High's and Low's

Welp, it was quite a week. I followed the regimen, ran hard, and did my best. Here's how it went down...

Tues: (what I thought was four miles is actually) 3.75 : 32:03 easy paced (8:32)
Wednesday: 3.25 : 26.48 quick paced (8:14)
Thursday: 5 : 44:02 easy paced (8:48)
Friday: 2.5 miles quick paced at 7:58 and then 4 400's paced at 1:30 each with walk/jog 400 in between.

I was somewhat happy after Tues but then deflated when I realized it wasn't a true 4 miles. Then I got even more deflated after Wednesday's run. Thursday I faced the facts, went for a good long run, and then Friday (today) I hammered it out. I will close the week with a long easy run tomorrow morning.

~chrissy

Starting Harder?

Today I didn't have much time so I just went to the first bridge and back (2.68 miles). I never quite know what to expect out of my body the day after a hard run but I wanted to better my last time of 21:08 for the same distance. As I get into better condition it's strange to exert the same amount of energy and feel my body go faster. I can just sense that my legs are turning over more quickly and that things just seem to move right by me as I run (even though it feels as though I'm not trying any harder.)

I got to the bridge and turned around about 10:15 into the run. If I could keep pace with that I would accomplish my goal. I felt good and, as usual, finished with a hard final 600m or so to finish with a time of 19:46. I didn't quite expect to break 20 today so that was good.

I am starting to wonder if I could better my times by altering my running strategy. I have a great fear of running out of gas in the middle of a run. It's only really happened to me once during one of my first races and not only was my time terrible, it is terribly painful as well to try and finish after your body is spent. I have good finishing speed so it usually works out fine, but part of me always wonders if things would be different if I went for it a little earlier.

2.68 miles - 19:45 (7:22/mile)

Mike

This time it's for real

Well I finally ran a true 5.02 miles without stopping and knowing without a doubt that the distance was accurate. My goal was 40:00 with the outside possibility of cracking that barrier with a strong finish. Last time I ran it all the way I got just over 39:00 but I now know it was a bit shy of 5 miles. I figured with a day of rest, getting close to that time would make for a good workout.

I started off well and felt REALLY good 1.35 miles in. I waited until just before the sun went down so it wasn't too hot and that definitely helped. I got to the boardwalk at around 19:25 (my previous best was 19:50) so I knew I was doing well but I still had to run the short extra distance to the bridge. I got to the half-way mark at 20:30. If I could run the back half 30s faster I would meet my goal. I just tried to keep pace and run the last half-mile as hard as I could.

As I was coming down the home stretch (with the end in sight but still probably 200-300m away) I looked at my watch and saw 39:00. I put my head down and finished it in 40:03. I doesn't take much math to tell that 5.02 miles in that time is less than 8 min/mile and I feel really good about that.

5.02 miles - 40:03 (7:58/mile)

PS - a deer jumped out of the shrubbery right next to me on my run and even followed me for about 15m before darting back into the wilderness.

PSS - my first 5k in 11.5 years will be one month from today!

Feelin' Good!

After running a couple times with my friend's nifty watch, I realized I suck at pacing myself! I start all of my runs at like a 6:20 pace which leads me to completely tank at the end. And mid run- when I'm averaging about an 8 min mile -I am hurting all over and can't wait for it to end. So. We realized that if I am hurting at an 8 min mile pace, after having run a couple miles already, I should be able to keep at least an 8 min pace if I start with that from the beginning. Which after a two day's rest, I put to the test.

My week's work-out plan has me running more miles per day, with a 5k-for-time tomorrow and track intervals on Fri. So I decided to keep my run today relatively easy with my heart rate around 165. (I am normally at 180) ~this way I can really run hard for a true timed race tomorrow. I had mapped out exactly 4 miles with the hills coming at the end of the run. I hit 2 miles at mid 17's (can't remember exactly, but it was behind the 16 min target) but wasn't worried because I was barely breathing. So I stepped it up for the back-home uphill battle and came cruising in with relative ease at 32:03. I am very pleased with that. Can't wait for tomorrows 'race'.

~chrissy

ps. Mike, you're doing great! Your times are dropping super fast. 8 weeks ago would you have thought you'd be running a 7:11 split!?!

2 Miles

I didn't have a lot of time today so I drove down to the track for a quick 2-mile run. I figured I'd give it all I had and see if I could better my last time of 14:52. I wanted to approach 14 minutes because I'd like to run the 5k next month at about a 7min/mile pace, but that might be ambitious - we'll see. I hit the first lap on pace but there was 20mph wind on the back stretch that was giving me fits. I crossed the mile mark at 7:11 and didn't look at my watch again - I just wanted to finish. It turned out to be a personal best training time but not quite as low as I'd hoped. I've been pushing it hard the past couple days though and I think that should be taken into account as well. It will all be clear on race day.

2 miles - 14:39 (7:19/mile)

Mike

A Run to the Bridge

kkkkkjhhgffbvgg mmmmm mmmvfvgghjh (from Ella)

This morning I ran to the bridge and slightly beyond the boardwalk that precedes it completing my 5.02 mile run. It wasn't as far back as I thought - maybe 150 meters or so. At least now I know.

I ran the whole way there having forgot to start my stopwatch so I have no clue how long it took. It was painful as is quite often the case after I complete a hard run like I did yesterday. I got to the bridge, checked it out for a bit and started on my way back (with the stopwatch on). It took 20:43 to run 2.51 miles back. I'm looking at this run like it was two 2.5-mile intervals.

Mike

T-Minus!

Well, we have 4 weeks left!!! It has been SO fun for me training for this...and I'm excited for the races to come after as well! Nice work on your times Mike! I'm glad you are pleased with them as well, that is what really matters.

This week I ran 6 days in a row, topping it off today with a beautiful run around Woodland Lake Park which is 1.3 miles. I ran it twice around in 21.46.

I agree with your recommendation and next week I plan to run 4 miles on Tues, a real 5k (for time) on Wed, 4 again on Thurs, intervals Fri, and a long easy run on Sat.

keep up the good work, mike!

~chrissy

A True 5K

Today I ran my first 5K - 12.5 laps around the run-down middle school track. Up until now I had run 2 miles, 3 miles and darn close to 5 miles, but never the exact distance of a race. I was just curious and pleased with the result. A week or two ago I couldn't hold an 8 minute pace on the track and that worried me. I really didn't know what to expect so I just went out planning to react to what my body gave me.

It went well. The first lap was right at 2 minutes and I just tried to hold that pace with a strong final two laps. I found that each successive lap was probably near 1:57 without any conscious effort of my own. I crossed the mile mark at 7:50 something. I don't remember my-two mile time but it was on pace with that. I felt good the whole way through.

3.1 miles - 24:21 (7:51/mile)

As far as running hills goes, I can say from experience that running fast downhill does not make up for time lost running slowly uphill. Your time will be faster on a flat course. From a scientific standpoint it seems to me that the gravitational potential energy gained by running uphill would have to all be converted to kinetic energy on the down-side of the hill to even out. This doesn't happen because each time your foot hits the ground while running downhill you slow yourself a little bit. But there is some physiology involved too and that's your neck of the woods.

Recommendation: Try mapping out a 5-mile course and run that hard for a week or two. When you go back to the 3.2 miler it will feel really short and you'll feel like you could sprint it. I've definitely noticed a boost in my running having added some extra miles to my workouts.

Subtle Miscalculations of My Own!

A friend of mine has offered to help me out in my efforts to get back in shape. He is an avid runner and has lots of experience with long distance. He recently purchased a watch that, among many things, tracks your distance through GPS. I asked him if he wouldn't mind running my usual trail with me today so I can know exactly how far it is... Well, it turns out my car is more accurate than I thought... The run is indeed 3.2 miles! Also, his nifty little watch tracks the percent grade of the trail (also done through GPS) and what I thought was a mostly uphill battle turns out to be a neutral run overall. Though I am battling hills throughout, the downhill portions are just as frequent. When I asked him if he thought this meant it is the same as running completely flat the whole time, he said he didn't think so. And neither do I. For reasons that aren't necessarily concrete... but still (what do you think mike?). And my time today was about 20 seconds faster than the previous time I ran going this direction (the opposite direction is easier because the big hills are first instead of last when I am completely exhausted):

3.2 miles(the hard way): 26.28

~chrissy

A Subtle Miscalculation

Yesterday I learned that my 5.02 mile run hasn't been quite that long (at least I don't think it has). The map says I'm supposed to run to a bridge and back and apparently I've been running to the "boardwalk" the precedes the bridge. I'll have to check it out and see exactly where this bridge is but I assumed I was right because the boardwalk does cross a bayou. A little frustrating but good to know.

Yesterday I ran 2.68 miles in 21:08 - 7:53/mile.

mike

Reversal

After sufficient cardiovascular expenditure yesterday and a less than desirable timed outcome, I decided to boost my self-esteem on my usual run by running it reverse. I figured the direction I normally went had to be about 20% uphill, after taking out the portions that are countered by downhill. So today I ran it and it went MUCH better and felt better too!

Neighborhood Loop: 26.03

I will still run it the usual way most of the time, but it was a good boost of confidence that I really needed after yesterday.

~chrissy

Another Long Run

I tried to follow up my track workout with a 5 miler today. It was just painful. I think my shins were the worst they have been since I started running again. I felt great going in and was optimistic because I really felt no soreness from yesterday. I was mistaken.

I need to work on pacing. Again I went out too hard (thinking I was actually holding back a bit) and found myself about 15 seconds ahead of the pace I was on when I ran it in 39 minutes. I hit the half-way mark in 19:55. At this point I was kind of excited about lowering my time but it wasn't long before my calves tightened up and my shins were killing me. I had to stop and stretch and did so twice on the way back. I ended up stopping just shy of the finish (probably about 4.9 miles). I still feel the workout was a success considering what I put my body through yesterday. I gave it all I had and my time was still respectable for this point in my training.

4.9 miles - 40:29

Out With the Old, In With the New

I bought these New Balance 704's right before my Chabot Cross Country season. I figure they have traversed some 300 or so miles, including hiking, trail running, track running, street running, treadmill running, tennis, and numerous other sports participations. I love them and will probably never throw them away.


However, in the interest of bone and joint health I decided to invest in another pair of NB's. I discovered sometime last year that the 704's are discontinued and when I walked into the store today and told the worker about them, she gave me a complete blank stare. She then proceeded to measure my foot, both length and width, and then watched my gait. I doubt she really new what she was looking at, but it made me (and her) feel better. I tried on my first pair, which was the aesthetic shoe of choice, but alas it lacked in front foot support. Then the second pair came and I was sold...



I also bought a pair of running shorts. I needed some that wouldn't creep up, or down, and that wouldn't give me mid-thigh tan lines. AAAnd, the price was right at 6.99 (in the Girl's section of course!)



~chrissy

Good News - Bad News

First of all, that is a cool website. It's fun to put in your pr's and see what you could have achieved in other events. Based on a 49 for the 400, I could have run a 4:18 mile and a 1:55 800m. Very cool. Also, your times are progressing nicely. Keep it up and make sure you continue to leave it all on the track (or trail) each and every time you run. I'd say our times are getting to be respectable and with a couple more months of hard work we could get to where it is pretty rewarding.

Today I ran intervals again. I set out to run just under my previous interval times. Hoping it would come out something like this:

200 - 30s
400 - 80s
800 - 3:10
400 - 80s
200 - 30

The good news is that I beat those times. The bad news is that I ran out of gas and couldn't continue after my 800. Actual results:

200 - 29s
300 - 75s
800 - 3:04

I need to learn to hold back a bit on these intervals. I am still used to just gunning it when I'm on the track and my body isn't ready for it. I think the workout was productive; my heart-rate was very elevated for 20 min and my muscles are fatigued in a way that I don't get running miles.

-Mike

Fun Site!

Here is a super interesting site I found! You can navigate through it to see how it works. My favorite part is that it gives you a training tempo! Thought you might find it interesting ;)

http://www.fasterrunning.com/oldsite/calculator2.htm

Today's time:
I wanted to run a flat, exact length so I hit the track after school.

2 miles: 15:51

~chrissy

A Redeeming Time

Today I ran my 5.02 mile trail (I've seen wild pig and two cotton-tail rabbits on this trail!) and finally brought along a watch. I was a little more motivated than usual due to what happened last time I ran and it was a cool morning which felt great. I set off with a goal in mind of 43 minutes. Two weeks ago I ran a 5 mile loop around my house and that's how long it took. I figured running .2 miles more in the same amount of time would show sufficient progress (especially considering the result from two days ago).

I made it to the half-way mark in 20:09 (8:02/mile). I was still feeling really good at this point and excited to see that if I could keep pace that I would really beat my goal. As I continued I realized that if I could run a negative split on the back half of the run that I could break 40 minutes.

I'm usually pretty good at math but apparently there is a significant drop off in my ability to calculate while I'm running. More than once have I done a calculation mid-run only to find out afterward that I was way off. Today was no exception.

For some reason I thought I was just under 9:00/mile (which I was happy with) but if I could run a negative second-half it would mean a sub 8 minute average (which I really did not expect). Well, I finished in 39:00 exactly. And, after catching my breath, I realized was 7:46/mile. Very happy with that.

Mike

A Little Ambitious

The last time I ran 3 miles was almost two weeks ago and it took me 25 and a half minutes. I figured enough time had gone by that I could now shoot for 24 minutes or just under if I could muster up a strong finish. I was at the track so I knew I had to go 2:00/lap to get right at 24 min for 3 miles. Well, about 3 or 4 laps in I started to have doubts. I was on pace but it was hurting. I was breathing pretty hard and my leg muscles seemed really tight and fatigued. I kept pace for 6 laps and fell off on the 7th. I decided to just make it two miles (which really was and is a disappointing decision)and finished in exactly 16:00. It marks the first time my time did not drop during a workout since day 1 which was 32 days ago.

2 miles - 16:00

Mike

Same Trail, New Time

I like the sound of this post-title ;)

Last night I decided to eat a healthier dinner and see what kind of a difference it would make. Besides waking up starving, I did feel a bit better on my run. I ate whole wheat (unrefined) pasta with a little tomato sauce (all in a cute egg-shaped bowl that one of our Curves members gave me for easter :) and TONS of water!

3.2 miles: 26:44.


Adding a mile and hills onto my run has grossly hurt my pace time, but it feels really good. Putting in the miles is what I need to do most right now.

~chrissy

new trail

I mapped out a trail that just so happens to be 3.2 miles. It is an exact loop from my doorstep. I exit Sonoma Parkway to the right, which throws a hill at me right at the beginning, then it levels off when I turn onto Kyle Seal. As soon as I hit the 1604 Frontage Road I make a right and after about 200m I'm at 1 mile. The trail stays relatively flat at this point, but not completely, and I run about a mile on the frontage road. Then when I turn right onto Hausman to head home I have another 1.2 miles to go and two decent hills to conquer. The first rolls up steadily and then heads back down rather quickly and the last hill is probably only 200m long but it is rather steep. Once I get to the top of that I just head down the home stretch.

I was a bit bothered with my performance today. I ran it in 29.17 with two stops mid-run. One of the stops was around 2 miles, which is explained by the fact that I haven't run more than 2 miles yet. I walked for like 2.5 minutes. And, the hills always kick my butt. Tomorrow I'm going to run without the ipod and see if I can 'focus' my way to conquering the run.

~chrissy

Man Oh Man

First of all, congrats mike on getting the 14's with your two mile! And that's great you are able to find a marked trail to run on... There has got to be something like that out here for me. I need to look into it.

Yea, hitting the dusty trail was difficult for me over the weekend. I played too much while sara was here :) And, when I wasn't playing I was writing my talk or doing school work.

My run today went pretty well. It was more difficult than I wanted it to be. ha. I ran probably 3 miles, on rolling hills, nothing too steep. I was just feeling it after taking off, what, 4 days? 5? I don't even know! And I decided that I'll get my strength workouts while I'm working at curves. Just jump on the machines when I'm training the ladies, which will give me 2 or 3 days a week of lifting.

Well, I'll keep you posted on the rest of the week's runs!
~chrissy

Long Run

Today I ran another 5 mile run along the same path I did last time. I forgot the watch again so it went untimed but I felt like it was a good workout. I made a point to turn it on with maybe a half-mile to go (instead of the final 200-300m I have been doing). The goal being to increase my stamina and have my heart-rate be increased for a longer period of time. We'll see what that does. I need to bring a watch next time.

Chris, where have you been???

Mike

Intervals

Today I ran intervals at the track - first time in a VERY long time. I wanted to run them like this: 200, 400, 800, 400, 200. Probably too short of a distance for 5k preparation but I feel that I need to get my speed up a little. I'm feeling that my lungs and cardiovascular system are improving steadily, but sometimes my legs feel heavy and sluggish. I'm hoping intervals will give me some strength and put some hop back in my step.

I went into this workout completely blind. The last time I remember doing intervals my goal times were around 23s for 200 and 53-54s for the 400. I knew I couldn't touch that at this point, but also had no idea what to pace myself at. I started off the two hundred feeling like I was going about 80% ... it turned out to be too much and I ran out of gas the final 75m and finished in about 32s. It was a painful lesson gave me a benchmark from which I could finish my workout. Here are my goal times (set after my initial 200m) and the actual times.

Goal:

200m - 32s
400m - 90s
800m - 3min
400m - 90s
200m - 32s

Actual:

200m - 32s
400m - 81s
800m - 3:11
400m - 82s
200m - 33s

A New Trail

Yesterday I tried out a new place to run. I had been looking for a good trail with mile markers and was having a hard time of it. It turns out there's one just down the street from our house. It runs through a nature preserve (which I knew was there I just didn't know there were marked trails) and it is beautiful. It's almost eleven miles to the end which almost makes it a marathon round-trip that passes through trees and bayou pretty much the whole way. Today I just ran to the second bridge and back which amounted to about 5.2 miles. Since this was a new adventure I didn't time it but I was pretty tired afterwards and my calves are still a bit sore so it was a good workout. I'd like to get to the track today and do some interval work but the weather isn't looking to cooperate. We'll see.

Mike

Pick Up The Pace

Today my goal was to break 15 minutes in a two-mile workout. I was a little concerned going in because:

1) I was only able to run every other day this week rather than daily as planned.
2) On Monday I ran the same workout and it took everything I had to finish in just over 15 minutes.

I'm finally getting to a point where a warm-up run doesn't feel like part of my workout; so I started with two slow laps just to get warm and stretch. I felt good and confident and figured I needed to run 1:52.5/lap to get right at 15 min. If I could keep this pace then I knew I could let it go on the final lap and get my mark.

I start my run at what seemed to be a pretty good clip but came across the first lap at 1:56.5, slower than my first lap on Monday. I was concerned because things weren't feeling right and now I knew I had to re-adjust my pace for the entire rest of my run just to hit the mark. I didn't do the math in my head mid-run but resolved to pick it up slightly and check things out at the mile mark.

Halfway through I was at 7:32. I was hurting but knew I could do 4 more laps. Now I just had to settle into my originally planned pace coupled with a sub-pace final lap and I would have it. The next 3 laps were right on pace and with a decent final lap I finished in 14:52!

Every run like this seems to hurt more than the last but today marked the 1 month anniversary of my new commitment to running and I knocked over 3 minutes off my 2-mile time just in training. I'm going to have to get to training daily and I would like to add some interval work at the track along with some longer runs. Now that my body is becoming more capable, preparing for a 5k by running 2 miles is beginning to feel rather insufficient.

Mike

Items of business

-That Obea article was really interesting! Despite the poor grammar throughout, it still held my attention very well! I thought it interesting that the coaches he worked with STILL had so much faith in his commitment when he was saying he would give it. They were always behind him 100% despite his fluctuating desires. Were we there when he ran a 44.8 split for the 4x4? I specifically remember the prowess he had in that stadium in Cerritos, and how revered he was by the crowd.

-Have you seen the trail we will be racing on? Does it have hills?

-I ran a little over 2 miles today on more hills, but it was untimed. I keep forgetting to set my watch because I start my ipod and then go. oops. But I did push myself more than yesterday, which was my goal.

After-Dinner Treat

Marci's grandma had her birthday yesterday so they had us all over for dinner @ 5:30. Since that is my usual run time I had to wait until after dinner which is a no-no for me because I hate running-cramps. I'd rather run famished before dinner than an hour or two after. Well, they served us up a platter of Popeye's spicy chicken along with a potato dish, salad, biscuits and ice cream with brownies. I ate it all up, visited for about an hour, went home, helped get Ella ready for bed and ran around the block.

Distance - 2.5 miles
Time - untimed

I'm jealous of the hills you get to run, Chrissy. I have no idea where I'll be able to get some hill training in around here. But remember, no matter how out of shape you are, you can always run your hardest.

Mike

Today

I ran an untimed, unmeasured hilly trail today. I didn't run yesterday, despite my intentions. My run today felt pretty good, but I think I need to start pushing myself harder. I am 2 1/2 weeks into the training, and my body is definitely used to running at this speed. Not that it is easy now or anything, but when I first started training a lot of my focus was on reminding my body what it felt like to hurt. I think it has gotten the idea now, which means it is now time to make it hurt more.

I want to take a second to explain a couple things. When I ran cross country I wasn't ever happy with how I did. I would always think to myself 'what am I doing?' about half-way through the race, which automatically took the wind out of my sails and I would tank. My team members and I were always pretty close in time at practice, but for some reason my race times weren't equally comparable. Sometimes even the girls I would beat in practice would beat me come race day. This is frustrating because I know I am a fast runner. Going back to track, my 400 times were decent. Better than most. During club track we would run one mile for warm-up, and I would finish in nearly exactly 7:00 flat. That was warm-up. And then, I specifically remember running the mile for a time-trial in cross country, and I was appalled at my time of 6:30. I was certain I would break six minutes. There was something about cross country that I had a hard time with. But because there is no sense in worrying about the past, and in order to allow myself the opportunity to improve in the future, I am going to list the factors I know I never considered or practiced while training in cross-country:

-Diet: I never thought about the effects of what I ate. I didn't, and still don't, eat horribly, but there is definitely room for improvement. And knowing what I know now about physiology, the effects are undeniable.

-Strength Training: I never, I repeat, never, lifted weights. I am not a fan of it, but I am not opposed to it. Core strength is essential to running, seeing as the abdominals are major components in flexion of the hip (lifting the knee).

-Flat out pushing myself: I can't say that I gave every race and every work-out my all. I know what you're thinking, 'then how can you be disappointed in your performance if you didn't give it your all?'. If you were to ask me while I was running in track or cross country if I was completely out of gas I would have said yes. But, I wasn't. Even today, if you are to ask me that while I'm running I would probably still say yes. But I'm not. Unless you are dead, the answer to that question is always no. I was just afraid to push myself, and now I'm not. it's probably a maturity thing.

So this gives me lots of hope and excitement. Unlike Mike who is trying to get back to where he was (which is an incredible feat considering) I'm still trying to see what I'm capable of (since going to back to where I was isn't so incredible of a feat). And if I do better than ever before FABULOUS! if I don't, then at least I know my capacity.

New and Improved!

I like the re-vamped website! The track meets sound SUPER fun! Just looking at the results dug-up some exciting emotions I hadn't tapped into since Highschool :) I don't imagine there are as many track meets here in San Antonio as there are in Houston. But it would be fun to just go enter in on a Saturday morning or something.

~chrissy

shin splints

2 Miles - 15:16.

Today was probably the most painful 2 miles I have run yet. It hurt my lungs because I ran hard but I really didn't give myself enough recovery time from Saturday's five miler. My knees and shins were aching most of the first 3 laps until the pain in my lungs became enough of a distraction that I forgot about my legs. I'll probably try and stick to the all-weather track just for health reasons alone. I'm hoping the shin splints will kind of go away on their own as my body adjusts to running again. I'm excited to try and go sub 15 this week on my 2-mile time!

Mike

Track Meets

I've found a couple of interesting opportunities for actually running track if we ever want to go there once the 5k stuff is done. First, it looks like every summer Rice opens up their track facilities and puts on some all-comers meets. I found some results from past years, we'll just have to keep our eye on that and see if they do it again this year. I think it's about $7 for all the events you want to do.

Another thing I found was at the University of Houston. Every February they run an all-comers meet indoors and it looks like something we could handle if we stick with it. Here are the results from this year:

http://flashresults.com/flashtexas/uhallcomers07/

Mike

yea.

I was thinking the same thing. The problem is that we are signed in as the same person when we are on, so the default signature stays the same. I guess the best/easiest way is to just remember to sign our names at the bottom of our posts.

Glad to see you got your computer fixed, and I'm sure Marci is happy to have access to her gmail account now! Nice work on the 5 miles. It has been a while since I've done one that long as well, I don't know if I'm strong enough to last. My abs and hip flexors still kinda hurt after my workouts, so I'm still adjusting to the new speeds.

I ate a huge bowl of icecream tonight. sundays are always so bad. this same thing happened after we left your place last weekend; i ate too many whites and couldn't run on monday. we'll see what happens. Next week is week 3 for me, and is it 4 for you?! Good luck!!

~chrissy

finally

I've spent almost every waking hour the past couple days trying to fix my computer so that I can log-on to this site and make new posts from home. Something infected our computer a couple months ago and since then we've been unable to log on to Google or use it as a search engine (apparently this site's log-in system is powered by gmail.) I was unable to fix the problem but finally found a nifty way around it. I'm using this software that hides my computer's identity by routing my web-requests through other computers using the same software. This way Google assumes the request is coming from another computer and allows me and my infected computer on through (at least I think this is how it's working.) Now onto the running reports...

Friday after work I ran 2 miles at the track and it took me 15:39 (a solid 7:50 pace.) I'm getting to a point that for me is respectable and it makes me happy to know that I still have about 8 weeks of training before the 5k. If I can get to a 7:00 pace for 3 miles and finish in under 22 minutes I would be very pleased.

Yesterday I hopped in the car and measured off a loop around the neighborhood. It was exactly 2.5 miles so I figured maybe two laps and a good pace would make for a meaningful Saturday workout. I can't remember the last time I ran 5 miles, but it was certainly back in the "glory days." I didn't know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised when I was only at 22 min for the first lap. If I could just keep that pace I would be content with my final time. I finished in 43min 45s A pace of 8:45/mile I'm a little sore today and am feeling it a little bit in my shins (running on cement with 25lbs more than I carried in the "glory days") I think once a week on the sidewalk is the most I can handle at this point.

Is there a better way we can identify ourselves in each post or will they always be written by 'freerun'? It might get confusing as time goes by and we read these back. Just a thought.

She-Woman

I ran two miles today WITH hills, a dog, cross-traffic, and a broken armband for my ipod (and therefore had to stop a total of 3 times) and still completed it in 15:58. I felt like she-woman.

The Glory Days

Me - 1999 Mike - 1996

question.

First of all, before we get to the question, I ran a mile yesterday... I think. I was kicked off the track because of the Pole Vaulters (using the track? yea, i don't know, usually they are OK with the little ellipse at the top of the field). So I ran around the soccer fields which the track coach told me would equal a mile if I ran it twice around. So anyway, it may or may not have been a mile. I was planning on doing two miles but then a dad-gum Frisbee class (of ONLY Chinese people) started running around on the fields. So I got a mile in 7:20, which means I was keeping a fairly good pace for two miles. I was pleased. But then I had to pack up and leave because the Frisbee 'instructor' was using the table I had my stuff on to put an abundance of Gatorade and Styrofoam cups out for the Frisbee throwers. Obviously dehydration is a number one concern for a college (Chinese) Frisbee throwing class.

Now for the question. Can rock-climbing count for my work-out today? :)

Gooooooaaaaaals

Experience has taught me over the past 10 years that my so-called "love of running" is trumped by a love for something so much greater ... that to sit on the couch after work and relax. I believe that there are certain laws that are irrevocably decreed in heaven long before our arrival here on earth; and I've worked with high school kids long enough to know that people don't do what their not compelled to do. If this were the case, chapters would be read ahead of time and The Jeopardy Review Game would become a thing of the past. So what might compel me to get off the couch? After so many years of fierce deliberation the jury has come back with a verdict. It reads something like this ... competition.

Not necessarily competion with other people so much as competition with myself. As soon as I started to run with a stopwatch in my hand I noticed a difference. At this stage of the game it would be very difficult for me to deal with running slower today than I did yesterday. When my lungs/legs/head/body/everything burn(s) on lap 5 of 12, I think how it will feel to finish faster today than I did yesterday - it's the only thing that keeps me running. I know that as the weeks and months progress my times will taper, but for now that seems to be working.

Don't get me wrong. I love to compete against others, I'm just not sure how that's going to pan out. I set myself up with a 10-week training program which will take me to the end of April. My brief research of local running venues in the Houston area led me to a little - or maybe it's big - race they run twice a month in The Woodlands. At $1.00 a pop the price is right and the atmosphere seems very conducive to beginners or "comebackers" as it were in the case of Chrissy and I. I'll run as hard as I can when that day comes and two weeks later, maybe I'll do it again. If I outrun some folks, great. If I outrun my previous time, greater.

Once I get my legs - and lungs - back, I would love to attempt something more in the genre of sprinting. It is just as painful only the pain lasts seconds vs. minutes (probably the couch potato part of me manifesting itself on the track of all unlikely places.) It seems, however, that 5k races abound while all-comer's track meets are few and far between. I've got my eye on an annual meet I found in Austin at the end of May, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. Right now the 5k is plenty to chew on.

Off To The Races

It's been ten years last November since I trained or competed in any serious sort of way. Back then I was a scrub hurdler on BYU's track team sorely missing the successes that came with relative ease running high school track in Fremont, California. Through no conscious effort of my own I dropped the spikes, picked up a guitar and joined a band just after Thanksgiving break in 1996. I didn't know it then, but it wouldn't be until I was married with two children in Houston that I would finally start running again.

I'm not sure who will be reading this (other than Chrissy of course for reasons already stated), but my primary motive is to keep a record of our "comeback" that will hopefully be more palatable than the Excel spreadsheet I currently am saving on the H-drive of my computer at work.

Numbers Don't Lie

Here is my raw training data from February 9th (my first run) to the present.

2/9 - 2 miles untimed
2/11 - 2 miles 18:00
2/13 - 3 miles 28:30
2/15 - 2 miles 17:32
2/17 - 3 miles 27:15
2/19 - 2 miles 17:05
2/21 - 3 miles 26:25
2/23 - 2 miles 16:10
2/25 - 3 miles untimed (light jog - 100m sprint at finish)
2/27 - 2 miles 15:57
2/28 - 3 miles 25:25