Cross Country Race Next Weekend and Fall Half Marathon Plans.

Next Saturday I am racing a Cross Country 5k.  The Las Vegas Track Club hosts this race every summer to raise money for scholarships.  I have been looking forward to racing again and I would love to see what kind of 5k shape I am in.

I ran the Legends of Cross Country Race in 2009.  I also set my 5k PR (20:29) at that race.

The kid next to me smoked me during the last 100 meters.

Since then they have moved the course to another location and I have heard that it is much tougher.


I would love to go under 21 minutes but I know that might be pushing it.  I was stalking last years race results and I noticed that the times were typically  a minute to 90 seconds slower than on a regular road course.  I don't want to go into this race with unrealistic expectations and then be crushed when I don't meet them.  There will be two different heats, an open and a seeded race.  I'm going to try to get into the seeded race because I would rather place lower and run a faster time. I hope I meet the seeded standards.

Fall Half Marathon Plans 

I have two big races on my calendar for the fall.  The first is the Saints and Sinners Half Marathon. This race takes place the last week of September.  I have about eleven weeks to train for this race

I ran this race  last year and had a  fabulous experience.  I didn't really follow a training program.  I was running 4-5 times per week, with two longish runs on Friday and Sunday, with some shorter tempo runs during the week.  I trained while breastfeeding and trying to lose the baby weight and I'm pretty proud of the race that I ran.

Last year I ran a 1:36:01.  I would like to shave about three minutes off of my time.  I have been base building and I hope to get my mileage into the low 40's  by the end of this training cycle.

This year I am going to try to follow a Hal Higdon half marathon training program.  I used the advanced half marathon program while I trained for the Mustang Half Marathon and I liked the flexibility of the program.   The Saints and Sinners half has a mostly downhill course for the first seven miles, then four miles of trail and, finally two more miles of down hill.  I'd say it's a pretty fast course, but this year they moved the race from October to September.  The heat could be an issue...  I hope they start this race at 7am and not 8am

The next race on my calendar is the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon.  I haven't raced this event in a few years.  I know it will be a fast course.  I'm going to bite the bullet and pony up the $$$ for this event.  I am also toying with the idea of running the marathon...   

I know for sure that I am  at least racing the half marathon.  But, I have been thinking that training for a marathon may not be so different than training for a half marathon....  For the last two weekends I have been able to get out of the house before my kids wake up in the morning... That was my biggest issue before.  They would wake up really early and I would feel guilty taking off to run.  If I can get my running in while they are still asleep then its a win-win situation.  I'm not missing out on too much family time.

 I don't plan on very many high volume weeks.I'd like for my mileage to top out at 45-50 miles per week. I'm surprised that I hit 36 miles last week.    We will see how I feel about my mileage in two months.  If I feel like I am sacrificing too much of my family time I will pull back on the marathon.  I apologize to my family and my readers for jerking you guys around.

I think I could wing it with a  Hansons type training program.....  Rock n Roll Vegas is six weeks after Saints and Sinners.  This would give me two weeks to recover, two weeks to run long, and then two weeks to taper...    My goals for this race are up in the air until after the Saints and Sinners Half.  I would love to BQ but, again I don't want to set myself up for unrealistic expectations.  

This is why I hate registering for races so far in advance!!!   I loved being able to show up at an EXPO and pay for a race the day before.  I can't do this because the race may sell out or it will double in price.

My Latest Workouts

Thursday 7/17-Rest

Friday 7/18 Two a Days.  I ran almost thee miles in the morning 2.87 miles at an average of 8:19 per mile.  At lunch time I ran  a little over five and a half miles on the treadmill. I ran the treadmill run at a Tempo pace and with an incline.

Saturday 7/19 I ran 10.11 miles around my neighborhood.  The run had about 440 feet of elevation gain. The run took a little over 90 minutes.  1:28:45 moving time and for 1:32:30 for the elapsed time.  I took my handheld bottle and I just drank water during this run.  

Sunday 7/20 Rest

Monday 7/21 Two a days.  I ran two miles in the morning before work.  I didn't want to run near my office, so I drove to Cornerstone park and I ran two loops quickly and went to work.  At lunch time I ran four miles with some pickups and some incline thrown in.  After that I worked out my upper body. I did cable flys, cable bicep curls, cable press downs, cable bicep curls, shoulder raises and then I did a few one minute planks.

Tuesday 7/22 I ran four miles around the neighborhood before work.  I got out of the house early before the kids woke up.  Yay me!!  I did this as a progression run.  Here's the data.

Mile 1-9:01
Mile 2-8:04
Mile 3-7:47
Mile 4-7:41

Wednesday 7/23  Two a days. I ran three miles in the morning before work.
At lunch time I did another Tempo/Incline workout.  I ran the first mile easy and then I gradually picked up the pace.  It took me 39:14 to run five miles.  I remember hitting the last mile at 7:14.   I also did a few upper body exercises; incline dumbbell bench press, back rows, planks on a Swiss ball, crunches, and I stretched.

Thursday 7/24  Rest

Well that's all I've got for this week.  I hope to report back again soon.