Getting Faster...

So... I thought I was slacking off and was going to do terribly in August. I ran a total of 17.xx miles in July... terrible... I was determined that August would be better.

As it turns out, August is better! I've been running a lot faster a lot easier. I attribute it to doing more fitness type workouts and, as I noticed when looking back in my running notes, doing lots of "fast 1 mile" workouts because I didn't feel like going long.

I feel amazing. I'm super happy.

YAY!

training...and movies...and such

So I've started getting the highs and lows of training... I always have, but it's more emphatic when I'm training for something. The lows are when I feel like I absolutely can't meet my goals; when I feel like I should just give up all together. The highs are when I realiz that, slowly but surely, I'm meeting my goals and getting faster, stronger, better, as it were.

My main goal is to get used to being uncomfortable. Sucess lies in being uncomfortable, sometimes severely uncomfortable. It's the only way to get anywhere.

Honestly, I don't want to be comfortable running.

I really don't have anything against the inspiration quotes that go around saying " A 15 minute mile and a 6 minute mile is still a mile". It does make me feel better. But it also makes me feel complacent. I have a place that I want to be. I don't want to be at a 15 minute mile. I want to be at a 5 or 6 minute mile. So I am avoiding things like that.

Movies? I have found that I really, really, really enjoy the stuff that Casey Neistat (pronounced "nice tat") does. It's just random and rambling enough for me to enjoy and be entertained by... plus, he is a runner so that's always cool. I've considered doing a vlog for a bit now, but I don't know. I'm more comfortable with electronic media when it comes to communicating with people, but I'm still a pretty private and shy person. I've gotten a million times better than I used to be, but still...

First seriously long run...

I ran 9 miles today... and that's farther than I've run in a very long time. It was also the longest I've run. I felt good, but I had to walk after mile 6.6 because I just felt like I was kinda falling appart. I still ran most of it... just had to take a couple walk breaks. I am not irritated or angry about that, just seriously taking it in to account.

I didn't focus on pace at all because I think long runs should be free from pushing the pace. My mid-length and short runs durring the week are where speed belongs. The long runs will get faster with time.

I am looking forward to my next week of training and it makes me happy to know that this long run didn't completely take it out of me. I felt good most of the way, and even though I had to walk, I never seriously thought I couldn't complete the distance.

Until next time - happy running :)

So...hi... and running things...

So it's been over a month since I've written anything... which doesn't surprise me really. I'm bad at being consistant.

I feel like I shouldn't say that though, because I label myself as "inconsistent" and thus make myself feel less accountable and more likely to be inconsistent in the future. So I am consistent. Just inconsistently. haha.

I started my marathon training and I'm on week 4. I have decieded to incorporate speed work into my marathon training beause I feel, for one, that the training isn't challenging enough and, for two, I don't want to just finish my first marathon - I want to finish and be proud of my time as well as the distance.

I haven't done speed work in a while. I did it yesterday though and found it very rewarding and revealing. I found that I certainly have more in me than I think - I just need to push myself a bit harder than I'm used to. Greatness lies beyond the comfort zone and all that.

My main struggle, though, hasn't really been running. I've been having good runs and I feel great; I feel strong. My main problem is nutrition. I can't seem to eat healthily for very long. It doesn't help that I'm pretty much the only one that is health-minded (shall we say) in my house... no one else cares about eating junk food and frozen stuff. I am too soft spoken to be like "hey i know we have a limited budget and we only have X amount of money to get us through two or three weeks, but we should buy some (quickly perishable) veggies and fruits 'cause they're healthy!" Whoever said eating healthy was cheap was wrong. So wrong.

So I'm going to try not to nosh on ice cream, sweets, and completely empty foods. I am going to stick to good protiens (healthy meat, eggs, milk) and calories... getting my veggies as I can via beans, sauces, and such.

I also feel weird wanting to eat healthy when other people see no problems eating tubs of cookie dough. It's not like they're overweight or anything and cookie dough is delicious! It just makes it hard for me to think healthily when i'm like "anything in moderation is ok..."

That's about it for now. I'm going to try taking pictures and illustrating my posts more, especially now that I have a decent phone with an ok camera that I can use on my runs.

Happy running!

Doubles and such...

So I have been working hard to make sure I'm getting my goal miles in. I've run 18 miles in 4 days, which is very cool. I didn't think I could do that but it's exciting! 

I've been running from work and that extra mile almost every day had helped so much!  I've gotten fatter and I feel stronger, better, and faster.

Today is my rest day and, honestly, I was looking forward to it because I was so sore. I'm still a little stiff but right now I just want to go out and do a couple fast miles lol.  I've been trying to run more hills  as well.

I have an excellent route that is hilly (very! ) and 6.69 miles long which is great. .. but it is intimidating because it is almost all uphill. I'm having a hard time doing it again.  Though I find when I get out the door start heading the direction I need to go, it's easier to tell myself "just one more quarter mile..."

So Friday I we'll attempt that loop again.

Happy running :D

Faster!

Yeah, so, I totally meant to post sooner. As in two or three days ago. But time slipped through my fingers as usual... and I didn't.

But today I kind of had to. I am making progress! It seems like it's been so long since I've moved any direction but backward in my running. Today I had an amazing run... It was a 1k, 1mile, and 5k pr for the year (yes, I know, the year is young... but honestly it's the fastest i've gone for probably 6 months) and it was a full minute faster on average than my runs have been as of late. I am very happy.

I have started doing strength training and core training and I did speedwork for the first time in ages. I have also started paying attention to the position of my body as I run... form, ease, where stress tends to settle, whether or not my arms are moving, etc.

I hope that if I continue doing as I am, I will reach my goals (finally!) and become the best runner that I possibly can.

Sick...

I haven't been able to ruin for daaaaaaays because I'm sick. ... it sucks.  I am miserable and my nose is getting more miles in than I every have in such a short period of time.

Ugh...

It is past midnight. ..I have to be up at 5 or 530... doing a double ruin tomorrow-3 morning and 3 afternoon-and my legs feel trashed and I can't sleep because is up in the Lovington and the light is shining in my bedroom. ..I have a really hard time sleeping when it isn't arty lazy 80% dark. .. I am going to be grumpy and tired tomorrow. .. that is all :P

5 miles run and done today... felt good because I got myself out on a new route - which, innitially, I wasn't going to do... but it also didn't feel good because I was slower than usual. I know, I know - i'm obsessed with going faster.

I'm committed to putting in the work, though, to make myself that way. I'm increasing my long runs and trying to incorporate a hard run in at least once a week... hard run as in focusing on form and pushing myself rather than simply letting myself zone out completely.

Certainly, it is nice, sometimes, to zone out and just go with the flow and rythm of the run, but if I am going to improve, I have to pay attention to the machine that is my body and how it feels and what it is doing, to improve the form and function of the biological machine, as it were...

Good news- the route I chose was one that I believed to have no hills. Turns out that it has two appreciable hills... I haven't run hills in so long it felt strange! Not painful per se - actually felt a little easier than usual - almost like I was floating? I enjoyed it though.

I am looking forward to more hills in the future. I am also looking forward to getting faster. I am just... unsure of how to proceed. Today I felt so tired, like I really couldn't go any faster, however I was going slower than normal. I have taken 3 (unintentional) days off since my last run so I should be well rested... but it occurs to me now that, in the past, I've done worse with more days off in a week... as in 1 or 2 rest days is optimal... so next week I guess I shall experiment with fewer rest days.

Breakdown:
5.14 miles/1:34:49

1: 17:00
2: 17:50
3: 19:19
4: 20:24
5: 20:14

Average pace of 18:49...

Run happy!

And Let's Give It Another Go!

Once again, it's been a long time. But, once again, I've gotten to a point where I need to talk (write) about running. I have no ill will toward the people around me, but none of them run so it's hard for them to understand my obsession... which is understandable!

As of this year, I have improved in some ways dramatically, and in others I feel I have fallen short and kind of gotten off track. I have found a way past the mental barriers that I felt, for the longest time, forced me to stop when I was running long... and, for a few months there, when I was running short. I "had" to stop and walk every mile for at least a block or two because I couldn't push past that block. But I knew that if I pushed past it once, I could do it again and again, and if I never let that victory go - never let that mentality creep in again - I would be set. I did just that; I made up my mind and simply ran without stopping. I only focused on running without stopping. Not speed. I wanted distance.

Now I'm to the point, once more, where 3 miles seems like a much too short run, 4 miles seem just right, 5 is a bit of an adventure, and 6 is my long run. I'm doing about 15 mpw, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm upping it to 20 in February and in March, hopefully more.

The part that I feel like I've gotten off track with is effort in other areas - primarily speed. I can run for ages but I'm embarrassingly slow. It's running form and a pace that's only slightly faster than my normal walk. I'm not happy about it. I know that I'm probably never going to be a super fast runner. I tend to do well with distance however - I don't get injured, I enjoy it, and I can increase distance quickly and easily. But I want to be able to finish a marathon in under 6.5 hours!

The route that I have been primarily running for the past year - close to two years, actually - is a relatively flat 1 mile loop around my neighborhood. Not only are my distances getting such that this is an impractical loop, but since it's so flat, I have no hills to challenge me. I do so much better with hills. I hate them, but I love them because I can feel myself getting stronger, and it's a wonderful feeling.

I am changing up my route for a longer out-and-back, which is, admittedly, flat, however I plan on using it on my long runs where I am adding distance and on days where I'm simply doing active recovery. I have another route planned that has two or three (four or five, if I choose) hills in it, going one way. It's another out-and-back, sort of... more like a to-and-from. At any rate, I'm hoping that training on a more difficult route, plus adding form drills and speed workouts, will help me improve. I am also trying to increase my core workouts per week and I'm going to do more strength training.

2015 here I come! I am also going to start marathon training in March. It will not only be my first marathon, but that particular marathon's inaugural run. I'm super excited!

In other aspects of my life, I'm trying also to keep my life a little more balanced and well rounded. I'm making time to do my other hobbies - writing, drawing, reading, languages - as well as making sure I have at least a little time to clean up my apartment.  It's challenging, but I want to have a well rounded life... and not just a well rounded one, one that I enjoy. I don't really believe that a person has to give up things they love for the sake of living "normal". Everyone who has ever been great has the same number of hours in a day as we do, so I don't see why I have to give up anything.

Today is a rest day. I already feel like I want to run, but I know it's an ill-advised idea. I'm still sore from yesterday's long run and I still have to work at 1, where I will be on my feet for some hours. Tomorrow I am going to try out one of the new routes, probably the flat one, and do speed training (sprints or fartlek).

Run well :)

Wow it's been a while!

And my stop and go running habit continues!its the same old story -school, finding a job, and spending time with people you love somehow eats up all the time....but that's ok! This weekend I ran a 5k for the first time in a long time, as far as official races and as far as the 3.1 mile distance in training. I got 3rd place in my age group. I am not sure there were many more than three females in my age group, but all the same its the first time I've won something from a race besides getting a participation medal. So, once again, I am pledging myself to run more frequently and consistently. Also, more reasonably, and not setting huge goals that I have no reasonable time to complete.

Obesity in America...

Body image. Those two words alone are enough to make your eyes roll and your head hurt. In western society,  specifically America, it seems that we have two standards; first, that if you're female, you need to be extra-super-thin and if you're male you need to be the bulked up perfect "V" shape; and second, that you are just fine the way you are no matter your gender, weight, or background. The second one sounds really normal and sane, doesn't it? Yes, at first glance. Heck, even the first one can sound perfectly fine to some people. The problem? Let me put it this way: how many situations, in reality, are so black and white as this? Is it really, starkly "Thin is good, fat is bad" or "You are whatever you are"? No. It isn't. Nothing is ever black and white, and this assumption – that one of these two extremes are right, is what is slowly killing Americans today. Now, most people are highly aware of anorexia, bulimia, and such eating disorders that cause extreme thinness. I do not mean to belittle those problems whatsoever, but it is another problem that needs more attention. It seems like there is a trend developing in America where people are accepting obesity as part of a person that doesn't need to be changed, rather than a deadly problem that needs to be addressed.

Now, those are some pretty strong words I've used, but let me explain. A person is not what they look like – in fact, that is the main emphasis of what Americans have been saying in this trend I speak of. A person isn't what they look like on the outside; it isn't what size pants they wear, or whether or not they can run ten miles at a stretch. A person is who they are inside, in their heart and mind. A person is not the fat they wear, or the diseases they might have because of that fat.

Excess fat on a person's body is deadly. It can cause heart disease, stroke, and diabetes – some of the culprits in the CDC's top ten killers list for the past few years. Obesity in America has risen exponentially in the past few years. Those that say genetics is to blame would have to deal with the statistics in that this has happened much too quickly for that, and the obesity rates correlate too strongly with things such as increased fast food consumption and decreased availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, not to mention a decrease in exercise of any form, an increase in time spent in front of digital media, and an increase in time spent in tiny cubicles hunched over computer keyboards eight hours a day. 

Please understand that I am not saying that people who are at an unhealthy weight should be bullied and pushed and prodded into exercise and better eating. Some might think this is a solution, but I do not. I believe that the main problem with our society in this regard is that we have become so focused on accepting people no matter what their shape that we forget that they are mortal, and their shape has everything to do with how long and how well they live.

I love people, just people in general. It doesn't matter to me what a person looks like as far as me liking them goes. Every time I meet someone new, I am fascinated because I get to look at the world through a new point of view – theirs. But I also don't want to think about how, if the person is obese or at an unhealthy weight, they are going to very most likely have a poorer quality of life when they get older, and most likely a life complicated by debilitating disease. In fact, perhaps the people already are suffering from the affects of an overabundance of fat on the body. I want everyone to live a long and high quality life, to be the beautiful people that they are, and to be able to accomplish their dreams and goals without disease rearing its ugly head when it could be readily avoided.

Please don't misunderstand – I do not say that I want people to be stick-thin. That's just as bad. I am merely saying that, in America – and the world – we are dealing with an obesity epidemic that our society would love to ignore. But American society can't ignore it; it's making itself sick. As Americans, let's do what we can to make sure that everyone in America lives long, healthy, vibrant lives. Not by making it a social pariah to be at an unhealthy weight, but by making it socially acceptable to not eat fast food every day, removing the stigma that salads are "diet food", that broccoli is gross, and exercise is no fun.

The Awesomesauce

...is that I broke my official course PR on my "hometown" 5k course. By 0:40. Yes. I know. It's awesome.

So, I decided to do this because I was tired of it hanging over my head. My previous (official) PR on that course was 42:28. Part of that was because I freaked out because I had gone out quicker than usual and wasn't really feeling it, aside from some calf stiffness that I was used to at the time (it was a shoe problem). At that time, I don't think it was as good as I had done before, but it was pretty close. I don't even remember what it was before that. (Do you ever forget old race times? It's been a year since I did that and it was never posted anywhere; I just remember...)

So, yesterday, I made a decision to break PR today. Not a goal, not a hope - a decision. What made me do that? I don't know. Somehow, I knew if I tried really, really hard - I could. So, I got myself ready. I figured out my splits, I told people what I was going to do (accountability) and geared up.

I woke up this morning and my ankle was hurting a bit. I was tired. I didn't feel that great because I had eating waaaaaay too much for dinner last night. Around 9:00 my brother knocked on my door and said that I should get up (in the nicest of terms) for getting ready to run. I debated with myself for 15 minutes about whether or not I should do it. I finally got up and was starting to put on my everyday clothes when I thought: "You know what, why not? My ankle thing doesn't really do any worse if I run; it has a range of "good" and "bad" that's not going to change if I try to PR today, this morning!" Also, I didn't want to tell my brother again (I do this a lot) "Let's wait until later..."

So I went. My planned splits were 14:00, 13:00, 12:00, and at most 2:00 for the last 0.1 (really 0.19 on this course).

Break Down:

Lunge Matrix Warm Up

Mile 1: 13:24
2: 12:35
3: 13:42
last .19: 2:06 @ 11:18 pace

Total: 41:48

Just about perfectly what I wanted, although towards the end I was thinking: "Anything less than 42:28, even if it's by just a second! Just keep going!" And I did. It was AWESOMESAUCE, as I promised before.

R. ran the last 0.6 mile with me. He also PR'd in the same distance, same course by 58 seconds. I was quite proud of him, especially since he thought it would be quite difficult for him to get even a few seconds off that time.

So yay! I'm going to be doing this exercize (hehehe) once a week during marathon training until it gets too hard, or I'm not noticing results. But it was fun, and it showed me what I really can do, no matter what.

I think it also helped that I just kept my concentration on that one goal of PR'ing.  I'm so happy!

Happy Running!

Let The Training Begin!

Marathon training that is...

So, short post because it's late and I don't feel like writing a whole ton... hopefully, I will tomorrow! If my goals come through, I will! Bwahahahaha!

Anyway, Sunday's run in short:

13.1 planned
8.08 achieved
Shortened due to:
Blisters in high pressure (when running) areas (what? Why? Never happened before!)

Good run anyway! Cool!

Tonight: blisters drained and bandaged (TMI? Well, running can be a grisly business; you should know that!)

Tomorrow: Awesomesauce!

Happy running! (and good luck on any running goals/expectations/hopes/dreams for the coming year!)

Best Run Ever...

Okay, so this is going to be a two-in-one post because I forgot to blog yesterday... le sigh... (I'm going to relieve the suspense and tell you that the second run was the best. Just so you know).

So, yesterday I did an easy 6.3 miler. It was on-purpose-easy because 1) I didn't feel that good once I got started and 2) it was the 4th day of my streak, which may not be a lot for some, but it's been a while since I've ran that much, so I wanted to take it easy. For number 3, I keep getting reminded that slow, easy miles are good and should be a regular part of endurance training.

My goal was a 15:00 pace and I actually ended up doing 14:32, despite loads of walking to keep myself on my goal pace. I really, really didn't want to go too fast on a longer run for fear of blowing up, plus, as I said before - long, slow miles.

So a breakdown of that:

Lunge Matrix warm up
Mile 1: 15:14
2: 14:00
3: 14:52
4: 16:21
5: 13:56
6: 14:41
Last .3: 4:28 @ 14:43 pace

So yeah, I got a good easy run in, which I was happy about. I listened to 100 mile ultrarunning (one of my favorite podcasts) and enjoyed it immensely. As a matter of fact, I wasn't done by the time the podcast was and so I switched to music. I found that it was just too much. I realize that, at least for now, the stress of finding the "right" song for the "right" pace is just too much and is overriding the "listen to your body!" mantra that works so well for me! So I'll be taking a break from music and going back to podcasts (which I really have missed!) at least for now.

Okay, the second (today's) run was awesome. It's the 5th day in a row that I've ran. I felt sure that my legs were going to be sore and just uncooperative and miserable. I had planned a 6 miler again but only did 3.2, but not for the reason you might think (aha!).

Earlier, I was looking at the time limits for the marathon in May (yippee!) and found that only the first half had a time limit. The first 13.1 miles had to be done in 3:30 because of road closure issues. I decided that on Sunday, I was going to run 13.1 (or as much as possible) just to see where I stand. Thus, I decided that I'm going to take it easy on today's and Friday's run so that I'll be more prepared for Sunday.

So, on my run, I felt awesome! I was able to just zone out and multiple times I forgot that I was even running! I've never had that happen to me before. I had to stop and walk a couple of times, sure, once because I was really charging a hill and decided to slow up and ended up talking (while walking) to someone for longer than I absolutely wanted. Another time I stopped because I was getting abdominal cramps (dehydration?), and at the end, I was feeling so good and didn't want to "ruin" it that I walked a short, steep hill. I felt so, so, so good. I think the fact that I jump started my mileage and started running more has maybe broken through a rut I was in and didn't realize it - or didn't know how to get out of. So, the truth really is, run more to run better!

I was aiming for a 14:00 pace just so I knew I could take it easy. I knew I would probably do better once I got going because I felt so good. I actually did a tiny bit of sprinting, haha. This time I was listening to Running From the Reaper (another favorite) and was really, really able to zone out. I didn't PR or anything, but it was a very happy, satisfactory run. It was a run that made me realize what I can do, instead of feeling like my body can't do what I want it to. I didn't even look at my Garmin that much! I sort of just loped along at a pace that my body and the road allowed, which wasn't too slow - especially considering the insta-boost in mileage- and it was just awesome!

Anyway, breakdown:

Lunge Matrix warm up (slightly abbreviated)
Mile 1) 14:35
2: 13:02
3: 14:23
Last .2: 2:22 @ 11:49 pace.

My average pace ended up being 13:52.

So not especially speedy, but it was especially nice. I hope tomorrow's goes just as well!

Happy Running!

Aaaaand number 3 for the year!

Okay, so I woke up this morning and my calf was cramping up (I think it's a combination of not enough water, the cold, possibly lack of electrolytes, not stretching enough, and a crowned road (yay California :P)). So, I decided I would run later to see if it would work itself out. It's sort of a thing that escalates the more I run, so I gotta stretch it out and give it a break now and again or I can't run. BAH.


So I got back from a thing and it was 4:00. The sun sets at about 5:00, so I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible and run. I changed quickly and realized I had to go to the bathroom. I decided it could wait (although I knew I had had a cup of coffee earlier...) since I was racing the sun, and I only planned on doing ~ 2 miles.

So, fast forward a bit to me running at a good clip (keeping an 11:00 - 10:00 pace quite easily; good for me!) and not having to stop, pushing myself a little. A fast run, I thought, since it's going to be short. I turn around, make my way down the other side of a little, steep, hill and realize I have to stop.

My bladder, I just knew, would betray me in the worst way possible if I continued. I mean, I couldn't feel any of the proper muscles down there.... cause, you know, running means a large bit of blood flow diverted from places to just the legs and heart/lung area.

I still managed an okay pace.

I'm glad I ran today - that's 3 in a row! The longest streak in a long time, hahahahaha.

So, here are the stats:

No warm up

1.77 miles total distance
23:17 time
13:09 average pace.

So yeah. It felt like a really, really good run. It was a shame that I had to stop...

There's always tomorrow!

Happy Running!

(P.S. I'm really hoping to find some trails at some point; trail running seems like it would be sooo much fun and I haven't done any, aside from that marsh run last year, which I don't think counts too much...)

It's Monday and I'm Still Running!

hahaha yeah....

So...

Kind of a heavy feeling run. I think it was because I ran yesterday and haven't done back-to-back runs in a long time. I had fun, though. I also think the cold made my muscles stiff. It wasn't that cold though  - around 45 degrees... but it felt colder than, say, the 40 degrees I was used to a week or two ago. Very strange, as the Beatles would say.

I ran with R. because his leg was acting up - partly his IT band area. I told him to do the rehab on the strength running website (it's a really good website!), but he hasn't yet. I'll bug him some more; I don't want him to have issues!

But during the run, his legs loosened up. Afterwards his calf was giving him trouble. Oy. I swear it's the building up of mileage and being not used to back-to-back running days. Oh, well. It'll iron itself out. Hopefully; we'll keep an eye on it.

Anyway, it was slow, but enjoyable.

Matrix Warm Up (also did a bit of a slower first half mile to warm up):
Mile 1: 14:40
Mile 2: 13:14
Mile 3: 14:41
Last .21: 2:54 @ 13:58 pace (walked a bit)

I'm trying to get over my habit of walking. I know it's a habit because I just do it. I do it when I get into rhythm and feel great; I do it when I start to ache all over. It's bad. Very bad. I know if I just keep running, I can get past the mental barrier and forget that something hurts or I just feel like stopping in general.

What are your ways of solving this difficulty?

Happy Running :D

First Run of 2012

So, I wanted to do 10 - I did! But between my trapeziums hurting (because I've started strength training again) and staying up too late, I didn't get good sleep, or enough. I also haven't been eating very well or drinking enough water.

When will I learn that I have to take care of myself before I can become a better runner? Jeez!

Anyway, I ended up doing 5 miles at a fairly slow pace. But it's okay. It's a good start! This year is going to be a great running year, I have determined.

To make sure this happens, I'm going to:

-Get to bed earlier (11:00 or 12:00, at the LATEST)
-Eat more vegetables, and less bad, processed stuff
-Drink more water, less sodas (ugh, my pepsi addiction!) and less coffee
-Lose weight (it's easier to go faster and longer if you're lighter!)

So there's that!

Today's run breakdown:

Mile 1 (warm up mile): 13:23
Mile 2: 13:14
Mile 3: 15:10
Mile 4: 15:15
Mile 5: 14:37

So yes, slow, hard, thirsty, and hilly... But I did it! That's what counts :D

Happy Running 2012

It's been. A long long time...

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

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!