Run fast

Ran through Holladay to mouth of Big Cottonwood and back.  Averaged around 6:45.  I tested out my new running toy, a metronome.  Here is an article that explains the concept but it really isn't any different than how cyclist's monitor their cadence.  At a ~6:30 pace my cadence was a 82 and at a 5:30 pace my cadence was 90 (180 steps) which is about what I expected. 

As this article describes, around 90 sounds optimal.  Running efficiently at that speed will take some work, however.

• If you are below ninety (180 steps per minute), you are likely overstriding and should work on increasing your leg turnover rate and shortening your stride (see below).
• If you are above ninety (180 steps per minute), you are better off working on increasing your stride length while maintaining your cadence (see below).

I will have to test is out a little more but I think this will be best used on a flat course or track because it is a difficult to stay on cadence when you are running up or down hills.  Or I think it will just be helpful as added motivation, similar to a treadmill, to maintain a pace during a tempo run.

In total I visited the gym (downloaded from their site) 253 times last year.   As you can see below, there is a direct correlation between injuries, cold weather and my visit frequency.  Unlike many goals which aim to increase frequency, I hope to cut my visits down to 120 or less (of course yoga and/or strength training visits should be excluded).  Staying on top of my physical therapy and wearing my warm tights should make this achievable.

Despite the months of injuries I still managed to set PRs at every distance this year; so the gym isn't such a bad place after all.

Happy New Year!

10 miles on the treadmill at the gym.  All the same people were at the gym today so apparently the new people with New Year resolutions will show up later.

Ran around Sugar House.  It must still be winter because my hands were frozen. 

Treadmill! 

Rowing machine today which is my least favorite workout.  38 mins and 8,500 meters.  Someday I will try an hour but I don't look forward to it. 

Ran around Murray in the SNOW! A little faster pace than usual, averaged 6:19.  My new favorite toy at the gym is the hip abduction machine.  Hopefully it is the solution to preventing reinjuring my hip.

Ran through Tanner Park, south on Wasatch to the 7-Eleven and back through Holladay.

Averaged 6:50 for first 5 through Tanner Park (Kinvaras don't work well on snow), 6:05 average for last 14.  Total average for run was 6:17.  Felt relaxed.  Must be that extra sleep.

Great morning so far.   Good workout on the treadmill and I found one of my favorite headbands in my gym bag that I thought I had lost.  My life wouldn't have been the same without it. Now the goal is to leave work at a decent hour to get in a few more miles or go to the gym for strength training.  Odds of that happening are slim.

PM: 2 miles after work at the gym.  Can't remember the last time I did that.

Another fascinating day on the treadmill.  Forgot my socks.  Could be worse I guess.

A bit chilly today.  I still need to figure out the glove situation.

20 miles with a big crew - Jake, Andrea, Allie, Emily J, Rob, Bryan, Cam, Dan, Matt, Scott, Steve, and Adam. I had to steal the list of names from Jake because he is good with names.  It was great meeting some new people and catching up with some who I haven't seen for awhile. During the run it felt like I worked out some kinks and I felt more energized at the end than at the start.

Ran over to the zoo, to the U, by the capital and back to sugar house.  I didn't even need ear warmers.  My calf raises must be helping because my compression socks didn't fall down this time.

Gave the hip a rest today.  It isn't ready for 100 mile weeks quite yet but it will get there.

Little faster run on te treadmill. ~6:20

Work from 8:30 to 8:30 isn't helping my training but fortunately I can use the race this Saturday as an excuse.

mixed in 1 mile at 5:15 and 1/4 mile at 5.  Times by 13.1 for tomorrow although probably not possible on that course.

Arrived in St. George at 9 PM and woke up to a downpour of rain.  Basically I wasn't super excited to race but the warm up felt good so I was ready by race time.  The rain also subsided a bit which made conditions bearable.  Took off quickly from the start and did my best to power through the early miles knowing that if had a decent lead at the peak of the hill at mile 7 I could cruise home.  The plan worked for the most part but I wouldn't exactly say I cruised the last few miles.  They still had some good rollers and lots of twists and turns.

Overall I felt good about my effort and my time was 20 seconds better than last year.  Can't complain about that.  I also liked the new rolly course.  B.J. finished 2nd and Dave had a great race finishing in 3rd.  

Splits

5:10, 5:23, 5:24, 5:22, 5:27, 5:38, 5:28, 5:09, 5:16, 5:26, 5:31, 5:23, 5:17

Kept it to cross training today because my hip was tired from yesterday and I didn't feel the need to stress it again.  Last year I hurt my foot in the St. George Half then did the Winter Series 5k the next weekend and that combo caused the stress fracture in my foot that kept me from running until April.  If I feel there is any chance of that happening again I will sit out the 5k and live to race another day.

semi hard workout on the elliptical.  tomorrow i will run again.

Slow miles on the treadmill.  I think I got through the race without reaggravating any problems.. phew! 

I knew today was special

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/24/national-peanut-butter-day-healthy_n_1228291.html

A few pickups at 5k pace on the treadmill.

Didn't know what to expect today considering I haven't run much at this pace in awhile.  So I figured I would be content with about the same time as last year which was a 15:52.

Went out with Jake and went through the first mile in about 4:50 (slight tailwind).  Jake started to pull away and oddly the 4:50 pace became unsustainable. :)  Second mile was 5:12 and finished with a 5:17.  Coincidentally that was the same pace as my last mile in last week's half marathon; obviously an indication that I went out too fast--Jake's to blame, right? :)  Since I have never run a sub 15:30 5k on an honest course I promise in the next 5k I run I will start at a 5 min pace and try to run even splits.  Regardless of the less than perfect pacing, I felt like I put in a good effort and this will only help me build speed for the races to come. 

Congrats to Jake who made it look effortless, Rob for winning the master's and beating Jon's linear estimate of 17:40, Emily B., Devra, Allie, and James for his 3rd place finish.

Warmed up 4, cooled down 2 then headed back out for 6.5 in the wrong direction, apparently.  This was the second week in a row that I missed the awards ceremony.  Last week I was freezing in the car and didn't realize they had started and today I was dumb and kept running.

Ran from the gym to Highland High to meet up with Allie, James and Jake . We ran out to Cottonwood, up to Wasatch and back.  Averaged about 7 min pace for the entire run but a little quicker towards the end.  Mentally and physically these runs feel equivalent to 13 solo miles because the time flies by.  We talked about the Spring race schedule and now there are too many options to consider....but decisions will have to come soon.

Rob added .01 to beat me so I am adding the .08 which I forgot to post earlier.  I had my Garmin in case I need proof.

One mile warm up on stairmaster then 8 miles on the treadmill. A bit tired from the weekend's run but felt better than expected.

Ran around Sugar House. I don't recommend running by Highland High at exactly 7:45.  Every kid and their mom, literally, is trying to get and out of the parking lot. I was almost hit twice, I almost ran over one of those kids whose wears black and I observed that many students think it is summer and are wearing shorts and tshirts.