Posts tagged running
Michael does life
.... and stuff
17 notes &
C25k Week 7 Day 1
Just Marie with me today. Run downtown, 1.8 miles, 26:51, 14:24 average pace.
My cardio performance is decent but my shins are limiting me. I think it might be the Brooks Ghost, I didn’t have problems with the side of my shins until I started running in them.
23 notes &
Couch to 5k Week 6 Day 2
My ankle is 90% back to normal, so I went out to do 10 minutes run, 3 minute walk, 10 minute run. It was a big fail.
I thought this trail was flat, but looking at the elevation profile from Garmin it is not. My pace was horrible and after the first 10 minute interval the sides of my shins were on fire. Pain level 6/10. I turned around and walked back, walking through the second interval too.
It wasn’t a cardio issue, it was all shin pain. I need to figure this out. Today was demoralizing.
28 notes &
Couch to 5k Week 6 Day 1. I made it through the 5 and 8 minute intervals. Had to walk during the last 5 minute interval because my ankle was killing me. My lower back was hurting too which I attribute to my form changing to compensate for my ankle. First interval 5 minutes, 0.43 miles, 11:39 pace. Second interval 8 minutes, 0.61 miles, 13:02 pace, third interval 5 minutes, 15:17 pace, 0.33 painful miles. Total with walking 2.11 miles 34:01, 16:05
51 notes &
The Jingle Bell Run 5k was this afternoon. This was my first time running this race and I was surprised how big it was, around 800 people, which for this area is big. I’m used to local races in the 200-400 range.
I met up with Deana and my 5k group. This was Week 5, Day 3 for us and we were using the race as a training run. Our only goal was to run 20 minutes continuous. We saw Chelsea with the 5k training group she was running, and also ran into Brandon near the start.
This race was one of the more fun races I’ve been a part of. There were dogs running, and a wide variety of abilities. I think not getting up early was pretty awesome too. It has a 2pm start time which I was skeptical about but I enjoyed it.
We started in the way back, and I noticed a basset hound. I think Jo Layne and I commented about there was no way a basset hound could run 3 miles. At the start we weaved through people at the beginning until we found a good pace.
Here’s the thing. We have been running on flat land. Very flat. It seemed like the first part of this course was uphill, because it mostly was. We pushed through and finished the 20 minutes. I had some power negotiating going on in my head for the last 3 minutes but pushed through. Marie had pulled ahead of us a little, so I increased my pace the last 30 seconds to catch up with her and tell her the 20 minutes were up. Deana steadily pulled ahead of us until she got lost in the crowd but she took an awesome picture of Jo Layne and I at the finish.
The rest of the time we mostly walked. Some running, but mostly walk. This was about a 20 minute run in the middle of couch to 5k training. Not about setting any records. We achieved our goal with the 20 minute run, the rest was just fun.
At about the 2.75 mile point, we walked after a short run interval and the damn basset hound came jogging past us. As we got close to 3 miles, Marie and Jamie decided they weren’t going to let a dog with 3 inch long legs beat them in a 5k race so they pushed past.
I decided I really didn’t care that much, then we we got to 3 miles and I did care. Jo Layne and I were running to the finish and the course narrowed a little. We were so close to the finish that I decided it would be bad form to sprint past a dog for the last 100 feet… but I did think about it.
Afterwards we had starbucks iced coffee (for free) and I ate half a bagel. Then I had the best nap. Why is it that post race naps are the best? I remember running 3 miles at lunch and being fine at the beginning of the year, but after a 5k race? I need one every time.
tl;dr: Ran a 5k as a training run, got beaten by a dog with 3 inch long legs. Had fun.
52 notes &
Jingle Bell Run 2012 is done. This is JoLayne and I coming in for the finish. My only goal for this race was to run 20 minutes without stopping (Couch to 5k Week 5 Day 3) and that was accomplished.
31 notes &
It is November 15th. Why is it 70+ degrees outside? This is not running weather. I just checked and it is actually 55 and sunny, but it felt like 70+. I’m sweating like August.
Couch to 5k Week 5 Day 2
Jamie and JoLayne are going later in the day, so it was just Marie and I.
Run 8 minutes, Walk 5 minutes, Run 8 minutes.
Run Intervals Pace/Distance were
- 11:40 / 0.69 miles
- 12:46 / 0.63 miles
Interval 1: The first 6 minutes were great, the last 2 minutes were tough.
Interval 2: The first 4 minutes were ok, the next 2 minutes were tough, I wanted to puke the last 2 minutes. Even thought the last 2 minutes were bad, we still picked up pace a little according to Garmin.
I just need to keep reminding myself that I get stronger when it is hard.
2.08 miles, 32:09, 15:23 average pace.
When I started this post I was mad because it was so hard. When I was in the last interval I was hating running. Now that I’ve had a good 5 minutes to cool down (literally), I just have a vague memory of it being ‘fun’.
I might be delusional.
39 notes &
It’s been five weeks since you looked at me, cocked your head to the side…
Here I am in the middle of week 5 (out of 9) of Couch to 5k. You might ask yourself, “I thought he already knew how to run?”. Yes I did, but I forgot and needed a program to get me back on track. So I built my own running group. And it is going really well. We are in sync with our schedules and committed.
Not committed in a ‘oh yeah, we’re gonna train for a 5k’ way. Committed in a ‘we have been running together for 5 weeks now’ way.
This weekend our first 20 minute continuous run is on the schedule. We are going to do this as part of the Jingle Bell run 5k. Marie has never run in a race, or been to a race and she can’t do our goal race so we all signed up for this one. I think racing is an important motivator and I don’t want her to wait until after the New Year to experience one.
I just had the thought… this will be my first race running side by side with people I know. I’m always the slowest one of my friends so I’ve run all my races alone. I’m not sure how I feel about running a race with people I know at my side. I think it will be a good thing. We are going to run 20 minutes then run/walk the rest of it.
While I am in week 5 of base building, I’m only in week 2 of diet control. Specifically weight watchers. I like the plan. More than I thought I would. I didn’t take measurements at the start, maybe tonight I will, but my jeans are fitting better.
My P90 hasn’t gone so well, but I’ll reintroduce it soon.
28 notes &
Couch to 5k Week 5, Day 1. The ‘I really need a haircut edition’. Jamie had to go to court (she’s a lawyer) so it was just JoLayne, Marie and I today.
Run 5, Walk 3, Repeat times.
Run Intervals were
- 12:04/0.41 miles
- 12:30/0.40 miles
- 12:55/0.39 miles
2.11 miles, 33:12
See that beautiful fountain? It’s nice to look at, but not pleasant when the wind blows the mist over you (twice) and it is 45 degrees outside.
I’m having a shin problem still. I tried ibuprofen 45 minutes before the run and it still happened. I was fine during the first 5 minute run, but when I started walking my shins started hurting. Then when I started back running they slowly got better.
This was a recurring problem. I guess I just need to work through it.
25 notes &
Couch to 5k Group Week 4 Day 2
Same stuff as Tuesday just a wee bit faster on the run intervals
Run intervals (pace/distance)
- 12:17/0.24
- 12:30/0.40
- 12:20/0.24
- 12:39/0.40
I want to keep the pace at a 12:30 or below. I’m happy with this.
2.11 miles, 33:46, 16:13 pace.
The vanity in me wants to take off the 12 minutes of warm up and cool down walking and get the pace down, but I’m not going to do that. In 4 weeks we’ve dropped the average pace from 17:44 to 16:13 (again these are really slow paces because of the amount of walking), and increase the time from 28 to almost 34 minutes.
Could we push harder and get better quicker? Maybe. But I think we would risk injury and it wouldn’t be as fun. It’s 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week and pushes me to about 85% of my limits.
Each week those limits are getting further out. It is coming back quicker than I remember getting it initially.
I was at my stress maximum going into this run. 5 hours of sleep, early morning, long meetings, rushed for time. The run did a reset.
22 notes &
I put the scale away this morning
I’ll pull it out and weigh weekly but looking at it in the bathroom and the detailed focus it brings is counterproductive. I’ve lost weight since I restarted this thing on Monday, but it’s only Wednesday and there’s gonna be days when I don’t lose like I have the past two days. And I’m not ready for that daily triumph/disappointment.
My focus? Not focusing.
It sounds weird but it works in running for me. If I have a hard run and I start thinking about the run and how hard it is then I want to quit because I’m obsessing on how hard it is and how much easier it would be just to stop.
Music helps distract me.
There are times when I try to just stare out into space, relax and occupy my mind with something else. Like the alphabet song. When I was training for the halfs/halves(?) last year and the beginning of this year I would picture the letters out in space in front of me. Silly? Yes, but it gives my usually overactive mind something to do besides think about quitting.
Food is the same way. I’m in a good place now on tracking and eating but I don’t need to give it laser focus. I’m tracking what I eat and completely following the Weight Watchers plan but I’m not going to spend more time than necessary thinking about it.
