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.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
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!
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