterwards and did not pass out.

TC 10K - 10 Weeks To Go

Sunday planned: Run 1 miles
Sunday actual: 1.19 miles.
From today, I learned: This was a "weather channel says it won't rain" kind of day.

Monday planned: Tempo Run
Monday actual: Tempo run completed.  Not at the exact pace my coach wanted, but, you know, done.
From today, I learned: To ask my coach why I can't pace myself properly outside.
Update: I wrote a separate post about this run called "I can't pace myself" and I'm already like "no, this is just a good opportunity to see what all these different paces feel like".  So, I guess I'm already making lemonade over here. 

Tuesday planned: Run 1 miles, Tuesday Weights
Tuesday actual: 1.23 miles in the morning.  Tuesday weights and Tuesday abs in the afternoon
From today, I learned: I was actually bummed I didn't get to run longer because it is GLORIOUS out.
Bonus for today: This is why runners fear bears!. 

Wednesday planned: 4 miles easy
Wednesday actual: 4.96 miles plus bonus leg exercises in the morning
From today, I learned: This run was glorious.  The weather was perfect.  I felt good.  It was great!

Thursday planned: Run 1 miles, Thursday weights
Thursday actual: 1.25 miles on the treadmill.  Thursday weights done.  Bonus walk with Dungeon Master.
From today, I learned: Sometimes a run on the treadmill feels great.

Friday planned: 4 miles easy
Friday actual: 4.5 miles in hilly Buffalo MN, in the afternoon heat.
From today, I learned: I told my coach I felt like I didn't have enough power on hills, so she told me to run more hills.  Here I am.  It was hot. 

Saturday planned: 7 miles long run
Saturday actual: 7 miles inside on the track listening to a book.
From today, I learned: This was a lesson in negative and positive emotions.  I felt lousy in the beginning but I was able to get all the laps in I wanted, and keep going.  It actually reminded me of the very very bad place I found early in the Flying Pig marathon.  So, good note to me that the beginning of the race may be the hardest.