Half and Mile Repeat Workout

TGIF!

On Wednesday evening I met Jesse at the Nor-Bath trail, a local Rails to Trails path that is located about ten minutes north of where I live.  {This is the same path that I took Willsey to back in the spring}.

 

The goal was to do some half mile and mile repeats at tempo pace.  Based on my two mile XC race last Friday, he figured that I should run the 800s between 3 - 3:10, and the miles around 6:20 - 6:30.  I felt pretty good throughout the workout, but I knew my body was working hard to maintain those paces at this point in my training.  The way we figure, I am not far off of where I was back in the spring when I was pretty sharp.   

Here's what we did:

2 x 800 – 3:03.7 {1:10 rest}, 3:07.5 {1:15 rest}

2 x 1 mile – 6:20.8 {2:15 rest}, 6:26.7 {2:15 rest}

1 x 800 – 3:02.6 {1:15 rest}

2 x 400 – 85.2 {1:15 rest}, 88.5

He broke the last 800 up into two 400s to end the session on a faster note.  

For these intervals, we ran a one-mile portion of the trail, going back and forth, primarily because Jesse knew that this specific mile was accurate.  We believe that the second of each interval distance {the second 800, the second mile and the last two 400s} were run going slightly uphill.  Plus, the finish of the 400’s was estimated and could have been slightly off.  

For distance, I ran close to seven miles total.  I started with at least a mile and a half warm-up, including strides and drills, and ended with a very short one mile cool down, since I had to get home for dinner with the fam.   

Between all of the Achilles tendonitis issues and school starting, I feel like I have been making an {extra} concentrated effort to increase mileage.  I'm also trying to add in at least one HIIT workout per week.  As the weeks progress into the fall, I have a few races in mind and I will be planning my racing schedule in the very near future.   

Afterwards, I was relieved it was over.  Workouts are always tough in the midst of running hard, but it sure does feel good to have them done and checked off the list.  

I am off today for the Labor Day holiday and I plan to relax and hang with Willsey while my kids and husband are at school.  Their district is open, mine is closed.  Ha!  A nice, quiet house for me.  A five mile run in a few minutes and a trip to the chiropractor will round out my day.   

Enjoy! 

Terribly Tired

Last night I was extremely tired.  

It was one of those days where my body just wanted to crash from the moment I stepped in the door.  After school, I ran an easy four miles as a recovery from yesterday's six.  

Then I remembered that I wanted to head to a 6:00 yoga class.  Well, that didn't happen.

Getting back into the swing of things can be a challenge.  Going from having all of the time in the world during the summer, to having almost every moment of the day occupied is an adjustment and I can definitely feel it.  Last night, I hit the hay earlier than usual because I am planning a tempo-type workout this evening {hopefully -- depending on my husband's schedule}. 

Looking ahead for the rest of the week, I'm thinking my running schedule will look something like this:
Wednesday: Tempo/HIIT workout
Thursday: Off
Friday: 5-6 miles
Saturday: 9-10 miles with Lauretta...can't wait!
Sunday: 5 miles easy 

This week, my goal is to run as close to 40 miles as possible.  If my week runs Monday to Sunday and I follow my plan, I will have approximately 35 miles.

Alright, time to get ready for school.  Enjoy your Wednesday!

  





 

First Day of School and a Good 6 Miler

Good Morning!

If you read yesterday's post...it was the first day of school for me and my family.  As a tradition, we always go out for ice cream the night before the first day.  Death by Chocolate for me, please!   

In addition to the ice cream outing, we always take pictures before everyone leaves for the day.  Unfortunately this year, the weather was very uncooperative and it started to POUR when it was time for the photo shoot, and it continued to pour until I was well into my morning at work.  The rain didn't make it a great way to start, but in the end, everyone enjoyed their days.  

Even Willsey gets in on the action... 

My team always knows that they need to cooperate for the obligatory group photo on special days...

It was a good start to a {hopefully} great year! 
 
Last night I did a nice six mile run on my usual out and back course.  It was quite steamy, and after about a mile or so, my Achilles warmed up and I was good to go.  I ran the first three in 22:52, and came back in 20:16 -- for a total time of 43:16. 

Again, my darn watch didn't register the final mile time when I pressed stop.  I know my 5th mile was 6:58 and I'm pretty sure I was running around 6:30 for the last one. 

After my run, I jumped in the pool to cool off.  Willsey watched me diligently, as well as his floating yellow duck.  He gets ticked off when his toys fall into the pool.     

Crazy dog!  

After school, I plan to run an easy five, and then I want to hit Carrie's level two yoga class.  I haven't been to yoga in about two weeks, so my body is craving a little downward facing dog.  Enjoy your day! 

Feeling Like a Farm Girl: Freezing Corn

Happy Monday!  It's the first day of the school year for everyone in my family, so my house is abuzz.  Mixed emotions are running wild.  Some of us have nervous energy and others are just plain excited to meet their teacher.  I have been teaching for twelve years and I still get anxious on the first day of school.

This past weekend my husband thought it would be fun to freeze corn like he did when he was a kid.  He has vivid memories of his mom shucking, blanching, cutting, bagging and freezing fresh corn off the cob to be savored in the winter months when corn is scarce.  He ordered three bushels from a local farmer, we summoned his mom to join us as the pack leader...and we were off!  My parents joined us as well for a few extra sets of hands.

To start the long afternoon, my mother-in-law asked if we could make a pitcher of sangria.  Since I can never say no to a nice glass of sangria, I immediately pulled together a few of the ingredients I had on hand and mixed together a delicious concoction.  The thing is, my sangria is never the same.  It always depends on what is in the fridge and on the wine shelf.  In Saturday's recipe:  kiwi and oranges with a blackberry wine, a bottle of sparkling cider and a splash of orange juice.  

This picture doesn't do it any justice...

One of the jobs was to shuck the corn...all three huge bags of it!  Even Alli and Payton joined in on the fun...

One of the bags...

Each and every ear of corn was doused in a pot of boiling water for four minutes and then immediately moved to an ice bath to stop the cooking. 

More corn shucking...I actually found this job very relaxing.

We put my dad to work too...

The corn was beautiful...and surprisingly sweet!

Once cooled, we used paring knives to remove the kernels off the cobs.  We also used the back of the knife to scrape the rest of the corn milk for added moisture and juice.  

After the corn was removed from the cobs, we put the pans in the refrigerator to let it completely cool before putting it into bags.  Why?  If the corn is still warm when bagging, it can develop a musty taste and all of the hard work is done for nothing.  Once cooled, I placed about three cups of corn into one-quart freezer bags and sealed them, making sure to remove all of the air.     

The bags store nicely in the freezer because they lay flat.  Another note, we didn't layer the bags in the freezer until they were completely frozen.  I'm not sure why, but my mother-in-law insisted on it.  Hey, she was the boss so we had to listen. 
 

My mom did a great job in the kitchen with the boiling and blanching.

After a good dinner of steak, salad, leftover pasta salad, and of course...corn, I put the parents to work.  They cut laminating for school and placed labels on my kids' folders.  I did reward them with coffee and dessert, though.   

I have to say, I am anything BUT a farm girl, but this age old tradition of freezing corn {or any veggie for that matter} was a blast.  I look forward to pulling out one of our 33 bags in the middle of winter and enjoying fresh corn off the cob...a little taste of summer.  


Enjoy your day!

Moravian XC Alumni Race and Event

Hello!

On Friday evening we had a special Moravian College cross-country alumni race and get-together.  This event was the first of its kind since I have been associated with the college, and it was very much a huge hit among all who attended.

The night started off with a 2 mile race at Monocacy Park, which was the sight of many, many interval workouts throughout the four years spent at Moravian.  We decided to hold the event at this specific location because we knew it would spark old memories of running and training.  Many miles were recorded on the rolling hills that encompass the area.  

Around 6:15 pm, current team members lined up at the starting line to race among new and old alums.  Some were in amazing shape while others did the race for fun.  For some reason, these photos were a little foggy...

And they're off...
 

For me, this was the first time I "raced" since the spring, so I was anxious to feel it out again and see where I was in my training.  My goal was to run as close to twelve minutes as possible.  The first mile felt ok and I went through in 5:59 pace.  The second mile began with a 600 yard uphill trek on grass and I was not feeling so great at that point.  Around a half mile left, my old coach {Mark Will-Weber} pulled up along side of me and I murmured something to him along the lines of "this stinks."  He reminded me that we had less than a half mile to go and at that point, I got my second wind and picked it up to the finish.  I ended up running 12:29...about 29 seconds more than I wanted, and that second mile was a doozy.  After the race, my dad commented to me that my base was there, but my conditioning wasn't.  I know he was correct, so weekly interval and track workouts are on my to-do list.

New Freedom High School head cross country coach...Bobby T. and me.  I love his Freedom shirt...our alma mater!

  
My sister and the kids...

The top three females...Cadee {2012 alum and Bob's assistant XC coach}, Emily Shertzer and me...
 

Payton was ready for the race!

My dad was working the finish line with Jesse...
 

After the alumni run, we held a kids' race and my daughter was sooooo excited to run.  My husband told me that she was mimicking the team's warm-up movements.  She was swinging her leg from front to back and stretching and striding.  He said it was so cute and I wish I would have seen her in action!  She was by far the oldest one in the crew, and she ended up winning.  Everyone was laughing at the end saying that the kids' race was so far...approximately a quarter mile.    

After all of the running at the park, everyone headed down the road for a cook-out at the rented pavilion.  Last week, Jesse, Bob and I went on a Sam's Club excursion and purchased burgers, hot dogs, chips, pretzels, etc.  I made a large green salad and six pounds of pasta salad to accompany the meal.  As a last minute dessert idea, we ordered cookies from Easton Baking Company, a local hole-in-the-wall bakery that has amazing baked goods.  People also brought numerous dessert dishes to add to the sweet selection.  The food was yummy and it practically was demolished.  
 

I put Fred to work at the grill.  He didn't mind because grilling is his specialty.  Plus, it was his way to help out and we all appreciated it.  

Here are Fred and Dustin {one of the track coaches} rinsing their hands in the creek.  At first, I wasn't quite sure what was going on...  

Jesse ordered these {very cool} dry-fit shirts for the top five men and women alumni.  Here are the winners...

It was so great to see my old teammate, Carla!

Jesse and me...

We gave participation ribbons to the kids who completed their race.  They were all so cute!

After the cook-out, we headed to Bob's house for an after-party since the pavilion closed at dusk.  Bob was flipping more burgers as a late night snack and the cookies and chips were a nice treat.  Here are some random pics from the party...

Patrick had his game face on!

  
Jesse and Bob...
 

Bob had a few tricks up his sleeve.  He presented "special" awards to a few select individuals...
 

Alumni...old and new, as well as our old coach!  

Mark got the Oldest Finisher award!
 

Will received the coveted "Most Unimproved..."

Tiff was lucky enough to snag the DFL award..."Dead Freakin' Last!"

And every year, Patrick claims that he will be soon getting in shape.  And every year, he shows up not in shape!  So because he is all talk and no game, he received the "Just Give It Up Already" award. 

 

 

My sister {Tara} and me...

Jesse had a great time putting faces to names at this event.  He did an amazing job pulling it all together!  

  
Having fun with Carla and Cadee!
 

After the night was over, we received many, many positive comments from those in attendance.  This is definitely something that will become an annual tradition and I look forward to connecting with even more alumni in the future!

Have a great Sunday!