Tag: treadmill

The Last Month of Training

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I’m already less than a month from the Seattle 1/2 Marathon, and training is getting more challenging in both mileage and otherwise.

The biggest issue is getting the exposure protection handled.Salomon Women’s Fast III Jacket is a recent addition to my gear, providing some easy on/off for windy, cool mornings. It does some rain protection, but it’s not to be counted on. I’ve also (shock!) switched to my Brooks Women’s Adrenaline GTS 10 from my awesome, totally recommended Five Fingers Bikila. This is mostly due to warmth and friction, as that I’ve had some nasty little blisters form lately that have made the long runs a little hard to deal with.

Training in conventional shoes again have my knees aching a bit. Then add that I’ve started going on hills in the dark (mainly because the routes are better lit), I’m hurting a bit. My training schedule up to the race, as provided by the Runner’s World SmartCoach app on my iPhone, is as follows:

11/01-11/07
Tues 5 mi @ 11:10 pace
Thurs 4 mi @ 11:10 pace
Sun 5 mi @ 11:10 pace

11/08-11/14
Tues 3 mi @ 11:03 pace
Thurs 6 mi w/ 1 mi warm up, 4 mi @ 9:33 pace, 1 mi cooldown
Fri 2 mi @ 11:03 pace
Sun 6 mi @ 11:03 pace

11/15-11/21
Tues 2 mi @ 11:03 pace
Thurs 7 mi w/ warm up, 3x1600m (1mi) @8:56 w/ 800m (1/2 mi) jogs, cool down
Fri 2 mi @ 11:03 pace
Sun 9 mi @ 11:03 pace

11/22-RACE DAY
Tues 3 mi @ 11:10 pace
Wed 3 mi @ 11:10 pace
Thurs 5 mi w/ w/ 1 mi warm up, 3 mi @ 9:33 pace, 1 mi cooldown
Sun 13.1 mi @ 9:42 pace

Phew! I’ve got a lot to work on. I’m starting to do some work on the treadmill just when the weather is particularly awful. I’ll consider this race the end of the season for me, then it’s back to doing cardio/weights/yoga until spring!

Running in Houston

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I was in Houston for the weekend, so I left my trusty Garmin Forerunner 405CX behind in favor of my favorite, low-cost pedometer, Nike + SportBand. The idea was to get a run in, if not do an official 5K, over the weekend. I knew this was a rather obscene challenge, what with the expectations of family gatherings and oppressive heat.

Thankfully (as expected) there was a fitness center in our hotel, meaning I wouldn’t have to venture out into the heat to get my 20 minutes in. Even in air conditioning, I was dripping with sweat by the end of it. I’m grateful for the fitness center, but I have to wonder, how do people in the southern US survive to exercise during the oppressively hot months? I couldn’t tolerate running on the treadmill more than 30 minutes, even with mind-numbing TV. And seriously, I get a little wonky once I step off a treadmill after half an hour. The world doesn’t quite match with my expectations of movement.

One thing I added to my running day was a bit of light yoga – by this I mean, a few sun salutations coupled with a few transitions flowing in and out of Warrior I and II. This left me feeling good and stretched, and I still feel the muscle benefits two days later. I think I need to do more of this, as well as do some reading as the summer approaches to enhance my fitness ventures.

As always, my fitness buddy Emily is challenging me to join her in a 1/2 marathon in San Jose in August. I don’t know if my training will get me there. I wonder what will. I’m thinking the next couple weeks will be a good challenge to cough up the $85, and see where I can get to, training-wise.

Today was my 30 minute long, slow run. I’m still longing to be faster, but this was a back-off week. Here’s hoping I’ll see some speed in time for the LIVESTRONG Challenge!