Off Day. No running. My heel is a bit tender, and I still feel like I need the off day with no running to let it heal.
Alie and I did a good little workout though. Bit of stretching, yoga, core work, and leg strength. Nothing crazy, but I could definitely feel it in my quads and hamies.
Thursday, April 30, 2015
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Monday 4/27/15
Went out for another 10 miler along the Charles today. My legs felt good, but my heel did twinged a few times. The weather was decent at 50 degrees with very little wind, and while it was threatening to rain, the storm never came. My paces were all over the pace today as I bounced between 6:0X and 6:20. I think this may have been me releasing some of my frustration about being in poor shape and not being able to train as much as I'd like due to my heel. Overall, the run was fine though, and I didn't feel too bad afterward. 10 miles in 62:13.
Sunday 4/26/15
Everything felt fine after the race. Actually, it didn't even feel like I raced. An easy trail 5K can do that. So, I decided to do my first 10 mile loop of the year. The weather was great at 50 degrees with minimal wind along the Charles. The run felt smooth as I was able to keep a things nice and even at about 6:15 pace with only moderate effort. 10 miles in 62:37.
Marine Mammal Rescue Run Trail 5K - Saturday 4/25/15
Headed over to Rye, NH this morning with Alie to run the Marine Mammal Rescue Run 5K at Odiorne Point State Park. We got to Odiorne Point at about 8:15 and made our way to the Seacoast Science Center to pick up our bibs. It was chilly in the low 40s with a cold wind coming off the ocean, so we hung around inside the Science Center while we waited for my sister, Jen, who was also running the race. We ended up staying inside a bit longer than I intended though. I only had time for a mile warm up and very quick stretch before I had to make my way over to the start line. I bumped into a former Junior Olympics teammate, Mike Peabody, who works for Millennium Running, and we chatted briefly before he had to get ready to time the race.
The trail gets narrow quickly, so the race went off in waves despite only having 350 runners. The first quarter mile of the race was through the parking lot, and I was alone out front almost immediately which had me a bit nervous. I only had time to run the first half mile of the course, and the course map was far to difficult to memorize as the course is a zig-zagging trail through Odiorne Point. The first half mile felt smooth and relaxed at 5:20 pace which I had in the back of my mind as the goal pace. However, as I turned off the paved path and onto the trail, things devolved quickly. My left shoe came untied before the first mile mark and started to loosen up. I briefly entertained the idea of stopping to tie it but, ultimately decided to let it flap in the wind for the next two miles. At the first mile mark (5:30 split), I got a bit turned around and had to stop to ask a volunteer which way to go. There were a number of volunteers out on the course to direct traffic as the course had a number of sharp turns and looped back on itself a couple times. They did a great job, but it was still a bit difficult to tell which way to go at times. Around 1.5 miles, my watch went on the fritz (I still haven't gotten it fixed from when I fell), so I don't have accurate split info. The watch got stuck in a mode where it was still timing the race and calculating the distance but it would only display the time of day. I tried to fiddle with it which threw off my splits, but I wasn't able to fix it.
I slowed down quite a bit during the second half of the race even though we were no longer running into a headwind. The trail was amazingly dry with the exception of one muddy area which they had covered with a layer of mulch. However, there were a few other obstacles including about 100 meters of beach running and one short by steep hill. Overall, it wasn't a PR type of course, but it was definitely interesting. If I had to hazard a guess at my last two miles splits, I would say they were about 5:55 and 5:45 respectively. Not really what I was hoping for, but I didn't know anything about the course going into it. My final time was 17:10. I believe the course was a bit short as my watch, Alie's watch, and Leslie O'Dell's watch all showed that the course was about 2.95 miles. Leslie crushed the competition en route to her victory and 2nd place overall.
After I finished, I looped back and met up with Alie and Jen who both went off in the second wave. I ran with Alie for a bit who had a great race despite the course then cheered on Jen who also had a great run. This was her first race since having 2 kids, and she was somehow still in good spirits during the last mile.
Full Results can be found at Millennium Running
The trail gets narrow quickly, so the race went off in waves despite only having 350 runners. The first quarter mile of the race was through the parking lot, and I was alone out front almost immediately which had me a bit nervous. I only had time to run the first half mile of the course, and the course map was far to difficult to memorize as the course is a zig-zagging trail through Odiorne Point. The first half mile felt smooth and relaxed at 5:20 pace which I had in the back of my mind as the goal pace. However, as I turned off the paved path and onto the trail, things devolved quickly. My left shoe came untied before the first mile mark and started to loosen up. I briefly entertained the idea of stopping to tie it but, ultimately decided to let it flap in the wind for the next two miles. At the first mile mark (5:30 split), I got a bit turned around and had to stop to ask a volunteer which way to go. There were a number of volunteers out on the course to direct traffic as the course had a number of sharp turns and looped back on itself a couple times. They did a great job, but it was still a bit difficult to tell which way to go at times. Around 1.5 miles, my watch went on the fritz (I still haven't gotten it fixed from when I fell), so I don't have accurate split info. The watch got stuck in a mode where it was still timing the race and calculating the distance but it would only display the time of day. I tried to fiddle with it which threw off my splits, but I wasn't able to fix it.
I slowed down quite a bit during the second half of the race even though we were no longer running into a headwind. The trail was amazingly dry with the exception of one muddy area which they had covered with a layer of mulch. However, there were a few other obstacles including about 100 meters of beach running and one short by steep hill. Overall, it wasn't a PR type of course, but it was definitely interesting. If I had to hazard a guess at my last two miles splits, I would say they were about 5:55 and 5:45 respectively. Not really what I was hoping for, but I didn't know anything about the course going into it. My final time was 17:10. I believe the course was a bit short as my watch, Alie's watch, and Leslie O'Dell's watch all showed that the course was about 2.95 miles. Leslie crushed the competition en route to her victory and 2nd place overall.
After I finished, I looped back and met up with Alie and Jen who both went off in the second wave. I ran with Alie for a bit who had a great race despite the course then cheered on Jen who also had a great run. This was her first race since having 2 kids, and she was somehow still in good spirits during the last mile.
Full Results can be found at Millennium Running
Friday, April 24, 2015
Friday 4/24/15
Off day. I had to come into work early, and I'll be heading up to NH after work. So, no real chance to run. This leaves me a run short this week, but I think taking Wednesday off was probably the right choice.
Thursday 4/23/15
Out and back along the Charles. Nothing special. Feeling a bit down/worried about my heel, but it felt good enough to run on. It twinged once or twice during the run, but my real concern is that I'm going to make it steadily worse. Other than that, the run was fine. Weather was overcast at 50 degrees with 20 mph winds, but thankfully, the headwind was for the first half of the run. My legs felt good as I rolled a relaxed pace just under 6:20. 9 miles in 56:29.
Wednesday 4/22/15
Unplanned Off Day. My heel was an issue as it felt sore from the hike and pick-ups. I'm pretty annoyed that the thing that set my heel off was a hike.
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Tuesday 4/21/15
Decided to take a shot at my first semi-workout this year. After failing to get to the track on Sunday, I really wanted to try to fit in some pick-ups this week, and today seemed like a good day for it. Weather was perfect along the Charles in the low 60s with very little wind. I did a 2.75 mile warm up at 6:15, then started rolling with 1 minute on / 1 minute off at 5:10/6:10. At this point in my progression, I would typically do 10 x 30 sec on/ 30 sec off, but I thought a minute would be much more comfortable since I wouldn't have to go into a full sprint. Since I was doing 1 minute pick-ups, the plan was to only do 7 and judge from there. Overall, the pick-ups went as well as could be expected. The first few felt smooth, but I slowed down during the offs after the first couple of pick-ups. During the pick-ups, I split 5:48 and 5:52. I felt like I could have pushed through a few more but made the decision to call it after 7 which ended up being a good idea. The remaining 4 miles of the run was a cool down. I felt nice and relaxed at 6:40 for the first 2 miles, but I had to slow down quite a bit for the last 2 miles as I started having stomach issues. As the great Jim Johnson once said: I'll live. 9 miles in 57:40.
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Monday 4/20/15
It was definitely a wet one out there today. 50 degrees with a steady rain which, thankfully, wasn't coming down that hard. I was completely soaked through by the 4th mile though. I went out easy with a tailwind and kept the pace around 6:20. Coming back was a bit more difficult since my clothes were heavy, and I was coming into the headwind. I had to picked up the effort slightly but stayed right around 6:20. Felt really good on this run and managed to stay upbeat despite the rain. Many thanks to my ipod shuffle. 9 miles in 56:52.
Sunday 4/19/15
I had been hoping to get in my first track workout of the year today, but things didn't pan out. After the hike, my heel was really sore from being on my feet for so long. Thankfully, it had loosened back up by Sunday afternoon, but I didn't want to push the issue. I decided to just roll with a standard base builder hoping that maybe I'll be able to get in some pick ups later this week.
I was able to get out for a good run though. The weather was decent at 50 degrees with about a 10-15 mph wind. I felt great for the whole run, but I ended up running the first half a bit faster than I came home. I tried to keep the pace even, and while the effort may have been, the splits weren't. The difference between a tailwind and a headwind along the Charles can make a pretty big difference. I went out averaging a bit over 6 flat and came home at about 6:20. Overall, 9 miles in 55:31.
Starting to feel a bit more comfortable out there.
I was able to get out for a good run though. The weather was decent at 50 degrees with about a 10-15 mph wind. I felt great for the whole run, but I ended up running the first half a bit faster than I came home. I tried to keep the pace even, and while the effort may have been, the splits weren't. The difference between a tailwind and a headwind along the Charles can make a pretty big difference. I went out averaging a bit over 6 flat and came home at about 6:20. Overall, 9 miles in 55:31.
Starting to feel a bit more comfortable out there.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Saturday 4/18/15
Planned off day.
Alie and I decided to do some "hiking". I put hiking in parentheses because it was hiking in Mass. We didn't feel like making the trip to NH, so we found a cool little reservation outside the city. Obviously, there wasn't much in the way of vertical gain, but there were some really cool trails.
The area we went to is called Breakheart Reservation, and it is about 10 miles outside of the city along route 1. The reservation has a couple lakes with paved paths that wind all throughout the woods. We tried to stay off the paved paths as much as possible and stuck to the trails. There were a few little "peaks" that we climbed up, and from the top, you could just make out the Boston skyline in the distance.
We found our way off the beaten path as we hiked around one of the lakes and ran into 3 snakes sunbathing. I had a good laugh as one of them made a break straight for Alie, but they were really just scared and trying to get away from us. All in all, it was a really fun trip, and we covered 5-6 miles over a couple of hours.
Alie and I decided to do some "hiking". I put hiking in parentheses because it was hiking in Mass. We didn't feel like making the trip to NH, so we found a cool little reservation outside the city. Obviously, there wasn't much in the way of vertical gain, but there were some really cool trails.
The area we went to is called Breakheart Reservation, and it is about 10 miles outside of the city along route 1. The reservation has a couple lakes with paved paths that wind all throughout the woods. We tried to stay off the paved paths as much as possible and stuck to the trails. There were a few little "peaks" that we climbed up, and from the top, you could just make out the Boston skyline in the distance.
We found our way off the beaten path as we hiked around one of the lakes and ran into 3 snakes sunbathing. I had a good laugh as one of them made a break straight for Alie, but they were really just scared and trying to get away from us. All in all, it was a really fun trip, and we covered 5-6 miles over a couple of hours.
Friday 4/17/15
Another day of getting the miles in to build up my base. Felt good on the run today, but unlike yesterday, I wasn't terribly good at pacing today. Went out a bit fast for the first two miles with the wind at my back and ended up being very inconsistent with my splits for the remainder of the run. This was partially due to the fact that I was coming back into the wind but also the fall out of not holding back at all in the early miles. I'm not overly concerned, but I would like to become more consistent with my pacing. 8 miles in 49:35.
40 miles for the week on 5 runs.
40 miles for the week on 5 runs.
Thursday 4/16/15
9 mile out and back along the Charles. Aside from my first mile where I was a bit over enthusiastic, I held a very smooth pace today with only a 5 second spread on the slowest and fastest miles. During my second mile, the settled into 6:15 pace and kept the rest of the run nice and even. 9 miles in 55:50.
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Tuesday 4/14/15
Another great day for a run at 60 degrees with no wind. I got out of work a little late again, but I was running by 6:30pm. I tried to keep the first mile nice and easy and went through at 6:20. After that, I settled into a pace that was a bit faster than I've been running lately as every mile was under 6:15. It was probably due to the nice weather, but today was the first run this year where I really found some confidence. During the run, I just got that indescribable feeling of "this is how a run should go". I ended the run by dropping my first sub 6 min mile during a training run. 49:30 for 8.
Monday 4/13/15
Perfect day for a run. Got out of work a bit late, but it was still 60 degrees when I got out for my run at 7pm. My legs felt pretty good and my heel was a non issue, so I decided to do an easy 9 mile out and back along the Charles. Stayed nice and relaxed on the way out at 6:30 pace. At the turn around, I was feeling good, so I picked the pace up to 6:15. Finished up in 57:45.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Run of the Savages 5K - Saturday 4/11/15
Today is my 27th birthday! For my birthday this year, I decided I wanted to run a road race. This is a bit out of the norm for me. I never like racing when I am out of shape, and during the last few years, I have only really done it when I needed to finish off the Seacoast Road Race Series. I'm changing things up though. I had a really good time racing in Texas despite having only just started to get back into training, and I hope to continue to race while I build up my fitness base.
The Run of the Savages seemed like a good race for me today mostly due to location. I was looking for something in between Boston and Rochester, so I could stop for the race on my way back to New Hampshire for the weekend. Alie and I left my apartment at 7:45 and walked over to North Station. From there, we took the Orange Line to the garage where Alie parks her car and made the drive up 93 to 495 and Plaistow, NH. We arrived at Pollard Elementary School with plenty of time to spare, and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that registration was only $17 rather than the $30 advertised. Score! ... it's the little victories. We put on our numbers, met up with my parents who came down to watch the race, stretched, and I did a 1.5 mile warm up at 6:40 pace.
There wasn't a whole lot of competition to scope out. The race was started to support the fight against cancer after a 4th grader lost a loved one to the illness. As a result, the field of 571 was largely made up of elementary and middle school students. However, when I got to the starting area, I saw Patrick Ard of Whirlaway, and I knew that I'd be running for second place at best. I did a few strides and found out exactly where the finish line was. After that, the race director gave a speech about the race, the school gym teacher led the kids in a warm up routine, and we were off.
100 meters into the race, I was tucked in behind Patrick and we were all alone. The pace felt a bit faster than I was prepared for, but I decided to stick around for a bit to see what happened.
Half a mile into the race, I could tell I wouldn't be able to hold the pace. I looked down at my watch, saw that we were rolling at about 5:15, and decided to back off. Patrick kept right on going as I settled into a comfortable pace. My watch clicked off the mile mark at 5:29 which felt nice and relaxed. The actual 1st mile mark was about a tenth long. I'm glad I was wearing a GPS watch, or I may have thought I was running 6 minute pace. After the first mile, Patrick had about 75 meters on me as we turned off Main Street and headed into a neighborhood. I was very happy that Patrick was out front at that point. We had a police escort for the first mile, but it pulled over to the side of the road as we headed into the neighborhood. I'm not sure how Patrick knew where he was going, but at a mile and a half, we came to a fork with no sign or person directing the way and he somehow knew which way to go. If he hadn't been there, I probably would have been standing at the intersection until someone else came along.
The second mile had a number of sharp turns as we winded through the neighborhood, but it was mostly flat. Patrick's lead was slowly getting larger and larger as the race went on, and I began to lose sight of him at times. My watch showed 5:34 through the second mile which I was satisfied with. I didn't really know what to expect coming into this race. After the results in Texas, I thought 17 flat would likely be about as good as I could hope for right now, and I was just about on pace for it. The third mile turned back on to Main Street with half a mile to go. The final half mile was slightly downhill with a minor tailwind, but it didn't offer all that much aid. The course finished up by turning back into the school parking lot and ending at the finish line situated behind the school. As I turned into the school, I realized the course was going to be quite a bit short. My watch hit the 3 mile mark in 5:35 just a few seconds before I crossed the finish line in 16:41.
I shook hands with Patrick as we congratulated each other and both remarked that we thought the course was a bit short. If I hadn't been wearing my watch, I would have been extremely confused because the first and second mile marks were quite a bit long while the race itself was a bit short.
After the race, I ran back over the last half mile and met up with Alie who was still finishing up. I ran along side her for a bit, and she was pleasantly surprised when I told her how close the finish line was. This is the first time she really raced a 5K, and she ran much faster than she was expecting! I think she is definitely hooked.
We finished up with a short cool down and headed up to Rochester. Overall, it was a nice little race that we both really enjoyed.
Full results here
The Run of the Savages seemed like a good race for me today mostly due to location. I was looking for something in between Boston and Rochester, so I could stop for the race on my way back to New Hampshire for the weekend. Alie and I left my apartment at 7:45 and walked over to North Station. From there, we took the Orange Line to the garage where Alie parks her car and made the drive up 93 to 495 and Plaistow, NH. We arrived at Pollard Elementary School with plenty of time to spare, and we were pleasantly surprised to find out that registration was only $17 rather than the $30 advertised. Score! ... it's the little victories. We put on our numbers, met up with my parents who came down to watch the race, stretched, and I did a 1.5 mile warm up at 6:40 pace.
There wasn't a whole lot of competition to scope out. The race was started to support the fight against cancer after a 4th grader lost a loved one to the illness. As a result, the field of 571 was largely made up of elementary and middle school students. However, when I got to the starting area, I saw Patrick Ard of Whirlaway, and I knew that I'd be running for second place at best. I did a few strides and found out exactly where the finish line was. After that, the race director gave a speech about the race, the school gym teacher led the kids in a warm up routine, and we were off.
100 meters into the race, I was tucked in behind Patrick and we were all alone. The pace felt a bit faster than I was prepared for, but I decided to stick around for a bit to see what happened.
The second mile had a number of sharp turns as we winded through the neighborhood, but it was mostly flat. Patrick's lead was slowly getting larger and larger as the race went on, and I began to lose sight of him at times. My watch showed 5:34 through the second mile which I was satisfied with. I didn't really know what to expect coming into this race. After the results in Texas, I thought 17 flat would likely be about as good as I could hope for right now, and I was just about on pace for it. The third mile turned back on to Main Street with half a mile to go. The final half mile was slightly downhill with a minor tailwind, but it didn't offer all that much aid. The course finished up by turning back into the school parking lot and ending at the finish line situated behind the school. As I turned into the school, I realized the course was going to be quite a bit short. My watch hit the 3 mile mark in 5:35 just a few seconds before I crossed the finish line in 16:41.
I shook hands with Patrick as we congratulated each other and both remarked that we thought the course was a bit short. If I hadn't been wearing my watch, I would have been extremely confused because the first and second mile marks were quite a bit long while the race itself was a bit short.
After the race, I ran back over the last half mile and met up with Alie who was still finishing up. I ran along side her for a bit, and she was pleasantly surprised when I told her how close the finish line was. This is the first time she really raced a 5K, and she ran much faster than she was expecting! I think she is definitely hooked.
We finished up with a short cool down and headed up to Rochester. Overall, it was a nice little race that we both really enjoyed.
Full results here
Thursday 4/9/15
Rough run today but not for the reasons I was expecting. I didn't want to run on the treadmill again, so I committed to running outside despite the weather. I was starting to feel better from my brief sickness, but the weather wasn't inviting at 39 degrees with a mix of wind and rain. I felt surprisingly good for the first two miles. I clipped off two 6:20s which felt nice and easy. I was actually starting to enjoy myself when things took a bad turn. Literally. As I was coming down off of a cobblestone bridge in the Esplanade, I tried to turn a step too early, and my feet came out from underneath my as I lost grip on the downward sloping and wet cobbles. I hit the ground hard in front of a group of people doing cross fit and tried to get up quickly as if nothing had happened. I kept running for a few hundred meters before I stopped to assess the damage. I scraped up my face, knee and hands pretty good, but my Garmin Forerunner 220 took the worst of it. I shattered the screen and took a few chucks out of the side. For the rest of the run, I couldn't get it to go back into the right mode and feared it might be completely lost. After that, I was feeling pretty dejected. I considered turning around and calling it a day, but I ended up finishing off the 8 mile out and back. I slowed down quite a bit after the fall but don't know the exact time or splits because my watch was on the fritz. 8 miles in about 53 mins.
After the run, I ended up getting my watch to work. The damage seems superficially. I'll just have to look it to what their warranty covers and how much repairs cost.
After the run, I ended up getting my watch to work. The damage seems superficially. I'll just have to look it to what their warranty covers and how much repairs cost.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Wednesday 4/8/15
Feeling a bit better today, but still a bit under the weather. Nothing crazy. Just a head ache and the general soreness when you feel sick. Since it was 40 degrees and rainy, I gave in and ran on the treadmill. 8 miles in 50 mins.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Monday 4/6/15
I was planning today as an off day since I don't want to push things right now, but I felt really good when I got home from work. Running today would also help my schedule which would be tight later in the week. So, I decided to run on 3 consecutive days for the first time since last June 2014. Going into the run, I wanted to keep the pace as even as I could and started off at a pace that felt extremely slow. I always have trouble throttling back on the first mile regardless of my fitness level. I went through miles 1 and 2 in 6:29 and 6:28 respectively. Around that time, I halfheartedly committed to a progression run. I figured that I'd bring the pace down to 6:20 and try to keep it even. I went through 3 and 4 in 6:25 and 6:18 then fully committed to the progression run. I had to put in some effort, but I finished up the 7 mile progression in 6:16, 6:12, 6:06. After that, I backed off and ran the last mile at a relaxed pace. Trying to go sub 6 at the end of a run right now would basically require that I go to the well. I also didn't want to deal with pushing the pace as I ran passed North Station. 50:59 total.
My legs felt great during and after. I had a minor annoyance in my heel afterward, but that was to be expected.
My legs felt great during and after. I had a minor annoyance in my heel afterward, but that was to be expected.
Sunday 4/5/15
Somewhat similar story to my run Saturday morning. We partook in some "merriment" on Saturday night, but not wanting a repeat of my run that day, I took it easy as the night went on. I woke up on Sunday morning feeling quite a bit better than the previous morning. The weather was also more agreeable in the low 50s with only a slight wind.
I ran the same route as yesterday which went over to Belmont Lake State Park, and I was able to hold a fairly even 6:20 - 6:30 pace throughout the 8 miles. 51:34 total. Legs and heel felt good.
I ran the same route as yesterday which went over to Belmont Lake State Park, and I was able to hold a fairly even 6:20 - 6:30 pace throughout the 8 miles. 51:34 total. Legs and heel felt good.
Monday, April 6, 2015
Saturday 4/4/15
This run was Struggle City. My legs felt better, but that was the least of my worries. On Friday night, I took the Amtrak to NYC then caught another train out to Long Island which is where I spent Easter. When we got to Long Island, we went to a local bar to meet up with some friends. The bar was packed due to the holiday weekend, but the band was pretty good and played a wide variety of popular music from different decades and genres. The night went late with continuous rounds and ended when someone decided it was a good idea to buy a round of shots for everyone. Needless to say, I woke up the next morning fairly hungover and sore after sleeping on an air mattress.
Even in my groggy state, the opportunity to run was too good to pass up. It was a sunny 50 degrees, and there was a state park nearby. However, there were also 30 mph winds. For the first 3 miles, I meandered through neighborhoods, as I tried to find a runable section of Belmont Lake State Park. Once I found the lake itself, I was able to locate a nice running path that circled the lake and alternated between dirt roads and paved paths. Unfortunately, I was really struggling by that point. The wind was kicking off the lake hard, and my stomach was expressing its discomfort due to my choices the previous night. During this section, I dropped from 6:30 pace to 6:50s, and when it was time to head back around mile 6, I was strongly considering just walking it in. Thankfully, I caught a tailwind with 2 miles to go and was able to bring the pace back down to 6:30s. Overall, I slogged through 8.25 miles in 55:02.
Even in my groggy state, the opportunity to run was too good to pass up. It was a sunny 50 degrees, and there was a state park nearby. However, there were also 30 mph winds. For the first 3 miles, I meandered through neighborhoods, as I tried to find a runable section of Belmont Lake State Park. Once I found the lake itself, I was able to locate a nice running path that circled the lake and alternated between dirt roads and paved paths. Unfortunately, I was really struggling by that point. The wind was kicking off the lake hard, and my stomach was expressing its discomfort due to my choices the previous night. During this section, I dropped from 6:30 pace to 6:50s, and when it was time to head back around mile 6, I was strongly considering just walking it in. Thankfully, I caught a tailwind with 2 miles to go and was able to bring the pace back down to 6:30s. Overall, I slogged through 8.25 miles in 55:02.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Friday 4/3/15
Traveling to New York for Easter tonight, so no chance of running after work. I had considered getting up for an early run this morning, but when I woke up, it didn't seem wise. I was feeling pretty sore and figured it was best not to push it at this point. A little disappointed about how sore I felt, but I'm banking on the fact that it was just due to putting in my first two decent runs outside this year. Started to feel a bit better as the day went on. Trying to get a run in tomorrow.
Thursday 4/2/15
Off day. I'm going to have a number of these while my body readjusts. I did fit in some light core work and stretching though.
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Wednesday 4/1/15
I got outside for another 8 miles today on the same out and back as yesterday in very similar conditions. It was 46 degrees with a chilly wind coming off the Charles. I was glad that I went out in full tights, but when the wind was at my back, my gloved hands overheated a bit. My heel wasn't an issue at all during the run, and it has felt surprisingly good since. Perhaps I've finally gotten out of my own head about it after snapping and running a race last week. More likely, I am finally starting to reap the benefits of taking better care of my injury. Either way, I'm pleased.
The remainder of my body didn't fair as well on today's run. Running on back to back days outside rather than on the comfort of a treadmill was a shock to my system. After mile 5, things started to tighten up. Specifically, my lower legs and hamstrings while my quads remained fine. I have experienced this in the past after coming off extended treadmill training, so I wasn't overly concerned. I did back off the pace from 6:20s to 6:40s though. I finished up in 51:41 for about 6:30 pace.
The remainder of my body didn't fair as well on today's run. Running on back to back days outside rather than on the comfort of a treadmill was a shock to my system. After mile 5, things started to tighten up. Specifically, my lower legs and hamstrings while my quads remained fine. I have experienced this in the past after coming off extended treadmill training, so I wasn't overly concerned. I did back off the pace from 6:20s to 6:40s though. I finished up in 51:41 for about 6:30 pace.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Tuesday 3/31/15
Today I was able to run outside in Boston for the first time this year, and it felt pretty good. I got home at 5:45, and the temp outside was still up around 48 degrees. Can't pass up an opportunity like that. It did take me about an hour to get ready though. I hadn't used my Garmin Forerunner 220 since July 2014, so I had to dust it off, charge it up, and update the software which was fairly quick and painless. Finding my ipod shuffle was another story. Like my gps watch, I hadn't used it since I stopped training last year, but unlike my watch, I hadn't really kept tabs on it. It took me about half an hour to find it before I could charge it and update the playlist a bit. Thankfully, I was ready to roll with enough daylight left for an hour of running.
I did my standard out an back route with travels from the North End over to the Charles River, through the Esplanade, and comes back the same way I went out. It's a flat run with only about a minute or two of total stoppage time due to traffic lights. As standard run that I know well, I figured it would give me a good indication of my fitness. I ended up running a fairly even 6:20 pace over 8 miles. 50:50 Overall. My heel didn't feel like an issue at all, but at this point, it typically only bothers me on the days after a run rather than during the run itself. I did, however, feel some of the familiar tightness in the area behind my right knee. It amazes me that this could still be an issue after 9 months of no running, and it is something I will definitely need to watch.
My current plan to build a base is to run on alternating days (allowing for back to back days when needed due to my schedule) with a gradual increase in pace and distance over time as I grow more comfortable.
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