... my 5K time last Wednesday was pretty good. 33:49 in 90-degree heat with walking is only 1:15 more than the 32:33 i did that was entirely running in May ... which was in much more ideal conditions. So really, I am improving - the conditions just didn't show it. Sweet!
In other news, I did a mini-brick yesterday at the gym (nothing like a real one, i know) - stationary bike for 20 minutes and then treadmill for 10 (7.1 mi/.9 mi). I didn't feel all that bad during it, though that, tonight (story soon) and then that 5K are making me realize that I either a.) need thinner socks to train in or b.) need some super blister balm since the bottoms of my feet are starting to bug me. It's a bit annoying.
ANYWAY. I've been trying to find running trails that a.) aren't pavement, b.) aren't ridiculously hilly and c.) close to the house (that is, 5 compared to 20 minutes away). One of the trainers suggested the Glendale Farm Trail that's about 5 miles away from home (25 south to surrey ridge; go under freeway and turn on gravel road before forced to get back on 25). Since it was a relatively cool day today (70sish), I decided to go check it out.
Verdict: I like it. It doesn't fulfill point b.) above, though it's pretty hard to find ANYTHING around here that does. The loop is 1.6 miles, though I don't know if that includes this little dead-end part of the trail. Anyway, there's an uphill portion (a bit twisty if you head left at the trailhead) that flattens out, though has a slight uphill incline continuing north-ish. The trail then forks at either the 2/3 or 3/4 point - either to the dead-end part or continuing on - and then winds its way down hill. I didn't feel all that good until about halfway through the flat part and had to walk some, but near the end I felt good (except for this stupid foot thing). Not good enough to try a second loop, mind you, but perhaps later this week if it stays cool. I did the loop in about 16 minutes, which is my basic running average right now.
As a footnote, I also biked to work today (3.4 miles one way) as part of Bike to Work Day 2007, so go me!
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Results: In
So apparently all I had to do was search online for the results for that stupid 5K I did last week. Well, the good news is I did better than I thought, though not by much. I had estimated between 34 and 36 minutes - official time: 33:49, 290/652 runners. It's not great, but really, it's still better than my first ever 5K time so I think I'm good with that.
Speaking of 5Ks, the Lone Tree Firecracker 5K is coming up on the 4th. I still intend on running it, but that may require me taking a long lunch break at work (didn't get the time off i requested - not happy about that. i need battery recharging time and i'm not getting it ... assholes.) that day since I'm scheduled. Peachy, I know.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Small Victories
Still don't know my 5K time (grrr), but good news on the swimming front!
When I do end up swimming, I usually split my laps between freestyle (i think that's what you call the regular "swim" stroke) and the breaststroke. Lately I've been doing around nine laps ... though not consecutively and usually stopping at the halfway point of every lap (shut up, i'm working on it). However, tonight I did 14 laps ... including a few laps that were a consecutive 50 meters (well consecutive with a mini jerk in the middle since i can't do the underwater kick turn thingy)! That's only one lap off of what I'll need to be able to do for the tri, so it looks like that's slowly coming along - plus! :)
Once July hits I'll start trying training "bricks" as well as a few open water swims and hopefully I'll be good ...
When I do end up swimming, I usually split my laps between freestyle (i think that's what you call the regular "swim" stroke) and the breaststroke. Lately I've been doing around nine laps ... though not consecutively and usually stopping at the halfway point of every lap (shut up, i'm working on it). However, tonight I did 14 laps ... including a few laps that were a consecutive 50 meters (well consecutive with a mini jerk in the middle since i can't do the underwater kick turn thingy)! That's only one lap off of what I'll need to be able to do for the tri, so it looks like that's slowly coming along - plus! :)
Once July hits I'll start trying training "bricks" as well as a few open water swims and hopefully I'll be good ...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Training: Decent ...
So about a month and a half to go to the tri and my training is getting ... better. I've started swimming at least twice a week (which i know i need to amp up, but compared to my no swimming ever, this is an upgrade) and biking when I can, though that's dropped off the past week.
However, getting myself to run more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time is a real struggle. I don't know, unless I'm in a competitive-type atmosphere, I get too bored or ... something. That, however, brings me to tonight ...
A few weeks ago, someone dropped off a few pamphlets for the Summer Solstice Race (for melanoma research) at work. I thought about doing it, but never signed up given that I really haven't been running much (stupid lack of motivation). However, I knew that I had to run at some point this week and run outside. Most people I've talked to said I needed to start running outside a lot more but I despise running outside in my neighborhood because it's hilly and I hate hills. ANYWAY, this one was in the relative flat-land that is City Park. Sooo, I drove over there and signed up. The race was at 6:30 this evening and it was still 90 freaking degrees outside (tied a record at 97 today). I started off slow and steady (harkening back to the relative success it brought me back in may in boulder), even though the two other people I knew there got in front of me. I managed to run the first two miles (longest. two. miles. ever.) without walking, but the heat and my asthma decided to overtake me and force me to walk some. I still kept a decent pace when I did walk, so that's a positive ... plus I passed the two other people I knew.
I don't know my final time (stupid people didn't have a working race clock) AND I won't find out until Monday (wtf?!) how I did, but I'm guessing it was somewhere between 34 and 36 minutes which isn't great, but considering the conditions and that I haven't run much lately, I'll take it.
Now I just need to find some way to make myself run that much on a semi-regular basis without continually forking out the dough for races ...
However, getting myself to run more than 10 or 15 minutes at a time is a real struggle. I don't know, unless I'm in a competitive-type atmosphere, I get too bored or ... something. That, however, brings me to tonight ...
A few weeks ago, someone dropped off a few pamphlets for the Summer Solstice Race (for melanoma research) at work. I thought about doing it, but never signed up given that I really haven't been running much (stupid lack of motivation). However, I knew that I had to run at some point this week and run outside. Most people I've talked to said I needed to start running outside a lot more but I despise running outside in my neighborhood because it's hilly and I hate hills. ANYWAY, this one was in the relative flat-land that is City Park. Sooo, I drove over there and signed up. The race was at 6:30 this evening and it was still 90 freaking degrees outside (tied a record at 97 today). I started off slow and steady (harkening back to the relative success it brought me back in may in boulder), even though the two other people I knew there got in front of me. I managed to run the first two miles (longest. two. miles. ever.) without walking, but the heat and my asthma decided to overtake me and force me to walk some. I still kept a decent pace when I did walk, so that's a positive ... plus I passed the two other people I knew.
I don't know my final time (stupid people didn't have a working race clock) AND I won't find out until Monday (wtf?!) how I did, but I'm guessing it was somewhere between 34 and 36 minutes which isn't great, but considering the conditions and that I haven't run much lately, I'll take it.
Now I just need to find some way to make myself run that much on a semi-regular basis without continually forking out the dough for races ...
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Yeah That's Better
Got back on the bike today - rode to a friend's house (a bit further than where I went yesterday), talked to him a while and then rode back. Taking out the time I spent talking, I figure I did about 11.46 miles (again, thanks to RunningMap.com) in just over an hour which is much more like it. It also helped that the lights were mostly with me for half the ride (have to cross some busy intersections while on the trail).
About an hour later, I went to the gym for a bit and did 10 minutes on the treadmill (random, level 2, first 8 min. at 5.7 mph, 1 at 6.0 and 1 at 6.5) - the first five or so minutes felt really good and then a little fatigue (stupid lungs) started setting in, but overall I'm okay with that. Then I lifted (arms/back/chest) for a little while, but rushed through it since I thought I was supposed to meet the same friend from earlier to go out on his boat. Obviously he still hasn't called. Grr ...
Anyway, after training seemed to be going really crappy, it's been looking up the past two days. Two days is two days, but still ... it makes me feel better. Now all I need to do is get my butt in the pool more and I'll hopefully be good ...
About an hour later, I went to the gym for a bit and did 10 minutes on the treadmill (random, level 2, first 8 min. at 5.7 mph, 1 at 6.0 and 1 at 6.5) - the first five or so minutes felt really good and then a little fatigue (stupid lungs) started setting in, but overall I'm okay with that. Then I lifted (arms/back/chest) for a little while, but rushed through it since I thought I was supposed to meet the same friend from earlier to go out on his boat. Obviously he still hasn't called. Grr ...
Anyway, after training seemed to be going really crappy, it's been looking up the past two days. Two days is two days, but still ... it makes me feel better. Now all I need to do is get my butt in the pool more and I'll hopefully be good ...
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Not Bad ...
First of all, why am I the only one updating this? I know Ms. Gen is rarely near a computer, but Ms. Amber, I say you have no excuse! :-p
So I've been bad about working out lately - ridiculously stressed, working a lot (stupid work) and generally emotionally unstable. Yeah, it's fabulous. Despite all that crap, however, I managed to have two bright points this week:
1. I ran stairs at Red Rocks on Thursday (for like 15 minutes, but it still counts).
2. Though I got talked into working a split shift at work (6-11am and now 5-10pm), I forced myself to go on a nice long bike ride. Was out for about an hour and thanks to RunningMap.com (which is one of the coolest sites ever, i might add), figured out that the ride was about 10 miles long.
While that might not be the best pace (before i was estimating the 12.1 for the tri in about 45min), I would like to point out that a.) I'm really not in my best shape right now and b.) I rode from my house down to a good chunk of the C-470 bike trail (from yosemite to colorado) and back, which happens to be a LOT hillier than the course will be.
Basically all this proves is that the cycling part will be my strongest during the Tri, which is something I already knew. But with all the setbacks and lack of good training lately, I need a silver lining, damnit.
And speaking of the Tri, not to scare everyone or anything, but it's basically in TWO MONTHS. That's right, 60 days ... I'm trying hard not to think that I'm screwed, but part of me really thinks I am ...
So I've been bad about working out lately - ridiculously stressed, working a lot (stupid work) and generally emotionally unstable. Yeah, it's fabulous. Despite all that crap, however, I managed to have two bright points this week:
1. I ran stairs at Red Rocks on Thursday (for like 15 minutes, but it still counts).
2. Though I got talked into working a split shift at work (6-11am and now 5-10pm), I forced myself to go on a nice long bike ride. Was out for about an hour and thanks to RunningMap.com (which is one of the coolest sites ever, i might add), figured out that the ride was about 10 miles long.
While that might not be the best pace (before i was estimating the 12.1 for the tri in about 45min), I would like to point out that a.) I'm really not in my best shape right now and b.) I rode from my house down to a good chunk of the C-470 bike trail (from yosemite to colorado) and back, which happens to be a LOT hillier than the course will be.
Basically all this proves is that the cycling part will be my strongest during the Tri, which is something I already knew. But with all the setbacks and lack of good training lately, I need a silver lining, damnit.
And speaking of the Tri, not to scare everyone or anything, but it's basically in TWO MONTHS. That's right, 60 days ... I'm trying hard not to think that I'm screwed, but part of me really thinks I am ...
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