The past few weeks have been crazy. I spent the last 2 weeks traveling around the Dallas-Forth Worth area for work, which involves long hours and areas that I'm not too familiar with (meaning running outside isn't really an option as it's dark and I dont' know where I'm going). But, I've been trying my best by heading to the hotel gyms even if I only have 15 minutes before dinner. It's not a surprise that I'm already behind in my training schedule. I was supposed to run 4 miles this weekend (and last weekend) but that didn't happen.
The first week, I was gone from 8am Monday 2/6 to around 8pm Friday 2/10:
Monday - I only did 1.4 miles at 1% incline and I didn't even do it quickly: 15-and-a-half minutes. The treadmill was killing my knee and ankle (right and left, respectively) so I decided just to cut my losses and not push myself too much. Instead, I did some general strengthening exercises like crunches, single-leg hamstring curls (which I call "ballerina leg lifts" as that's exactly what it looks like), squats, and the like. I also did a bunch of stretching, which doesn't really count but it's still good for you.
Tuesday - this was the "far" treadmill run day. I did 3.25 miles in just under 32 minutes at 1% incline. My legs felt good, my lungs felt good, and the moons aligned. About 5 minutes after I started running, two people got on the treadmills near mine and started running as well. Here's the surprise: they stopped running before I did. That has probably never happened to me. It definitely hasn't happened since I entered college. It felt awesome.
I think those were my only two runs that week. I might have done another one, but I didn't put it into my running app (iMapMyRun) so it doesn't count. Except for that, we ended work way too late and I was exhausted.
The hotel: The Sheraton (where we stayed) had a really nice gym with enough space for stretching and a bunch of treadmills. The first treadmill I got on made my legs hurt but it might have been me more than the treadmill because it was the same type of treadmill as the one I got on the next day. There were these random wooden bleacher-like seats against one wall which helped for (a) holding your phone and room key while you worked out, and (b) being able to stretch your hamstrings at different levels. The only con of the gym was that there was no view. The treadmills stared at a beige wall, facing away from the tv (odd).
The second week, I was gone from 7:30am Monday 2/13 to around 9pm Thursday 2/16:
Monday - We had a big dinner with one of our clients that night so I didn't have much time to exercise. I was going to just scrap the run all together, but instead I thought it'd be better to do something even if it's short. Unfortunately, all the treadmills were being used so I had to get on an elliptical. I don't like ellipticals. I find they make my knees hurt and I never feel comfortable on them so every second is awkward and unenjoyable. BUT, I got on it anyway for the sake of my lungs ("resting" for a week between runs is not good if I want to live through my next run) and did just over 1 mile in 10 minutes. Hated every minute of it. Luckily there were only 10.
Tuesday - Valentine's Day! Yup, I was traveling for work on Valentine's Day. The positive? Dinner is paid for by the company so I don't have to worry about expensive Valentine's Day menus. Unfortunately, my colleagues wanted to eat early so I only had time for another quick workout. I did 1.3 miles in a little over 14 minutes at 1% incline.
Wednesday - I did 5 miles at 1% incline in 59-and-a-half minutes. I wish I could say I jogged all 5 miles, but I didn't. I jogged and then walked and then jogged again. I kept getting really bad cramps in my side so I couldn't jog for too long at a single go.
The hotel: We stayed at the Westin this time. We like staying there because it's really close to the offices we go to a lot, it has a great restaurant BlueFire Grill, and it has great beds. Unfortunately, I didn't like the Westin's gym as much as the Sheraton's (for these specific hotels that I visited these two weeks. I don't know about other Westin/Sheraton locations). We'll start with what was good about it: the treadmills were facing the pool/outdoors so there was a nice-ish view. What I didn't like as much about it: there wasn't a lot of space to put a mat down and stretch without getting in someone's way. It's really set up so that you can only comfortably use machines. Luckily, my room had enough room to stretch, but that's not really the point.
This past weekend: I did not jog at all, although I did walk A LOT. It was my brother's girlfriend's 30th birthday so we all went to Disney World to help her celebrate it. We went to Epcot on Saturday and spent the entire day (12 hours!) walking around and going on the different rides. There were 30+ people in our group and somehow we all managed to stay together pretty decently (until some people split off to go back to the hotel). Then we all met at the German Biergarten and ate some really good food, listened to German Biergarten music (not sure how to classify it), and drank some German bier. I had the German bier flight which was samples of each of their 4 German biers. They were all really good. Then on Sunday we went to Hollywood Studios and went on more rides. I even went on the Rockin' Rollercoaster. I hate rollercoasters. The last time I went on a rollercoaster (well, before the Rockin' one), I cried. I was 20 years old. I hate rollercoasters. But this one was only a minute and a half and it doesn't have all the things that I hate about normal coasters:
1. It's in the dark so you don't know how high you are and you don't really have time to register turns and drops
2. It goes really fast the whole time so there's no slow click-click-click as the car climbs up before plunging downward.
3. There weren't that many drops anyway.
4. It went upside-down (which I hate) but it means that there was that big padded metal piece that comes down over your chest rather than just a flimsy metal bar that goes down over your lap. The lap bars make me feel so unsafe it's not even funny. Hence why I cried that other time. This time, I felt very securely in my seat and knew I wasn't going anywhere I wasn't supposed to go.
I got back from Orlando on Sunday night and then Monday went for a run. It was my first outdoor run in two weeks and it could have gone better. I did 3.25 miles in just under 33 minutes. Not bad, but my lungs were not happy so I would have to walk every so often and whenever I walked I would get a cramp in my side. Could have gone worse though. I tried running with more of a mid-foot strike (think how you would run on a hard surface barefoot) than a heel strike as described in Born to Run. It's awkward because it makes me use muscles I haven't used but whenever I would start heel-strike running, my legs would get tired and start to hurt, while when I would midfoot-strike, my lungs would get tired first.
Today I'm back at work in my normal office so I brought all my running stuff and I'm going to start up again with running home from work. Talk about killing two birds with one stone, it's just so convenient that it's silly not to. It means that I don't have to go home, change, and then go run. It also means that I don't have to drag my stuff to a gym, change there, wait for a free treadmill, and then walk home.
Today I'm going to try to do 4 miles. It means snaking my way from work to home rather than running straight there, but I think I can do it. I have little choice.
Need to get back on schedule since this weekend I'm supposed to run 5 miles!
-J
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
it's been a while
Not since I've run. That I've been doing consistently. It's been a while since I posted about my runs. And do I have a bunch to tell you!
The rest of last week's runs after work were relatively uneventful, but then this weekend happened.
Saturday: I ran outside for the first time since starting this mini-marathon training! It was a beautiful day and I managed to convince my friend Steph to come running with me. We ran the East River Promenade from 86th street all the way down to where it ends on 60th street and then back. Googlemaps says (but is probably wrong) that it was 2.7 miles and we did it in 28-ish minutes. I have a running app that tracks your route, time, etc. but evidently I didn't push the right button or something so it didn't track it. Again, I'm a genius. We did a quick stop at 60th street to stretch and so Steph could adjust her sock, so we probably averaged 6.0 mph or maybe a little faster. Not bad for my first time outside!
Sunday: I went running on the East River Promenade by myself. Since I wasn't running with someone who could pace themselves, I didn't pace myself so I got a little too ahead of myself and wasn't able to run the whole time. I had to do run/walks the whole time. But I didn't walk that much, so it was still good. And it was super windy. I did figure out how to get my running app to work though (I pushed the right button and waited until it started). This time, it said the route (the same route that I did on Saturday) was 3.26 miles and I did it in 34:45. I'm not sure which distance to believe, but it doesn't really matter, I guess. It was still a lot more fun running outside than it was inside on a treadmill.
Monday: Since I actually did my two runs this weekend, I didn't have to go running on Monday! I got to have dinner with my cousin instead, which was super fun and I got to try Dos Caminos which I had never been to before (it was really really good. Try the short ribs. And the guacamole.)
Tuesday: Yesterday, I packed a big bag with my sneakers and all the running things I would need for the week. I've been doing this for the past few weeks so that I have all my gym stuff at work and then just have to bring my sneakers (and ridiculous number of hair necessities) back and forth from work. It makes my mornings much less stressful since I don't have to pick out a tshirt and pants and socks for running along with my work clothes. Since yesterday was so nice outside (I think it was around 50 degrees), I decided I would run home from work. So I just brought the minimum number of things I needed for work (my work ID, driver's license just incase, debit card, apartment key) and wore a fleece to work. Then, at the end of the day, I changed into my running clothes, put my work clothes into the big bag in my desk, and took off! From my office to my apartment is 2.5 miles and I did it in 26 minutes! I had to stop a few times to wait for a light to change, but luckily there was a lot of traffic on the avenue I ran on so most of the time the cars were in complete gridlock so I didn't have to wait. The joys of New York City. Also, I ended up getting home faster than when I usually take the bus!
Yesterday's run home from work was so enjoyable that I'm going to run home today as well.
Things I didn't find enjoyable: groups of people that take up the whole sidewalk and don't bother moving even though they see you heading towards them. I understand you're out with your 15 closest friends, but general courtesy says that when someone is heading towards you that you should seperate slightly to allow them to pass. Just saying... Also, people with dogs who walk on one side of the sidewalk while their dogs walk on the other side and the leash stretches across the entire width. These people also tend to not move when they see you running towards them. Am I the only one that realizes that other people also need to use the sidewalks?
Happy February!
-J
PS: I just started reading a book about running. So far it's extremely entertaining! Maybe I'll write a post about it when I get farther in (or finish it).
The rest of last week's runs after work were relatively uneventful, but then this weekend happened.
Saturday: I ran outside for the first time since starting this mini-marathon training! It was a beautiful day and I managed to convince my friend Steph to come running with me. We ran the East River Promenade from 86th street all the way down to where it ends on 60th street and then back. Googlemaps says (but is probably wrong) that it was 2.7 miles and we did it in 28-ish minutes. I have a running app that tracks your route, time, etc. but evidently I didn't push the right button or something so it didn't track it. Again, I'm a genius. We did a quick stop at 60th street to stretch and so Steph could adjust her sock, so we probably averaged 6.0 mph or maybe a little faster. Not bad for my first time outside!
Sunday: I went running on the East River Promenade by myself. Since I wasn't running with someone who could pace themselves, I didn't pace myself so I got a little too ahead of myself and wasn't able to run the whole time. I had to do run/walks the whole time. But I didn't walk that much, so it was still good. And it was super windy. I did figure out how to get my running app to work though (I pushed the right button and waited until it started). This time, it said the route (the same route that I did on Saturday) was 3.26 miles and I did it in 34:45. I'm not sure which distance to believe, but it doesn't really matter, I guess. It was still a lot more fun running outside than it was inside on a treadmill.
Monday: Since I actually did my two runs this weekend, I didn't have to go running on Monday! I got to have dinner with my cousin instead, which was super fun and I got to try Dos Caminos which I had never been to before (it was really really good. Try the short ribs. And the guacamole.)
Tuesday: Yesterday, I packed a big bag with my sneakers and all the running things I would need for the week. I've been doing this for the past few weeks so that I have all my gym stuff at work and then just have to bring my sneakers (and ridiculous number of hair necessities) back and forth from work. It makes my mornings much less stressful since I don't have to pick out a tshirt and pants and socks for running along with my work clothes. Since yesterday was so nice outside (I think it was around 50 degrees), I decided I would run home from work. So I just brought the minimum number of things I needed for work (my work ID, driver's license just incase, debit card, apartment key) and wore a fleece to work. Then, at the end of the day, I changed into my running clothes, put my work clothes into the big bag in my desk, and took off! From my office to my apartment is 2.5 miles and I did it in 26 minutes! I had to stop a few times to wait for a light to change, but luckily there was a lot of traffic on the avenue I ran on so most of the time the cars were in complete gridlock so I didn't have to wait. The joys of New York City. Also, I ended up getting home faster than when I usually take the bus!
Yesterday's run home from work was so enjoyable that I'm going to run home today as well.
Things I didn't find enjoyable: groups of people that take up the whole sidewalk and don't bother moving even though they see you heading towards them. I understand you're out with your 15 closest friends, but general courtesy says that when someone is heading towards you that you should seperate slightly to allow them to pass. Just saying... Also, people with dogs who walk on one side of the sidewalk while their dogs walk on the other side and the leash stretches across the entire width. These people also tend to not move when they see you running towards them. Am I the only one that realizes that other people also need to use the sidewalks?
Happy February!
-J
PS: I just started reading a book about running. So far it's extremely entertaining! Maybe I'll write a post about it when I get farther in (or finish it).
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
treadmill police
Last night when I went to the gym I was not expecting greatness out of my run. Even though I hadn't run in a few days (or maybe because of it?) some of my joints were a bit achy. I have/had tendinitis in my left ankle so sometimes when it hurts I tend to overcompensate with my right knee. But after I passed the first mile, I started to get into a groove and my body stepped up. I was on track to do the full 2.5 miles I was supposed to do. Then the Treadmill Police came by.
I like to put a towel over my treadmill so I can't see the time or the distance. I find it less stressful that way. Last night, the Treadmill Police came by and asked to see my time. I understand that when it's really busy and there's a line of people waiting to use the treadmills that they ask you limit your time to 30 minutes so I didn't mind that much. Especially since I was only going to be on the treadmill anyway since I was running 2.5 miles, not like I was going to be on there for an hour. When the Policeman came by, I was only at 1.5 miles (I did a 5 minute warm-up walk so I was at 20 minutes total) so I thought "I only have another 10 minutes, no walk breaks! You don't have time!" I was spurred on to do the full 2.5 miles!
Then 5 minutes later, I see him walk back over, check out a few people's times and then stop at my treadmill and say, "You have to stop now." Uhh... what? I still have 5 minutes. When I mentioned this, he responded, "There's a line." Clearly there was no reasoning with this guy. I was bummed because I thought I could do my scheduled 2.5 miles and I only got to do 2 miles (at 6.0 mph with a 1.5 incline the whole time, yeah!), but I understood. If I was on the line, I'd want people to stick to the 30 minutes (even though I didn't get 30 minutes) and I'd want the Treadmill Police to enforce that. So I did a very abbreviated cool-down walk, wiped off my treadmill with the sanitizing towels, and walked over towards the mats to stretch. On my way, I just happened to glance at the treadmill of someone also in my section (and that the Policeman checked on right before me) and noticed that he was over the 30 minute maximum...
Oh hell no! What is that about?! I only got 25 minutes and this guy get's to run for as long as he likes? That's BS. BS, I TELL YOU!
I was going to say something to the Policeman but I didn't want to rat this guy out. I mean, good for him if the Treadmill Police didn't notice or didn't care that he went over the 30 minutes. If I went over the 30 minutes, I wouldn't want somebitter completely justified person tattling on me. However, the Policeman clearly saw that he was over 30 minutes and just didn't care. Ugh. My Wellesley training wanted me to yell out "Sexism!" but I didn't. I don't like confrontation with people I don't know and I don't think it was necessarily sexism. It might have been discriminatory though since I was wearing a blue shirt and both the guy and the Policeman were wearing red shirts...
I'll let you decide.
Cons of NYSC at night: the Treadmill Police
Cons of NYSC during the day: I can't get there because I have a day job
-J
PS: Tonight, we attempt the full 2.5 miles. I may kick it up to 6.5 mph since then I'll either be done sooner so I can do a full cool-down or I'll have run farther if I do get kicked off.
PPS: Alternatively, I may try doing my warm-up on the ellipticals instead of on the treadmill so I get the full 30 mins for running instead of warm-up and running.
PPPS: What am I going to do when I'm supposed to run 4-6 miles on wednesdays closer to the race?!
I like to put a towel over my treadmill so I can't see the time or the distance. I find it less stressful that way. Last night, the Treadmill Police came by and asked to see my time. I understand that when it's really busy and there's a line of people waiting to use the treadmills that they ask you limit your time to 30 minutes so I didn't mind that much. Especially since I was only going to be on the treadmill anyway since I was running 2.5 miles, not like I was going to be on there for an hour. When the Policeman came by, I was only at 1.5 miles (I did a 5 minute warm-up walk so I was at 20 minutes total) so I thought "I only have another 10 minutes, no walk breaks! You don't have time!" I was spurred on to do the full 2.5 miles!
Then 5 minutes later, I see him walk back over, check out a few people's times and then stop at my treadmill and say, "You have to stop now." Uhh... what? I still have 5 minutes. When I mentioned this, he responded, "There's a line." Clearly there was no reasoning with this guy. I was bummed because I thought I could do my scheduled 2.5 miles and I only got to do 2 miles (at 6.0 mph with a 1.5 incline the whole time, yeah!), but I understood. If I was on the line, I'd want people to stick to the 30 minutes (even though I didn't get 30 minutes) and I'd want the Treadmill Police to enforce that. So I did a very abbreviated cool-down walk, wiped off my treadmill with the sanitizing towels, and walked over towards the mats to stretch. On my way, I just happened to glance at the treadmill of someone also in my section (and that the Policeman checked on right before me) and noticed that he was over the 30 minute maximum...
Oh hell no! What is that about?! I only got 25 minutes and this guy get's to run for as long as he likes? That's BS. BS, I TELL YOU!
I was going to say something to the Policeman but I didn't want to rat this guy out. I mean, good for him if the Treadmill Police didn't notice or didn't care that he went over the 30 minutes. If I went over the 30 minutes, I wouldn't want some
I'll let you decide.
Cons of NYSC at night: the Treadmill Police
Cons of NYSC during the day: I can't get there because I have a day job
-J
PS: Tonight, we attempt the full 2.5 miles. I may kick it up to 6.5 mph since then I'll either be done sooner so I can do a full cool-down or I'll have run farther if I do get kicked off.
PPS: Alternatively, I may try doing my warm-up on the ellipticals instead of on the treadmill so I get the full 30 mins for running instead of warm-up and running.
PPPS: What am I going to do when I'm supposed to run 4-6 miles on wednesdays closer to the race?!
Monday, January 23, 2012
week 4
I didn't run at all this weekend. Except for the bus. Which I totally made, even though it was a Select Bus Service where you have to get the ticket before you get on. Saturday I had lunch and wandered the Upper East Side with a friend and by the time I got home it was 5pm and freezing from all the snow. Sunday I went to Staten Island for lunch and by the time I got back it was 4pm and I was supposed to be at a football party at 5pm (Pats and Giants won so it should be an exciting Super Bowl!). So now it's Monday and I haven't run in 3 days. I'm going to the gym tonight to get back on schedule. I'm expecting a mediocre performance.
In positive news, from now on my schedule just has the total distance I have to go instead of walk/jog routines. This week I'm supposed to run at least 2.5 miles on Sun, Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Saturday. I'm substituting tonight for Sunday this week (since I already missed Sunday... oops.)
We'll see how it goes.
-J
In positive news, from now on my schedule just has the total distance I have to go instead of walk/jog routines. This week I'm supposed to run at least 2.5 miles on Sun, Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Saturday. I'm substituting tonight for Sunday this week (since I already missed Sunday... oops.)
We'll see how it goes.
-J
Friday, January 20, 2012
there was progress... and then not so much.
On Wednesday I went to the gym and got one of my favorite treadmills. I forget the brand or type, but I'll find out next time I go. Also, my knee was hurting me most of the day but then it stopped when I started walking. So already I was set up for success. I was supposed to run 2 miles straight without walking. And I. Did. It. In fact, I actually ran 2.25 miles at 6.0 mph the whole time. I was feeling super good! I did the first mile at 1.0 incline, the second mile at 2.0 incline, and then the last 1/4 mile at 0.0 incline. I've been training the whole time at at least a 1.0 incline and I find that when I run on no incline I get side cramps more quickly. I need to start waiting for treadmills that have negative inclines so I can do some real hills. Right now, I'm all uphill, no downhill!
So yesterday I was pumped to get back on a treadmill and do 1 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, etc. But the second I started running, my ankle started to hurt. I think maybe I overdid it on Wednesday? Or I just took a weird step? It's unclear. I stuck to my plan though (which probably wasn't the best idea) and did 3 miles in 35 minutes. I started out at 1.0 incline. Then after my warm-up walk, I ran one mile at 6 mph. Then I moved it up to a 2.0 incline for a quarter-mile walk and another mile run at 6 mph. Then I did a 1/4 mile walk at 3.0 incline and 1/2 mile walk back at 1.0 incline before cooling down.
Even though my ankle was hurting me, I found a way to run that wasn't as high-impact on my knees/ankles (it's just a less bouncy run, more flat). When I start to get out of breath or feel the asthma a little bit, I start running that way and usually whatever I'm feeling goes away. I probably shouldn't have run as much though because my legs were definitely hurting last night when I got off the treadmill. Today they feel fine though, not even stiff.
Also, I've been running without music and I'm finding it way easier. The buds in my ears were distracting in an annoying way and they always got sweaty and would start to slip out. Also, I didn't like the feel of the cord against my sweaty skin. And it's easier now to wipe the sweat off since I don't have to worry about anything in the way (I'm also wearing contacts now when I run so I don't have to worry about sweaty, slippy glasses either). I always get some funny looks when people see me step on a treadmill without earbuds, but that's okay. The sound from the treadmills easily turns into white noise and I can then think about other things or nothing at all. Last night I just counted seconds (one one-thousand, two one-thousand, three ...) since I should travel 1/10 of a mile in a minute. I was fairly off though. I thought I was counting at the right pace but somehow I got to what I thought was 2 minutes and I had done .25 miles. Not that that's a bad thing. It's better than getting to what I thought was 2 minutes and realizing I ran less than I thought.
Anyway, lunch break over, back to work!
-J
So yesterday I was pumped to get back on a treadmill and do 1 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, etc. But the second I started running, my ankle started to hurt. I think maybe I overdid it on Wednesday? Or I just took a weird step? It's unclear. I stuck to my plan though (which probably wasn't the best idea) and did 3 miles in 35 minutes. I started out at 1.0 incline. Then after my warm-up walk, I ran one mile at 6 mph. Then I moved it up to a 2.0 incline for a quarter-mile walk and another mile run at 6 mph. Then I did a 1/4 mile walk at 3.0 incline and 1/2 mile walk back at 1.0 incline before cooling down.
Even though my ankle was hurting me, I found a way to run that wasn't as high-impact on my knees/ankles (it's just a less bouncy run, more flat). When I start to get out of breath or feel the asthma a little bit, I start running that way and usually whatever I'm feeling goes away. I probably shouldn't have run as much though because my legs were definitely hurting last night when I got off the treadmill. Today they feel fine though, not even stiff.
Also, I've been running without music and I'm finding it way easier. The buds in my ears were distracting in an annoying way and they always got sweaty and would start to slip out. Also, I didn't like the feel of the cord against my sweaty skin. And it's easier now to wipe the sweat off since I don't have to worry about anything in the way (I'm also wearing contacts now when I run so I don't have to worry about sweaty, slippy glasses either). I always get some funny looks when people see me step on a treadmill without earbuds, but that's okay. The sound from the treadmills easily turns into white noise and I can then think about other things or nothing at all. Last night I just counted seconds (one one-thousand, two one-thousand, three ...) since I should travel 1/10 of a mile in a minute. I was fairly off though. I thought I was counting at the right pace but somehow I got to what I thought was 2 minutes and I had done .25 miles. Not that that's a bad thing. It's better than getting to what I thought was 2 minutes and realizing I ran less than I thought.
Anyway, lunch break over, back to work!
-J
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
sunday to tuesday
I was supposed to go running on Sunday. But I didn't. It was absolutely freezing outside and, to be honest, I actually didn't leave my apartment at all except to go to dinner one block away. I wish that was a good reason to not run but in reality I was just super tired.
Instead, I did my Sunday run on Monday. I don't quite remember what I did though. I've clearly found a shortcoming with my iphone notes shorthand. I do remember that I did 3 miles in 35:45 and it was all on at least a 1.0 incline. I may need a better record system.
Yesterday, I did a total of 2.4 miles in 25:53 which sets me at under 11 minutes per mile! After my warm-up half mile, I reset the treadmillby accident completely on purpose and did:
0.1-0.1 miles at 6.0 mph and 2.0 incline
0.1-0.5 miles at 6.5 mph and 2.0 incline
0.5-1.0 miles at 6.0 mph and 1.5 incline
1.0-1.25 miles walk 4.0 mph and 1.0 incline
1.25-2.25 miles at 6.0 mph and 1.0 incline
Then I walked until 2.4 miles before I realize I forgot to check and write down the time. Oops.
Clearly, I thought I could handle the steeper incline and higher pace but could not. Probably because the last time I ran more of an incline, it was a weekend and I had gotten enough sleep.
Tonight, I'm supposed to just run 2 miles without walking. My knee hurts a little bit from yesterday though. I think I wasn't placing my feet carefully and started to twist my knee. If it doesn't go away, I'll think about getting a brace for it. A friend told me that when she used to run, a brace really helped her. We shall see. If my knee starts hurting me more during my run, then I won't push myself to the 2 miles, I'll just do crazy hills instead.
Also, I was hoping to go out to Long Island this weekend to run out there (which will be closer to the terrain I'm going to run on during the actual race) and that way I could run with my aunt's dog who may or may not be a good running partner (he's untested, but it'll be easier to test him on shorter distances, obviously) but my roommate is having a pre-birthday event (her birthday is next month) involving going to Staten Island on Sunday. Choices... I think it'll come down to if it rains this weekend or not.
Anyway, off I go to attempt a run. If it doesn't work out, I'll do general strength training. I've been benign-neglecting my arms and back recently and I feel like they may revolt against me if I don't put them in their place soon.
-J
Instead, I did my Sunday run on Monday. I don't quite remember what I did though. I've clearly found a shortcoming with my iphone notes shorthand. I do remember that I did 3 miles in 35:45 and it was all on at least a 1.0 incline. I may need a better record system.
Yesterday, I did a total of 2.4 miles in 25:53 which sets me at under 11 minutes per mile! After my warm-up half mile, I reset the treadmill
0.1-0.1 miles at 6.0 mph and 2.0 incline
0.1-0.5 miles at 6.5 mph and 2.0 incline
0.5-1.0 miles at 6.0 mph and 1.5 incline
1.0-1.25 miles walk 4.0 mph and 1.0 incline
1.25-2.25 miles at 6.0 mph and 1.0 incline
Then I walked until 2.4 miles before I realize I forgot to check and write down the time. Oops.
Clearly, I thought I could handle the steeper incline and higher pace but could not. Probably because the last time I ran more of an incline, it was a weekend and I had gotten enough sleep.
Tonight, I'm supposed to just run 2 miles without walking. My knee hurts a little bit from yesterday though. I think I wasn't placing my feet carefully and started to twist my knee. If it doesn't go away, I'll think about getting a brace for it. A friend told me that when she used to run, a brace really helped her. We shall see. If my knee starts hurting me more during my run, then I won't push myself to the 2 miles, I'll just do crazy hills instead.
Also, I was hoping to go out to Long Island this weekend to run out there (which will be closer to the terrain I'm going to run on during the actual race) and that way I could run with my aunt's dog who may or may not be a good running partner (he's untested, but it'll be easier to test him on shorter distances, obviously) but my roommate is having a pre-birthday event (her birthday is next month) involving going to Staten Island on Sunday. Choices... I think it'll come down to if it rains this weekend or not.
Anyway, off I go to attempt a run. If it doesn't work out, I'll do general strength training. I've been benign-neglecting my arms and back recently and I feel like they may revolt against me if I don't put them in their place soon.
-J
Saturday, January 14, 2012
a couple days
On Thursday, I did:
0.5-mile warm-up walk at 4.0 mph
0.75-mile jog at 6.5 mph
0.25-mile walk at 4.0 mph
0.75-mile jog at 6.5 mph
0.25-mile walk at 4.0 mph
That was all at 1.0 incline. After the last walk, I did an extra 1/4 mile walk at 4.0 mph on a 4.0 incline. Really worked those glutes! In total it was 2.8 miles in 33 minutes.
But onto more interesting things:
Today I did my first run without walking. I started with the normal warm-up walk and then I did just over 2 miles (2.1 miles to be exact) at 6.0 mph. No walking!
Even more impressively, I upped the incline a bit during so that mile 1.0-1.2 were at 2.0 incline, 1.2-1.4 were at 3.0 incline, and 1.4-1.6 were back at 2.0 incline. The rest of it was all at 1.0. I was going to just set the treadmill for "hills" but the treadmill I was on today didn't have that feature so I semi-created it myself. I think it was better that I did it since I could stop the hills whenever they got to be too much instead if I was doing the hills program then I would have been stuck.
Even more impressively than that, I didn't listen to music at all. Usually on weeknights the treadmill room is super loud so I've been listening to music to try to drown it out a bit. However, today it wasn't as noisy. I don't know if I'm going to do many more runs without music but it was nice for this time. Usually my mind runs at a mile a minute (I am definitely unable to keep up!) so I like when I find activities that slow it down. I thought I would use the 20 minutes of running to think about things but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could think of much. I was focused on my breathing and placing one foot in front of the other and not much else. Although I did have one line of a song stuck in my head but now I can't remember what it was.
I said I would post a photo of my hair accessories if I remembered to take a photo. Lo and behold, I did:
As you can see, my ponytail is almost as short as a ponytail could possibly be. The front snap clip holds the headband in place (I find that even though the headband has grips, it still slides on my hair and is very distracting when I run or work out) and then the back snap clip holds the hair that isn't long enough for the hair band.
Anyway, it's time for showering and thinking about food options for tonight.
Still jazzed about today's run, hopefully tomorrow's goes equally smoothly!
-J
0.5-mile warm-up walk at 4.0 mph
0.75-mile jog at 6.5 mph
0.25-mile walk at 4.0 mph
0.75-mile jog at 6.5 mph
0.25-mile walk at 4.0 mph
That was all at 1.0 incline. After the last walk, I did an extra 1/4 mile walk at 4.0 mph on a 4.0 incline. Really worked those glutes! In total it was 2.8 miles in 33 minutes.
But onto more interesting things:
Today I did my first run without walking. I started with the normal warm-up walk and then I did just over 2 miles (2.1 miles to be exact) at 6.0 mph. No walking!
Even more impressively, I upped the incline a bit during so that mile 1.0-1.2 were at 2.0 incline, 1.2-1.4 were at 3.0 incline, and 1.4-1.6 were back at 2.0 incline. The rest of it was all at 1.0. I was going to just set the treadmill for "hills" but the treadmill I was on today didn't have that feature so I semi-created it myself. I think it was better that I did it since I could stop the hills whenever they got to be too much instead if I was doing the hills program then I would have been stuck.
Even more impressively than that, I didn't listen to music at all. Usually on weeknights the treadmill room is super loud so I've been listening to music to try to drown it out a bit. However, today it wasn't as noisy. I don't know if I'm going to do many more runs without music but it was nice for this time. Usually my mind runs at a mile a minute (I am definitely unable to keep up!) so I like when I find activities that slow it down. I thought I would use the 20 minutes of running to think about things but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could think of much. I was focused on my breathing and placing one foot in front of the other and not much else. Although I did have one line of a song stuck in my head but now I can't remember what it was.
I said I would post a photo of my hair accessories if I remembered to take a photo. Lo and behold, I did:
As you can see, my ponytail is almost as short as a ponytail could possibly be. The front snap clip holds the headband in place (I find that even though the headband has grips, it still slides on my hair and is very distracting when I run or work out) and then the back snap clip holds the hair that isn't long enough for the hair band.
Anyway, it's time for showering and thinking about food options for tonight.
Still jazzed about today's run, hopefully tomorrow's goes equally smoothly!
-J
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