a quick six

One would have thought I would have learned my lesson after the sweaty run from the other day, but I was back at it today with the same result. The only difference today was the I managed to eek out two more miles, for a total of six, before calling it quits.

Today was more of a tempo run with a gradually increasing pace. I started around 8:20/mile and kept picking it up with the goal of finishing under an 8:00/mi pace, which I did. I completed the 6 miles in 46:50 (a 7:48/mi pace).

I felt some pain in my left ankle as I was cooling down from the run. Felt a bit tender on the inside, so I might need to keep an eye on that. It feels fine now as I write this, 4 hours later, but it did not feel too hot after the run.

Weekly Total: 10 miles
Yearly Total: 415.6 miles

hot inside

I went for a run today on the treadmill at work, and it was so warm and stale in the gym that I couldn't get past 4 miles. I was sweating like a pig by the end of mile one and it only got worse. It was warm outside, but that would have been nice compared to inside. I managed to get through the four miles in a time of 31:34 after mixing in some speed intervals. Not a bad workout, just not as far as I would have liked because of the heat.

Race Report: A Most Excellent Race 10K

This morning, I went out and ran a 10K race in Cleveland Heights called A Most Excellent Race. It is a great race that benefits a camp run for children with disabilities. For me, it was a sort of milestone as one year ago tommorrow, I ran the previous year's version of this race, and it was the first race I ever ran.

A lot has changed in a year. The best thing that changed between the two races is the weather. Last year's 90 degree temperatures were replaced by 70s. And for the first time, my girlfriend Kristy was also running the race (the 5K version). So those two things alone made me feel pretty good about things before the race even started.

Once it did start, it was a pretty crazy first mile or so as the 10K people had to pass the 5K people & walkers (for some reason, they start the 10K people slightly behind). Once past most of the log jam, I was able to break into a good pace. The course is kind of weird in that it started with about a 1/4 mi moderate hill, followed by gradual downhills for the next 2 miles, before going back uphill again before repeating.

I felt pretty good at the halfway point, though it is always tempting on a setup like that to give up at the halfway point and just finish the 5K. But I kept going. I felt pretty good for the next two miles before the one mile or so climb back up to the finish. I was getting tired then. But I managed to keep going, and was able to pick off another runner, and then one more in the sprint to the finish. I was very happy to come in at 46:54. Almost a 15 minute improvement on last year's time!

Here are the numbers:

Time: 46:54
Pace: 7:32/mi
Overall: 44 of 201
Division (Male 25-29): 4 of 10

I had really hoped to make the top 3 in my division, but alas it was not to be. Interestingly enough, I would have won my division in the 5K if I had been able to repeat last weekend's performance, as the winning time was only 22:57, over a minute and a half slower than my 5K time from last weekend's Ohio City 5K. Oh well. Someday I will place.

Weekly Total: 17.4 miles
Yearly Total: 405.6 miles

a pre-10k 10k

Storms outside again today, so I hit up the treadmill at the gym for a nice 10k tempo run to help prepare for the 10k that I will most likely be running this Sunday morning. I started out under an 8:00/mi pace and gradually increased the speed, before more aggressive speed increases in the last two miles.

Ended up finishing the 6.2 mile run in 48:06 (7:44/mi pace), which was more than good enough for an "unofficial" 10K PR. I felt pretty wiped out at the end since I was running hard that last mile, and due to the lack of circulating air in the gym, I was drenched in sweat. But after getting some water and stretching out, I did not feel half bad. I feel pretty confident that I can have a good showing if I decide to run on Sunday.

stupid heels

Went running on the treadmill at work today as it was storming outside this afternoon. Hit up the treadmill with the intention of doing some speedwork and going 6 miles. Ending up doing just a bit of speedwork (about three 1/4 mile segments under 7:00/mi pace), only went 5 miles in 41:13 (8:14/mi pace), and tore up the heel on my right foot. It was hurting but I did not think much of it until I finished running and saw I had bled through the top of my sock and onto the top heel of my shoe. The same thing had happened last week, just not as severe, on the same foot but just slightly lower and toward the inside. So I need to get some taller socks and get those bandaids on. I hope I don't go through the blister trouble with these shoes as I did with the previous pair.

Ohio City 5K & Crawl

Ran the Ohio City 5K & Crawl this evening and set a new 5K PR of 21:15. Here are the numbers:

Time: 21:15.5
Pace: 6:51/mi
Overall: 22 of 306
Division (Male 20-29): 7 of 30

I pushed myself hard from the start and did mile one in 6:40, my unofficial fastest mile. Mile two I felt a bit fatigued and I think I managed right around 7:00. By the third mile, it was pretty thinned out and it felt like just me and the guy in front of me, who I had previously passed but he managed to overtake me shortly afterward. Surprisingly, he was the only person to pass me during the race. I had my usual end-of-race kick, but it didn't last long since the finish line was not visible until rounding a corner which didn't leave me much time to sprint.

I'm very happy with my result. I did even better than I expected. I don't feel too comfortable about these "shorter" races since I started off as a marathon man. But I'm getting more comfortable now that I have a bit more experience and have managed to improve my speed in the past year. I'm likely going to do a 10K race this coming Sunday, so it will be interesting to see how that compares to this 5K.

Weekly Total: 15.1 miles
Yearly Total: 388.2 miles

a little tuneup

Even though I have the Ohio City 5K tommorrow evening, I wanted to get a run in since it had been a few days. I stayed indoors and hit up the treadmill at work. I kept the pace pretty slow since I wasn't looking to wear myself out. I kept around 8:41/mi for most of the run, with some brief speed intervals in the last mile. I finished the 5 miles in 42:50 (8:34/mi pace).

The run was the first time I held back in a while, and I actually felt good after running instead of worn out like usual. It was nice for a change.

about seven

Went to the park across from work today. Did not remember to bring my watch, so I sort of winged it on the time. It was actually pretty nice to not find myself constantly checking my watch and trying to calculate my pace and splits. I kept up a pretty brisk pace and ran about 7 miles in a little under an hour. I did have some pain in my legs, so I'm a bit worried that I've ramped my mileage back up a little too fast. I'm going to try to do about the same number of miles this week as last. Hopefully I can increase steadly from this level and not have to cut back and build back up.

busy run

Took the new shoes outdoors today for their first run out on the trail. They held up pretty well for the 6 miles I ran out on the towpath. I finished in about 49:52 (8:18/mi pace), which is a little inflated since I'm convinced that one of the miles is incorrectly measured. I ran this stretch for my first and sixth miles, and both were my slowest miles (and I know the last mile should have been my fastest based on my effort). I experienced this previously, but now I am convinced it is wrong. Oh well.

Weekly Total: 21.1 miles
Yearly Total: 373.1 miles

New shoes & new 5K PR! (sort of)

Yesterday I got a new pair of running shoes. Today I put them to the test and ended up with a 5K personal record time. It doesn't really count though since it was on a treadmill at work. But it felt good to know what I was capable of, and the shoes felt pretty good too.

The new shoes are a pair of Brooks Radius 6. I guess I'm a real runner now since I got some Brooks, which is sort of regarded by some as "the real runner's shoe". I went to Fleet Feet Sports in Northfield, got my foot measured and evaluated. Found out that I have a pretty neutral foot and would do best with a cushioned shoe. The salesman brought out 3 pairs, and the Brooks felt most comfortable by far.

As for the run today, I didn't plan to go so fast, but I felt good and just went for it. I'm doing the Ohio City 5K next Saturday, so I thought I'd push myself hard one last time before the race to see what I'm capable of. And man was I pleased with the results. My time was 21:52, which is about a minute and a half faster than my actual race best 5K time. I honestly didn't believe I could achieve a pace that was almost under 7 minutes a mile (7:02)! So I am now looking forward to next Saturday's race in hopes that I can get a new "official" 5K PR that is hopefully as good as the "unofficial" one I got today.

picking up

Went to the park across the street from work again this afternoon. Since I knew the course a little better this time, I set out with a goal in mind to do around six mile. I ended up doing 6.5 miles in around 54 minutes. I'm not entirely sure about this distance, but it's a fairly close approximation. Unfortunately the mileage markers are sporadic and the course has numerous alternate routes, so I try to use time as my indicator of distance since I usually stick pretty close to an 8:00/mi pace.

Felt pretty good. It was the second straight run I did without my headset, which I did not really miss that much. I've found that I talk to myself even more than usual without it, since there is nothing else to distract me. Yes, running is a very simple activity, so one's mind has to find something to do since the act itself requires minimal attention. I wonder if other people can just get into a zone and focus on the task at hand. If they can, I envy them....greatly.

a new place to run

I'm always up for running in different places since the treadmill makes me want to stop running and I have the towpath trails almost memorized. So for a change I went to the park across the street from work. I parked my car next to the trail, started my timer and got to running. About 53 minutes later, I stopped. I think I covered around 5.5 miles (at least). I did find that the trail is 2.75 miles long, and I now know where to find the mileage markers. It is fairly flat, though has quite a few rolling hills that will be a welcome change to my typically flat training areas.

5k a day

I kept it short today and ended up only running 5K (3.1 miles) on the treadmill at work. I didn't intend to run so short, but I wanted to get home and so I just kept speeding up faster and faster. Finished it in 24:10. Not my best time, but I didn't set off to run that short of a distance or I would have started faster.

Weekly Total: 8.1 miles
Yearly Total: 352 miles