Spring is springing. Flowers are blooming, weeds are popping up in yards, and it was 70 degrees at 6AM today. We are expecting some rough weather here today and I didn't know what to expect when I got out of bed at 5:30 this morning. Thankfully it was just a little windy. I went out for a slow four miles today to work on endurance. My goal was to average between 10:30 and 11:00/mile.
I started out with a quick warm up walk out of the park and up the hill into the adjacent city ballpark. After climbing to the top of the hill I turned around, pressed start, and began my run. I worked on keeping my pace close to 11:00 for most of the first mile. I think I'm getting a pretty good feel for pacing myself. I finished the first mile in 10:53. Starting out mile number 2 I was feeling a little tired already, but I figured it would pass if I ignored it and just kept a steady pace. Sure enough, I pushed on through and completed mile 2 in 10:57. I picked up the pace just slightly for the third mile. It felt good to not hold back so much. My breathing was fine, my heart rate stayed in the low 160s and I finished up the third mile in 10:45. I allowed myself to speed up just a little more for the final mile, and I watched as my heart rate inched closer to 170. I extended my run back out of the park and up the hill into the park next door. That was a good challenge at the end of the run and I felt pretty exhausted at the top of the hill, but I kept moving. Breathing was never a problem, and my legs felt pretty good through the whole run, only getting tired when climbing that last hill. I finished mile 4 in 10:25. I was in sight of the car, so I sprinted back as fast as I could make my legs go, accelerating to somewhere around 6:00/mile and averaging 8:38/mile over the last .09.
Today's Stats: I did 4.09 miles in 43:11 for an average pace of 10:42/mile. Well within my goal range for the day.
Next up: I'll be swimming in the morning and then some interval training for Wednesday morning's run. It's supposed to be significantly cooler Wednesday AM than it was today. As much as I despise winter, 40 degrees is the perfect running temperature for me.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Running & Swimming: 2/26/11
I love how creative I am with my blog post titles.
I decided I would knock out a swim and a run this morning. I went to the pool and did 900 yards. Swimming is hard. That's all there is to it. I can do it, but I don't see myself ever being really good at it. I'll be happy to be just good enough to get by come triathlon time. I tried to ease myself out of relying on the pull buoy crutch a little bit this morning. I did the first 50 yards of the first 200 yard set without it then I did all the 50s and all the 25s without it. I think it's probably a good tool, but for now I think I need to focus on endurance without it.
After my swim I planned on running a couple miles. I got out of the pool, dried off, changed into my running clothes and headed out the fitness center door with the goal of an easy two miles. I set out at what I thought was an easy pace and looked down to find I was doing 9:45/mile. I tried to slow down some to keep from crashing after the first mile but for whatever reason I couldn't slow down to much below 10:00/mile. So, I just went with it and let my legs pull me along at whatever pace felt comfortable. That ended up being in the 9:30-9:45 range. I was pretty well wiped out by the end of the two miles but I still managed a pretty good sprint across the parking lot and up the stairs to the fitness center to total 2.13 miles. I guess I'll save my 4 mile run for Monday.
Today's stats: I did 900 yards swimming in about 30 minutes followed by 2.13 miles running. I did the run in 20:20 for a pace of 9:33/mile.
Next up: Monday I'll run 4 easyish miles, shooting for 10:30 or so per mile. Swimming on Tuesday will be more of the same. I need to move on to the next work out, but I still feel like 200 yards without a break is pushing my limits. I may push myself to see if I can do 300 anyway.
I decided I would knock out a swim and a run this morning. I went to the pool and did 900 yards. Swimming is hard. That's all there is to it. I can do it, but I don't see myself ever being really good at it. I'll be happy to be just good enough to get by come triathlon time. I tried to ease myself out of relying on the pull buoy crutch a little bit this morning. I did the first 50 yards of the first 200 yard set without it then I did all the 50s and all the 25s without it. I think it's probably a good tool, but for now I think I need to focus on endurance without it.
After my swim I planned on running a couple miles. I got out of the pool, dried off, changed into my running clothes and headed out the fitness center door with the goal of an easy two miles. I set out at what I thought was an easy pace and looked down to find I was doing 9:45/mile. I tried to slow down some to keep from crashing after the first mile but for whatever reason I couldn't slow down to much below 10:00/mile. So, I just went with it and let my legs pull me along at whatever pace felt comfortable. That ended up being in the 9:30-9:45 range. I was pretty well wiped out by the end of the two miles but I still managed a pretty good sprint across the parking lot and up the stairs to the fitness center to total 2.13 miles. I guess I'll save my 4 mile run for Monday.
Today's stats: I did 900 yards swimming in about 30 minutes followed by 2.13 miles running. I did the run in 20:20 for a pace of 9:33/mile.
Next up: Monday I'll run 4 easyish miles, shooting for 10:30 or so per mile. Swimming on Tuesday will be more of the same. I need to move on to the next work out, but I still feel like 200 yards without a break is pushing my limits. I may push myself to see if I can do 300 anyway.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Running Intervals: 2/25/11
I really don't have a specific plan when it comes to running right now. I'm just going out with the goal of pushing myself farther and harder. Today I had planned to do intervals - a more structured version of fartleks. I just had to get that word in one more post. I navigated over to the intervals workouts in my Garmin and set it for 8 sets of 1 minute running to two minutes of rest. I figured I would jog a mile to warm up and then go at the fastest speed I thought I could maintain for a full minute while still being able to jog when I had finished and then slow to a resting pace for two minutes and repeat. I figured I could do that for 24 minutes.
I did my first mile in 10:37 and then set about completing my intervals workout. After the third rep I started to question whether I would be able to complete the workout without skipping an interval. I was already having trouble recovering my breathing and my heart rate was only dropping to the mid 160s during the two minute rest phase. I kept on anyway, telling myself after each rep, "only 4 more", "only 3 more", "only 2 more", "only 1 more". I really didn't know if I was going to be able to do that last one. I had just pushed myself up the one short but challenging hill in the park when Garmin beeped that it was time to take off. I told myself that it was just one minute and took off running about as fast as I could make my legs go at that point and averaged 7:58/mile for that minute.
I pushed myself harder today than I have in a long time. I almost felt like I was back in the mid-weeks of C25K when I was having to tell myself that I only have a little further to go before I could quit. I'm hoping it all pays off in a couple of weeks.
Today's Stats: I did 3.53 miles today in 34:44 for an average pace of 9:50/mile. My one minute fast intervals ranged from a fastest pace of 7:54/mile to a slowest pace of 8:33/mile. Oddly, my first two intervals were my slowest and I generally got faster from there on.
Next Up: I'm hoping to get in a longer run this weekend. When I say long, I mean long for me. Somewhere in the 4 to 4.5 mile range would be nice. I'll also keep the pace down, probably in the mid 10's per mile. I'd also like to get to the pool on Saturday to avoid the 4 day break between swimming workouts. That's actually higher on my priority list than the long run, but doing both would be ideal.
I did my first mile in 10:37 and then set about completing my intervals workout. After the third rep I started to question whether I would be able to complete the workout without skipping an interval. I was already having trouble recovering my breathing and my heart rate was only dropping to the mid 160s during the two minute rest phase. I kept on anyway, telling myself after each rep, "only 4 more", "only 3 more", "only 2 more", "only 1 more". I really didn't know if I was going to be able to do that last one. I had just pushed myself up the one short but challenging hill in the park when Garmin beeped that it was time to take off. I told myself that it was just one minute and took off running about as fast as I could make my legs go at that point and averaged 7:58/mile for that minute.
I pushed myself harder today than I have in a long time. I almost felt like I was back in the mid-weeks of C25K when I was having to tell myself that I only have a little further to go before I could quit. I'm hoping it all pays off in a couple of weeks.
Today's Stats: I did 3.53 miles today in 34:44 for an average pace of 9:50/mile. My one minute fast intervals ranged from a fastest pace of 7:54/mile to a slowest pace of 8:33/mile. Oddly, my first two intervals were my slowest and I generally got faster from there on.
Next Up: I'm hoping to get in a longer run this weekend. When I say long, I mean long for me. Somewhere in the 4 to 4.5 mile range would be nice. I'll also keep the pace down, probably in the mid 10's per mile. I'd also like to get to the pool on Saturday to avoid the 4 day break between swimming workouts. That's actually higher on my priority list than the long run, but doing both would be ideal.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Swimming: 02/24/2011
Swimming was hard this morning. I wasn't able to do the first 200 yards. I stopped at 100. From there on I just did 50s until I had done 800 total yards and then I did 8X25 for a total of 1000 yards. Part of the reason the 200 was so hard was probably because I wasn't using my pull buoy. I had wondered during my last swim if it was making things easier for me, and I think I got my answer this morning. By providing some floatation, it makes it easier to pull myself through the water. I do think it has helped my form, though. I'm going to continue using it, just a little more sparingly.
I also swam on Tuesday 2/22. That was a busy day so I didn't post anything about it. It was an uneventful swim. There's really not much to say about swimming. Back and forth in the pool is dull when it's being done and writing about it multiplies the dullness by a factor of about 11.
In the future I'm going to work towards being able to do each successive workout using the pull buoy part time and then ditching it until I can do it without before moving on to the next workout. I do believe it has been beneficial. I'm doing 1000 yards (with frequent breaks) all freestyle now. 2 months ago I was struggling just to get through 50 yards freestyle.
I also swam on Tuesday 2/22. That was a busy day so I didn't post anything about it. It was an uneventful swim. There's really not much to say about swimming. Back and forth in the pool is dull when it's being done and writing about it multiplies the dullness by a factor of about 11.
In the future I'm going to work towards being able to do each successive workout using the pull buoy part time and then ditching it until I can do it without before moving on to the next workout. I do believe it has been beneficial. I'm doing 1000 yards (with frequent breaks) all freestyle now. 2 months ago I was struggling just to get through 50 yards freestyle.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Running Fartleks: 2/23/2011
Fartleks... fun word. I tried it this morning. I pushed myself pretty hard, but it felt good. First I did my warm up walk then ran at an easy pace (10:38/mile) for a mile. Then I ran hard for .15 mile, or about a minute. This was at between a 7 & 8 minutes/mile pace. I slowed back to the mid 10s for .15 mile., then repeated twice more. I was huffing and puffing by this point so I gave myself a .3 mile slow jog breather and did another rep of the .15 mile hard run, took a .5 mile slow jog breather and did another .15 mile hard run and then jogged at a sub-10:00/mile pace back to the car. It sure made my run seem to go by fast. I am enjoying adding some variety to my morning runs. Going out and doing 3 or 4 miles at a constant pace can get pretty dull.
With my next 5K just over two weeks away, I'm going to try to spend next week pushing myself pretty hard for speed improvement. I definitely want to beat my last 5K. I really want to finish in less than 30 minutes. Anything beyond that is gravy.
Today's Stats: I did 3.26 miles in 31:59 for an average pace of 9:49 - better than my last race pace by a second per mile.
Next up: I'll be swimming in the morning. I'm trying to decide whether to run Friday or Saturday this week.
What's in store for the future: I'm to the point where I don't think I need to take two days in a row off but that throws my schedule off kilter. I was thinking of running M&W, then doing a shorter run for speed work on Fridays and then a longer run on Saturday morning. The problem with that is, I want to get three days of swimming and at least 3 days of running in every week. I could go to a run MWF/swim TRS routine but that still puts me taking Saturday and Sunday completely off of running. I think my swimming is progressing a little slower than I would like because I'm only getting two good swims in a week. I want to work up to a good swimming base so that when I get my bike I won't be hurting my swimming progress too badly by replacing a swim workout with a bike workout. Also, at some point after acquiring a bike I'll need to find a way to work in some swim/bike bricks and some bike/run bricks to increase my endurance and also work out transitional bugs. Those will probably have to be reserved for Saturdays.
With my next 5K just over two weeks away, I'm going to try to spend next week pushing myself pretty hard for speed improvement. I definitely want to beat my last 5K. I really want to finish in less than 30 minutes. Anything beyond that is gravy.
Today's Stats: I did 3.26 miles in 31:59 for an average pace of 9:49 - better than my last race pace by a second per mile.
Next up: I'll be swimming in the morning. I'm trying to decide whether to run Friday or Saturday this week.
What's in store for the future: I'm to the point where I don't think I need to take two days in a row off but that throws my schedule off kilter. I was thinking of running M&W, then doing a shorter run for speed work on Fridays and then a longer run on Saturday morning. The problem with that is, I want to get three days of swimming and at least 3 days of running in every week. I could go to a run MWF/swim TRS routine but that still puts me taking Saturday and Sunday completely off of running. I think my swimming is progressing a little slower than I would like because I'm only getting two good swims in a week. I want to work up to a good swimming base so that when I get my bike I won't be hurting my swimming progress too badly by replacing a swim workout with a bike workout. Also, at some point after acquiring a bike I'll need to find a way to work in some swim/bike bricks and some bike/run bricks to increase my endurance and also work out transitional bugs. Those will probably have to be reserved for Saturdays.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Maintenance Day: 2/21/2011
I pretty much stuck to my plan today. I got up ten minutes earlier to make sure I would have time to do my run and shower before having to head to work. It was about 60 degrees out this morning. I'm loving this warmer weather but I know we're likely to have another week or two of cold before spring really arrives. I started out at a different spot today. I did my warm up walk by walking out of the park and into another park that is adjacent to where I've been doing my running. That park has a pretty nice hill that I might make use of for some future workouts. I walked to the top of that hill and began my run. My goal was a nice easy 4 miles, keeping my pace at or slightly faster than 11:00/mile until the end of the 4th mile. Looking at my stats afterwards, I was pretty pleased with my pacing. I know it went up and down quite a bit within each mile, but overall I averaged just under 11:00/mile for the first 3 miles with times of 10:48, 10:54, and 10:45 for miles one, two and three respectively. Mile 4 came in at 10:12, mostly because I accelerated steadily over the final quarter mile until I was screaming along at 6:21/mile when my Garmin beeped that my workout was complete. Totally winded, I slowed up and jogged back to the car.
One interesting note - I went back and compared my heart rate from today's run to a couple of runs from previous weeks and here's what I found:
Date Dist Pace Avg HR
1/3/2011 3.01 11:56 158
1/27/2011 3.60 10:41 164
2/21/2011 4.00 10:40 156
It's interesting to look at my 1/3/11 run and see my pace of 11:56 and my heart rate at 158 compared to today's run at a pace of 10:40 with a heart rate of 156. Also interesting is my run on 1/27 which was at an almost identical average pace with a HR of 164. So, I'm running faster, but my heart rate is actually lower, and when I run the same pace as I did less than a month ago, my HR is significantly lower. That, my one faithful reader, is real measurable progress.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 42:41 for an average pace of 10:40/mile.
Next up: I'll be in the pool tomorrow and running again on Wednesday. I haven't decided what Wednesday's run will be yet. I'm still researching speed improvement plans.
One interesting note - I went back and compared my heart rate from today's run to a couple of runs from previous weeks and here's what I found:
Date Dist Pace Avg HR
1/3/2011 3.01 11:56 158
1/27/2011 3.60 10:41 164
2/21/2011 4.00 10:40 156
It's interesting to look at my 1/3/11 run and see my pace of 11:56 and my heart rate at 158 compared to today's run at a pace of 10:40 with a heart rate of 156. Also interesting is my run on 1/27 which was at an almost identical average pace with a HR of 164. So, I'm running faster, but my heart rate is actually lower, and when I run the same pace as I did less than a month ago, my HR is significantly lower. That, my one faithful reader, is real measurable progress.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 42:41 for an average pace of 10:40/mile.
Next up: I'll be in the pool tomorrow and running again on Wednesday. I haven't decided what Wednesday's run will be yet. I'm still researching speed improvement plans.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Faster 5K Week 4
This morning's run did not go as planned. I went out with the goal of pushing myself pretty hard. I accomplished that, but actually pushed myself a little too hard and didn't complete my workout. I started off too fast, doing my first mile in about 9:30. The "resting" portions barely dropped below 10:00/mile, which is too fast for me. I had planned to slow down a little during the second repetition in order to be able to finish the workout but that didn't really happen, with one of my resting segments actually being faster than the previous fast segment and then I followed that with 3 minutes at an average pace of 8:55/mile. Then I hit the hill. It's not a big hill, but it's enough of a hill that after having run almost 3 miles at a faster pace than I am accustomed to it wiped me out. I got to the top and hit a wall. I ran to the end of the parking lot, passed my car, started down the entrance road and realized that I just didn't have the will to go on. I'm kicking myself now. I could have gone on another 10 minutes at a slower pace and finished out my workout but I didn't....I quit. I'm disappointed with that. I'm trying to justify it and make it okay in my mind, but I just can't. I wish I could go back to that moment and just keep going. It's a small thing, but I hate knowing I didn't push myself as hard as I possibly could.
All that said, it was a good run. I did 3.05 miles according to Garmin, which is practically a 5K. I really wanted to do 4 miles today. Maybe I'll save that for Monday, and run it at an easier pace.
Right now I feel a little aimless in my running. I know my goal is to beat 29 minutes in my next 5K, and I have this plan that I've come up with to improve my times, but I don't know if it's a good plan. I don't know if I'm doing all I can, or if I'm pushing myself too hard to improve too quickly. A proven workout plan would be nice at this point. I'm not sure how I feel about my experimental 5K speed improvement plan. It's definitely not slowing me down, but I know there's probably a better way. Google here I come.
Today's Stats: I did 3.05 miles in 29:05 for an average pace of 9:31/mile. That bodes well for achieving a PR in my next 5K scheduled for 3/12.
Next up: I think I'm going to try to do 4 easyish miles on Monday, just to show myself that I can do 4 miles. I'm not looking to break any speed records, but if I have some energy left in the last half mile or so I'll probably try to push myself to finish strong.
P.S. Congrats to me on my 100th post.
All that said, it was a good run. I did 3.05 miles according to Garmin, which is practically a 5K. I really wanted to do 4 miles today. Maybe I'll save that for Monday, and run it at an easier pace.
Right now I feel a little aimless in my running. I know my goal is to beat 29 minutes in my next 5K, and I have this plan that I've come up with to improve my times, but I don't know if it's a good plan. I don't know if I'm doing all I can, or if I'm pushing myself too hard to improve too quickly. A proven workout plan would be nice at this point. I'm not sure how I feel about my experimental 5K speed improvement plan. It's definitely not slowing me down, but I know there's probably a better way. Google here I come.
Today's Stats: I did 3.05 miles in 29:05 for an average pace of 9:31/mile. That bodes well for achieving a PR in my next 5K scheduled for 3/12.
Next up: I think I'm going to try to do 4 easyish miles on Monday, just to show myself that I can do 4 miles. I'm not looking to break any speed records, but if I have some energy left in the last half mile or so I'll probably try to push myself to finish strong.
P.S. Congrats to me on my 100th post.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Swimming: Flip Turns aka Clean Sinuses
I went to the pool this morning with the goal of learning to perform a flip turn. After much splashing and thrashing around I can proudly say mission accomplished. I don't recall ever having so much water up my nose. It was like voluntary self inflicted water boarding. Okay, I've never experienced water boarding, but what I experienced this morning would make me spill all of my confidential information, if I had any, and I don't..... so don't get any ideas.
The first thing I needed to do was to channel my inner 12 year old and remember how to turn a complete 360 degree flip in the water. I walked out to the middle of my lane in the pool and unsuccessfully attempted several before getting the hang of it. I can only imagine what the girl swimming laps next to me must have thought I was trying to accomplish. I'm sure it was amusing to watch. Head, feet.....head, feet....head, feet. Sometimes I would come back up facing the same direction I was going in the first place. I'm still not sure how I accomplished that. After that I worked on incorporating the flip into my swimming stroke. This was simultaneously harder and easier than it looks. At first, I thought it impossible, but once I got the hang of it I couldn't figure out how not to do it. It became instinctual after just a few successful attempts.... not unlike riding a bike. In the end I was swimming to the end of the pool, tucking my head, curling my legs in a ball, flipping over and pushing off with my feel, almost seamlessly. Unfortunately, the pool I use is only deep enough at one end to do a proper flip turn so I'll be somewhat limited in using my new found skill. I'm looking forward to incorporating it into my next workout.
The first thing I needed to do was to channel my inner 12 year old and remember how to turn a complete 360 degree flip in the water. I walked out to the middle of my lane in the pool and unsuccessfully attempted several before getting the hang of it. I can only imagine what the girl swimming laps next to me must have thought I was trying to accomplish. I'm sure it was amusing to watch. Head, feet.....head, feet....head, feet. Sometimes I would come back up facing the same direction I was going in the first place. I'm still not sure how I accomplished that. After that I worked on incorporating the flip into my swimming stroke. This was simultaneously harder and easier than it looks. At first, I thought it impossible, but once I got the hang of it I couldn't figure out how not to do it. It became instinctual after just a few successful attempts.... not unlike riding a bike. In the end I was swimming to the end of the pool, tucking my head, curling my legs in a ball, flipping over and pushing off with my feel, almost seamlessly. Unfortunately, the pool I use is only deep enough at one end to do a proper flip turn so I'll be somewhat limited in using my new found skill. I'm looking forward to incorporating it into my next workout.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Swimming: 02/17/11
It's been almost a week since the last time I was in the pool. Thankfully, this morning I felt like I picked up right about where I left off. I did a quick 50 yard warm up, then 1X200, 4X100, 4(or5)X50, and 4X25. I lost track of my 50s so I did one more than I thought I needed to do, just to make sure. Including my warm up I did either 950 or 1000 yards depending on whether I did 4 or 5 50s. I'm counting it as 900, because I don't include warm up distance in my workouts.
I've started loosely timing myself to get a feel for how fast I'm going. I did 400 yards in about 13 minutes including approx 20 second rest breaks between each hundred. I did 50 yards in a minute and ten seconds. Looking at some prior year results for the triathlon I'm hoping to do in June, those would put me finishing the swim towards the middle of the pack, which is fine. I just don't want to be last in any leg. Although just finishing will be a victory, I'd like to do well.
Next Up: I'm not doing an official workout tomorrow, but I plan to go to the pool and learn to flip-turn. Saturday I'll be attempting to run 4+ miles in 39 minutes.
I've started loosely timing myself to get a feel for how fast I'm going. I did 400 yards in about 13 minutes including approx 20 second rest breaks between each hundred. I did 50 yards in a minute and ten seconds. Looking at some prior year results for the triathlon I'm hoping to do in June, those would put me finishing the swim towards the middle of the pack, which is fine. I just don't want to be last in any leg. Although just finishing will be a victory, I'd like to do well.
Next Up: I'm not doing an official workout tomorrow, but I plan to go to the pool and learn to flip-turn. Saturday I'll be attempting to run 4+ miles in 39 minutes.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Faster 5K: Week 4, Day 2
Today's run didn't really go as planned. Before I get into that, I need to make a public confession. I ate like crap yesterday. It wasn't so much the meals (they weren't great, but wouldn't have been too bad on their own) as it was the candy. Hi, I'm Topher and I love candy. Love. Candy. Mmmm, candy. I ate too much of it yesterday. I had gummies (my weakness), M & M's, and Girl Scout Cookies. I only had 3 thin mints, but I ate way too many gummy worms. I was bad. Really bad.
I think my will was worn down from my broken sleep pattern. I am at my best when I am in a routine. Starting Friday night and continuing on through Monday night, my routine was systematically torn to shreds by a stomach virus raging through my children. I'm back on the wagon today. I got a full night of good sleep last night. All of the calories I took in yesterday are coming back out today.
Today's Food: 2 Scrambled Eggs for breakfast. 1 Nature Valley Granola Bar for lunch + something vegetably. A reasonable portion of whatever L fixes for dinner. No candy, no cookies. I put it in writing so I have to stick to it.
Today's Run: I was still a little worn down from the weekend's missed sleep. Yesterday's candy binge didn't help either. My shins were hurting a little, too, from pushing myself so hard Monday. I wasn't really feeling it this morning but I got up and did it anyway and I'm glad I did. I was set to do the week 4 workout from my speed improvement plan. I didn't really do it as written. I spent more time just running along than I did paying attention to what my watch was telling me to do. I just didn't feel up to pushing myself this morning. I was a little angry at myself for yesterday's poor eating habits and punished myself by running all out a couple of times, once getting up to a 6 minute mile pace and holding it for about a minute. That hurt. I don't know how those Ethiopian and Kenyan guys/gals do it. The world record 5K is 12:37.35. That's 4:04/mile. The world record Marathon was run in 2007 by Haile Gebrselassie in 02:03:59 for an average pace of 4:45/mile. Un. Be. Liev. A. Ble. I'm not even sure I could maintain that pace for 15 seconds.
I did end up pushing myself a little toward the end of the run, finishing pretty strong with a 09:18/mile pace for the last 3 minutes. Given my race results, I think I'm ready to start trying to increase my pace to 9:00/mile. I'm not sure if I should do it incrementally by shooting for 9:30/mile and then 9:00/mile or if I should just go for the gusto and jump from 10:00 to 9:00. I'm going to finish out this week 4 routine on Saturday and then decide how to proceed from there.
Today's Stats: I did 3.76 miles in 39 minutes for an average pace of 10:21/mile. I have to say, it's nice to say that I was taking it pretty easy this morning and ran 10:21/mile. Just two weeks ago, I averaged 10:23/mile over the course of 3.5 miles and was pushing myself pretty hard to do that.
Next up: I didn't make it to the pool yesterday as I had hoped. If I can get another full night of sleep tonight, I plan on going in the morning. I want to swim again on Friday and then Saturday morning I'll be running again. My plan is to push myself pretty hard and attempt to cover 4 miles in 39 minutes.
I think my will was worn down from my broken sleep pattern. I am at my best when I am in a routine. Starting Friday night and continuing on through Monday night, my routine was systematically torn to shreds by a stomach virus raging through my children. I'm back on the wagon today. I got a full night of good sleep last night. All of the calories I took in yesterday are coming back out today.
Today's Food: 2 Scrambled Eggs for breakfast. 1 Nature Valley Granola Bar for lunch + something vegetably. A reasonable portion of whatever L fixes for dinner. No candy, no cookies. I put it in writing so I have to stick to it.
Today's Run: I was still a little worn down from the weekend's missed sleep. Yesterday's candy binge didn't help either. My shins were hurting a little, too, from pushing myself so hard Monday. I wasn't really feeling it this morning but I got up and did it anyway and I'm glad I did. I was set to do the week 4 workout from my speed improvement plan. I didn't really do it as written. I spent more time just running along than I did paying attention to what my watch was telling me to do. I just didn't feel up to pushing myself this morning. I was a little angry at myself for yesterday's poor eating habits and punished myself by running all out a couple of times, once getting up to a 6 minute mile pace and holding it for about a minute. That hurt. I don't know how those Ethiopian and Kenyan guys/gals do it. The world record 5K is 12:37.35. That's 4:04/mile. The world record Marathon was run in 2007 by Haile Gebrselassie in 02:03:59 for an average pace of 4:45/mile. Un. Be. Liev. A. Ble. I'm not even sure I could maintain that pace for 15 seconds.
I did end up pushing myself a little toward the end of the run, finishing pretty strong with a 09:18/mile pace for the last 3 minutes. Given my race results, I think I'm ready to start trying to increase my pace to 9:00/mile. I'm not sure if I should do it incrementally by shooting for 9:30/mile and then 9:00/mile or if I should just go for the gusto and jump from 10:00 to 9:00. I'm going to finish out this week 4 routine on Saturday and then decide how to proceed from there.
Today's Stats: I did 3.76 miles in 39 minutes for an average pace of 10:21/mile. I have to say, it's nice to say that I was taking it pretty easy this morning and ran 10:21/mile. Just two weeks ago, I averaged 10:23/mile over the course of 3.5 miles and was pushing myself pretty hard to do that.
Next up: I didn't make it to the pool yesterday as I had hoped. If I can get another full night of sleep tonight, I plan on going in the morning. I want to swim again on Friday and then Saturday morning I'll be running again. My plan is to push myself pretty hard and attempt to cover 4 miles in 39 minutes.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Faster 5K: Week 4, Day 1
No rest for the weary. That's how I felt this morning getting up to run. I didn't sleep well Friday or Saturday nights. I was sleeping very well last night until about 4:30 when a loud noise woke me. I think one of the kids got up to use the bathroom and slammed the bathroom door. Kids slamming doors - big surprise. I got up and walked around the house to investigate and by that time I was pretty much wide awake. I went back to bed and tried to sleep for another 90 minutes or so but never got in more than a light doze. So, I didn't really feel like getting up to run, but I was awake and there was no good reason not to.
The temperature was nice this morning. Mid-40s seemed almost warm compared to the 20s and lower 30s that I've grown accustomed to at 6AM. A very friendly dog greeted me at the park entrance this morning. I socialized with it for a few seconds then did a quick warm up walk, expecting to have some soreness left over from Saturday's 5K but everything felt good. The only real problem I had was my breathing. It seemed to be more difficult to catch my breath for the first mile. I eventually got into a rhythm but I didn't feel things really click like they have been lately - until I had a good laugh. I see a lady some mornings running with two big dogs. The friendly dog I met at the gate had decided to join them for their run and the three dogs were having quite a time. The owner didn't seem very amused. I laughed at them, and then everything felt right for the first time all morning. I kept trying to laugh and smile and for whatever reason it worked. Everything came together right around the middle of my 3rd mile and I felt good for the rest of the run.
I pushed myself a little harder this morning. My routine increased the fast runs to 3 and 5 minutes and my jogging portions didn't get any longer to offset that. I also tried to keep the pace up instead of lagging when I got tired.
Today's Stats: I did 3.89 miles in 39 minutes for an average pace of 10:01 - just slightly slower than my 9:51/mile 5K pace.
Next up: I'll be back in the pool in the morning for another 900 yard swim then Wednesday will be the same running routine as today.
The temperature was nice this morning. Mid-40s seemed almost warm compared to the 20s and lower 30s that I've grown accustomed to at 6AM. A very friendly dog greeted me at the park entrance this morning. I socialized with it for a few seconds then did a quick warm up walk, expecting to have some soreness left over from Saturday's 5K but everything felt good. The only real problem I had was my breathing. It seemed to be more difficult to catch my breath for the first mile. I eventually got into a rhythm but I didn't feel things really click like they have been lately - until I had a good laugh. I see a lady some mornings running with two big dogs. The friendly dog I met at the gate had decided to join them for their run and the three dogs were having quite a time. The owner didn't seem very amused. I laughed at them, and then everything felt right for the first time all morning. I kept trying to laugh and smile and for whatever reason it worked. Everything came together right around the middle of my 3rd mile and I felt good for the rest of the run.
I pushed myself a little harder this morning. My routine increased the fast runs to 3 and 5 minutes and my jogging portions didn't get any longer to offset that. I also tried to keep the pace up instead of lagging when I got tired.
Today's Stats: I did 3.89 miles in 39 minutes for an average pace of 10:01 - just slightly slower than my 9:51/mile 5K pace.
Next up: I'll be back in the pool in the morning for another 900 yard swim then Wednesday will be the same running routine as today.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Race Report: Cupid's Chase 5K 2/12/2011
Saturday's 5K went even better than expected. While training, I had run one mile at less than a 10 minute pace, but I'd never averaged better than 10:00/mile over the course of 3 miles. That's right, I averaged faster than 10:00/mile over the course of a 5K. 9:55/mile to be exact, finishing in 30:29 by my watch. I really didn't know I could run it that fast. I went in planning on an 11:00 first mile, 10:45 second mile, and then to pick up the pace and run as fast as I thought I could and still finish for the final 1.1 miles. I figured that would be somewhere in the 9:30-10:00 range for a total time of around 32 minutes.... but I feel awesome about 30:29.
My actual times were:
Mile 1 - 10:04
Mile 2 - 10:24
Mile 3 - 9:24 (my fastest mile ever)
Final 1/10 of a mile - I did it in 35 seconds for an average pace of 8:05.
In retrospect, I would have preferred to have swapped mile 1 and mile 2. I started out too fast and started feeling tired during mile 2 and dropped my pace to slower than 12:00/mile for a few seconds to catch my breath and let my heart rate settle. It worked and by the time I started mile 3 I was back to about a 10 minute/mile pace. I tried to stay steady at this pace until the last half mile. This is what I had been waiting for. I just hoped I had reserved enough energy to push through to the finish line. I accelerated up to 8:00/mile when I saw that I was a half mile from the finish line and settled into a comfortably fast run of about 8:45-9:00/mile. I had been watching my total time and thought at this point that I might be able to slip right at or just under 30 minutes. As I ran down the stretch towards the finish line, the timer came into view and I saw it tick over from 29:59 to 30:00. I pushed out the last few hundred yards as hard as I could, crossed the finish line and grabbed a water before tracking back to meet up with Lauren and run the last bit again with her, cheering her on to the finish line. I was proud of her and smiled as I watch her cross the line and make her way to the water table.
I have a lot of work to do if I want to be best in my age group. I'm enjoying competing with myself, but I think I would like to have a 1st in AG finish. The top finisher in my age group did it in somewhere around 22 minutes. I don't remember his exact time, but I made a mental note that I would need to work my speed up to 7 minutes/mile. That will be quite a challenge. Knocking off 1:30 has taken about 5 months. I'm guessing each minute is going to become more and more difficult. My next goal is to finish in under 30 minutes. I'm tentatively running a 5K on 3/12. I'll be working pretty hard between now and then to improve my pace.
My actual times were:
Mile 1 - 10:04
Mile 2 - 10:24
Mile 3 - 9:24 (my fastest mile ever)
Final 1/10 of a mile - I did it in 35 seconds for an average pace of 8:05.
In retrospect, I would have preferred to have swapped mile 1 and mile 2. I started out too fast and started feeling tired during mile 2 and dropped my pace to slower than 12:00/mile for a few seconds to catch my breath and let my heart rate settle. It worked and by the time I started mile 3 I was back to about a 10 minute/mile pace. I tried to stay steady at this pace until the last half mile. This is what I had been waiting for. I just hoped I had reserved enough energy to push through to the finish line. I accelerated up to 8:00/mile when I saw that I was a half mile from the finish line and settled into a comfortably fast run of about 8:45-9:00/mile. I had been watching my total time and thought at this point that I might be able to slip right at or just under 30 minutes. As I ran down the stretch towards the finish line, the timer came into view and I saw it tick over from 29:59 to 30:00. I pushed out the last few hundred yards as hard as I could, crossed the finish line and grabbed a water before tracking back to meet up with Lauren and run the last bit again with her, cheering her on to the finish line. I was proud of her and smiled as I watch her cross the line and make her way to the water table.
I have a lot of work to do if I want to be best in my age group. I'm enjoying competing with myself, but I think I would like to have a 1st in AG finish. The top finisher in my age group did it in somewhere around 22 minutes. I don't remember his exact time, but I made a mental note that I would need to work my speed up to 7 minutes/mile. That will be quite a challenge. Knocking off 1:30 has taken about 5 months. I'm guessing each minute is going to become more and more difficult. My next goal is to finish in under 30 minutes. I'm tentatively running a 5K on 3/12. I'll be working pretty hard between now and then to improve my pace.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Swimming: 02/11/11
I had a great swim this morning. I was able to freestyle the entire routine without gasping for breath. Most of that is due to the discovery that I really don't need to kick - especially since I'm training for a triathlon. The goal during the swim is to save one's legs for the two remaining events - the bike and the run.
I tried out the pull buoy for the first time. I can't say it made things easier or harder, but I definitely felt like I was getting a better upper body workout. I only used it for the first 600 yards. I did 1X200 yds, 4X100, 4X50, and 4X25 for a total of 900 yards. The total 900 yard routine took about 31 minutes. I also splashed around for a few minutes before and after to warm up and cool down.
The next thing I need to learn is the flip turn. Right now, I just swim to the end of the pool, touch the wall, turn around and swim the other way. This is in no way smooth.
My first triathlon will probably only include a 400 or 600 yard swim at the most, so I'm probably over training for that but I don't want there to be a doubt in my mind going into the water in my first race about finishing the swim and then also having energy left for the rest of the race. By the time June gets here, I hope to be swimming a mile non-stop. If nothing else, I want to be well prepared.
5K at 10:00 AM tomorrow! The weather is going to be perfect (for me). In the mid-30's and sunny. I'm looking forward to a fast race (again, for me).
I tried out the pull buoy for the first time. I can't say it made things easier or harder, but I definitely felt like I was getting a better upper body workout. I only used it for the first 600 yards. I did 1X200 yds, 4X100, 4X50, and 4X25 for a total of 900 yards. The total 900 yard routine took about 31 minutes. I also splashed around for a few minutes before and after to warm up and cool down.
The next thing I need to learn is the flip turn. Right now, I just swim to the end of the pool, touch the wall, turn around and swim the other way. This is in no way smooth.
My first triathlon will probably only include a 400 or 600 yard swim at the most, so I'm probably over training for that but I don't want there to be a doubt in my mind going into the water in my first race about finishing the swim and then also having energy left for the rest of the race. By the time June gets here, I hope to be swimming a mile non-stop. If nothing else, I want to be well prepared.
5K at 10:00 AM tomorrow! The weather is going to be perfect (for me). In the mid-30's and sunny. I'm looking forward to a fast race (again, for me).
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Running: 02/09/2011
Some days it's just hard to get out of bed. The alarm was not my friend this morning. The motivation to run was just not there. I considered resetting the alarm for an hour later but somehow convinced myself to get up and get moving. I did my morning routine and went out in the cold for a run.
I had planned on 3 fairly easy miles this morning, trying to keep my pace between 11 and 11:30. I started off just fine, keep my pace right at around 11:30, speeding up a little, slowing down a little, but averaging right where I wanted to be. I finished the first mile in 11:13 and continued plodding along at about the same pace, trying to keep my heart rate around 150. Somewhere around the middle of the second mile I started getting bored but everything felt good so I just kept pushing forward at a slowish pace. I finished mile 2 in 11:12, almost the exact same average pace as mile 1. I started off the third mile with the same goal in mind, just maintain a steady pace through to the end. By that point I was really bored, though, so I decided to pick up the pace a bit. Just a few feet later I thought it would be fun to see if I could run the last mile at a faster pace than my best per mile pace for a full workout of 10:23. A few feet after that started wondering how fast I could finish mile 3. So, the race was on. I picked up the pace to sub 10:00/mile and then sub 9:00/mile. I pushed pretty hard up the last hill and made a fast lap around the parking lot, accelerating to an all out sprint by the time my watch beeped that the third mile was complete. I did the third mile in 9:46. In most circles, that's not terribly impressive, but it was pretty good for me. Of course, I was really huffing by the end of the that mile, but it was worth it.
I'm glad I got out of bed this morning and ran. I don't think I've ever regretted getting out of bed for a run after the run was over. Yet, most mornings I'm not terribly happy to hear the alarm, and some mornings, like today, I have to do some serious convincing to get myself out of bed.
I'm as ready as I'm going to be for Saturday's 5K. I'm hoping to cut at least 4 minutes off of my previous 5K time, which is not an easy thing to do. I've put in the hours and the miles over the last 4 months, so I know I'm going to see some improvement. I don't really have a strategy. I'm just going to go out there and push myself as hard as I think I can and still finish, having run the whole race. I'm thinking I'll try to average somewhere around 10:45/mile for the first 2.5 miles and then let it all hang out for the last half mile or so. I really want to come in under 33 minutes. If I can do that I'll consider it a good race. It will be a great race if I can beat 32:22, which is exactly 4 minutes faster than my previous 5K. Anything under 32:00 I will consider spectacular. I know there will be people finishing in 20 minutes, which is just unbelievable to me, but I'm not competing with them. I'm competing with me. Baby steps. I'll be doing a mid 20s 5K soon enough. For now I'm happy with slow but steady progress.
Today's Stats: I did exactly 3 miles in 32:12 for an average pace of 10:44, but I'm most proud of running that last mile in 9:46.
Next Up: Swimming (theoretically) tomorrow and Friday. Snow is in the forecast for tonight, so I don't that I'll risk coming down to the pool in the morning. 5K on Saturday! Back to regularly scheduled programming on Monday - Week 4 of my 5K speed improvement routine: 3.25 reps of: Run 10 minute pace 3:00, run 12 minute pace 1:30, run 10 minute pace 5:00, run 12 minute pace 2:30. (to keep workout under 40 minutes, it ends on the 4th rep of 3:00 at 10:00/mile).
I had planned on 3 fairly easy miles this morning, trying to keep my pace between 11 and 11:30. I started off just fine, keep my pace right at around 11:30, speeding up a little, slowing down a little, but averaging right where I wanted to be. I finished the first mile in 11:13 and continued plodding along at about the same pace, trying to keep my heart rate around 150. Somewhere around the middle of the second mile I started getting bored but everything felt good so I just kept pushing forward at a slowish pace. I finished mile 2 in 11:12, almost the exact same average pace as mile 1. I started off the third mile with the same goal in mind, just maintain a steady pace through to the end. By that point I was really bored, though, so I decided to pick up the pace a bit. Just a few feet later I thought it would be fun to see if I could run the last mile at a faster pace than my best per mile pace for a full workout of 10:23. A few feet after that started wondering how fast I could finish mile 3. So, the race was on. I picked up the pace to sub 10:00/mile and then sub 9:00/mile. I pushed pretty hard up the last hill and made a fast lap around the parking lot, accelerating to an all out sprint by the time my watch beeped that the third mile was complete. I did the third mile in 9:46. In most circles, that's not terribly impressive, but it was pretty good for me. Of course, I was really huffing by the end of the that mile, but it was worth it.
I'm glad I got out of bed this morning and ran. I don't think I've ever regretted getting out of bed for a run after the run was over. Yet, most mornings I'm not terribly happy to hear the alarm, and some mornings, like today, I have to do some serious convincing to get myself out of bed.
I'm as ready as I'm going to be for Saturday's 5K. I'm hoping to cut at least 4 minutes off of my previous 5K time, which is not an easy thing to do. I've put in the hours and the miles over the last 4 months, so I know I'm going to see some improvement. I don't really have a strategy. I'm just going to go out there and push myself as hard as I think I can and still finish, having run the whole race. I'm thinking I'll try to average somewhere around 10:45/mile for the first 2.5 miles and then let it all hang out for the last half mile or so. I really want to come in under 33 minutes. If I can do that I'll consider it a good race. It will be a great race if I can beat 32:22, which is exactly 4 minutes faster than my previous 5K. Anything under 32:00 I will consider spectacular. I know there will be people finishing in 20 minutes, which is just unbelievable to me, but I'm not competing with them. I'm competing with me. Baby steps. I'll be doing a mid 20s 5K soon enough. For now I'm happy with slow but steady progress.
Today's Stats: I did exactly 3 miles in 32:12 for an average pace of 10:44, but I'm most proud of running that last mile in 9:46.
Next Up: Swimming (theoretically) tomorrow and Friday. Snow is in the forecast for tonight, so I don't that I'll risk coming down to the pool in the morning. 5K on Saturday! Back to regularly scheduled programming on Monday - Week 4 of my 5K speed improvement routine: 3.25 reps of: Run 10 minute pace 3:00, run 12 minute pace 1:30, run 10 minute pace 5:00, run 12 minute pace 2:30. (to keep workout under 40 minutes, it ends on the 4th rep of 3:00 at 10:00/mile).
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Swimming: 02/08/11
I had a bit of a breakthrough this morning. After doing some reading and learning a little bit more about swim workouts I decided to try something that seemed difficult but turned out to be not so bad. It turns out that the quad muscles use a ton of oxygen and that kicking can actually lessen the quality of the upper body workout when swimming freestyle. So....this morning I dragged my legs only kicking lightly and occasionally for balance. I was able to do the first hundred yards freestyle without a rest lap and was no slower than I was before. I was swimming 100 yards in about 3 minutes this morning and was able to do most of my workout freestyle. I also added 100 yards by adding 2 more 50's. The whole workout was 4X100, 6X50, 4X25 for a total of 800 yards. I think I'm ready to move on to week two of the plan I'm following.
Next Up: Thursday morning I'm planning to move on to week 2 which increases the distance to 900 yards by adding 200 yards non-stop onto the beginning of week 1.
Next Up: Thursday morning I'm planning to move on to week 2 which increases the distance to 900 yards by adding 200 yards non-stop onto the beginning of week 1.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Faster 5K: Week 3, Day 3
I got new shoes Saturday! I was starting to have some fairly significant soreness in my ankles, shins, and knees after each run so I took my old shoes to my friends at the localish Fleet Feet store and had then checked out. The salesperson gave them a good looking at and determined them to be pretty well worn out, as I suspected. I tried on a few new pairs and ended up with these: Brooks Ravenna. It was hard to know for sure if I would like them for a longer run or not after just a quick jog outside the store. As I tried them on, I noted that they felt a bit lighter than my old New Balance that had been discontinued.
This morning I took them out for their first real trial. I was scheduled to do the same routine I had done last Thursday and Saturday. I arrived at the park and it was cold, but not too cold, and the water on the lake was like glass...just the way I like it when it's cold. 32 degrees + no wind = comfortable run. I warmed up with a 5 minute walk around the parking lot, then pressed the Go button on my watch and took off running. Before I knew it, the first 1:30 of fast (for me) running was over and it was time to jog for 1:30. I avereaged a 9:39/mile pace for the first 1:30 and continued to run in the mid to upper 9's on all but two of the remaining fast reps. This was offset somewhat by slightly slower average paces on the slow reps. As I got close to the end of the workout I decided I would continue at my fast pace through the final 1:30 which is supposed to be at a slower pace. I managed that and actually ran the fastest I had all morning for an average of 9:08/mile over the last 1:30. I also tacked on an additional 24 seconds to the end of the workout because I wanted to push it out all the way to the car.
I really pushed myself today because I'm planning on an easier run Wednesday and then taking Thursday and Friday off before the 5K on Saturday.
The new shoes worked out great. My feet felt good during the run and my joints are feeling fine after the run. There was no need for Ibuprofen this morning after the run.
Today's Stats: I did 3.78 miles in 39:24 for a pace of 10:24/mile. That's just a hair slower than last Thursday's run and I'm inching closer to my baby-step goal of maintaining an average pace of 10:00/mile over the course of a 40 minute workout. My first goal for the 5K is to run the whole thing, which shouldn't be a problem considering I've been running considerably farther than 3.1 miles non-stop consistently for at least a month. Secondly I want to finish in 33 minutes or less. That would mean an average pace of 10:39/mile which I've beaten three runs in a row.
Next up: I''ll be swimming tomorrow and then running 3 miles on Wednesday trying to maintain about 11:00/mile, which is hopefully quite a bit slower than Saturday's race pace.
This morning I took them out for their first real trial. I was scheduled to do the same routine I had done last Thursday and Saturday. I arrived at the park and it was cold, but not too cold, and the water on the lake was like glass...just the way I like it when it's cold. 32 degrees + no wind = comfortable run. I warmed up with a 5 minute walk around the parking lot, then pressed the Go button on my watch and took off running. Before I knew it, the first 1:30 of fast (for me) running was over and it was time to jog for 1:30. I avereaged a 9:39/mile pace for the first 1:30 and continued to run in the mid to upper 9's on all but two of the remaining fast reps. This was offset somewhat by slightly slower average paces on the slow reps. As I got close to the end of the workout I decided I would continue at my fast pace through the final 1:30 which is supposed to be at a slower pace. I managed that and actually ran the fastest I had all morning for an average of 9:08/mile over the last 1:30. I also tacked on an additional 24 seconds to the end of the workout because I wanted to push it out all the way to the car.
I really pushed myself today because I'm planning on an easier run Wednesday and then taking Thursday and Friday off before the 5K on Saturday.
The new shoes worked out great. My feet felt good during the run and my joints are feeling fine after the run. There was no need for Ibuprofen this morning after the run.
Today's Stats: I did 3.78 miles in 39:24 for a pace of 10:24/mile. That's just a hair slower than last Thursday's run and I'm inching closer to my baby-step goal of maintaining an average pace of 10:00/mile over the course of a 40 minute workout. My first goal for the 5K is to run the whole thing, which shouldn't be a problem considering I've been running considerably farther than 3.1 miles non-stop consistently for at least a month. Secondly I want to finish in 33 minutes or less. That would mean an average pace of 10:39/mile which I've beaten three runs in a row.
Next up: I''ll be swimming tomorrow and then running 3 miles on Wednesday trying to maintain about 11:00/mile, which is hopefully quite a bit slower than Saturday's race pace.
Faster 5K: Week 3, Day 2
I woke up ready to run Saturday morning. I had my pre-run water followed by a glass of OJ, stretched, laced up my shoes and headed out the door. I started off with sore shins and ankles and ran a little slower because of it. After a couple minutes the soreness wore off and I was able to increase the pace, but not to the same level I had done on Thursday. I accepted that this was not a day for pushing myself and tried to do what was most comfortable for my lungs and legs on each rep. I averaged a little over 10:00/mile on the fast reps but only slowed to a little over 11:00/mile on the slow reps. I was pleased with the run. It's good to be able to run 3.5 miles consistently and I'm starting to see improvement in my heart rate at higer levels of exertion.
Today's Stats: I did 3.68 miles in 39 minutes for an average pace of 10:35. I'll be pleased if I can average that in Saturday's 5K.
Next Up: Week 3, day 3 of my speed improvement plan.
Today's Stats: I did 3.68 miles in 39 minutes for an average pace of 10:35. I'll be pleased if I can average that in Saturday's 5K.
Next Up: Week 3, day 3 of my speed improvement plan.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Faster 5K: Week 3, Day 1
Today's run was awesome! It was very cold and there was a fairly strong north wind blowing right in my face to start off. My face was so cold that I actually had brain freeze for a few minutes until I rounded a bend and stopped running directly into the wind.
My plan for this morning was to do 4.5 reps of 1:30 at a 10 minute pace then 1:30 at a 12 minute pace followed by 3:00 at a 10 minute pace then 3:00 at a 12 minute pace ending on the 5th rep of 1:30 runs. I programmed my watch wrong for only 3.5 reps instead of 4.5. I realized it too late to do anything about it so resolved to just restart the timer and try to maintain a fairly steady pace around 11:00/mile when the workout was complete until I had gone 3.5 miles. I was able to do better than I had hoped.
I started out a little slow but didn't push myself to go faster. I've found that I usually start out slow and then progress to a faster pace as my body warms up. The first couple of reps were pretty easy. I was definitely pushing myself, but I never felt like I needed to slow down. I just let my body fall into a natural rhythm and went with it. After I was good and warm, I was surprised several times when I glanced at my watch and found that I was running much faster that I thought. My "resting" pace settled somewhere around 11:00/mile and my fast pace was right at the 10 minute mark for much of the run. Then something happened and my body started going faster. I was running in the mid-9's for a good portion of the last half of my run this morning and it felt good. I pushed myself really hard for the final half mile and was completely winded by the time I reached the 3.5 mile mark and arrived back at the car.
Today's Stats: I ran 3.51 miles in 36:27 this morning for a pace of 10:23/mile! This is my best pace ever. I feel very good going into my final week of 5k preparation. I did the final 2/3 of a mile at a sub 10:00/mile pace. I'm fairly certain I ran the last mile in under 10 minutes but I haven't had time to fully review my splits.
Next up: I'm planning on doing the same routine Saturday and Monday. I anticipate Saturday's run will be a little harder. I believe part of the reason today's run went so well was the two days off. I'm planning to take two days off before the 5k, also.
My plan for this morning was to do 4.5 reps of 1:30 at a 10 minute pace then 1:30 at a 12 minute pace followed by 3:00 at a 10 minute pace then 3:00 at a 12 minute pace ending on the 5th rep of 1:30 runs. I programmed my watch wrong for only 3.5 reps instead of 4.5. I realized it too late to do anything about it so resolved to just restart the timer and try to maintain a fairly steady pace around 11:00/mile when the workout was complete until I had gone 3.5 miles. I was able to do better than I had hoped.
I started out a little slow but didn't push myself to go faster. I've found that I usually start out slow and then progress to a faster pace as my body warms up. The first couple of reps were pretty easy. I was definitely pushing myself, but I never felt like I needed to slow down. I just let my body fall into a natural rhythm and went with it. After I was good and warm, I was surprised several times when I glanced at my watch and found that I was running much faster that I thought. My "resting" pace settled somewhere around 11:00/mile and my fast pace was right at the 10 minute mark for much of the run. Then something happened and my body started going faster. I was running in the mid-9's for a good portion of the last half of my run this morning and it felt good. I pushed myself really hard for the final half mile and was completely winded by the time I reached the 3.5 mile mark and arrived back at the car.
Today's Stats: I ran 3.51 miles in 36:27 this morning for a pace of 10:23/mile! This is my best pace ever. I feel very good going into my final week of 5k preparation. I did the final 2/3 of a mile at a sub 10:00/mile pace. I'm fairly certain I ran the last mile in under 10 minutes but I haven't had time to fully review my splits.
Next up: I'm planning on doing the same routine Saturday and Monday. I anticipate Saturday's run will be a little harder. I believe part of the reason today's run went so well was the two days off. I'm planning to take two days off before the 5k, also.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Swimming: 02/02/11
There's not much to say here. I did another 700 yards this morning in 25ish minutes. It felt about the same as yesterday's swim. I'm pretty impatient with myself and want to see fast results even though I know this is one of those things that is going to take some time to build up to. I was able to do 75 yards freestyle this morning before having to take a "rest" lap of backstroke. My next goal is a full 100 yards, then I'll move on to the net workout.
Tomorrow I'll be running and then Friday I'll be back in the pool for another 700 yards.
Tomorrow I'll be running and then Friday I'll be back in the pool for another 700 yards.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Swimming: 02/01/2011
I did another 700 yard swim today. Just like my previous swims, it consisted of the following: 4X100, 4X50, and 4X25 with short breathers between each rep. I'm starting to feel just a little stronger in the pool. My goal is to swim a full 100 yards freestyle before moving on to the next step which is 1X200, 3X100, 4X50, 4X25. It just adds 100 yards to the first 100 yard rep to help build endurance and then keeps the remaining reps the same.
A big part of being able to increase my distance is learning to relax. I'm not sure what it is, but when I'm swimming along, I'm always anticipating arriving at the other end of the pool. That makes me continuously accelerate through a lap which causes exhaustion by the time I do finally reach the other end. If I'm going to be doing a triathlon, I'm going to have to do some open water training at some point. I'll need to learn to swim in a generally straight line without seeing the bottom of the pool.
I'll probably be back at the pool tomorrow. My shins, knees and ankles were a little more sore than is normal after a run all day yesterday and are still just slightly achy this morning. I'm thinking a two day break from the abuse of running should get me ready to run again on Thursday. I definitely don't want any injuries before the 5K on 2/12.
A big part of being able to increase my distance is learning to relax. I'm not sure what it is, but when I'm swimming along, I'm always anticipating arriving at the other end of the pool. That makes me continuously accelerate through a lap which causes exhaustion by the time I do finally reach the other end. If I'm going to be doing a triathlon, I'm going to have to do some open water training at some point. I'll need to learn to swim in a generally straight line without seeing the bottom of the pool.
I'll probably be back at the pool tomorrow. My shins, knees and ankles were a little more sore than is normal after a run all day yesterday and are still just slightly achy this morning. I'm thinking a two day break from the abuse of running should get me ready to run again on Thursday. I definitely don't want any injuries before the 5K on 2/12.
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