New Week, New Training Plan!

Now that my 10k training is over....I need a new goal! So I decided to make it a big one - The 10 minute mile!
Ah, the 10 minute mile.....This has been my goal since I started running, but it has been somewhat unobtainable! So, I'm going nuts. I'm trying the Ultimate 5k Plan "Intermediate" from Runner's World Magazine. Over the next 6 weeks I will be running pace intervals, speed intervals, and hill workouts! YEAH! I've never done any speed work or hill work in my training...I just go run the mileage on the plan. BORING! I hope this will spice up my workouts and get me out of my slowpoke rut!
Stay tuned!

10k PR by 4 minutes!

So the training works!
I finished my 3rd 10k today with a time of 1:12:24...4 minutes, 13 seconds faster than last year! It wasn't until mile 5 that I saw the time clock and thought, OMG, I'm going to PR! My run felt EXTREMELY slow, but I must have been moving faster than I thought!

The leg/IT band did ok. It felt stiff throughout the run, but the pain never came! I am VERY happy about that!

See how happy I was!

Not sure what my training is going to look like after today. I have 5k in 6 weeks, so I might use the Smart Coach on Runners World and make a 5k training program. I need something to follow or I will loose all motivation!
Happy Running!

10k Training is OVER!

Last week of 10k training! Hippee!

IT band is behaving, but not because of the pattstrap. I did one run with the pattstrap on Tuesday - IT DROVE ME CRAZY! It felt like it was restricting my leg from moving - aka peg leg syndrome! Not something I really need. However, the ITBS gods have been nice and I've not had the "ice pick to the side of the knee" feeling, so I'm going to run the race Saturday sans pattstrap.

State vs State Challenge!

I've been playing around with the Runner + challenges for a few weeks now. They have various running challenges - men vs women; east coast vs west coast; married vs single; million feet running (most miles per person), etc....where is the state challenge? In my travels, people are always comparing their state to another - why not compare the running habits of our 50 states(ok, I mean 46 states, 4 commonwealths!!)?

So I did it. I created a State vs State challenge.

Which state will run the most by the close of 2008? I'm curious..... Think of it as a social/fitness experiment!! Will the winning state just have more internet junkies than all others????.....or do people actually run more in Arizona, Michigan, or Massachusetts???? We'll have to wait and see....join the challenge!

IT band acting up again.....what the %^$#!!!

So 2 weeks to the big 10k and my IT band flairs up again. I'm so frustrated with this thing! 6 weeks of PT, anti-inflammatory drugs, massage, tiger balm....nothing seems to keep this thing at bay! I can make it to 6 miles, but once I cross that magic line, the pain, stiffness, and fatigue returns....AAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!

So yesterday I broke down and ordered a pattstrap, a foam strap you wrap around your quad to keep the IT band from rubbing on the knee bone. Everyone keeps telling me not to use a brace because it's just a bandaid, but at this point....I need a bandaid!!! I'll post a review once I use it. Stay tuned!