Yesterday, I went out for my biggest run to date. I went out for 13. I knew it was hot but didn't know that it was going to be 95 degrees out. But I brought with me a lot of water. I went to a new place to run and parked my car near the center of where I was going to run. So not only did I have my handheld. (A water bottle that straps to your hand for those who do not know ) I also had my new water bottle that straps around my waist. I had that full as well. I tore through my first water bottle rather quickly. Again my ignorance in knowing what the temperature was made for a quick drinking of that first first bottle. After mile 7, I was about destroyed. I was hot and exhausted. When I reached the halfway point of the run. I decided to drink the little gatorade bottle that I had prepared as well.
Well, that was amazing. With a little rest and a lot of stretching, I was ready to go again. That was the first time that gatorade was beneficial to me. Having read a number of articles about hydration, stating that most runners and exercisers need only water, an idea to which I subscribe. This was the first evidence to the contrary. Now, I will not be prompted to drink gatorade on all my runs. Mostly, I just want water. However, at that moment, it was exactly what I needed.
When I made it back to my car. I refilled my handheld and drank the all of my waste pack bottle. After which I felt pretty good, relatively speaking. I continued to drink and fill up my bottle at my car throughout the rest of the run. I will admit that this was a difficult run, for two reasons, new distance for me and the heat.
Remarkably, I feel reasonably well this Monday morning. Last week, when I ran 12, I felt destroyed the next day. Again, I had a greater focus on my form for the entirety of the run. I will discuss this in a later topic.
Things to be gleaned from this post: First, park in a central spot, so that you may have access to your water. Second, on long runs sports drinks should be used. My standard is generally going to be runs longer than 10 miles. Third, be smart. Look at the weather report before going out blindly.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
One Step Closer
Yesterday I ran in the last in FARC's summer series of Cross Country Runs. I got 27:10 in that particular 5K. I am getting closer to my goal of 24. 3 minutes, while large is a long time but I still think that I will be able to get there. My next race will be the 10 miler the day before school starts, So I guess that I should sign up soon.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
My goals
I have been thinking for a long time about my goals. While I have written about some of my goals before, I have mainly been running for a couple of reasons. The main reason is for general health. My most recent attainable goal was to run in the Stonewall Jackson 20 Miler this fall. But recently I have figured out all of my goals. There are quite a few. I believe that I can attain each one.
First, as a high school student I ran track for one year, I was a distance runner, I ran the mile and the 2 mile. My best time in the mile was 5:32. I think now, nearly 20 years after high school, I have both the discipline and the desire to beat that time. Granted speed work is not something that I am interested in but I think that I will get that one.
Second, I want to as I have said run in the Stonewall Jackson 20 miler, for reasons previously alluded to in earlier posts.
Third, during high school I was a Cross Country runner. Again, I have never been fast and I don't even remember what my time was in high school. So right now my goal is 24 min for a 5K.
Fourth, I would like to say one time that I finished a marathon. So I will sign up for the Richmond Marathon and run in it.
Last, I have a super secret goal but I am keeping that one under my hat for the time being. Only because I want to see if I get 2 and 4 this year.
I will update as each one gets either closer or is completed.
First, as a high school student I ran track for one year, I was a distance runner, I ran the mile and the 2 mile. My best time in the mile was 5:32. I think now, nearly 20 years after high school, I have both the discipline and the desire to beat that time. Granted speed work is not something that I am interested in but I think that I will get that one.
Second, I want to as I have said run in the Stonewall Jackson 20 miler, for reasons previously alluded to in earlier posts.
Third, during high school I was a Cross Country runner. Again, I have never been fast and I don't even remember what my time was in high school. So right now my goal is 24 min for a 5K.
Fourth, I would like to say one time that I finished a marathon. So I will sign up for the Richmond Marathon and run in it.
Last, I have a super secret goal but I am keeping that one under my hat for the time being. Only because I want to see if I get 2 and 4 this year.
I will update as each one gets either closer or is completed.
Arbitrary Goals
First of all it is important for one to have a goal. In my case, I want to run in the Stonewall Jackson 20 Miler. For some reason, that one has spoken to me ever since I heard about it 5 years ago. I didn't know if I could run 2o miles. Now, I am fairly certain that I can do it.
But one thing that I found distracting is this Nike Plus goal. I set the bar pretty high, that I would complete 100 miles. I like the way that it records the miles that I have run. It has always been important to me to know how far I have run. So much so that I have often driven the exact course that I ran in order to determine how far I had gone, on a particular day. When I looked at how far I had run, I wanted to complete the 100 mile goal so much that I had run 95 miles as of last Friday. I thought I can certainly run 5 more miles to reach 100 on Saturday. However, due to the long run the day before, I was sore. I didn't run Saturday or Sunday. I was becoming upset that I was not going to reach my goal. Well, in the end it took two days instead of the one to reach my goal. Regardless, I reached my goal. It may not have been on the day that my head said that I was supposed to but the day my body said OK. Of course I am now past it, and on my way the next goal. I want to see how long it takes me to run 200 miles. It took 20 runs to get to the 100 mile mark.
But one thing that I found distracting is this Nike Plus goal. I set the bar pretty high, that I would complete 100 miles. I like the way that it records the miles that I have run. It has always been important to me to know how far I have run. So much so that I have often driven the exact course that I ran in order to determine how far I had gone, on a particular day. When I looked at how far I had run, I wanted to complete the 100 mile goal so much that I had run 95 miles as of last Friday. I thought I can certainly run 5 more miles to reach 100 on Saturday. However, due to the long run the day before, I was sore. I didn't run Saturday or Sunday. I was becoming upset that I was not going to reach my goal. Well, in the end it took two days instead of the one to reach my goal. Regardless, I reached my goal. It may not have been on the day that my head said that I was supposed to but the day my body said OK. Of course I am now past it, and on my way the next goal. I want to see how long it takes me to run 200 miles. It took 20 runs to get to the 100 mile mark.
Rebound Part 2
Yesterday. I was nervous about running again. Even though I ran nearly 3 miles, to me that is not sufficient. I want to be able to run 6 or 7 miles without even thinking. With my goal of running the Spotsy 20 Miler, I feel that I need to be able to do this and I believe that I will be able to successfully complete the race. So I wanted to be able to get at least 4 miles yesterday. Now I know that even with an injury which I am still slowly working through, I know that I absolutely have to cut down on mileage. Also, I know that I have to stretch more, which I am doing.
So I got out there and started running in Fredericksburg National battlefield. I have run there a bunch of times. I went there yesterday because I needed to be in a little bit of shade because it is summer here and pretty hot. So I started my run and then I found a path that I had been on before. Usually I can't see the path as well but yesterday I followed it through, it was so much fun. Not only did I find myself running longer, but also I found myself running faster. I was concentrating on my form as well. Man was it fun. When I got out off the path I headed back to my car and I threw in the towel at 6 miles. I had to stop to walk for the last half mile but I was completely happy with a six miler. I got in the car all sweaty and tired and happy. It was a good day. Another good run. I got home, stretched again and slept.
So I got out there and started running in Fredericksburg National battlefield. I have run there a bunch of times. I went there yesterday because I needed to be in a little bit of shade because it is summer here and pretty hot. So I started my run and then I found a path that I had been on before. Usually I can't see the path as well but yesterday I followed it through, it was so much fun. Not only did I find myself running longer, but also I found myself running faster. I was concentrating on my form as well. Man was it fun. When I got out off the path I headed back to my car and I threw in the towel at 6 miles. I had to stop to walk for the last half mile but I was completely happy with a six miler. I got in the car all sweaty and tired and happy. It was a good day. Another good run. I got home, stretched again and slept.
Rebound Part 1
Well, I really was nervous about getting back on the horse. I was worried if the King of All Personal Setbacks would affect me again. I had a professional development class for teaching on Monday and I knew that I wanted to run again. I had packed my workout bag for a run. Then I got a call from my brother that he would be stopping by for a visit. He lives in PA and I live in beautiful Virginia. He had bought a boat and was transporting it up to PA from Florida. Since, I live 3 miles of I 95 he thought to stop by. It was a nice thing.
So I figured that he would arrive around 4:30 pm. At 3:30, I was at home and decided to go for a run. This was the first time I took my phone because I thought that he might catch me on my run. But I still had in the back of my mind that I wanted to reach that 100 miles mark on my Nike Plus. As I started, I realized that there was no way that I would be able to run 5 miles and get ready for my brother's visit. Well, I said that there was always tomorrow and I ran about 3 miles. This was good because my knee was still a little sore and I don't think that I should have done more.
So with the pressure with someone coming for a visit, I got back on the horse and ran again. I was pleased because I ran. My last major setback cost me months of running and setback my marathon goal by 2 years. It is easy not to run. It is hard to run when you're sore. I ran before my brother got there and there it was I was back on the horse. I felt good because I ran fast and it didn't hurt as much. I was back on the correct form and searching out he softest places to run. Thank goodness there is grass along the side of the roads in my neighborhood.
I finally got to visit with my brother and we hung out, he took his boat home and I had the rest of the night to bask in the glory of having been able to run again, even if it was not the 5 I had hoped for. There's always tomorrow.
So I figured that he would arrive around 4:30 pm. At 3:30, I was at home and decided to go for a run. This was the first time I took my phone because I thought that he might catch me on my run. But I still had in the back of my mind that I wanted to reach that 100 miles mark on my Nike Plus. As I started, I realized that there was no way that I would be able to run 5 miles and get ready for my brother's visit. Well, I said that there was always tomorrow and I ran about 3 miles. This was good because my knee was still a little sore and I don't think that I should have done more.
So with the pressure with someone coming for a visit, I got back on the horse and ran again. I was pleased because I ran. My last major setback cost me months of running and setback my marathon goal by 2 years. It is easy not to run. It is hard to run when you're sore. I ran before my brother got there and there it was I was back on the horse. I felt good because I ran fast and it didn't hurt as much. I was back on the correct form and searching out he softest places to run. Thank goodness there is grass along the side of the roads in my neighborhood.
I finally got to visit with my brother and we hung out, he took his boat home and I had the rest of the night to bask in the glory of having been able to run again, even if it was not the 5 I had hoped for. There's always tomorrow.
Days Off
Man after the long run, and the excessive heat of Virginia summers, I could not get my act together to run. Plus, being essentially a lazy man, I needed a day off. So I took off Saturday. I was OK with that one. Then Sunday rolled around. I had trouble getting out of bed. Thus the 10:30 wake up time. I normally drag myself out of bed around 5:30, or so.
Clearly I was tired. And of course this was the day that my knee really felt bad. So I waited and waited for my run. When I finally got ready to go for the run, I had another setback. Let me back of up a second. I as discussed in a previous post, I got the Nike Plus. Well, I found that one time while on the run if you hit it during your run the Nike plus will not log in some part of your run. So I lost about 3/4 of a mile of a run. I was mad, 3/4 of a mile on a 5 mile run is a lot. If it were a 20 mile run, I would not be so upset but this was important to have it logged.
Also, I was very close to having completed 100 miles since the purchase of my Nike Plus. This was a milestone for me and I wanted to run the last 5 miles to 100 on my Nike Plus. Then my Ipod stopped functioning. It froze up and I knew that I had to let it run itself out, and then recharge it. Well that entire process takes about 2 - 3 hours.
So back to Sunday. It was 6:00pm. So I hoped that I would be able to get my act together. It didn't pan out. It started getting dark, and I was getting discouraged, I didn't realize how important it was to me to be able to run. Read: Someone found a new drug. I threw in the towel when at 9:00 it was finally dark and there was no way that I would be able to run my entire 5 miles and subsequently didn't run at all.
There were a lot of thoughts running through my head. Will I be able to run again? Will I be able to run the Marathon? Is this going to the former setback again? (to be discussed in subsequent posts) Is my body built for long runs? This is how I felt on Sunday night.
Clearly I was tired. And of course this was the day that my knee really felt bad. So I waited and waited for my run. When I finally got ready to go for the run, I had another setback. Let me back of up a second. I as discussed in a previous post, I got the Nike Plus. Well, I found that one time while on the run if you hit it during your run the Nike plus will not log in some part of your run. So I lost about 3/4 of a mile of a run. I was mad, 3/4 of a mile on a 5 mile run is a lot. If it were a 20 mile run, I would not be so upset but this was important to have it logged.
Also, I was very close to having completed 100 miles since the purchase of my Nike Plus. This was a milestone for me and I wanted to run the last 5 miles to 100 on my Nike Plus. Then my Ipod stopped functioning. It froze up and I knew that I had to let it run itself out, and then recharge it. Well that entire process takes about 2 - 3 hours.
So back to Sunday. It was 6:00pm. So I hoped that I would be able to get my act together. It didn't pan out. It started getting dark, and I was getting discouraged, I didn't realize how important it was to me to be able to run. Read: Someone found a new drug. I threw in the towel when at 9:00 it was finally dark and there was no way that I would be able to run my entire 5 miles and subsequently didn't run at all.
There were a lot of thoughts running through my head. Will I be able to run again? Will I be able to run the Marathon? Is this going to the former setback again? (to be discussed in subsequent posts) Is my body built for long runs? This is how I felt on Sunday night.
The Long One
I have been working hard at increasing the length of my runs in hopes of running the Richmond Marathon. Because of other obligations I had to change the day of my long run last week. I ran 12 miles. I had wondered if I was able to accomplish it and of course I did. But it sure was a long one. I just about ran all the roads in my neighborhood.
There are a couple of things that I gleaned from this run. First, cotton is no longer my friend. I looked like wet myself. I was covered from head to toe in sweat at the conclusion of the run. I decided that I actually have to buy some nylon running clothes.
Second, I discovered that I will be able to complete the 20 miler this fall. Provided I suffer no injuries. My knee has been hurting me, and was hurting me at the conclusion of the run. So I have to remember to stretch, and strengthen my knees.
Third, this is probably the most important for me. I found that my form suffers the longer I run. It is not necessary how long I run but it revolves around how tired I am. I get lazier the longer I run. So I have to reassess and notice how my feet are landing and where my knees are in relation to the rest of my body.
There are a couple of things that I gleaned from this run. First, cotton is no longer my friend. I looked like wet myself. I was covered from head to toe in sweat at the conclusion of the run. I decided that I actually have to buy some nylon running clothes.
Second, I discovered that I will be able to complete the 20 miler this fall. Provided I suffer no injuries. My knee has been hurting me, and was hurting me at the conclusion of the run. So I have to remember to stretch, and strengthen my knees.
Third, this is probably the most important for me. I found that my form suffers the longer I run. It is not necessary how long I run but it revolves around how tired I am. I get lazier the longer I run. So I have to reassess and notice how my feet are landing and where my knees are in relation to the rest of my body.
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