Running For My Life

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/19/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:10:58.00
• Distance: 8 miles
• Average Pace: 8:52.54/mile

The race season is on! I finished 3rd overall (1st in age group) in the Chocolate Chase 5K in Burlington. More importantly, my time was 19:16, which is well ahead of where I thought I would be after 2 months away from normal training. I went out hard as usual; a 5:41 first mile had me in second place, but the eventual second-place finisher passed me in Mile 2. I was able to hold on to third easily as nobody was pushing me from behind. I probably could have broke 19 minutes had there been somebody challenging me for the position.

Other comments: It was a new course this year and I liked it much better than the old one. I met a lot of great people at the race including Mike, who has posted comments on this blog, and Bill, who also ran the Boston Marathon this year. It was a perfect day for running (other than the wind) and there was a good turnout considering there are three other 5Ks in the area this weekend.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/17/2008
• Time: 08:00:00
• Total Time: 00:19:16.00
• Distance: 3.1 miles
• Average Pace: 6:13.06/mile

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/17/2008
• Time: 07:00:00
• Total Time: 00:17:15.00
• Distance: 2 miles
• Average Pace: 8:37.24/mile

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 05/16/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 00:30:00.00

My only plan this morning was to run 7 miles; I didn’t care what my pace was.  Usually that means I go slower, like 8:30 to 9:00.  But I felt so good this morning that I went at a 7:34 pace, and the last 5 miles were probably closer to a 7:00 as I took the first 2 miles easy.  I am now starting to think more positively about Saturday’s Chocolate Chase 5K.  Maybe I can break 20 minutes…..maybe even 19 minutes……

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/15/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 00:52:58.00
• Distance: 7 miles
• Average Pace: 7:33.97/mile

Once again, things seemed “back to normal” as I resumed my self-guided spinning workouts this morning. I went 40 miles on my exercise bike, varying the speeds and tension much like you would in a spinning class. I typically do these types of workouts every Wednesday, but had not done any during the time I was injured. So it has been 2+ months since I have done this. My energy level seemed endless this morning!

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 05/14/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:03:00.00

I didn’t feel like getting out of bed this morning, and when I finally did, I didn’t feel like running.  After forcing myself outside, about 4 miles into my run, I realized that my body was trying to send me a message that it was not my day.  My legs were tired and heavy, especially during the last few miles.  In defense of my legs, it was the first time since my injury in early March that I was running on consecutive days so they probably weren’t prepared for it.  Also, I included some very light 400-meter intervals during Miles 2-5, which was a real chore (geez am I slow these days!!).  But I survived the run without any pain in my Achilles.  So even though the workout sucked, it was better than sleeping in!

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/13/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:01:30.00
• Distance: 7 miles
• Average Pace: 8:47.09/mile

Recovering from what, I don’t know…..maybe the hard 10 miles I did on Saturday, maybe all of the partying I did this weekend, or the Boston Marathon from three weeks ago…..all I know is that I ran 7 miles very slowly this morning, so that gets classified as a “recovery run”.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/12/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 1:01:22.00
• Distance: 7 miles
• Average Pace: 8:46.32/mile

I entered that elusive “zone” during a superb 10-mile run this morning.  I was planning to do 8 miles at an 8:30 pace, but it was such a perfect morning (sunny, 40s, no wind) that I immediately decided to go for 10 miles.  I did the first 2 miles at an 8:30 pace and once I got loose I picked up the pace to 8:00.  Then oddly, around Mile 4 I started feeling light-headed (probably a result of the 3 beers I had last night, or maybe the tacos we had at Taco Bell afterwards, or maybe the 5 hours of sleep I got).  As a result, I started to space out a bit.  By the time I hit my turnaround at Mile 5 I felt better, and for the next 3 miles or so I entered that state of being that sometimes comes when you are running on a long, straight path in the middle of nowhere (which is where I was).  All of the sudden I was hitting 7:00 miles with no effort.  When I hit the pavement with 2 miles left, I kept up the brisk pace to finish the run at a 7:54 pace.   No pain the Achilles either.  Hopefully I can say the same thing when I wake up tomorrow.

Workout:

• Type: Run
• Date: 05/10/2008
• Time: 06:00:00
• Total Time: 1:18:55.00
• Distance: 10 miles
• Average Pace: 7:53.68/mile

Workout:

• Type: General Cardio
• Date: 05/09/2008
• Time: 05:00:00
• Total Time: 00:53:45.00