It was an intervals day. I decided to go ahead and increase my interval time. I bumped it up to 2:30 from 2 even for the fast portion and 1:15 from 1 even for the rest, effectively increasing the time by 25%. My goal was to keep my pacing the same as I had been at when I was only doing 2:00 fast and 1:00 rest. I did pretty well, but I quit before I finished the work out. My heart rate climbed into the 180s and I was starting to feel a little light headed, so I threw in the towel a little earlier than I had planned, but hey - nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Looking back, I wish I had pushed through the exhaustion and finished up the workout. I was in the middle of the next to last rep when I got to the car, and I just decided I had done enough. I'm sure I could have finished rep # 9 and then done one more. I'll resolve to do better next time.
The weather is still humid, but not too terribly hot if I get out before the sun gets much higher than the trees.
Today's Stats: I did 4.11 miles in 35:54 for an average pace of 8:44/mile.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Tempo Run: 7/26/11
I skipped a few days running. Partially due to scheduling conflicts and partially due to sore legs. I don't know if I pushed myself too hard last Friday or if my shoes need replacing but I has some strange soreness over the weekend. Specifically, my left knee was problematic. I just had a dull ache for a good part of the day. It's possible that I twisted it slightly while working in the garden Saturday morning. It felt better Sunday and Monday and I had no pain today, so I'm thinking I'm okay.
Today's run was planned to be a tempo run. It turned out to be a pretty good run. I started out a little slow for the first half mile. I used the first half mile or so as a warm up and it was mostly uphill so my pace suffered a bit. From there on I planned to keep it in the 9:00/mile range, pushing faster if I could. I did well. First mile was 9:22, 2nd was 8:47, 3rd was 8:57, 4th was 8:49, and the final .35 mile was 8:27/mile. I was breathing pretty hard. I forgot my HR strap so I have no idea what my pulse was. I'm sure I was over 180 by the end of the run. I pushed myself pretty hard, but that's what I enjoy most about running. I like pushing my limits because I know that's what makes me stronger.
I'm going to start trying to increase my mileage over the next few weeks til I'm up to 5 miles twice a week and then a long run of 7-10 miles during the weekend. I don't want my pace to suffer, though, and I expect it to be a challenge to add another mile to my runs while maintaining the same 9:00/mile pace. I added .35 today without a problem. For my intervals, I plan to lengthen the duration of the intervals rather than adding additional intervals.
Today's Stats: I did 4.35 miles in 38:55 for an average pace of 8:57/mile. I'm consistently able to run 4 miles or more at a sub 9:00/mile pace. My next goal is to get my distance up to 5 miles and my per mile pace down to 8 minutes.
Today's run was planned to be a tempo run. It turned out to be a pretty good run. I started out a little slow for the first half mile. I used the first half mile or so as a warm up and it was mostly uphill so my pace suffered a bit. From there on I planned to keep it in the 9:00/mile range, pushing faster if I could. I did well. First mile was 9:22, 2nd was 8:47, 3rd was 8:57, 4th was 8:49, and the final .35 mile was 8:27/mile. I was breathing pretty hard. I forgot my HR strap so I have no idea what my pulse was. I'm sure I was over 180 by the end of the run. I pushed myself pretty hard, but that's what I enjoy most about running. I like pushing my limits because I know that's what makes me stronger.
I'm going to start trying to increase my mileage over the next few weeks til I'm up to 5 miles twice a week and then a long run of 7-10 miles during the weekend. I don't want my pace to suffer, though, and I expect it to be a challenge to add another mile to my runs while maintaining the same 9:00/mile pace. I added .35 today without a problem. For my intervals, I plan to lengthen the duration of the intervals rather than adding additional intervals.
Today's Stats: I did 4.35 miles in 38:55 for an average pace of 8:57/mile. I'm consistently able to run 4 miles or more at a sub 9:00/mile pace. My next goal is to get my distance up to 5 miles and my per mile pace down to 8 minutes.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Intervals: 07/22/2011
Intervals this morning seemed easier than last week. I'm not sure why. I averaged a faster time over the course of the whole workout, mostly because my rest portions weren't nearly as slow as last week. That's not to say it was easy. I was pretty worn out by the end of the run. It was very humid again.
Today's Stats: I did 4.09 miles in 36:50 for an average pace of 9:00/mile.
Today's Stats: I did 4.09 miles in 36:50 for an average pace of 9:00/mile.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Tempo Run: 7/20/11
I was less than motivated to run today. My running honeymoon is over, I'm afraid. The new has worn off. I'm looking for new challenges to keep me motivated. I have an 8K planned soon, and then a possible half marathon in October. I haven't really trained in earnest for either, though I'm regularly running 4 miles, so I don't think an extra mile for the 8k is going to make that much difference. I've run 7 miles as recently as Sunday morning, so I don't think it's going to be a problem. I'll probably try to stay with L for the half marathon, which means I won't be running the whole thing. I'm sure it will be a breeze. After that, I might try to start training to run a half, and then maybe a full. I don't know. I just don't know that I'm that into it. I enjoy 5Ks and think I would be satisfied with increasing my participation in those to about 1 a month.
It was hot and humid this morning. Like I said, I didn't really want to run but I got up and did it anyway. I knew I wasn't going to do intervals this morning. My legs are still a little achy from last week. I think it's time for some new shoes. On top of that, I just didn't feel like pushing myself that hard. I decided on 4 miles, trying to come as close to 9:00 miles as possible. With the exception of a fairly slow first mile at 9:20 I did great for the rest of the run. Mile 2 was 9:00, mile 3 was 8:58, and mile 4 was 8:58. My pacing is getting much better. The first mile was slow because I didn't really take any time to warm up before the run. It wasn't a bad run, and I was glad I got out to do it. My chest was burning after running up the last hill. I parked next door in the ball park at the top of the Big Hill, so the last mile included two pretty challenging hills. I still pushed out the final bit though and kept my pace at about 9:00/mile. I might start parking there. I think the challenge at the end of the run is good for my endurance.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 36:21 for an average pace of 9:20/mile. Slower than last Friday, but more in line with what a tempo run should be.
It was hot and humid this morning. Like I said, I didn't really want to run but I got up and did it anyway. I knew I wasn't going to do intervals this morning. My legs are still a little achy from last week. I think it's time for some new shoes. On top of that, I just didn't feel like pushing myself that hard. I decided on 4 miles, trying to come as close to 9:00 miles as possible. With the exception of a fairly slow first mile at 9:20 I did great for the rest of the run. Mile 2 was 9:00, mile 3 was 8:58, and mile 4 was 8:58. My pacing is getting much better. The first mile was slow because I didn't really take any time to warm up before the run. It wasn't a bad run, and I was glad I got out to do it. My chest was burning after running up the last hill. I parked next door in the ball park at the top of the Big Hill, so the last mile included two pretty challenging hills. I still pushed out the final bit though and kept my pace at about 9:00/mile. I might start parking there. I think the challenge at the end of the run is good for my endurance.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 36:21 for an average pace of 9:20/mile. Slower than last Friday, but more in line with what a tempo run should be.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Long Run Sunday: 7/18/11
I set out Sunday morning for a 7 mile run while the weather was not quite blazing hot. It was actually quite pleasant as I started out. The sun hadn't been up long and the air still had an almost cool feel to it.
As I started out, I had two options. I had a 5 mile route and a 7 mile option. My decision point was at mile 3. At that point I could make a turn toward home, which would be about 2 miles away, or continue my loop which stretched the route home 4 miles. A good portion of the first 3 miles were uphill. I knew this going in. I also knew that if I made it to the 3 mile mark and was feeling pretty good, the next 2.5 or so were almost all down hill. The first 3 miles did feel good, and though I had a slight urge to make the turn to home I kept going. I needed a good long run. I did the whole 7 miles at a pretty easy pace. My thought as I left the house was that I would like to keep the pace around 10:00/mile. I quickly realized that the humidity was going to keep me from achieving that pace, so I slowed to a comfortable jog and just maintained that. I was faster on the steeper downhill stretches and slower on the steeper uphill stretches, but I managed to stay just a little faster than 11:00/mile on average.
It was good to get in a long run and not have to stop and walk. My last two attempts at long runs turned into alternating walking and running. I think most of that is due to the heat and humidity. Sunday morning was a short-lived, but pleasant break from the heat, if not the humidity.
Today's Stats: I did 7.05 miles in 01:16:38 for an average pace of 10:52 per mile.
As I started out, I had two options. I had a 5 mile route and a 7 mile option. My decision point was at mile 3. At that point I could make a turn toward home, which would be about 2 miles away, or continue my loop which stretched the route home 4 miles. A good portion of the first 3 miles were uphill. I knew this going in. I also knew that if I made it to the 3 mile mark and was feeling pretty good, the next 2.5 or so were almost all down hill. The first 3 miles did feel good, and though I had a slight urge to make the turn to home I kept going. I needed a good long run. I did the whole 7 miles at a pretty easy pace. My thought as I left the house was that I would like to keep the pace around 10:00/mile. I quickly realized that the humidity was going to keep me from achieving that pace, so I slowed to a comfortable jog and just maintained that. I was faster on the steeper downhill stretches and slower on the steeper uphill stretches, but I managed to stay just a little faster than 11:00/mile on average.
It was good to get in a long run and not have to stop and walk. My last two attempts at long runs turned into alternating walking and running. I think most of that is due to the heat and humidity. Sunday morning was a short-lived, but pleasant break from the heat, if not the humidity.
Today's Stats: I did 7.05 miles in 01:16:38 for an average pace of 10:52 per mile.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Tempo Run: 07/15/2011
I set out today to do a tempo run. It turned into a see how fast I can run. I decided to skip the drive to the park and just head out the front door this morning. I like this less and less as I do it more, mostly because of some troublesome dogs that live along me preferred running routes but also because I just like running beside the water at the lake.
I headed out the door with the intention of maintaining about a 9:00/mile pace and I did well for the first mile, finishing it in right at 9 minutes. I sped up just a bit for the next two miles, averaging 8:46/mile for each of those. As I started mile 4 I was on a long slightly downhill stretch, so I let my momentum carry me at a faster pace, probably averaging around 8:15/mile. I wasn't really thinking about my pace at this point, but I did happen to look at my watch and noticed I was at and average pace of 8:15 for the last mile still with about 2/3 of a mile to go. I wanted to push to see if I could do the last mile in less than 8 minutes. I knew it was going to be hard with the final 1/3 of a mile being uphill all the way to my house. From there I pushed the pace up as fast as I thought I could and still be able to finish the run. I took advantage of a short downhill stretch, letting gravity pull me along as much as possible. When I hit the final hill before the house, I just let it all out. I wasn't at an all out sprint, but I was pushing pretty hard to climb the hill as fast as possible. By the time I hit the driveway I was running at about 6:20/mile and breathing very hard. I didn't leave much, if anything, in reserve this morning, finishing the last mile in 7:53.
I was pleased with today's run. I thought I had maybe hit my limit because I've not seen much improvement over the last few weeks but I did 4 miles today averaging a better pace per mile by a full 9 seconds than my best 5K. I know I can push myself harder, now. If I work at it, I'm hoping I can pull off a sub-25 minute 5K before the end of the year.
Today's Stats: I did 4.01 miles in 34:29 for an average pace of 8:36.
I headed out the door with the intention of maintaining about a 9:00/mile pace and I did well for the first mile, finishing it in right at 9 minutes. I sped up just a bit for the next two miles, averaging 8:46/mile for each of those. As I started mile 4 I was on a long slightly downhill stretch, so I let my momentum carry me at a faster pace, probably averaging around 8:15/mile. I wasn't really thinking about my pace at this point, but I did happen to look at my watch and noticed I was at and average pace of 8:15 for the last mile still with about 2/3 of a mile to go. I wanted to push to see if I could do the last mile in less than 8 minutes. I knew it was going to be hard with the final 1/3 of a mile being uphill all the way to my house. From there I pushed the pace up as fast as I thought I could and still be able to finish the run. I took advantage of a short downhill stretch, letting gravity pull me along as much as possible. When I hit the final hill before the house, I just let it all out. I wasn't at an all out sprint, but I was pushing pretty hard to climb the hill as fast as possible. By the time I hit the driveway I was running at about 6:20/mile and breathing very hard. I didn't leave much, if anything, in reserve this morning, finishing the last mile in 7:53.
I was pleased with today's run. I thought I had maybe hit my limit because I've not seen much improvement over the last few weeks but I did 4 miles today averaging a better pace per mile by a full 9 seconds than my best 5K. I know I can push myself harder, now. If I work at it, I'm hoping I can pull off a sub-25 minute 5K before the end of the year.
Today's Stats: I did 4.01 miles in 34:29 for an average pace of 8:36.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Intervals: 07/13/2011
I took yesterday morning off so L could take advantage of the cooler morning air for her own run. I celebrated my runiversary today with a set of intervals. I did the same old interval routine and pushed myself through the whole thing.
I started out with about a mile of warm up jogging then started into the interval sets trying to keep my fast pace at 8:00/mile or faster. I was able to do that on all but 3 of the reps. After the first two sets I was feeling pretty wiped out and didn't know if I would make it through the whole workout but I kept pushing anyway. My first 5 sets averaged 7:51/mile during the fast segments. I paid for this on the last 5 sets, though. I was really exhausted by the time #8 rolled around. I pushed through it anyway and was just barely able to make it through number 9. Rep 9 was seriously slow at 9:30/mile. After that I decided to go all out for #10 and did in at a 7:30/mile pace, my fastest of the day. I had something left after all, and probably could have done #9 faster if I had really wanted to. My average pace during the final 5 fast segments was 8:19/mile - significantly slower than my first 5. Still, I was pleased to be able to finish strong.
Today's Stats: I did 4.32 miles in 39:49 for an average pace of 9:13/mile.
I started out with about a mile of warm up jogging then started into the interval sets trying to keep my fast pace at 8:00/mile or faster. I was able to do that on all but 3 of the reps. After the first two sets I was feeling pretty wiped out and didn't know if I would make it through the whole workout but I kept pushing anyway. My first 5 sets averaged 7:51/mile during the fast segments. I paid for this on the last 5 sets, though. I was really exhausted by the time #8 rolled around. I pushed through it anyway and was just barely able to make it through number 9. Rep 9 was seriously slow at 9:30/mile. After that I decided to go all out for #10 and did in at a 7:30/mile pace, my fastest of the day. I had something left after all, and probably could have done #9 faster if I had really wanted to. My average pace during the final 5 fast segments was 8:19/mile - significantly slower than my first 5. Still, I was pleased to be able to finish strong.
Today's Stats: I did 4.32 miles in 39:49 for an average pace of 9:13/mile.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Tempo Run: 7/10/11
I didn't get in a long run this weekend. I didn't want to do back to back days running on Saturday and it just didn't happen Sunday morning. Instead I waited until Sunday afternoon and headed out into the humidity after a rain shower. It was cooler after the shower, which is always a good thing this time of year.
I contemplated a longer run, but decided 4 miles was all I wanted to do. Since I was only doing 4 miles, I decided to just do a tempo run, trying to keep my average somewhere around 9:30/mile. I started out and really pushed the pace up the first hill into the ballpark. This always gets my pulse rate up and it takes a few minutes to get it settle back down to a more reasonable level. Getting to turn around and go back down the hill is usually enough to get me settled in. With it being so humid, the sweat was already pouring off of me by the time I turned around at the top of the hill. I finished mile 1 at the bottom of the big hill in 9:30, right on the pace I wanted. Mile two was similar time wise and I felt good other than being covered in sweat. I started to wear down a little by the time I reached the mid-point of mile 3 and slowed down some, covering that mile in 9:54... pretty slow for me. I was disappointed in that so I pushed myself to pick up the pace over the last mile. I really had to dig deep to push myself in the humidity but I did the 4th mile in 9:12.
All in, not a bad run. I'm really looking forward to some cooler fall weather so I can start increasing my mileage a little more comfortably. I was starting to get my mileage up back in the spring and then the heat hit earlier than anticipated and I've sort of fallen flat.
I've generally settled into a 4 mile routine. My tempo runs are usually in the 4 mile range and my intervals are around 4 miles.
Tomorrow is my one year runiversary! I plan to celebrate with an ass-kicking interval routine. I've covered 436 miles over the last 12 months. I've suffered no major injuries, but had to take a few weeks off last September due to a sore IT band. My longest run was 10.2 miles on April 16 when I took a wrong turn and just wandered my way home by following unknown backroads.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 38:15 for an average pace of 9:34/mile. Fairly slow for a tempo run, but I was a little out of my element running in the afternoon. I'm just glad I got a run in.
I contemplated a longer run, but decided 4 miles was all I wanted to do. Since I was only doing 4 miles, I decided to just do a tempo run, trying to keep my average somewhere around 9:30/mile. I started out and really pushed the pace up the first hill into the ballpark. This always gets my pulse rate up and it takes a few minutes to get it settle back down to a more reasonable level. Getting to turn around and go back down the hill is usually enough to get me settled in. With it being so humid, the sweat was already pouring off of me by the time I turned around at the top of the hill. I finished mile 1 at the bottom of the big hill in 9:30, right on the pace I wanted. Mile two was similar time wise and I felt good other than being covered in sweat. I started to wear down a little by the time I reached the mid-point of mile 3 and slowed down some, covering that mile in 9:54... pretty slow for me. I was disappointed in that so I pushed myself to pick up the pace over the last mile. I really had to dig deep to push myself in the humidity but I did the 4th mile in 9:12.
All in, not a bad run. I'm really looking forward to some cooler fall weather so I can start increasing my mileage a little more comfortably. I was starting to get my mileage up back in the spring and then the heat hit earlier than anticipated and I've sort of fallen flat.
I've generally settled into a 4 mile routine. My tempo runs are usually in the 4 mile range and my intervals are around 4 miles.
Tomorrow is my one year runiversary! I plan to celebrate with an ass-kicking interval routine. I've covered 436 miles over the last 12 months. I've suffered no major injuries, but had to take a few weeks off last September due to a sore IT band. My longest run was 10.2 miles on April 16 when I took a wrong turn and just wandered my way home by following unknown backroads.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 38:15 for an average pace of 9:34/mile. Fairly slow for a tempo run, but I was a little out of my element running in the afternoon. I'm just glad I got a run in.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Intervals: 07/08/2011
Today's interval workout went better than expected. I really thought I might not make it through. My plan was to do 10 reps of 2 minutes fast (approx 8 minute mile), 1 minute rest (slow jog).
I started out with an easy warm-up half mile at an easy jogging pace. I warmed up until I felt like everything was loose and ready to go then pressed the lap button to start the first repetition. I found maintaining an 8 minute mile pace to be not too terribly difficult. My pace tends to wander, though. I'll find myself running at a 7 minute mile pace for a few seconds and then slow down to 8:30/mile. I'm not entirely sure if there's anything I can do about that. For all of the reps except for one I was generally in the 8/mile range, if not a little faster. Rep number 8 was pretty slow at 8:40 per mile. My energy level dropped off and I was feeling pretty wiped out at this point. I pulled myself together, knowing that I only had two more reps left after number 8 and really pushed through the last two. It was a great workout and I finished up knowing that I had overcome the desire to skip the last two sets.
I crossed the 300 mile mark for the year this morning. I'm easily on track for a 600 mile year if I can continue 12-15 miles a week. I'm hoping to increase my mileage a bit as the weather cools in the fall. I'm also coming up on my runiversary. Next Tuesday will be exactly one year from the day I started C25K. It's fun to look back at those old posts and remember how I dreaded having to do 5 minutes non-stop. I'm actually doing better than I thought I ever would. I'm no track star by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm more physically fit than I've been in my adult life.
Today's Stats: 4.02 miles in 35:43 for an average pace of 8:53/mile.
I started out with an easy warm-up half mile at an easy jogging pace. I warmed up until I felt like everything was loose and ready to go then pressed the lap button to start the first repetition. I found maintaining an 8 minute mile pace to be not too terribly difficult. My pace tends to wander, though. I'll find myself running at a 7 minute mile pace for a few seconds and then slow down to 8:30/mile. I'm not entirely sure if there's anything I can do about that. For all of the reps except for one I was generally in the 8/mile range, if not a little faster. Rep number 8 was pretty slow at 8:40 per mile. My energy level dropped off and I was feeling pretty wiped out at this point. I pulled myself together, knowing that I only had two more reps left after number 8 and really pushed through the last two. It was a great workout and I finished up knowing that I had overcome the desire to skip the last two sets.
I crossed the 300 mile mark for the year this morning. I'm easily on track for a 600 mile year if I can continue 12-15 miles a week. I'm hoping to increase my mileage a bit as the weather cools in the fall. I'm also coming up on my runiversary. Next Tuesday will be exactly one year from the day I started C25K. It's fun to look back at those old posts and remember how I dreaded having to do 5 minutes non-stop. I'm actually doing better than I thought I ever would. I'm no track star by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm more physically fit than I've been in my adult life.
Today's Stats: 4.02 miles in 35:43 for an average pace of 8:53/mile.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tempo Run: 07/06/2011
Today's run was the best I've had in awhile. I set out to do 4 miles at around 9:15/mile. It was warm and humid out but still cool enough that it wasn't unbearable.
The first 3/4 of a mile was hard. I was starting to feel out of breath within the first 1/4 mile, but pushed on. My legs didn't seem to want to participate in the actual running part. They seemed sluggish and stiff. I pushed through that too. About 3/4 of a mile in, everything started to feel better. My heart rate steadied out, I got my breathing in rhythm and my legs started to remember what they were supposed to be doing. I tried to settle into a 9:20 pace and held that pretty well for most of the first two miles. When I hit the turn around I picked up the pace slightly and then again at the end of the third mile. I tried to accelerate steadily through the remainder of my run. For the most part I was able to do that but found my mind wandering at one point and caught myself just jogging happily along. I completed mile 4 in 8:18. That's a pretty fast mile for me.
Today's Stats: 4.03 miles in 36:20 for an average pace of 9:01/mile.
The first 3/4 of a mile was hard. I was starting to feel out of breath within the first 1/4 mile, but pushed on. My legs didn't seem to want to participate in the actual running part. They seemed sluggish and stiff. I pushed through that too. About 3/4 of a mile in, everything started to feel better. My heart rate steadied out, I got my breathing in rhythm and my legs started to remember what they were supposed to be doing. I tried to settle into a 9:20 pace and held that pretty well for most of the first two miles. When I hit the turn around I picked up the pace slightly and then again at the end of the third mile. I tried to accelerate steadily through the remainder of my run. For the most part I was able to do that but found my mind wandering at one point and caught myself just jogging happily along. I completed mile 4 in 8:18. That's a pretty fast mile for me.
Today's Stats: 4.03 miles in 36:20 for an average pace of 9:01/mile.
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