Anyone have advice on learning to run?

[ThyPeace]

Thanks, LadyShanny.  I have been trying to increase my distances in concert with the various books I've read about it -- notably Jeff Galloway's book for beginning runners and the non-runner's guide to marathon training.  Except that I'm increasing far more slowly than they suggest.  Nonetheless, I will try to make it a more gradual and less incremental increase, and see how that changes things.

 

This morning, before I read this post, I was thinking very carefully about my running stride.  I realized that I'm straightening my knee in a way that feels slightly too far, and not engaging my quads much.  Basically, it feels like I'm running from the knee instead of from the hips.  When I tried to adjust that, it felt like a stronger stride.  I'll keep playing with that over the next few weeks and see what happens.  And I will be getting a massage this evening, which is far less painful than roller stuff.  I'll start there.

 

ThyPeace, wimp with a roller.

[ThyPeace]

This business of figuring out how to run sure is complicated.  By changing my stride and engaging my quads more so that I have more of a hip swing, I'm steadily easing the ache in my hamstring tendons.  It may also help that I've started doing strength work every morning.  I downloaded an app called "7 Minute Workout" which is exactly as the name sounds, though you can do the circuit as many times as you like.  It's definitely not going to be enough exercise by itself, but it works well as an addition to the run or walk of the morning.

 

And this morning's run felt great.  Apparently I have learned what "carb loading" means.  Unfortunately, I learned it by having pretzels and a rice krispies treat instead of supper last night.  I woke up with all the symptoms of a carb hangover and decided to go out anyway.  By the time DH and I were done with the walk part of the morning, I knew I was going to try a run if my leg would allow it.  And sure enough, it did.  I walked several times to give the leg rest and a change of motion and didn't worry about speed.  Still.  I'm sitting here finishing breakfast thinking I could go out and do another mile or two.

 

Now I need to figure out how to do that without the carb hangover and junk food. 

 

ThyPeace, I know, I know... every person here talks about eating a potato the night before a run.  I'm a slow learner.

[conniedraws]

Re: strengthening for runs: http://www.beginnerrunnervillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Prepare-Your-Body-to-Run.pdf

The author has a great podcast called Beginner Runner Village by Debbie Voiles
https://itun.es/us/GZDtQ.c 

She's generous with her running expertise and really wants newbies to love running for life. Like what you said in your original post about running at 100. 

I'm gaining interest and haven't started yet. Oh, and I'm upcounty from you in MoCo.

 

[ThyPeace]

Thanks for the links, Connie!  Those are interesting and helpful thoughts.  Hope you are enjoying your end-of-summer weekend up-county! 

 

Today, DH and I ran our first 5k.  Well okay.  He ran.  I walked and ran.  It took me 36'21" to get from start to finish.  I had run the course a week before in higher temperatures and higher humidity, so this felt (by comparison) far better.  The leg continues to improve slowly, and that was the major consideration in how fast I ran and how much walking I did.  I have not done much running in the last few weeks -- only 4 runs in two weeks, in fact.  I am pretty sure this is the fastest I've done that distance, even though of course it is very slow.  As I heal and continue to learn how to do this stuff better, I think I will be able to improve from where I am now.  Next week, I finish the 4-week Nike Training Club plan that I decided to do after I realized how much my body was hurting from running all the time.  It's quite amazing to be able to climb stairs without it hurting.  Once I finish that, I'll probably start one of their runner training programs and see how far I get.

 

ThyPeace, DH finished in 30'34" and then came back around and ran the last 250 yards with me.  Because he's awesome.

[ThyPeace]

Oh, to tie things back to food.... When I hit my goal weight, I gave myself two weeks of "play" when I got to try out things I'd been missing.  M&Ms were on the list, and Hot Tamales.  I enjoyed them both, but did not enjoy the way my body reacted to them enough to make them regular parts of my diet.  I also increased the overall carb and fat consumption slightly -- nuts and dried fruit, basically.  I do enjoy that and have been figuring out how much I can add while still maintaining.

I did that in the middle of the Nike Training Club plan that I mentioned in the previous post.  According to my FitBit, those workouts do not raise my heart rate nearly as much as running does, but I sure do feel as though it's intense exertion.  I have also noticed a distinct and powerful desire to eat more protein.  The packets of tuna/salmon that used to be hard to choke down are now a genuine want, and I often find that I am hungry for more protein in the mid-morning.  I work out when I first wake up, have breakfast within half an hour afterward, and previously that was enough to last me through to lunch time.  Now, not so much.  So I've been eating the tuna/salmon packet earlier and accepting that I may have two of them in a day instead of one.

ThyPeace, good thing they were on sale last week.

[LincolnDan]

When I started running years ago I was mentored by a Boston marathoner. At the time I could barely jog 2 blocks.  He told me that I could do it if I follow some good starting rules.  His main advise was to start slow and don't be concerned with time at all. He told me to start a  very slow pace and run a distance that is doable without pushing yourself into pain.  Then for the next week, run that same distance and no further even if you feel you can. After the first week, you can increase your distance a little and run that for the second week. If you keep it up at this pace and progression you should be able to be running a nice distance before long. I started this way and I advanced to 5K's then 10K's and then half marathons.  After a time I started paying attention to the time it took for me to run a mile and started using that for my pace I needed for training.  Just remember to start your runs slowly.  You can always pick up the pace later.  Another tip is to keep your shoulder relaxed and somewhere near waist high. Your eyes should be focused maybe 10 to 15 ft in front of you. it you encounter a hill,  you can shift your weight by moving your head down a little and raising your arms up a little and this will adjust your weight forward to make it a little easier. I wish you the best:)

[tmhampton1]

i am so happy I found this thread. I actually just went to a local shop here in AZ and was fitted for some shoes. They watched me walk and then run in the shoes to make sure they were a good fit. They feel great. They also offer clinics, which I think I'll take to help people become more efficient and have proper form. I know when I was running the person helping me noticed that my left leg kicks out a bit, so she suggested I work on my hip flexors as that is normally a sign of weak hips. I am also going to incorporate some core training into this as I know that helps with runs. I plan to run my first 5K in November, signing up on Friday. 

[ThyPeace]

Thanks, LincolnDan!  That's great advice!  I did indeed start the Nike + Running app program.  I picked an 8-week program that is 4 days a week of running, 2 days a week of Nike + Training Club workouts (bodyweight strength and endurance workouts, basically), and one rest day a week.  The first week was no more than 15 minutes of running at a time, which I found to be easy.  Easy!  Ha!  A year ago, I would have told anyone who would listen that there was no way 15 minutes of running was possible, much less easy.  I learned, in the process, that I can run a mile in a little over 10 minutes.  My constant mantra to myself was "Slow down.  You need to run for a long time.  Just slow it down."  Because for me, 15 minutes feels like a long, long time.

 

This morning's run was a "long run," which today was 30 minutes.  Gosh, I was worried about that!  I just kept it up.  "Slow down and run," was a constant mantra in my head, occasionally supplanted by "Just shut up and run" when my head got too loud.  And you know what?  I did it!  I ran for 30 solid minutes and did just under 3 miles.  (I got to the 3 mile mark in 30:14, if I remember right.)  Thank goodness it was 62 degrees instead of 90 like the day of the 5k!  That helped a bunch.  Right at the end, at about the 2.75 mile point, I suddenly felt a whole lot better, like I could just keep going for another several miles.  In fact, I really wanted to.  Two things stopped me -- the worry about the leg aching later, and the fact that I needed to make breakfast for the family in another 15 minutes.  So when I got to 3 miles and slowed down to walk, I still felt like my whole body was just loose and flowing.  Really interesting feeling -- one I'd like to try out again, in fact.

 

So, the 30 minutes was possible.  Later this week I'll do something called a "tempo" run, which I take it is supposed to be faster than my usual slogging-along pace.  And then even later in the week is 400m sprints, which are going to make me snicker.  Me?  Sprint?  Don't they know I'm 49 years old?  Ah well.  I'll do what I can.

 

Welcome, tmhampton1!  Getting those shoes is a great first step!  I hope this thread can help you figure some things out.  Learning to run is, I find, a very slow incremental process.

 

ThyPeace, having a great time with this.  And the goal is still two-fold.  1.  Avoid injury.  2.  Run a 5k when I'm 100.

 

 

[ThyPeace]

Just a quick update for today:  Nothing hurts!  I mean, nothing!!  After the 30 minute run yesterday, I was expecting to feel body-tired and sore in various places.  Instead, I feel really good, with only a slight ache behind the right knee where it always does.  I even did a 30 minute intense Nike Training Club workout this morning.  Dripped plenty of sweat, but didn't hurt anything.

 

And when I went back to look at my heart rate during the run, I saw that it was in an aerobic zone the whole time, and never went up into anaerobic.  That, too, is very different from how things have been in the past; I could not run slowly enough to keep my heart rate out of the anaerobic area, so basically accepted that alternating running and walking had to happen.  I pretended it was my version of HIIT.   Anyway, no wonder I felt so good while I was running.  I really could have kept it up, in terms of overall heart rate and breathing, anyway, for a good bit longer.

 

ThyPeace, pleased.  

[ThyPeace]

 

Good morning!  It's been a week since I last posted.  Two interesting runs in that time.  The first was the 5 x 400m sprints.  "Sprints" are not something my body things are a good idea.  I really hated the first two -- I couldn't breathe right, couldn't find the right tempo to run fast for 400m, just... ugh.  The first one was particularly bad.  I set out at what I think is probably my 100m sprint pace -- and when I got to about 150m, was just dying.  I slowed way down at that point and barely made it to 400m.  The second one was almost as bad -- I had picked a spot that was not flat, so was running uphill AND trying to sprint.  Good grief, that was a bad idea!

 

The third one, I picked a slightly different course that made it much closer to flat.  That time, having both flat and figured out that 400m is a long freaking way, I managed to keep the pace steady and still faster than my slogging pace.  It still didn't feel good, though, and I needed every second of the rest at the end to catch my breath and sweat on stuff.  Nonetheless, I managed to continue for a total of five of them,

 

I was shot for the day at that point, though I did spend another half hour walking to cool down -- and because my husband, who decided to come along, felt like he had "not worked out enough yet."  It's a darn good thing that he and I have gone swimming together, because that's where I would be saying something like that and he would be exhausted.  He ran for much of that time, just burning energy, while I walked and thought about jogging some, but didn't.

 

Yesterday was a rest day for me, so I went for a walk.  I also woke up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep, so it was a very early morning walk.  I was out the door before 5am.  Just as well, because it rained later.  I did learn that no one is out at that hour except the newspaper delivery guy.  (I am usually out between 5:45am and 6:30am, when the people with dogs and the hardcore runners are out.)  My leg muscles were really tired and sore yesterday.  Not the tendons or other joints -- genuine muscle soreness.  I think this is a good thing, or at least I hope there is muscle growth accompanying the feeling.  

 

Today was my "long" run, the first one that was a distance instead of a time.  Just 3 miles, which took me about 31 minutes.  My legs are still tired from the sprints, so the run didn't feel great.  However, I ran the entire time and I don't think I did myself any significant harm.  The back of the knee aches about like I expected it to, maybe a little more than last week.  The rest of this week is going to be a bit of a challenge.  A "tempo" run tomorrow for 1.25 miles, a couple of "recovery" runs at 1.25 and 1.5 miles, a Nike Training Club workout, and then (oh dear god) more sprints on Sunday.  7x400m this time.  Good thing next Monday is a rest day, and a long run (3.25 miles) isn't until Wednesday, and then a 4 mile run on Sunday.  From there it just keeps ramping up the distance for a week, which I think I can manage if I pace myself -- and figure out how to have time for some of this stuff.  May have to rearrange my day somewhat, but we'll see when the time comes.

 

ThyPeace, running program, me?  Surely you're kidding!  Heh.  Guess not.

 

 

 

 

[ThyPeace]

So here it is, Friday.  I've done the daily workouts every day this week and I just realized that I feel, well, good.  Like, I could run a few miles tomorrow.  All I have is a 1.5 mile run, though.  And then on Sunday, oh the agony -- 7 x 400m.  I may puke.  Soooo not looking forward to this, but I will try to do more than jog.  Good thing it's going to be chilly.  (Like, wow, in the 50s maybe!)

 

ThyPeace, 

[conniedraws]

Hey ThyPeace, I think it was this thread that inspired me to even consider running. You mentioned the couch to 5k app and that sounded like a feasible challenge to me. 

So I researched the heck out of it, found the podcast I mentioned above. Listened to her talk about how to stay away from injury and fall in love with running. I'm a teacher and I think her teaching-passion really won me over. So. I'm about to go out on my Week4Day1 run on the C25K app.

My goal is the "oldest 5k in MoCo", the Rockville 5k in early November. 

Just wanted to tell you that you're a small part of my running journey. Cheers!

oh and I love the exercises and stretches on the link below. I laminated (with tape) a copy, and rubber band it to my phone when I go walking and running. 

http://www.beginnerrunnervillage.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Prepare-Your-Body-to-Run.pdf

[ThyPeace]

 

That's awesome news, Connie!  Just keep going one step at a time.  I took a look at the Rockville 5k -- looks like a nice way to spend a Sunday morning!  I will (probably) not do it because of other scheduling, but you never know.  And yeah, I've seen that link before -- excellent exercises!

 

As for me, I survived the 7x400m day.  I admit that I did not run as fast or hard as I could have, because of a few other small victories.  First, it was my very first time running on a track; we went over to the local high school and found that the track was available at 10am on a Sunday, so used it.  I'd literally never been on a 400m track before and had no idea what the markings meant.  Even after going around the track multiple times, I ended up using my iPod's distance measurements to tell me how far I'd run.  However, getting to a Real Track was an accomplishment.  

 

Looking up track markings gives me these two links, which are clearly designed for someone more into this stuff than I am, but seem to be complete:

http://www.trackinfo.org/marks.html

http://www.trackinfo.org/csunmarks.html

 

Even more cool, though, was that DD joined me and DH.  She alternated running and walking a mile, and then walked a full second mile.  When I was 13, I would have done no such thing, so even though she may not want to join us another time, getting her there once makes me really happy.  She also spent a good long time explaining her approach to running the mile at school (a run-walk combination with specific plans for where she would run and where she would walk on the track there).  Which was awesome.  I don't care how fast or far she runs, but I DO very much care that she have the knowledge she needs to build a healthy lifestyle later on.  That's a key component, in my book!

 

So anyway, I ended up running my 7x400m runs with a reasonable warm up and cool down.  It was cooler than last time, the track was springy (cool surface, actually), and there were no inclines.  And now I know how far I have to run -- and I didn't work at it very hard.  So it was far easier than the last time and I'm sure that means I got very little out of it in terms of a speed workout.  But I did learn a good bit and that was worth it.

 

Today was a "recovery" run of 3.25 miles.  Recovery means, apparently, run at whatever pace is relaxing for you.  I take that definition because the "run slowly enough that you can talk in paragraphs" rule that I've also read means that I would walk the whole way.  Which I don't have time for.  Anyway, I ran all the way around the campus near my house, which I have not done before.  I slowed down as I was running, with mile 3 about 5 seconds slower than mile 1.  Then again, Mile 1 is level and downhill, while mile 2 is mostly uphill and mile 3 is a mix.  So I choose to think that I did okay.

 

Tomorrow I run 2 miles at "recovery" pace, and then I have a benchmark on Saturday and a "long run" on Sunday.  4 miles for the long run.  I'll try to run even slower than I did today.

 

ThyPeace, astonished that nothing hurts right now...

[ThyPeace]

 

I was supposed to run two miles yesterday, as I mentioned in my last post.  However, it's been so long since it rained that I had completely forgotten how to dress for it.  And it wasn't just raining, but genuinely pouring.  I turned around after being outside for less than five minutes, which was still in the walking part of the warmup.  I did my Nike Training Club workout for today instead, which turned out to be a 15 minute stretching session clearly designed for an "I am exhausted please don't make me do anything" day.  I did the two mile run today instead, when it was colder but not pouring.  I ran fine today, although at 59 degrees I think I need to add a layer very soon.  I didn't actually get warm until I was almost home today.

 

And still nothing hurts.  Weird.

ThyPeace, and awesome.

[LincolnDan]

20 hours ago, ThyPeace said:

 

I was supposed to run two miles yesterday, as I mentioned in my last post.  However, it's been so long since it rained that I had completely forgotten how to dress for it.  And it wasn't just raining, but genuinely pouring.  I turned around after being outside for less than five minutes, which was still in the walking part of the warmup.  I did my Nike Training Club workout for today instead, which turned out to be a 15 minute stretching session clearly designed for an "I am exhausted please don't make me do anything" day.  I did the two mile run today instead, when it was colder but not pouring.  I ran fine today, although at 59 degrees I think I need to add a layer very soon.  I didn't actually get warm until I was almost home today.

 

And still nothing hurts.  Weird.

ThyPeace, and awesome.

It's good to hear about the progress you are making. Keep up the good work. You will never be sorry you did.

[ThyPeace]

Thanks, LincolnDan!  I am still just marveling over the fact that I can run at all.  Running, me?  Even after several months, it's just astonishing.

 

Saturday was a "Benchmark" run in which I jogged for 7 minutes, ran as fast as I could sustain for 3 minutes, and then jogged for another 5 minutes.  It was probably not the fastest I could have done it, as the local "Taste of..." festival turned out to be in the middle of my planned route, so I had to revise while also trying to run as fast as I could and avoid lots more people than are usually on that route.  It was fun, though.  I again ran when I was not warmed up enough, which led to my leg aching afterward.  DH, who came along, said I ran faster than he was expecting during the run-fast part.  The overall pace was just under a 10 minute mile, but the darned app wouldn't show me my pace variations, so I don't know how fast the 3 minute part was.

Sunday morning the weather was perfect for the dreaded 4. mile. run.  Eek.  That's a really long way!  Nonetheless, I woke up at a reasonable time, made sure the bodily processes were complete, and then headed out.  DH joined me again.  I finally discovered what it means to run at a pace when you can have a conversations while running down the long slope on one side of the local campus that we were circumnavigating.  In that conversation, among other things, I explained that on the next side of the rectangle, he was not allowed to talk to me at all because I would not be able to answer.  The first hill on that side is just incredibly hard.  He pushed it faster and ended up about a block ahead of me, then circled back to join me.  He did that a few times along the way.  I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.  Overall, through ups and downs, I averaged a 10:11 pace.  I assume that's fairly slow, but hey, if I could run 100 miles at that pace, I bet it would be considered awesome!  (Not going to happen...)

I ran far enough this time that I learned about a few more places that ache when I run.  The back of the right leg, which had been abused the previous day, took the first mile or so to warm up to the point that I was comfortable running.  Luckily, it was warmer than Saturday, so I did get it to the point of comfort eventually.  Somewhere in the fourth mile, I noticed that my left quad was aching, and so were the fronts and insides of both knees.  I recalled from my reading (because hey, yes, I do read) that the upper leg muscles start to work when the more efficient muscles are tired, and also that those parts of the knees often ache when the IT band is tight.  So I concentrated on my stride for a minute and noted that yes, my hips were tight and my legs (no great surprise) were tired.  I did what I could to adjust those things, and there was less aching.  

I finished the 4 miles a little less than half a mile from the house.  Boy, I love the feeling of walking after running.  That right there made the whole thing worthwhile.  Cooling down is awesome.  And then, as we were walking back to the house, DH reminded me of the -rest- of the day...

... And then we took about 90 pounds of apples into the house.  I started processing them while DH went to take a shower.  I don't remember stopping to get a drink, though I did have several slices of apple.  Two hours later when we sat down to eat lunch (no, I didn't eat anything before I ran), the pork chops and potatoes that DH had whipped up were just about the best food I've ever tasted in my life.  

We worked from then until 10pm last night, so about 13 hours, with maybe three rest breaks.  it was a long day.

This morning the app said I was supposed to run another 4 miles.  I told it to go pound sand.  Well, okay, I told it that I would rather do 30 minutes of a Nike Training Club workout that had been scheduled for tomorrow.  It included burpees, jumping jacks, jump squats, bear crawls, and other forms of torture.  I did them, to be honest, lightly.  Most of my body is okay today, but there are muscles all the way down near my ankles that think I've worked too hard, and that darned right leg.  It's getting better as the day goes on, though, and I'll do the 4 miles from today tomorrow.  This week has lots of running, and ends with a 4.5 mile run next Sunday.  I think I may be crazy.  Next week, though, there's only a little over 5 miles, so I assume they planned this to be a "yes, you have to run a lot" week.

I also noticed that the app has changed my speed workouts for Week 7.  Before, it was 13x400m and now it's 5x800m.  I assume that's because it noticed that really, running fast is not where I'm all that good, and it figures this will be a better use of the time.  Or something; I actually have no idea how it picks.

 

ThyPeace, tripped and skinned her knee while walking to Dick's sporting goods on Saturday, where she bought some clothes that will hopefully help on the colder days.  DH was amazed at how much they cost.  He hasn't priced women's clothes in a long time.

 

[ThyPeace]

Note to self:  Ham and bean soup is not your friend if you want to be able to run.  Oh, my aching belly.  

In good news, I wore my new running tights for the first time this morning.  It was maybe a little too warm for them, but man, my legs feel sooooo much better right now than they would have if I'd run with them uncovered.

ThyPeace, survived the run by walking through the middle part.  12 minute miles instead of 10 minute miles, oh well.  Lesson learned.

[ThyPeace]

Note to self:  Ham and bean soup is not your friend if you want to be able to run.  Oh, my aching belly.  

In good news, I wore my new running tights for the first time this morning.  It was maybe a little too warm for them, but man, my legs feel sooooo much better right now than they would have if I'd run with them uncovered.

ThyPeace, survived the run by walking through the middle part.  12 minute miles instead of 10 minute miles, oh well.  Lesson learned.

[ThyPeace]

 

Sorry for the duplicate posts; I was on a non-customary computer and there were browser issues.

 

The last few days of running has been absolutely fantastic.  Of most significant note is the weekend's long run -- 4.5 miles.  I ran the whole thing, except when I stopped for a drink of water.  I guess I'm finally to the point where I should be thinking about having hydration accessible more often.  I never was thirsty, though I did drink a lot of liquid later in the day just because it seemed like a good idea.

And it's gotten suddenly chilly.  Sunday's 4.5 mile run was at 55 degrees and in very strong winds.  I was really happy when we turned back and got to run uphill and downwind at the same time.  The wind was pushing hard enough that it felt close to flat.  I ran the entire time at essentially the same pace, just above a 10 minute mile (10:07, including the stop for water in the average).  Considering that the previous run was at 12 minute miles with a major stomach ache, this was a far more "normal" run.  DH came with me and did his usual accelerations and extra bits.  Interestingly, our after-workout routines are different, which makes sense during the week.  He heads for the shower, I head to the kitchen to make breakfast, I shower and get DD up while he eats, and then I eat with DD after he leaves for work.  It's not quite as smooth on the weekends, when my inclination is to make and eat breakfast, while he wants to shower and then ice his knee while he naps.  Which would be fine, except he wants me to nap with him.   We're working it out.

This morning I did a 2 mile light run.  It was 42 degrees, so I bundled up pretty well.  I think my new running stuff -- tights, a long-sleeve shirt, and a jacket -- are going to work out pretty well.  I wore shorts and t-shirt as well, plus hat and gloves, and was warm enough that I unzipped the jacket and eventually took off the hat and gloves.  I think I'll be fine down to about 32 degrees in that stuff.  After that, I'll probably have to add sweats and DH's giant hoodie.  

And hey, that reminds me.  When it gets really cold, one of my biggest problems is how cold my feet get.  Mesh is a great material most of the year when I need ventilation, but what do people do when it's 20 degrees out?  I live in an area where it never gets really really cold (5 above is about the lowest), so I know someone has a solution that will help.

ThyPeace, 2 miles in 20:06 today.  There are people who run 5k races in that time.  Me, I'm still just amazed that I run ANY in that time!

 

[ThyPeace]

I had a 1-mile "tempo" run today.  Since I still don't have a specific goal tempo I'm working toward, I decided to run at what felt like the fastest sustainable pace I could do.  Turns out that equates to a 9:24 pace.  I would not be able to sustain that for a second mile, I don't think.  It was really interesting to do it, though.  Balancing the "run fast" with the "and you have to keep going" is still really tricky.  I'm sure this is all old hat to those who've been running for years.  It's still fascinating for me!

ThyPeace, perhaps too easily fascinated...

[ThyPeace]

Warm socks.  I asked for them for Christmas even though it's still October:  https://www.verywell.com/best-winter-running-socks-2911019

[ThyPeace]

 

Five miles.  50 minutes, 42 seconds.  Bwaaa haaa haa haa haa!!

 

ThyPeace, walked for a few minutes before and after, paused for a few seconds to get a drink of water.  Other all of the miles above were running miles.  My legs and ankles and feet are tired, of course.  About as tired as after the 5k I did in August, though, rather than "someone has tried to kill me" tired.  So.  Freaking.  Amazing.

[ThyPeace]

 

So here it is, Thursday.  I did the 5 mile run on Sunday, 2.25 on Tuesday, and 3.5 miles today.  Monday was body weight circuit training and Wednesday was a walk followed by some stretching.  Even with the varied days and a light workout on Wednesday, I was really feeling slow on my run this morning.  My stomach did not help any; apparently something I ate recently is requiring a lot of work to digest.  No major disasters, just an overall slow and heavy run.  Still, I got it done in under 36 minutes, so not terribly slower than usual.  I do notice that even when I feel heavy and slow, I seem to be able to take quicker steps than I used to.  Interesting stuff.

Tomorrow is a rest day, followed by a "benchmark" 15 minute run on Saturday.  Next Sunday I'm supposed to run 5.5 miles.  

 

ThyPeace, suddenly, 5.5 miles doesn't seem completely impossible anymore.  That's just wild.  However, the plan for next week where there's 5.75 miles on Friday followed by 6.25 miles on Saturday still seems like a stretch.

[ThyPeace]

Since the weather is supposed to be very cold and windy tomorrow, I did my "benchmark" run today.  It's a 15 minute run -- 7 minutes of warm up, 3 minutes of all-out running, 5 minutes of slow jogging.  According to the app, I ran 1.91 miles in that 15:08, for a pace of 7:57.  Which, I might add, is far faster than I have ever run before.  I'm not sure that I believe it.... and yeah.  So I took some time to map it in MapMyRun.  That says I ran for 1.38 miles in that 15:08, for a pace of 10:52.  And then I went back and looked at the 5 mile run and mapped it out.  It looks like that was more like 4.1 miles, not 5 miles.  

ThyPeace, well.  That's disappointing.

[becs]

Just wanted to chime in and say that I enjoy reading your posts here  I "used" to be a runner, and am trying to claw my way back into it. I've never been fast - my last and best marathon was at a 9:45ish pace I think (waaaay back in 2005) and I was usually happy to complete any run in under 10:30 minute miles - and right now my pace outside is typically around 12:30, never going more than 3 miles. I'm also 40 lbs heavier than I was 11 years ago, so I know if I can tackle the weight, things will get easier.

Regarding your app miscalculating your distances - don't let it get you down! I know it seriously sucks, but regardless you are still making progress in your running! I'm a nerd for running stats/graphs/data, so I always run with my Garmin watch. Used to have the expensive - and awesome - Forerunner, but now I run with the Garmin Vivoactive ($150 on Amazon). It can't do as much as the fancier watches, but it's very accurate with distance and pace, which is what I care about.   

Keep up the awesome work!