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.
Monday, April 25, 2011
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.
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