forget about pace and just run!

January 6, 2014March 30, 2025 / Brienna / 2 Comments

I recently came across this article online “Focus On The Right Metrics” over at runnersconnect.net. The main focus of the article is that runners shouldn’t focus on the pace of their easy runs, and should instead focus on “executing the purpose of the workout and completing it to the best of your ability.”

I’ve never really thought about it much before, and now I can’t stop thinking about it. Do I obsess over the pace of my easy runs? Do I consider myself better/faster/fitter if I’m running my easy runs faster? Am I actually better/faster/fitter if I’m running my easy runs (but not my other training workouts) faster?

You know what? I think I DO think of myself as faster if I’m doing my easy runs faster. Yet, I can’t do the tempo runs or the sprints any faster. The author of the article kindly points out that running the easy runs faster is NOT actually better for training. In fact, running them too fast is probably BAD for training, because the purpose of the easy runs is for recovery and if I am pushing it too much, then I’m not recovering, right?

I’m sort of obsessed with my pace and all stats. I run often on the treadmill at home, and I can’t keep my eyes off the time/distance for more than 10-15 seconds. Even when I run outside, I have my GPS app giving me my stats every minute. Yes, every single freaking MINUTE. Once, I actually posted a photo (below) on Instagram of my treadmill display.

I think I need to start running “naked” (this means no GPS, and yes, there will be clothes) a few times a month and just relax.

QOTD – do you worry about pace on your easy runs? Any runs? Do you ever run “naked”?

2013 Turkey Trot recap

December 2, 2013March 30, 2025 / Brienna / 5 Comments

I don’t know what it is, but I seem to have race related bad luck. I am always injured or sick leading up to all my races lately. It’s a really annoying trend!

I was really looking forward to the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot this year, and hoping to have a new 5K PR. Unfortunately, I woke up the day before with a horrible sore throat. After resting most of Wednesday and drinking a 1/2 gallon of OJ, I decided to go ahead race. The weather was on the nice side, and worst case, I would just walk more than usual.

The Turkey Trot is a family tradition for me. Albeit one that I started, but sometimes those are the best kind. My mom, her husband, and my husband all run each year. Mom and Michael come over for dinner the night before, spend the night at our place, and we all drive over together in the morning.

This year, I made a tactical error and followed the official race instructions for “getting there.” The race course was in our way and it seems at every turn we couldn’t get through. Finally, we gave up and back tracked, and basically drove all the way around. Good thing I made sure we left with plenty of time to spare!

There were 28,000 registrants for the Silicon Valley Turkey Trot races this year. That’s a lot of people all piled into downtown San Jose. It certainly felt like they were ALL running the 5k too. Last year, we went in the last corral, and we had to smash our way through what seemed like walls of walkers.

There was some controversy with our group about where to go, but I just wasn’t comfortable starting in an earlier corral if we weren’t at that pace. We settled on the 10-11 minute corral, which is actually where I should be. Even so, there was still a wave or two of walkers to push past just after the start line.

David and I got ahead of my mom and Michael pretty quickly, and David said that this year his goal was just to try to keep up with me. I’m the runner of the two of us, and he’s really only running these for me.

Once we got past the walkers, everything seemed good, and I tried to get myself into a nice 10:30 pace groove, as that was my goal. Of course, I knew that there was high probability of not meeting this goal, but if I don’t push myself, I know I will slack off. Right from the start, it seemed like I was a minute plus behind. At first, I blamed the crowds of walkers. Then slowly, over the first mile, I was able to creep closer and closer to my goal pace.

Somewhere around 3/4 of a mile I lost track of David. Around mile 2, I just couldn’t keep up my pace, and had to take a short walk break (30-60 seconds). Another maybe 1/2 mile later, and a quick one just before the finish stretch.

The one thing that really bugged me this year was all the walkers coming up to the finish line. It’s one thing to be walking just past the starting line, as the corrals do move in one huge wave and it’s hard to get a running start, but PLEASE, if you are walking the last 1/10 mile to the finish line, STAY OUT OF THE WAY of people who are running.

The good news: I beat everyone in my family. 🙂

The bad news: I was about 55 seconds per mile behind my goal pace. 🙁

The mileage shown is a little off, so my actual pace was 11:24, and my official chip time was 35:22. Exactly 20 seconds slower than last year.

Now, let’s just hope I’m not sick or injured next year, and can finally have that PR!

Oh, and here’s David and I before the race…

running alone?

October 7, 2013March 30, 2025 / Brienna / 2 Comments

Lately I’ve been on a kick about writing posts that were inspired by something I read online. Since I’ve already done two posts, I figured I’d round out the set with a third post.

Since I started running, I’ve typically run in my neighborhood, or on a nearby bike trail. I always try to be home before dark, and to be honest, I never really thought about safety. I mean, c’mon, there’s other people on these trails, running, biking, walking their dogs, walking with their kids, etc. And this was exactly my answer when my husband suggested that I should carry pepper spray on my runs. And his reply was “Yes, it’s those other people that I’m worried about.”

On one particular night when we had a discussion like this, it was getting close to sunset, and I really wanted to go for a run. If he didn’t want me running after dark alone, then he had to go. Seems fair, right? I don’t think he was too happy when 20 minutes turned out to be 20 minutes out and 20 minutes back.

A year later, and I still don’t run much after dark (I really try to be home by sunset, or I run in the mornings). I also got a treadmill, so when I do want to run late at night, I can do so safely in the house (and watching reality tv too!)

Oh, and when I go running, I’m not completely alone. I always take my dog, Roxy. However, I’m not sure how useful she is as “protection” since she’s only 9 lbs.

Should I feel unsafe? Should I be afraid to go out running by myself? I don’t think I’ve lived a completely sheltered life, but I did grow up in the country where pretty much nothing ever happened. But then I left California for a few years, and lived 30 minutes outside of Baltimore. Now Baltimore, that’s not a safe place. If I still lived there, depending on the area, I might not be comfortable running alone.

I read this article last week and it really made me think. What happened to this woman is horrible and a tragedy, and things like this should not be acceptable or allowed to happen. But would pepper spray have made a difference? I’m not sure, since he caught her by surprise. Certainly, if her husband had been with her, that might have made a difference.

All in all, I don’t think my habits will change much. However, I am going to make sure to always be aware of my surroundings and make sure someone knows I’m out on a run and when to expect me back. That is one thing that I don’t do now and really should. Sometimes I do tell my husband when I’ll be home, but not always, and I almost never tell him which direction I’m heading. It’s 1 mile in either direction from our house to a trail and once there, I can go north or south on either trail.

QOTD: Do run alone? If so, what safety measures do you take?

winning a marathon by mistake…

October 2, 2013March 30, 2025 / Brienna / 1 Comment

Last week, a woman won a marathon by mistake. She had registered for, trained for, and started the 1/2 marathon. Somewhere along the way, she took a wrong turn, and ended up on the full marathon course.

Once she realized her mistake, she thought she’d just drop out after 20 miles and call it a long training run. Then she noticed that there were no other women around or in front of her. She found an official, who contacted the race director, and found out that they would honor her as an entrant to the full marathon.

Is this controversial? Should it be? It seems some people feel she should not have been awarded the first place prize for a race she didn’t enter (although she did pay the price different between the 1/2 and full afterwards). Will this encourage people to register for other distances and then “accidentally” run the one they wanted, that perhaps was full? I’ve never actually run a race where multiple distances started at the same time, which seems like it would have to be, for the 1/2 marathoner to be finishing and getting a chip or gun time when crossing the finish.

Some folks seem to be concerned about the woman who would have won. Should she have lost her win? Did she know there was someone in front of her competing in the same race? It’s possible she saw someone she thought was running the 1/2 or that she was just back enough that she thought she was ahead of all the marathoners. Would she have run differently if she had known another woman was in front of her? A lot of people are arguing that they both ran the same course, therefore it doesn’t matter. First is first. But running is such a mental thing, and I’m sure there’s a difference between running your best while you think you’re in front, the leader, and running your best when you think you’re close behind the leader.

You can read more about it at The Windsor Star.

PS. I would probably die (literally) if I set out to run a 1/2 marathon and ended up running 26.2.