OK, I'm reeeally behind...
I have been running, just not posting.
Up in Michigan over 4th of July weekend, I did run, but didn't get up as early as I wanted to, and the trail was not as long as advertised, so I only ran 1 1/2 miles. It was pretty though, and dirt/grass so it was soft on my legs. I'll do it again the next time we're up and take more time...maybe even run from the house to the trail, and back.
Week of 7/7 - I think I ran at least once, but I don't remember. I'm getting old. =)
Week of 7/14 - 3.5 miles at the gym Tuesday and Thursday, no long run on Saturday because we went up to Bowling Green to pick up Allison and then Andrew's second birthday party at Splash Zone (www.ntprd.org/splashzone).
This week - 3.5 miles at the gym Tuesday and today. 5 miles scheduled for Saturday, which I WILL do in the morning because we'll be in Toledo all evening for a business seminar. At least the weather has cooled down, so I don't have to get up at dawn to be able to run outside. Bike trail, here I come...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Training Run 7-2-08
I think 3 miles is my limit for morning runs at the gym, at least until I get faster. 6 am seems to be my earliest possible time for getting up, which puts me at the gym between 6:15 and 6:30, which leaves me about an hour (including the run, stretching, and potty break) before I need to head home and jump in the shower in order to get to work on time. The gym opens at 6, but I'm just not there yet.
So, I got up at 6 and was out the door by 6:15 to do my old familiar 4-mile road route, the hilly one that goes from the house to Bechtle Avenue and back. Going out I was really careful to rein in the speed and make it an EASY run, especially since most of the "out" is downhill and I don't want to get injured. I took short walking breaks at each mile, mostly due to traffic lights. Coming back is uphill almost all the way, so I focused on consistent effort, not necessarily consistent pace, and made sure I was running easy on the few flat and downhill stretches.
I definitely notice an improvement in my fitness and endurance, since this route felt much easier than it did the last time I ran it. Total time was 45:58, just a hair under 11 1/2 minutes per mile.
One more gym run this week, and then I'll take my shoes and my watch and run for time up at Mom & Dad's. 5 miles scheduled, I'll figure on 28 minutes out, 28 back. Haven't decided yet whether I'll just run in their neighborhood (it's REALLY hilly) or drive to a park. I may look up their local running store (www.playmakers.com) and see if they have a Saturday morning group I can hook up with.
So, I got up at 6 and was out the door by 6:15 to do my old familiar 4-mile road route, the hilly one that goes from the house to Bechtle Avenue and back. Going out I was really careful to rein in the speed and make it an EASY run, especially since most of the "out" is downhill and I don't want to get injured. I took short walking breaks at each mile, mostly due to traffic lights. Coming back is uphill almost all the way, so I focused on consistent effort, not necessarily consistent pace, and made sure I was running easy on the few flat and downhill stretches.
I definitely notice an improvement in my fitness and endurance, since this route felt much easier than it did the last time I ran it. Total time was 45:58, just a hair under 11 1/2 minutes per mile.
One more gym run this week, and then I'll take my shoes and my watch and run for time up at Mom & Dad's. 5 miles scheduled, I'll figure on 28 minutes out, 28 back. Haven't decided yet whether I'll just run in their neighborhood (it's REALLY hilly) or drive to a park. I may look up their local running store (www.playmakers.com) and see if they have a Saturday morning group I can hook up with.
Training Run 7-1-08
OK, so the 7-mile run didn't happen. I think I obsessed too much about where to do it, and got paralyzed in the decision-making. I also think I need to go out and do my weekend run first thing on Saturday morning, before other stuff gets put in the schedule...because otherwise it'll get crowded out. Not that I don't have time at other times in the weekend...but the longer I put it off, the easier it is for some other activity to look more appealing.
3 miles in the morning on the treadmill at the gym. Man, do they need to invest in air conditioning. I wore a running tank and it was soaking wet at the end of my run...might as well have worn a bathing suit. Still, I was able to set the treadmill at 5.5 (slightly under an 11-minute mile) and get through the whole run.
I got asked twice by other gym people if I minded if they changed the TV station. I was OK with both, neither one was the TV I was sort of watching, but I still thought it was funny. I'm still not really familiar with what's on at 6:30 am (though it appears to be mostly infomercials) and so I don't really care what I'm watching...it's just something for my brain to do besides think about being hot and sweaty and running.
I do like starting my day early (though I don't like the getting out of bed at 6 am part, especially when it wakes up Andrew and makes him cry) because I feel so much more organized...whether I am or not...and I'm all the way awake by the time I get to work, instead of trudging in going "where's the coffee"... =)
3 miles in the morning on the treadmill at the gym. Man, do they need to invest in air conditioning. I wore a running tank and it was soaking wet at the end of my run...might as well have worn a bathing suit. Still, I was able to set the treadmill at 5.5 (slightly under an 11-minute mile) and get through the whole run.
I got asked twice by other gym people if I minded if they changed the TV station. I was OK with both, neither one was the TV I was sort of watching, but I still thought it was funny. I'm still not really familiar with what's on at 6:30 am (though it appears to be mostly infomercials) and so I don't really care what I'm watching...it's just something for my brain to do besides think about being hot and sweaty and running.
I do like starting my day early (though I don't like the getting out of bed at 6 am part, especially when it wakes up Andrew and makes him cry) because I feel so much more organized...whether I am or not...and I'm all the way awake by the time I get to work, instead of trudging in going "where's the coffee"... =)
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Training Runs 6-24 and 6-26-06
Went to the gym early Tuesday morning intending to set the treadmill at a 10-minute mile and do my workout speedy quick...my body had other ideas. So, did 3 miles on the treadmill at varying speeds, including walking. I'm not sure exactly how much time it took so I don't know an average speed...but it was not the workout I was hoping for.
Tuesday evening my stomach hurt, Wednesday morning it still hurt, so I skipped Wednesday. Might have had something to do with having a bologna sandwich for dinner on the way to VBS Tuesday night... =)
This morning I got to the gym and set the treadmill to 5.5, a hair under an 11-minute mile. It felt really hard for the first mile and a quarter, but I told myself to stick with it. I made it through the whole 3 miles at 5.5. I guess it was just another one of those times when having a bad workout is just a prelude to having a really good workout.
Plus speedwise I think I'm on the brink of breaking through a plateau...11-minute miles are now starting to feel "easy", and when I push myself I can now break the 10-minute barrier over shorter distances. I just have to stick to my schedule (I like the 3 weekday runs, it means if I miss one it still means I get in 2 runs during the week...it's definitely made the weekend long runs easier) and watch my times tick down...
Looking forward to my 7-mile run this weekend (running by time, 38.5 minutes out, the same or better coming back, total in the neighborhood of 77 minutes). I think I'll drive down to the south side of town to the Beatty Station staging area and run a different part of the bike trail. Having an "adventure" will help pass the time! =)
Tuesday evening my stomach hurt, Wednesday morning it still hurt, so I skipped Wednesday. Might have had something to do with having a bologna sandwich for dinner on the way to VBS Tuesday night... =)
This morning I got to the gym and set the treadmill to 5.5, a hair under an 11-minute mile. It felt really hard for the first mile and a quarter, but I told myself to stick with it. I made it through the whole 3 miles at 5.5. I guess it was just another one of those times when having a bad workout is just a prelude to having a really good workout.
Plus speedwise I think I'm on the brink of breaking through a plateau...11-minute miles are now starting to feel "easy", and when I push myself I can now break the 10-minute barrier over shorter distances. I just have to stick to my schedule (I like the 3 weekday runs, it means if I miss one it still means I get in 2 runs during the week...it's definitely made the weekend long runs easier) and watch my times tick down...
Looking forward to my 7-mile run this weekend (running by time, 38.5 minutes out, the same or better coming back, total in the neighborhood of 77 minutes). I think I'll drive down to the south side of town to the Beatty Station staging area and run a different part of the bike trail. Having an "adventure" will help pass the time! =)
Monday, June 23, 2008
Training Run 6-21-08
Since we had to take Alexander into Columbus to the North Market to meet my mom, I couldn't run in the morning. So I dropped Allison off at her friend Tiffany's birthday party, and drove over to the soccer fields to run my 6 miles on the bike path. I still think going north from the soccer fields is boring because it just goes through cornfields, whereas south goes past the new high school and through town (and there's more shade) but I wasn't sure I'd get in enough mileage going south.
I had planned to run 36 minutes and then turn around, but partly due to the heat and partly due to the fact that I realized I was running faster than a 12-minute mile, I turned around (actually stopped for a stretch break) at just under 33 minutes. Then started my watch up again and headed back. I found out that Saturday afternoons on the bike path are more crowded than I'd like with recreational (stop and smell the flowers every 5 yards, taking up the whole path in the process) rather than fitness users. Next time I'll do my run in the morning.
Still, it was good to get the practice fighting the heat (and a headwind...arrgh), and I made pretty good time. 6 miles in 1:04 and change (I'm writing this at work and my digital watch is at home), just over a 10 1/2 minute mile, with walking breaks. I've got to stop going out so fast...
I think I got some sun, too. =)
I had planned to run 36 minutes and then turn around, but partly due to the heat and partly due to the fact that I realized I was running faster than a 12-minute mile, I turned around (actually stopped for a stretch break) at just under 33 minutes. Then started my watch up again and headed back. I found out that Saturday afternoons on the bike path are more crowded than I'd like with recreational (stop and smell the flowers every 5 yards, taking up the whole path in the process) rather than fitness users. Next time I'll do my run in the morning.
Still, it was good to get the practice fighting the heat (and a headwind...arrgh), and I made pretty good time. 6 miles in 1:04 and change (I'm writing this at work and my digital watch is at home), just over a 10 1/2 minute mile, with walking breaks. I've got to stop going out so fast...
I think I got some sun, too. =)
Friday, June 20, 2008
Training Run 6-19-08
Ended up with lots to do in the evening, so delayed my run until after the gym was closed. I'm going to try starting to go to the gym in the mornings, but that will mean that to increase my mileage I'll also have to increase my pace. Alex kind of challenged me to get to the point where I'm averaging a sub-10 minute mile.
So, I went out and ran 1 1/2 times my old familiar 2-mile loop. I decided to run "comfortably hard" and see what I turned in. Hit mile 1 at 9:58. Mile 2 was uphill most of the way, but I still got there at 20 and change. Completed my 3 miles in 29:55!!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Training Run 6-18-08
3 miles on the treadmill at the gym, at 12-minute pace. I wish I could say the treadmill is getting easier for me, but it's not. And there's still a long hot summer ahead of me...
I did get some new running clothes at Meijer's, black shorts and a couple of sleeveless tops. Hopefully I can survive the temperature in the gym (and on the roads) that way.
Running again tonight, and then 6 miles this weekend. I think I may swap the long run and my cross-training and do the run on Sunday, since I'll be going to meet Mom at the North Market in Columbus on Saturday and will be walking around for an hour or two. Shopping = cross-training...I like it. =)
I did get some new running clothes at Meijer's, black shorts and a couple of sleeveless tops. Hopefully I can survive the temperature in the gym (and on the roads) that way.
Running again tonight, and then 6 miles this weekend. I think I may swap the long run and my cross-training and do the run on Sunday, since I'll be going to meet Mom at the North Market in Columbus on Saturday and will be walking around for an hour or two. Shopping = cross-training...I like it. =)
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