It is a small celebration but those are what matter the most. 3 days straight of running and I already feel like I'm back in the grove. Their is definitly something to be said for rest after a big race. To be completely truthfull, cause I always am, I feel like my stride is more efficient then it was right before I ran my previous marathon. My stride is a funny thing because I have nothing to base it off other than feel. Okay, occasionally I run by a glass building side and take a peak at my running stride but other than that I am basing it all on how it feels.
Did 9 miles of "rolling" hills today. I put "rolling" in quotation marks because everyones definition of rolling can be a little bit different. It is hard to count the number of rolling hills I encountered along this stretch but if I had to estimate I would say about 10 decent hills along the 9 mile loop. This route is another one of my favorites because I can make it into so many different distances. The 9 miles I covered today is pretty much the shortest the route can be done in so it is a nice mid-distance run. Today, I went down my street onto Main St in Stoneham. From there it is a straight shot out to Spot Pond. One loop around spot pond will put you back onto Main St and then you just follow it back to my house.
I was happy about my energy levels today. After the repeat hills yesterday, I was curious on how my legs would react today. They did not take long to get going! Second mile clocked in at 7:37 and it only got a little faster from there. I was trying to push myself through this workout and not just stay content at one pace. My mile pace gradually got faster right through till my last mile (7:00). Overall, I averaged a 7:24.
I am trying to not get caught up in pace but as you can tell from my last paragraph it still matters to me. Ryan Hall's book talked a lot about putting your confidence in God. I have a long way to go before I stop caring so much about the clock and thinking more about how joyful I am when I'm out there. I am only human though and I look forward to challenging myself in new ways.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Hello, High St Hill
It is always interesting after taking three weeks off to see how your legs will react to a "tougher" workout. Ran 7 total miles today. Did a 2 mile warm up to the High St hill. Then did 5 by 1 minute runs up the High Street hill, jogging back down after each set. Finished my hill workout with a 1 by 1:25 run back up High Street and finally did a three mile cool down back to my house.
It is always nice when you have the perfect route to match a workout. It can be tricky at times finding the right route when you have a complicated workout like today. Fortunantly, for me the High St hill is exactly two miles from my house and then I can take a little bit longer route back home to get in the 3 mile cool down.
Legs still had that "it's about time we are running" pop in them. The High St hill is a tough stretch and to be able to complete 6 sets on that hill is always a good sign. It is interesting to me when I run for time and not distance during a workout. By running 5 by 1 minute sets, I was able to see how far I could push myself up the hill. Each time I got a little bit further than the last and was so happy to see that happening because I was getting more tired as the sets went along. It is hard to explain what is going on in a runner's mind as you get further into a tough workout and are still able to push yourself to the next level. I like to think that it is God pushing me further and encouraging me to stay positive.
It is always nice when you have the perfect route to match a workout. It can be tricky at times finding the right route when you have a complicated workout like today. Fortunantly, for me the High St hill is exactly two miles from my house and then I can take a little bit longer route back home to get in the 3 mile cool down.
Legs still had that "it's about time we are running" pop in them. The High St hill is a tough stretch and to be able to complete 6 sets on that hill is always a good sign. It is interesting to me when I run for time and not distance during a workout. By running 5 by 1 minute sets, I was able to see how far I could push myself up the hill. Each time I got a little bit further than the last and was so happy to see that happening because I was getting more tired as the sets went along. It is hard to explain what is going on in a runner's mind as you get further into a tough workout and are still able to push yourself to the next level. I like to think that it is God pushing me further and encouraging me to stay positive.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Day 1
So in the past, I have attempted to blog and been totally random about actually putting up post. With this new blog, I honestly hope to get on here once a day and share what is going on in my running life.
Today marked the very first day of my training for the Cheveron Houston Marathon, which is 138 days away. I haven't run much in the last three weeks because I honestly felt like my legs needed a major break after my past marathon.
Ran 8 miles from my house, down around the lake, and back. It is a beautiful run that gives you a little variety in the terrain. You run down the prospect street hill around 2 miles and then get to come back up it around 5 1/2 miles. Other than that the terrain is mostly flat and you see plenty of walkers/runners around the lake. I have always found that I like seeing people when I am out on my runs. Even if you don't know them, you know you already share a common interest. Usually, I will wave at complete strangers and get a little wave back. Makes me happy :) Overall, legs felt great today. After taking some time to recover, my first running stride was one of pure joy. It was as if my legs were saying, it is about time! I ran almost the entire way with a smile today. Hard to believe 24 hours ago Irene was blowing through and today the sun was out for a perfect weather day.
Recently, I finished Ryan Hall's book, Running with Joy. It brought a lot of interesting thoughts into my mind. I initially wanted to read it to see exactly what his running schedule looked like; however, as I went through the book I become more and more interested in his talks on religion and running with the pure joy that God intends you to run with. I am going to try to bring that more into my running. Not worrying every second about how fast I am but rather just enjoying the time I spend out there. I will never in my life be able to run with the elite athletes of the running world; however, I feel through time I can learn to find total peace in running just like so many of them have.
Today marked the very first day of my training for the Cheveron Houston Marathon, which is 138 days away. I haven't run much in the last three weeks because I honestly felt like my legs needed a major break after my past marathon.
Ran 8 miles from my house, down around the lake, and back. It is a beautiful run that gives you a little variety in the terrain. You run down the prospect street hill around 2 miles and then get to come back up it around 5 1/2 miles. Other than that the terrain is mostly flat and you see plenty of walkers/runners around the lake. I have always found that I like seeing people when I am out on my runs. Even if you don't know them, you know you already share a common interest. Usually, I will wave at complete strangers and get a little wave back. Makes me happy :) Overall, legs felt great today. After taking some time to recover, my first running stride was one of pure joy. It was as if my legs were saying, it is about time! I ran almost the entire way with a smile today. Hard to believe 24 hours ago Irene was blowing through and today the sun was out for a perfect weather day.
Recently, I finished Ryan Hall's book, Running with Joy. It brought a lot of interesting thoughts into my mind. I initially wanted to read it to see exactly what his running schedule looked like; however, as I went through the book I become more and more interested in his talks on religion and running with the pure joy that God intends you to run with. I am going to try to bring that more into my running. Not worrying every second about how fast I am but rather just enjoying the time I spend out there. I will never in my life be able to run with the elite athletes of the running world; however, I feel through time I can learn to find total peace in running just like so many of them have.
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