No run this morning. I got up, got dressed and went out in the rain, only to get to Fleet Feet right as they decided to cancel the run due to rain and the impending more rain and possible lightning.
With the half-marathon a week from tomorrow, I'm not going to be doing any major runs between now and then, Probably just a four-miler tomorrow.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Pay for what you get
Statistics:
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 2:05:28
Observations:
I knew my first long run coming back after my injury was going to be tough, and I was right. Damn, it was tough! It was long. It was taxing. It was hot. But now it's done.
I waited until 9:00 PM to let it cool down as much as it could, and I'm glad I did. It was still about 82 degrees when I started. Maybe about 79 when I finished. But without the sun in the sky, it helped a lot.
Not sure what to say, really, other than it took all my determination to finish. I had to use a lot of mental and physical resolve to get myself through this run, but I'm proud that I did it. The course I ran was five laps of my regular neighborhood 2-mile course. I did that because I knew I was going to have to stop and refill my drink belt, and I wanted to play it safe and be able to do that when I needed to. Anyway, because the course kept taking me past my apartment, it took a gut check every time I passed it, not to let myself call off the last couple laps.
I took the speed very safe. I started out on an 11-minute per mile pace, and I walked 1 minute after most miles. This gave my legs a chance to clear out some of the lactic acid that was building up, and it let me cool down a little, too. I wasn't concerned with time as much as I was completing my goal distance of 10 miles. This ties the longest run I've done yet, and is the longest time I've spent running.
I really would have liked to have gotten in another one or two long runs of 11 and 12 miles, but there's just not enough time before the half-marathon. So the race is definitely going to be a challenge. But I think, come race day, I'll have the fortitude to finish. Cardio-wise, I'm good to go. My pace is generous enough that I could keep going longer than 10 miles. It's clearly going to be a test of leg strength and endurance, though. That's going to be the factor that most affects my performance at this point.
Tomorrow or Friday I'm going to do my best to get to the pool and do some lap-swimming. I'm bound to be sore after this run, but I want to work my muscles out to help clear the lactic acid so Saturday's group run is a little easier.
Next:
Saturday - 6 miles
Distance: 10 miles
Time: 2:05:28
Observations:
I knew my first long run coming back after my injury was going to be tough, and I was right. Damn, it was tough! It was long. It was taxing. It was hot. But now it's done.
I waited until 9:00 PM to let it cool down as much as it could, and I'm glad I did. It was still about 82 degrees when I started. Maybe about 79 when I finished. But without the sun in the sky, it helped a lot.
Not sure what to say, really, other than it took all my determination to finish. I had to use a lot of mental and physical resolve to get myself through this run, but I'm proud that I did it. The course I ran was five laps of my regular neighborhood 2-mile course. I did that because I knew I was going to have to stop and refill my drink belt, and I wanted to play it safe and be able to do that when I needed to. Anyway, because the course kept taking me past my apartment, it took a gut check every time I passed it, not to let myself call off the last couple laps.
I took the speed very safe. I started out on an 11-minute per mile pace, and I walked 1 minute after most miles. This gave my legs a chance to clear out some of the lactic acid that was building up, and it let me cool down a little, too. I wasn't concerned with time as much as I was completing my goal distance of 10 miles. This ties the longest run I've done yet, and is the longest time I've spent running.
I really would have liked to have gotten in another one or two long runs of 11 and 12 miles, but there's just not enough time before the half-marathon. So the race is definitely going to be a challenge. But I think, come race day, I'll have the fortitude to finish. Cardio-wise, I'm good to go. My pace is generous enough that I could keep going longer than 10 miles. It's clearly going to be a test of leg strength and endurance, though. That's going to be the factor that most affects my performance at this point.
Tomorrow or Friday I'm going to do my best to get to the pool and do some lap-swimming. I'm bound to be sore after this run, but I want to work my muscles out to help clear the lactic acid so Saturday's group run is a little easier.
Next:
Saturday - 6 miles
Monday, July 19, 2010
Good news, everyone!
I saw a podiatrist today, and he agrees that all I have is a case of mile Plantar Fasciitis. Even better news is that he thinks the best thing is an over-the-counter insert from Fleet Feet, not a custom orthotic. For people with high arches like me, the over-the-counter ones are better, he says. The custom ones are more for helpful people with flat feet. So yay for not having to spend money on a custom orthotic. And yay for being able to pick up what I need on the way home from work today!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Two posts for the price of one!
Well, I was out of town last week, so I'm going to combine my run Thursday with this morning's run. Thursday's run was in Central Park, in New York City, and I was backin Chicago for this morning's...attempt.
Statistics:
Thursday Distance: 4 miles
Thursday Time: 43:17
Sunday Distance: 2.3 miles
Sunday Time: 26:20
Observations:
I was in New York all week last week, and I brought along my running gear because I really want to run through Central Park. Also my cousin, Ashley, brought her running gear so we ran together on Thursday morning. Our hotel was on York and 62nd, so we basically ran west along 62nd to the park, which was about a mile, then we just picked a path through the park, aiming to do four miles and end up back at the park entrance, which we did. The GPS says we did 3.68 miles, though with the clouds, trees, and curvy path, I imagine it clipped a fair amount of the run. I think it was pretty close to 4 miles.
The park surprised me a bit because I wasn't expecting it to be as hilly as it was. the streets of New York are pretty flat, so I assumed the park would be as well, but no. Hilly. So that was a new challenge, and I felt a bit sore, but not horribly so. My foot was fine, which is a good sign. All in all it I was really happy with the run and glad that I got the chance to run through the famous Central Park!
Today (Sunday) though, was a different story. I wanted to do the CES group long run yesterday (12 miles) but when I woke up Saturday morning, I felt really stiff and my legs felt pretty tired. I'd been walking and running around New York all week, spending a LOT of time on my feet. I didn't think my legs were ready yesterday, so I decided to postpone for today. I felt a lot better today when I woke up. No soreness or stiffness. The weather report called for rain this morning, so I was looking forward to that.
However, it didn't work out like I'd hoped. First, there was cloud cover but no rain, and I'd woken up later than I planned, so it was hotter than I expected. Nevertheless, I started out at about 9:30. After a half mile in, my legs felt fairly sore, but they normally do during the first mile or so. After the second mile, though, it was pretty clear that my legs weren't yet recovered from New York. There was no way I was going to be able to do anywhere near 12 miles this morning. Then, the sun came out, and I knew I should stop. I could have pressed on for a few more miles, but I decided to conserve my legs and make another attempt at a longer distance on Tuesday or Wednesday, somewhere between 10 and 12 miles.
My next group long run will only be 6 miles on Saturday, so I'm not too worried about doing the 10 to 12-mile long run with only a few days until Saturday.
So, I'm bummed out that I wasn't ready today for a long run, but I feel confident that a couple more days rest will leave my legs refreshed and ready for the last long run before the Rock N Roll Half Marathon on August 1st.
Next:
Tuesday - 10 to 12 miles
Statistics:
Thursday Distance: 4 miles
Thursday Time: 43:17
Sunday Distance: 2.3 miles
Sunday Time: 26:20
Observations:
I was in New York all week last week, and I brought along my running gear because I really want to run through Central Park. Also my cousin, Ashley, brought her running gear so we ran together on Thursday morning. Our hotel was on York and 62nd, so we basically ran west along 62nd to the park, which was about a mile, then we just picked a path through the park, aiming to do four miles and end up back at the park entrance, which we did. The GPS says we did 3.68 miles, though with the clouds, trees, and curvy path, I imagine it clipped a fair amount of the run. I think it was pretty close to 4 miles.
The park surprised me a bit because I wasn't expecting it to be as hilly as it was. the streets of New York are pretty flat, so I assumed the park would be as well, but no. Hilly. So that was a new challenge, and I felt a bit sore, but not horribly so. My foot was fine, which is a good sign. All in all it I was really happy with the run and glad that I got the chance to run through the famous Central Park!
Today (Sunday) though, was a different story. I wanted to do the CES group long run yesterday (12 miles) but when I woke up Saturday morning, I felt really stiff and my legs felt pretty tired. I'd been walking and running around New York all week, spending a LOT of time on my feet. I didn't think my legs were ready yesterday, so I decided to postpone for today. I felt a lot better today when I woke up. No soreness or stiffness. The weather report called for rain this morning, so I was looking forward to that.
However, it didn't work out like I'd hoped. First, there was cloud cover but no rain, and I'd woken up later than I planned, so it was hotter than I expected. Nevertheless, I started out at about 9:30. After a half mile in, my legs felt fairly sore, but they normally do during the first mile or so. After the second mile, though, it was pretty clear that my legs weren't yet recovered from New York. There was no way I was going to be able to do anywhere near 12 miles this morning. Then, the sun came out, and I knew I should stop. I could have pressed on for a few more miles, but I decided to conserve my legs and make another attempt at a longer distance on Tuesday or Wednesday, somewhere between 10 and 12 miles.
My next group long run will only be 6 miles on Saturday, so I'm not too worried about doing the 10 to 12-mile long run with only a few days until Saturday.
So, I'm bummed out that I wasn't ready today for a long run, but I feel confident that a couple more days rest will leave my legs refreshed and ready for the last long run before the Rock N Roll Half Marathon on August 1st.
Next:
Tuesday - 10 to 12 miles
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Best. Run. Ever!
Statistics:
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 44:00
*No map/stats - pouring rain tonight so I didn't want to take my phone out where it'd get wet. Besides, with the clouds, I wouldn't have gotten a GPS signal anyway.
Observations:
I enjoyed tonight's run SO much! It was a combination of things that led to it. First, the fact that I was running at all was a major reason. Not having run for the last three weeks was really getting me down. I was hating the fact that I had been so good about sticking to this regime, only to have an injury keep me from being able to keep it up. I had been contemplating doing yesterday's 11-mile group run with CES; I told myself that if my foot started hurting, that I'd just stop and turn around. But I knew that with my whole group there, I wouldn't want to stop, so I decided that discretion was the better part of valor and stayed away from the temptation.
But I was feeling good today. I was out at the park all afternoon, and I wore my running shoes and socks to see how my foot felt in my running shoe. It felt good, and I even ran on it for a little while to test it out and felt good about it. Also, it was raining pretty constantly tonight, and the temperature was a really comfortable 70 degrees, and it just seemed like it'd be fun to run in the rain.
So, putting that all together, after I got about a mile into the run, knowing my foot wasn't going to collapse on me, I just started feeling ecstatic! It was dark, I was running in the rain, soaked, not caring a bit about it, my body feeling good, and it was just awesome!
Also, I could not have paced myself better. I was aiming for 11-minute miles, and I was so on target with my pace, that when I stopped my watch at the end, it was at 44:00 exactly! Yeah, I'm pretty awesome like that. ;)
Also, props must be given to Fleet Feet for fitting me perfectly with shoes and to Balego running socks (and myself for choosing the right size socks to fit me). By the end of the run, my shoes and socks were drenched, but my feet were so secure that I didn't get a single blister!
Next:
It's a surprise! ;)
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 44:00
*No map/stats - pouring rain tonight so I didn't want to take my phone out where it'd get wet. Besides, with the clouds, I wouldn't have gotten a GPS signal anyway.
Observations:
I enjoyed tonight's run SO much! It was a combination of things that led to it. First, the fact that I was running at all was a major reason. Not having run for the last three weeks was really getting me down. I was hating the fact that I had been so good about sticking to this regime, only to have an injury keep me from being able to keep it up. I had been contemplating doing yesterday's 11-mile group run with CES; I told myself that if my foot started hurting, that I'd just stop and turn around. But I knew that with my whole group there, I wouldn't want to stop, so I decided that discretion was the better part of valor and stayed away from the temptation.
But I was feeling good today. I was out at the park all afternoon, and I wore my running shoes and socks to see how my foot felt in my running shoe. It felt good, and I even ran on it for a little while to test it out and felt good about it. Also, it was raining pretty constantly tonight, and the temperature was a really comfortable 70 degrees, and it just seemed like it'd be fun to run in the rain.
So, putting that all together, after I got about a mile into the run, knowing my foot wasn't going to collapse on me, I just started feeling ecstatic! It was dark, I was running in the rain, soaked, not caring a bit about it, my body feeling good, and it was just awesome!
Also, I could not have paced myself better. I was aiming for 11-minute miles, and I was so on target with my pace, that when I stopped my watch at the end, it was at 44:00 exactly! Yeah, I'm pretty awesome like that. ;)
Also, props must be given to Fleet Feet for fitting me perfectly with shoes and to Balego running socks (and myself for choosing the right size socks to fit me). By the end of the run, my shoes and socks were drenched, but my feet were so secure that I didn't get a single blister!
Next:
It's a surprise! ;)
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Into the deep end
I still haven't gotten back to running. My foot is definitely feeling better than before, but still the pain isn't entirely gone, and I don't want to do anything to prolong this injury.
After talking with my doctor, I think the problem is Plantar Fasciitis. I have the names of some podiatrists I can see, but I don't have an appointment set yet. I'm going to set one up tomorrow for as soon as I can see one. I don't think I need the doctor to heal, as I'm doing that on my own, but I might need one to tell me whether or not I'll need an orthotic insert to prevent this problem from returning.
So, to try to keep up my cardio fitness, I went to the Welles Park gym this evening to get a swimming pass for the summer and went for my first swim. I've never swam laps before, so it was definitely a learning experience. I had to re-learn how to breathe while swimming, find a rhythm that met my oxygen needs and worked in time with my arms cycling. Eventually I got the rhythm down,though. Next time I'll get some ear plugs, though, because I got real tired of shaking out the water after every lap.
The swim wasn't hard on my legs at all, but my arms were certainly working. And I was breathing deeply between laps, which is definitely something I wanted. Not too hard, but enough to get my heart rate up. I swam for about 45 minutes and called it a day. I figured that was a good first day. I estimate I'll be going for the full hour on my later swims. I didn't keep track of how many laps I swam, mostly because I forgot to start counting. I was just eager to get in the water and go. Also, I don't know how long the pool is, so I have no clue how far I swam. I'll see about finding that out next time.
The plan is to keep swimming for my cross-training on days that I don't run, so this isn't just while I'm rehabbing my foot. The plan is to make it a permanent part of my training.
But definitely ear plugs before next time. ;)
After talking with my doctor, I think the problem is Plantar Fasciitis. I have the names of some podiatrists I can see, but I don't have an appointment set yet. I'm going to set one up tomorrow for as soon as I can see one. I don't think I need the doctor to heal, as I'm doing that on my own, but I might need one to tell me whether or not I'll need an orthotic insert to prevent this problem from returning.
So, to try to keep up my cardio fitness, I went to the Welles Park gym this evening to get a swimming pass for the summer and went for my first swim. I've never swam laps before, so it was definitely a learning experience. I had to re-learn how to breathe while swimming, find a rhythm that met my oxygen needs and worked in time with my arms cycling. Eventually I got the rhythm down,though. Next time I'll get some ear plugs, though, because I got real tired of shaking out the water after every lap.
The swim wasn't hard on my legs at all, but my arms were certainly working. And I was breathing deeply between laps, which is definitely something I wanted. Not too hard, but enough to get my heart rate up. I swam for about 45 minutes and called it a day. I figured that was a good first day. I estimate I'll be going for the full hour on my later swims. I didn't keep track of how many laps I swam, mostly because I forgot to start counting. I was just eager to get in the water and go. Also, I don't know how long the pool is, so I have no clue how far I swam. I'll see about finding that out next time.
The plan is to keep swimming for my cross-training on days that I don't run, so this isn't just while I'm rehabbing my foot. The plan is to make it a permanent part of my training.
But definitely ear plugs before next time. ;)
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