Fartlek Runs - fun to say, more fun to run

Today's training run was a 6 mile fartlek. I remember the first time I read that word. I wondered what in the world I would be doing and if it was legal in all 50 states. Turns out fartleks are legal in all 50 states - and Sweden, where it originated. From Runner's World: "Speed play, or "fartlek" in Swedish (the concept originated in Sweden), is a free-flowing format in which you run faster for however long (or short) you want to." Apparently many great runners have used this method to improve their speed. Some times you can use land marks or street blocks to mark your distance. For instance run 3 blocks fast, 1 block slow. Most of my runs aren't in neighborhoods where that's easy to track so I go with my music and guestimate on time. I find fartleks to be a lot of fun and great if you don't have access to a track for speed work. I personally don't care for tracks; as a stay-at-home-swim-team-mom I spend enough of my life running in circles. Give me some long, wide, open roads, a start and a finish.

Back to my fartlek. Oh, I just love to say that word. Typing it is a different story - it always ends up fartlet. Either way, MS word thinks I've made another in a long series of typos. Today's fartlek was a 6 miler: 2 miles of warm-up running, 3 miles of fartlek at a ratio of 3-to-1, and one mile cool-down. I also added some hills into this workout as the course I ran includes 3 hills, and with it being a straight road out and back that gave me a total of 6 hills. I really like hills, but not that much. 3 of them were in the fartlek which was good as my 1/2 marathon has a killer hill at mile 11 (and it's the whole freaking mile!). I am shooting for a goal time of 1:58:30 which means I need to peg a 9 minute mile average, or if I'm faster, hoo-rah! This means I am pushing my 4-6 mile easy runs to be right around 9 minute mile averages.

Today's 6 miler came in at an average of 9:04. I'm happy with this time because even though I pushed the fartlek, I felt that the overall run felt easy. I think I could push the fartlek harder next time. I worked it 3 minutes faster, 1-2 minutes slower, and I tried to push the hillls faster than the flats. I find that I drag a little more on the uphills than I'd like. Last weekend's long run with a training partner really brought that into focus. My goal for daily workouts is to push hills. Today's fartlek was a good start on pushing the hills.

I did find that on 2 of my fartlek hills I pushed hard the first 1/2 but couldn't finish the hill hard. I finished the middle hill hard but the first and last ones I pushed harder in the beginning of those hills and couldn't push it all the way through. The middle hill I pushed but not as hard and I could keep the pace the whole hill. Interesting to note. I'll see how this hill work combined with a fartlek helps this weekend when I do another long hill run with my training partner.

At Halloween Season, do we run to eat or eat to run?

Non-runners look at me funny when I confess my love of running. It really is odd, considering that I hated it when I was a kid. I was the kind of runner as a kid who would make an all-out-mad-dash and then collapse in a heap of debilitating side-cramps-gasping-for-breath. I never understood running as fun. It was a means-to-an-ends. For instance: you are late for school and have to run to make it before the bell rings. Or, a bear is chasing you and you need to outrun the slowest person in your group. Or, there's only one slice of pepperoni pizza (or chocolate) left, and you are racing (and shoving) the competition, er, your husband, out of the way. Ahem, that last one wouldn't happen (often).

So, when I tell people that I love to run and it's my rather inexpensive therapy - understandably they assume I am hiding three extra heads somewhere. It just doesn't sound like the me of my youth. But thankfully we grow and develop new interests all the time. Speaking of growing - we grow even as adults. That was when I first discovered running. My 20's were a chance to finally get a job and be an adult. Little did I realize that job meant sitting for 8 hours a day, and there would no longer be the 2-5 miles of walking across campus to keep me in shape. I had struggled once with the freshman 15, and didn't want to repeat that with my new found career. So I gave running a whirl. It took awhile to realize that I needed to pace myself and breath. Funny how breathing comes so naturally, except when you really need it! I struggled through shin splints and side stitches, but eventually found my stride at a comfy 10 minute mile. Turns out all those guides on running are right. It takes about 500 miles to get your stride. Funny how you need to practice even something as simple as running.

So 20 years later I'm still running. Faster and longer now. Nothing beats a quiet fall morning run. Oddly enough I haven't really lost any weight in all the years of running. I am still about the same weight. I still struggle with the same 10 lbs. - just in different jiggling ways. If I were running to lose weight I would be really frustrated. Oh, right, I am frustrated that I can run 30 miles a week and not lose those 10 lbs. But the definition of insanity is to do the same thing and expect different results. Uhm, rats, I may have to rethink that conversation with my spouse about how I'm not crazy. Tonight I am going to try something new. Since I haven't lost those 10 lbs with all the running I am going to add weight lifting to my routine and see if that helps. I'll keep you posted.

I'm a glass is 1/2 full kind of gal - who is signed up for the 1/2 . . .

The Blue and Gray 1/2 marathon that is.

So, after taking the summer off - mostly due to asthma problems and then getting my running legs back under me, it's time. Time to dust off the winter running gear and hit the road. I have had a series of great runs over the last month and feel really confident that I can get a new PR. It's time too. I ran the Marine Corps 1/2 over a year ago and had a bad day - 2 asthma attacks in the race and I thought I had injured my knee running Hospital Hill in the cold, pouring rain. Turns out my knee was just pissed that I was running in the COLD, pouring rain - duh!! I finished the race with a PR, but I knew I could run faster. Then the asthma just got worse, and I couldn't train well. I took last year off for both local 1/2's. It was disappointing, but I had a couple of bright spots. I ran the Civitan 10K, and placed 3rd in my age group - a first for me, and I ran a sub-9 pace the whole way. I set a new 5k PR, and earned a second 3rd in age group win.

Now I am ready for the next big goal: a 1:58:30 or better in the 1/2. That's a 9minute/mile or faster time for 13.1 miles. "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can".