Category Archives: Running

End of 2013 Track Workout

Since 2013 was a big year in running for me, it was only fitting that my last workout for the year was a run workout.  Increasing my speed is something I want to focus on in 2014, so I decided to do an end of 2013 track workout to close out the year on a high running note.

Track Ladder Workout CDMI’ll be honest, for a brief moment I toyed with the idea of running 13 miles to say goodbye to ’13, but since I haven’t run 13 miles consecutively since May, I figured that wasn’t the best idea.  So to the track it was!

This track workout is a ladder workout with two fast 200 meter sprints at the end.  Given the fact that I had just done roughly 100+ squats at crossfit the day before, my legs were definitely feeling this!

This workout is perfect for a track, treadmill, or even just outside your front door!  That’s the beauty about speed work; it can be done just about anywhere.

I covered a little over 5 miles doing this workout with an average 8:10 pace.  Even with the recovery intervals, this workout definitely keeps you moving!

End of 2013 Track WorkoutCheers to a great year of running and even more great runs in 2014!

Beginner Yasso 800s

Even though I’m not training for anything in particular at the moment, I am still running, going to crossfit and getting speed work in.  This week I decided to do a beginner Yasso 800s workout.

If you have been reading running blogs/magazines/message boards, chances are you have heard of the famous Yasso 800s.  The theory is that whatever time you run your 800s in is your predicted marathon time.  So if you ran your Yasso 800s in 3:30, your marathon time should be approximately the same (if on a relatively flat course).

Since I have no plans to run a marathon anytime soon, I just used the Yasso 800s as another way to get some good speed work in on the track.  The original Yasso 800s are 10 rounds, but since this was my first stab at it, I decided to go for 5 rounds, with a 400 meter recovery in between.

Let me tell you, these are no joke!  It’s a great speed workout and can be done on a track or on a treadmill!  I covered 5 miles with my workout, but the beauty of the Yasso 800s is that you can do as many as you want.

Beginner Yasso 800sI’ll definitely be repeating this workout in the future, and will hopefully be adding more rounds!

And just for fun, here are some race pics from the Renegade Santa Run last week.  I really need to work on my facial expressions.

Renegade Santa Run picApparently I like to look at the ground while I run?  And running with antlers rules.

Renegade Santa Run RaceWhy do I look so pissed off?  Also note that the antlers are no longer on my head as I apparently got sick of them.

Renegade Santa Run finishI really need to work on my finish line shots.  The photographer almost always catches me messing with my garmin too.

Renegade Santa Run 4The Englishman and I post race.  I might actually order this shot instead of just taking a screen grab from the site.

Has anyone else done Yasso 800s?  Any other speed work workouts I should try?

Santa Run Race Week

This week was not only my last week of 10K training, but it’s also officially Santa Run race week!

Photo Cred: @RenegadeRaceSeries

Photo Cred: @RenegadeRaceSeries

When I first started blogging about my 10K training the Santa run was going to be my goal race and I was gunning for a PR.  If you read last week’s recap, I managed to smash my PR at the Dana Point Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving.  And while I’m continuing to train and do speed work and all that fun stuff, I want to enjoy this PR a little bit before I try to beat it again.

A blurry shot of the Englishman and I running the race.  It looks like he has no hands.

A blurry shot of the Englishman and I running. It looks like he has no hands.

Therefore, the Santa run is just going to be about having fun.  Running 6.2 miles with some of my favorite people and getting into the holiday spirit!  I tend to be a little very competitive and I need to remind myself that not every race needs to be an all out sprint for a PR.  And I kinda want to run in costume for this race.  Reindeer antlers anyone?

So that being said, I don’t know what my next “goal” race will be.  I do have a 5K PR that is definitely in need of some updating and maybe another half marathon for 2014.  But for now, it’s all about having fun and enjoying Santa run race week!

Here’s last week’s training by the numbers:

Monday: 6 miles @ 9:01 pace

Tuesday: Crossfit

Wednesday: 5 miles @ 10:17 pace

Thursday: Crossfit

Friday: Crossfit

Saturday: Track Workout (I did this one) for 5 miles total

Sunday: Rest

Anyone else doing a Santa run this week?  Any costume suggestions?

 

Dana Point Turkey Trot Race Recap

This Thanksgiving I ran the Dana Point Turkey Trot 10K once again with the hopes of redeeming myself after a disappointing performance in 2010.  I knew I had a fairly good shot at a PR on this course, so the Englishman and I decided to go for it.  So sit back and enjoy the Dana Point Turkey Trot Race Recap.

DanaPointTurkeyTrot_logoSince I had decided I wanted to PR at this race, I decided to keep the workouts fairly simple leading up to it.  Monday the Englishman and I went for a 5 mile run, Tuesday we went to crossfit and did 100 bench presses (no joke) followed by a 14 minute AMRAP consisting of power cleans and kettlebell swings, which at the time didn’t seem too bad.

When I woke up Wednesday morning I was sore.  My upper body was tight and my legs felt like lead.  We went out for an “easy” shakeout run of 3 miles Wednesday morning and the whole time my legs were tight and I was struggling to keep a 9:30 pace.  I began to worry that my legs wouldn’t be fresh for a PR the next day but the Englishman reassured me that we were getting the “crappy” run over with so we could have a great one on Thanksgiving.

Then there was the issue of my stomach.  I tend to have stomach issues in general anyway, but Wednesday it was a bit of a hot mess that lasted until Thursday morning.  I assumed it was just pre-race jitters and tried to brush it off as we headed down to Dana Point in the wee hours of the morning to pick up our race bibs.

Dana Point Turkey Trot bibOnce we got to the race it was crisp and cold, and the energy of the runners was infectious.  I remembered why I loved running this particular race because everyone is in such a good mood and excited for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Plus, this race is incredibly well-organized.

The horn blared at 7am and the Englishman and I were off.  The first 3 miles of the course take you around Dana Point Harbor Drive and through a parking lot, and the final 3 take you through the marina.  The entire race is quite scenic as you are running next to the ocean the entire time.

My legs felt a bit stiff from the cold when we started, but we quickly got into our groove and hit the first mile at 9:06.  Both of us were feeling pretty strong and we proceeded to run sub-9 miles the rest of the race and managed to negative split which was pretty awesome.

Dana Point Turkey Trot SpllitsSecretly I had been hoping to finish the race in roughly 55 minutes, and when I looked at my watch and saw we were averaging an 8:37 pace, I realized we were going to make it in under 55 minutes and then some.  As we rounded the corner to the finish, we decided to sprint and crossed the finish line in 53:37.

Dana Point Turkey Trot Post RaceI honestly did better than I thought I would (thanks to speed work and crossfit) and officially feel like I redeemed myself in the 10K distance.  Now I can’t wait for the next one in December!

Here’s this week by the numbers:

Monday: 5 mile run @ 9:16 pace

Tuesday: Crossfit

Wednesday: 3 mile run @ 9:40 pace

Thursday: 10K race @ 8:37 pace

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Mini-Murph WOD: 1 mile run, 100 sit ups, 100 push ups, 100 squats, 1 mile run

Sunday: Rest

Did anyone else run a Turkey Trot?  How did you do?