THOR running: Not fast..but I pound the pavement!

Interesting run this morning... after taking Sunday off to rest, I was not feeling good at the start.  Actually I was feeling so bad that I was seriously thinking about not going the six miles I had established in my mind to run.  Note: I have mapped out two runs in my neighborhood a 3 mile and a 5 mile loop.  I have to make a call at about the 1.5 mile mark which loop I want to run. 

Based on feeling sooo sluggish I made up my mind to run the 5 mile loop. That way even if I have to walk I will get in 5 miles!  So plugging along after about the 3.5 mile point I started to feel really good.  Then when I got to about 4.5 miles I was feeling awesome... actually so good that I knew I was definitely going to take another 3 mile lap!  Long story short...even when I got  to the finish point 8.37 miles I felt like I could go for another 3 miles with no issues but unfortunately time would not allow it. 

Hopefully that is the sign that my hard work is starting to pay off!!  I will be able to better judge at the end of this week.

Still planning on heading to the gym today at lunch and definitely plan to try and squeak out 4 miles on the treadmill.  As always I will keep you posted!!

P.S. I think I gained the 3lbs back I lost earlier!  Unbelievable how I can be logging so many miles and not loosing any weight.  In the end I know that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction... you think I am logging the miles on the road... you should see me now at the table :-) LOL

Lunch update: Went to the gym today and worked chest... had a decent work out but no record lifting day.  Jake was back from Holiday / vacation so that added some support.  We had planned on running on the treadmill but all were taken so we opted to hit the road.  We ran for 30 min. at what I would approximate to be around a 9.5 min pace.  I was hoping to have an edge on him today although he had been home (UTAH) for about two weeks and did some training at the higher elevation so he was definitely feeling great during the run.  I kept up pretty good but I could tell he had the better endurance (just slightly).  No worries I will reel him in over time :-).

This morning's run felt pretty good.  Honestly, I am not totally sure if the better feeling is tied to my condition or just the great weather.  We have gone from 16-19 degrees F in the morning to around 47 degrees this morning.   Obviously this allowed me to take off multiple layers of cloths so I could move better!!! 

For the last two days after getting warmed up, I have felt like a runner! :-)  keeping in mind that, I am not focusing on speed at this part of my training (but rather longer distances and longer lengths of time) I did want to make sure I was not taking it too easy/slow. So this morning I pushed a little harder and continued to feel great!  (Note: I continued to keep my HR in the 60-70% range).  Typically I feel like the little engine that could putt putting along but this morning it felt like I was actually M-o-v-i-n-g!!! lol

Alright that is about it for now... stay tuned for my after lunch update!

Lunch update: Hit the gym today worked on my triceps and shoulders.  Had a decent work out... I am modifying it from heavy lifting to medium weight with a lot of reps.  After weights I hit the treadmill for a pretty uneventful 3 miles.  Started off at 10 min/mile pace and each 1/2 mile in increased the pace by .5 miles/min.  Finished in decent shape not real strong but not struggling either.

This mornings run was simply AWESOME!  Weather wise anyway... I believe it was around 51 degrees F? If not warmer!  Something told me to put a water bottle in my mail box and that came in handy as I lost a lot of fluids from sweating.  My legs and feet are starting to get somewhat used to the mileage. I do not have the very sore (i.e. work out type) of feeling in them like I did when I started.  Got in my 8.33 and am looking forward to pounding another 3 out this afternoon in the gym.  A little worried about the weather... we need rain in NC very bad but it is not good for me to see rain before I get out to run... definitely will take some internal motivation to not get lazy if it is raining in the morning!  This should be my first 50 miler week so that should keep me motivated!

Got a new delimit I am working on now... running with music or without?  I always have run with my favorite tunes blasting in my ears.  However the other day my battery went dead ... I was sure I was going to die, but then I started paying better attention to my breathing and amazingly I actually felt better.  Towards the end of my run I started playing the music again but only at a very low level where I could still hear my breathing and foot steps.  Since then I have been doing a combination of music, no music, and low music.  We will have to see how this turns out? I believe I am going to try and get away from it however having it is great in the beginning as motivation to move my feet and whenever my runs get really tough (i.e. on a hill).

Stay tuned for the lunch update!

Lunch run was fine... probably averaged a 9:30 min / mile pace which was a little faster than my desired 10 min / mile pace however I got to run outside with Jake.  Since I run so much alone anytime I can run with someone it adds some fun!  Actually we have been lifting weights for a while together but only recently did I learn he likes to run.  Oh I forgot we started off in the gym by doing some light leg work... leg curls, leg extensions, calf raises, and sitting leg presses.  Very light weight... sets of about 15 to 20 reps. 

Felt lazy and slow running this morning although when I checked my splits I was only slightly off my normal pace.  My HR was lower than I wanted during the first 3-4 miles so I would pick up the pace just slightly to get me to my desired range. After about 5 miles I saw another jogger in front of me so I tried for about a mile to reel him in a little but he was too far gone. After that little burst of exerted energy I actually felt a lot better (i.e. not so lazy) so after sucking down some water I headed back out with high spirits for my last lap around the neighborhood ... it was pretty uneventful except for the fact that it started raining.  I chuckled to myself... because with out reading the other blogs on this post, I would have typically headed back in.  However I could not see myself writing I stopped a run because of rain when others are running in snow and ice!

Note: Walkman = +1; definitely was a walkman run! A couple of good songs helped me to keep my mojo.

Morning Run Miles = 8.35

Lunch was awesome! Headed to the Y and had about 26 min. before spin class so I jumped on a treadmill.  Pretty tight timeframe but I wanted to get my 3 miles in and could not run them after class like I typically do because I had a meeting.  So I ramped up the speed to about a 7 min. 30 sec. mile and hammered it out.  The first two miles felt great!  The last mile I had to push but finished my 3 miles with about 3 min. to spare before class!  Did not see final speed / time because I had to RUN to class to ensure I kept my bike!  The class is always packed because the teacher/music is great!  I kept my HR monitor on during class, it was an aerobic pace workout that she wanted us to keep, and so I focused on keeping my HR at around 146 i.e. the bottom of my Aerobic range :-)  Whereas I can not clearly see the benefits of my running while I am running I can definitely tell in spin class!

I finished the class feeling very strong... and made it back to the office with time to spare before my 1:00 meeting.  Gotta love multi-tasking!!

Finally I am confident that I will meet my 50 mile in one week PR this week and really really want to have a great LONG run on Saturday so I am thinking of either A) Taking Friday off or B) Just doing a very light run and light day in the gym.  My goal for Saturday is to run for 2.5 hours.  I have not had much success with my long runs lately so I need a mental victory!!

Ok so today I was NOT planning on running.  This turned out initially to be pretty good because when I awoke there was a thunderstorm!  I am thinking great, roll back over and get some more zzzzzzz's :-) and I did!

My goal was to take an easy day and prep/rest for my long run tomorrow.  I packed my gym bag just to mess around in the gym (i.e. stretch & walk on the treadmill).  This would work well since I only had an hour.  HOWEVER, I walk into the gym and THE "running group" was assembling at the front door.  Keith gives me this big smile and says COME on Kev... we are about to go!!!  I could not say no... just couldn't.  I equate this to being asked to play B-ball with your older brother when you were a kid... you knew you would be demolished but had to take the opportunity to play!!

As it turns out today was a great day to get out and run.  Probably about 68 deg. Sunny with a very light breeze.  I was very nervous getting out with this group because as stated earlier they move out... much faster than my typical 10 min. per mile pace.   My goal was to run for about 2 miles with them and then find some short cuts back to the YMCA. ;-) 

Well I got started and sure enough we were moving at about a 7 min. 45 sec. mile pace.  I was good to go for about 2 miles but between miles 2-2.5 I could feel my body getting winded. But I kept pushing....At this point I was definitely at the back of the pack but some good tunes started coming on and I started feeling better sort of like I reached the top of  a hill and now I was on the down side! 

As I started to feel better I noticed some of the other runners slowing down... I felt this was my opportunity and forwarded to my favorite song to keep my momentum.  I then started to reel them in and passed about half of the pack.  I continued to think that they would pass me at any moment, although I maintained my "center" position in the group (which I am ecstatic about) until the end of the 5 mile run.  I enjoy running with others because it makes you push a little harder than I typically would.  Often I have been wondering if my running has had any positive results but today confirmed that I am indeed making positive progress!!

This is a good group for me to continue to target to run with as they have slow and fast runners (i.e. sub 7 min. runners).  I am planning on trying to run with them one day a week for the next few weeks and then increase the days over time until I can run with them every day

:-) 

Kevin

The GOOD..THE BAD...& THE UGLY!!

That's how I summarize my run for today.  Which do you want to hear about first... OK the BAD... well the bad news is that I did not reach my desired distance of 15 miles for today.

However...

The GOOD news is that my endurance did not prevent me from accomplishing my goal.  My wife had an appointment and I had to cut my run short.  I felt really good through about 10 miles, and even at the end I knew I could have gone another 3 miles feeling decent. I was not trying to go any faster than normal (i.e. close to 10 min. 30 sec. / mile pace), however at the end I realized that I averaged a 9 min 45 sec. / mile pace with a HR average of 143.  Pretty cool... my fastest mile.  Here are my splits:

9 min 14 sec / mile  at 140 HR

9 min 01 sec / mile  at 143 HR

9 min 39sec / mile  at 145 HR

10 min 03 sec / mile  at 141 HR

9 min 41 sec / mile  at 143 HR

9 min 47 sec / mile  at 143 HR

10 min 02 sec / mile  at 141 HR

10 min 07 sec / mile  at 144 HR

10 min 09 sec / mile  at 142 HR

9 min 28 sec / mile  at 146 HR  - Note I started picking up the pace at this point b/c I knew I was going to have to cut my run short and wanted to get in at least 12 if possible.

9 min 45 sec / mile  at 150 HR

9 min 59 sec / mile  at 147 HR

The UGLY news??? well that is I did not get out of bed this morning (4:30 AM) and run early like I usually do.  I let the lazy bug get me and rolled over.  Had I of gotten up, I could have accomplished my target goal.  :-)  Oh well that is the good thing about goals.... they remain there waiting for you to earn them! 

Even better today at ballet class (for my daughter) I saw a guy with a 2007 Boston Marathon Jacket on! SWEET!!!   Wow not only was I impressed, the jacket looked AWESOME.  So I will never win a trophy running but in a year or two when I get to Boston I am going to get me one of those jackets... (maybe TWO!!).  lol

Ok so to conclude this week... it was pretty awesome from a running perspective.  Even better I can tell my body is getting used to the training.  This is probably the first Saturday where I did not feel like I was "dead" and had to rest on Sunday.  I am definitely going to rest but based on how I currently feel, I "could" get in some miles tomorrow..

Take care... until Monday...

Kevin