5 miles run and done today... felt good because I got myself out on a new route - which, innitially, I wasn't going to do... but it also didn't feel good because I was slower than usual. I know, I know - i'm obsessed with going faster.
I'm committed to putting in the work, though, to make myself that way. I'm increasing my long runs and trying to incorporate a hard run in at least once a week... hard run as in focusing on form and pushing myself rather than simply letting myself zone out completely.
Certainly, it is nice, sometimes, to zone out and just go with the flow and rythm of the run, but if I am going to improve, I have to pay attention to the machine that is my body and how it feels and what it is doing, to improve the form and function of the biological machine, as it were...
Good news- the route I chose was one that I believed to have no hills. Turns out that it has two appreciable hills... I haven't run hills in so long it felt strange! Not painful per se - actually felt a little easier than usual - almost like I was floating? I enjoyed it though.
I am looking forward to more hills in the future. I am also looking forward to getting faster. I am just... unsure of how to proceed. Today I felt so tired, like I really couldn't go any faster, however I was going slower than normal. I have taken 3 (unintentional) days off since my last run so I should be well rested... but it occurs to me now that, in the past, I've done worse with more days off in a week... as in 1 or 2 rest days is optimal... so next week I guess I shall experiment with fewer rest days.
Breakdown:
5.14 miles/1:34:49
1: 17:00
2: 17:50
3: 19:19
4: 20:24
5: 20:14
Average pace of 18:49...
Run happy!
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Monday, January 26, 2015
And Let's Give It Another Go!
Once again, it's been a long time. But, once again, I've gotten to a point where I need to talk (write) about running. I have no ill will toward the people around me, but none of them run so it's hard for them to understand my obsession... which is understandable!
As of this year, I have improved in some ways dramatically, and in others I feel I have fallen short and kind of gotten off track. I have found a way past the mental barriers that I felt, for the longest time, forced me to stop when I was running long... and, for a few months there, when I was running short. I "had" to stop and walk every mile for at least a block or two because I couldn't push past that block. But I knew that if I pushed past it once, I could do it again and again, and if I never let that victory go - never let that mentality creep in again - I would be set. I did just that; I made up my mind and simply ran without stopping. I only focused on running without stopping. Not speed. I wanted distance.
Now I'm to the point, once more, where 3 miles seems like a much too short run, 4 miles seem just right, 5 is a bit of an adventure, and 6 is my long run. I'm doing about 15 mpw, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm upping it to 20 in February and in March, hopefully more.
The part that I feel like I've gotten off track with is effort in other areas - primarily speed. I can run for ages but I'm embarrassingly slow. It's running form and a pace that's only slightly faster than my normal walk. I'm not happy about it. I know that I'm probably never going to be a super fast runner. I tend to do well with distance however - I don't get injured, I enjoy it, and I can increase distance quickly and easily. But I want to be able to finish a marathon in under 6.5 hours!
The route that I have been primarily running for the past year - close to two years, actually - is a relatively flat 1 mile loop around my neighborhood. Not only are my distances getting such that this is an impractical loop, but since it's so flat, I have no hills to challenge me. I do so much better with hills. I hate them, but I love them because I can feel myself getting stronger, and it's a wonderful feeling.
I am changing up my route for a longer out-and-back, which is, admittedly, flat, however I plan on using it on my long runs where I am adding distance and on days where I'm simply doing active recovery. I have another route planned that has two or three (four or five, if I choose) hills in it, going one way. It's another out-and-back, sort of... more like a to-and-from. At any rate, I'm hoping that training on a more difficult route, plus adding form drills and speed workouts, will help me improve. I am also trying to increase my core workouts per week and I'm going to do more strength training.
2015 here I come! I am also going to start marathon training in March. It will not only be my first marathon, but that particular marathon's inaugural run. I'm super excited!
In other aspects of my life, I'm trying also to keep my life a little more balanced and well rounded. I'm making time to do my other hobbies - writing, drawing, reading, languages - as well as making sure I have at least a little time to clean up my apartment. It's challenging, but I want to have a well rounded life... and not just a well rounded one, one that I enjoy. I don't really believe that a person has to give up things they love for the sake of living "normal". Everyone who has ever been great has the same number of hours in a day as we do, so I don't see why I have to give up anything.
Today is a rest day. I already feel like I want to run, but I know it's an ill-advised idea. I'm still sore from yesterday's long run and I still have to work at 1, where I will be on my feet for some hours. Tomorrow I am going to try out one of the new routes, probably the flat one, and do speed training (sprints or fartlek).
Run well :)
As of this year, I have improved in some ways dramatically, and in others I feel I have fallen short and kind of gotten off track. I have found a way past the mental barriers that I felt, for the longest time, forced me to stop when I was running long... and, for a few months there, when I was running short. I "had" to stop and walk every mile for at least a block or two because I couldn't push past that block. But I knew that if I pushed past it once, I could do it again and again, and if I never let that victory go - never let that mentality creep in again - I would be set. I did just that; I made up my mind and simply ran without stopping. I only focused on running without stopping. Not speed. I wanted distance.
Now I'm to the point, once more, where 3 miles seems like a much too short run, 4 miles seem just right, 5 is a bit of an adventure, and 6 is my long run. I'm doing about 15 mpw, and I'm really enjoying it. I'm upping it to 20 in February and in March, hopefully more.
The part that I feel like I've gotten off track with is effort in other areas - primarily speed. I can run for ages but I'm embarrassingly slow. It's running form and a pace that's only slightly faster than my normal walk. I'm not happy about it. I know that I'm probably never going to be a super fast runner. I tend to do well with distance however - I don't get injured, I enjoy it, and I can increase distance quickly and easily. But I want to be able to finish a marathon in under 6.5 hours!
The route that I have been primarily running for the past year - close to two years, actually - is a relatively flat 1 mile loop around my neighborhood. Not only are my distances getting such that this is an impractical loop, but since it's so flat, I have no hills to challenge me. I do so much better with hills. I hate them, but I love them because I can feel myself getting stronger, and it's a wonderful feeling.
I am changing up my route for a longer out-and-back, which is, admittedly, flat, however I plan on using it on my long runs where I am adding distance and on days where I'm simply doing active recovery. I have another route planned that has two or three (four or five, if I choose) hills in it, going one way. It's another out-and-back, sort of... more like a to-and-from. At any rate, I'm hoping that training on a more difficult route, plus adding form drills and speed workouts, will help me improve. I am also trying to increase my core workouts per week and I'm going to do more strength training.
2015 here I come! I am also going to start marathon training in March. It will not only be my first marathon, but that particular marathon's inaugural run. I'm super excited!
In other aspects of my life, I'm trying also to keep my life a little more balanced and well rounded. I'm making time to do my other hobbies - writing, drawing, reading, languages - as well as making sure I have at least a little time to clean up my apartment. It's challenging, but I want to have a well rounded life... and not just a well rounded one, one that I enjoy. I don't really believe that a person has to give up things they love for the sake of living "normal". Everyone who has ever been great has the same number of hours in a day as we do, so I don't see why I have to give up anything.
Today is a rest day. I already feel like I want to run, but I know it's an ill-advised idea. I'm still sore from yesterday's long run and I still have to work at 1, where I will be on my feet for some hours. Tomorrow I am going to try out one of the new routes, probably the flat one, and do speed training (sprints or fartlek).
Run well :)
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Wow it's been a while!
And my stop and go running habit continues!its the same old story -school, finding a job, and spending time with people you love somehow eats up all the time....but that's ok! This weekend I ran a 5k for the first time in a long time, as far as official races and as far as the 3.1 mile distance in training. I got 3rd place in my age group. I am not sure there were many more than three females in my age group, but all the same its the first time I've won something from a race besides getting a participation medal. So, once again, I am pledging myself to run more frequently and consistently. Also, more reasonably, and not setting huge goals that I have no reasonable time to complete.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Obesity in America...
Body image. Those two words alone are enough to make your eyes roll and your head hurt. In western society, specifically America, it seems that we have two standards; first, that if you're female, you need to be extra-super-thin and if you're male you need to be the bulked up perfect "V" shape; and second, that you are just fine the way you are no matter your gender, weight, or background. The second one sounds really normal and sane, doesn't it? Yes, at first glance. Heck, even the first one can sound perfectly fine to some people. The problem? Let me put it this way: how many situations, in reality, are so black and white as this? Is it really, starkly "Thin is good, fat is bad" or "You are whatever you are"? No. It isn't. Nothing is ever black and white, and this assumption – that one of these two extremes are right, is what is slowly killing Americans today. Now, most people are highly aware of anorexia, bulimia, and such eating disorders that cause extreme thinness. I do not mean to belittle those problems whatsoever, but it is another problem that needs more attention. It seems like there is a trend developing in America where people are accepting obesity as part of a person that doesn't need to be changed, rather than a deadly problem that needs to be addressed.
Now, those are some pretty strong words I've used, but let me explain. A person is not what they look like – in fact, that is the main emphasis of what Americans have been saying in this trend I speak of. A person isn't what they look like on the outside; it isn't what size pants they wear, or whether or not they can run ten miles at a stretch. A person is who they are inside, in their heart and mind. A person is not the fat they wear, or the diseases they might have because of that fat.
Excess fat on a person's body is deadly. It can cause heart disease, stroke, and diabetes – some of the culprits in the CDC's top ten killers list for the past few years. Obesity in America has risen exponentially in the past few years. Those that say genetics is to blame would have to deal with the statistics in that this has happened much too quickly for that, and the obesity rates correlate too strongly with things such as increased fast food consumption and decreased availability of fresh fruits and vegetables, not to mention a decrease in exercise of any form, an increase in time spent in front of digital media, and an increase in time spent in tiny cubicles hunched over computer keyboards eight hours a day.
Please understand that I am not saying that people who are at an unhealthy weight should be bullied and pushed and prodded into exercise and better eating. Some might think this is a solution, but I do not. I believe that the main problem with our society in this regard is that we have become so focused on accepting people no matter what their shape that we forget that they are mortal, and their shape has everything to do with how long and how well they live.
I love people, just people in general. It doesn't matter to me what a person looks like as far as me liking them goes. Every time I meet someone new, I am fascinated because I get to look at the world through a new point of view – theirs. But I also don't want to think about how, if the person is obese or at an unhealthy weight, they are going to very most likely have a poorer quality of life when they get older, and most likely a life complicated by debilitating disease. In fact, perhaps the people already are suffering from the affects of an overabundance of fat on the body. I want everyone to live a long and high quality life, to be the beautiful people that they are, and to be able to accomplish their dreams and goals without disease rearing its ugly head when it could be readily avoided.
Please don't misunderstand – I do not say that I want people to be stick-thin. That's just as bad. I am merely saying that, in America – and the world – we are dealing with an obesity epidemic that our society would love to ignore. But American society can't ignore it; it's making itself sick. As Americans, let's do what we can to make sure that everyone in America lives long, healthy, vibrant lives. Not by making it a social pariah to be at an unhealthy weight, but by making it socially acceptable to not eat fast food every day, removing the stigma that salads are "diet food", that broccoli is gross, and exercise is no fun.
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!
Monday, January 9, 2012
Let The Training Begin!
Marathon training that is...
So, short post because it's late and I don't feel like writing a whole ton... hopefully, I will tomorrow! If my goals come through, I will! Bwahahahaha!
Anyway, Sunday's run in short:
13.1 planned
8.08 achieved
Shortened due to:
Blisters in high pressure (when running) areas (what? Why? Never happened before!)
Good run anyway! Cool!
Tonight: blisters drained and bandaged (TMI? Well, running can be a grisly business; you should know that!)
Tomorrow: Awesomesauce!
Happy running! (and good luck on any running goals/expectations/hopes/dreams for the coming year!)
So, short post because it's late and I don't feel like writing a whole ton... hopefully, I will tomorrow! If my goals come through, I will! Bwahahahaha!
Anyway, Sunday's run in short:
13.1 planned
8.08 achieved
Shortened due to:
Blisters in high pressure (when running) areas (what? Why? Never happened before!)
Good run anyway! Cool!
Tonight: blisters drained and bandaged (TMI? Well, running can be a grisly business; you should know that!)
Tomorrow: Awesomesauce!
Happy running! (and good luck on any running goals/expectations/hopes/dreams for the coming year!)
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!
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