OPERATION "CAN I GET FASTER AT 46 YEARS OF AGE?" REPORT!!

I've written about 20 posts since my dog and I went through some "issues."  NONE of them were published, obviously.

Do you REALLY care about my...

garden growing?

my son(who ditched college) sailing the open seas, dressed as a pirate?

my genius grandson, Sandy Pockets?

my husband's achilles heel injury or is trip to Tahoe to crew for a 50k?

Yea, Brian!

my "goal" to only buy summer clothes from resale shops(and I totally HAVE found some CUTE stuff...)

or

is this blog

about running?

I've had more fun reading YOUR  blogs this summer and finding out what's going on in everyone else's life.  

Boy, you guys are having adventures and some of you

are just livin' it simply like us.

Simplicity is what it's about right now...

our economy

the state or our nation

our World

it seems like we're being called to refocus once again.

Are you feeling that or is it just me?

SO BACK TO RUNNING...the cheapest, most fun thing you can do to stay fit and happy!

I hope this doesn't get too long...

The Goal:  So after Boston, I took two months to recover from my planter facitis flare up which cost me a fun race and a lot of training...

I decided to cut down on mileage, tuck my Garmin in a drawer and start racing short stuff.  It wasn't about PRs, it was about feeling strong and knowing when I could push myself.  Really knowing the "state" of my body.

I've been reading a good book

SPEED WITH ENDURANCE

and as a master's runner,  I am reminded to make sure that I have the ENERGY and LEG SPRING to carry off the mileage and speed work, as well as tempo runs, that will keep me moving forward but not DEAD after every push!

In the book, they give you a chart as part of your training log, that helps you monitor your recovery.

Girls, at 46 this is HUGE.

What I did:  So I cut down on mileage and focused on relaxed 7-8 mile runs throughout the week with one day of track and one long run. I'm spinning at home one day and racing WHEN EVER I CAN.  I do use my Garmin during track workouts and my heart rate monitor on the days off SO THAT I STAY IN RECOVERY MODE.

Do you see the thread here???  I'm FOCUSING MORE ON RECOVERY than the training and **DUH**,  I feel great for every run. It's simple.

The Results:  That question I posed in the spring, " CAN A MASTER'S RUNNER IMPROVE HER SHORT DISTANCE TIMES?"  " HOW? "  Has been answered.

The good news is YES.  I have been able to improve my 5k, 8k and 10k times!  The key has been toning down the LONG mileage and focusing on recovery throughout the week.

I still integrate hill work every week because I am doing a lot of cross country and HILL/trail runs this fall...but that just means I have to balance it on the other end with lighter runs and rest.  I also...

use the foam roller every night

do strength training four times a week

ice ANY and ALL sore spots

drink ULTRA FUEL during speed workouts

wear ONLY shoes that are good for my feet(all the time)

and dream about running longer distances...

yes, my heart is still in the marathon.

Carlsbad 2012!

Thanks for stopping by, stay tuned for the FULL REPORT on RUN WITH JILL'S VIsit to California!!!

Go Jill!!