first of all i would just like to say that if weather.com is going to report a 1% (yes, 1%) chance of rain well i think most people would assume it's pretty much not going to rain. nope, definitely rained on me and my run. ...ok so it sprinkled, for a few minutes, in the beginning of my run, but still, it rained. liars.
i got a nike+ back in august/september-ish as an early birthday present from j. while it has it's quirks and can be irritating, today i realized just how much i do like it. i was not even a quarter-mile into my run and glanced down to find it wasn't recording my distance. i paused to start it up real quick but it wasn't syncing up to my sensor. then i realized, i never put my sensor in my shoe pouch, great. i couldn't turn back because j had gone for a run too and since he was running 6 miles (to my 8) he took the key since he'd be back first. so, i sucked it up and ran without it. granted, it's never been the most accurate, especially at races, but i like having it to know roughly how far i've gone on training runs.
today was to be my first tempo run/speedier run period since the marathon and i wanted to see my mile splits, but i had to do without. it wasn't too bad at first, but after awhile i started to feel tired, and i didn't have my nike+ to tell me how far i've already gone. i made a deal with myself to make it to 45 minutes at tempo pace and then i could pull back a bit and just finish the run. had i had my +, i would've been able to glance down, see how far along i was, talk myself into finishing that mile, and ultimately probably pushing myself along little by little. instead, i told myself i could ease up after 45 minutes, but when i got there i was cruising downhill and talked myself into 50 minutes. a small victory at least.
when i got home i stretched briefly (as always, it could've been better) and logged into map my run to see how far i ran. turns out i didn't do too bad for my first 'speed' day since the marathon, not knowing how far i'd gone, and not knowing my splits and whether or not to pick up the pace. i got in 6.4 tempo miles in 50:29 (7:53 avg pace). normally i aim for 7:41 or better, but i'm quite happy with today's run.
terri over at middle of the pack girl asked how my legs do all this running, no cross training and not fall apart, and to be honest i'm venturing into new territory with them. while i've been running fairly consistently since 2005, i only recently ramped my mileage up to ~40mpw in early 2007, and fluctuated for the rest of the year with 20-40 mile weeks. 2008 began and i still hopped on and off my own bandwagon, running 3-35 mile weeks. (yes, i ran a 3 mile week earlier this year! march, to be exact.) then came the olympics in august and i got motivated, plus i had to kick it in gear to get ready for goofy. since august, i've built my mileage back up to 40mpw and beyond. watching the olympics jump started me into getting serious about my running and i hope i can keep it up through the winter and coming years.
i've really hit a groove where i'm addicted to logging miles, although i've never been too content at recording my workouts any other way than running miles. i'm trying to stay smart and take it easy when my body starts hollering at me in order to prevent injuries and continue running. i'd rather take a few days off for prevention than get sidelined for a few months with injury. in the spring/summer/fall i'll bike to work a few days a week but i "can't" let that substitute for my running miles, my mentality is stubborn like that even though i know cross-training is just as good for you (and sometimes better). plus, i love how efficient running is at burning the calories i love to eat!
pm run: 8.4 miles, 1:08:10 (8:06 avg pace), avg/max hr (164/182)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
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Great job on the tempo run. You really paced yourself well. I am addicted to my Garmin and feel lost without it.
ReplyDeleteI just really started to like logging lots of mileage (well more than I ever have). There is something fun about it. However, I think you are right when you say you have to listen to your body.
way to get the tempo run in anyways!! when my garmin is not working right i just feel lost :)
ReplyDeleteI hear you about needing to know exactly how far & how fast while running. It's gotten to the point that a run almost feels like it doesn't count if it's not on my Garmin.
ReplyDeleteHey, first I am impressed that your body can take all of that running and at a speed I would consider a very fast tempo run, if not outright speed work. I guess I saw enough improvement with myself over the summer with the crosstraining that I've gotten used to only running those three days. Maybe 4 would be better, but I think with the weather we have here, it might be better to stick with 3 for the winter.
ReplyDeleteDo you wonder if you maybe even rn faster since you didn't have the Nike+?!
Funny that we both brought up cross training on the same day. I too get a little antsy about substituting a bike workout for a run and I always want to make up the mileage. I've been able to (mostly) get over it because Jack Daniels (the running coach, not the whiskey distiller) reiterates many, many times in his book not to get obsessed with mileage.
ReplyDeleteThe benefits of easy runs are primarily building your body to handle the impacts and shock of other training types as well as building an aerobic base. The way I look at it, the bike builds the aerobic base equally as well as running. When I'm injured, then even an easy run isn't going to help build my body to handle the impacts of training, but rather the opposite.
So, logically, it's the best option even if my heart is more into the running mileage. Sometimes Jack Daniels the distiller helps me get over the stress of missing the mileage.