Quick Weekly Recap

This week I picked a training plan and picked my goal races. It was a big week for me because I love to have a plan! I debated what type of training plan to choose. I want to run a 5k and test my speed; then I want to work hard to increase my speed while starting to add some distance. I chose Hal Higdon's Advanced 5k program. I probably shouldn't have chosen the Advanced program because as far as running goes I'm not advanced. But I liked the fact that this plan had two days of speed work and more mileage than the Beginning or Intermediate Plans.

My test race will be the Blazing Saddles 5k on July 22nd. My goal race will be the Watermelon 5k on August 19th. After that, I'm going to transition to Hal Higdon's Intermediate Half Marathon program. My goal race will be either the Miracle Match Half Marathon (in Waco, TX) or the Houston Half Marathon, both on October 28th. As part of that training program I will race a 10k and 15k. After the half I plan to work on speed and do some more races in the 5k to half marathon range. I don't plan to attempt my first marathon until next fall.

Here's what happened this week:

• Monday: Rest day (not normally a rest day according to my training plan, but I didn't pick the plan until Monday afternoon.
• Tuesday: 5 x 400 intervals. Fastest split: 1:34, a 6:16 pace.
• Wednesday: Rest day.
• Thursday: 4.02 mile tempo run at 8:39 pace. Started out faster but couldn't maintain.
• Friday: Rest day.
• Saturday: 4.07 miles at 8:27 pace. Felt good, no walking or stopping, even pace. Then TNT training. I had some time before training so I did two easy miles at 9:17 pace. Then 10.08 training/racewalking miles at 16:55 pace. Tough day: very humid, our course was flooded so we did the North course, which we've never done this season (and I've never done at all), and several of us made a wrong turn. It was supposed to be 8 miles but ended up being 10.
• Sunday: The schedule called for 60 minutes of easy running. I did sixty minutes, but I had to keep stopping and walking. I just couldn't maintain energy, and I was trying to go slow. I ended up with an average 10:27 pace, but if you excluded the walking I probably averaged a 9:40 pace.

I'm on my way. I have a long way to go; I'm starting a new sport, in spite of my racewalking experience, so I have to respect the distance and stick with my training program. But I'm enjoying everything so far!