Two weeks, two runs

And a whole lot of slacking.  Started as post half pain, then it became post half let down, then it was just tired and didn't want to get up.  Didn't help that I had to do things several of the mornings I should have run.  But I did 3.3 miles today with warm up and cool down and signed up for a 5 miler.  I thought about signing up for 10, but I'm just not mentally ready for that. 

My Nike+ is still off I think.  I need to go run a mile at the track to calibrate it, but that takes actual planning.

Tomorrow I begin anew

With  C25K and a Great Dane.  Hopefully she'll enjoy it and not try to kill me.  Giving her a week or two to figure out how to run with me.  Then I can take get to the pet friendly 5ks.

13.1 slow miles

Actually, I think it was longer than that.  I mapped it out and came up with closer to 13.5 miles when I used the actual route as opposed to the posted route.  Add in the mile walk to the start and the mile after back to my car and the half a mile of walking in circles looking for people I knew from work and it was a long night.

Made a huge mistake right at the beginning, I tried to keep pace with the 2:15 group instead of the 2:30 group.  That worked out okay for about 3.5 miles.  At that point I dropped into my intervals.  That was going fairly well.  I made sure that I was able to drop into my walks without a lot of heavy breathing.  Unfortunately, I used up too much of my legs in that first 3.5 miles so when the 2:30 pace keepers caught up to me, I only stayed with them for about a mile.  Luckily I was more than half done by then.

I think my main problem after about mile 8 I just had no idea where the turn around was anymore.  I kept thinking it had to be soon.  Part of that problem was my ipod thinking I was 2 miles further along than I was.  Some was darkness.  Some was just being tired.  It just seemed like the run was never going to end though.  Finally the ten mile turn came, and there was no water.  Water stops on the race were just pathetic.  They had them every mile or so, but they were trying to pour as you got there instead of having a bunch of water ready.  So I ended up skipping water stops and using my camelbak.  This was also not part of the plan.  I was expecting to grab a cup of water or two at every stop so I'd have plenty of water to suck down right at the end when I was really dehydrated.  Instead, I was out of water around mile 11, leg cramps started about half a mile later.

Last mile I got blocked by idiots walking 5 abreast and ignoring my on your left comments.  I finally yelled MOVE to get them out of the way.  They gave me dirty looks, but moved.  I did manage to finish on the run, about 15 minutes after I'd intended to finish.  I think I can blame a lot of it on the leg cramps in the last mile and a half. 

I'm calling it it about 13:20 a mile for 13.5 miles.  I'm going back to 10k distance, hurts a lot less.

Four days to go

Weather report for Saturday hasn't changed so shouldn't be too hot.  My training this week has been thrown off a little due to oversleeping.  Tomorrow is going to be my only run.  Hopefully that will be enough.  I did walk Monday and today so it's not like my legs have completely atrophied.


My biggest problem Saturday is going to be pace.  And by that I mean not letting the adrenaline grab me and push me to run too fast right from the start.  I can do 13 miles if I maintain the pace I did Sunday.  If I try to shave too much off that time, I'm screwed.

Double digit distance

For the first time ever, I ran 10 miles. 

My biggest concerns were my soleus strain and whether my KT Tape would stay on the whole run since I'd been wearing it for 2 days.  The tape was fine, though it was pulling away at the bottom so not anchored as well as it should have been.  I may buy the fancier version of the tape that is supposed to stick better.

I was trying not to think about my leg and that worked for a while.  Until it actually got sore.  I pushed through it though, which I haven't been doing.  Also it was just sore/tight feeling and not sharp/shooting pain like it was a week ago.  I can ignore a dull ache, though when I get done with the half training I'll take a week off and just walk every day.  Planning to backtrack and redo the C25K to get myself back to running a full 3 miles instead of running intervals.  Not sure I'll I'll go to one hour runner or Freeway to 10k after that.

Run was generally good.  Didn't get that runner's high nothing hurts at any point, but no significant back or leg pain, other than the soleus ache.  I was definitely ready to walk when the walk intervals came up in the second half.  But I didn't cut any of my run intervals short to walk, I ran everything I was supposed to run, which hasn't happened in a month or so.  Every time I started to think I needed to walk, I'd hit the button that pops up my time and distance on the iPod and tell myself it was only a couple more minutes until the walk interval. 

Am starting to think my shoes are a half size too big.  It seems hard to get them tight enough and they always feel really loose at the end.  Of course I don't want to go buying new shoes so maybe some new insoles will help. 

Long time off

Been walking more than running thanks to a soleus muscle strain.  For a while more than a mile of running caused some major leg pain that I couldn't just walk off.  Ace bandages did no good.  KT tape seems to help.  That or it was just basically healed when I ran Thursday.  Tomorrow it's 2 hours or 10 miles to see how ready I am for the half next Saturday.  If all else fails, I can walk 13 miles in the allotted time.

What was supposed to be an easy hour

Turned into a leg strain and a lot of walking. 

A little over two miles into my run, my left leg started hurting below the calf.  Thought I'd try to walk it off, but every time I started running again, it was right back.  Even walking the pain threw off my whole stride and caused a variety of other little aches to crop up.  I ran a little more near the end because I was running very late, probably a bad idea.  Hopefully some ice and advil will take care of it.

Another long run day.

Almost 7.5 miles.  Walked more than I wanted to, but I ran less than I meant to last week, so to be expected.  I really need to get out and run somewhere flat to get a better thought of my actual endurance since the half is almost completely flat.  Of course the hills are better for my overall training.

Four mile swim

Another day of high humidity running.  Did 40 minutes of short intervals and finally found a good pace 2.5 miles in.  I need to get back to higher intervals, but the heavy air is killing me.  I'm also still trying to get used to running with a CamelBak so I don't want to push too many long intervals and spend my time hurting.  I need to start running later in the day anyway, but it's hard to do those long distances at dinner time. 

Long run day

7.25 slow miles. Walked more than planned. I think the camelbak had something to do with it. Finally hit a good stride about 4 miles in and then was stupid enough to walk my next interval instead of running through it. Couldn't get it back when the run started again.
I'm pretty happy with the distance and pace.  It's a mile longer than anything I've done since high school.  Next week I go for 8.5.

5 miler today

It appears my run 11 walk 4 intervals are about perfect.  First time in a while that I've run everything I was supposed to.  Not sure if it was the misty weather, the extra stretching or just a good day, but I felt like I could have gone another several miles.  I would have if I hadn't had to get back home.  See if I can actually pull it off on Saturday when I go for the long run.  Going to attempt 15 minutes more running than my Peachtree time. 

Two day break

Was only supposed to be one but that's life.  Much better than the Friday run, just a little shin pain.

Running with a water bottle is weird, I think it's the sloshing.  I would refill it at the water stops on the Peachtree so it never got very empty. 

Also amused by how my shoe chip says I'm going further than Google maps does.  I assume since I don't run in straight lines, my actual distance is probably somewhere between the two.  

One of those bad runs

Decided to do a day of Week 2 of C25k.  It sucked.  Shins hurt from the beginning, couldn't breathe, head hurt, generally crappy.  At least my ankle didn't hurt.
Supposed to run tomorrow too, but think an of day or walk is in order.

The morning after

Walked a little more than 2 miles this morning.  Left ankle, which I rolled yesterday sometime before the second mile, is a little sore.  Otherwise feeling pretty good.

My official time was slower than my phone time, 5 seconds slower than last year.  Considering I didn't really start training until a month or so ago, I feel pretty good about it.  Now to start the half marathon training.

End of Peachtree

More than 10 miles today.  Started with a later group because transit sucked.
Ran the first 2.5 miles even though I had intervals set for 1 and .25 miles.  Walked hills and ran between.  Ran the last 1.2 miles even though I was cramping.  Even managed to pass some folks at the end.  Threw the horns to the camera and pushed through to the finish.
Shirt is not one of my favorites from the vote.  Oh well.

Peachtree Number 2

Less than 12 hours away.  Planning interval runs instead of a straight run.  That might change since I'm running with someone instead of solo.  Only 7.5 hours until the alarm goes off.  Looking forward to that 76 degrees and 80% humidity.

Two days in a row

Walked 3.5 or so yesterday, ran 4.5 today.  It was 90 out there when I finished today.  I'm about 97% sweat right now.  Glad my Peachtree start time is earlier than I started today.

Also today was the first run in a long time that I didn't have any back pain.  Not sure if I did something different or if my back muscles are finally used to the running.  

5 miles at 11 minute pace

Counting warm up and cool down went just over 5 miles in about 56 minutes, 9/4 intervals.  Pretty sure I'll be able to maintain that pace for the Peachtree.  I still have a problem starting at too fast a pace.  I end tool walking more than my planned intervals because I burn out a little.  My phone isn't bad at telling me average pace, but if I set it to tell me current pace it's useless. 

Death of the iPod

Water got into the crack in the screen.  Took it apart and dried it, but the little wire that controls the touch screen snapped.  Luckily I have my phone.  Not as good for some stuff but has GPS, which it's nice for the running apps.

Yesterday was almost 4 in 46 minutes, including warm up/cool down.  About 3.4 in 36 for the run/walk segments.  And that was with rolling my ankle about 1.5 miles in.  Tomorrow will be 4ish at Peachtree wave start time.  Saturday it's 5.5.  Then I walk 2 or 3 times before the big day.

A day late and not quite as fast as I wanted

Skipped the run yesterday.  Just didn't want to get out of bed when the alarm went off so I stayed in bed.  Managed to get up today though.  Didn't quite make my goal of 4.5 in 50, was actually 4.7 in 56.  I'll take it.  That gets me close to what I want to hit for the Peachtree.  And it's close to the pace I had this time last year so that's better than I expected.

Ran about the first mile and a quarter then held the intervals for about 12 minutes.   At that point the legs were hurting and the back was starting to so I would walk 3 seconds past the back pain stopping and the run until it was bad again.  Did remember my posture better so that helped the back.  Overall pretty happy about it.  Probably could have been better hydrated, but still a good run.

Three more runs and a walk or two before the Peachtree.  This is the first day I haven't been dreading it. 

Just shy of 4 miles

Longest total distance in a year.  Not a great run but not bad.  Slower than my goal pace, that's because my Nike sensor was out of calibration so I thought I was going faster than I was.

Tomorrow I try for 4.5 miles in 50  minutes.

Longest straight run since I got back

Broke the 1 mile mark.  Total running was 2.25 with a little under a mile of walking. 
Run was planned as intervals but I choose to run when the first walk interval came up.  Ran through the second run and most of the second walk as well. 
One of those good days that everything was working well, just a little back pain after about 15 minutes.

Lot of miles

Six workouts in 9 days.  Almost 20 miles.  Lots of back pain and a shoe change.  Going to increase my runs and add some core work. 
I'm still stuck on 3 to 4 minutes of running before I have to walk.  Should have just done the c25k over instead of making up a plan.  Think the shoes hurt as well, literally and figuratively.

What a crappy day

One of those days that everything hurts pretty much from the start and doesn't get better as you keep running.  I was really hoping that today would be more like Monday, which wasn't perfect, but was a pretty good 3.25 miles. 

Had trouble breathing at the 4 minute point then started coughing.  Almost called it right then but I was at a walk interval so I decided to walk it off and see.  Ran again and no coughing so thinking this won't be bad.  Leg pain started soon after and wouldn't stop.    Then the back was hurting.  Not sure how much was mental and how much was actual pain.

I'm starting to think the minimalist shoe experiment was a failure.  As my distances get longer, the pain increases.  I suppose it might be that I didn't spend enough time getting my body used to them over the first few weeks.  Regardless, I need to get a new pair of normal shoes to get through the Peachtree before I try minimalist shoes again.

Finally ran again

Only 2 miles total run/walk, but I rant two half mile chunks.  Might have run more on the first one, but still not over my cold so the lungs decided they'd had enough thank you and that I needed to walk for a bit.  Still, gave me hope for running on vacation and being ready for the Peachtree.

Diseased

Cold and cough.  Haven't run in a week.  Maybe tomorrow.

Training for half

Found an interval plan that will get me to 13 miles in 12 weeks.  Granted it's a half running 3 minutes and walking 1, but it's a half.  Might extend the run intervals as it progresses, depends on how my legs react.  Best part is that the weekday runs cap at 5 miles unlike the other plans so not going to gave to Gerri up at 5am to run.

Long break

From all things running really.  I tried to maintain, but I just kept putting it off.  It was too hot, too cold, too early, too late.  Luckily I didn't put too much weight back on.  So now I'm once again 2 months from the Peachtree and trying to get myself in decent enough shape to run at least 4 miles of it.  I've been walking with the family off and on for a month.  I just finished Week 1 of C25K in my Merrell True Gloves.  Not sure how those are going to work out anymore.  Glad I bought them with a gift card.  Of course, my legs were hurting today before I even started so can't really blame the shoes yet.  See how my Week 2 goes.  Going to map out a condensed version of C25K that goes right into One Hour Runner without the 3 weeks of 30 minute runs at the beginning.  I think I have enough time if I do 2 days of each C25K week instead of three and run every other day instead of 3 days a week.