Today’s run: 3.17 miles, 30:39 minutes. Short pre-race run in a cold drizzle. There was a huge group of people with umbrellas queued up in Tompkins  – mostly women, but not exclusively. I’m guessing it had to do with the Baptist church. Crowd looked working class, but definitely not homeless.

Get ready guys – Saturday is my first real race – the NYRR Central Park 8K.

Here’s the plan: Victory uber alles!! I’ll zip through the course, shoving the old and the young out of my path, whatever it takes to get the blue ribbon and RULE ALL OF MANHATTAN!!!! Muuuhahhahahhahahaha….

OK, here’s the real plan: Pretend like there’s no race at all, just a big group of goofy NYers who decided to get together and go on a jog in Central Park. They go their speed, I’ll go mine.

Mile 1: 10:00.
Miles 2-3: 9:30/mile.
Mile 4: 9:45/mile (if I need it).
Mile 5: Give it whatever I’ve got.

I’m not quite ready for a competition mindset, but I’ll be wearing the same bib as those who are. That’s a step.

Today’s run: 10 miles, 1:46 minutes. YT: 142.6. My last beach run before six weeks of cold in New York, in the most perfect weather of the year so far. But I guess I’ll make the lunatic trip anyway. Kooky Groovy Lady was out today, in a rhinestone-accented shirt, magenta-acid-washed denim cutoffs, and matching magenta and black sneakers.The best part of this run was actually the mile that felt longest. There’s a stretch in El Segundo where the waves almost meet the bike path and clash up against the rocks. The result is fresh and wet, and probably the closest thing to running on water there could be. On the way home, the radio was playing Barry White.

Hello Valentine’s Day! I finished my first 10-miler today, and all in all, it was a breeze, I think because I broke it down mentally into a series of little two-mile legs. (Training tip!) I even took before and after pics, and a not-that-great beach pic:

Here’s how the run broke down:

Mile 1-2: Warming up.
Miles 2-3: 1 minute intervals, fast-easy
Mile 3: Waterfountain stop and 20 seconds of hip stretches
Mile 4-5: This was the slowest mile, despite it being the most beautiful.
Mile 5-7: These sped by and were probably the strongest of the run.
Mile 7: More water and stretching.
Mile 7-8: Decent.
Mile 8-9: Starting to feel a little tight.
Mile 9-10: Feeling tired but picked up the pace anyway. Finished running around a 9:30 min mile.

It being Valentine’s Day, I thought some about my old valentines. I’m grateful to know how to love and be loved. I’m not feeling wistful. I’m exhilarated.

I do think I’m going to need some champagne and strawberries later.

:-)

Today’s run: Rest day. Inspirational thought for the day: Who DAT??

I’m taking Elodie’s advice and writing down my training plan for the week; I’ll work up to the 3-week cycle she actually suggested next week.

Writing down a plan keeps you honest! It also gives you a chance to WIN everytime you follow through on a workout.

So. THIS WEEK, Tuesday through Friday (I’ll take a rest day somewhere in there):

5 miles, including 2x 10 min tempo runs
5 mile Fartlek
4 miles easy

Then on Saturday or Sunday, I’m going for 9-10 miles at the beach!

Have a great week everybody!