June 2007 Archives

I was just thinking about this, today, and while I'm sure that running is not the only sport to do this, I can think of few other sports were the vast majority of events conducted are almost exclusively for the benefit of charity. Makes ya feel all warm and fuzzy inside, don't it.

Run Log: Run: 5.0 mi - Week: 11.3 mi - Total: 133.2 mi

Sorry the graph is so boring, folks. I managed a pretty good run considering it was raining pretty steadily outside. For the most part, I actually enjoyed running in the rain, if for no other reason than it kept me cool. Showering afterwards still seemed somewhat odd, though.

Run Log: Run: 6.33 mi - Week: 6.3 mi - Total: 128.2 mi

Today's run was up at UMKC, given the 90° weather. Continued with the 1 minute of walking per mile, and set a new PR for a 10K. I need to get up earlier because running 48 laps on an indoor track gets really boring, even with "This American Life" playing through my iPod.

Run Log: Run: 12.0 mi - Week: 25.0 mi - Total: 121.9 mi

This week's long run of 12 miles was something else. I didn't do any warm up ahead of time, and instead just eased into my pace, as can be seen from the times on the first few miles. What really surprised me when I saw the data, though, is how much I was able to increase my pace toward the end. Since I'd never run more than 10 miles, it was awesome to see that I ran those last two miles at sub-11:00 paces. Here are the splits:

I tried out the Indian Creek trail, which runs through Overland Park and Leawood, even connecting to the Missouri side. If you're from the KC area, I'd highly recommend it for running. There are some wonderfully secluded wooded areas, which I wasn't expecting given its proximity to 435.

If you want to read about the most interesting part of today's run, though, you'll have to head over to my regular blog.

Run Log: Runs: 4.0 mi - Week: 13.0 mi - Total: 109.9 mi

Boy it was a hot run today. It was a pretty flat run, but the 82° weather was getting to me by the end. That's what I get for sleeping in, I suppose. I had to add an extra walk break in the fourth mile just to make it. I'll have to start very early on Saturday morning if I'm going to survive the 12 miles.

Run Log: Runs: 5.0 & 4.03 mi - Week: 9.0 mi - Total: 105.9 mi

The two runs so far this week have been very different. On Monday, I ran up at UMKC on the indoor track, and ran at a much faster pace, only taking walk breaks of 1 minute for each mile run. The end result was a new PR for 5 miles, and a great feeling from pushing myself ever so much on pace. I was also rewarded with some extra stiffness in my legs on Tuesday.

Tuesday's run was back outside, in about 80° weather. The added heat and hills of this run made for a slower pace, but still managed to do the 1 minute walk for each mile. I think I'll stick to this for my short runs, though I don't think I'll push this Saturday's long run past 5/1 at all. 12 miles is going to be hard enough as it is.

Run Log: Run: 10.0 mi - Week: 20.7 mi - Total: 96.8 mi

Well, my fears about managing to run 10 miles without hurting my ankle or something else again were unfounded (near as I can tell an hour after the fact). I managed to run the 10 miles using the 4/1 run/walk ratio pretty well, only really having to push myself for the last 1.5 miles or so. Here are the mile splits (there is some rounding that occurs in these calculations, hence any errors when totaling half splits):

Yes, this is a bit slower than the 9 mile run, partly due to the 5/1 ratio I used last time, but I still managed a negative split and can still walk right now, both of which are good things. Now to make up the 1100 calories I burned this morning. :)

Run Log: Run: 2.0 mi - Week: 10.7 mi - Total: 86.8 mi

Brief two mile run this morning, which felt great. Unfortunately, it was already 80° outside by the time I got running, so I was drenched by the time I got home. Tomorrow's run is supposed to be ten miles, so wish me luck.

Run Log: Run: 5.01 mi - Week: 8.7 mi - Total: 84.8 mi

These are the last two runs I've done this week, with the one on the right being the most recent. The ankle injury, or more accurately what seems from my reading to be a mild case of Achilles Tendonitis, seems to be doing much better. I've been icing quite a bit and running a more conservative 4/1 run/walk ratio on an indoor track this week. I also cut out a run and replaced it with a 9-mile bike ride. Running indoors has been nice for the air-conditioning, if not a bit boring, but has mostly been so that I could stop easily if I noticed tenderness creeping in.

This morning's run went surprisingly well, and I did not expect to make it the full five miles without noticing pain in my ankle, but at no point was it feeling tender, which is great news. I'll still be sticking with ice and conservative pacing for a bit, until I'm sure it's back to normal, but it's nice to complete a full run without having any difficulties.

Run Log: Run: 9.01 mi - Week: 21.4 mi - Total: 76.2 mi

Hard run today. The first 4.5 miles felt great, it was the coming back that started to get difficult. I maintained the 5/1 run/walk ratio throughout the run, but started to get more noticeably tired around mile 7. Splits for the run are as follows:

• Mile 1 - 11:19
• Mile 2 - 11:06
• Mile 3 - 10:49
• Mile 4 - 11:00
• Mile 5 - 11:04
• Mile 6 - 11:12
• Mile 7 - 11:16
• Mile 8 - 11:22
• Mile 9 - 11:33

The back of my heel is the only thing giving me a bit of trouble right now. My legs otherwise seem to have handled the run quite well. I will have two days rest as my recital is coming up on Monday (and thus no running that day), so that should help in addition to RICE.

Run Log: Run: 4.54 mi, 47:02, 10:21/mi pace - Week: 4.5 mi - Total: 59.4 mi

This morning's run felt good, but after about 3.75 miles, I somehow managed to stop the workout on the iPod, so the data was a bit messed up. The only real downside about today's run was that after a nice bike ride yesterday, the run felt so sloooooow.

Time - 25:28, Pace - 8:12, Overall 209/778, Division 27/52

Woooooooohooo! This morning I ran my first 5K since high school and it was a lot of fun. The conditions were great, with a cool morning and overcast skies, and the course was quite fast. There were only three small hills and an overall drop of about 100ft. There were many enthusiastic volunteers, one of whom said of me, "Now there's a guy who needs to lose some weight." :) It was very well organized and a blast to run.

I was shooting for 27:00, based on my training runs which tend to be over 10:00/mi, so I was most surprised to see that I managed a 25:28!

Perhaps the coolest part, though, was the 6-year-old girl who finished the 5K on her birthday. Everyone joined in singing, which was pretty cool. (Don't worry, I beat her.) I got a cool medal for my efforts, along with a hat, t-shirt, water bottle, and various other goodies.

On the whole, it was a lot of fun (even Carrie agreed that the early wake-up call was worth it), and I can't wait for my next race!