Saturday morning, I hit the pavement at 6:30am. It was already horribly humid and quickly beginning to warm up. I ran an average of 10:03 per mile and actually did quite a good job of keeping my pace pretty even. The only slow miles included one where I got stopped for directions and one where I hit a long light and ate a Gu. The hills were pretty intense. I'll never have to specifically do a hill workout around here. It's virtually impossible to miss them if I run more than a couple of miles. I drank one fuel belt bottle of 'ade and a half of one of water plus the Gu. When I got home, I drank another 16 ounces or so of the 'ade and then got on the scale. Even with what I had drunk, I had lost 2.5 pounds! As much as I hate getting … [Read more...]
Slow and steady
I did six miles on the treadmill today while Shoo napped. It was hot and humid and I was totally drenched when I got done, but it was a good run. I decided to go for negative splits again and, since I find treadmill running boring, I actually paid close attention to my speeds. My miles 10 9:30 9:20 9:18 9:08 9:29 My average speed was about 9:27, which is a good pace for me. I would have liked to have done the last mile faster, but I was dying for some water and I'm not coordinated enough to run and drink at the same time when I'm on the treadmill. I REALLY need to find some new shorts though. I run in "compression" shorts and the ones I own are the Champion 86% cotton ones. I end up completely soaked by the end of my run. I … [Read more...]
Striving for flexibility
Not so much physical flexibility, although I'm sure I could benefit from more stretching. Rather, I'm trying to stay mentally flexible about my training plan for the marathon. Since both kids are home with me for the summer and Beer Geek occasionally travels for work, I have to grab running time where it presents itself. As much as I'd like to say that I'm going to run every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, I have to realize that some weeks will have to be different, especially once the mileage really starts increasing.Today, when I dropped Jones off at his camp, one of the moms offered to take him home with her and give me most of the day with just Shoo. I happily took her up on it (and will return the favor later this … [Read more...]
Excellent 6 miles
Despite too much beer and too much food (is it really possible to gain three pounds in one day?!?), Dad and I had an excellent run this morning. We aimed for 9:45 miles and ended up doing 9:28. The best part was the mileage breakdown. 9:48, 9:17, 9:44, 9 something, 9:25, and 8:52. We really rocked that last mile and could have done it even a bit faster. I actually sprinted the last .1 miles. I've been trying to start slower and finish strong and this run was the best I've managed so far. I'm going to miss running with my dad. Jones, Shoo, and I head back home tomorrow. It'll be great to see Beer Geek and nice to get home to my own bed, but I love visiting my parents. I wish we didn't live half a country away. I'm now done with week 3 … [Read more...]
Happy Fourth!!
Today we got up early and went to the local 4th of July parade. They live in a fairly small town, but the parade was huge and two hours long! Jones and Shoo had a good time. So good, in fact, that Shoo took his first nap in about four days. Later we'll probably go to the local festival and then out for fish fry for my mom's birthday. Yesterday, dad and I ran the required three miles plus a half mile cool down. Mile 1 - 8:43 Mile 2 - 8:34 Mile 3 - 9:01 I wasn't planning on a fast run, but we both felt good and there was a nice breeze. We actually chose to slow down for the last mile and still did it pretty fast. I've been so bummed about my lack of speed and stamina lately, that it was nice to actually finish a run and feel happy … [Read more...]
Zooma Half Marathon Race Report (Half Marathon#1)
The short story: I finished with a time of about 2 hours and 20 minutes. Not the time I was hoping for, but a respectable time nonetheless. The course was hilly and boring and the weather was warm and humid. I'm just happy it's over. The long story: On Saturday, we drove to Delaware and took the boys to the beach. The weather was hot and sunny, perfect beach weather. Not so much perfect "day before a race weather". After the beach, we stopped at a brewery and took their tour and got some cases of beer. At that point, Jones, Shoo, and Beer Geek were all happy guys. We headed back to Annapolis, had dinner and took the boys swimming at the hotel pool. We all retired early to prepare for the next day. The day of the race I woke up … [Read more...]
