I didn't so much wake up this morning as much as I rolled out of bed. I'm not sure I really slept last night, therefore there was not much waking up to do. I really wanted to use this morning's running time to get an hour of sleep but I could tell it was pointless so I got up.
I drank my juice and stretched and watched the day's weather forecast. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was warmer than I expected it to be this morning. When I arrived at the park the gate as closed and a big sign indicated that the park would be closed for December and January. I stopped and asked the park manager if it would be okay for me to continue to come in and run in the mornings. He had no problem with that.
Today's run was my first since the Wedesday before Thanksgiving. I had intended to run either Friday or Saturday but let laziness win out. Today I was slated to run a full 25 minutes just like days 1 and 2 of week 7.
On top of improving my strike from a heel strike to more of a toe/midfoot strike I've been working on my pace. It's a bit challenging with just a stop watch and my brain to keep count of steps, but I'm managing. My method is to count how many strides I take in 10 seconds and then multiply that by 6. 162 strides per minute is a good comfortable pace for me amd I was able to maintain that for most of my 25 minute run today.
I'm not ready to say running for a solid 25 minutes is easy, but it's not as hard as I imagined it would be. I'm able to keep up a decent pace for the full 25 minutes and only feel moderately fatigued by the end. If I pace myself correctly, I still have enough left to push up to a pretty hard run for the final 2 minutes. Overall I'm pleased with my progress and I'm looking forward to the challenge of adding 3 minutes for a total of 28 in week 8. Only two more weeks to go! Then what?
I think I'm going to start trying to get to the pool 3 days a week in an attempt to work my way up to being able to swim a mile.
I'm pretty sure I'm going to be running in a 5K on Saturday. There's one near home and I'd like to do it since I didn't get to run in the Turkey Trot. Looks like the weather will be perfect, too. I'm looking forward to it.
Today's Stats: I did my standard 2.8 miles today in 31:31. That's just one second faster than I did the same distance ten days ago. It seems I've arrived at a pretty consistent pace. Doing my course in 31:31 put me at a pace of 11:15/mile. I will be very pleased if I can maintain that same pace during Saturday's 5K.
Next Up: Week 8, Day 1 adds 3 minutes for a total of 28 minutes. Sounds easy enough. Can I do it and maintain today's pace? I guess I'll know on Wednesday.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Couch to 5K: Week 7, Day 2
I've cancelled my plans to run in the Turkey Trot tomorrow. Lauren is sick and we'll be staying home for Thanksgiving. Because of the change of plans, I went ahead and continued my normal C25K routine. There is a 5K near home on Dec 4 that I may run in.
Today was more of the same. I started off with my 5 minute warm up walk and ran for 25 minutes. I didn't feel terribly challenged. I worked on pacing myself based on strides per minute today. I now know that 156 is a comfortable pace that I could keep up for a long time. I ran at that pace for about 20 of the 25 minute run. For the last 5 minutes or so I picked it up to about 168 and for the last 2 minutes I tried to maintain 168 while increasing my stride length. At that pace I felt like I was pushing myself and I had to increase my breathing rate. I still didn't feel exhausted at the end of the run. I'm sure I could have done more. For now, I'm just really pleased to be able to run 25 minutes without feeling like I'm about to pass out at the end.
Today's Stats: I did my 2.8 miles in 32:30 for a pace of 11:36/mile. I'm consistently better than 12 minutes/mile. I hope to be saying I'm consistently better than 11 minutes/mile in the not too distant future.
Next up: Week 7 Day 3 is the same as days 1 and 2. I'll run 25 minutes. Next week I'll push it up to 28. I could have easily done 28 today, so I'm not troubled by the thought.
Today was more of the same. I started off with my 5 minute warm up walk and ran for 25 minutes. I didn't feel terribly challenged. I worked on pacing myself based on strides per minute today. I now know that 156 is a comfortable pace that I could keep up for a long time. I ran at that pace for about 20 of the 25 minute run. For the last 5 minutes or so I picked it up to about 168 and for the last 2 minutes I tried to maintain 168 while increasing my stride length. At that pace I felt like I was pushing myself and I had to increase my breathing rate. I still didn't feel exhausted at the end of the run. I'm sure I could have done more. For now, I'm just really pleased to be able to run 25 minutes without feeling like I'm about to pass out at the end.
Today's Stats: I did my 2.8 miles in 32:30 for a pace of 11:36/mile. I'm consistently better than 12 minutes/mile. I hope to be saying I'm consistently better than 11 minutes/mile in the not too distant future.
Next up: Week 7 Day 3 is the same as days 1 and 2. I'll run 25 minutes. Next week I'll push it up to 28. I could have easily done 28 today, so I'm not troubled by the thought.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Couch to 5K: Week 7, Day 1
Week 7 day 1 is set up to be identical to week 6, day 3. The weather has warmed significantly over the last week or so. It's been perfect for running, though I wouldn't mind if it were just a few degrees cooler.
My left calf muscle is still a little sore from whatever happened last Wednesday, but is fine to run on. It actually feels pretty good to stretch it out and run on it.
Today's run felt almost easy. Keyword: almost. I took it slower than I did on Saturday, somewhat intentionally. I didn't intend to go as slowly as I did, but I learned something, and that's important. I ran the first half at a pretty slow pace (pace 1) and was able to breathe pretty easily the whole way. At that pace, I'm breathing in for three steps and out for four. At the turn around point I was almost right at the halfway point according to the watch. When I turned around, I picked up the pace slightly (pace 2) but was still able to maintain the same breathing pattern for several minutes. I reached a point where I had to push it up to three steps in and three steps out. Still, a fairly relaxed pattern, but feeling a little more like I was pushing myself. At that point I increased my stride length and tried to keep up the same stride frequency to increase my speed (pace 3). I was able to maintain the same breathing pattern and probably could have for quite awhile. At the point I was expecting to be close to finished I looked at the watch and found that I still had several minutes to go. I picked up the pace a hair (pace 4) and got to the point where I was breathing at a rate of two steps in and three steps out and continued that until the time was up. What I learned is that I can gauge my exertion level by my breathing pattern. Seems like a no-brainer, but I think I can use my breathing as a way to pace myself appropriately to be able to run longer distances.
For the Turkey Trot, my plan is to start at pace one for about 5 minutes and work up to pace two through the first two miles. I'm accustomed to walking 5 minutes to warm up, and that mileage has been included in the 2.8 I've been doing. I'm hoping keeping my running at a slower pace will be the equivalent of my five minute warm up. After two miles, I hope to have enough energy left to maintain pace 2 until I can see the finish line at which point I'll pick it up to pace 4. Using this strategy, I hope to be able to run the entire race. After 25 minutes of running today, I still had plenty of energy left. I'm pretty sure I could have gone on for another 5 or maybe even 10 minutes. I'm thinking another 5 minutes would have easily put me at or above 3.1 miles.
About running: I don't necessarily like it while I'm doing it and I definitely don't like dragging my lazy rear-end out of bed at 5:45 AM. Having said that, I love the sense of accomplishment I have after a run, and knowing that I've done something I couldn't have done just 4 months ago. I like knowing that I'm doing something good for my body. Looking back to week 1 when I was running sixty seconds at a time and dreading the three minute runs of week 3 is almost funny now. I remember wondering if there was any way I would really ever be able to run 20 or 25 minutes without stopping. Well, here I am. I'm doing it and I really have no doubts about being able to run 10 minutes on top of what I'm running now. Am I ready to run a marathon? No. Do I ever want to run a marathon? Doubtful, but I am very competitive with myself. I really like pushing myself harder at whatever I do, so the day could come that I want to do that. Right now, I think the challenge of a 5K is plenty for me.
Today's Stats: I did 2.8 miles in 33:02. That's somewhat slower than Saturday at a pace of 11:48/mile and slower than I had intended. I was a little disappointed at first, but I rationalized that it was probably better to wait and push myself harder for a faster pace on Thursday.
Next up: Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K. While everyone else is watching Snoopy, Spongebob, and Kermit the Frog balloons float by on their TV screens I'll be burning off some of mom's turkey and dressing in which I'll be indulging later in the day. I'm trying not to be too goal oriented but I definitely want to beat my first 5K time of 36:22. That was my first run after taking over 3 weeks off, though I kept myself in shape on the elliptical machine and in the pool. I've run 41 miles since then and my average times are much lower than they had been so I'm hoping for a good race. One complicating factor is that they are calling for a pretty good chance of rain Thursday morning and it's going to be pretty cool. I'm trying to decide how to dress for a run in the rain.
My left calf muscle is still a little sore from whatever happened last Wednesday, but is fine to run on. It actually feels pretty good to stretch it out and run on it.
Today's run felt almost easy. Keyword: almost. I took it slower than I did on Saturday, somewhat intentionally. I didn't intend to go as slowly as I did, but I learned something, and that's important. I ran the first half at a pretty slow pace (pace 1) and was able to breathe pretty easily the whole way. At that pace, I'm breathing in for three steps and out for four. At the turn around point I was almost right at the halfway point according to the watch. When I turned around, I picked up the pace slightly (pace 2) but was still able to maintain the same breathing pattern for several minutes. I reached a point where I had to push it up to three steps in and three steps out. Still, a fairly relaxed pattern, but feeling a little more like I was pushing myself. At that point I increased my stride length and tried to keep up the same stride frequency to increase my speed (pace 3). I was able to maintain the same breathing pattern and probably could have for quite awhile. At the point I was expecting to be close to finished I looked at the watch and found that I still had several minutes to go. I picked up the pace a hair (pace 4) and got to the point where I was breathing at a rate of two steps in and three steps out and continued that until the time was up. What I learned is that I can gauge my exertion level by my breathing pattern. Seems like a no-brainer, but I think I can use my breathing as a way to pace myself appropriately to be able to run longer distances.
For the Turkey Trot, my plan is to start at pace one for about 5 minutes and work up to pace two through the first two miles. I'm accustomed to walking 5 minutes to warm up, and that mileage has been included in the 2.8 I've been doing. I'm hoping keeping my running at a slower pace will be the equivalent of my five minute warm up. After two miles, I hope to have enough energy left to maintain pace 2 until I can see the finish line at which point I'll pick it up to pace 4. Using this strategy, I hope to be able to run the entire race. After 25 minutes of running today, I still had plenty of energy left. I'm pretty sure I could have gone on for another 5 or maybe even 10 minutes. I'm thinking another 5 minutes would have easily put me at or above 3.1 miles.
About running: I don't necessarily like it while I'm doing it and I definitely don't like dragging my lazy rear-end out of bed at 5:45 AM. Having said that, I love the sense of accomplishment I have after a run, and knowing that I've done something I couldn't have done just 4 months ago. I like knowing that I'm doing something good for my body. Looking back to week 1 when I was running sixty seconds at a time and dreading the three minute runs of week 3 is almost funny now. I remember wondering if there was any way I would really ever be able to run 20 or 25 minutes without stopping. Well, here I am. I'm doing it and I really have no doubts about being able to run 10 minutes on top of what I'm running now. Am I ready to run a marathon? No. Do I ever want to run a marathon? Doubtful, but I am very competitive with myself. I really like pushing myself harder at whatever I do, so the day could come that I want to do that. Right now, I think the challenge of a 5K is plenty for me.
Today's Stats: I did 2.8 miles in 33:02. That's somewhat slower than Saturday at a pace of 11:48/mile and slower than I had intended. I was a little disappointed at first, but I rationalized that it was probably better to wait and push myself harder for a faster pace on Thursday.
Next up: Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot 5K. While everyone else is watching Snoopy, Spongebob, and Kermit the Frog balloons float by on their TV screens I'll be burning off some of mom's turkey and dressing in which I'll be indulging later in the day. I'm trying not to be too goal oriented but I definitely want to beat my first 5K time of 36:22. That was my first run after taking over 3 weeks off, though I kept myself in shape on the elliptical machine and in the pool. I've run 41 miles since then and my average times are much lower than they had been so I'm hoping for a good race. One complicating factor is that they are calling for a pretty good chance of rain Thursday morning and it's going to be pretty cool. I'm trying to decide how to dress for a run in the rain.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Couch to 5K: Week 6 Day 3 take 2
My second attempt at week 6 day 3 turned out much better than my first attempt. All signs of knee pain and IT band pain are gone. My calf is still a little sore from Wednesday's run but it didn't get any worse during today's run, so I'm chalking it up to residual muscle soreness.
Starting out I wasn't sure I'd make it 10 minutes, much less 25. I had trouble regulating my breathing and I just felt tired. Things never came together the way I had hoped they would, but my breathing eventually evened out and I just ran. I made it to my turn around point well before the halfway point according to my watch. I was simultaneously pleased and bummed. I knew that I'd have to run past the point where I'm normally stopping and was already feeling like I'd like to just walk for awhile. I motivated myself to keep running and just lost myself in random thought until there were about 4 minutes left. I'm pretty sure I got progressively slower until the last couple of minutes when I made a conscious effort to pick up the pace ever so slightly. I was glad when the watch showed 25 minutes because I was at the base of a fairly steep hill that I really didn't want to have to run up. I ran longer and farther than ever before this morning, and I'm glad I got out and did it.
Today's stats:
I did 2.8 miles in 31:32 for a pace of 11:16/mile! I'm pretty pleased with that. If I can manage that pace on Thursday I'll finish in somewhere around 35 minutes. I would be happy with that time.
Next up: Week 7 Day 1. Week 7 is uncharted territory for me, but the whole week is 25 minute runs, which I know I can do because I did it today. I'm hoping to do day 1 Monday morning and then take Tuesday and Wednesday off before the 5K on Thursday.
Starting out I wasn't sure I'd make it 10 minutes, much less 25. I had trouble regulating my breathing and I just felt tired. Things never came together the way I had hoped they would, but my breathing eventually evened out and I just ran. I made it to my turn around point well before the halfway point according to my watch. I was simultaneously pleased and bummed. I knew that I'd have to run past the point where I'm normally stopping and was already feeling like I'd like to just walk for awhile. I motivated myself to keep running and just lost myself in random thought until there were about 4 minutes left. I'm pretty sure I got progressively slower until the last couple of minutes when I made a conscious effort to pick up the pace ever so slightly. I was glad when the watch showed 25 minutes because I was at the base of a fairly steep hill that I really didn't want to have to run up. I ran longer and farther than ever before this morning, and I'm glad I got out and did it.
Today's stats:
I did 2.8 miles in 31:32 for a pace of 11:16/mile! I'm pretty pleased with that. If I can manage that pace on Thursday I'll finish in somewhere around 35 minutes. I would be happy with that time.
Next up: Week 7 Day 1. Week 7 is uncharted territory for me, but the whole week is 25 minute runs, which I know I can do because I did it today. I'm hoping to do day 1 Monday morning and then take Tuesday and Wednesday off before the 5K on Thursday.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Leg Update
My left calf is feeling much better today. I spent some time massaging the muscle yesterday and last night and used a heating pad before bed. I don't think this is an injury that is going to require any significant down time. I think it was more like a cramp than a strain or a pull. I can walk without a limp today. I still have some soreness but I'm about 73.2% better than I was yesterday. I'm planning to take tomorrow off and if I'm pain free would like to run on Saturday and then again on Monday then take two days off before the Turket Trot.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Week 6, Day 2 take 2
Looking down at the stats for today before reading this you'd think I had a great run today. All in all, it wasn't too bad other than the pain in my left calf. I don't know what the problem is, but it started hurting about 3 or 4 minutes into my run. I stopped once to try to stretch it out to no avail. It feels like a cramp but I only feel it when I put weight on the muscle. There was never a moment when I was fine and then I was in pain, it just kind of built up. From some reading, I'm guessing I have a strained muscle. I'm limping pretty significantly as it hurts to walk. If I keep my knee bent, walk on my heel, and don't flex my foot when I walk, I'm fine.
I ran well this morning, doing the run generally as written with the exception of stopping once to try to stretch and then I walked for about 30 seconds once when I was supposed to be running just to see if the pain subsided. It was no better when I walked, so I just decided to run it out.
It was cold enough this morning that I put on a long sleeve shirt for the first time. I found it was too hot and took it off a little over halfway through.
I'm concerned about my calf and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to run again this week. I might just take it easy until Thanksgiving Day and hope for the best in the 5K.
Todays stats: I ran the same route as Monday, 2.8 miles in 32:35. That's a pace of 11:38/mile which is officially my fastest time ever.
Next up: Who knows? I hope I can get at least one more run in before the Turkey Trot but if I'm not totally certain I can do it without pain I'm just going to wait until the 5K.
I ran well this morning, doing the run generally as written with the exception of stopping once to try to stretch and then I walked for about 30 seconds once when I was supposed to be running just to see if the pain subsided. It was no better when I walked, so I just decided to run it out.
It was cold enough this morning that I put on a long sleeve shirt for the first time. I found it was too hot and took it off a little over halfway through.
I'm concerned about my calf and I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to run again this week. I might just take it easy until Thanksgiving Day and hope for the best in the 5K.
Todays stats: I ran the same route as Monday, 2.8 miles in 32:35. That's a pace of 11:38/mile which is officially my fastest time ever.
Next up: Who knows? I hope I can get at least one more run in before the Turkey Trot but if I'm not totally certain I can do it without pain I'm just going to wait until the 5K.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Couch to 5K: Week 6 Day 1 Take 2
I had another good run this morning. It was hard to get out of bed after a weekend away from home. On top of that it was cloudy and threatening rain outside which always makes it easier to just stay in bed. I'm pretty motivated lately, though, so I dragged myself out of bed, into my running clothes, and out the door. It was in the lower 40s this morning, but the cold doesn't seem to be bothering me as much as I thought it would. I'm a little cold at first during my warm up walk, but once I start running, I don't think it would bother me if it were 20 degrees. The cold air feels good.
Today's run consisted of a five minute warm up, a five minute run, a three minute walk, an eight minute run, a three minute walk, and one last five minute run. Things are started to click again. I haven't really felt good running since way back in August before I had to take some time off. It started off hard, but I just kept on putting one foot in front of the other. When I got about midway through the eight minute run everything seemed to just come together. I found a comfortable stride, my breathing evened out to an easy pace, and I just ran without thinking about it. I was running at a faster pace than all of last week. I thought about holding myself back but decided to see if I could handle it. I was thankful for the three minute walk break, because I felt I had pushed myself, but I'm certain I could have kept going. The last five minutes flew by and I wasn't really ready to stop, when the alloted time was up, but I did. I've pushed myself too hard before, and I don't want to end up having to take another month off.
Today's stats:
I did 2.8 miles in 32:50 for a pace of 11:44/mile which matches my 5K time from a few weeks ago and is 45 seconds per mile better than my first try at Week 6 Day 1. After a slow start, it was a good morning at the park. I went farther than I had been because the timing has changed. I made it all the way to the end of the road in the park before turning around. I was pleased with my increased speed and how things are starting to come together. Hopefully I will continue to feel that way over the next few weeks.
Next Up:
Week 6 Day 2 consists of two ten minute runs separated by a three minute walk.
Today's run consisted of a five minute warm up, a five minute run, a three minute walk, an eight minute run, a three minute walk, and one last five minute run. Things are started to click again. I haven't really felt good running since way back in August before I had to take some time off. It started off hard, but I just kept on putting one foot in front of the other. When I got about midway through the eight minute run everything seemed to just come together. I found a comfortable stride, my breathing evened out to an easy pace, and I just ran without thinking about it. I was running at a faster pace than all of last week. I thought about holding myself back but decided to see if I could handle it. I was thankful for the three minute walk break, because I felt I had pushed myself, but I'm certain I could have kept going. The last five minutes flew by and I wasn't really ready to stop, when the alloted time was up, but I did. I've pushed myself too hard before, and I don't want to end up having to take another month off.
Today's stats:
I did 2.8 miles in 32:50 for a pace of 11:44/mile which matches my 5K time from a few weeks ago and is 45 seconds per mile better than my first try at Week 6 Day 1. After a slow start, it was a good morning at the park. I went farther than I had been because the timing has changed. I made it all the way to the end of the road in the park before turning around. I was pleased with my increased speed and how things are starting to come together. Hopefully I will continue to feel that way over the next few weeks.
Next Up:
Week 6 Day 2 consists of two ten minute runs separated by a three minute walk.
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