Grooved to Run

Finally upgraded to WordPress 2.2.2. That was way overdue.

I’m in between programs right now, and decided to go out for a quick 5K run. Should be easy right? Wrong.

Ran 3.11 miles in 30:32 (9:49/mi pace) with an average speed of 6.1 mph and a max of 7.6 mph. My 1-mile splits were 9:27, 9:14, and 10:39.

By itself, that doesn’t look to bad, but somewhere around the last mile I started to feel really rough. My legs were sluggish and it took everything I had just to keep running. It might have been the humidity, but I’m not sure what the problem was.

Either way, it was a pretty crappy run.

I had seen Road ID tags advertised in Runner’s World before, and had thought about getting one. After all, when I run I never carry any form of identification and very rarely a cell phone. If I were to end up injured/unconscious like so many of the testimonials, I’m not sure how anyone would ever be able to figure out who I was or how to contact my wife.

Then I read Bill’s post about getting a Wrist ID, along with a sweet coupon code for $2 off. So I finally placed and order.

Behold my new Shoe ID…

I put it on my shoes right before my 10K run on Monday. Seemed to fit perfectly on my laces and I didn’t even notice it was there while out on the road. Definitely a recommended product.

If you are thinking about getting one, let me know. I have a couple of coupon codes for $1 off.

For various reasons I ended up postponed my W8D7 run a day, running it on Monday instead of Sunday. But I did run it, and I’m pretty happy with my results.

I ran 6.21 miles (10K) in 1:10:14 (11:18/mi pace) with an average speed of 5.3 mph and a max of 8.5 mph. My 1-mile splits were 10:46, 11:09, 11:34, 11:56, 12:03, 10:56, and then finished the last 0.21 mi at an 8:18/mi pace. Burned around 945 calories.

So that concludes the Hal Higdon 10K Training Plan for me!

I started the program back in July, and at the time I wasn’t really sure if I could even finish it or not. But, much like the C25K program, by the time the final week of the training program arrives there’s really no question if I can do it or not. That’s cool, because it means the training plan works, but it also makes for extremely anticlimactic final runs. Perhaps that’s a good thing?

Now it’s time to start the next training plan…

Today was Week 8 Day 6 of the Hal Higdon 10K Training Plan.

Another rest day according to the schedule.

Today was Week 8 Day 5 of the Hal Higdon 10K Training Plan.

Rest day… unless you count mowing the lawn. It certainly felt like a workout today.

Today was Week 8 Day 4 of the Hal Higdon 10K Training Plan.

The weather is still overcast, humid and rather depressing. So I decided to take today’s run slow and easy and just try to focus on my form and enjoy myself. Ended up going quite a bit faster toward the end, but still felt pretty good.

Ran 2.01 miles in 20:15 (10:04/mi pace) with an average speed of 6.0 mph and a max of 9.7 mph. My 1-mile splits were 10:50 and 9:19. Burned about 300 calories.

Decent run tonight. Next up on the schedule… two rest days and a 10K on Sunday. Woo!

Today was Week 8 Day 3 of the Hal Higdon 10K Training Plan.

Did 30 minutes of XT on the elliptical tonight. Put the resistance on 10 and kept a decent pace. Definitely a good workout, burning somewhere around 700 calories. Tonight’s podcast was NPR Kitchen Window.

Only two more workouts to go!

Today was Week 8 Day 2 of the Hal Higdon 10K Training Plan.

Thankfully there was a break in the rain after work today, so I got changed and headed out to take advantage of it. Unfortunately it was still a damp 60 degrees out, making for rather miserable running weather. Combined with the fact that I pushed the first mile too hard, it ended up being a less than fun run.

Ran 3.11 miles in 28:41 (9:14/mi pace) with an average speed of 6.5 mph and a max of 12.0 mph. That max speed is, by the way, the fastest I recorded on the Garmin up to this point. So that’s kind of cool. My 1-mile splits were 8:00, 10:38, and 9:24. I finished the last 0.11 mi at a 6:01/mi average pace.

Not my worst run ever, but certainly not the best. Oh well.

Today was Week 8 Day 1 of the Hal Higdon 10K Training Plan.

Did my usual weight training routine tonight. Legs felt good, and my upper body wasn’t too bad. I attempted to add some tricep work to the mix because I think I’ve been neglecting that area. As crazy as it sounds, I’m actually starting to see some improvement in my biceps so I want to make sure everything stays “balanced” as I continue.

It’s supposed to rain all week, so hopefully that doesn’t interfere with my running schedule. I can handle light rain, but a thunderstorm will force me to change my plan.