Well I've been chilling most of November recovering from the high intensity at the end of the season. That last 7 weeks from the 100k finishing with the 50k a month ago was a lot but my body recovered. Today was like one of those last chance meets we had in college-today was my last chance to get the All American standard this year since there will be no 3000m races til next yr nor do I think I have a snowball's chance in hell of meeting the standard a month from now in the mile because I always seem to have a winter slump time wise Dec-Feb.My track times suffer then but I seriously think the fact that the indoor tracks are banked here is one of the main reasons for said slump. Well lack of daylight isn't helping the cause either.
I got to the track, got a number, and headed off to warm up. I never go under 6 min on these damn banked tracks though 5:30 or sometimes better as was the case in the summer is childsplay once I get on an outdoor track. I was glad to see Lena M. today as my first though was thank God, there will be someone to stick to tooth and nail that can run that darn standard I need. None of the other girls in my group can. I ran with Lena back in June and we both ran blazing fast road miles. She is a great middle distance masters runner one year my senior. So that was my task- risk it and stick to Lena even if it hurts because she will rabbit me to that standard. I would not have attempted this had I not run a solid set of 400s on Wednesday all inside 83-85 sec on flippin' snow. That was a sign my winter blahs haven't fully set in. The plan was to hope Lena shows up and voila I will have a pacer. Most winters, she kicks my sweet ass from 15-30 seconds-yes that's how bad my speed tanks and how far into the gutter I go til March/April. I need to start moving my butt next month because the 100K Worlds are early this year-April so I can't slack much this winter but keeping track speed is a project.
So off we were and I just stuck to Lena the whole way even if she picked up to try to dop me and anyone else back there. I was actually trying not to step on her most of the way but passing is not what you do til there is less than 200 to go. She got me today by a couple seconds but I made the standard with 10 seconds to spare coming in at 5.40 according to the clock, coach , and others standing at the finish. They gave me 5.50 in the results though- actually everyoine got added 10 seconds ....strange. USATF goes by what's in the results so it's still good....barely...kind of the pits because this is the best indoor time on these banked tracks I ever put down. I'm a crappy short distance runner but strangely enough all this ultrarunning has helped my speed thiis year. I once again was totally focused on sitting on the person in front of me and could hear someone behind me in the first 800 or so but had no idea the next woman had dropped over 100m back. My job was getting the All American standard I missed this year simply because every outdoor track meet I would have run in conflicted with an ultra or marathon the SAME DARN DAY! The mile is the hardest event for me to get it in as the distances get shorter, it's harder for me to do well. 3000-10,000m is easy it's finding a track meet that's hard! I finished a close second and Lena won today.
I'm off to Vilnius for the first of two visa runs in the morning and supposed to be back in 4 days. The next visa run and final one will be early Feb probably again to Vilnius for 1 day service. It's an expensive PITA but such is the price of freedom to once again work for myself. I'll run the winter marathon as one of my December long runs on the 10th hence the visa run now not later.
I'd have to attribute today's result to the basics-hills and a sane schedule. I quit shift work and go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day. I'm going to stay on my diet of hills this winter and want to train more like i did when i was in Alaska and that means HILLS in the winter=strength and fast times come springtime. I am still doing my foot and calf strength exercises and am starting to feel a difference. My legs didn't get as beat up on the turns today and I seemed stronger. Knock on wood things will continue to develop.
I got to the track, got a number, and headed off to warm up. I never go under 6 min on these damn banked tracks though 5:30 or sometimes better as was the case in the summer is childsplay once I get on an outdoor track. I was glad to see Lena M. today as my first though was thank God, there will be someone to stick to tooth and nail that can run that darn standard I need. None of the other girls in my group can. I ran with Lena back in June and we both ran blazing fast road miles. She is a great middle distance masters runner one year my senior. So that was my task- risk it and stick to Lena even if it hurts because she will rabbit me to that standard. I would not have attempted this had I not run a solid set of 400s on Wednesday all inside 83-85 sec on flippin' snow. That was a sign my winter blahs haven't fully set in. The plan was to hope Lena shows up and voila I will have a pacer. Most winters, she kicks my sweet ass from 15-30 seconds-yes that's how bad my speed tanks and how far into the gutter I go til March/April. I need to start moving my butt next month because the 100K Worlds are early this year-April so I can't slack much this winter but keeping track speed is a project.
So off we were and I just stuck to Lena the whole way even if she picked up to try to dop me and anyone else back there. I was actually trying not to step on her most of the way but passing is not what you do til there is less than 200 to go. She got me today by a couple seconds but I made the standard with 10 seconds to spare coming in at 5.40 according to the clock, coach , and others standing at the finish. They gave me 5.50 in the results though- actually everyoine got added 10 seconds ....strange. USATF goes by what's in the results so it's still good....barely...kind of the pits because this is the best indoor time on these banked tracks I ever put down. I'm a crappy short distance runner but strangely enough all this ultrarunning has helped my speed thiis year. I once again was totally focused on sitting on the person in front of me and could hear someone behind me in the first 800 or so but had no idea the next woman had dropped over 100m back. My job was getting the All American standard I missed this year simply because every outdoor track meet I would have run in conflicted with an ultra or marathon the SAME DARN DAY! The mile is the hardest event for me to get it in as the distances get shorter, it's harder for me to do well. 3000-10,000m is easy it's finding a track meet that's hard! I finished a close second and Lena won today.
I'm off to Vilnius for the first of two visa runs in the morning and supposed to be back in 4 days. The next visa run and final one will be early Feb probably again to Vilnius for 1 day service. It's an expensive PITA but such is the price of freedom to once again work for myself. I'll run the winter marathon as one of my December long runs on the 10th hence the visa run now not later.
I'd have to attribute today's result to the basics-hills and a sane schedule. I quit shift work and go to bed and get up at roughly the same time every day. I'm going to stay on my diet of hills this winter and want to train more like i did when i was in Alaska and that means HILLS in the winter=strength and fast times come springtime. I am still doing my foot and calf strength exercises and am starting to feel a difference. My legs didn't get as beat up on the turns today and I seemed stronger. Knock on wood things will continue to develop.
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