It has been a weird week of running. On days I felt sluggish and tired, my pace was actually on target; however, on the days I felt like nothing could stop me and I’m flying down the bike path, I look at my average pace at the end and it is slooooow.
Here’s my week:
Sunday (evening): 8 mile long run slog-fest in the heat and humidity, pleased to see a 10:40 average pace
Monday – 4.3 miles easy without effort, I felt like I was running marathon pace, turns out I was running 11:05 average!
Tuesday – 6.7 miles of hills, good run that was intentionally run hard 10:38 average pace
Wednesday – 3 miles on the treadmill at lunch, tired but running fast felt good – 10:23 average (but I had to slow myself down at the end, it was supposed to be an easy run after all)
Thursday – 5 miles that felt tremendous, I was in the zone…in a 10:59 pace zone!
Friday – 7.1 miles run to work, tired, struggled a bit and my legs muscles were sore due to strength training yesterday but managed a 10:43 pace
To be honest, I don’t care that the days I felt like everything was perfect end up being 11 minute pace days because they seriously were great runs. I don’t tend to look at my mile splits while I’m running and so regardless of my pace, Monday and Thursday were almost too good to be true. I was sad to see them end. These are the runs that make me relish being a runner. Does it matter what my pace is after such a run? Of course not.
I will admit to an initial disappointment but then I got over myself (and my pace). If a run felt great it doesn’t matter the pace.
However, I do think this is an indication that I might need to back off a little bit because I might be getting in to over-training (read: injury) territory. I am thinking about either cutting back my long run (just an hour) or skipping it all together and coming back fresh on Monday.
Run smart, run for life!
Daily Dozen:
7.1 miles run to work
Showing posts with label pace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pace. Show all posts
Friday, August 28, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Any Number of Things Could Have Gone Wrong
When something goes wrong a run, any good runner will start to analyze their recent routine – sleep, previous workout, nutrition, and pacing – to see what the cause might be. While I do believe that the right reaction to a bad run or race, is to move on and not dwell; I also think it is good to try to learn from the mistakes made leading up to, or during, the run.
On Sunday morning, I set out for a two-hour run. I didn’t have a set mileage goal in mind but rather I knew I wanted to get some “time on my feet.” I headed toward the Mount Vernon bike trail to run for an hour along the Potomac River and then turn around and make my way back home by the same route.
I took my time as I made my way along the bike trails, enjoying the smell of fresh rain that had only recently stopped and playfully avoiding the puddles. I was feel very good about the run and as always, I enjoy the scenery along the route – DC and all the monuments across the river.
I hit the hour mark and turned around to head home. About halfway home, about 1 hour 30 minutes in to the run, the wheels started coming off; my legs were feeling unusually tired and I was breathing harder than usual. Climbing one of the hills, not far from the top, and with only a little over 2 miles to go I had to do something I’ve never done before – stop and walk.
I’ve walked during my runs before but it is usually for a good reason – drink water, eat food, something started to hurt or it was planned – but I’ve never just not been able to make it. I can always muster enough strength to make it to the top, get to the next light pole, etc. This time was different. I just couldn’t go anymore, I just had to stop and rest.
After walking for about 5 minutes, I took off at a slower pace and I finished out the run; ecstatic when my Garmin beeped that final hour was finally over. During this 2 mile trudge I started to analyze just what could have gone wrong.
Sleep
I was up later than normal on Friday, not getting to bed until after midnight so I made the decision to move my weekend long run to Sunday morning instead of my normal day of Saturday. I took a short nap on Saturday and went to bed at a decent hour that night so I didn’t think it was lack of sleep that had caused the bad run; however, maybe the late night on Friday had affected me more than I thought. Maybe I didn’t sleep that well on Saturday. Sleep could have been a contributing factor but I really didn’t think it was the culprit.
Previous Workouts
Thursday I had done a hard strength training workout and even through Saturday I was feeling some residual soreness in my legs. However, due to a commitment at work, I decided to skip my Friday run and take a rest day. With two days of near complete rest, I know that Thursday workout couldn’t have been the reason I had to stop during Sunday’s long run.
Nutrition
Ah, I think we are on to something here. I haven’t been making the best choices when it comes to food lately; I knew that, so lack of quality nutrition can definitely sink a run. In addition to that, I didn’t have a big dinner Saturday and I only had a banana before heading out for the run on Sunday. I had simply run out of fuel and as I was running up that hill that is exactly how I felt, like a car running out of gas, I just couldn’t go any further.
After my run had concluded, as I walked home in the rain, I did this quick analysis and felt confident that I had determined the problem. I could learn from these mistakes and move on.
However, when I got home and plugged in my Garmin to download my paces from the run, I discovered a much more glaring error.
Pacing
I wasn’t paying attention to my pace during the run. I was running by feel and I was feeling good. I knew I had to take it easy and slow to last the entire two hours and I thought I was. Before I crashed on mile 9, my pace for the most of the previous miles was closer to the 10:00 minute/mile range, way too fast for a long run. I should have been in the 10:30 range and as a consequence, I had to stop and walk and then plodded through the end of the run at 11:00 minute/mile pace.
Running at a pace much faster than I should have been coupled with the lack of fuel and probably dealing with a slight lack of sleep, I just couldn’t hold the pace on the long run and that is why I had to stop and walk.
Lesson learned.
Daily Dozen
Strength Training @ lunch hour
3 miles easy after work
On Sunday morning, I set out for a two-hour run. I didn’t have a set mileage goal in mind but rather I knew I wanted to get some “time on my feet.” I headed toward the Mount Vernon bike trail to run for an hour along the Potomac River and then turn around and make my way back home by the same route.
I took my time as I made my way along the bike trails, enjoying the smell of fresh rain that had only recently stopped and playfully avoiding the puddles. I was feel very good about the run and as always, I enjoy the scenery along the route – DC and all the monuments across the river.
I hit the hour mark and turned around to head home. About halfway home, about 1 hour 30 minutes in to the run, the wheels started coming off; my legs were feeling unusually tired and I was breathing harder than usual. Climbing one of the hills, not far from the top, and with only a little over 2 miles to go I had to do something I’ve never done before – stop and walk.
I’ve walked during my runs before but it is usually for a good reason – drink water, eat food, something started to hurt or it was planned – but I’ve never just not been able to make it. I can always muster enough strength to make it to the top, get to the next light pole, etc. This time was different. I just couldn’t go anymore, I just had to stop and rest.
After walking for about 5 minutes, I took off at a slower pace and I finished out the run; ecstatic when my Garmin beeped that final hour was finally over. During this 2 mile trudge I started to analyze just what could have gone wrong.
Sleep
I was up later than normal on Friday, not getting to bed until after midnight so I made the decision to move my weekend long run to Sunday morning instead of my normal day of Saturday. I took a short nap on Saturday and went to bed at a decent hour that night so I didn’t think it was lack of sleep that had caused the bad run; however, maybe the late night on Friday had affected me more than I thought. Maybe I didn’t sleep that well on Saturday. Sleep could have been a contributing factor but I really didn’t think it was the culprit.
Previous Workouts
Thursday I had done a hard strength training workout and even through Saturday I was feeling some residual soreness in my legs. However, due to a commitment at work, I decided to skip my Friday run and take a rest day. With two days of near complete rest, I know that Thursday workout couldn’t have been the reason I had to stop during Sunday’s long run.
Nutrition
Ah, I think we are on to something here. I haven’t been making the best choices when it comes to food lately; I knew that, so lack of quality nutrition can definitely sink a run. In addition to that, I didn’t have a big dinner Saturday and I only had a banana before heading out for the run on Sunday. I had simply run out of fuel and as I was running up that hill that is exactly how I felt, like a car running out of gas, I just couldn’t go any further.
After my run had concluded, as I walked home in the rain, I did this quick analysis and felt confident that I had determined the problem. I could learn from these mistakes and move on.
However, when I got home and plugged in my Garmin to download my paces from the run, I discovered a much more glaring error.
Pacing
I wasn’t paying attention to my pace during the run. I was running by feel and I was feeling good. I knew I had to take it easy and slow to last the entire two hours and I thought I was. Before I crashed on mile 9, my pace for the most of the previous miles was closer to the 10:00 minute/mile range, way too fast for a long run. I should have been in the 10:30 range and as a consequence, I had to stop and walk and then plodded through the end of the run at 11:00 minute/mile pace.
Running at a pace much faster than I should have been coupled with the lack of fuel and probably dealing with a slight lack of sleep, I just couldn’t hold the pace on the long run and that is why I had to stop and walk.
Lesson learned.
Daily Dozen
Strength Training @ lunch hour
3 miles easy after work
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Bad Eating/Good Running
Bacon Cheeseburgers w/ fries! Doritos! Burger King Chicken Sandwiches! Soda!
These are the sort of things I’ve been including in my food choices lately. I’m not saying there isn’t room for these things in my “diet” but they aren’t the types of good I want to include in my eating habits on a regular basis…and they’ve become much more common in the past few weeks. It is time for a change. I want to rededicate myself to more healthful foods. Foods that not only taste good while I’m eating them but foods that make me feel good after eating them; the above examples are not it. I begin today.
On the other hand, my running has been phenomenal lately (I really doubt the two are related…wouldn’t that be fun if eating Oreos made me a better runner). I’ve been so pleased with my pace (10:00 to 10:30/mile without focusing on pace is feeling easy) and how my body has been reacting to training.
My long run last weekend was a ten miler. I felt great the entire time, I was cruising up hills and since it was a step-back week in my marathon training schedule, I decided to just go with the flow and run at the pace that felt most comfortable. I held a near-steady 10:00 minute pace the entire time. When I got home and checked my Garmin, I almost couldn’t believe it. It felt wonderful.
I took the plunge and signed up for the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, VT and I could not be more pleased with how my training is going so far. When things go well, it sure feels good!
Today’s Daily Dozen
3.5 mile Run
Maybe a walk tonight after dinner
These are the sort of things I’ve been including in my food choices lately. I’m not saying there isn’t room for these things in my “diet” but they aren’t the types of good I want to include in my eating habits on a regular basis…and they’ve become much more common in the past few weeks. It is time for a change. I want to rededicate myself to more healthful foods. Foods that not only taste good while I’m eating them but foods that make me feel good after eating them; the above examples are not it. I begin today.
On the other hand, my running has been phenomenal lately (I really doubt the two are related…wouldn’t that be fun if eating Oreos made me a better runner). I’ve been so pleased with my pace (10:00 to 10:30/mile without focusing on pace is feeling easy) and how my body has been reacting to training.
My long run last weekend was a ten miler. I felt great the entire time, I was cruising up hills and since it was a step-back week in my marathon training schedule, I decided to just go with the flow and run at the pace that felt most comfortable. I held a near-steady 10:00 minute pace the entire time. When I got home and checked my Garmin, I almost couldn’t believe it. It felt wonderful.
I took the plunge and signed up for the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington, VT and I could not be more pleased with how my training is going so far. When things go well, it sure feels good!
Today’s Daily Dozen
3.5 mile Run
Maybe a walk tonight after dinner
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
"I'm OK"
I’m afraid. I’ll admit it.
I’m afraid of running fast. I’m afraid of how it’ll feel, which let’s be honest, is a fear of pain. I’m afraid I’ll injury myself and never run again. I’m afraid I’ll get halfway through a run and not be able to make it back home. To put it simply, I’m afraid I’ll fail.
Of course, “fast” is a relative term and for me, a solid 10:30 minute mile is my norm, meaning “fast” is anything under 10:00 minute mile. This is not “fast” by most other people’s understanding of the term.
Regardless of the pace associated with “fast” I’m still afraid of it.
That being said, the feeling of running fast is exhilarating. When I’m running fast, my mind doesn’t wonder, it is focused; I’m in the zone, hypnotized by the increasing, steady rhythm of quicker footfalls as they fall in sync with my heavier breathing.
“Fast Feet” and “Run Faster” replace my usual mantra (“Steady and Strong”) and there is usually only one thought that is able to penetrate the hypnotic state: “See this isn’t so bad, I’m OK….I’m OK.”
And then the euphoria ends. Sometimes it lasts for a few minutes and sometimes it’ll stretch to a few wonderful miles but it always ends. My focus wavers. My leg turnover is no longer even. My breathing is bordering on gasping. I’m no longer OK.
But I am OK. I can’t see it in the moment because as the fear takes control, I forget that the pain has always been temporary, I’ve always made it home under my own power and I’ve accomplished so many seemingly impossible things in my short running life – I finished my first marathon strong, I’ve run a sub-2 half marathon and I get out there most mornings and enjoy the physical act of running…and I love it. Despite those moments of doubt, I am OK.
I haven’t figured out how to ignore the fear and stay focused but it is a challenge I am willing to tackle. I just have to remember, even when my legs start to fill with lead and my breathing resembles Darth Vader on a bad day, “I’m OK” and I have to believe it.
Today’s Daily Dozen:
4.02 mile run, 1 mile warm-up, 2 miles @ tempo (aka “comfortably hard”), 1 mile cool down
Core workout w/ Stability Ball @ lunch hour
I’m afraid of running fast. I’m afraid of how it’ll feel, which let’s be honest, is a fear of pain. I’m afraid I’ll injury myself and never run again. I’m afraid I’ll get halfway through a run and not be able to make it back home. To put it simply, I’m afraid I’ll fail.
Of course, “fast” is a relative term and for me, a solid 10:30 minute mile is my norm, meaning “fast” is anything under 10:00 minute mile. This is not “fast” by most other people’s understanding of the term.
Regardless of the pace associated with “fast” I’m still afraid of it.
That being said, the feeling of running fast is exhilarating. When I’m running fast, my mind doesn’t wonder, it is focused; I’m in the zone, hypnotized by the increasing, steady rhythm of quicker footfalls as they fall in sync with my heavier breathing.
“Fast Feet” and “Run Faster” replace my usual mantra (“Steady and Strong”) and there is usually only one thought that is able to penetrate the hypnotic state: “See this isn’t so bad, I’m OK….I’m OK.”
And then the euphoria ends. Sometimes it lasts for a few minutes and sometimes it’ll stretch to a few wonderful miles but it always ends. My focus wavers. My leg turnover is no longer even. My breathing is bordering on gasping. I’m no longer OK.
But I am OK. I can’t see it in the moment because as the fear takes control, I forget that the pain has always been temporary, I’ve always made it home under my own power and I’ve accomplished so many seemingly impossible things in my short running life – I finished my first marathon strong, I’ve run a sub-2 half marathon and I get out there most mornings and enjoy the physical act of running…and I love it. Despite those moments of doubt, I am OK.
I haven’t figured out how to ignore the fear and stay focused but it is a challenge I am willing to tackle. I just have to remember, even when my legs start to fill with lead and my breathing resembles Darth Vader on a bad day, “I’m OK” and I have to believe it.
Today’s Daily Dozen:
4.02 mile run, 1 mile warm-up, 2 miles @ tempo (aka “comfortably hard”), 1 mile cool down
Core workout w/ Stability Ball @ lunch hour
Monday, December 15, 2008
Surprising Paces
Saturday morning's run and this morning's run felt sluggish. Halfway through the run on Saturday, I realized I had forgotten to eat my usual pre-run banana and chalked the sluggish legs up to not having the proper fuel. This morning I was really hoping for something better but I still felt like I was running at a snail's pace.
Before I was forced into a two-month hiatus, I was running my easy, comfortable runs at a 10:30 average. This was an improvement on the 12:00 miles I was running when I first
started out and I was really feeling good about it. Along with a loss of leg endurance and strength and lung power, I was concerned about how my easy, comfortable pace would be
affected. I had mentally prepared myself to be back in the 11:00 to 12:00 range.
The last two runs have had me feeling sluggish and slow but both times when I got home and checked my paces, the running portions have been in the 10:00 to 9:30 range! This morning I
did 11 min. run/1 min. walk x 3 intervals and the 3 running intervals were 10:05, 9:47 and 9:22 respectively, despite the fact that I had convinced myself that I would seeing much slower paces. This increase in pace has been the only pleasant surprise resulting from the injury but it is one I'll take, for sure.
I'm curious to see if this speed holds up as the distances increase from 3 miles to 5 miles as the weeks progress. I think, the increased pace could be the result of taking two months off and allowing not only my injury to heal but also the rest of my body, the walking breaks that I have inserted in to the runs to slowly build back up, or both. I am trying to control my enthusiasm but as I was walking to work this morning I started thinking about aiming for 9:00 miles in my
marathon training this winter/spring.
That would mean a sub-4 hour marathon if I could really do it. I don't know; I'm hesitant to get excited but seeing my pace in the single digits is something I usually only saw in shorter races. If the past runs have been hard and I've still maintained a faster pace, just imagine how it'll feel cruising along at a 10:00 to 9:30 pace when I'm feeling relaxed.
Today's Daily Dozen:
3.55 mile run (11 min. run/1 min walk x 3 intervals)
1 hour walk @ lunchhour
Before I was forced into a two-month hiatus, I was running my easy, comfortable runs at a 10:30 average. This was an improvement on the 12:00 miles I was running when I first
started out and I was really feeling good about it. Along with a loss of leg endurance and strength and lung power, I was concerned about how my easy, comfortable pace would be
affected. I had mentally prepared myself to be back in the 11:00 to 12:00 range.
The last two runs have had me feeling sluggish and slow but both times when I got home and checked my paces, the running portions have been in the 10:00 to 9:30 range! This morning I
did 11 min. run/1 min. walk x 3 intervals and the 3 running intervals were 10:05, 9:47 and 9:22 respectively, despite the fact that I had convinced myself that I would seeing much slower paces. This increase in pace has been the only pleasant surprise resulting from the injury but it is one I'll take, for sure.
I'm curious to see if this speed holds up as the distances increase from 3 miles to 5 miles as the weeks progress. I think, the increased pace could be the result of taking two months off and allowing not only my injury to heal but also the rest of my body, the walking breaks that I have inserted in to the runs to slowly build back up, or both. I am trying to control my enthusiasm but as I was walking to work this morning I started thinking about aiming for 9:00 miles in my
marathon training this winter/spring.
That would mean a sub-4 hour marathon if I could really do it. I don't know; I'm hesitant to get excited but seeing my pace in the single digits is something I usually only saw in shorter races. If the past runs have been hard and I've still maintained a faster pace, just imagine how it'll feel cruising along at a 10:00 to 9:30 pace when I'm feeling relaxed.
Today's Daily Dozen:
3.55 mile run (11 min. run/1 min walk x 3 intervals)
1 hour walk @ lunchhour
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