Noticeable Improvements

Distance:  2.55
Time:  28:06
Location:  Apple Valley to Sitting Bull to Paraiso and back

Tonight began as one of those 'hard to get moving' runs.  I stalled and procrastinated and didn't finally get out the door until close to 9pm.  But ironically once I got running, I had the best workout of the last two weeks by far!  I don't know what it was (maybe the mac n' cheese I had for lunch) but I seemed to have a surplus of energy.  I started off slow along Ottawa, but once I turned to run south down Apple Valley, I felt a vigor in my legs.  My legs felt strong, full of life, like they could carry me for endless miles.  This feeling lasted for most of the run, though after about a mile I definitely felt a bit of fatigue creep in.  However, the fatigue never got bad.  It was held at bay and I finished the run strong -- my first 2.5+ mile run since the end of May '13, 8 months ago.  Tonight's run was the first clear-cut sign of progress since my recent training began exactly 2 weeks ago.  My breathing even was pretty strong.  Everything just came together tonight, and I can only hope a similar thing will happen on the day of the 5K.  The weather thankfully has still been holding up.  It was around 50° when I set out, and it did feel a bit colder than that, but once I got moving it was a complete non-factor.  However the forecast seems to be saying rain and colder temps by the end of the week, so some adversity may be coming my way soon.  Week 3 has begun and it's off to a good start.  Consistency is paying off.

Week Two In The Books

My last run this week was to be a 2.25 miler.  Just as we did last Saturday, we woke up, got dressed, loaded Nathan up, and headed to the park.  This time I ran a longer loop.  There was a sign at the park with a map and distances measured out.  The longest loop said to be 3/4 of a mile, so I figured three of these would get me my 2.25.  Unfortunately the measurements weren't entirely accurate.  My total distance ended up being 2.05, which took me about 22:30 to run.  It was a slow run, and it wiped me out, but I think I felt a little better than on my other runs this week.  Hopefully it was a change I noticed and my runs will start feeling better.  Next week all I have are three 2.5 milers.  Today though was a great end to week 2.  Just three more weeks till the 5K!  Things are progressing nicely still.  It was another sunny January day today.  Temps were in the 50s, though it felt more like the 70s with the bright sun shining down.  This was my first run in 2 weeks where I ditched all my cold weather gear.  Deborah and Nathan came along again, which is always awesome.  Nathan loves the swings.  He couldn't get enough of them today!  He started crying every time we tried to take him out. 

Always a better run with this little guy around!

 

 

Bring On The Hills!

Distance:  2.69 miles
Time:  34:10
Location:  Yucca Loma to Cronese and back

Run #2 this week called for two separate miles with a quarter mile walk in between.  I decided to try a "new" route out since I've been doing the same two routes the past couple weeks.  The 5K I'll be running on Feb. 15 has a prominent hill as part of its course, so I knew that at some point I'd have to start hill training.  I decided what better time to start than now.  The Yucca Loma hill is actually an old run I've been doing since 2011, but I haven't run it in almost a year.  I knew it would be tough, but it ended up being even tougher than I anticipated.  I began my run a quarter mile up the street from my house.  From there it was a steady uphill east along Yucca Loma.  The hill starts very small, barely an incline, but about half way through it the steepness picks up and soon enough you find yourself crawling up a sharp, unrelenting ascent.  I barely made it, even thinking of stopping once.  Once at the top, when I reached Cronese Rd., I was able to turn around and walk for a quarter mile, which was a life saver.  Then the last mile was fairly easy as it was mainly downhill and I could just cruise it.  This run taught me that I still have a ways to go before I can consider myself ready for this 5K, which is in only 3 and a half weeks.  I will for sure be doing this route more now, since I see that hills right now are my weakness.  But other than the difficulty of getting up the hill, tonight's run was pretty good.  For one, it was my longest run so far this year, and I burned almost 350 calories on it, which is a good feeling.  The night was dark and cold, but when I started running I forgot the cold completely.  In fact, these past couple weeks, with daytime highs in the 70s and nighttime in the 40s, have been about as good as it gets for weather in January in the desert.  I couldn't ask for anything better.  I still have 3 weeks of training left, and more than likely I'll be dealing with some inclement weather at some point.  For now I'm enjoying this good luck.

Holiday Run

Distance:  2.12 miles
Time:  25:12
Location:  Civic Center Park

Today was a day off from work for Martin Luther King Day.  So we took advantage and headed back to Civic Center Park (where I ran Saturday morning) to enjoy a relaxing morning (with a run thrown in).  Deborah walked Nathan around and took him on the swings while I ran.  I did the same loop around the park that I did Saturday, except that today's run called for intervals with walking in between.  I ran the first half mile (one loop), walked a quarter mile, ran 3/4 of a mile, walked another quarter, and then finally ran the last half mile.  It was an okay workout -- I had no problem running the intervals, but I felt a little bit sloppy and my breathing has not settled down yet.  Hopefully that'll happen before the 5K.  It was another perfect day.  The temperature was in the 40s initially but quickly warmed up.  It was sunny and bright.  And we saw a lot of the same people walking and running that we saw Saturday.  Nathan had a great time on the playground, and when he saw me running up he got a huge grin on his face!  I can't wait to expose him more to running as he gets older.  It was nice getting a day off and being able to get a daytime run in.  Run #2 this week will have to be at night, but hopefully run #3 can be in the daylight again.  The workouts will really start intensifying next week, as there will be no more walking intervals.  So far things are progressing nicely. 

Perfect Winter Morning

Workout #3 was perfect.  I decided to get my last workout of the week in on Saturday morning to take advantage of the daylight (nighttime runs can become tiresome) and so that Deborah and Nathan could come along.  We decided to head up to Civic Center Park, a brand new facility the town just built.  It's a nice, sprawling park, with lots of trails and a cool play area.  I mapped out a loop that measured half a mile and so I determined to do four laps to get my required 2 miles in.  The only problem was my measurements weren't too precise.  I ended up coming up short, only getting in 1.8 miles, but I figured it was close enough for now (since I'm still not in great shape, 1.8 felt like 2).  Deborah took Nathan on the swings and slides while I ran, and then walked him in the stroller around the park.  The morning couldn't have been more perfect.  The sun was out and bright, the park was relatively quiet, and the temperature was in the 50s.  Not bad for January.  It was a nice way to end my first week of training.  Since Monday's a holiday we may venture back there for workout #1 of week 2.  Here are some pictures of our fun morning:

My run stats.

Playing with Nathan after my run.

Mommy pic!

Continued Promise

Distance:  2 miles
Time:  23:41
Location:  Sitting Bull and back

Tonight's run was identical in distance and route to Monday's run, but instead of breaking it up into three half-mile runs, I ran two 3/4 mile runs with a half-mile walk in between.  Just like Monday's run, the walk in between runs was a nice relief, but I almost felt like a half mile of walking was too much.  Monday's run consisted of quarter-mile walks between runs, which were short and just enough to let my body recover and get ready for the next interval.  But tonight's walk, all the way up Apple Valley Rd. from Sitting Bull to Ottawa, was so long I felt my legs start to stiffen towards the end of it.  At any rate, it was still a good night of running.  In fact, it was a giant leap from Monday's inaugural run of the year.  I felt pretty good for the most part tonight.  It took me a good half mile to warm up, but once I did I felt pretty strong the rest of the way (though my breathing was labored just like Monday).  Tonight was the second of about 15 workouts to get me ready for a 5K in February.  This January weather doesn't make it easy, but as long as the temps stay above freezing, I should be okay.  Tonight it was around 50°, so a little "warmer" than Monday, but I had my full winter gear on nonetheless. 

Only one run left this week, which I may wait till Saturday to do, since that would allow me to get a day run in for a change.  A nice run on a winter morning sounds pretty good to me!  Plus it would be good training for the 5K which will be a Saturday morning run.

A Promising New Year

Distance:  2 miles
Time:  23:11
Location:  Sitting Bull and back

2013 was by far my least active year since starting this blog in 2010.  For obvious reasons.  It was a year ago that my wife and I brought our newborn son home from the hospital, and the rest of 2013 was a happy blur.  I managed a few runs during the spring, and one run this last autumn, but that was about it.  I was simply too busy enjoying my son's first year of life.  But now, I feel the time has come to get back into the swing of things.  Sitting back and enjoying life is great, but when you let your health go, you ensure that that enjoyment will be short-lived.  I've been watching what I eat and I've managed to drop over 10 pounds since October, so that's been a positive thing lately.  But I'm overdue to re-introduce running into my schedule.  I decided, in my never-ending quest to find a lasting motivation, to find another 5K to sign up for.  I hadn't run one since June of 2012 when I ran the Mojave Narrows 5K with my friend Scott.  It was such a great experience and I've long wanted to do another one.  I sort of randomly found a 5K in Irvine that's scheduled for February 15th, and it seemed perfect.  It's not too far from now that there'd be no sense of urgency to train, yet it's far enough away to allow me to train adequately.  It seemed like a low-key 5K, which is exactly what I was looking for.  So I looked up an easy 30-day training plan, and tonight was my official first day of preparations.

Tonight's run was actually a run-walk, something I don't often do, but I was pretty thankful for it tonight.  It's been nearly 2 months since I've run, plus it was quite cold (low 40s), so the situation/conditions weren't ideal.  I had my full winter regalia on... leg warmers, sweatshirt, gloves even.  I started out with a 5-minute walk, then I ran for a half mile, walked a quarter mile, ran a half, walked a quarter, and ran one more half.  A total of 2 miles (more if I include the first walk).  The cold wasn't much of a factor... once I started running.  My second running leg was my best.  It was from Sitting Bull to Ottawa along Apple Valley Road, and I felt springy and full of energy.  But after walking along Ottawa, my last half mile was slow and sloppy.  But I made it the whole way and I felt pretty good about it when all was said and done.  My regimen calls for three runs per week, but I can spread them out however I'd like within that week.  We'll see what my soreness is like tomorrow.  Something tells me run #2 may not be till Wednesday.

If I can stick to my training plan, I should be ready (at a bare minimum) for the Irvine 5K in a month.  This is the perfect way to start 2014.  Since starting this blog in 2010, I've never once gone on a January run (that I can recall).  So this year already has tons of promise.  Plus, if I get a 5K in this early in the year, it sets a really good precedent for how my running ought to go this year.  I'll still be working on getting my weight down.  And as soon as February's 5K is over I'll be searching for another.