still on an emotional high after yesterday's 14k sprint. a little sore and sluggish today but managed to go out for a light 6.5k run and 1.25k swim. just enough to get in a little work out. will probably go for a walk later this afternoon to try to get in a little more exercise.. it's a lovely 14 degrees here in Nfld today.
well, lots of resumes being sent out as i continue to look for work. so far, no takers. i have now expanded my job search across canada, having sent at least one resume to at least 7 different provinces yesterday.
Jenn
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
May 5, 2009 - mega confidence booster
wow, a light 2k warm up, then a very serious fast-paced 14k (69.22) followed by a 2k cool down. felt very strong out there and felt that i could have kept that pace up for quite a while further if i wanted to.. no ankle problems what so ever.. some slight knee pains but that seems to be the norm with me.. definitely feeling good this afternoon after that!
Jenn
Jenn
May 4, 2009 - rest day
only a 2.5k run today. the emotions of yesterday seems to have worn me out physically.. hoping to feel better tomorrow and get in a nice 10k run.
Jenn
Jenn
Sunday, May 3, 2009
May 3, 2009 - out with a whimper; the potential Nfld swan song
the 5k road race started just 2k from my house, so i had a nice little 2k jog as a warm up. well, i dawned my boston marathon jersey and cap.. i missed last week's season opening 5k but everyone knew that this was because i was in boston and waterloo!
anyway, i got off to a bit of a slow start and found myself in shock to see all my other colleagues whom i used to run closely with, fly by me right from the get go..
having run a 24.00 five weeks ago in a 'fun run', i was hopeful of vastly improving on that time. but most of all, i wanted to run a steady race... this was my chance to see just how fast i could go over a 5k period, and to then assess my fitness levels at the end..
i crossed mid point at exactly 12 minute mark and knew i would have to dig deep to better my result. i don't think i have ever ran a negative split for any race in my life but decided that this would have to be the day.
i dug deep and picked up the pace just a bit.. as i hit the 3k mark, i started to pass by other runners.. at no point during the race did i ever feel good. i think the tank was running on empty having run 3 marathons last week and having swam 2 hours yesterday.. but still, that should be no excuse for someone who prides them self on being in great shape and being resilient..
anyway, i felt myself getting stronger as the race went on. as i hit the 4.5k mark, i saw one of my colleagues already finished and walking towards the parking lot, having finished several minutes ago. this really made me feel embarrassed.. that aggravated me to give it my all for the remaining few strides. As i approached the finish, i could see that i would be comfortably ahead of 24 minutes..
crossing at 23.56, i couldn't help but remember last year at this race when i sprinted hard for the finish line on a buzzer-beater for 19.59.
as excited as i was about finally running a negative split race, i guess it was at this point that i had realized just how far i had fallen in the past year.. hard to believe that one year ago, i was running marathons at a faster pace than today's 5k. i had given it my all and i knew that i couldn't have gone
on much longer at that pace..
Pictured here is me crossing the finish line. the look on my face sort of tell it all. lol
anyway, i entered the post-race reception and just couldn't keep myself together. i found myself crying uncontrollably and decided to remove myself and head home..
oh well, i'm gonna have to shake this off and get myself refocused for next week's mississauga marathon.. bottom line, i am not, and have never been, a fast runner. the 5k distance has never been my strength.. marathons is what i am all about and this is where i hope to make my mark next week.. but today's 5k certainly won't act as a confidence booster. i'm starting to think that mississauga will be nowhere near where i want it to.
anyway, as i sit here and type this, i can't help but realize that with my future up in the air, and a move likely to occur next month, this may have been my very last road race in Newfoundland as a local. and given that this was such a miserable experience, i'm thinking this may be my last 5k race for a long long time as well..
oh well, i suppose it's ironic that i exit newfoundland with a whimper. interestingly enough, my debut race in newfoundland was my one and only DNF in my career, as i dropped out of the 2007 Eastern Marathon at the 30k due to heat stroke.
oh well, time to put this sad and depressing morning behind me.. gonna start off the afternoon with a visit to the pond to see the duckies and then have a slow and gentle swim in the pool..
Jenn
anyway, i got off to a bit of a slow start and found myself in shock to see all my other colleagues whom i used to run closely with, fly by me right from the get go..
having run a 24.00 five weeks ago in a 'fun run', i was hopeful of vastly improving on that time. but most of all, i wanted to run a steady race... this was my chance to see just how fast i could go over a 5k period, and to then assess my fitness levels at the end..
i crossed mid point at exactly 12 minute mark and knew i would have to dig deep to better my result. i don't think i have ever ran a negative split for any race in my life but decided that this would have to be the day.
i dug deep and picked up the pace just a bit.. as i hit the 3k mark, i started to pass by other runners.. at no point during the race did i ever feel good. i think the tank was running on empty having run 3 marathons last week and having swam 2 hours yesterday.. but still, that should be no excuse for someone who prides them self on being in great shape and being resilient..
anyway, i felt myself getting stronger as the race went on. as i hit the 4.5k mark, i saw one of my colleagues already finished and walking towards the parking lot, having finished several minutes ago. this really made me feel embarrassed.. that aggravated me to give it my all for the remaining few strides. As i approached the finish, i could see that i would be comfortably ahead of 24 minutes..
crossing at 23.56, i couldn't help but remember last year at this race when i sprinted hard for the finish line on a buzzer-beater for 19.59.
as excited as i was about finally running a negative split race, i guess it was at this point that i had realized just how far i had fallen in the past year.. hard to believe that one year ago, i was running marathons at a faster pace than today's 5k. i had given it my all and i knew that i couldn't have gone
on much longer at that pace..Pictured here is me crossing the finish line. the look on my face sort of tell it all. lol
anyway, i entered the post-race reception and just couldn't keep myself together. i found myself crying uncontrollably and decided to remove myself and head home..
oh well, i'm gonna have to shake this off and get myself refocused for next week's mississauga marathon.. bottom line, i am not, and have never been, a fast runner. the 5k distance has never been my strength.. marathons is what i am all about and this is where i hope to make my mark next week.. but today's 5k certainly won't act as a confidence booster. i'm starting to think that mississauga will be nowhere near where i want it to.
anyway, as i sit here and type this, i can't help but realize that with my future up in the air, and a move likely to occur next month, this may have been my very last road race in Newfoundland as a local. and given that this was such a miserable experience, i'm thinking this may be my last 5k race for a long long time as well..
oh well, i suppose it's ironic that i exit newfoundland with a whimper. interestingly enough, my debut race in newfoundland was my one and only DNF in my career, as i dropped out of the 2007 Eastern Marathon at the 30k due to heat stroke.
oh well, time to put this sad and depressing morning behind me.. gonna start off the afternoon with a visit to the pond to see the duckies and then have a slow and gentle swim in the pool..
Jenn
Saturday, May 2, 2009
May 2, 2009 - Endurance Test
a great work out today. it started with a fast 3k run over to the pool, and then a slow endurance swim of 6k in 120 minutes. the energy levels were a little low and the energy stores were clearly low, but it was nice to get in a good test. for me to tough out a swim of that magnitude just 6 days removed from my 3rd marathon in 8 days, is an amazing statement of my fitness levels. the ankle did not give me any problems throughout the day so that was another nice bonus.
i'm really feeling confident that another careful taper week will have me showing up in Mississauga in excellent shape and fully able to give it a strong go at a BQ time of 3.45.59. i guess time will tell, no pun intended.. lol
Jennifer
i'm really feeling confident that another careful taper week will have me showing up in Mississauga in excellent shape and fully able to give it a strong go at a BQ time of 3.45.59. i guess time will tell, no pun intended.. lol
Jennifer
Monthly totals for April 2009
Running:
January 392.8 - 392.8
February 353.1 - 745.9
March 342.6 - 1087.5
April 226.1 - 1313.6
Swimming:
Jan 2009 19.900 - 19.900
Feb 2009 37.600 - 57.500
Mar 2009 39.900 - 107.400
April 2009 57.625 - 165.025
well, as expected, more swimming and less running as i spent the first half of the month tapering for the 3 big marathon runs in 8 days.
the most interesting stat is that i have dropped another 2 pounds. here's a history of my body weight over the past few years with some key milestone weigh ins:
01/01/07 238 (started to take running seriously)
01/01/08 178 (60 pounds off in the first year)
06/01/08 165 (lowest weight at any point in my running career)
01/01/09 188
02/01/09 185
03/01/09 195 (high point of weight gain due to hormonal and metabolism change)
04/01/09 192
05/01/09 190 (2nd consecutive month dropping weight; starting to gain smooth hormone levels)
Jenn
January 392.8 - 392.8
February 353.1 - 745.9
March 342.6 - 1087.5
April 226.1 - 1313.6
Swimming:
Jan 2009 19.900 - 19.900
Feb 2009 37.600 - 57.500
Mar 2009 39.900 - 107.400
April 2009 57.625 - 165.025
well, as expected, more swimming and less running as i spent the first half of the month tapering for the 3 big marathon runs in 8 days.
the most interesting stat is that i have dropped another 2 pounds. here's a history of my body weight over the past few years with some key milestone weigh ins:
01/01/07 238 (started to take running seriously)
01/01/08 178 (60 pounds off in the first year)
06/01/08 165 (lowest weight at any point in my running career)
01/01/09 188
02/01/09 185
03/01/09 195 (high point of weight gain due to hormonal and metabolism change)
04/01/09 192
05/01/09 190 (2nd consecutive month dropping weight; starting to gain smooth hormone levels)
Jenn
Friday, May 1, 2009
May 1, 2009 - slacker
well, i still haven't gotten around to adding up and posting my month end stats for april. funny how i seem to be even more busy than when i was working..
oh well, anything but slacking in the pool this morning. a very strong 2k swim in 40 minutes had me feeling confident. 3.2k run later in the day went well too.
thinking about a 2 hour swim tomorrow as it has been a good recovery week..
Jenn
oh well, anything but slacking in the pool this morning. a very strong 2k swim in 40 minutes had me feeling confident. 3.2k run later in the day went well too.
thinking about a 2 hour swim tomorrow as it has been a good recovery week..
Jenn
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