Summer runs can be brutal, especially in August in Texas. Today was no exception. I started out slow for my first mile for my warm up and then kicked it up to my goal race pace for mile two but started to ease up after mile three and four. I was trying to keep up with some of the faster runners in our run club and did fine until I started struggling with regulating my body temperature. I then settled into a comfortable pace of around 10:00/mile for the remainder of my run.
| 1 | 9:27.8 | 1.00 | 9:28 |
| 2 | 8:54.3 | 1.00 | 8:54 |
| 3 | 9:14.7 | 1.00 | 9:15 |
| 4 | 9:32.7 | 1.00 | 9:33 |
| 5 | 10:00.1 | 1.00 | 10:00 |
| 6 | 10:01.1 | 1.00 | 10:01 |
| 7 | 10:07.2 | 1.00 | 10:07 |
| 8 | 10:00.0 | 1.00 | 10:00 |
| 9 | 3:51.1 | 0.40 | 9:38 |
I have a race in two weeks and I think I will be able to handle a 10:00/mile pace and finish with a time I can be very satisfied with. Last year when I ran this same race I finished with a time of 2:48. I had trouble keeping cool and ended up walking some. This year the race has a completely new course and my biggest concern is shade.
In terms of my 2014 Miles Goal I am at 427 of 500 (85%). I have 5 half marathons coming up which will give me about 65.5 miles putting me around 492.5 without any additional running between now and the end of the year. I really think I am going to revise this goal to 600 miles. I am running between 15 and 20 miles a week thanks to my speed class that I have twice a week.
I couldn't have asked for better running weather this morning. It started out around 68 degrees. In August. In Texas. After the sun came up, there was a nice light breeze to help keep things cool. When it is nice and cool like that I try to run my hardest since I have a goal to run a half marathon in under 2 hours. I ran within my "goal per mile times" which is between 8:45 and 9:00 per mile. It's not a lot but I also ran a negative split this morning and did a hill repeat (at the end of my run!) while keeping my pace about the same.
| 1 | 9:09.4 | 1.00 | 9:09 |
| 2 | 8:48.4 | 1.00 | 8:48 |
| 3 | 9:03.1 | 1.00 | 9:03 |
| 4 | 8:40.4 | 1.00 | 8:40 |
| 5 | 8:52.4 | 1.00 | 8:52 |
| 6 | 8:45.4 | 1.00 | 8:45 |
| 7 | 8:54.2 | 1.00 | 8:54 |
| 8 | 8:48.6 | 1.00 | 8:49 |
| 9 | 8:23.6 | 0.94 | 8:55 |
All this week I have been hitting the speed training and cross training hard, so I was a little worried about how my legs might feel. I think it is safe to say my legs were fine.
I absolutely love runs like this. It helps keep me motivated during the summer when good runs like today are hard to come by cause it gets so hot forcing me to slow down. I'm really enjoying my speed class as well. I've learned some good running techniques that are helping me with my form and speed.
I can't wait to run my fall half marathons. I am aiming to finish under 2 hours in either my October (Michelob Ultra Half Marathon) or November (DRC Half Marathon) races.
This week we've had some freaky weather resulting in some below average temperatures. This made for very ideal running conditions in the middle of July here in Texas. This morning we had temps in the upper 60s with cloudy skies. Due to the great conditions, I was able to keep my pace under 10:00/mile and even got under 9:00/mile.
Today's goal while running was to run a Negative Split, which I feel I did a good job of executing. I ran the first two miles by myself and then from there I ran with a group of people who help push me a little. About halfway through the run I was feeling great and so I pushed ahead of the group and to my surprise I was running under a 9:00/mile pace!
| 1 | 9:58.7 | 1.00 | 9:59 |
| 2 | 9:55.8 | 1.00 | 9:56 |
| 3 | 9:37.2 | 1.00 | 9:37 |
| 4 | 8:57.0 | 1.00 | 8:57 |
| 5 | 9:06.3 | 1.00 | 9:06 |
| 6 | 8:50.1 | 1.00 | 8:50 |
| 7 | 8:36.7 | 1.00 | 8:37 |
| 8 | :12.1 | 0.02 | 8:31 |
I have a goal to run a Half Marathon this year and finish in under 2 hours. If I can maintain a pace around 9:00/mile I'll have a little wiggle room should I end up running a mile or two off my goal pace. I need to try to start out around 9:20 to 9:30/mile for the first couple miles and then speed up to 9:00/mile further into my run. The good thing is I have some races in September and October to practice a negative split strategy and to see whether I can maintain a sub-9:00/mile pace.
I think the speed training I've been doing the past couple weeks has really helped me. I ran a 6:53 for my mile assessment this Thursday evening in Boot Camp. I haven't ran a sub 7:00 mile in something like a year or more. This just inspires me even more to try to train harder to keep getting faster, even if I'm one of the more "slower" people in the class.
In closing, I'm going to post this link to a Top 75 list someone created. It's pretty funny and I have thought some of the things on the list before.
I promise I haven't forgotten this blog but I was out of town the past two weekends and so I didn't get any chances to run.
With that in mind, I was a little worried about how this morning's long run was going to go. I ran an average pace of 10:09/mi which is faster than what it felt like. My feet felt heavy for much of the run. The weather was cloudy but it was very humid with temps in the high 70s. I force myself to run slower because I am very concerned about overheating since I don't always handle the heat well.
With the summer heat I like to focus less on my speed and try to work more on my form and whatnot. This morning we ran some hill repeats and so I worked on trying to bound up the hill with good form. Going uphill you should run up on the balls of your feet, which actually puts more spring in your step. Going downhill you should lean forward, shorten your stride a little, increase your cadence some, and let the hill pull you down the road/trail/sidewalk.
For more regular terrain I just try to focus on my stride, strike, and cadence. I want to really maintain a steady cadence and shorten/lengthen my stride as needed. The thing about lengthening my stride too much is I need to increase my turnover otherwise my cadence has to slow down. Thankfully in my LiveWire Adrenaline class that is one of things were we focused on this week.
Finally, I set a goal for the year several weeks ago to run 500 miles this year. As of this blog entry I have logged 345 out of 500 miles, which puts me at 69% complete. I feel this is very doable especially since I have half marathon races in August, September, October, November, and December which means, barring injury or illness, I have about 66 more guaranteed miles which would put me at around 410 miles.
I'm going to try to run on the 4th since I won't have a chance to run the next two weekends.
Today was (what I consider) my first real run since my marathon. I've run smaller distances like 3 or 4 miles but today was my first "long" run I've done in several weeks. It felt great, especially since I got to run with people. It sounds weird but during much of my marathon training I was running solo. The group I ran with all run at about my pace so they helped push me and I helped them push the pace.
Now that I am finished training for my marathon I want to change gears towards finishing a half marathon in under 2 hours. To do that, I figure I need to average better than 9:15/mile. This morning I ran a 9:28/mile average and that was even with our group running slower to allow for someone to catch up.
It was warm this morning but the heat didn't bother me too much since I've been doing cross training in the evenings where the temps have been in the 90s lately. Running in this heat should help me with the Hottest Half in August. Last year I really seemed to struggle and I'd like to see if I can do better this time around.
I'm excited about my slate of races coming up. I have a race in the months of August, September, October, November, and December. I've been training in a speed class lately called Adrenaline offered by LiveWire Fitness. I've learned some cool techniques like bounding on hills which I feel is helping me become a better runner. Here's a good article that gives five different techniques to make you a better runner, especially when trying to conquer a hill.
I am going to work on my account of the Mountains2Beach Marathon this weekend. I've been extremely busy since I ran the race and haven't had time to sit down and write down everything about the race. I'll try my best to get it done tomorrow morning.
So today was my last training run before the Mountains2Beach Marathon. This morning was an easy 8 miles. The weather was very nice -- not too hot and not too cool. Hopefully this is the last time I have to wake up for a 5:30 run on a Saturday for a while.
I felt great the entire run. Didn't have hardly any trouble with my legs warming up. No cramps or anything else that would slow me down. Just the road/sidewalk, my music, and me. I haven't had a chance to have a great run like this in a long time because the distance has taken a lot of the enjoyment out it.
I'm have two goals with my first marathon. First and foremost I want to finish. That is what is most important to me. Second, I'd like to finish in under 5 hours. I'm not sure this is doable but if I do finish within that time, I'll be very happy.
I also tried the Garmin Connect mobile app where I link my watch to my phone. It worked for the most part but my watch or phone kept losing the connection and so there are gaps on the route. I'm going to try to go on another training run Monday evening and see if switch arms my phone is on helps any. I don't like wearing things on my left arm but the distance from the watch to the phone will be much smaller, so maybe that will help with the disconnects.
I feel excited and a little nervous about this race. I feel like I am as ready as I can be. I've been hitting my cross training really hard the past couple months and my long runs have been challenging yet I've been able to handle them for the most part. The only thing I am worried about is my endurance. My physical ability really drops off after 13 miles so it will be interesting to see how I do for a full 26 miles. The best key to a good run will be to not start out too fast. I've been running between 10:30/mile and 11:00 for the most part so if I stick to that pace I think I will do fine.
On Saturday I ran the Carrollton 5k, which is a local race put on by the city. It's a nice race that tends to top out around 500 runners, which is good considering we are running on a cement trail that is about twice as wide as a regular sidewalk. Many of the runners live in the immediate area but there are some folks that come from other nearby cities to run this specific race.
I did alright in the race. I managed to finish 17th out of 41 runners in the Male 30-39 division. I finished with an official time of 28:19.90, which is about a 1:15 slower than what I ran last year (26:55.16). I had a chance to PR had I not gotten a severe leg cramp right around the 3 mile marker.
I heard via a third party (I don't know if the woman was the race director or not) that the race course will be changing next year. The idea is so that people won't have to park at the high school and then be bused to the start line. The course will still be on the Carrollton trail network which is nice in that there aren't any significant street closures with how the course is currently designed. We did cross the street in two places and the Carrollton PD is there to manage traffic but it's nothing like most races where you run on nothing but streets.
After the race I ran back with some other people to pick up their car, so I managed 6.2 miles for the day. For the most part it was a pretty good day.
I paid for running that 5k pretty hard the next day when I needed to run 10 miles as part of maintaining my marathon training schedule. My legs felt like jello and that nasty cramp in my left leg was still there. In fact it was so bad I walked most of the abbreviated route. I decided to walk rather than trying to run through the pain since I am too close to my race that I didn't want to risk an injury. I was worried about having the cramp turn into some worse like a pulled muscle.
This was the run that wasn't. I was suppose to run 20 miles this morning but I started having a really bad upset stomach almost immediately after I started running. I had struggled with a sour stomach the week prior but managed to man it out but that was not the case this week. I bailed after about 3 miles and made my way back to the park where we start from. I went home and slept it off and felt fine later in the afternoon.
I am 99.9% certain it is from shaking the protein/energy drink aggressively which puts a lot of air in the drink and when I drink until I feel "full" it puts a lot of air in my stomach and the running just makes it worse for me.
Everyone has bad runs and this one was a bad one for sure. The good thing is next week LiveWire is starting a new running class so I can make up some of the miles throughout the week and just run 20 (or more?) miles next weekend.
I had a really good run today. I ran with a new pair of Brooks Ghosts and I did not have any trouble with my Achilles tendon, so I think I found what was causing the problem. Glad I seem to have that behind me but I will stay play it safe in the mean time. As soon as I post this I'm going to ice my ankle and roll my legs.
I ran my longest distance ever - 15.83 miles. I also ran my fastest 13.1 at 2:14. Very good day indeed. If I could run with that kind of effort next weekend at the Big D Half Marathon I'll PR for sure however the weather isn't looking good (rain).
I really couldn't ask for better conditions for running. It was a nice, brisk 48 degrees this morning with a relatively light wind. It's a little cold starting out and so long as the wind isn't blowing too hard, I felt great temperature wise. It was nice watching the world wake up while I was running through the neighborhoods of Plano.
It's runs like this that makes me think running this marathon in May is doable. I hurt and am tired but I feel like I can do it.
Fueling
I tried some new fuel sources and they seemed to work out well for me. Before I left the house, I had a bottle of the chocolate Generation UCAN protein drink. It didn't give me any stomach issues and I felt like I had good energy throughout my run. I'm going to go back to my local Luke's Locker and pick up some more packets for future runs. If this works out I'll get the canister.
I mixed the packet with about 16 oz of water the night before and put it in the fridge so that it would be nice and cold. I guess I need to do a better job of mixing it right before drinking as it was a little grainy as I finished it off. I struggle sometimes even eating early, early in the morning so it was nice being able to drink this and not experience a gag reflex.
I also brought several Larabars in my fuel belt that I snacked on while I ran to help keep my energy reserves up. So far my favorite flavor is Apple. 190 calories with some really good ingredients -- nuts (almonds & walnuts), apples, cinnamon, dates, & raisins.
Today was both a good and a tough run. I started, as usual, with tight muscles. My Achilles tendon started out fine and last through most of the run. After about 3 miles my muscles loosened up and I was able to get into a more comfortable pace.
It wasn't until after mile 9 that my Achilles tendon really started hurting and I had to start walking. The last two miles were the hardest as it seemed every leg muscle was exhausted and I just didn't have the will power to try to leg it out.
I suspect my legs were worn out at the end of the almost 14 miles because I have subconsciously modified my form & stride and so I am most likely working my legs harder than if I wasn't injured.
I iced my ankle as soon as I got home and so I hope it helps with the recovery process. I'll roll my legs and IT Band as soon as I get this entry posted.
I'm still going to my boot camps to continue my cross training but I am modifying some of the exercises if my Achilles tendon starts hurting. Calf raises actually seem to help reduce the pain so I try to do those whenever possible. I need to try to do them multiple time throughout the day.
Today I feel like I had a really good run. Ran with an average 9:44/mile pace and felt strong throughout the run. It was humid but the temps were in the 50s. The first three miles were pretty hilly as we were running in the Plano Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. After that we went out and ran a pretty normal route for the remaining seven miles.
During the run I talked with my trainer how I keep flipping back and fourth mentally on the upcoming marathon where I wonder about what I've gotten myself into and then knowing I can do it. Of course having a good run this morning only helps me build more confidence in my ability.
I have been eating a granola bar before each of my long runs and it seems to really help with giving me the energy I need for a solid run. My trainer suggested a product called UCAN, which is an energy solution that you can take before or after a strenuous workout or run. I am going to see about picking up some of the powder from her before our next run next weekend. If it works I'll need to drink about 8 to 12 ounces before leaving my house for a run.
Anxious to see what distance we'll be running next week. Perhaps 15 miles?
Today I ran in the Dallas Hot Chocolate 15k. It was a cool 30 something with an overcast and a little wind. Overall it is a nice course with one or two hills. The largest hill is in the middle of the course between the 5 and 6 mile markers that has a elevation gain of about 80 feet in 0.2 miles. Something to be aware of is that the first 3.1 miles or 5k is a gradual uphill. I have run parts of this route going the other direction (Dallas RnR and Big D (Half) Marathon) so it was something a little different.
The only criticism I really had was that the first Gatorade stop (not the first water stop) before you got to the 4 mile marker had run out of Gatorade when I got to there. There was plenty of water but I prefer to drink some type of sport drink for this type of race or longer.
There were tons, and I do mean tons, of volunteers at the event and I found all of them to be very helpful. There were also quite a few at the finish line and we giving me words of encouragement and congratulations. I really wish more of the larger events were run this well. I really liked the fact that there records splits at the 5k and 10k marks plus they had race clocks at every mile.
I ran just slightly slower than my desired training pace which is anything under 10:00 per mile but I will gladly take 10:09/mile since I am still recovering from a cold. I also think part of the reason I struggled with this race is that I didn't eat something before hand and so I started out the race with a half full tank. I guess this further proves I Must eat something before a training run or a race even if I don't feel hungry.
Official Time: 1:34:30
5k Split: 29:33
10k Split: 1:01:53
Garmin GPS Stats
This was the second run I have done with my new Garmin Forerunner 620. I still love this watch but since I downloaded the 2.5 update the watch didn't record mile splits. It was cycling through the different screens which was cool to look at while running. If Garmin were to see this post, I'd hope that in the future they make sure the watch gets defaulted to factory settings
I got the inspiration to write this post from the LiveWire Fitness blog, so I wanted to share why I started running which is different from why I still run today.
Let me start off by saying that I never thought I would be one of "those people" you see running early in the morning or in the evening. I thought running was pointless unless it was for some type of sport like football or basketball. My mind would eventually be changed and now I start looking forward to my weekend runs midway through the week.
I first started running around June of 2012 to improve on my cardiovascular fitness and it morphed into something more. I had been doing boot-camp type exercises for several months and was looking for a way to further my fitness journey.
Today, I run in part as a get away from the stress of life and I guess now you can consider me an addict as I ran 6 half marathons (should have been 7!) in 2013 and am planning to run a similar number of half marathons plus a full marathon this spring!
I love the challenge that comes with running. I am always out to try beat my best time/pace. I get excited and motivated when I run a great pace. It makes it that much easier to put on my running gear and go out for another run a few days later.
I also run for the fun of it. Despite the pain I might feel after a long run, I really do enjoy it even if it's not always a good run for me. The best part might be the runners high that I experience when finishing a run.
I'm already signed up for 4 halfs and will likely run at least 3 to 4 more in the fall/winter in addition to my first marathon in May. I have a page with all the races I have run, races I am currently signed up for, and races I want to run at some point in the future.
Right now I do not participate in triathlons but I won't rule that out in the future. The biggest barrier would be that I do not own a bike. I also would need to find a gym where I could do some work on my swimming. I have a gym in mind but I need to see what the cost might be.
