The upside of sludge season is those unexpected nice days—the ones that start with a 60 percent chance of rain and gloomy clouds that linger too long, but ends with sunny skies and springy breezes. For once, one of these days happened on the first day of spring.
So, you can imagine that my motivation was greater than the “take a nap” level I mentioned on Tuesday. Around 4:45 p.m., I jumped into my running gear and made my stealthy way out the door and parked at the rec. center. I tied my car door key to my shoe with much anxiety and took off to the hills of Kent again.
Recently, I have felt the urge to start improving my running times again. When I first started running, I paid too much attention to running times and too little to distance. But now I’m building my distance and would like to start picking things up a bit. I know that I am capable of running much faster than my 9-minute/mile pace from St. Malachi, but I just need to do it!
Sometimes, however, this Nike+iPod thing just doesn’t work well for me. I know the first two mile-markers on my path, so I not only get my stats (duration, distance, pace) readout from my iPod, I can also calculate it myself. My run started with 6:35 mile, then 6:50 for the second. But when I checked my iPod in the middle of my third mile, it told me that I was running at a pace of 28:35/mile. No, I didn’t lie down and die; apparently my shoe and my iPod weren’t on the same page. Either that or I had actually started running in place. I felt like I was moving.
Anyhow, I just ignored the errant technology and stuck to my goal of running for 45 minutes. It was such a nice day I could have run for a couple of hours, but I had my 6:15 p.m. class to shower and stop sweating for. But I will have to build up my “short” days in the same way I need to work on lengthening my “long” running days.
It hadn’t occurred to me until recently that my running workouts could range from long to short days. I just thought I was lazy on the days when I ran shorter workouts (whether it was because of time or energy). But I have had a number of people explain to me the dynamics of the long and short running days, and I feel my running confidence building. This realization has also reinforced the fact that training for running and swimming (at least in my head) are two wholly different things. And that’s my excuse for not being very good at the running one!
This weekend I would like to get a general sense of how I should structure my running schedule in preparation for the half-marathon in May. Next week is spring break at Kent State and, while I still have to work, I won’t have to give up my lunches on Monday and Wednesday for class. That’s two extra training periods at my disposal! And I’m looking forward to taking advantage of them. My fingers are crossed, however, for some good weather (knock on wood and all that jazz).
Thursday, March 22, 2007
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3 comments:
Hi G.
I think most of us who read your blog would agree that adding some intervals to your repertoir would be good. It doesn't mean all-out running, but can range from 220s, 440s, half-miles at a faster-than-normal running pace. It helps program your body to getting used to the feel of running faster, and helping it to cleanse away lactic acid.
I'm sure Salty can give you some great advice. Her program definitley is working!
Happy Spring!
Good post. Lots of nuggets of insight in there.
> I jumped into my running gear
> and made my stealthy way
> out the door and parked at
> the rec. center.
Stealthy way? You have to sneak out of the house to go running? Are you some kind of CIA agent?
> Sometimes, however, this Nike+iPod
> thing just doesn’t work well for me.
I've often wondered whether that solution works. You have to calibrate it, right?
I just broke down and finally bought a Garmin Forerunner 305. Yes, it's an extremely costly luxury but so far I'm really impressed. It seems to be highly accurate and does not require calibration.
The downside of buying that device is that now gives my wife the "right" to go out and buy 10 new pairs of shoes. It's the whole tit-for-tat thing.
> Recently, I have felt the urge to start
> improving my running times again.
> Training for running and swimming...
> are two wholly different things.
> And that’s my excuse for not being
> very good at the running one!
More and more I'm trying to make my running workouts more structured and purposeful like my swimming workouts. My swimming workouts are highly interval-centric and I'm trying to make at least one of my weekly running workouts like that too.
See Intervals Help You Get Faster on drmirkin.com.
Yes--the most effective training plans have a mixture of not only the distances you run each day in a week, but also pace. Therefore, you need to figure out two things: how many total miles you can handle a week and what your current running fitness level is to determine what paces you should run on each day.
For mileage, I would just start around where you currently are--25 miles or so a week it sounds like. Is that about right?
As for pacing, the first thing you need to do is understand where your fitness level is. Did you run the 5 mile "all out" or did you hold back just to finish? When you finished the 5 miles could you have continued at that pace at all, for another mile, another 5, indefinitely?
Once you've id'd these two variables you can make out a schedule. I would set something up for 5 days a week where the other two days are off or for swimming. I would do one longer run (start with 8 and build to 12 miles) and one harder run a week and the other three days 4 miles at a very easy pace.
If you want more specifics, I'd be happy to help you pick the appropriate paces and some good ideas for how to structure your harder running days if you want.
Sometimes it helps to have an objective viewpoint on figuring this stuff out. If I didn't have mrp helping me out god only knows how I would have injured myself--heh!
PS Maybe THIS is the world's longest comment!!!
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