Adarq.org

thanks adarq! didn't go quite as well as i'd hoped but i'm so happy right now. just proud of myself for following through under the circumstances.

- warm up slow jog 2.3 km, strides

- race 5k in 20:49 (watch), 20:55 (official)

- cool down slow jog 1 km

- stretch

weather was good: overcast and mid-60s although very humid. it rained all night and stopped just in time for the sign-in period to start. smallish race, i'd guess around 100 or maybe 150 people, and i started right at the front. i went out much too fast, 3:39 for the first kilometer, although the leaders shot out in front and i did not try to keep up. faster race than last year. course was hilly the entire time, very few flat stretches. second km was 4:07, then 4:11, then 4:22 and 4:22. managed a wee little kick for the last 50-75m but i had a headache for the final 1+ km. that was a bit of a drag. the winner finished in 18:24, i think i was fifth or sixth.

disappointed that i didn't go faster but i didn't hold back much. need to figure out what to do to avoid headache because in retrospect my legs had more to give, especially in the last km. what a great learning experience, felt very happy as soon as i'd cooled down and was hurting less.

EDIT: forgot to mention i had diarrhea all day on saturday, and also spent the whole day setting for, being at, and then visiting with people after my brother's memorial service. so that might have been a factor as well.

EDIT 2: added official time. i was sixth of 297 (guess i'm bad at estimating crowd size, lol). also i scrolled right on the split data on garmin connect for the first time. couple points (by km):

• average HR: 156, 171, 171, 180, 184
• average cadence: 176, 175, 176, 175, 174
• average stride length: 1.54, 1.38, 1.35, 1.30, 1.31
• garmin's calorie estimator is inscrutable

- run 5.17 km in 27:17
super relaxed. it's beautiful outside.

- stretch

considering buying a training pack from mcmillan running (https://www.mcmillanrunning.com/) to follow when i get back from the trip. been reading a few articles on his site and he seems to have his head screwed on straight, and i've really enjoyed following the program i've been on. it's nice to be unthinking in training, especially when green.

specifically, i'd be looking at some combination of the following:

• base (8 weeks): http://www.finalsurge.com/TrainingPlans/McMillanPlanDetails?product=11339&distance=&timesec=&goaldistance=&goaltimesec=
• hills (6 weeks): http://www.finalsurge.com/TrainingPlans/McMillanPlanDetails?product=14419&distance=&timesec=&goaldistance=&goaltimesec=
• stamina (6 weeks): http://www.finalsurge.com/TrainingPlans/McMillanPlanDetails?product=14425&distance=&timesec=&goaldistance=&goaltimesec=
• 5k race (12 weeks): http://www.finalsurge.com/TrainingPlans/McMillanPlanDetails?product=14539&distance=&timesec=&goaldistance=&goaltimesec=

the whole thing would take me to 22 weeks, and the way he structures the training weeks there is more programmed cross (i.e. strength) training than i've been doing, which would be good. that would take me to november, when i'll head to south africa and namibia for a couple of weeks to meet my gf's mom and sister. there don't seem to be any 5k's in pretoria or windhoek.

an alternate option is finding a 5k closer to home and closer in time. i'd have to build it into a short vacation trip, say to oman or something, but that might be doable. it'd be hot as shit though.

or maybe i'll just step back from running and spend the hot months focusing more on strength and power for a little while.

who knows, right now gotta focus on the trip and the races upcoming.

Donald J. Trump Fifth Avenue Mile. wonder if anyone will name anything after him ever again.

sounds like good advice from med men. when do you hear?

As part of the general movement assessment the physio asked me to jump. I thwacked my head hard on the ceiling. He was like "Oh shit, no one's ever done that before! Epic jump!"

 

this is the true sign of an adarq.org member. 

- tempo workout
-- run warm up x 2 km
-- run 1 km @3:46, 1 km @ 5:01, 1 km @4:08
-- run cool down x 2.4 km

- stretch

total distance 7.4 km, total time 35:46. ran with fast christian, who is fast. i held on at ~3:48 for 0.8 on the second fast km and then died. he finished his km and then looped back around to me, did not break a serious sweat. #goals. we will run together again after i'm back from the trip. especially if there are more mornings like this: sunny and 18/65 degrees. he also gave me a couple tips for the race, the main new one of which is not to panic if the first km is a little slower than target pace. contradictory to adarq's approach but on the other hand it's my first race and if i go out in 3:46 i will blow up really early. only need to average 3:59 to reach my goal and the gap between that and 3:46 is big.

quads cramping very mildly for a second after i got home.

incidentally, turns out the guy he ran the (half, not full) marathon with in hawaii was a gold medal paralympian in the 90s in...downhill skiing. blind. downhill skiing.