From Ear To Ear

Week 8 - Phase II - Core Workout: Anaerobic Threshold -
08/13/12 - 08/19/12 -
Week Total:  31.2 -

Probably this was not too smart, but I decided to throw in a couple of goals in the middle of my marathon training. As speed work is my key work for the next five weeks I decided that decreasing my mileage from 50 & 60+ to 30ish would not do too much damage. I wanted very badly to run a 10K in a certified course, but to have a great run, I needed to do some tapering.

I knew that I had the required speed to be in the top 10 in my division in Washington State, and the opportunity was there with the Railroad Days 10K. It was going to be a big race for me as this race was the USATF Regional (Pacific Northwest Track & Field, PNTF) 10K Championship. I decided to go bold, naked if you will: no heart rate monitor, no pace monitor, no music. My only guidance would be listening to my breathing. The goal was to get low 48's. Another goal I had was to be on the podium. Olympian Regina Joyce would take 1st place for sure, and the rest would depend on who shows up, and who doesn't. 

I went earlier, picked up my packet and warmed up jogging one mile followed by 6 to 8 100-meter strides. Rested for 10 minutes and the race was about to start. I didn't see Regina on the crowd and this surprised me. She never misses this race. Now, my goal was higher. In Regina's absence, could I get the championship? 

I went too fast at the start (first time running without heart rate monitor) so I was clueless on what my effort and pace was for the 1st mile. After the mile marker I saw I was going too fast for me: 7:18. I slowed down for miles 2 & 3 to avoid crashing later. I had very bad splits, but had time to adjust to get what I needed. 

My goals were achieved. I ran the 10K USATF Regional (Pacific Northwest T&F - PNTF) Championships in 48:23 (7:48 min/mile), a PR of 2min 33 sec. Got first place and was "crowned" the 2012 10K Champion for the division. Got 5th Female Masters Overall and my smile went From Ear To Ear. 


Splits

1- 7:18
2- 7:40
3- 8:12
4- 7:58
5- 8:03
6- 7:44
6.2 - 1:24 (7:00)

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Yasso workout: 5x800 this week: 3:27; 3:25; 3:25; 3:25; 3:20