Distance: 1/2 mile
Time: 3:15
It's been a tough month for running. With work starting back up and a much fuller load of classes this year, I've had almost no time at all to run. It's a shame. Tonight was only my third run this whole month! And I really shouldn't be slacking, because I have a few challenging endeavors coming up soon. On October 16th we're planning on hiking to the top of Mt. San Gorgonio, an 11,503 foot peak (the tallest in Southern California), and on October 23rd there is a 5K in Wrightwood that I'd like to participate in. Also, there is another mud run coming up, this time in Wrightwood, and it seems this one is a lot tougher than the Apple Valley race last month. Basically, I've got to get my butt in shape if I don't want to kill myself. My friend Matt is also planning on doing the Wrightwood races, and so he's been going on occasional runs himself. And tonight, I have him to thank for getting me out the door and getting a run in.
Matt posted a Facebook update saying that he had just run a half-mile in 3:38. It gave me a sudden urge to go time my own half-mile -- not because I wanted to beat his time, but because I need to run and I haven't timed my half-mile in over three months! So I immediately threw on my running gear and stepped out the door. I jogged a 1/4 mile down my street as my warm-up and then I started my timer and booked it another 1/4 mile farther, turned around and stopped at the spot I started my timer. 3:15. I couldn't believe it! The last time I timed my half-mile was on June 16 when I ran a 3:51. Before that, on May 26th (exactly four months ago!), I ran a 3:39. So I beat my previous 2010 best by 24 seconds! I'm not in great shape right now, but spending the whole summer running I think paid off. Even as sparsely as I'm running right now, I'm able to run smarter and more efficiently than back in May and June when I was just starting. So tonight I made sure to run smooth, take big strides, and run on my toes, as if I was sprinting. I wasn't sure I would be able to maintain that form for the whole half-mile, and at about the half-way point I did begin to tire out and break form, but I somehow pushed through and made it strong to the end. What's really encouraging is that 3:15 isn't too far off from my high school times. My slowest half-mile in high school, which I ran at my first meet ever on March 3rd, 1994, was a 2:56. That's only 19 seconds faster than tonight's time! (Of course I realize that the shorter the distance, the tougher it is to drop seconds). At any rate, I'm pleased with tonight's run, and just like my 2010 mile PR I set a couple of weeks ago, this 2010 PR gives me hope that I can maintain my progress even while working and being far more busy than I was over the summer. It is now officially autumn. Soon the weather will cool. I'm looking forward to some long runs in the crisp fall air.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Burning Up Powhatan
Distance: 1 mile
Time: 7:57
I'm not sure how it's happening, but I'm running less and my times are improving. We're two weeks into September, and tonight was only my second run this month, and somehow I set a course PR and ran my second fastest mile since May! On Monday I went on a mile run (my first run since the August 21st Mud Run) and I felt absolutely great as I ran an 8:21 on my standard mile route (out and back along my street, Powhatan Road). On that run I didn't feel tired until the last quarter-mile; my legs felt stronger than they did all summer; and I set a PR for that particular route. Tonight I ran the same route, out and back along Powhatan Rd., and though I didn't feel quite as strong and "springy," I somehow set a new course PR with a 7:57! The only time I've run a faster mile since May was on August 13th at the Granite Hills route when I ran a 7:50. I don't know where tonight's run came from!
I came close to not running tonight. I ate a late dinner around 7:30pm and I thought for sure I wouldn't feel up for running after that. But around 9:30pm I forced myself to stretch and head out the door, since the chances were slim that I'd get a run in tomorrow or anytime soon. I set out on a mile run and felt pretty decent at first. Immediately I could tell I was struggling a bit more than Monday, but I felt better than normal all the same. By the quarter-mile mark, I realized I wasn't feeling fatigued yet, so I kicked it up a notch. I began running on the balls of my feet (the way I ran Monday), which is something I can usually only do when I'm running on stored energy, before the fatigue sets in. I held this faster pace to the halfway point, turned around and pushed it hard on the way back. At the 3/4 mark I began to hit a wall, but I forced myself through it, and pushed hard all the way back. I didn't think I would beat Monday's time, but then I looked at the watch and was amazed. 7:57. It was the first time I ever beat 8:00 on this route! I was immediately stoked and relieved that I had not backed out of running tonight. But I couldn't figure out how I was dropping my times whilst training less. The only thing I could think of was that my muscles had been worn and torn with all my running over the summer and now they were finally being given a chance to rest and recover and come back stronger. The big difference I've noticed on these September runs is that my legs feel infinitely stronger. My conditioning may still not be great, but my legs have been carrying me the whole way, the muscles bearing the burden. I've yet to experiment with a long run, which may be a different story. But it's been very encouraging to see my mile times drop. I've got the Wrightwood 5K in about 6 weeks. It's good to know I can still run and that I haven't fallen back into my pre-May out-of-shape self. Both runs this week were utterly enjoyable. I was running, feeling great, and reveling in that free feeling of running and not dying of exhaustion.
Time: 7:57
I'm not sure how it's happening, but I'm running less and my times are improving. We're two weeks into September, and tonight was only my second run this month, and somehow I set a course PR and ran my second fastest mile since May! On Monday I went on a mile run (my first run since the August 21st Mud Run) and I felt absolutely great as I ran an 8:21 on my standard mile route (out and back along my street, Powhatan Road). On that run I didn't feel tired until the last quarter-mile; my legs felt stronger than they did all summer; and I set a PR for that particular route. Tonight I ran the same route, out and back along Powhatan Rd., and though I didn't feel quite as strong and "springy," I somehow set a new course PR with a 7:57! The only time I've run a faster mile since May was on August 13th at the Granite Hills route when I ran a 7:50. I don't know where tonight's run came from!
I came close to not running tonight. I ate a late dinner around 7:30pm and I thought for sure I wouldn't feel up for running after that. But around 9:30pm I forced myself to stretch and head out the door, since the chances were slim that I'd get a run in tomorrow or anytime soon. I set out on a mile run and felt pretty decent at first. Immediately I could tell I was struggling a bit more than Monday, but I felt better than normal all the same. By the quarter-mile mark, I realized I wasn't feeling fatigued yet, so I kicked it up a notch. I began running on the balls of my feet (the way I ran Monday), which is something I can usually only do when I'm running on stored energy, before the fatigue sets in. I held this faster pace to the halfway point, turned around and pushed it hard on the way back. At the 3/4 mark I began to hit a wall, but I forced myself through it, and pushed hard all the way back. I didn't think I would beat Monday's time, but then I looked at the watch and was amazed. 7:57. It was the first time I ever beat 8:00 on this route! I was immediately stoked and relieved that I had not backed out of running tonight. But I couldn't figure out how I was dropping my times whilst training less. The only thing I could think of was that my muscles had been worn and torn with all my running over the summer and now they were finally being given a chance to rest and recover and come back stronger. The big difference I've noticed on these September runs is that my legs feel infinitely stronger. My conditioning may still not be great, but my legs have been carrying me the whole way, the muscles bearing the burden. I've yet to experiment with a long run, which may be a different story. But it's been very encouraging to see my mile times drop. I've got the Wrightwood 5K in about 6 weeks. It's good to know I can still run and that I haven't fallen back into my pre-May out-of-shape self. Both runs this week were utterly enjoyable. I was running, feeling great, and reveling in that free feeling of running and not dying of exhaustion.
Monday, September 6, 2010
New Challenges
Distance: 1 mile
Time: 8:21
Tonight was my first run since the mud run on August 21st. It was the first physical thing I've done since I went to the gym on August 23rd. The reason? School is back in session. I went back to work on August 24th for meetings and to prepare for the first day of school. My first day of actual teaching was August 30th. Needless to say, it was a busy couple of weeks! My biggest fear over the summer was that I wouldn't be able to keep up with my training once work started back up. From May to August I ran on a regular basis and improved quite a bit. By August's end I was running a lot stronger, but I was still far from where I wanted to be. Running the mud run on August 21st was a major accomplishment, as my biggest goal is to eventually run a marathon, and any organized race I get involved with is one step closer to that goal. I was afraid that once work started back up I would be consumed with teaching and would have no more time to train and soon I'd be back at square one. I can't say that that fear is completely gone, but with tonight's run it has at least been lessened.
The first week of work was hectic. I'm teaching four different classes this year, including a night class, plus I still have the responsibility of coaching cross-country. It was an overwhelming week, and I never even had a moment to consider going for a run or going to the gym. At times I was afraid that all my training over the summer had gone out the window. But then the Labor Day weekend came, and I had a chance to rest and relax and catch up with my work. I decided today, Labor Day, to go for a run and get my training going again. I waited until the sun had set and the air cooled, then I laced up and headed out on a 1 mile run. I was expecting a disastrous run, a horrible time, and my body in a completely weak state. It had been 2 weeks since I had exercised at all! That's a big chunk of time, and usually it's enough time to regress quite a bit. But for some reason I felt absolutely great on tonight's run! I ran my old mile route down my street and back, and for the first 3/4 of a mile I felt like I was running on air! My muscles felt great, my breathing felt great, my stride felt great. I wasn't hurting at all! I was amazed. I had originally planned on keeping a slow pace since I anticipated disaster. But as soon as I realized that my body was in a zone, I picked up the pace. The last 1/4 mile I finally began to feel tired, but I pushed on all the same. I thought for a moment I might set a 2010 mile PR, but I ended up with an 8:21. Once I thought about it, though, I realized an 8:21 was rather good, all things considered. It was the fastest I had ever run on that particular route, and it was the 4th fastest mile I'd run since May. The 2 weeks of rest had obviously rid my body of every lingering ache and pain. My body felt painless! I can only hope this lasts. It may be awhile before I can get 5 runs a week in like I was doing in May and June. Work is always the busiest at the beginning of the year, and so I'm hoping to get in at least 2 or 3 runs a week for now, and hopefully the occasional trip to the gym. Tonight's run was a good sign -- it proved to me that I hadn't overworked my body over the summer. The work I did over the summer was just to get myself out of the completely sedentary lifestyle I had sunk into. It's now time to really get somewhere.
The next goal on the calendar is a 5K in Wrightwood. The race is on October 23rd, and as it looks now, all is set for this run to happen! This is exactly what I was hoping for: concrete goals to work towards, a date on the calendar, an organized race that I signed up for and can't get out of. Summer training is over. It's running season now!
Time: 8:21
Tonight was my first run since the mud run on August 21st. It was the first physical thing I've done since I went to the gym on August 23rd. The reason? School is back in session. I went back to work on August 24th for meetings and to prepare for the first day of school. My first day of actual teaching was August 30th. Needless to say, it was a busy couple of weeks! My biggest fear over the summer was that I wouldn't be able to keep up with my training once work started back up. From May to August I ran on a regular basis and improved quite a bit. By August's end I was running a lot stronger, but I was still far from where I wanted to be. Running the mud run on August 21st was a major accomplishment, as my biggest goal is to eventually run a marathon, and any organized race I get involved with is one step closer to that goal. I was afraid that once work started back up I would be consumed with teaching and would have no more time to train and soon I'd be back at square one. I can't say that that fear is completely gone, but with tonight's run it has at least been lessened.
The first week of work was hectic. I'm teaching four different classes this year, including a night class, plus I still have the responsibility of coaching cross-country. It was an overwhelming week, and I never even had a moment to consider going for a run or going to the gym. At times I was afraid that all my training over the summer had gone out the window. But then the Labor Day weekend came, and I had a chance to rest and relax and catch up with my work. I decided today, Labor Day, to go for a run and get my training going again. I waited until the sun had set and the air cooled, then I laced up and headed out on a 1 mile run. I was expecting a disastrous run, a horrible time, and my body in a completely weak state. It had been 2 weeks since I had exercised at all! That's a big chunk of time, and usually it's enough time to regress quite a bit. But for some reason I felt absolutely great on tonight's run! I ran my old mile route down my street and back, and for the first 3/4 of a mile I felt like I was running on air! My muscles felt great, my breathing felt great, my stride felt great. I wasn't hurting at all! I was amazed. I had originally planned on keeping a slow pace since I anticipated disaster. But as soon as I realized that my body was in a zone, I picked up the pace. The last 1/4 mile I finally began to feel tired, but I pushed on all the same. I thought for a moment I might set a 2010 mile PR, but I ended up with an 8:21. Once I thought about it, though, I realized an 8:21 was rather good, all things considered. It was the fastest I had ever run on that particular route, and it was the 4th fastest mile I'd run since May. The 2 weeks of rest had obviously rid my body of every lingering ache and pain. My body felt painless! I can only hope this lasts. It may be awhile before I can get 5 runs a week in like I was doing in May and June. Work is always the busiest at the beginning of the year, and so I'm hoping to get in at least 2 or 3 runs a week for now, and hopefully the occasional trip to the gym. Tonight's run was a good sign -- it proved to me that I hadn't overworked my body over the summer. The work I did over the summer was just to get myself out of the completely sedentary lifestyle I had sunk into. It's now time to really get somewhere.
The next goal on the calendar is a 5K in Wrightwood. The race is on October 23rd, and as it looks now, all is set for this run to happen! This is exactly what I was hoping for: concrete goals to work towards, a date on the calendar, an organized race that I signed up for and can't get out of. Summer training is over. It's running season now!
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