Sunday Runday: Speeding Up

I've never been an especially fast runner.  And I'm really okay with that.  I tend to run for me, and not for any highly competitive reasons.  Besides, most of the races I run you get a medal whether you come in 3rd or 103rd.

But as I mentioned last week, one of my resolutions this year is to run a sub-30 minute 5k.  No great reason, just because I think it'd be fun.  And it's attainable, with some work.  My PR for a 5k is 30:32.  Which is only 33 seconds away!  Of course, that was back before I got pregnant, had a baby, and had to balance working/running/and being a mom.

But that does bring me to my solution on how I'm going to meet my goal. I've found 2 things work for me on increasing speed - increasing my distance and speed workouts on the treadmill.  See, back when I got that PR, I was training for longer runs - 10ks, 15ks, half marathons.  For me, the more long runs I do, the easier it is for my body to go faster on those shorter distances.  And as much as I hate the treadmill, it's a great way to increase speed by pushing myself to go faster, increasing the amount of time at higher speeds as I'm able to.  Last weekend I played around on the treadmill, upping my speed to 8mph (a 7.5 minute mile) first for 10 seconds, then upping it until I ran it for a full minute.  Eventually I'll be able to hold it for longer and longer.  While a 7.5 minute mile is not really my goal, forcing myself to run it makes a 9 minute mile more within my reach!

I'm also trying to increase my iron.  I've never actually been diagnosed with anemia, but I do find that when my iron intake is higher, I'm not as tired.  So I've been trying to include more green leafy vegetables in our diet.  Which isn't hard, because at this time of year, green leafy vegetables are the ones that still taste good!  (I'm looking at you tomatoes)

Kale and White Bean Soup

1 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can cannellini beans

1 head of kale, chopped

6 cups water

3 Tbsp basil, chiffonade

3 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

1. Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the beans, kale, and 2/3 cup of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Uncover and add remaining water, basil, and parsley.  Bring back up to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
   

I'm also really loving our beach morning surfing/running plan.  Yesterday morning Thatboy and I had our outlines drawn in sand and got to watch a surfing dog.