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!
Showing posts with label garmin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label garmin. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Thursday, January 5, 2012
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!
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!
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.
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.
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