Greetings All!
Three miles plus a few sprints and stair reps this morning pre-dawn. With the time change, the sky is just beginning to brighten a bit on the horizon while my black lab and I are heading home on the last mile.
Saw something that irritates me while out this morning. Another runner out in the darkness wearing black warm-up pants and what appeared to be a dark grey sweatshirt. He was running in the bike lane of the main road near my house with no high-visibility or reflective gear whatsoever, while vehicles whizzed by at 45-50mph.
Friends, if you run in the darkness at all, please be safety-conscious and wear something that will help motorists see you coming. I've been wearing a reflective belt and a reflective LED light-up arm band along with a white or brightly colored running shirt. Heck, I even put a reflective light-up collar on my dog. All these items and more are readily available from Amazon, Road Runner and a host of other retailers. A few $$ spent on the proper gear goes a long way towards avoiding a catastrophe.
Okay, enough on the soap box. Hope you all have a great day!
Rich
PRs: 9/1/2012 Disneyland 5K 27:08, 01/06/2013 Resolution 15K 1:30:17, 03/10/2013 San Diego HM 2:18:05, 04/19/2014 ACT! Today 10K 51:54
Tuesday, 11/4... 2 mile railtrail jog with Sim. I needed a recovery run and he needed to get some fresh air...
Here's a picture of me on the trike today. I thought my buddy was going to do a video, but took this picture instead. It's hard to tell, but I'm probably doing 50 mph in that shot...
Crazy Diamond
Jo~Belated Congratulations on completing your first Half Marathon! Sounds like you struck a good balance between exercise and the cruise 'goodies'. Vacations are supposed to be fun! May I ask, why are you contemplating forgoing the next half marathon?
WDWRich~Nice pre-dawn run with the pup for you. Good reminder about reflective gear for those twilight runs.
NH Runner~ Go, Speed Racer, Gooooo! Where's your helmet, sonny???
Today ran a 6 mile fartlek along the parkway river path. The plan asked for 8 x 20 sec. @ 5k pace, but I decided to do a little free-styling instead. 55F, cloudy and the wind ... it keeps on blowing around here. Got home and ran to my polling place to vote. It'll be so refreshing not to hear a single political ad tomorrow!
Run strong friends!
Quo Vadis?
Debra - Perhaps you should find a route that puts the wind at your back? (Just kidding of course.)
NH - Wow, 50 mph on the trike. Perhaps you should add a windshield!
Run well everyone.
NH Runner Don't see any arm movement in that photo. How much do you have to move them back and forth?
az2mntrail Remember, running in the wind makes you stronger. Hope you got the knots rolled out.
justrundan Congratulations on your race!
gito57 Congratulations to the winning school. You must have enjoyed being there to see it. You're getting in quite a few hills this fall.
Jo_ Nice holiday you had, staying in shape, too.
rmcj001 Good effort on that 5 miler, tweeking the form and getting an AG! Only a month till CIM. Some of my friends are running it.
WDWRich You must be glad to have some rain, finally. Good to hear that you have the reflective gear.
sluggo Just getting out regularly to run any distance will help your goals. It is difficult when a person has to work so much, though.
I'm working full time hours this month also, trying to see if I can have enough money for Phoenix.
Ran 14 miles
Walked 1 mile
Bike 12 minutes.
Ran 1 mile.
Walked 1/2 mile
Arm weights 6 minutes.
The usual people are coming back to the track for the winter. people watching is a good way to relieve boredom.
"Joe cool" was back today. Guy in his late 60's, wears sunglasses indoors all winter, walks for an hour wearing color co-ordinated Adidas track suits, today, he was all in blue.
"dancing on the path and singing, now you got away,
you can reach the goals you set from now on, every day"
Sonata Arctica
Jo - Don't take too much time off and don't give up on that HM unless you're injured! Even walking it is a good time!
Az - Weather out here is just unbelievable right now. Mid to upper 70's, no clouds and no wind and the air is clear. This is November? Actually, I wouldn't mind some cooler temps and more rain. Awesome job you're doing!
NH - Sweet ride! Tho, I think I'd swap out the seat. You and Sim are keeping each other motivated!
WD - At night I try to tack on a blinking light -- most of my running gear is black...Now, does your pup have some reflective gear?
Debra - Got to get the voting in! Don't matter what way you vote (well it does, but that's for a different forum). Got to get the runs in too! Nicely done on both.
Chantilly - yes, only a month off and need to finish healing. I'm doubting the wisdom of running it, but I'm committed now. Nice workouts and you know I've said this a thousand times now, on the track?! It still amazes me (guess I'm easy that way)
Dan - We want a RR! Ok, we'll cut you a little slack...
Monday, 5.5 miles in 48 minutes to try and get back in the swing of things. Tuesday, 5,7 mile walk with evening "Core" workout - brutal, I'm so out of shape. Wednesday, 8,6 usual lunch run - hamstring and glute are still a bit touchy, but getting better. Hoping to get a full workouts in next week and the week after (hope I didn't jinx myself).
Ray
Wednesday, 11/5... dropped my truck off at the garage to have it worked on today and ran home from there, 2.75 miles in 26:21. Probably a good distance for a guy considering running a 5K this Saturday...
gito... I figure with a head as hard as mine, who needs a helmet... Speed Racer, eh? I like it! Nice workout today and I agree on the political ads, I think it's a part of a Communist plot to drive us all nuts...
WDWRich... I might have exaggerated my speed on the trike a bit, removing the 0 after the 5 and it's probably closer to my actual speed...
Chantilly... total arm movement on the trike is around 2 feet. Pushing and pulling both propel the trike, making it a good upper body workout, similar to rowing. What a workout you had today!
Ray... I tried a different seat today on the trike, but am going back to the seat that was on it in the first picture. The whole concept is a work in progress and I may try something totally different next time, including a lower position for a seat that includes a back rest. Take care of that glute and hamstring!
It was an ideal day for my LONG run! I couldn't believe it turned out to be a NICE day ..... less windy than predicted!! Finished 18 miles just under 3 hours!! YIPPEE!! Good steady run overall. About 36 degrees, feels like 30, cloudy, about 6mph!! YAY!! Drove to state trail. Been trying to get my legs 'used' to running on paved trail/road; still hurts but adapting. Ran all on paved trail except for 2 miles (mile 10 & mile 11, dirt trail). Took walk break after each mile. Trial and error for when/how much/what to have for gel/hydration/eating. A chocolate/peanut butter granola bar was good: ate 1/4 of it at mile 6, another 1/4 at mile 12. Had 1/2 of hammer gel at mile 10. All worked out great, didn't get hungry at mile 14 like my other runs. I was happy that it was barely a breeze!! Calves sore and tight post-run due to adapting to running on paved trail/road, ouch!!
NH: I had the same question as Chantilly and same concern as gito57 about helmet. Still a work in progress but it looks like it will be a wonderful way to cross-train!! Brilliant!! Yeah, good distance for the upcoming 5k. Best of Luck!!
Ray: when you're committed to a race, one feels accountable to others to follow through. I know you're going to do awesome in the FM!! WOW, such nice temps there. DH gets tired of sunny, hot/warm days so he welcomes the cold fronts lately ........he'll complain when it snows for DAYS!! LOL!!
Chantilly: hope you make it to PHX!! You like those kind of races! The aravapai running club organizes a dirt running series which I run in when I'm in AZ. You are doing an incredible training for the event, way to go on the 14 miler and then some!!
WDW: That gets me irritated as well ...RE: runners with no reflective gear; wearing dark colored running gear .......so dangerous anytime with traffic but more so during rush hour!!
sluggo: hope we hear more about your daily running, even power walking works too!
Jo: why are you considering not running the HM? You can resume where you left off. Hope the vacation helped in recovery!!
justrundan
Just lost nice long RR post! will try again in the morning.
Dan
WDWRich~LOL Whatever route I choose lately, the wind is there to greet me!
Chantilly~Awesome WO today! Every track seems to have it's characters.
Ray~ I'm so out of shape" Sir, that is very difficult to believe!
NH Runner~Run strong this Saturday if you decide to do the 5k.
AZ~14 miles in under 3 hours - fantastic! Sound like it was a beautiful day to be out there.
Dan~Frustrating when those posts vaporize!
Ran 5.8 miles at the indoor track. Sometimes it is just a tough run. Tomorrow is another day!
Round 2- Rails to Trails RR
38 and windy Sunday morning. DW & I got there early enough to see the FM start @ 8, then got packet and back to car to stay warm! HM started at 9, probably 300+ signed up. I started 2/3 way back, good choice, didn’t get passed by many and steadily passed folks for most of the race. Pace first 3 mo or so 10:05-10:15, a little crowed initially on the rail trail. The tunnel was at about 3.5 mi, and this presented first problem. Hadn’t thought ahead (duh) that running under 40 ft of rock/dirt would not allow Garmin to register, so lost that ¾ mile in the tunnel going out and coming back. That made it somewhat difficult to know where I was at time wise for my goal. The tunnel itself was interesting/fun. Fairly well lit with lights every 30-50 yds, lots of shadows and floor sometimes poorly visible. It was damp, of course, and puddles in some areas. I kept pace OK through that area, I think. After the tunnel paced picked up and running in 9:20-9:50 range, feeling good. Got to half way turnaround but uncertain of time due to tunnel. Next 3+ miles back to tunnel much harder, starting to labor. Walking only at aid stations to get water. Through tunnel second time, trying to keep 2 women just in front so I can gauge floor of tunnel better by their steps. Out of tunnel for last 3+ miles, trying to push but not much left. Had to walk between aid stations once during this part, then tried to push hard at end. When I looked at paces after downloading it was the 3 miles just before/during/after the tunnel that killed my chance for 2:10 finish. There was one 1.5 mi interval pace was 11:18, must have been the walk. Grr. Last 3mi were @ 9:50.After I downloaded to my computer I could better understand the problem. First 3+ were 200 ft gain, then tunnel, then 300 ft drop over next 3 miles to turnaround. It was going back up that 300 ft on the way back that sapped my strength, I think. Hard to find that much of a long slow rise for training, but that’s what I should do for next time.
So finished 2:11:58, 7/10 in my age group. I did see HS friend who does triathletes, she was already on her way back when we passed each other. She finished about 15 min before me and got 2AG, less than a minute from top spot in AG.Great race put on by this community of 600+. Money goes back into the community for projects. Spaghetti dinner night before and bbq chicken lunch after race. If you are within a few hours drive, or you want a short vacation in west-central WI it would be worth your while to do this one in 2015. You would enjoy it.You all have been busy, will try to catch up soon.
A thought and a question-
I think one of my problems is a weak, stiff, inflexible butt! I've never done much core work. Right butt/piriformis especially tight. What have you all found most helpful for both improving strength and flexibility in the core? Suggestions? Yoga? Pilates? PX90? I'd rather not take time to get trainer at a health club to work on it. Appreciate your thoughts.
Thursday, 11/6... 5 mile easy railtrail run. I'm trying to take advantage of our body's ability to store energy in our legs when I run, basically by adding a little bounce to my step. A lot of advice tells us not to bounce, that it's wasted energy and until you watch the world's best runners in slow motion, you might actually believe it. Marathoners like Ryan Hall have a stride length close to 7 feet and spend plenty of time in the air between foot strikes. You can't do that by watching the horizon and concentrating on keeping a level head as you run, as in "not bouncing", you need air time by adding a little height to your stride between foot strikes.
Anyway, form changes don't come overnight and my legs still aren't used to what I'm doing, so Saturday's 5K isn't a go just yet, I'll wait 'til race morning to decide if I'm ready.
az...congrats on the18 miler! Training is extremely important in a marathon and you're getting it done! Really nice workout!
gito... bad runs are part of it, aren't they? I wonder which is more beneficial, a good run or bad....lol Like you said, tomorrow's another day...
Dan - Great race report. Though you missed your target of 2:10, the time of 2:11:58 is still outstanding in my book! Sounds like a fun race, but a bit too far away for me to consider.
NH - Of course, I was only joking about the windshield. Looks like a great project you have going there.
AZ - Nice 14-miler. Glad the wind wasn't too bad.
No run yesterday- an hour in the weight room as usual, then a 3-mile pre-dawn run this morning. Beautiful clear morning, temp 57 degrees and a nice bright almost-full moon low in the sky. Ran the entire length at (my) full race pace and felt great. Only three weeks till the Thanksgiving ALS 10k!