Part 2 (tired)

Just got done running 7.15 miles in 1:08:15...average pace 9:33
I'd love to call it a tempo run, but as tc confirmed, I was just running fast out of the gate and I cant pace myself for shit. Oh, and jc...I am not too old to be out at 10pm running.

Part 1

Saturday was fine. went 13 with the CARA group. my quads were pretty cashed at the end, but everything else was fine.

Sunday and Monday were rest days. I just haven't been doing those cross training days like I should be.
end of part one ;-)

6...and put some stank on it!

Yep, went 6 miles today, not the 3 that my schedule told me to go.

Sort of made up for missing my midweek semi-long run. I put a little stank on it too...average pace was 11:07. felt good, didnt feel like it was too tiring, but that's probably because i had tc with me, she biked while i ran alongside. the first mile and a half was a little rough, but i had a chance to stop and stretch and i think it really helped, because the next 4 and a half were really good.

next: rest day (amen)

Swing and a then a miss

Ran 3 on Tuesday...went too quick, prolly close to a 10:30 pace but i'm not really sure.
Missed my longish run on Wednesday...oops.

12 miles, woohoo!!!

So, yeah. i did the long run with the group. my left calf felt great for the whole run, although i didnt feel comfortable until at least somewhere in mile 2 or 3. and i kept chasing a rhythm, catching it only every now and then. by the end my quads were appropriately fatigued.

on sunday tc and i weren't as lazy as we have been. we actually cross trained, biking around to various places in the city. even cathcing a movie along the way. tc's not one to mince words, so see her blog for what must be the most concise movie review ever. oh, and i agree with her.


next: 3 on tuesday

6

went six beautiful miles. it was hot and muggy, but the run was quite nice. I didn't have any pains and I was able to focus on my form and footstrike. actually got into a rythum at one point and went a good half mile before I realized I had mentally flown the coup.
thanks to tc for helping me figure pace (10:35) and for reminding me that I have consistently missed one run a week since the CARA program started. oh yeah, I missed yesterday's run too...got into some cardio and was not in good shape to run after than. cest la vie.
next: 3 miles

7 miles

that wasn't so bad. it was a cutback week...amen because running can get a little tiring on the ole body. the best thing about the run was that my left calf never really hurt. it was tight at first, as it has been for weeks, but it never hurt. it's one of those achy pains that i tend to run through figuring it's just because i am not used to all this mileage. yes, i know, it could be a sign of an overuse injury. but i've had a couple of those in the past and this felt different. this felt like adjustment rather than overuse. you know, it's like if you haven't done sit-ups in a long time and you decide to bust out a hundred or so. you know your body can handle it, but it still aches. that was what my left calf was experiencing. and then somehow during this cutback week, it didn't hurt. i think that not missing my 3 weekday runs helps, i think it keeps it stretched and used to the strain.

not looking forward to 6 miles at the ass-crack on wednesday.

3 miles, then 5, then a realization

went a nice 3 miles on tuesday. had a slight drizzle during the beginning of the run, it helped lots. average pace was 11:30. the most apparent thing about the run was that i really need to start taking this training seriously, more on that in a bit.

woke up early on wednesday and ran 5 miles. i didn’t even try to wake up. i just rolled out of bed, drained the main, got dressed, and was out the door within 5 mins. the fact that i didn’t wake up first is probably why i was at a 10 minute pace when i checked at the 1.5 mile mark. of course i tried to slow down a bit, but at 2.5 miles i was still on 10 minute pace. by mile 4 i knew there was no adjusting...my body just wanted to run at that same pace. frankly i think i was so sleepy i couldn’t self-monitor effectively and therefore i ended up running the same pace as when i started. i was happy that i could maintain the pace, but physically a little sore from all the effort. in all, 5 miles 9:59 pace.

so, about taking training seriously. oh yeah, i do the running part. true, i occasionally miss a run a week (but i view that as a little extra rest), i wake up at the ass crack to grind out a few miles if i know i have something else to do that night, and i haven’t skipped a long run. but what i haven’t been doing, which became very obvious on tuesday, is taking the totality of my training seriously; only certain aspects are given the proper attention. the most obvious aspect i am leaving out is proper diet. on tuesday i could feel the pizza crawling up my throat, trying to get out as i ran. and it wasn’t the first time i've fell buh during a run. so now, i need to start paying attention to my diet. better snacks, healthier meals, less fast food crap.

now i know you'll say that beverage choice is part of my diet. but let me be clear. i will continue to drink beer and whisky, perhaps just in smaller quantities...perhaps.

this is not turning over a new leaf, just enlightenment. a realization of where i am and how i am not helping myself out.

10 miles

that was the first double-digit run in a long time for me. it felt really good to be going "long" again. there's something rerally satusfying about running for two or more hours. the group run was just as good as last week. the leader is a good guy, who doesn't waste our time. and the other runners in the group are pretty nice too, not always the most conversational, but nice all the same.

i was a little tight at first, still had that nagging left calf issue. i've gotten used to it, it takes a few miles to warm it up, but it's feeling so much better than it did just two weeks ago, so i think i am finally adapting. this week i actually had Gu with me, horay! it helps, if not physically, mentally.

up next: 3 on tuesday

Tempo

Since I missed my mid-week semi-long run, which I had planned to do a tempo run for, I thought I’d stretch out today’s run. Went just under 4 miles and had a 20 minute tempo in the middle. tc says that two days before the long run is a bad day to do a hard workout like a tempo. While she is usually right, as she is a great bit smarter than I am, I sure hope she’s wrong on this one.

It felt pretty good. It was friggin hot out (86 degrees), and I think I got a nice pink sheen on my nose from all the sun, but it was at least windy.

Next: rest

Sat: 10 miles

2.6

Yep. ran 2.6 miles, that's all. calves hurt, and tc felt like crap. sounds like a couple of good reasons to stop short. also managed to skip my mid-week semi-long run, again.