![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Week #7 || Half-Marathon Training
Mar. 28th, 2011 12:33 pmWeek #7 of Sev's Half-Marathon Training Plan:
As you'll see, I took Week #6 as a well-needed rest week. There was some cross-training in there, yoga, weights, etc, but the only mileage worth recording was the tempo run. I really needed this break!
For Week #7, I split the mileage into three medium-long runs - instead of one long and two shorter - because I was coming off of a rest week and wanted to ease back in to my weekly mileage. I did the first two as combination tempo runs / easy runs.
Also, I really just want to throw this out there for general discussion:
When I was at the gym doing run #1 here, a guy came up on the treadmill next to me and tried to talk to me. He wasn't necessarily setting off any creepershark alarms, but at the same time, I was running and busy and while I responded to his first few questions I made a point to be politely dismissive. He asked my name, what I did for a living, made some pointed comments about a book he was writing (which I didn't ask about), asked if I liked "making friends" at the gym.
Eventually I told him that I was training and asthmatic, and that if I attempted to talk while I ran I would have an asthma attack, and that I would not carry on a conversation with him. I distinctly did not apologize for this: this is my run and I am not sorry that I can't chat with you while I do it. But I was as polite as an asthmatic can be while plugging away a 10:00 mile.
So he left me alone during my run - only asking occasionally how I was doing and how my breathing was.
At some point he struck up a conversation with another older man in the gym. At first I suspected this was a ploy to make me think he wasn't hitting on me, see, he talks to this other guy too, but from what I overheard of their conversation it sounded like my "new friend" was the author of a self-help book and a motivational speaker, because it sounded like he was trying to sell the other gentleman something. He eventually ended up getting this other man's first name and phone number (!!!) because he said he had something that could help the other man get motivated. So my guess now is that this person was being friendly at me in the attempt to make connections, networking, or a sale.
Finally he got off the treadmill and I finished my 5 miles. But at the end, when I was walking for my cooldown, he came back up to me and asked, "have you made your mind up about making friends at the gym yet?"
I said, politely, "I am sorry, but I don't give out my personal information. I am not comfortable with that."
"Oh, no, I meant I would give you mine," he said. "But I can see that you don't want to make friends, and I guess I understand." And he walked away.
My question is this, seriously: Why do I have to be the bad guy? A stranger came up to me out of nowhere and tried to interrupt my run, and *I* am the bad person for not wanting to talk to him, let alone 'be his friend'? The rest of the gym was looking at me like WTF and all I could think of was, I fucking hate how "social" is the default in this society. Those of us who aren't social, who hate casual social interactions like this, who just want to do their run in solitude and then go the fuck home... Why am I the rude one here?
Asaskdja;lksjdklasjdkfffffffffffffffffff.
Next week's goals:
| Tempo Run / Intervals | Long Run | Easy Recovery Run | total | target | |
| Week #1 | 3.07 mi | 5.4 mi | 3.2 mi | 11.67 mi | 11 mi |
| Week #2 | 3.5 mi | 4.85 mi | 3.64 mi | 12 mi | 12 mi |
| Week #3 | 4 mi | 6.6 mi | 3.3 mi | 13.9 mi | 13.3 mi |
| Week #4 | 3.87 mi | 7.5 mi | 3.3 mi | 14.67 mi | 14.6 mi |
| Week #5 | 4.2 mi | 8.9 mi | 3.4 mi | 16.5 mi | 16 mi |
| Week #6 | 4.5 mi | REST | |||
| Week #7 | 5.5 mi | 6 mi | 4.8 mi | 16.3 mi | 16 mi |
As you'll see, I took Week #6 as a well-needed rest week. There was some cross-training in there, yoga, weights, etc, but the only mileage worth recording was the tempo run. I really needed this break!
For Week #7, I split the mileage into three medium-long runs - instead of one long and two shorter - because I was coming off of a rest week and wanted to ease back in to my weekly mileage. I did the first two as combination tempo runs / easy runs.
- 5.5 miles , averaging a 9:35 pace, slow-med-fast-med-slow x 1mi each on the run.
- 4.8 miles, averaging a 9:30 pace: 5min easy / 15 min fast / 5 min easy / 15 min fast / 5 min easy.
- 6 miles - my Garmin hasn't uploaded this run yet, but I did 6 miles outside in the freezing cold yesterday. Yes, I don't even know what I was thinking, it was so cold. It really wasn't bad going 3mi out, but running the 3mi back I was directly into the wind and already sweaty and hollllllllllly shit did I take a long boiling hot shower after that. I am going to estimate I ran 10:30 miles on average - some were definitely closer to 10:00, but I jacked my ankle on mile 4 and definitely tried to rein it in after that.
Also, I really just want to throw this out there for general discussion:
When I was at the gym doing run #1 here, a guy came up on the treadmill next to me and tried to talk to me. He wasn't necessarily setting off any creepershark alarms, but at the same time, I was running and busy and while I responded to his first few questions I made a point to be politely dismissive. He asked my name, what I did for a living, made some pointed comments about a book he was writing (which I didn't ask about), asked if I liked "making friends" at the gym.
Eventually I told him that I was training and asthmatic, and that if I attempted to talk while I ran I would have an asthma attack, and that I would not carry on a conversation with him. I distinctly did not apologize for this: this is my run and I am not sorry that I can't chat with you while I do it. But I was as polite as an asthmatic can be while plugging away a 10:00 mile.
So he left me alone during my run - only asking occasionally how I was doing and how my breathing was.
At some point he struck up a conversation with another older man in the gym. At first I suspected this was a ploy to make me think he wasn't hitting on me, see, he talks to this other guy too, but from what I overheard of their conversation it sounded like my "new friend" was the author of a self-help book and a motivational speaker, because it sounded like he was trying to sell the other gentleman something. He eventually ended up getting this other man's first name and phone number (!!!) because he said he had something that could help the other man get motivated. So my guess now is that this person was being friendly at me in the attempt to make connections, networking, or a sale.
Finally he got off the treadmill and I finished my 5 miles. But at the end, when I was walking for my cooldown, he came back up to me and asked, "have you made your mind up about making friends at the gym yet?"
I said, politely, "I am sorry, but I don't give out my personal information. I am not comfortable with that."
"Oh, no, I meant I would give you mine," he said. "But I can see that you don't want to make friends, and I guess I understand." And he walked away.
My question is this, seriously: Why do I have to be the bad guy? A stranger came up to me out of nowhere and tried to interrupt my run, and *I* am the bad person for not wanting to talk to him, let alone 'be his friend'? The rest of the gym was looking at me like WTF and all I could think of was, I fucking hate how "social" is the default in this society. Those of us who aren't social, who hate casual social interactions like this, who just want to do their run in solitude and then go the fuck home... Why am I the rude one here?
Asaskdja;lksjdklasjdkfffffffffffffffffff.
Next week's goals:
- 18 miles
- 10 mile long run
- ~3 mile tempo, ~5 mile easy/recovery
