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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)