This week I ran 24 miles.
Well, this was an excellent running week. I was able to handle a pretty significant increase in mileage with no injuries or great fatigue. I also accomplished a mini-goal of mine, which was to run a farther distance than I ever had before. 12 miles felt exhausting, but a lot of that was due to mental hurdles; now that I'm more confident about my body's ability to run distances that long, those mental blocks won't be a problem.
I was also able to negotiate two Thanksgiving dinners without overeating or really eating anything unhealthy (outside of a tiny bit of ice cream in a moment of weakness). That helped my long run enormously, and is a good sign for when I'll have to regulate my diet more intensely.
All in all, a huge week for me, both physically and mentally. Next week, I'll get up to the milestone of 25 miles total for the week. Can't wait!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Saturday, 11/29/08
Today I ran 12 miles in 1:54:15.
Well, I have achieved my first major goal of this whole training process, which was to run farther in a single run than I ever had before. As you can see from the time, I ran this slow and methodically; there was no attempt to do anything but cover the distance. However, I can now safely say that the most I've ever run at once is twelve miles; before, it was ten.
I did have to do this run in less than ideal conditions. The Thanksgiving party I was at last night went way later than I thought it would, and I only ended up getting about five hours of sleep, which typically means for me that a part of my body is tighter than normal early on in the day. When I woke up, the area of my body that was tight was my hips, for some strange reason. My calves felt great all throughout the run, which is a first, but my hips were hurting constantly, making it hard to get a solid rhythm and consistent running form.
So, after a couple of miles I tried adjusting my shoes by tying them a little looser, and that actually ended up working, but at the expense of my feet being sore from the lack of support; my left foot in particular is in a lot of pain right now. Also, it was very cold at 6:30 in the morning (this is where my uncle recoils in horror at how early I ran), and it took a long time for my body to warm up.
I did get randomly fatigued around mile eight, but I used that as an opportunity to stop for a while and drink and stretch a bit. I'm assuming I got fatigued because of lack of sleep more than anything. Also, once I got past mile ten, I could definitely feel my body get physically drained. I know my brain was partially to blame for making it happen; I was thinking about how it was uncharted territory for me in terms of total mileage. When I finished, I was exhausted.
But despite all that, in general I felt very strong throughout the run, and enjoyed myself quite a bit. It was a nice change of pace running so early in the morning, and I felt very alone and peaceful for long stretches. I'm also extremely happy that I was able to discipline myself to not overeat for two nights straight; that actually gives me a lot of confidence in the future in terms of being able to follow a strict diet if necessary.
It's a great feeling to have accomplished something like this, and it hasn't really sunk in yet. I know that in the upcoming weeks, I'll be running longer distances than this, but this one, breaking my PR that has existed for something like seven or eight years, was the biggest mental hurdle of them all, at least until I get to twenty miles. I've now proven that I can push my body past its previous limits, and therefore am supremely confident in my chances of completing the marathon. Now, I get to pig out with all the leftover Thanksgiving food! Excellent!
Well, I have achieved my first major goal of this whole training process, which was to run farther in a single run than I ever had before. As you can see from the time, I ran this slow and methodically; there was no attempt to do anything but cover the distance. However, I can now safely say that the most I've ever run at once is twelve miles; before, it was ten.
I did have to do this run in less than ideal conditions. The Thanksgiving party I was at last night went way later than I thought it would, and I only ended up getting about five hours of sleep, which typically means for me that a part of my body is tighter than normal early on in the day. When I woke up, the area of my body that was tight was my hips, for some strange reason. My calves felt great all throughout the run, which is a first, but my hips were hurting constantly, making it hard to get a solid rhythm and consistent running form.
So, after a couple of miles I tried adjusting my shoes by tying them a little looser, and that actually ended up working, but at the expense of my feet being sore from the lack of support; my left foot in particular is in a lot of pain right now. Also, it was very cold at 6:30 in the morning (this is where my uncle recoils in horror at how early I ran), and it took a long time for my body to warm up.
I did get randomly fatigued around mile eight, but I used that as an opportunity to stop for a while and drink and stretch a bit. I'm assuming I got fatigued because of lack of sleep more than anything. Also, once I got past mile ten, I could definitely feel my body get physically drained. I know my brain was partially to blame for making it happen; I was thinking about how it was uncharted territory for me in terms of total mileage. When I finished, I was exhausted.
But despite all that, in general I felt very strong throughout the run, and enjoyed myself quite a bit. It was a nice change of pace running so early in the morning, and I felt very alone and peaceful for long stretches. I'm also extremely happy that I was able to discipline myself to not overeat for two nights straight; that actually gives me a lot of confidence in the future in terms of being able to follow a strict diet if necessary.
It's a great feeling to have accomplished something like this, and it hasn't really sunk in yet. I know that in the upcoming weeks, I'll be running longer distances than this, but this one, breaking my PR that has existed for something like seven or eight years, was the biggest mental hurdle of them all, at least until I get to twenty miles. I've now proven that I can push my body past its previous limits, and therefore am supremely confident in my chances of completing the marathon. Now, I get to pig out with all the leftover Thanksgiving food! Excellent!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, 11/27/08
Today I ran 3 miles in 23:53.
This was a great run. Absolutely nothing special happened, either good or bad. I felt strong and ran a solid time, especially considering I wasn't trying to do anything but cover the distance.
I was also able to discipline myself very well at Thanksgiving 1 (yes, I do have another dinner to go to tomorrow night), eating very little and only having a tiny bit of dessert. Usually, I pig out at these things, so I'm thrilled that I was able to focus myself and not overeat. My problem with overeating is that my metabolism can handle overeating in terms of not gaining weight or much fat, so when I can, I do. But I always feel a little sick the day after, and during something as intense as training for a marathon, that can't happen unless its unavoidable.
So I'm off to another dinner tomorrow where I'll have to discipline myself, and then on Saturday, a huge milestone of 12 miles! I can't wait!
This was a great run. Absolutely nothing special happened, either good or bad. I felt strong and ran a solid time, especially considering I wasn't trying to do anything but cover the distance.
I was also able to discipline myself very well at Thanksgiving 1 (yes, I do have another dinner to go to tomorrow night), eating very little and only having a tiny bit of dessert. Usually, I pig out at these things, so I'm thrilled that I was able to focus myself and not overeat. My problem with overeating is that my metabolism can handle overeating in terms of not gaining weight or much fat, so when I can, I do. But I always feel a little sick the day after, and during something as intense as training for a marathon, that can't happen unless its unavoidable.
So I'm off to another dinner tomorrow where I'll have to discipline myself, and then on Saturday, a huge milestone of 12 miles! I can't wait!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Wednesday, 11/26/08
Today I ran somewhere around 7 miles in 1:13:00.
This was a different run. My dad decided he wanted to run with me, and one thing he needs in order to be motivated to run is variety in his running courses. Personally, I'm just fine with running the same basic measured course all the time. Variety is not necessary for me to get motivated or to be satisfied with my runs. Also, I'm training now, and running an exact number of miles every night is essential for my overall progress.
However, with my dad's busy schedule and my mileage increasing past the point that he can comfortably run, it's rare that we get to run together nowadays. He's the reason I got into running when I was younger, and the reason I got back into running recently and started this whole marathon thing. So I agreed to run with him, knowing that the course would not be exactly six miles (what I was supposed to run) and that he would be going much slower than I usually go.
Indeed, the course felt closer to seven than 6 (it might have even been just a tad over seven) and we ran very slowly, as you can see by my time above. We even walked a couple of times. However, we had fun together, he got a nice workout in, and we got to spend some quality time. Especially now that I'm going to start doing seven and eight mile runs regularly in just a couple of weeks, this might be one of the last times we run together for quite some time. So, not great overall time on the clock, but great experience, and I felt strong the whole way. Good run!
Have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow! I'll be running three miles after the big dinner (ugh) so I likely will be posting pretty late. If you're reading this blog on Thanksgiving Day, well, what can I say. Thanks, but you might want to get back to your family. :)
This was a different run. My dad decided he wanted to run with me, and one thing he needs in order to be motivated to run is variety in his running courses. Personally, I'm just fine with running the same basic measured course all the time. Variety is not necessary for me to get motivated or to be satisfied with my runs. Also, I'm training now, and running an exact number of miles every night is essential for my overall progress.
However, with my dad's busy schedule and my mileage increasing past the point that he can comfortably run, it's rare that we get to run together nowadays. He's the reason I got into running when I was younger, and the reason I got back into running recently and started this whole marathon thing. So I agreed to run with him, knowing that the course would not be exactly six miles (what I was supposed to run) and that he would be going much slower than I usually go.
Indeed, the course felt closer to seven than 6 (it might have even been just a tad over seven) and we ran very slowly, as you can see by my time above. We even walked a couple of times. However, we had fun together, he got a nice workout in, and we got to spend some quality time. Especially now that I'm going to start doing seven and eight mile runs regularly in just a couple of weeks, this might be one of the last times we run together for quite some time. So, not great overall time on the clock, but great experience, and I felt strong the whole way. Good run!
Have a great Thanksgiving tomorrow! I'll be running three miles after the big dinner (ugh) so I likely will be posting pretty late. If you're reading this blog on Thanksgiving Day, well, what can I say. Thanks, but you might want to get back to your family. :)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, 11/25/08
Today I ran 3 miles with a time of 23:06.
This was both a great and aggravating day. When I started my run, I felt terrific and rested and strong. My form was perfect, and the weather was nice. So I decided, somewhat foolishly, to try and run fast. I picked up the pace, and even all out sprinted at the end, trying to hit the 21 minute mark.
However, to my shock, I was well over that, finishing a full two minutes slower. It's frustrating, since I thought I had a chance to get right around 21, but alas, I finished with a decent but not great time. Also, now my right calf is extremely tight. Sigh. Well, it was fun to run all out for the first time in a little while, and I definitely felt good overall. So a successful but frustrating day. Tomorrow I run double what I ran today. Wheee!
This was both a great and aggravating day. When I started my run, I felt terrific and rested and strong. My form was perfect, and the weather was nice. So I decided, somewhat foolishly, to try and run fast. I picked up the pace, and even all out sprinted at the end, trying to hit the 21 minute mark.
However, to my shock, I was well over that, finishing a full two minutes slower. It's frustrating, since I thought I had a chance to get right around 21, but alas, I finished with a decent but not great time. Also, now my right calf is extremely tight. Sigh. Well, it was fun to run all out for the first time in a little while, and I definitely felt good overall. So a successful but frustrating day. Tomorrow I run double what I ran today. Wheee!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Week 6 Recap
This week I ran 18 miles.
This week was extremely up and down. I started the week with very high energy that lasted for two days straight and petered out as the week went on. My runs were all over the place, some excellent, some horrible.
Stepback weeks are both great and hard for me. They're great in that my body gets a rest, but hard in that I always want to make progress. Stepback weeks often come right after a week where my body is feeling strong enough to keep progressing, so it's hard to convince myself to, well, not progress. I had a similar problem when I lifted weights, but that was likely a result of just an athletic routine that wasn't suited for me. This situation, though, seems like smart programming that's hard for me mentally at the moment. Rest is critical to a body's success, and having a week where mileage is reduced is wise; my mind knows that, but my body doesn't. :)
Hopefully, this coming week will be better. It's going to be rough, what with Thanksgiving tempting me to eat way more than I should. I have a huge run for me coming up on Saturday: 12 miles. That'll be the most I'll have ever run at once, which will be thrilling. This week is going to test my stamina, but more importantly, my discipline with both sleep and nutrition. Let's do it!
This week was extremely up and down. I started the week with very high energy that lasted for two days straight and petered out as the week went on. My runs were all over the place, some excellent, some horrible.
Stepback weeks are both great and hard for me. They're great in that my body gets a rest, but hard in that I always want to make progress. Stepback weeks often come right after a week where my body is feeling strong enough to keep progressing, so it's hard to convince myself to, well, not progress. I had a similar problem when I lifted weights, but that was likely a result of just an athletic routine that wasn't suited for me. This situation, though, seems like smart programming that's hard for me mentally at the moment. Rest is critical to a body's success, and having a week where mileage is reduced is wise; my mind knows that, but my body doesn't. :)
Hopefully, this coming week will be better. It's going to be rough, what with Thanksgiving tempting me to eat way more than I should. I have a huge run for me coming up on Saturday: 12 miles. That'll be the most I'll have ever run at once, which will be thrilling. This week is going to test my stamina, but more importantly, my discipline with both sleep and nutrition. Let's do it!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Saturday, 11/22/08
Today I ran 7 miles in 1:03:15.
I would call this run a dark cloud with a small silver lining. In general, this run was terrible for no good reason. I was somewhat rested, I had been feeling fine all day, everything was normal. I began the run feeling great, and even had perfect running weather. But then, about a mile into the run, my calves just tightened up like crazy, and my left foot started hurting. You may remember that I rolled my left foot on some jerk's garden hose two nights ago, and the pain has not completely gone away. Well, it started acting up as soon as my calves got tight, and forced me to stop a mile and a half in and tie my shoes tighter and massage my calves.
Well, the first time I stopped, my foot felt better but my calves were worse. I had to stop again to massage my calves more thoroughly, and at that point, I was sweating heavily (in pretty cold temperature) and the sweat got into my eyes, which was not fun. So for 3 miles of this run, I was absolutely miserable, not to mention aggravated as it seemed like every time I got to an intersection, there was a car doing something strange or crossing just as I was (at the last mile, there was even police activity a street down from where I was running!).
Then, with 4 miles to go, I just decided to grit my teeth and go for it. I gave up caring about the pain and just ran, and to my great surprise, my body let me do just that. I was able to run without stopping the rest of the way, and in fact, I got stronger the longer I ran. However, when I finished and walked inside, I felt extremely out of it, and actually felt a little dizzy during my post-run shower. I feel better now, but it's the most out of it I've felt so far during this marathon training.
I don't know what it is about stepback weeks, but the long runs don't agree with me. This was just weirdly awful, but the last part was great. I have two blessed days off from running now, though, and I'm going to rest and recover and maybe do some light yoga. See y'all next week!
I would call this run a dark cloud with a small silver lining. In general, this run was terrible for no good reason. I was somewhat rested, I had been feeling fine all day, everything was normal. I began the run feeling great, and even had perfect running weather. But then, about a mile into the run, my calves just tightened up like crazy, and my left foot started hurting. You may remember that I rolled my left foot on some jerk's garden hose two nights ago, and the pain has not completely gone away. Well, it started acting up as soon as my calves got tight, and forced me to stop a mile and a half in and tie my shoes tighter and massage my calves.
Well, the first time I stopped, my foot felt better but my calves were worse. I had to stop again to massage my calves more thoroughly, and at that point, I was sweating heavily (in pretty cold temperature) and the sweat got into my eyes, which was not fun. So for 3 miles of this run, I was absolutely miserable, not to mention aggravated as it seemed like every time I got to an intersection, there was a car doing something strange or crossing just as I was (at the last mile, there was even police activity a street down from where I was running!).
Then, with 4 miles to go, I just decided to grit my teeth and go for it. I gave up caring about the pain and just ran, and to my great surprise, my body let me do just that. I was able to run without stopping the rest of the way, and in fact, I got stronger the longer I ran. However, when I finished and walked inside, I felt extremely out of it, and actually felt a little dizzy during my post-run shower. I feel better now, but it's the most out of it I've felt so far during this marathon training.
I don't know what it is about stepback weeks, but the long runs don't agree with me. This was just weirdly awful, but the last part was great. I have two blessed days off from running now, though, and I'm going to rest and recover and maybe do some light yoga. See y'all next week!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Thursday, 11/20/2008
Today I ran 3 miles in 24:40.
Oh man, am I beat. I haven't been getting much sleep this week, and it's been very much affecting how I feel on runs. Tonight I felt exhausted the whole time, even though obviously my time shows that my body was up for the run. I need to figure out how to get more sleep than I do during the work week (thankfully, I don't work on Fridays at the moment, so I get a nice three day weekend).
Also, I had an extremely annoying thing happen tonight. Some jerk left their hose partially sticking out onto the sidewalk, and I got my left foot caught in it and rolled the foot a little bit. I was able to complete my run with no problem, but the foot is definitely hurting right now. I iced it, but thank goodness this is both a stepback week and that I don't have to anything physical tomorrow.
So, I'm not sure what my plans are this weekend. I'll be running on Saturday no question, but whether or not I'm able to post on Saturday night depends on my plans. I may have to update about what happened on Saturday on Sunday. Oh well. See you on Saturday/Sunday!
Oh man, am I beat. I haven't been getting much sleep this week, and it's been very much affecting how I feel on runs. Tonight I felt exhausted the whole time, even though obviously my time shows that my body was up for the run. I need to figure out how to get more sleep than I do during the work week (thankfully, I don't work on Fridays at the moment, so I get a nice three day weekend).
Also, I had an extremely annoying thing happen tonight. Some jerk left their hose partially sticking out onto the sidewalk, and I got my left foot caught in it and rolled the foot a little bit. I was able to complete my run with no problem, but the foot is definitely hurting right now. I iced it, but thank goodness this is both a stepback week and that I don't have to anything physical tomorrow.
So, I'm not sure what my plans are this weekend. I'll be running on Saturday no question, but whether or not I'm able to post on Saturday night depends on my plans. I may have to update about what happened on Saturday on Sunday. Oh well. See you on Saturday/Sunday!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, 11/19/2008
Today I ran 5 miles in 43:37. I also walked somewhere around 6 miles beforehand.
Well, this was a strange one. I started today utterly exhausted from not getting much sleep the night before and feeling like it would be detrimental to run. Therefore, I decided to test out a route I had mapped out from my workplace to home. The total distance would have been a little over 7 1/2 miles, which seemed like a semi-decent compromise for not running today. However, about 3 1/2 miles into the route, I came upon a very complicated intersection, made a slightly wrong turn, and got a bit lost. I found my way back to familiar surroundings, but ended up walking a different route and took long enough that I ended up just walking to a restaurant for dinner with my parents. I did learn one thing though: I'm not going to run that route. :)
When I got home, my feet were tired, but I felt pretty OK, and after a two hour break, I actually felt raring to go. So I laced up my shoes (the original way, not the weird way that hurt yesterday) and ended up having a terrific run. I feel tired, but not extremely, and I'm very happy with my time. For some reason, my body has always done very well on "two-a-days" i.e. two workouts in one day. I used to do those a lot when I was weightlifting/powerlifting in college, and I often felt stronger during the second workout. The same seems to apply here.
Overall, a physically draining day, but a satisfying one. Also, I'm glad I was mentally tough enough to git out getting my training in instead of convincing myself that I could compromise. Good day!
Well, this was a strange one. I started today utterly exhausted from not getting much sleep the night before and feeling like it would be detrimental to run. Therefore, I decided to test out a route I had mapped out from my workplace to home. The total distance would have been a little over 7 1/2 miles, which seemed like a semi-decent compromise for not running today. However, about 3 1/2 miles into the route, I came upon a very complicated intersection, made a slightly wrong turn, and got a bit lost. I found my way back to familiar surroundings, but ended up walking a different route and took long enough that I ended up just walking to a restaurant for dinner with my parents. I did learn one thing though: I'm not going to run that route. :)
When I got home, my feet were tired, but I felt pretty OK, and after a two hour break, I actually felt raring to go. So I laced up my shoes (the original way, not the weird way that hurt yesterday) and ended up having a terrific run. I feel tired, but not extremely, and I'm very happy with my time. For some reason, my body has always done very well on "two-a-days" i.e. two workouts in one day. I used to do those a lot when I was weightlifting/powerlifting in college, and I often felt stronger during the second workout. The same seems to apply here.
Overall, a physically draining day, but a satisfying one. Also, I'm glad I was mentally tough enough to git out getting my training in instead of convincing myself that I could compromise. Good day!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Tuesday, 11/18/08
Today I ran 3 miles in 26:15.
This was a pretty bad run. Around an hour or so before the run, I started feeling tired and weary, which is strange considering that I've been feeling consistently high-energy for the past couple of days. That feeling continued throughout the run, making the run seem longer than it was. I also started sweating like crazy near the end even though it was rather cold outside, which is a sure sign that my body was out of it. In fact, I feel pretty weary now. Time for sleep.
I also stupidly decided to tie my new shoes in a different way just for experimentation's sake. Big mistake. The new style I tried constricted my ankles too much, leading me to become flatfooted only about a mile into the run. This both hurt and seriously impacted my time. I'm definitely going back to the old style I had, the runner's loop.
My time is fine, but slow for what I know I can do, and this should have been a non-memorable but solid run. Instead, it was a plodding, way too difficult run. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.
This was a pretty bad run. Around an hour or so before the run, I started feeling tired and weary, which is strange considering that I've been feeling consistently high-energy for the past couple of days. That feeling continued throughout the run, making the run seem longer than it was. I also started sweating like crazy near the end even though it was rather cold outside, which is a sure sign that my body was out of it. In fact, I feel pretty weary now. Time for sleep.
I also stupidly decided to tie my new shoes in a different way just for experimentation's sake. Big mistake. The new style I tried constricted my ankles too much, leading me to become flatfooted only about a mile into the run. This both hurt and seriously impacted my time. I'm definitely going back to the old style I had, the runner's loop.
My time is fine, but slow for what I know I can do, and this should have been a non-memorable but solid run. Instead, it was a plodding, way too difficult run. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Week 5 Recap
This week I ran 21 miles.
This was quite a week. Running went great every day, with my body really feeling strong and very capable of covering the distances. Heck, I was even able to run ten miles and all-out sprint the last mile no problem. I had the requisite aches and pains that come with running, but certainly nothing that prevented me from running al of the distances successfully.
However, mentally this was the most draining week I've had in a long time. My grandfather had a medical emergency that required a visit to the ER and put me under constant stress all week. Unfortunately, this stress will probably remain for at least another week or two. Thankfully, next week is a stepback week, so I'll be running less overall mileage and will be able to focus on anything unexpected that comes up in regards to my grandfather.
Overall, an excellent week physically and an overwhelming one mentally. The good news is that I'm feeling more confident every week that I can finish the marathon. We'll see how next week goes, but at least in terms of running, everything should go just fine.
This was quite a week. Running went great every day, with my body really feeling strong and very capable of covering the distances. Heck, I was even able to run ten miles and all-out sprint the last mile no problem. I had the requisite aches and pains that come with running, but certainly nothing that prevented me from running al of the distances successfully.
However, mentally this was the most draining week I've had in a long time. My grandfather had a medical emergency that required a visit to the ER and put me under constant stress all week. Unfortunately, this stress will probably remain for at least another week or two. Thankfully, next week is a stepback week, so I'll be running less overall mileage and will be able to focus on anything unexpected that comes up in regards to my grandfather.
Overall, an excellent week physically and an overwhelming one mentally. The good news is that I'm feeling more confident every week that I can finish the marathon. We'll see how next week goes, but at least in terms of running, everything should go just fine.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Saturday, 11/15/08
Today I ran 10 miles with a time of 1:26:52.
This was a terrific run, and a very encouraging one given both the time I finished in and the time of day I did the run. I did this run at just after 7 AM, when there was still an early-morning chill but not too much, and before the sun was going to fully come up and overheat me. I made sure before I left to stretch my calves a lot, to the point of taking a brief hot shower before I left to loosen them up. Needless to say, it worked.
After the first 3 miles, my calves did noticeably tighten up, but I took a walking and drinking break then and massaged them until they were loose again and then ran with no problems the rest of the way. I'm confident that if they tighten up during the marathon, I'll be able to do what I did today and keep going.
Also, the actual run was great. There were the standard aches and pains that come with running that long of a distance, but nothing severe. There were some gorgeous things I got to see due to running that early, such as the sunrise and a flock of birds making beautiful patterns in the sky. And I felt very strong throughout; I actually felt strong enough to sprint the last mile, which was exhausting but felt great and gave my cardiovascular system its first real workout in a while. As you can see from the time above, I was able to run at a steady and quite fast pace for the whole run; my goal was to run in under an hour and a half, and I was able to pull that off nicely.
So, a triumphant run for me today. I got a lot of concerns I had, like running in the morning and my tight calves, figured out. My body felt strong and fast at the end. I got to practice walking and drinking without losing much time at all. Now for a couple of days of rest, and then a stepback week next week. Sounds good!
This was a terrific run, and a very encouraging one given both the time I finished in and the time of day I did the run. I did this run at just after 7 AM, when there was still an early-morning chill but not too much, and before the sun was going to fully come up and overheat me. I made sure before I left to stretch my calves a lot, to the point of taking a brief hot shower before I left to loosen them up. Needless to say, it worked.
After the first 3 miles, my calves did noticeably tighten up, but I took a walking and drinking break then and massaged them until they were loose again and then ran with no problems the rest of the way. I'm confident that if they tighten up during the marathon, I'll be able to do what I did today and keep going.
Also, the actual run was great. There were the standard aches and pains that come with running that long of a distance, but nothing severe. There were some gorgeous things I got to see due to running that early, such as the sunrise and a flock of birds making beautiful patterns in the sky. And I felt very strong throughout; I actually felt strong enough to sprint the last mile, which was exhausting but felt great and gave my cardiovascular system its first real workout in a while. As you can see from the time above, I was able to run at a steady and quite fast pace for the whole run; my goal was to run in under an hour and a half, and I was able to pull that off nicely.
So, a triumphant run for me today. I got a lot of concerns I had, like running in the morning and my tight calves, figured out. My body felt strong and fast at the end. I got to practice walking and drinking without losing much time at all. Now for a couple of days of rest, and then a stepback week next week. Sounds good!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday, 11/13/08
Today I ran 3 miles, untimed yet again, but around 27:00 if I had to guess.
Well, this was a run done on extreme exhaustion. After last night's ER visit and lack of sleep because of it, I've been thoroughly exhausted all day, and this run came at the end of it.
The actual run felt fine, but I know from experience that when I'm overtired like tonight, everything breaks down and I'm just not myself, so I didn't time myself tonight. Indeed, my left foot, which has been sore for a couple of days now, was in a lot of pain tonight, and I had blisters and peeling on my toes that normally just doesn't show up, suggesting that my form was very off tonight.
What I desperately need to do is rest for a very long time tomorrow and just get my body back into normal condition. As usual, my cardiovascular system feels excellent, but I'm just worn right now. Tomorrow night, I may go out for a much needed night of drinking and relaxation, which would be lovely. I'm not sure if I'm going to do my long run on Saturday or Sunday this week, but whichever the case, it'll be 10 miles! Woo-hoo!
Well, this was a run done on extreme exhaustion. After last night's ER visit and lack of sleep because of it, I've been thoroughly exhausted all day, and this run came at the end of it.
The actual run felt fine, but I know from experience that when I'm overtired like tonight, everything breaks down and I'm just not myself, so I didn't time myself tonight. Indeed, my left foot, which has been sore for a couple of days now, was in a lot of pain tonight, and I had blisters and peeling on my toes that normally just doesn't show up, suggesting that my form was very off tonight.
What I desperately need to do is rest for a very long time tomorrow and just get my body back into normal condition. As usual, my cardiovascular system feels excellent, but I'm just worn right now. Tomorrow night, I may go out for a much needed night of drinking and relaxation, which would be lovely. I'm not sure if I'm going to do my long run on Saturday or Sunday this week, but whichever the case, it'll be 10 miles! Woo-hoo!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Wednesday, 11/12/08
Today I ran 5 miles, again untimed, but about 45 minutes.
Tonight's run was preceded by a family medical emergency that had me speedwalk to the hospital (I walked a mile and a half in about twenty minutes) and then get stuck in the ER for about 3 hours with bad socks on and getting almost no chance to sit. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time I got the chance to run (and everything's fine regarding the ER by the way). My dad and I went out and ran a course that was all over the place; we ran through a scary dark alley, up some insane hills and down some insane hills. All in all, it was probably a little over 5 miles, something like 5.2.
My cardiovascular system is extremely strong right now; tonight's run felt like almost nothing. My knees, for some reason, are hurting right now, but not while I run. It's pretty bizarre. Everything else feels fine though, and my energy levels are pretty high. What a day!
Tonight's run was preceded by a family medical emergency that had me speedwalk to the hospital (I walked a mile and a half in about twenty minutes) and then get stuck in the ER for about 3 hours with bad socks on and getting almost no chance to sit. Needless to say, I was exhausted by the time I got the chance to run (and everything's fine regarding the ER by the way). My dad and I went out and ran a course that was all over the place; we ran through a scary dark alley, up some insane hills and down some insane hills. All in all, it was probably a little over 5 miles, something like 5.2.
My cardiovascular system is extremely strong right now; tonight's run felt like almost nothing. My knees, for some reason, are hurting right now, but not while I run. It's pretty bizarre. Everything else feels fine though, and my energy levels are pretty high. What a day!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Tuesday, 11/11/08
Today I ran 3 miles, untimed, but I'd guess around 25:30.
Today was a totally normal, uneventful run. Just covering the distance. Everything felt fine, the weather was nice, the tank was clean (Finding Nemo reference there).
The only thing of note is that I'm trying to wear my old pair of running shoes every other run right now while the mileage is low to give my other, nicer pair of shoes a break. The old pair did fine today, but they don't compare to the new ones. I think I'll retire the old ones in about a month or so.
Tomorrow I'm uping my normal Wednesday runs to five miles! Look out!
Today was a totally normal, uneventful run. Just covering the distance. Everything felt fine, the weather was nice, the tank was clean (Finding Nemo reference there).
The only thing of note is that I'm trying to wear my old pair of running shoes every other run right now while the mileage is low to give my other, nicer pair of shoes a break. The old pair did fine today, but they don't compare to the new ones. I think I'll retire the old ones in about a month or so.
Tomorrow I'm uping my normal Wednesday runs to five miles! Look out!
Important Announcement
This is a special post. I will be running later tonight, but this is too important to not mention in a separate post. The Los Angeles Marathon has had its date changed for the second time, and this time, it is an impossible to deal with switch. They have moved it to May 25th, Memorial Day, a full three months later than the first schedule change (it was originally going to be in early March). This is absolutely insane, and I've decided to cancel my entry into the Los Angeles Marathon. They are offering a refund, and I will definitely take it.
The race seems to have been taken over by political BS, and the fact that they didn't have their act together only a couple of months before the race makes me think that it's not worth it to deal with any other possible things that could come up.
What I am planning to do is run a marathon on March 1st, the Napa Valley Marathon here in California. By the looks of it, it'll be a prettier, well organized and smaller race than Los Angeles. What this means is that I'll have to tack on two more weeks to my training, but I'll figure that out when I get closer to the marathon. Once I get my refund from Los Angeles, I'll register for Napa. Should be great!
The race seems to have been taken over by political BS, and the fact that they didn't have their act together only a couple of months before the race makes me think that it's not worth it to deal with any other possible things that could come up.
What I am planning to do is run a marathon on March 1st, the Napa Valley Marathon here in California. By the looks of it, it'll be a prettier, well organized and smaller race than Los Angeles. What this means is that I'll have to tack on two more weeks to my training, but I'll figure that out when I get closer to the marathon. Once I get my refund from Los Angeles, I'll register for Napa. Should be great!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Week 4 Recap
This week I ran 23.2 miles (I should have run 19 miles).
What a bizarre week. It didn't seem like a long week, but now that it's Sunday, it feels like the week has gone on forever. My running this week was hampered by me getting a little sick at the beginning of the week and not being able to sleep during the work week (I had insomnia on Monday and never completely recovered from it until Thursday night). I actually felt very strong running all throughout this week, but mentally I was just drained.
So Monday through Thursday went fine, and then Saturday was about as crazy of a running day as I've had. Read the Saturday post for what happened, but I ended up running a little more than four miles than I should have yesterday for a total of 13.2 miles in one day! That's easily the most mileage I've ever done in one day, and I felt very strong the whole time, both physically and mentally. I'm definitely getting much stronger as a runner, both in pacing myself and my body feeling fit and balanced. Now I just need to get my eating healthier and more regimented.
A rather crazy week, but an overall excellent one. Usually, I do cross-training of some sort on Sundays, like swimming or yoga, but because of my day yesterday, I'm making an executive decision and resting for two days to let my body recover without exertion of any kind. I might go on a longish walk just to stretch out. Phew!
What a bizarre week. It didn't seem like a long week, but now that it's Sunday, it feels like the week has gone on forever. My running this week was hampered by me getting a little sick at the beginning of the week and not being able to sleep during the work week (I had insomnia on Monday and never completely recovered from it until Thursday night). I actually felt very strong running all throughout this week, but mentally I was just drained.
So Monday through Thursday went fine, and then Saturday was about as crazy of a running day as I've had. Read the Saturday post for what happened, but I ended up running a little more than four miles than I should have yesterday for a total of 13.2 miles in one day! That's easily the most mileage I've ever done in one day, and I felt very strong the whole time, both physically and mentally. I'm definitely getting much stronger as a runner, both in pacing myself and my body feeling fit and balanced. Now I just need to get my eating healthier and more regimented.
A rather crazy week, but an overall excellent one. Usually, I do cross-training of some sort on Sundays, like swimming or yoga, but because of my day yesterday, I'm making an executive decision and resting for two days to let my body recover without exertion of any kind. I might go on a longish walk just to stretch out. Phew!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Saturday, 11/8/08
Today I ran a total of 13.2 miles (that's just over half a marathon!), broken up into two separate runs. See what happened below.
Today was ridiculous. I had to abort my planned long run about halfway through for two reasons. The first was one of the crazier things I've experienced running. There is a police academy right next to my house, and quite often, the cadets run around our neighborhood. When they do this, it's an event, with cop cars trailing them and stopping traffic and the cadets yelling at the top of their lungs and so on.
Well, I randomly got caught in the middle of their "run" (I'm putting that in quotes because about 75% of them were barely running, more like traipsing) and was forced to sprint up a big hill in order to get out of their way. This was during the first mile of my run, which had up to that point been going great. Once I sprinted up the hill, however, everything went wrong.
My calves tightened up from the effort, and to top it all off, the day became sweltering. I ran about three more miles, but realized that I was doing myself more harm than good. This is the first time in a long time that I've become legitimately overheated; when I walked in the house, I almost threw up! It was awful.
So I've come to a conclusion about how I'm going to do these long runs. The runs that are longer than I've gone before, such as this one and the next, which will be ten miles, I will do at night. It's much more important to cover the distance and get my body used to running the distance than it is to practice in heat. In terms of heat, I will do my long runs during my stepback weeks, which feature longish runs, in the morning. This will let me be in my element during the most challenging runs, and still let me practice in the heat.
EDIT: I ended up doing my 9 mile run tonight, as in Saturday night, as in about 12 hours after my terrible run this morning. I felt fine, the weather was perfect, and I really wanted to get the run done. So I just gritted my teeth and did it, and to my complete and utter shock it went brilliantly. I felt very strong, and actually held down a consistent 8 minute/mile pace for the first 4 miles of it. I then stopped to practice drinking water during a long run, and when I started up again, things went a little slower. But I felt very strong throughout the whole run; I was able to maintain a steady, solid pace throughout and never once felt overexerted.
There was nothing eventful about the 9-miler; everything running-wise went very smoothly. Oh, there were the oddities such as the truck that just stopped in the middle of an intersection I was approaching and didn't move (I ended up running behind him, at which point he sped off) or the guy who just seemed to be standing in his driveway for no reason at 11:45 on a Saturday night. He warned me about a car coming towards me that was very far away, and that I never came close to having any conflict with. Thanks, random guy. Thanks.
The thing I gained from today was a reminder/rediscovery of a mental toughness that I've always had but that I rarely exercise. Today, I just got the work I needed to do done, and did it without much thought or with any complaint. I listened to my body well, ran a great 9-miler tonight, and ended up running more miles in one day than I've ever done before.
So even though I had a lousy starting run, it ended up contributing to a very powerful and triumphant running day. If I can handle doing 13.2 miles in one day only four weeks into my training, I'm extremely confident that I can handle a marathon in 14 weeks. Amazing day!
Today was ridiculous. I had to abort my planned long run about halfway through for two reasons. The first was one of the crazier things I've experienced running. There is a police academy right next to my house, and quite often, the cadets run around our neighborhood. When they do this, it's an event, with cop cars trailing them and stopping traffic and the cadets yelling at the top of their lungs and so on.
Well, I randomly got caught in the middle of their "run" (I'm putting that in quotes because about 75% of them were barely running, more like traipsing) and was forced to sprint up a big hill in order to get out of their way. This was during the first mile of my run, which had up to that point been going great. Once I sprinted up the hill, however, everything went wrong.
My calves tightened up from the effort, and to top it all off, the day became sweltering. I ran about three more miles, but realized that I was doing myself more harm than good. This is the first time in a long time that I've become legitimately overheated; when I walked in the house, I almost threw up! It was awful.
So I've come to a conclusion about how I'm going to do these long runs. The runs that are longer than I've gone before, such as this one and the next, which will be ten miles, I will do at night. It's much more important to cover the distance and get my body used to running the distance than it is to practice in heat. In terms of heat, I will do my long runs during my stepback weeks, which feature longish runs, in the morning. This will let me be in my element during the most challenging runs, and still let me practice in the heat.
EDIT: I ended up doing my 9 mile run tonight, as in Saturday night, as in about 12 hours after my terrible run this morning. I felt fine, the weather was perfect, and I really wanted to get the run done. So I just gritted my teeth and did it, and to my complete and utter shock it went brilliantly. I felt very strong, and actually held down a consistent 8 minute/mile pace for the first 4 miles of it. I then stopped to practice drinking water during a long run, and when I started up again, things went a little slower. But I felt very strong throughout the whole run; I was able to maintain a steady, solid pace throughout and never once felt overexerted.
There was nothing eventful about the 9-miler; everything running-wise went very smoothly. Oh, there were the oddities such as the truck that just stopped in the middle of an intersection I was approaching and didn't move (I ended up running behind him, at which point he sped off) or the guy who just seemed to be standing in his driveway for no reason at 11:45 on a Saturday night. He warned me about a car coming towards me that was very far away, and that I never came close to having any conflict with. Thanks, random guy. Thanks.
The thing I gained from today was a reminder/rediscovery of a mental toughness that I've always had but that I rarely exercise. Today, I just got the work I needed to do done, and did it without much thought or with any complaint. I listened to my body well, ran a great 9-miler tonight, and ended up running more miles in one day than I've ever done before.
So even though I had a lousy starting run, it ended up contributing to a very powerful and triumphant running day. If I can handle doing 13.2 miles in one day only four weeks into my training, I'm extremely confident that I can handle a marathon in 14 weeks. Amazing day!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Thursday, 11/6/2008
Today I ran 3 miles in 28:18 and lifted weights...a little.
This was about as ho-hum a run as I've had in this training. Nothing great, nothing bad, just covering the distance and doing it with a decent time. The only thing of note about tonight's run was that for some inexplicable reason, I had to stop three times to let cars go by at usually very quiet intersections. This is really the first night I've had to do that since I started up running again about 4 months ago now, and to have to do it three times is bizarre. But definitely not a big deal.
I also did a very minor lifting session with some weights around the house. They were very light weights, so I did high repetitions for endurance. It wasn't much, but every little bit counts. I also did a little bit of yoga to stretch out my muscles, which felt nice.
I am bone tired. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm a little bit sick and for some reason, I haven't been sleeping at all this week. My body and mind are all out of whack, so running has been somewhat of a slog this week. But I've gotten it done, and am looking forward to my long run on Saturday. Now to attempt to sleep for longer than a couple of hours at once. Sigh.... See you on Saturday!
This was about as ho-hum a run as I've had in this training. Nothing great, nothing bad, just covering the distance and doing it with a decent time. The only thing of note about tonight's run was that for some inexplicable reason, I had to stop three times to let cars go by at usually very quiet intersections. This is really the first night I've had to do that since I started up running again about 4 months ago now, and to have to do it three times is bizarre. But definitely not a big deal.
I also did a very minor lifting session with some weights around the house. They were very light weights, so I did high repetitions for endurance. It wasn't much, but every little bit counts. I also did a little bit of yoga to stretch out my muscles, which felt nice.
I am bone tired. As I mentioned yesterday, I'm a little bit sick and for some reason, I haven't been sleeping at all this week. My body and mind are all out of whack, so running has been somewhat of a slog this week. But I've gotten it done, and am looking forward to my long run on Saturday. Now to attempt to sleep for longer than a couple of hours at once. Sigh.... See you on Saturday!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Wednesday, 11/5/08
Today I ran 4 miles in 34:00.
Ah, now this was a run! Why are 4-milers easier than 3-milers for me now? :)
Actually, the fact that they're easier is probably a sign that my body is adapting to performing better at long distances as opposed to racing for relatively short bursts, which is terrific. I tried picking up the pace significantly during the last mile, and it worked out great; I'm definitely figuring out how to pace myself so I have something left in the tank at the end.
Also, I wore my new shoes today with no problems. Since my old pair isn't exactly worn out, I think I'm going to alternate running with my new pair and my old pair in order to save the new shoes from getting too worn out.
Some miscellaneous things. I have a bizarre quasi-injury on my left lat(upper back) muscle. It starts getting really tense about a mile into runs and actually hurting quite a bit, but then goes away about half a mile later and never comes back. I didn't mention it before because I thought it was a one-time quirk, but clearly not. Also, I'm a little sick right now and haven't been sleeping well, so I'm thrilled and a little shocked that my runs have been going as well as they have.
And with that, I'm going to attempt to go to sleep. Night!
Ah, now this was a run! Why are 4-milers easier than 3-milers for me now? :)
Actually, the fact that they're easier is probably a sign that my body is adapting to performing better at long distances as opposed to racing for relatively short bursts, which is terrific. I tried picking up the pace significantly during the last mile, and it worked out great; I'm definitely figuring out how to pace myself so I have something left in the tank at the end.
Also, I wore my new shoes today with no problems. Since my old pair isn't exactly worn out, I think I'm going to alternate running with my new pair and my old pair in order to save the new shoes from getting too worn out.
Some miscellaneous things. I have a bizarre quasi-injury on my left lat(upper back) muscle. It starts getting really tense about a mile into runs and actually hurting quite a bit, but then goes away about half a mile later and never comes back. I didn't mention it before because I thought it was a one-time quirk, but clearly not. Also, I'm a little sick right now and haven't been sleeping well, so I'm thrilled and a little shocked that my runs have been going as well as they have.
And with that, I'm going to attempt to go to sleep. Night!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Tuesday, 11/4/08
Today I ran 3 miles untimed.
Tonight's run was terrific except for my new shoes. I'm still trying to figure out how to lace them. They came untied twice during the run. Grrr....
But, I felt terrific tonight. At one point, I felt so relaxed and strong that on a straightaway I tried closing my eyes for about ten seconds. It was a really neat and calming experience, and one I might try on my next long run to just focus and center myself.
Daylight Savings Time has of course completely changed my running experience at night, since now there's virtually no way to run during daylight. I think I'm going to try and switch to running in the mornings pretty soon, just so I can practice running in an environment that's closer to what I'll be running in during the marathon.
Overall, great run, I'll figure out the shoes, and when I finished my run and walked in the house, Obama had been elected president! Crazy cool!
Tonight's run was terrific except for my new shoes. I'm still trying to figure out how to lace them. They came untied twice during the run. Grrr....
But, I felt terrific tonight. At one point, I felt so relaxed and strong that on a straightaway I tried closing my eyes for about ten seconds. It was a really neat and calming experience, and one I might try on my next long run to just focus and center myself.
Daylight Savings Time has of course completely changed my running experience at night, since now there's virtually no way to run during daylight. I think I'm going to try and switch to running in the mornings pretty soon, just so I can practice running in an environment that's closer to what I'll be running in during the marathon.
Overall, great run, I'll figure out the shoes, and when I finished my run and walked in the house, Obama had been elected president! Crazy cool!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Week 3 Recap
This week I ran a total of 15 miles.
This was an all over the place week. I had both a perfect run and a terrible run this week, with only a mile difference between them. I introduced weight training back into my fitness regimen, which felt great but was much more taxing than I had anticipated. I'm also still getting used to my new running shoes, which I know will be terrific once I grow into them.
The good thing is that I felt high energy all throughout this week, both at work and during training. This can only be a good sign; my body is not overtaxed and is in fact likely adjusting well to the training. I need to introduce stretching into my day on a daily basis, which I'll try to do next week.
This was a "stepback" week on the training program, with decreased mileage in order to rest and get ready for the coming weeks. Next week, my long run is going to be nine miles, which sounds somewhat crazy to me, but I know I can do it. Now for a lovely day off tomorrow!
This was an all over the place week. I had both a perfect run and a terrible run this week, with only a mile difference between them. I introduced weight training back into my fitness regimen, which felt great but was much more taxing than I had anticipated. I'm also still getting used to my new running shoes, which I know will be terrific once I grow into them.
The good thing is that I felt high energy all throughout this week, both at work and during training. This can only be a good sign; my body is not overtaxed and is in fact likely adjusting well to the training. I need to introduce stretching into my day on a daily basis, which I'll try to do next week.
This was a "stepback" week on the training program, with decreased mileage in order to rest and get ready for the coming weeks. Next week, my long run is going to be nine miles, which sounds somewhat crazy to me, but I know I can do it. Now for a lovely day off tomorrow!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Saturday, 11/1/08
Today I ran 5 miles, untimed.
This was a very rough run. I ran early in the morning, and for some reason, even though I made sure to stretch, my calves were extremely tight, enough to greatly hinder my run. At first, I thought the problem was my shoes, so I stopped and tried to retie them, but that didn't change a thing. In the end, I had to run very slowly and stop several times to make sure I didn't injure myself. This was immensely frustrating due to my cardiovascular system feeling perfectly fine and strong, but my calves not cooperating.
This has taught me a couple of things. For one thing, I need to practice running in the morning more. If my body is going to be this tight during the marathon, which is of course run in the morning, there is no way I'll be able to finish. I also need to figure out some of sort of warm-up routine in the morning that loosens me up much more. At least I'm not injured, and I know I'm physically capable of this run.
So, a frustrating run but an educational one. These kinds of runs are just as valuable as excellent runs like the one I did this Wednesday. I now know what my body needs and will do my best to accommodate it.
This was a very rough run. I ran early in the morning, and for some reason, even though I made sure to stretch, my calves were extremely tight, enough to greatly hinder my run. At first, I thought the problem was my shoes, so I stopped and tried to retie them, but that didn't change a thing. In the end, I had to run very slowly and stop several times to make sure I didn't injure myself. This was immensely frustrating due to my cardiovascular system feeling perfectly fine and strong, but my calves not cooperating.
This has taught me a couple of things. For one thing, I need to practice running in the morning more. If my body is going to be this tight during the marathon, which is of course run in the morning, there is no way I'll be able to finish. I also need to figure out some of sort of warm-up routine in the morning that loosens me up much more. At least I'm not injured, and I know I'm physically capable of this run.
So, a frustrating run but an educational one. These kinds of runs are just as valuable as excellent runs like the one I did this Wednesday. I now know what my body needs and will do my best to accommodate it.
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