Blazing Trails

Distance: 1 mile
Time: 8:47

It was tough getting runs in this last week due to a busy schedule, so when Saturday arrived I couldn't wait to get out in the bright morning and spend a little more time running. I decided to head up to Granite Hills High School to run a mile route that I had run many times last year. I hadn't run at Granite since setting a 2010 mile PR there of 7:50 on August 13th. So I drove up to the spot where I usually park, stretched a bit, then headed out. But about 20 feet into my run I noticed a couple of dogs farther along the path. At first I just thought they were being walked, but I didn't see a person anywhere. Then I saw a third dog appear, and it looked as though I had come upon a posse of stray dogs! I debated continuing on, but in the end I decided it wasn't worth it so I turned and decided to try out a new route. I crossed the road I parked on and followed a trail that led east (away from the dogs). I chose (since I didn't know where I was going) to base my run on time rather than distance. So I decided to run for 8 minutes, since that was around where my mile time was last year. After running along the trail for awhile I came to a new trail heading north-south. On a whim I made a right and began running south along a small path surrounded by desert brush and wildflowers. It was rather beautiful. Far off to the south I could see the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains, still with snow on them. The day was perfectly bright and clear, and the temperature was just right. I was reveling in the atmosphere! I finally came to a large dirt road and took it west, back towards the high school. I then headed south on another dirt road that led to a large property with horses roaming the lot. From here I turned around and headed straight up the same road where I had parked my car. This is when I finally began to come apart. I had been running pretty strong up till then (albeit distracted by the scenery), but now that I could see the finish line I was hitting the wall. The wind had picked up too, so it made it tougher running against it. I finally reached my car and stopped the watch at 8:47. I noticed that those 3 stray dogs had wandered over near where I parked, but were just curiously staring at me from some shade near a fence. They seemed friendly enough, but rather than go find out I snapped a picture instead.

I went home and mapped out the run on mapmyrun.com to see what kind of distance I had covered. To my surprise it was exactly 1 mile! So I ran what I wanted to run to begin with! I was pleased with my time, too. It was definitely slower than the 7:50 I had run in August, but it was a lot better than the 9:36 I ran when I first started timing my mile on May 24th, 2010. From here I should be able to get my times down again in a small amount of time. One thing's for sure, I can notice my decreased weight when running. I don't feel as sluggish or sloppy when I run. I think last year my weight was really preventing me from getting better times.

Above are some pictures from my run. The top photo is the stray dogs lounging in the shade. And the next one is the quaint trail I ran just east of the high school.

Baby Steps

Distance: 1/2 mile
Time: 4:09

*Note - This run occurred on Wednesday, April 27th.

After Monday's inaugural run of 2011, I followed it on Wednesday with another similar run. Initially I wanted to up it back to a full mile, but it ended up being a busy afternoon (my parents came up to look at a house with us), so I decided to just quickly get in a half mile. Plus, my slow time of 4:22 on Monday told me that I still needed more time to build back up to my previous distances. This time, I knew I could go out a little bit faster, so I pushed it for the first quarter, but by the time I reached the halfway point, I could feel the fatigue setting in. I did my best on the second quarter, but I didn't have as strong a kick in me as I did Monday. I ended up getting a 4:09 -- bad, but not as bad as Monday. I'm actually surprised I'm running these half miles so slow. The very first half mile I timed last year, on May 26th, 2010, was a 3:39. So I really should be running faster than that now, but I think I'm holding myself back. Oh well, I'll give it a few more runs and see where I am. If I'm not running half miles in the 3s next week, we have a problem.

It Begins (Again)

Distance: 1/2 mile
Time: 4:22

*Note - This is a belated post documenting a run made on Monday, April 25th.

Well, I've finally returned to the pavement. After a five month hiatus, I officially continued my training regimen Monday night. Last May I began a rigorous routine of running five times a week (after years of inactivity) that lasted until about September when I began to run less frequently. During the summer of 2010 I was as committed to my training as I had been back in high school. For the first time ever I began documenting each run, logging my distances and times. I was pleased with my progress by the end of the summer. In May I was running miles in the mid-9 minute range, and by September I had my mile into the 7 minute range (my goal is to get it into the 5s). In June I was running 2 miles in as a slow a time as 22:27, and by August I ran a 17:10 2-mile. So all things were moving forward nicely. Then, school started back up, and my work load this year ended up being a lot more demanding. Cross-country season started, which consumed a lot of my time, and I had more classes to prepare for than ever before, including an adult education class on Tuesday nights. My running began to decrease in September, though I tried my best to keep it going. By October I wasn't running at all. I made a slight comeback in November, but it was short-lived. And by December I had dropped my training routine completely. I settled into winter by falling back out of shape and putting pounds back on. However, all hope was not lost. In January I discovered I had hit 190 pounds! I had never weighed so much in my life, and I knew that that was what I needed to focus on now rather than running. During 2010 when I was running frequently, my weight really didn't change much. It stayed about in the 170s all summer long because I didn't alter my eating habits; in fact, my frequent running probably caused me to start eating more. So in January 2011 I made a commitment. My wife actually took the initiative. We both began drastically reducing what we ate during the day. We stuck to a strict system of watching what we were putting into our bodies -- avoiding fast food, eating more fruits and vegetables, and drinking less sugary liquids. Pretty soon we saw results. By February I was in the 180s and by March the 170s. And by mid-April I had reached the 160s, where my weight hadn't been in probably about 3 years. The thing that was most promising is that I dropped over 20 pounds without doing a minute of exercise. It was purely done by way of diet change. However, I knew that I wasn't done with my running regimen. My plan all along was to drop a good amount of weight and then start training again, probably when it warmed up in mid-spring. And so, on April 25th, I officially instituted the next phase of my large-scale personal re-conditioning project. Weighing less than I did during the entire summer of 2010 when I was running furiously 5 times a week, I laced up my shoes and walked out the front door to do a (hopefully) easy half mile.

It wasn't easy. Five months of inactivity is going to have an effect. That said, it wasn't nearly as bad as when I went on my first run last year. I didn't try to push it too hard. I held back and waited to see what my body would be capable of. I only elected to do a half mile because I just wanted to get out there and feel the feeling of running again, without the pressure to get a certain number of miles in. So I ran a quarter mile down my street, turned and ran back. I was able to get a good kick in, but I took it so easy the first 3/4 of the run that I ended up with a dismal time of 4:22. All in all, it was a good re-starting of my routine. I didn't feel horrible on the run, just slightly winded.

I plan on taking my first few runs back pretty easy. I'm not in a position yet to push it real hard. It's just good to be back!