Statistics:
Distance: 4 miles
Time: 42:19
Stats/Track Map
Observations:
This run was actually Wednesday night. Sorry for the late post. My internet crapped out on me last night and won't be up until Saturday when the repair guy comes, so I had to wait to post until I had internet here at work.
Felt very good about this run. I wanted to try out a new running app on my Droid, so the stats/track map link is different than the previous ones, you'll notice. I like the new app because it keeps me updated about my distance and pace as I'm running. Also, it uses the motion sensors in the Droid along with GPS to provide a bit better accuracy. How it does that, I have no idea, but it's cool!
I wanted to push my pace a bit on this run, and I did. Despite having to wait a good 20-30 seconds at Montrose for the light, I still managed a 10:34 per mile average pace. I feel like it was pretty consistent throughout as well, so it's good to know that I was both consistent and faster.
Also, I feel great today! No major pains, and my knees feel fine walking down stairs! The new shoes must be doing the job. Also, I was paying attention to my stride and my body mechanics during the run, so good form probably helped with that as well. So, all in all a very good run with good signs for the future.
Next
Saturday - 7 miles
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Ravenswood 5K
Statistics:
Distance: 5K/3.1 miles
Time: 33:10
Stats/Track Map
Observations:
Well, if nothing else, this was the most convenient race I've ever run in my life. I step out the front gate of my apartment, take a left, walk 3 blocks, and I'm at the starting line. Also, the home stretch of the race goes right past my apartment, which is kind of cool.
The temperature was mid 50's and overcast. The forecast also called for a chance of rain, but that didn't happen, which was nice. For some reason, I thought it would feel colder than it did. Consequently, I dressed a little warmer than I should have, but not terribly uncomfortably. One less layer would have been ideal.
The course was nice - mostly residential streets with only a brief jaunt onto Irving Park. I do think, though, that the combination of overcast skies and tree-lined streets didn't treat my GPS very well. If you look at the course, the second half was a bit wonky. The GPS says I ran 2.93 miles, but that's obviously wrong. Sadly, that means I didn't get a split time on my third mile, which was when I decided to turn up the pace. If I calculated correctly, based on the 10:25 it took for the last 1.1 miles, I think I ran about a 9:30 final mile, which is pretty cool. And all of that before 9:00 AM.
Street Shout-outs:
Shout-outs to Fuzzy and Erica, who I saw on the course somewhere on Leland during mile 2, and also to Becky, who I ran into at the finish line. Also, shout-outs to all my friends who ran the race but who I didn't happen to see. I know there were several of you out there, based on your Facebook status updates.
Next:
3 or 4 miles on Tuesday, though I'm gonna check in with my knees in the next couple of days to make sure things are ok. I'm shifting the long runs to the weekends when I'll have more time, so next long run will be next weekend. Probably Saturday.
Distance: 5K/3.1 miles
Time: 33:10
Stats/Track Map
Observations:
Well, if nothing else, this was the most convenient race I've ever run in my life. I step out the front gate of my apartment, take a left, walk 3 blocks, and I'm at the starting line. Also, the home stretch of the race goes right past my apartment, which is kind of cool.
The temperature was mid 50's and overcast. The forecast also called for a chance of rain, but that didn't happen, which was nice. For some reason, I thought it would feel colder than it did. Consequently, I dressed a little warmer than I should have, but not terribly uncomfortably. One less layer would have been ideal.
The course was nice - mostly residential streets with only a brief jaunt onto Irving Park. I do think, though, that the combination of overcast skies and tree-lined streets didn't treat my GPS very well. If you look at the course, the second half was a bit wonky. The GPS says I ran 2.93 miles, but that's obviously wrong. Sadly, that means I didn't get a split time on my third mile, which was when I decided to turn up the pace. If I calculated correctly, based on the 10:25 it took for the last 1.1 miles, I think I ran about a 9:30 final mile, which is pretty cool. And all of that before 9:00 AM.
Street Shout-outs:
Shout-outs to Fuzzy and Erica, who I saw on the course somewhere on Leland during mile 2, and also to Becky, who I ran into at the finish line. Also, shout-outs to all my friends who ran the race but who I didn't happen to see. I know there were several of you out there, based on your Facebook status updates.
Next:
3 or 4 miles on Tuesday, though I'm gonna check in with my knees in the next couple of days to make sure things are ok. I'm shifting the long runs to the weekends when I'll have more time, so next long run will be next weekend. Probably Saturday.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The better part of valor
Well, the short version is I decided not to do the Race to Wrigley 5K this morning.
The long version is that I was still not feeling quite 100% on my knees. Knowing I also have the Ravenswood 5K tomorrow, I didn't want to run today and not be able to run tomorrow. Of the two, I'd rather run the Ravenswood race. Plus, an extra day would help my knees rest up a little more.
I'm a bit bummed out that I missed the race, but my goal right now is being ready for the Soldier Field 10-mile on Memorial Day Weekend, and that means not injuring myself between now and then.
I still got my race t-shirt, and it's a nice one, so that's good. In fact, that's a whole other story about the worst race packet pick-up setup I've ever seen. The Wrigley race people never sent out an email letting us know where/when to pick up race bibs/T-shirts, so most of the racers looked this week at the website only to see that there were three dates we could do so - two of which were last weekend, which had already passed. The final date (other than picking up the packet at 6:30 AM this morning) was from 9:00 - 6:00 Friday. So I rushed from work to some Andersonville running store. When I got there, the line was down the street and around the corner for half a block full of people, like me, who had just gotten off work and didn't want to be picking up their packets at 6:30 AM the next day.
The line was moving very slowly. There were only two people handling the packets for everyone. Then the store closed and kicked the people out, so they started handing out the packets on the street, all the time threatening rain. There was one really bitchy lady who kept threatening to send everyone home despite the fact that it was their fault they were so woefully unprepared. Eventually, some kind-hearted racers volunteered to help out to get the line moving. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get my packet - enough time for me to have run the actual race...twice!
Anyway, I'll know to avoid that race next year. But I did get a nice technical shirt out of it.
Tomorrow - Ravenswood 5K!
The long version is that I was still not feeling quite 100% on my knees. Knowing I also have the Ravenswood 5K tomorrow, I didn't want to run today and not be able to run tomorrow. Of the two, I'd rather run the Ravenswood race. Plus, an extra day would help my knees rest up a little more.
I'm a bit bummed out that I missed the race, but my goal right now is being ready for the Soldier Field 10-mile on Memorial Day Weekend, and that means not injuring myself between now and then.
I still got my race t-shirt, and it's a nice one, so that's good. In fact, that's a whole other story about the worst race packet pick-up setup I've ever seen. The Wrigley race people never sent out an email letting us know where/when to pick up race bibs/T-shirts, so most of the racers looked this week at the website only to see that there were three dates we could do so - two of which were last weekend, which had already passed. The final date (other than picking up the packet at 6:30 AM this morning) was from 9:00 - 6:00 Friday. So I rushed from work to some Andersonville running store. When I got there, the line was down the street and around the corner for half a block full of people, like me, who had just gotten off work and didn't want to be picking up their packets at 6:30 AM the next day.
The line was moving very slowly. There were only two people handling the packets for everyone. Then the store closed and kicked the people out, so they started handing out the packets on the street, all the time threatening rain. There was one really bitchy lady who kept threatening to send everyone home despite the fact that it was their fault they were so woefully unprepared. Eventually, some kind-hearted racers volunteered to help out to get the line moving. It took about an hour and 15 minutes to get my packet - enough time for me to have run the actual race...twice!
Anyway, I'll know to avoid that race next year. But I did get a nice technical shirt out of it.
Tomorrow - Ravenswood 5K!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Good quote
Since I'm not running until Saturday, I thought I'd share a quote I just read. It's by Lance Armstrong, from the movie "Dodgeball".
"Quit? You know, once I was thinking of quitting when I was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer all at the same time. But with the love and support of my friends and family, I got back on the bike and won the Tour de France five times in a row. But I'm sure you have a good reason to quit."
"Quit? You know, once I was thinking of quitting when I was diagnosed with brain, lung and testicular cancer all at the same time. But with the love and support of my friends and family, I got back on the bike and won the Tour de France five times in a row. But I'm sure you have a good reason to quit."
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
New shoes!
I took my old shoes (the shoes I'd gotten 3 weeks ago) back to Fleet Feet to get a second opinion. I had a sneaking suspicion that they were at least partially responsible for my outside knee pain. Sure enough, the wear pattern on the the soles suggested that the outside of my foot/leg/knee was taking the brunt of my weight when I was running, and that's not ideal.
The guy said that those shoes had too much support, basically, which oddly enough was doing the same thing to me as too little support. So I got a new pair of shoes with "just-right" support. (They came with a bowl of porridge and a can of bear repellent.)
The new pair is also made by Saucony. They feel comfortable on my feet, but I won't be giving them a true test drive until Saturday morning. I'm giving my legs a chance to rest and heal so I'm not just re-aggravating anything from the old shoes. so, adieu until then!
The guy said that those shoes had too much support, basically, which oddly enough was doing the same thing to me as too little support. So I got a new pair of shoes with "just-right" support. (They came with a bowl of porridge and a can of bear repellent.)
The new pair is also made by Saucony. They feel comfortable on my feet, but I won't be giving them a true test drive until Saturday morning. I'm giving my legs a chance to rest and heal so I'm not just re-aggravating anything from the old shoes. so, adieu until then!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tight legs today
Statistics:
Distance: 2 miles
Time: 21:58
Stats/Track map
Observations:
This was going to be a 4-mile run, which obviously was cut short. It was cold out. Not freezing, but just cold and breezy, and when I got running, my legs just felt tight. I wasn't out of breath or anything. Just didn't think I should push it. My friend Jess suggested I work in some strength training, so I think I'm gonna try doing that this week. I'm signed up for two races this weekend, both 5K runs, so nothing bad. Just adding some fun to the training.
Anyway, one thing I did was run the 2-mile track without cutting the corners into the cross shape. According to the tracker, it's pretty much exactly 2 miles, which means that I was right that cutting the corners is making the tracker think I'm not running as far as I am. So on the recent 4 and 6 mile runs, I actually went about .2 miles farther than the tracker thinks. Oh well, no big deal. I'll just have to take that into account when checking my time in the future. I'm basically running faster miles than it says I am.
Next:
like I said, I'm gonna try to work in some strength training, possibly tomorrow night. I'm busy Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and I'm not going to do it Friday night, with the race Saturday morning.
Distance: 2 miles
Time: 21:58
Stats/Track map
Observations:
This was going to be a 4-mile run, which obviously was cut short. It was cold out. Not freezing, but just cold and breezy, and when I got running, my legs just felt tight. I wasn't out of breath or anything. Just didn't think I should push it. My friend Jess suggested I work in some strength training, so I think I'm gonna try doing that this week. I'm signed up for two races this weekend, both 5K runs, so nothing bad. Just adding some fun to the training.
Anyway, one thing I did was run the 2-mile track without cutting the corners into the cross shape. According to the tracker, it's pretty much exactly 2 miles, which means that I was right that cutting the corners is making the tracker think I'm not running as far as I am. So on the recent 4 and 6 mile runs, I actually went about .2 miles farther than the tracker thinks. Oh well, no big deal. I'll just have to take that into account when checking my time in the future. I'm basically running faster miles than it says I am.
Next:
like I said, I'm gonna try to work in some strength training, possibly tomorrow night. I'm busy Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and I'm not going to do it Friday night, with the race Saturday morning.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Woohoo, 6 miles!
Statistics:
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 1:13:16
Stats/Track map
Observations:
Well, let's start with the main observation: I ran 6 miles! This is the longest distance I've ever run in my life! :) I've walked 6 miles before (probably farther) but never run that far. So yay! I'm also happy because this is the first tangible proof that I'm getting better and that my body is developing the running muscles and endurance that I want it to. A couple weeks ago, I was pretty wiped out after 5 miles. Tonight after completing 6 miles, I still felt like I had reserves, and that fact is very reassuring!
If you look at the map, it might be confusing, but it's basically 3 laps of a 2-mile track. The outer square is 2 miles, but I vary it up by taking side streets, making the cross shape. The distance comes out the same, but it's a little less monotonous. That makes it a bit easier to have regular, shorter goals to get to. Also you may see that some of the corners are a bit tapered/clipped because my GPS is having to interpolate where I went if it has a weak signal. That causes it to slightly underestimate the distance I ran, and probably added a couple tenths of a mile by the time I got to the last lap. Just to be safe, I added a little tail to my third lap so that I'd come out at 6 miles at the end.
Not much more to say, really. The weather was perfect! The sun had gone down, and the temp was in the 70's with a slight breeze. Very nice.
Street Shout-out:
Shout-out to Charlotte, the spider, who decided to try to spin a web across the sidewalk on Ashland. Or maybe she was trying to weave me a finish line, which would be really sweet of her and quite astounding for an arachnid. In any case, running through a cobweb is not pleasant at any time.
Next:
Gonna play this one by ear and see how my legs feel after a couple days. I'm sure they'll be somewhat sore tomorrow and Saturday. Perhaps 4 miles on Sunday.
Distance: 6 miles
Time: 1:13:16
Stats/Track map
Observations:
Well, let's start with the main observation: I ran 6 miles! This is the longest distance I've ever run in my life! :) I've walked 6 miles before (probably farther) but never run that far. So yay! I'm also happy because this is the first tangible proof that I'm getting better and that my body is developing the running muscles and endurance that I want it to. A couple weeks ago, I was pretty wiped out after 5 miles. Tonight after completing 6 miles, I still felt like I had reserves, and that fact is very reassuring!
If you look at the map, it might be confusing, but it's basically 3 laps of a 2-mile track. The outer square is 2 miles, but I vary it up by taking side streets, making the cross shape. The distance comes out the same, but it's a little less monotonous. That makes it a bit easier to have regular, shorter goals to get to. Also you may see that some of the corners are a bit tapered/clipped because my GPS is having to interpolate where I went if it has a weak signal. That causes it to slightly underestimate the distance I ran, and probably added a couple tenths of a mile by the time I got to the last lap. Just to be safe, I added a little tail to my third lap so that I'd come out at 6 miles at the end.
Not much more to say, really. The weather was perfect! The sun had gone down, and the temp was in the 70's with a slight breeze. Very nice.
Street Shout-out:
Shout-out to Charlotte, the spider, who decided to try to spin a web across the sidewalk on Ashland. Or maybe she was trying to weave me a finish line, which would be really sweet of her and quite astounding for an arachnid. In any case, running through a cobweb is not pleasant at any time.
Next:
Gonna play this one by ear and see how my legs feel after a couple days. I'm sure they'll be somewhat sore tomorrow and Saturday. Perhaps 4 miles on Sunday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)