Umstead Ankle Sprain Run: 1/8

My first run in Umstead with Old Bob (my Garmin) didn't go like I had planned, as you can tell from the title of this post.  I had been looking forward to this run for a long time, but I kept having to delay running in Umstead either because of races or bad weather.  So, when the day finally arrived that I could take Old Bob out to Umstead, I was really excited.  It was pretty cold and snow flurries were falling as I started down the trail.  I deiced to run out to the bridge and then go around the loop once, and then walk back from there.  I didn't think that I would be able to do the whole trail, so I started down the trail at a running pace after doing my stretching rather than walking to the bridge like I do most of the time.  I really wanted to be able to get accurate distances for the course for the first time, but  made a pretty good effort to ignore my Old Bob other than to look at my mile pace when I heard the beep for each mile.  I knew that I needed to concentrate on the trail or I would be eating dirt quickly.

The first mile went well.  There were a lot of people on the trail heading back to their cars because of the snow, but I wasn't worried about it because I had heard the weather report and knew that it wasn't going to last.  I ran the first mile in 11:13.31, which I thought was pretty good considering the difficulty of this part of the trail.

The second mile of the trail has a larger up hill portion than the first mile, but there is also one of the longest flat parts and the trail is much less difficult because there are far few rocks and root to negotiate in this portion.  Also there were only a few people on this part of the trail because most families out for a stroll in the woods stop at the bridge and head back to their cars.  The snow had stopped by the time I finished the second mile.  I did this mile at a slightly slower pace than the first.  11:19.06

The third mile was is a little more of the up hill then you cross the Horse road and start a bit of a down hill.  This portion of the trial is tight in places but is probably the portion of the trial with the fewest rocks and roots other than the last part of the trail.  It is good place to recover a bit from the climb in the second mile of the trial.  I was struggling before I crossed the house road, but I was able to recover some after I crossed the road and was feeling good by the end of this mile, which took 11:20.46  There are some narrow portions and moderate rises, but this is a fun portion of the trail.  There are a few spots where you and pick up speed and really open up you stride because the trail is in pretty good shape even though it is really narrow.  I enjoy this portion of the trail more than any other part of the run.

The fourth mile is both the most difficult because of roots and rock, steep up hills, and steep stairs.  It is  portion of trail is always where I fear falling the most and risk running out of gas.  I went through this portion of the trail much slower despite one good spot for speed.  This is the part of the trail that I like least.  I did it in 12:26.19

The last .85 mile is the least difficult portion of the trial.  There are only two trouble spots .  The first is where the trail narrows really tight in one spot.  It is a good place for speed as long as you don't meet up with another person on the trail, which is what happened to me.  The other portion is right at the end there are some large rocks that form an obstacle in the trail that you need to negotiate.  I made it through the first trouble spot despite meeting up with a guy who was walking in the opposite direction and not really doing much to move off of the trail when he saw me coming towards him.  He basically took one step to the side and stopped walking.  This forced me to over to the side more than the trail will really allow you to do and put me really off balance.  I made it past him and around the next little bend but was getting more and more off balance until I took a bad step and rolled my left ankle.  I could ear the tendon crunching as the ankle rolled, and though for a second that I was going to fall, but my right leg planted extremely well my next few steps on the left side became more hops than steps.  The pain was kind of bad, and I could tell that this was more than a twist, but I also knew that it was not a high ankle sprain either.  I have had many, and they have never allowed me to bear any weight.  I figured that at this point the best thing that I could do was keep going at least until the bridge where there would be more people if I needed help.  I ran the last portion of the trail at a 10:25 minute mile pace, which was faster than any other portion of the trail.  This portion is the fast part of the trail, and had I not sprained my ankle I am sure I would have been around an 9 min. mile pace on it.

Once I got to the bridge I was able to walk back to the parking lot.  Once I got home I ice the ankle, but it had swollen up a good bit, luckily not too bad and there was no bruising or discoloration.  So, I think that I got pretty lucky as far as sprains go.  Especially considering my race in Hawaii was only two weeks a way.

Fleet Feet Running Group 4 miler: 1/6

I hadn't attended the social run in a while and wanted to make sure that I got in at least one appearance this month.  I knew that I would be traveling later in the month, so this might be my only chance.  Considering the weather that we have been having, I was more than likely correct.  There was a pretty good crowd for this run, somewhere between 15-20 people, which is a good turnout for the Thursday Running Group in the winter when there isn't and event.  I felt like I had been having a pretty good week exercise wise and wanted to do more the my usual 3 miles, so I decided to do 4 miles with most of the other runners that showed up.  I had run this course once before and knew that I was a nice little run that I could really push myself on.  But before I left on of the people that I was going to run with asked me what my pace was going to be.  I hadn't really given it much thought because I normally just run and see what my pace was afterward.  She had said that their group had been doing about 10 min. miles, but that she would like to pick up the pace, and asked if I would run with them to help her push the pace a little.  So, I decided that I would even though I knew their might be a little resistance. 

The first mile of the course is all one long slop down hill, so I knew that we could do much better than 10 min. miles.  I pushed it a little and we did it in 8:39.

The second mile was still down hill, but I had said that I would try to shoot for 9 1/2 min. miles, so I backed the second mile down to 9:14.70, which was a good pace for chatting.

The third mile we started hitting the up hill portion of the course.  The Third mile is rolling hills at first and then leads into the last incline that is the last .25 of mile three and all of mile 4.  We did this in 9:4, which as a little faster than I intended, but I was feeling really good and couldn't hold back.  Also, one of the other runners was pushing the pace with me, so I was mainly trying to stay with her more than anything else.

The last mile was all uphill and I just wanted it over with.  I normally would not run a hill like this in the manner I did, which was more of a charge than I wanted, but I new that the course ended right at the top of the hill, so I just went for it as hard as I could at that point.  I did the last mile in 9:56.79, which I felt pretty good about at the time. 

Overall, this was the best run that I have had in a while.  I enjoyed it a great deal, and I am looking forward to running this course more often as the weather gets better.  Overall we did the whole course at a 9:18 pace.  Faster than we had intended, but I think everyone felt good about it afterward.

Wed Jan. 5th: Run, Class, Run.

I decided to run to the gym, took the morning Sports Conditioning class, then ran home, showered ate, and rode my bike to work.  I want to just do more this year.  Push myself to be more active and to not just be satisfied with doing what I am comfortable with and know that I can handle.  I'm at the point where I need to push myself if I want to see the results that I dream about.  Recently, my mood has be in a state of flux and it feels as if I have lost my way a little.  If I want to find satisfaction with my life and myself, I am certain that I must be willing to push beyond my comfort zones.  I know that as far as my workouts are concerned that this will require me to be honest with myself and not think about my former fitness level because it is too easy to think, "wow, I am doing great because I didn't used to be able to do this."  Well now I can, so I need to move on to something else that I can't do and start doing that!

. . . .Which is why I decided to run to class.  It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.  The class was good, lots of Push ups, which I have lost nearly all ability to do, so I really need to work on them.  I plan to focus on the morning classes after I return form my upcoming vacation.  I've been trying to go to them before the trip, but the weather has not been kind to us and the classes have been canceled on several occasions.  I am hoping that February will be much more mild than January has been.  I don't mind running in the cold, but ice and snow are not the best things in the world.

Jan. 3rd Two a Day: Part 2

After work Hiro and I went to the nOg Run.  It was the first of the year, so I just couldn't miss it.  In addition, I want to try to push myself more this year.  I know that I can work harder and get more focused in regards to my workouts, so I was eager to go the run as the back end of my two a day.  It wasn't too bad of a day weather wise.  We were able to climb into the 40's, which was pretty much a requirement to get Hiroko to run outside . . . She HATES being cold, so if it gets below 40, I'll most likely be runnin' solo.  However, this day, we ran together, which I was happy about because my legs were feeling heavy after the morning class.  I ran a full minute off my pace from my last nOg run, but it felt much worse.  The mile was really rough and my hands were freezing because I had lent my gloves to Hiro.  After I sloshed through the first mile I was able to get into a bit of a groove and finish in an acceptable fashion.  I want to do more of these two a days on Monday's in order to push myself a bit more, but we will see how it works out in the future.

Jan. 3rd Two A Day: Part 1

I got up at 4:30am and ran to the gym.  I have been missing my morning classes in a very bad way and was looking forward to this class all weekend.  Still, getting up was more difficult than it used to be, but I really enjoyed the run.  Running past the NCSU bell tower was the highlight of the run because of the way it light up; however, the entire run was relaxing and peaceful. 

Like I have said many a time, I love running in the morning before sunrise.  It was kind of chilly, right near freezing, but it wasn't bad once I got warmed up.  Luckily, the wind was very mild.  The class was pretty good.  This was my first time with this instructor, and I was pretty pleased overall.  She mixed in a lot of running drills and exercises to make it a pretty challenging class.  Nearly all of the activities were timed, so I didn't matter how fast or slow you went and no one was pushing the class beyond the abilities of the others.  There were a few exercises that I opted out of because on my feet and changed to something else.  We didn't run stairs that much, but I still chose to avoid the stairs altogether, which I think was wise.  The class was challenging but not extreme, so I was pleased.  After the class I ran to Hiroko's work so I could get the car from her.  This arrangement worked out well for both of us.  I think that these runs to the gym will happen more often as the winter begins to fade.

New Years Day Run: 1/1/11

Well, I wasn't feeling my best after a difficult run on New Year's Eve.  I hadn't done anything exciting to ring in the New Year, but I just couldn't get motivated to workout or run until well into the afternoon.  Finally, around 3:30pm, I decided to go for a run.  I wasn't sure where I was going to go, but I knew that hills were to be avoided as much as possible.  So, a run to the state capitol sounded like a good idea.  Also, if I weren't feeling good about the run, it would be easy to just run to Hiro's work and catch a ride home with her. 

As I ran down Hillsborough street, I could just tell that I was fighting it even worse than the day before, so I decided to stop at the gym workout a little then go and catch Hiro for a ride.  I didn't think that she would leave work on time, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to do much at the gym if I wanted to catch her, so a 15 min. ab session was about all that I could do before I was back out the door and headed to her work.  However, Hiro did leave on time, and I missed her, which meant that I would have to run home.  It turned out to be a good little run and what I needed on the first day of the year in all honesty.  By the time I got home, I was glad that I had done it.

The run was around 3.2 miles.

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

Weds. Workout: 12/29

This was another quick workout.  It was a bit more substantial than the Monday workout, but not by much.  I did some abs and followed it up with some leg work.  This time, however, I did a full 30 mins on the Treadmill.  I didn't mess with the track at all.  Hiro and I ran beside each other, which provided me with some extra motivation.  I was able to run fairly strong and actually enjoyed the Treadmill for a change, so there is a little hope that I might not be a bored by as I though.  One thing that helped was that I was much more measured with my pace.  I gradually moved the pace up rather than one large increase right after the warm up, which gave me something to think about and didn't cause me to tired as quickly.  This was a nice little workout.  Afterward, I did a some much needed stretching.

Toning Tuesday: 12/28

Had to get out of the house.  The snow is nice to look at and even fun to be out in for a while, but it can get a bit overwhelming when your on a long holiday.  Basil, my cat, has loved having me around, and I've enjoyed kitten playtime, but with Hiroko at work all day I was getting pretty bored by the afternoon.  The only thing that i wasn't looking forward to about the class was the vivid reminder of just how soft I have been getting that it was sure to provide.  My workout the day before had left a lot to be desired, and I knew that this workout was sure to hurt.  However, I was just happy to be out of the house.  I ran  about a mile between the treadmill and the track for a warm up at something akin to a slugs pace.  My legs were just not feeling it, and I really started to dread the class, but I knew that I would hate myself if I didn't go. 

Once class began, I started to feel better.  I think that my body was just out whack from all the time I spent on the couch and lounging around the house because of the snow.  I got moving and the blood started to flow, warming everything up and making it easier to move.  I came up with a simple goal: do all of the exercises assigned to us.  Even if I had to stick with the lowest degree of difficulty, I wanted to complete everything.  I had increased the size of the weights that I was using form the last time I took the class, but I still wasn't at the level that had been a few months ago, but I knew that I needed to take some baby steps.  I was able to do do everything and only a few of the ab exercises gave my any real problems, the planks and the bicycles made me doubt that I would be able to reach my goal, but I struggled through it.  I won't deny that I was checking the clock as the class went on, but I enjoyed myself!

Monday 27th: Light workout

This workout was rather uneventful.  Hiroko and I went to the gym after her work, and I ran three miles half on the Treadmill and half on the indoor track.  I have really gotten spoiled running outside because I don't have to deal with the congestion of the track or the boredom of the treadmill.  After running, I did another small ab session, some light exercises, and stretching.  I am attempting to ease my way back in the swing of cross training.  Honestly, it is just sad how quickly our muscles turn all doughy when we don't use them. 

I have been debating going for a half Marathon in the spring, but currently I am leaning towards continuing to run 10k and under until I can get into better overall shape.  I think that it would be too easy for me to either fall into a rut or get a repetition injury from the type of training that I would need to do in order to prepare properly for a half.