Track Workout

I went to my first track workout with Ekiniris Performance.  Glenn Matanza, the head coach, is friends with my husband and we saw him and his wife (who is an elite tri-athlete) at a picnic this summer.  We got to talking about the races and their coaching services.  They have weekly track workouts along with swim and bike sessions (for tri-athletes).  Glenn invited me to come to their track workout session to check it out. I had set a goal earlier this year to break the 2 hour mark for the half marathon.  As I told you before, I missed  my goal in February by a minute.  Seriously so frustrating every time I think about it.  Anyways, I hadn't been able to attend all summer and was definitely out of training mode.  But with Silver Strand only 6 weeks away, I figured I'd better get on it.  So I went to the track workout this past Tuesday.  It was at NTC Liberty Station in Point Loma.  It's a nice open grassy area with the bay in the background.

We ran several 600s and Glenn gave us several tips on running form.  That night, boy, did I feel sluggish! (That'll teach me to eat carne asada fries and Hodad's burgers all summer! But I have to admit, it was still worth it!)  We finished up the night with some ab exercises.

The next day, I had a recovery run of 2 miles.  Then I rested the next day.  Last night, I set out to run 6 miles.  I ran 6.5 miles @ 8:59 pace!  And it didn't feel too hard!  I am amazed!  I haven't ran that pace since earlier this year.  I focused on my form and it made running easier.  Felt like my legs had alot of energy. Guess that track workout helped! I will be back next week for another grueling track session.  Crossing my fingers that it'll get me to my half marathon goal!

Pacific Beach

Ahhhh!! Feels good to be back outside! One of my favorite places to run is Pacific Beach aka PB. I haven't ran here in a while but I figured what better way to kick off my training than to do my long run along the beach! The starting point of my run is up on a cliff where I can feel the ocean breeze. You can often see people doing yoga there or sitting on the grass watching the surfers in the early morning. What better view to relax to..

From there, I head to the boardwalk that's filled with restaurants, beach shops and vacation homes.  It looks empty right now (I started running pretty early) but the boardwalk is usually filled with tons of people. From the boardwalk you can see Belmont Park and restaurants such as the Green Flash and World Famous.  I've eaten quite a few times at World Famous, the food is super yummy!!

It's early in the morning and I'm enjoying the quiet (since I rarely get that at home with a very talkative 2 year old) and get into a zone during the run.  I think I was conjugating verbs in Spanish (don't ask, my mind really wanders during runs) when I realized I had reached the end of the boardwalk and it was time to turn around. From the start point to the end of the boardwalk and back is roughly 6 miles.  Sure beats the treadmill!!

My husband just finished fixing our BOB stroller.  Maybe I'll take the little one out to the boardwalk next time so I can have a little company even if it costs me some quiet time. :)  

'Til next time.. Get out there and explore!