Behind Again

once again i have not had much time so i did not blog my last run. monday i ran 4 miles in 39:38. a pace of 9:54. it was a little warm and humid, but overall felt pretty good. i have basically stopped trying to run at a specific heart rate and just try to go at a comfortable pace. my heart rate isn't that much higher than before for the average, but it seems to hit a higher max. today (wednesday) i ran another 4 miles a little slower. i think my pace could be a little better than what it is on these runs because from miles 1.5-2.0 it is all up a pretty big hill. i figure it is better to run this hill than to worry about fast paces right now. the good thing is, from miles 2.0-2.5 it is pretty much back down the big hill, but i don't feel like i make up the time for that much. today i ran the 4 miles in 41:11 a pace of 10:18. it was a little cooler today, even if i did run a little earlier when the sun was still shining bright. there is a good bit of shade late in the day on this route. my feet have been hurting a little bit. i was thinking it could be my semi-minimalist shoes, but then i was thinking my feet always hurt when i am running. hopefully this time i am building them up a little better with these shoes. some say i should still be doing some runs in my old shoes, i just hate to go back to them, i feel it would be a step backwards now. i have nearly 50 miles in these shoes. it doesn't help that in the past 5 days i have had 2 days at work of 14 hours a day on concrete floors. my calf has not been hurting near as much recently, that makes me think i am getting used to the shoes as well. last week i switched to the thinner insole that comes with the shoe to go more towards a minimalst shoe. i do like that the shoes are pretty light. it will be interesting how the shoes feel when i get to the longer runs. i am running a 5k on saturday, more for the cause than for time. thought of the day: i think i may be over chi running. i like it and i think it has helped me with my form, but i think it is like anything else, there are some good points to use and practice. i do like the concept of pain free running, but it seems like that is what everyone is promoting these days in different ways. some say use weights and some say not to, etc. i think you just need to have a balance.

Last 2 Runs

I don't think i posted my last run. it was about 10 days ago on may 16. it was 4 miles, in 41:59, a pace of 10:30. the next day i missed a run due to thunderstorms and then work and life got really busy. i finally got back on the road today and got in 3 miles. i finished in 28:52, a pace of 9:37. once again i didn't pay that much attention to my heart rate but just ran at a pretty comfortable pace. i felt pretty good, my left calf was a little tight once again but not bad. it was also much warmer than any other run this year, at leat 10 degrees. not horrible though. no thought of the day today, i am tired.

May 14, 5 workouts in a row

I have done 5 workouts in a row. Very long time since i have done that. Still trying to get my technique better. Sometimes it seems like i am doing pretty good but i just cant hold it. Sometimes i just feel like going back to my old style but i know if i can stick to this it will be better for me in the long run. Instead of trying to keep my heartrate at 155 for this run i just tried to keep an easy pace. My heart rate stayed around 165 for most of the run and no surprise this run was a little faster than the previous runs. I ran 4 miles in 41:27 a 10:22 pace. Thought of the day: the weather has been funny this year, all of my runs have been when it has been pretty cool, hope it stays that way all summer. Also, i am going to try to prepare for the 31 mile nashville ultra. Not sure if it will sell out or if it does how quick it will but hopefully it wont because it will probably be a gametime decision.

Over 6 Miles and NO UNDERWEAR!

yes, i thought i would try it. before, i had to have some type of running underwear on longer runs (over 4 miles) or i would gald or chafe, whatever you want to call it, i know you've been there. since i am trying to run with improved form when i grabbed a pair of my running shorts that has the little lining in them, i thought, what the heck. either this new form will help since i am running correctly, or it will kill me since i am running much slower during the learning phase. before it would have just been about an hour of torture. however, now, since i am trying to run based on heart rate, it would take me longer and that could be really bad. i ran 6.13 miles in 70 minutes and no undies, and no chaffing! the funny thing is, this is one of the few pairs of shorts that i have not cut the lining out of. i was actually running with these shorts over my underwear last year, kind of as an experiment. my left calf hurt from the time i started until mile 5. i kept trying to eleviate the pain by using the correct form, but couldn't quite get it down. finally around mile 5 i figured a few things out and the pain went away. after the run i really felt great, like i could have ran 4 or 5 more. my pace was 11:26, about the same as my 4 mile runs during the week. my average heart rate was up a little due to 2 big hills that i had to get up to get the extra mileage in. i did use some tips from the chirunning book and cd i have to get up the hills and they really seemed to make the hills go much easier. can't imagine how i will finally feel when i get this form down. thought of the day: if you don't have to wear underwear, why would you? don't worry, i will be wearing some sort of underwear, it was just a thought.

3 This Week

this was the third run of the week for me, long time since i have accomplished that. once again i was trying to keep my heart rate around 155. it wasn't that bad until the last 1/2 when my heart rate would just jump way up and then it was really hard to get back down. my time started out a little faster than my last 2 runs but towards the end of the run my heart rate when way up and my pace went way down. my overall time was 44:24 a pace of 11:21. still working on this new technique, will keep you posted, watching a video right now on how to make running hills easy.

Trying to stay on track

May 9 2012, 4 miles 45:41, hr avg 156

Not Sure How I Feel

i have been reading the book "Chimarathon". it is about running better for your body, to simplify. the author is a strong prponent of not exerting yourself above your max heart rate. well, mine is 155 and normally my heart rate is around 170 when i run. so, other than focus on the correct techniques i also had to try and keep my heart rate around 155. he also recommends breathing through your nose, figured i would try that as well. i was able to keep my heart rate at 154 as an average for the run, however, i had to go really slow. maybe my heart is not in very good condition right now but my pace was over 11 min/mile. the 2 other runs i have had recently had been under 10 min/mile. on the positive side, i felt like i could run 4 more miles easily when i was done. it will be hard to keep using that heart rate if all of my runs are that slow. but i have a feeling that my runs will get faster. i am only in the technique phase of this program, trying to teach myself how to run with this form, before i start the conditioning phase, so it is ok for now. breathing out of my nose wasn't that bad, i just had to keep thinking about it. my overall time was 44.55. i will humbly take that for now.

May 3rd 2012

i ran 3 miles with Emily. my time was 29.10 and i felt pretty good. nothing too special about this run other than i finally got Emily, who claims she will be doing a half marathon in the fall, to run with me.

Ran 3 miles, 2nd run in about 4 mos. time was 27.56, 86 degrees, sunny. Felt pretty good.