Tuesday, August 23, 2011

On a Roll

I've been running very regularly and it feels great! I ran 3 mornings last week and an extra "long" run on Saturday. I signed up for the Kentlands 5k which is less than 2 weeks away. The longest run I've done lately is about 2.75 miles, and I wanted to increase that to get ready for the upcoming race. I ran 3.21 miles- the most since April 2009 when I ran the Cherry Blossom 10-miler! The most I've done since Jack was born is a 5k, and I know this isn't much more than that, but it is more! I plan on doing the same distance this weekend and then the race is next Saturday (Sept. 3).

I've noticed that I've been more tired on my runs and I think it has to do with the hills. I've been doing the lake run more, since that's about all I have the time for, and the hills are brutal! It's great to workout with hills- it builds strength. But right now I'm more concerned with building endurance than strength. I'd like to do a hill run once a week (maybe twice), but not every run. I wish there was a nearby track I could go to so I could work on building speed and endurance. This morning I got a late start but wanted to run anyway. I chose a different route, but one that I knew would be mostly flat and fast. I only ran a mile, but did it in under 11 minutes. It felt great!

Something else I've noticed is that the socks really make a difference. I have one pair of running socks that I love and they feel great. Well they were dirty last week so I wore the other pairs I have that aren't as thick and don't feel even half as good. My feet definitely hurt more than usual, and i think it contributed to my slower times. Today I wore my good ones and I felt perfectly fine. By the way, the ones I love are made by Balega and I got them at a local running store. I am definitely going there this weekend to pick up a couple more pairs.

Here is my log for last week and today:

August 17, 6:57am
1.41 miles
18:09 minutes
12:51 avg. pace

August 19, 6:57am
1:36 miles
16:23 minutes
12:00 avg. pace

August 20, 7:22am
3.21 miles
39:56 minutes
12:25 avg. pace

August 22, 6:14pm (first evening run in a long time)
1:36 miles
16:58 minutes
12:29 avg. pace

August 23, 6:59am
1.05 miles
10:58 minutes
10:24 avg. pace

Looking at these runs, my average pace is actually pretty good. I felt more tired during the runs, but maybe that's because I was going faster than I realized. I did take 2 days off after the long run, because I don't want to overdo it and exhaust myself. I was pretty sore on Sunday and a day off was definitely needed!

Last week it was a little chilly in the morning (and even colder out by the lake), so for 2 of the runs jack was bundled in a sweatshirt, his pj pants, and socks. It makes me so excited for fall!!


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