Slog Fest -- Part 2: You Never Learn! 3/13

Wish that I could say I learned my lesson from the day before and got out for my run early, shook off the wonkiness, and had a great run.  Just didn't even happen.  I piddled around most of the morning -- can't even remember what I did . . .ok . . . I watched a Top Chef Marathon . . . Shoot me!  Then the Caps were playing the Blackhawks at 12:30pm, so I couldn't leave.

At one point I decided that I wasn't going to run.  I would just take the day off and rest, but then I read  AR's Race Report, got all jazzed up, and decided to run.  Yep, I am the king of waffling!  Once again I find myself leaving in the mid-afternoon for a run with spring in full effect.  Just brilliant!  My plan is to run 5, but I am having a difficult time deciding where to run.  Yep, more waffling!  I don't want any part of hills, nor do I feel like dealing with traffic, so both the greenway and my local neighborhood are out.  I decide to run on the track near my house, but it is in use.  Which leads me to take the lesser of two evils and go with the hilly greenway over the streets.  But, I decide to cut it down to 3.5 rather than 5 and avoid some of the more major hills.

The first mile is all right: 9:24.87 nothing great, but nothing awful.
The second mile is more hilly, and I want no part of it.  I'm slogging through it angry at myself for waiting this long into the day and wishing that I had taken my I-pod with me.  I did this mile in 10:11.64
Mile 3 was just right back up the hill and just as unfun.  I did it in 10:49.91 and was just feeling like total crap.  The last .51 took 4:49.82 for a 9:32 pace, which can only be attributed to my intense desire to get this run over with. 

The whole run came 3.51 which I did in 35:16.24 for a 10:03 pace.  Meh!




   

Sunny Day Greenway 5 Miler: 2/12/11

This winter has been cold by Raleigh's standards, but we have gotten off easy when you compare it to what most of the country has had to endure.  Seeing blogs from runners like Jeri and Morgan kind of put things in perspective and keeps me from complaining too much about running outside on what I call a "cold" day.  I know that they would kill to see 35 degrees, and other than one ice storm, the weather hasn't made running outside all that treacherous.  I need to wear my big boy pants until summer when the endless day of high 90's hit.  I know this!  But, let me tell you . . . I was one happy Frikin' camper when I saw that Saturday was going to be sunny and close to 60 degrees!  I couldn't wait to get outside in run in the sunshine!  An honest to goodness sunny day in early February reminded me why I live in Raleigh-wood!  Because at times, I have to wonder: Pollen Season , nearly all of July and August, and every time someone asks, who I pull for between UNC, Duke, or NC State (b/c I could give a Rats A$$).  But, Saturdays weather made me rejoice that I live in good old 27607.

North Carolina Museum of Art Amphitheater

I decided that I didn't want to run Umstead because my ankle is still a little tender, and I thought why take a chance and ruin this beauty of a day.  Therefore, I chose to Run the Art Park.  I could have gone somewhere else, but I wanted to run somewhere that would not require me to drive, nor did I want to have to compete with traffic, so the Museum Greenway was it.  I decided to do the 5.38 course that I have been doing over the last two months.  I wasn't really looking forward to running such a hilly course, but I also didn't want to back down from it either, so off I went. 

I did the whole course in 50:44.12, which is my best time on this course.  I didn't beat my best time by much, only around 9 seconds.  However, when I did my previous best, I felt like dog poo afterwards.  I remember that I was dizzy, out of breath, and really felt like hell for the rest of that day.  This time I didn't exactly feel fresh as a daisy afterward, but I didn't feel nearly as bad either. 

Mile 1 8:57.99
Mile 2 9:34.57
Mile 3 9:54.32
Mile 4 9:27.14
Mile 5 9:24.71
I did the last .38 in 3:25.39 which is a 8:52 min. mile

Last Run of the Year: 12/31

This post is a little late, but o-well.  My last run of the year was the first time that I ran outside since the post Christmas snow storm blew through town, and I was glad to get back outside.  I wasn't really happy about the patches of ice that were still on parts of the greenway where I was running, but I dealt with it alright and manged to stay on my feet.  The run was a bit of a struggle and much slower than what I had been running recently.  The Holidays had taken a bit of a toll on my conditioning because I had indulged in a bit too much holiday fare and had lain around after the snowstorm more than I had planned.  I enjoyed the run but knew that I was struggling with it, which was a Little bit of a let down.  However, it kind of mirrored the way I felt I had struggled at the end of 2010, so it wasn't altogether inappropriate.  2010 was a great year in many ways, but toward the end I felt myself struggling in many ways and just couldn't wait for it to end and give me an opportunity to start fresh.  So, I struggled through this run, giving it my best effort, and taking comfort in it's Finnish. 

I did the whole 5.33miles in 53:40.5.

Mile 1-9:46.76

Mile 2-10:01.23

Mile 3-9:59.55

Mile 4-10:44.84

Mile 5-10:10.26

Last .33-9.04

Christmas Run: 12/25

I decided that I needed to go for a run because we were going to get hit with a big snow storm that night and Raleigh does not react well to snow.  I wasn't sure how long it would be before I could get to the gym.  After Hiro and I exchanged presents and had breakfast, I decide to go for another art park run.  I am really grad that I did because this was a very good run for me.  I felt really strong throughout the run and got stronger as the run went on.  There were a few people on the greenway, but fewer than normal.  It was pretty cold and I think that most people thought that I was crazy to still be wearing shorts when the temp was in the low 30's.  However, I didn't feel it at all after the first half mile.  Also, I got a new running jacket that is water proof.  The Nike Storm Fit-1.  After one run I could tell that I made a good choice because even though it was light weight I still felt warm on a chilly day.  After I use it some more, I may do a product review, but so far so good.

As for the run, it was like a Christmas gift to myself!  I ran strong the entire way and kept thinking that I was running too fast and would run out of gas at the end but it never happened.

Mile 1: 9:24.39
Mile 2: 9:58.39
Mile 3: 9:30.24
Mile 4: 9:32.25
Mile 5: 9:17.96
Last .37: 8:28 pace

Not really sure what brought on such a strong run, but I am really have that it happened.

12/19: Art Park 5 Miler #2 of the Weekend

Saturday's run went well, so I figured that I should do it again and this time try to use some of the features that my garmin have to offer.  I set Old Bob up to give me mile splits and to compare the run to the course setting that I a had saved form my first Garmin run the week before in the rain.  I had a feeling this days run would be slower than the one I had done the day before.  I feeling a little stiff and sore, but I just felt like I needed this run.

The weather wasn't an issue.  However, it took me a while to feel like as though I were properly warmed up.  My mile breakdown were :

1. 9:41.08
2. 10:09.78
3. 10:14.46
4. 10:15.11
5. 9:57.80

Overall I felt lie I struggled all the way with this run.  I was having minor knee pain, which wasn't enough to stop the run, but just enough to make it a little unpleasant.  Over all I did 5.38 in 53:25

Art Park 5 miler: 12/18

It finally stopped raining and warmed up a bit, just in time for me to avoid a complete meltdown.  People who live in the southeast have this unspoken agreement with Mother Nature.  We will tolerate the nearly 9 months of hellish punishment called summer, take our four weeks of spring and summer, and in exchange, other than for a few days in January and February, she leaves us the eff alone when it comes to winter!  Well, this year Momma has gone plum-crazy, and not in the charming way where she sends some random ass Christmas like trivets (thanks mom!), no our dear Mother Nature has gone all shooting at the neighbor's kids with an air rifle crazy!  Snow in December . . . Twice . . . a whole week where the high is 34 degrees . . . WTF are you thinkin' Lady?

Anyway, before I get into full on rant mode . . . it finally got into the mid 30's so I decided that I need to go for a run.  I didn't want to stray too far from my house because I needed to leave Hiroko with the car, so I decided to run the Greenway like I had last Sunday, when God tried to drown me.  This time I made sure that the wasn't a cloud in the sky before I left the house.  Last time I ran the 5.36 miles in 53:53 and this time I did the same course in 52.39.  The run went well, but I was really pushing over the last mile, so that I could do better than my run the week before.  By the end of the run, I was spent.  I really enjoyed it however, and like that with Old Bob, I can track my courses pretty easily.

First Run in the Rain . . . Cold Rain: 12/12

Another name for this post might Sunday stupidity.  I really wanted to run, but we  were suppose to get rain.  first a light drizzle then getting progressively harder throughout the day.  Also, the  Raiders had an early game this week, so I wouldn't be able to use the gym.  Therefore I decided to run the NC Museum of Art Greenway, which is just over 5 miles.  I put on enough layers for the cold and my best water resistant jacket and headed out.  The first two miles were fine the rain wasn't that bad, nor was the cold, but as I approached the midway point, the rain began to pick up.  Once I got to the exact mid way point, it basically hit a pretty steady rain, granted it wasn't an all out downpour but bad enough to make me wish that I had bought a waterproof jacket.  I slogged my way home and was fairly miserable doing it.  At that point, I had no choice, so I just went with it.  There were very few people out on the Greenway, but every time that I met up with someone we shared a little wave or a nod that made me feel like we were all in on some secret.  It kind of reminded me of the the nose rub thing from the movie The Sting.  I am still a newbie to running and I feel like there are certain rights passage that I need to go through before I can really call myself a runner.  If coming home, soaked to bone because your too stubborn to change you plans is one of them, I am one step closer.  Also, after the run, I knew that it was time to invest in some rain gear.

According to Old Bob I did 5.36 in 53:53, it was pretty much all hills and rain, so I felt good about the way I ran .

Art Park Run: 10.7K

Greenway Trail with art exhibit in the distance.

I am entered in a 10k next week, and had never attempted the distance until today.  I wasn't sure if I would run the distance today because I had planned to run hard at yesterday's 5k.  However, since the course was messed up, I didn't really run all out.  Nonetheless, I still wasn't sure what I was going to run today until well after I left my apartment.  I thought about running on the Meredith college track, but once I got to the greenway I decided to run the Greenway to the Museum and then to run the loop around the museum twice.  I was sure of the exact distance but knew it would be over 10k and a more difficult run than next week's race course.  It was a really nice day for a run, a little chilly and a bit windy but sunny.

NC's longest pedestrian bridge which  is part of the Greenway.

This greenway is all hills, so it was a good chance to practice shortening my strides on the up hills.  My legs felt surprisingly fresh throughout the entire run.  I didn't try timing the run in order to avoid creating a certain level of expectation for myself at next wees race.  This run was just to see if I could handle the distance, which was no problem at all.  After I returned home I mapped the course and found out that I had past 10k the ease.  Overall, this run was exactly what I needed, just a nice long relaxing run on a nice day.  Next weeks 10k will just be me laying down a base time, so I just want to enjoy running as much as I can over the next week.

Art Museum Greenway 5.5 Miler: 10/24

The Green way path I ran along and one of the exhibits

Today's run was much better than yesterday's, and I can  tell that I have become a stronger runner.  My endurance has improved more than I expected it would by this point in the year.  I live about two blocks from one of Raleigh's best Greenway's.  It starts at Meredith College goes through the NC Museum of Art Park and goes straight out to Umstead park where I run on Saturday's.  I am not to the point where I can run all of the to Umstead and back.  I felt as if I could run to the museum and back, which is 5.5 miles of hills -- really good sized hills.  I never gave any thought to just doing a 4 mile out and back because I had my mind made up to do the 5.5 lollipop route around the museum once I ran through the art park.   The greenway is paved and open to bikes, so you need to watch out as I found out today.  I was actually hit by a kid on a bicycle.  Luckily his front tire just struck the bottom of my shoe as I was lifting my foot off the ground.  I more startled me than anything, but it did make me jumpy for the entire return.  The kid was part of a group of something like six kids and three dad's all on bikes, who would pass on the up hills and would pass me on the down hills, but if anything they actually made me run a bit faster, so I can't complain.

The Rodin Sculpture Garden which I can see on my run

I used to ride this greenway on my bicycle as well, and I would see runners on it, but I never thought that one day I would be one of them.  I was really kind of a small personal milestone.  I was pretty sure that I would be able to do it but wasn't sure just how bad it would hurt.  I knew that I would at least enjoy running through the exhibits, which make the art park one Hiro and I's favorite places to picnic.  Today was a bid windy, but it was wonderful to feel the breeze as I ran through the park as I began my return trip.  This run was just a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.  I was going to time this run, but not run for a certain time, but I messed up the stop watch on my I-pod.  It didn't matter anyway.  All I wanted to know was just how long it took to run the course at a normal pace.  After I finished I felt good and wasn't winded, it was just a nice little run.

The new wing of the Museum that opened this year with the Rodin's