Grass WO at Lambrick 56:26

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Yesterday was my day off from running. That gave me some extra time to work with Tzenka to run through some repertoire before work. It was our first rehearsal together and I am so pleased! She is fantastic so that’s a real relief! She is an excellent accompanist and a musical player…HAPPY!

I got to Lambrick park at 9:30 this morning and it was already very warm out.  I hadn’t been to Lambrick since last fall and fences had been set-up around the baseball fields for the summer. It was going to be challenging to find a good course to run on the grass. I checked out possible routes during the warm-up. When Jon arrived he had a look too and we figured out a crooked loop of almost a km that ran up the slope on the far end of the park, along the top to loop around a fenced baseball field, down the steep bank across the field back to the bottom of the hill. The wo was 10 x 90″ (1′) at 5km pace. The footing was good but maybe a bit boggy at times as the underground sprinkler system made some sections on the lower field pretty wet. I should have brought my xc spikes. The grass was thick so it was a  cushy ride. I got off to a relaxed start, feeling a bit rusty at first. I found my rhythm on the second rep and went from there trying to stay relaxed but quick. My effort felt strong today and I recovered well after each rep. I got seven shots at running up the hill and did my best on each one to keep my cadence quick up and over the top. Jon jogged around giving cues and reminded me that I had to focus on the middle to last reps and then suggested for the last two, to put my awareness on using my arms and getting my knees up higher. I double checked with Jon after the wo about how much and how often I should be doing strength training and plyometrics right now. I did a short-cool down and drove home, stopping in on the OCal’s for a brief visit on my way. I got in an icing at the beach in the afternoon and did my strength session after dinner…got it all in today!

Ten Minutes Waist-deep

WO: 10 x 90″ (1′) pace/km 3:29-18-16-19-13-17-20-16-20-25