This week I managed to run two whole times, aren't you proud of me? ;) On Wednesday afternoon, The Husband came home and we decided to go on our first-ever trail run. There are some cool trails out behind the dog park here in town, so we laced up our shoes, sprayed on our sunscreen and bug spray, and hit the trail.
Trail running is a lot different from road running, let me tell you. The constant ups and downs, concentrating on each footfall to ensure you don't trip and fall, and the rocky, bumpy terrain are more physically and mentally exhausting than running on a regular paved surface. We only went about 2 miles, but we really enjoyed it! We saw several other runners out on the trail as well.
Saturday morning we went to Grapevine as usual. I decided to make this a cutback week and schedule 6 miles. It was about 45 degrees when we started, which felt pretty good, except my hands were aching from the cold. Once we got warmed up and into the sun it wasn't so bad, though.
One thing we've really been enjoying on our runs the past few weeks is the scent of honeysuckle. It seems like it's everywhere this spring, and it makes me smile and breathe deeply every time we pass the vines. The Husband and I have also been listening to a Pandora station of 90s music during our long runs, which has been pretty entertaining. For instance, I learned on Saturday that "Waterfalls" by TLC is the perfect tempo for my usual running pace. Who knew?! Don't worry, we're being safe - no headphones, just playing through the speaker on The Husband's smartphone. Hope we're not annoying everyone else on the trails!
Anyway, Saturday's 6 miler was awesome! I think I'm about due for a crappy long run, but I'm really hoping I get a break during my 10 miler this coming Saturday.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Long Run - 4/14/12
Saturday we headed out to Grapevine for a long run with our TNT family. I decided to go for 8 miles. Pre-run fuel was a kolache/sausage roll (jalapeno cheese, to be exact!), not exactly the healthiest or most traditional option, but whatever.
We had a really great run, no foot pain or calf tightness for me! The weather was pretty great, too, not too hot or humid. We stuck to our intervals (5 run/2 walk) pretty much the entire time, and when I started to lag or tried to stop running early, The Husband did a great job of encouraging me to continue on, which I really appreciated.
We finished in about 1:57 (this included a long-ish bathroom break which I forgot to stop the watch for), so our overall pace according to the watch was about 14 minutes/mile. Not too bad for a long run!
We're planning on a short run this evening (either on the road or trying out some trails), and probably another tomorrow evening. Saturday will be either 6 or 10 miles, I haven't decided yet.
We had a really great run, no foot pain or calf tightness for me! The weather was pretty great, too, not too hot or humid. We stuck to our intervals (5 run/2 walk) pretty much the entire time, and when I started to lag or tried to stop running early, The Husband did a great job of encouraging me to continue on, which I really appreciated.
We finished in about 1:57 (this included a long-ish bathroom break which I forgot to stop the watch for), so our overall pace according to the watch was about 14 minutes/mile. Not too bad for a long run!
We're planning on a short run this evening (either on the road or trying out some trails), and probably another tomorrow evening. Saturday will be either 6 or 10 miles, I haven't decided yet.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Overwhelmed.
So lately I've been feeling really stressed because of school. I have a lot of things coming due (it's about 4 weeks until finals are over), and between that and wanting to spend some time relaxing with The Husband after he gets home from work, running (and housecleaning, and lots of other things!) tend to fall by the wayside.
Anywho, on Saturday I woke up at 5AM to get ready for my long run and I just wasn't feeling it. At all. I ended up crawling back into bed (with a side of guilt for skipping out on my mentoring duties with Team in Training) and vowing to do my long run on Sunday morning. We got up yesterday morning and went out (after a long time convincing myself that it wouldn't be that bad). I was having some pretty crazy foot and calf pain/tightness during the first mile, which started to loosen up but didn't go away totally. We ended up only doing 4 miles out of the 8 I had planned, but it's better than nothing. Pace was about 15 min/mi. due to a lot of extra walking to give my feet a break.
I'm hoping to get in some more miles than I have been this week, but school is threatening to drown me in homework, so I'm not sure how that's going to go.
Anywho, on Saturday I woke up at 5AM to get ready for my long run and I just wasn't feeling it. At all. I ended up crawling back into bed (with a side of guilt for skipping out on my mentoring duties with Team in Training) and vowing to do my long run on Sunday morning. We got up yesterday morning and went out (after a long time convincing myself that it wouldn't be that bad). I was having some pretty crazy foot and calf pain/tightness during the first mile, which started to loosen up but didn't go away totally. We ended up only doing 4 miles out of the 8 I had planned, but it's better than nothing. Pace was about 15 min/mi. due to a lot of extra walking to give my feet a break.
I'm hoping to get in some more miles than I have been this week, but school is threatening to drown me in homework, so I'm not sure how that's going to go.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Weekday running
You know, this whole running thing would be a heckuva lot easier if I didn't have school, work, and LIFE getting in the way all the time! ;)
Yesterday I had my appointment to get my castings made for my custom orthotics. It was a surprisingly quick and easy process, and I should get them in a few weeks (I'm assuming, I kind of forgot to ask). The casting materials they use are pretty cool - they put a plastic bag over your foot, and then they wet what looks like a no-show sock with water, put it on your foot, and it magically hardens! Apparently it's made from fiberglass, which is a big step up from the plaster of Paris they used to use.
The weather yesterday on my drive home from work was GORGEOUS. It was nice and cool, with a breeze, and not *too* sunny, but not really cloudy, either. I had grand plans to go for a 4 mile run on the trail where we train on Saturdays, since I was going to be in that area for my appointment, anyway. Then I almost fell asleep in the chair waiting for the doctor to come do my castings, and by the time I left it had warmed up probably 10-15 degrees, and the breeze had died down. Plus I felt badly for not getting any homework done.
All in all, instead of my four mile run, I hit Starbucks, where I read an article for one of my classes on my Nook (love that it reads PDFs!) and then headed home. DH and I had takeout Chick Fil A for dinner and then FINALLY hit the grocery store. We also went by CVS to pick up my thyroid meds, and then we went for a short (2 mile) run. We did a fair bit of walking just because, so I don't know (or want to know!) our pace. And to top it all off, we had a pack of dogs come surging out of a house barking fit to raise the dead that nearly gave me a heart attack. :-/ Not the best run I've ever had (but probably not the worst). Looking forward to 8 miles on Saturday!
Yesterday I had my appointment to get my castings made for my custom orthotics. It was a surprisingly quick and easy process, and I should get them in a few weeks (I'm assuming, I kind of forgot to ask). The casting materials they use are pretty cool - they put a plastic bag over your foot, and then they wet what looks like a no-show sock with water, put it on your foot, and it magically hardens! Apparently it's made from fiberglass, which is a big step up from the plaster of Paris they used to use.
The weather yesterday on my drive home from work was GORGEOUS. It was nice and cool, with a breeze, and not *too* sunny, but not really cloudy, either. I had grand plans to go for a 4 mile run on the trail where we train on Saturdays, since I was going to be in that area for my appointment, anyway. Then I almost fell asleep in the chair waiting for the doctor to come do my castings, and by the time I left it had warmed up probably 10-15 degrees, and the breeze had died down. Plus I felt badly for not getting any homework done.
All in all, instead of my four mile run, I hit Starbucks, where I read an article for one of my classes on my Nook (love that it reads PDFs!) and then headed home. DH and I had takeout Chick Fil A for dinner and then FINALLY hit the grocery store. We also went by CVS to pick up my thyroid meds, and then we went for a short (2 mile) run. We did a fair bit of walking just because, so I don't know (or want to know!) our pace. And to top it all off, we had a pack of dogs come surging out of a house barking fit to raise the dead that nearly gave me a heart attack. :-/ Not the best run I've ever had (but probably not the worst). Looking forward to 8 miles on Saturday!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Sigh
Missed another run. I'm planning to make it up this evening, it was only 2 miles. Life is so crazy right now it's hard to take the time to run when I just want to relax after doing homework all day!
Monday, April 2, 2012
Saturday Long Run - 3/31/12
This weekend's long run was AWESOME! My friend Bio (from Bio Experiments with Running) was in town, so she and The Husband joined me on a 6 mile run. The temperature and breeze were perfect, especially considering it was about 95% humidity during the entire run.
I had no foot pain at all during the run, which was fantastic! We did 6.2 miles in 1:30:54 for an average pace of 14:40 minutes/mile. Not the fastest I've ever run, but it was perfect for me. My foot was a little sore yesterday and this morning, but seems to be recovering pretty well from the run.
I have an easy 2 miles on the schedule for tonight, and a podiatrist appointment to get fitted for my custom orthotics on Wednesday afternoon. I need to add in more stretching throughout the day to aid in my recovery, but overall I'm really happy with my progress.
I had no foot pain at all during the run, which was fantastic! We did 6.2 miles in 1:30:54 for an average pace of 14:40 minutes/mile. Not the fastest I've ever run, but it was perfect for me. My foot was a little sore yesterday and this morning, but seems to be recovering pretty well from the run.
I have an easy 2 miles on the schedule for tonight, and a podiatrist appointment to get fitted for my custom orthotics on Wednesday afternoon. I need to add in more stretching throughout the day to aid in my recovery, but overall I'm really happy with my progress.
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