Well, Hello There.

This story is for the week ending on December 23, 2012.

This week’s “hard” days featured a two speed tempo on a Tuesday and a 30 minute Fartlek on a Thursday.  My long run was to be 16 miles at 8:30/mile.

The two speed tempo was a hot mess.  Here’s what my coach wanted:

One full Central Park loop starting at Columbus Circle going counterclockwise. Start to 72nd easy, 72nd to engineer's at 7:50-8:00/mile. Engineer's to the start of Harlem Hill easy, Harlem Hill to 72nd on the west side (not that far - about 2.5 miles at 7:15-7:20/mile. Remainder cool down. Don't kill yourself too much on the hill. You'll need some juice for the remainder.

So obviously, I go super easy right up to top of the park, which I self proclaimed is the “start of Harlem Hill”.  Then all hell breaks loose.  You must note that my 10K PR a year ago is 7:20 pace.  I was leaner and a year younger.  For this old fat ass to go up Harlem Hill at 7:15-7:20 pace is near insane.  Or so I declared, and immediately chicken out LOL. I regroup quickly though, and suck it up.  I don’t care if I’m going slower than designated, it’s the effort that counts.

This mentality goes on for about 2.25 miles, with some serious kick ass speed towards the end, right near the nice down hill and flats past Delacorte Theatre.  I’m gasping for air by the time I reach the finish line, aka 72^nd Street Transverse on the West Drive.  Instead of walking it off, I decide to stop completely, which of course induces rainbow vomit.  Yum! Yum!  The cab drivers stopped by the lights look at me in horror.  Yea, dude.  This is what training is all about. 

If you ain’t pukin’, you ain’t workin’.

Now Thursday’s Fartlek Run is not really a Fartlek run in a traditional sense, but more like a HIIT for me.  Or at least I made the mistake of making it that way.  Sandwiched in between 10 minute warm up and 10 minute cool down is:

	Plan (Repeat 2 times)	Reality (Round 1)	Reality (Round 2)
3 minutes	7:30 to 7:20	7:36	7:51
3 minutes	8:55 to 8:04	9:04	10:25 (LOL)
3 minutes	7:09 to 7:00	7:12	7:36
3 minutes	8:55 to 8:04	8:25	9:18
3 minutes	6:42 to 6:42	7:11	7:31

I’m not reaching target pace AT ALL.  (sad face)  Also, there is a serious mistake in this planning.  Because I’m so dumb, I didn’t put any recovery after the last repeat.  So in order to do 30 minutes of these 15 minute sets, it goes from the hardest set of 6:42 pace right into another hard set of 7:30.  What a sad, sad, situation.  AND because I’m so special, this round 2 almost exclusively happened on the bumpy West Drive.  

My long run on the 22nd was not a good one.  I think I ran too hard during the week and by the time Saturday rolled around, I DID NOT WANT TO RUN.  My body kept on saying no, and I kept on pushing. 

Oh, hey, at one point, I had a dude drafting behind me.  OF COURSE I stopped…I’m a big girl.  I hate it when people use me as a wall.  It makes me feel even more gigantic.  Funny thing is, he asked me if I was OK.  I said yea, and then I drafted him - hehe.  Actually, he pulled me.  By following random stranger, I was able to run through some rough patches.  So sometimes, random strangers work.

I have been having issues with breathing going up hill.  This will be a challenge going forward, but looks like my coach has some thing up his sleeve to help me through…