I let L have yesterday morning so I just got in a quick mile or so. So far I'm enjoying the everyday running. It's a great way to start every day, and I'm not giving myself the chance to get out of the running routine.
Today was an interval day. Intervals are my least favorite of all, but the best way to increase speed according to what I've read. I did 10 sets of 2:30 fast, 1:15 slow. I didn't let myself wimp out on any of them today. I pushed through every set. I was pleased though completely wiped out by the end of the workout. Reps 1-4 I was able to keep under 8:00/mile. 5-10 were slightly over with my slowest being 8:27. In total I did 5 miles.
The Stats: I did 1.17 miles at an average pace of 7:54/mile on Tuesday. Today I did 5.01 in 45:11 for an average of 9:01/mile.
Bonus: I broke the 400 mile mark for the year today. My shoes have 351 miles on them and I'm starting to feel like I might be close to replacing them. I've had a little ankle and foot pain after my last couple of runs. They've lasted twice as many miles as my previous pair, though, so I'm pleased. I'm hoping to replace them with an identical pair.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Long Run Sunday and 1 Mile Monday: 8/21/2011 & 8/22/2011
I unintentionally ended up taking a few days off. The last time I ran before Sunday 8/21 was Tuesday 8/16. Wednesday was a scheduled day off. I had a 7 AM meeting Thursday. I couldn't motivate myself to run Friday. L was scheduled to run Saturday and we had a whole day of other stuff planned after she completed her run. Sunday came and it was time to run. After multiple days off I always dread running. I'm not sure why. I'm going to try to alleviate that by becoming an every day runner. On days that I previously took off of running, I'm going to get up a few minutes before L gets up and get in a quick mile just to keep myself moving and motivated. On days that I have early meetings, I'm going to set my alarm 15 minutes earlier than usual so I have time for a quick mile. I feel better on days that I run. Add that on top of this new plan not giving me the chance to get lazy and I think it's going to work well.
Sunday I headed out into the humidity (close to 90%) for an undetermined number of miles. I hoped to do somewhere between 7 and 10. After taking care of all my pre run stuff I headed out the door all strapped into my much needed hydration pack. The temperature started out pretty nice, but the humidity was horrible. I was determined to keep my pace up a little with a goal of keeping it faster than 10:00/mile. The first 4 miles were right on the money, averaging 9:50/mile. My energy waned after mile 4, though. The first half of mile 5 was up a pretty good incline and by the time I made it to the top I was a little wiped. The second half was very flat and I spent that time recovering from the climb. Near the beginning of mile 6 I started a fairly long downhill stretch and was able to let gravity do some of the work. From there I had decided to keep the run closer to 7 than 10 miles. I had some IT band pain that required me to walk for a couple minutes. I also had some toe cramping at the same time. I don't know what that was all about but I was able to walk it off and picked up the pace again for the remaining mile and a half or so back home. Mile 7 was my slowest mile at 10:37 due to the short walk break. Once I reached the final turn to home I gave it all I had left and pushed out the final .69 mile at a 9:02/mile pace. Kinda slow, but considering I had already pushed out 7 miles it felt pretty darn fast to me. Long runs aren't really supposed to be about speed anyway, but I can't help pushing myself to finish strong. I figure it will pay off come race time.
Today was my first morning of becoming an everyday runner. I got up and did a quick 1.25 mile out and back run. I didn't really push my pace too hard and managed an 8:14/mile pace. It felt good to get my day started with a little exercise. I'm looking forward to the new routine. I think it will help me stay motivated.
The stats: I did 7.69 miles Sunday in 1:16:48 for an average pace of 09:59. I just manage to squeeze in under the 10:00/mile mark. I did 1.25 this morning in 10:17 for an average pace of 8:14/mile.
Sunday I headed out into the humidity (close to 90%) for an undetermined number of miles. I hoped to do somewhere between 7 and 10. After taking care of all my pre run stuff I headed out the door all strapped into my much needed hydration pack. The temperature started out pretty nice, but the humidity was horrible. I was determined to keep my pace up a little with a goal of keeping it faster than 10:00/mile. The first 4 miles were right on the money, averaging 9:50/mile. My energy waned after mile 4, though. The first half of mile 5 was up a pretty good incline and by the time I made it to the top I was a little wiped. The second half was very flat and I spent that time recovering from the climb. Near the beginning of mile 6 I started a fairly long downhill stretch and was able to let gravity do some of the work. From there I had decided to keep the run closer to 7 than 10 miles. I had some IT band pain that required me to walk for a couple minutes. I also had some toe cramping at the same time. I don't know what that was all about but I was able to walk it off and picked up the pace again for the remaining mile and a half or so back home. Mile 7 was my slowest mile at 10:37 due to the short walk break. Once I reached the final turn to home I gave it all I had left and pushed out the final .69 mile at a 9:02/mile pace. Kinda slow, but considering I had already pushed out 7 miles it felt pretty darn fast to me. Long runs aren't really supposed to be about speed anyway, but I can't help pushing myself to finish strong. I figure it will pay off come race time.
Today was my first morning of becoming an everyday runner. I got up and did a quick 1.25 mile out and back run. I didn't really push my pace too hard and managed an 8:14/mile pace. It felt good to get my day started with a little exercise. I'm looking forward to the new routine. I think it will help me stay motivated.
The stats: I did 7.69 miles Sunday in 1:16:48 for an average pace of 09:59. I just manage to squeeze in under the 10:00/mile mark. I did 1.25 this morning in 10:17 for an average pace of 8:14/mile.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Tempo Run: 08/16/2011
I had zero desire to get out of bed and run this morning. I did it anyway, and I'm glad I did. I would have gained nothing by staying in bed an extra hour but I got to experience a beautiful sunrise and breathe the fresh cool morning air.... in mass quantities.
The temperature was just right this morning. I could have stood it just a couple degrees cooler, but after weeks on end of 80 degree 100% humidity mornings I'm not going to complain for a moment about mid 60's. I got myself out of bed my negotiating (with myself) an easier run than I had planned. When I got started, I pulled the old switcheroo. Bait and switch. I'm the master of manipulating myself into doing things I really don't want to do. I'm not sure that's such a good thing, but it's worked well for my running.
I did the first mile as a semi warm up mile in the mid 9's. From there I pushed the pace up to the sub 9 range and tried to keep it there for the remainder of the run. I concentrated my efforts on mile 4 because I was starting to fatigue at that point. Mile 4 was my best mile of the day at 8:28. I told myself after really pushing mile 4 I would slow down and take it a little easier for mile 5. I did slow down some, but actually ran mile 5 very slightly faster than miles 2 and 4. Miles 2, 4, and 5 were 8:45, 8:46, and 8:43 respectively. I'm pleased with my ability to pick a pace and pretty well stick to it only occasionally referring to my Garmin watch for confirmation of what I already know. I'm also pleased that my comfortable cruising speed seems to be increasing. Some of that may have more to do with the cooler temperatures we've had in the mornings the last couple of weeks, but I'm sure some of it is also attributable to the efforts I've been putting into making myself faster. I'm looking forward to my next couple of races to see how much I've improved.
Today's Stats: I did 5.06 miles in 44:35 for an average pace of 8:49/mile.
The temperature was just right this morning. I could have stood it just a couple degrees cooler, but after weeks on end of 80 degree 100% humidity mornings I'm not going to complain for a moment about mid 60's. I got myself out of bed my negotiating (with myself) an easier run than I had planned. When I got started, I pulled the old switcheroo. Bait and switch. I'm the master of manipulating myself into doing things I really don't want to do. I'm not sure that's such a good thing, but it's worked well for my running.
I did the first mile as a semi warm up mile in the mid 9's. From there I pushed the pace up to the sub 9 range and tried to keep it there for the remainder of the run. I concentrated my efforts on mile 4 because I was starting to fatigue at that point. Mile 4 was my best mile of the day at 8:28. I told myself after really pushing mile 4 I would slow down and take it a little easier for mile 5. I did slow down some, but actually ran mile 5 very slightly faster than miles 2 and 4. Miles 2, 4, and 5 were 8:45, 8:46, and 8:43 respectively. I'm pleased with my ability to pick a pace and pretty well stick to it only occasionally referring to my Garmin watch for confirmation of what I already know. I'm also pleased that my comfortable cruising speed seems to be increasing. Some of that may have more to do with the cooler temperatures we've had in the mornings the last couple of weeks, but I'm sure some of it is also attributable to the efforts I've been putting into making myself faster. I'm looking forward to my next couple of races to see how much I've improved.
Today's Stats: I did 5.06 miles in 44:35 for an average pace of 8:49/mile.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Long Run Sunday - 10 Miles: 8/14/2011
I headed out the door just a few minutes after 6 this morning for what I hoped to be a 10 mile run. The temperature was almost perfect. I started out at an easy pace of just under 11:00/mile and tried to maintain that pace for the majority of the run. There was a point about 6 miles in when I had an opportunity to make a turn toward home and cut the run short by a couple of miles but I decided to keep on going. I was still feeling good and knew I could do the remaining 4 miles without a problem.
I was relatively pain free which was a pleasant surprise. I've had some minor shin and knee pain the last few times I've gone out the door. My only pain was in my feet starting at around mile 8. The inside edge of the ball of both of my feet must rub on the inside of my shoe in a bad way. They get pretty sore on some of my longer runs. I don't know if it's my shoes or just the way I run.
Today's Stats: I did 10.05 miles in 1:47:28 for an average pace of 10:41 per mile. Better than I expected when I set out this morning. I'm pretty sure I could maintain the same pace for several more miles given proper hydration and nutrition during the run.
I was relatively pain free which was a pleasant surprise. I've had some minor shin and knee pain the last few times I've gone out the door. My only pain was in my feet starting at around mile 8. The inside edge of the ball of both of my feet must rub on the inside of my shoe in a bad way. They get pretty sore on some of my longer runs. I don't know if it's my shoes or just the way I run.
Today's Stats: I did 10.05 miles in 1:47:28 for an average pace of 10:41 per mile. Better than I expected when I set out this morning. I'm pretty sure I could maintain the same pace for several more miles given proper hydration and nutrition during the run.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Easy Run followed by Strides: 8/12/2011
I intended to do 3.5 easyish miles this morning followed by a few strides. That's basically what I did. I stayed at about a 10:30 minute/mile pace and just took it easy enjoying the morning air. I had some shin pain this morning, probably due to increase mileage and my two pretty hard workouts earlier in the week.
I decided to add the strides to my workout after some reading on improving speed. I only did the high knees and butt kicks. I ran out of time and didn't do the skips and the bounding but hope to work those into my next easy run.
I'm trying to work out on a new running schedule based on a four day rotation:
Day 1: Tempo
Day 2: Easy Run followed by Strides
Day 3: Intervals
Day 4: Long Run
I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work out given my long run will always fall on a Saturday or Sunday. My goal is to separate the two runs that are hardest on my legs by a more relaxed run to give myself a little extra time to heal.
Today's Stats: I did 3.3 miles in 34:41 for an average of 10:29/mile. Like I said, slow and easy. I'm not counting the strides in that. I did 3 sets of 100 yards each of high knees and butt kicks for a total of 600 additional yards - that's about 1/3 of a mile.
Day
I decided to add the strides to my workout after some reading on improving speed. I only did the high knees and butt kicks. I ran out of time and didn't do the skips and the bounding but hope to work those into my next easy run.
I'm trying to work out on a new running schedule based on a four day rotation:
Day 1: Tempo
Day 2: Easy Run followed by Strides
Day 3: Intervals
Day 4: Long Run
I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work out given my long run will always fall on a Saturday or Sunday. My goal is to separate the two runs that are hardest on my legs by a more relaxed run to give myself a little extra time to heal.
Today's Stats: I did 3.3 miles in 34:41 for an average of 10:29/mile. Like I said, slow and easy. I'm not counting the strides in that. I did 3 sets of 100 yards each of high knees and butt kicks for a total of 600 additional yards - that's about 1/3 of a mile.
Day
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tempo Run: 8/10/11
No matter how I feel the night before, motivation is always hard to come by when I'm awakened by my alarm at 5:30AM. Somehow I managed to drag myself out of my oh so cozy bed this morning for a 5 mile tempo run. With my lofty goals, I can't afford to take any rest days and really need to be increasing my mileage.
I set out for 5 miles in the park this morning. There was almost a chill in the air. It felt really good to not be dripping with sweat before even starting the run. My first half mile or so was just warm up time then I picked it up to my goal pace. I was shooting for 5 miles at between 8:50 and 9:00 minutes/mile this morning. My first mile was 9:15 due to the half mile warm up included in that. Mile 2 included some nice downhill stretches so came out at 8:35/mile. Miles 3 & 4 were mostly flat and I nailed my goal pace at 8:50 and 8:49 respectively. I struggled with mile 5 and fought to maintain what I thought was a slower pace than I wanted. Also a good portion of it was going up the hills I had run down in mile 2. Surprisingly I completed mile 5 in 8:43. I was completely wiped out by the end of the run but pretty excited that I had hit my target pace for the run.
Today's Stats: I did 5.01 miles in 44:20 for an average pace of 8:50/mile. I'm pleased with that. I did 5 miles at a slightly slower pace (5 seconds per mile) than my best 5K pace.
I've set goals for my next few races:
9/10/11 - 10K: 55:00 That would be about the same pace as I ran this morning for 5 miles. I'm thinking I can add a mile at that pace over the next month.
9/25/11 - 5K: 24:48 That would be an 8 minute mile pace and would be about 2 minutes faster than my previous and best 5K. This will be a pretty serious challenge. I have 6 weeks.
10/22/11 - 13.1: If I decide to get serious about it, 2 hours flat. If not, I'll be happy just hanging with L for however long it takes us.
I set out for 5 miles in the park this morning. There was almost a chill in the air. It felt really good to not be dripping with sweat before even starting the run. My first half mile or so was just warm up time then I picked it up to my goal pace. I was shooting for 5 miles at between 8:50 and 9:00 minutes/mile this morning. My first mile was 9:15 due to the half mile warm up included in that. Mile 2 included some nice downhill stretches so came out at 8:35/mile. Miles 3 & 4 were mostly flat and I nailed my goal pace at 8:50 and 8:49 respectively. I struggled with mile 5 and fought to maintain what I thought was a slower pace than I wanted. Also a good portion of it was going up the hills I had run down in mile 2. Surprisingly I completed mile 5 in 8:43. I was completely wiped out by the end of the run but pretty excited that I had hit my target pace for the run.
Today's Stats: I did 5.01 miles in 44:20 for an average pace of 8:50/mile. I'm pleased with that. I did 5 miles at a slightly slower pace (5 seconds per mile) than my best 5K pace.
I've set goals for my next few races:
9/10/11 - 10K: 55:00 That would be about the same pace as I ran this morning for 5 miles. I'm thinking I can add a mile at that pace over the next month.
9/25/11 - 5K: 24:48 That would be an 8 minute mile pace and would be about 2 minutes faster than my previous and best 5K. This will be a pretty serious challenge. I have 6 weeks.
10/22/11 - 13.1: If I decide to get serious about it, 2 hours flat. If not, I'll be happy just hanging with L for however long it takes us.
Monday, August 8, 2011
8/4 through 8/8/11 running
I've been a busy runner the last five days. I've run 4 out of those 5 days, covering 15 miles and enjoying an easy race with L in the middle.
It started Thursday morning with a quick two mile run. I wanted to keep the mileage down because I knew I would be doing 5 miles on Friday. Since I was only doing two I wanted to do it fast, so I pushed myself a little and managed an 8:35/mile pace.
Friday night brought the 8K (5 mile) race. It was less race and more fun jog/walk for me but I was proud of L for pushing herself to go a little faster than she was used to. We had fun and I goofed off most of the time. She probably would have done better had she not been laughing at me about half the time.
Since I didn't really feel like I had pushed myself in the race I decided to do a hard 3 miles Satuday evening. This felt like the hardest I had ever pushed myself, but I think part of that had to do with the time of day, the heat, and the fact that I had done 5 miles the night before. Regardless I started out really pushing my limits doing the first mile in 7:57. I slowed down at the end of that mile and did the second mile in 9:15, then pushed to the end to finish the third mile in 8:36 which also turned out to be my average pace for the entire three miles. Pretty fast, but I've done that pace in a 4 mile run before, so nowhere near my limits. My legs were sore afterwards. I popped a few Advil and was better by Sunday morning.
I took Sunday off and did my interval workout this morning. It was a grueling 5 miles. I started out with about half a mile of warm up then I started into the intervals. The first 5 went well, and I kept my pace well below 8:00/mile though I was wiped out by the end of the 5th. My legs were burning and my breathing was very heavy...just how I should feel when doing intervals. After the 5th I wimped out and skipped the 6th. I picked back up with number 7 at a slower pace in the mid 8's and generally maintained that until the end. I finished up with another half mile cool down.
The Stats:
Thursday 8/4/11: 2.01 miles in 17:16 for an average of 8:35/mile
Friday 8/5/11: 5 miles in 1:04:58 for an average of 13:00/mile
Saturday 8/6/11: 3.01 miles in 25:53 for an average of 8:36/mile
Monday 8/8/11: 5.01 miles in 46:30 for an average of 9:17/mile
I'm back in the groove. I fell into a slump there for awhile but have recently been on an upward swing culminating in Friday night where I was inspired by the people finishing 5 miles in just a minute more than my best 5K time. Do I have hopes of being that fast? Probably not but it's not going to stop me from trying.
I heard a song on the radio Saturday - an "old" song from back in 2003. Headstrong by Trapt. Here are the lyrics of the first part of the chorus:
"Back off, I'll take you on
Headstrong to take on anyone"
That's how I feel right now, as far as running is concerned. I know I'm not anywhere near my limits and I'm ready to see what I can do. 6 minute mile, here I come.
It started Thursday morning with a quick two mile run. I wanted to keep the mileage down because I knew I would be doing 5 miles on Friday. Since I was only doing two I wanted to do it fast, so I pushed myself a little and managed an 8:35/mile pace.
Friday night brought the 8K (5 mile) race. It was less race and more fun jog/walk for me but I was proud of L for pushing herself to go a little faster than she was used to. We had fun and I goofed off most of the time. She probably would have done better had she not been laughing at me about half the time.
Since I didn't really feel like I had pushed myself in the race I decided to do a hard 3 miles Satuday evening. This felt like the hardest I had ever pushed myself, but I think part of that had to do with the time of day, the heat, and the fact that I had done 5 miles the night before. Regardless I started out really pushing my limits doing the first mile in 7:57. I slowed down at the end of that mile and did the second mile in 9:15, then pushed to the end to finish the third mile in 8:36 which also turned out to be my average pace for the entire three miles. Pretty fast, but I've done that pace in a 4 mile run before, so nowhere near my limits. My legs were sore afterwards. I popped a few Advil and was better by Sunday morning.
I took Sunday off and did my interval workout this morning. It was a grueling 5 miles. I started out with about half a mile of warm up then I started into the intervals. The first 5 went well, and I kept my pace well below 8:00/mile though I was wiped out by the end of the 5th. My legs were burning and my breathing was very heavy...just how I should feel when doing intervals. After the 5th I wimped out and skipped the 6th. I picked back up with number 7 at a slower pace in the mid 8's and generally maintained that until the end. I finished up with another half mile cool down.
The Stats:
Thursday 8/4/11: 2.01 miles in 17:16 for an average of 8:35/mile
Friday 8/5/11: 5 miles in 1:04:58 for an average of 13:00/mile
Saturday 8/6/11: 3.01 miles in 25:53 for an average of 8:36/mile
Monday 8/8/11: 5.01 miles in 46:30 for an average of 9:17/mile
I'm back in the groove. I fell into a slump there for awhile but have recently been on an upward swing culminating in Friday night where I was inspired by the people finishing 5 miles in just a minute more than my best 5K time. Do I have hopes of being that fast? Probably not but it's not going to stop me from trying.
I heard a song on the radio Saturday - an "old" song from back in 2003. Headstrong by Trapt. Here are the lyrics of the first part of the chorus:
"Back off, I'll take you on
Headstrong to take on anyone"
That's how I feel right now, as far as running is concerned. I know I'm not anywhere near my limits and I'm ready to see what I can do. 6 minute mile, here I come.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Long Run Saturday and Tempo Run Monday: 7/30/11 & 8/1/11
I wanted to get in at least 7 miles on Saturday so I planned a loop route around the countryside that would take me 7.5. I started out slow and easy and basically tried to maintain slow and easy for the whole run. Slow and easy is not always so easy when it's hot and humid. I got out pretty early, but the sun was already above the trees and there was no cloud cover so it started getting hot fast. I was struggling to keep my pace around 11:00/mile and dropped almost to 12:00/mile at one point. That was mainly due to a very steep hill.
The Stats: I did 7.5 miles in 01:23:09 for an average pace of 11:05/mile. Pretty slow, but considering the heat I'm not going to feel too bad about it.
Today I had hoped to do closer to 5 miles, but I only did 4. I almost didn't run at all. I did not want to get out of bed this morning, but managed to convince myself that I should, so I did. I did a 4 mile tempo run with no significant events. It was hot and humid again. I'm guessing it will be this way for several more weeks. It's good for the garden, but not so much for the running.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 35:34 for an average pace of 8:52. I'm wondering if I might have hit a plateau. I'm having trouble pushing myself any faster. I don't know if it's the heat and humidity holding me back or if I'm at a place where I'm just not going to get any faster. All I can do is keep pushing myself and find out.
The Stats: I did 7.5 miles in 01:23:09 for an average pace of 11:05/mile. Pretty slow, but considering the heat I'm not going to feel too bad about it.
Today I had hoped to do closer to 5 miles, but I only did 4. I almost didn't run at all. I did not want to get out of bed this morning, but managed to convince myself that I should, so I did. I did a 4 mile tempo run with no significant events. It was hot and humid again. I'm guessing it will be this way for several more weeks. It's good for the garden, but not so much for the running.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 35:34 for an average pace of 8:52. I'm wondering if I might have hit a plateau. I'm having trouble pushing myself any faster. I don't know if it's the heat and humidity holding me back or if I'm at a place where I'm just not going to get any faster. All I can do is keep pushing myself and find out.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Intervals: 7/28/11
It was an intervals day. I decided to go ahead and increase my interval time. I bumped it up to 2:30 from 2 even for the fast portion and 1:15 from 1 even for the rest, effectively increasing the time by 25%. My goal was to keep my pacing the same as I had been at when I was only doing 2:00 fast and 1:00 rest. I did pretty well, but I quit before I finished the work out. My heart rate climbed into the 180s and I was starting to feel a little light headed, so I threw in the towel a little earlier than I had planned, but hey - nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Looking back, I wish I had pushed through the exhaustion and finished up the workout. I was in the middle of the next to last rep when I got to the car, and I just decided I had done enough. I'm sure I could have finished rep # 9 and then done one more. I'll resolve to do better next time.
The weather is still humid, but not too terribly hot if I get out before the sun gets much higher than the trees.
Today's Stats: I did 4.11 miles in 35:54 for an average pace of 8:44/mile.
The weather is still humid, but not too terribly hot if I get out before the sun gets much higher than the trees.
Today's Stats: I did 4.11 miles in 35:54 for an average pace of 8:44/mile.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tempo Run: 7/26/11
I skipped a few days running. Partially due to scheduling conflicts and partially due to sore legs. I don't know if I pushed myself too hard last Friday or if my shoes need replacing but I has some strange soreness over the weekend. Specifically, my left knee was problematic. I just had a dull ache for a good part of the day. It's possible that I twisted it slightly while working in the garden Saturday morning. It felt better Sunday and Monday and I had no pain today, so I'm thinking I'm okay.
Today's run was planned to be a tempo run. It turned out to be a pretty good run. I started out a little slow for the first half mile. I used the first half mile or so as a warm up and it was mostly uphill so my pace suffered a bit. From there on I planned to keep it in the 9:00/mile range, pushing faster if I could. I did well. First mile was 9:22, 2nd was 8:47, 3rd was 8:57, 4th was 8:49, and the final .35 mile was 8:27/mile. I was breathing pretty hard. I forgot my HR strap so I have no idea what my pulse was. I'm sure I was over 180 by the end of the run. I pushed myself pretty hard, but that's what I enjoy most about running. I like pushing my limits because I know that's what makes me stronger.
I'm going to start trying to increase my mileage over the next few weeks til I'm up to 5 miles twice a week and then a long run of 7-10 miles during the weekend. I don't want my pace to suffer, though, and I expect it to be a challenge to add another mile to my runs while maintaining the same 9:00/mile pace. I added .35 today without a problem. For my intervals, I plan to lengthen the duration of the intervals rather than adding additional intervals.
Today's Stats: I did 4.35 miles in 38:55 for an average pace of 8:57/mile. I'm consistently able to run 4 miles or more at a sub 9:00/mile pace. My next goal is to get my distance up to 5 miles and my per mile pace down to 8 minutes.
Today's run was planned to be a tempo run. It turned out to be a pretty good run. I started out a little slow for the first half mile. I used the first half mile or so as a warm up and it was mostly uphill so my pace suffered a bit. From there on I planned to keep it in the 9:00/mile range, pushing faster if I could. I did well. First mile was 9:22, 2nd was 8:47, 3rd was 8:57, 4th was 8:49, and the final .35 mile was 8:27/mile. I was breathing pretty hard. I forgot my HR strap so I have no idea what my pulse was. I'm sure I was over 180 by the end of the run. I pushed myself pretty hard, but that's what I enjoy most about running. I like pushing my limits because I know that's what makes me stronger.
I'm going to start trying to increase my mileage over the next few weeks til I'm up to 5 miles twice a week and then a long run of 7-10 miles during the weekend. I don't want my pace to suffer, though, and I expect it to be a challenge to add another mile to my runs while maintaining the same 9:00/mile pace. I added .35 today without a problem. For my intervals, I plan to lengthen the duration of the intervals rather than adding additional intervals.
Today's Stats: I did 4.35 miles in 38:55 for an average pace of 8:57/mile. I'm consistently able to run 4 miles or more at a sub 9:00/mile pace. My next goal is to get my distance up to 5 miles and my per mile pace down to 8 minutes.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Intervals: 07/22/2011
Intervals this morning seemed easier than last week. I'm not sure why. I averaged a faster time over the course of the whole workout, mostly because my rest portions weren't nearly as slow as last week. That's not to say it was easy. I was pretty worn out by the end of the run. It was very humid again.
Today's Stats: I did 4.09 miles in 36:50 for an average pace of 9:00/mile.
Today's Stats: I did 4.09 miles in 36:50 for an average pace of 9:00/mile.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tempo Run: 7/20/11
I was less than motivated to run today. My running honeymoon is over, I'm afraid. The new has worn off. I'm looking for new challenges to keep me motivated. I have an 8K planned soon, and then a possible half marathon in October. I haven't really trained in earnest for either, though I'm regularly running 4 miles, so I don't think an extra mile for the 8k is going to make that much difference. I've run 7 miles as recently as Sunday morning, so I don't think it's going to be a problem. I'll probably try to stay with L for the half marathon, which means I won't be running the whole thing. I'm sure it will be a breeze. After that, I might try to start training to run a half, and then maybe a full. I don't know. I just don't know that I'm that into it. I enjoy 5Ks and think I would be satisfied with increasing my participation in those to about 1 a month.
It was hot and humid this morning. Like I said, I didn't really want to run but I got up and did it anyway. I knew I wasn't going to do intervals this morning. My legs are still a little achy from last week. I think it's time for some new shoes. On top of that, I just didn't feel like pushing myself that hard. I decided on 4 miles, trying to come as close to 9:00 miles as possible. With the exception of a fairly slow first mile at 9:20 I did great for the rest of the run. Mile 2 was 9:00, mile 3 was 8:58, and mile 4 was 8:58. My pacing is getting much better. The first mile was slow because I didn't really take any time to warm up before the run. It wasn't a bad run, and I was glad I got out to do it. My chest was burning after running up the last hill. I parked next door in the ball park at the top of the Big Hill, so the last mile included two pretty challenging hills. I still pushed out the final bit though and kept my pace at about 9:00/mile. I might start parking there. I think the challenge at the end of the run is good for my endurance.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 36:21 for an average pace of 9:20/mile. Slower than last Friday, but more in line with what a tempo run should be.
It was hot and humid this morning. Like I said, I didn't really want to run but I got up and did it anyway. I knew I wasn't going to do intervals this morning. My legs are still a little achy from last week. I think it's time for some new shoes. On top of that, I just didn't feel like pushing myself that hard. I decided on 4 miles, trying to come as close to 9:00 miles as possible. With the exception of a fairly slow first mile at 9:20 I did great for the rest of the run. Mile 2 was 9:00, mile 3 was 8:58, and mile 4 was 8:58. My pacing is getting much better. The first mile was slow because I didn't really take any time to warm up before the run. It wasn't a bad run, and I was glad I got out to do it. My chest was burning after running up the last hill. I parked next door in the ball park at the top of the Big Hill, so the last mile included two pretty challenging hills. I still pushed out the final bit though and kept my pace at about 9:00/mile. I might start parking there. I think the challenge at the end of the run is good for my endurance.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 36:21 for an average pace of 9:20/mile. Slower than last Friday, but more in line with what a tempo run should be.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Long Run Sunday: 7/18/11
I set out Sunday morning for a 7 mile run while the weather was not quite blazing hot. It was actually quite pleasant as I started out. The sun hadn't been up long and the air still had an almost cool feel to it.
As I started out, I had two options. I had a 5 mile route and a 7 mile option. My decision point was at mile 3. At that point I could make a turn toward home, which would be about 2 miles away, or continue my loop which stretched the route home 4 miles. A good portion of the first 3 miles were uphill. I knew this going in. I also knew that if I made it to the 3 mile mark and was feeling pretty good, the next 2.5 or so were almost all down hill. The first 3 miles did feel good, and though I had a slight urge to make the turn to home I kept going. I needed a good long run. I did the whole 7 miles at a pretty easy pace. My thought as I left the house was that I would like to keep the pace around 10:00/mile. I quickly realized that the humidity was going to keep me from achieving that pace, so I slowed to a comfortable jog and just maintained that. I was faster on the steeper downhill stretches and slower on the steeper uphill stretches, but I managed to stay just a little faster than 11:00/mile on average.
It was good to get in a long run and not have to stop and walk. My last two attempts at long runs turned into alternating walking and running. I think most of that is due to the heat and humidity. Sunday morning was a short-lived, but pleasant break from the heat, if not the humidity.
Today's Stats: I did 7.05 miles in 01:16:38 for an average pace of 10:52 per mile.
As I started out, I had two options. I had a 5 mile route and a 7 mile option. My decision point was at mile 3. At that point I could make a turn toward home, which would be about 2 miles away, or continue my loop which stretched the route home 4 miles. A good portion of the first 3 miles were uphill. I knew this going in. I also knew that if I made it to the 3 mile mark and was feeling pretty good, the next 2.5 or so were almost all down hill. The first 3 miles did feel good, and though I had a slight urge to make the turn to home I kept going. I needed a good long run. I did the whole 7 miles at a pretty easy pace. My thought as I left the house was that I would like to keep the pace around 10:00/mile. I quickly realized that the humidity was going to keep me from achieving that pace, so I slowed to a comfortable jog and just maintained that. I was faster on the steeper downhill stretches and slower on the steeper uphill stretches, but I managed to stay just a little faster than 11:00/mile on average.
It was good to get in a long run and not have to stop and walk. My last two attempts at long runs turned into alternating walking and running. I think most of that is due to the heat and humidity. Sunday morning was a short-lived, but pleasant break from the heat, if not the humidity.
Today's Stats: I did 7.05 miles in 01:16:38 for an average pace of 10:52 per mile.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Tempo Run: 07/15/2011
I set out today to do a tempo run. It turned into a see how fast I can run. I decided to skip the drive to the park and just head out the front door this morning. I like this less and less as I do it more, mostly because of some troublesome dogs that live along me preferred running routes but also because I just like running beside the water at the lake.
I headed out the door with the intention of maintaining about a 9:00/mile pace and I did well for the first mile, finishing it in right at 9 minutes. I sped up just a bit for the next two miles, averaging 8:46/mile for each of those. As I started mile 4 I was on a long slightly downhill stretch, so I let my momentum carry me at a faster pace, probably averaging around 8:15/mile. I wasn't really thinking about my pace at this point, but I did happen to look at my watch and noticed I was at and average pace of 8:15 for the last mile still with about 2/3 of a mile to go. I wanted to push to see if I could do the last mile in less than 8 minutes. I knew it was going to be hard with the final 1/3 of a mile being uphill all the way to my house. From there I pushed the pace up as fast as I thought I could and still be able to finish the run. I took advantage of a short downhill stretch, letting gravity pull me along as much as possible. When I hit the final hill before the house, I just let it all out. I wasn't at an all out sprint, but I was pushing pretty hard to climb the hill as fast as possible. By the time I hit the driveway I was running at about 6:20/mile and breathing very hard. I didn't leave much, if anything, in reserve this morning, finishing the last mile in 7:53.
I was pleased with today's run. I thought I had maybe hit my limit because I've not seen much improvement over the last few weeks but I did 4 miles today averaging a better pace per mile by a full 9 seconds than my best 5K. I know I can push myself harder, now. If I work at it, I'm hoping I can pull off a sub-25 minute 5K before the end of the year.
Today's Stats: I did 4.01 miles in 34:29 for an average pace of 8:36.
I headed out the door with the intention of maintaining about a 9:00/mile pace and I did well for the first mile, finishing it in right at 9 minutes. I sped up just a bit for the next two miles, averaging 8:46/mile for each of those. As I started mile 4 I was on a long slightly downhill stretch, so I let my momentum carry me at a faster pace, probably averaging around 8:15/mile. I wasn't really thinking about my pace at this point, but I did happen to look at my watch and noticed I was at and average pace of 8:15 for the last mile still with about 2/3 of a mile to go. I wanted to push to see if I could do the last mile in less than 8 minutes. I knew it was going to be hard with the final 1/3 of a mile being uphill all the way to my house. From there I pushed the pace up as fast as I thought I could and still be able to finish the run. I took advantage of a short downhill stretch, letting gravity pull me along as much as possible. When I hit the final hill before the house, I just let it all out. I wasn't at an all out sprint, but I was pushing pretty hard to climb the hill as fast as possible. By the time I hit the driveway I was running at about 6:20/mile and breathing very hard. I didn't leave much, if anything, in reserve this morning, finishing the last mile in 7:53.
I was pleased with today's run. I thought I had maybe hit my limit because I've not seen much improvement over the last few weeks but I did 4 miles today averaging a better pace per mile by a full 9 seconds than my best 5K. I know I can push myself harder, now. If I work at it, I'm hoping I can pull off a sub-25 minute 5K before the end of the year.
Today's Stats: I did 4.01 miles in 34:29 for an average pace of 8:36.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Intervals: 07/13/2011
I took yesterday morning off so L could take advantage of the cooler morning air for her own run. I celebrated my runiversary today with a set of intervals. I did the same old interval routine and pushed myself through the whole thing.
I started out with about a mile of warm up jogging then started into the interval sets trying to keep my fast pace at 8:00/mile or faster. I was able to do that on all but 3 of the reps. After the first two sets I was feeling pretty wiped out and didn't know if I would make it through the whole workout but I kept pushing anyway. My first 5 sets averaged 7:51/mile during the fast segments. I paid for this on the last 5 sets, though. I was really exhausted by the time #8 rolled around. I pushed through it anyway and was just barely able to make it through number 9. Rep 9 was seriously slow at 9:30/mile. After that I decided to go all out for #10 and did in at a 7:30/mile pace, my fastest of the day. I had something left after all, and probably could have done #9 faster if I had really wanted to. My average pace during the final 5 fast segments was 8:19/mile - significantly slower than my first 5. Still, I was pleased to be able to finish strong.
Today's Stats: I did 4.32 miles in 39:49 for an average pace of 9:13/mile.
I started out with about a mile of warm up jogging then started into the interval sets trying to keep my fast pace at 8:00/mile or faster. I was able to do that on all but 3 of the reps. After the first two sets I was feeling pretty wiped out and didn't know if I would make it through the whole workout but I kept pushing anyway. My first 5 sets averaged 7:51/mile during the fast segments. I paid for this on the last 5 sets, though. I was really exhausted by the time #8 rolled around. I pushed through it anyway and was just barely able to make it through number 9. Rep 9 was seriously slow at 9:30/mile. After that I decided to go all out for #10 and did in at a 7:30/mile pace, my fastest of the day. I had something left after all, and probably could have done #9 faster if I had really wanted to. My average pace during the final 5 fast segments was 8:19/mile - significantly slower than my first 5. Still, I was pleased to be able to finish strong.
Today's Stats: I did 4.32 miles in 39:49 for an average pace of 9:13/mile.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Tempo Run: 7/10/11
I didn't get in a long run this weekend. I didn't want to do back to back days running on Saturday and it just didn't happen Sunday morning. Instead I waited until Sunday afternoon and headed out into the humidity after a rain shower. It was cooler after the shower, which is always a good thing this time of year.
I contemplated a longer run, but decided 4 miles was all I wanted to do. Since I was only doing 4 miles, I decided to just do a tempo run, trying to keep my average somewhere around 9:30/mile. I started out and really pushed the pace up the first hill into the ballpark. This always gets my pulse rate up and it takes a few minutes to get it settle back down to a more reasonable level. Getting to turn around and go back down the hill is usually enough to get me settled in. With it being so humid, the sweat was already pouring off of me by the time I turned around at the top of the hill. I finished mile 1 at the bottom of the big hill in 9:30, right on the pace I wanted. Mile two was similar time wise and I felt good other than being covered in sweat. I started to wear down a little by the time I reached the mid-point of mile 3 and slowed down some, covering that mile in 9:54... pretty slow for me. I was disappointed in that so I pushed myself to pick up the pace over the last mile. I really had to dig deep to push myself in the humidity but I did the 4th mile in 9:12.
All in, not a bad run. I'm really looking forward to some cooler fall weather so I can start increasing my mileage a little more comfortably. I was starting to get my mileage up back in the spring and then the heat hit earlier than anticipated and I've sort of fallen flat.
I've generally settled into a 4 mile routine. My tempo runs are usually in the 4 mile range and my intervals are around 4 miles.
Tomorrow is my one year runiversary! I plan to celebrate with an ass-kicking interval routine. I've covered 436 miles over the last 12 months. I've suffered no major injuries, but had to take a few weeks off last September due to a sore IT band. My longest run was 10.2 miles on April 16 when I took a wrong turn and just wandered my way home by following unknown backroads.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 38:15 for an average pace of 9:34/mile. Fairly slow for a tempo run, but I was a little out of my element running in the afternoon. I'm just glad I got a run in.
I contemplated a longer run, but decided 4 miles was all I wanted to do. Since I was only doing 4 miles, I decided to just do a tempo run, trying to keep my average somewhere around 9:30/mile. I started out and really pushed the pace up the first hill into the ballpark. This always gets my pulse rate up and it takes a few minutes to get it settle back down to a more reasonable level. Getting to turn around and go back down the hill is usually enough to get me settled in. With it being so humid, the sweat was already pouring off of me by the time I turned around at the top of the hill. I finished mile 1 at the bottom of the big hill in 9:30, right on the pace I wanted. Mile two was similar time wise and I felt good other than being covered in sweat. I started to wear down a little by the time I reached the mid-point of mile 3 and slowed down some, covering that mile in 9:54... pretty slow for me. I was disappointed in that so I pushed myself to pick up the pace over the last mile. I really had to dig deep to push myself in the humidity but I did the 4th mile in 9:12.
All in, not a bad run. I'm really looking forward to some cooler fall weather so I can start increasing my mileage a little more comfortably. I was starting to get my mileage up back in the spring and then the heat hit earlier than anticipated and I've sort of fallen flat.
I've generally settled into a 4 mile routine. My tempo runs are usually in the 4 mile range and my intervals are around 4 miles.
Tomorrow is my one year runiversary! I plan to celebrate with an ass-kicking interval routine. I've covered 436 miles over the last 12 months. I've suffered no major injuries, but had to take a few weeks off last September due to a sore IT band. My longest run was 10.2 miles on April 16 when I took a wrong turn and just wandered my way home by following unknown backroads.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 38:15 for an average pace of 9:34/mile. Fairly slow for a tempo run, but I was a little out of my element running in the afternoon. I'm just glad I got a run in.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Intervals: 07/08/2011
Today's interval workout went better than expected. I really thought I might not make it through. My plan was to do 10 reps of 2 minutes fast (approx 8 minute mile), 1 minute rest (slow jog).
I started out with an easy warm-up half mile at an easy jogging pace. I warmed up until I felt like everything was loose and ready to go then pressed the lap button to start the first repetition. I found maintaining an 8 minute mile pace to be not too terribly difficult. My pace tends to wander, though. I'll find myself running at a 7 minute mile pace for a few seconds and then slow down to 8:30/mile. I'm not entirely sure if there's anything I can do about that. For all of the reps except for one I was generally in the 8/mile range, if not a little faster. Rep number 8 was pretty slow at 8:40 per mile. My energy level dropped off and I was feeling pretty wiped out at this point. I pulled myself together, knowing that I only had two more reps left after number 8 and really pushed through the last two. It was a great workout and I finished up knowing that I had overcome the desire to skip the last two sets.
I crossed the 300 mile mark for the year this morning. I'm easily on track for a 600 mile year if I can continue 12-15 miles a week. I'm hoping to increase my mileage a bit as the weather cools in the fall. I'm also coming up on my runiversary. Next Tuesday will be exactly one year from the day I started C25K. It's fun to look back at those old posts and remember how I dreaded having to do 5 minutes non-stop. I'm actually doing better than I thought I ever would. I'm no track star by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm more physically fit than I've been in my adult life.
Today's Stats: 4.02 miles in 35:43 for an average pace of 8:53/mile.
I started out with an easy warm-up half mile at an easy jogging pace. I warmed up until I felt like everything was loose and ready to go then pressed the lap button to start the first repetition. I found maintaining an 8 minute mile pace to be not too terribly difficult. My pace tends to wander, though. I'll find myself running at a 7 minute mile pace for a few seconds and then slow down to 8:30/mile. I'm not entirely sure if there's anything I can do about that. For all of the reps except for one I was generally in the 8/mile range, if not a little faster. Rep number 8 was pretty slow at 8:40 per mile. My energy level dropped off and I was feeling pretty wiped out at this point. I pulled myself together, knowing that I only had two more reps left after number 8 and really pushed through the last two. It was a great workout and I finished up knowing that I had overcome the desire to skip the last two sets.
I crossed the 300 mile mark for the year this morning. I'm easily on track for a 600 mile year if I can continue 12-15 miles a week. I'm hoping to increase my mileage a bit as the weather cools in the fall. I'm also coming up on my runiversary. Next Tuesday will be exactly one year from the day I started C25K. It's fun to look back at those old posts and remember how I dreaded having to do 5 minutes non-stop. I'm actually doing better than I thought I ever would. I'm no track star by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm more physically fit than I've been in my adult life.
Today's Stats: 4.02 miles in 35:43 for an average pace of 8:53/mile.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tempo Run: 07/06/2011
Today's run was the best I've had in awhile. I set out to do 4 miles at around 9:15/mile. It was warm and humid out but still cool enough that it wasn't unbearable.
The first 3/4 of a mile was hard. I was starting to feel out of breath within the first 1/4 mile, but pushed on. My legs didn't seem to want to participate in the actual running part. They seemed sluggish and stiff. I pushed through that too. About 3/4 of a mile in, everything started to feel better. My heart rate steadied out, I got my breathing in rhythm and my legs started to remember what they were supposed to be doing. I tried to settle into a 9:20 pace and held that pretty well for most of the first two miles. When I hit the turn around I picked up the pace slightly and then again at the end of the third mile. I tried to accelerate steadily through the remainder of my run. For the most part I was able to do that but found my mind wandering at one point and caught myself just jogging happily along. I completed mile 4 in 8:18. That's a pretty fast mile for me.
Today's Stats: 4.03 miles in 36:20 for an average pace of 9:01/mile.
The first 3/4 of a mile was hard. I was starting to feel out of breath within the first 1/4 mile, but pushed on. My legs didn't seem to want to participate in the actual running part. They seemed sluggish and stiff. I pushed through that too. About 3/4 of a mile in, everything started to feel better. My heart rate steadied out, I got my breathing in rhythm and my legs started to remember what they were supposed to be doing. I tried to settle into a 9:20 pace and held that pretty well for most of the first two miles. When I hit the turn around I picked up the pace slightly and then again at the end of the third mile. I tried to accelerate steadily through the remainder of my run. For the most part I was able to do that but found my mind wandering at one point and caught myself just jogging happily along. I completed mile 4 in 8:18. That's a pretty fast mile for me.
Today's Stats: 4.03 miles in 36:20 for an average pace of 9:01/mile.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Intervals: 6/30/2011
The last time I did intervals was on 6/1. So, I started and ended June with intervals. I plan to work them into my routine more regularly in the coming months.
I set out this morning to do 7 sets of 2 minutes fast pace (around 8:00/mile) and 1 minute slow (whatever felt easy). I didn't do 10 because I was a little crunched for time. I've been having alarm clock issues since we had a power outage earlier in the week. I can't seem to get it set right. That's probably because the only times I touch it are when I'm almost asleep at night or almost awake first thing in the morning. Anyway, I got up about 15 minutes later than I had hoped this morning, so only had time to do 7 sets.
I felt much better today than I did on Tuesday. I'm not sure what was going on Tuesday. Probably the barbecue pork I had for lunch Monday. I've eaten much better the last couple of days. Anyway, I did about 3/4 mile at a slow jog to warm up then proceeded to hit the wrong button on my Garmin and ended up running close to 3 minutes for my first fast rep instead of 2. I managed to keep my fast portions pretty consistent for the first 6 at around 8:10/mile and then tried to push out the last rep and managed a pace of 8:00/mile. My rest segments were just slow jogs to allow my heart and lungs to recover.
Overall, it wasn't as painful as I anticipated.
Today's Stats: I did 3.6 miles in 33:03 with an average pace of 9:11.
I set out this morning to do 7 sets of 2 minutes fast pace (around 8:00/mile) and 1 minute slow (whatever felt easy). I didn't do 10 because I was a little crunched for time. I've been having alarm clock issues since we had a power outage earlier in the week. I can't seem to get it set right. That's probably because the only times I touch it are when I'm almost asleep at night or almost awake first thing in the morning. Anyway, I got up about 15 minutes later than I had hoped this morning, so only had time to do 7 sets.
I felt much better today than I did on Tuesday. I'm not sure what was going on Tuesday. Probably the barbecue pork I had for lunch Monday. I've eaten much better the last couple of days. Anyway, I did about 3/4 mile at a slow jog to warm up then proceeded to hit the wrong button on my Garmin and ended up running close to 3 minutes for my first fast rep instead of 2. I managed to keep my fast portions pretty consistent for the first 6 at around 8:10/mile and then tried to push out the last rep and managed a pace of 8:00/mile. My rest segments were just slow jogs to allow my heart and lungs to recover.
Overall, it wasn't as painful as I anticipated.
Today's Stats: I did 3.6 miles in 33:03 with an average pace of 9:11.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
"Tempo" Run: 06/28/2011
I set out this morning pretty motivated and ready to run. My plan was a tempo run averaging 9:00/mile. I'm afraid my poor eating habits and recent general lack of running routine have finally caught up with me. Since late April I've not been doing so well in the self control department. I've gained about 5 pounds and I've only been running a little more than 2 times a week for the past 8 weeks.
My first and second miles went pretty well, and I averaged just under 9:00/mile. By the end of my second mile, I was starting to feel pretty fatigued but tried to push through it. About 3/4 of the way through mile 3 the middle of my back started hurting and my legs were burning and starting to feel like Jello. I slowed down. When that didn't help, I decided to walk it out for a few seconds. I walked for a minute or two, got my heart rate down and was able to pick up the pace to a slow jog (about 10:00/mile) again and I kept that pace up all the way back to the car. I can't believe I couldn't do 4 miles without having to stop and walk.
I'm not sure how I managed to pull off what I did Saturday in the 5K. Today I'm making the commitment to get back on a regular running schedule and to eat better. Less pork and beef and more vegetables. Fewer hamburgers and more whole grains. Smaller portions of everything.
I want to take off about 11 pounds and get down to 180. I want to average 8 minute miles or better for my next 5K. I'm not going to do either of those things if I don't make some changes. Those changes start today.
Today's Stats: I did 3.72 puny miles in a pitiful 35:20 for an average pace of 9:30/mile. Okay, so it's not that bad, but I've been trying to run most of my tempo runs at or faster than 9:00/mile and have not really had too much problem with that. Today was not a good day. I'm not going to let it become a pattern.
Next Up: Intervals on Thursday. They're going to hurt, but that's what I get for basically taking 8 weeks off.
My first and second miles went pretty well, and I averaged just under 9:00/mile. By the end of my second mile, I was starting to feel pretty fatigued but tried to push through it. About 3/4 of the way through mile 3 the middle of my back started hurting and my legs were burning and starting to feel like Jello. I slowed down. When that didn't help, I decided to walk it out for a few seconds. I walked for a minute or two, got my heart rate down and was able to pick up the pace to a slow jog (about 10:00/mile) again and I kept that pace up all the way back to the car. I can't believe I couldn't do 4 miles without having to stop and walk.
I'm not sure how I managed to pull off what I did Saturday in the 5K. Today I'm making the commitment to get back on a regular running schedule and to eat better. Less pork and beef and more vegetables. Fewer hamburgers and more whole grains. Smaller portions of everything.
I want to take off about 11 pounds and get down to 180. I want to average 8 minute miles or better for my next 5K. I'm not going to do either of those things if I don't make some changes. Those changes start today.
Today's Stats: I did 3.72 puny miles in a pitiful 35:20 for an average pace of 9:30/mile. Okay, so it's not that bad, but I've been trying to run most of my tempo runs at or faster than 9:00/mile and have not really had too much problem with that. Today was not a good day. I'm not going to let it become a pattern.
Next Up: Intervals on Thursday. They're going to hurt, but that's what I get for basically taking 8 weeks off.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Freedom Fest 5K Race Report: 6/25/2011
I ran a 5K this morning after having not run since last Sunday when I did a 7 mile long run. I haven't really been running to get faster lately, I've been more running for the enjoyment of being outside doing something I enjoy. I haven't pushed myself much since April when I was pushing pretty hard to PR in the 5K that was cancelled due to extensive tornado damage in the area. I've been concentrating on tempo runs and long runs but interval runs have basically fallen by the wayside.
This morning's race went surprisingly well all things considered. We were on vacation this past week. I ate like I was on vacation and my exercise was limited to splashing around in the lake water with my kids. I also pulled a rib muscle tying the boat off to the dock on Monday and made it worse water skiing on Tuesday.
With all of that in mind, I set out to do the 5K this morning with pretty low expectations. I wasn't even really sure I'd be able to run through the rib pain. I did a quick up and down the driveway and decided I would give it a shot in spite of the pain.
The race site was setup well. Packet pick up was a breeze and I soon had my number pinned on and my chip timing device strapped to my shoe and I was ready to go. There was a 10K also, which started 10 minutes before the 5K. I waited at the line for the 5K starting signal and when it finally came, I was off. My goal was to keep my pace near 9:00/mile for the first two miles and then pick it up as much as possible for the last 1.1. I don't have my mile splits because I didn't have my new Garmin programmed correctly. I'm guessing the first two miles were around 8:55 and the last mile was closer to 8:30. I took it generally easy, just cruising through mile one. Mile two got a little harder because I had gone through a couple of hills and hadn't really worked on maintaining this pace very much. I came to a place where everything clicked, though. Yes, my ribs hurt and I was breathing more heavily than I'm used to and I'm sure my heart rate was up but everything felt good and I just kept on pushing for more. At the two mile marker I was feeling good and knew I was going to be able to push a little harder to the finish but held off for about a minute before starting to accelerate to the finish line. I spent the last mile pushing my speed gradually faster until I was at an all out sprint across the finish line.
I really enjoyed the course. There were a few hills, but nothing too challenging. There was some shade and it was generally through a nice neighborhood. I might have to try to work the course into some of my regular runs.
Today's stats: I did 3.04 miles (according to Garmin) in 26:36 for an average pace of 8:45/mile.
My last 5K was 9:09/mile for a total time of 28:21. I never imagined I would knock almost two minutes off my best time. I've not even really been trying to get faster. I'm kind of motivated now. I need to find another 5K to do to keep that motivation up. I'm looking forward to some intervals over the next few weeks. Short term, I want to cut my 5K time down to 24 minutes. When I make it there, I'll see how I feel about trying to get faster.
To sum it all up, I was very pleased with today's race!
This morning's race went surprisingly well all things considered. We were on vacation this past week. I ate like I was on vacation and my exercise was limited to splashing around in the lake water with my kids. I also pulled a rib muscle tying the boat off to the dock on Monday and made it worse water skiing on Tuesday.
With all of that in mind, I set out to do the 5K this morning with pretty low expectations. I wasn't even really sure I'd be able to run through the rib pain. I did a quick up and down the driveway and decided I would give it a shot in spite of the pain.
The race site was setup well. Packet pick up was a breeze and I soon had my number pinned on and my chip timing device strapped to my shoe and I was ready to go. There was a 10K also, which started 10 minutes before the 5K. I waited at the line for the 5K starting signal and when it finally came, I was off. My goal was to keep my pace near 9:00/mile for the first two miles and then pick it up as much as possible for the last 1.1. I don't have my mile splits because I didn't have my new Garmin programmed correctly. I'm guessing the first two miles were around 8:55 and the last mile was closer to 8:30. I took it generally easy, just cruising through mile one. Mile two got a little harder because I had gone through a couple of hills and hadn't really worked on maintaining this pace very much. I came to a place where everything clicked, though. Yes, my ribs hurt and I was breathing more heavily than I'm used to and I'm sure my heart rate was up but everything felt good and I just kept on pushing for more. At the two mile marker I was feeling good and knew I was going to be able to push a little harder to the finish but held off for about a minute before starting to accelerate to the finish line. I spent the last mile pushing my speed gradually faster until I was at an all out sprint across the finish line.
I really enjoyed the course. There were a few hills, but nothing too challenging. There was some shade and it was generally through a nice neighborhood. I might have to try to work the course into some of my regular runs.
Today's stats: I did 3.04 miles (according to Garmin) in 26:36 for an average pace of 8:45/mile.
My last 5K was 9:09/mile for a total time of 28:21. I never imagined I would knock almost two minutes off my best time. I've not even really been trying to get faster. I'm kind of motivated now. I need to find another 5K to do to keep that motivation up. I'm looking forward to some intervals over the next few weeks. Short term, I want to cut my 5K time down to 24 minutes. When I make it there, I'll see how I feel about trying to get faster.
To sum it all up, I was very pleased with today's race!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Long run Sunday and Tempo Run Wednesday: 6/12 & 6/15/11
I'm slacking on keeping my running journal up to date.
Sunday was the perfect morning for a long run. I got up with the sun while it was still comparatively cool, strapped on my hydration pack and headed out for about 7 miles. I'm really missing my Garmin Forerunner. According to UPS, my replacement unit should arrive sometime Friday. Anyway, I figure I run a pretty comfortable 10 minute mile. I didn't map out a route beforehand. I just went out and ran some roads I was familiar with. I did a big loop and when I got close to the house I was pretty close to the 70 minute mark so I figured that was about 7 miles. I went in and mapped it out and it turned out to be 6.9. Not too bad. The temperature was perfect and I only saw a handful of cars the whole time I was out. I never felt like I was pushing myself to maintain a pace and was only uncomfortable a couple of times on hills. It was a good run and I'm still enjoying the long runs. I may have to try to start increasing my mileage soon.
Wednesday's run was 4 miles at a fairly fast pace. I did this run in the park and started and ran a course that I know from experience is exactly 4 miles. I've been using my cell phone to approximate my timing since I don't have my Garmin. I pushed myself pretty hard to keep the pace up since I didn't have any way to accurately gauge myself.
Sunday's Stats: I did 6.9 miles in approximately 69 minutes for a 10:00/mile pace
Wednesday's Stats: I did 4 miles in approximately 36:30 for a 9:07/mile pace
Sunday was the perfect morning for a long run. I got up with the sun while it was still comparatively cool, strapped on my hydration pack and headed out for about 7 miles. I'm really missing my Garmin Forerunner. According to UPS, my replacement unit should arrive sometime Friday. Anyway, I figure I run a pretty comfortable 10 minute mile. I didn't map out a route beforehand. I just went out and ran some roads I was familiar with. I did a big loop and when I got close to the house I was pretty close to the 70 minute mark so I figured that was about 7 miles. I went in and mapped it out and it turned out to be 6.9. Not too bad. The temperature was perfect and I only saw a handful of cars the whole time I was out. I never felt like I was pushing myself to maintain a pace and was only uncomfortable a couple of times on hills. It was a good run and I'm still enjoying the long runs. I may have to try to start increasing my mileage soon.
Wednesday's run was 4 miles at a fairly fast pace. I did this run in the park and started and ran a course that I know from experience is exactly 4 miles. I've been using my cell phone to approximate my timing since I don't have my Garmin. I pushed myself pretty hard to keep the pace up since I didn't have any way to accurately gauge myself.
Sunday's Stats: I did 6.9 miles in approximately 69 minutes for a 10:00/mile pace
Wednesday's Stats: I did 4 miles in approximately 36:30 for a 9:07/mile pace
Friday, June 10, 2011
Two tempo runs: 6/7/11 & 6/10/11
I've done two tempo runs this week. I just didn't feel like punishing my body with intervals in this heat. It's not too terribly hot first thing in the morning when I run, but it's still hot enough that my performance suffers.
Both runs were 4 miles. I did Tuesday's 4 miles in 35:25. I had to estimate today's because I've had to send my Garmin Forerunner in for a warranty replacement. I checked my cell phone when I started and when I finished and it took me approximately 37 minutes. I felt like I pushed myself harder Tuesday and that definitely shows in the times.
I want to get a long run in this weekend - probably on Sunday because L has a 5K Saturday morning. Then next week I'll need to get in a set of intervals and a solid tempo run. I'll be on a semi-vacation the week after that and might not get to run much, if at all before my next scheduled 5K on June 25. I'm hoping for a freak cold spell that weekend.
In the shoe department, I've logged over 200 miles on my Brooks Ravenna's. They're showing no signs of giving up anytime soon. I had to replace my New Balances after 180 miles and they probably needed replacing 30 miles before that. I'm pleased and I think it might be time to start hunting down another pair or three of these before they discontinue them for next year's model.
Both runs were 4 miles. I did Tuesday's 4 miles in 35:25. I had to estimate today's because I've had to send my Garmin Forerunner in for a warranty replacement. I checked my cell phone when I started and when I finished and it took me approximately 37 minutes. I felt like I pushed myself harder Tuesday and that definitely shows in the times.
I want to get a long run in this weekend - probably on Sunday because L has a 5K Saturday morning. Then next week I'll need to get in a set of intervals and a solid tempo run. I'll be on a semi-vacation the week after that and might not get to run much, if at all before my next scheduled 5K on June 25. I'm hoping for a freak cold spell that weekend.
In the shoe department, I've logged over 200 miles on my Brooks Ravenna's. They're showing no signs of giving up anytime soon. I had to replace my New Balances after 180 miles and they probably needed replacing 30 miles before that. I'm pleased and I think it might be time to start hunting down another pair or three of these before they discontinue them for next year's model.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Long Run Sunday: 6/5/11
I got out fairly early Sunday for a run, knowing it was going to be a very hot day. I had planned out a new course leaving from my front door that would be a little over 7 miles. I ran it without ever having even driven most of it, so I didn't know what to expect as far as hills were concerned.
I started out feeling great. I had my hydration pack with me filled with about 32 ounces of water flavored with sugar free Hawaiian Punch mix. The first mile and a half or so wasn't too bad, but then the heat started to make an appearance. There was still a little shade when I first started out, but the sun quickly rose to a point where the shade became almost non-existent. I also hit my first real hill about 1.8 miles in. The first 1.8 had been mostly downhill, so I knew I was in for a climb at some point. It wasn't a terrible hill. Only a small portion of it was what I would consider steep, but it went on for a full mile. I gained about 60 feet in elevation over the course of that mile. It doesn't sound like much, but climbing for a full mile starts to get difficult, especially with the heat, humidity, and the sun really starting to beat down on me. At the peak of the hill I was about 2.7 miles in. There wasn't much of a plateau before I started back down, losing all of the elevation I had gained. The downhill stretch ended all too soon and I started another longer uphill climb of 85 feet over the course of 2 miles. From there I only had about 1.5 miles left before home. It was a mostly downhill stretch with a couple of exception over that 1.5 miles.
I wasn't able to run the whole course. I ran the first 4 miles, but started to get really hot and tired. I decided to walk up at least a portion of the second long hill. I ran and walked intermittently before making the call to just walk to the top of the hill and then reevaluate my options from there. After making it to the top of that hill, I ran most of the way home, wimping out once to walk up another short hill. I did manage to push myself pretty hard over the last half mile or so and ran up the final hill to the house.
Overall, it was nice to be out, but I was disappointed that I had to take walking breaks. The heat and the somewhat unexpected difficulty level of the hills killed my performance, but I soldiered on and lived to run again another day.
Today's Stats: I did 7.17 miles in 1:19:30 for an average pace of 11:05/mile. I've not run that slowly since back in January!
I started out feeling great. I had my hydration pack with me filled with about 32 ounces of water flavored with sugar free Hawaiian Punch mix. The first mile and a half or so wasn't too bad, but then the heat started to make an appearance. There was still a little shade when I first started out, but the sun quickly rose to a point where the shade became almost non-existent. I also hit my first real hill about 1.8 miles in. The first 1.8 had been mostly downhill, so I knew I was in for a climb at some point. It wasn't a terrible hill. Only a small portion of it was what I would consider steep, but it went on for a full mile. I gained about 60 feet in elevation over the course of that mile. It doesn't sound like much, but climbing for a full mile starts to get difficult, especially with the heat, humidity, and the sun really starting to beat down on me. At the peak of the hill I was about 2.7 miles in. There wasn't much of a plateau before I started back down, losing all of the elevation I had gained. The downhill stretch ended all too soon and I started another longer uphill climb of 85 feet over the course of 2 miles. From there I only had about 1.5 miles left before home. It was a mostly downhill stretch with a couple of exception over that 1.5 miles.
I wasn't able to run the whole course. I ran the first 4 miles, but started to get really hot and tired. I decided to walk up at least a portion of the second long hill. I ran and walked intermittently before making the call to just walk to the top of the hill and then reevaluate my options from there. After making it to the top of that hill, I ran most of the way home, wimping out once to walk up another short hill. I did manage to push myself pretty hard over the last half mile or so and ran up the final hill to the house.
Overall, it was nice to be out, but I was disappointed that I had to take walking breaks. The heat and the somewhat unexpected difficulty level of the hills killed my performance, but I soldiered on and lived to run again another day.
Today's Stats: I did 7.17 miles in 1:19:30 for an average pace of 11:05/mile. I've not run that slowly since back in January!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Intervals: 6/1/2011
Alternate title: The Day Intervals Kicked My Ass.
I set out to do my intervals this morning. It was already well above 70 and uncomfortably humid when I started my run. The sun was above the trees and I could feel the air getting warmer and warmer....make that hotter.
My plan was 10 reps of 2 minutes at 8:00/mile and 1 minute of easy jogging. I was able to push through 6 reps. My heart rate peaked at 184 BPM during that rep and I couldn't get it to drop below 170 at an easy jog and I wasn't even going to consider walking. I was feeling really out of breath and a hair lightheaded, so I slowed the pace for the rest of the run and just jogged back to the car.
I don't know if it was the heat or the fact that I've not been running regularly but it seemed harder today than it should have. I'm sure it's a combination of the two. I think if I get back into a regular routine things will get better. I looked back at my last interval workout on 4/25 and I know I pushed myself just as hard that day, actually harder, and my maximum heart rate was only 181. Also, I completed the entire workout that day.
Today's stats: I did 3.62 miles in 32:53 for an average pace of 9:05/mile.
Next up: I hope to get a long run in on Saturday morning. My goal is six or seven easy miles before it gets above 80 degrees.
I set out to do my intervals this morning. It was already well above 70 and uncomfortably humid when I started my run. The sun was above the trees and I could feel the air getting warmer and warmer....make that hotter.
My plan was 10 reps of 2 minutes at 8:00/mile and 1 minute of easy jogging. I was able to push through 6 reps. My heart rate peaked at 184 BPM during that rep and I couldn't get it to drop below 170 at an easy jog and I wasn't even going to consider walking. I was feeling really out of breath and a hair lightheaded, so I slowed the pace for the rest of the run and just jogged back to the car.
I don't know if it was the heat or the fact that I've not been running regularly but it seemed harder today than it should have. I'm sure it's a combination of the two. I think if I get back into a regular routine things will get better. I looked back at my last interval workout on 4/25 and I know I pushed myself just as hard that day, actually harder, and my maximum heart rate was only 181. Also, I completed the entire workout that day.
Today's stats: I did 3.62 miles in 32:53 for an average pace of 9:05/mile.
Next up: I hope to get a long run in on Saturday morning. My goal is six or seven easy miles before it gets above 80 degrees.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tempo Run: 5/30/11
I'm trying to get back in the groove. I have a tentative 5K on my schedule for June 25. I only ran 9 times in May. That's just not good enough. Yesterday being a Memorial Day made it a little easier because I didn't have to get up as early as normal in order to be have time to run and get ready for work.
I had decided on a tempo run to get back in the swing. I didn't want to follow the prescribed pace of 30-45 seconds slower than my most recent race pace, though. I don't want to just beat my last 5K, I want to crush it. I figure if I want to run a race in the low 8s, I'm going to need to train as if that's my race pace. That may be misguided, but as long as I'm injury free, I don't see how it can hurt. I decided to shoot for around a 9:00 mile average for my tempo run.
Mile 1 was a little slow as it has a long fairly steep uphill section at the very beginning. I do get the benefit of turning around and doing that section in the other direction going downhill though, so it worked out. First mile was done in 9:16. I was able to pick up the pace slightly for mile 2. That section is basically flat. I completed the second mile in 9:01. By the third mile, I was feeling the heat and the fact that I haven't been running as much as I should. My heart rate had been steadily climbing and finally reached the 170s during the third mile. I pushed on, though. I'm not going to get faster by slowing down when I'm a little uncomfortable. I finished mile 3 in 8:55. I had it in my mind that I would be able to slow down a bit after I completed the third mile, but it seems like the faster I go, the faster I want to go, so I just kept pushing it out all the way back to the car, sprinting up the final hill with all I could give it and averaged an 8:37/mile pace over the final .6. Probably not a true tempo run, in that I accelerated through the whole thing instead of maintaining a steady pace. I figure it's beneficial, though, as long as I'm not slowing down.
Today's Stats: I did 3.6 miles in 32:27 for an average pace of 9:00/mile.
Next Up: I'll be doing intervals in the morning. My plan is 10 reps of 2 minutes @ 8:00/mile followed by 1 minute of easy jog sandwiched between a one mile warm up jog and a one mile cool down jog. I may skip the cool down as I have in the past.
I had decided on a tempo run to get back in the swing. I didn't want to follow the prescribed pace of 30-45 seconds slower than my most recent race pace, though. I don't want to just beat my last 5K, I want to crush it. I figure if I want to run a race in the low 8s, I'm going to need to train as if that's my race pace. That may be misguided, but as long as I'm injury free, I don't see how it can hurt. I decided to shoot for around a 9:00 mile average for my tempo run.
Mile 1 was a little slow as it has a long fairly steep uphill section at the very beginning. I do get the benefit of turning around and doing that section in the other direction going downhill though, so it worked out. First mile was done in 9:16. I was able to pick up the pace slightly for mile 2. That section is basically flat. I completed the second mile in 9:01. By the third mile, I was feeling the heat and the fact that I haven't been running as much as I should. My heart rate had been steadily climbing and finally reached the 170s during the third mile. I pushed on, though. I'm not going to get faster by slowing down when I'm a little uncomfortable. I finished mile 3 in 8:55. I had it in my mind that I would be able to slow down a bit after I completed the third mile, but it seems like the faster I go, the faster I want to go, so I just kept pushing it out all the way back to the car, sprinting up the final hill with all I could give it and averaged an 8:37/mile pace over the final .6. Probably not a true tempo run, in that I accelerated through the whole thing instead of maintaining a steady pace. I figure it's beneficial, though, as long as I'm not slowing down.
Today's Stats: I did 3.6 miles in 32:27 for an average pace of 9:00/mile.
Next Up: I'll be doing intervals in the morning. My plan is 10 reps of 2 minutes @ 8:00/mile followed by 1 minute of easy jog sandwiched between a one mile warm up jog and a one mile cool down jog. I may skip the cool down as I have in the past.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Three Miles Wednesday 5/25/11
Seems my mileage has been going backwards lately. I peaked back in April and have been steadily running less and less. I've been skipping several days in a row and just generally not running up to my full potential. I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm trying to push myself a little less physically and hopefull that will bring my mojo back.
Most recently I ran 3.07 miles on Wednesday morning. This was an out the door run instead of driving to the park. Part of the reason for my mileage decrease may have to do with boredom of the same old routes. I'm not sure that's it, though.
Anyway, yesterday I did 3 solid miles. Everything felt good. My body felt rested and ready to run. I decided I only wanted to do 3 miles because I could easily do it in 30 minutes and still be back home in time to water the garden before showering and getting ready for work. My first mile was about average for me at 9:38. I sped up a little for mile 2, finishing it in 9:21. About a quarter of the way into my third mile I decided to see how fast I could make it back home. I leaned forward and let my legs carry me as fast as I thought I could get away with and still make it home. I finished the third mile in 8:10. I was pleased with that, and I'm sure it was my fastest mile ever. That little success has boosted my spirits a little and I'm ready for another run tomorrow. I do want to do a full 4 miles, but I want to take it a little easier.
For motivation, I'm going to plan on running a local 5K on June 25. That's one month from yesterday. I'd like to be able to average somewhere in the low to mid 8's per mile for a 26 minute 5K. If I'm going to do that I've got some work to do.
Today's Stats: I did 3.07 miles in 27:41 for an average pace of 9:01/mile.
Most recently I ran 3.07 miles on Wednesday morning. This was an out the door run instead of driving to the park. Part of the reason for my mileage decrease may have to do with boredom of the same old routes. I'm not sure that's it, though.
Anyway, yesterday I did 3 solid miles. Everything felt good. My body felt rested and ready to run. I decided I only wanted to do 3 miles because I could easily do it in 30 minutes and still be back home in time to water the garden before showering and getting ready for work. My first mile was about average for me at 9:38. I sped up a little for mile 2, finishing it in 9:21. About a quarter of the way into my third mile I decided to see how fast I could make it back home. I leaned forward and let my legs carry me as fast as I thought I could get away with and still make it home. I finished the third mile in 8:10. I was pleased with that, and I'm sure it was my fastest mile ever. That little success has boosted my spirits a little and I'm ready for another run tomorrow. I do want to do a full 4 miles, but I want to take it a little easier.
For motivation, I'm going to plan on running a local 5K on June 25. That's one month from yesterday. I'd like to be able to average somewhere in the low to mid 8's per mile for a 26 minute 5K. If I'm going to do that I've got some work to do.
Today's Stats: I did 3.07 miles in 27:41 for an average pace of 9:01/mile.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Easy four miles: 5/20/11
I did an easy 4 miles this morning. I woke up with a mild headache and not really in the mood to run, but I convinced myself to do it anyway. I had thought I might get in a set of intervals this morning, but decided since I wasn't really feeling 100% I would just take it easy and maintain a nice steady pace and keep my heart rate below 160. I was generally able to do that. My heart rate did pick up over the last quarter mile as I tried to keep up my pace up a fairly steep hill and then tried to finish out the run by accelerating to the 4 mile mark.
I felt good better after my run than I did before. It was nice to be out and I always enjoy my runs, I still have trouble with the motivation to get out of bed at 5:45, though.
Today's stats: I did 4.03 in 39:16 for an average pace of 9:45/mile. Just a nice easy 4 miles.
I felt good better after my run than I did before. It was nice to be out and I always enjoy my runs, I still have trouble with the motivation to get out of bed at 5:45, though.
Today's stats: I did 4.03 in 39:16 for an average pace of 9:45/mile. Just a nice easy 4 miles.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Four miles: 5/18/2011
It's hard to believe it's May with the weather we've had the last few days. It was about 40 degrees out when I started my run this morning. I actually put on a long sleeve shirt. I thought those days were over until October or November.
I decided on a run in the part this morning. It's always beautiful there. I like to run beside the water and enjoy the company of the ducks, geese, and squirrels. I wanted to do 4 miles this morning but didn't have any specific goals in mind. I've significantly shortened my warm up walk the last few runs with seemingly no ill effects. I may start out a little slower to let everything get loosened up, but I've lost the patience necessary to walk for 5 minutes. When I'm pressed for time already, it's hard to throw in those extra minutes. I started out after a very brief walk this morning and ran the uphill stretch into the ball park pretty slowly, but sped up as I reached the top and continued to accelerate from there. I finished the first mile in 9:30 but was at a mid 8s pace by the end of that mile. I leveled my speed out at that point and tried to hold in the mid 8s for the remainder of the 2nd mile, finishing mile 2 in 8:49. I pushed my pace up for the third and fourth miles finishing in 8:32 and 8:36. I really expected mile 4 to be significantly slower than mile 3. I felt like I had slowed down quite a bit after I reached the 3 mile mark.
As you can see I pushed myself this morning, running some of the fastest miles I've ever run. There are a couple of local 5Ks and one 10K in June that I might run in. I'd really like to get another race scheduled so I can have something to shoot for. My pace this morning would have easily beat my most recent 5K and I'm pretty sure I could have pushed myself quite a bit harder, especially if I were only doing 3.1 instead of 4.
The Stats: I did 4.01 miles in 35:32 for an average pace of 8:52/mile. My next goal is an 8 minute mile, and then to string 3 of those together for a sub 25 minute 5K. That could be a little further down the road as I've definitely noticed progress is slowing as I get faster. I've abandoned interval training over the last month but hope to get back to it next week, or maybe even Friday.
I decided on a run in the part this morning. It's always beautiful there. I like to run beside the water and enjoy the company of the ducks, geese, and squirrels. I wanted to do 4 miles this morning but didn't have any specific goals in mind. I've significantly shortened my warm up walk the last few runs with seemingly no ill effects. I may start out a little slower to let everything get loosened up, but I've lost the patience necessary to walk for 5 minutes. When I'm pressed for time already, it's hard to throw in those extra minutes. I started out after a very brief walk this morning and ran the uphill stretch into the ball park pretty slowly, but sped up as I reached the top and continued to accelerate from there. I finished the first mile in 9:30 but was at a mid 8s pace by the end of that mile. I leveled my speed out at that point and tried to hold in the mid 8s for the remainder of the 2nd mile, finishing mile 2 in 8:49. I pushed my pace up for the third and fourth miles finishing in 8:32 and 8:36. I really expected mile 4 to be significantly slower than mile 3. I felt like I had slowed down quite a bit after I reached the 3 mile mark.
As you can see I pushed myself this morning, running some of the fastest miles I've ever run. There are a couple of local 5Ks and one 10K in June that I might run in. I'd really like to get another race scheduled so I can have something to shoot for. My pace this morning would have easily beat my most recent 5K and I'm pretty sure I could have pushed myself quite a bit harder, especially if I were only doing 3.1 instead of 4.
The Stats: I did 4.01 miles in 35:32 for an average pace of 8:52/mile. My next goal is an 8 minute mile, and then to string 3 of those together for a sub 25 minute 5K. That could be a little further down the road as I've definitely noticed progress is slowing as I get faster. I've abandoned interval training over the last month but hope to get back to it next week, or maybe even Friday.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Long Run Sunday: 5/15/11
I went out for a long run Sunday morning. The sun was peaking through the clouds and the air was warm at first but soon the clouds took over and blocked the sun completely. The temperature was perfect for running.
I did the 6 mile loop that I had intended to do on 4/16 when I ended up running 10 miles as a result of getting just a little lost. It's a nice loop through mostly farmland. The only downfall is all the dogs. That's just an unfortunate product of where we live. Thankfully all of the scariest ones were tied up, but it's still disconcerting to hear the vicious barking and snarling, especially when you turn around to see the dog running top speed towards you, only to be stopped in its tracks by a chain, cartoon style.
The run was great. I started out pretty fast at close to a 9 minute mile and had to tell myself to slow down and take it easy after about a half mile of that, knowing I would wear out quickly at that pace. I slowed a little for the next couple of miles, trying to keep a fairly steady pace at around 10:00 per mile. At mile 4 I was still feeling pretty good and knew that I only had 2 miles left so I picked up the pace a little trying to keep it in the lower 9s.
The stats: I don't have my exact stats with me, but I did approximately 6 miles in about 58:30 for an average pace of 9:45/mile.
I did the 6 mile loop that I had intended to do on 4/16 when I ended up running 10 miles as a result of getting just a little lost. It's a nice loop through mostly farmland. The only downfall is all the dogs. That's just an unfortunate product of where we live. Thankfully all of the scariest ones were tied up, but it's still disconcerting to hear the vicious barking and snarling, especially when you turn around to see the dog running top speed towards you, only to be stopped in its tracks by a chain, cartoon style.
The run was great. I started out pretty fast at close to a 9 minute mile and had to tell myself to slow down and take it easy after about a half mile of that, knowing I would wear out quickly at that pace. I slowed a little for the next couple of miles, trying to keep a fairly steady pace at around 10:00 per mile. At mile 4 I was still feeling pretty good and knew that I only had 2 miles left so I picked up the pace a little trying to keep it in the lower 9s.
The stats: I don't have my exact stats with me, but I did approximately 6 miles in about 58:30 for an average pace of 9:45/mile.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Wednesday May 11 and Friday May 13
I only ran twice this week. It felt good to try to get back in the swing after an abnormal couple of weeks. Both runs were pretty similar. Both were in the park. I started out slowly and gradually increased my pace until I felt I was near my limits. It was nice to be back in the park. I really enjoy running there.
Wednesday I did 3.76 miles, today I did 4.01. Wednesday's run seemed a little easier. It started out easy and I was able to really push myself down the stretch. Today was difficult. I started out really slow and it seemed like it took my body a long time to get in the groove.
For the first time in several weeks I'm actually looking forward to my next run. I'd like to try to get a long run in at some point this weekend. Long may only be 6 or 7 miles.
Stats: Wednesday - 3.76 miles in 35:30 for an average pace of 9:26/mile. Today - 4.01 miles in 39:03 for an average pace of 9:44/mile.
Wednesday I did 3.76 miles, today I did 4.01. Wednesday's run seemed a little easier. It started out easy and I was able to really push myself down the stretch. Today was difficult. I started out really slow and it seemed like it took my body a long time to get in the groove.
For the first time in several weeks I'm actually looking forward to my next run. I'd like to try to get a long run in at some point this weekend. Long may only be 6 or 7 miles.
Stats: Wednesday - 3.76 miles in 35:30 for an average pace of 9:26/mile. Today - 4.01 miles in 39:03 for an average pace of 9:44/mile.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Two Week Recap: 4/26-5/7/2011
The last couple of weeks have been abnormal and my running has suffered a bit as a consequence. I had planned to run Wednesday 4/27, and then take Thursday 4/28 and Friday 4/29 off before a 5K on Saturday. To be honest, I don't remember if I ran Wednesday morning or not. I think it was already storming and I decided to put it off a day. Little did I know what the day had in store.
Tornadoes took the lives of many in our area on Wednesday 4/27. The water was out at our house for most of a day and the power was out for about 5 days. These were just minor inconveniences compared to what some experienced and are still experiencing. Trying to go for a run was one of the last things on my mind.
The rest of my family packed up and spent a few days in our hometown waiting for power to be restored to our house. I left after work Friday to join them. I took my shoes with me intending to get in a run while there. Saturday morning (4/30) came and despite the lack of motivation, I strapped on my shoes, watch, and HRM strap and hit the road. I ran around my old stomping grounds - places I played and rode my bike as a kid. It was a pretty good run, but my heart wasn't in it. I managed 3.38 miles in 30:21 for an average pace of 8:59/mile.
I came back home Sunday evening and didn't even think about running Monday morning. I was home alone, and my mind and heart were just not in it, so I skipped it. A similar scenario occurred both Tuesday and Wednesday before I decided I was going to have to force myself to get back on the road Thursday morning. I got up later than I should have, but was determined to run anyway, so instead of driving to the park, which adds about 15 minutes to my morning routine, I just stepped out the front door and took off. There's a water tower near our house and I knew it was somewhere around 1.5 miles away, so I planned to run to it and back, figuring I could do that in less than 30 minutes and still have plenty of time to get ready for work. It was a brisk morning, and I noticed there was frost on my car as I left our driveway. The route to the water tower is a straight shot, but fairly hilly. From my house it starts out pretty flat for the first hundred yards or so, then there's a pretty good downhill stretch and another uphill stretch up to the highway at the end of our road. Soon after crossing the highway the uphill continues for a few hundred feet and then crests. From there, there's about a quarter mile downhill stretch followed by 3/4 of a mile almost all uphill to the water tower. Here's a graph of the route elevation. The water tower/turnaround is right at the peak in the middle. The blue line is my speed in minutes/mile. The spike on the right is where I had to stop at the highway for traffic on my way back. I did 3.1 miles in 37:57 for an average pace of 9:22. I didn't really push myself until the last quarter mile or so when I kicked it up to about 7:30/mile.
Saturday 5/7 I wanted to run a little farther but wasn't in the mood for a really long run, nor did we have the time due to a planned very busy day. I did the same route as above but kept going for another half mile past the water tower to make it a full 4 miles. I took it fairly easy and kept a 9:30 pace until I came to the final hill before our house when I picked up the pace to around 7:30-8:00/mile. I did 4.05 miles in 37:57 for an average of 9:22/mile.
I'm hoping forcing myself to get back in a routine will help me gain some of my motivation back. I had worked pretty hard to get my speed up for the 4/30 5K. Then all that happened with the storms just took the wind out of my sails. I'm not complaining. I'm blessed to have my family and my home safe and all in one piece. I haven't decided yet what my future running goals are going to be. I don't know if I want to schedule another 5K or if I just want to start taking it a little easier and running more for pleasure than for competition with myself. The runs I have really enjoyed are my weekend long runs. I want to try to get a few more of those on my schedule. There's also a half marathon in October that sounds like a blast.
I feel like I'm in running limbo. I enjoy getting out and running, but pushing myself to go faster every time I strap on my shoes is starting to wear on me.
Tornadoes took the lives of many in our area on Wednesday 4/27. The water was out at our house for most of a day and the power was out for about 5 days. These were just minor inconveniences compared to what some experienced and are still experiencing. Trying to go for a run was one of the last things on my mind.
The rest of my family packed up and spent a few days in our hometown waiting for power to be restored to our house. I left after work Friday to join them. I took my shoes with me intending to get in a run while there. Saturday morning (4/30) came and despite the lack of motivation, I strapped on my shoes, watch, and HRM strap and hit the road. I ran around my old stomping grounds - places I played and rode my bike as a kid. It was a pretty good run, but my heart wasn't in it. I managed 3.38 miles in 30:21 for an average pace of 8:59/mile.
I came back home Sunday evening and didn't even think about running Monday morning. I was home alone, and my mind and heart were just not in it, so I skipped it. A similar scenario occurred both Tuesday and Wednesday before I decided I was going to have to force myself to get back on the road Thursday morning. I got up later than I should have, but was determined to run anyway, so instead of driving to the park, which adds about 15 minutes to my morning routine, I just stepped out the front door and took off. There's a water tower near our house and I knew it was somewhere around 1.5 miles away, so I planned to run to it and back, figuring I could do that in less than 30 minutes and still have plenty of time to get ready for work. It was a brisk morning, and I noticed there was frost on my car as I left our driveway. The route to the water tower is a straight shot, but fairly hilly. From my house it starts out pretty flat for the first hundred yards or so, then there's a pretty good downhill stretch and another uphill stretch up to the highway at the end of our road. Soon after crossing the highway the uphill continues for a few hundred feet and then crests. From there, there's about a quarter mile downhill stretch followed by 3/4 of a mile almost all uphill to the water tower. Here's a graph of the route elevation. The water tower/turnaround is right at the peak in the middle. The blue line is my speed in minutes/mile. The spike on the right is where I had to stop at the highway for traffic on my way back. I did 3.1 miles in 37:57 for an average pace of 9:22. I didn't really push myself until the last quarter mile or so when I kicked it up to about 7:30/mile.
Saturday 5/7 I wanted to run a little farther but wasn't in the mood for a really long run, nor did we have the time due to a planned very busy day. I did the same route as above but kept going for another half mile past the water tower to make it a full 4 miles. I took it fairly easy and kept a 9:30 pace until I came to the final hill before our house when I picked up the pace to around 7:30-8:00/mile. I did 4.05 miles in 37:57 for an average of 9:22/mile.
I'm hoping forcing myself to get back in a routine will help me gain some of my motivation back. I had worked pretty hard to get my speed up for the 4/30 5K. Then all that happened with the storms just took the wind out of my sails. I'm not complaining. I'm blessed to have my family and my home safe and all in one piece. I haven't decided yet what my future running goals are going to be. I don't know if I want to schedule another 5K or if I just want to start taking it a little easier and running more for pleasure than for competition with myself. The runs I have really enjoyed are my weekend long runs. I want to try to get a few more of those on my schedule. There's also a half marathon in October that sounds like a blast.
I feel like I'm in running limbo. I enjoy getting out and running, but pushing myself to go faster every time I strap on my shoes is starting to wear on me.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Intervals: 4/25/11
I ran/walked 4 miles on Saturday with da'wife. It was easy time, but I enjoyed being out with her. It was fun running around the area where I grew up and remembering playing in that field or stomping through those woods. We shared some memories... well, I shared some memories while L tried to keep from barfing. Fun was had by all.
This morning I got up intent on pushing my limits one last time before the 5K on Saturday. It was warm and humid this morning, but not so much so that I was terribly uncomfortable. I started out with a shorter warm up jog because I was a little short on time. I did just a little over half a mile as a warm up and then started into my interval sets. I worked pretty hard to try to keep all of the fast portions close to 8:00/mile and all my slow portions faster than 10:00/mile. I was generally successful with that but did fall short of my goal a couple of times.
Overall I was pleased and felt good though quite winded when I finished. There were moments when I considered slowing down and just jogging to finish out the workout, but I overcame the mental hurdles and kept up the pace. I'm looking forward to the race on Saturday and am hoping to surprise myself.
Today's Stats: I did 3.98 miles in 34:47 for an average pace of 8:44, which is a bit faster than I had hoped my race pace would be this coming Saturday.... and that was over the course of 4 miles. Factor in adrenaline and the shorter distance of a 5K and I might just be able to squeeze across the line in under 27:00. If I combine the fast portions of today's intervals and exclude the slow/rest portions, I averaged 08:06/mile. I don't think I'll be pushing myself that hard for the entire duration of a 5K. I am hoping to push pretty hard Saturday though. I'm looking for another personal record. I do have a feeling it's going to start getting exponentially harder to get faster.
Next up: I'll be going for an easy run Wednesday. I'll probably try to get in at least 4 miles at pretty medium pace and then I'll take Thursday off, and I may do a quick mile Friday at some point just to stay loose. Or, I may just take Thursday and Friday off completely and make sure I'm good and warmed up before the race on Saturday.
Bonus: I hit the 200 mile mark for the year this morning! At this pace I hope to get in about 600 total miles for the year. If I decide to train for a half marathon I may go over that mark pretty easily. I'm to the point now where I have no doubts about being able to complete a half, so I really don't know how much additional training would be necessary.
This morning I got up intent on pushing my limits one last time before the 5K on Saturday. It was warm and humid this morning, but not so much so that I was terribly uncomfortable. I started out with a shorter warm up jog because I was a little short on time. I did just a little over half a mile as a warm up and then started into my interval sets. I worked pretty hard to try to keep all of the fast portions close to 8:00/mile and all my slow portions faster than 10:00/mile. I was generally successful with that but did fall short of my goal a couple of times.
Overall I was pleased and felt good though quite winded when I finished. There were moments when I considered slowing down and just jogging to finish out the workout, but I overcame the mental hurdles and kept up the pace. I'm looking forward to the race on Saturday and am hoping to surprise myself.
Today's Stats: I did 3.98 miles in 34:47 for an average pace of 8:44, which is a bit faster than I had hoped my race pace would be this coming Saturday.... and that was over the course of 4 miles. Factor in adrenaline and the shorter distance of a 5K and I might just be able to squeeze across the line in under 27:00. If I combine the fast portions of today's intervals and exclude the slow/rest portions, I averaged 08:06/mile. I don't think I'll be pushing myself that hard for the entire duration of a 5K. I am hoping to push pretty hard Saturday though. I'm looking for another personal record. I do have a feeling it's going to start getting exponentially harder to get faster.
Next up: I'll be going for an easy run Wednesday. I'll probably try to get in at least 4 miles at pretty medium pace and then I'll take Thursday off, and I may do a quick mile Friday at some point just to stay loose. Or, I may just take Thursday and Friday off completely and make sure I'm good and warmed up before the race on Saturday.
Bonus: I hit the 200 mile mark for the year this morning! At this pace I hope to get in about 600 total miles for the year. If I decide to train for a half marathon I may go over that mark pretty easily. I'm to the point now where I have no doubts about being able to complete a half, so I really don't know how much additional training would be necessary.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Running: 4/22/2011
It was warm but cloudy this morning. I went to the park. I haven't run in the park in over a week and I kind of missed it.
I was scheduled to do intervals this morning but I got confused pushing the buttons on my Garmin so I didn't exactly do the intervals as planned. I started off with my standard warm up walk, then jogged at a moderate rate for about 3/4 of a mile. At this point I pressed the start button rather than the lap button which stopped the timer rather than starting the first interval. I didn't realize this until about half way through the first interval. I kept running trying to decide what to do. I finally decided that I would just run at this pace for as long as I felt like I could. I ran about 1.5 miles in the mid to low 8s before having to slow down to catch my breath. I slowed to about 10:00/mile for about 1/3 of a mile then tried to pick the pace back up again. I was only able to maintain the faster pace for a couple minutes before slowing to around 9:00/mile. I accelerated back up to around 8:00/mile down the final stretch back to the car.
This was good experience for my next 5K. I now know what pace I can't maintain for a full three miles. All in, I averaged about 8:55/mile over the course of 3.45 miles or so. I averaged 9:09/mile in my last 5K for a total time of 28:21. If I can finish next Saturday's 5K in under 28 minutes I'll be happy. My original goal was to cut another 1:30 off my 5K time, but I think I underestimated how difficult that would be. I'm going to shoot for 27:30 but be satisfied with anything faster than 28. My strategy is to run my first two miles at an even 9:00/mile pace then try to accelerate evenly throughout the last mile to bring my average pace for the last 1.1 up to around 8:30/mile. That should get me to the finish line in right around 27:30.
Today's Stats: According to Garmin I did 3.21 miles in 28:51 but I'm adding .24 miles and 1:55 for the time I ran between pressing the stop button and pressing the lap button. That makes today's run 3.45 miles in 30:46 for an average pace of 08:55/mile.
Next Up: I'll probably go for an easy run tomorrow with L. Monday I'm going to do a real interval workout as a final preparation for next Saturday's 5K. Wednesday will be an easy 3 or 4 miles at a very comfortable pace. I'll take Thursday and Friday off running, but I may swim Thursday. Saturday is race day!
I was scheduled to do intervals this morning but I got confused pushing the buttons on my Garmin so I didn't exactly do the intervals as planned. I started off with my standard warm up walk, then jogged at a moderate rate for about 3/4 of a mile. At this point I pressed the start button rather than the lap button which stopped the timer rather than starting the first interval. I didn't realize this until about half way through the first interval. I kept running trying to decide what to do. I finally decided that I would just run at this pace for as long as I felt like I could. I ran about 1.5 miles in the mid to low 8s before having to slow down to catch my breath. I slowed to about 10:00/mile for about 1/3 of a mile then tried to pick the pace back up again. I was only able to maintain the faster pace for a couple minutes before slowing to around 9:00/mile. I accelerated back up to around 8:00/mile down the final stretch back to the car.
This was good experience for my next 5K. I now know what pace I can't maintain for a full three miles. All in, I averaged about 8:55/mile over the course of 3.45 miles or so. I averaged 9:09/mile in my last 5K for a total time of 28:21. If I can finish next Saturday's 5K in under 28 minutes I'll be happy. My original goal was to cut another 1:30 off my 5K time, but I think I underestimated how difficult that would be. I'm going to shoot for 27:30 but be satisfied with anything faster than 28. My strategy is to run my first two miles at an even 9:00/mile pace then try to accelerate evenly throughout the last mile to bring my average pace for the last 1.1 up to around 8:30/mile. That should get me to the finish line in right around 27:30.
Today's Stats: According to Garmin I did 3.21 miles in 28:51 but I'm adding .24 miles and 1:55 for the time I ran between pressing the stop button and pressing the lap button. That makes today's run 3.45 miles in 30:46 for an average pace of 08:55/mile.
Next Up: I'll probably go for an easy run tomorrow with L. Monday I'm going to do a real interval workout as a final preparation for next Saturday's 5K. Wednesday will be an easy 3 or 4 miles at a very comfortable pace. I'll take Thursday and Friday off running, but I may swim Thursday. Saturday is race day!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Treadmill Tempo Run: 4/20/11
It was a dark and stormy morning. I got up this morning, turned on the TV while I stretched, and noticed a nice line of storms moving into our area. They appeared to still be about 30 minutes away, so I stretched quickly, headed out to the car and towards the park. Just as I left the driveway I started seeing some pretty serious lightning off to the west. So I turned the car around, went home, packed up all my stuff I would need for the day and headed to the fitness center for a run on the treadmill. Joy of joys.
I dislike the treadmill. It's mind numbingly boring and always seems more difficult than pavement for some reason. I started out with a quick warm up walk and then bumped it up to 9:40/mile. I held that pace for about 33 minutes. I watched TV. It was news. I wiped the sweat off. I saw some lightning out the window. Then I was done and I showered.
During the course of the run my heart rate gradually increased from about 150 shortly after I started running up to about 170 at the end of the run.
Today's Stats: I did around 3.4 miles in about 33 minutes for an average pace of 9:40/mile. It seemed harder than that same pace on the road.
I dislike the treadmill. It's mind numbingly boring and always seems more difficult than pavement for some reason. I started out with a quick warm up walk and then bumped it up to 9:40/mile. I held that pace for about 33 minutes. I watched TV. It was news. I wiped the sweat off. I saw some lightning out the window. Then I was done and I showered.
During the course of the run my heart rate gradually increased from about 150 shortly after I started running up to about 170 at the end of the run.
Today's Stats: I did around 3.4 miles in about 33 minutes for an average pace of 9:40/mile. It seemed harder than that same pace on the road.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Swimming: 04/19/2011
Swimming. What's there to say, really. I went back and forth in the pool for 30 minutes. I've decided I can do pretty much any distance I put my mind to. Slowly. It's just a matter of getting to the wall and turning around and doing it again. The only time I get really out of breath is when I push myself for speed during my 50s. I generally feel like I could swim at a fairly easy pace all day long if I didn't get bored. It's still a mind over matter thing for me. The matter is easy, getting the mind to cooperate is sometimes more difficult.
Here was this mornings workout:
1X500, 1X200, 1X50, 1X200, 1X100, 1X50, 1X100, 2X50
I did the 50s about as hard as I could go, and the 100s just slightly easier. The 500 and the 200s were at a very easy pace.
Here was this mornings workout:
1X500, 1X200, 1X50, 1X200, 1X100, 1X50, 1X100, 2X50
I did the 50s about as hard as I could go, and the 100s just slightly easier. The 500 and the 200s were at a very easy pace.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Long Run Saturday: 4/16/11
I was scheduled for a long run Saturday. I had no idea just how long it would turn out to be. The weather was almost perfect: Blue Skies, big fluffy white clouds, & cool temperature. The wind from the west was pretty strong, though as long as I was running generally east, this was no problem.
I had charted a 7-mile course near home earlier last week and set off to follow it. I turned left out of the driveway and ran a little more than a mile before realizing I hadn't pressed start on my Garmin. I pressed start and continued running. I didn't have a speed goal, I was just running for the sake of running. I ran at whatever pace felt most comfortable.
A great addition to my run was my hydration backpack. I picked up the Coleman Max 2 liter pack at Wal-Mart thinking I would return it if I hated it. I was skeptical at first because I've read that some people don't like the backpack hydration packs for running because of 1. the bouncing and 2. the heat build-up on the back. I didn't have any problems with it during my first run. The shoulder straps are adjustable to the perfect fit for me and it includes a waist belt and chest belt to keep it firmly in place. There was some movement of the pack while I was running, but it was comfortable throughout my longer than planned run.
My run was longer than planned because I got lost. I didn't take the route I had planned out. I thought I had, but I either missed a turn that I should have taken or I took a turn that I shouldn't have. When I realized I had gone the wrong way I had already gone too far to turn around and look for the right way so I just improvised from there. I followed roads that I thought were taking me in the general direction of home. I did the complete Tour-De-Podunk. At one point I ran along a gravel/dirt road for about two miles and was beginning to wonder if it was actually a dead-end before I finally came to a turn that I thought would take me to somewhere familiar. My sense of direction paid off and I arrived at an intersection I recognized and was able to make it home without the dreaded lost phone call home.
I had been holding back a little because I didn't know how far I had to go to get home. My worst fear was arriving at a dead end and having to retrace my steps. I found myself conserving liquids and running slightly slower to conserve energy in case that happened. Worst case scenario number two was arriving somewhere familiar and realizing I had been running the wrong direction for the last five miles. My contingency plan in that case was my cell phone and a call home. As I came into familiar territory I picked up the pace and actually did my last mile in 9:30. I was really feeling strong and was pleased that I was able to finish at a good pace.
The Stats: All in I did 10.2 miles in an hour and 45-50 minutes. Yes, I ran almost two hours and felt like I could have kept going. This was definitely the most enjoyable run I've ever done. Being lost was actually a bit of an adventure. The security of a cell phone and my hydration pack made me a little braver than I probably would have been had I had neither. I enjoyed my 10 mile run that started out as a 7 mile run. I averaged about 10:30/mile over the course of those 10 miles.
Next up: I should have done a tempo run this morning but I didn't sleep well last night and my legs were still a little sore from Saturday's long run so I slept in. Tomorrow I'll swim and then do my tempo run on Wednesday followed by a swim on Thursday and intervals on Friday. We're going out of town for Easter so I probably won't get in the long run this weekend unless I can squeeze it in Sunday evening when we get home.
I had charted a 7-mile course near home earlier last week and set off to follow it. I turned left out of the driveway and ran a little more than a mile before realizing I hadn't pressed start on my Garmin. I pressed start and continued running. I didn't have a speed goal, I was just running for the sake of running. I ran at whatever pace felt most comfortable.
A great addition to my run was my hydration backpack. I picked up the Coleman Max 2 liter pack at Wal-Mart thinking I would return it if I hated it. I was skeptical at first because I've read that some people don't like the backpack hydration packs for running because of 1. the bouncing and 2. the heat build-up on the back. I didn't have any problems with it during my first run. The shoulder straps are adjustable to the perfect fit for me and it includes a waist belt and chest belt to keep it firmly in place. There was some movement of the pack while I was running, but it was comfortable throughout my longer than planned run.
My run was longer than planned because I got lost. I didn't take the route I had planned out. I thought I had, but I either missed a turn that I should have taken or I took a turn that I shouldn't have. When I realized I had gone the wrong way I had already gone too far to turn around and look for the right way so I just improvised from there. I followed roads that I thought were taking me in the general direction of home. I did the complete Tour-De-Podunk. At one point I ran along a gravel/dirt road for about two miles and was beginning to wonder if it was actually a dead-end before I finally came to a turn that I thought would take me to somewhere familiar. My sense of direction paid off and I arrived at an intersection I recognized and was able to make it home without the dreaded lost phone call home.
I had been holding back a little because I didn't know how far I had to go to get home. My worst fear was arriving at a dead end and having to retrace my steps. I found myself conserving liquids and running slightly slower to conserve energy in case that happened. Worst case scenario number two was arriving somewhere familiar and realizing I had been running the wrong direction for the last five miles. My contingency plan in that case was my cell phone and a call home. As I came into familiar territory I picked up the pace and actually did my last mile in 9:30. I was really feeling strong and was pleased that I was able to finish at a good pace.
The Stats: All in I did 10.2 miles in an hour and 45-50 minutes. Yes, I ran almost two hours and felt like I could have kept going. This was definitely the most enjoyable run I've ever done. Being lost was actually a bit of an adventure. The security of a cell phone and my hydration pack made me a little braver than I probably would have been had I had neither. I enjoyed my 10 mile run that started out as a 7 mile run. I averaged about 10:30/mile over the course of those 10 miles.
Next up: I should have done a tempo run this morning but I didn't sleep well last night and my legs were still a little sore from Saturday's long run so I slept in. Tomorrow I'll swim and then do my tempo run on Wednesday followed by a swim on Thursday and intervals on Friday. We're going out of town for Easter so I probably won't get in the long run this weekend unless I can squeeze it in Sunday evening when we get home.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
1150 yard swim: 4/14/11
I did 1150 yards this morning. It consisted of 2x300, 3X150, and 2X50. It was really cool out but the water was warm. The pool looked like a fog machine. Overall it was an enjoyable swim. I pushed myself a little harder this morning, but was still well within my comfort zone for most of the swim.
I like to read blogs of other endurance athletes for tips and motivation. Sometimes I read comments like "I did a 1,000 yard warm up swim", or "I did a quick and easy 3,000 yard workout" and I just about fall out of my chair. My whole work out is just over 1,000 yards and some of these people would view that as a warm up. Now, I know given the progress I've made in running over the past 9 months that I could just as easily make that much progress swimming but it still blows my mind. I'm not even sure I want to be able to swim 3000 yards in a single workout. It would be cool, but that's a lot of back and forth. That's 120 lengths of the pool I'm using now and at my current pace would take about an hour.
Oh well. It is what it is. My goal for now is to do my entire 1000 yard workout non-stop. For now I'm just going to enjoy my twice weekly 1000ish yard swims until the urge hits me to do more. I view it as a good opportunity for cross training, something that works muscles outside of those in my legs.
Next up: Tomorrow is a rest day and then I'll be doing my long run Saturday. As much as I hate it, I'm going to try to carry a bottle of water with me. I need to obtain some sort of hydration gear that keeps my hands free.
I like to read blogs of other endurance athletes for tips and motivation. Sometimes I read comments like "I did a 1,000 yard warm up swim", or "I did a quick and easy 3,000 yard workout" and I just about fall out of my chair. My whole work out is just over 1,000 yards and some of these people would view that as a warm up. Now, I know given the progress I've made in running over the past 9 months that I could just as easily make that much progress swimming but it still blows my mind. I'm not even sure I want to be able to swim 3000 yards in a single workout. It would be cool, but that's a lot of back and forth. That's 120 lengths of the pool I'm using now and at my current pace would take about an hour.
Oh well. It is what it is. My goal for now is to do my entire 1000 yard workout non-stop. For now I'm just going to enjoy my twice weekly 1000ish yard swims until the urge hits me to do more. I view it as a good opportunity for cross training, something that works muscles outside of those in my legs.
Next up: Tomorrow is a rest day and then I'll be doing my long run Saturday. As much as I hate it, I'm going to try to carry a bottle of water with me. I need to obtain some sort of hydration gear that keeps my hands free.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Maintenance Run: 4/13/11
Today I was determined to go out for an easy run, keeping my pace and my heart rate down. I was mostly successful. The first two miles I took really easy. I kept my pace a hair slower than 10:00/mile and my average heart rate was in the mid to lower 150s. I checked it at one point and it was in the 140s. Nice and easy. At the beginning of mile 3, which always comes right at the turn around at the end of the lake I decided to pick up the pace just a little. When I came to the 2.5 mile mark, I started gradually accelerating all the way through to the end of mile 3 at which point I was in the mid 7s. I slowed at the end of mile 3 to around 9:00/mile and maintained that pace back to the car.
I was pleased with today's run. I felt strong. I did two easy miles then pushed myself pretty hard for a mile but didn't feel overly tired at the end of that mile. When I slowed, my heart rate recovered quickly and I found myself having to pull back on the reigns to keep from trying to pick up the pace again.
Today's Stats: I did 3.43 miles in 00:33:16 for an average pace of 9:42/mile.
Next Up: I'll be back in the pool tomorrow, Friday will be a day off, then I'll do my long run as early Saturday morning as I can make myself get up. Thankfully it's supposed to be significantly cooler this Saturday than last.
I was pleased with today's run. I felt strong. I did two easy miles then pushed myself pretty hard for a mile but didn't feel overly tired at the end of that mile. When I slowed, my heart rate recovered quickly and I found myself having to pull back on the reigns to keep from trying to pick up the pace again.
Today's Stats: I did 3.43 miles in 00:33:16 for an average pace of 9:42/mile.
Next Up: I'll be back in the pool tomorrow, Friday will be a day off, then I'll do my long run as early Saturday morning as I can make myself get up. Thankfully it's supposed to be significantly cooler this Saturday than last.
Back in the Saddle: Swimming 4/12/11
The bubble was removed from the pool this past weekend. I also decided to tinker with my schedule a bit. I enjoy my runs enough that I can make myself get out of bed on Mondays, so I'm moving my running schedule to Monday and Wednesday and I'll be swimming on Tuesday and Thursday then doing a long run on the weekends. I think swimming twice a week should be enough for now. I'm not training for anything specifically at this point, so I'm just going to try to maintain my current swimming ability. When I get a bike I'll schedule my first triathlon and start working towards that. For now, I'm good with just making sure I don't lose what I've gained in the pool.
I didn't do a specific workout. I just got in the pool and swam laps. My first set was 300 yards at a pretty light intensity. I was just trying to get into a rhythm and remember my breathing pattern. A week off is apparently not long enough to forget how to swim. I was breathing a little harder at the end of 300 than I had hoped, but I was glad to be able to do 300 without stopping after being off for a full week. I could have kept going but I wanted to stop and get my breathing under control before going on. After that I did a set of 150 yards at about the same intensity. From there I decided to do 4X100 and 4X50 at increasing intensity. I'm not sure what happened in my week off, but my pool efficiency increased. I was regularly hitting 17 strokes per length of the pool and was doing my 50 yard sets in 50 seconds flat. I actually felt stronger the longer I went, until the last 50. I decided to go all out for 50 yards just to see what I could do. It was actually slower than some of the earlier 50s - mainly because I think I got sloppy and my efficiency went way down. I keep having to remind myself that I can't just muscle my way through the water. It's more about finesse and efficiency than muscle. I wasn't completely wiped out by the end of that last 50, but it would have taken some time to recover if I had wanted to continue.
All in all, not a bad swim. I did a little over 1000 yards and feel like I've made a ton of progress since I started swimming.
I didn't do a specific workout. I just got in the pool and swam laps. My first set was 300 yards at a pretty light intensity. I was just trying to get into a rhythm and remember my breathing pattern. A week off is apparently not long enough to forget how to swim. I was breathing a little harder at the end of 300 than I had hoped, but I was glad to be able to do 300 without stopping after being off for a full week. I could have kept going but I wanted to stop and get my breathing under control before going on. After that I did a set of 150 yards at about the same intensity. From there I decided to do 4X100 and 4X50 at increasing intensity. I'm not sure what happened in my week off, but my pool efficiency increased. I was regularly hitting 17 strokes per length of the pool and was doing my 50 yard sets in 50 seconds flat. I actually felt stronger the longer I went, until the last 50. I decided to go all out for 50 yards just to see what I could do. It was actually slower than some of the earlier 50s - mainly because I think I got sloppy and my efficiency went way down. I keep having to remind myself that I can't just muscle my way through the water. It's more about finesse and efficiency than muscle. I wasn't completely wiped out by the end of that last 50, but it would have taken some time to recover if I had wanted to continue.
All in all, not a bad swim. I did a little over 1000 yards and feel like I've made a ton of progress since I started swimming.
Tempo Run: 04/11/11
I didn't intend to do a tempo run on Monday but that's how it worked out. My intention was to go out for an easy run and not worry about speed or heart rate or any of that. I just wanted to go out and enjoy a nice jog in the park. I'm not sure what happened but I did my first mile in 9:55 and for some reason I decided I needed to run the second mile faster than that. So I did. Second mile came and went in 9:17. I was still feeling fine but I slowed just a hair and kept up that pace all the way back to the car. I'm still not sure what I was thinking. I get so freaking competitive with myself sometimes that I forget my plan. I did make a conscious effort to not push myself as hard as I did during last weeks tempo run. I had an idea somewhere in my mind that my body needed a bit of a break, and I let it influence me just a little.
The Stats: I did 3.4 miles in 32:29 for an average pace of 9:33. That's just a shade faster than I should be running my tempo runs according to the 5K improvement plan I'm following.
The Stats: I did 3.4 miles in 32:29 for an average pace of 9:33. That's just a shade faster than I should be running my tempo runs according to the 5K improvement plan I'm following.
Long Run Saturday: 4/9/11
I was scheduled for a long run Saturday. L had a 5K that morning so I didn't get started until a little later in the day. By the time I got to run it was starting to get pretty hot. I knew this would hurt my performance, but I headed out anyway.
I chose a different venue for this run. I headed out the front door and ran around our neighborhood - mostly farmland. I had previously mapped out a pretty good 3 mile loop route from my house and I had hoped to do a couple laps plus some to get to around 7 total miles. The first two miles went great. I averaged right around 10:00/mile with an average heart rate in the upper 150's, though by the end of the second mile it was starting to climb fairly steadily. Part of that I blame on the hills to which I'm not accustomed and part I blame on the heat. It was really hot and the midday sun was taking it's toll on my body's ability to cool itself. I slowed some for mile 3 to try to give my body a break but my heart rate continued to climb. Same routine with mile 4. I slowed even more and by this time I was starting to feel a little burn in my calves. I knew I was pushing myself harder than I had intended. I was still determined to run a minimum of one hour so I slowed down even more and averaged a little slower than 11:00/mile for the last two miles. My heart rate was in the lower 170s for most of the final two miles. At an 11:00/mile pace, if I were properly hydrated and the weather was cool, I think I could easily run an hour with a 150 or lower heart rate.
It was an exhausting run and gives me an idea of what I have to look forward to this summer. Thankfully, I'll be getting in most of my runs before the heat of the day sets in. I'm going to have to make it a point to be up and running early on the weekend for my long runs.
The Stats: I did 6.03 miles in 01:04:14 for an average pace of 10:39. Quite a bit slower than my previous long run, but conditions were less favorable.
I chose a different venue for this run. I headed out the front door and ran around our neighborhood - mostly farmland. I had previously mapped out a pretty good 3 mile loop route from my house and I had hoped to do a couple laps plus some to get to around 7 total miles. The first two miles went great. I averaged right around 10:00/mile with an average heart rate in the upper 150's, though by the end of the second mile it was starting to climb fairly steadily. Part of that I blame on the hills to which I'm not accustomed and part I blame on the heat. It was really hot and the midday sun was taking it's toll on my body's ability to cool itself. I slowed some for mile 3 to try to give my body a break but my heart rate continued to climb. Same routine with mile 4. I slowed even more and by this time I was starting to feel a little burn in my calves. I knew I was pushing myself harder than I had intended. I was still determined to run a minimum of one hour so I slowed down even more and averaged a little slower than 11:00/mile for the last two miles. My heart rate was in the lower 170s for most of the final two miles. At an 11:00/mile pace, if I were properly hydrated and the weather was cool, I think I could easily run an hour with a 150 or lower heart rate.
It was an exhausting run and gives me an idea of what I have to look forward to this summer. Thankfully, I'll be getting in most of my runs before the heat of the day sets in. I'm going to have to make it a point to be up and running early on the weekend for my long runs.
The Stats: I did 6.03 miles in 01:04:14 for an average pace of 10:39. Quite a bit slower than my previous long run, but conditions were less favorable.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Intervals: 4/7/11
Today's run was weak. That's the only work I can use to describe it. I don't know if I pushed myself too hard on Tuesday or if there's something else going on, but I was just weak today. I considered skipping the interval session for a nice easy run in the park, but my stubborn side won out and I ended up doing the workout as planned. I did it, but my heart wasn't in it.
I started out with a warm up mile. I took it slow and easy, but I never really felt right. I had strange aches in my legs and my breathing was all wrong. At the end of the mile, I started my interval sets. None of them were anywhere near what I did last week and I found myself not really caring. I was faster during all my rest intervals, though. I resigned myself to not pushing too hard this morning, erring on the side of listening to my body. Hopefully I'm feeling up to the long run this weekend. I'm thinking I'll make next week an easier week. Instead of a tempo run and an interval run I'll do two runs of 4 easyish miles and get back to my routine the next two weeks after that, setting myself up for another easy week before my next 5K.
Today's Stats I did 4.4 miles in 41:24 for an average pace of 9:24/mile. Not terrible all things considered but I'm not going to get faster if I don't push myself. Hopefully this was a one day thing and I'll be ready to go after next week's rest.
Next Up: I've skipped swimming this week. I haven't scheduled a triathlon - don't even have a bike yet. I'm finding it hard to motivate myself to go to the pool at 6AM to train for an imaginary future event. I would like to get back to the pool next week. Maybe taking it easier on my running days will help with that. I also have my long run coming up this weekend.
I started out with a warm up mile. I took it slow and easy, but I never really felt right. I had strange aches in my legs and my breathing was all wrong. At the end of the mile, I started my interval sets. None of them were anywhere near what I did last week and I found myself not really caring. I was faster during all my rest intervals, though. I resigned myself to not pushing too hard this morning, erring on the side of listening to my body. Hopefully I'm feeling up to the long run this weekend. I'm thinking I'll make next week an easier week. Instead of a tempo run and an interval run I'll do two runs of 4 easyish miles and get back to my routine the next two weeks after that, setting myself up for another easy week before my next 5K.
Today's Stats I did 4.4 miles in 41:24 for an average pace of 9:24/mile. Not terrible all things considered but I'm not going to get faster if I don't push myself. Hopefully this was a one day thing and I'll be ready to go after next week's rest.
Next Up: I've skipped swimming this week. I haven't scheduled a triathlon - don't even have a bike yet. I'm finding it hard to motivate myself to go to the pool at 6AM to train for an imaginary future event. I would like to get back to the pool next week. Maybe taking it easier on my running days will help with that. I also have my long run coming up this weekend.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Tempo Run: 04/05/2011
It was a very nice morning for a run. Just a hair on the cool side after so many warm days last week, but I won't complain. I know the summer runs at 80 degrees and 100% humidity are coming soon enough.
I was set to do my Tempo run this morning. My plan says to do 35 minutes at race pace minus 45-60 seconds. In keeping with the theme established during my long run Saturday, I decided to push that up just a bit. I figure if I'm trying to get faster there's no real need to pussy foot around it. Seriously, why would I run 35 minutes at less than race pace when I know I can run it faster than race pace. Logically, it seems that would improve my speed and endurance more than taking it easy for 35 minutes. I don't get the reasoning, myself. So, I went for it. I started out thinking I would try to hang in the low to mid 9s. I looked down after mile one and Mr. Garmin told me I had done it in 9:08 - a faster pace than my previous 5K. I knew I could run faster so I didn't slack off and tried to push just as hard as I had been. Mile two was down in 9:03. At this point I wanted to see how much I had left so I picked up the pace fairly significantly. My specific goal at this point was to beat my previous 5K time. Mile three came and went in 8:43 - my fastest mile ever. I watched the clock for the next .1 mile to see what my 5K time would be and it clicked over to 3.1 at around 27:40 which would be an average per mile of 8:55. At this point I still had over seven minutes left to run and I had pushed myself pretty hard. I let up just a little bit, but my momentum wouldn't let me slow much, so I just did what felt comfortable for the time I had left.
I pushed pretty had this morning but still feel like I could have gone faster, especially for the 5K distance. I'm pleased with my performance and I'm looking forward to my next race at the end of the month.
Today's Stats: I did 3.9 miles in 35 minutes for an average pace of 8:58/mile. That's 11 seconds faster per mile than my best 5K time.
Next up: I skipped yesterday's swim. Mondays and swimming just don't go together, apparently. I'm hoping to get back to the pool in the morning. Thursday will be an interval run.
I was set to do my Tempo run this morning. My plan says to do 35 minutes at race pace minus 45-60 seconds. In keeping with the theme established during my long run Saturday, I decided to push that up just a bit. I figure if I'm trying to get faster there's no real need to pussy foot around it. Seriously, why would I run 35 minutes at less than race pace when I know I can run it faster than race pace. Logically, it seems that would improve my speed and endurance more than taking it easy for 35 minutes. I don't get the reasoning, myself. So, I went for it. I started out thinking I would try to hang in the low to mid 9s. I looked down after mile one and Mr. Garmin told me I had done it in 9:08 - a faster pace than my previous 5K. I knew I could run faster so I didn't slack off and tried to push just as hard as I had been. Mile two was down in 9:03. At this point I wanted to see how much I had left so I picked up the pace fairly significantly. My specific goal at this point was to beat my previous 5K time. Mile three came and went in 8:43 - my fastest mile ever. I watched the clock for the next .1 mile to see what my 5K time would be and it clicked over to 3.1 at around 27:40 which would be an average per mile of 8:55. At this point I still had over seven minutes left to run and I had pushed myself pretty hard. I let up just a little bit, but my momentum wouldn't let me slow much, so I just did what felt comfortable for the time I had left.
I pushed pretty had this morning but still feel like I could have gone faster, especially for the 5K distance. I'm pleased with my performance and I'm looking forward to my next race at the end of the month.
Today's Stats: I did 3.9 miles in 35 minutes for an average pace of 8:58/mile. That's 11 seconds faster per mile than my best 5K time.
Next up: I skipped yesterday's swim. Mondays and swimming just don't go together, apparently. I'm hoping to get back to the pool in the morning. Thursday will be an interval run.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Long Run: 4/2/2011
I decided on a Saturday morning run this week for my long run. I really wanted Sunday to do absolutely nothing of any value. As I did with my last long run, I planned for at least an hour with anything over that being bonus time. My plan calls for 3 times my 5K time which is pretty close to 90 minutes.
The weather was beautiful. It was probably in the mid-50s when I started and I'm guessing it had gotten up to at least 60 by the end of the run.
I started out with my typical warm up. Once I started running I just tried to maintain a comfortable pace. My comfortable pace this morning was much faster than last weeks comfortable pace. I was very conservative last week, though. I wasn't sure what it would feel like to run that long so I kept my pace very slow. This week, I had last weeks experience to build on, so I upped my pace to what I thought I could maintain for at least an hour. That turned out to be almost right at 10:00/mile. It hasn't been very long since I was hoping to be able to run one mile at a 10 minute pace, and now that pace feels like a comfortable jog.
I did a full two laps of the park again. I ventured about 1/3 mile out of the park between my first and second laps because the parking lot of the ball fields next door was full and seemed busy. Last week, it was just a long easy run and I don't remember feeling tired at all. This week I felt fatigued several times. Part of that may have been due to the big Mexican meal I had the night before. The other part was probably due to my faster pace. I experimented with nutrition during my run. I'm not sure it made a difference, but the raspberry flavored Cliffs Shot Blocks are delicious and provided a nice distraction from the fatigue. They're also similar in consistency to gummy bears. That made me smile.
Overall it was a good run. I enjoyed being out and just running.
Today's stats: I did 7.24 miles in 01:11:56 for an average pace of 9:56. Not too shabby. I may just do that half-marathon in October after all.
Next up: A theoretical swim tomorrow morning and my tempo run Tuesday. Today is my day off!
The weather was beautiful. It was probably in the mid-50s when I started and I'm guessing it had gotten up to at least 60 by the end of the run.
I started out with my typical warm up. Once I started running I just tried to maintain a comfortable pace. My comfortable pace this morning was much faster than last weeks comfortable pace. I was very conservative last week, though. I wasn't sure what it would feel like to run that long so I kept my pace very slow. This week, I had last weeks experience to build on, so I upped my pace to what I thought I could maintain for at least an hour. That turned out to be almost right at 10:00/mile. It hasn't been very long since I was hoping to be able to run one mile at a 10 minute pace, and now that pace feels like a comfortable jog.
I did a full two laps of the park again. I ventured about 1/3 mile out of the park between my first and second laps because the parking lot of the ball fields next door was full and seemed busy. Last week, it was just a long easy run and I don't remember feeling tired at all. This week I felt fatigued several times. Part of that may have been due to the big Mexican meal I had the night before. The other part was probably due to my faster pace. I experimented with nutrition during my run. I'm not sure it made a difference, but the raspberry flavored Cliffs Shot Blocks are delicious and provided a nice distraction from the fatigue. They're also similar in consistency to gummy bears. That made me smile.
Overall it was a good run. I enjoyed being out and just running.
Today's stats: I did 7.24 miles in 01:11:56 for an average pace of 9:56. Not too shabby. I may just do that half-marathon in October after all.
Next up: A theoretical swim tomorrow morning and my tempo run Tuesday. Today is my day off!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Swimming: 3/30 and 4/1/2011
I didn't post about my Wednesday swim. Really, there's not much to say about a swim. There's water, and there's me.... doing something vaguely resembling swimming. Back and forth, over and over. Wednesday I kind of wimped out. I made it to the pool, but I couldn't bring myself to do more than 100 yards at a time. With this in mind, I spent my pool time working on my form and efficiency through the water. Head tucked in, feet pointed, hips...I don't know what you would call it. Basically I try to point the base of my spine up as much as possible so that my body glides along the top of the water rather than dragging through it. I did 1,000 yards of this, 100 yards at a time. It wasn't really much of a workout, but I think it was productive time. I say that because of today's swim.
For today's swim I was determined to do the routine. I also wanted to time myself for a comparison to some of my previous swims. I knew I had been averaging about 2:30 per 100 yards about 90 days ago, which is probably really slow but I don't really care at this point. I just want to be able to go the distance. I only wanted to time myself this morning to see if my efforts to improve my efficiency are really helping. I can now do 100 yards in right at 2:00. A 30 second improvement over 100 yards is pretty good. Over the course of 600 yards I averaged a little more than 2:00/100, but part of that is due to my inefficient turns. I'm not using the flip turn. It's just too exhausting. I've also improved my strokes per 25 yards. I was averaging 20-22 prior to trying to make some improvements in my form and now I'm consistently at 18 or 19 and sometimes as low as 17. And that's in my parachute swim trunks. I'm curious to see what the difference will be when I get some real swim gear.
My routine consisted of 1X600, 1X300, 4X100, and 4X50. It's the first time I've done the full workout since last Friday but it didn't seem particularly difficult. The most difficult part consistently is getting over the mental hurdle of convincing myself to make the turn after the first 100 yards. I need to get to where I'm doing a full workout 3 times a week consistently at some point. It's just so dull going back and forth in the pool. Thankfully, even though I'm not consistently doing three days a week, I feel like I'm still progressing. Consistent running is definitely helping. If I were only swimming, I don't think I'd still be making progress. The running keeps a good strong baseline for my heart and lungs. The key to swimming is just remembering the motions and knowing that I can't push myself nearly as hard in the pool as I can on the pavement.
Next up: Long run this weekend, then I start over with a swim on Monday morning. Right now I'm looking forward to it. I may feel differently when the alarm goes off Monday at 5:30AM.
For today's swim I was determined to do the routine. I also wanted to time myself for a comparison to some of my previous swims. I knew I had been averaging about 2:30 per 100 yards about 90 days ago, which is probably really slow but I don't really care at this point. I just want to be able to go the distance. I only wanted to time myself this morning to see if my efforts to improve my efficiency are really helping. I can now do 100 yards in right at 2:00. A 30 second improvement over 100 yards is pretty good. Over the course of 600 yards I averaged a little more than 2:00/100, but part of that is due to my inefficient turns. I'm not using the flip turn. It's just too exhausting. I've also improved my strokes per 25 yards. I was averaging 20-22 prior to trying to make some improvements in my form and now I'm consistently at 18 or 19 and sometimes as low as 17. And that's in my parachute swim trunks. I'm curious to see what the difference will be when I get some real swim gear.
My routine consisted of 1X600, 1X300, 4X100, and 4X50. It's the first time I've done the full workout since last Friday but it didn't seem particularly difficult. The most difficult part consistently is getting over the mental hurdle of convincing myself to make the turn after the first 100 yards. I need to get to where I'm doing a full workout 3 times a week consistently at some point. It's just so dull going back and forth in the pool. Thankfully, even though I'm not consistently doing three days a week, I feel like I'm still progressing. Consistent running is definitely helping. If I were only swimming, I don't think I'd still be making progress. The running keeps a good strong baseline for my heart and lungs. The key to swimming is just remembering the motions and knowing that I can't push myself nearly as hard in the pool as I can on the pavement.
Next up: Long run this weekend, then I start over with a swim on Monday morning. Right now I'm looking forward to it. I may feel differently when the alarm goes off Monday at 5:30AM.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Intervals: 03/31/2011
I made myself get up this morning. I've had to wage a war with gravity every morning this week just to get out of bed. I won this morning. I'm finding that work is really getting in the way of stuff I'd rather be doing lately. I really enjoy my runs, but I hate having to get up at 5:30AM to do them. Why couldn't I have been born independently wealthy?
So, it was cool and cloudy again this morning. Perfect for running but the clouds are starting to wear me down. I'm looking forward to some sun this weekend. I was scheduled to do intervals again this morning. I dragged myself out of bed by telling myself that I would just go for a nice easy 4 mile run and then I did intervals anyway. Yes, I can use the ol' bait and switch on myself. My subconscious is pretty gullible.
I started out with a nice easy warm up mile at 10:09/mile, then started my intervals. I did 10 sets just like last week. Two minutes of concentrating on not dying and one minute of marvelling in the fact that I'm still alive.... ten times. I did most of my not dying portions faster than last week. I just didn't feel like I had pushed myself hard enough after last weeks intervals, so I picked it up a bit. I don't think the intervals in the program I'm working are fast enough. If I'm working on speed, I want to really work on speed. What's the sense in holding back? Of course, that meant the rest portions were slower, with a couple of them dropping below 12:00/mile. But they don't call it rest for nothin'.
My third fast segment was my slowest at 8:33/mile. In addition, I had three in the 8:20 range, three faster than 8:00, and two right around 8:00/mile. Of the three that were faster than 8:00/mile I saved my fastest for lastest at 7:23/mile. I felt like I was going pretty fast, and I guess I was, for me. I still had half a mile to get back to the car, so I put myself in steady pace mode and averaged about 9:40/mile over that half mile.
Today's Stats: I did 4.77 miles in 44:01 for an average pace of 9:14/mile. With the exception of my most recent 5K, that's my fastest average pace over the course of a full workout. So far, I'm pleased with this 5K speed improvement routine. I probably won't really know until my next 5K how I'm doing, but I feel like after just two weeks I've already seen some improvement.
Next up: I'm supposed to swim tomorrow. We'll see if I can make myself get up for that in the morning. Saturday or Sunday will be a long run. I'm looking forward to that. I really enjoyed putting myself on cruise control and just going last week. This week I'll try to remember to take something to drink and eat along the way.
So, it was cool and cloudy again this morning. Perfect for running but the clouds are starting to wear me down. I'm looking forward to some sun this weekend. I was scheduled to do intervals again this morning. I dragged myself out of bed by telling myself that I would just go for a nice easy 4 mile run and then I did intervals anyway. Yes, I can use the ol' bait and switch on myself. My subconscious is pretty gullible.
I started out with a nice easy warm up mile at 10:09/mile, then started my intervals. I did 10 sets just like last week. Two minutes of concentrating on not dying and one minute of marvelling in the fact that I'm still alive.... ten times. I did most of my not dying portions faster than last week. I just didn't feel like I had pushed myself hard enough after last weeks intervals, so I picked it up a bit. I don't think the intervals in the program I'm working are fast enough. If I'm working on speed, I want to really work on speed. What's the sense in holding back? Of course, that meant the rest portions were slower, with a couple of them dropping below 12:00/mile. But they don't call it rest for nothin'.
My third fast segment was my slowest at 8:33/mile. In addition, I had three in the 8:20 range, three faster than 8:00, and two right around 8:00/mile. Of the three that were faster than 8:00/mile I saved my fastest for lastest at 7:23/mile. I felt like I was going pretty fast, and I guess I was, for me. I still had half a mile to get back to the car, so I put myself in steady pace mode and averaged about 9:40/mile over that half mile.
Today's Stats: I did 4.77 miles in 44:01 for an average pace of 9:14/mile. With the exception of my most recent 5K, that's my fastest average pace over the course of a full workout. So far, I'm pleased with this 5K speed improvement routine. I probably won't really know until my next 5K how I'm doing, but I feel like after just two weeks I've already seen some improvement.
Next up: I'm supposed to swim tomorrow. We'll see if I can make myself get up for that in the morning. Saturday or Sunday will be a long run. I'm looking forward to that. I really enjoyed putting myself on cruise control and just going last week. This week I'll try to remember to take something to drink and eat along the way.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tempo Run: 03/29/2011
I did my tempo run this morning. As noted last week, it's 35 minutes of 5K time minus 45-60 seconds per mile. I have trouble making myself go that slow so I was more in the range of 5K time minus 25 seconds.
The weather was perfect this morning. It was cool, but not too cool. The ducks, geese, and other feathered creatures were quite active.
I set my Garmin for what I thought was 35 minutes and took off running. I didn't find out until later that I had set it for distance rather than time. It worked out about the same either way. The first mile was rather tedious, as has become the norm. I seemed to spend most of it trying to get comfortable. My heart rate at the beginning of my run seems to always be at its highest and I have trouble getting my breathing into a comfortable rhythm. I think part of that may be because I've been starting out on an incline. Once I get settled in everything comes pretty easily, and it did this morning. It was a harder run than Sunday's long run. I was running faster and pushing myself harder, but I was generally comfortable and never felt out of breath or like I needed to stop and walk. It's been a long time since I've felt the need to stop and walk. The miles just come and go now, without any drama. It's a good feeling to just go out and run.
So, I had set the watch for distance rather than time so I ended up only running 33:45 rather than 35 minutes. No big deal, as my plan calls for between 30 and 35 minutes.
Today's stats: I did 3.53 miles in 33:45 for an average pace of 9:33/mile. That's a little faster than I had targeted, but that's just the way I am. I'd always rather push a little harder than not push hard enough.
Next up: A swim in the morning if I can make myself get out of bed and then intervals on Thursday.
The weather was perfect this morning. It was cool, but not too cool. The ducks, geese, and other feathered creatures were quite active.
I set my Garmin for what I thought was 35 minutes and took off running. I didn't find out until later that I had set it for distance rather than time. It worked out about the same either way. The first mile was rather tedious, as has become the norm. I seemed to spend most of it trying to get comfortable. My heart rate at the beginning of my run seems to always be at its highest and I have trouble getting my breathing into a comfortable rhythm. I think part of that may be because I've been starting out on an incline. Once I get settled in everything comes pretty easily, and it did this morning. It was a harder run than Sunday's long run. I was running faster and pushing myself harder, but I was generally comfortable and never felt out of breath or like I needed to stop and walk. It's been a long time since I've felt the need to stop and walk. The miles just come and go now, without any drama. It's a good feeling to just go out and run.
So, I had set the watch for distance rather than time so I ended up only running 33:45 rather than 35 minutes. No big deal, as my plan calls for between 30 and 35 minutes.
Today's stats: I did 3.53 miles in 33:45 for an average pace of 9:33/mile. That's a little faster than I had targeted, but that's just the way I am. I'd always rather push a little harder than not push hard enough.
Next up: A swim in the morning if I can make myself get out of bed and then intervals on Thursday.
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