Race Report: Cooper Young 4 Miler

I signed up for the Cooper Young 4 miler last Friday on a whim after seeing a post about it on the Black Girls Run! Memphis Facebook page. At the time I was following my old training plan and it fit in perfectly as I needed to run 4 miles that day anyway. The race also happened to be in walking distance from my house. Perfect. And since I'd never run a 4 mile race before it'd be an automatic PR (personal record).

I was a little nervous about the race because of the length. I'm not a very fast runner which is part of the reason the half marathon distance appeals to me. It's very hard for me to keep a really fast pace for a long time but I can definitely keep a moderate pace for a long period of time and feel good. I had no idea how to run this race but set a modest goal of finishing under 40 minutes. A 10:00 pace is pretty standard for me so I knew that it was a goal I could reach and hopefully surpass.

My boyfriend dropped me off at the start and I picked up my bib, t-shirt and swag bag. There were 3 waves and I got in the last wave simply because...actually, I don't know why I did, but I did. Before the race started I decided I would try to hit at least 10:00 for my first mile and then get faster each mile based on how I felt. The temps were cool and the race was at night (my first race at night actually). The race route was flat and would have been kind of boring but there were a lot of people cheering with signs throughout the race. Since the race was mostly through a residential area, a number of people were sitting on their front with beers and drinks kickin' it. Although the race was short, their support was great to have.

I was hoping to find someone during the race to pace myself with but never really found someone. The first two miles felt pretty great and easy so I continued to speed up. When I finished the race, I felt good and still had more in the tank. SInce this was my first four miler (race, not run), I feel food about it and am glad to have a benchmark for future races.

My splits were as follows:

Mile 1: 10:01

Mile 2: 9:56

Mile 3: 9:18

Mile 4: 8:25

Average Pace - 9:25

Race Time - 37:48

#80 out of 239 in my age group.

I actually thought I was running faster during Mile 2 but turned out I kept the same pace. The first couple miles for me can be difficult because it normally takes me about 2 miles to warm up and I didn't do any warmup before the race other than some basic stretching.

I'd definitely suggest the race to other people. It was $25 and I liked the crowd. There were young people, old people, people running with jogging strollers - an overall nice mix. Some people ran, some jogged - no pressure. I had a great time and look forward to doing it again next year

- Nash

My New Half-Marathon Training Program

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm starting a new half-marathon training program different from the Hal Higdon novice plan I've previously used. The program comes from Runner's World magazine and is listed as their "beginners" program. The program is pretty intensive so I wouldn't suggest it for someone who is truly a beginner, the Hal Higdon plan was great for me. However, Runner's World defines "beginner" as "someone who has run for at least a year, can run 5 miles without distress, averages 15-20 miles a week, and has finished a 5-k."

Huh? What?

Exactly.

Anyway, I fall into this crazy/pseudo "beginner" category and am now using this plan for the rest of my training coupled with some circuit training, weight lifting and speed/pace intervals not included in this plan.

New Training Plan

The plan is pretty straight forward but includes the following:

Aerobic Intervals (AI): You push the pace just a bit, you breathe just a little harder--followed by slow jogging until you feel rested enough to resume your regular tempo. And you always, always, stay well short of going anaerobic (simply stated: squinty-eyed and grasping for breath). Treat these runs like play. When you do them, try to recreate that feeling you had as a kid when you ran to the park and couldn't wait to get there.

Gentle Pickups (GP): You gradually increase your pace over 100 meters to about 90 percent of all-out, hold it there for 10 to 20 meters, then gradually decelerate. Walk to full recovery before you start the next one. Nothing big, nothing really stressful--just enough to let your body go, "Ah, so this is what it feels like to go fast." Note: After a few AI/GP weeks, your normal pace will begin to feel more comfortable. And you'll get race-fit more quickly this way.

Pace Intervals (PI):
Run at 10-K goal pace to improve efficiency and stamina, and to give you the feel of your race pace. For 10-minute pace (a 1:02:06 10-K), run 2:30 (for 400 meters), 5:00 (800m), 7:30 (1200m). For 9-minute pace (55:53), run 2:15 (400m), 4:30 (800m), 6:45 (1200m). For 8-minute pace (49:40), 2:00 (400m), 4:00 (800m), 6:00 (1200m). With pace and speed intervals (below), jog half the interval distance to recover.

Speed Intervals (SI)
Run these at 30 seconds-per-mile faster than goal pace. For 10-minute pace, run 2:22 (for 400m), 4:44 (800m), 7:06 (1200m). For 9-minute pace, 2:08 (400m), 4:16 (800m), 6:24 (1200m). For 8-minute pace, 1:53 (400m), 3:45 (800m), 5:38 (1200m).

I've already set a new goal for time based on this plan and looking forward to the process.

- Nash

Hot Body Friday

My favorite hottie heaux

aka

Kanye's old boo thang, scrippa kryptonite.

aka

Amber Rose.

The Couple that Works Out Together aka. My New Training Partner

Since I started raining for my first half marathon nearly a year ago, I've done nearly all of my runs and workouts alone. This is about to change.

I have a new training partner...

My boyfriend.

Things are about to get VERY interesting. My boyfriend was a college athlete and has remained active until a few months ago when he injured his knee. His knee is finally back to normal and after hearing me complain about my progress, he's offered to join in with me. He'd like to lose a few pounds and reach some personal fitness goals as well. This will be extremely helpful when it comes to my eating habits. It can be INCREDIBLY difficult to chose salmon and veggies for dinner when my boyfriend brings home Chik-fil-a or BBQ.

Working out with him should also help me push myself. For a while now my bf has told me that he didn't think I was pushing myself as much as I could when it comes to running. My goal for my first half marathon was to finish. I wanted to at least hit an 11:00 pace (which I did), but outside of that I felt it would be a huge accomplishment to just finish. Since that race, my view hasn't really changed. During my runs, I hit a pace that feels relatively comfortable but nothing that really challenges me - no intervals, no speed work. Since I haven't been getting the results I want despite consistent exercise, it's time to kick things up a notch.

Now that my boyfriend is my new training partner, I have a new half-marathon training program as well that includes heart rate work, aerobic intervals, gentle picks ups, sprints, etc.

I'll be sure to update on my new training plan specifically and what it's like to consistently work out with my significant other. I generally think that working out with your SO can be a pretty great thing although there was a time yesterday when i managed to throw the medicine ball down at him a little *too* hard after one too many "C'mon! Push it!"s on his part.

52 days til the Outerbanks Half Marathon.

- Nash

Not every run is fun.

I'm sitting in the kitchen after finishing the Cooper Young 4-miler race here in Memphis. This was the first 4 mile race that I've done but my fourth race of the year. When I set my sights on completing my first half marathon at the beginning of the year, I had no idea where that journey would take me. With four races under my belt (and 2 more scheduled for the year), I feel comfortable calling myself a "runner." I've learned a lot along the way but I thought I'd share my most recent revelation which has played a huge role in helping me to be more CONSISTENT. Something I think most people struggle with.

Not every run is going to feel good. That shouldn't stop you.

There are days when my feet and legs feel like they weigh 478734987 lbs or when I get winded after .5 mile. There are days when I've gone outside to run in the perfect cool temperatures, expecting to have an amazing run and find myself struggling not to stop after a few blocks. One of the biggest things I've learned is that not every run is going to feel amazing or empowering or encouraging. There will be runs where nearly every step is an accomplishment. And that is FINE. That's just the way it is. Barring some pain, injury, or extreme fatigue, I need to be disciplined and not give into that voice that's telling me to stop. Not every run is going to leave me feeling like super woman. 9 times out of 10 though, I will regret stopping or not lacing up. I'll almost never regret running. A "bad" run doesn't mean you're any less athletic and shouldn't be a reason to down yourself or feel dejected. It's just a part of the process.

Coming to terms with that one simple ideal has made a huge deal in my training. Hope it helps.

-Nash

378 Calories

This morning I made a healthy breakfast. It was easy, quick and low cal.

1/4 cup of steel cut oats w/a tbsp of agave nectar (i think i'm hooked) and a tbsp of ground flaxseed, 3 eggs whites, 2 slices of turkey bacon and some avocado with some salt and pepper.

I've said on the blog 9473097975 times that I struggle with healthy eating. I was amazed when I got ready to count my calories in Lose it! and learned that my breakfast, which I thoroughly enjoyed and was completely filled by, was only 378 calories. I started my morning with a 3 mile run and burned roughly 376 calories. It's noon now and I'm pretty much at net 0 calories for the day. When you're trying to get skinny, that's pretty awesome.

Sometimes when I work out, I get so annoyed when I realize that I've only burned 300 or 400 calories. The same 300 or 400 calories that I ate in a cookie or some french fries.

Today was different though and I like that.

I know I haven't blogged in a while but I've finally gotten settled down here and will have a lot more time to write about things that I have been working on and how my collarbones are looking.

- Nash

Memphis to Puerto Rico

So much has been going on that I haven't had the time or words to properly update. On Saturday, I drove 13 hours to my new home in Memphis, TN. Luckily, I was able to just miss the Hurricane coming towards DC and feel extremely blessed that my friends and family were OK. Although moving/unpacking can be pretty exhausting, I've been doing a good job of working out. I've actually managed to workout every day this week - I'm at a total of 11 miles so far and have 2 runs planned for this weekend (3.5 + 5 miler).

I was also able to fit in a Cross Fit work out:) One of the first things on my to-do list once I moved was to find a place and I was able to find one 10 minutes from my house. This makes me VERY happy because although the place I went to in DC was about 10 minutes from work, it was roughly 25 min from home. This new place is 10 min from home and 15 min from work. I went for a workout on Wednesday and loved the place. I tried the 9am class since I don't start work yet and it was small. The workout was tough but the coach was really good at making sure I felt comfortable and knew all the moves I needed to do.

Workout - (8 rounds, but I did 5 rounds for newbies)

- Push Press (20 seconds)

- 10 seconds rest

- Alternating jump lunges (20 seconds)

- 10 seconds rest

I only did 15lbs for my push presses because I wasn't sure how it was going to feel but it was probably too easy (NOT to say the workout was easy because it wasn't but I probably should have done atleast 25-30). Alternating Jump Lunges are HAAARD. That was the toughest part of the workout.

My reps were 13/9, 11/13, 11/13, 11/12, 10/13. Total: 56/60 - 116 (5 rounds)

I saw a t-shirt that said, "Our warmup is your workout." Such a true statement. I need to find a t-shirt like that.

I haven't weighed myself because sometimes the scale really messes up my mood and focus. I leave for Puerto Rico in the morning though :) I'm not where I want to be but I still think I'll look good...enough. lol.

I have a lot more to say but I need to pack.

I'll update when I'm back.

- Nash