week 3, workout ... um, 3?

Went to the park and back. I really should be adding more mileage, but I just had to know if I'd gotten any faster.

I experimented with pacing, switching around which muscles dominated my stride. As usual, I think I went out too fast, because by the last half mile, I was completely wiped out. I could barely stagger up the hill to my apartment. Not sore, not out of breath, no low blood sugar, just ... tired.

Actually, I don't know why my leg muscles were so worn out after those 3 little miles. I'm not normally this tired afterward. I did walk 3.5 or 4 miles, largely uphill, on Saturday ... but that was two days ago, I didn't feel tired yesterday, and I walk all the time anyway. I don't know what happened. I even went for a walk this evening and didn't feel recovered. I suppose I should eat some more dark leafy greens and lift some weights. Or something.

Time to park: 15 minutes.
Total time: under 35 minutes. Call it 34:45.

Yes, this is faster than before. It's still way too slow, but there is progress. Progress so incre-freaking-mental I could scream. I'm still not down even to 11-minute miles yet. What makes it worse is I know there will be days in the future with no progress at all, days when I will be going slower for reasons of training or exhaustion.

I am having doubts that I can speed this along to consistent 9-minute miles by June. 26 miles is a long way to go. Even 3 miles today was a struggle. But there's only one way to find out if I can do it -- keep going and see what happens. I'll know I've made real progress if I can do the run in 30 minutes, but we're not even close to that now. And even that's a long way from what I'm aiming at.

Total running distance so far: about 18 miles.

Them thar hills: week 3, workout 2

I'm getting impatient with my lack of speed. Also, I like variety (read: bore easily), so I decided to try something different today.

I rode my bike to the park and ran up a steep hill 10 times, then rode the bike back home. (Uphill.) Even on the switchbacks, it was definitely an incline, and the path is kind of uneven. Even if I'd been able to run faster, I couldn't really go too fast because I didn't want to fall and twist an ankle.

I forgot my watch, so I have no idea how long that took. Maybe 45 minutes. I didn't go very fast, but I made it. As I bicycled home, at least two runners passed me. On foot. I hope they feel smug, because I sure don't. I mean, I'm pleased that I finished the workout, but I'm still annoyed at how slow my body insists on being. I hope that it gets better soon, because at this rate I'll never manage a 4-hour marathon.

waaah. Whine. I want to be a graceful greyhound, not a lumbering clod. Seriously. There is no good reason why I ought to be this slow. I'm not old, I'm not overweight, I'm not broken. I know I'll get faster gradually, but I want to get more faster now. plzkthx.

Week 3, workout 1

Run did not go well today at all. I ran out of energy in about 10 minutes and wound up walking most of the distance.

I think this was partly due to muscle fatigue (yesterday was a day off, but I still walked to buy groceries etc.) and mainly due to not eating right. I'm trying to reduce consumption of refined carbs in favor of more veggies and whole foods, so I had a bowl of whole-grain cheerios and milk and a banana for breakfast (see, bananas are healthy food) ... then I got really hungry a couple hours later. So then for lunch I had a few corn tortillas with cheese and tomato sauce (didn't have salsa), and an egg. Oh, and I ate a few gummy bears that were left over from the New Year's party.

A few hours later, when I went out to run, I got what I'm pretty sure was a blood sugar dip.

What happened? I got whole grains, protein and veggies. But maybe not enough of them. I normally eat two eggs at a sitting; maybe I should have done that. Or maybe I ate too far in advance of the workout. I'm one of those natural grazer types: left to my own devices, I eat relatively small amounts every few hours. I kinda want to lose a little weight, but maybe I should worry about getting enough energy for working out first. In theory, if I'm fit and eating right, any weight my body doesn't need should go away by itself. Shouldn't it?

Tomorrow I'm going to do some more upper-body work. Hopefully I'll be ready to run a little further on Wednesday. I need to start adding more miles soon or I won't be ready for a marathon in 25 weeks. And at some point I need to work in some speed or I won't be hitting 9:00 miles by then. Maybe once I get used to the longer workouts, I can do the 3-milers as "intervals" or whatever they call them. Or I could haul my bicycle out and, y'know, ride to the park to do sprints instead of running all the way there. I suppose that might be a good idea, since driving there isn't an option.

Total time: 42:30 (minutes and seconds). I think the shoes have done close to 15 miles now. Hooray, I finished a half-marathon. And it only took me 2 weeks. Am I actually going to be running that distance (or more) in single sessions by March? I must be nuts.

Week 2, workout ... whatever this is

Weather today was perfect for a run: cool and damp, but not rainy. Just the way I like it. Could've done with less wind, but oh well.

I tried out that "artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" recipe, and told myself I couldn't eat the pretty golden brown ball that came out of the oven until I'd gone for my run. That got me moving, albeit reluctantly. I keep finding that the hardest part of running is getting out the door and surviving the first quarter-mile; after that it usually improves.

Today I got to the park in under 16 minutes, running the whole way except for a minute or so with a stitch in my side. I got back in just 20 minutes, and I ran part of the way back! Total time: 36 minutes. Either I'm getting better at pacing myself, or I'm getting stronger. Probably both. I ran really slow, but the majority of the distance was definitely a run, not a walk. Woohoo.

Also noticing minute improvements in flexibility (yay stretching) and core strength. (Been doing a few pushups, situps and those "Superman" moves that strengthen your back.) Just barely enough that I suspect it's not entirely psychological. I don't look any different, but I think things may be getting more efficient here. Or so I'm convincing myself. Maybe in a couple months I will actually be able to touch my toes without bending my knees. (That sounds easy, until you try it.)

Total distance since day 1: umm ... about 11.9 miles? That sounds so lame, but I must be patient. Keep putting in the time and mileage and the fitness will come.

You can probably also tell that I've been playing with the blog layout and colors. I wanna put some pictures and stuff up and make it look pretty, but this will require some tinkering. I don't have any running-related pictures that are the right size, and I'm not great at HTML code. But I'll work on it.

Week 2, workout 1 - early nights

One lame thing about Seattle in the winter is how early it gets dark. It feels like the day's only half over and wtf -- the sun's setting. That makes you feel like it's nighttime and you want to wind up the day's activities, even though it's only 4 pm and you still have a lot to do.

I didn't get my butt outside when the sun was up, but I wanted to at least do a token workout today (walking around doesn't count to me, even if I'm climbing hills or carrying groceries). I can't run the Burke-Gilman trail or the parks when it's dark and I'm alone, 'cause of our wonderful crime-ridden neighborhood. So I ended up putting on these new $2.50 cotton yoga capris* I bought at Walgreens (yes, you may laugh now) and jogging around the block several times. Five circuits plus another loop to cool down took about 27 minutes, then I came back in and stretched.

Unlike in some cities, blocks here are not anything resembling a uniform size or shape. (They also tend to slope, like everything else in this region, and my block is no exception.) But I'll call it 1.3 miles.

* The experts say not to run in cotton, but I don't have a ton of technical fabric garments. So far, I haven't run in hot enough weather or long enough distance for chafing to be a serious problem. Hopefully by the time we get to that point, I'll have collected a few things. The cheapass yoga pants worked fine today. I think I want some long-sleeved shirts and a light vest with pockets, so I can quit going around in this oversized fleece jacket with broken zipper I've been using. Also, why the hell doesn't anyone make running shorts with pockets?

Total distance since beginning: 8.8 miles.

Week 1, workout 2

I counted 30 weeks till the marathon. Okay, that sounds like plenty of time. I'm sure it'll go by quick, but it's a good amount of time to work with, I think.

I hope.

I should've gone running yesterday (most of the soreness was gone) but I wussed out, so I went today instead. I spent a while debating whether to go out with shorts, or wear pajama bottoms (I don't have real running tights or capris). I finally decided in favor of extra vitamin D, since it's a sunny day, and went with the shorts. I'd really like to buy some proper running tights or capris/long pants, but it's probably best to wait till the post-holiday sales (and no, I'm not going near any malls on Saturday, or even Sunday if I can avoid it -- I'd rather wait till the ravening hordes have dispersed and gone back to work).

So today's run:
16 minutes to the park, but I spent a minute adjusting my right shoelaces. So altogether I actually got there faster than my first try.

23 minutes returning. I walked most of it; my legs did not seem to have a lot of snap in them, the left foot developed a hot spot which may blister, and my head hurt a little from the cold, dry air. I hate thick humidity, but I also really don't like dry air at all. It's dusty and irritating and it clogs up my head. I took it easy and consoled myself that I was getting lots of vitamin D (or as much as is available around the winter solstice at this latitude) and so I enjoyed a little walk in the sun.

That adds up to ... just under 40 minutes total time. Not a great improvement (less stretching time, it's no improvement at all) but I think I will be less sore this time. My heart rate didn't get up very high but at least the muscles got some workout. I think I would've done better if I'd had long pants on, because my legs were just too cold to do anything, even after I ran enough to raise my core temperature. Also, I really should know better than to eat a Clif bar moments before a workout. I suppose I'll have to start eating bananas in advance of runs instead; that's worked for me before.

Total mileage since beginning: approximately 6 miles. I'm not sure that total mileage makes a huge difference, but as long as I'm going to geek out about numbers, why not.