Gah! With my schedule being what it has been this past week, I did not run as much or regularly as I would have liked. I missed the long run this morning since we were in Houston, and all we had time for was the avenues route. I really need to pick it up!
I was looking forward to running/walking 10 miles tomorrow, but I work until 6pm. My game plan is to run at least 3 tomorrow and then Tuesday go running at like 5:30. Anyone interested? I am up for doing this in town or at the park. Just keep in mind I am kind of slow.
Andrew and I signed up for the Rocky Raccoon 25K which is both exciting and intimidating. I don't expect to run the whole thing, but I want to get to where I can at least semi-comfortably walk and run it. My farthest distance to date is only a little under 9 miles at the park...and November 8th is approaching fast!
I would also love to participate in SunMart...another reason to keep putting in the mileage. Any words of wisdom from those who have run these?
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Quick Update: Go!
Quick update:
Sunday: ran about 9 miles in a little under 2 hours at H.S.P., have now ran over 200 miles at least (as of when I started counting on my blog)
Today: ran an old 1.8 mile route we had around our neighborhood, only took about 20 min. to complete...amazing how much easier it is now
Sunday: ran about 9 miles in a little under 2 hours at H.S.P., have now ran over 200 miles at least (as of when I started counting on my blog)
Today: ran an old 1.8 mile route we had around our neighborhood, only took about 20 min. to complete...amazing how much easier it is now
Saturday, October 18, 2008
A Thursday Run and My First 5K Race!!!
Gah, I'm behind on posting once again!
So on Thursday we ran a 5.6 mile course that took us down Robinson's Way (further than we had been before), through the avenues, and around campus. We managed to time this so that we got to listen to and see some of the preparation for the homecoming parade but finish before it began and trapped us on one side of Sam Houston Avenue
The run lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes, and we may have gone a little farther than the orginal 5.6 due to a course change spur of the moment...but not by too much. I ran the first 31 minutes with no walking breaks, and I walked very little (if at all) for the rest of the run as well.
Then this morning I ran my FIRST 5K race!!! I was really nervous, silly as that is since I have run much farther than 3.1 miles at once before. All the same, I couldn't help anxiously adjusting the tongue of my shoes, glancing at my watch, and furtively watching the other runners. My one real hope was to run most (if not all) of the route and finish before at least one person. I had other minor wishes, like managing to evade side stitches, that I also kept in mind.
I think I spent the first mile convincing myself not to worry about the pace the other runners were setting and to be in the moment, not concentrating on the distance. This was extra challenging since the route started at the HKC and went up Bowers...and I was quickly left behind. However, all that practice with the renegades paid off. I decided to stick to my motto of "my pace and live" rather than trying to maintain someone else's pace and dying. Also, each hill I tackled wasn't really that horrible. I conquered them one by one without walking, even Bowers.
Towards the end I did walk, but that was due to a lot of confusion on my part. As we neared the 4 way stop by the HKC, I thought we were almost done and sprinted, found out I had further to go, relaxed back into my pace, sprinted again thinking I was near the end, realized no, need to go to this next location, got to where we finish, only to find out that I had to run more then come back diagonally to the finish. At this point I walked then went on my merry way. I know that does not make sense in writing...but yeah, that's a glimpse of my confusion. I DID sprint in though (with all I had left)! Ask Andrew, lol. He has pictures to prove it. :-P
Overall, I finished in 32 minutes and some odd seconds (11 or 15...?). I passed probably around 5 people during the course of the race, and my time was under 35 minutes. I think for my first 5K I can call this a success.
P.S. Has anyone else seen the funky gargoyle-monkey statue on Robinson Way? That was bizarre...
P.P.S. Oh, and the run was the Raven Run 5K that Recreational Sports put on for homecoming. Cool, huh?
So on Thursday we ran a 5.6 mile course that took us down Robinson's Way (further than we had been before), through the avenues, and around campus. We managed to time this so that we got to listen to and see some of the preparation for the homecoming parade but finish before it began and trapped us on one side of Sam Houston Avenue
The run lasted about 1 hour and 15 minutes, and we may have gone a little farther than the orginal 5.6 due to a course change spur of the moment...but not by too much. I ran the first 31 minutes with no walking breaks, and I walked very little (if at all) for the rest of the run as well.
Then this morning I ran my FIRST 5K race!!! I was really nervous, silly as that is since I have run much farther than 3.1 miles at once before. All the same, I couldn't help anxiously adjusting the tongue of my shoes, glancing at my watch, and furtively watching the other runners. My one real hope was to run most (if not all) of the route and finish before at least one person. I had other minor wishes, like managing to evade side stitches, that I also kept in mind.
I think I spent the first mile convincing myself not to worry about the pace the other runners were setting and to be in the moment, not concentrating on the distance. This was extra challenging since the route started at the HKC and went up Bowers...and I was quickly left behind. However, all that practice with the renegades paid off. I decided to stick to my motto of "my pace and live" rather than trying to maintain someone else's pace and dying. Also, each hill I tackled wasn't really that horrible. I conquered them one by one without walking, even Bowers.
Towards the end I did walk, but that was due to a lot of confusion on my part. As we neared the 4 way stop by the HKC, I thought we were almost done and sprinted, found out I had further to go, relaxed back into my pace, sprinted again thinking I was near the end, realized no, need to go to this next location, got to where we finish, only to find out that I had to run more then come back diagonally to the finish. At this point I walked then went on my merry way. I know that does not make sense in writing...but yeah, that's a glimpse of my confusion. I DID sprint in though (with all I had left)! Ask Andrew, lol. He has pictures to prove it. :-P
Overall, I finished in 32 minutes and some odd seconds (11 or 15...?). I passed probably around 5 people during the course of the race, and my time was under 35 minutes. I think for my first 5K I can call this a success.
P.S. Has anyone else seen the funky gargoyle-monkey statue on Robinson Way? That was bizarre...
P.P.S. Oh, and the run was the Raven Run 5K that Recreational Sports put on for homecoming. Cool, huh?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Running to Run
This week has been exhausting...and this weekend will be too since Andrew and I are staffing a church retreat. If I did not have my planner, I would be in so much trouble right now trying to keep it all straight.
Even with the planner as a guide, it's been so hard to cram in everything I need to get done. I had to skip running at the park yesterday in favor of running at Pritchett, and that was not even a very long workout since I had to be at my friend Kristina's house by a little after 6:30 to work on a research proposal to be followed by my going to another meeting at 9pm. Before running I had been on campus since around 8am.
Anyway, I hope to run at the park Tuesday at least. I'll really need it then. Maybe then I can start running to go runnning instead of to class or home or my office...
Even with the planner as a guide, it's been so hard to cram in everything I need to get done. I had to skip running at the park yesterday in favor of running at Pritchett, and that was not even a very long workout since I had to be at my friend Kristina's house by a little after 6:30 to work on a research proposal to be followed by my going to another meeting at 9pm. Before running I had been on campus since around 8am.
Anyway, I hope to run at the park Tuesday at least. I'll really need it then. Maybe then I can start running to go runnning instead of to class or home or my office...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
The Avenues Route: 37:01
I ran the Avenues route in barely less time than September 17th (37:01 instead of 37:08). However, I ran the entire thing, stopping only to cross the streets safely. I even tackled the entire Avenue O hill!
While we did run the entire route, we altered it just a tad by starting at the intersection of 20th Street and N 1/2 since that is close to our house. Other than that, the route was the same as listed on the Seven Hills website.
Since my headphones are still broken and I have not gotten around to purchasing new ones, I had to resort to listening to the limited song menu on my phone (I think I have around 12 songs...maybe). I turned up the volume and stuffed it in my fanny pack. I have not listened to music while running for a while now, so it was a nice treat.
Andrew says he has to wait on me less and less, lol. I guess that offers some hope!
While we did run the entire route, we altered it just a tad by starting at the intersection of 20th Street and N 1/2 since that is close to our house. Other than that, the route was the same as listed on the Seven Hills website.
Since my headphones are still broken and I have not gotten around to purchasing new ones, I had to resort to listening to the limited song menu on my phone (I think I have around 12 songs...maybe). I turned up the volume and stuffed it in my fanny pack. I have not listened to music while running for a while now, so it was a nice treat.
Andrew says he has to wait on me less and less, lol. I guess that offers some hope!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Running is Indeed a Mind Game
As is typical lately, I am behind on my posts. I ran on Friday half of the half marathon along with Hans, Chris, John, Lavonne, and Andrew. Lavonne had to quit partway through because of her hamstring. I maintained my caboose spot for most of the run, but I kept a consistent speed, tackling the hills and walking as little as possible.
Adrienne cheered us on as we ran down Montgomery. I yelled back to her to join us, but she figured she was not exactly dressed for it, lol. Another friend of mine, Lauren Friede, also cheered me on at one point. Besides these two I had several guys in vehicles yell at me (what, I don't exactly know- hard to hear and didn't really care). Apparently little short blondes running through Huntsville are entertaining. *shrug*
From the four way intersection to the old HKC entrance (adding in the block that takes you to the hill) took me 1 hour and 28 minutes. I guess that's not too terrible for 6.1 miles on that course.
This morning Hans, Phillip, Chris, John, Ron, Aaron, Andrew, and I ran at the park. I'm not sure what route Ron ended up taking, but Aaron ran from the nature center to Amy's Crossing and then back to the little dirt patch at the entrance to the park where his car was waiting. The rest of us ran the outer outer loop (8.5 miles). I completed it in 1 hour and 48 minutes.
Just like on Thursday and Friday I kept a steady pace, walked as little as possible, and tackled the hills. One part of the trail was new to me, and wow was that a hard stretch. It involved hill after hill after hill...I bet it would make an awesome descent from the other direction.
Overall I can tell I must be getting better at this, and the more I run, the more I like Adrienne's quote on her blog about running being a mind game. When I was running today, I kept telling myself, if I can convince my body to go up this next hill, just think how easy it will be to convince myself to sit down and work on my thesis later when my brain has to do the work and my body gets to sit in a nice comfy computer chair. :-P
Adrienne cheered us on as we ran down Montgomery. I yelled back to her to join us, but she figured she was not exactly dressed for it, lol. Another friend of mine, Lauren Friede, also cheered me on at one point. Besides these two I had several guys in vehicles yell at me (what, I don't exactly know- hard to hear and didn't really care). Apparently little short blondes running through Huntsville are entertaining. *shrug*
From the four way intersection to the old HKC entrance (adding in the block that takes you to the hill) took me 1 hour and 28 minutes. I guess that's not too terrible for 6.1 miles on that course.
This morning Hans, Phillip, Chris, John, Ron, Aaron, Andrew, and I ran at the park. I'm not sure what route Ron ended up taking, but Aaron ran from the nature center to Amy's Crossing and then back to the little dirt patch at the entrance to the park where his car was waiting. The rest of us ran the outer outer loop (8.5 miles). I completed it in 1 hour and 48 minutes.
Just like on Thursday and Friday I kept a steady pace, walked as little as possible, and tackled the hills. One part of the trail was new to me, and wow was that a hard stretch. It involved hill after hill after hill...I bet it would make an awesome descent from the other direction.
Overall I can tell I must be getting better at this, and the more I run, the more I like Adrienne's quote on her blog about running being a mind game. When I was running today, I kept telling myself, if I can convince my body to go up this next hill, just think how easy it will be to convince myself to sit down and work on my thesis later when my brain has to do the work and my body gets to sit in a nice comfy computer chair. :-P
Thursday, October 2, 2008
The "Little Engine That Could" Day
After Tuesday's large crowd, this run was a lot less rowdy. John, Phillip, Hans, Andrew, and I ran the altered renegade route (takes us on the roads and some trails instead of just trails). Phillip and Hans had already run 4 miles before the rest of us got there. Hans is trying to get ready for Marathon to Marathon October 18th and as a result is stuffing in extra miles where he can.
Andrew told me from the beginning that he planned to walk as little as possible and push his limits. With the weather getting cooler, this was actually a feasible goal. I told him to go for it. It's not like I generally keep up with him even when he does walk more. Not that I mind. I see him at the start and at the finish, and if I need him, we have our cell phones.
I actually did really well today. I guess you could say a combination of the weather, a little inspiration from Andrew and also Hans and Phillip, and just all that I have on my mind from grading, working, thesis, etc. helped me keep going. I walked a lot less than I usually do. Granted it was at my plodding pace...but it was a plodding pace I maintained up and over each hill.
When I manage to convince myself to tackle the hills, it's actually a pleasant feeling to reach the top and just cruise back down. I even made it all the way up and over the last hill coming up to the nature center without stopping once, and before that I had not walked since not too far after our bench meeting place.
Oh, and I did not run a race in September as planned. A lock-in I had pretty much wiped out all hope of getting up and running on the 27th. However, I plan to run the Raven Fun Run October 18th, and Andrew and I are thinking of participating in both Rocky Raccoon and Sunmart (I would do the shorter distances while Andrew may run the longer route on at least RR). Both are a bit daunting, but I think with enough training and determination I can do it. Any thoughts from those who have run them?
In summary: "I think I can, I think I can..."
Andrew told me from the beginning that he planned to walk as little as possible and push his limits. With the weather getting cooler, this was actually a feasible goal. I told him to go for it. It's not like I generally keep up with him even when he does walk more. Not that I mind. I see him at the start and at the finish, and if I need him, we have our cell phones.
I actually did really well today. I guess you could say a combination of the weather, a little inspiration from Andrew and also Hans and Phillip, and just all that I have on my mind from grading, working, thesis, etc. helped me keep going. I walked a lot less than I usually do. Granted it was at my plodding pace...but it was a plodding pace I maintained up and over each hill.
When I manage to convince myself to tackle the hills, it's actually a pleasant feeling to reach the top and just cruise back down. I even made it all the way up and over the last hill coming up to the nature center without stopping once, and before that I had not walked since not too far after our bench meeting place.
Oh, and I did not run a race in September as planned. A lock-in I had pretty much wiped out all hope of getting up and running on the 27th. However, I plan to run the Raven Fun Run October 18th, and Andrew and I are thinking of participating in both Rocky Raccoon and Sunmart (I would do the shorter distances while Andrew may run the longer route on at least RR). Both are a bit daunting, but I think with enough training and determination I can do it. Any thoughts from those who have run them?
In summary: "I think I can, I think I can..."
Cool Weather Does Exist
One way of gauging how busy I am is to see how long after my run I finally post about it here. I ran on Tuesday, and here I am on Thursday finally posting about it. Needless to say, it's been a busy week. Tonight we plan to run again. Perhaps I'll post about it in a more timely fashion.
There was a large group of us running (John, Phillip, Phillip's dog, Hans, Chris. Marisa, Curtis, Lavonne, Andrew, and I...I think that's everyone). We ran the usual route with a little variation. At the bench (past Amy's Crossing) we went left and ran on a mix of trails and road back to the parking lot. This may have caused the route to be a little shorted, but I'm not sure. At any rate, I ran to Amy's Crossing this time instead of taking a right, so I added on a little more than I usually do there.
When we arrived at the park, the cool breeze shocked me. I had become so accustomed to expecting and fighting the heat and humidity, but this was a welcome change. Even at the end when we were all sitting around, I still felt cool. I'm looking forward to more days like that.
Also, for anyone interested, we are running at the park at 6pm today and meeting at the HKC at 5pm tomorrow to run half the half marathon. So come on out!
There was a large group of us running (John, Phillip, Phillip's dog, Hans, Chris. Marisa, Curtis, Lavonne, Andrew, and I...I think that's everyone). We ran the usual route with a little variation. At the bench (past Amy's Crossing) we went left and ran on a mix of trails and road back to the parking lot. This may have caused the route to be a little shorted, but I'm not sure. At any rate, I ran to Amy's Crossing this time instead of taking a right, so I added on a little more than I usually do there.
When we arrived at the park, the cool breeze shocked me. I had become so accustomed to expecting and fighting the heat and humidity, but this was a welcome change. Even at the end when we were all sitting around, I still felt cool. I'm looking forward to more days like that.
Also, for anyone interested, we are running at the park at 6pm today and meeting at the HKC at 5pm tomorrow to run half the half marathon. So come on out!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
