Easy Tuesday

Trying to stick to my plan.  3 days a week.

Easy Medium run on Tuesday, these will get longer over time.

Speed work on Thursday.

Long slow run on Saturday.   

Over time I will increase the distance on both my Easy medium run and long slow run.   If all goes well with strength training, weight loss and speed work my speed on my easy days will get faster.   I run by effort and not by trying to meet a specific pace.  Thus improvements in fitness should make an easy effort faster.

I'm not sure the accuracy but my fitbit is tracking my heart rate between 140 and 150 for my easy runs, however it also is mostly in that range for my sprints as well.  I don't know if that means I should be pushing for a longer time during my sprints or if oxygen and my life of asthma is my limiting factor.

I think this week I will try some hill repeats.  I keep hearing that it's a good idea.   There's a hill not too far from my house, it's not insurmountable and I ran through it on my long run last weekend.  I'll warm up on my way over then run up the hill and walk back down a few times.  The hardest part for me is patience.  I love that my distance is returning, but I have wanted to add some speed my entire life and I have a LONG way to go.  Speedwork and adding strength can only help though.

1.45 mi Run with MapMyRun

Duration: 16:15

Pace: 11.13 min/mi

I couldn't find a pace this morning.  I had to work to keep myself in check.  I kept finding myself starting to have a hard time breathing and reminding myself to slow down and take it easy.   Looking at my pace clearly that was an issue, I was all over the place.  Positive thought though,  I was able to run the whole thing without walking. 

Strength training Monday

Strength training Monday is here.   Well, kind of.  I'm not sure what to do for strength training yet.   I don't have a program that I've found that appears to be more than just a few strength training exercises that runners should do.   It would be nice to show some kind of progression, do X sets of these 5 exercises for a month then move on to this next set of exercises.

I also don't have a method for tracking my strength training that I'm excited about.   I've been reading a lot about Bullet Journals, and there are some nice views that I like for running, but I haven't found one for strength training.   The ones there only seem to support a few exercises and strength training probably doesn't fit into the same kind of mold that running does for bullet journal tracking.  I'm still digging to see if I can find the output of some application or some bullet journal example that will let me track things the way I want.  If not I'll try to make up my own.

One leg bridge.  I did 2 sets of 6 with each leg.   There were pops and snaps in my hips when I did these, this is the first time I've ever done them.

I did two sets of pushups, 10 the first time, then 13 the 2nd.  I wasn't pushing myself to my limit my shoulder is popping and snapping with every movement.

I used Green therabands and did the following:
2 sets of rows, 20 reps each.
2 sets of upright rows 10 reps each, my shoulder is popping with ever movement.
2 sets of inner rotator cuff 15 reps
2 sets of outer rotator cuff 15 reps.

1 legged squat 6 on each leg, only one set.  this was harder than I expected and I'm not sure I got through a full range of motion.

I also did a plank to see how long I could hold it before my shoulder hurt enough that I had to stop.  I made it 45 seconds.

I did all of these and did some strength training but I don't feel like I pushed myself hard enough.  And I'm not sure what I should do next.

Long run Saturday

3.32 mi Run with MapMyRun

Duration: 42:12

Pace: 12:43 min/mi

I tried my long slow run with consistency.  That was my goal.  Slow and consistent.  I made it about 22 minutes without having to walk.  As soon as I had to break for a walk though I was done.  I couldn't retain my running pace.  

After my run my legs were jello.  I tried to stretch and hop around a little but it didn't help much.  I also chased after a ball my son threw to me at the park.  I realized that I could barely shuffle.   3.32 miles in 42.12.   This is not the speed with which I want to enter a 5K.  I definitely have some improvements to do before I feel confident about even entering a 5K.   However,  this is the first run I've had that was over 5K.   I expect that my time for this distance will get a better the more I am running.  

One problem I have is sleep.  I don't know how to get more of it.  My goal is 7 hours of sleep each night, but I'm between 5:30 and 6:30 most of the time.   The less I have the more it affects me.  I will go through 2 or 3 days sometimes feeling like a zombie.   And even though I'm in bed by 10PM I lay there awake until after midnight.

4 Minute Mile

I have a long history of loving running movies.

Run Fat Boy Run,  Across the Tracks, Prefontaine, Without Limits, and Chariots of Fire

I was not a big fan of 4 Minute Mile.   I love the idea that the movie tried to portray, that running is its own end.  And that even though he lost his big race in the end he hit his goal.

My problem with the movie is in so many other part that didn't work for me.  The tired old track coach who is an expert and still spends every day watching track practice.   He is clearly a drunk who smokes and can barely move.   How is he so fit when they show him getting out of bed.  Clearly there is some failure from his past that has driven him to drink.  There is also some clear physical pain caused by something.   And his son probably has something to do with it, but nothing with it is ever explained.

The main character is clearly running to get away from something, but is stuck under his brothers control.   It is not clear why he has never tried to get away.  Stay with someone else?  Refuse his brother?  Even in the end, with his brother that he clearly doesn't love, after he has shot the new father figure in his life, he still goes to prison to visit his brother.  

I am not adding 4 Minute mile to my list that I'll watch again.

Intervals Thursday

1.47 mi Run with MapMyRun

Duration: 16:32

Pace: 11:12 min/mi

I overslept a little this morning.  My 5:45 alarm wasn't enough.  I've had too many days of not getting enough sleep.   I need a good night to help me catch up.

I rolled out of bed about 6:10 and was out the door.  

My running felt exhausted. I jogged a few blocks to warm up then ran a hard block followed by a few blocks of slower jogging.  My sprints winded me enough that I had to walk.  I tried to keep my walk breaks to as short as possible and get back to slow running as soon as possible.

I was really excited at the end to see my pace of 11:12 min/mi.  And looking at my sprint speed I was at about the 8 minute pace for each interval.   

Today I watched the movie "4 minute mile".  I'm always looking for inspiration.  I love running movies and books.   Even images of the "rave run" in Runners World will sometimes be inspiring to me.   

There was a line in the movie that jumped out at me.

"Patience.  It takes a lot of it to be a runner."

Yoga

I was very sore today.  My legs ached. 

I decided that I needed some stretching so I did the Yoga Fix from the 21 Day Fix program.  

My legs were very wobbly.  I forgot how much strength it took to do some of the early moves in this program.   I pushed through them though.  I need to build more strength in my legs than I can get from just running.   

The stretches were very appreciated.  I hope that they help my recovery between runs.   

Easy run Tuesday

1.78 mi Run with MapMyRun

Duration: 21:30

Pace: 12.1 min/mi

At the moment with only 3 days a week that I'm running I plan to have Tuesday be the day that I try to sustain my running for the entire time.   Thursday I will try to do some kind of speed work, most likely fartlek until I can get longer distances and then I'll start some kind of interval training on the high school track.   Then either Saturday or Sunday I will walk/run without shame and extend my distance most every week.  

I ran very consistently today starting near 13 minute pace and ending closer to 11:30 pace.   I ran without walk breaks.

It wasn't easy.  My breathing was ok, but I have a pain in my right hip.  Its there pretty much all day every day.  I don't know if it's from the way I cross my legs when I'm sitting or if its from having to drive as much as I do while my knees push out to the sides.  Either way I think some strength training and stretching will be good.   

I did get my Theraband out today and work on some arm exercises.   I have found several places that look like they share good core workouts and hip strengthening workouts.   In the past i've never spent the time to focus on strengthening my body with the purpose of running.   I have specific running goals though so I need to get started on doing that now.   I'm sure that some more strength will help with my times.