Last night
1 mile - 9:28 (disappointing since test-in was much quicker @ 9:09...19 SECONDS QUICKER!)
200 x 5 (didn't time since I was brain dead by this point and forgot that I should be recording these times)
Rest betwen the 200s was the time it took my partner, Urbana, to do her 200's
400 x 3 (see above about recording times)
Rest between 400s was the time it took my partner to do her 400s
I've noticed when we do sprints, I have energy the first 100 yds. The back 100 I can feel my legs getting heavier and slower.
So the 400s were really tough. I tried to correct this by leaning forward. I can only sustain this for about 100 yds before I start to fatigue. I would start out strong for the first 100, slow down the mid 200 yds and then sometimes I could pick up the last 100.
I need to work on keeping a steady pace the entire 400s. I don't know if that means not starting out and ending as quickly, but keeping a slower sustained pace throughout. If course I think I'm trying to do this now and then either have to slow down in the middle and then try to regain pace at the end. It's a cycle.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Shoes: Brooks vs Asics
For the Pasadena Half, I went to Run With Us and switched from Brooks to Asics. I gave myself several weeks to break them in and still got a blister, so I'm back to Brooks. You know this since I showed you my blister. And Run With Us said it's probably because of the shoe design. The Ascis' midsole is too narrow for my foot.
Since I did my first long run on my new pair of Brooks (but still the same style of Brooks as before), I have thoughts on the two different brands.
First, I want to say I'm soooo surprised I can actually say the following: I found the Asics lighter and more responsive. I know what "More Responsive" feels like!!! HA!!!! I would have liked to stay with Ascis but couldn't justify continually getting a blister on runs over a few miles.
I can't believe I could tell the difference in these shoes! I can't tell you how estatic I am about this. I NEVER thought I would be able to say that.
But I'm on a mission now. I want to find a pair that feels as "responsive" as the Ascis but doesn't give me a blister.
Thought I'd share.
Since I did my first long run on my new pair of Brooks (but still the same style of Brooks as before), I have thoughts on the two different brands.
First, I want to say I'm soooo surprised I can actually say the following: I found the Asics lighter and more responsive. I know what "More Responsive" feels like!!! HA!!!! I would have liked to stay with Ascis but couldn't justify continually getting a blister on runs over a few miles.
I can't believe I could tell the difference in these shoes! I can't tell you how estatic I am about this. I NEVER thought I would be able to say that.
But I'm on a mission now. I want to find a pair that feels as "responsive" as the Ascis but doesn't give me a blister.
Thought I'd share.
7 Miles- Sierra Madre/Baldwin route
Last night was a long run.
Route: from the house to Sierra Madre Blvd x Baldwin. Tag the stop sign = 3.51 miles and 340 elevation gain. Then turn around and run back.
41:21 up (11:46 mm)
37:13 back (10:36 mm)
Avg 1:18:34 = 11:11 mm run
On the way down, the last mile, I did fartleks. Starting from First x Colorado, I mentally broke up each block into quarters.
First quarter=light jog
Second=jog at 60 %
Third=sprint
Fourth=walk
One of the things I worked on during this run (and always do on long runs) was form. Breathe from the diaphram. Lean forward, but not from the waist. Get the feel of my foot "brushing" the pavement. Land on the ball of the foot-which really can only be acheived if I lean forward). Boy there was alot going through my head.
Doing fartleks on a long run may have been a mistake. Or maybe just doing a longer run after nothing more than a few miles after the Pas Half (over a month ago) was the mistake. But I wanted to get back to doing some distance and I didn't feel bad on the run. So I woke up this morning and it felt like my left outside heal was bruised when I put weight on it. But when I sat down and put pressure on it, it was fine. First thought-Oh No! Not the dreaded Plantar Faciatis! So tonight will be alot of stretching before and after bootcamp.
Note: I need to make these blogs more detailed. I know I've done this route and have blogged about it. But I can't find it so I can't compare times. So if some of these get to be just a bit dry and clinical, that's why.
Next benchmark for this run will be sub-40 up and sub-35 back. Knocking off 3:34 on a 7 mile run may be tough. But that will be a goal. Achievable or not on the next run? Don't know. I'm still a long way from a sustained 10mm pace for 13 miles. But I have just under 5 months to knock minutes from my times. And this 11:11 mm pace is better than the 12mm pace I was at before. Positive thinking...positive thinking...positive thinking...
Route: from the house to Sierra Madre Blvd x Baldwin. Tag the stop sign = 3.51 miles and 340 elevation gain. Then turn around and run back.
41:21 up (11:46 mm)
37:13 back (10:36 mm)
Avg 1:18:34 = 11:11 mm run
On the way down, the last mile, I did fartleks. Starting from First x Colorado, I mentally broke up each block into quarters.
First quarter=light jog
Second=jog at 60 %
Third=sprint
Fourth=walk
One of the things I worked on during this run (and always do on long runs) was form. Breathe from the diaphram. Lean forward, but not from the waist. Get the feel of my foot "brushing" the pavement. Land on the ball of the foot-which really can only be acheived if I lean forward). Boy there was alot going through my head.
Doing fartleks on a long run may have been a mistake. Or maybe just doing a longer run after nothing more than a few miles after the Pas Half (over a month ago) was the mistake. But I wanted to get back to doing some distance and I didn't feel bad on the run. So I woke up this morning and it felt like my left outside heal was bruised when I put weight on it. But when I sat down and put pressure on it, it was fine. First thought-Oh No! Not the dreaded Plantar Faciatis! So tonight will be alot of stretching before and after bootcamp.
Note: I need to make these blogs more detailed. I know I've done this route and have blogged about it. But I can't find it so I can't compare times. So if some of these get to be just a bit dry and clinical, that's why.
Next benchmark for this run will be sub-40 up and sub-35 back. Knocking off 3:34 on a 7 mile run may be tough. But that will be a goal. Achievable or not on the next run? Don't know. I'm still a long way from a sustained 10mm pace for 13 miles. But I have just under 5 months to knock minutes from my times. And this 11:11 mm pace is better than the 12mm pace I was at before. Positive thinking...positive thinking...positive thinking...
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Speed Work
Since I hate running, I hate speed work even more. It's tough. I don't have the stamina. I don't have the lung capacity. Basically I think it sucks. OK I know it works. It will give me better times. It will increase my stamina. It will increase my performance, yada yada yada.
So last night's workout was speed work- 200's x 8. I was brain dead last night so I couldn't figure out why may watch wasn't recording lap times. But here's what I remember:
Lap 1 - 46 sec.
Laps 2-8 were consistantly between 55 - 58 sec thanks to Carmen being able to figure out her watch.
Since the training chart posted for Pasadena's training is for a Marathon distance and the shortest distance is 400, I figured my desired time x 2 and took the distance time and divided by 2. Not a prefect science since sprinting 200 is "easier" than 400.
If I want to run a sub-2 hr Half, I should shoot for a 200 at 53.5 sec (400 @ 1:47) = 1:57:00 Half @ 9:01 pace.
If I want to run the Half at a sub-10mm pace, I should shoot for a 200 at 58 sec (400 @ 1:56) = 2:07:00 Half @ 9:43 pace.
I guess I should shoot for a sub-2 hr and hope for a sub-10mm pace.
Damm I see more speedwork in my future. At least for the next 21 weeks. Blah.
So last night's workout was speed work- 200's x 8. I was brain dead last night so I couldn't figure out why may watch wasn't recording lap times. But here's what I remember:
Lap 1 - 46 sec.
Laps 2-8 were consistantly between 55 - 58 sec thanks to Carmen being able to figure out her watch.
Since the training chart posted for Pasadena's training is for a Marathon distance and the shortest distance is 400, I figured my desired time x 2 and took the distance time and divided by 2. Not a prefect science since sprinting 200 is "easier" than 400.
If I want to run a sub-2 hr Half, I should shoot for a 200 at 53.5 sec (400 @ 1:47) = 1:57:00 Half @ 9:01 pace.
If I want to run the Half at a sub-10mm pace, I should shoot for a 200 at 58 sec (400 @ 1:56) = 2:07:00 Half @ 9:43 pace.
I guess I should shoot for a sub-2 hr and hope for a sub-10mm pace.
Damm I see more speedwork in my future. At least for the next 21 weeks. Blah.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Congrats!
My friend, who has beat cancer, ran the Boston Marathon today. His time:
3:14:40
Congrats Pete! He's amazing.
3:14:40
Congrats Pete! He's amazing.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Another Assessment
Mile 9:09 (shocked the hell out of me. I think Eric's stop watch is off)
6 rounds of 10 pushups-goat hills-walking lunges the length of BB court.
I thought my mile time would be slower than testout of the last assessment 2 weeks ago at 9:26.
Why?
1. I ran with Jane on Saturday and was still a bit sore and tight from that.
2. I hadn't done ANYTHING for a week (except on Saturday with Jane)
3. It's test in and, well, in order to beat that time at mid-cycle and test out, well....
But
1. Eric's in my face and in my head....top 50 (%)
2. I was working on my breathing from the diaphram and not from the chest. Per RW, it's more efficient and I would have to agree. When I breathe from the chest, I get winded faster.
3. I was hearing Eric from test-out saying "lean forward" and that helps. I tried that this time and I could do it for a bit. But I can't sustain that the whole run. I'm going to have to build up to that.
4. That new guy, Omar, I just couldn't let him beat me. Not that I'm the fastest since there are many, many more who are and can beat me. But I had to push at the end and he did that too. Ego? Yeah just a little. But he was close enough for me to try and beat. And that got me a time of 9:09.
So..I need to be sub-9 some time this cycle. Hopefully at mid-cycle, but if I get that time at test-out, I'll take it! Just need to be sub-9...sub-9...sub-9..
6 rounds of 10 pushups-goat hills-walking lunges the length of BB court.
I thought my mile time would be slower than testout of the last assessment 2 weeks ago at 9:26.
Why?
1. I ran with Jane on Saturday and was still a bit sore and tight from that.
2. I hadn't done ANYTHING for a week (except on Saturday with Jane)
3. It's test in and, well, in order to beat that time at mid-cycle and test out, well....
But
1. Eric's in my face and in my head....top 50 (%)
2. I was working on my breathing from the diaphram and not from the chest. Per RW, it's more efficient and I would have to agree. When I breathe from the chest, I get winded faster.
3. I was hearing Eric from test-out saying "lean forward" and that helps. I tried that this time and I could do it for a bit. But I can't sustain that the whole run. I'm going to have to build up to that.
4. That new guy, Omar, I just couldn't let him beat me. Not that I'm the fastest since there are many, many more who are and can beat me. But I had to push at the end and he did that too. Ego? Yeah just a little. But he was close enough for me to try and beat. And that got me a time of 9:09.
So..I need to be sub-9 some time this cycle. Hopefully at mid-cycle, but if I get that time at test-out, I'll take it! Just need to be sub-9...sub-9...sub-9..
Monday, April 6, 2009
If anyone has attended a funeral with military honors, the lone sound of the bugler playing taps will just rip your heart out. And to hear the sound weeping over that is excruciating. No that isn't too dramatic a description.
I didn't know my friend was in the military. Of course I always thought he was only a few years older than me so not being in the military would have been common. But he was 67 when he died last Sunday, so he might have been part of the returning soldiers from Vietnam. That would explain his never speaking of it. Never do I remember him speaking of it. I saw him one a week, every Wednesday, while we took a stained-glass class together. And after many years, the class ended. So we got together a few times a year with others in that class, mainly to stay in touch, catch up with each other's lives, offer support when stokes, illnesses and death happened. We talking of many things other that just projects. Life. Frustrations. For many years this went on.
I think I've know Mando for 15 years. As I was sitting in the chapel, I was wondering how Rosie will do. He was her rock. He was many people's rock. How nice to know you've touched so many people's lives like that.
I didn't know my friend was in the military. Of course I always thought he was only a few years older than me so not being in the military would have been common. But he was 67 when he died last Sunday, so he might have been part of the returning soldiers from Vietnam. That would explain his never speaking of it. Never do I remember him speaking of it. I saw him one a week, every Wednesday, while we took a stained-glass class together. And after many years, the class ended. So we got together a few times a year with others in that class, mainly to stay in touch, catch up with each other's lives, offer support when stokes, illnesses and death happened. We talking of many things other that just projects. Life. Frustrations. For many years this went on.
I think I've know Mando for 15 years. As I was sitting in the chapel, I was wondering how Rosie will do. He was her rock. He was many people's rock. How nice to know you've touched so many people's lives like that.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Mile asssessment
Wednesday
9:26
Mid-cycle was 9:31
What gets me is my breathing. Well not the only thing. But I hear myself and I sound awful. I'm constantly gasping, like I'm dying. But it's something I just can't help. When I try to "reset" my breathing, it throws off my pace. I really feel bad for the people I'm behind. They must think I'm going to keel over. And sometimes I feel that way!
Oh-just remembered an article I read about breathing from the diaphram. Must remember to try that next time.
9:26
Mid-cycle was 9:31
What gets me is my breathing. Well not the only thing. But I hear myself and I sound awful. I'm constantly gasping, like I'm dying. But it's something I just can't help. When I try to "reset" my breathing, it throws off my pace. I really feel bad for the people I'm behind. They must think I'm going to keel over. And sometimes I feel that way!
Oh-just remembered an article I read about breathing from the diaphram. Must remember to try that next time.
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