Random Monday Thoughts

Normally when I sit down to write these posts, I have a clear idea in my head of the topic I want to discuss, and a framework in my mind for how I want to cover it. This week is not like that! So I'm just going to ramble off the top of my head for a few paragraphs, and hopefully the final product will be something worth reading. Haha

Part of the reason I don't have a running topic to write about this week is that I spent almost the entire weekend in a bowling alley. Bowling is a sport that I have participated in off and on since about the age of 12, and while it doesn't occupy near as much of my time as running, it is something else that I have a passion for. Being a runner and a single parent, there can be times when it seems like every spare moment is spent training, especially when getting ready for a big race. So as much as I love running, the training and the planning and even just talking shop, it is nice to be completely immersed in something else for a weekend where running is merely an idea in the background.

The timing of this was especially good, since my "official" Tely 10 training starts tomorrow. Having a brief reprieve from running before starting that was nice. I've mentioned here before that I am doing a clinic with David Freake to prepare, and I'm really looking forward to it. Last year, I saw huge improvements from late April to the Tely, and that was accomplished doing all my workouts during the week on my own. While I won't make all the group workouts for this clinic, on the weeks I do get out I'll be training with at least 4 or 5 guys who are faster than me right now. That is definitely going to help push me to be better. And even on the weeks that I'm not running with them, I'll be following the plan, which is more detailed and personalized than what I have worked with in the past. I won't be able to really set my Tely goal until I see how the training progresses, but I am confident that as long as I stay injury free I should be able to lower my PB from last year. I just need to put the work in!

That last line touches on a topic that I have actually discussed with a few people over the last couple of weeks, and it's one of my favourite things about running: there is a pretty direct correlation between the quantity and quality of the work you put in and the results you see on the other side. Not everyone responds to training the same, so the improvements won't always be proportional for everyone, but if you put the work in, you will see the results. It's one of the things that I find makes it really easy for me to commit to all the training, that ability to know the work will pay off in the end. While that can be true for many endeavours in life, I feel the connection is as strong or stronger in running as any other activity I have ever tried.

That last sentence makes sense in my head, but I'm not sure it reads properly! That's probably a good sign that I've rambled on enough for this one. Haha  Hopefully I'll have a bit more of a coherent idea for next week's post!

Weekly Summary (April 16-22)

Mon.: Off

Tue. (Lunch): 10 min warmup, 2 x 10 min (4:23/km / 4:17/km) w/ 5 min recovery, 10 min cooldown (Workout total: 9.35 km, 45:22, 4:51/km pace)

Wed. (Lunch): 6 km, 30:03, 5:00/km pace [treadmill]

Thu. (Lunch): 7 min warmup, 2x1 km + 2x05.km (3:46/km) w/ 2 min recovery, 7 min cooldown (Workout total: 6.74 km, 32:00, 4:45/km pace) [treadmill]

Fri. (Lunch): 6 km, 30:12, 5:02/km pace [treadmill]

Sat.: Off

Sun. (Afternoon): 7.7 km, 42:08, 5:28/km pace


Total: 35.79 km


This week was a good, steady week of training for me. Coming back off of being sick for a week and running a race, I didn't want to push things too hard. Dave has been sharing the workouts he's doing with his winter clinic with me, so this week I cut those in half.

The tempo work out on Tuesday was my first outdoor one of the year on my own, and I took advantage of that to just run on feel and see where my fitness is. My paces were a little slower than I expected, especially compared to what I did during the Tely Teaser a few weeks back. This is one of those cases where considering all the variables is important though, as the terrain was harder, I didn't have a pacer, and I was still recovering. So considering all that, I'm pleased with how the workout ended up, and it also helped myself and Dave get a good baseline to start my training from.

The rest of the week was spent mostly on the treadmill, but I did get out and enjoy the sun with an easy 8k Sunday afternoon. Having stayed out just a little bit past my bedtime on Saturday night, the 5:28/km pace felt a lot faster than that, but I was glad just to be able to get it in!


That covers it all for this week. As always, thanks for reading. Cheers!