5K & speed

It's subzero weather again - good thing I'm not training for a Spring marathon. Today in the gym I worked out on the treadmill, including some speed training (0.25miles at 7:30 pace x 3 repeats). Ran 3.35 miles in total. Finished with 30 reps of abdominal work. Felt good overall - like I worked hard.

Cross Training

This morning at the gym: tried the new Cybex gazelle thing for 10 minutes, followed by Gravitron and some core training. Wrapped up with 8 minute gazelle thing again and a really great shower. I'm finding that 30 minutes is not sufficient for a workout - I was barely sweating.

5K-a-day

My goal today at the club was 5 miles, but in the end, I stopped at 3.5 miles. I did the middle mile as a speed training session. Half mile at 8-minute pace and half mile at 7:30 pace. It felt fine at the time, but now my hip flexors are screaming. It may have been the incline on the speed training. Looking forward to starting with my trainer on Sunday and working out some of these details....

Registered for Capital City Distance Classic in Columbus on April 12th. It's a John Bingham Running Event - we're in it for the Penguin Medal!

1 mile day

Today at the gym I could only muster 1 mile on the treadmill. no joke. Apparently, a rest day was in order. : )

Outdoors Again!

I had a fantastic run today. 8.0 miles on mostly cleared roads and sidewalks surrounded by light sunshine and a fresh coat of powdery snow. It was a music-free run again and it was both relaxing and energizing at the same time. I thought it was fast, but returned home to realize that it wasn't very fast at all - about 80 minutes. I think that trudging through snow covered areas is sometimes like running in sand - hard work and still slow.

The kids wanted to go running when I returned home so we headed to the club and spent 90 minutes running suicides, relay races, and playing dodgeball on the basketball court. What a great Sunday.

Back in the Gym

I returned from La Jolla to a 3 degree day. Needless to say, outside running is out of the question. So yesterday morning began with 3 miles on the treadmill. Not a lot to say about it - except maybe that it was music-free and quite nice. The goal this weekend is to get an 8-mile in while the temp hits the the 30s.

California Sun

Yesterday afternoon I arrived in Southern California and went directly to the beach for a run. I ran a there-and-back 10 mile loop that started at Venice Beach, passed Muscle Beach, the Santa Monica Pier and a bit further north. Though the locals had down jackets and scarves on, I ran in shorts and short sleeves, though I can say that I was never hot. Overall the run was good, with the second half far superior to the first. I think hydration was a problem and once I got some water, I was good to go. It feels good to be able to run that far without it being quite the accomplishment that it once was. Now I just need to figure out how to sustain the 1/2 marathon readiness and not lose momentum, nor interest.

Cold Weather Running

Today the windchill was 2 degrees and I headed outside. It was a beautiful, sunny day - just really, really cold. Light snow added to the beauty, as did the solitude. I did the 4.5 mile rec center loop and for a change of pace, went out sans headphones. It was so great and so peaceful that I'm considering working toward iPod-free running.

Tomorrow looks like a day off, as the windchill is predicted to be well below zero.

Back in the Gym

This morning was an indoor training day, as I imagine may be the case this weekend as well. It was 10 degrees today. I started the day with an easy 3 miles at the club - I'm still trying to figure out whether to believe the distance on the treadmill or the distance on my ipod. In any case, a little strength training after my run - Gravitron for the arms, dip post for some abs work and then additional core training focused on the lower back.

Need to try to get one long one in between now and Sunday, but with temperatures predicted in the 0-1 degree range, it may not be possible.

Sunny Winter Running

Today was the first time I ran since the half marathon. After a three day rest, my body wanted badly to get out there and run. It was 30 degrees, with a bit lower wind chill, but all in all, a perfect sunny winter day.

Logged 8.25 miles, on the usual 8 mile loop and averaged a 9:19 pace, though I never felt fast or pushed.

The goal for now is to maintain 8-mile run fitness level and try to get two long runs in per week.

Happy New Year!

We just returned from our 2008 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. I ran it in 2:09:35 which was about 10 minutes off of my goal, but I think my goal may have been unrealistic. To date, my best half marathon was 2:10:50, recorded at the 2007 WDW half. It appears that I am a 2:10 13-miler regardless of weather, how I feel, what city I'm running in, what I ate for breakfast, how I slept, or what I'm wearing.

In any case, the race was great. The early start is a killer, but since this was the second year in a row, we knew what to expect:
3:15am Wake-up
3:55am Catch the disney bus
5:00am Into the corrals
6:00am Start

Run 13.1 miles, finished by 8:30am, in the hotel pool by 9:00am. Good morning!

I'm now registered for the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge for 2009 - a half marathon on Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday. 39.3 miles in 31 hours or less. Yikes.

This blog is dedicated to the pursuit of the Mickey, Donald, and Goofy medals in 2009!