Coached Run at the Iron Horse Trail
Today's coached run started out with a clinic on proper shoe choices for running. It was very informative, although I knew most of it already because I had read up on shoes as part of my own personal preparation a couple of weeks before training officially began. The part about keeping track of the mileage you put on your shoes was a good reminder because that's the best way of knowing when they need to be replaced.
Once the shoe clinic was over, Monica (our team manager) talked about the outpouring of support she's received in her email for Brenda and her family as they deal with her having to go back into treatment. It was really amazing and touching to realize that all of us were supporting her and thinking of her in our own way. In fact, when we checked in for the run Monica gave us small laminated pictures of Brenda that we could pin to our shirts as we trained, which the vast majority of people did - myself included. We took a group photo with Brenda that she could keep with her at the hospital, then gave her lots of hugs before getting started on the run.
The beginners, or "Kenyans" as Coach Al likes to call us, got a 3 minute head start before the intermediates and advanced folks were allowed to go. That was kind of nice, because it gave me a chance to get out and get my pace going before having the pack envelop and then pass me.
Speaking of pace, I did the first mile in 17:14 (the fastest yet), and really felt like I was starting to get a rhythm down. Dad came and ran with me today, and he commented on the fact that he could really sense a stability in my pace that wasn't there when we ran together two weeks ago. I told him that today I was focusing on running slower than I normally do, as I had on Thursday at the track practice, and the slower pace had enabled me to keep running for longer stretches.
Our Assistant Coach "Mama" Lisa ran with me for a while as well, and suggested that I run even slower (!) than I when started out. I played with that a little bit and it felt pretty good, so I'm going to keep experimenting with that idea and hopefully extend those running stretches more and more.
By the end of the run (3 miles in 54:30, or a pace of 18:10 per mile), I think I truly was starting to comprehend the "run slower to go faster" concept. And, unlike the first training run, I didn't feel like I was going to pass out when I got home. I actually felt pretty good! Of course, that didn't keep me from taking a nap this afternoon anyhow, but it was a very nice change from the coached run two weeks ago at the Berkeley Marina.
Once the shoe clinic was over, Monica (our team manager) talked about the outpouring of support she's received in her email for Brenda and her family as they deal with her having to go back into treatment. It was really amazing and touching to realize that all of us were supporting her and thinking of her in our own way. In fact, when we checked in for the run Monica gave us small laminated pictures of Brenda that we could pin to our shirts as we trained, which the vast majority of people did - myself included. We took a group photo with Brenda that she could keep with her at the hospital, then gave her lots of hugs before getting started on the run.
The beginners, or "Kenyans" as Coach Al likes to call us, got a 3 minute head start before the intermediates and advanced folks were allowed to go. That was kind of nice, because it gave me a chance to get out and get my pace going before having the pack envelop and then pass me.
Speaking of pace, I did the first mile in 17:14 (the fastest yet), and really felt like I was starting to get a rhythm down. Dad came and ran with me today, and he commented on the fact that he could really sense a stability in my pace that wasn't there when we ran together two weeks ago. I told him that today I was focusing on running slower than I normally do, as I had on Thursday at the track practice, and the slower pace had enabled me to keep running for longer stretches.
Our Assistant Coach "Mama" Lisa ran with me for a while as well, and suggested that I run even slower (!) than I when started out. I played with that a little bit and it felt pretty good, so I'm going to keep experimenting with that idea and hopefully extend those running stretches more and more.
By the end of the run (3 miles in 54:30, or a pace of 18:10 per mile), I think I truly was starting to comprehend the "run slower to go faster" concept. And, unlike the first training run, I didn't feel like I was going to pass out when I got home. I actually felt pretty good! Of course, that didn't keep me from taking a nap this afternoon anyhow, but it was a very nice change from the coached run two weeks ago at the Berkeley Marina.
posted by Erin at 9:57 PM
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