Monday Long Run

Sunday's plan calls for a Long Run, but I am running it today, instead.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (10.00)mi. Pace-avg: (16:32). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (5.3)mph. Burned: (1061) Calories.

Plan: Run (8.0)mi. @ an (18:02) pace, for a total time of (2:24:22)hrs.
Actual:  , bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.x)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Tea with honey, toast with peanut butter; Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Banana-Strawberry), Clif Shot Blocks (Lemon-Lime); Post-run: Gatorade (Fruit Punch), then dinner.



Despite my slack-tastic nature I pulled myself out of the doldrums, got over the prospect of running in the cold, cold air outside, and went out for an afternoon run. It is clear I have lost some of my running gains and was unable to run continuously for even one (1) full mile, but I expect to make that up in short order. There were several other runners in the park this afternoon, and most of them were dressed less warmly than I. All the same, I was very happy that I had layered up as if I was going out running after sundown. I think I will have to go back to Fleet Feet and investigate the Goretex running gear I saw there last time.

Once again that nagging ache in my left foot, at the ball of my foot, sprang back to life during my return lap. I made sure to pull up my ankle socks, and adjust the tongue of my left shoe, but to no avail. I experimented a little bit with different strides/forms and found that really picking up my feet and stepping forward actually made a serious difference, and the pain subsided while I maintained that motion. Trying to maintain that form, however, was much more aerobically challenging than my usual style of gliding forward as much as possible; and my quads and hams felt the difference, too.

Onward and upward! B-)

Other News: I am registered for the 2012 Zazzle Bay to Breakers, so I am very excited about that.

-Lancer!!

Sunday Long Run No.13

Today's plan calls for a Long Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.88)mi. Pace-avg: (18:00). Speed-avg: (3.3)mph. Speed-max: (4.7)mph. Burned: (1595) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (13)mi. @ a (16:44) pace for a total of (3:37:42)hrs.
Actual: Jogged/walked (13.0)mi. @ a (17:51) avg. pace for a total of (3:52:05.66)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.88)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Glass of Gatorade (Fruit Punch); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Banana-Strawberry), Honey Stinger Chews (Orange Blossom), Sport Beans (Grape); Post-run: GU Energy Gel (Mandarin Orange).

Ouch. Today's run was actually painful. It started out pretty good, but the last half was all pain. I jogged (7.0) consecutive miles, maintaining a pace between (14:59) and (16:31) for those seven miles, but then was overcome by pain in my left foot again, between my 2nd, 3rd and 4th toes at the ball of my foot. The last time this happened I had skipped all my runs during the week, then ran my long run (and did not finish). This week I again skipped all my training runs, then over-confidently went out for my long run. Clearly, I need the weekly build up to help maintain my running gains, so I will avoid ditching out on any training runs in the future.

I am still not signed up for the Las Vegas Strip At Night run in December, and after tonight's run I am thinking strongly of pushing back my half-marathon race till later in December, or maybe even January, so I can make up some of my lost training time from September/October; I also need to get in more strength training in the gym.

Friday afternoon I went shopping at On The Run again, and actually bought something: a Saucony Epic Run Vest. I wore it for the first time tonight, and it helped keep the chill off, though I did have to throw on my running shell, too, on the return leg of my run. The two (2) front pockets on the vest offered good storage space: I kept my running lights and my ninja hood in the pockets till after sundown, so I didn't have to carry them in my hands, or put them on my running belt; bonus. The vest also has a media pocket, and a hole for the earphone cord on the inside of the vest. The reflective surface on the Saucony vest appears to be pretty substantial, compared to the Brooks Essential Run Vest I had been looking at previously. Another bonus: the Saucony vest has a clip-on USB-LED light that can be recharged by plugging it into a USB port. It was much brighter than I expected.

Tonight's run started out at about (65) deg. F. with the sun nice and bright, then dropped down to (50) deg. F. by the time I got home four and a half hours later.

-Lancer!!

Sunday Long Run No.12

Today's plan calls for a Long Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.84)mi. Pace-avg: (17:38). Speed-avg: (3.4)mph. Speed-max: (5.3)mph. Burned: (1636) Calories. Running lights, new batteries.

Plan: Run (13) mi. @ a pace of (16:50) for a total time of (3:38:52)hrs.
Actual:  Jog/walked (13.0)mi. @ a (17:33) avg. pace for a total time of (3:48:07.41)hrs., bracketed by a (1.0)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.84)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: GU Roctane (Pineapple); Mid-run: Honey Stinger Chews (Orange Blossom), PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Honey Stinger Stinger Waffle (Vanilla).

Tonights's run went alright, but my feet definitely ache after that effort. *oof* I made sure to put fresh batteries in my running lights before I left the house, and by the time I got back the lights were pretty dim. There was a waxing crescent moon out this evening for most of my run. That was nice.

I was able to jog continuously for the first (5.01) miles this evening, which was not as far as last week @ (6.03)mi. before I had to slow down and walk. After walking for a bit, I picked up the pace again for another (2.64)mi. before slowing down again. I managed to jog for another (0.65)mi. again during the last mile. This gives me a total of about (8.3) aggregate jogging miles during tonight's run. I really need to add some strength training and cycling into my weekly workouts so I can build up to more continuous jogging mileage on my long runs.

Tonight I wore my running pants again, along with my long sleeve running shirt and running ball cap. I also carried my running shell, my ninja hood, and neck gaiter to make sure I would stay warm enough once I needed to put those on. Frankly, tonight's temperature was low enough that I was feeling pretty chilly even with the running shell zipped up all the way, and the running shirt zipped up all the way, too. My shoulders seemed to feel the coolest tonight, so maybe I will need to add another piece of tech gear to my running collection in preparation for next weeks long run. I'm thinking maybe a Brooks running vest.

Realistically, though, I should have started earlier, before the sun went down, to try and maximize the warmer temps. The temperature readings I am getting now say (55) deg. F. and (60) deg. F. I don't know which is correct, but it feels closer to (55) at a guess. It felt like it was in the low (70) deg. F. around 5.00pm, or so.

Weekly Mileage: Plan: (30)mi.; Actual: (32.76)mi.

Training week (19) completed. Week (20) is all Easy Runs, all week. That will be nice.

-Lancer!!

Sunday Long Run No.11

Today's plan calls for a Long Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (10.64)mi. Pace-avg: (17:13). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (6.0)mph. Burned: (1165) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (13)mi. @ a (16:55) pace, for a total of (3:40:00)hrs.
Actual: Jog/walked (9.64)mi. @ a (17:18) avg pace, bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (0.0)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Mid-run: Honey Stinger Stinger Waffle (Honey); Post-run: PowerBar Energy Blasts (Strawberry Banana).

Tonight's Long Run went OK, but was incomplete due to a persistent ache in my left foot between my 3rd and 4th toes at the ball of my foot. I'm not sure what caused this to begin with, but this was only my second training run using my new Brooks running shoes. Maybe my shoes need a little more break-in time, or maybe I was overcompensating in some way by pushing off with my left foot more than in the past. Tonight the pain did not begin till I was well into the return leg of my run, so I got some good mileage out of the run. This intermittent pain sometimes occurs when I walk around the house barefoot too much. In any event, I did not want to just suck it up and power through the pain: It is only (6) weeks till the Las Vegas Half Marathon and I do not want to create more injuries before-hand.

Do you think the cars will see me?

I hope the drivers can see me on the road.

I was able to jog continuously for the first (6.03)mi. of tonight's run, then I walked about (0.22)mi., then resumed jogging for another (1.76)mi. before I had to stop and just walk the rest of the way. I wore my new Nike Element Long Sleeve running shirt with the tall collar and was suitably impressed: It kept me warm enough and cool enough at the same time; I did not overheat and oversweat. I brought along my new Brooks night running shell just in case it cooled off too much by the river, but it did not. It was very handy to have it folded up in its storage pocket and carrying it in an add-on pouch on my running belt. It's almost time to change the batteries again in my running lights. I was able to run long stretches in the park without the lights to conserve battery life, but some sections were too dark without the lights. No moon was out tonight, but there were several cyclists on my return leg that had multiple high power LED lights on their bikes and helmets. It was nice to see other people taking safety seriously.

-Lancer!!

Tuesday Easy Run

Today's plan calls for an Easy Run. Yes, I skipped my Sunday Long Run because I was a little concerned about re-breaking my healing toe with so much mileage. Maye I'm just being overly cautious.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.15)mi. Pace-avg: (16:14). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (5.0)mph. Burned: (662) Calories.

Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (16:55) pace for a total of (1:07:41)hrs.
Actual: Jog/walk (4.00)mi. @ a (15:28) avg. pace, bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.15)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Honey Stinger Stinger Waffle, (1x) Vanilla, (1x) Honey; Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Banana-Strawberry); Post-run: Dinner! Chicken Fajitas, Spanish Rice, Refried Beans.

Tonight's run went well. After too long sitting idle I was a bit more winded earlier on that usual, but I got over it on the return leg and was able to jog continuously for (1.82)mi. I guess it will take a while to work back up to a continuous (30) minute jog, and I am looking forward to getting back there, and beyond. It was nice to get out and run in the sun again. There were plenty of other people out in the park today enjoying the sun.

Other News: Dinner turned out pretty good. I cooked Chicken Fajitas last night, and tonight I made Spanish Rice following an online recipe and tweaking it on the fly. It could have turned out better: I could have burned the rice a lot less, and spiced it up a bit more. Next time I will try adding more McCormick's Mexican Seasoning ([2] tablespoons, rather than just [1]) and maybe half a (14.5) oz. can of the canned tomatoes (petite diced) and a small can of Ortega Diced Green Chiles. Those modifications might just make it as good as it should be.

As of tonight, I now have (439.34) miles on my Brooks Trance 10 running shoes. At this point, I will need to go buy a new pair so I will have them ready to swap out once I hit the (450-500) mile mark.

-Lancer!!

Thursday Tempo Run No.7

Today's plan calls for a Tempo Run. Actually, this should be Tempo Run No.9, but other circumstances kicked that aside.


DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Tempo Run. Dist: (7.31)mi. Pace-avg: (16:41). Speed-avg: (3.6)mph. Speed-max: (5.5)mph. Burned: (800) Calories. Day-time run!

Plan: Run (6) mi., including a (1)mi. warm-up and (1) mi. cool-down. Run (4)mi. @ a (15:26) pace for a total of (1:01:45)hrs.
Actual: Jog/walk (4)mi. @ a (16:09) avg. pace, bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (2.31)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Peanut M&Ms; Mid-run:PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Some real food.

This morning's run was adequate, but could have been better. I was happy to finally get in a morning run for a change, rather than a middle-of-the-night run (even though I really enjoy moonlight runs). I was a little over-dressed for this run: I wore my Nike ProCombat compression shorts under my Nike running pants, my Bay to Breakers Centennial tech t-shirt, New Balance running pull-over, UnderArmor ninja hood and Adidas running cap. This definitely made it warmer than necessary.

Frankly, I expected the outside temperature to be much cooler than it was. I probably would have been more comfortable with my short running shorts (to get more sun on my legs), a running t-shirt, running cap and the ninja hood on the side for when I needed it to keep my ears warm. I also really should have eaten some real food before going out for my run; the peanut M&Ms did not really cut it, but then again, it was several hours between eating those and doing my run. Another thing I should have done beforehand: Warm up my legs by doing squats with, and without, weights, like I used to do before I started slacking off so much, and before I broke my toe.

Other News: I completed my Basic CompTIA A+ Certification prep class. Now I have to sign-up for the Intermediate class next week, or as soon as I get the money for it. I hope they will accept late registrations once the class has started.

-Lancer!!

Long Run No.10

2011-09-18, Sunday

Today's plan calls for a Long Run. [Yes, I skipped my Friday Easy Run. Bad Lance!]

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Long Run. Dist: (14.72)mi. Pace-avg: (17:03). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (1599) Calories. Running lights.


Plan: Run (12) mi. @ a (17:16) pace for a total time of (3:27:21) hrs.
Actual: Jog/walked (12)mi. @ an avg. pace of (16:48), for a total time of (3:21:40.86), bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.72)mi. cool-down walk. [Jogged a total of (6.7)mi. in aggregate.]
Fuel: Pre-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Blasts (Raspberry); Post-run: Honey Stinger, Stinger Waffle (Honey).

I left the house a bit after sundown, but there was still light in the sky. Throughout the park it was mostly a twilight illumination. There were quite a few people at the main picnic tables tonight, but they were mostly gone when I looped back around later. Tonight, instead of jogging all the way to the end of the county road the meets the end of the bike path, I tried multiple laps through the park. That seemed to take  longer due to the repetition. My running lights crapped out on the first return lap, so I relied mainly on ambient light, with a few zaps of my new SureFire LED light, from time-to-time.

On my return leg, the fourth leg, the moon finally rose. It was a waning quarter moon, but nice and bright all the same. Surprisingly, there was a police cruiser in the lot near the picnic tables. I don't know if they were there to chase off any late-night park people, or something else, but I did see the red and blues light up when two (2) cars drove down into the park. One turned around immediately, the second thought he'd just loop around the lot anyway, then leave. There was no apparent incident.

Now that I'm home, sitting here writing my blog entry, I feel like a creaky old man, so I better get stretched out, eat and shower.

Weekly Mileage: Planned: (24) mi. Actual: (22.29)mi. Missed it by that much.

-Lancer!!

Another Friday Easy Run

Tonight's run is another Easy Run.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (6.06)mi. Pace-avg: (16:22). Speed-avg: (3.7)mph. Speed-max: (5.1)mph. Burned: (657) Calories. No running lights.

Plan: Run (4)mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:09:08) hrs.

Actual: Jog/walked (4)mi. @ a (15:39) avg. pace for a total time of (1:02:35.73) hrs., bracketed by a (1)mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.06)mi. cool-down walk. 
Fuel: Pre-run: Nothing (cold water); Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Dinner!

Tonight's run went well. I warmed up with a set of (30) squats without weights, then (30) squats with an empty straight bar. I still can't recall how much it weighs: somewhere between (5) and (10) pounds, I think; I never weighed it. There were some people on the path tonight, even though it was growing overcast. On the return leg the wind picked up and it started to sprinkle, but no real rain. At one point the cool wind turned very warm, like a hair-dryer, which was actually nice, although I wonder where all that warm air actually came from. Bonus: there were flashes of lightning in the clouds on my way back home. That was actually pretty cool. No thunder, though.

I jogged the first (1.07)mi. of the Jog phase on the outbound leg, then had to walk a bit. Then I was able to jog for (1.53)mi., and had to walk the rest. The humidity due to the weather change kinda' got to me, but I also started out a little fast, initially: (13:28) pace. I should have set a (15:00) pace and kept at it, but I didn't actually plan that. As always, I am just trying to make sure I am going at a pace faster than the one on my daily plan.

-Lancer!!

Another Easy Run Tuesday

Back to a better start this week: I went out for my Tuesday Easy Run, after sundown.

DC Bike Path: 1/2 Marathon Training, Easy Run. Dist: (7.72)mi. Pace-avg: (16:47). Speed-avg: (3.5)mph. Speed-max: (5.0)mph. Burned: (839) Calories. Running lights.

Plan: Run (5) mi. @ a (17:17) pace, for a total time of (1:26:25) hrs.
Actual: Jog/Walk (5)mi. @ (16:05) avg. pace, for a total time of (1:20:26.21) hrs. Bracketed by a (1) mi. warm-up walk, and a (1.72)mi. cool-down walk.
Fuel: Pre-run: Late lunch at Panda Express; Mid-run: PowerBar Energy Gel (Strawberry-Banana); Post-run: Home-made Belgian waffle with butter and Strawberry-Apricot jam.

Tonight's run was good. I went out after dark and only encountered a couple of folks on the trail tonight. Tonight's moon is waxing gibbous and there was plenty of light out for my run, even without my running lights. I was surprised that it was still in the low (90s) when I left the house about (2000) hrs. Looking at weather.com now, I see it is still (80) deg. F. outside. So, the warm summer nights are here.

Other News: Went to the dentist today for a check-up and cleaning. Had a good time talking to my hygienist, who also enjoys running, but with two (2) young children at home, does not get enough time to go out and run, even with the stroller. I wrote down a couple of running blogs for her to checkout, including mine. Maybe she'll even get time to check them out.

-Lancer!!