Everything You Didn't Want to Know About My Runs

Easy run with two hill sprints.

I wasn't sure how I'd do, but I figured I would be somewhere between 53 and 59 minutes.  I was just hoping to average between 9:00 and 9:30 pace.  I was at 9:17.  I think.  Some dude walked past me in the gate after the finish line before they scanned my bib.  I think he might have taken my time.

I don't have my own time because my GPS lost the satellites at the starting line and I didn't notice for a little while.  Now it won't download the data onto my computer.  I hate that stupid thing.

I decided to take it easy on the first lap and try to push it on the last lap.  I attacked the uphill and just relaxed on the downhill and let the hill take me down at a faster pace.  Other than that, I just concentrated on running easy, but with good form.  This left me plenty of wind for the second lap, but my legs got tired.

 I still felt pretty good on the second lap.  I saw my wife and kids near the finish line.  (Jane, Sydney, and Cami had just run the 5K.) They didn't see me, though, so I had to call out to them.  I decided to take it easy until the hill and then pick it up.  I attacked the uphill and then sped up going down and left the group I had been with for most of the first lap behind for good.  I then focused on catching people who were ahead of me.  At this point, my legs were getting sore and my feet were a little numb. When I caught myself thinking about that, I started concentrating on running form and the next person ahead of me.

I just kept on that way all around the mall.  As I made it around the far side of the mall, I caught up to a Ragnar teammate, Traci Clark.  She said something about the heat.  I said, "Let's finish fast before it gets hotter."  I just kept focusing on the next person and she stayed with me.  I wasn't sure if I had enough left to finish strong, but I kept gradually reeling in runners.  When I made the turn down the final stretch, I started to push it and wondered if it was too soon.  I kept pushing anyway and worked up to a full sprint as I entered the gate.  I made it.  It was a good run and I ran it about as well as I could. 

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Easy run with hill sprints. 

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Easy run at Island Park.  Did not get satellites until at least a mile into the run.

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This was the day after we went to Yellowstone and saw this. 

Easy run with three hill sprints.

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Slow.  Recovery day.  Easy four miles.

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1 mile warm-up and then I tried to run 3 miles at about 9:00 / mile.  I was a little over on the first mile--which was uphill.  I was under for the last two.  The second started a little uphill and then went downhill.  The last was downhill then leveled out.  Those were under 9:00.  I think I averaged right at 9.  I ran the first mile harder, though. 

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Easy recovery run.

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Long slow run in the heat.  I drank two water bottles.  I've been trying to run in the aerobic zone by feel and it feels like I can run a little faster in that zone after three miles.  I was pushing the heart rate a little after I warmed up.  I decided to get a heart rate monitor so I know better where I am.  The weird thing is that after these slower runs, I feel it a lot more in my heart and lungs for the rest of the day. 

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 Easy run with 4 hill sprints.

 First time running with heart rate monitor.  I couldn't remember what the numbers were supposed to be.  I thought my maximum heart rate calculated by age was 180.  And then I thought I was supposed to be at 70% of that, which I figured was 126.  It turned out that was way too slow and I could not maintain a rate that low while jogging.  I decided I had it all wrong and needed to look at the numbers again after I got home.  I decided to just run like I had been and just see what my heart rate was.

Turns out I'm supposed to be at 70% of the way from my resting to my maximum heart rate.  Duh.   

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Easy four miler.  Tried to keep heart rate around 148.  Turns out that was a little high.  Should have been 146.  As suspected, the pace was a little higher than I had been running, but without monitoring my heart rate, I was erring on the side of not going too fast.  I'm learning.

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Today I did a longer run ~6 miles at 80%, or 158 bpm.  It took a little effort to get up in the 150's at first because my course started downhill.  The uphill portion--which was the middle 3 or so miles--required me to slow way down.  I kept creeping into the low 160's.  

These calculations are pretty close because I could actually feel a difference when crossing the threshold into anaerobia.  I don't know how far past the threshold you have to go before you feel it.  Is it immediate?  I think I felt a difference at about 161.  

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My shins were hurting a bit so I decided to take a break from running a go biking.  I tried staying at around 158 bpm, but once I got on the trail, it was difficult to stay below 160.  Road biking is probably better for aerobic training.

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 I was planning to do 10 Saturday, but didn't get out.  I didn't sleep very well at all the night before and was a zombie all day.  So I did 10 today.  I had to get up an hour early.  It was nice to be out running before the sun came up.

 I decided to do 8 with a 1 mile warm-up and a 1 mile cool-down.  I was trying to stay around 80% (158 bpm)  It is difficult to do that on the up-hill.  I really have to fight myself to stay that slow.  I think it is good--I felt like I could have kept going forever at that pace, but it got very difficult to keep it below 160 after 8 miles.  I stopped to walk a couple of times to reset things.  But once the ticker starts going, it is hard to slow it down--especially since it feels good to push it after a few miles. 

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