Day 13
This past Monday morning I felt incredible – tons of energy, and a very positive mindset. So I figured it was the right time to get out on my run. It turned out to be the best run I’ve had so far in this training cycle, and the best I can remember for a long time. The plan called for just 30 minutes, with a couple of sets of strides. After doing a typical warmup routine I headed out, and decided to just run easy, however I felt, for 15 minutes before starting my strides. It turned out that “however I felt” was great! I ran 1.7 miles during this warmup at a 9:21 average pace, at a low average HR of 136. This, for me, is pretty incredible. Only a year ago I would have been running more like an 11 mpm pace at that HR, so this is a pretty dramatic improvement.
Once into the strides the good vibes continued. My cadence was up around 100, and my focus on the forward knee drive portion of the strides seems to be working. I definitely felt fatigue in my hip flexors by the end of these, indicating that I’m hitting the right muscles. I also felt like I was running ‘taller,’ so overall I feel like my form is improving. A 6 minute easy cooldown and 4 minute walk finished off this short but great run.
After the run I went through the Cyclo-Zen ‘Fix the Back Stay in the Drops’ routine. This was a little harder than the first time I went through it a couple of weeks ago. My abs were still sore from last week’s core workout, so I had to go easy on some of the exercises. The stretching felt really great though!
Today’s Numbers
Running: 4.51 miles, 0.70 hours, 9:16 average pace, 144 average HR
Warmup/Strength Training/Stretching: 0.70 hours
Day 14
Today’s plan was for a steady aerobic run for about 45 minutes. Coach said I could do some trail and some road. Trail running. Sweet. I decided to stop at Washington Park on my way to work. And run in the dark.
Running in Washington Park in the dark is something I’ve done a lot before, and I’m completely comfortable doing it, as long as I have a headlamp. As I’ve mentioned before though, I really want to get out and explore. In SW Portland there are a lot of trails in the hills, and there is one right near Washington Park that I’d never run on before. I had tried once before to find it (in the dark) and failed. I figured now was the perfect time to check it out – I now knew where it was. What could go wrong?
It turned out that running on this trail in the dark was pretty stupid. Unlike the trails in the park, this is a true single track trail. It switchbacks up a hill, sometimes there are stairs, and there were quite a few rocks and roots around, especially at the turns in the switchbacks. It was pretty much not runnable, except for short sections. This didn’t last too long before I popped out onto a road, and actually ran a little ways further up to Council Crest. At the top of Council Crest it was foggy, and I couldn’t see. Coming back down I ran off the trail a few times, and the trail here was pretty wide. Back out of the fog and into the singletrack, for what was pretty much a fast hike down. Trying to run down this trail, in the dark, would have probably been disastrous. I ran when I could, but mostly took it easy. Running for a half mile down hill wouldn’t be worth the potential for weeks off from a sprained ankle, or worse. At least the slippery leaves contrasted nicely with the surrounding foliage, making the trail easy to follow, even in the dark.
I made it back in one piece, with an important lesson learned: I may want to explore new places, but doing so in the dark probably isn’t a good idea.
After a decent day at work I headed home for a little bit of strength training. This being my third time through the routines coach prescribed I stepped it up slightly by adding a second set to each exercise. At the time it didn’t seem to hurt me too bad, but as I type this I’m starting to feel pretty sore, so I’ll probably be hurting tomorrow. The price of progress!
Today’s Numbers
Running: 3.67 miles, 0.86 hours, 13:43 average pace, 133 average HR.
Strength training/stretching: 1.05 hours
Day 15
Today was basically a rest day, although coach had me do a little bit of core training, followed by some stretching. I trained for less than 15 minutes!
Today’s Numbers
Strength training/stretching: 0.24 hours
November 26, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Seems a lot of people are either hit with their jobs being cut, or knowing someone who has had their job taken away.
Too much uncertainty for me.
January 2, 2009 at 5:47 pm
I love running in the dark too. I haven’t done it on any trails, because I’m so leary of twisting an ankle, but I’ve done it a bit on a road runs from our house. I think it makes a boring run much more interesting. Even in the dark, I feel like I see different aspects in the run and it feels more ‘free-ing’. Different animals come out and there aren’t so many obstacles (people, traffic, etc.)