Taper Week ~ run #2

Last night was my second run of the week. I'm scheduled for two more but I'm only going to do a short one tomorrow to work out any tightness.

My run last night was great.  Totally different from the other night.  I was so tired and didn't really feel like running, I wanted a nap.  But I laced up when Mr. Basbe got home and had him drop me off in town.  I actually ran the first three miles of the half I'm doing on Sunday. I ran the back 7 a few weeks ago so I've got almost a complete picture of the course.  It's nice being able to preview the race ahead of time.

 On our way into town I downed a GU, with 20mg of caffeine which I regretted at 10pm since I don't drink coffee anymore I've very sensitive to it.  I felt full of energy and ready to take on the course.  The road has a slight uphill but I actually felt strong.  By the time I was a half mile into it though, I felt slow and sluggish. I felt like I was working too hard and running too slow.  Then the my app tells me I just ran mile one in 9:30. I was pretty stoked and a bit shocked.

 The rest of the run felt pretty much the same till near the end of mile 3.  I started to get dizzy and lightheaded. I felt like my chest was being compressed. I though for sure this was where I was going to collapse but I pushed through. There was a time I would have stopped because the feeling freaked me out but I've learned that this happens when I'm running hard and not breathing well. So I tried to concentrate on my breathing a bit to settle it down. I felt much better when I took control of my breathing.

Over all the run felt great. I ran 3.09 in 26:41. My fast time ever. It's a fun feeling to realize I'm getting stronger and faster. I told Hubby that I might even take on trying to get a sub 25 5k this year.

Now to get one last, slow and gently run in before Sunday.

Taper Week ~ run #1

I have a love/hate relationship with taper week.  I love the lower mileage, it's nice to take a break from training but I hate the feeling like I'm not running like I should. I feel like the lower miles makes me less prepared.  I know that's not true at all. I've seen how the short break before a race can really improve my running.  

 Last nights run was supposed to be 3 miles. I made it 2.5 miles at a 9:41 pace, which shocked me. I felt like I was running a 11:30 pace. My legs felt like lead, my bad ankle ached, I got a bad side stitch (which I rarely get!), the muscles between my shoulder blades knotted up and I couldn't catch my breath at all. Plus, after the way I ate last week, my stomach has been a mess for two days.  I finally broke down and called Mr. Basbe to come pick me up. I've not called him to rescue me since my marathon training days.  I really didn't have a choice, I had to go. Where I was running is called Corporate Drive and there are a ton of businesses with security cameras. No way was I finding a ditch to squat in around there!  So this time I happily cut my run short and had Hubby rescue me. 

Two more light runs this week. Hopefully they'll feel better than this one did.  

First Half Marathon

Next Sunday I will be running my first half marathon, Binghamton Bridge Run. I honestly don't feel like I'm ready. I probably am though. I was plagued with a back injury that kept me from the first 3 weeks of training. Then the weather was so horrible that I wasn't getting outside to get my runs in and frankly, anything over 6 miles on the treadmill is downright torture. I've gotten most of my long runs in since then but not all of my weekday runs. I have a goal of 2:30 or better for my time. I believe I can accomplish this if everything goes ok.  Since it's my first half, it will be an instant PR no matter what I run!

Looking forward to this year.  I have more longer races planned than I was initially going to run.  The Vestal XX will be a personal triumph (I'll explain later), the CanLake50 will be my first ultra and the RW Half & Festival will one big party of running and meeting more of my friends-in-my-phone.

But first, to get through the first race of the season...