It's crazy to think that I was in crutches two years ago and now people have said I'm "so in shape" or that I'm a "fitness junkie." I don't try to get these labels.. rather, I actively try to avoid them. But I'm fortunate, nonetheless, that my "obsession" (preferably, read: passion) emanates that way.
It's been an interesting fitness/running journey this past two years. A lot of downs... but a lot of ups as well. Let's focus on how amazing the ups have been:
- a job I enjoy that allows me to be flexible with my hours for training
- first road bike
- my first double digit training run, and then the second, and then a weekly thing!
- finishing my first half marathon, a sprint triathlon, and then a second half marathon
- PRing the 5K and 10K distance
- Consistency is key.
- You don't have to go goal pace all the time!! In fact, you're likely to get injured if you do...
The year ended with an awesome 5K race for the UCSF Diabetes Center (all proceeds go to the Diabetes Center and is completely run by volunteers). The course was USATF certified which is pretty nice, since I know this is an official distance (unlike those Berkeley Half shenanigans!).
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect for this race because I'd done all of my training at MAF intensities up to this point (besides racing).
I did WAY better than expected and felt stronger than I thought I should have by the end. You guys, this is a HUGE personal record, beating my high school cross country time by 30 seconds. At 22:44 (7:19/mi pace), I think it spoke volumes to what LHRT/MAF has done for me. I went out to fast again, but honestly, I also think I could have pushed harder in that second mile. The second mile of a 5K, as it turns out, is a highly mental game. It was even more challenging given that the course has a few gentle hills going around Stow Lake. According to my Garmin/Strava, I blasted through the first mile split at 6:59 then slowed down to 7:31 in the second. I think... I just got lazy. For a 5K, you have to be mentally present for all 20+minutes of the game. Your legs have to be moving fast and your willpower has to be tough. I saw some females pass me and just thought... well, I'm not as fit as her, so I don't need to push myself so hard and ANYWAY, I still have 1.5 miles left to go! I know, WEAK. But despite having raced quite a few races this year, I still feel quite inexperienced, especially in the mental toughness department. In my opinion, LHRT definitely did not prepare me mentally for the second mile, but it did physiologically prepare me for the last. I found a kick in the end and finished strong.
Anyways. DESPITE THAT. Like I said, I blew away my high school PR (formerly 23:15 and even then, I'm not sure if that was a legit time... since there is no record of it online, as hard as I've searched) and the adult PR I set at the Giant Race earlier this year (23:36 @ 7:35/mi). I came in 2nd in my age group (F20-29) and I think 6th(?) overall female in a field of about 106 (22 out of 174 overall M/F). Results posted here: http://www.synergyracetiming.com/ucsf-diabetes-center-miracle-mile-5k/.
All that without intervals or high intensity work. I averaged about 25-30 miles per week with all of my training paces at 9:00+ minutes/mile (many closer to 10:00/mi)! The time is about where I think my road surface MAF was at the time... which was about 9:30/mi. The best part is: NO INJURIES!
I think it's enough proof for me to trust this method for another few weeks. Some day soon, I hope to break the 5K 7:00/mi average pace barrier (21:38)... but there's still 2 months of low intensity miles and base building left! Maybe I'll do a 5K as an official reintroduction to higher intensity work when the time comes.
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect for this race because I'd done all of my training at MAF intensities up to this point (besides racing).
I did WAY better than expected and felt stronger than I thought I should have by the end. You guys, this is a HUGE personal record, beating my high school cross country time by 30 seconds. At 22:44 (7:19/mi pace), I think it spoke volumes to what LHRT/MAF has done for me. I went out to fast again, but honestly, I also think I could have pushed harder in that second mile. The second mile of a 5K, as it turns out, is a highly mental game. It was even more challenging given that the course has a few gentle hills going around Stow Lake. According to my Garmin/Strava, I blasted through the first mile split at 6:59 then slowed down to 7:31 in the second. I think... I just got lazy. For a 5K, you have to be mentally present for all 20+minutes of the game. Your legs have to be moving fast and your willpower has to be tough. I saw some females pass me and just thought... well, I'm not as fit as her, so I don't need to push myself so hard and ANYWAY, I still have 1.5 miles left to go! I know, WEAK. But despite having raced quite a few races this year, I still feel quite inexperienced, especially in the mental toughness department. In my opinion, LHRT definitely did not prepare me mentally for the second mile, but it did physiologically prepare me for the last. I found a kick in the end and finished strong.
Anyways. DESPITE THAT. Like I said, I blew away my high school PR (formerly 23:15 and even then, I'm not sure if that was a legit time... since there is no record of it online, as hard as I've searched) and the adult PR I set at the Giant Race earlier this year (23:36 @ 7:35/mi). I came in 2nd in my age group (F20-29) and I think 6th(?) overall female in a field of about 106 (22 out of 174 overall M/F). Results posted here: http://www.synergyracetiming.com/ucsf-diabetes-center-miracle-mile-5k/.
All that without intervals or high intensity work. I averaged about 25-30 miles per week with all of my training paces at 9:00+ minutes/mile (many closer to 10:00/mi)! The time is about where I think my road surface MAF was at the time... which was about 9:30/mi. The best part is: NO INJURIES!
I think it's enough proof for me to trust this method for another few weeks. Some day soon, I hope to break the 5K 7:00/mi average pace barrier (21:38)... but there's still 2 months of low intensity miles and base building left! Maybe I'll do a 5K as an official reintroduction to higher intensity work when the time comes.
P.S. I've run 1000km so far in 2016. Isn't that insane???
P.S.S. ALSO, my boyfriend ran his first 5K coming back from clavicle surgery. While the surgery didn't affect his legs, it was his first invasive surgery and it's been taking a lot mentally to get back into a health and fitness regime. He ran it at 8:08 pace which is pretty awesome for only running once a week leading up to it! I'm just glad to have my life partner back on his feet again :).
