Treadmill Warmup
Time: 22:20 min.
Distance: 1.75 mi.
Pace: 12:46 m/mi
Time of Day: 6:15 a.m.
I did a 30-sec sprint during my warm up for strength training today.
I have missed a couple of strength training sessions but I wasn't too worried about the new routine Kelly left for me at the gym. But, boy was I wrong. I managed to get through the routine, but man, it kicked my butt. I will definitely be at the gym again on Friday and I'm thinking about going again Sunday and then run on the treadmill for my easy 3 miles.
It's going to be hot the next few days. A heat advisory has been issued from noon Wednesday until Saturday evening. My training schedule calls for 6 miles tomorrow and 8 on Saturday. I might be able to do the 6 miles early tomorrow, but I'm afraid by Saturday the humidity will be too much for me to run outside. As much as I don't like to do long runs on the treadmill, I think that's where I'll be come Saturday morning.
Showing posts with label treadmill. Show all posts
Showing posts with label treadmill. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Monday, October 25, 2010
Rejoined the Gym
Today was my first day in the gym in about 6 months. I ran about 15 minutes on the treadmill and did some light weight lifting.
When you are forced to cut household expenses you learn what is really important. The Love and I gave up our gym membership about 6 months ago to save money. He agreed to walk outside 4-5 times a week and I was running. I figured I could figure out a way to lift weights at home. However, cold weather is just around the corner and I am not doing any kind of resistance training.
We were not quite as successful working out without the gym as we had told ourselves we would be. It was extremely hot and humid this summer which kept us both inside several different times. I just couldn't get my act together to do upper body exercises here at home. And sometimes we skipped because our schedules just wouldn't allow us to workout during the day. Plus, I think we both missed the option of working out at the gym.
A couple of weeks ago we received a letter from our gym offering "amnesty" if you rejoined on a certain date. That prompted The Love and me to really evaluate our options. We visited another bare bones gym close to home thinking it would meet our needs at a lower cost. But neither of us felt very comfortable there. All the machines were really close together; it felt crowded.
So we looked at the monthly cash flow and decided the gym membership is important enough that we will economize somewhere else.
When you are forced to cut household expenses you learn what is really important. The Love and I gave up our gym membership about 6 months ago to save money. He agreed to walk outside 4-5 times a week and I was running. I figured I could figure out a way to lift weights at home. However, cold weather is just around the corner and I am not doing any kind of resistance training.
We were not quite as successful working out without the gym as we had told ourselves we would be. It was extremely hot and humid this summer which kept us both inside several different times. I just couldn't get my act together to do upper body exercises here at home. And sometimes we skipped because our schedules just wouldn't allow us to workout during the day. Plus, I think we both missed the option of working out at the gym.
A couple of weeks ago we received a letter from our gym offering "amnesty" if you rejoined on a certain date. That prompted The Love and me to really evaluate our options. We visited another bare bones gym close to home thinking it would meet our needs at a lower cost. But neither of us felt very comfortable there. All the machines were really close together; it felt crowded.
So we looked at the monthly cash flow and decided the gym membership is important enough that we will economize somewhere else.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Head for the Hills
Time: 26:53 min.
Distance: 2.15 mi.
Pace: 12:56 m/mi.
Time of Day: 6:15 a.m.
Weather: 80°F, humid but breezy
A new route today. Instead of turning left out of my subdivision I turned right and headed out to run some hills. As I've said before, I live half way up a hill. At the bottom of the hill is a river. So I ran almost to the river this morning. I have avoided this area simply because it is all downhill on the outbound, and, of course, uphill all the way back. But it is going to be a good way to get in some hill practice.
I'm pretty pleased with my performance. I didn't walk at all and to run up a fairly steady incline about a mile long at a 12:56 pace--well, I think that was pretty good.
BTW, I'm feeling the ab workout yesterday.
I'm out of town the rest of the week so my workout schedule looks like this:
Wednesday-yoga in the hotel room
Thursday-treadmill for 3-4 miles
Friday-rest
Saturday-Probably an additional rest day since I will be traveling.
Sunday-long run
Distance: 2.15 mi.
Pace: 12:56 m/mi.
Time of Day: 6:15 a.m.
Weather: 80°F, humid but breezy
A new route today. Instead of turning left out of my subdivision I turned right and headed out to run some hills. As I've said before, I live half way up a hill. At the bottom of the hill is a river. So I ran almost to the river this morning. I have avoided this area simply because it is all downhill on the outbound, and, of course, uphill all the way back. But it is going to be a good way to get in some hill practice.
I'm pretty pleased with my performance. I didn't walk at all and to run up a fairly steady incline about a mile long at a 12:56 pace--well, I think that was pretty good.
BTW, I'm feeling the ab workout yesterday.
I'm out of town the rest of the week so my workout schedule looks like this:
Wednesday-yoga in the hotel room
Thursday-treadmill for 3-4 miles
Friday-rest
Saturday-Probably an additional rest day since I will be traveling.
Sunday-long run
Monday, May 17, 2010
A Long Talk With The Coach
I had a long talk with The Coach Sunday evening. I was feeling bad about my earlier run. And, with a travel schedule that will disrupt my running schedule again, I wanted to get her advice on how to proceed. As usual she was understanding, uplifting and practical.
The first thing she said was that Monday should be a fun run, if I run at all. Decide in the morning how I feel and if I don't feel like running, then don't. If I do feel like running, then just start out and run for only as long as it is pleasurable. Don't go out with any time or distance goal. Just run for the joy of it.
She also reminded me that I am a beginner runner. I have not built up a great deal of endurance or stamina and running the distances I did in the time frame I did really taxed my body. Don't beat myself up about a bad run, just accept reality and move on. Even elite runners have bad runs.
So here I am in my hotel room Monday evening. I didn't run this morning before leaving home because it was raining. I am exhausted after my day today. Making myself go get on the hotel treadmill sounds like toture. I am going to wait until tomorrow to run. I believe I will be at my hotel early enough that I can get on the treadmill before dinner.
The first thing she said was that Monday should be a fun run, if I run at all. Decide in the morning how I feel and if I don't feel like running, then don't. If I do feel like running, then just start out and run for only as long as it is pleasurable. Don't go out with any time or distance goal. Just run for the joy of it.
She also reminded me that I am a beginner runner. I have not built up a great deal of endurance or stamina and running the distances I did in the time frame I did really taxed my body. Don't beat myself up about a bad run, just accept reality and move on. Even elite runners have bad runs.
So here I am in my hotel room Monday evening. I didn't run this morning before leaving home because it was raining. I am exhausted after my day today. Making myself go get on the hotel treadmill sounds like toture. I am going to wait until tomorrow to run. I believe I will be at my hotel early enough that I can get on the treadmill before dinner.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
On The Road Dearborn MI
Friday's Stats
Distance: 3 mi.
Time: 39:26 min.
Pace: 13:09 min/mi
Time of day: 8:30 p.m.
On the road in Dearborn MI today. I'm working with my friend, Londa. I help with her creative sweatshirt jacket workshops. It is tons of fun.
Friday evening after a full day's seminar, a visit to a quilt shop and some dinner, I spent 40 minutes on the treadmill in the hotel. It was a pretty fancy treadmill. I had my own personal HD TV. Unfortunately, I didn't take my headphones to the exercise room. It worked out o.k. I jsut read the subtitles as they scrolled across the screen.
I will be home in time to run my regular Sunday 2 miles.
Distance: 3 mi.
Time: 39:26 min.
Pace: 13:09 min/mi
Time of day: 8:30 p.m.
On the road in Dearborn MI today. I'm working with my friend, Londa. I help with her creative sweatshirt jacket workshops. It is tons of fun.
Friday evening after a full day's seminar, a visit to a quilt shop and some dinner, I spent 40 minutes on the treadmill in the hotel. It was a pretty fancy treadmill. I had my own personal HD TV. Unfortunately, I didn't take my headphones to the exercise room. It worked out o.k. I jsut read the subtitles as they scrolled across the screen.
I will be home in time to run my regular Sunday 2 miles.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Rain Rain
Distance: 2 mi.
Time: 26:12 min.
Pace 13:06 min/mi.
Time of day: 9:15 a.m.
Temp: 36°F. 30°F WC. Rainy, cold
The rain and cold drove me to the treadmill this morning for my recovery run of 2 miles. I was feeling a little stiff and sore from yesterday's 10 miles. I'm really glad for the 2 miles this morning. I feel so much better now. I didn't push myself, but ran at an easy pace never going faster than 5.1 mph on the treadmill. It was all good.
Time: 26:12 min.
Pace 13:06 min/mi.
Time of day: 9:15 a.m.
Temp: 36°F. 30°F WC. Rainy, cold
The rain and cold drove me to the treadmill this morning for my recovery run of 2 miles. I was feeling a little stiff and sore from yesterday's 10 miles. I'm really glad for the 2 miles this morning. I feel so much better now. I didn't push myself, but ran at an easy pace never going faster than 5.1 mph on the treadmill. It was all good.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sweatin' Away
4.00 mi. in 50:51 min. Top speed 4.9 mph.
Temp: 24°F, 12°F wind chill.
Time of day: 6:30 a.m.
Too cold to run outside this morning so me & my best friend, The Treadmill, worked out together at the gym! I know I've mentioned how much I sweat on the treadmill, but today I felt like I might float away. But be that as it may, I ran my 4 miles in good form and good time.
Recently Scott and I were talking about how he passes the time on the treadmill. He doesn't watch TV, nor does he listen to music. Kudos to him! He told me he picks a spot, just focuses on it and runs. I tried something similar today. No way I'm not listening to music, but I did pick a spot on a poster and focused on it and just ran. I didn't watch television; I didn't watch the treadmill display; I didn't look around at what was going on in the gym. I just focused on that orange spot and ran.
I found that when I did that I was able to focus on my form and breathing. I think my feet and legs are working great, but my arm movement needs helps. I don't keep my elbows close to my body when I run and that allows my arms to cross my body in front, rather than move straight ahead. Part of this problem relates to my carpel tunnel. I have to be careful how I hold my right thumb or my fingers begin to go numb on my right hand. So I took some time today to keep reminding myself to hold my elbows close in to my body and figure out how to relax my right hand. I wasn't 100% successful, but I'm making progress.
Another issue I have is hunching my shoulders. I know that when I keep my shoulders down and relaxed I run much better, but they tend to creep up into that hunched up position. So I worked on keeping my shoulders down and relaxed.
I wasn't focused on my "spot" 100% of the time. I had to keep reminding myself to focus and keep bringing my attention back to my spot. But I strung together about 6 songs of good focus time. One of the biggest distractions was the sweat. I told myself, "You can wipe your face only at the end of each song." A couple of times I had to wipe off my face mid-song. I read somewhere about weighing yourself before and after running to see how much sweat you are losing. Maybe I should do that just to satisfy my own curiousity.
I'm a little stiff today after strength training yesterday. Not surprising since I missed last Thursday's workout due to a migraine.
The weather forecast is for sunshine on Thursday and more snow Friday. I may swap workouts so I can run outside on Thursday, then strength train on Friday at the gym.
Temp: 24°F, 12°F wind chill.
Time of day: 6:30 a.m.
Too cold to run outside this morning so me & my best friend, The Treadmill, worked out together at the gym! I know I've mentioned how much I sweat on the treadmill, but today I felt like I might float away. But be that as it may, I ran my 4 miles in good form and good time.
Recently Scott and I were talking about how he passes the time on the treadmill. He doesn't watch TV, nor does he listen to music. Kudos to him! He told me he picks a spot, just focuses on it and runs. I tried something similar today. No way I'm not listening to music, but I did pick a spot on a poster and focused on it and just ran. I didn't watch television; I didn't watch the treadmill display; I didn't look around at what was going on in the gym. I just focused on that orange spot and ran.
I found that when I did that I was able to focus on my form and breathing. I think my feet and legs are working great, but my arm movement needs helps. I don't keep my elbows close to my body when I run and that allows my arms to cross my body in front, rather than move straight ahead. Part of this problem relates to my carpel tunnel. I have to be careful how I hold my right thumb or my fingers begin to go numb on my right hand. So I took some time today to keep reminding myself to hold my elbows close in to my body and figure out how to relax my right hand. I wasn't 100% successful, but I'm making progress.
Another issue I have is hunching my shoulders. I know that when I keep my shoulders down and relaxed I run much better, but they tend to creep up into that hunched up position. So I worked on keeping my shoulders down and relaxed.
I wasn't focused on my "spot" 100% of the time. I had to keep reminding myself to focus and keep bringing my attention back to my spot. But I strung together about 6 songs of good focus time. One of the biggest distractions was the sweat. I told myself, "You can wipe your face only at the end of each song." A couple of times I had to wipe off my face mid-song. I read somewhere about weighing yourself before and after running to see how much sweat you are losing. Maybe I should do that just to satisfy my own curiousity.
I'm a little stiff today after strength training yesterday. Not surprising since I missed last Thursday's workout due to a migraine.
The weather forecast is for sunshine on Thursday and more snow Friday. I may swap workouts so I can run outside on Thursday, then strength train on Friday at the gym.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Just Another Sunday & Monday
Sunday
2.19 mi. in 28:21 minutes
Monday
1.15 mi. in 15:00 minutes (warm up for strength training)
More snow kept me indoors on the treadmill Sunday.
A little surprising is the fact that I'm not sore from running the race on Saturday. Even though it was only 5 miles, I thought I might be a little sore due to the race conditions and environment. But I'm happy to report that I feel great.
Scott and I cross the finish line Saturday!
2.19 mi. in 28:21 minutes
Monday
1.15 mi. in 15:00 minutes (warm up for strength training)
More snow kept me indoors on the treadmill Sunday.
A little surprising is the fact that I'm not sore from running the race on Saturday. Even though it was only 5 miles, I thought I might be a little sore due to the race conditions and environment. But I'm happy to report that I feel great.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Running in Place
5.0 mi. in 1:05:44, 0% incline, 4.6 mph top speed
Temp: 15°F, WC -2°F with 6" of snow on the ground
Time of day: 11:30 a.m.
It snowed over night and turned much colder. I know this because I shoveled our driveway and my neighbor-across-the-street's driveway. Which is probably why I am worn out after running 5 miles on the treadmill today.
I'm sure at some point an hour on the treadmill will be no big deal, but right now it's a long time. I feel like I've bonded with gerbils the world over--running, yet going nowhere. I loaded a movie onto my iPhone and watched it while running. It helped pass the time, but it was still significant time on a treadmill. In fact, I learned today that 60 minutes is the "club limit" on the treadmill. Since there were 3 or 4 empty treadmills and no one waiting for me to get off, I just started it up again and ran the last half 1/2 mile to finish up the 5 miles scheduled for today.
I also have my first blister. I guess I shouldn't be happy about that, but I figured if I run almost every day, the day would come when a blister appears. It doesn't hurt, isn't very big and I think I will survive. Coach Jeni told me how to treat it and I'm sure I'll be fine for the race on Saturday.
Thursday Scott and I are going to pick up our race packets. I'm pretty excited.
Temp: 15°F, WC -2°F with 6" of snow on the ground
Time of day: 11:30 a.m.
It snowed over night and turned much colder. I know this because I shoveled our driveway and my neighbor-across-the-street's driveway. Which is probably why I am worn out after running 5 miles on the treadmill today.
I'm sure at some point an hour on the treadmill will be no big deal, but right now it's a long time. I feel like I've bonded with gerbils the world over--running, yet going nowhere. I loaded a movie onto my iPhone and watched it while running. It helped pass the time, but it was still significant time on a treadmill. In fact, I learned today that 60 minutes is the "club limit" on the treadmill. Since there were 3 or 4 empty treadmills and no one waiting for me to get off, I just started it up again and ran the last half 1/2 mile to finish up the 5 miles scheduled for today.
I also have my first blister. I guess I shouldn't be happy about that, but I figured if I run almost every day, the day would come when a blister appears. It doesn't hurt, isn't very big and I think I will survive. Coach Jeni told me how to treat it and I'm sure I'll be fine for the race on Saturday.
Thursday Scott and I are going to pick up our race packets. I'm pretty excited.
Monday, February 1, 2010
A Pain in the Butt
.5 mi. in 7:07 minutes, no incline (warm up for strength training)
Time of day: 6 a.m.
Uh oh. Oops. I think I did a no-no. I have a pain at the top of my left hamstring radiating into my backside. I didn't even notice anything was wrong until I hit the treadmill. I almost rolled off the back the pain surprised me so much. I slowed way down to 4.2 mph thinking it was stiff and would work out. Nope. I was able to limp to half a mile and then I got off. I was able to walk o.k. and I completed my entire strength training routine. I think this warrants a call to The Coach.
Time of day: 6 a.m.
Uh oh. Oops. I think I did a no-no. I have a pain at the top of my left hamstring radiating into my backside. I didn't even notice anything was wrong until I hit the treadmill. I almost rolled off the back the pain surprised me so much. I slowed way down to 4.2 mph thinking it was stiff and would work out. Nope. I was able to limp to half a mile and then I got off. I was able to walk o.k. and I completed my entire strength training routine. I think this warrants a call to The Coach.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
A Better Day
3.0 mi. in 37.53 min. at 3.5% incline.
Time of day: 9 a.m.
Temp: 22°F, WC 8°F and snow
Today's run was really good. Cold temps and 3" of fresh now kept me indoors on the treadmill. But it was a really good run. I felt strong and enjoyed the run.
The 3.5% incline was not my idea. The guy on the treadmill before me had it set there and I couldn't get it to go back to 0. I used to think I was pretty tech savvy, but this issue with the treadmill and the fact my iPod app continues to play only 3-5 seconds of each song on my playlist, makes me wonder. So I set my speed at 4.9 mph and figured if I tired out I would just slow down. Quite the contrary. I felt really good running and considered running farther than my scheduled 3 miles. But I decided it was better to stick to the training schedule and not over do the distance. I am, however, looking forward to this coming week so I can begin to do longer runs again.
Time of day: 9 a.m.
Temp: 22°F, WC 8°F and snow
Today's run was really good. Cold temps and 3" of fresh now kept me indoors on the treadmill. But it was a really good run. I felt strong and enjoyed the run.
The 3.5% incline was not my idea. The guy on the treadmill before me had it set there and I couldn't get it to go back to 0. I used to think I was pretty tech savvy, but this issue with the treadmill and the fact my iPod app continues to play only 3-5 seconds of each song on my playlist, makes me wonder. So I set my speed at 4.9 mph and figured if I tired out I would just slow down. Quite the contrary. I felt really good running and considered running farther than my scheduled 3 miles. But I decided it was better to stick to the training schedule and not over do the distance. I am, however, looking forward to this coming week so I can begin to do longer runs again.
Friday, January 29, 2010
And the Beat Goes On
3.2 mi. in 37:20 min. at 1% incline
Time of day: 7 a.m.
Temp: 18°F, WC 3°F.
In looking for the positive in today's run—I completed, in really good shape, 3 mi. at 4.9 mph. and 1% incline.
On the not so positive side, I dropped my iPhone once, accidentally hit the panic button on the treadmill and had to start over. I really need to find an armband that doesn't irritate my skin. (The Love Of My Life said he would buy one for me as a Valentine's Day gift. He's so great!) And then after I restarted my music, the songs would play for like 3 sec. then change. I ended up starting Pandora and listening to my country music station.
I felt like a total bumbling idiot up there on the treadmill in front of the whole gym. But, and here's another good thing, I stuck it out. I restarted the machine and completed my run. I was totally distracted by what occurred and I couldn't get a good rhythm going, my breathing was erratic, but I hung in there and finished my 3 miles. That's worth a pat on the back.
So I'm off to shower. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.
Time of day: 7 a.m.
Temp: 18°F, WC 3°F.
In looking for the positive in today's run—I completed, in really good shape, 3 mi. at 4.9 mph. and 1% incline.
On the not so positive side, I dropped my iPhone once, accidentally hit the panic button on the treadmill and had to start over. I really need to find an armband that doesn't irritate my skin. (The Love Of My Life said he would buy one for me as a Valentine's Day gift. He's so great!) And then after I restarted my music, the songs would play for like 3 sec. then change. I ended up starting Pandora and listening to my country music station.
I felt like a total bumbling idiot up there on the treadmill in front of the whole gym. But, and here's another good thing, I stuck it out. I restarted the machine and completed my run. I was totally distracted by what occurred and I couldn't get a good rhythm going, my breathing was erratic, but I hung in there and finished my 3 miles. That's worth a pat on the back.
So I'm off to shower. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Money in the Bank
3.0 mi. in 38:38 with up to 1.5% incline.
Temp: warm enough to run outside but I messed up my schedule and ended up on the treadmill.
Time of day: 4 p.m.
After telling a friend how low-energy I was feeling yesterday and how I thought I would just swap rest days and run on Wednesday, he asked me if I had ever heard of the $100 deposit philosophy. "Nope", I replied. Here it is. Exercise is like depositing money in a savings account. Some days are $100 deposits, some days are $10 deposits. But the idea is to deposit something every day. Regular small money deposits eventually create a sizeable nest egg. Likewise, small exercise efforts add up in many ways: increased endurance and strength, continued calorie burn, better disposition, more toned body, and much more. For me, it is the mental discipline of exercising daily.
Both Jeni and this friend have told me the biggest obstacle to my running is in my head. I believe them. Today my friend suggested that if I didn't feel like running to go out and walk. Even if it was only for 15 or 20 minutes. It might only be a $10 deposit day, but it would be a deposit. By the time I got to the gym later in the day I figured why not run? As long as I had made the effort to get to the gym, why not just go ahead and make a bigger "deposit"? So I challenged myself on the treadmill, running at up to 4.8 mph for .1 mi at a time, totalling .5 mi. And I added some incline, up to 1.5%. The changes were not big, but still a challenge. So instead of just putting in 40 minutes of boring running on the treadmill, I mixed it up a little and ended up feeling so much better physically and mentally.
Isn't it great to have friends?
Temp: warm enough to run outside but I messed up my schedule and ended up on the treadmill.
Time of day: 4 p.m.
After telling a friend how low-energy I was feeling yesterday and how I thought I would just swap rest days and run on Wednesday, he asked me if I had ever heard of the $100 deposit philosophy. "Nope", I replied. Here it is. Exercise is like depositing money in a savings account. Some days are $100 deposits, some days are $10 deposits. But the idea is to deposit something every day. Regular small money deposits eventually create a sizeable nest egg. Likewise, small exercise efforts add up in many ways: increased endurance and strength, continued calorie burn, better disposition, more toned body, and much more. For me, it is the mental discipline of exercising daily.
Both Jeni and this friend have told me the biggest obstacle to my running is in my head. I believe them. Today my friend suggested that if I didn't feel like running to go out and walk. Even if it was only for 15 or 20 minutes. It might only be a $10 deposit day, but it would be a deposit. By the time I got to the gym later in the day I figured why not run? As long as I had made the effort to get to the gym, why not just go ahead and make a bigger "deposit"? So I challenged myself on the treadmill, running at up to 4.8 mph for .1 mi at a time, totalling .5 mi. And I added some incline, up to 1.5%. The changes were not big, but still a challenge. So instead of just putting in 40 minutes of boring running on the treadmill, I mixed it up a little and ended up feeling so much better physically and mentally.
Isn't it great to have friends?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
I Am A Distance Runner
3.51 mi. in 49:45 min. 0% incline
.18 mi. in 3 min. at 3.7 mph to warm up.
3.1 mi. in 41:45 min at 4.5 mph
.23 mi. in 5 min cool down
Temp: 19°F, 8°F wind chill (I ran on the treadmill at the gym)
I ran today for distance. I ran 3 miles. (I walk to warm up & cool down.) So I conclude that now I am a distance runner. A short distance runner, maybe, but I run for the distance not the time now.
I almost didn't run today. My toe really hurt this morning when I got up and as I was hobbling around the kitchen I decided that I wouldn't be able to run. I was thinking that maybe I would just get on a bike at the gym and cycle for a while, but it was bitterly cold this morning. So after setting out the trash in the -12° F. wind chill weather, I decided I would wait this later in the morning to venture out. To my surprise my toe felt so much better by 11:30 a.m. that I decided to give running a shot. No problems.
I am really tired of running indoors and wish it would warm up enough that I can run outside. But the weather forecast is for this really cold weather to hang around for another week or so.
.18 mi. in 3 min. at 3.7 mph to warm up.
3.1 mi. in 41:45 min at 4.5 mph
.23 mi. in 5 min cool down
Temp: 19°F, 8°F wind chill (I ran on the treadmill at the gym)
I ran today for distance. I ran 3 miles. (I walk to warm up & cool down.) So I conclude that now I am a distance runner. A short distance runner, maybe, but I run for the distance not the time now.
I almost didn't run today. My toe really hurt this morning when I got up and as I was hobbling around the kitchen I decided that I wouldn't be able to run. I was thinking that maybe I would just get on a bike at the gym and cycle for a while, but it was bitterly cold this morning. So after setting out the trash in the -12° F. wind chill weather, I decided I would wait this later in the morning to venture out. To my surprise my toe felt so much better by 11:30 a.m. that I decided to give running a shot. No problems.
I am really tired of running indoors and wish it would warm up enough that I can run outside. But the weather forecast is for this really cold weather to hang around for another week or so.
Monday, January 4, 2010
It's Official!
Day 1 Training
1 mi. warm up run @ 4.4 mph for 13:54 min. 0% incline
Strength training exercises
Today is the first day I am officially in training for my half-marathon. So how did I celebrate? By dropping my hair dryer on the middle toe of my right foot and cutting a deep gash in it. I am ignoring the throbbing in my foot right now. It will be fine by tomorrow morning and my 3 mi. run.
Today's workout was easier than I was anticipating. I don't know why but I spent most of yesterday evening worrying about crossing over to the free weight area of the gym. In the past when I have worked out with weights I used the Cybex machines available. I have only ventured over to the free weight area a few times. Maybe it is those gigantic 100 lb. dumbbells that intimidate me, who knows. But I did just fine. I started out with light weights, 7.5-10 lb. held in each hand. Thursday will definitely see weight added to all but 1 or 2 individual exercises.
It is dangerously cold here so I will be running indoors all week.
1 mi. warm up run @ 4.4 mph for 13:54 min. 0% incline
Strength training exercises
Today is the first day I am officially in training for my half-marathon. So how did I celebrate? By dropping my hair dryer on the middle toe of my right foot and cutting a deep gash in it. I am ignoring the throbbing in my foot right now. It will be fine by tomorrow morning and my 3 mi. run.
Today's workout was easier than I was anticipating. I don't know why but I spent most of yesterday evening worrying about crossing over to the free weight area of the gym. In the past when I have worked out with weights I used the Cybex machines available. I have only ventured over to the free weight area a few times. Maybe it is those gigantic 100 lb. dumbbells that intimidate me, who knows. But I did just fine. I started out with light weights, 7.5-10 lb. held in each hand. Thursday will definitely see weight added to all but 1 or 2 individual exercises.
It is dangerously cold here so I will be running indoors all week.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Day 2
2.95 mi. in 40 min., 0% incline
5 min warmup, 30 min run, 5 min cool down
Time of day: 9:00 a.m.
Very cold today, low single digit wind chill
Was I up for another day of 30 min. continuous run? You bet. I was not stiff nor sore. That was not only a good sign but also a relief. I think I am doing a fairly good job of conditioning and gradually increasing my run time so that yesterday wasn't a big change. Also, I'm really glad I wasn't sore because it would have made running harder, but it wouldn't have kept me off the treadmill.
My 30 minute timed run covered 2.29 miles. Slightly better than yesterday. Yes, I admit it. I set the speed on the treadmill at 4.6 mph for 15 minutes, then backed off to 4.5 mph for the 2nd 15 min. I planned it this way.
I had a new experience on the treadmill today. There was a guy running on the machine next to me. At first he was running much faster than me, 6.3 mph. (Yes, I peeked.) But at some point I noticed we running at the same pace. Obviously he slowed down because I sure didn't speed up. But there we were, our legs moving in sync with each other. After 5 minutes or so (maybe not that long) I noticed that he had slowed down some more and we were no longer in sync. I momentarily lost my rhythm. The rhythm of running in tandem was gone. But it was cool while it lasted.
Here is the training schedule Jeni & I worked out.
Monday-strength train (routine from The Complete Book of Running for Women) with a 1 mi. warm up run.
Tuesday-Medium distance run (distance to be determined by Jeni)
Wednesday-rest with a 1 hour Yoga class in the evening.
Thursday-repeat Monday
Friday-repeat Tuesday
Saturday-LDR (cool running lingo for Long Distance Run) Of course, my LDR's will be like 3 miles to start.
Sunday-Short run (So if my LDR is 3 miles, what constitutes a short run? I'm just asking.)
I am so excited to be starting this personalized-just-for-me training plan. Plus, Jeni & the DGK will be here next weekend to celebrate my birthday. This week is going to be awesome!
5 min warmup, 30 min run, 5 min cool down
Time of day: 9:00 a.m.
Very cold today, low single digit wind chill
Was I up for another day of 30 min. continuous run? You bet. I was not stiff nor sore. That was not only a good sign but also a relief. I think I am doing a fairly good job of conditioning and gradually increasing my run time so that yesterday wasn't a big change. Also, I'm really glad I wasn't sore because it would have made running harder, but it wouldn't have kept me off the treadmill.
My 30 minute timed run covered 2.29 miles. Slightly better than yesterday. Yes, I admit it. I set the speed on the treadmill at 4.6 mph for 15 minutes, then backed off to 4.5 mph for the 2nd 15 min. I planned it this way.
I had a new experience on the treadmill today. There was a guy running on the machine next to me. At first he was running much faster than me, 6.3 mph. (Yes, I peeked.) But at some point I noticed we running at the same pace. Obviously he slowed down because I sure didn't speed up. But there we were, our legs moving in sync with each other. After 5 minutes or so (maybe not that long) I noticed that he had slowed down some more and we were no longer in sync. I momentarily lost my rhythm. The rhythm of running in tandem was gone. But it was cool while it lasted.
Here is the training schedule Jeni & I worked out.
Monday-strength train (routine from The Complete Book of Running for Women) with a 1 mi. warm up run.
Tuesday-Medium distance run (distance to be determined by Jeni)
Wednesday-rest with a 1 hour Yoga class in the evening.
Thursday-repeat Monday
Friday-repeat Tuesday
Saturday-LDR (cool running lingo for Long Distance Run) Of course, my LDR's will be like 3 miles to start.
Sunday-Short run (So if my LDR is 3 miles, what constitutes a short run? I'm just asking.)
I am so excited to be starting this personalized-just-for-me training plan. Plus, Jeni & the DGK will be here next weekend to celebrate my birthday. This week is going to be awesome!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
I Think I Can Do This!
2.9 mi. in 40 min. 0% incline
Temp: 12° F. sub-zero wind chills
Time of Run: 11:30 a.m.
5 min. warm-up, 30 min. run, 5 min. cool down
Do you see that? That 30 min. run notation. No more run/walks for me. I am now able to run 30 min. straight. I can hardly believe it. I didn't think I would ever be able to run for 30 min. straight again in my life. I am overwhelmed by what I did today.
When I first talked to Jeni about running a half-marathon there was a lot of bravado in my talk. "Oh sure, I can do this," I said. "I am up for the training. No problem." But I have to admit that there were times in the last 7 weeks that I thought I was crazy for trying this. Times when I ached and my legs hurt and I wondered if I was too old and run down and out of shape to even attempt this. I'm sure I will have days when I question myself in the future. But today I ran for 30 minutes straight!
BTW my 30 minute distance was 2.29 miles.
Temp: 12° F. sub-zero wind chills
Time of Run: 11:30 a.m.
5 min. warm-up, 30 min. run, 5 min. cool down
Do you see that? That 30 min. run notation. No more run/walks for me. I am now able to run 30 min. straight. I can hardly believe it. I didn't think I would ever be able to run for 30 min. straight again in my life. I am overwhelmed by what I did today.
When I first talked to Jeni about running a half-marathon there was a lot of bravado in my talk. "Oh sure, I can do this," I said. "I am up for the training. No problem." But I have to admit that there were times in the last 7 weeks that I thought I was crazy for trying this. Times when I ached and my legs hurt and I wondered if I was too old and run down and out of shape to even attempt this. I'm sure I will have days when I question myself in the future. But today I ran for 30 minutes straight!
BTW my 30 minute distance was 2.29 miles.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Outside vs. Treadmill
2.31 mi. in 34:19 min.
It's Friday. Business is always slow on Friday afternoon, especially this close to the Christmas holiday. So I decided to wait until lunchtime to run in hopes it would be warm enough to run outside. Yeah! It was! It felt so good to be outside.
I had been beating myself up for not running yesterday. (Waking up at 4:30 a.m. to a cold house and no electricity just started the day off bad and it went downhill from there.) But when I was logging today's run I realized that I had already run 5 days in a row so it would be o.k. to count yesterday as a rest day. I feel so much better.
I had no trouble upping my intensity to the 3/2 level today. The only problem was my legs got so tired. Seriously. About 10 min. into the run my lower calfs were so tired I didn't think I was going to be able to continue. But continue I did. They got a little better, but I was really glad to get home and just sit down. Weird I know.
I used to see people running in cold weather and think how crazy they were. But I get it now. It feels great to be out in the cold, in the sunshine, running. It clears my head. And I feel so much more energetic. I like it so much better than running on the treadmill.
It's Friday. Business is always slow on Friday afternoon, especially this close to the Christmas holiday. So I decided to wait until lunchtime to run in hopes it would be warm enough to run outside. Yeah! It was! It felt so good to be outside.
I had been beating myself up for not running yesterday. (Waking up at 4:30 a.m. to a cold house and no electricity just started the day off bad and it went downhill from there.) But when I was logging today's run I realized that I had already run 5 days in a row so it would be o.k. to count yesterday as a rest day. I feel so much better.
I had no trouble upping my intensity to the 3/2 level today. The only problem was my legs got so tired. Seriously. About 10 min. into the run my lower calfs were so tired I didn't think I was going to be able to continue. But continue I did. They got a little better, but I was really glad to get home and just sit down. Weird I know.
I used to see people running in cold weather and think how crazy they were. But I get it now. It feels great to be out in the cold, in the sunshine, running. It clears my head. And I feel so much more energetic. I like it so much better than running on the treadmill.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Rain+Cold+Sick=Treadmill
2.28 mi. in 35:05 min. at a 1% incline.
Those are my stats for the first run on the treadmill. It's my own fault I had to run on the treadmill. If I had just gone out by 7 a.m. I could have run out of doors. But here is my sad tale of woe.
I couldn't sleep last night. Finally fell asleep around 1:45 a.m. I had to be up at 4:30 a.m. to get DH out the door for a day of important sales calls with a sales manager. If, at 6:30 I had put on my running shoes instead of crawling back into bed for a just a little more sleep—well, I would have been back before the rain moved in. At 7:15 when I woke up it was just beginning to drizzle. We all know I can run in that! So I packed a gym bag and after my only appointment today I stopped at my local gym, The Workout Company, and ran on the treadmill.
Oh yeah! Now I remember what I dislike about working out at the gym. It's all the sweat! And I don't mean the other people's sweat. Oh my gosh! Why do I sweat like a pig when I work out at the gym? I know I have a lot of sweating in my future on this journey. I just hope I get used to the sweat in my eyes; the sweat running down my back, the sweat running down between—well you get the picture. I once had a conversation with a woman who said she only "glistened" when she worked out. Not me, man. It's full blown sweating. So I better get used to this. Snow is in the forecast for tonight. And it is winter.
I did 4 circuits of jog 2 min/walk 3 min. and 2 circuits of jog 3 min/walk 2 min. I felt really good (except for all the sweat) so I will keep increasing my jog time.
Happy Birthday to my favorite oldest daughter!
Those are my stats for the first run on the treadmill. It's my own fault I had to run on the treadmill. If I had just gone out by 7 a.m. I could have run out of doors. But here is my sad tale of woe.
I couldn't sleep last night. Finally fell asleep around 1:45 a.m. I had to be up at 4:30 a.m. to get DH out the door for a day of important sales calls with a sales manager. If, at 6:30 I had put on my running shoes instead of crawling back into bed for a just a little more sleep—well, I would have been back before the rain moved in. At 7:15 when I woke up it was just beginning to drizzle. We all know I can run in that! So I packed a gym bag and after my only appointment today I stopped at my local gym, The Workout Company, and ran on the treadmill.
Oh yeah! Now I remember what I dislike about working out at the gym. It's all the sweat! And I don't mean the other people's sweat. Oh my gosh! Why do I sweat like a pig when I work out at the gym? I know I have a lot of sweating in my future on this journey. I just hope I get used to the sweat in my eyes; the sweat running down my back, the sweat running down between—well you get the picture. I once had a conversation with a woman who said she only "glistened" when she worked out. Not me, man. It's full blown sweating. So I better get used to this. Snow is in the forecast for tonight. And it is winter.
I did 4 circuits of jog 2 min/walk 3 min. and 2 circuits of jog 3 min/walk 2 min. I felt really good (except for all the sweat) so I will keep increasing my jog time.
Happy Birthday to my favorite oldest daughter!
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