I let L have yesterday morning so I just got in a quick mile or so. So far I'm enjoying the everyday running. It's a great way to start every day, and I'm not giving myself the chance to get out of the running routine.
Today was an interval day. Intervals are my least favorite of all, but the best way to increase speed according to what I've read. I did 10 sets of 2:30 fast, 1:15 slow. I didn't let myself wimp out on any of them today. I pushed through every set. I was pleased though completely wiped out by the end of the workout. Reps 1-4 I was able to keep under 8:00/mile. 5-10 were slightly over with my slowest being 8:27. In total I did 5 miles.
The Stats: I did 1.17 miles at an average pace of 7:54/mile on Tuesday. Today I did 5.01 in 45:11 for an average of 9:01/mile.
Bonus: I broke the 400 mile mark for the year today. My shoes have 351 miles on them and I'm starting to feel like I might be close to replacing them. I've had a little ankle and foot pain after my last couple of runs. They've lasted twice as many miles as my previous pair, though, so I'm pleased. I'm hoping to replace them with an identical pair.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Long Run Sunday and 1 Mile Monday: 8/21/2011 & 8/22/2011
I unintentionally ended up taking a few days off. The last time I ran before Sunday 8/21 was Tuesday 8/16. Wednesday was a scheduled day off. I had a 7 AM meeting Thursday. I couldn't motivate myself to run Friday. L was scheduled to run Saturday and we had a whole day of other stuff planned after she completed her run. Sunday came and it was time to run. After multiple days off I always dread running. I'm not sure why. I'm going to try to alleviate that by becoming an every day runner. On days that I previously took off of running, I'm going to get up a few minutes before L gets up and get in a quick mile just to keep myself moving and motivated. On days that I have early meetings, I'm going to set my alarm 15 minutes earlier than usual so I have time for a quick mile. I feel better on days that I run. Add that on top of this new plan not giving me the chance to get lazy and I think it's going to work well.
Sunday I headed out into the humidity (close to 90%) for an undetermined number of miles. I hoped to do somewhere between 7 and 10. After taking care of all my pre run stuff I headed out the door all strapped into my much needed hydration pack. The temperature started out pretty nice, but the humidity was horrible. I was determined to keep my pace up a little with a goal of keeping it faster than 10:00/mile. The first 4 miles were right on the money, averaging 9:50/mile. My energy waned after mile 4, though. The first half of mile 5 was up a pretty good incline and by the time I made it to the top I was a little wiped. The second half was very flat and I spent that time recovering from the climb. Near the beginning of mile 6 I started a fairly long downhill stretch and was able to let gravity do some of the work. From there I had decided to keep the run closer to 7 than 10 miles. I had some IT band pain that required me to walk for a couple minutes. I also had some toe cramping at the same time. I don't know what that was all about but I was able to walk it off and picked up the pace again for the remaining mile and a half or so back home. Mile 7 was my slowest mile at 10:37 due to the short walk break. Once I reached the final turn to home I gave it all I had left and pushed out the final .69 mile at a 9:02/mile pace. Kinda slow, but considering I had already pushed out 7 miles it felt pretty darn fast to me. Long runs aren't really supposed to be about speed anyway, but I can't help pushing myself to finish strong. I figure it will pay off come race time.
Today was my first morning of becoming an everyday runner. I got up and did a quick 1.25 mile out and back run. I didn't really push my pace too hard and managed an 8:14/mile pace. It felt good to get my day started with a little exercise. I'm looking forward to the new routine. I think it will help me stay motivated.
The stats: I did 7.69 miles Sunday in 1:16:48 for an average pace of 09:59. I just manage to squeeze in under the 10:00/mile mark. I did 1.25 this morning in 10:17 for an average pace of 8:14/mile.
Sunday I headed out into the humidity (close to 90%) for an undetermined number of miles. I hoped to do somewhere between 7 and 10. After taking care of all my pre run stuff I headed out the door all strapped into my much needed hydration pack. The temperature started out pretty nice, but the humidity was horrible. I was determined to keep my pace up a little with a goal of keeping it faster than 10:00/mile. The first 4 miles were right on the money, averaging 9:50/mile. My energy waned after mile 4, though. The first half of mile 5 was up a pretty good incline and by the time I made it to the top I was a little wiped. The second half was very flat and I spent that time recovering from the climb. Near the beginning of mile 6 I started a fairly long downhill stretch and was able to let gravity do some of the work. From there I had decided to keep the run closer to 7 than 10 miles. I had some IT band pain that required me to walk for a couple minutes. I also had some toe cramping at the same time. I don't know what that was all about but I was able to walk it off and picked up the pace again for the remaining mile and a half or so back home. Mile 7 was my slowest mile at 10:37 due to the short walk break. Once I reached the final turn to home I gave it all I had left and pushed out the final .69 mile at a 9:02/mile pace. Kinda slow, but considering I had already pushed out 7 miles it felt pretty darn fast to me. Long runs aren't really supposed to be about speed anyway, but I can't help pushing myself to finish strong. I figure it will pay off come race time.
Today was my first morning of becoming an everyday runner. I got up and did a quick 1.25 mile out and back run. I didn't really push my pace too hard and managed an 8:14/mile pace. It felt good to get my day started with a little exercise. I'm looking forward to the new routine. I think it will help me stay motivated.
The stats: I did 7.69 miles Sunday in 1:16:48 for an average pace of 09:59. I just manage to squeeze in under the 10:00/mile mark. I did 1.25 this morning in 10:17 for an average pace of 8:14/mile.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Tempo Run: 08/16/2011
I had zero desire to get out of bed and run this morning. I did it anyway, and I'm glad I did. I would have gained nothing by staying in bed an extra hour but I got to experience a beautiful sunrise and breathe the fresh cool morning air.... in mass quantities.
The temperature was just right this morning. I could have stood it just a couple degrees cooler, but after weeks on end of 80 degree 100% humidity mornings I'm not going to complain for a moment about mid 60's. I got myself out of bed my negotiating (with myself) an easier run than I had planned. When I got started, I pulled the old switcheroo. Bait and switch. I'm the master of manipulating myself into doing things I really don't want to do. I'm not sure that's such a good thing, but it's worked well for my running.
I did the first mile as a semi warm up mile in the mid 9's. From there I pushed the pace up to the sub 9 range and tried to keep it there for the remainder of the run. I concentrated my efforts on mile 4 because I was starting to fatigue at that point. Mile 4 was my best mile of the day at 8:28. I told myself after really pushing mile 4 I would slow down and take it a little easier for mile 5. I did slow down some, but actually ran mile 5 very slightly faster than miles 2 and 4. Miles 2, 4, and 5 were 8:45, 8:46, and 8:43 respectively. I'm pleased with my ability to pick a pace and pretty well stick to it only occasionally referring to my Garmin watch for confirmation of what I already know. I'm also pleased that my comfortable cruising speed seems to be increasing. Some of that may have more to do with the cooler temperatures we've had in the mornings the last couple of weeks, but I'm sure some of it is also attributable to the efforts I've been putting into making myself faster. I'm looking forward to my next couple of races to see how much I've improved.
Today's Stats: I did 5.06 miles in 44:35 for an average pace of 8:49/mile.
The temperature was just right this morning. I could have stood it just a couple degrees cooler, but after weeks on end of 80 degree 100% humidity mornings I'm not going to complain for a moment about mid 60's. I got myself out of bed my negotiating (with myself) an easier run than I had planned. When I got started, I pulled the old switcheroo. Bait and switch. I'm the master of manipulating myself into doing things I really don't want to do. I'm not sure that's such a good thing, but it's worked well for my running.
I did the first mile as a semi warm up mile in the mid 9's. From there I pushed the pace up to the sub 9 range and tried to keep it there for the remainder of the run. I concentrated my efforts on mile 4 because I was starting to fatigue at that point. Mile 4 was my best mile of the day at 8:28. I told myself after really pushing mile 4 I would slow down and take it a little easier for mile 5. I did slow down some, but actually ran mile 5 very slightly faster than miles 2 and 4. Miles 2, 4, and 5 were 8:45, 8:46, and 8:43 respectively. I'm pleased with my ability to pick a pace and pretty well stick to it only occasionally referring to my Garmin watch for confirmation of what I already know. I'm also pleased that my comfortable cruising speed seems to be increasing. Some of that may have more to do with the cooler temperatures we've had in the mornings the last couple of weeks, but I'm sure some of it is also attributable to the efforts I've been putting into making myself faster. I'm looking forward to my next couple of races to see how much I've improved.
Today's Stats: I did 5.06 miles in 44:35 for an average pace of 8:49/mile.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Long Run Sunday - 10 Miles: 8/14/2011
I headed out the door just a few minutes after 6 this morning for what I hoped to be a 10 mile run. The temperature was almost perfect. I started out at an easy pace of just under 11:00/mile and tried to maintain that pace for the majority of the run. There was a point about 6 miles in when I had an opportunity to make a turn toward home and cut the run short by a couple of miles but I decided to keep on going. I was still feeling good and knew I could do the remaining 4 miles without a problem.
I was relatively pain free which was a pleasant surprise. I've had some minor shin and knee pain the last few times I've gone out the door. My only pain was in my feet starting at around mile 8. The inside edge of the ball of both of my feet must rub on the inside of my shoe in a bad way. They get pretty sore on some of my longer runs. I don't know if it's my shoes or just the way I run.
Today's Stats: I did 10.05 miles in 1:47:28 for an average pace of 10:41 per mile. Better than I expected when I set out this morning. I'm pretty sure I could maintain the same pace for several more miles given proper hydration and nutrition during the run.
I was relatively pain free which was a pleasant surprise. I've had some minor shin and knee pain the last few times I've gone out the door. My only pain was in my feet starting at around mile 8. The inside edge of the ball of both of my feet must rub on the inside of my shoe in a bad way. They get pretty sore on some of my longer runs. I don't know if it's my shoes or just the way I run.
Today's Stats: I did 10.05 miles in 1:47:28 for an average pace of 10:41 per mile. Better than I expected when I set out this morning. I'm pretty sure I could maintain the same pace for several more miles given proper hydration and nutrition during the run.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Easy Run followed by Strides: 8/12/2011
I intended to do 3.5 easyish miles this morning followed by a few strides. That's basically what I did. I stayed at about a 10:30 minute/mile pace and just took it easy enjoying the morning air. I had some shin pain this morning, probably due to increase mileage and my two pretty hard workouts earlier in the week.
I decided to add the strides to my workout after some reading on improving speed. I only did the high knees and butt kicks. I ran out of time and didn't do the skips and the bounding but hope to work those into my next easy run.
I'm trying to work out on a new running schedule based on a four day rotation:
Day 1: Tempo
Day 2: Easy Run followed by Strides
Day 3: Intervals
Day 4: Long Run
I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work out given my long run will always fall on a Saturday or Sunday. My goal is to separate the two runs that are hardest on my legs by a more relaxed run to give myself a little extra time to heal.
Today's Stats: I did 3.3 miles in 34:41 for an average of 10:29/mile. Like I said, slow and easy. I'm not counting the strides in that. I did 3 sets of 100 yards each of high knees and butt kicks for a total of 600 additional yards - that's about 1/3 of a mile.
Day
I decided to add the strides to my workout after some reading on improving speed. I only did the high knees and butt kicks. I ran out of time and didn't do the skips and the bounding but hope to work those into my next easy run.
I'm trying to work out on a new running schedule based on a four day rotation:
Day 1: Tempo
Day 2: Easy Run followed by Strides
Day 3: Intervals
Day 4: Long Run
I'm not exactly sure how this is going to work out given my long run will always fall on a Saturday or Sunday. My goal is to separate the two runs that are hardest on my legs by a more relaxed run to give myself a little extra time to heal.
Today's Stats: I did 3.3 miles in 34:41 for an average of 10:29/mile. Like I said, slow and easy. I'm not counting the strides in that. I did 3 sets of 100 yards each of high knees and butt kicks for a total of 600 additional yards - that's about 1/3 of a mile.
Day
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Tempo Run: 8/10/11
No matter how I feel the night before, motivation is always hard to come by when I'm awakened by my alarm at 5:30AM. Somehow I managed to drag myself out of my oh so cozy bed this morning for a 5 mile tempo run. With my lofty goals, I can't afford to take any rest days and really need to be increasing my mileage.
I set out for 5 miles in the park this morning. There was almost a chill in the air. It felt really good to not be dripping with sweat before even starting the run. My first half mile or so was just warm up time then I picked it up to my goal pace. I was shooting for 5 miles at between 8:50 and 9:00 minutes/mile this morning. My first mile was 9:15 due to the half mile warm up included in that. Mile 2 included some nice downhill stretches so came out at 8:35/mile. Miles 3 & 4 were mostly flat and I nailed my goal pace at 8:50 and 8:49 respectively. I struggled with mile 5 and fought to maintain what I thought was a slower pace than I wanted. Also a good portion of it was going up the hills I had run down in mile 2. Surprisingly I completed mile 5 in 8:43. I was completely wiped out by the end of the run but pretty excited that I had hit my target pace for the run.
Today's Stats: I did 5.01 miles in 44:20 for an average pace of 8:50/mile. I'm pleased with that. I did 5 miles at a slightly slower pace (5 seconds per mile) than my best 5K pace.
I've set goals for my next few races:
9/10/11 - 10K: 55:00 That would be about the same pace as I ran this morning for 5 miles. I'm thinking I can add a mile at that pace over the next month.
9/25/11 - 5K: 24:48 That would be an 8 minute mile pace and would be about 2 minutes faster than my previous and best 5K. This will be a pretty serious challenge. I have 6 weeks.
10/22/11 - 13.1: If I decide to get serious about it, 2 hours flat. If not, I'll be happy just hanging with L for however long it takes us.
I set out for 5 miles in the park this morning. There was almost a chill in the air. It felt really good to not be dripping with sweat before even starting the run. My first half mile or so was just warm up time then I picked it up to my goal pace. I was shooting for 5 miles at between 8:50 and 9:00 minutes/mile this morning. My first mile was 9:15 due to the half mile warm up included in that. Mile 2 included some nice downhill stretches so came out at 8:35/mile. Miles 3 & 4 were mostly flat and I nailed my goal pace at 8:50 and 8:49 respectively. I struggled with mile 5 and fought to maintain what I thought was a slower pace than I wanted. Also a good portion of it was going up the hills I had run down in mile 2. Surprisingly I completed mile 5 in 8:43. I was completely wiped out by the end of the run but pretty excited that I had hit my target pace for the run.
Today's Stats: I did 5.01 miles in 44:20 for an average pace of 8:50/mile. I'm pleased with that. I did 5 miles at a slightly slower pace (5 seconds per mile) than my best 5K pace.
I've set goals for my next few races:
9/10/11 - 10K: 55:00 That would be about the same pace as I ran this morning for 5 miles. I'm thinking I can add a mile at that pace over the next month.
9/25/11 - 5K: 24:48 That would be an 8 minute mile pace and would be about 2 minutes faster than my previous and best 5K. This will be a pretty serious challenge. I have 6 weeks.
10/22/11 - 13.1: If I decide to get serious about it, 2 hours flat. If not, I'll be happy just hanging with L for however long it takes us.
Monday, August 8, 2011
8/4 through 8/8/11 running
I've been a busy runner the last five days. I've run 4 out of those 5 days, covering 15 miles and enjoying an easy race with L in the middle.
It started Thursday morning with a quick two mile run. I wanted to keep the mileage down because I knew I would be doing 5 miles on Friday. Since I was only doing two I wanted to do it fast, so I pushed myself a little and managed an 8:35/mile pace.
Friday night brought the 8K (5 mile) race. It was less race and more fun jog/walk for me but I was proud of L for pushing herself to go a little faster than she was used to. We had fun and I goofed off most of the time. She probably would have done better had she not been laughing at me about half the time.
Since I didn't really feel like I had pushed myself in the race I decided to do a hard 3 miles Satuday evening. This felt like the hardest I had ever pushed myself, but I think part of that had to do with the time of day, the heat, and the fact that I had done 5 miles the night before. Regardless I started out really pushing my limits doing the first mile in 7:57. I slowed down at the end of that mile and did the second mile in 9:15, then pushed to the end to finish the third mile in 8:36 which also turned out to be my average pace for the entire three miles. Pretty fast, but I've done that pace in a 4 mile run before, so nowhere near my limits. My legs were sore afterwards. I popped a few Advil and was better by Sunday morning.
I took Sunday off and did my interval workout this morning. It was a grueling 5 miles. I started out with about half a mile of warm up then I started into the intervals. The first 5 went well, and I kept my pace well below 8:00/mile though I was wiped out by the end of the 5th. My legs were burning and my breathing was very heavy...just how I should feel when doing intervals. After the 5th I wimped out and skipped the 6th. I picked back up with number 7 at a slower pace in the mid 8's and generally maintained that until the end. I finished up with another half mile cool down.
The Stats:
Thursday 8/4/11: 2.01 miles in 17:16 for an average of 8:35/mile
Friday 8/5/11: 5 miles in 1:04:58 for an average of 13:00/mile
Saturday 8/6/11: 3.01 miles in 25:53 for an average of 8:36/mile
Monday 8/8/11: 5.01 miles in 46:30 for an average of 9:17/mile
I'm back in the groove. I fell into a slump there for awhile but have recently been on an upward swing culminating in Friday night where I was inspired by the people finishing 5 miles in just a minute more than my best 5K time. Do I have hopes of being that fast? Probably not but it's not going to stop me from trying.
I heard a song on the radio Saturday - an "old" song from back in 2003. Headstrong by Trapt. Here are the lyrics of the first part of the chorus:
"Back off, I'll take you on
Headstrong to take on anyone"
That's how I feel right now, as far as running is concerned. I know I'm not anywhere near my limits and I'm ready to see what I can do. 6 minute mile, here I come.
It started Thursday morning with a quick two mile run. I wanted to keep the mileage down because I knew I would be doing 5 miles on Friday. Since I was only doing two I wanted to do it fast, so I pushed myself a little and managed an 8:35/mile pace.
Friday night brought the 8K (5 mile) race. It was less race and more fun jog/walk for me but I was proud of L for pushing herself to go a little faster than she was used to. We had fun and I goofed off most of the time. She probably would have done better had she not been laughing at me about half the time.
Since I didn't really feel like I had pushed myself in the race I decided to do a hard 3 miles Satuday evening. This felt like the hardest I had ever pushed myself, but I think part of that had to do with the time of day, the heat, and the fact that I had done 5 miles the night before. Regardless I started out really pushing my limits doing the first mile in 7:57. I slowed down at the end of that mile and did the second mile in 9:15, then pushed to the end to finish the third mile in 8:36 which also turned out to be my average pace for the entire three miles. Pretty fast, but I've done that pace in a 4 mile run before, so nowhere near my limits. My legs were sore afterwards. I popped a few Advil and was better by Sunday morning.
I took Sunday off and did my interval workout this morning. It was a grueling 5 miles. I started out with about half a mile of warm up then I started into the intervals. The first 5 went well, and I kept my pace well below 8:00/mile though I was wiped out by the end of the 5th. My legs were burning and my breathing was very heavy...just how I should feel when doing intervals. After the 5th I wimped out and skipped the 6th. I picked back up with number 7 at a slower pace in the mid 8's and generally maintained that until the end. I finished up with another half mile cool down.
The Stats:
Thursday 8/4/11: 2.01 miles in 17:16 for an average of 8:35/mile
Friday 8/5/11: 5 miles in 1:04:58 for an average of 13:00/mile
Saturday 8/6/11: 3.01 miles in 25:53 for an average of 8:36/mile
Monday 8/8/11: 5.01 miles in 46:30 for an average of 9:17/mile
I'm back in the groove. I fell into a slump there for awhile but have recently been on an upward swing culminating in Friday night where I was inspired by the people finishing 5 miles in just a minute more than my best 5K time. Do I have hopes of being that fast? Probably not but it's not going to stop me from trying.
I heard a song on the radio Saturday - an "old" song from back in 2003. Headstrong by Trapt. Here are the lyrics of the first part of the chorus:
"Back off, I'll take you on
Headstrong to take on anyone"
That's how I feel right now, as far as running is concerned. I know I'm not anywhere near my limits and I'm ready to see what I can do. 6 minute mile, here I come.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Long Run Saturday and Tempo Run Monday: 7/30/11 & 8/1/11
I wanted to get in at least 7 miles on Saturday so I planned a loop route around the countryside that would take me 7.5. I started out slow and easy and basically tried to maintain slow and easy for the whole run. Slow and easy is not always so easy when it's hot and humid. I got out pretty early, but the sun was already above the trees and there was no cloud cover so it started getting hot fast. I was struggling to keep my pace around 11:00/mile and dropped almost to 12:00/mile at one point. That was mainly due to a very steep hill.
The Stats: I did 7.5 miles in 01:23:09 for an average pace of 11:05/mile. Pretty slow, but considering the heat I'm not going to feel too bad about it.
Today I had hoped to do closer to 5 miles, but I only did 4. I almost didn't run at all. I did not want to get out of bed this morning, but managed to convince myself that I should, so I did. I did a 4 mile tempo run with no significant events. It was hot and humid again. I'm guessing it will be this way for several more weeks. It's good for the garden, but not so much for the running.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 35:34 for an average pace of 8:52. I'm wondering if I might have hit a plateau. I'm having trouble pushing myself any faster. I don't know if it's the heat and humidity holding me back or if I'm at a place where I'm just not going to get any faster. All I can do is keep pushing myself and find out.
The Stats: I did 7.5 miles in 01:23:09 for an average pace of 11:05/mile. Pretty slow, but considering the heat I'm not going to feel too bad about it.
Today I had hoped to do closer to 5 miles, but I only did 4. I almost didn't run at all. I did not want to get out of bed this morning, but managed to convince myself that I should, so I did. I did a 4 mile tempo run with no significant events. It was hot and humid again. I'm guessing it will be this way for several more weeks. It's good for the garden, but not so much for the running.
Today's Stats: I did 4 miles in 35:34 for an average pace of 8:52. I'm wondering if I might have hit a plateau. I'm having trouble pushing myself any faster. I don't know if it's the heat and humidity holding me back or if I'm at a place where I'm just not going to get any faster. All I can do is keep pushing myself and find out.
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