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!
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Friday, August 7, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
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!
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!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
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!
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!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
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...)
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...)
Monday, January 2, 2012
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
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
Sunday, January 1, 2012
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
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
Thursday, December 29, 2011
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
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, 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!
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.
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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