Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Thing I Could Blog About, but Won't

- I have projects at work. Some are fun, some are not.

- A chemical plant exploded about 2 minutes from my apartment. My favorite line: "Health services officials said .... they believe that the chemicals being released into the air are posing no identifiable risks to the public." Makes me feel really safe!

- How much I hated the Wade Robson choreographed solo dances with the random screaming performed 10 times on So You Think You Can Dance.

- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was Fan-freaking-tastic!

- Lindsey Lohan makes me simultaneously sad and amused (more sad though). How dumb do you have to be to declare you're innocent of drunk driving and possession of cocaine when they took a blood alcohol test and found cocaine in your pocket?

- I took this really cool picture on my cell phone a couple weeks ago while I was driving to church
- I bought new running shoes from a place that watches you run and gets the right shoes for the way your feet are. It was really fun and I can't wait to break them in!

- The more times the aforementioned Wade Robson dance gets performed, the more I like it.

- I stole this format of blogging about a lot of things at once from Ryan. I think its the third blog style I've stolen from him, but hey, when there is someone so creative out there, why not imitate them? :)

7 comments:

Trey Laminack said...

I was wondering how close that explosion was to your house.

Katie McB. said...

I told you, move to Dallas and you will die from a gas related explosion. Did you listen, NOOOOOO!

Kristen said...

I agree with the Dance last night. I liked it, but not 10 times in a row. :)
Also, where did you get those shoes? How cool!

Emily said...

I got the shoes at Luke's Locker in Dallas on Oak Lawn. The other place that I've heard does it is Fort Worth Running Company (I think) on Camp Bowie.

Jennifer Schroeder said...

Run In in Dallas does the same thing with running shoes, but their shoes are VERY pricey.

Also, I am forever stealing people's blogging styles.

Joel said...

Great way to get your shoes. Most people don't go that extra step to make sure they get the right ones, and that makes a huge difference.

So for your 1/2 marathon prep, you've got about 13.5 weeks to go. Mostly you need to gradually increase the length of your long runs, but yes there is a place for speedwork. Speedwork actually strengthens your muscles, increases your stride rate (aka turnover) and teaches economy of motion. And that is the key to distance running; economy of motion. I have no idea how quickly you run now, but because the numbers are even, let's say the target pace is 10min per mile. That's over two hours for the 1/2 marathon. Your body needs to learn to work efficiently to keep working after that length of time. Given your time remaining I'd focus on just gradually lengthening your long runs (use run/walk mix such as 5 minutes run, 2 minutes walk so you maintain form and prevent injury) for the next 4 weeks. You need to know what it feels like to be in motion for a significant length of time.

For the next 6 weeks start working in your once a week track sessions. I personally prefer 800m repeats (2 laps=800m). The idea is to set a target time which is quite a bit faster than your normal pace, but not all out either. You try to hit this time; don't go faster than it, and don't go slower. Along with running efficiency you learn pacing. The number of repeats depends upon the quality of the repeats. Rest between intervals should be about the same time as the interval. Personally I do this by jogging very easily for 1 lap between 800s. After your first 800, if your time slows down on consecutive 800s, you are done. This means you could be doing (and likely will) a minimum of 3 repeats in a session.

The last 3 weeks before the race stop doing the track work so you can rest up.

Here’s an article on using 800s to train for distance:
Yasso 800s

Emily said...

Thanks Joel!