...set an open course for the virgin seas

Statistics:
Distance: 3.2 miles (made up my .2 miles from last time)
Time: 33:21

Course Map/Stats


Observations:

Cold day again. Temp says it's 38 degrees outside. I'm still learning what (and what not) to wear. I wish I owned a pair of long-leg technical pants - the skin-tight kind. Those would have been perfect with a pair of shorts over them. I actually stopped in Fleet Feet before my run to see what they had, but surprisingly they had very little selection for men. So instead of buying something unideal and probably overpriced, I just left, and elected to wear sweatpants for my run today. I'm hoping that today will be my last day in sweatpants. Tomorrow should be about 10 degrees warmer, so I'll leave the sweats behind. On top I wore my long-sleeve technical shirt with a T-shirt over it, and a light windbreaker over that. Pretty good choice there, though I was getting pretty warm by the end of the run.

Oh, I almost forgot. New shoes! I went to Fleet Feet yesterday for a fitting/analysis/diagnosis, and came away with some new Sauconys. The shoes I had been using for the last couple months were comfortable on my feet, but they weren't giving me the kind of support I needed, which was probably causing some of the soreness in my legs. I've got to hand it to Fleet Feet for knowing their shit! First the guy examines me in my current shoes, then he gives me a pair of neutral shoes and has me job down the sidewalk to analyse how my feet hit the pavement. From that he can tell what kind of support I need in my shoes to get the most stability, and I ended up with the Sauconys. I should have taken a picture of the sign on the wall at Fleet Feet that read "When buying running shoes, you can NOT choose color". My apologies to Michael Kors and Neeeeena Garcia.

Anyway, today was my first run in the new shoes, and I feel pretty good. The knee soreness is gone and the calf soreness is a lot more minor than before. It will take some getting used to because the shoe sole really does make my feet hit the ground in a slightly different position than before, which is causing certain leg muscles to be used more than they used to. But in the long run I think this will be an improvement. Also, if they don't feel right, I can return them up to 30 days after purchase and try a different pair.

As for the run itself, it felt fairly challenging despite the short distance. First, it was a bit colder than my last run, and I had more clothes on. Also, I don't think my food intake was ideal today. I kind of forgot I'd be running tonight when I got a heavy meal for lunch. Ideally I'd have had a lighter lunch and then a snack in the afternoon. Oh well, live and learn. Despite that, I pushed myself on the pace. I didn't want to feel complacent at any point on the run, so I tried to keep my pace just that little bit on the pushing-it side. According to the stats, it was the same pace as Saturday, but I'm still a bit dubious about the exact measurements with this GPS tracker. Anyway, I'll be running the same course tomorrow, so I can compare my pace again tomorrow (sans sweatpants).


Street Shout-out:

Shout-out to the sneaky black ninja dog that scared the crap out of me on Wilson Ave!


Track List:
The Sweet Escape - Gwen Stefani
Under Pressure - Queen
St. Elmo's Fire - John Parr
Come Sail Away - Eric Cartman (South Park cover)
Let Me Clear My Throat - DJ Kool
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
Texas Flood - Stevie Ray Vaughn
I Know - Save Ferris
(warmdown)
Walk Like an Egyptian - The Puppini Sisters
Sure-Bla-Di Shot-Bla-Da - The Beastles
Yeah Yeah Yeah Song - The Flaming Lips


Next:
Tuesday - 3 miles

End of Week 1

Statistics:
Distance: 2.8 miles
Time: 28:05

Course Map/Stats

Week 1 total distance: 12 miles


Observations:

Well, somehow I mis-measured my route. According to Google Maps, it's 1 mile from Irving Park to Lawrence, and .5 miles from Damen to Ashland. So a route using those as my boundaries should have been 3 miles. But I guess Google fudged a bit, or perhaps my GPS cut some corners, or both. Anyway, the running tracker says I did 2.8 miles. No big deal, but I wish I'd notice while I was running so I could have added a couple more tenths on there. I wanted to see if I could do 3 miles in under 30 minutes. I think I'd have been right at/just under 30 minutes.

This was an easier run, which it's designed to be. Shorter distance than before, but also nicer weather - about 48 degrees and only light wind. Also, partly sunny. The only negative aspect of the run was the fact that I was running on sidewalks, which are inconsistent - sometimes they rise and fall, sometimes they slant left, sometimes they slant right. The left and right slopes are the worst, and I read that it could be part of the problem I had on Thursday with my knees afterward. I may start driving to the lake and running on the lake path just to have a smoother path. Also, when you run by Popeyes, it smells like fried chicken.

I stopped by Fleet Feet earlier today to pick up a couple pairs of running socks, and they were having a clearance sale on some of their cold-weather apparel. I got a long-sleeve technical shirt for 30% off, and promptly put it to use this afternoon. (Technical is runner-speak for synthetic, apparently). Tomorrow I'm going back there to check out a new pair of shoes. While the pair I have now is only a month or two old, they're on the cheap side, and if I'm going to be running more seriously, it makes sense to invest in quality shoes. They are, after all, where the rubber meets the road.


Street Shout-out:

I ran into Bryan B. on Leland and managed to recognize him without the beard.


Track list:
Golden Years - David Bowie
Vogue - Madonna
Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood - Kill Bill Soundtrack
Don't Stop Believing - Journey
Dead! - My Chemical Romance
Tiny Dancer - Ben Folds
Elevation - U2
(warmdown)
Goodbye, Goodbye - Oingo Boingo
Don't Stop Me Now - Queen


Next:
Monday - 3 miles (GPS willing) and my first two days in a row of running.