Gonna Fly Now

Well, it turns out that I'll be running the Moab Half Marathon after all. I had registered for the lottery, but didn't draw out, but a friend of mine managed to pull some strings and got me accepted for the race. This means I better actually train! (Unless you want to count the previous 10 months as the longest taper period, ever).

I've decided to use Hal Higdon's Novice Half Marathon schedule for my training. It kills me that I'm using a novice schedule, but given my 10 month "taper", I need to start with something easy and build into longer runs. However, since race day is only 8 weeks away, I'll need to start midway through the schedule - thus today's 4 mile run. I know starting out with a longish run like that is just begging for shin splints (or worse) but I don't have a lot of options given how many training days (52) are left until the race.

I'm surprised how good I felt during the run - I fully expected to dead after one, maybe two miles, but I was able to stick it out and actually hit my goal.

GPS output:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4798044

My first run with Locomotion since last spring. (Well, unless you count the Jingle Bell Run, which I don't). Since I only wanted six miles I followed the club from 3900 South Wasatch down to 2700 East and down to Sugar House Park. I was pretty wary of injury, so I took it slooooow, which I think was probably the correct move.

GPS output:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4808279

According to my training schedule this was supposed to be a four mile run - so I'm going to count my slightly less than three miles as four. :)

I thought the Bonneville Shoreline Trail between the Huntsman Cancer Institute and Sunnyside would be pretty well packed down after Monday morning's snow storm. I figured since Monday was a holiday everyone would have been out enjoying the day. Turn out I was wrong. The trail was broken, but not packed. Most of the time I was running in loosely packed snow. Well, running is actually too strong of a description for what I did - it was more like walking and panting. (Running in loose snow is tough - you lose any rebound you would have gotten from your footfall, so it's almost like you're running from a dead standstill with every step).

GPS output:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4832214

Today I was scheduled to only run two miles, but I wanted to make up for yesterday's shortage, so I tossed an extra 1.3 miles onto my run. This was a just a simple out and back along 1500 East from my house to 900 South. In the past this has always been a fast run for me (especially on the return trip) but I've found since attempting to come back from my ACL surgery last year the smallish hills are far more daunting than they ever were before. It's not because my knee bothers me - I think it's more of a conditioning issue. I just don't have the stamina I once had.

It was cold this morning - about 8ºF at 6:30 AM according to my GPS, so I was surprised to see other runners out there.

GPS output:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4836912



 

It was hard to get up this morning. Rosie decided she was done sleeping around 02:30, and wouldn't let either of us get back to sleep for more than a few minutes for the rest of the night. Just after my alarm went off Lissa rolled over, put Rosie in the crook of my arm and said "do you want to cuddle with your Dad?" How can you get up when you have a 4 month old baby in your arms? I eventually forced myself to get up and go running.

It didn't take more than a quarter of mile to remember how hard the Higdon training schedules are when you're first getting started. My calf, quads and ankles are all tired and sore - although not as sore as I expected. I guess I wasn't in such bad shape after all.

I ran the same route as last Thursday, and I'm pretty pleased with my improvement. Last week I ran the 4 miles in 33:11 for an average of an 8:14/mile pace. Today my total time was 32:02, for an average pace of 7:59/mile. I even managed to bust out a 7:29 and 7:33 in the last two miles of the run. (Which also happen to the two downhill miles).

Oh yeah, it was cold. My eyelashes froze, again.

GPS output:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4841539

The schedule says to rest, so I'll rest. I did do my normal routine of crunches and pushups this morning...so that counts as exercise, right?

I wish I could go climbing, but my gym is closed today and Saturday for a competition associated with the Utah Outdoor Retailer Show. Oh well.

I deviated from my schedule a bit today. I was supposed to run in a 5K race, but I don't know of any local races being held today, and because I've only resumed running in the past few weeks I was a little afraid that I might hurt myself if I tried to race. Instead I ran a 6.6 mile out and back from the State Capitol building to Shriner's Hospital with Locomotion.

I started out slowly, covering the first two miles in nearly 20 minutes, and gradually picked up my pace until I finished out the last mile with a 7:36 pace. (Downhill, of course). The weather was warmer than it has been, so that made running a little easier.

GPS output:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4850819

 

Tacked an additional half mile on my normal Tuesday run to bring it up to 4.5 miles. We got a pretty good snow storm yesterday, so I was running on a combination of plowed, semi-plowed, and unplowed streets, which of course meant lots of slush.

Yesterday afternoon I went to the gym and warmed up by jumping rope for 10 minutes (I made it to 30 consecutive jumps before missing!). I had forgotten how tired jump roping leaves your ankles, so fighting the slush and uneven footing today was a little more difficult than normal, and by the end of my run I definitely felt like I was ready to be done.

GPS Output:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4873745
 

Another long night with Rose made it hard to get up this morning to run, getting out the door and finding another two inches of snow made it even harder. But, I sucked it up and got out there, and was surprised to see lots of other runners on the road with me.

I went to the gym yesterday and jumped rope again, but only for about 5 minutes this time. I made it over 50 consecutive jumps before missing, which may be a personal record. I know the jump rope pays off eventually, but it sure makes for some sore ankles the next day. The uneven footing and slush dodging on the plowed streets sure doesn't help with the ankles, either!

I can tell that my conditioning is starting to come back, because I don't feel quite so wiped out after the shorter runs. I can't wait to see how tomorrow's 4.5 miler goes. I'm hoping for some clear streets, but there's more snow in the forecast this afternoon, so I'm not counting on it.

GPS output:
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/4878589