Week 11 of Project Suck It

I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post. Have I really been that busy? No, maybe just lazy. Project Suck It in full force. Let me recap my last couple of runs: Tuesday - Speedwork 1.5 mile w/up, plyos, core circuit, 2 x 1 mile, 3 x 400 My overall strategy was survival:

Warm-up:

1.5 miles/9:47 av pace/155 bpm

Core circuit:

2 x 15 pushups

.20 mile - 1:45/175 bpm

2 x 20 tricep dips

.20 mile - 1:49/176 bpm

2 x 10 hamstring bridge (each leg)

.20 mile - 1:52/172 bpm

2 x 10 squats

.20 mile - 1:49/172 bpm

Speed work:

1 mile - 9:14/175 bpm

2:44 RI

1 mile - 9:40/175 bpm

6:47 RI*

400m - 2:05/163 bpm

1:29 RI

400m - 2:10/171 bpm

2:59 RI

400m - 2:00/170 bpm

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Total - 7.61 miles

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It was very hot. Well, hot for a native PacificNW girl. Weather.com had about 88*. I really just suffered through this workout. Part was due to heat, but major part was due to some pre-period constipation plague. After the mile repeats I actually went into the running store to go to the bathroom, but no luck. Gross. My times were obviously inconsistent. But as they say, even when speed work is bad - it's still good.

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Thursday - hill repeats

2.5 mile w/up, plyos, core circuit, 3 x hill repeats

Warm - up:

2.5 miles/9:49 av pace/164 bpm

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Core circuit:

2 x 15 pushups .20 mile - 1:48/173 bpm 2 x 20 tricep dips .20 mile - 1:44/175 bpm 2 x 10 hamstring bridge .20 mile - 1:42/175 bpm 2 x 10 squats .20 mile - 1:35/181 bpm

2 x 10 single leg squats

.20 mile - 1:36/182 bpm

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My overall strategy for the core circuit was to run negative split intervals. SUCCESS!! While the emphasis is not on the run, it's on the core workouts I still wanted my legs to run strong while tired.

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Hill Repeats:

The times for my hill repeats are a little sketchy. We ran a half mile loop with one hill of about 120 ft elevation gain. It was a continuous loop. I hit the lap button only once, on the approach of the hill. I don't know why I did it like this. I think laziness and the fact that I HATE hill repeats so this appealed to me.

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1st loop - 5:03/173 bpm

2nd loop - 5:10/175 bpm

3rd loop - 1:24/180 bpm

(yeah, I stopped at the top of the last hill repeat)

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Total - 7 miles

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I need to review my hill strategy. Currently it's simply: "make it to the top without stopping while still having the energy to keep going once atop said hill" This is not good enough. I need to focus on form, strength, etc. I am just so sick of all these fu*king hills. A girl who recently moved to Gig Harbor said, "I like all the hills." To which I replied, "Girl, you haven't lived here long enough to say that."

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Sometimes I take them for granted. When I lived in Virginia Beach there was not 1 single hill. The only slight elevation gain was a man made bridge over the inlet. I bitched about it often. It's a classic case of 'Be careful what you wish for.' I know I have an advantage, but there is just really no way to know where I am at pace wise because I will literally climb 2,000 ft in a for or five miler. It's both frustrating and annoying.

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My new obsession: Become the powerhouse that looses people on the hills...at least until Thursday hill repeats are replaced with tempo runs.

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Tomorrow - 14 miles