Pushing

Tonight I knew I needed a short run. But I wanted to try to push hard and see if my occasional speedwork had had any benefits. So I went out fast. Well, fast-ish. Not 8:00-pace half mile intervals fast, but faster than my normal 9:40 pace.

I figured I probably couldn't keep up the fast pace for a whole 5K, not yet anyway. But I wanted to see how far I could go.

The answer appears to be "between 2 and 3 miles", which, honestly, is a bit better than I expected.

Here's my splits (first segment is .19 miles, last segment is a half-mile; numbers are split time, total time, average pace-to-distance):

1. 01:50 / 01:50 / 09:38
   
2. 09:23 / 11:13 / 09:26
   
3. 09:14 / 20:26 / 09:20
   
4. 09:47 / 30:13 / 09:28
   
5. 05:17 / 35:30 / 09:37
   

So my pace for the whole distance is a few seconds faster than the 9:40 training pace I've managed lately, but for the first 2+ miles I was keeping a 9:20 pace, which is great! And even going in to mile 3, I was keeping it under 9:30. That's where I started taking walk breaks - about 20 seconds per half-mile.

I am getting faster. I just need to keep pushing but giving myself time. Diet is obviously important, too - look how well I do on long weekend runs when I get a little breakfast a couple of hours before running, as opposed to how poorly I do when I just go out on last night's dinner.

I will be in great shape if I keep this up all winter. My goal is... Oh, just all-around beating my times in each 2009 race. I'll keep my goals simple for now.

Interval run, a little bit faster

As mentioned, I went out this afternoon for some speedwork. I like the interval run plan I've come up with, and that's what I did.

Temperature was low to mid 50s, just about perfect. A little chilly to start with but I warmed up soon enough. Wore short sleeves and shorts and did not have much trouble. After pigging out the last several days, I had a small, 400 calorie breakfast around 9:30 A. Might have waited too long to go out for the run, but considering the results, I can not complain.

Instead of the long warmup, I did a slow run of about 0.88 miles, just until I reached the 6.0 mile marker on the trail, then continued on until I hit the 6.5 mile marker. I kinda-sorta tricked myself into starting the fast segment without a lot of rest by immediately starting a new split on my watch as I completed the warmup - oh, no, no time to wait, get going! Normally I would wait to start the new split until I actually started the fast segment. I think it added about 10-12 seconds to my first fast segment's time.

I did not look at my watch in time to see my time for the first fast section, just turned around and walk/jogged (but mostly jogged) back to the 6.5 post, to do it all again. But the second fast segment was 4:01! In fact, all my fast segments were 4:09 or faster, except for the very first one, which as I explained above, wasn't timed as tightly. But I was moving about the same pace for each one.

Here's my fast segment times:

1. 4:18
   
2. 4:02
   
3. 4:09
   
4. 4:08
   

Total distance, including warmup and my slower segments, was 5.76 miles, which I completed in 59:17 - wow! That's a 10:17 average pace!

If you subtract out the time and distance of my fast intervals, that's 3.76 miles in 42:40, for an average 11:20 pace - still 50 seconds per mile faster than the last time I did this training.

And the average pace for my fast segments is 8:18, which astonishes me.

Five-plus miles

It was clear and sunny - though not warm - today. No rain. First non-rainy run in a week and a half, I think.

Headed out after dark, with the benefit of 55° F temperature and almost 2000 calories worth of food today. Did my five-mile loop.

And managed to finish in 52:32! Two minutes faster than earlier in the week. Here's my mile splits:

1. 09:52
   
2. 09:59 (19:51)
   
3. 09:05 (28:56)
   
4. 09:48 (38:44)
   
5. 10:02 (48:46)
   
6. 03:47* (52:32)
   

Note: last split was 0.41 miles.

See mile 3? Wow! I have no idea how I managed that. When I saw that, during the run, I was sure there was some mistake. And then I pushed hard to get another mile at the same pace or close to it - and pushed too hard and had to stop to walk a bit. Oh, well.

Still, overall it's a 9:42 pace average, and I haven't had a long-ish run that fast in a while, I think. Good run!

Totally forgot to blog a run

I forgot to blog my 5.41 mile run two days ago.

So here it is. I think I did it in around 54:35 but I don't have my watch with me.

I kinda sucked but at least I did it.

Treadmill

I can't remember the last time I ran on a treadmill.

Whatever the count is, it restarts as of today.

I should have gotten up early and ran before work (because after work I'm hanging out with a friend) but because I was up late last night doing laundry, getting up early wasn't so much an option.

So I packed running clothes and brought 'em to work. And since it was pouring down rain when I was ready to run, into the "Wellness Center" in my office I went.

So boring. I had CNN giving me the top stories: people wanting to ban texting while driving, whether or not Michelle Obama's mom will be moving in to the White House with them, and something about some toddler that sings the fight song for some football team somewhere were people care about that. Ugh.

But I ran 3 miles in 29:10. Started around a 10:00 pace for a mile, picked it up to a 9:14 pace for 3/4 of a mile, then bounced between the two speeds (and a short bit of walking) to finally end up with an average 9:47 pace for the whole distance. Oh, and I varied between 1% and 1.5% grade.

So sweaty. But I did it. Yay, me! Now I eat.

Eight miles, not as fast

Long run yesterday. Eight miles. I wasn't as fast as I was last time, but not too bad.

I ate a large meal the night before but no breakfast, and was so-so on hydration. Oh, and it was pouring down rain almost the entire time I ran. Serious downpour. Ugh.

My Body Glide didn't do an awesome job of protecting from chafing, either. The combination of long run and rain is a bit much to overcome. If I ever run a half-marathon, I'll have to plan for re-applying the protection during the race.

Here's my mile splits:

1. 09:51
   
2. 10:27 (0:20:17)
   
3. 09:35 (0:29:52)
   
4. 10:52 (0:40:44)
   
5. 10:55 (0:51:39)
   
6. 10:21 (1:01:59)
   
7. 10:46 (1:12:46)
   
8. 11:09 (1:23:54)
   

I had to stop for traffic four times. I stopped for water three times (and Jelly Belly Sports Beans the first time). And did a bit of walking throughout. Even so, I managed to average a 10:29 pace, which, like I said, isn't that bad considering the conditions in which I ran.

I think that my last four runs, including yesterdays, was in the freakin' rain. Looks like fall and winter are here in Portland.

Dark and stormy run

It was dark and rainy and stormy, and I did not mind at all during my 5+ mile run tonight.

I could tell I've been running hard lately, because it was hard to keep a 9:30-9:45 pace. I had to stop at least twice to wait for a traffic light to change, but overall I just kept going. I only had to walk, briefly for about 10-20 steps, once, right around mile 4.5. And I finished in 53:34.

My mile splits (last segment is .41 miles):

1. 09:44
   
2. 10:08 (19:52)
   
3. 09:32 (29:24)
   
4. 10:23 (39:47)
   
5. 10:07 (49:54)
   
6. 03:39 (53:34)
   

I wore shorts, a long-sleeved and a short-sleeved tech shirt, a hat, my Brooks, a reflector belt, and front (white) and back (red) LED lights. It was around 52° F when I left the house.

Interval run

I haven't done any speed training in a while. Last time I did anything other than long runs or tempo runs was August 23rd this past summer, when I attempted an interval run, and (according to my log) failed to live up to my expectations.

Today I planned another interval run, along a different section of the Springwater Corridor Trail. Again, a mile or so of warmup, then alternating half-miles of slow, then fast, then return to start again as a cooldown.

I use the Springwater Corridor because there are handy mile posts for most (but not all) of the half-mile sections. The catch today was, since I was using the part of the trail that runs eastward from my neighborhood, I didn't really know how far out to the first marked half-mile, so I didn't know how long my warmup was going to be.

From my starting point, with a loop around a couple of blocks in my neighborhood, to the first marked half-mile post (the 6.0 mile one, just past where the trail runs under SE 39th Ave.), was a total of 1.28 miles. I ran it in around 18 minutes - nice and slow for my warmup. Then another half-mile out to find the 6.5 mile post, and I was ready to begin the fast part, back towards home.

I set my timer for 4:30, which would be a fast (for me) 9:00 pace, and then pushed myself on the run. Imagine my surprise when I reached the milepost with 30 seconds left! That's an 8:00 pace!

I jog-walked back to start, and repeated three more times. Each time, I was able to turn in around an 8:00 pace:

1. 04:00
   
2. 03:56
   
3. 03:52
   
4. 03:58
   

That totally rocks! I didn't even have to rest that much before beginning each fast segment (although I did take short breaks, I did not time them).

My total time, including the fast sections and rest breaks, was 1:11:18, and my total distance was 6.56 miles, including warmup and cooldown, making my overall average pace 12:10. But my average pace for the fast parts is 7:56!

That just blows me away. I have a sneaking suspicion that I don't push myself as hard as I could for 5K races.

Contributing factors for my success today are the weather - it's around 58° F right now, it's a bit damp but not actually raining, and no wind. Perfect running weather. I had a small breakfast around 10:00 AM (around 520 calories), and lots of water - and I've had lots of calories in the past couple of days, mostly carbs (it being Hallowe'en and all that candy). But, damn!

One more note for future reference: I used Body Glide to prevent the normal nipple chafing I get on long runs and in damp weather, and it appears to have worked fine. No chafing. I guess that beats using duct tape to protect them, huh?

Hallowe'en Run

I love running on Hallowe'en. I'm not sure why. It's not the weather, which is usually damp, if not raining. I think it's the idea of being out on the streets in a "costume" - my running clothes. Maybe, psychologically, I still don't think of myself as a runner, after almost five years, and I get that thrill of being someone I'm not. Hard to say.

At any rate, I went out for a short-ish run last night, and I tried to be quick about it. As is evident from my splits, I succeeded in the two things I'm working on: sub-9:30 miles, and starting out slower. (Times are: split / cumulative / cumulative pace. First segment was only .19 miles; last segment was .5 miles)

1. 01:55 / 01:55 / 10:05
   
2. 09:59 / 11:54 / 10:00
   
3. 09:27 / 21:20 / 09:44
   
4. 09:28 / 30:48 / 09:39
   
5. 04:43 / 35:31 / 09:37
   

See how my average pace gets faster and faster? That's exactly right and what I'd like to see on my longer runs, too. Finish fast. I give myself a "good job!" for last night's 3.69 mile run.

Uninspired medium run

Five-plus miles tonight. Started out slow-ish - for the first half-mile. Then felt myself fall into my "normal" pace and saw 9:40 for the first full mile. Around 9:50 for the second mile, then sorta lost track of where my mile-markers were and just kept going as best I could. Two or three 10-15 second stops for traffic. Total time was a slow-ish 53:25, for an average pace (over 5.41 miles) of 9:52 per mile.

Nice weather - around 58° F when I left the house, no rain, slight wind. Wore short sleeves and shorts. Oh, and a reflector vest - it was dark by the time I got back.

Yay for just doing it.

Uninspired short run

Ran tonight. Warm weather - around 67° F when I left the house, and hardly any wind. OK, warm for late fall.

Started out too fast, couldn't maintain that pace. Felt short of breath after only a half-mile. Not good.

Stopped at least twice for traffic, and walked a bit on the last half.

3.69 miles, 38:42 total time, average pace was 10:29. Ugh. Maybe I'm still hung-over.

Eight miles in 79 minutes

It's been more than a month since I ran 8 miles, so today I headed out to tackle it again.

I had breakfast (decaf coffee and a cinnamon roll) around 10:00 AM, went shopping, then around noon was ready to go. Weather was a sunny, slightly windy 55° F - perfect. Reviewing my time from last time, I hoped to at least equal my performance.

I tried to keep a steady pace, except occasionally picking up the pace just a bit for short, 10-30 second pushes. I stopped twice for water, and a couple of times for traffic - no more than 20-40 seconds of stoppage at a time, though. All told, I think I had about a minute of stop-time.

Here's my mile splits, cumulative time and pace-so-far:

1. 0:09:34 / 0:09:34 / 9:34
   
2. 0:09:49 / 0:19:23 / 9:42
   
3. 0:10:04 / 0:29:27 / 9:49
   
4. 0:09:53 / 0:39:20 / 9:50
   
5. 0:09:38 / 0:48:58 / 9:48
   
6. 0:10:38 / 0:59:36 / 9:56
   
7. 0:09:29 / 1:09:04 / 9:52
   
8. 0:10:15 / 1:19:19 / 9:54
   

I think it's interesting seeing my average pace mostly go up as I run. I'm still not starting out slower and speeding up, no matter how much I harass myself before, during and after my runs. And it's quite clear that miles 3 and 6 are the ones that include my water stops, huh?

So in a month, I have improved my long-distance time by around 2 minutes. Yay, progress! I am happy with my performance today.

Night run

Headed out tonight, into the chill autumn evening, for a nice medium long run.

I didn't time my mile splits, but the total time was 53:00 even. 5.41 miles. Average 9:47 pace.

Nice, steady run.

Short easy run

3.69 miles. Around 54° F when I left, with a slight wind. All but one half-mile split under 5:00, including one under 4:30. Total time was 35:46, for an average mile pace of 9:41.

Not bad.

Seven miles

It doesn't seem to be getting any easier. At least not dramatically so.

After gorging myself on free pizza yesterday (between lunch at Burgerville and dinner at Godfathers, I consumed over 4500 calories yesterday - and didn't burn much more than an average day) today, I needed a long run. Since I have already run almost 13 miles this week, I decided to do 7 miles today.

The temperature was around 51° F when I left the house. A trace of wind. Sunny. I had eaten around 250 calories so far before leaving (did I mention the pigging out yesterday?)

Last weekend I ran 7 miles in 1:13:24, for an average 10:29 pace.

This time, I held back on the early mile, right around 10:00. Then just tried to keep that pace, hoping to push hard on the second half. That push never really came. I stopped significantly 3 times for traffic, and twice for water, which seemed to add about 30 seconds or so to each of those segments.

My overall time was 1:11:57, for an average pace of 10:17. Better. But it didn't feel better.

Long-ish

I very nearly did not have the energy to run tonight. Just felt blah, really. Had to keep talking myself into doing more than just 3 miles. In fact, I was over a half-mile into my run before I even considered the possibility of my 5+ mile loop. For the next half-mile or so, I wavered between doing 4 or 5 miles, and it wasn't until I passed the corner where I would have to turn to do 4 miles when I realized I was going to do 5+.

I tried not to push hard, just to keep up the nice steady pace. It was already kinda hard just for the distance; I didn't want to make it hard for my speed, too.

Weather was warm-ish once I got warmed up; temperature was 54° F when I left the house, sky was overcast, and it was getting dark when I got back. I walked for 5-6 minutes afterward for a cool down.

Didn't stop unless I had to (traffic), and then only a few brief times. Total time was under 53 minutes, for around a 9:45-9:50 pace overall. Good, steady, run.

Leg feels fine - 3+ miles

Tonight was nice and warm (63° F when I left the house), and hardly windy at all. Perfect for a nice fall run.

I did my 3.7 mile loop, and tried, oh, how I tried, to keep a nice fast pace. I watched my leg and my right heel, which has been sore yesterday and today, but nothing felt out of place. I'll ice my heel tonight just in case.

This really was an unremarkable run. 3.7 miles, 35:28 total time, average pace 9:36.

A twinge during 7 miles

After a big breakfast of strawberry hotcakes (mmmm...) and a couple hours wait, I headed out Saturday for my weekend long run. Decided on 7 miles (my 3.5 mile loop, out and back again) and aimed for a 10:00 pace. Yes, I know, last time I went long I ran a 10:53 pace average; my early miles were right around 10:10 or so but I got progressively slower.

I did not review my past long runs, though, before heading out. I just went out and ran.

Weather was sunny, windy, but nearly the perfect temperature: 57° F. I wore shorts and a short sleeved shirt, a hat to keep sweat out of my eyes, and, of course, my trusty Brooks shoes (which likely need replacing but I don't care).

As usual, I went out too fast on my first mile, and then struggled to keep up. I stopped twice for water and one of those included some Clif Bloks for electrolytes. And somewhere during the 5th mile I felt an odd twinge in my right thigh, right where the IT band is - I'd been running sloppy because I was tired, and was running on uneven grass, so maybe I twisted my leg a bit.

After my run, I walked for 6-7 minutes as a cool down, concentrating on making sure my leg wasn't sore. Today my leg feels fine - no odd pains or anything. But walking and sleeping aren't the stressors; running is. I'll be careful on Monday. Don't want to aggravate something that will prevent me from running all winter. That would suck.

Oh, and how did I do overall? I averaged a 10:29 pace. Decent, better than before, but still not as good as the 8 miles in 81 minutes I did back in September, just three weeks ago.

Here are my mile splits for Saturday's run:

1. 09:35
   
2. 10:23 (0:19:59)
   
3. 10:04 (0:30:03)
   
4. 10:55 (0:40:58)
   
5. 11:15 (0:52:12)
   
6. 10:10 (1:02:23)
   
7. 11:02 (1:13:24)

Just ahead of the rain

I didn't want to run in the rain.

It was raining.

I needed to run.

I considered "running" inside, as I did earlier this year, in the spring. But I didn't wanna. I wanted to run outside.

Just not in the rain.

I got home from work, I put on my running clothes, I bitched about the rain to my friend Tracy... and finally headed out.

3.7 miles. My plan was to aim for a 9:30 pace, steady, all the way to the end.

I was about 11 seconds per mile slower than that on average.

I broke the splits into the first half mile, then mile increments, then the final .2 miles, and here are my times:

1. 04:56
   
2. 09:49 (14:45)
   
3. 09:22 (24:06)
   
4. 09:54 (34:00)
   
5. 01:47 (35:47)

My average pace was 9:41. At least I ran fast in the middle part!

And even though it was a bit cold at first, and it sprinkled a little bit on me, the heavy rain didn't start until I was walking back from my finish line. Yay!

Short run

Ran tonight. Yes, if you're counting at home, I skipped a day - didn't run on Monday. Plus, I've been eating a lot. Like 2200-2500 calories per day. Apparently, so far, that's enough to keep my weight steady, not gaining or losing. Tomorrow, though, we'll see.

But, I did run tonight. My 3+ mile loop, in the dark. Felt like I started out a bit too fast... but my first half-mile was 4:54, not that fast at all. Total time was 37:12, for 3.69 miles, making my average pace 10:05.

I did stop for water between the 2.5-3.0 mile mark, briefly. Also had to stop for traffic a couple of times, also briefly. But overall my legs felt like wood, and my breathing was hard. I think my late fall allergies have kicked up. And it was muggy. And I'm depressed in general, so, yeah, whatever.

Ambition

I'm almost embarrassed to post the results of today's run; I did not come close to the goal I set in the previous post.

My first mile, warmup, was about what I expected: 10:22, a nice, steady pace.

But then I did not even delay or rest before starting the fast section, and I'm afraid I pushed too hard: 9:10. Yes, I know I said that I wanted to run between a 9:00 and a 9:30 pace, but the idea is to start slower and get faster as the miles go by. This, I did not do.

I had to stop to walk at least twice on my second fast mile, which told me I was not going to do well today. Second mile was just over 10 minutes. And then, I just got slower and slower, with more and more walking breaks. Stopped for water and a couple Clif Bloks twice. And finished with a slow jog-walk for my cooldown (which was only about 3/4 of a mile).

Here's my mile times:

1. 10:22 warmup
   
2. 09:10 (0:19:33)
   
3. 10:07 (0:29:40)
   
4. 10:11 (0:39:51)
   
5. 11:38 (0:51:29)
   
6. 12:39 (1:04:08)
   
7. 09:20 (1:13:29)

My average pace for the whole run (6.75 miles, including warmup/cooldown) is 10:53; my average pace if I only count the "hard" workout is 10:45 (53:47 for 5 miles).

Ugh.

What went well? Weather was nice and a perfect temperature (now, 45 minutes after getting back, it's still only around 65° F), it was a bit humid out but not overly so. Ate a lot last night - almost 2600 calories, which is "maintenance" level, not "losing weight" level.

What went wrong? I had lots of sleep last night - maybe too much. Woke up with a bit of a stuffed up nose - fall allergies? And maybe a bit of mental fatigue. I have been running hard all week. Next week I will push less and give myself a bit of a break. I really want to be faster, but if I over-train, that's just going to delay my improvement.

Still, if I don't push myself, who will?

Hard easy run

Went out tonight for a short run. Probably should have been an easy one, but with the stress I've felt the past two days, it turned into a "beat myself up to forget the troubles" run.

Around 65° F when I left. Overcast, gray sky. Warm enough for short sleeves and shorts (once I warmed up).

3.69 miles. Total time 35:07. Average pace 9:31 per mile.

Early morning fast

Got up in the wee early hours of the morning today to burn off the caloric overage from yesterday (I ended up with nearly 3000 calories for the day, ugh - my inner child was in charge).

It was around 45° F and dark out. I got into my running clothes (long-sleeve shirt and shorts, hat, Brooks shoes and reflector vest) and headed out. I wanted to push myself to a 9:30 pace or better for 4+ miles.

There was a cool fog over the casting pool in Westmoreland Park. I sped fast two ladies walking right around the 1-mile mark. Didn't stop for water. Pushed up the first hill, along Tolman from 22nd, past Milwaukie Blvd. all the way to 14th. I missed tagging the 2-mile point by a couple of seconds, ugh.

Near the 2.5-mile point, along SE Sellwood Ave., I sped past a man and woman couple talking while leaning on their car. It looked like a goodbye from my brief glimpse - as if they'd spent the night together and one of them was now going off to work.

The girl saw me coming, and raised her fist. "Yeah, girl!"

I was breathing too heavily to respond - either with laughter or a correction. I just kept running.

She realized her mistake as I pulled even with them. "Oh... sorry!"

I wonder if she was still drunk.

Just kept going. Didn't have to stop for traffic at any point, although I did slow a bit crossing SE 17th on Umatilla.

The verdict: 4.17 miles in 39:19.

9:25 pace.

I totally rocked it.

Evening run - 5+ miles

I just couldn't get up this morning before work for a run.

Luckily the weather is cooling off, so an evening run after work isn't risking heat stroke. The temperature around 6:30 PM today was in the mid-60s and cooling off fast. I'd been snacking all day, so I decided to head out for my 5+ mile loop. 5.41 miles total, in fact.

Before I left, I familiarized myself with the approximate mileposts, as seen in Google Earth. And I used a pace calculator to see what total time I should be looking for at a 9:30, 9:45 and 10:00 pace. I intended to gauge my mile splits as I went along, but my trusty Timex watch is giving out on me and the face is not readable in low light anymore. Time for a new watch - or a battery for this one. I'm sure I can justify a new watch...

I tried to keep a nice steady-hard pace, and since my watch was acting up, I had no real idea how I was doing. For some reason, that made me keep pushing just a little bit.

The sunset was beautiful, a big orange ball dropping behind the West Hills. The weather was perfect and not even too humid. I only had to pause, briefly, twice for traffic, and otherwise kept a running pace. Somewhere between 3.5 and 4.0 miles, I kinda gained a second wind, and it just felt like I could keep going forever.

I also kept up positive self-talk, and reminded myself that I was doing this and motivating myself entirely on my own. I am my own coach, and my own cheerleader.

Even the uphill sections (three major ones) didn't give me any problems. Legs felt strong, I maintained good upright posture, and breathed hard and fast when I needed to, I kept my stride short and fast once I was warmed up, and my arms went forward and back, not crossing over my chest.

I finished in 52:33, for an average pace of 9:42! It's hard to believe that I haven't run this loop in over four weeks; the last time I logged this I finished three and a half minutes slower. That's visible improvement!

Hard fast run

Early morning. 59° F. Not too humid. Dark, pre-sunrise (wore a reflector strap).

3.69 miles. Pushed. Finished in 35:36 for an average mile pace of 9:38. Rockin'.

Weigh in: 181.5 (30-day trend is 181.8 and kinda steady lately).

Two runs

Saturday morning I ran my four+ mile loop - Google Earth tells me it's 4.17 miles. I ran it in a nearly perfect 10:00 pace - 41 minutes. I forgot to log the exact time but it doesn't much matter.

This morning I got up in the wee hours of the morning to run my slightly-shorter run: 3.69 miles. I pushed and pushed and yet, still ran it in 36:49, for an average mile pace of 9:58.

Why can't I be faster? I'm going to dig back into my previous logs to find out what, if anything, I was doing or not doing when I was running sub-9:00 5Ks.

My weigh-in this morning was 181.5, with a 30-day trend being 181.9. Whoo-hoo!

Felt fast, anyway

I weighed 182.5 this morning. 30-day trend is 182.65 - I've been hovering around 182 for the past week or two. Need to knuckle down.

Ran in the wee early hours of the morning today. My 3.7 mile loop. It was dark enough when I left the house (around 5:30a) that I probably should have worn a light or reflective vest. It was cool, in the mid-50s, and clear.

I felt strong and fast the whole way. Didn't stop for water nor to walk. I didn't even have to stop for traffic. So I was a bit disappointed by my time of 36:11, making an average pace of 9:48 - exactly the same pace I ran the 10K at.

Dammit, it felt faster than that. Oh, well, it's faster than I have been. It's progress. I'll keep going. What else can I do?

This weekend I'll do some speed exercises, I think.

Lunch run

Today I ran on my lunch break. From my office on the east end of the Hawthorne Bridge, up and over the river, north along the waterfront, back across the Steel Bridge, then south along the Esplanade, finishing by going east back to my office.

I didn't wear a watch, but I kept a "comfortably fast" pace.

Google Earth tells me it's 3.3 miles.

I should not have forgotten a hat - salty sweat in my eyes stings. Owie.

Easy run

3.7 miles, 38:01, 10:18 pace. Temp in the high 60s.

Check.

Weighed in at 183.5 this morning. Damned donuts.

A little bit longer

I ran my four+ mile route tonight, in the mugginess. I didn't worry too much about speed and just tried to maintain a steady pace. Stopped for water twice just in case.

I finished in 45:05. I felt kind of bad about speed, in spite of not wanting to worry, and until just now, though I'd averaged more than 11:00 per mile. But when I checked the actual distance, it was farther than I'd thought - 4.17 miles - and that brought my average pace down to 10:48 or so.

Sunday I plan on doing 7-8 miles, and I've invited a friend to go with me. She's never run that far before but is game to try; she's warned me, though, to feel free to go on ahead without her if I need to. I think she and I run around the same pace, but longer runs mean slower pace, so we shall see.

Ran

I ran last night. 3.7 miles in 36:23. Tried to push the pace a little bit; had two sub-10:00 miles (9:48 and 9:41) and stopped for traffic once. Weather was nice: around 74° F, sunny. I sweated a lot, though.

For this week (beginning Monday) I have just over 7 miles total. I'm aiming for about 18-20 miles total this week. Friday I'll do 4-5, and Sunday I'll have a nice long run, 7-8 miles.

Easy run

I ran this morning. 3.7 miles in 37:23. Had to stop three different times for traffic. Stoopid traffic. Also walked for 45 seconds or so, twice, during the last mile and a half. Stoopid walking.

After work special

I ran tonight after work. My 5-mile loop, which is actually 5.4 miles according to "teh google".

I kept a nice, steady pace in the 10:20-10:30 range, even including the several times I had to stop for traffic so I could cross the several busy streets. I guess that's one advantage to running early in the morning; fewer cars on the road to dodge.

I also stopped for water once.

The temperature was around 70° F and it was a little humid but not that bad. Wore my trusty Brooks Adrenaline 6 GTS, shorts and a short-sleeved tech shirt.

Finished in 56:59, which is almost exactly a 10:31 pace average.

Two runs

Tuesday's run: 3.69 miles in 37:25

Thursday's run: Postponed until later today due to rain.

Stupid rain.

Long run, a little bit faster

This morning I did 7 miles. It was warm-ish (72° F), humid, and overcast. I'd had around 1600 calories yesterday, 200 of those were gin. This morning I got up at 5:00 AM, ate some toast with peanut butter and blackberry jam (263 calories), drank around a half-liter of water, then two hours later set out for my run.

I tried, oh, how I tried, to keep a steady-fast pace. But I kept seeing 10:30-11:00 miles for the first half. And I took frequent walking breaks on the last half.

I finished in 1:17:10, 50 seconds faster than last week's effort, and an average 11:01 pace.

Distance

My 5+ mile loop is 5.39 miles, making my pace this morning an average of 10:24.

Mid-week long(-ish) run

Got up early and wanted to run. Needed to, really, especially since I weighed in at 186.5 (see previous post for why I was up a pound and a half).

So I ran my 5 mile loop. Haven't measured it exactly, I will do that when i'm at a better computer. But my pace was around 10:40 most of the way, and I finished in 56:14, which would indicate that it's almost a 5.5 mile loop. We'll see.

In spite of

Even though I walked to the grocery store and rode my back to and from the Johnson Creek Fred Meyer's area yesterday, and did some barbell weight-lifting, and didn't eat more than 1800 calories yesterday, my weight this morning was unchanged from yesterday, when it was up a pound and a half from my massive over-eating Saturday.

It's really difficult to keep eating down on days I run long. Not sure I should even be trying. Maybe long-run days should be guilt-free days? I'll look into that.

This morning I got up early and ran my 3.7 mile loop, maintaining a consistent 10:00 pace for all but the last mile, when I stopped briefly for water. Total time: 37:44. Go, me!

Long run

So this morning I got up at 5 AM to eat a little something, so that 2-3 hours later I could go for a long run and not have an empty stomach. I had yogurt. Oh, and I weighed myself: 185 even. Again. 30 day trend is down to 185.25.

Then I went to bed until 9 AM, which is later than I wanted it to be. The temperature had risen to around 63° F, and it felt muggy.

I planned on doing the same thing I did last time I ran 7 miles - my 3.5 mile loop, twice. I did it in the opposite direction, just because. I maintained about a 10:20-10:30 pace for the first half, which felt slightly fast. Then the second half saw me stopping for water and Cliff Bloks (twice), and to walk several times. I was disappointed at my performance on the second half, until I realized that I was doing about as well as I used to do months ago when I was only running 3-4 miles total. That put it into perspective for me, and made me realize that if I keep working on it, I can get better, and I'll be able to run the whole 7 miles as well as I run half that distance now.

My final time was 1:18:21, which makes my average pace 11:11 per mile overall. Nice, but only 20 seconds faster than the last time.

I think I need to work another longer run into my week. I just alternate between 3.5 miles and either 6-7 miles or an interval run every other weekend. More variety, says I.

Rain

It rained on my early morning run today. I did my 3.7 mile loop, and during the first mile or so, the rain started, came down heavy for a couple of minutes, and faded away. It caused me to stop under the shelter of a tree to check the skies and see if I was going to be drenched for the entire run. Turns out, no, I wasn't.

I kept about a 10:30 pace for the whole run, even including the few times I stopped or walked. I didn't stop for water (drinking water) at all, and I managed to make it entirely up the steep part of the hill on SE Umatilla from the trail to about 9th without breaking stride.

I finished in 39:02, for a 10:34 pace. See?

I weighed in at 185.5, which brought my 30-day trend down to 185.75. I hope this is just a temporary plateau caused by my eating slighty over my goal for the last couple of days. Yeah, that's probably all it is.

Interval run

I decided to do the interval run, just as I should.

The last time I tried my interval run (ignore the fact that I called it a "tempo" run, which is incorrect), I messed up by accidentally going too far, which meant... nothing big, actually. Basically my post-workout cooldown would be longer by a half-mile or so. But mentally, it threw me off. Plus, it was hot and humid.

Today, I started out from home around 10:30 AM. Temperature was 57° F, and it was overcast. I was a little cold to start - wearing long basketball shorts (the only running shorts that were clean) and a sleeveless singlet. But by the end of the run I was sweating and plenty warm, even though the temperature hadn't gone up.

I did my warmup slowly, as slow as I could without walking. Actually, I walked the first couple blocks. Took me about 14 minutes to get to the 3.5 mile marker on the Springwater Trail by the river (with a stop for water from the fountain at Oaks Pioneer Church), where the hard part began.

I set my countdown timer for four and a half minutes, which is, of course, a 9:00 pace for each half-mile segment. I pushed and tried not to have long gaps when I switched from slow to fast, though I did stop briefly and walked slowly before beginning each fast segment. But I walked much less this time than I did last time on the slow segments; I wasn't timing them, but I could tell that I was able to keep up a jog for most of the time.

My three fast sections were (with equivalent mile paces): 4:26 (8:52); 4:16 (8:32); 4:20 duuuuude! (8:40).

These are actually slower overall than the fast segments I did last time I did an interval run, but I'm happier because the total time for all fast/slow training run is much less. I completed the overall workout faster this time, and I still had strength to jog slowly back home after drinking some water and eating some Cliff Bloks. Maybe the cooler weather helped; and maybe my strength is coming back. Either way, I'm happy with today's workout.

And my reward was a big bacon cheeseburger, topped with Walla Walla grilled onions, from Mike's Drive-In. Mmmmm.

Me love coffee

Not sure what my title has to do with my morning run but I'm going with it.

I got up early to run today. I'm hanging out with a friend after work tonight so I had to. I just planned a nice easy 3.5 miles, no goal in mind. I ran my normal loop in the opposite direction as Monday. It was around 56° F when I left the house. Felt cool and humid.

First half-mile I specifically tried to go slow-ish and I did it in 5:15. Perfect. It was hilly but mostly downhill. First mile was 10:22. Good.

Then the next mile was just 9:51. Surprising! Last full mile, I didn't even want to check because I didn't want to spoil the magic (that's a metaphor - I don't believe in magic).

Last full mile I did in 9:43. Wow!

I've been doing arm exercises in an effort to build up my upper body strength, and on the last half mile I noticed my neck and shoulder muscles hurting. I note that for future reference.

I finished the total distance, 3.69 miles, in 36:57, nailing a 10:00 pace. Hot damn that feels good. I don't know how long it's taken me to get back to this level.

I weighed in at 187 even (before my run) which also makes me happy. Trend is 187.75.

I'll regret this tomorrow

So, I ran my 7 miles. All together, it took me 1:18:41, for an overall average pace of 11:14. Once again, my early miles were around 10:00 - 10:20, then I gradually got slower. But not bad for my first 7-mile run in months. And I think the last time I ran 6 miles, I was much slower overall. Hang on.



Yep. Last time I ran 6 miles, I averaged a 12 minute pace. So I'm gaining.

Breakfast was pancakes, a scrambled egg, and bacon from the Hotcake House. Mmmm. Then I walked downtown. And then I had a cookie from Backspace (vegan - is that less calories since they don't use butter?). Then I came home and napped. Then I got up, hungry-ish but bloated, and decided to just say "fuck it" to calories today. I deserve a day off once in a while, and today, with my calorie-burning run, was a good day to do it. So I had a big chicken sandwich and fries (with ranch dressing) from the Limelight, then gelato, then throwing all caution to the wind, a couple of donuts from Foster's Market (since they were delivered fresh just as I was walking past it).

Yeah. I'm gonna feel the guilt tomorrow. But, hey, I need a break and I think I've earned it.

A long run

I got up in the wee small hours of the morning (around 5 AM) in order to eat a little somethin'-somethin' (peanut butter and blackberry preserves on toast) so that I could go for a long run at a reasonable time in the morning, before the hot hot heat started.

I love it when a plan comes together. It's 8:41 AM as I type this, and the weather widget says it's 58° F. Perfect.

So I'm off. I'm going to be doing my 3.5 mile loop, twice. First mile - warmup, then stop for water. Then I'm going to see if I can do 3 miles at a 10:00 pace, then after that I'll just see what happens. Plenty of water available along the route, and I'm taking some sports beans.

See ya on the other side.

Early run

I got up early today to run, just as I'd planned. Ran my 3.5 mile route, only in the opposite direction from last Tuesday. I wasn't supposed to care about time or pace, but I brought my watch, and noted that around the half-way mark, I was basically doing a 10:30 pace. I tried to push the second half but, no, I ended up doing the loop in 37:05, for a 10:23 pace.

It felt a bit chilly, the internets told me it was 53° F when I left the house, so I wore a long-sleeved technical shirt. It felt fine... until the half-way point, when it was a bit warm on my arms, so I pushed up the sleeves. Once again, for future reference, I need to dress for the middle of the run, not the beginning.

Weight was 187.5 again, which is up, but the trend went slightly down, to 187.45. Yes, just slightly below my actual weight. I thought I had done very well on calories yesterday, but I think the chicken Caesar salad from the Limelight was a bit more than the ~350 I'd calculated. When I got home, I couldn't help snacking a bit on croutons, and a few (less than 10 total) almonds, and finally a couple of teaspoons of peanut butter and jelly. I mean, I could have done worse, so I can cut myself a break. But, still.

Tempo run

So, I kinda messed up my tempo run.

I ran from home down to the Springwater Trail along the river. It's a nice flat paved trail with markers every half-mile, making it perfect for measured runs. I was going to run three segments north (towards downtown), then turn around and run them back, then jog home to cool off. And there's a water fountain at the church near the head of the trail, which on days like today (it was in the high 60s when I left and muggy) is necessary.

My warm-up was around 12-13 minutes, and then I started with a fast segment. I set my countdown timer to 4:30 (which is a 9:00 pace) and reached the next half-mile marker with 12 seconds remaining! Whoo-hoo!

Jog-walked the next segment, then started a fast one again. Note: that's three half-mile segments. I did not so note at the time. I finished the next fast section with 17 seconds remaining! I'm a speed demon!

Then I kept going and walked the next segment and turned around.

I was running the first fast half-mile back when I realized that this was, in fact, my third fast one. I'd gone too far. I kinda worried about over-exerting myself (I was sweating like Mr. Moist from "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog") and decided I'd stick to the plan, even though it meant lots of walking back home because I'd be about a mile from home after a 10-minute cooldown. Oh, well.

I did lots of walking on my slow sections. It was hot. I was cutting myself a break.

I finished my third fast interval with 12 seconds to spare again (fast for me!), and then did the jog-walk back past the water fountain (there was a wedding going on, with a real Rolls Royce limo), and then started the walk back home. I did a bit more running, about 4 or 5 minutes worth, just because.

Next weekend I'll do another long run, 7 or 8 miles worth. And this coming week maybe I'll toss in some hill intervals. I'm likely more than ready.

Still going

Yesterday, I had to get up early to return my Zipcar (a MINI Convertible - suh-weet!) before 8:00 AM, so on my way back I decided I'd have a giant breakfast at the 24 Hour Pancake House.

So I did. And vowed not to eat too much the rest of the day. I had two pancakes, four pieces of bacon, a scrambled egg, and copious coffee. I counted everything, including the syrup and pats of butter, and it all came to around 950 calories. Totally do-able, considering I didn't eat until close to 10 (due to bus travel ordering and general slowness at the restaurant and suchlike), leaving lots of calories for a big-ish snack and dinner.

I almost went over, anyway, because I hung out at the local coffee shop for a couple of hours in the late afternoon, and Nicole had made my favorite kind of cake: white with chocolate frosting. But I resisted and just drank coffee (and counted those calories!).

Before I went to bed, I weighed myself. I've found that my morning weight is usually about 1.5-2.0 pounds lower than my right-before-bed weight, so it gives me a preview. I was surprised to find 189.5 staring me in the face. Ugh. I thought I'd done well, but that seemed high.

So this morning when I got up, I was prepared for disappointment. Instead I weighed in at 186.5 - only a half-pound up from yesterday! Nice! It must have been water weight.

I've had a small breakfast (my usual - yogurt cup and peanut butter and jam on toast) about an hour and a half ago, and now I'm going out for my hard run.

I decided on an interval run - warmup, then alternate between hard 8:30-9:00 pace half-miles, and jog/walking half-miles, for a total of 3 apiece. That will be just over 5 miles. And it should be difficult to make that pace on the last fast segment. But I'd like to get faster, and the only way to do that is to, y'know, run faster.

I'll report back on how well I did.