Morning Run: Four Miles
Time: 31:42
AP: 7:56
Avg bpm: 147
Rolled out of bed this morning about 15 minutes after my alarm had gone off – not too bad but I still need to work on just rolling out of bed right when the alarm goes off. Still tights and long sleeve weather here, mid 30’s in the morning, but this morning there was a “warm” breeze blowing which I haven’t felt for a couple of months now. Granted it turned into a headwind that I despised after about ten minutes, but that’s another story. I started out a bit faster than I have been for my last few runs because I was curious how my shins would react. My first mile came in around 8:48 and I felt fine so I picked up the pace for mile two and cut about a minute off my pace for that mile. My shins were still fine but in the middle of mile three I could feel the tightness creeping in so I just held my pace and tried to relax my legs. By the time I got to mile four my legs weren’t really tight anymore but they did feel a bit heavy. Since it was my last mile I wanted to at least hold the pace I had been going at for the last couple of miles (7:40ish) but I didn’t want to push myself too hard since I have a 14 miler coming up this weekend. The last mile came in at 7:27 then I knocked out a quick stretch and hurried upstairs to tend to a very pressing matter.
Yesterday morning I was up at the gym to get in a quick swim. The water was fine, a bit chilly when I first jumped in but by the time I had 25m done I was fine. My total time for 500 was 9:42 which is fine with me since I have not been swimming very much at all in the last couple of months. My training plan for the upcoming season is going to be swimming focused and I am looking forward to seeing how much my time and endurance in the water improve. Last year I was getting in around three swims a week, this year I will get in five during the weeks leading up to my first event (NAPA Valley Sprint Tri). This will be the longest Tri swim I have done at 800y; I’m confident that I can swim that distance but I think the added focus on swimming will help my time and give me greater confidence for my ocean swim (SHARKS!!!!) at the Showdown at Sundown in June.
Of course, no morning swim would be complete without a nice steam before heading home to get ready for work. I plan on getting up to the gym again on Friday for 500-750 and possibly going on Sunday as well. Maybe I will ride my bike up to the gym (I need to get back in the biking groove which was destroyed by holiday travel, weather, and my being unmotivated) and then get in a little swim. I was also thinking about getting my buddy Chris out for a short run/walk; he just bought his first pair of actual running shoes from Forward Motion and is planning on getting a little cardio into his routine. Being as how he is one of those lucky folks that has his own business and works from home he definitely has the time to do it.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Something Different
Distance: Eight Miles
Time: 1:06:47
AP: 8:21
Abpm: 147
The air was still, the streets were dark, as I stepped outside my door;
Shoes and socks, shirt and tights, I needed nothing more;
A Garmin to track my distance, an iPod for some tunes;
One to see how far I’ve gone, one to get me in a groove;
The fog was heavy, the morning cold, and my head was full of sleep;
Timer started, music on, my feet move to the beat;
The first two miles are nice and slow, no need to hurt my shin;
Six more miles left to go, but now I start to grin;
My leg feels good, like I hoped it would, music volume going up;
Picking up the pace, but not too much, cause an injury would suck;
Miles three and mile four go by, and now I’m halfway done;
I turn Tiesto’s Club Life on, by far my favorite one;
New to you, then check it out, podcasts are free for everyone;
I’m speeding up, but not too much, my lungs are feeling fine;
Six miles down, two more to go, I’m running short on time;
Cut it short, no chance in hell, cause now there’s one to go;
Soulja Boy done tol’ me, I’m a Superman you know;
800 yards, now four, now two, I see my house ahead;
I stop and stretch, then check my pulse, wipe the sweat off of my head;
My shirt is wet, my songs are done, and there is moisture in my hair;
The streets are light, the day is here, there’s still thick fog in the air;
My run is over, I walk upstairs, and think “I feel great”;
Two more days, another run, I can not freakin’ wait!
Time: 1:06:47
AP: 8:21
Abpm: 147
The air was still, the streets were dark, as I stepped outside my door;
Shoes and socks, shirt and tights, I needed nothing more;
A Garmin to track my distance, an iPod for some tunes;
One to see how far I’ve gone, one to get me in a groove;
The fog was heavy, the morning cold, and my head was full of sleep;
Timer started, music on, my feet move to the beat;
The first two miles are nice and slow, no need to hurt my shin;
Six more miles left to go, but now I start to grin;
My leg feels good, like I hoped it would, music volume going up;
Picking up the pace, but not too much, cause an injury would suck;
Miles three and mile four go by, and now I’m halfway done;
I turn Tiesto’s Club Life on, by far my favorite one;
New to you, then check it out, podcasts are free for everyone;
I’m speeding up, but not too much, my lungs are feeling fine;
Six miles down, two more to go, I’m running short on time;
Cut it short, no chance in hell, cause now there’s one to go;
Soulja Boy done tol’ me, I’m a Superman you know;
800 yards, now four, now two, I see my house ahead;
I stop and stretch, then check my pulse, wipe the sweat off of my head;
My shirt is wet, my songs are done, and there is moisture in my hair;
The streets are light, the day is here, there’s still thick fog in the air;
My run is over, I walk upstairs, and think “I feel great”;
Two more days, another run, I can not freakin’ wait!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Weekend Long Run, Monday Recovery
Saturday Long Run
Distance: 12 miles
Total Time: 1:40:41
AP: 8:23
On Saturday Jen and I slept in a bit before heading out for our long run at Crystal Springs. Jen was planning on running ten and I was going to do 12 so we started out and ran together until around mile four. At this point I put on my headphones and took off on my own so I could run at a quicker pace. Since I have a 14 miler next weekend and a ten miler the weekend before the race I wanted to run the second half of this run at a fast pace since I probably won’t have another opportunity for a fast long run (next weekend will be long and steady and the weekend after that will be an easy long run). After we split off from each other the trail climbs at a steady incline until reaching the turn around point at six miles. You can go further along the trail at that point and here it is an actual dirt trail, not a paved path like is for the rest of the time. After turning around I had the downhill for two miles followed by rolling hills for the last four. My splits for those six miles came in as follows: 7:51, 7:37, 7:45, 7:31, 7:28, and 7:25; by the time I was on mile 12 I knew I had been pushing myself way too hard. My legs were getting sore/tired and I was very happy to stop at the end.
Overall I was very pleased with the run; I was able to run some fast miles on the second half of the run and my shin did not bother me at all. The next day my legs were a bit sore, especially my quads, then last night I noticed my shin muscle was a bit tight and sore. I spent some time massaging and stretching it out in an effort to loosen it up for this mornings run; I’m not sure if it helped in the long run but it definitely felt good when I was doing it.
Monday Morning Recovery
Distance: Four miles
Total Time: 36:16
AP: 9:04
This morning I pulled myself out of bed, threw on my gear, and headed out the door for four easy miles. I wore my heart rate monitor for the first time on this run, my average bpm was 135. I have to admit that I have no idea what that means yet other than my heart was beating an average of 135x per minute during my four mile run. I started off slow but still noticed a bit of tightness in my shin for the first two miles; I kept it at a nice easy pace for the whole run and it never became enough of a problem for me to stop. I started out with 9:47 for mile one and the next three came in at 9:06, 8:49, and 8:34.
My shins are still a bit tight so I will go for a short walk later this morning then stretch them really well. Tomorrow morning I have eight on the schedule so I want to try and get my legs feeling a bit better before then.
Distance: 12 miles
Total Time: 1:40:41
AP: 8:23
On Saturday Jen and I slept in a bit before heading out for our long run at Crystal Springs. Jen was planning on running ten and I was going to do 12 so we started out and ran together until around mile four. At this point I put on my headphones and took off on my own so I could run at a quicker pace. Since I have a 14 miler next weekend and a ten miler the weekend before the race I wanted to run the second half of this run at a fast pace since I probably won’t have another opportunity for a fast long run (next weekend will be long and steady and the weekend after that will be an easy long run). After we split off from each other the trail climbs at a steady incline until reaching the turn around point at six miles. You can go further along the trail at that point and here it is an actual dirt trail, not a paved path like is for the rest of the time. After turning around I had the downhill for two miles followed by rolling hills for the last four. My splits for those six miles came in as follows: 7:51, 7:37, 7:45, 7:31, 7:28, and 7:25; by the time I was on mile 12 I knew I had been pushing myself way too hard. My legs were getting sore/tired and I was very happy to stop at the end.
Overall I was very pleased with the run; I was able to run some fast miles on the second half of the run and my shin did not bother me at all. The next day my legs were a bit sore, especially my quads, then last night I noticed my shin muscle was a bit tight and sore. I spent some time massaging and stretching it out in an effort to loosen it up for this mornings run; I’m not sure if it helped in the long run but it definitely felt good when I was doing it.
Monday Morning Recovery
Distance: Four miles
Total Time: 36:16
AP: 9:04
This morning I pulled myself out of bed, threw on my gear, and headed out the door for four easy miles. I wore my heart rate monitor for the first time on this run, my average bpm was 135. I have to admit that I have no idea what that means yet other than my heart was beating an average of 135x per minute during my four mile run. I started off slow but still noticed a bit of tightness in my shin for the first two miles; I kept it at a nice easy pace for the whole run and it never became enough of a problem for me to stop. I started out with 9:47 for mile one and the next three came in at 9:06, 8:49, and 8:34.
My shins are still a bit tight so I will go for a short walk later this morning then stretch them really well. Tomorrow morning I have eight on the schedule so I want to try and get my legs feeling a bit better before then.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
It's Almost Friday!
Distance: Five Miles
Total Time: 39:59
AP: 8:00
This morning I was up and out the door around 6:20 (the alarm went off at 5:45) for five miles, which according to my schedule were to be five hard miles. I knew I didn’t want to start out hard and push my luck with my shin but I thought I would try to pick it up a bit on mile two and see how things felt after that. I’m not sure of my exact pace for the first two miles but I believe the first mile came in at around 9:00. It was a bit faster than my first miles have been for other recent runs but since I was pain free at this point I decided to pick it up a little bit for the next mile. Mile two – approx 8:34. I was still feeling good at this point so I picked up the pace again for mile three and then continued to speed up through miles four and five. My pace for those miles was 7:42, 7:14, and 6:44.
I walked to work again this morning so I got in about two miles of walking after the run. I have to change my route a bit because yesterday on the way home I was stopped by one of Dublin’s finest and he gave me a warning for Jaywalking. One of my co-workers was ticketed in the same spot I was warned and the fine was $126; I really don’t want to spend my money on something like that so I don’t mind adding two or three minutes to my walk.
Also, I’ve now watched the first two episodes of The Wire season five (the final season) and so far it looks like it will be a great season. Freakin HBO, first The Sopranos goes, now The Wire is ending! Oh well, at least the next (and not last) season of LOST starts in 21 days.
Total Time: 39:59
AP: 8:00
This morning I was up and out the door around 6:20 (the alarm went off at 5:45) for five miles, which according to my schedule were to be five hard miles. I knew I didn’t want to start out hard and push my luck with my shin but I thought I would try to pick it up a bit on mile two and see how things felt after that. I’m not sure of my exact pace for the first two miles but I believe the first mile came in at around 9:00. It was a bit faster than my first miles have been for other recent runs but since I was pain free at this point I decided to pick it up a little bit for the next mile. Mile two – approx 8:34. I was still feeling good at this point so I picked up the pace again for mile three and then continued to speed up through miles four and five. My pace for those miles was 7:42, 7:14, and 6:44.
I walked to work again this morning so I got in about two miles of walking after the run. I have to change my route a bit because yesterday on the way home I was stopped by one of Dublin’s finest and he gave me a warning for Jaywalking. One of my co-workers was ticketed in the same spot I was warned and the fine was $126; I really don’t want to spend my money on something like that so I don’t mind adding two or three minutes to my walk.
Also, I’ve now watched the first two episodes of The Wire season five (the final season) and so far it looks like it will be a great season. Freakin HBO, first The Sopranos goes, now The Wire is ending! Oh well, at least the next (and not last) season of LOST starts in 21 days.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
The Routine Begins Anew
Well I think we are finally getting back into a routine. Granted it is coming in small steps but it is getting there. I have been keeping up on my running due to the training plan for the half marathon but have been struggling when it comes to getting up in the morning. I ran four miles on Monday and seven miles on Tuesday mornings then today we went up to the gym to get a quick swim in. The alarm went off at 5:45 but we weren’t out of bed until about 6:10ish. Fortunately my triathlon training doesn’t start until a week after my half marathon so by then it should be a bit easier to get up early and head out. Overall the half marathon training has been good, my shin hasn’t bothered me this week which I believe is due to a combination of starting out at a nice slow pace and walking to work (or driving then going for a walk at lunch). Hopefully by the time the race rolls around I should be good to go – really I would just like to run a good race with no leg problems. On Tuesday I ran negative splits with my first mile at 9:32 and my last at 7:02 so I know I can pick up the pace throughout the run; the only problem is that I’m not sure how long I can hold a fast pace. This weekend I have a 12 miler on the schedule and I would like to hold a pace in the low eights for miles five to twelve.
One thing that I really learned from this training is that any little thing can have a big impact on performance. It took me a while to realize what was missing from my daily routine during the time when I was having no leg problems and that was my daily walks (I used to walk to the train then from the train to my office in the city). Now that I have incorporated walking back into my daily routine I’m hoping that the shin pains become a thing of the past (not shin splints, but cramping in the muscle on the front of my leg). I didn’t even think about the walks until the cramping started in both legs – if it had just been in one leg then I might not have thought about it but when it happened in both legs I knew something was causing it that was not running related (very scientific I know).
To sum it up, training is good and getting better, still struggling with getting up in the morning but slowly making progress, legs are getting better – not cramping as often and the walks seem to be helping, blog updates are suffering which I am also planning on working on, but overall everything is on the up and up.
One thing that I really learned from this training is that any little thing can have a big impact on performance. It took me a while to realize what was missing from my daily routine during the time when I was having no leg problems and that was my daily walks (I used to walk to the train then from the train to my office in the city). Now that I have incorporated walking back into my daily routine I’m hoping that the shin pains become a thing of the past (not shin splints, but cramping in the muscle on the front of my leg). I didn’t even think about the walks until the cramping started in both legs – if it had just been in one leg then I might not have thought about it but when it happened in both legs I knew something was causing it that was not running related (very scientific I know).
To sum it up, training is good and getting better, still struggling with getting up in the morning but slowly making progress, legs are getting better – not cramping as often and the walks seem to be helping, blog updates are suffering which I am also planning on working on, but overall everything is on the up and up.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Still Here, Just Slackin on my Posting
Well I have definitely been slacking on my posting while at the same time actually keeping up on my running. When I started my new job I thought I was going to have all kinds of extra time in the mornings to work out, which I do, but unfortunately my weak side tells me that I need to use that extra time for more sleep instead of more working out. I have been running four times a week to prepare for the San Francisco Half Marathon in February and it has been going fairly well. The only hang-up I have right now is that my shin muscle is still bothering me from time to time on my runs. I usually can feel it tightening up around mile one and then it will either get worse or gradually loosen up and not really bother me for the rest of the run. Yesterday I massaged it after our evening run and then gave it a quick rub before my run this morning which seemed to help (today, not yesterday). On the run yesterday evening it was really bothering me – it wasn’t really tight and painful but it was consistently irritating through the whole six miles. Oh well, I guess there isn’t much I can do about it except stretch, massage it, and get back in the cross training groove. I had this problem a couple of years ago but not at all last summer when I was running a lot. I think the main difference between those times (and now) is that I was cross training a lot during the summer months. This morning I had a good run and my average pace was 7:42 for four miles. I tried to pick up the pace on the last mile and it came in at 6:50. Also, one positive thing I have noticed is that legs are giving out before my lungs so I know my cardio is still in great shape.
Jen and I went to New York the week before Christmas and had a great time. We stayed in Midtown at the Waldorf Astoria and went all over Manhattan while we were there. One of the mornings we got up and went for a run in Central Park – it was really cool. Jen has posted a link to some of our pictures on her site; I would say check them out if you have time but chances are if you are reading this you have already been to her blog and you have probably already seen the pictures.
After the 11th of January I will be moving into a new workspace which should enable me to keep up on my posting and blog reading. As it is now I am right next to my supervisor and being a new employee I am keeping the extra curricular activities to a minimum for now.
Oh yeah, Jen gave me a great gift for Christmas this year (in fact I will go as far as to say it was the best gift) – a Garmin 305! I have not yet used the heart rate monitor but plan on doing so in the near future. Just having one along with me for my runs is great since I can now vary my route instead of having to run the same course every day.
Jen and I went to New York the week before Christmas and had a great time. We stayed in Midtown at the Waldorf Astoria and went all over Manhattan while we were there. One of the mornings we got up and went for a run in Central Park – it was really cool. Jen has posted a link to some of our pictures on her site; I would say check them out if you have time but chances are if you are reading this you have already been to her blog and you have probably already seen the pictures.
After the 11th of January I will be moving into a new workspace which should enable me to keep up on my posting and blog reading. As it is now I am right next to my supervisor and being a new employee I am keeping the extra curricular activities to a minimum for now.
Oh yeah, Jen gave me a great gift for Christmas this year (in fact I will go as far as to say it was the best gift) – a Garmin 305! I have not yet used the heart rate monitor but plan on doing so in the near future. Just having one along with me for my runs is great since I can now vary my route instead of having to run the same course every day.
Monday, December 10, 2007
First week - Check
Last week was my first week on the half marathon training plan and so far so good. During the first three runs of the week (Mon, Tues, and Thurs) the muscle on the outside front of my lower leg was cramping up around the one mile mark and I was having to stop and stretch it out for a couple of minutes before starting up again. It would remain fairly tight for the rest of the run but wouldn’t be so bad that I needed to stop again (although I wanted to a few times). By Thursday I was getting pretty frustrated; I would say discouraged, but I think it was more just general frustration since I have not had this problem for a long time. That combined with the fact that I have been eating poorly (lots of cookies, chocolate, and other holiday treats) had me frustrated with myself but I am focused on getting back on track and into a groove. We are heading to New York next week so we will be eating out while we are there but I think I can make some good choices when ordering and stay away from treats and sweets.
In total I ran four times last week:
Monday – 4mi in am
Total Time: 32:40
AP: 8:10
Tuesday – 4mi in am
Total Time: 32:37
AP: 8:09
The first two runs of the week were pretty much the same – start running, stop around the one mile mark and stretch out my leg for a couple minutes, continue running and analyzing my tight/sore “shin” (I say shin because it’s not really my calf, but since there’s no muscle in your shin it’s not really that either), try to make my foot land differently to see if that is the problem (smart, I know), think about it obsessively for the next three miles, then finish up and stretch.
Thursday – 4mi in am
Total Time: 31:07
AP: 7:47
Same situation as above except I decided that I was going to pick up the pace to prove to my leg that it had no business cramping up and dictating the pace of my run – I was going to show it who was boss. Fortunately this did not lead to any additional injury, but I’m sure it didn’t really help either.
Saturday – 6mi in am
Total Time: 51:40
AP: 8:37
Jen is still in her post-marathon recovery phase (in my opinion a huge accomplishment as she is usually chomping at the running bit and inevitably presses her luck and runs too early) so she joined me for this run on her bike. We took the iron horse trail so I could run on the asphalt since Jen thought that one of the things causing my leg issues could be that the first mile of my morning loop is on concrete sidewalk. I started out at around an 8:45 pace and as we neared the mile mark I could feel my leg starting to tighten up. I maintained the pace I was at but just kept my foot and lower leg relaxed and didn’t try to change my stride at all. After a few minutes the “pre-tightness” let up and my leg didn’t bother me for the rest of the run. I kept the pace right around the 8:40’s for the next three miles then picked the pace up for the last two miles.
This week I have four miles on Monday and Tuesday, six on Thursday, and either six or eight on Saturday (can’t remember which one it is).
In total I ran four times last week:
Monday – 4mi in am
Total Time: 32:40
AP: 8:10
Tuesday – 4mi in am
Total Time: 32:37
AP: 8:09
The first two runs of the week were pretty much the same – start running, stop around the one mile mark and stretch out my leg for a couple minutes, continue running and analyzing my tight/sore “shin” (I say shin because it’s not really my calf, but since there’s no muscle in your shin it’s not really that either), try to make my foot land differently to see if that is the problem (smart, I know), think about it obsessively for the next three miles, then finish up and stretch.
Thursday – 4mi in am
Total Time: 31:07
AP: 7:47
Same situation as above except I decided that I was going to pick up the pace to prove to my leg that it had no business cramping up and dictating the pace of my run – I was going to show it who was boss. Fortunately this did not lead to any additional injury, but I’m sure it didn’t really help either.
Saturday – 6mi in am
Total Time: 51:40
AP: 8:37
Jen is still in her post-marathon recovery phase (in my opinion a huge accomplishment as she is usually chomping at the running bit and inevitably presses her luck and runs too early) so she joined me for this run on her bike. We took the iron horse trail so I could run on the asphalt since Jen thought that one of the things causing my leg issues could be that the first mile of my morning loop is on concrete sidewalk. I started out at around an 8:45 pace and as we neared the mile mark I could feel my leg starting to tighten up. I maintained the pace I was at but just kept my foot and lower leg relaxed and didn’t try to change my stride at all. After a few minutes the “pre-tightness” let up and my leg didn’t bother me for the rest of the run. I kept the pace right around the 8:40’s for the next three miles then picked the pace up for the last two miles.
This week I have four miles on Monday and Tuesday, six on Thursday, and either six or eight on Saturday (can’t remember which one it is).
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