I did not want to get out of bed this morning, I mean I seriously just wanted to stay in there for a couple more hours and not move. I don't know why, but the bed just felt really good........ after about 20-30 minutes of debating and also waiting for the sun I finally got up.
I had some coffee but nothing to eat, I had ran out of my Cinnamon Raisin English Muffins but I wasn't hungry waking up and I had already intended on not eating anyways, trying a few new fueling techniques. I did have coffee and then went to the bathroom a couple more times after putting on my hydration pack and my MP3 player and I was out the door. It was chilly, I will not lie but I wore my capris, and my under armour long sleeves.
The run was feeling really good, other than being cold at 34 degrees with a feels like 27. I decided to run one of my older routes that I haven't ran for a month or so, figured if anybody was stalking me they wouldn't be suspecting me of running it. Amazingly I didn't even have any urge to use the bathroom and I was doing pretty good running on empty too.
I did go ahead and have two sips of gatorade at mile 7 then kept on, wishing I had brought my sunglasses with me. I really do find it more comfortable running with my UltraSpire Surge hydration pack than the hydration belt, surprisingly it stays very snug where I want it to.
My right ankle was still giving me a little trouble but nothing big, other than that my legs were feeling real good. I think I took two more sips of gatorade around...... mile 10 or 11, I can't remember now? I was amazed that I still didn't have the urge to go to the bathroom.... until just after mile 12 and then I was hoping I could find a spot soon. That spot came at mile 13.5 and I ran off into the woods for THAT kind of bathroom, afterwards I felt empty and even though I think I could have finished the run without any fueling, I went ahead and consumed a GU along with water.
Overall it was a really good run, and I have not really been starving today which is a surprise. I ran the 15.5 miles in 2:32:34 with an average pace of 9:51 min/mile, not bad and I am still staying under a 10 minute pace. The elevation thing was off, WAY off again so I won't even mention it, I assume I probably got a total of 200-300 feet in elevation gain.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:47
Mile 2 - 10:19
Mile 3 - 10:11
Mile 4 - 10:14
Mile 5 - 10:02
Mile 6 - 10:02
Mile 7 - 9:42
Mile 8 - 9:40
Mile 9 - 9:34
Mile 10 - 10:00
Mile 11 - 9:54
Mile 12 - 9:51
Mile 13 - 9:42
Mile 14 - 9:27
Mile 15 - 9:08
.4 - 8:04
Not bad splits, if I do say so myself :)
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Friday, March 28, 2014
A Very Pleasant 6 Miler
All night it rained, but by midnight it was storming with lightning and the wind pounding the house with rain. There was a little bit of thunder but not much, and luckily the storm and rain was over about 30 minutes before I woke up. It was 53 degrees with 7 mph winds but I chose to wear my capris anyways, I sure wish I had thrown on a pair of shorts though. Still, it was so freaking much better than Wednesday's 19 degrees.
These new shoes appear to be doing just fine, so that is good. I could also tell that Rocky's vest was a bit warm for him this morning, I am so glad I decided to buy one of those LED Light up harnesses and a LED Light up leash for him so this summer he won't have to wear that overly warm vest and still be visible to drivers.
Overall the run was pleasant except for two 4-legged annoyances, one old black lab mix that just want to run to the end of his property and bark then go about sniffing. But towards the end, a Boxer/Bully mix came out of nowhere in a yard where I've ran past so many times and I've never seen a dog. She stopped about 15 feet from us in the yard, but I had no plans of moving until she went on about her business because I could tell she would have came out of her yard to harass Rocky or worse. Luckily after a 2 minute standoff, the woman came out and tried to call her in, then hollered at her husband who came out and successfully called the dog in. Sometimes Rocky is a benefit (that Dobie that seems to enjoy seeing Rocky, but doesn't care about me) and sometimes I think many of the dogs come at us more because of him than me.
After that, it was back to all is well. We finished 6 miles in 1:02:19 with an average pace of 10:23 min/mile, elevation gain of 119 feet and a loss of 120 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:50
Mile 2 - 10:34
Mile 3 - 10:20
Mile 4 - 10:34
Mile 5 - 10:12
Mile 6 - 9:49
These new shoes appear to be doing just fine, so that is good. I could also tell that Rocky's vest was a bit warm for him this morning, I am so glad I decided to buy one of those LED Light up harnesses and a LED Light up leash for him so this summer he won't have to wear that overly warm vest and still be visible to drivers.
Overall the run was pleasant except for two 4-legged annoyances, one old black lab mix that just want to run to the end of his property and bark then go about sniffing. But towards the end, a Boxer/Bully mix came out of nowhere in a yard where I've ran past so many times and I've never seen a dog. She stopped about 15 feet from us in the yard, but I had no plans of moving until she went on about her business because I could tell she would have came out of her yard to harass Rocky or worse. Luckily after a 2 minute standoff, the woman came out and tried to call her in, then hollered at her husband who came out and successfully called the dog in. Sometimes Rocky is a benefit (that Dobie that seems to enjoy seeing Rocky, but doesn't care about me) and sometimes I think many of the dogs come at us more because of him than me.
After that, it was back to all is well. We finished 6 miles in 1:02:19 with an average pace of 10:23 min/mile, elevation gain of 119 feet and a loss of 120 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:50
Mile 2 - 10:34
Mile 3 - 10:20
Mile 4 - 10:34
Mile 5 - 10:12
Mile 6 - 9:49
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
A Freezing, Frigid 9 Miler
This morning's run............. freezing, I am so sick of this cold weather and it only made it worse when I made the mistake of not wearing my wind breaker jacket for added warmth or my warmer gloves.
The temperature started out at 24-25 degrees but by the end of the run it was 19 degrees. No wind, but freezing cold to the bones.... I am so sick of coming back to the house and dealing with the chill in my bones for hours after a run.
Rocky and I were out the door around 4:45 AM, with the plan to run 9 miles but I was seriously thinking of cutting it to 6 miles within the first 2 miles. My left quad was still sore, and it was freezing. I pushed on nonetheless, trying not to think about the cold or my quad.
We did end up running our 9 miles in 1:34:28 with an average pace of 10:30 min/mile, I won't even mention the elevation changes as the stupid GPS was WAY OUT on elevation gain and loss by like 1,100 feet!
Other than freezing our tails off, the run went okay and we got our 9 miles in. Friday is supposed to be raining, hopefully that forecast changes before then or at least it isn't raining in the afternoon/evening and I can take Dorian for an easy 5 or 6 miler.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:11
Mile 2 - 11:03
Mile 3 - 10:40
Mile 4 - 10:32
Mile 5 - 10:18
Mile 6 - 10:22
Mile 7 - 10:13
Mile 8 - 10:15
Mile 9 - 9:51
The temperature started out at 24-25 degrees but by the end of the run it was 19 degrees. No wind, but freezing cold to the bones.... I am so sick of coming back to the house and dealing with the chill in my bones for hours after a run.
Rocky and I were out the door around 4:45 AM, with the plan to run 9 miles but I was seriously thinking of cutting it to 6 miles within the first 2 miles. My left quad was still sore, and it was freezing. I pushed on nonetheless, trying not to think about the cold or my quad.
We did end up running our 9 miles in 1:34:28 with an average pace of 10:30 min/mile, I won't even mention the elevation changes as the stupid GPS was WAY OUT on elevation gain and loss by like 1,100 feet!
Other than freezing our tails off, the run went okay and we got our 9 miles in. Friday is supposed to be raining, hopefully that forecast changes before then or at least it isn't raining in the afternoon/evening and I can take Dorian for an easy 5 or 6 miler.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:11
Mile 2 - 11:03
Mile 3 - 10:40
Mile 4 - 10:32
Mile 5 - 10:18
Mile 6 - 10:22
Mile 7 - 10:13
Mile 8 - 10:15
Mile 9 - 9:51
Monday, March 24, 2014
More Races to Look at for the Future
So I've been doing more searching and googling to see what kind of races are out there and near me. My interests are in the 26.2 mile distance, 50k, 50 miler and possibly someday the 100m (of course everything in between those too).
Side note: after yesterday's run on the Two Lakes Loop I've realized that I need to get seriously serious about hitting hilly trails like the ones at John James Audubon Park if I even want to do more than dream about ultras or even trail marathons. There is one large loop of 3 miles or so, and either I have to fit it into Thursday as a 3 miler or on my LR day (Sunday) after my long run. Or I could cut my Friday 6 miler in half and do this:
Sunday - Long Run
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 9 Mile Mid-Long Run
Wednesday - 6 Miles Easy
Thursday - 3 Miles at Audubon (Hills)
Friday - 3 Miles Easy
Saturday - Rest
or
Sunday - Long Run
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 6 Miles Easy
Wednesday 9 Mile Mid-Long Run
Thursday - 3 Miles Easy
Friday - 3 Miles at Audubon (Hills)
Saturday - Rest
The second one seems like a more doable schedule giving my legs plenty of rest after the 3 hard workouts (LR, MLR and Hills). I might even do this after 3 miles on those hills gets easier:
Sunday - Long Run
Monday - 6 Miles Easy
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 9 Mile MLR
Thursday - 3 Miles Easy
Friday - 6 Miles at Audubon (Hills)
Saturday - Rest
We'll just have to see, either way I've got to have someone watch Dorian when I run Audubon as I can't go until the evening. They don't open until 7 AM and by then Cameron is waking up to head to the shop, so morning runs there are out of the question. It is frustrating that the only good piece of trails with hills don't open until 7 AM and close at Dusk.
Anyways, now for the other races I have my sights set on for the future starting next year.
Thunder Rock 100 - Ducktown, TN - May - this one won't be looked at until probably 2016 or 2017 as I have my heart set on Ozark Trail 100
Backside Trail Marathon - Louisville, KY - 26.2M - April
Scenic City Trail Marathon - Chattanooga, TN - April
Anyways, those are the extra races that I will be adding to my hopeful list.
Side note: after yesterday's run on the Two Lakes Loop I've realized that I need to get seriously serious about hitting hilly trails like the ones at John James Audubon Park if I even want to do more than dream about ultras or even trail marathons. There is one large loop of 3 miles or so, and either I have to fit it into Thursday as a 3 miler or on my LR day (Sunday) after my long run. Or I could cut my Friday 6 miler in half and do this:
Sunday - Long Run
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 9 Mile Mid-Long Run
Wednesday - 6 Miles Easy
Thursday - 3 Miles at Audubon (Hills)
Friday - 3 Miles Easy
Saturday - Rest
or
Sunday - Long Run
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 6 Miles Easy
Wednesday 9 Mile Mid-Long Run
Thursday - 3 Miles Easy
Friday - 3 Miles at Audubon (Hills)
Saturday - Rest
The second one seems like a more doable schedule giving my legs plenty of rest after the 3 hard workouts (LR, MLR and Hills). I might even do this after 3 miles on those hills gets easier:
Sunday - Long Run
Monday - 6 Miles Easy
Tuesday - Rest
Wednesday - 9 Mile MLR
Thursday - 3 Miles Easy
Friday - 6 Miles at Audubon (Hills)
Saturday - Rest
We'll just have to see, either way I've got to have someone watch Dorian when I run Audubon as I can't go until the evening. They don't open until 7 AM and by then Cameron is waking up to head to the shop, so morning runs there are out of the question. It is frustrating that the only good piece of trails with hills don't open until 7 AM and close at Dusk.
Anyways, now for the other races I have my sights set on for the future starting next year.
Thunder Rock 100 - Ducktown, TN - May - this one won't be looked at until probably 2016 or 2017 as I have my heart set on Ozark Trail 100
Backside Trail Marathon - Louisville, KY - 26.2M - April
Scenic City Trail Marathon - Chattanooga, TN - April
Anyways, those are the extra races that I will be adding to my hopeful list.
5 Miler this Morning & Received an Upsetting Email this Morning
Okay first, Rocky and I went for a 5 miler this morning on the roads, my legs were sore but not bad though my right ankle was hurting. I am currently wearing one of those thingies wrapped around it hoping it helps.
Even though things were sore, I think my legs seriously appreciated pounding the pavement after yesterday's run on Two Lakes Loop, it would have been a moronic idea to have gone to Angel Mounds trails this morning because I could barely lift my feet up high enough to avoid hitting a root or something.
It was 27 degrees with a feels like 20 so I had to drag out my tights, dang it. This was a simple out and back run, I just wanted to get in an easy 5 miler and we succeeded. We ran 5.1 miles in 53:45 with an average pace of 10:32 min/mile, 53:45 seems to be a very popular time for my 5 milers here lately.......... weird. Elevation was 75 feet gained and 80 feet lost, I know a few days from now that will be nothing after yesterday BUT right now my legs felt like it was just close to too much.
All in all, a good run.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:16
Mile 2 - 10:50
Mile 3 - 10:14
Mile 4 - 10:29
Mile 5 - 9:58
.1 - 9:32
Now for the bad news, this morning I received an email from Chris Hollinden - the race director for the Indian-Celina Challenge, informing me that the 2014 race has been cancelled........... WHAT!? Are you freaking serious??!!!! I just got my butt royally kicked on that course yesterday, gauging just how much I needed to train for the race only to find out it is cancelled!!!!! He stated that while many factors were weighed in this, very low pre-registration numbers was the final tipping point.......... June is still over 2 months away, how the H-E-LL can they make that decision with over 2 months still to go and for registration to possibly pick up?
He also mentioned that I will be refunded my $54.31 registration fee AND my processing fee with two exclamation marks which to me is weird. Not to mention my gmail is warning me that this may not have been sent by Chris Hollinden............ so I emailed him asking for confirmation and we will see if it is true, I don't want to get my hopes up but dang it I really hope it was a scam.
Even though things were sore, I think my legs seriously appreciated pounding the pavement after yesterday's run on Two Lakes Loop, it would have been a moronic idea to have gone to Angel Mounds trails this morning because I could barely lift my feet up high enough to avoid hitting a root or something.
It was 27 degrees with a feels like 20 so I had to drag out my tights, dang it. This was a simple out and back run, I just wanted to get in an easy 5 miler and we succeeded. We ran 5.1 miles in 53:45 with an average pace of 10:32 min/mile, 53:45 seems to be a very popular time for my 5 milers here lately.......... weird. Elevation was 75 feet gained and 80 feet lost, I know a few days from now that will be nothing after yesterday BUT right now my legs felt like it was just close to too much.
All in all, a good run.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:16
Mile 2 - 10:50
Mile 3 - 10:14
Mile 4 - 10:29
Mile 5 - 9:58
.1 - 9:32
Now for the bad news, this morning I received an email from Chris Hollinden - the race director for the Indian-Celina Challenge, informing me that the 2014 race has been cancelled........... WHAT!? Are you freaking serious??!!!! I just got my butt royally kicked on that course yesterday, gauging just how much I needed to train for the race only to find out it is cancelled!!!!! He stated that while many factors were weighed in this, very low pre-registration numbers was the final tipping point.......... June is still over 2 months away, how the H-E-LL can they make that decision with over 2 months still to go and for registration to possibly pick up?
He also mentioned that I will be refunded my $54.31 registration fee AND my processing fee with two exclamation marks which to me is weird. Not to mention my gmail is warning me that this may not have been sent by Chris Hollinden............ so I emailed him asking for confirmation and we will see if it is true, I don't want to get my hopes up but dang it I really hope it was a scam.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Two Lakes Loop - and a Butt Whoopin'
Rocky and I left at 5 AM from the house and were headed to Hoosier National Forest, that area is an hour ahead of us so it would be 7 AM by the time we got there. To be honest, I didn't want to start running without the sun up as this trail was unknown to me and I've heard it has a lot of stones and roots and other things.
Rocky and I pulled into the parking lot of the Rickenbaugh House (or however you spell it) and the sun still wasn't starting up but it was also cloudy. So I reluctantly grabbed my headlamp, started preparing myself, getting my hydration pack on while Rocky is roaming the parking lot sniffing. I see him over by the bathroom just 20 feet from me when I suddenly hear a low, low growl come from him......... yep I was a bit freaked out, I grabbed my smaller handheld tough duty flash light and shined it over there but saw nothing. I finished getting everything together and we headed to the bathroom, I needed to pee and to make sure nothing was there. There wasn't anything, so I am not sure if Rocky smelled something he didn't like or what as he normally doesn't growl like that. Then we hit the Two Lakes Loop trail head behind the Rickenbaugh House, and there was no turning back.
I am glad I took that handheld with me, my headlamp was dying. I only needed the lighting for 20 minutes, then stuck the flashlight in my hydration pack and soon strapped my headlamp to the back of the pack along with my headband as I was feeling warm. It was slow going, I was new to these trails and there was flooded sections or small creeks that I had to cross or find a way around and then of course the stones and roots, this was definitely a dangerous course if you even the tiniest bit clumsy.
There were some small hills with in the first 3 miles, averaging from 50-80 feet and then around mile 4 was a much larger hill with a climb of about 200 feet.......... I had to hike most of that one. Between mile 5 and 6 was a great descent of like 300 feet and even though I was enjoying the speed.... I knew I was going to pay for it later.
I can say without a doubt now, that I know why they call this the Indian-Celina Challenge.... this isn't for the faint of hearts who rarely run loads of hills and trails, I hiked a lot and I stopped a lot to catch my breath. I consumed 3 gels (my usual Energy GU Chocolate, and the Orange, the third one was the Hammer Gel Chocolate which I didn't exactly care for) and I drank almost all of my 10 oz of Gatorade throughout this run. I got my butt whooped in a way I could never imagine, and forced me to realize that my dream of participating in ultras was only going to become real if I got serious about running hills like at John James Audubon State Park. If I barely got this run done, how the heck am I going to finish even a 50 or 60k next year? Heck, I was even thinking of doing the 26.2 mile distance next June..... if that is even going to happen I've got to starting running more hills and getting conditioned for it.
Rocky and I finished 12.4 miles in 2:25:37, my garmin gives me 12.4 though the race site says 13.1 and the park website says 15.7.... not freaking possible, I stayed on the Two Lakes Loop Trail dang it. Here's the real butt kicker, according to my garmin the elevation gain was 1,498 feet and a loss of 1,504 feet. Temperature was 34 degrees with a feels like 28.
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 12:59
Mile 2 - 12:13
Mile 3 - 12:21
Mile 4 - 11:42
Mile 5 - 11:19
Mile 6 - 10:02
Mile 7 - 11:31
Mile 8 - 12:07
Mile 9 - 12:16
Mile 10 - 12:59
Mile 11 - 11:36
Mile 12 - 12:00
.4 - 12:32
There's no doubt I underestimated this trail, and I am hurting, heck even my lower back is hurting from the uphill hiking. I was so happy to be done with this run, I can't even describe the feeling I had when I saw my Tahoe. As to whether I will be going back to this course before before the race, I plan on taking another crack at it either in late April or early May. Here are some pics I took
And here is my breakfast after the run.
Rocky and I pulled into the parking lot of the Rickenbaugh House (or however you spell it) and the sun still wasn't starting up but it was also cloudy. So I reluctantly grabbed my headlamp, started preparing myself, getting my hydration pack on while Rocky is roaming the parking lot sniffing. I see him over by the bathroom just 20 feet from me when I suddenly hear a low, low growl come from him......... yep I was a bit freaked out, I grabbed my smaller handheld tough duty flash light and shined it over there but saw nothing. I finished getting everything together and we headed to the bathroom, I needed to pee and to make sure nothing was there. There wasn't anything, so I am not sure if Rocky smelled something he didn't like or what as he normally doesn't growl like that. Then we hit the Two Lakes Loop trail head behind the Rickenbaugh House, and there was no turning back.
I am glad I took that handheld with me, my headlamp was dying. I only needed the lighting for 20 minutes, then stuck the flashlight in my hydration pack and soon strapped my headlamp to the back of the pack along with my headband as I was feeling warm. It was slow going, I was new to these trails and there was flooded sections or small creeks that I had to cross or find a way around and then of course the stones and roots, this was definitely a dangerous course if you even the tiniest bit clumsy.
There were some small hills with in the first 3 miles, averaging from 50-80 feet and then around mile 4 was a much larger hill with a climb of about 200 feet.......... I had to hike most of that one. Between mile 5 and 6 was a great descent of like 300 feet and even though I was enjoying the speed.... I knew I was going to pay for it later.
I can say without a doubt now, that I know why they call this the Indian-Celina Challenge.... this isn't for the faint of hearts who rarely run loads of hills and trails, I hiked a lot and I stopped a lot to catch my breath. I consumed 3 gels (my usual Energy GU Chocolate, and the Orange, the third one was the Hammer Gel Chocolate which I didn't exactly care for) and I drank almost all of my 10 oz of Gatorade throughout this run. I got my butt whooped in a way I could never imagine, and forced me to realize that my dream of participating in ultras was only going to become real if I got serious about running hills like at John James Audubon State Park. If I barely got this run done, how the heck am I going to finish even a 50 or 60k next year? Heck, I was even thinking of doing the 26.2 mile distance next June..... if that is even going to happen I've got to starting running more hills and getting conditioned for it.
Rocky and I finished 12.4 miles in 2:25:37, my garmin gives me 12.4 though the race site says 13.1 and the park website says 15.7.... not freaking possible, I stayed on the Two Lakes Loop Trail dang it. Here's the real butt kicker, according to my garmin the elevation gain was 1,498 feet and a loss of 1,504 feet. Temperature was 34 degrees with a feels like 28.
Laps/Splits were:
Mile 1 - 12:59
Mile 2 - 12:13
Mile 3 - 12:21
Mile 4 - 11:42
Mile 5 - 11:19
Mile 6 - 10:02
Mile 7 - 11:31
Mile 8 - 12:07
Mile 9 - 12:16
Mile 10 - 12:59
Mile 11 - 11:36
Mile 12 - 12:00
.4 - 12:32
There's no doubt I underestimated this trail, and I am hurting, heck even my lower back is hurting from the uphill hiking. I was so happy to be done with this run, I can't even describe the feeling I had when I saw my Tahoe. As to whether I will be going back to this course before before the race, I plan on taking another crack at it either in late April or early May. Here are some pics I took
Here is the elevation graph.
And here is my breakfast after the run.Saturday, March 22, 2014
Warning - Rant
This whole freaking week has been gorgeous weather, and Friday's run on the trails had me so excited to hit the Two Lake Loop trail in Hoosier National Forest Sunday for my long run with Rocky. I figured Sunday would be decent weather, but since my plan is to bring Rocky and have him off leash, I also knew that I would need to get to the trail head before daylight with hopes of nobody else being there which meant using my head lap for a large part of the run on an unknown trail.
This morning I looked at the weather forecast for tomorrow and am really upset, around 5-6 AM it is going to be like 30 degrees with a feels like 20........ total horse hockey! I am still wearing my capris though, I will not drag those tights out dang it! But I am going to have to wear both my long sleeves rather than just my thermal under-shirt thingy with a tee over it and I might have to wear my really warm gloves and my headband. I also really, really hope there isn't any flooded sections because that can be a huge issue when temps are below 30, heck even if they're below 40.
I am not backing out it now though, because I've gotten myself worked up about it and want to run some trails but I already know the Angel Mounds trails have a lot of flooding and I definitely don't to deal with that AND the freezing temps. Anyways....... I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
This morning I looked at the weather forecast for tomorrow and am really upset, around 5-6 AM it is going to be like 30 degrees with a feels like 20........ total horse hockey! I am still wearing my capris though, I will not drag those tights out dang it! But I am going to have to wear both my long sleeves rather than just my thermal under-shirt thingy with a tee over it and I might have to wear my really warm gloves and my headband. I also really, really hope there isn't any flooded sections because that can be a huge issue when temps are below 30, heck even if they're below 40.
I am not backing out it now though, because I've gotten myself worked up about it and want to run some trails but I already know the Angel Mounds trails have a lot of flooding and I definitely don't to deal with that AND the freezing temps. Anyways....... I guess we'll find out tomorrow.
Friday, March 21, 2014
A Beautiful, Muddy 5 Miler on the Trails
Yesterday I took Rocky and Dorian to the trails for a hike and to see how they were. Other than being really tough and inaccessible for strollers in area, the trails weren't bad. There was definitely some flooding in areas and I wasn't about to take the stroller through there but for a runner or hiker, not bad and if you are really great at jumping distances of 5 feet or more, even better. As for me, not so much.
This morning I got up at 4:25 AM, didn't get to the trails until 5:18 AM because I freaked myself out with images of Silent Hill and stuff so I really didn't want to run with just a light but eventually said screw it and went. Nothing tried to kill me, thank god.
Temperature was 45 degrees, we parked at the little lot near the levee and started on the levee. Not bad, though I was thinking to myself - where in the H-E-Double Hockey sticks did all these darn gum balls come from!!!? Footing was tricky still, but the ground was mildly soft in most areas that weren't flooded or severely muddy.
I ended up soaking my socks and shoes, but it wasn't bad since the temp was 45 degrees, it would have been really bad if the temp was under 30. There was a lot of mud on the inner trails, but I wasn't in a hurry or I kind of enjoyed it a little, all the mucking about in the mud.
Rocky and I ran 5 miles in 53:44 with an average pace of 10:45 min/mile, seems to be our usual 5 mile time.... so it was definitely an easy pace and my legs were quite happy to have a break from the hard pounding of the roads, still not sure if they don't like the shoes but we'll find out some time next week.
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 11:17
Mile 2 - 11:17
Mile 3 - 11:10
Mile 4 - 10:03
Mile 5 - 9:56
By the final mile I was feeling really good and enjoying the trails, so much so that I am determined that Rocky and I will be heading to Hoosier National Forest to run the Indian/Celina Challenge course or in other words the Two Loops trail. I am so excited, I can't wait.
This morning I got up at 4:25 AM, didn't get to the trails until 5:18 AM because I freaked myself out with images of Silent Hill and stuff so I really didn't want to run with just a light but eventually said screw it and went. Nothing tried to kill me, thank god.
Temperature was 45 degrees, we parked at the little lot near the levee and started on the levee. Not bad, though I was thinking to myself - where in the H-E-Double Hockey sticks did all these darn gum balls come from!!!? Footing was tricky still, but the ground was mildly soft in most areas that weren't flooded or severely muddy.
I ended up soaking my socks and shoes, but it wasn't bad since the temp was 45 degrees, it would have been really bad if the temp was under 30. There was a lot of mud on the inner trails, but I wasn't in a hurry or I kind of enjoyed it a little, all the mucking about in the mud.
Rocky and I ran 5 miles in 53:44 with an average pace of 10:45 min/mile, seems to be our usual 5 mile time.... so it was definitely an easy pace and my legs were quite happy to have a break from the hard pounding of the roads, still not sure if they don't like the shoes but we'll find out some time next week.
Laps/splits:
Mile 1 - 11:17
Mile 2 - 11:17
Mile 3 - 11:10
Mile 4 - 10:03
Mile 5 - 9:56
By the final mile I was feeling really good and enjoying the trails, so much so that I am determined that Rocky and I will be heading to Hoosier National Forest to run the Indian/Celina Challenge course or in other words the Two Loops trail. I am so excited, I can't wait.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Seven Miles this Evening
Rocky and I weren't able to get our run in this morning, so we waited it out until this afternoon/evening. I picked a route that I thought would be 6 miles, but ended up being 7 miles.
Temperature was 54 degrees with 15 mph WNW winds, and cloudy. This was supposed to be an easy slow run, but it wasn't :( and I was trying out my new pair of shoes, the Asics GT-2000 2 Lite-Show and I am not sure if my feet and legs were just sore from yesterday's 9 miler or if they don't like the shoes. Hopefully a few more runs in them will tell me, I also bought the bright yellow pair of GT-2000 2's.
Anyways, my feet were sore and we started out too fast but I managed to slow Rocky down a little. We ran 7 miles in 1:10:27 with an average pace of 10:03 min/mile, elevation gain of 189 feet and a loss of 191 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:02
Mile 2 - 10:22
Mile 3 - 10:06
Mile 4 - 10:06
Mile 5 - 9:59
Mile 6 - 10:06
Mile 7 - 9:44
I am honestly glad tomorrow is a rest day, though if the weather is nice we might go for a walk. Friday's 4 or 5 miler might be on the trails though, we'll have to see.
Temperature was 54 degrees with 15 mph WNW winds, and cloudy. This was supposed to be an easy slow run, but it wasn't :( and I was trying out my new pair of shoes, the Asics GT-2000 2 Lite-Show and I am not sure if my feet and legs were just sore from yesterday's 9 miler or if they don't like the shoes. Hopefully a few more runs in them will tell me, I also bought the bright yellow pair of GT-2000 2's.
Anyways, my feet were sore and we started out too fast but I managed to slow Rocky down a little. We ran 7 miles in 1:10:27 with an average pace of 10:03 min/mile, elevation gain of 189 feet and a loss of 191 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:02
Mile 2 - 10:22
Mile 3 - 10:06
Mile 4 - 10:06
Mile 5 - 9:59
Mile 6 - 10:06
Mile 7 - 9:44
I am honestly glad tomorrow is a rest day, though if the weather is nice we might go for a walk. Friday's 4 or 5 miler might be on the trails though, we'll have to see.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
A Very Surreal 9 Miler
My alarm was set for 4:15 AM, because Cameron had to be up and out the door by 6:15 this morning and I wanted to get my 9 miler in. I found that I just couldn't freaking sleep, so at 3:30 AM I was up and getting ready for the run. I wasn't starving, but I was a bit hungry so I had a Chocolate Outrage Gu and some water before leashing Rocky and getting my blinky vest, hat and gloves on. Temperature was 30 degrees, and I found that the gloves I had on weren't warm enough so my fingertips were freezing.
It was gorgeous out, no cloud in sight and the moon was shining so brightly that I felt comfortable on the back country roads that I normally avoid before daylight. There was barely any traffic out, which felt really great and made the run even more peaceful. The only issue was around mile 7 as we passed a house and one of the dogs were loose, he can get through a hole in the fence and is always trouble for me. Luckily he stayed in his yard but I was ready to spray him with pepper spray and kick him if I had to, he just barked at us and then got back into his yard.
Other than that dog, the run was great and I am so glad I got up at 3:30 AM and beat the sun, we finished our 9 miles before the sun even began to start rising. The only light we had was from the moon and it was great, just really amazing and I hope I have more runs like that.
Rocky and I finished 9 miles in 1:31:58 with an average pace of 10:13 min/mile, elevation gain of 202 feet and a loss of 205 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:43
Mile 2 - 10:28
Mile 3 - 10:22
Mile 4 - 10:31
Mile 5 - 10:19
Mile 6 - 10:08
Mile 7 - 10:17
Mile 8 - 10:11
Mile 9 - 08:56
Tomorrow we've got 6 easy planned, and I am hoping it will be warm enough for shorts but I've got no problem wearing my capris so long as I don't have to wear those tights anymore until next winter.
It was gorgeous out, no cloud in sight and the moon was shining so brightly that I felt comfortable on the back country roads that I normally avoid before daylight. There was barely any traffic out, which felt really great and made the run even more peaceful. The only issue was around mile 7 as we passed a house and one of the dogs were loose, he can get through a hole in the fence and is always trouble for me. Luckily he stayed in his yard but I was ready to spray him with pepper spray and kick him if I had to, he just barked at us and then got back into his yard.
Other than that dog, the run was great and I am so glad I got up at 3:30 AM and beat the sun, we finished our 9 miles before the sun even began to start rising. The only light we had was from the moon and it was great, just really amazing and I hope I have more runs like that.
Rocky and I finished 9 miles in 1:31:58 with an average pace of 10:13 min/mile, elevation gain of 202 feet and a loss of 205 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:43
Mile 2 - 10:28
Mile 3 - 10:22
Mile 4 - 10:31
Mile 5 - 10:19
Mile 6 - 10:08
Mile 7 - 10:17
Mile 8 - 10:11
Mile 9 - 08:56
Tomorrow we've got 6 easy planned, and I am hoping it will be warm enough for shorts but I've got no problem wearing my capris so long as I don't have to wear those tights anymore until next winter.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Run of Luck 7k (and the Warm Up 7.6 Miles)
I got up at like 5:15 AM or something like that, had a Strawberry Banana GU and some coffee then Rocky and I headed out for 7 or 8 miles. It was strangely chilly even though it was 39 degrees, I made sure to wear my blinky vest thingy along with my yellow florescent hat, along with capris, my under armor under shirt thingy along with a dri fit t-shirt.
My right ankle was giving me some issues still, but not horrible enough to really worry me. Overall a slow and easy pace, Rocky stopped to poop 2 times and pee 3 or 4 times which was kind of annoying.
We ran 7.6 miles in 1:18:08 with an average pace of 10:17 min/mile, elevation gain of 149 feet and a loss of 149 feet. Not bad, I felt I had taken it easy enough to enjoy the race.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:06
Mile 2 - 10:54
Mile 3 - 10:32
Mile 4 - 10:14
Mile 5 - 10:10
Mile 6 - 9:56
Mile 7 - 9:38
.6 - 9:26
The Run of Luck 7k was interesting, and the hills.......... I had gone to the bathroom once I got there and thought I was good, but as soon as we started running my bladder betrayed me. The whole first 2 miles were uncomfortable as I felt I needed to pee. I had also lined a little bit passed what I felt comfortable so I had to pass a lot of people at the start (fun).
It was freaking hilly, just gradual big hills and my legs were already pretty tired and hating me. When we got onto Schutte Road, the need to pee finally started going away. This road had hill after hill after hill, not huge ones but not really small either but I like these kinds.
Just before mile 3 was the big gradual monster of a hill and a lot of people at this point of the race began to walk this hill which to my pleasant surprise I ended up passing them because I kept pushing on. I was tempted to walk, but I wouldn't do it dang it. It gradually climbed for .3 or .5 miles and had an elevation gain of around 100 feet. I stuck to it and just kept pushing along even after that hill, there was no downhill after that one. It became relatively flat except for a few little uphills and then just after mile 4 there was a nice gradual downhill and then up slightly to the finish. I was so freaking glad to be done. My secret goal was around 35 minutes but unfortunately that wasn't the case.
Official Results:
Time: 37:28 (Pace: 8:37 min/mile)
F25-29 - 7/80
Female - 33/456
Overall - 128/718
Laps/splits from my garmin were:
Mile 1 - 8:36
Mile 2 - 8:54
Mile 3 - 8:47
Mile 4 - 8:28
.36 - 7:49
I am happy with it, and I am glad I went to the race and did my best even after running 7.6 miles before the race. I am going to take tomorrow and Monday off from running, let me legs rest a little - it will help that the next two days are going to be rainy and barely in the 40's lol.
My right ankle was giving me some issues still, but not horrible enough to really worry me. Overall a slow and easy pace, Rocky stopped to poop 2 times and pee 3 or 4 times which was kind of annoying.
We ran 7.6 miles in 1:18:08 with an average pace of 10:17 min/mile, elevation gain of 149 feet and a loss of 149 feet. Not bad, I felt I had taken it easy enough to enjoy the race.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:06
Mile 2 - 10:54
Mile 3 - 10:32
Mile 4 - 10:14
Mile 5 - 10:10
Mile 6 - 9:56
Mile 7 - 9:38
.6 - 9:26
The Run of Luck 7k was interesting, and the hills.......... I had gone to the bathroom once I got there and thought I was good, but as soon as we started running my bladder betrayed me. The whole first 2 miles were uncomfortable as I felt I needed to pee. I had also lined a little bit passed what I felt comfortable so I had to pass a lot of people at the start (fun).
It was freaking hilly, just gradual big hills and my legs were already pretty tired and hating me. When we got onto Schutte Road, the need to pee finally started going away. This road had hill after hill after hill, not huge ones but not really small either but I like these kinds.
Just before mile 3 was the big gradual monster of a hill and a lot of people at this point of the race began to walk this hill which to my pleasant surprise I ended up passing them because I kept pushing on. I was tempted to walk, but I wouldn't do it dang it. It gradually climbed for .3 or .5 miles and had an elevation gain of around 100 feet. I stuck to it and just kept pushing along even after that hill, there was no downhill after that one. It became relatively flat except for a few little uphills and then just after mile 4 there was a nice gradual downhill and then up slightly to the finish. I was so freaking glad to be done. My secret goal was around 35 minutes but unfortunately that wasn't the case.
Official Results:
Time: 37:28 (Pace: 8:37 min/mile)
F25-29 - 7/80
Female - 33/456
Overall - 128/718
Laps/splits from my garmin were:
Mile 1 - 8:36
Mile 2 - 8:54
Mile 3 - 8:47
Mile 4 - 8:28
.36 - 7:49
I am happy with it, and I am glad I went to the race and did my best even after running 7.6 miles before the race. I am going to take tomorrow and Monday off from running, let me legs rest a little - it will help that the next two days are going to be rainy and barely in the 40's lol.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Early Morning 5 Miler with Rocky
Rocky and I were out the door before 5 AM, the temperature was a warm 39 degrees with a feels like 33 and 10 mph S winds but surprisingly warm and I was wishing I hadn't worn my gloves or thermal tight long sleeve thing.
It was a slow run, that is for sure and a bit of a sore one but not for the same reasons as yesterday's run, not sure what is going on but maybe my sciatic nerve is the culprit.
Anyways, we ran our 5 miles in 53:50 with an average pace of 10:46 min/mile. Elevation gain of 96 ft and a loss of 94 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:27
Mile 2 - 10:59
Mile 3 - 10:32
Mile 4 - 10:28
Mile 5 - 10:24
After we got back into the drive, I let Rocky took off leash and he took off into the neighbor's yard (we all have like 2-5 acres of land out here so.... it's a big yard) and was rutting around in the grass. Then we got into the house, I gave him two... cups of his food knowing that normally he only eats half that and saves the rest for later. He inhaled it all within 3 minutes, 10 minutes later he's at our bedroom door having seizures he normally gets after eating something outside (mushrooms, chemicals, who honestly knows what our neighbors have out there), he then pukes ALL of his food up in our room (yay). Suffice to say, I was aggravated, either whatever he ate in the yard or his eating way too fast way too soon after running caused his puking. I'll remember from now on to wait 5-10 minutes before putting food in his bowl after our runs.
Not sure how tomorrow is going to go, I definitely don't think it would be wise to "race" the Run of Luck but I do want to go, and I don't know if I will go out for a 7 miler before the race or try to get a few miles in afterwards, no big deal either way to be honest.
It was a slow run, that is for sure and a bit of a sore one but not for the same reasons as yesterday's run, not sure what is going on but maybe my sciatic nerve is the culprit.
Anyways, we ran our 5 miles in 53:50 with an average pace of 10:46 min/mile. Elevation gain of 96 ft and a loss of 94 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:27
Mile 2 - 10:59
Mile 3 - 10:32
Mile 4 - 10:28
Mile 5 - 10:24
After we got back into the drive, I let Rocky took off leash and he took off into the neighbor's yard (we all have like 2-5 acres of land out here so.... it's a big yard) and was rutting around in the grass. Then we got into the house, I gave him two... cups of his food knowing that normally he only eats half that and saves the rest for later. He inhaled it all within 3 minutes, 10 minutes later he's at our bedroom door having seizures he normally gets after eating something outside (mushrooms, chemicals, who honestly knows what our neighbors have out there), he then pukes ALL of his food up in our room (yay). Suffice to say, I was aggravated, either whatever he ate in the yard or his eating way too fast way too soon after running caused his puking. I'll remember from now on to wait 5-10 minutes before putting food in his bowl after our runs.
Not sure how tomorrow is going to go, I definitely don't think it would be wise to "race" the Run of Luck but I do want to go, and I don't know if I will go out for a 7 miler before the race or try to get a few miles in afterwards, no big deal either way to be honest.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
An Easy 4 with Rocky
I decided that Rocky and I would try for 3 miles this afternoon and see how things go, I figured yesterday's day off from running did me enough good for a short run.
The temperature was 48 degrees and sunny with 9 mph S winds, so I wore my capri's and a dri fit tee and my hat because I like it. I had already decided on 4 miles when we parked, because 3 miles is just too short for me now :)
The first mile or 2 was tough, Rocky was being difficult and moronic which I guess was because he hadn't been out for a run since Monday and was trying to go at full speed. Because of that, I couldn't find my stride for the first 2 miles and my shins were hurting a little. Things started to ease up (Rocky stated to ease up) at the turn around heading back to the Tahoe.
Rocky and I ran 4.1 miles in 42:45 with an average pace of 10:26 min/mile - the .1 was because I didn't want to stop midway on an incline dang it. Elevation gain was 56 feet and a loss of 48 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:12
Mile 2 - 10:31
Mile 3 - 10:39
Mile 4 - 10:22
.1 - 10:22
I've got 5 miles planned tomorrow morning, hopefully things will be a bit better than today's run.
The temperature was 48 degrees and sunny with 9 mph S winds, so I wore my capri's and a dri fit tee and my hat because I like it. I had already decided on 4 miles when we parked, because 3 miles is just too short for me now :)
The first mile or 2 was tough, Rocky was being difficult and moronic which I guess was because he hadn't been out for a run since Monday and was trying to go at full speed. Because of that, I couldn't find my stride for the first 2 miles and my shins were hurting a little. Things started to ease up (Rocky stated to ease up) at the turn around heading back to the Tahoe.
Rocky and I ran 4.1 miles in 42:45 with an average pace of 10:26 min/mile - the .1 was because I didn't want to stop midway on an incline dang it. Elevation gain was 56 feet and a loss of 48 feet.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:12
Mile 2 - 10:31
Mile 3 - 10:39
Mile 4 - 10:22
.1 - 10:22
I've got 5 miles planned tomorrow morning, hopefully things will be a bit better than today's run.
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Six Hilly Miles with Dorian
Tuesday Afternoon's Run
Wednesday and Thursday are going to be rainy, cold and horribly windy (20-30 mph winds) so I had originally planned to get my 8 miler in this morning but that didn't happen. So throughout the morning I debated on whether to worry about running at all today or just wait until Friday and try to get a run in before the race Saturday, I finally decided on taking Dorian for a run with me as my mom wasn't going to be able to watch him. That meant Rocky was going to have to stay behind this time, sucks but I just can't try to control him and a stroller on some very winding pathways.
Temperature was beautiful! 73 freaking degrees, sunny and a bit of a breeze, perfect weather for all year around...... except if you rarely push your toddler in a stroller and then choose the hilliest pathway in your area, which made for a real workout. I haven't sweated that much in 3-4 months, and I don't think I've downed 16-20 oz of water throughout a workout around 1 hour since last summer - I was seriously questioning my sanity. This recreational pathway is the USI/Burdette Greenway and you can either start at USI or Discovery Lodge (which is where I started) and it is 3 miles long.
Within the first half mile it is a bit over 100 feet downhill and on winding pathways - we went from starting at 500 feet to 370 feet by .75 just before the dreaded hill.
Within the first mile was a huge hill, the hill that so many dread but love once they've conquered it, that first hill was over 100 feet and about a quarter of a mile long - suffice to say I stopped twice and gulped water.
Dorian had his sippy cup of (Naked Juice) Mighty Mango and had that gone within the first mile (like 8-9 oz or something!) so when I got up to USI - the other end of this recreational pathway, I filled his sippy up with 8 oz of my Ice Mountain which I had probably downed 6 oz by then and I filled my bottle up at the water fountain in the USI fitness center. At that point we had gotten to 3 miles, originally I figured I'd only do 4 with Dorian but I was now aiming to survive 6. For the next 2 miles it was going to be relatively easier until that hill that I had started down.
I will say, this was a huge workout even if it was a slow one as we ran the 6 miles in 1:07:08 with an average pace of 11:11 min/mile with an elevation gain of 307 feet and a loss of 305 feet. It was sunny and some clouds with 11 mph S winds, I got to wear my shorts and a sleeveless top but boy was I sweating.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:32
Mile 2 - 11:21
Mile 3 - 11:19
Mile 4 - 10:57
Mile 5 - 11:07
Mile 6 - 10:51
After logging this run, I realized I had ran 40 miles in the last 7 days so I am taking today and tomorrow off to rest and relax, hopefully my legs won't realize what insanity I put them through and will be refreshed for an easy 6 Friday morning.
Wednesday and Thursday are going to be rainy, cold and horribly windy (20-30 mph winds) so I had originally planned to get my 8 miler in this morning but that didn't happen. So throughout the morning I debated on whether to worry about running at all today or just wait until Friday and try to get a run in before the race Saturday, I finally decided on taking Dorian for a run with me as my mom wasn't going to be able to watch him. That meant Rocky was going to have to stay behind this time, sucks but I just can't try to control him and a stroller on some very winding pathways.
Temperature was beautiful! 73 freaking degrees, sunny and a bit of a breeze, perfect weather for all year around...... except if you rarely push your toddler in a stroller and then choose the hilliest pathway in your area, which made for a real workout. I haven't sweated that much in 3-4 months, and I don't think I've downed 16-20 oz of water throughout a workout around 1 hour since last summer - I was seriously questioning my sanity. This recreational pathway is the USI/Burdette Greenway and you can either start at USI or Discovery Lodge (which is where I started) and it is 3 miles long.
Within the first half mile it is a bit over 100 feet downhill and on winding pathways - we went from starting at 500 feet to 370 feet by .75 just before the dreaded hill.
Within the first mile was a huge hill, the hill that so many dread but love once they've conquered it, that first hill was over 100 feet and about a quarter of a mile long - suffice to say I stopped twice and gulped water.
Dorian had his sippy cup of (Naked Juice) Mighty Mango and had that gone within the first mile (like 8-9 oz or something!) so when I got up to USI - the other end of this recreational pathway, I filled his sippy up with 8 oz of my Ice Mountain which I had probably downed 6 oz by then and I filled my bottle up at the water fountain in the USI fitness center. At that point we had gotten to 3 miles, originally I figured I'd only do 4 with Dorian but I was now aiming to survive 6. For the next 2 miles it was going to be relatively easier until that hill that I had started down.
I will say, this was a huge workout even if it was a slow one as we ran the 6 miles in 1:07:08 with an average pace of 11:11 min/mile with an elevation gain of 307 feet and a loss of 305 feet. It was sunny and some clouds with 11 mph S winds, I got to wear my shorts and a sleeveless top but boy was I sweating.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:32
Mile 2 - 11:21
Mile 3 - 11:19
Mile 4 - 10:57
Mile 5 - 11:07
Mile 6 - 10:51
After logging this run, I realized I had ran 40 miles in the last 7 days so I am taking today and tomorrow off to rest and relax, hopefully my legs won't realize what insanity I put them through and will be refreshed for an easy 6 Friday morning.
Monday, March 10, 2014
A Crisp 6.1 Miler
Rocky and I got out and ran our easy 6.1 miles this morning, surprisingly enough I didn't wake up sore but I was hungry. The only achy part on me was my right arch and just a little bit of my ankle, but not bad enough to really worry about. I think I am going to do the Run of Luck 7k this Saturday, with a 7-8 mile warm up before hand and consider this week a cutback week with about 32 miles, especially with all this nice weather and me taking Dorian for walks, bike rides and rollerblading.
Anyways, this will be short and sweet - it was 34 degrees this morning, winds 4 mph S. Elevation gain of 86 feet and a loss of 84 feet.
Rocky and I ran 6.1 miles in 1:06:53 with an average pace of 10:58 min/mile, so definitely a slow and easy for me.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:11
Mile 2 - 11:14
Mile 3 - 11:06
Mile 4 - 11:08
Mile 5 - 11:00
Mile 6 - 10:16
.1 - 9:25
I think later today I am going to take Dorian out for some rollerblading (me rollerblading, him in the stroller).
Anyways, this will be short and sweet - it was 34 degrees this morning, winds 4 mph S. Elevation gain of 86 feet and a loss of 84 feet.
Rocky and I ran 6.1 miles in 1:06:53 with an average pace of 10:58 min/mile, so definitely a slow and easy for me.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:11
Mile 2 - 11:14
Mile 3 - 11:06
Mile 4 - 11:08
Mile 5 - 11:00
Mile 6 - 10:16
.1 - 9:25
I think later today I am going to take Dorian out for some rollerblading (me rollerblading, him in the stroller).
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Another Record Mile
The original plan was 15.4 miles this morning, I had gotten up at 6:20 AM and fixed my coffee and had a Cinnamon Raisin English muffin, then looked the weather and just took things slow. I also took some pepto-bismal before heading out, trying to head off any GI issues. Things were a bit questionable within the first hour or 6 miles, but I just kept going along and hoping things would get better. I made one pit stop just before mile 6, and that was the only pit stop during this run (crazy!) and I think I had a couple sips of gatorade between mile 5 and 6.
The sun was shining, it was around 28-30 degrees out so I wore my capri's, both of my long sleeves and I was concerned if that was too much. I also tested out my UltrAspire Surge pack and might I say I like it a lot - I had the 33 oz or 1 liter instead of the 70 oz or 2 liter in, I probably won't need the 2 liter reservoir until I'm running distances longer than 20 miles and during the hot summer.
Around mile 8 or 9 I was beginning to feel a lot better though my left knee and my right ankle kept giving me some issues but not enough to slow me down. I'd say I probably took a few sips of gatorade again around this point but I can't remember, just between mile 9 and 10 I consumed a chocolate GU after a large and then some water behind it.
By mile eleven I decided I wanted to reach 16 miles this time, and I was going to avoid the two last roads with the large hills that I had originally planned and went a different route for the last 3-4 miles that only had some hills and consumed my orange GU at 13.7 miles and some more water. I was definitely feeling it, and honestly I am a little concerned with how I am going to do with these long runs during summer and the nasty heat and humidity.....
I ran 16 miles in 2:38:20 with an average pace of 9:54 min/mile, elevation gain of 412 feet and a loss of 423 feet. Not bad, and I am still staying under 10:00 min/mile pace.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:42
Mile 2 - 10:13
Mile 3 - 10:10
Mile 4 - 10:14
Mile 5 - 10:27
Mile 6 - 10:03
Mile 7 - 9:47
Mile 8 - 9:28
Mile 9 - 9:37
Mile 10 - 9:41
Mile 11 - 9:48
Mile 12 - 9:49
Mile 13 - 9:41
Mile 14 - 9:40
Mile 15 - 9:35
Mile 16 - 9:25
The sun was shining, it was around 28-30 degrees out so I wore my capri's, both of my long sleeves and I was concerned if that was too much. I also tested out my UltrAspire Surge pack and might I say I like it a lot - I had the 33 oz or 1 liter instead of the 70 oz or 2 liter in, I probably won't need the 2 liter reservoir until I'm running distances longer than 20 miles and during the hot summer.
Around mile 8 or 9 I was beginning to feel a lot better though my left knee and my right ankle kept giving me some issues but not enough to slow me down. I'd say I probably took a few sips of gatorade again around this point but I can't remember, just between mile 9 and 10 I consumed a chocolate GU after a large and then some water behind it.
By mile eleven I decided I wanted to reach 16 miles this time, and I was going to avoid the two last roads with the large hills that I had originally planned and went a different route for the last 3-4 miles that only had some hills and consumed my orange GU at 13.7 miles and some more water. I was definitely feeling it, and honestly I am a little concerned with how I am going to do with these long runs during summer and the nasty heat and humidity.....
I ran 16 miles in 2:38:20 with an average pace of 9:54 min/mile, elevation gain of 412 feet and a loss of 423 feet. Not bad, and I am still staying under 10:00 min/mile pace.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:42
Mile 2 - 10:13
Mile 3 - 10:10
Mile 4 - 10:14
Mile 5 - 10:27
Mile 6 - 10:03
Mile 7 - 9:47
Mile 8 - 9:28
Mile 9 - 9:37
Mile 10 - 9:41
Mile 11 - 9:48
Mile 12 - 9:49
Mile 13 - 9:41
Mile 14 - 9:40
Mile 15 - 9:35
Mile 16 - 9:25
Friday, March 7, 2014
Our Chilly Hilly 6.2
This morning, my garmin misbehaved again but not with the starting point - this very route that I've ran many times before normally gives me around 141 feet of elevation gain but this morning it gave me a gain of 925 feet and a loss of 1,017 feet. I try not to focus too hard on the elevation changes as I know they can be off, but this was a lot!
Anyways, Rocky and I were out the door just before 5:30 AM and the sun was starting to rise. This Saturday night we've got to set our clocks forward one hour - Spring Forward, Lose an Hour of Sleep. This means that most of my morning runs from now until we Fall Back An Hour next Fall.
Temperature was 27 degrees with no wind, a bit chilly but still better than single digits or even the teens. Heading out, I was pretty indecisive about our route and mileage, I really wanted 7 miles but knew it would probably be a smart idea to do closer to 6 easy miles. Rocky and I did our one loop 6.2 mile route that we haven't done in a while, where that one hilly road is at the end of the run.
We ran the 6.2 miles in 1:05:48 so it was definitely a slow and easy pace of 10:37 mini/mile, though my legs were a bit sore this morning for some reason. I've found that after a day of doing the plank position has caused my calves to be sore lately - which sucks because I really like the plank position.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:25
Mile 2 - 10:56
Mile 3 - 10:50
Mile 4 - 10:39
Mile 5 - 10:14
Mile 6 - 9:48
.2 - 9:43
Not bad, kind of more of a progression easy run. This Sunday is my long run, and I haven't quite decided if I am going to do another 15 miler or try for a 16 miler this time.... I guess I'll just have to see how I feel.
Anyways, Rocky and I were out the door just before 5:30 AM and the sun was starting to rise. This Saturday night we've got to set our clocks forward one hour - Spring Forward, Lose an Hour of Sleep. This means that most of my morning runs from now until we Fall Back An Hour next Fall.
Temperature was 27 degrees with no wind, a bit chilly but still better than single digits or even the teens. Heading out, I was pretty indecisive about our route and mileage, I really wanted 7 miles but knew it would probably be a smart idea to do closer to 6 easy miles. Rocky and I did our one loop 6.2 mile route that we haven't done in a while, where that one hilly road is at the end of the run.
We ran the 6.2 miles in 1:05:48 so it was definitely a slow and easy pace of 10:37 mini/mile, though my legs were a bit sore this morning for some reason. I've found that after a day of doing the plank position has caused my calves to be sore lately - which sucks because I really like the plank position.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 11:25
Mile 2 - 10:56
Mile 3 - 10:50
Mile 4 - 10:39
Mile 5 - 10:14
Mile 6 - 9:48
.2 - 9:43
Not bad, kind of more of a progression easy run. This Sunday is my long run, and I haven't quite decided if I am going to do another 15 miler or try for a 16 miler this time.... I guess I'll just have to see how I feel.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Last Night and This Morning
Last night or late afternoon, Rocky and I headed to the greenway to get in 6 miles, I realized around mile 3 that the pace was too fast for an easy 6 so at mile 4 I decided that we would go ahead and do our 8 mile MLR.
The temperature was like 34 degrees, there were quite a few runners out and I think part of that was because a lot of people saw on the GERWC facebook page that the greenway had been cleared of snow (I'd like to thank whoever does that). The greenway still had some ice in areas under the bridges (4 bridges to be exact) so I had to be pretty careful.
I did not wear my long wool socks with my tights, and I am paying for it now. The left zipper from the bottom of my tights rubbed the back of my left ankle pretty raw, but no biggie... it wasn't affecting this morning's 6 miler.
Anyways, Rocky and I got 8 miles in last night, ran it in 1:17:29 with an average pace of 9:41 min/mile. Elevation gain of 143 feet and a loss of 130 feet, though I don't quite believe it... but it could be right.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:32
Mile 2 - 10:25
Mile 3 - 9:47
Mile 4 - 9:35
Mile 5 - 9:33
Mile 6 - 9:34
Mile 7 - 9:29
Mile 8 - 8:31
This morning, my usual Wednesday alarm went off at 4:20 AM which is normally for the 8 miler. I debated for about 5 minutes or so on getting up, I wasn't really planning on running today, figuring I would make tomorrow and Friday my 6 mile easies. After a bit, I decided to check out the forecast just to see since I was awake. It was 20 degrees out, with a feels like 20 and no wind.... how the heck could I pass that up. Rocky and I were out the door in 15 minutes.
Well.......... stupid GPS satellite crap, my garmin had the starting point 3 miles from my house and running in all sorts of circles before running me through fields to the point that is normally 1.5-1.6 miles into the run, so it was instead saying .6 miles but I didn't know why or what was wrong until I got back to the house and uploaded the work out. I was aggravated, maybe I didn't wait long enough for the garmin to find the satellites? Either way, I had to guess for the most part, but I knew the route relatively well so I figured I could get the 6 miles in one way or another.
Near the end of the run, around mile 5, fog or mist starting rolling in and I couldn't help but think of the Stephen King movie "The Mist"....... little to say I picked up the pace. I really don't feel like showing the laps or splits because it only gives 5 laps thanks to the stupid satellite crap... I am so frustrated.
Rocky and I ran 6 miles in 1:01:26 with an average pace of 10:10 min/mile, not quite as slow as I would like for my easy runs to be but I can live with it. I honestly don't think the elevation gain is true so screw it today, from now on I will give my garmin a minute or so, even after it says it found the satellites..... Pooh on technology!
The temperature was like 34 degrees, there were quite a few runners out and I think part of that was because a lot of people saw on the GERWC facebook page that the greenway had been cleared of snow (I'd like to thank whoever does that). The greenway still had some ice in areas under the bridges (4 bridges to be exact) so I had to be pretty careful.
I did not wear my long wool socks with my tights, and I am paying for it now. The left zipper from the bottom of my tights rubbed the back of my left ankle pretty raw, but no biggie... it wasn't affecting this morning's 6 miler.
Anyways, Rocky and I got 8 miles in last night, ran it in 1:17:29 with an average pace of 9:41 min/mile. Elevation gain of 143 feet and a loss of 130 feet, though I don't quite believe it... but it could be right.
Laps/splits were:
Mile 1 - 10:32
Mile 2 - 10:25
Mile 3 - 9:47
Mile 4 - 9:35
Mile 5 - 9:33
Mile 6 - 9:34
Mile 7 - 9:29
Mile 8 - 8:31
This morning, my usual Wednesday alarm went off at 4:20 AM which is normally for the 8 miler. I debated for about 5 minutes or so on getting up, I wasn't really planning on running today, figuring I would make tomorrow and Friday my 6 mile easies. After a bit, I decided to check out the forecast just to see since I was awake. It was 20 degrees out, with a feels like 20 and no wind.... how the heck could I pass that up. Rocky and I were out the door in 15 minutes.
Well.......... stupid GPS satellite crap, my garmin had the starting point 3 miles from my house and running in all sorts of circles before running me through fields to the point that is normally 1.5-1.6 miles into the run, so it was instead saying .6 miles but I didn't know why or what was wrong until I got back to the house and uploaded the work out. I was aggravated, maybe I didn't wait long enough for the garmin to find the satellites? Either way, I had to guess for the most part, but I knew the route relatively well so I figured I could get the 6 miles in one way or another.
Near the end of the run, around mile 5, fog or mist starting rolling in and I couldn't help but think of the Stephen King movie "The Mist"....... little to say I picked up the pace. I really don't feel like showing the laps or splits because it only gives 5 laps thanks to the stupid satellite crap... I am so frustrated.
Rocky and I ran 6 miles in 1:01:26 with an average pace of 10:10 min/mile, not quite as slow as I would like for my easy runs to be but I can live with it. I honestly don't think the elevation gain is true so screw it today, from now on I will give my garmin a minute or so, even after it says it found the satellites..... Pooh on technology!
Monday, March 3, 2014
Getting Excited about Indian-Celina Challenge
First off, my run this morning didn't happen.... snow and ice and single digits with winds around 15 mph - I am literally zapped and done with it, tomorrow will only be slightly better with no wind but then it looks too good to be true but the 10 day forecast shows that starting Wednesday, Winter might just finally loosen her grip on us here........ and possibly let Spring come in - temps will start being in the 40's to 50's for the next ten days starting Wednesday. I am hoping, I am praying with all the energy I have left that the single digit weather is finally freaking over. I might run my 6 miles this afternoon if my mom watches Dorian, but only if she can get out of her driveway. Temps won't be any better but the wind will have died down.
Second off, last night I was talking to DH about the two small races I have this month, these being the last small races I will ever sign up for most likely. I told him didn't really want to do them - a 5k this Saturday and a 7k next Saturday, I just feel like they are in my way of adapting and getting my body more comfortable with 15+ miles, I mean I wasn't sore yesterday which was surprising and the soreness from the 15 miler Saturday was actually dying down by Saturday evening but I still feel and want to be running 15 milers as much as possible this month and next month. If I do these races, I'll race them and most likely won't want to get in a long run afterwards, I could get in a 8-10 mile long run before the races but I don't know. I love these longer runs, and I don't regret signing up for these smaller races as my money helps them and that is the most important thing. Ugh, I guess it will all depend on how successful my runs are this week, if I can get my 6 miler in tonight or tomorrow night, then my 8 miler in Wednesday morning and then the other 6 miler either Thursday or Friday morning. I won't make my decision now, I'll wait until Friday morning to decide on whether I run the race or not.
And now for the real excitement, these past couple of weeks I've been reading race reports on the Land Between the Lakes' 26.2, 60k and 50 Miler race and race reports on the Ozark Trail 100. I love reading race reports, especially ones about ultra events (a person goes through so much, so much more and so much longer in ultras, the RR's are so much longer), and I really like reading RR's about races I am interested in - gives me an idea of what I can expect.
Well last night, the idea hit me to look up race reports for the Indian-Celina Challenge, I am registered for the half marathon this June and the elevation gain of around 2,900 - 3,100 feet is a bit daunting I must admit so I began looking for race reports to get an idea on just how tough this race is. The pictures and reports have me really excited, I haven't been on that trail in like.... 3 or 4 years and I only probably went in 2 miles before turning around, I was just hiking then and taking photos and the thought never crossed my mind that people ran those trails. I want to badly to hit those trails now, just out of curiosity, but my concern right now is whether they are super nasty and muddy so it doesn't look like a run there will happen this month - I am an hour away from there and my time is very precious, it would be downright upsetting if I drove a full hour to get there only to find the trails just awful and to drive back after attempting to run on them. I guess my reason for not going there yet is because I don't like the idea of being away from my son for almost 6 hours (the drive there - 1 hour - the run - 2-3 hours - the drive back - 1 hour / 4-5 hours away from him).
But I want so badly to know what I am in for, and I will only feel ready if I hit those trails... so depending on the weather in April or later this month I might just head up there on a Sunday morning and attempt those trails. Anyways, I am really excited about this race as I have mentioned so many times already - if I didn't already have my heart set on Indy as my first marathon AND if I wasn't nervous about the elevation gain I'd probably attempt the 26.2 distance instead of the 13.1 distance.
Second off, last night I was talking to DH about the two small races I have this month, these being the last small races I will ever sign up for most likely. I told him didn't really want to do them - a 5k this Saturday and a 7k next Saturday, I just feel like they are in my way of adapting and getting my body more comfortable with 15+ miles, I mean I wasn't sore yesterday which was surprising and the soreness from the 15 miler Saturday was actually dying down by Saturday evening but I still feel and want to be running 15 milers as much as possible this month and next month. If I do these races, I'll race them and most likely won't want to get in a long run afterwards, I could get in a 8-10 mile long run before the races but I don't know. I love these longer runs, and I don't regret signing up for these smaller races as my money helps them and that is the most important thing. Ugh, I guess it will all depend on how successful my runs are this week, if I can get my 6 miler in tonight or tomorrow night, then my 8 miler in Wednesday morning and then the other 6 miler either Thursday or Friday morning. I won't make my decision now, I'll wait until Friday morning to decide on whether I run the race or not.
And now for the real excitement, these past couple of weeks I've been reading race reports on the Land Between the Lakes' 26.2, 60k and 50 Miler race and race reports on the Ozark Trail 100. I love reading race reports, especially ones about ultra events (a person goes through so much, so much more and so much longer in ultras, the RR's are so much longer), and I really like reading RR's about races I am interested in - gives me an idea of what I can expect.
Well last night, the idea hit me to look up race reports for the Indian-Celina Challenge, I am registered for the half marathon this June and the elevation gain of around 2,900 - 3,100 feet is a bit daunting I must admit so I began looking for race reports to get an idea on just how tough this race is. The pictures and reports have me really excited, I haven't been on that trail in like.... 3 or 4 years and I only probably went in 2 miles before turning around, I was just hiking then and taking photos and the thought never crossed my mind that people ran those trails. I want to badly to hit those trails now, just out of curiosity, but my concern right now is whether they are super nasty and muddy so it doesn't look like a run there will happen this month - I am an hour away from there and my time is very precious, it would be downright upsetting if I drove a full hour to get there only to find the trails just awful and to drive back after attempting to run on them. I guess my reason for not going there yet is because I don't like the idea of being away from my son for almost 6 hours (the drive there - 1 hour - the run - 2-3 hours - the drive back - 1 hour / 4-5 hours away from him).
But I want so badly to know what I am in for, and I will only feel ready if I hit those trails... so depending on the weather in April or later this month I might just head up there on a Sunday morning and attempt those trails. Anyways, I am really excited about this race as I have mentioned so many times already - if I didn't already have my heart set on Indy as my first marathon AND if I wasn't nervous about the elevation gain I'd probably attempt the 26.2 distance instead of the 13.1 distance.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Races I want on my list between 2015 and 2016
2015
March
March
- Land Between the Lakes - KY - 26.2 / 60k - 11 Hour Time Limit
April
- Free State Trail Run - KS - 26.2 / 40M / 100K
June
- Indian/Celina Challenge - IN - 26.2 M
October
- Evansville Half Marathon - IN - 13.1 (out of loyalty)
2016
March
- Land Between the Lakes - KY - 50 Miles - 11 Hour Time Limit
June
- Indian/Celina Challenge - IN - 26.2 M
October
- Evansville Half Marathon - IN - 13.1 (out of loyalty)
November
- Ozark Trail 100 - MO - 100 M
In between these races I will continue working on averaging a 40-50 mpw with solo ultras occasionally at either Angel Mounds trails or John James Audubon State Park. Solo Ultras will be distances of anywhere between 30 and 45 miles.
I am honestly bored and tired of short distances like 5k's, 10k's and even 15k's but I will run the ones I have already signed up for, while doing a 8-10 mile warm-up before those races.
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