Trial Run

It's actually nice out today, a little wet but warm, like 50. So, I skipped TKD, which had been my plan for the night, and did a practice run of the St. Pat's Day run! Very exciting! It took me 33 minutes and 34 seconds, so a 10.48 minute mile pace for the run, or 5.72 mph. That's about what I've been doing on the treadmill at the gym. The first part is uphill, but not too bad an uphill. Not too good. I was def puffing and tired by the end, there were a lot of runners out today because it was so warm, and some passed me. But I passed pedestrians.

The race is 5 1/2 weeks away, so maybe I will be running a tad faster by then. 5 1/2 weeks ago I couldn't run for 30 min, and check me out now :)

My left leg was fine after the run, the right was a little sore, hip, knee, and ankle. Just needed to ice the ankle.

We paid for the Dirty Girl race today. We're going to be the Girls Gone Muddy team.

Running strong

I have a thing after work tomorrow, so I thought it would be good to go a day early. It's still cold out, though not freezing, but I went to the gym. For a minute or so I thought about going outside, but then common sense kicked in. When I can see my breath, and it's windy, it's too cold. Maybe next winter I'll be tough enough? Really, if I'm still running next winter I'll be psyched, no need to worry about inside vs out.

I did 5 minutes warming up, then 21 minutes at 5.8 mph, before going back to 5.5 for the last 4 minutes. Total distance 2.82 miles in the first 30 minutes, total of 3.1 in 35 min. While I was running it didn't feel amazing, but it was ok, but I didn't want to keep at 5.8 for the last 4 min. When I finished it felt good. Knees are good! I've been lifting weights to strengthen my quads, maybe it's helping. How will I do that once I'm outside?

I was going to go to yoga too, but my fav teacher isn't there, and I went on Thursday. So, I guess I get to be lazy instead!

It gets harder and harder to think of subjects for these posts.

Beating the crowds

More treadmill. It's about 7 degrees outside, no way I'm running out there. Don't even want to walk! Seems like everyone's with me on that, it was really crowded at the gym. Though, I went earlier today, right from work.

I ran 6.0 mph for ten minutes in a row, slowed down to 5.7 for five minutes, went back to 6.0 for two more minutes, and then finished at 5.8 for the final 10 or so min for a total of 2.85 miles in my 30 min, and 3.15 in 35 with the cool down. It felt pretty fast to me, and I was puffing a lot while going faster.

Big running news for me is that my second 5K is in the works! Some friends and I are planning to run in the Dirty Girl, which is a little like Tough Muddler, but less crazy. You have to crawl through a puddle of mud (= PMS or Pretty Muddy Stuff), go over a wall, thought tubes. Sounds fun :)

Winter blues

Cold cold cold out!  So, I was stuck in the gym again. I was running for the first five minutes, thinking how hard it was, going just 5.2 mph, and wondering what was up, and did the extra day off just kill my cardio built up? Then I realized that I had accidentally set the incline at .3 and was running uphill. Dork.  In the end I wound up going about 2.7 miles, 20 minutes at 5.8 mph, and then slower at the end.

Oh, and I had tied my shoes too tight and my big toes went numb, but I didn't want to stop and loosen them because I would have to get back into the zone again.

I'm typing on the iPad today. You just tap and it senses. Keyboard is a little small for fast typing. But, it makes me think about typing class in high school with the manual typewriter where you had to pound the keys and advance the paper by pushing the carriage back. Ha, young me, look at how much easier life gets!

Gym days

I got a new iPad I'm now blogging using Siri! It says it supposed to recognize your voice better in time, I hope so. Maybe this will finally teach me to enunciate well. Because blogging and corrected auto spell is a lot of work. But not as much as running I guess.

Went to the gym because it's cold and dark out.  Also the knees are still sore.  Even with NCIS on tv it's seriously boring.  I ran 5.8 MPH for twenty minutes of my 30 minutes! Five minutes slower warm up, but still running.  And I was getting a little tired at the end. Still, I went 2.86 miles running. With the cool down, 3.1 miles. So, 5K in 35 minutes. I feel like cardio wise I'm getting even stronger, though I still have room for improvement. It's just the knees.

First 5K!

I did it the way I originally ran, doing down Medford St first so that I would have to run uphill at the beginning, like I will have to do in the St. Pat's Day race.  The whole thing took me 32 min and 48 sec, with 121 ft of elevation gain.  The race route only has 79 feet.  The hill profile on the race route looks scary on Map My Run, even though it's less elevation gain.  I'm going to try to run it before race day.

30 minute distance was about 2.86, which seems to be my pace for 30 min.  Maybe on race day, with lots of other people around, I can go a little faster.

I felt a little crampy from about min 12 to min 18, but nothing that I needed to stop for.  And, I've had sore knees.  The knees are going to be the thing.

I think a couple guys were staring at my ass.  They were latino, so it's not like it's a HUGE complement, but I'll take it.

Viewers?

I thought all these mystery people were interested in my boring blog, but then it turns out it's robo urls checking to see if they should try to sell adds to me.  Keep moving robo dudes, nothing to see.

For a third time I ran for 30 minutes.  I got really crampy at about half way and kind of had to force myself to finish.  Most of the run, about 20 minutes, I did 5.7-5.9 miles an hour!  The first and last five minutes I did 5.5 mph.  When I slowed down to 5.5 at the end, it felt a lot slower.  Aside from the cramps and some pain in my left knee, I felt good.  Bored out of my mind because I was on the treadmill, but good.  I think with another 2 months I'll be able to run the entire St. Pats Day run at about that speed.

I gotta think about ways to make the treadmill more interesting.  First, I need more running music, then I need something more interesting to do than imagine that I'm running the Boston Marathon.  All the interesting stuff seems to happen in the weight area, maybe the kids who hang out there would come over to my direction to flirt with each other?

Oh yes, ran 2.8 miles in 30 minutes, then completed the five minute cool down and got to 3.2 miles.  No hills.

Triumph outdoors!

I ran for 30 minutes straight outside!!!!!!  Go me!  It wasn't easy, esp the first 5 minutes, but it wasn't that hard.  A little part of me wanted to stop, but a much bigger part wanted to keep running and break the 30 min barrier, so I did.  According to Map My Run I went 2.9 miles, which is an average pace of 10:17.  I think I need to drive the route in my car, I'm not really convinced about the thing.

Keeping myself humble, there was a chick running waaay faster and I bumped into her twice on the route :)  But, I'm definitely passing people walking their dogs and talking on their cell phones, and not just people with geriatric dogs.

Not too sore after the run.  Still wore the knee things, left knee was a little sore and right hip.  I waited 2 days between runs, seemed to help.  Maybe if I try for 3 days a week my joints will survive better.

30 minutes outside with hills and all, never thought it would happen.

PS. Drove around with my car.  According to my car it's 2.8 miles.  Is my car wrong?  Do I really have a lot more miles than I think?  I did all right turns because I thought it would be closer, but there was a one way street that I forgot about.  I guess I'm going to have to start to believe google, I do about everything else.

Triumph!

I ran for a full 30 minutes today!!!!!!!!!  It wasn't fast, and it was on the treadmill which I had set at 0 incline, but I started at a slow jog and sped it up after a minute and again after 2 minutes to 5.5 mph, and I stayed at that speed for the rest of the full 30 min.  It was about 2.7 miles.  And it felt good.

My shins hurt a little bit, maybe need to take a couple days off and let them rest.  Not really painful, but enough to notice.

I left home thinking today could be the day, and it was!  It took less than 2 months for the first baby step.  From the weather it looks like I'll be inside for a while, so I guess the next step will be to do the same again a few times.  Then look to increasing speed and/or distance.  Maybe distance first, since I have to hit 3.1 for March?

Go me :)

New Year!

I guess I will be in a new month now in the blog.  Hopefully I will be continuing through the year.  Went to the gym again today because #1 It's cold out, #2 It's still icy on some of the sidewalks and #3 It seemed like the thing to do on New Years.  It wasn't too crowded.  Yet.

I did 9 min / 1 min splits!  But the last split I just ran the entire 10 min.  So, 28 minutes of running.  I started slow and got faster for the first few minutes (but not walking) and got up to 5.5 mph.  Second split I did 6.0 mph, then the third I went back to 5.5.  Total distance was 2.8 miles I think.  I'm really suspicious of google maps.  5.5 felt like a nice jog, 6.0 felt pretty tiring (hence dropping back for the third split.)  No hills.  Do I really run faster outside?  I feel like I'm going at a crawl usually.

The gym is fricking boring!  Even with music and a TV.

Post Script: Holy Shit!  I just saw on the news that this couple in Australia is trying to run a marathon a day for the entire year.  And they are grandparents!!  I can't even imagine it: Forrest Gump meets Crocodile Hunter.  What if you just want to spend the day watching Mad Men?