Today (okay, yesterday. I drafted this yesterday but am only getting around to posting today) officially starts my training for Cozumel 70.3, but tomorrow (today) is when it really starts since today is actually a rest day. Mondays are going to be my only rest days for the next 4 months, even though there’s the saying “Never skip a Monday.”
This past weekend I ran the RunHouston! Clear Lake 10k. Thanks to the recent storms we had, the run started with a muggy temp of 71. I felt fortunate to not be running Zooma Annapolis this year where the starting temp was 91. Yikes! After a disaster of a 10k earlier this month – I ended up walking from mile 2-5.75 pretty much – I didn’t have high hopes for this run. I ran 2 miles during the week and that felt like a struggle, mind you I was coming off a sinus infection. I just didn’t have any heart in my run.
After the national anthem and drone fly over – I guess this is a thing to expect at races now? – I started off with my mom. We both agreed to a 5/1 interval. The first mile was crowded with 5k and 10k runners, walkers, strollers, all mixed together. We were all supposed to be in one lane so traffic could occupy the other lane. That pretty much didn’t happen.
Normally I would be annoyed, but based on the amount of people, I don’t see how the race organizers thought we would all fit in one lane. Maybe if they staggered the starts for the 10k and 5k? After the 1.5 miles, the 5k turned around and the 10k looped through a park and the foot traffic definitely lightened up. There were some hawks flying overhead which was neat to see.
We stayed with 5/1 until I got close to mile 4 and decided I would extend the walk to the 4 mile mark. So far we were averaging about a 12 minute/mile pace. Not the greatest, but I was still moving. My mom went ahead. I basically had to sprint to catch up to her. She left me again around mile 5. Not to worry. I passed her about a quarter mile to the finish. I saw what I believed to be the finish line and picked up my pace.
As I got closer, people were shouting, “This is not the finish line! Keep running! You have to go around the turn!” I felt like an idiot because I was almost spent by now. But somehow I was able to still pick up the pace and pass one more woman in the finish line chute. I finished about 5 minutes faster than the other week so I guess that’s something. But I definitely didn’t PR or have any great sense of accomplishment.
Honestly, I really only wanted the space man medal that was given to all the finishers. But hey, it must have been cool enough to get me out of bed and running 6.2 miles yesterday morning.
So, now that you know what I did, here’s what I have coming up this week:
Tuesday: Bike 40 minutes w/ 4×30 second hard efforts scattered
Wednesday: Swim 800 yards, to include 8×25 sprints with 20 seconds rest ALSO – run 4 miles, moderate pace with 2 10 second hill sprints
Thursday: Bike 40 minutes moderate
Friday: Swim 800 yards, to include 3 x 100 yards with 20 seconds rest ALOS – run 4 miles moderate pace
Saturday: Bike 20 miles
Sunday: Run 6 miles, Swim 800 yards
Your Pace or Mine? 