3 Miles easy
5x400 meter intervals at 7:30 pace
Rest
Tempo with 7:57 pace for fastest mile
Rest
Fast 4 miles at 8:23 pace with fastest mile of 8:08
6 miles easy
My previous fast 4 mile for the year was at an 8:54 pace, so as slow as I am currently running, I can still see improvement in just one short week. Of course, I have a large opportunity for improvement right now. =)
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
5K on the way
So on May 18, I will put on a bib for the first time in years and run a 5K. RUN. The goal of course would be a PR, but that may not be realistic as I have just one week (of weak) ;) speed training under my belt. That is the goal however, and time will tell what happens.
May 18th is a day I will never forget for other reasons, because, as some in the Northwest may remember, May 18th 1980, is the day Mt. St. Helen's erupted. I can remember being at a baseball practice and seeing the ash plumes stretching into the sky. From Portland, it looked like this
I was a good but not great runner back then, and one of the only races I remember was meet a that I placed 6th in. It was one of the bigger races too and probably my best performance, but I remember being next to another runner at my school, and at one or the other's suggestion we decided to go across the line together to tie, but in the last 50 yards he sprinted ahead and beat me. Obviously, he didn't like to lose.
A few years later he was much better at cross country than I, and I had stopped running. The next school year he didn't show up and I heard through the grapevine that he committed suicide over the summer. The story I heard was there was some type of injury or medical condition, and that Dr's told him he couldn't run anymore, and that pushed him to suicide. True story or not, I don't know, but that was the rumor at school.
Darn that kind of turned into a bummer, but where I was trying to go with that is that running isn't just running to everyone. Running certainly isn't worth your life, but running can make your life more worthwhile. It isn't the running itself per se, but the journey of it all. Health, determination, dedication, motivation are all required just to get you to the starting line. What happens from there, is just the icing on the cake.
May 18th is a day I will never forget for other reasons, because, as some in the Northwest may remember, May 18th 1980, is the day Mt. St. Helen's erupted. I can remember being at a baseball practice and seeing the ash plumes stretching into the sky. From Portland, it looked like this
Back then I was a very skinny kid and yes I did run some (cross country). I never really trained so to speak... I could pretty much just run forever if I wanted. I believe once my dad took me to the Oregon Coast to run the Seaside Oregon half marathon... at least I think it was a half marathon. Maybe it was a 10K... I can't remember, but I know I didn't really train for it and I did OK. It kind of sucked though because part of it was in the sand which made for hard running.
I was a good but not great runner back then, and one of the only races I remember was meet a that I placed 6th in. It was one of the bigger races too and probably my best performance, but I remember being next to another runner at my school, and at one or the other's suggestion we decided to go across the line together to tie, but in the last 50 yards he sprinted ahead and beat me. Obviously, he didn't like to lose.
A few years later he was much better at cross country than I, and I had stopped running. The next school year he didn't show up and I heard through the grapevine that he committed suicide over the summer. The story I heard was there was some type of injury or medical condition, and that Dr's told him he couldn't run anymore, and that pushed him to suicide. True story or not, I don't know, but that was the rumor at school.
Darn that kind of turned into a bummer, but where I was trying to go with that is that running isn't just running to everyone. Running certainly isn't worth your life, but running can make your life more worthwhile. It isn't the running itself per se, but the journey of it all. Health, determination, dedication, motivation are all required just to get you to the starting line. What happens from there, is just the icing on the cake.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Monday, April 08, 2013
First day of 5K training
Today is the first day of my 5K training cycle... in an attempt to break my 5K PR. Yahoo! This is the training I will follow: http://www.halhigdon.com/training/50935/5K-Advanced-Training-Program Unfortunately for me... I had a fast 5K for me when I was running a lot... even though I wasn't really training to run 5Ks back then. It will be interesting to see if I can get my speed up. Interesting indeed.
Sunday, April 07, 2013
Running in the Rain
Being from Oregon, I run in the rain a lot. Sure the Oregon summers are beautiful and we can go months without rain, but rain is common in the Spring, Winter and Fall. Most of the Oregon rain is a light misty type of drizzle that hardly causes a bother. We walk around in the rain all the time without a worry or an umbrella. Now, from my time in Florida and Georgia, I know how hard rain can come down in stretches... drenching, pounding big wet drops that will soak you in seconds.
Yesterday I set out for a slow 6 mile run, and the weather was decent though cloudy. There was a little breeze at my back that I hoped would go away before I turned around and headed back into it. But about the 2.5 mile mark the clouds darkened and the wind picked up even more and a few drops of rain started falling. No problem, Oregon rain.
The 1/2 way point of my run was a bridge in a park. It is a familiar and comforting place where I have turned around many times in my running. About 1/2 mile later as I was running next to the Hillsboro Airport, the gates of heck opened up. I could hear the line of rain pounding the metal roofs of the hangers before it even reached me, a chorus of man and nature. The rain then raced across the taxiway and passed the airport fence and then engulfed me.
"You didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?"
It was no Oregon rain, it was some wayward rain from another place and I was drenched. The sidewalk was covered in so much water I had trouble carving a path without stepping in 1/2 inch of water. The comfortable run turned in to something else. When the rain finally let up a bit I grabbed my shirt and wrenched out a cup or so of water that my dry fit running shirt had soaked up. Regardless... I didn't put on any body glide and I knew I'd have some chaffing issues afterward (and I did).
Just when I thought the worst was over, the rain returned even stronger. As I approached an intersection, I couldn't help but break out in a smile. It was some crazy rain, and I was that crazy runner that over the past few years I would see from the warmth of my car and think, wow... I'd hate to be that guy. But you see... my smile was because I know now that I *want* to be that guy. I don't want to float down the cozy path in life, I want to get out and run in all that nature throws at me... preferably in nice weather, but you have to take it all in to be able to appreciate the more comfortable times.
Bring it on rain, bring it on. (but next time I will remember the body glide)
Yesterday I set out for a slow 6 mile run, and the weather was decent though cloudy. There was a little breeze at my back that I hoped would go away before I turned around and headed back into it. But about the 2.5 mile mark the clouds darkened and the wind picked up even more and a few drops of rain started falling. No problem, Oregon rain.
The 1/2 way point of my run was a bridge in a park. It is a familiar and comforting place where I have turned around many times in my running. About 1/2 mile later as I was running next to the Hillsboro Airport, the gates of heck opened up. I could hear the line of rain pounding the metal roofs of the hangers before it even reached me, a chorus of man and nature. The rain then raced across the taxiway and passed the airport fence and then engulfed me.
"You didn't think it was going to be that easy did you?"
It was no Oregon rain, it was some wayward rain from another place and I was drenched. The sidewalk was covered in so much water I had trouble carving a path without stepping in 1/2 inch of water. The comfortable run turned in to something else. When the rain finally let up a bit I grabbed my shirt and wrenched out a cup or so of water that my dry fit running shirt had soaked up. Regardless... I didn't put on any body glide and I knew I'd have some chaffing issues afterward (and I did).
Just when I thought the worst was over, the rain returned even stronger. As I approached an intersection, I couldn't help but break out in a smile. It was some crazy rain, and I was that crazy runner that over the past few years I would see from the warmth of my car and think, wow... I'd hate to be that guy. But you see... my smile was because I know now that I *want* to be that guy. I don't want to float down the cozy path in life, I want to get out and run in all that nature throws at me... preferably in nice weather, but you have to take it all in to be able to appreciate the more comfortable times.
Bring it on rain, bring it on. (but next time I will remember the body glide)
Tuesday, April 02, 2013
Targets
I don't think jogging is healthy, especially morning jogging. If morning joggers knew how tempting they looked to morning motorists, they would stay home and do sit-ups. Rita Rudner
A real run
So a real run for me... not a jog, still seems like a jog for me when I was running marathons. I haven't been trying to run fast at all at this point, just trying to build a base so I won't hurt myself when I do up the speed a little.
I have been running 4-6 miles every other day for awhile now, and after a 3 day break (couldn't fit a run in on Easter because of company) I decided to try to see how fast I could comfortable run 4 miles... and it turned out to be 8:55 per mile. Now, I don't put much weight in speed, I am not trying to win a race, and someone else's speed vs my speed (whether faster or slower) means very little to me. But I did run a complete marathon quite a bit faster than that once, so I am aware of the opportunity for improvement.
When I was at the Oregon coast over spring break I let the kids ride their bikes on my 5 mile trail runs. They really enjoyed it... especially the 9 year old. I could see in his eyes, in his voice, and his smile. What they said without words was, 'this is pretty cool'. Maybe he will remember that spark some time in the future when he is old enough to run (or bike or mountain bike) and he will also choose to hit the road or trail.
I have been running 4-6 miles every other day for awhile now, and after a 3 day break (couldn't fit a run in on Easter because of company) I decided to try to see how fast I could comfortable run 4 miles... and it turned out to be 8:55 per mile. Now, I don't put much weight in speed, I am not trying to win a race, and someone else's speed vs my speed (whether faster or slower) means very little to me. But I did run a complete marathon quite a bit faster than that once, so I am aware of the opportunity for improvement.
When I was at the Oregon coast over spring break I let the kids ride their bikes on my 5 mile trail runs. They really enjoyed it... especially the 9 year old. I could see in his eyes, in his voice, and his smile. What they said without words was, 'this is pretty cool'. Maybe he will remember that spark some time in the future when he is old enough to run (or bike or mountain bike) and he will also choose to hit the road or trail.
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