I was healthy yesterday: Eating and Exercise

I finally feel like I did good on program yesterday.  First time in about a week so I was pleased with the day overall.  I have been a bit loose with counting my points lately.  I had a nice and healthy dinner topped off with a Caramel Frappachino Lite for Starbucks. 

Before I got home I did my run in the city where I work.  My schedule called for a track workout with speed intervals.  These are normal pretty hard workouts and they tax you quite a bit.  Yesterday however, things went super duper smooth and I was so happy with the workout.  It was not that hard.  It did not seem almost impossible.  It was so nice to do 12 X 400 meter reps as it gave me a great reference point to how much my running has improved since I started with my new coach.  To be able to run twelve 400’s at less than 5K pace and not have a problem even after running 35 miles just days before is completely amazing to me.

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My hardest workout EVER!!!!

This is the Strolling Jim 40 miler course profile

As you can see, my 40 miler ultra-marthon in May is going to have a lot of hills.  It is notorious for its hills actually.  So on to my hardest workout ever.  Last night I had on my running schedule a hill workout.  These workouts are done a 5K pace on a hill that is a half mile long.  The point is to run up hill for a half mile at 5K pace and then run back down the hill.  Repeat this 5 times and do some slow running afterwards and my 6 mile hill workout is finish. Well…………………

To my surprise, this workout kicked my butt royally.  My lungs were burning, my legs pretty much could not do anymore, and I almost puked.  It took more mental gusto to finish the 5 reps than it took me to finish the 50 miler that I did.  I got my first hill rep at pretty close to the right pace but the rest of them were one minute per mile slower.  I just could not do it.  I am not saying that I did not want to do it, I actually could not do it.  I am strong in the mental game and can really push myself but this was just impossible.  Even at one minute per mile slower I was having an extremely hard time about 3/4 up the hill.

I talked it over with my coach and he said that this was OK because I had never done this before and it was completely new to my body.  We shortened up the rep from 800 meters to 600 meters but are keeping the pace at my 5k speed.  That is going up a big hill at 6:33 miles.  I have another hill workout next week on Tuesday and I am hoping that it will be a little easier.  I am sure it will get easier as I get more experience in this type of training.

Also, last night my WW program went perfectly smooth.  No bumps and no problems.  I ate right on program.