Okay, I'm back!
It's not like I haven't been running 'cause I have. I've just been too busy to keep up with running blogs... which makes me sad. But that's okay. I'm picking it up again!
In other (bad) news, I wasn't able to run the marathon. I got some busy with school that I didn't make time for running... And so I ended totally breaking my training and I just could...not...do...it.
I have another planned for May, however! You know the whole "if at first you don't succeed" thing!
So me and my blog are going to be seeing a lot more of each other!
Happy running :D
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Thursday, August 18, 2011
New shoes! And Consistency...
Saucony Grid Pro 2! I'm so happy! I didn't even expect to get them. I went to Big 5 expecting to pick up some of their on-sale-cheap running shoes and my mom ended up insisting on the better ones! The Saucony were also on sale, but still... they were more expensive than the others... and it seems like everyone is strapped for cash at the moment!
The cool thing is that my calf tightness is gone. I don't know if it was the 4 day rest (involuntary; things got seriously busy!) or the shoes. The shoes feel really good, though. I don't feel like I'm pounding my calves when I run down hill.
They have little to no heel drop, and the soles aren't too thick anyway. I wouldn't call them a minimalist shoe, but they definitely have less to them than what I would call a "traditional" highly padded running shoe.
Another thing I like about them is the fact that they are ventilated so well! My feet are always cool, now. They were getting warm in my other shoes, but with these... well, the first time I wore them, my feet were practically cold in them and keep in mind that we're in the middle of August and I'm in a fairly warm climate!
As far as actual running goes, I've been doing well - despite the unintended 4 day break. Actually, I think it might have helped. At least mentally. I'm getting my mind more focused on what I'm doing - marathon training. I'm not just running. I'm training.
Today was an especially good run. It was supposed to be a semi-long run, and in the past those have been 3-5 miles on my schedule. I didn't look, assuming it would be the same, and just did 3, since it was getting late. Turns out I was supposed to do 4-6. Oh, well. No matter.
I've been struggling with my pace, and with the amount of walking I've been doing when I run. It's like my mental walls are building back up again, walls that I broke down when I first started running, when I was training with C25K. R knows about this. He's been talking to me lately about consistency in running, I think because of this.
He knows that I want to be fast. He knows I sometimes have trouble pacing myself. He knows that I hate it when I have to walk.
He mentioned that he found that consistency - just keep running, slower than you normally would if need be - in order to keep on running as much as possible. This helps you go faster and go better.
So, today, I felt great. My heart rate had been nice and low all day (in the low-to-mid 60's, which is good for me; used to be mid-to-high 70's!) and R had mentioned that a low resting heart rate is a good indicator of a good run later. I was stoked, then. So, later when we went on the run, I was feeling pretty good just from that confidence alone, of course.
I also have had no soreness or muscle aches at all. My feet are getting used to the new, less cushioned shoes, but that's no biggie.
I also had a Green Smoothie before we left, which I have always found to be great before-run fuel, and I've been, I think, unintentionally carbo-loading with beans the past couple of days.
I only mention all of this because it might have something to do with my state of mind and the way my muscles were feeling.
So, I ran. I felt really good. I kept my pace such that I knew I was slightly pushing myself (in marathon training, you never, ever, have to seriously push yourself, I'm finding out... unless it's through patience or endurance) with just a slight ache in my legs, just enough to let me know I was using them.
I calculated that, on a bad day - or even a medium day - I have about 5-7 spots - usually 7 - that I walk on, habitually (that's part of it; I made it a habit to walk certain parts of the "course"). This time, I made the word "consistency" my mantra. I ended up walking about 4 times.
The first time was up the Big Hill. I usually do stops and starts of walking up that hill. This time, I walked for maybe 10 seconds, ran a bit, walked for 10 seconds. That was all the walking I did. Just for that one little part.
The second time, I was on flat ground and everything, but I had to fix my iPod. Fix as in turn on the shuffle because it was going alphabetically through the songs - which I didn't mind, except that for some reason my podcasts are on my songlist, and I didn't want to listen to those. I wanted music! So I walked for about a minute, maybe 1:30, then.
After mile 2, I walked again. Don't ask me why. I guess I crashed into a mental wall at that point. Walked for about a minute, maybe slightly longer.
Fourth time was up the backside of a hill. See, I'm not, according to the plan, supposed to run up hills. I decided to give myself a break on that last one and not run up it. I'd already run up it once, anyway.
And that's it! That's improved on 5-7 walk-sessions in my opinion!
Also, at the bottom of the second little hill - the one I walked up the backside of - there was a dog, a pit-bull pup, that was following me. I didn't think he was more than a year or two old. I've heard about this dog; he's nice and friendly and sweet and he doesn't look mean at all. Nevertheless I was a bit scared because I don't really know the dog first hand. I slowed down a bit, and he trotted behind me. I finally held out my hand for him to sniff, which always seems to be a good thing when meeting new dogs (unless they look like they're going to bite it off!) and he was fine and then just a second after sniffing my hand, he tucked his tail between his legs and jumped back about 6 feet! Whaaaat? If anyone knows why this happened, I'd be glad to know!
So, yeah. I got fairly consistent splits, which I'm happy about. Those wildly changing ones with a fast one here and there and then a slow one (usually much more often, there were slow ones) were cool, because of the fast ones, but I'd rather have some sort of descent, gradual splits going on.
Now, these splits, today, weren't negative. I'm totally okay with that. But check out how consistent and smooth they are!
Break Down:
Warm Up: Abbreviated Lunge Matrix
Mile 1) 13:09
2) 13:40
3) 14:00
last .16) 1:54 @ 11:55 pace
So I'm happy!
Also, I have to apologize for not writing for 10 days. I got busy and distracted. The runs I did do in those 10 days were fairly good, however! I may write about them at a different time. Since it's late, though, and I'm sleepy, I think I'll call it a night as far as blogging goes, for now!
The cool thing is that my calf tightness is gone. I don't know if it was the 4 day rest (involuntary; things got seriously busy!) or the shoes. The shoes feel really good, though. I don't feel like I'm pounding my calves when I run down hill.
They have little to no heel drop, and the soles aren't too thick anyway. I wouldn't call them a minimalist shoe, but they definitely have less to them than what I would call a "traditional" highly padded running shoe.
Another thing I like about them is the fact that they are ventilated so well! My feet are always cool, now. They were getting warm in my other shoes, but with these... well, the first time I wore them, my feet were practically cold in them and keep in mind that we're in the middle of August and I'm in a fairly warm climate!
As far as actual running goes, I've been doing well - despite the unintended 4 day break. Actually, I think it might have helped. At least mentally. I'm getting my mind more focused on what I'm doing - marathon training. I'm not just running. I'm training.
Today was an especially good run. It was supposed to be a semi-long run, and in the past those have been 3-5 miles on my schedule. I didn't look, assuming it would be the same, and just did 3, since it was getting late. Turns out I was supposed to do 4-6. Oh, well. No matter.
I've been struggling with my pace, and with the amount of walking I've been doing when I run. It's like my mental walls are building back up again, walls that I broke down when I first started running, when I was training with C25K. R knows about this. He's been talking to me lately about consistency in running, I think because of this.
He knows that I want to be fast. He knows I sometimes have trouble pacing myself. He knows that I hate it when I have to walk.
He mentioned that he found that consistency - just keep running, slower than you normally would if need be - in order to keep on running as much as possible. This helps you go faster and go better.
So, today, I felt great. My heart rate had been nice and low all day (in the low-to-mid 60's, which is good for me; used to be mid-to-high 70's!) and R had mentioned that a low resting heart rate is a good indicator of a good run later. I was stoked, then. So, later when we went on the run, I was feeling pretty good just from that confidence alone, of course.
I also have had no soreness or muscle aches at all. My feet are getting used to the new, less cushioned shoes, but that's no biggie.
I also had a Green Smoothie before we left, which I have always found to be great before-run fuel, and I've been, I think, unintentionally carbo-loading with beans the past couple of days.
I only mention all of this because it might have something to do with my state of mind and the way my muscles were feeling.
So, I ran. I felt really good. I kept my pace such that I knew I was slightly pushing myself (in marathon training, you never, ever, have to seriously push yourself, I'm finding out... unless it's through patience or endurance) with just a slight ache in my legs, just enough to let me know I was using them.
I calculated that, on a bad day - or even a medium day - I have about 5-7 spots - usually 7 - that I walk on, habitually (that's part of it; I made it a habit to walk certain parts of the "course"). This time, I made the word "consistency" my mantra. I ended up walking about 4 times.
The first time was up the Big Hill. I usually do stops and starts of walking up that hill. This time, I walked for maybe 10 seconds, ran a bit, walked for 10 seconds. That was all the walking I did. Just for that one little part.
The second time, I was on flat ground and everything, but I had to fix my iPod. Fix as in turn on the shuffle because it was going alphabetically through the songs - which I didn't mind, except that for some reason my podcasts are on my songlist, and I didn't want to listen to those. I wanted music! So I walked for about a minute, maybe 1:30, then.
After mile 2, I walked again. Don't ask me why. I guess I crashed into a mental wall at that point. Walked for about a minute, maybe slightly longer.
Fourth time was up the backside of a hill. See, I'm not, according to the plan, supposed to run up hills. I decided to give myself a break on that last one and not run up it. I'd already run up it once, anyway.
And that's it! That's improved on 5-7 walk-sessions in my opinion!
Also, at the bottom of the second little hill - the one I walked up the backside of - there was a dog, a pit-bull pup, that was following me. I didn't think he was more than a year or two old. I've heard about this dog; he's nice and friendly and sweet and he doesn't look mean at all. Nevertheless I was a bit scared because I don't really know the dog first hand. I slowed down a bit, and he trotted behind me. I finally held out my hand for him to sniff, which always seems to be a good thing when meeting new dogs (unless they look like they're going to bite it off!) and he was fine and then just a second after sniffing my hand, he tucked his tail between his legs and jumped back about 6 feet! Whaaaat? If anyone knows why this happened, I'd be glad to know!
So, yeah. I got fairly consistent splits, which I'm happy about. Those wildly changing ones with a fast one here and there and then a slow one (usually much more often, there were slow ones) were cool, because of the fast ones, but I'd rather have some sort of descent, gradual splits going on.
Now, these splits, today, weren't negative. I'm totally okay with that. But check out how consistent and smooth they are!
Break Down:
Warm Up: Abbreviated Lunge Matrix
Mile 1) 13:09
2) 13:40
3) 14:00
last .16) 1:54 @ 11:55 pace
So I'm happy!
Also, I have to apologize for not writing for 10 days. I got busy and distracted. The runs I did do in those 10 days were fairly good, however! I may write about them at a different time. Since it's late, though, and I'm sleepy, I think I'll call it a night as far as blogging goes, for now!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Thursday
Thursday (last) I ran 9.11 miles. The number is coincidental, by the way. I wasn't trying for that, that's just how it turned out.
Anyway, it was hard. By mile 5 or 6 I didn't care how slow I was going because my muscles hurt. I wasn't getting injured or anything like that; it was just fatigue! Part of it, I'm sure, was the heat. I was sweating so bad by mile 3 even that I had cold sweat dripping from my hair to my neck. Ugh.
Anyway, as I was going up the Big Hill on mile 4, and the second, though not the last, time I was to go up that hill, I was walking for a bit. I admit, my muscles were starting to hurt. Lately, my feet have been hurting if I go past 3 miles (I think it's shoe related) so that was going on too. Then this man, who's probably about 50 or 60, and is watering his plants, says:
"How far are you walking?"
Me: "Not walking..."(sheepish grin)
Man: "Running?" Knowing nod.
Me: "Yeah... kind of taking a walk break."
Man: "Yeah. That's what I do."
Me: "I'm going 9 miles today."
Man: "Oh, really?" (surprised, pleasantly.)
Me: "Yeah, well, I'm training for a marathon."
Man: "oh, really? Which one?" Even more excitement here.
Me: "(Tells which one)"
Man: "Oh! I've run it! It's awesome; you'll love it!"
So I was able to do mile 5 in a neat 13:~. Which was nice because, you know, I was on mile 4... and you already know how slow I am, haha.
So it was hot and sweaty and miserable and fun.
I also saw a firetruck from the volunteer station filling up/testing the fire hydrants or something. woo!
Also, R, while he was working, was introduced to another runner who, apparently, is very good. She's still in HS, but she has a running scholarship to a prestigious school. How cool is that?
It's been half-arranged for us to run with her on Sunday...well, today...later... well, R will. I'll be left in the dust, for sure. I'm intimidated.
Oh! Also! I finally got a handheld water bottle! It's a 10 oz'er from Roadrunner Sports. In pink, of course!
Also, I won JOSHATALIE's giveaway for a Road ID woo! I didn't even realize it until 4 days after she announced it because I was getting bad about keeping up on things... yeah...
Okay, so here's the Break Down:
Warm Up: None. I will never do this again; I don't think it helped things.
Mile 1) 14:53
2) 13:43
3) 15:11
4)16:14
5) 13:28
6) 16:33
7) 17:28
8) 14:33
9) 16:07
Anyway, it was hard. By mile 5 or 6 I didn't care how slow I was going because my muscles hurt. I wasn't getting injured or anything like that; it was just fatigue! Part of it, I'm sure, was the heat. I was sweating so bad by mile 3 even that I had cold sweat dripping from my hair to my neck. Ugh.
Anyway, as I was going up the Big Hill on mile 4, and the second, though not the last, time I was to go up that hill, I was walking for a bit. I admit, my muscles were starting to hurt. Lately, my feet have been hurting if I go past 3 miles (I think it's shoe related) so that was going on too. Then this man, who's probably about 50 or 60, and is watering his plants, says:
"How far are you walking?"
Me: "Not walking..."(sheepish grin)
Man: "Running?" Knowing nod.
Me: "Yeah... kind of taking a walk break."
Man: "Yeah. That's what I do."
Me: "I'm going 9 miles today."
Man: "Oh, really?" (surprised, pleasantly.)
Me: "Yeah, well, I'm training for a marathon."
Man: "oh, really? Which one?" Even more excitement here.
Me: "(Tells which one)"
Man: "Oh! I've run it! It's awesome; you'll love it!"
So I was able to do mile 5 in a neat 13:~. Which was nice because, you know, I was on mile 4... and you already know how slow I am, haha.
So it was hot and sweaty and miserable and fun.
I also saw a firetruck from the volunteer station filling up/testing the fire hydrants or something. woo!
Also, R, while he was working, was introduced to another runner who, apparently, is very good. She's still in HS, but she has a running scholarship to a prestigious school. How cool is that?
It's been half-arranged for us to run with her on Sunday...well, today...later... well, R will. I'll be left in the dust, for sure. I'm intimidated.
Oh! Also! I finally got a handheld water bottle! It's a 10 oz'er from Roadrunner Sports. In pink, of course!
Also, I won JOSHATALIE's giveaway for a Road ID woo! I didn't even realize it until 4 days after she announced it because I was getting bad about keeping up on things... yeah...
Okay, so here's the Break Down:
Warm Up: None. I will never do this again; I don't think it helped things.
Mile 1) 14:53
2) 13:43
3) 15:11
4)16:14
5) 13:28
6) 16:33
7) 17:28
8) 14:33
9) 16:07
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Double Post...
...and it's late, so I'll be brief.
Yesterday, I ran a recovery run, 3 miles. R decided to run right along with me because we were going to try a different route and we wanted to do the same one, because I had the Garmin and we wanted to be sure of the mileage for both of us. He decided that since it was a recovery run, he would just go at my pace, which was perfect.
We did a little experiment where, right before we ran, we weighed ourselves and didn't drink or go to the bathroom after that. We ran, and then weighed ourselves again - still not having drank or evacuated anything since just before the initial weigh in. R lost 2.4 lbs and I lost 2.2. Amazing! Admittedly, it was warm, so we probably sweated a bit more than, say, if the temperature was more mild, but on the other hand, it was a recovery run, thus quite easy.
Break Down:
Warm Up: Lunge Matrix
Mile 1) 14:00
2: 16:00
3) 14:01
Last .16) 1:53 @ 11:59 pace
My calves were a bit sore for this one; don't have any idea why. For the last part, it was my heart rate that was really holding me back. It was harder to keep down. I'm guessing because of the sweating and loss of water.
___________________________
Second Run:
Today, I ran with K and her son (him in the jogging stroller). It was so fun! I didn't pay too much attention to my heart rate monitor because it kept slipping down and giving me bad (like in the 200's) readings. Also, I was kind of tired of watching it so closely!
It was nice and cool. I'm not sure exactly what the temperature was, but while I was driving over to meet K, I had 3 out of 4 windows down and I was getting cold! Two of the three, by the way, I couldn't roll up. Yeah, that's my clunker of a car for you!
I tried not to push it too much on this run because I have a long run tomorrow. We still did good though; a time of 41:39, which is pretty good for 3.18 miles. Especially with a jogging stroller and multiple hills!
Break Down:
Warm Up: (Abbreviated, 5x4) Lunge Matrix
Mile 1) 12:43
2) 14:22
3) 12:57
Last .18) 1:35 @ 9:03 pace.
Yesterday, I ran a recovery run, 3 miles. R decided to run right along with me because we were going to try a different route and we wanted to do the same one, because I had the Garmin and we wanted to be sure of the mileage for both of us. He decided that since it was a recovery run, he would just go at my pace, which was perfect.
We did a little experiment where, right before we ran, we weighed ourselves and didn't drink or go to the bathroom after that. We ran, and then weighed ourselves again - still not having drank or evacuated anything since just before the initial weigh in. R lost 2.4 lbs and I lost 2.2. Amazing! Admittedly, it was warm, so we probably sweated a bit more than, say, if the temperature was more mild, but on the other hand, it was a recovery run, thus quite easy.
Break Down:
Warm Up: Lunge Matrix
Mile 1) 14:00
2: 16:00
3) 14:01
Last .16) 1:53 @ 11:59 pace
My calves were a bit sore for this one; don't have any idea why. For the last part, it was my heart rate that was really holding me back. It was harder to keep down. I'm guessing because of the sweating and loss of water.
___________________________
Second Run:
Today, I ran with K and her son (him in the jogging stroller). It was so fun! I didn't pay too much attention to my heart rate monitor because it kept slipping down and giving me bad (like in the 200's) readings. Also, I was kind of tired of watching it so closely!
It was nice and cool. I'm not sure exactly what the temperature was, but while I was driving over to meet K, I had 3 out of 4 windows down and I was getting cold! Two of the three, by the way, I couldn't roll up. Yeah, that's my clunker of a car for you!
I tried not to push it too much on this run because I have a long run tomorrow. We still did good though; a time of 41:39, which is pretty good for 3.18 miles. Especially with a jogging stroller and multiple hills!
Break Down:
Warm Up: (Abbreviated, 5x4) Lunge Matrix
Mile 1) 12:43
2) 14:22
3) 12:57
Last .18) 1:35 @ 9:03 pace.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Yesterday's Run
...was a Long Run turned Semi-Long-Run for reasons that will be enumerated...
So, it was my mom's b-day. I wanted to do an early run (Honest!) and get out of bed and get it over with (I'm slow so 9+ miles will take me at the very, very, optimistically least 2 hours, probably), and then I didn't. I was kinda sure that I wouldn't be running. Why? Well, it's mom's b-day, as I mentioned, and she wanted people home - which is certainly not an unreasonable request - to help out with things, etc.
So, I was bummed that my week was going to be kinda crazy (as far as running goes) again. In other words, I payed little to no attention to the quality of my diet. Jeez.
I ended up eating a lot of (quite salty) tortilla chips.
I didn't drink enough water.
Later in the day, mom is like: "Don't you have a long run...?" and I'm like: "You don't mind if we go?" and she's like: "No! Of course not!"
So I guzzled some water (bad thing number 1, not including the late morning, the bad diet, and (dun dun) the chips) and we left. I drank some more water right before running.
At first, all was well. I did my warm up, got the Garmin all connected with the satellites, and started running.
Then for the first ~1.5 miles, I had a side stitch and couldn't run without horrible amounts of sharp, sharp pains. I'm sure we've all been there.
So my first mile was atrocious, as you will see when I put in the break down.
The next few miles, I picked up the pace, but the first mile had set me back so much, and the second mile wasn't so peachy either. I just knew that I couldn't do a long run. Thus, my mileage wouldn't be what it should have been for the week. Sigh.
As I went along, I debated at stopping at 2 miles. I actually doubled back for a second when I hit 2, and then went back again because I was like: "No way this is going to be a mere 14 mile week! Nuh uh!" so I kept going, trying to think about how long I could go and still live.
I had gotten some water at mile 1.7, and that helped. But I knew I couldn't do 9+ miles. At the very least, it would be too late.
So, it was humid, and hot, and in my dehydrated state, I did about a 50 minute 5k... which is really bad for me... anyway, I decided that I could do 4 miles. This would constitute a semi-long run. I could just switch my semi-long run with my long-run day and then it'd be cool!
Here's the thing: Sunday is a weird in-between day for me. It's both part of next week and part of the current week. It's the way my brain is wired; probably because I'm Jewish... so, anyway... technically this means that I've been getting in 2 long runs a week in, and also only 1... so yeah... weird...
I finished mile 4 like a champ! Well, imho. I made sure to get those miles in! I didn't stop at mile 3.95 when I got to my car because of a very slight miscalculation. I didn't even walk the last bit. I jogged around the fire hall parking lot until I hit 4.0 and some change. Booyeah!
So, I felt horrible, I finished strong. That's what counts, right?
When I was about halfway through the run, I was thinking to myself: "How am I ever going to finish a marathon like this? What if I get a side stitch then? OMG! My first marathon is, to me, going to be like an ultra, for pete's sake!" This may or may not turn out to be true. I'll let you know in ~9 weeks...
Break down:
Warm Up: Lunge Matrix
Mile 1) 17:19
2) 15:37
3) 14:52
4) 14:31
last 8.38 ft (hehe)) 1:42 @ 14:54 pace
And when I plugged that into the Garmin program, I'm like: "Hey look! Negative splits!" hahahaha
So, there it is...
So, it was my mom's b-day. I wanted to do an early run (Honest!) and get out of bed and get it over with (I'm slow so 9+ miles will take me at the very, very, optimistically least 2 hours, probably), and then I didn't. I was kinda sure that I wouldn't be running. Why? Well, it's mom's b-day, as I mentioned, and she wanted people home - which is certainly not an unreasonable request - to help out with things, etc.
So, I was bummed that my week was going to be kinda crazy (as far as running goes) again. In other words, I payed little to no attention to the quality of my diet. Jeez.
I ended up eating a lot of (quite salty) tortilla chips.
I didn't drink enough water.
Later in the day, mom is like: "Don't you have a long run...?" and I'm like: "You don't mind if we go?" and she's like: "No! Of course not!"
So I guzzled some water (bad thing number 1, not including the late morning, the bad diet, and (dun dun) the chips) and we left. I drank some more water right before running.
At first, all was well. I did my warm up, got the Garmin all connected with the satellites, and started running.
Then for the first ~1.5 miles, I had a side stitch and couldn't run without horrible amounts of sharp, sharp pains. I'm sure we've all been there.
So my first mile was atrocious, as you will see when I put in the break down.
The next few miles, I picked up the pace, but the first mile had set me back so much, and the second mile wasn't so peachy either. I just knew that I couldn't do a long run. Thus, my mileage wouldn't be what it should have been for the week. Sigh.
As I went along, I debated at stopping at 2 miles. I actually doubled back for a second when I hit 2, and then went back again because I was like: "No way this is going to be a mere 14 mile week! Nuh uh!" so I kept going, trying to think about how long I could go and still live.
I had gotten some water at mile 1.7, and that helped. But I knew I couldn't do 9+ miles. At the very least, it would be too late.
So, it was humid, and hot, and in my dehydrated state, I did about a 50 minute 5k... which is really bad for me... anyway, I decided that I could do 4 miles. This would constitute a semi-long run. I could just switch my semi-long run with my long-run day and then it'd be cool!
Here's the thing: Sunday is a weird in-between day for me. It's both part of next week and part of the current week. It's the way my brain is wired; probably because I'm Jewish... so, anyway... technically this means that I've been getting in 2 long runs a week in, and also only 1... so yeah... weird...
I finished mile 4 like a champ! Well, imho. I made sure to get those miles in! I didn't stop at mile 3.95 when I got to my car because of a very slight miscalculation. I didn't even walk the last bit. I jogged around the fire hall parking lot until I hit 4.0 and some change. Booyeah!
So, I felt horrible, I finished strong. That's what counts, right?
When I was about halfway through the run, I was thinking to myself: "How am I ever going to finish a marathon like this? What if I get a side stitch then? OMG! My first marathon is, to me, going to be like an ultra, for pete's sake!" This may or may not turn out to be true. I'll let you know in ~9 weeks...
Break down:
Warm Up: Lunge Matrix
Mile 1) 17:19
2) 15:37
3) 14:52
4) 14:31
last 8.38 ft (hehe)) 1:42 @ 14:54 pace
And when I plugged that into the Garmin program, I'm like: "Hey look! Negative splits!" hahahaha
So, there it is...
Thursday, July 28, 2011
I thought I wasn't going to get to run today...
...because the alternator went out in my car.
Wow! Now that I think of it, I've had a long day!
I just had to confirm with R that all the stuff happened today and not yesterday. I'm not even kidding; I got confused there!
So, what happened? Well, yesterday when I went running, I had to go with my sister, because when I went to start my car, it wouldn't start. The lights on the dash were flashing a bit, the automatic part of the seat belt was going all back and forth and wonky and the car was making a weird clicking noise. Bah.
So, today, I get up, get dressed, go downstairs, and Dad says: "Got any plans today?" And I say: "Umm... no, I got a long run later... that's it..." and he says: "Good! You're going To Town with me to get an alternator!" and I say "Cool! Okay!"
Let me back up a bit. My dad broke his leg, so I'm going with him to carry things, because he can't carry things and use crutches at the same time.
In order to get to town, we have to take the van because the truck is a stick, which my dad can't drive, due to the clutch, of course. So, we have to, first, drop R off at work, drop my mom and all her stuff off at her job, and then go. Whew. So, we do that.
Another thing, by Town, we mean (out here in the sticks) the larger town abotu 50 miles away where everyone does their Big Grocery Shopping and stuff like that, because there's hardly anything out here except for a slightly (but just enough) overpriced Ray's.
So we go to town, get the alternator and some coolant, grab some lunch (vegan tamale, Tias salsa picante chips, some soy milk... in other words, awesomeness), and go home. As we're about 30 miles from home, the gas thing dings and the computer thing says we're 24 miles to empty. Lovely. Dad says it's fine: he's driven it 30 miles when the thing has said 0 miles to empty.
So, we get to our hometown, get gas, pick up mom, head home.
Dad couldn't start working on the alternator right away - and I don't blame him - because it was 94 degrees out, but, to me, it felt like at least 99 or 100! We relaxed inside for a while, and Dad had to go check on something at his work, so he left. Meanwhile, it's nearly 3:00 pm.
Mom suggested I take a nap, because I look tired. She says she'll wake me up around 3:30. Turns out, I sleep until 4:00 That's what the heat will do!
So, the car, obviously, isn't fixed yet. But D comes home around 6:30 and says she'll take me and R running and we can pick up some stuff he left at one of the houses he works at. Cool!
So, long story not-so-short, I went running today! It was a semi-long run of 3.2 miles, which is actually an average distance for me, but I didn't want to push it, what with the nearly 2 long runs a week that have been going on... or at least will be going on this week. I may or may not go on the recovery run tomorrow. We'll see. Friday is always quite busy, and it might be nice to have a 2-day rest before the 9 miler on Sunday.
So, break down:
Warm up: Lunge Matrix (Except 5x4 instead of 5x5)
Mile1) 14:08
2) 13:40
3) 15:41
Last .2) ~3:00
And a couple more notes.
Since I got the Garmin, thanks to the graphs on the software that comes with it, I've been able to really see how much my heart rate fluctuates and stuff. It was doing it a lot, I mentioned that, I believe. I also mentioned I'm working on smoothing it out. It's getting quite smooth, actually!
Today, the heat made the last mile a little annoying. The heat was driving up my heart rate, just enough to make me have to walk more than I normally would have. I was feeling comfy around 175, but I know that's not optimal aerobic training, so I backed off. The funny thing is, I don't really feel the heat when I run. I'm focused too much on how I feel, what I'm doing, heart rate, and all that. I do notice that I'm drenched in sweat when I'm done, but other than that, nothing. And it was 88 degrees when I got done around 9:00 pm!
Eventful things on my run? A bull mastiff (?) puppy wanted to play with me as I was going up the first big hill. S/he was so cute! At first I was freaked out by the type it was; I thought at first it was a pit bull. But it just wanted to play and jump around and such. So cute!
Oh! And further down the hill, as I was going up, I look over the partition and there's another runner! I don't know who she was, but she was really going up that hill! Okay, I was keeping pace beside her pretty well and my heart rate was 165 at the time (I specifically checked), but I had to stop and walk just a touch, whereas she didn't. My legs were sore from all the running I've been doing. Haha. It feels so good to say (write) that!
But I think it's so encouraging to see other runners on your run. Don't you?
(also, sorry for the change between past/present up there in the story... it's late and I don't have the gumption to fix it... Even though I'm normally pretty good about that sort of thing...)
Wow! Now that I think of it, I've had a long day!
I just had to confirm with R that all the stuff happened today and not yesterday. I'm not even kidding; I got confused there!
So, what happened? Well, yesterday when I went running, I had to go with my sister, because when I went to start my car, it wouldn't start. The lights on the dash were flashing a bit, the automatic part of the seat belt was going all back and forth and wonky and the car was making a weird clicking noise. Bah.
So, today, I get up, get dressed, go downstairs, and Dad says: "Got any plans today?" And I say: "Umm... no, I got a long run later... that's it..." and he says: "Good! You're going To Town with me to get an alternator!" and I say "Cool! Okay!"
Let me back up a bit. My dad broke his leg, so I'm going with him to carry things, because he can't carry things and use crutches at the same time.
In order to get to town, we have to take the van because the truck is a stick, which my dad can't drive, due to the clutch, of course. So, we have to, first, drop R off at work, drop my mom and all her stuff off at her job, and then go. Whew. So, we do that.
Another thing, by Town, we mean (out here in the sticks) the larger town abotu 50 miles away where everyone does their Big Grocery Shopping and stuff like that, because there's hardly anything out here except for a slightly (but just enough) overpriced Ray's.
So we go to town, get the alternator and some coolant, grab some lunch (vegan tamale, Tias salsa picante chips, some soy milk... in other words, awesomeness), and go home. As we're about 30 miles from home, the gas thing dings and the computer thing says we're 24 miles to empty. Lovely. Dad says it's fine: he's driven it 30 miles when the thing has said 0 miles to empty.
So, we get to our hometown, get gas, pick up mom, head home.
Dad couldn't start working on the alternator right away - and I don't blame him - because it was 94 degrees out, but, to me, it felt like at least 99 or 100! We relaxed inside for a while, and Dad had to go check on something at his work, so he left. Meanwhile, it's nearly 3:00 pm.
Mom suggested I take a nap, because I look tired. She says she'll wake me up around 3:30. Turns out, I sleep until 4:00 That's what the heat will do!
So, the car, obviously, isn't fixed yet. But D comes home around 6:30 and says she'll take me and R running and we can pick up some stuff he left at one of the houses he works at. Cool!
So, long story not-so-short, I went running today! It was a semi-long run of 3.2 miles, which is actually an average distance for me, but I didn't want to push it, what with the nearly 2 long runs a week that have been going on... or at least will be going on this week. I may or may not go on the recovery run tomorrow. We'll see. Friday is always quite busy, and it might be nice to have a 2-day rest before the 9 miler on Sunday.
So, break down:
Warm up: Lunge Matrix (Except 5x4 instead of 5x5)
Mile1) 14:08
2) 13:40
3) 15:41
Last .2) ~3:00
And a couple more notes.
Since I got the Garmin, thanks to the graphs on the software that comes with it, I've been able to really see how much my heart rate fluctuates and stuff. It was doing it a lot, I mentioned that, I believe. I also mentioned I'm working on smoothing it out. It's getting quite smooth, actually!
Today, the heat made the last mile a little annoying. The heat was driving up my heart rate, just enough to make me have to walk more than I normally would have. I was feeling comfy around 175, but I know that's not optimal aerobic training, so I backed off. The funny thing is, I don't really feel the heat when I run. I'm focused too much on how I feel, what I'm doing, heart rate, and all that. I do notice that I'm drenched in sweat when I'm done, but other than that, nothing. And it was 88 degrees when I got done around 9:00 pm!
Eventful things on my run? A bull mastiff (?) puppy wanted to play with me as I was going up the first big hill. S/he was so cute! At first I was freaked out by the type it was; I thought at first it was a pit bull. But it just wanted to play and jump around and such. So cute!
Oh! And further down the hill, as I was going up, I look over the partition and there's another runner! I don't know who she was, but she was really going up that hill! Okay, I was keeping pace beside her pretty well and my heart rate was 165 at the time (I specifically checked), but I had to stop and walk just a touch, whereas she didn't. My legs were sore from all the running I've been doing. Haha. It feels so good to say (write) that!
But I think it's so encouraging to see other runners on your run. Don't you?
(also, sorry for the change between past/present up there in the story... it's late and I don't have the gumption to fix it... Even though I'm normally pretty good about that sort of thing...)
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Who Knew...
Recovery runs could be just as nice as a good long run?
Well, maybe not quite as rewarding, but nearly. Especially when it went as nice as this one.
I'm going to be perfectly honest. I do a bit of walking when I run; especially during my long runs. Why? Well, because I feel like I have to. I feel like, about 80% of the time, my walking is due to psychological barriers ("Just walk for a minute!" "I feel (generally) tired..." "UGH!" those kind). The other 10% has to do with leg cramps, stomach cramps, or...um...other types of cramps and things.
So, on this run, I just focused on keeping my heart rate in what I thought to be a good recovery zone. On my "normal" runs, my target heart rate is 170-173. Today, I tried to keep it in the high 160's at the most, which I did pretty well on. Usually, my heart rate on my Garmin graph thing looks like a lie detector test gone horribly, horribly wrong. This time? It looked like a slightly nervous Nelly who's perfectly innocent, but sweating because of social ineptitude...or...something. Yeah, back to the bad metaphors again, hehe.
So, this run went great! I walked the (absolutely unavoidable! Seriously, it's a bit annoying, but nice for strength, right?) uphills, ran the downhills. Ran for exactly 2 miles, thanks to my trusty Garmin 305. So. Awesome!
And the rundown (no pun intended):
Warm up: None; it was so hot, I just kind of felt like my muscles were warm enough!
Mile 1) 14:24
2) 13:06
I know I was properly hydrated too! How? I sweat enough to practically soak my clothes... in only 2 miles... of a recovery run... Okay, it was a bit warm; not uncomfortable, though. Perhaps a touch humid, but again, not that I noticed. So. Lovely, lovely hydration.
Also, I ate a bit better, and, oddly, a bit worse, today than usual. Oranges are my new favorite thing. Sliced, of course! Somehow, they taste better that way...
Also, do you know how nice it is to finally realize "I'm training for a marathon!"
I actually went online today and looked at the pictures from the race from last year. So. Many. People. I'm scared, really. Seriously. I'm going to have to make seriously doubly sure that I'm in the back of the lineup! Especially since it's Boston qualifier, so I don't want to get in anyone's way at all whatsoever.
Well, maybe not quite as rewarding, but nearly. Especially when it went as nice as this one.
I'm going to be perfectly honest. I do a bit of walking when I run; especially during my long runs. Why? Well, because I feel like I have to. I feel like, about 80% of the time, my walking is due to psychological barriers ("Just walk for a minute!" "I feel (generally) tired..." "UGH!" those kind). The other 10% has to do with leg cramps, stomach cramps, or...um...other types of cramps and things.
So, on this run, I just focused on keeping my heart rate in what I thought to be a good recovery zone. On my "normal" runs, my target heart rate is 170-173. Today, I tried to keep it in the high 160's at the most, which I did pretty well on. Usually, my heart rate on my Garmin graph thing looks like a lie detector test gone horribly, horribly wrong. This time? It looked like a slightly nervous Nelly who's perfectly innocent, but sweating because of social ineptitude...or...something. Yeah, back to the bad metaphors again, hehe.
So, this run went great! I walked the (absolutely unavoidable! Seriously, it's a bit annoying, but nice for strength, right?) uphills, ran the downhills. Ran for exactly 2 miles, thanks to my trusty Garmin 305. So. Awesome!
And the rundown (no pun intended):
Warm up: None; it was so hot, I just kind of felt like my muscles were warm enough!
Mile 1) 14:24
2) 13:06
I know I was properly hydrated too! How? I sweat enough to practically soak my clothes... in only 2 miles... of a recovery run... Okay, it was a bit warm; not uncomfortable, though. Perhaps a touch humid, but again, not that I noticed. So. Lovely, lovely hydration.
Also, I ate a bit better, and, oddly, a bit worse, today than usual. Oranges are my new favorite thing. Sliced, of course! Somehow, they taste better that way...
Also, do you know how nice it is to finally realize "I'm training for a marathon!"
I actually went online today and looked at the pictures from the race from last year. So. Many. People. I'm scared, really. Seriously. I'm going to have to make seriously doubly sure that I'm in the back of the lineup! Especially since it's Boston qualifier, so I don't want to get in anyone's way at all whatsoever.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
So Tired...
But I'm not waiting for anyone...,
Yeah, I know... I'm not that funny...
Anyway, the past 3 days I've been really tired, especially in the morning. Well, mostly in the morning. Resulting in? You guessed it. Another evening run today. Which, of course, did not make me or my parents very happy. We live in couger country, remember?
So, anyway, I thought I might be able to run earlier in the afternoon (it wasn't very hot today) and ended up waiting for R, which I don't mind; it's cool that he has so much steady work to do in this economy, even if it is manual labor!
We got out of the house just before 7:00 pm and ended our run about 9:10 pm... keep in mind that the sun was practically gone at this point and we were discussing the advantages of headlamps as we ran the last .36 miles. Hah.
The run itself was nice. I actually ran it faster than my 6.36 mile run a few days ago, by about 2 seconds... but still! This is 1.4 miles more than that! Okay, it was actually supposed to be a total of 8 miles, but we got out so late that I thought it would be best to cut my losses and just leave that .24 miles where it lay, or whatever. Okay, I'm done with metaphor; I'm not good at it!
Also, I think I need new shoes. Mine are starting to make my feet sore and I'm starting to feel a lack of arch support, which can be alarming - because it feels weird - in the middle of my runs.
Fortunately, it wasn't too hot... but I must've worked hard because nearly every inch of my clothing (all of it! All!) was covered in sweat. I don't think I've ever drenched my clothes that much in sweat.
So, tomorrow morning, I get up early... depending on the forcast, between 7:00 and 8:00 am and do ~2-4 miles. I have to look on my schedule to see which one it is. This should be quite easy and feel short compared to today. That will be nice. Not that I don't enjoy long runs; they're my favorite! The main portion of my training, of course, and I love them. But short runs after long runs are fun. They're not great because, you know, you're not supposed to run the day before or the day after a long run...but here I am, breaking the rules... oh, well. I'll live!
Also, when I was In Town yesterday, I bought Hal Higdon's Marathon training book! It's so awesome! I'm so glad I got it. It was at Borders which, in case you haven't heard, is going belly up, which is unfortunate, but it also meant that the book was marked down 10%. It was only $19.95 and I had a gift card... still, it's nice.
That's all for now, I think. More after tomorrow's run. Here's the breakdown from this run:
Warm up: Lunge Matrix (of course!)
Podcasts: Running Stupid, interview with Geoff Roes; Running From the Reaper, latest one - the 5 year aniversary episode, I guess you'd call it!
Mile 1) 13:49
2)13:14
3)15:18
4)16:28
5)13:37
6)14:22
7)16:12
last .76) 11:14 @14:49 pace.
That's all. I'll get in an early run tomorrow. Now, to scrounge for some food! And water... lots and lots of water...
Yeah, I know... I'm not that funny...
Anyway, the past 3 days I've been really tired, especially in the morning. Well, mostly in the morning. Resulting in? You guessed it. Another evening run today. Which, of course, did not make me or my parents very happy. We live in couger country, remember?
So, anyway, I thought I might be able to run earlier in the afternoon (it wasn't very hot today) and ended up waiting for R, which I don't mind; it's cool that he has so much steady work to do in this economy, even if it is manual labor!
We got out of the house just before 7:00 pm and ended our run about 9:10 pm... keep in mind that the sun was practically gone at this point and we were discussing the advantages of headlamps as we ran the last .36 miles. Hah.
The run itself was nice. I actually ran it faster than my 6.36 mile run a few days ago, by about 2 seconds... but still! This is 1.4 miles more than that! Okay, it was actually supposed to be a total of 8 miles, but we got out so late that I thought it would be best to cut my losses and just leave that .24 miles where it lay, or whatever. Okay, I'm done with metaphor; I'm not good at it!
Also, I think I need new shoes. Mine are starting to make my feet sore and I'm starting to feel a lack of arch support, which can be alarming - because it feels weird - in the middle of my runs.
Fortunately, it wasn't too hot... but I must've worked hard because nearly every inch of my clothing (all of it! All!) was covered in sweat. I don't think I've ever drenched my clothes that much in sweat.
So, tomorrow morning, I get up early... depending on the forcast, between 7:00 and 8:00 am and do ~2-4 miles. I have to look on my schedule to see which one it is. This should be quite easy and feel short compared to today. That will be nice. Not that I don't enjoy long runs; they're my favorite! The main portion of my training, of course, and I love them. But short runs after long runs are fun. They're not great because, you know, you're not supposed to run the day before or the day after a long run...but here I am, breaking the rules... oh, well. I'll live!
Also, when I was In Town yesterday, I bought Hal Higdon's Marathon training book! It's so awesome! I'm so glad I got it. It was at Borders which, in case you haven't heard, is going belly up, which is unfortunate, but it also meant that the book was marked down 10%. It was only $19.95 and I had a gift card... still, it's nice.
That's all for now, I think. More after tomorrow's run. Here's the breakdown from this run:
Warm up: Lunge Matrix (of course!)
Podcasts: Running Stupid, interview with Geoff Roes; Running From the Reaper, latest one - the 5 year aniversary episode, I guess you'd call it!
Mile 1) 13:49
2)13:14
3)15:18
4)16:28
5)13:37
6)14:22
7)16:12
last .76) 11:14 @14:49 pace.
That's all. I'll get in an early run tomorrow. Now, to scrounge for some food! And water... lots and lots of water...
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Frustrated
...In many ways.
First, last night, I stayed up late doing:
1) Watching the latest episodes of Eureka that my parents hadn't seen
2) Watching episodes of Warehouse 13 that people hadn't seen.
I actually only watched one of the second and then went to bed. Then, I decided to watch The Booth at the End, once I was sure the other people were done watching Warehouse 13, and after that an old episode of The Dead Zone while waiting for my podcasts to update. Now, here, I must digress and explain something .
There is no real actual cable/satalite TV in this house. How do we watch such magnificent shows? Hulu. That's how. Or, as in the case of Eureka, download the lastest season from iTunes. The problem is, we have horrible satilite internet, which means that we can only watch hulu after 11 pm at night.
So, all told, I stayed up last night until about 4:13 am. I had planned on getting up around 8 am to give me some time before I was to go running at 9 am with R to get our 8 mile long runs in, as per our marathon schedules. Well, that didn't happen. Neither one of us got up before 10:30. It was too warm by that point (northern California talking, here). Then, he had to go help my dad.
There wasn't much to do today, so I mostly sat around on the computer, catching up on things, reading (mostly pointless) articles, etc, in a warm room and unavoidably covered in a thin sheen of sweat all day. I drank water, though not enough, as you will soon see.
Anyway, I figured we could get out of the house by about 6:00 pm and still have enough time before it got too dark (around 9:00 pm) to do those long runs. I was wrong. R was gone at 6:00 having left again at around 5:00. I figured after waiting until nearly 7:00 "Well, that's it for running today..."
Around 7:15, I think it was, R calls and says for me to meet him down at the place where he is with his running gear. I'm like: "Woo!" So I get my garmin (Yay! Still excited about that...) and his stuff and I go down there.
We spend about 30 minutes doing other stuff before we can get going. Then we drive to the start point. By the time I get started, it's around 8:00 so I know I'll only get about 3-5 miles done.
So, I get going and I'm feeling good. My pace is good; my heart rate is good; my breathing is good; my legs feel great.
As I start the second mile, I start to feel sickish. Just a little bit. It gets gradually w orse as I go along. By the time mile 3 comes along, I know what's wrong. I didn't drink enough water. I feel slightly nausiated. My mouth is dry, and I seriously feel like I'm not sweating enough. I take it easy and finish the 3.18 mile run in 45:20. Not my best time; not my worst. I'm just glad I got it done.
On the other hand,I have to put off my long run yet again. And all of this could have been avoided if I had just not stayed up so darn late last night! Grr...
So, I'm switching my long run to Tuesday, which will force me to get up early (I have knitting group at 12:30) and get the run done, so that will kickstart me into that habit.
Totals for this run:
Mile 1: 13:59
2: 13:22
3: 15:38 (I guess this is really where I started to feel sick)
Last .18 mile was at a 12:52 pace and took 2:19
Totals for the week:
Running: 18 miles
Walking: 1 mile
Time: 4 hours 34 minutes
Average Pace: ~4.23 mph
What's the most frustrating is that my mileage needs to be higher (I think) than what it is, for my training. I'll have to take a look, but this really is the worst thing...
First, last night, I stayed up late doing:
1) Watching the latest episodes of Eureka that my parents hadn't seen
2) Watching episodes of Warehouse 13 that people hadn't seen.
I actually only watched one of the second and then went to bed. Then, I decided to watch The Booth at the End, once I was sure the other people were done watching Warehouse 13, and after that an old episode of The Dead Zone while waiting for my podcasts to update. Now, here, I must digress and explain something .
There is no real actual cable/satalite TV in this house. How do we watch such magnificent shows? Hulu. That's how. Or, as in the case of Eureka, download the lastest season from iTunes. The problem is, we have horrible satilite internet, which means that we can only watch hulu after 11 pm at night.
So, all told, I stayed up last night until about 4:13 am. I had planned on getting up around 8 am to give me some time before I was to go running at 9 am with R to get our 8 mile long runs in, as per our marathon schedules. Well, that didn't happen. Neither one of us got up before 10:30. It was too warm by that point (northern California talking, here). Then, he had to go help my dad.
There wasn't much to do today, so I mostly sat around on the computer, catching up on things, reading (mostly pointless) articles, etc, in a warm room and unavoidably covered in a thin sheen of sweat all day. I drank water, though not enough, as you will soon see.
Anyway, I figured we could get out of the house by about 6:00 pm and still have enough time before it got too dark (around 9:00 pm) to do those long runs. I was wrong. R was gone at 6:00 having left again at around 5:00. I figured after waiting until nearly 7:00 "Well, that's it for running today..."
Around 7:15, I think it was, R calls and says for me to meet him down at the place where he is with his running gear. I'm like: "Woo!" So I get my garmin (Yay! Still excited about that...) and his stuff and I go down there.
We spend about 30 minutes doing other stuff before we can get going. Then we drive to the start point. By the time I get started, it's around 8:00 so I know I'll only get about 3-5 miles done.
So, I get going and I'm feeling good. My pace is good; my heart rate is good; my breathing is good; my legs feel great.
As I start the second mile, I start to feel sickish. Just a little bit. It gets gradually w orse as I go along. By the time mile 3 comes along, I know what's wrong. I didn't drink enough water. I feel slightly nausiated. My mouth is dry, and I seriously feel like I'm not sweating enough. I take it easy and finish the 3.18 mile run in 45:20. Not my best time; not my worst. I'm just glad I got it done.
On the other hand,I have to put off my long run yet again. And all of this could have been avoided if I had just not stayed up so darn late last night! Grr...
So, I'm switching my long run to Tuesday, which will force me to get up early (I have knitting group at 12:30) and get the run done, so that will kickstart me into that habit.
Totals for this run:
Mile 1: 13:59
2: 13:22
3: 15:38 (I guess this is really where I started to feel sick)
Last .18 mile was at a 12:52 pace and took 2:19
Totals for the week:
Running: 18 miles
Walking: 1 mile
Time: 4 hours 34 minutes
Average Pace: ~4.23 mph
What's the most frustrating is that my mileage needs to be higher (I think) than what it is, for my training. I'll have to take a look, but this really is the worst thing...
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Sometimes Rest is Good
So, I didn't do a run yesterday like I was going to. Why? Because of the left calf problem I mentioned before. I wanted to know if some quality rest would solve it. So, two days of rest (yesterday and today) and I can't feel a single twinge. Excellent, is what I say!
Tomorrow is my long run. I'm going to get out there around 9:00 am and run my 8 miles, baby. That's the longest I'll have ever run. Ever. I'm excited! I know I can do it; it's just a matter of how I do it - badly, or well. I'm getting my podcasts updated tonight... some Running Stupid and Running From The Reaper (back editions).
Running From The Reaper is 5 years old this weekend... Nigel, who is the podcaster, is having a DailyMile challenge/event where you run 5k for 5 years, which is cool! The podcast is recorded as he's running in the English countryside and he just talks about this that and the other thing; sometimes having to do with running, sometimes not. It's especially nice when you're like me, and don't have someone to run with consistently
Running Stupid is by Coach Ken and he talks about races like the Western States 100, etc. He actually helped coach the female winner! That was an interesting podcast.
Anyway, I'm learning that rest is good. That sometimes muscles just need to heal, and that it (probably) isn't going to be detrimental to my marathon training. Which I am thinking more and more that I am crazy for doing. I'm not going to back out now, though!
The marathon is my Running For One Year goal. My Running For Two Years goal will (hopefully) be an ultra of some kind.
Tomorrow is my long run. I'm going to get out there around 9:00 am and run my 8 miles, baby. That's the longest I'll have ever run. Ever. I'm excited! I know I can do it; it's just a matter of how I do it - badly, or well. I'm getting my podcasts updated tonight... some Running Stupid and Running From The Reaper (back editions).
Running From The Reaper is 5 years old this weekend... Nigel, who is the podcaster, is having a DailyMile challenge/event where you run 5k for 5 years, which is cool! The podcast is recorded as he's running in the English countryside and he just talks about this that and the other thing; sometimes having to do with running, sometimes not. It's especially nice when you're like me, and don't have someone to run with consistently
Running Stupid is by Coach Ken and he talks about races like the Western States 100, etc. He actually helped coach the female winner! That was an interesting podcast.
Anyway, I'm learning that rest is good. That sometimes muscles just need to heal, and that it (probably) isn't going to be detrimental to my marathon training. Which I am thinking more and more that I am crazy for doing. I'm not going to back out now, though!
The marathon is my Running For One Year goal. My Running For Two Years goal will (hopefully) be an ultra of some kind.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
On Evening Runs
So I have decided that I am no longer running in the evening. It's too dangerous...and too stressful... But let me begin at the beginning.
So, this morning, I was going to wake up and me and R (my brother who is made of awesome) were going to get up and get our runs in early. We had kind of put off our long runs, for different reasons for each of us. Me, because I just didn't feel right. Him because his legs were sore from the 12.5 miles he had run on a whim a few days before. We had plans to leave around 10 am. That's kind of late considering the time of year, but I really, really have a hard time getting up early. I really, really like sleeping in. Which the better part of me objects to...
So, I ended up getting up around 9:20 am, deciding that I would not run this morning; I just didn't feel right, and when I don't feel right, as in I don't feel like there's a run in me - it's not a feel bad thing, it's just a feel - I don't run. But I would take R running, because he wanted to run before he went to do a job. I said I would let him use my Garmin because then I could use it later anyways.
It turns out, however, that the whole house is in a bit of an uproar because Dad's wallet is missing. As in it can't be found anywhere and no one knows where it could be and he was at the store yesterday, but he's sure he put it in his pocket before he leaves, and around and around it goes. The whole house is stressed out. Everyone's looking everywhere half a dozen times. Finally, R says:
"I...think I'm going to run later... it's stressful around here...and we should really find the wallet." At this time, it's about 11:20, I think. I'm like "Okay..."
So, we keep looking around. We watch a few back episodes of this seasons' Eureka (loooove that show!) and eventually, I find the wallet in the trash can beside Dad's desk. Ahah! As a reward? I get a 2 liter diet Pepsi. Awesome. Of course, I'm sharing it! And not drinking it all at once; I do have some will power!
Now, down to the actual run, at about 6:15 pm. We get there probably around 6:25.
Where we park for the run is next to a firehall. They were having training tonight, which, by the looks of it, involved washing fire engines. I didn't want to do my usual warm up (Lunge Matrix) in front of a bunch of people and look silly. This may have been part of my downfall.
So, as I go up the first straight stretch I'm feeling good. It's kind of flat. I'm going at a pretty good clip. I don't know exactly how fast I'm going because I let my brother use the Garmin anyway. I know he really, really wanted to and I don't mind. I kind of feel bad that he doesn't have one. He's a better runner than me, at least, well, faster at any rate. I feel like he might get a touch more use out of it... anyway... it's mine, I'm not giving it up!
I know I'm going at a slightly brisk pace, and I decide to take it easy up The Hill. My time turns from average to slightly sub-average, which I don't mind. By sub average, I mean for my 5k route. I have to do that loop twice today, so I'm thinking that I want the first mile to be around 15:00 (because of the big hill) and the others slightly faster, not counting the second time I have to go up the hill. I make it in 14:30 and some change, as they say.
That's great. But I'm worried. My calves are hurting, especially my left one (the one that's been giving me trouble; I have no idea what's wrong). By the time I'm most of the way through the 1st loop, I can tell that my calf muscle (whichever one it is; I'm looking that up on wikipedia in a bit) is causing my foot to go towards the outside edge as I roll across a step, if you know what I mean. I mean, I land on the outside edges of my foot anyway - it's evident by the wear of my shoes - but this was extreme, and I was very conscious of my foot placement on the ground and of every step of my left foot. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it was weird. I had to walk a lot because I was afraid of injuring myself.
I'm nearly done with the first loop when I see R. walking towards me. I know that this means he's probably given up on his long run. I had seen him earlier and he was going pretty fast, too fast for a long run, and seemed to be feeling good. I knew what had happened, though. His legs still weren't feeling good from the 12.5. He said he was just going to walk down to where he had to work. I said that I would walk down after my run and check on him and stuff.
So, I refuse to give up on my run (I hate cutting runs short, no matter how I feel! It has to be pretty bad for me to say "Okay! Cutting the mileage!") and am still a bit surprised as I work my way up The Hill again. Surprised because I'm like "Wow. My calves hurt. I'm making bad time, and yet I'm still doing this!".
On the descent of The Hill, my calves started to loosen up. I found my pace. I felt much, much better. Not, maybe, 100%, but still pretty good. Relaxed, even. My heart rate was pretty steady.
I finished it up in 1:33:51, worse than my previous time, but my previous time I had been taking it easy and feeling good pretty much the whole time, so there's that.
I decide to walk down to where my brother is, involving me walking down another fairly impressive hill. I talk to R who says he's going to finish early because it's going to get dark soon (it's about 8:00 pm at this point). I say that I'll wait for him by the car.
I wait for a while, listening to bits of podcasts, and then I notice that it's 8:45. Late. It'll be dark soon. I decide that it's too late and I'm picking up R. So, I go down, and he's walking up the hill just as I start down it in the car! What a coincidence! But a nice one.
As it turns out, we get home around 9:00 pm. We were search partied, as I will now term it. Meaning someone was sent out to look for us.
Now, let me backtrack a bit. R's job involved some landscaping work at a house that my mom cleans. She told me where to find a key and to look at the house to see how dirty it was to see how hard she would have to work when the time came.
When I got down to the house to check on R, I completely forgot. Not that she had told me to check the house; I fully intended to do that. I forgot that she told me where to find a key and I'm like "Hmm... no key...". As I think back on it, it's entirely possible, no, factual that I forgot on the way out the door. That I forgot that I didn't have to get a key from mom; I just had to go down and fish the on that was there out of wherever. I didn't even look in the windows.
So, long story short (yeah, I know, not really) we were gone for about 3 hours, we worried people, and I didn't even complete my very simple mission. Fail.
And that is why I won't run in the evening again.
Oh, yes one more reason. Mountain lions. They've been known to roam these parts, especially around evening time, so yeah. That worried me when I was thinking about R having to walk the ~.5 mile back to the car in the near-twilight.
So, run summery:
Warm Up: None. Bad idea; don't do this!
Distance: 6.36 miles
Time: 1 hour 33 minutes 51 seconds (slooooow, but okay; I had calf issues...again...)
Average Pace: 14:45 (Again... sloooow)
Feeling: Sore. But generally okay. Mood was good. Breathing/heart rate were pretty good. Just the dang legs... especially the left one.
So, that's that. I know I've complained about my calves practically every post...but really, it's a running blog, right? I can complain about aches and pains in my legs right? Right? Guys...?
So, this morning, I was going to wake up and me and R (my brother who is made of awesome) were going to get up and get our runs in early. We had kind of put off our long runs, for different reasons for each of us. Me, because I just didn't feel right. Him because his legs were sore from the 12.5 miles he had run on a whim a few days before. We had plans to leave around 10 am. That's kind of late considering the time of year, but I really, really have a hard time getting up early. I really, really like sleeping in. Which the better part of me objects to...
So, I ended up getting up around 9:20 am, deciding that I would not run this morning; I just didn't feel right, and when I don't feel right, as in I don't feel like there's a run in me - it's not a feel bad thing, it's just a feel - I don't run. But I would take R running, because he wanted to run before he went to do a job. I said I would let him use my Garmin because then I could use it later anyways.
It turns out, however, that the whole house is in a bit of an uproar because Dad's wallet is missing. As in it can't be found anywhere and no one knows where it could be and he was at the store yesterday, but he's sure he put it in his pocket before he leaves, and around and around it goes. The whole house is stressed out. Everyone's looking everywhere half a dozen times. Finally, R says:
"I...think I'm going to run later... it's stressful around here...and we should really find the wallet." At this time, it's about 11:20, I think. I'm like "Okay..."
So, we keep looking around. We watch a few back episodes of this seasons' Eureka (loooove that show!) and eventually, I find the wallet in the trash can beside Dad's desk. Ahah! As a reward? I get a 2 liter diet Pepsi. Awesome. Of course, I'm sharing it! And not drinking it all at once; I do have some will power!
Now, down to the actual run, at about 6:15 pm. We get there probably around 6:25.
Where we park for the run is next to a firehall. They were having training tonight, which, by the looks of it, involved washing fire engines. I didn't want to do my usual warm up (Lunge Matrix) in front of a bunch of people and look silly. This may have been part of my downfall.
So, as I go up the first straight stretch I'm feeling good. It's kind of flat. I'm going at a pretty good clip. I don't know exactly how fast I'm going because I let my brother use the Garmin anyway. I know he really, really wanted to and I don't mind. I kind of feel bad that he doesn't have one. He's a better runner than me, at least, well, faster at any rate. I feel like he might get a touch more use out of it... anyway... it's mine, I'm not giving it up!
I know I'm going at a slightly brisk pace, and I decide to take it easy up The Hill. My time turns from average to slightly sub-average, which I don't mind. By sub average, I mean for my 5k route. I have to do that loop twice today, so I'm thinking that I want the first mile to be around 15:00 (because of the big hill) and the others slightly faster, not counting the second time I have to go up the hill. I make it in 14:30 and some change, as they say.
That's great. But I'm worried. My calves are hurting, especially my left one (the one that's been giving me trouble; I have no idea what's wrong). By the time I'm most of the way through the 1st loop, I can tell that my calf muscle (whichever one it is; I'm looking that up on wikipedia in a bit) is causing my foot to go towards the outside edge as I roll across a step, if you know what I mean. I mean, I land on the outside edges of my foot anyway - it's evident by the wear of my shoes - but this was extreme, and I was very conscious of my foot placement on the ground and of every step of my left foot. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it was weird. I had to walk a lot because I was afraid of injuring myself.
I'm nearly done with the first loop when I see R. walking towards me. I know that this means he's probably given up on his long run. I had seen him earlier and he was going pretty fast, too fast for a long run, and seemed to be feeling good. I knew what had happened, though. His legs still weren't feeling good from the 12.5. He said he was just going to walk down to where he had to work. I said that I would walk down after my run and check on him and stuff.
So, I refuse to give up on my run (I hate cutting runs short, no matter how I feel! It has to be pretty bad for me to say "Okay! Cutting the mileage!") and am still a bit surprised as I work my way up The Hill again. Surprised because I'm like "Wow. My calves hurt. I'm making bad time, and yet I'm still doing this!".
On the descent of The Hill, my calves started to loosen up. I found my pace. I felt much, much better. Not, maybe, 100%, but still pretty good. Relaxed, even. My heart rate was pretty steady.
I finished it up in 1:33:51, worse than my previous time, but my previous time I had been taking it easy and feeling good pretty much the whole time, so there's that.
I decide to walk down to where my brother is, involving me walking down another fairly impressive hill. I talk to R who says he's going to finish early because it's going to get dark soon (it's about 8:00 pm at this point). I say that I'll wait for him by the car.
I wait for a while, listening to bits of podcasts, and then I notice that it's 8:45. Late. It'll be dark soon. I decide that it's too late and I'm picking up R. So, I go down, and he's walking up the hill just as I start down it in the car! What a coincidence! But a nice one.
As it turns out, we get home around 9:00 pm. We were search partied, as I will now term it. Meaning someone was sent out to look for us.
Now, let me backtrack a bit. R's job involved some landscaping work at a house that my mom cleans. She told me where to find a key and to look at the house to see how dirty it was to see how hard she would have to work when the time came.
When I got down to the house to check on R, I completely forgot. Not that she had told me to check the house; I fully intended to do that. I forgot that she told me where to find a key and I'm like "Hmm... no key...". As I think back on it, it's entirely possible, no, factual that I forgot on the way out the door. That I forgot that I didn't have to get a key from mom; I just had to go down and fish the on that was there out of wherever. I didn't even look in the windows.
So, long story short (yeah, I know, not really) we were gone for about 3 hours, we worried people, and I didn't even complete my very simple mission. Fail.
And that is why I won't run in the evening again.
Oh, yes one more reason. Mountain lions. They've been known to roam these parts, especially around evening time, so yeah. That worried me when I was thinking about R having to walk the ~.5 mile back to the car in the near-twilight.
So, run summery:
Warm Up: None. Bad idea; don't do this!
Distance: 6.36 miles
Time: 1 hour 33 minutes 51 seconds (slooooow, but okay; I had calf issues...again...)
Average Pace: 14:45 (Again... sloooow)
Feeling: Sore. But generally okay. Mood was good. Breathing/heart rate were pretty good. Just the dang legs... especially the left one.
So, that's that. I know I've complained about my calves practically every post...but really, it's a running blog, right? I can complain about aches and pains in my legs right? Right? Guys...?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
And Everything Turned Out Better Than Expected... mostly...
Had a planned run with K this morning. Just met her; she's cool. We try to run once a week. The route we run has basically stayed the same. It's been about 3.1 miles. A bit hilly, but only one brutal one. I like it because the smaller hills push you (well, me) just enough so I know that I'm really getting my hill muscles built up, but not so much that I have to stop.
Well, that's not entirely true; last time, and I think the time before, I had to stop and walk a couple of times, because of dehydration (mild) and stuff. Last time it was just awful. This time, all good... well, mostly - we'll get to that in a minute.
So, usually we go along this 2-lane country road that sort of ends in a gate. It doesn't really end because you can slip past the gate. But we haven't, until today. The road sweeps down at a pretty steep .22~ mile hill, which is nice as you're going down, because you get a nice break. So, we went past the gate; there's a little hill there, which I had to walk about 3/4 of the way up. My calves were starting to feel really sore (thus the mostly... I hate having to walk!). Ran down that little hill to a big hill...where we turned around. I ran up the other side of the little hill, ran again, walked a bit since I could not make it up the .22 mile hill... unfortunately... it's quite steep! But after that, I was mostly good. Had to walk a couple more times, but really focused on pushing myself further than last time, and getting a better time.
Lately, I've had a hard time pushing myself and dealing with legs getting sore, labored breathing, just psychological "do-not-want-to-run" laziness, mostly, and having a hard time getting through that on my runs. I love to run! I just am not used to it yet, I guess... My brain isn't used to physical, athletic challenge. I'll get better though! This time, it was easier!
I want to talk about those burning calves for a minute, though. They are just not up to multiple hills! I mean, the hills on this run were there, but (except for that one) they aren't severe. On my 'normal' route, I have 2 hills, one of which I repeat. The first is kind of steep, but not really, and is about .5 miles. Perhaps a touch less. The second is quite short, but quite, quite steep. This is the one I do twice on my normal 3 mile runs. I can do these okay without my calves giving out too bad, but apparently I still need to build up strength because the repeating hills (about 6 maybe, counting the fact that you have to go up them twice) is really getting to me! So, if anyone knows of any good non-running exercises to really target those muscles, let me know! I really want to be able to do hills without my legs feeling like they're on fire when I'm done.
So, the run was 3.56 miles long. Break down:
Warm Up: Lunge Matrix
Mile 1: 12:06 pace
2: 12:55
3: 16:42 (The mile I walked a lot... blegh)
Last .56 miles: 12:11 pace (took 6:46 to do this bit)
Total time: 48:31. Not fast, but descent, well, for me at least, and with the consistancy of pace and all. K is really good at keeping a fairly even pace, which I appreciate a lot... also having someone right there, running with me, is a good incentive to not stop when my mind is saying "Come on! Just walk for a minute!"
Long run tomorrow. 6 miles. Because I didn't get it in on Sunday. I know this is kind of a bad idea, especially since it will be sandwiched between 2 run days. I know I'm pushing it. I'm trying to keep my nutritional and physical stresses (the bad kind!) down as much as possible (though I do have my weaknesses...) so that my recovery is high quality.
So, all in all, excellent day! I really like getting runs done early (although I tend to have a hard time getting up in the morning...) because it makes the rest of the day nice. Residue of the 'feel good' hormones from exercise, I guess! Either way, I'm happy.
Well, that's not entirely true; last time, and I think the time before, I had to stop and walk a couple of times, because of dehydration (mild) and stuff. Last time it was just awful. This time, all good... well, mostly - we'll get to that in a minute.
So, usually we go along this 2-lane country road that sort of ends in a gate. It doesn't really end because you can slip past the gate. But we haven't, until today. The road sweeps down at a pretty steep .22~ mile hill, which is nice as you're going down, because you get a nice break. So, we went past the gate; there's a little hill there, which I had to walk about 3/4 of the way up. My calves were starting to feel really sore (thus the mostly... I hate having to walk!). Ran down that little hill to a big hill...where we turned around. I ran up the other side of the little hill, ran again, walked a bit since I could not make it up the .22 mile hill... unfortunately... it's quite steep! But after that, I was mostly good. Had to walk a couple more times, but really focused on pushing myself further than last time, and getting a better time.
Lately, I've had a hard time pushing myself and dealing with legs getting sore, labored breathing, just psychological "do-not-want-to-run" laziness, mostly, and having a hard time getting through that on my runs. I love to run! I just am not used to it yet, I guess... My brain isn't used to physical, athletic challenge. I'll get better though! This time, it was easier!
I want to talk about those burning calves for a minute, though. They are just not up to multiple hills! I mean, the hills on this run were there, but (except for that one) they aren't severe. On my 'normal' route, I have 2 hills, one of which I repeat. The first is kind of steep, but not really, and is about .5 miles. Perhaps a touch less. The second is quite short, but quite, quite steep. This is the one I do twice on my normal 3 mile runs. I can do these okay without my calves giving out too bad, but apparently I still need to build up strength because the repeating hills (about 6 maybe, counting the fact that you have to go up them twice) is really getting to me! So, if anyone knows of any good non-running exercises to really target those muscles, let me know! I really want to be able to do hills without my legs feeling like they're on fire when I'm done.
So, the run was 3.56 miles long. Break down:
Warm Up: Lunge Matrix
Mile 1: 12:06 pace
2: 12:55
3: 16:42 (The mile I walked a lot... blegh)
Last .56 miles: 12:11 pace (took 6:46 to do this bit)
Total time: 48:31. Not fast, but descent, well, for me at least, and with the consistancy of pace and all. K is really good at keeping a fairly even pace, which I appreciate a lot... also having someone right there, running with me, is a good incentive to not stop when my mind is saying "Come on! Just walk for a minute!"
Long run tomorrow. 6 miles. Because I didn't get it in on Sunday. I know this is kind of a bad idea, especially since it will be sandwiched between 2 run days. I know I'm pushing it. I'm trying to keep my nutritional and physical stresses (the bad kind!) down as much as possible (though I do have my weaknesses...) so that my recovery is high quality.
So, all in all, excellent day! I really like getting runs done early (although I tend to have a hard time getting up in the morning...) because it makes the rest of the day nice. Residue of the 'feel good' hormones from exercise, I guess! Either way, I'm happy.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Garmin and Rainbows
So, first run with the Garmin...It was fun, because I had a thing on my wrist telling me exactly how fast I was going, how far I'd gone, etc.
It wasn't so fun because it was muggy, kind of rainy, and warm. Also, my legs hadn't recovered really well, I think because I ate crud, which included sweet/salty food, and I didn't make up for it with goodly amounts of water, and I didn't go to sleep when I should have.
Oh, well. At least the run happened!
It was rainy when I got up this morning. I don't generally run in the morning, so that was okay. I just kept thinking to myself "Hmmm.... I hope it lets up! I need to try out the new watch!". So, we didn't go running in the afternoon, either. Why? Well, habit. I usually wait for my brother to get done with work, and he was working today, only later (more on that in a minute), so we could have very feasably gone in the afternoon. But we didn't.
So, I thought we were going around 6:00 pm. I had gotten drowsy, really drowsy, and laid down for a nap around 4:00. When I got up, he was at work, and it was between 5:30 and 6:00. Bummer. Oh, well, he was getting picked up at 6:30.
So, I go with mom to pick him up. I note that it is raining lightly as we drive away. In the Village, where we run, I note that it isn't running. Which is cool, I think.
He says he can't run because his legs don't feel recovered. I'm like "Hmm... well, I can still run and try the watch!" Well, mom mentioned me washing my car. I need to wash my car. It looks terrible right now. It's kind of a clunker anyway, but I'm not helping things by letting it be dirty.
But I'm like: "But then I can't run today..." then she said: "Well, I'd rather you run... you can wash it tomorrow..." So I'm like "Whew, awesome!"
So, we get home, I change, and by the time all is said and done, we get to the Start at around 7:10. I warm up with the Lunge Matrix from strengthrunning.com (which I love) and I start off. Nice! I'm already getting a 10:30~ pace! Which is fast for me; and I'm only used to seeing averages for paces.
Also, I feel it as the uphill incline starts... my calves are burning... oh, no. This happened last time I ran 4 miles.
So, I keep going, stopping to walk now and again. My first mile time was 14:45... slow, for me. Dang calves making me walk! I keep going, of course. I've already determined that I'm, not quitting. I'm good at not quitting.
My calves are still burning. I'm really getting down about my pace, but there's not too much I can do because...yes, the calves... ugh... and I'm feeling tired... and now my glutes are feeling sore...But I kept going! Charging up hills and along the flat areas as best as I could (which wasn't very good, but still; I was going!) second mile at 13:23! Yes! Well, I don't know if I checked that mile at the time; I don't think I did; I might have been encouraged at that point. I don't remember much about the third mile, 14:59... not so great. Hrmm...
Last mile, though! I'm on the last mile, and I can do better than I did last time I went that distance! I start going up the hill the last time, and I realize something. The distance on my Garmin is too short. The DM-mapped 4 mile mark... isn't 4 miles! I have to charge up a second hill! I get agrivated and really, really push! I realize as I start down the hill that the DM-mapped 4 mile mark is correct, it's just on the way back instead of on the way... meaning, the second time I pass that point after this particular turnaround (which I passed because I thought it was the 4 mile point...) is the 4 mile point... So, mile 4 was 14:37, a bit better! I charged through the last bit (which I didn't know the distance of) and came in with a total time of 1 hour 6 minutes and 29 seconds. 4.72 miles.
My average pace was 14:05. I know I could have done better if my calves weren't so sore. I had, as I mentioned before, a low quality recovery, and that was at least part of the problem. So I'll know better next time.
To be sure, I'm not trying to push the reason for the low quality of my run on things that I can't control. I mean, that's what I feel like I'm doing, but I know I'm not. I mean, I can control my diet and sleep habits...when I'm not being lazy... so, that's what I'll do! I've had to shift my schedule a bit to accommodate things... things being the late hour on my Sunday run, so the long run has been moved to Thursday. Semi-long run was today, tomorrow is a rest day, Wednesday is 3.1 miles, and Friday is 3-4 miles.
So, there's that.
Stats from today's run:
Distance: 4.72 miles
Average Pace: 14:05
Rainbows: 1 (yay!)
Sore Calves: Yes. Seriously. Blech.
Overall: Glad I did it. Excited about Garmin. Wooooooot!
That is all.
It wasn't so fun because it was muggy, kind of rainy, and warm. Also, my legs hadn't recovered really well, I think because I ate crud, which included sweet/salty food, and I didn't make up for it with goodly amounts of water, and I didn't go to sleep when I should have.
Oh, well. At least the run happened!
It was rainy when I got up this morning. I don't generally run in the morning, so that was okay. I just kept thinking to myself "Hmmm.... I hope it lets up! I need to try out the new watch!". So, we didn't go running in the afternoon, either. Why? Well, habit. I usually wait for my brother to get done with work, and he was working today, only later (more on that in a minute), so we could have very feasably gone in the afternoon. But we didn't.
So, I thought we were going around 6:00 pm. I had gotten drowsy, really drowsy, and laid down for a nap around 4:00. When I got up, he was at work, and it was between 5:30 and 6:00. Bummer. Oh, well, he was getting picked up at 6:30.
So, I go with mom to pick him up. I note that it is raining lightly as we drive away. In the Village, where we run, I note that it isn't running. Which is cool, I think.
He says he can't run because his legs don't feel recovered. I'm like "Hmm... well, I can still run and try the watch!" Well, mom mentioned me washing my car. I need to wash my car. It looks terrible right now. It's kind of a clunker anyway, but I'm not helping things by letting it be dirty.
But I'm like: "But then I can't run today..." then she said: "Well, I'd rather you run... you can wash it tomorrow..." So I'm like "Whew, awesome!"
So, we get home, I change, and by the time all is said and done, we get to the Start at around 7:10. I warm up with the Lunge Matrix from strengthrunning.com (which I love) and I start off. Nice! I'm already getting a 10:30~ pace! Which is fast for me; and I'm only used to seeing averages for paces.
Also, I feel it as the uphill incline starts... my calves are burning... oh, no. This happened last time I ran 4 miles.
So, I keep going, stopping to walk now and again. My first mile time was 14:45... slow, for me. Dang calves making me walk! I keep going, of course. I've already determined that I'm, not quitting. I'm good at not quitting.
My calves are still burning. I'm really getting down about my pace, but there's not too much I can do because...yes, the calves... ugh... and I'm feeling tired... and now my glutes are feeling sore...But I kept going! Charging up hills and along the flat areas as best as I could (which wasn't very good, but still; I was going!) second mile at 13:23! Yes! Well, I don't know if I checked that mile at the time; I don't think I did; I might have been encouraged at that point. I don't remember much about the third mile, 14:59... not so great. Hrmm...
Last mile, though! I'm on the last mile, and I can do better than I did last time I went that distance! I start going up the hill the last time, and I realize something. The distance on my Garmin is too short. The DM-mapped 4 mile mark... isn't 4 miles! I have to charge up a second hill! I get agrivated and really, really push! I realize as I start down the hill that the DM-mapped 4 mile mark is correct, it's just on the way back instead of on the way... meaning, the second time I pass that point after this particular turnaround (which I passed because I thought it was the 4 mile point...) is the 4 mile point... So, mile 4 was 14:37, a bit better! I charged through the last bit (which I didn't know the distance of) and came in with a total time of 1 hour 6 minutes and 29 seconds. 4.72 miles.
My average pace was 14:05. I know I could have done better if my calves weren't so sore. I had, as I mentioned before, a low quality recovery, and that was at least part of the problem. So I'll know better next time.
To be sure, I'm not trying to push the reason for the low quality of my run on things that I can't control. I mean, that's what I feel like I'm doing, but I know I'm not. I mean, I can control my diet and sleep habits...when I'm not being lazy... so, that's what I'll do! I've had to shift my schedule a bit to accommodate things... things being the late hour on my Sunday run, so the long run has been moved to Thursday. Semi-long run was today, tomorrow is a rest day, Wednesday is 3.1 miles, and Friday is 3-4 miles.
So, there's that.
Stats from today's run:
Distance: 4.72 miles
Average Pace: 14:05
Rainbows: 1 (yay!)
Sore Calves: Yes. Seriously. Blech.
Overall: Glad I did it. Excited about Garmin. Wooooooot!
That is all.
I'm doing it! I'm doing it!
Okay, so the name is titled after my thoughts as I finished the last weeks of Couch to 5k program. Now, some people may think this program is a little silly - running is just putting one foot in front of the other, right? - but I don't care; it got me started, therefore I am forever in debt to whoever thought of it first...
Anyway! On to exciting things! Such as my birthday present yesterday from R. Yesterday I turned 21. I got back lat(er) from a thing, so I was in a hurry to go on a run with R. Well, I got all changed, got my purse (have to drive to the start of the run) and then someone said "Come on; We need you in R.'s room!" I'm like, oh, okay. I walk in and there's a gift bag on the bed. Mom, of course, is recording the whole thing.
I take out the tissue paper.
I see a large-ish square box with a little running man on top. Do I dare think...?
I don't have to dare. Or think. It's there. Right in my hands. Garmin 305 watch! So much happy! R. had gotten it for me and he wanted to make sure that I had it for our run, in case we didn't have to do much to set it up.
Turns out, you have to charge it for 3 hours (which we didn't have) so I set it up to charge and we left. I came back and set up the user stuff on the watch itself (after cake) and today I'm installing the software and getting that all set up. Why didn't I do it last night? Well, by the time 1:00 rolls around, a person isn't exactly thinking the clearest...Also, I wanted R. to help me, and he was going to bed... thought he had to work today...but it's raining...
Speaking of raining, I hope it lets up! I want to try the watch! Argh! It's not supposed to rain in July here... hmph...
Okay, other things I should mention in a first post? Well, my ultimate goal as a runner is to be an ultramarathoner. You heard me. Only 6 months in and that's my goal. Hah. I'm training for a marathon in October. Should be fun. I keep telling R. "We're crazy for trying a marathon when we haven't even been running 1 year!" but, really, it's not that crazy, is it? Some people's first race is an ultra, for pete's sake!
Right now, I'm slow. Like really slow. I get a 12:33 average pace on a run and I'm stoked. That's fast for me. But I'm getting better! I read Brian Brazier's book Thrive and I ate that way one day (one day because, you know, my birthday...) and today I'm starting again. The run I had on that day was epic; my heart rate stayed steady, my breathing was even and unlabored, my legs felt absolutely fantastic, and I set a distance pace PR. So. I think that's all a good thing.
Now, as it's Monday, I might as well tally up the mileage for last week (which was low because of emergencies and things):
Running: 9 miles
Average Pace: ~12:40 (I think...)
Walking: ~1 mile (pace of about 17:00)
Cycling: None
Week 4 of the marathon schedule begins today!
Anyway! On to exciting things! Such as my birthday present yesterday from R. Yesterday I turned 21. I got back lat(er) from a thing, so I was in a hurry to go on a run with R. Well, I got all changed, got my purse (have to drive to the start of the run) and then someone said "Come on; We need you in R.'s room!" I'm like, oh, okay. I walk in and there's a gift bag on the bed. Mom, of course, is recording the whole thing.
I take out the tissue paper.
I see a large-ish square box with a little running man on top. Do I dare think...?
I don't have to dare. Or think. It's there. Right in my hands. Garmin 305 watch! So much happy! R. had gotten it for me and he wanted to make sure that I had it for our run, in case we didn't have to do much to set it up.
Turns out, you have to charge it for 3 hours (which we didn't have) so I set it up to charge and we left. I came back and set up the user stuff on the watch itself (after cake) and today I'm installing the software and getting that all set up. Why didn't I do it last night? Well, by the time 1:00 rolls around, a person isn't exactly thinking the clearest...Also, I wanted R. to help me, and he was going to bed... thought he had to work today...but it's raining...
Speaking of raining, I hope it lets up! I want to try the watch! Argh! It's not supposed to rain in July here... hmph...
Okay, other things I should mention in a first post? Well, my ultimate goal as a runner is to be an ultramarathoner. You heard me. Only 6 months in and that's my goal. Hah. I'm training for a marathon in October. Should be fun. I keep telling R. "We're crazy for trying a marathon when we haven't even been running 1 year!" but, really, it's not that crazy, is it? Some people's first race is an ultra, for pete's sake!
Right now, I'm slow. Like really slow. I get a 12:33 average pace on a run and I'm stoked. That's fast for me. But I'm getting better! I read Brian Brazier's book Thrive and I ate that way one day (one day because, you know, my birthday...) and today I'm starting again. The run I had on that day was epic; my heart rate stayed steady, my breathing was even and unlabored, my legs felt absolutely fantastic, and I set a distance pace PR. So. I think that's all a good thing.
Now, as it's Monday, I might as well tally up the mileage for last week (which was low because of emergencies and things):
Running: 9 miles
Average Pace: ~12:40 (I think...)
Walking: ~1 mile (pace of about 17:00)
Cycling: None
Week 4 of the marathon schedule begins today!
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