5 miles yesterday morning on the treadmill - 11:19/mile average
4 miles yesterday afternoon on the treadmill/indoor track - 11:21/mile average
5 miles this morning on the indoor track - 10:13/mile average (my first 3 were under 30 minutes!)
I will most definitely be doing any indoor runs on the indoor track rather than the treadmill.
That is all.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
I HATE the treadmill
Look, I know HATE is a strong word but that is truly how I feel. I am NOT a treadmill runner. I feel like my gait gets all out of whack and I can't seem to run more than a mile at a time when I'm on it without taking breaks to walk. That being said, I've been running my weekday runs on the treadmill at the YMCA for the last 2 weeks because of the snow and crap weather we've had lately here in Boise. And I hate it.
This week my plan calls for me to run 4, 5, and 9 miles during the week with my long run of 18 this weekend. I met Lynn this morning for my 5 miler on the treadmill and was going to call it good for the day until I realized I could get out of work a little early, take the kid to the Y for teen yoga (she loved it!) and I could pump out the remaining 4 miles while she was at yoga. That way I would only have to do 5 on Thursday and could have a day of rest before my 18 miler on Saturday.
***Quick pause for another brief story which may or may not explain what I did for my final milei today: At work today I was talking to a fellow runner about the crap conditions outside and he suggested going to the Nampa Rec Center and paying for a day pass to run on their indoor track rather than suffering through another long run on the snow.
So I slugged through 3 miles on the treadmill after work and it took me over 35 minutes to get that done. It was getting pretty crowded at the gym and I started feeling guilty for being on the treadmill for over the 30 minute allotment during the busy time of the day so I decided to run the last mile on the indoor track. Keep in mind that each lap on the indoor track is 1/12 of a mile so I had to run 12 laps on this little track to get my last mile completed. BUT, that mile went by SO fast! I felt like I was flying! I'll admit, I walked one of the laps but I still finished in what I believe was under 10 minutes for my final mile.
It made me realize that maybe my buddy from work is on to something: 18 miles on an indoor track might not be so bad. I'm certainly not going to do it at the Y because that track is ridiculously small. But the Nampa Rec Center's track is 1/5 mile per lap, so I'd only need to do 90 laps to make it work. Sure, it might take me 4 hours, but there are bathrooms right there and I can keep my water and electrolytes handy too and that might be worth the $8.25 fee for the day, especially if it snows again tonight like the forecast indicates.
I'll pontificate a bit further and make a decision soon. Stay tuned...
This week my plan calls for me to run 4, 5, and 9 miles during the week with my long run of 18 this weekend. I met Lynn this morning for my 5 miler on the treadmill and was going to call it good for the day until I realized I could get out of work a little early, take the kid to the Y for teen yoga (she loved it!) and I could pump out the remaining 4 miles while she was at yoga. That way I would only have to do 5 on Thursday and could have a day of rest before my 18 miler on Saturday.
***Quick pause for another brief story which may or may not explain what I did for my final milei today: At work today I was talking to a fellow runner about the crap conditions outside and he suggested going to the Nampa Rec Center and paying for a day pass to run on their indoor track rather than suffering through another long run on the snow.
So I slugged through 3 miles on the treadmill after work and it took me over 35 minutes to get that done. It was getting pretty crowded at the gym and I started feeling guilty for being on the treadmill for over the 30 minute allotment during the busy time of the day so I decided to run the last mile on the indoor track. Keep in mind that each lap on the indoor track is 1/12 of a mile so I had to run 12 laps on this little track to get my last mile completed. BUT, that mile went by SO fast! I felt like I was flying! I'll admit, I walked one of the laps but I still finished in what I believe was under 10 minutes for my final mile.
It made me realize that maybe my buddy from work is on to something: 18 miles on an indoor track might not be so bad. I'm certainly not going to do it at the Y because that track is ridiculously small. But the Nampa Rec Center's track is 1/5 mile per lap, so I'd only need to do 90 laps to make it work. Sure, it might take me 4 hours, but there are bathrooms right there and I can keep my water and electrolytes handy too and that might be worth the $8.25 fee for the day, especially if it snows again tonight like the forecast indicates.
I'll pontificate a bit further and make a decision soon. Stay tuned...
Sunday, January 13, 2013
16 tough miles
Since the snow hasn't melted yet and none of the sidewalks are cleared I decided to head down to the Boise Greenbelt for my long run this weekend where some friends said the paths were plowed. I packed up some extra gloves, a headband to cover my ears in case my new hat didn't work out, and a whole load of water before I left the house. The temp was still only about 16 degrees when I was heading out the door so I stopped at my local New Balance shop and picked up some additional pants to throw over my tights so I would be quite as cold. I stayed fairly warm last weekend but I knew it could be better. Since the drinking fountains don't work on the greenbelt during the winter I was going to have to use my car as my water supply and I wouldn't be able to stray very far from that point.
I'm not sure what I was expecting to see when I got down to the park to start my 16 mile jaunt, but I guess I was hoping the path would be a little more clear than it really was. Turns out the paths had been plowed (yay!) but were essentially just covered in packed snow (boooooo!). I knew right when I started out that it was going to be another really difficult run. I took a water bottle with me and carried it for 8 miles before stopping at the car to refill. I grabbed a granola bar and more energy chews and refilled my water before snapping this photo and heading back out for the second half of the run...
I thought the first 8 miles were tough but had this glimmer of hope that I wouldn't want to die during the second 8 miles. It was terribly exhausting to run on the snow (clearly my number one complaint of this whole training process) and it took me quite a while to finish, especially when it came to miles 12-16. At some point in time I realized my pace was not salvageable and that I really just needed to finish the mileage so I could get home which also meant I had to be ok with walking a lot during the last few miles.
Hopefully by the time I need to run 18 miles in 2 weeks the snow will be cleared up and I'll get to experience something that looks close to running in decent weather.
On a positive note, I did get to snap this beauty when I was out galavanting...
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
WTF is all of this white stuff?
Boise doesn't tend to get all that much snow and when we do, the temperatures don't tend to get very low so the snow melts within a day or so. But this year has been different. It's only snowed a handful of days but the temps but until yesterday the temps hadn't been above freezing for 10 days. And that means that every bit of snow that has fallen has continued to stay on the ground and, more importantly, on the sidewalks. This has made running on said sidewalks particularly difficult and today was no exception.
My neighborhood itself is about 50/50 when it comes to shoveling the walks but no one clears the sidewalks on the main streets surrounding our 'hood. So that means the snow/ice combo left from the previous snowfall was still covering those walks when it snowed about 2" on Monday. Even though the temperature was (barely) above freezing yesterday afternoon, it didn't do much for melting all of that snow on the sidewalks near my neighborhood. In fact, it turned most of the sidewalks into a ridiculous, crunchy ice rink of sorts.
My training plan today called for 8 miles and I knew it would be difficult with the leftover snow but I didn't think it would be that bad. It was. I found stretch of walkway that had been cleared and made the decision to run that stretch back and forth as long as I could stand it before heading home. I made it 3.7 miles before reaching my house and calling it quits for the morning. I probably could have finished it all, but in addition to being bored out of my mind, my tights were being quite a bother and were sagging at the crotch. Any longer in distance and I fear there would have been massive chaffing.
So I called it quits early today, but that doesn't mean I didn't finish my remaining miles. No no, you see, because I am a glutton for punishment and decided to finish the rest of my miles on the treadmill. Which means I had to join a gym. So I did. At lunch. And then I used the treadmill. And it was hard because it was the 2nd time I had run today. But I did it. And I guess I really don't have much of an excuse not to run if the weather is crappy and I don't have much of an excuse not to crosstrain.
Anyway, that's done. Now, if I could convince the snow to stay up in the mountains this year that would be great....I've got some serious miles to pound out over the next few weeks and I surely don't want to do them all on the treadmill.
My neighborhood itself is about 50/50 when it comes to shoveling the walks but no one clears the sidewalks on the main streets surrounding our 'hood. So that means the snow/ice combo left from the previous snowfall was still covering those walks when it snowed about 2" on Monday. Even though the temperature was (barely) above freezing yesterday afternoon, it didn't do much for melting all of that snow on the sidewalks near my neighborhood. In fact, it turned most of the sidewalks into a ridiculous, crunchy ice rink of sorts.
My training plan today called for 8 miles and I knew it would be difficult with the leftover snow but I didn't think it would be that bad. It was. I found stretch of walkway that had been cleared and made the decision to run that stretch back and forth as long as I could stand it before heading home. I made it 3.7 miles before reaching my house and calling it quits for the morning. I probably could have finished it all, but in addition to being bored out of my mind, my tights were being quite a bother and were sagging at the crotch. Any longer in distance and I fear there would have been massive chaffing.
So I called it quits early today, but that doesn't mean I didn't finish my remaining miles. No no, you see, because I am a glutton for punishment and decided to finish the rest of my miles on the treadmill. Which means I had to join a gym. So I did. At lunch. And then I used the treadmill. And it was hard because it was the 2nd time I had run today. But I did it. And I guess I really don't have much of an excuse not to run if the weather is crappy and I don't have much of an excuse not to crosstrain.
Anyway, that's done. Now, if I could convince the snow to stay up in the mountains this year that would be great....I've got some serious miles to pound out over the next few weeks and I surely don't want to do them all on the treadmill.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
15 mile training run and finally feeling over the sickness
Quick, someone knock on wood - I finally feel over my sickness(es). I went out on Thursday and Friday mornings with Lynn and both days were 1) ridiculously cold (single digits, people), 2) had sidewalks covered in snow and 3) were ridiculously difficult. I struggled to run 3 miles and questioned if I would be able to cover any sort of long distance on Saturday. Speaking of the long run, I was really unsure how long I should attempt to go. The previous two weeks I was supposed to run 13.1 and 10 miles but due to sickness, I didn't do either. The weekend prior I ran 12 and felt pretty confident that my body would be OK if I kept on plan for 15 but I wasn't sure if I wanted to do so.
Long story short, I sat in bed and then on the couch for quite awhile on yesterday morning playing on google maps trying to route a decent run that would lead me to water every 2-3 miles. I ended up with a decent 15 mile route that would lead me to a friend's house (Nancy!) at mile 9 and to gas stations or a coffee stand for the rest of the stops. I waited for the temps to rise as much as I could before I headed out the door, but even then it was only 16 degrees outside. Brrr.
With 2 pairs of gloves on and an extra pair in my jacket pocket, I went out to tackle 15 miles. The run started out difficult. It was hard to run a full mile, and I didn't. In fact, I don't know if I ran a full mile without walking a little bit throughout the entire distance. I think the temps rose to about 21 while I was out and as long as I was moving, I felt warm enough. When I got to Nancy's house my gloves were absolutely soaked and my hands were starting to get cold so we put them in the dryer while I was there, which was the absolute best decision of the day. When I left the house with 6 miles left, I felt fairly certain I could finish them without too much of a struggle. I was pretty much wrooooooooong. I pumped through mile 10 without a problem, walked more in mile 11, found some store of stride in mile 12 and then 13, 14, and 15 were ridiculously difficult. My hands started to get really, really cold and I was ready to be done.
In the end, I finished 15 miles at an average pace of 12:15/mile. Perhaps the weather will warm up enough this week to melt the snow on the sidewalks and make things a little less miserable for the rest of this training business. I stretched quite a bit when I got home and convinced my dear step-daughter to make me a 1/2 turkey sandwich to briefly satisfy my hunger pangs. I took an epsom salt bath and a quick shower, went to dinner (beer helps recovery, right?) and managed to stay awake until 10:30 or so before my body called it quits and I had to hit the hay.
This week calls for the following:
Monday - 4
Wednesday - 8
Friday - 4
Saturday - 16
Let's hope 16 isn't quite as brutal as 15!
Long story short, I sat in bed and then on the couch for quite awhile on yesterday morning playing on google maps trying to route a decent run that would lead me to water every 2-3 miles. I ended up with a decent 15 mile route that would lead me to a friend's house (Nancy!) at mile 9 and to gas stations or a coffee stand for the rest of the stops. I waited for the temps to rise as much as I could before I headed out the door, but even then it was only 16 degrees outside. Brrr.
With 2 pairs of gloves on and an extra pair in my jacket pocket, I went out to tackle 15 miles. The run started out difficult. It was hard to run a full mile, and I didn't. In fact, I don't know if I ran a full mile without walking a little bit throughout the entire distance. I think the temps rose to about 21 while I was out and as long as I was moving, I felt warm enough. When I got to Nancy's house my gloves were absolutely soaked and my hands were starting to get cold so we put them in the dryer while I was there, which was the absolute best decision of the day. When I left the house with 6 miles left, I felt fairly certain I could finish them without too much of a struggle. I was pretty much wrooooooooong. I pumped through mile 10 without a problem, walked more in mile 11, found some store of stride in mile 12 and then 13, 14, and 15 were ridiculously difficult. My hands started to get really, really cold and I was ready to be done.
In the end, I finished 15 miles at an average pace of 12:15/mile. Perhaps the weather will warm up enough this week to melt the snow on the sidewalks and make things a little less miserable for the rest of this training business. I stretched quite a bit when I got home and convinced my dear step-daughter to make me a 1/2 turkey sandwich to briefly satisfy my hunger pangs. I took an epsom salt bath and a quick shower, went to dinner (beer helps recovery, right?) and managed to stay awake until 10:30 or so before my body called it quits and I had to hit the hay.
This week calls for the following:
Monday - 4
Wednesday - 8
Friday - 4
Saturday - 16
Let's hope 16 isn't quite as brutal as 15!
Friday, December 28, 2012
500 miles!
Earlier this year I set a goal to run 500 miles in 2012. I expected to get to the 500 mile mark last Saturday during my half-marathon long run but due to sickness I cancelled that run and figured I would just hit the mark during a weekday jaunt with Lynn. A few weeks ago my old neighbor, Lisa, asked if she could run with us the day after Christmas and, of course, we welcomed her! Lisa is the gal who trained alongside me for my first ever 5k in 2008.
As it turned out I only needed to run 2.74 miles on Wednesday to hit my 500 mile mark. Who better to run my 500th mile with me than the woman who helped me run my very first 5k and the woman who is currently getting me out of bed at 6am three days a week to be sure I'm in training mode for my very first marathon?!
My training plan for Wednesday called for 7 miles so I hopped out of bed a little bit early and ran a mile before meeting Lisa and Lynn. I didn't tell them this was "the day" so when I stopped half way through our run and yelled out, "excuse me, I have an announcement to make!" I think I took them off guard. I continued and stated I had officially run 500 miles this year and high-fives ensued. I was elated!
We got back to the neighborhood and I went inside to get some water while Lynn and Lisa returned to the their respective homes. I still had another 3 miles run and I wasn't exactly excited about it. Did I mention it had snowed a bit the night before? Well, I had and I took advantage of the snow to snap a photo to document my milestone for the year.
Lisa, Renee, me, Molly in 2008 at my first ever 5K
As it turned out I only needed to run 2.74 miles on Wednesday to hit my 500 mile mark. Who better to run my 500th mile with me than the woman who helped me run my very first 5k and the woman who is currently getting me out of bed at 6am three days a week to be sure I'm in training mode for my very first marathon?!
My training plan for Wednesday called for 7 miles so I hopped out of bed a little bit early and ran a mile before meeting Lisa and Lynn. I didn't tell them this was "the day" so when I stopped half way through our run and yelled out, "excuse me, I have an announcement to make!" I think I took them off guard. I continued and stated I had officially run 500 miles this year and high-fives ensued. I was elated!
We got back to the neighborhood and I went inside to get some water while Lynn and Lisa returned to the their respective homes. I still had another 3 miles run and I wasn't exactly excited about it. Did I mention it had snowed a bit the night before? Well, I had and I took advantage of the snow to snap a photo to document my milestone for the year.
Sidelined...again
I got a slight head cold last week which took me out of my Friday run and my long run on Saturday last week. I felt better by Sunday but still rested. I ran with Lynn on Monday and Wednesday this week (Wednesday deserves it's own post) and then Wednesday evening I started to get a slight cough. I toughed it out yesterday at work and hoped that Airborne and zinc tablets would stave off the worst of it. Lynn and I sent a few texts and I was certain I would be able to power through 3 miles in the morning with her. Unfortunately, I woke up at 2:00 am with an ear ache, sore throat, and general crappiness. I took some ibuprofen and kept my alarm set for 5:30 so I could text Lynn to tell her I'm out for the count for the second Friday in a row. Now I'm home from work and am concerned this sickness will keep me out of a long run for the second week in a row. Noooooooooo. Seriously, sickness, you are ruining marathon training.
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