16K Yesterday

Did a 16K on the treadmill yesterday , not even sure about the time... somewhere around 80 minutes. Broke it up into thirds, 1st@11.5K 2nd@12.2 3rd@12.7. I haven't been running much in the way of distance in the last couple of months so it was a little tired. The treadmill is definitely harder on the joints, have a little something up with the right ankle. I only get this sort of thing on the treadmill . The constant repetitive nature is not great . Running on gravel roads, trails or even in the snow don't bring this sensation on. When the weather is crappy the treadmill is the only game around so I guess I will stick to it but stay away from distant runs until the weather improves in a few months.
I am pumped to get out on the road with the Garmen this weekend , hopefully the weather will allow me too!

Ron.

5K today

5K at lunch on the treadmill ! Was going to go further but the legs felt a bit stiff from yesterday so I thought hey... why push and stopped. Its is so so so important to listen to what your body is telling you. I love to run and would do it everyday if I could but I also recognize that there are limits and when the body says slow down ... you slow down !

Maybe tomorrow I will feel a little looser , want to get a 16Ker on the treadmill before the end of the week.

Ron.

New toy ... Garmen Forerunner 305

Isn't Christmas wonderful ! Been playing with my Garmen Forerunner 305, unfortunately it will be a few days before I take it for a spin !

Working days this week, yesterday at lunch I squeezed in a 5K at lunch in 23:40. First few K were easy , 11-12 Km/Hour ... last two were at 13.3 Km/Hour ! Uneventful treadmill run hardly worth mention, how I long for spring !

Today , I managed a 10K at lunch. Did it is 48:12 , 800 x 200 5:00km/4:00km intervals. Running like this is as good for the physical side of things as mental ! I really believe I can do a 10K in under 43:00 , best was last May 44:51 ! Varied the elevation between +1% to-1% , two thirds were on the plus side. I believe this helps to break up the monotony of the repetitive foot strike !

Hope to do an easy 16K in the next day or two , it will have to be indoors. Maybe by the weekend I can tale the Garmin for a ride.

Ron.

Best winter run

Did my 10K road run in 50:05 yesterday , great for this time of year. Going out I was into the wind , temps were around the freezing point . Was dress like my previous road runs and was quiet comfotable at hat temp. Legs felt a little stiff but that was only for the first 10 minutes. Hit the 5K mark at 27:33 , coming back the wind was at my back and I was able to pick up the pace to 22:35 for the last 5K , this is my 10K pace to make under 45:00 !!! Very pleased, the way I have been running I have been thinking that a 43:00-44:00 10K may be possible in 08.... we will see. Today and tomorrow the weather is rain so the run is going to have to be indoors. Want to do a 16K easy next ...tomorrow!

Friday I did another 10K on the road, down the second to the Schmidt farm and back again. This time it was a little cooler , about -6C with a gusty breeze and a bit of snow! The snowmobile trails are open , the route I normally take in the summer is where the goes. The had just groomed it , it looked pretty solid so I thought I would give it a try. Well I was wrong ... its was harder then running in powdery sand... back to the road. There was a light dusting of snow so it was a little bit slippery , just had to mind the hills a little bit more. Running back I started to get a little cold. My muscles felt stiff , when I got home my legs were red ! Next time I am going to layer my legs too. Running back I noticed that my tracks weren't covered as I neared home. I have been working on technique , trying to land under my body. I though that this was shortening my stride but I was wrong , I was surprised at the distance between the foot prints. It kinda feels like I am shuffling along when landing on the balls of my feet. The stiffness brought on by the cold slowed me down a bit and I came in just over the 48 minute mark... couldn't have ran any further without dressing a little warmer! After the run I dropped in the Hot Tub....I usually pour a tall glass of milk but we were out so I opted for a beer instead . Boy you want to talk about a cheap drunk !!!!!!

Sunday I was working , been real busy at work lately so I was surprised to get away. Did an easy 16K run on the treadmill. This is the longest run I have done since late October . It felt great , even though it was the treadmill I got into that meditative state at around the 10K mark ! Felt like I could run forever .... I ran about 3K off in LA LA land not even realizing that I was running . The pace was fairly easy , at around 5:10 /km . I was entertained by my heart rate , kept it in the 130-140 range !

Tuesday after work I jumped back on the treadmill ! It was Fartlek day , did 800x5:13/Km then 200 at 3:45/Km. did this until I hit the 10K mark! Running like this made me feel like I could break 40:00 .... best was May 2007s Trillium where I broke 45:00 for the first time. I varied the elevation from +2 to -1 . It helped to break the monotony of the indoor run. Kept an eye on the heart rate too . Each set I did it pegged high ... mid 160s to low 170s then dropped back to the mid 140s in recovery ! I can see where this sort of a run weekly will help to increase the speed .

I am going to keep this sort of distance / mix going through Jan/Feb . Come March I am going to try to speed things up again preparing for the first 10K in May although I ultimately want to run more , run further ! I haven't done a Marathon yet , gained a ton of respect for distance over the Summer . I could do it today but I am toying with the idea of doing a 50ker before the 42 !

Ron.

Running in the Snow

Another first today, ran in the snow! It was just below freezing , a wee bit windy and there was the occasional squall! Did a 10K on 2nd , 5K towards Durham, turnaround was the Schmidt farm and then back ... all in the grand sum and total time of 53:35 ! Sounds slow but this spring when I did the 10K in under 45 I was running this route in about 49 and change !

This morning when I got up it was sunny , no wind and a couple of degrees below freezing ... Perfect! I waited a few hours then went out and I had about 30 seconds of Sun the rest was snow/blowing snow ! Wind chill was a factor too . Heading South towards Durham the wind was a little behind but more to the right of me. The front was pretty much shielded and I was comfortable . On my return it was a little different , wind was almost in my face ... more to my left . There is a couple of high open spots that I had to shield my face with may hand! All and I I was fairly comfortable . Wore regular socks .. Feet were 100%, almost hot. Had some "running pants" that I had bought on EBay ... not bad , wee bit breezy but it sure beats shorts. On top I had my metal T with a Cotton sweatshirt and a Nylon Wind Jacket ! The crowning achievement was a wool touque, I almost didn't grab this and am I ever glad I did. I wouldn't wanted to go further dressed like this . I was hot underneath , a little damp from sweat but not really too uncomfortable . So bottom line ... the dress gets a passing grade !

The road was plowed this morning I was running on hard packed snow , a little give along the edge but very similar to running on pavement. The only time I really noticed I was ruining on snow was on Hills. Had to be real careful not to break going down or get too much up on the toes going up or I lost traction. I have been working on landing more on the balls of my foot as compared to the heel by landing under the body instead of in front , this also helped me run in the slippery conditions! Breathing was no problem at all ... it wasn't too cold so I really didn't notice it. I regret not bringing a water bottle , I was craving a drink at the 5K mark.

The route I took wasn't my favorite ! Where I like to go is under a meter of snow! However I really didn't mind, the snow made it all look allot different ! Best part was the fact that it was ploughed this morning.

So , I will be back! I am resigned to get outside and run over the next four months, just have to time it!

Ron.

Been running

Been a funny week , working nights and running is strange ! All were on the treadmill , did a ...
Wed 3am 7K , stopped at 7 becasue I had to go !
Thurs 3am 7K , stopped at 7 because I had to go back to work.
Fri, 5k at 6am ! Didnt have enough time to run furtehr
Sat , finally a 10K at 4:00 am .

Its been hard to be back on the tradmill after the great runs in Maryland last week. I find myself imagining I am back on teh trails and its summer !

Wed I did an easy run , about 11Kmh east pace. I jumped off at 7K because a I had to go! Thurs was my first attempt at Fartleks, easy run 12Kmh but at the 3,4,5,6,7 K marks I did a 200meter run at 14 mh. Friaday a did a short / moderate 5K in around 23:00. Fianlly this mronnig I did an easy 10K 11/11.5/12 and the last K was at 13.3 Kmh.