I used to read stories of people who took two cars to their running locals so as to not end up on the other end of the park, miles away from their car. (Do you see where this is going?)
The good news is, I ran 8 miles on Friday. Eight. Miles. Wowza.
I had to stop for a few walk breaks -but ended up with a 11:20min mile pace even with my walk breaks - not too shabby. For me, the first 4-5 miles are always a bit of a struggle, but once I get past 5, everything is gravy! It did feel nice to run 8 miles and then feel like if I had to run another 5, I could!
The bad news was, that I didn't plan accordingly, and ended up 2.5 miles from my car after running 8 miles. And I was out of water. And none of the water fountains were turned on in the park. Go figure.
After walking a mile, I could see my car in the distance, across the golf course. I had two choices - either walk on the running path (which would take another 1.5 miles to get there), or sprint across the golf course and hope I didn't get pummeled with golf balls.
The result? Oh, I ran like a mad woman across the golf course, scaring several golfers in the process. I was tired, sweaty, and probably had the most flailing gait since I was exhausted. Just. Wanted. To. Be. Inside. Car.
Haha. I did get quite a laugh out of it when it was all said and done.
The great thing about running 8 miles? You pretty much run off whatever you have eaten so far that day. Yum for dinner!
Showing posts with label mileage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mileage. Show all posts
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
1st Race Results!
This past weekend I ran my first real race in 10 years. It has really been since my cross country days that I did the whole shebang - pinning on my number, set out my race gear the day before, had pre-race jitters and post-race soreness; and Saturday was no different!
The weather man had been by nemesis all week long, calling for 45 and rainy. Not exactly my cup of tea for my first foray back into running. However, in true weather man fashion, he was WRONG! It was, yes, 45, but it was NOT raining! The clouds looked threatening, but there was not a drop of moisture falling from the sky. I did my usual breakfast and stretching, had a cup of coffee, and suited up to head out for the run.
After my warm-up jog down to the start line, I began to realize....there were a bazillion runners. Aaaaand by a bazillion I mean 11,000 - the largest St. Patty's race registration in history! Sheesh. I had visions of me, running turtle slow on the sidewalk, while they cleaned up the streets behind me saying "Maam - the race is over, we need you to clear the street"....
Thankfully, that did not happen. What did happen was a poorly planned race that didn't group everyone by their mile times, so I spent the first mile zig-zagging like a freaking cougar chasing prey in the outback, in and out of walkers, parents with strollers, slower runners, jeez! I am all-inclusive for exercise - but stopping in the middle of the race pack to adjust your ipod is not the place - I almost ran you over...and I was going 6mph (i.e. not even fast!).
5 miles is a good race to start out with if you are capable of running the 3.1 of a 5k but would like something a little more interesting. The length was just short enough to let me run without worry of tiring, but long enough that I could work out a good half marathon pace feel.
My hubby finished in 38 minutes. I was a wee bit slower, finishing at 52 minutes and change. Not too shabby considering my weaving tactics, I ran negative splits the entire race. Wa-hoo!
The half marathon is in 27 days. Yes, 27 days. Let's hope I can do this!
The weather man had been by nemesis all week long, calling for 45 and rainy. Not exactly my cup of tea for my first foray back into running. However, in true weather man fashion, he was WRONG! It was, yes, 45, but it was NOT raining! The clouds looked threatening, but there was not a drop of moisture falling from the sky. I did my usual breakfast and stretching, had a cup of coffee, and suited up to head out for the run.
After my warm-up jog down to the start line, I began to realize....there were a bazillion runners. Aaaaand by a bazillion I mean 11,000 - the largest St. Patty's race registration in history! Sheesh. I had visions of me, running turtle slow on the sidewalk, while they cleaned up the streets behind me saying "Maam - the race is over, we need you to clear the street"....
Thankfully, that did not happen. What did happen was a poorly planned race that didn't group everyone by their mile times, so I spent the first mile zig-zagging like a freaking cougar chasing prey in the outback, in and out of walkers, parents with strollers, slower runners, jeez! I am all-inclusive for exercise - but stopping in the middle of the race pack to adjust your ipod is not the place - I almost ran you over...and I was going 6mph (i.e. not even fast!).
5 miles is a good race to start out with if you are capable of running the 3.1 of a 5k but would like something a little more interesting. The length was just short enough to let me run without worry of tiring, but long enough that I could work out a good half marathon pace feel.
My hubby finished in 38 minutes. I was a wee bit slower, finishing at 52 minutes and change. Not too shabby considering my weaving tactics, I ran negative splits the entire race. Wa-hoo!
The half marathon is in 27 days. Yes, 27 days. Let's hope I can do this!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Another 5 miles...this time, not so pretty...
Okay, so, rule of thumb. Night before a long-ish run, do not eat majorly fatty foods. Don't split them, and think you are still fine, just plain don't eat them. Don't do it. Hubby and I split a lovely grass fed burger and fries at a restaurant nearby, and I think our digestive systems used our 8 hours of sleep to punish us come 9am. Running+fatty meal night before= not happy tummy. I'll just put it that way.
Alas, a 5 miler was planned, and the calendar doesn't give much room for rescheduling, so I headed out. It wasn't Valentine's weekend, there wasn't any grand Saturday planned, just me, my shoes, and a run. A little less glamourous this go-around, right?
I think I was a little dehydrated, because all throughout the run I kept having this feeling that I needed a sip of water. I had to stop briefly several times to get a sip, and splash my face. The whole run just felt laborious and gross. I hit mile 4 and was finally happy to have only a mile left, woo hoo! Finished up my run feeling okay, but still bummed the 5 miles took me 55 minutes.
This week the mileage creeps up a little more. 4 miler for today, which I am going to try to do as 1 mi easy pace (5.0mph), 1 mi pickup pace (5.3 with incline), 1 mi flat and fast (6.0), and 1 mi back up hill (5.2 with incline). Let's see how this goes. I tried doing mile repeats last week - but felt like dying. Seeing as I have a huge amount of studying to do for next Tuesday's exam, I cannot afford to be nauseous and dizzy post-run.
So - today? I hydrate! Oh - and eating small meals throughout the day.....
Alas, a 5 miler was planned, and the calendar doesn't give much room for rescheduling, so I headed out. It wasn't Valentine's weekend, there wasn't any grand Saturday planned, just me, my shoes, and a run. A little less glamourous this go-around, right?
I think I was a little dehydrated, because all throughout the run I kept having this feeling that I needed a sip of water. I had to stop briefly several times to get a sip, and splash my face. The whole run just felt laborious and gross. I hit mile 4 and was finally happy to have only a mile left, woo hoo! Finished up my run feeling okay, but still bummed the 5 miles took me 55 minutes.
This week the mileage creeps up a little more. 4 miler for today, which I am going to try to do as 1 mi easy pace (5.0mph), 1 mi pickup pace (5.3 with incline), 1 mi flat and fast (6.0), and 1 mi back up hill (5.2 with incline). Let's see how this goes. I tried doing mile repeats last week - but felt like dying. Seeing as I have a huge amount of studying to do for next Tuesday's exam, I cannot afford to be nauseous and dizzy post-run.
So - today? I hydrate! Oh - and eating small meals throughout the day.....
Monday, February 15, 2010
5 miles...the count starts to creep up....
Being that this last weekend was Valentine's weekend, my hubby had Saturday all planned out for us. I thought we were somehow magically NOT tackling our long runs, but alas, that was scheduled in. This week's run was 5 miles, and to be honest, it scared me more than the 4 miler from last weekend. Something about the number and how it is starting to creep up. I know a half marathon is 13.1 miles, I realize 5 miles is a little under 40 percent of the total mileage I will run in 7 weeks (run and hide right now)....but for some reason, 5 miles just seemed daunting.
I woke up 2 hours before my run, made coffee, had a light breakfast of 1 piece of sprouted grain bread, 1 T almond butter, and a half of a banana. I squeezed a little honey on there because, hey, it's honey, it's sweet, and it's deliciousness in a bottle. Followed that all up with a huge glass of water, must. stay. hydrated....
I ran slow (10.5 min mile pace) - at this point I am still nervous and wanted to get my mileage under my belt, rather than focus on my mile pace. The first 3 miles felt a little rough, but I was trying to focus on my breathing and form, keeping my heart rate down. Anyone out there train with a HR monitor? I used to hate them, but now it makes training so much simpler. It is also nice to compare what the monitor says to my actual perceived exertion. Sometimes I can push myself a little more, or back down accordingly.
So - I took my towel off after 44 minutes and saw I had......1 mile go!!! Wahoo! I felt pretty nice, so I cranked up my speed to a 9 min mile, and polished it off! It was lovely, the best Valentine's gift ever! Happy V-Day to my cardiovascular system!!!
I did feel a little shaky after my cool-down, so I supplemented with a banana and a light lunch. I also was a lucky lady this past weekend, as my hubby treated me to a post-run massage. Positive reinforcement! Run 5 miles, get to eat a yummy lunch, and get a massage = one happy lady. : )
The mileage this week starts to creep up across the board. Today is 4 miles, which I will try to do as 2x2 mile runs at a slightly faster pace, a 10 min break in between. My sched is as follows:
Tuesday: 45 min cross train
Wed: 4 miles
Thurs: Rest
Fri: 45-60 min cross train
Sat: 5 miles
Sun: yoga
I have a distinct feeling that once I get through the 6 miler on the calendar for 2/27, I will feel much, much better about the April Half Marathon....we'll see!
Until then - off to hydrate and prep for this pm's run!
I woke up 2 hours before my run, made coffee, had a light breakfast of 1 piece of sprouted grain bread, 1 T almond butter, and a half of a banana. I squeezed a little honey on there because, hey, it's honey, it's sweet, and it's deliciousness in a bottle. Followed that all up with a huge glass of water, must. stay. hydrated....
I ran slow (10.5 min mile pace) - at this point I am still nervous and wanted to get my mileage under my belt, rather than focus on my mile pace. The first 3 miles felt a little rough, but I was trying to focus on my breathing and form, keeping my heart rate down. Anyone out there train with a HR monitor? I used to hate them, but now it makes training so much simpler. It is also nice to compare what the monitor says to my actual perceived exertion. Sometimes I can push myself a little more, or back down accordingly.
So - I took my towel off after 44 minutes and saw I had......1 mile go!!! Wahoo! I felt pretty nice, so I cranked up my speed to a 9 min mile, and polished it off! It was lovely, the best Valentine's gift ever! Happy V-Day to my cardiovascular system!!!
I did feel a little shaky after my cool-down, so I supplemented with a banana and a light lunch. I also was a lucky lady this past weekend, as my hubby treated me to a post-run massage. Positive reinforcement! Run 5 miles, get to eat a yummy lunch, and get a massage = one happy lady. : )
The mileage this week starts to creep up across the board. Today is 4 miles, which I will try to do as 2x2 mile runs at a slightly faster pace, a 10 min break in between. My sched is as follows:
Tuesday: 45 min cross train
Wed: 4 miles
Thurs: Rest
Fri: 45-60 min cross train
Sat: 5 miles
Sun: yoga
I have a distinct feeling that once I get through the 6 miler on the calendar for 2/27, I will feel much, much better about the April Half Marathon....we'll see!
Until then - off to hydrate and prep for this pm's run!
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