Tuesday was our TNT Time Trial. You run as fast as you want and get seeded into groups so that the coaches know how long you’ll take for each training run. That way, the fast people start later than the slow people and we can all finish at more or less the same time.
Normally, I take it a little slower than my race pace, but this time, I pushed myself a little. I think it’ll be good to train with people who are faster than I am. But I do have to keep an eye on my knee and my calves, which are really tight for some reason. I have been rolling the right one with a lacrosse ball and lately, the left one has been getting a small knot in it, too. I may have to go back to using the foam roller. Ouch.
The good news: Strava says I ran my fastest 5k ever during the time trial. Hopefully, that will put me in wave four, but I wouldn’t mind being in wave three, either. They both go out at the same time, so I still get to sleep in the same, regardless. But wave four people are faster, so I would have to push myself harder to keep up with them. We’ll see. It’s not part of my goals for the season, so if it doesn’t happen, no big deal.
Thursday, I did the buddy run with Jen and her group. There’s a girl who’s got some lofty goals for her season: she’s a new runner, but wants to run the entire Nike Women’s Half Marathon and break two hours! I didn’t want to rain on her parade, but I did tell her about the course and what I think she’d have to do to reach her goals: Don’t train so hard that you get injured. That’s really my goal, too!
Today, we had a nice run in a new-to-me spot: the Stevens Creek Trail in Mountain View. It’s a pretty flat trail, but there are some high pedestrian bridges over Hwy 101 and Central Expressway, so you get some hill work. It was nice and cool and the second half of the trail was shaded nicely. Then we had a little bagel brunch. Now, I am relaxing. I hope to get a little bike ride in tomorrow, then recharge for work on Monday.