XTrain- RBM 36 mile bike ride

Thankfully, my RunOn! Fit For Distance class has room in the schedule for cross training- like bike riding! On Saturday, I did a 36 mile ride with the Richardson Bike Mart (RBM) crew. The weather was beautiful, of course it was hot and slightly windy, but that is too be expected in Texas for May. 

36 Miler Results (5 Mile Splits) 

Mile 5: 15.81 mph

Mile 10: 17.16 mph

Mile 15: 19.80 mph

Mile 20: 16.95 mph

Mile 25: 15.02 mph

Mile 30: 13.68 mph

Mile 35: 14.61 mph

Overall ride average: 15.85 mph, with a total ride time of 2 hrs and 15 minutes. My bike speedometer said 16.3 mph, which reads straight from my bike, rather than from a GPS. I'm not sure which is more accurate. Either way, I'm pleased with my average speed! 

Fit for Distance: 15k- Week 1

After successfully completing the Fit for Speed class last week, Tuesday was the first class for the Fit for Distance: 15k class! It is an 8 week class. I will be missing a few classes for my summer travels, but I will hopefully get the chance to run while on vacation- which is always a fun experience!

Week 1: 5/20-5/26
Sunday: Magic Mile ( I used my 8:14 Magic Mile from my last Fit for Speed class)
Tuesday: 5 mile group run (avg pace 11: 34 min/mile)
Wednesday: 3 mile solo run (1 mile splits: 10:34, 10:50, 10:44; avg pace 10:43 min/mile)
Thursday: 5 mile group run (1 mile splits: 11:02, 10:46, 11:09, 11:10, 7:35- only .6 miles; avg pace 11:08 min/mile)

Total Weekly Mileage: 13 miles

I'm looking forward to my second group running class!

WildRide!

WildRide! 40 mile Bike Route

After a much deserved week off after the MS 150 on May 5-6, I rode in the WildRide! with some of my fellow Deloitte teammates! 

Team Deloitte

Since it was a 'short' ride (compared to the MS 150!), we decided to ride hard and fast!

WildRide 40 Mile Results (5 mile splits) 
Mile 5: 16.23 mph
Mile 10: 18.79 mph
Mile 15: 17.92 mph
Mile 20: 16.98 mph
Mile 25: 17.42 mph
Mile 30: 16.88 mph
Mile 35: 15.40 mph
Mile 40: 13.88 mph

Overall ride average: 16.57 mph, with a total ride time of 2 hrs 27 minutes. My bike speedometer read 16.7 mph. It was interesting how 'short' the ride felt, after riding 153 miles two weekends before. 40 miles seemed to fly by- literally too with my high average!

Fit for Speed: Magic Mile

After 6 weeks, tonight was the last Fit for Speed class. We repeated the Magic Mile. Before class today, I received an email from my coach saying that we weren't allowed to use our pace watches today. AHH!  Taking a pace watch away from a runner is like taking a calculator away from a CPA. But my coach was confident that running without a pace watch was the best idea. Now, I have to agree that she was right.

Magic Mile Results: 
April 10, 2012: 8 min 35 seconds (1/4 mile splits: 1:50, 2:06, 2:17, 2:22)
May 17, 2012: 8 min 14 seconds (1/4 mile splits: 1:50, 2:00, 2:10, 2:14)

I improved on every 1/4 mile split and was overall more consistent. I saw a 21 second improvement in my mile time, or just over 4%!  I am thrilled with the results.

I loved the Fit for Speed class! The workouts were a challenge, but in a good way. I enjoyed learning new training techniques that I'll hopefully use on my own.

I think I'm hooked on RunOn! classes. Up Next: Fit for Distance- 15k

Fit for Speed: 800M and 400M Repeats

Tuesday's workout was alternating 800M and 400M repeats @ 5k pace!

Target: 400M: 2:22 mins and 800M: 4:45 mins

400M = .25 mile; 1 lap around the track
800M= .5 mile; 2 laps around the track

800M and 400M Repeat Results
1. 800M: 4:31 (2:19, 2:12)
2. 400M: 2:06
3. 800M: 4:33 (2:16,2:17)
4. 400M: 2:07
5. 800M: 4:40 (2:19, 2:21)
6. 400M: 2:14

Total: 2.25 miles

I was under my target pace on ALL of my attempts. Yay! This workout was a combo between the 800M Repeats and 400M Repeats workouts from earlier in the class. My 400M repeats this time were comparable to the faster 400M repeats at my 2 mile pace a few weeks ago! My 800M repeats this time were faster than a weeks ago too!

Overall, I think that I have improved over the last 6 weeks from this class.  On Thursday, we'll repeat the Magic Mile, and hopefully it will be faster! I'm looking forward to starting my next run class on Sunday- Fit for Distance: 15k!

Fit for Speed: Mile Repeats

Thursday's workout was Mile Repeats @ 10k pace!!

Target: 9:50 min/mile (2:27 lap splits)

Mile 1: 9:35 (2:29, 2:22, 2:20,2:24)
Mile 2: 9:44 (2:22, 2:23, 2:30, 2:28)
Mile 3: 10:08 (2:26, 2:31, 2:34, 2:37)

I was well under my target pace on the first mile, slightly under on the second, but by the time we got to the third mile, I really struggled and was 20 seconds over my target.

I'm not sure my legs were fully recovered from the MS 150 the weekend before or the hills from the class before, so this workout was a challenge. I don't think Mile Repeats are my favorite drill from my Fit for Speed class.

Fit for Speed: Hill Repeats

Just 48 hours after finishing a 153 mile bike ride, I was back to training in full force! 

Tuesday's workout was Hill Repeats at the BIG hill in the Loving Hills set, the hill on Westshore Dr. I'm plenty familiar with the Loving Hills on a bike, but I had never ran them. There's a first for everything! 

For a warm-up, we ran from the White Rock YMCA parking lot down the Loving Hill to the bottom of the hill on Westshore Dr. To determine the distance in which we'd run up the hill, we ran at 90-100% full speed for a minute up the hill, and marked that point. We ran down the hill, then back up to that same point SIX more times. If you're counting, that is SEVEN times up and down the big hill. For the cool down, we ran back up the Loving Hill to the YMCA. That makes a total of EIGHT hills, up and down. My legs rock. 

For the record, the "Loving Hills" aren't any more lovely on two feet or two wheels. 

Bike MS: Frisco to Fort Worth Day 2

 2012 Bike MS Day 2 Route

After completing Day 1 and the Team Fiesta, Darrell and I slept like rocks and were ready to ride on Day 2!! The ride started with a lap round the Texas Motor Speedway. 

Team Deloitte @ Start Line Day 2

It was so much fun riding around the track! 

Darrell and I @ TMS

The wind was still strong out of the south, but the route was less into the wind than Day 1. 

Team Deloitte @ Lunch

Day 2 Ride Elevation

Day 2's elevation was slightly less than Day 1. I finished Day 2 with the same average as Day 1, 15.3 mph!

The group I rode with crossed the finish line together, as a team! It was so much fun riding and finishing together!

Team Deloitte Crossing the Finish Line

 Of course, Grandma and Mom were at the finish line again cheering us on, again. 

We did it!! 

I had a blast training for and riding the MS 150 with Darrell. I can't wait for our next MS 150, in Columbia, Missouri in September 2012. 

Bike MS: Frisco to Fort Worth Day 1

2012 Bike MS Day 1 Route

After months of training, the day was finally here for the 2012 Bike MS Ride!  I was so giddy and excited before the ride, I hardly slept the night before! I woke up at 3:30am on Saturday ready to ride!  Ha!

Team Deloitte met at the start line bright and early at 6am for a team picture!  Everyone was geared up (pun totally intended) for the first day of our two day journey.

Team Deloitte

I had the best training and ride buddy this season- Darrell!  

Darrell and me @ the Start Line

The wind was blowing strong out of the south around 15-20 mph the whole day.  The first half of the ride headed north (with a nice tail wind) and then headed west. We basically flew to lunch. My average speed was 18.9 mph at the lunch stop- mile 47.

Day 1- Lunch Stop (mile 47)

It went downhill from there. Except not literally. The remaining 37 miles from lunch to the Day 1 Finish at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) was uphill and into the wind.

Day 1 Ride Elevation

The hills were 'lite' compared to the hills we experienced at Germanfest and Aledo, but the wind made Day 1 a challenge.

At the last rest stop, mile 71, I was more than ready to get to the finish line and enjoy a fiesta with my teammates!

Darrell and me @ Mile 71

Darrell and I had the best cheerleaders waiting for us at the finish line- my Mom and Grandma!

Finish- Day 1

After 84 miles in the saddle (with an average of 15.3 mph!), Darrell and I traded our bike helmets for sombreros! It was FIESTA time!!

We couldn't party too hard... since we had 67 miles to go on Sunday (Day 2) before completing our 150+ mile journey!

Fit for Speed: Tempo Run

Thursday's workout was a 30 minute tempo run @ 15k pace (10:15 min/mile). The class ran from the Mockingbird RunOn! store down to Katy trail and back. It was another hot run. I guess it is here to stay... better get used to it!

My average pace for the run was 10:59 min/mile, a little slower than my target.

Fit for Speed: Ladder Drill

Tuesday's work out was a ladder drill @ 10k pace (9:50 min/mile). Compared to the last ladder drill a couple weeks ago which increased by laps, this workout increased by a minute up until 5 minutes, then back down, with a minute recovery jog between each ladder.

Ladder Drill Results
1 min: avg 9:06 pace
2 min: avg 9:44 pace
3 min: avg 10:16 pace
4 min: avg 9:58 pace
5 min: avg 9:41 pace
4 min: avg 10:28 pace
3 min: avg 10:48 pace
2 min: avg 10:33 pace
1 min: avg 10:29 pace

Overall average: 10:16 min/mile

I was a little slower than my target pace, but overall it was a good workout!