Speedwork

Hi again,

So I am feeling a little stoked. I decided Tuesdays are a good night to focus on speedwork in my quest for a Boston Qualifier. I spent the better part of last night working on my schedule (still lots to tweak) and made the committment to myself, that in order to be faster, I have to run faster. And if that means subjecting myself to weekly sessions of tempting asthma attacks, so be it.

I have found on my journeys of running through North Vancouver, that there are a bunch of tracks around, and not too far away either. The track on Jones is mediocre at best- it's a dirt track and there is no guarantee that the lights will be on. So I have decided to move my weekly sessions to Sutherland Secondary, where a beautiful asphalt track awaits, with lots of lights and no shortage of soccer teams playing on the astro turf. It's conveniently 3km away from my house, which means this will provide a sufficient distance for warm up and cool down.

My first evening of sessions (or more like reinstallation of track work since before our honeymoon) started tonight. Work has been hectic lately, so my enthusiasm to go out and run out some stress was huge. My plan called for 3 x 1 mile repeats, aiming for a 7:00-7:15 mile pace. In short, I nailed it. I do notice that I had lost some fitness with all the chaos that has been my life the past 6 weeks, but I am pretty sure that I can reclaim some ground on that category. I am feeling really excited about doing this. Besides, it just reinforces why I love running, because I can't help but marvel at the sense of accomplishment afterwards!

Tonight I was able to enjoy one of my biggest tv indulgences- Biggest Loser. I used to just hate it, and watched to attack and critcize. Now I just watch to check out the different work out maneuvers (sp?) for the work out plan I will start (yeah, huh). It's down to the final four contestants, and it's kinda interesting to see how much their bodies have changed. I don't have any particular faves, but Tara Costa, the runner up from season 7 (can you tell I have watched every season?) was there to cheer on Amanda as she ran through the marathon challenge. I have respect for Tara, and I think it's because I have the same kind of competitive mindset. So I will be a little sad as I watch the end of this season next week (as I eat Christmas cookies!)

Well, that sums it up for one night. Ciao bella!