Training Week 1 / PPTC Cherry Tree Relay

So this concludes my first week of training. When I spoke to coach a few weeks ago I wasn't 100% sure what race I'd be training for, but I knew I needed to get back into a routine and back into running more than 20 miles per week.

This week called for 400m repeats, a progressive tempo, a long run, and a last minute fill-in for the PPTC Cherry Tree Relay race!

The 400's Tuesday night went pretty well, the tempo Thursday started off a little slow, but I think the cold rain pelting me in the face helped me pick up the pace for a strong finish. The long run (about 9.5 miles) went well. It was definitely the longest I've run since my double marathon November. It was kind of one of those runs that just was. It wasn't stellar, but I did finish feeling pretty good, and not even that sore!

I didn't plan on racing the PPTC Cherry Tree race, but I figured I'm running the Al Gordon 4 Miler next weekend, and what better way to gauge where I am than to run the same course at "race pace"? Of course, I have no clue what that is. I just wanted my run to feel "comfortably hard." After my long run, I had no idea if that meant I'd be running a 10:00 pace. I definitely surprised myself when I saw my average pace for the 3.34 miles was 9:02! Wahhoo! The last 600 meters or so (according to the guy that called it out) were brutal, but I was sprinting the whole time.

Really proud of the super speedy ladies I ran with (we were the 6th female team to finish) I know I was still the slowpoke, but I'm glad I got to help them out in a pinch and be their third runner. It's definitely inspiring to run with them, and see all the blazing women on PPTC, and North/South Brooklyn Runners.

So, that's a wrap up for my first week of training*! Really amazing to see where I am starting from. I'm definitely a little weary of getting injured, so I know I have to keep up with my yoga/stretching and listen to my body.


*What am I training for? Well, that's another blog post. :)