Category Archives: fast pace

Damp stomp

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I’ve missed a couple of days mostly due to not having time to fit in a run but also due to rain, rain, rain. Normally I can deal with it, but it is that time of year when Oregonians get sick of swimming through our daily lives. Still, just an excuse for me and one I’ll work through. Today’s run started out really fast with my first mile logging in around 9:06. I followed this with three more miles around the same time give or take a few seconds. I don’t have the exact numbers as my Garmin still isn’t properly uploading my times out of my Forerunner 405, lame. On the “positive” side the duct tape I used to repair the band is still holding up. Ok, enough bitching about Garmin for today. The run was great and I was feeling really good about the times for the first four miles. They were tough and after mile 2 I was feeling it but I pushed on. After four miles I walked up the hill out of reed and then continued for another 1.25, my pace was not quite as fast but the final miles came in under 10 min miles. Overall a great run and one that makes me feel good about where I am at physically. It seems I haven’t lost too much of it!

Not so fast, fast, faster, fastest!

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That was my last four days of running. It’s odd cause usually four runs in a row would yield the opposite order. But no this week. I started Sunday at a 10:17 pace and ended the string with a 9:19 pace. The run today felt great, the whole time it was as if nothing was holding me back. No air resistance, no tired muscles, no sore feet (well honestly that did come later, but I am finding myself getting through it better lately, imagining my feet as cotton balls a trick I picked up from Qi Running to will away joint pain and stress.) In the same backwards pace order vain this run almost had each mile be quicker as well, something that rarely happens anyway, but in my regular route which saves the hills for the end it’s extra strange. But I’ll take it. Tomorrow I may try something I don’t think I have ever done: run five days in a row. I am already surpassing a recent goal of 20 miles a week and I don’t necessarily want o creep up on my self-set max miles of 30 a week, but then again a heavy running week has not been something I have been doing as of late. Still I need to regulate and I may end up doing just that.

Back running again

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So after a week of being sick and a week of being generally busy (and still recuperating) I have gotten my stride back. Or I should say I have gone running 3 out of the last 5 days. The funny thing is that on the first day I thought to myself don’t worry about your pace, just get out there and run … which I did … and then a couple miles in I looked at my watch and I was cookin’ along at a 9:10 pace. I was really surprised and I decided well if I have gotten this far, I might as well keep going and I ended up with a 9:19 avg pace for the five + miles I did. It felt great and I was really happy about it and then the soreness kicked in and I need two days off before I could make myself run again. Yesterday and today were both under 9:30 and I felt fine after so I feel like I didn’t do too much damage to my fitness level with the break.

The runs have all felt strong throughout though I have felt a little more exhausted in the evenings than I would like especially when I have other things to do. The rehearsals after a run are especially difficult, but even having to do something other than be lazy at home can be a bit taxing. Still I remind myself that I am doing much better than a lot of folks out there with ms and I get by on the gratitude. Tonight’s extra-curricular activity involves going to a business association meeting which I can do tonight because big band rehearsal was cancelled. The only problem is I am not sure what time or place it is being held at. We’ll see how it goes!

I have been experiencing a weird ms symptom (I think) lately in my thigh. Essentially the large muscle in my left thigh has been experiencing some pain. I have read that msers often experience odd pains, sometimes this comes in the form of a burning that only occurs on the surface of the body. This is what I seem to be feeling in my right thigh. It comes and goes and doesn’t seem to be universally associated with running, though sometimes it does and the extra soreness from running adds to the weird feeling. A couple of times I also felt a numbness in the area, sort of feels like my thigh is asleep. This sounds like a common complaint that others have had and it isn’t too bad yet so I think I will just keep an eye on it.

Consistently speedy

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I initially thought that I would just title this entry “consistency” as my run today was 9:19 (new 2015 PR!) and I thought my last two runs had been at a 9:20 pace. As it turned out once I looked at the Training Center program that records my times I actually had two 9:40 runs in between today and the two 9:20s. But I still feel that these runs were consistently “speedy” compared to what I have been running this year, so there you go.

I was really happy with today’s run. It was an injection day so my PR might be caused by the bump I usually get from the rebif injection. However I got there I am happy with my the effort. I didn’t kill myself at all and just felt fairly comfortable with my pace and breathing. Better yet I don’t feel tired now (three hours later) at all which inspires me to run on days I have to play music (which I have been avoiding as my focus just isn’t really there). Last night I played for two hours with the big band after a four mile run and had no real problems. My plan is to still do shorter runs on my music days so I can see how that goes. I think it will be fine.

My heart rate monitor band is worn out. I can get it to stay in place if I stretch it to its limit, but the problem is that it loosens as I run. Today it ended up around my belly which explains the 59 BPM I registered on mile four. But on the miles it was actually in place I did really well. Even at the fast pace my HR was right around 144-148 BPM, and my final mile came in at 153. But I have a plan for its continued use, a safety pin! I have thought about this literally for months and never implemented it. If I do nothing else today I have at least pinned my HR strap into place! We’ll see how long this lasts or maybe I’ll try to get a new one if they are even made (my Garmin is pretty old, five years?)

Less sick, more quick

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A day after my surprising run I went out and did it again. I still felt a bit under the weather, but I did feel a bit better. So I did the same basic run with one exception I was five seconds faster overall, same 9:20 pace. I wasn’t really trying to go as fast I did, but once I was right on track after a couple of miles I was pushing it to keep up with the pace.

I am feeling like I have made improvements in the shorter faster runs. I still haven’t managed a long slow run in long time but I am feeling one coming. I thought about adding one in this week but I am already aver 20 miles for the week and this weekend is supposed to be drenching wet so I think I will wait until next week for that. I have also felt the pull of some speed work at the track,probably have to get some of that in as well!

Sick and quick

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I am a huge proponent of the concept of listening to your body. If your body says don’t do something you probably shouldn’t. This goes against the nike logic of “just do it” and listening to your body has the potential to keep one from doing what they should and want to do. Our bodies and minds should be the best indicator of whether or not we should or can do something. Our bodies and minds should know better about most things than any doctor, real or googled. If only we’d just listen.

So today I woke up from a crumby night’s sleep after an evening when I overate late with the feeling of a cold’s onset squeezing my head like a dog’s squeaky toy. I hadn’t run yesterday and I didn’t want to start falling into the pattern that I have been of late of missing several days, then weeks, then… in a row. So against my better judgement, with my body saying don’t run and head throbbing from sinus pressure, I geared up and walked out the door to hit the streets. How does this jive with my emphasis on listening to my body? Doesn’t. At all. Obviously the decision to run was a blatant slap in the face of my exercise/health philosophy. But my desire to run had won out. Valid mind and body arguments to take it easy be damned! So I decided to embrace the fool-hardy nature of pushing my body and just go with it. What the hell, a slow sloggy run would at least amount to something good. If I took it easy on my run, then maybe the destruction I would wrought wouldn’t be so bad. I had some good arguments in mind as I took those first initial steps along my route.

The first thing I should say is that it was a beautiful day out. The kind of day that has no place in the Pacific NW in early March. The kind of day that we and the region will be paying for this summer when the droughts hit from no winter rain/snow. But for the moment (and aren’t we all supposed to live in the moment? Who cares if it rocks right now?) So embracing the now and ignoring the future I relished the warmth and soon stripped off my jacket after the first mile or so. My pace at the start of the run felt ok. Nothing great but it certainly didn’t feel “sloggy” (whatever that is?) I took a peak at my watch and it said I was clipping along at 9:15 pace! WTF? I am supposed to feel crappy. Why am I moving so well? I thought it was an anomaly, perhaps brought on by the slight downward slope into East Moreland. Then my first mile past and I got notice from the watch that I had done it at 9:36. Huh? Second mile came through even quicker as I was now embracing my quickness rather than a potential bonk, 9:18. Damn, I was cooking, so I just kept it up. Third mile – 9:18 again. Consistency seemed to now be the word of the day. Great, but my fourth mile was coming up, a normally slower paced portion of my normal route due to some twists and turns, exhaustion and unaware students at reed. All I had to do was keep it up until the hill out of the reed campus and up to Woodstock. I had decided that would walk that as I have been prone to do of late. I hit the hill portion with a few tenths to go before I hit a mile marker to check my pace and what did I see?

9:24.

Killer.

After the walk up the hill I just had to crush the final mile. The first portion of it was up hill and the watch said I was on track for an 11 minute mile. While I would certainly come in under 10 (first time in awhile) I really wanted better, so I pushed it. It didn’t take long before my avg pace dipped below 10, then below 9:30. And as I made my way through Woodstock Park and the fifth mile clocked I was at 9:14. Wow. The last quarter mile back to the house dropped me even further overall as I managed a 8:21 pace (didn’t seem like I was trying that hard, I just mostly wanted to get home). Overall for the day, a 2015 PR on 10k(ish) of 48:18 with an avg pace of 9:20.

All I have to say is that today my mind and body listened to me instead of the other way around. I had no idea I was speaking so loudly.

Run in the sun

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Today I got out the door before noon so it was still a little cool, but the sun was out and it ended up being a perfect temperature. I made it a mile or so before my jacket was tied around my waist. Felt really good to run in shorts and a short-sleeve shirt! I am looking ofrward to having some sweaty runs. I know I won’t really feel that way come July, but for now I am all for it!

Today was my second run on my new Altra Repetitions. They feel great! They have quite a bit more cushion than my old Altras, but still with the zero-drop structure. I am really glad I went with these and that Altra realized that some runners need more cushioning. It’s not all about “barefoot” for some and I am glad Altra recognized that. I do feel bad I bought them through Zappos and not my local running store, but I was really concerned about the selection (their’s is a tad lacking!) The irony of the “convenience” of online shoppign was truly put to the test today when I brought two boxes of mis-sized returns to the UPS store which is right next to my running shop! I do plan to go in an buy a shirt soon, so I will give them some support there.

My pace was quite a bit faster today, did my usual 5 miles at 9:37. Looking at my stats all but one of my miles came in under 10, with the lone slow mile at 10:01, Makes me wish I had hustled up that hill a bit harder! I have actually been walking for most of the hill probably cause I am not quite used to my faster five milers. I have been really happy with the improvements I have been making. Now I just need to be consistent about actually running!

Fast running

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My last two runs have been pretty fast for me, both sub 10 min mile paces. Today was almost an end to that. I was feeling really good at the start, my first mile felt great and really quick. I was about to hit the mile mark when I looked at my watch to see 9:15. I was really psyched! Then I noticed that the distance showing was .85 miles. Something must have happened (again, it appears that my watch has developed a mind of its’ own and I disapprove!) The miles after that seemed to be accurate, all coming in under 10. So even with that oddity (er, short-changing) on the first mile I still managed to come in under 50 mins for five miles. Boom! Even with the glitch I was still running less than 10 min miles. I am not trying to run faster necessarily. Actually quite the opposite. I have become way less concerned with PRs and much more concerned about the wear and tear on my body. My feet have still been protesting quite loudly, but my hope is to keep that discomfort down to a minimum.

The last week or so has been somewhat disappointing running wise. I had a stiff neck after working out too hard the other week. So I decided to take a little break and let the stiffness and pain subside. Couple that with a busy music week and I haven’t gotten nearly the miles in that I wanted to. The soul band kicked off our kickstarter campaign to raise money for a new full-length record. Just what I need, more music to keep me from running! It’s all about the balance…

I am feeling a bit of tightness in my upper thigh on the left side, hopefully it will go away with a bit more stretching later. Maybe I will even ice it a bit after a band meeting tonight (at least I am not rehearsing). I am sure pushing the speed this morning has a lot to do with that, but I really wanted to go fast!

Carried by the wind

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Today I headed out of the house for a morning run without too much confidence it would be a good one. I was well rested, but my stomach was upset (Ruthann (who felt the same way) and I referred to it as Pizza Roma-ria). It was also a tad bit breezy out as our fall weather is blowing the summer out. Not being a wind fan, I was a little discouraged with that (though looking forward to the cooler weather and rain that comes with fall in Portland). So I got going once I passed through the park and noticed, hey, I’m cruising along! At first I attributed it to the very slow run my running partner and I did on Sunday (more on that in a bit) and it may have had something to do with it both physically and mentally. But I figured it probably had more to do with the wind (which I had thought was at my back). It felt really good to be moving so well, especially after really slowing down on my runs in general lately.

When the half way point hit, I thought ok time to turn back into the wind. I also figured I would be sort of burned out after keeping my fast pace going for three miles or so. But I turned into the wind and it wasn’t there. So I happily kept on waiting for it to pick up any moment. Soon, about 3/4 through the 6.5 miles I was planning, I realized the wind was at my back. Huh? As it turns out I was running my fast pace INTO the wind and didn’t even realize it. That is when I knew this was going to be a great run. I spied a flag an confirmed the direction and quickly found myself home (with a break to talk to a neighbor I see on my route all the time). I came in at under nine minute miles for my pace, which is about 35 secs faster than I have been running lately. This just might inspire me to start up the speed work again!

So my run yesterday was a “S L O W” (as we kept IMing back and forth about it beforehand) run. Our goal was to do seven miles at about an 11 minute mile pace. It was hard to hold ourselves back but we did a really good job. Either the route was longer than seven miles or we went really slow at almost a 12 minute mile pace. It was a surprisingly good workout, but it makes sense when you consider your a taking more steps and pushing off more frequently. Plus it makes the next run seem super fast!

Carried by the wind

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Today I headed out of the house for a morning run without too much confidence it would be a good one. I was well rested, but my stomach was upset (Ruthann (who felt the same way) and I referred to it as Pizza Roma-ria). It was also a tad bit breezy out as our fall weather is blowing the summer out. Not being a wind fan, I was a little discouraged with that (though looking forward to the cooler weather and rain that comes with fall in Portland). So I got going once I passed through the park and noticed, hey, I’m cruising along! At first I attributed it to the very slow run my running partner and I did on Sunday (more on that in a bit) and it may have had something to do with it both physically and mentally. But I figured it probably had more to do with the wind (which I had thought was at my back). It felt really good to be moving so well, especially after really slowing down on my runs in general lately.

When the half way point hit, I thought ok time to turn back into the wind. I also figured I would be sort of burned out after keeping my fast pace going for three miles or so. But I turned into the wind and it wasn’t there. So I happily kept on waiting for it to pick up any moment. Soon, about 3/4 through the 6.5 miles I was planning, I realized the wind was at my back. Huh? As it turns out I was running my fast pace INTO the wind and didn’t even realize it. That is when I knew this was going to be a great run. I spied a flag an confirmed the direction and quickly found myself home (with a break to talk to a neighbor I see on my route all the time). I came in at under nine minute miles for my pace, which is about 35 secs faster than I have been running lately. This just might inspire me to start up the speed work again!

So my run yesterday was a “S L O W” (as we kept IMing back and forth about it beforehand) run. Our goal was to do seven miles at about an 11 minute mile pace. It was hard to hold ourselves back but we did a really good job. Either the route was longer than seven miles or we went really slow at almost a 12 minute mile pace. It was a surprisingly good workout, but it makes sense when you consider your a taking more steps and pushing off more frequently. Plus it makes the next run seem super fast!