Today was to be 5 miles with speedwork. I started out on the treadmill with my warmup mile going at 3.9 mph. My next mile was to be at 4.2 mph, however, after a half mile I had to knock it back down to 3.8. My ambition to do the warmup mile faster came back to bite me and prevented me from doing the full mile at 4.2. My legs just could not keep up at the 4.2 rate today. I did a quarter mile at 3.8 then kicked it back up 4.2. I held it there for another quarter mile and then dropped back to 3.6 for the next half mile. Realizing my legs were not going to do 4.2 today I lowered my hi-end speed to 4.0 and managed to take this for the next mile, took a quarter mile break at 3.7 and then back to 4.0 to finish out my first four miles. After a brief two minute break to reset the treadmill (it's time limit is 1 hour plus a five minute cooldown) I was back up for the final mile, which I did at 3.8.
Looking back over today's and other previous workouts I am able to see the benefit to starting slow and then picking up the pace. In workouts I have done the slower start I seem to have less struggle with and feel as if I can continue further than what I set out for.
During today's workout I consumed two bottles of Propel (50 calories) and a packet of GU (100 calories). This time the GU was tri-berry flavored. It was not as bad as the banana-strawberry, I could have it again if need be, but I will pass when I have the option. Sunday I think I will give the orange flavored one a shot.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Cool Running
To keep from continually complaining here I am jumping right to the run. Tuesday was a light day for me, only 2 miles on tap. It was 9pm when I finally got the chance to get my run in. The fitness room was locked up. I did not have reflective gear, so, dressed in my lightest colored sweats I opted to do laps around my condo complex. Each lap came in at .56 miles. I did the first lap rather slow, as a warm up. With the temperatures outside being at 32 degrees I wanted to get moving so I would feel warm. My next three laps continually got faster with each one. Throughout the run I was trying to remain focused on my pacing, keeping it more stable. In the past, when not on the treadmill, I have had the problem of my pace fluctuating. Having GARMIN at hand, or rather just above my hand, I was able to continue checking on the pacing. For much of the run I was hovering in the 14:09-14:45 range. During the fourth lap I managed to get the pace steadily in the 13:30-13:50 range. I even looked down and saw the pacing in the 12:30-12:40 range for about a tenth of a mile. Upon completion of my four laps I took a fifth lap as a cool down. My total mileage for the run came in at 2.87 in 43:23, including the cooldown lap. Here are my average pace speeds for the .56 mile loop:
Lap 1: 15:51
Lap 2: 15:35
Lap 3: 14:04
Lap 4: 13:43
Lap 5: 16:21
A great thing about this run is I felt revived. I don't know if it was the cool air or the results on GARMIN when I got inside on the computer to analyze. Either way, I really did feel good about this. Looking at the graph on the computer I was much more successfull in stabilizing my pace and it was easier to see the speeding up as the distance went on.
Today, Wednesday was an off day all around. I took a total rest day. Thursday will be 5 miles with speedwork, Friday I will cross-train, Saturday will be another complete rest day because of work, and I will finish the week Sunday with a 6 mile run after I work the Women's Basketball game at OU. I would love to get outside for the 6 miles but I will have to wait and see what time I get home and if I will have enough daylight.
Lap 1: 15:51
Lap 2: 15:35
Lap 3: 14:04
Lap 4: 13:43
Lap 5: 16:21
A great thing about this run is I felt revived. I don't know if it was the cool air or the results on GARMIN when I got inside on the computer to analyze. Either way, I really did feel good about this. Looking at the graph on the computer I was much more successfull in stabilizing my pace and it was easier to see the speeding up as the distance went on.
Today, Wednesday was an off day all around. I took a total rest day. Thursday will be 5 miles with speedwork, Friday I will cross-train, Saturday will be another complete rest day because of work, and I will finish the week Sunday with a 6 mile run after I work the Women's Basketball game at OU. I would love to get outside for the 6 miles but I will have to wait and see what time I get home and if I will have enough daylight.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Cross-training Weight Loss
One of the reasons I began running is to lose weight. I am sure many of us have used that as a reason to run. When I returned from my three week honeymoon and a weekend cheering my sister on in the Disney marathon this year in mid-January I stepped on the scale. I was shocked and surprised to see it read 252 lbs. Never in my life had I topped the 250 mark. Needless to say, I was not happy with that sight and knew some things had to change. I first began with some walking/running. Then I began to take a look at the foods I consumed. Now, about a month and a week later I stepped on the scale this morning. To my delightful eyes I read the numbers 247 lbs. I was so happy to begin seeing the weight loss I went ahead and ate breakfast, had some lunch later in the day, along with a light snack in the middle. To top it all off, for dessert I had a good 90 minute cross-training session in the fitness room with two bottles of Propel, again one lemon and one berry. There are a couple of ways I can go from here.
First, the cross training session. I started out with a round of strength training doing 15 reps of the bench press, shoulder press, bicep curls, tricep pulldowns, reverse biceps, lats, leg press and calf raises. Next I moved over to the stationary bike for 20 minutes and 3.9 miles. It was warmer in the fitness room than usual, as a result I downed the first bottle of Propel during the biking and right before I started the second round of the strength training. Round two of strength training was the same as round one. At the conclusion, I got on the eliptical for 40 minutes, covering 2.5 miles and finishing off the second bottle of Propel. To finish off the day's workout I made one final round of the weights, repeating the same number of reps.
Second, when I returned home from the workout I had a banana, a blackberry yogurt and two pints of water. When I stepped on the scale before I jumped in the shower it read 245 lbs. WOW!!! I chalk that weight loss up to the depletion of liquids, which I would soon remedy with more water afterward.
The third thing for today deals with the weigh-ins. I know most of you might say don't get too excited over a single weigh-in at a certain weight because it will fluctuate. You may also want to tell me how muscle weighs more than fat and not to get discouraged when I don't see the weight coming off right away. That is true and I am aware of it. But, I will also say that over the course of this past week I have been monitoring my weight, and this is the third time I have hit the 247 lbs., enough for me to be convinced that the growing muscles are now starting to eat away that fat.
Through the running catalyst I have begun and a further look into the foods I eat, the changes I make hope to help me reach my target weight goal. Ultimately, I would like to see myself get out of the 200s and find myself happily around 185. But first things first, I will break it down into 10 lb increments and allow myself a reward upon completion of each 10 lbs. Anyone have suggestions for some quality self-rewards? My starting weight on this mission was 252, I am now at 247, yet I will not accept my first reward until the 240 mark has been successfully achieved.
Please share your comments. I welcome your thoughts.
First, the cross training session. I started out with a round of strength training doing 15 reps of the bench press, shoulder press, bicep curls, tricep pulldowns, reverse biceps, lats, leg press and calf raises. Next I moved over to the stationary bike for 20 minutes and 3.9 miles. It was warmer in the fitness room than usual, as a result I downed the first bottle of Propel during the biking and right before I started the second round of the strength training. Round two of strength training was the same as round one. At the conclusion, I got on the eliptical for 40 minutes, covering 2.5 miles and finishing off the second bottle of Propel. To finish off the day's workout I made one final round of the weights, repeating the same number of reps.
Second, when I returned home from the workout I had a banana, a blackberry yogurt and two pints of water. When I stepped on the scale before I jumped in the shower it read 245 lbs. WOW!!! I chalk that weight loss up to the depletion of liquids, which I would soon remedy with more water afterward.
The third thing for today deals with the weigh-ins. I know most of you might say don't get too excited over a single weigh-in at a certain weight because it will fluctuate. You may also want to tell me how muscle weighs more than fat and not to get discouraged when I don't see the weight coming off right away. That is true and I am aware of it. But, I will also say that over the course of this past week I have been monitoring my weight, and this is the third time I have hit the 247 lbs., enough for me to be convinced that the growing muscles are now starting to eat away that fat.
Through the running catalyst I have begun and a further look into the foods I eat, the changes I make hope to help me reach my target weight goal. Ultimately, I would like to see myself get out of the 200s and find myself happily around 185. But first things first, I will break it down into 10 lb increments and allow myself a reward upon completion of each 10 lbs. Anyone have suggestions for some quality self-rewards? My starting weight on this mission was 252, I am now at 247, yet I will not accept my first reward until the 240 mark has been successfully achieved.
Please share your comments. I welcome your thoughts.
Completing My First Marathon....Sort Of
I have completed my first marathon, well sort of. With my 6.45 mile long run yesterday (Sunday) it brought my new running shoes mileage to an even 26.2 miles. I had no idea until I entered my run into my training log. I was surprised to see I had gone that far already in them. During the run I made note of my 10k time since this was the first time I had actually gone that far. It came in at 1:30:10. I was very psyched to see that.
The breakdown on the stationery 10k treadmill run went like this. I set out for the first mile with the intention of it being a warmup mile at 3.5. Five minutes into it I decided to step up the beat and bumped the speed up to 3.9 for the rest of the first mile. At the onset of the second mile I decided to try the "running" on the treadmill and got the speed to 4.5. This only lasted for a tenth of a mile and then I backed it down to 4.0. I remained at 4.0 until mile three where I went up to 4.1 for a half mile before I pulled an Emeril and "kicked it up a notch" to 4.2. I stayed at 4.2 until I had to stop because the treadmill will only run for 60 minutes and then it does a five minute cool down. At the conclusion of the 60 minutes when the cooldown began I cranked the speed and incline back up until I completed the fourth mile and then hit stop. It took about a minute to clear out the info on the first 4 miles and get the belt back up to speed for the remaining 2.2 miles. With that I was on my way at a 4.2 speed. Once I reached the 10k time I hit the "cooldown" and took that for the five minutes it gave me. Not counted in this run is the 1/4 mile walk from condo to the fitness room and the 1/4 mile back. I never count those. On the way back I did not waste the opportunity to high step it for .2 miles, kicking my knees up to my face, having people look at me weird.
In the realm of refueling, as I closed in on the 45 minute mark of my run I downed my third sampling of GU Gel, this time in the flavor of "Espresso Love." It was pretty good. Of the three flavors I have tried now, I would rank them Chocolate Outrage, Espresso Love, and then Strawberry-Banana from best to worst in taste. My sister had mentioned she did not care for the fruit flavored ones, and I would say that if the other fruit flavored ones taste as bad as Strawberry-Banana I want to stay away from them myself. Throughout my entire run, to remain hydrated, I also put away two bottles of Propel, one lemon and one berry.
The breakdown on the stationery 10k treadmill run went like this. I set out for the first mile with the intention of it being a warmup mile at 3.5. Five minutes into it I decided to step up the beat and bumped the speed up to 3.9 for the rest of the first mile. At the onset of the second mile I decided to try the "running" on the treadmill and got the speed to 4.5. This only lasted for a tenth of a mile and then I backed it down to 4.0. I remained at 4.0 until mile three where I went up to 4.1 for a half mile before I pulled an Emeril and "kicked it up a notch" to 4.2. I stayed at 4.2 until I had to stop because the treadmill will only run for 60 minutes and then it does a five minute cool down. At the conclusion of the 60 minutes when the cooldown began I cranked the speed and incline back up until I completed the fourth mile and then hit stop. It took about a minute to clear out the info on the first 4 miles and get the belt back up to speed for the remaining 2.2 miles. With that I was on my way at a 4.2 speed. Once I reached the 10k time I hit the "cooldown" and took that for the five minutes it gave me. Not counted in this run is the 1/4 mile walk from condo to the fitness room and the 1/4 mile back. I never count those. On the way back I did not waste the opportunity to high step it for .2 miles, kicking my knees up to my face, having people look at me weird.
In the realm of refueling, as I closed in on the 45 minute mark of my run I downed my third sampling of GU Gel, this time in the flavor of "Espresso Love." It was pretty good. Of the three flavors I have tried now, I would rank them Chocolate Outrage, Espresso Love, and then Strawberry-Banana from best to worst in taste. My sister had mentioned she did not care for the fruit flavored ones, and I would say that if the other fruit flavored ones taste as bad as Strawberry-Banana I want to stay away from them myself. Throughout my entire run, to remain hydrated, I also put away two bottles of Propel, one lemon and one berry.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Cross-training and Races
When I woke up this morning I made the decision to cross train. As a result, I feel great. I did 40 minutes on the eliptical and 18 minutes on the bike, along with some strength training on the weights in my condo complex fitness room. Aside from cross-training today I did some searching online and found an 8k in OKC on March 15 I may do, as well as a 10k on May 24, also in OKC. The 10k is named after Willie Nelson as part of the Andy Payne Memorial Races in OKC. That's it for today, a nice and short entry. I'll check back in Sunday after my long run of 6 miles.
Frustrating Start To A Great Finish
Having taken the last two days off from running, I was getting a bit tired, I was anxious to run today. However, my run got off to a frustrating start. First, it was 29 degrees out with a wind chill at 21. I really did not want to run outside in that, plus, the overnight and early morning weather we had had left numerous icy patches around. Again, I did not want to run in/on that and risk injury. Therefore, I settled to go inside on the treadmill. The frustrating part is that when I went to the fitness center here at my condo complex it was locked up still. Someone forgot to come unlock it for the residents to use. I called the management company and through a series of phone calls I was told it would be after 3pm before someone could come by and unlock it......grrrrrr! I was not happy, I wanted to run then, not later. So, nearly two hours later someone came and unlocked the fitness room....yay! Finally inside I get on the treadmill and within two minutes I stopped and had to change treadmills. The first one kept slipping and I just could not get into a groove. So, onto the second treadmill. This one, upon first start up screeched at me as the belt stayed in place and then all of a sudden let loose and started to rotate. Good thing I was not standing on it. After a few minutes and a rise of the incline I did not notice the treadmill slipping anymore. I have noticed it slips the most when it is at a 0 incline and when it is cold.
Onto the workout. Once I got moving I set out for five miles to nowhere by way of speedwork. My goal today was to do the first and last miles at 17:10 with the middle three miles at 15:30. Not once during the workout did I feel tiredness in the shins, yet I could feel the calves working. When I was on my last mile at the slower speed I noticed how much easier it was to do after having done the previous three at a higher rate of speed. Forty-five minutes into the whole workout I sucked down a GU Gel, Chocolate Outrage. It tasted like I was eating chocolate frosting. This was MUCH better than the banana-strawberry I had sampled over the weekend. I see today's run being easier partly because I was on the treadmill, but also because I had given my body two consecutive days of rest, something I had not done in more than a week. My training plan up to this point has had me down for one period of two off days a week or cross-train on those off days. Not having really excercised much in the previous few months I had been out of shape and was sticking to the two off day plan, until I tried to compensate for my working schedule. Doing so caused me to run five of the last nine day prior to these past two off days. I am sure I have just lost you, but it is just the ramblings coming out of my head as I think of them.
Now onto the exciting post workout. Tonight was the showing of Spirit of the Marathon up in Oklahoma City. Hayley and I opted to share our weekly Thursday "date night" at the movies. With our not so healthy bags of popcorn and sodas in hand we made our way into the theater to pick out our seats. Arriving in the theater nearly 50 minutes early we thought we would be really early. We were surprised to see about 20 others already in there sitting and waiting. By the time the movie started the theater was nearly full, it was not a sell out. For the next two hours we watched the movie and the "extras" . We thoroughly enjoyed the movie and laughed at a number of spots. Our hearts went out to some and we could certainly feel and relate to others in the movie. I hear the movie will be out this summer on DVD, so if you did not get to see it you will still have the chance. I would recommend seeing it, if not own it, as it helped put some things into perspective. It was great to relive some history, gain knowledge of some other history and just feel the power of the Marathon.
Back home now, I am trying to figure out my next run. I am scheduled to do my long run of 6 miles sometime during the remainder of the week. I have to work the OSU/OU basketball game Saturday at 7am and won't be home until about 5pm. Wanting to do my run outside that late won't provide me with enough daylight. So, if I do not do it Saturday I would have to do it on Sunday, but that gives me another two days off before I run again. I am leaning towards doing the six miles on Sunday with a cross-train day on the bike and eliptical in the fitness room either tomorrow or Saturday after the basketball game. Any suggestions?
Onto the workout. Once I got moving I set out for five miles to nowhere by way of speedwork. My goal today was to do the first and last miles at 17:10 with the middle three miles at 15:30. Not once during the workout did I feel tiredness in the shins, yet I could feel the calves working. When I was on my last mile at the slower speed I noticed how much easier it was to do after having done the previous three at a higher rate of speed. Forty-five minutes into the whole workout I sucked down a GU Gel, Chocolate Outrage. It tasted like I was eating chocolate frosting. This was MUCH better than the banana-strawberry I had sampled over the weekend. I see today's run being easier partly because I was on the treadmill, but also because I had given my body two consecutive days of rest, something I had not done in more than a week. My training plan up to this point has had me down for one period of two off days a week or cross-train on those off days. Not having really excercised much in the previous few months I had been out of shape and was sticking to the two off day plan, until I tried to compensate for my working schedule. Doing so caused me to run five of the last nine day prior to these past two off days. I am sure I have just lost you, but it is just the ramblings coming out of my head as I think of them.
Now onto the exciting post workout. Tonight was the showing of Spirit of the Marathon up in Oklahoma City. Hayley and I opted to share our weekly Thursday "date night" at the movies. With our not so healthy bags of popcorn and sodas in hand we made our way into the theater to pick out our seats. Arriving in the theater nearly 50 minutes early we thought we would be really early. We were surprised to see about 20 others already in there sitting and waiting. By the time the movie started the theater was nearly full, it was not a sell out. For the next two hours we watched the movie and the "extras" . We thoroughly enjoyed the movie and laughed at a number of spots. Our hearts went out to some and we could certainly feel and relate to others in the movie. I hear the movie will be out this summer on DVD, so if you did not get to see it you will still have the chance. I would recommend seeing it, if not own it, as it helped put some things into perspective. It was great to relive some history, gain knowledge of some other history and just feel the power of the Marathon.
Back home now, I am trying to figure out my next run. I am scheduled to do my long run of 6 miles sometime during the remainder of the week. I have to work the OSU/OU basketball game Saturday at 7am and won't be home until about 5pm. Wanting to do my run outside that late won't provide me with enough daylight. So, if I do not do it Saturday I would have to do it on Sunday, but that gives me another two days off before I run again. I am leaning towards doing the six miles on Sunday with a cross-train day on the bike and eliptical in the fitness room either tomorrow or Saturday after the basketball game. Any suggestions?
Monday, February 18, 2008
Books, Food and a Short Run
I have read and heard that there are good days and bad days in running. In some ways I feel I felt my first bad day today. Today I set out for two miles. My plan was to walk the first mile and then run what I could for the second, then I would do a half mile cooldown around my condo complex. Run time temperature was 50 degrees on a beautiful clear day, I thought it would be great for getting out and running. Three quarters of the way into my first mile I decided to go ahead and start the running, I was feeling good. I found a stride that felt good and went with it, yet I did not really pay attention to the pacing and my body tired rather quickly within the next quarter mile. Returning to a walk I did a recovery quarter mile then stepped up the speed again. Although, this time I paid more attention to my pacing and managed to maintain a slower, yet more consistent speed over a greater distance. That I was happy with. With another quarter mile recovery walk and one more stint on the run I finished up walking it in. At the end of two miles I had gone at an overall 14:21 pace. By the end of my cooldown I had covered 2.71 miles at an overall pace of 15:16. My cooldown was really slow. Now what makes me feel like this was a bad day is that (a) I feel like I labored more during the run than I should have, and (b) throughout the rest of the afternoon my body ached a bit more than it had in the past. I think my body was expecting more activity and when I called it quits at the point when I usually find that light switch it just did not know what to do.
Moving onto other run-related activities, I spent a good bit of time today working on my blog site, giving you more information in the sidebar. It was a pleasure doing it and I have a list of some other additions to come in time. Also today, while out running errands I swung by Borders Bookstore to pick up a book I read about online just the other day. It is called Eat This, Not That. It is a great book for the traveler or anyone that has to or chooses to eat out frequently. It does not tell you to not eat out, what it does do is tell you alternative selections to certain menu items at numerous popular restaurants to help watch your caloric intake. It is quite a jaw dropping eye opener. There is also a section for when you go to the grocery store. The reviews I had read about it were enough to make me go out and get it. And, since I was at Borders and had a 40% off coupon with a $20 purchase, the book was just under $20, I also picked up Running for Mortals, another book written by "The Penguin" John Bingham. Following my book purchases I made my way over to the grocery store. The importance of the grocery store is that I made a change in my cereal purchase this week. Instead of Special K or whatever sweet cereal I was craving, I took advantage of the 3 for $8 Kashi cereals, picking up three different kinds to sample. Now, my marathon sister has been eating this stuff for years so it is not foreign to me. However, now that I am trying to get my weight down and have running goals, I figure this is a good move forward to aid in both goals.
Moving onto other run-related activities, I spent a good bit of time today working on my blog site, giving you more information in the sidebar. It was a pleasure doing it and I have a list of some other additions to come in time. Also today, while out running errands I swung by Borders Bookstore to pick up a book I read about online just the other day. It is called Eat This, Not That. It is a great book for the traveler or anyone that has to or chooses to eat out frequently. It does not tell you to not eat out, what it does do is tell you alternative selections to certain menu items at numerous popular restaurants to help watch your caloric intake. It is quite a jaw dropping eye opener. There is also a section for when you go to the grocery store. The reviews I had read about it were enough to make me go out and get it. And, since I was at Borders and had a 40% off coupon with a $20 purchase, the book was just under $20, I also picked up Running for Mortals, another book written by "The Penguin" John Bingham. Following my book purchases I made my way over to the grocery store. The importance of the grocery store is that I made a change in my cereal purchase this week. Instead of Special K or whatever sweet cereal I was craving, I took advantage of the 3 for $8 Kashi cereals, picking up three different kinds to sample. Now, my marathon sister has been eating this stuff for years so it is not foreign to me. However, now that I am trying to get my weight down and have running goals, I figure this is a good move forward to aid in both goals.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
95 Minutes to Nowhere
Getting caught up we are finally up to yesterday, Saturday. I moved up my long run this week by a day because of my schedule for next week. My long run concluding Week 4 was set for 5 miles. With inclement weather outside (35 degrees and rain with potential for icing) I took the workout indoors to the treadmill. In doing so there was no need for GARMIN. I also wanted to go a bit easier on the body with this run, one because I had not gone this long before, and two because the last two runs were outdoors on a lot of concrete sidewalk. Being inside on the treadmill I opted to use my older New Balance 475s instead of the new ASICS. To sum up the treadmill workout, I covered 5.45 miles in 95 minutes, including my cooldown of ten minutes, for an overall pace of 17:25. Going with some information I had read, a slower pace can help the body with energy management, I set the treadmill for 3.5 miles per hour. That is why it took longer to complete the workout. As with my road runs, I felt the tiredness in the begining 2-2.5 miles and then I was off to the races. A luxury of the treadmill is a place to hold a beverage. I took two bottles of Propel with me. I drank one and took a few sips of the second by the end of the workout. Half way through the run at 45 minutes I also tried for the first time a packet of Gu. According to the treadmill I had burned off almost 450 calories at that point, so replenishing 100 calories in the packet of Gu I figured would not be a bad thing. I tried the Banana-Strawberry. To sum it up, it was interesting. I do feel the Gu served its purpose however. Another luxury for me of going on the treadmill was being able to use my iPod. I do not use my iPod when I am out on the roadways, but in the fitness room, facing the door, I will listen to a mix of music I assembled for working out.
Aside from the runnings of this week, I have been reading a chapter a night from The Courage to Start. I also have been enjoying the daily quotes I have been receiving from Runner's World in my email I had signed up for on their website. Tomorrow is the start of a new week, Week 5. By week's end my mileage total will be up to 13. Tomorrow I have a short run in the plans for a total of 2 miles, with a five miler on Wednesday and a six miler on Friday. I do hope to get in a day of cross training, preferably on Sunday, doing the eliptical. I also hope to get a couple days of doing some upper body weights in. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated.
Aside from the runnings of this week, I have been reading a chapter a night from The Courage to Start. I also have been enjoying the daily quotes I have been receiving from Runner's World in my email I had signed up for on their website. Tomorrow is the start of a new week, Week 5. By week's end my mileage total will be up to 13. Tomorrow I have a short run in the plans for a total of 2 miles, with a five miler on Wednesday and a six miler on Friday. I do hope to get in a day of cross training, preferably on Sunday, doing the eliptical. I also hope to get a couple days of doing some upper body weights in. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated.
Shaving the Pace
Following Tuesday's run, while out running errands I stopped by the two running stores located here in Norman we did not check when shopping over the weekend. One of the stores, Athletic Village, was in the process of moving to a new location so their stock was not complete. They were having a moving sale and were not restocking the shelves because all new stock was being sent to the new location, which was not opened yet. I was not a big fan of this store in terms of running because they were a multi-sports store, not specializing in running. Now the other store I ventured into, The OK Runner, was a running store. In many ways this store was better than the store in OKC. They had a larger apparel selection, they had a larger sock selection (although no Injinji), and they had more selection and stock of energy foods, gels and drinks. There also was a larger section of accessories, including sunglasses, winter gear, electronics and more. I was very pleased with the service I got and felt welcomed there, unlike in Athletic Village. I can not speak for the selection of shoes for me because I did not shop for shoes on this trip, although there was a large selection of shoes on the wall.
Now onto Thursday this week. I did not get to my run until late afternoon (4pm). This was my second trip out on the road. I followed the same 5k loop I did Tuesday, except I added an extra half mile section near the beginning and had to start start a second lap briefly to complete my goal of 4 miles. One of the joys I am finding in the outdoor running is the element weather plays into your outcome. Thursday's run saw the temperature start at 69 degrees and drop to 59 degrees an hour later. Plus, the winds were quite strong, giving me a great tailwind in the middle of my run, but provided me with a strong headwind challenging me down the final stretch. I did not take note of my 5k time on this run, partly because I was not focused on my 5k. I was going for 4 miles and I was trying to pay more attention to GARMIN and my pacing. One of my goals on this run was to try and smooth out my pacing. Checking on the computer post-run it appears that I did do a better job with that. Once again, I traversed the asphalt, concrete and roadside dirt along the route, doing the series of runs along the way. At times I felt I was laboring more than I had the previous run. In the begining I had the same tiredness felt in the shins and as before it disappeared and I felt I could keep on going. Overall, the run felt great.
Checking with GARMIN I realize I have messed up my times over the past few posts. The correct times are as follows:
Sunday, 4.01 miles, 58:20 (5k time was 48:26)
Tuesday, 3.32 miles, 48:02 (this 5k time was 45:15)
Thursday, 4.31 miles, 1:01:16 (5k time was not noted)
One great thing with GARMIN is the ability to check your history. In doing so I am able to see my overall pacing has improved with each run. Sunday's overall pace was 14:33, Tueaday's was 14:28, and what may help explain the additional laboring on Thursday is the pace of 14:12.
Now onto Thursday this week. I did not get to my run until late afternoon (4pm). This was my second trip out on the road. I followed the same 5k loop I did Tuesday, except I added an extra half mile section near the beginning and had to start start a second lap briefly to complete my goal of 4 miles. One of the joys I am finding in the outdoor running is the element weather plays into your outcome. Thursday's run saw the temperature start at 69 degrees and drop to 59 degrees an hour later. Plus, the winds were quite strong, giving me a great tailwind in the middle of my run, but provided me with a strong headwind challenging me down the final stretch. I did not take note of my 5k time on this run, partly because I was not focused on my 5k. I was going for 4 miles and I was trying to pay more attention to GARMIN and my pacing. One of my goals on this run was to try and smooth out my pacing. Checking on the computer post-run it appears that I did do a better job with that. Once again, I traversed the asphalt, concrete and roadside dirt along the route, doing the series of runs along the way. At times I felt I was laboring more than I had the previous run. In the begining I had the same tiredness felt in the shins and as before it disappeared and I felt I could keep on going. Overall, the run felt great.
Checking with GARMIN I realize I have messed up my times over the past few posts. The correct times are as follows:
Sunday, 4.01 miles, 58:20 (5k time was 48:26)
Tuesday, 3.32 miles, 48:02 (this 5k time was 45:15)
Thursday, 4.31 miles, 1:01:16 (5k time was not noted)
One great thing with GARMIN is the ability to check your history. In doing so I am able to see my overall pacing has improved with each run. Sunday's overall pace was 14:33, Tueaday's was 14:28, and what may help explain the additional laboring on Thursday is the pace of 14:12.
First Non-treadmill, Non-track Run
So my last entry was going longer than I initially thought and I still had more I wanted to update you on so I posted what I had, took a meal break to replenish my energy and now I am back. One thing about Sunday's track workout I forgot to mention is that that was my first non-treadmill workout. With all my traveling I had been doing the treadmill was really the best option I had prior to Sunday because of my work schedule and locations.
Now, I am currently amidst a fourteen week training plan leading me up to my first race, the Oklahoma City Memorial Half-Marathon. This past Sunday I spoke of completed my Week 3 training. Moving forward into Week 4, on Tuesday this week I did my first non-treadmill, non-track workout. Using GARMIN I navigated my way around a convenient 5k loop right here from home. For this run/walk I adorned my new ASICS, along with the Injinji socks for the first time. The socks were weird upon first putting them on, however, once my feet were inside my running shoes I could not tell a difference between the Injinjis and my normal socks other than my feet did feel cooler during the run. Through the first mile and a half to two miles I could feel the tiredness build in my shins. Yet I kept going. It was not a tiredness feeling like shin splints, it was more just the building up of the lactic acid I would say. Then, like someone turned on a light switch, the tiredness was gone and I felt like I could run/walk forever. During the run/walk I mixed up the pace with a series of runs, mostly about four utility poles at a time. Some of the runs were the length of the parking lots I would pass, some I would run the four telephone poles and find I was feeling good and had a good stride going so I continued another pole or two. This was a run that covered numerous surfaces: asphalt, concrete (the worst), and some roadside dirt. When possible I would not run/walk on the sidewalk but rather along the sidewalk on the grass. Now I only did this when it appeared to be pretty smooth and not slanted to one side or the other. I also kept a close eye out for any holes, as I did not want to experience a busted ankle like my cousin did last fall. At the conclusion of my run I had covered 3.31 miles, this including my cooldown walk. My 5k time was 45:15. I was excited to see the time had improved. Perhaps the weather had something to do with it. The starting temperature of the run was 32 degrees and it had warmed up to 36 by the time I got back inside, and the start of the run was about noon here in Oklahoma.
With the cold temperatures you would think I would have used that as an excuse to either not run or use the treadmill in the fitness room. Nope, I got out there and did it. I first felt the cold for about two or three minutes, but once I really got moving the blood got pumping and I was warm, not feeling the cold until I began the slower pace of my cooldown distance. At the end I had an exhilirated feeling having just gone three plus miles, in the cold. It was great.
Now, I am currently amidst a fourteen week training plan leading me up to my first race, the Oklahoma City Memorial Half-Marathon. This past Sunday I spoke of completed my Week 3 training. Moving forward into Week 4, on Tuesday this week I did my first non-treadmill, non-track workout. Using GARMIN I navigated my way around a convenient 5k loop right here from home. For this run/walk I adorned my new ASICS, along with the Injinji socks for the first time. The socks were weird upon first putting them on, however, once my feet were inside my running shoes I could not tell a difference between the Injinjis and my normal socks other than my feet did feel cooler during the run. Through the first mile and a half to two miles I could feel the tiredness build in my shins. Yet I kept going. It was not a tiredness feeling like shin splints, it was more just the building up of the lactic acid I would say. Then, like someone turned on a light switch, the tiredness was gone and I felt like I could run/walk forever. During the run/walk I mixed up the pace with a series of runs, mostly about four utility poles at a time. Some of the runs were the length of the parking lots I would pass, some I would run the four telephone poles and find I was feeling good and had a good stride going so I continued another pole or two. This was a run that covered numerous surfaces: asphalt, concrete (the worst), and some roadside dirt. When possible I would not run/walk on the sidewalk but rather along the sidewalk on the grass. Now I only did this when it appeared to be pretty smooth and not slanted to one side or the other. I also kept a close eye out for any holes, as I did not want to experience a busted ankle like my cousin did last fall. At the conclusion of my run I had covered 3.31 miles, this including my cooldown walk. My 5k time was 45:15. I was excited to see the time had improved. Perhaps the weather had something to do with it. The starting temperature of the run was 32 degrees and it had warmed up to 36 by the time I got back inside, and the start of the run was about noon here in Oklahoma.
With the cold temperatures you would think I would have used that as an excuse to either not run or use the treadmill in the fitness room. Nope, I got out there and did it. I first felt the cold for about two or three minutes, but once I really got moving the blood got pumping and I was warm, not feeling the cold until I began the slower pace of my cooldown distance. At the end I had an exhilirated feeling having just gone three plus miles, in the cold. It was great.
Sisterly Visit
Ok, sorry for the delay. I may not be right on top of getting the blog entries up in a timely fashion, but at least I have not been slacking in my training. I have now completed a 12-mile week. Next week will be a 13-mile week. Not bad for having only started back in January.
First things first, last weekend my sister came to visit. During her visit, my wife and I went to OKC and got ourselves some new running shoes. We went to a store called The Runner. They measured our feet, watched us do some walking in the store to see how our feet work, and then gave us some shoes to try on. For me, because I have a wide foot, they only had two styles in stock, a pair of New Balance (I don't recall the model number) and a pair of ASICS Gel Fortitude 2. They had me put on one shoe of the New Balance and one of the ASICS and let me go for a run out of the store. Let me say this blew me away. After living in Connecticut for ten years, I can tell you they never would have let you run out of a store with new, unpaid sneakers on your feet. I ran to the end of the parking lot and then returned to the store. The salesman asked me what felt better. It was tough for me to answer because I have been a long standing New Balance person and I had to swallow my pride and go against that. I told him the ASICS were better. So, he gave me the other ASICS shoe and had me put that on and go for another run. Once again, I ran out the door and down to the end of the parking lot and back. I was happy with this pair. My decision was pretty easy, unlike my wife, whom had to try out I think four pairs.
In New Balance I have always worn size 10-4E. In the new ASICS I am wearing a size 11. Also, when I asked about wether I overpronate or over supinate I was told that I do pronate, but not severly like my wife and other family relatives do. My arches I was told are about normal.
While my wife continued to work on her selection of shoes I explored the rest of the store. I picked up a two pair of running shorts that had an internal lining to replace the need to wear underwear. This was important because I can tell you that running in boxer shorts is not fun. Hey, if my sisters and wife can talk about their sports bras in their blogs it is only fair for me to mention my underthings. I had been on a search to find some boxer briefs I could wear, but I came across these shorts first. Along with the running shorts, I also found a pair of running pants. In addition, I also decided to pick up an experimental pair of Injinji Socks. Injinji socks are unique in that they have seperate compartments for your toes. They are like a glove for your feet as opposed to the mitten-style of a typical tube/crew sock. I had read about them in this months edition of Runner's World magazine in an article reviewing the top 10 running socks.
My most expensive purchase however was the GARMIN 205. The GARMIN 205 is a runner's watch equipped with GPS navigation. The watch will keep track of my running time, pace, calories burned, and not only the distance I have traveled, but where I have traveled through the GPS. A benefit to the watch is that at the end of a run, I can download the information from the watch to my computer and analyze the run, including cross-referencing it with past runs. This was a purchase I am finding was definitely well worth the expense.
With my new purchases in hand and my wife having hers we set out to find her an my sister some new sports bras, but you will have to check out their blogs for those details because I stayed out in the car reading up on the GARMIN while they did that shopping. Later in the day I did pick up some boxer briefs so I may give them a shot and won't always have to do laundry everyday or wear dirty running clothes. We also made a stop at Barnes & Nobles where I picked up a few books: The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer; The Courage to Start; and 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon. While shopping at B&N I wore my new ASICS around the store to begin breaking them in before my first run with them.
The next day, last Sunday, it was time to put things into circulation and see how everything comes together. First, my sister had me eat a PowerBar about fifteen minutes before we made our way to the local high school track. At the track, with my new ASICS, running shorts, running pants and GARMIN on I did my long run of four miles for the week. This was the first time, with the help of GARMIN, I had a time for a 5k. I did the 5k in 48:20. Altogether, I did my four miles in 1:01:15. Being on the track provided me the first time that I had easily recognizable distance references during my run/walk. I also took this opportunity to actually do some running. Following a 1-mile warmup walk I introduced the running into my workout. I would run a quarter of the track, walk a quarter, run the next quarter and then walk the last quarter to complete a lap. I did this twice and then followed it up with a full lap of walking. The next four laps I would run half the track, walk a quarter, run another half lap, walk another quarter and repeat until I had completed four laps. I then finished my workout walking until the final 100-meters when my sister was supporting me to "finish strong." Hearing her voice I kicked it up into a comfortable run until I crossed the four-mile mark and did two walking laps for cooldown.
Upon returning home I loaded the run into my computer from GARMIN and it was really cool to see the run in graphical form. I could see where I picked up speed and where I slowed down. I also could see that my stability in pacing needs some work. My overall pace was good, but throughout my workout my pace fluctuated up and down drastically. Despite the fluctuation in pace, I felt great. My new shoes felt great. And I was excited to get back out there for my next run.
First things first, last weekend my sister came to visit. During her visit, my wife and I went to OKC and got ourselves some new running shoes. We went to a store called The Runner. They measured our feet, watched us do some walking in the store to see how our feet work, and then gave us some shoes to try on. For me, because I have a wide foot, they only had two styles in stock, a pair of New Balance (I don't recall the model number) and a pair of ASICS Gel Fortitude 2. They had me put on one shoe of the New Balance and one of the ASICS and let me go for a run out of the store. Let me say this blew me away. After living in Connecticut for ten years, I can tell you they never would have let you run out of a store with new, unpaid sneakers on your feet. I ran to the end of the parking lot and then returned to the store. The salesman asked me what felt better. It was tough for me to answer because I have been a long standing New Balance person and I had to swallow my pride and go against that. I told him the ASICS were better. So, he gave me the other ASICS shoe and had me put that on and go for another run. Once again, I ran out the door and down to the end of the parking lot and back. I was happy with this pair. My decision was pretty easy, unlike my wife, whom had to try out I think four pairs.
In New Balance I have always worn size 10-4E. In the new ASICS I am wearing a size 11. Also, when I asked about wether I overpronate or over supinate I was told that I do pronate, but not severly like my wife and other family relatives do. My arches I was told are about normal.
While my wife continued to work on her selection of shoes I explored the rest of the store. I picked up a two pair of running shorts that had an internal lining to replace the need to wear underwear. This was important because I can tell you that running in boxer shorts is not fun. Hey, if my sisters and wife can talk about their sports bras in their blogs it is only fair for me to mention my underthings. I had been on a search to find some boxer briefs I could wear, but I came across these shorts first. Along with the running shorts, I also found a pair of running pants. In addition, I also decided to pick up an experimental pair of Injinji Socks. Injinji socks are unique in that they have seperate compartments for your toes. They are like a glove for your feet as opposed to the mitten-style of a typical tube/crew sock. I had read about them in this months edition of Runner's World magazine in an article reviewing the top 10 running socks.
My most expensive purchase however was the GARMIN 205. The GARMIN 205 is a runner's watch equipped with GPS navigation. The watch will keep track of my running time, pace, calories burned, and not only the distance I have traveled, but where I have traveled through the GPS. A benefit to the watch is that at the end of a run, I can download the information from the watch to my computer and analyze the run, including cross-referencing it with past runs. This was a purchase I am finding was definitely well worth the expense.
With my new purchases in hand and my wife having hers we set out to find her an my sister some new sports bras, but you will have to check out their blogs for those details because I stayed out in the car reading up on the GARMIN while they did that shopping. Later in the day I did pick up some boxer briefs so I may give them a shot and won't always have to do laundry everyday or wear dirty running clothes. We also made a stop at Barnes & Nobles where I picked up a few books: The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer; The Courage to Start; and 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon. While shopping at B&N I wore my new ASICS around the store to begin breaking them in before my first run with them.
The next day, last Sunday, it was time to put things into circulation and see how everything comes together. First, my sister had me eat a PowerBar about fifteen minutes before we made our way to the local high school track. At the track, with my new ASICS, running shorts, running pants and GARMIN on I did my long run of four miles for the week. This was the first time, with the help of GARMIN, I had a time for a 5k. I did the 5k in 48:20. Altogether, I did my four miles in 1:01:15. Being on the track provided me the first time that I had easily recognizable distance references during my run/walk. I also took this opportunity to actually do some running. Following a 1-mile warmup walk I introduced the running into my workout. I would run a quarter of the track, walk a quarter, run the next quarter and then walk the last quarter to complete a lap. I did this twice and then followed it up with a full lap of walking. The next four laps I would run half the track, walk a quarter, run another half lap, walk another quarter and repeat until I had completed four laps. I then finished my workout walking until the final 100-meters when my sister was supporting me to "finish strong." Hearing her voice I kicked it up into a comfortable run until I crossed the four-mile mark and did two walking laps for cooldown.
Upon returning home I loaded the run into my computer from GARMIN and it was really cool to see the run in graphical form. I could see where I picked up speed and where I slowed down. I also could see that my stability in pacing needs some work. My overall pace was good, but throughout my workout my pace fluctuated up and down drastically. Despite the fluctuation in pace, I felt great. My new shoes felt great. And I was excited to get back out there for my next run.
Friday, February 8, 2008
806s Out
After having been doing the run/walk thing for the past three weeks and rotating two pairs of sneakers in between workouts, I can say I have found which pair will be retired upon this weekend's purchase of some new kicks. I have been using two pairs of New Balance--475s and 806s. The 806s are on their way out. I have discovered that I tend to labor a little bit more when wearing them, plus they are just getting old. Both pairs are old for that matter. It is just that the 475s have had less wear--they spent a good part of three years sitting underneath my grandfather's desk collecting dust. I do want to switch out both pair, but I have heard the suggestions to only bring in one new pair at a time. By this time tomorrow the 806s will be out of commission and I will have a new set in the rotation. Check back to find out what I pick up.
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