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Steve, Cathy, and Nicholas -- Steve's running log (created 2011-09-24) |
I have been mentioning my runs fairly regularly on this site. It is probably of limited interest to most of you, but it helps me stay motivated to show the geographic track of my runs and the times and distances. So I thought I'd created a log that I would regularly update. Runs from 2011 can be found in last year's log.
Saturday, January 21, http://gps.motionx.com/maps/8c0e839e6c8009db254de2c4437ef466
It was a busy week and it was a cold week and I wanted to rest my joints a bit, so I didn't get any runs on the previous five days. I try to run every second or third day, so this was a bit too much time off. I wanted to set a reasonable pace and not push myself too hard on speed or distance. I ran towards 143rd Street along Mission and then turned around. I finished each of the first two kilometers in 8 minutes, but slowed down a bit after that. I was heading back up on "no brake" hill, and fell off my pace a bit. At the top of the hill, I pushed myself to make up for the lost time but still finished up the last segment at a slightly slower pace. In total, I ran 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles) in 23 minutes, which translates into a 41 minute 5K.
It was a cold morning (17 F, -8 C) so I bundled up with long pants, a long sleeved shirt, a hoodie, a stocking cap, and gloves. I wore sweatpants rather than jeans, and they weren't quite as warm, but a lot easier to run in. About halfway through the run, I peeled off the gloves and stocking cap and lowered my hood. There was no wind, which probably helped a lot.
I was really winded at the end of the run, but no sore muscles or aching joints. I'm feeling a small twinge in my right achilles tendon right now, about eight hours later, but nothing too serious.
I ran the same route on December 5, 2011 in 26 minutes but with snow on the ground that day, it's not a fair comparison.
Sunday, January 15, http://gps.motionx.com/maps/8105444da988a4b8db34e72b3524a926
I took a few extra days off, and decided to have an easy run today. I did want to run into Ironwoods Park, but I took the extra short loop. In spite of taking a relaxed pace, I was still able to finish each of the first three kilometers in 8 minutes each. The third kilometer ended in the middle of "no brake" hill, and I did slow down a bit. Even so, I did well, finishing 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles) in 29 minutes. That translates to a 40 minute 5K.
I didn't have too much trouble until that third kilometer was done, and then everything started aching at once. I also had some transitory right heel pain at the beginning of the run, but it went away. Afterwards, my muscles were tired and right heel was a bit sore, but nothing was too terrible.
The temperature was warm for January (41 F, 5 C) so I decided to run in shorts and a t-shirt. It was a big mistake, as the wind made things feel a lot colder. My legs were fine, so I might have been okay with a long sleeve t shirt. But in any case, I survived. The dog runs with a lot less on that I have, and she never complains. I think, though, that I'll wait until temperatures in the 50s before I try running in a short sleeve t-shirt again.
I ran a similar route on January 2, 2012 in 31 minutes, on October 1, 2011 in 32 minutes, and on September 24, 2011 in 36 minutes.
Wednesday, January 11, http://gps.motionx.com/maps/153d3900ca234ce7ce5c2eb7ec3c4245
I didn't have a lot of time, so I did a short run back and forth along the relatively flat stretches of Mission Road. My goal was speed again, and I finished the first kilometer in 6 minutes, and the second in 7 minutes, which was one of my fastest runs ever. The total run was 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles) in 14 minutes. I could not keep up this pace for a full 5K, but if you extrapolate, you would get a 33 minute 5K.
I had some heel pain during the run, but not afterwards. My calves ached a lot.
The temperature was warm for January (41 F, 5 C), but I still bundled up in long pants and a hoodie.
Monday, January 9, http://gps.motionx.com/maps/6681955b41bb1771ac584910c802b62b
I skipped Saturday because I thought my joints needed some rest. Actually, I ended up walking through Ironwoods Park with the dog, and that's easily 3 kilometers. But I didn't run and I didn't put on my GPS.
Today, I wanted to work on speed and keep the distance short. I started out strong and finished the first half kilometer in three minutes. I didn't quite have it in me to finish any of the other half kilometers in three minutes, but I did keep up a pretty good pace anyway. I ran a total of 2.1 kilometers (1.3 miles) in 15 minutes. That translates into a 36 minute 5K. I did stop before ascending "no brake" hill, so it's a bit of a cheat to extrapolate from a run that has more downhills than uphills in it.
I think my short term goal will be to keep the distances around 2 kilometers or so, and to try to finish those 2 kilometers in 13 or even 12 minutes. Running for speed rather than distance seems to cause fewer joint problems. Also, there's no good reason to push longer distances in the middle of winter, even if it is a very mild winter so far.
The weather was warm (52 F, 11 C), but I bundled up anyway in a hoodie and long pants.
My muscles and lungs were aching during the run, but I didn't have any joint problems during the run or afterwards.
Thursday, January 5, http://gps.motionx.com/maps/14d1f5885f1705452272d51452327f50
I was feeling much better, so I decided to work on speed. The plan was to take a medium loop in Ironwoods Park and to alternate 6 or 7 minute kilometers with 4 minute half kilometers. I didn't quite get the first kilometer done in 6 minutes, but when I finished 7 minutes, I was at 1.1 kilometers and I was not all that tired. So I kept up the same pace and put in a second kilometer in 7 minutes and even a third kilometer at 7 minutes. It took a last big kick to get the final kilometer in, and I was staring uphill at "no brake" hill, so I called it quits then and there. I ran a total of 3.0 kilometers (1.9 miles) in 21 minutes, which translates to a 35 minute 5K.
It still an effort to run at this speed, but I'm getting more used to it. My muscles started complaining after the second kilometer, which is probably a reflection on the shorter distances I've been doing recently. Three hours after the run, I've got a bit of pain in my right achilles tendon and some sore and tired muscles.
The temperature was nice (40 F, 4 C), so I ran in shorts and a t-shirt. It was a bit chilly during the warm-up, but it was worth it.
Monday, January 2, http://gps.motionx.com/maps/228b0f4d983841b21a8f00ea364e461e
I have been battling a cold for the past couple of days, but I felt much better this morning, so I thought I'd try a gentle run. It's been a while since I ran through Ironwoods Park, so I did a short loop through there. I finished the first kilometer in eight minutes, and the next two each in nine minutes, and didn't really feel tired until after that third kilometer. It was partly because I was running back up "no brake" hill on Mission Road. My total run was 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) in 31 minutes. That translates to a 45 minute 5K.
I had been cutting back on distance recently, and this was the first time I have exceeded 3 kilometers since December 13. My joints feel pretty good right now (two hours after the run).
The weather was cold (30 F, -1 C). That doesn't seem that bad, but a brisk wind kept me cold during the run even with long pants, gloves, and a hoodie.
By the way, my running goals for 2012 are to finish a 5K race in a competitive (chip timed) setting in 37 minutes by the middle of the year and in 35 minutes by the end of the year. I also want to up my maximum distance during practice runs to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles), though I don't want to run in a 10K competition just yet.
Earlier web entries about running
What now?
This work is licensed under a
Creative
Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License. This page
was written by Steve Simon and was last modified on
2010-11-03.