Easy 5 km. I could tell that my legs were a still a little tired from Saturday's nine miler. I'm glad that this week has a short long run.
The rest of the week is 5 miles, 3 miles, rest, 5 miles at marathon pace, and 6 miles for my long run.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Recap: 16 weeks to go
Here's a quick recap if you're just tuning in.
Four weeks ago, at the beginning of June, I decided I wanted to complete a marathon and this time I would really do it. I checked the calendar for fall marathons in Europe. The Amsterdam marathon stood out for a bunch of reasons. It is the second Sunday of the fall school vacation in Aarhus, so my wife would have the week leading up to it off from her teaching job. Amsterdam is served by Sterling airline (a Danish discount airline) and we have vouchers for travel somewhere in Europe due to an earlier cancellation. We have some close Dutch friends to give us advice, and my wife has a cousin living in Amsterdam. (There are some drawbacks too. It's not as exotic as Rome, Athens, Venice, or Barcelona.)
I've seen Amsterdam listed as one of the top 10 marathons in the world. It is a big race, which can make the logistics interesting (I've heard to choose a smaller race for a first marathon). However, my uncle will be flying from Florida to run the race too. He's run somewhere around twenty marathons, some of them quite far from his home, so he should be a pro at the logistics.
After picking the race, I only had to train for it (in twenty weeks). I chose Hal Higdon's Intermediate I training program as a reasonable program. It's not a huge jump in difficulty from his novice programs (basically it lets you get one more 20 miler than the Novice II program; and it has a day of cross training instead of a rest day). The program is an 18 week program, so I quick ramped up over two weeks.
My goal for the race is really just to finish it. I've picked 4 hours as a target time, but only because the training program has "pace" runs run at marathon pace, so I had to pick something. I think if I get the distance in to complete the race, 4 hours is realistic.
Now, I've just finished week two of the program. There are sixteen weeks until the race. My long run is up to 9 miles, and my weekly mileage for the last week has reached just over 25 miles.
Four weeks ago, at the beginning of June, I decided I wanted to complete a marathon and this time I would really do it. I checked the calendar for fall marathons in Europe. The Amsterdam marathon stood out for a bunch of reasons. It is the second Sunday of the fall school vacation in Aarhus, so my wife would have the week leading up to it off from her teaching job. Amsterdam is served by Sterling airline (a Danish discount airline) and we have vouchers for travel somewhere in Europe due to an earlier cancellation. We have some close Dutch friends to give us advice, and my wife has a cousin living in Amsterdam. (There are some drawbacks too. It's not as exotic as Rome, Athens, Venice, or Barcelona.)
I've seen Amsterdam listed as one of the top 10 marathons in the world. It is a big race, which can make the logistics interesting (I've heard to choose a smaller race for a first marathon). However, my uncle will be flying from Florida to run the race too. He's run somewhere around twenty marathons, some of them quite far from his home, so he should be a pro at the logistics.
After picking the race, I only had to train for it (in twenty weeks). I chose Hal Higdon's Intermediate I training program as a reasonable program. It's not a huge jump in difficulty from his novice programs (basically it lets you get one more 20 miler than the Novice II program; and it has a day of cross training instead of a rest day). The program is an 18 week program, so I quick ramped up over two weeks.
My goal for the race is really just to finish it. I've picked 4 hours as a target time, but only because the training program has "pace" runs run at marathon pace, so I had to pick something. I think if I get the distance in to complete the race, 4 hours is realistic.
Now, I've just finished week two of the program. There are sixteen weeks until the race. My long run is up to 9 miles, and my weekly mileage for the last week has reached just over 25 miles.
Long run: 9+ miles
9.1 miles (14.67 km) | 1:25:58 | 9:26/mile (5:52/km)
This week's long run was to be nine miles. I made it a bit longer, because I ran down to the corner of a park that was a convenient place to turn around. I ran from my house almost all the way to the north end of Risskov, a forest/park near Aarhus. As my long runs get longer, I'll be able to turn a lap of Risskov.
I ran the first half in 41:15 and the second half in 44:44. That's a 9:03/mile pace for the first half and 9:49/mile for the second half. My legs, especially my quadriceps, were having trouble turning over fast enough for the last two miles (I ran the last kilometer at a 10:00/mile pace). The last 5 km is gently uphill, with the second to last kilometer having a bit larger hill. Still, my pace fell off quite a bit in the second half.
Tomorrow will be an off day (I'll probably bike into the city and back both today and tomorrow, and pushing the lawnmower is a bit of a cross training workout). I get a reprieve from long runs next week, where my "long run" on Saturday is only six miles. The week after that is an 11-miler which I will probably have to run on Sunday morning in Copenhagen before boarding a noon flight to New York. And the week after that is a 12-miler that will be somewhere in Michigan where I'm stopping in to visit my Dad. My first Saturday back after that is a 9-miler. So that is to say that It'll be five weeks before I actually have a chance to run all the way to Risskov.
This week's long run was to be nine miles. I made it a bit longer, because I ran down to the corner of a park that was a convenient place to turn around. I ran from my house almost all the way to the north end of Risskov, a forest/park near Aarhus. As my long runs get longer, I'll be able to turn a lap of Risskov.
I ran the first half in 41:15 and the second half in 44:44. That's a 9:03/mile pace for the first half and 9:49/mile for the second half. My legs, especially my quadriceps, were having trouble turning over fast enough for the last two miles (I ran the last kilometer at a 10:00/mile pace). The last 5 km is gently uphill, with the second to last kilometer having a bit larger hill. Still, my pace fell off quite a bit in the second half.
Tomorrow will be an off day (I'll probably bike into the city and back both today and tomorrow, and pushing the lawnmower is a bit of a cross training workout). I get a reprieve from long runs next week, where my "long run" on Saturday is only six miles. The week after that is an 11-miler which I will probably have to run on Sunday morning in Copenhagen before boarding a noon flight to New York. And the week after that is a 12-miler that will be somewhere in Michigan where I'm stopping in to visit my Dad. My first Saturday back after that is a 9-miler. So that is to say that It'll be five weeks before I actually have a chance to run all the way to Risskov.
Friday, June 27, 2008
5 miles
5 miles (8 km) | 45:27 | 9:05/mile (5:41/km)
Today was just a regular five mile run. It was not supposed to be a pace run. Those are every other Friday, and I skipped last Friday's due to a cold and sore knees.
However, I actually did run this one at marathon pace, without really trying or paying attention to the time. I didn't even stop my watch at each kilometer mark, so I only have the total time.
I might revise my goal for the race to be faster than four hours as the race gets nearer, but for now, I'm still targeting primarily to finish and then to finish with a time under 4:00:00.
It's rainy here today. I ran in a drizzle this morning. Tomorrow is scheduled for a nine miler. I will either run that tomorrow, or if the weather suddenly looks good, go to Legoland instead and move the long run to Sunday.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
5K easy
3.1 miles (5 km) | 27:50 | 8:50/mile (5:34/km)
Today was an easy three miler after work. I keep getting faster on these easy runs, but I don't think I'm putting in much more effort. I must be getting stronger from the mileage, and I'm also concentrating on efficient running form.
My last three 5 km runs, since Salt Lake City, have been 30:00, 28:05, and now 27:50.
Tomorrow is a rest day. Friday is a five miler. Friday I will switch back to running in the morning, before work. My long run for the weekend is a nine miler (again, longest of the year so far). It is scheduled for Saturday, but it might move to Sunday. If it doesn't rain on Saturday, I will probably go to Legoland with my wife and son instead and move the long run to Sunday.
Today was an easy three miler after work. I keep getting faster on these easy runs, but I don't think I'm putting in much more effort. I must be getting stronger from the mileage, and I'm also concentrating on efficient running form.
My last three 5 km runs, since Salt Lake City, have been 30:00, 28:05, and now 27:50.
Tomorrow is a rest day. Friday is a five miler. Friday I will switch back to running in the morning, before work. My long run for the weekend is a nine miler (again, longest of the year so far). It is scheduled for Saturday, but it might move to Sunday. If it doesn't rain on Saturday, I will probably go to Legoland with my wife and son instead and move the long run to Sunday.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Afternoon 5 mile run
5 miles (8 km) | 43:59 | 8:48/mile (5:30/km)
I tried something different today. Instead of running in the morning before work, I tried running in the afternoon after work. I noticed in my stretching that I was quite a bit tighter in the morning when I wake up (even after stretching) than in the evening before bed. I also thought it would be easier as my weekday runs got longer to run in the afternoon. Since it doesn't usually get too hot in Denmark, I thought it might be worth a try.
After one day, I don't think I like it. The problem is the bicycle ride home from work. I usually ride pretty hard (I want to get home), and that tires my legs too much. It's better to run in the morning with fresh legs, and then ride after my run.
I will run tomorrow after work so that I don't have two runs too close together, and then after my rest day on Thursday I will shift my run back to the morning.
I also tried some harder running. My legs felt good and I was getting sick of plugging along at 9:40/mile all the time. Since I skipped my pace run last week, and the Friday run this week is just a plain old five miler (not a pace run), I decided to run some harder intervals.
At each kilometer mark, starting after 1 km, I ran harder for 90 seconds, followed by running easy to the next kilometer mark. The pace I ran at was somewhere around what I imagine my 5K pace would be (but I'm not sure, because I don't know how far I ran each time). Then, for the last kilometer to home, I ran harder for 90 seconds, then even harder for 90 seconds, then another notch harder until home.
My kilometer splits were (if I hit my watch at the right spot) 5:39, 5:23, 4:51, 5:40, 5:52, 5:37, 6:04, and 4:53. That works out to a pace in minutes per mile for each split of 9:05, 8:40, 7:48, 9:07, 9:26, 9:03, 9:47, and 7:52. On this 8 km out-and-back run to the south end of the Egå Engsø (a man-made lake near my house), the second kilometer is downhill (and the seventh uphill).
I might try some more focused speed work (strides? intervals?) after I get back from my US vacation in the end of July. I had thought to run hills, but I'm pretty sure I won't do that. I don't want to try it before my knees are used to the distance I'm adding to them. And, since I've registered for the Amsterdam marathon, I don't suppose I actually need to be able to handle hills for the race.
Tomorrow is 3 miles easy.
I tried something different today. Instead of running in the morning before work, I tried running in the afternoon after work. I noticed in my stretching that I was quite a bit tighter in the morning when I wake up (even after stretching) than in the evening before bed. I also thought it would be easier as my weekday runs got longer to run in the afternoon. Since it doesn't usually get too hot in Denmark, I thought it might be worth a try.
After one day, I don't think I like it. The problem is the bicycle ride home from work. I usually ride pretty hard (I want to get home), and that tires my legs too much. It's better to run in the morning with fresh legs, and then ride after my run.
I will run tomorrow after work so that I don't have two runs too close together, and then after my rest day on Thursday I will shift my run back to the morning.
I also tried some harder running. My legs felt good and I was getting sick of plugging along at 9:40/mile all the time. Since I skipped my pace run last week, and the Friday run this week is just a plain old five miler (not a pace run), I decided to run some harder intervals.
At each kilometer mark, starting after 1 km, I ran harder for 90 seconds, followed by running easy to the next kilometer mark. The pace I ran at was somewhere around what I imagine my 5K pace would be (but I'm not sure, because I don't know how far I ran each time). Then, for the last kilometer to home, I ran harder for 90 seconds, then even harder for 90 seconds, then another notch harder until home.
My kilometer splits were (if I hit my watch at the right spot) 5:39, 5:23, 4:51, 5:40, 5:52, 5:37, 6:04, and 4:53. That works out to a pace in minutes per mile for each split of 9:05, 8:40, 7:48, 9:07, 9:26, 9:03, 9:47, and 7:52. On this 8 km out-and-back run to the south end of the Egå Engsø (a man-made lake near my house), the second kilometer is downhill (and the seventh uphill).
I might try some more focused speed work (strides? intervals?) after I get back from my US vacation in the end of July. I had thought to run hills, but I'm pretty sure I won't do that. I don't want to try it before my knees are used to the distance I'm adding to them. And, since I've registered for the Amsterdam marathon, I don't suppose I actually need to be able to handle hills for the race.
Tomorrow is 3 miles easy.
Monday, June 23, 2008
5K easy
3.1 miles (5 km) | 28:05 | 9:03 / mile (5:37 / km)
Today was an easy three miler. Well, it felt easy, but it was a few seconds per mile under my target marathon pace (of 9:10 / mile), so it was more like a pace run. I concentrated on running the last kilometer with good form, and ran 5:32 with about the same effort as the rest of the run.
I know that I have too much up and down motion in my running form. This means I use more energy bouncing than going forward. That energy translates into a bigger impact on my joints with each step. When I concentrate on good form, I try to imagine that there is a ceiling just a couple of inches above my head and that I have to stay under it. I can tell when I am doing it right, because I move forward at a greater pace (and so my legs actually have to work harder to turn around faster---so I slip back into bad form when I'm tired).
It seems to me that I must look silly running so low to the ground, but the opposite is probably true (I look silly bouncing up and down like Tigger). I should have my wife videotape both strides so I can actually look at them.
I've been trying to concentrate on form because of the sore knees I developed last week. Today my knees felt much better. The were sore after the (half downhill) long run a week ago and the soreness lasted until the long run this past weekend. After two rest days on Thursday and Friday, they were still very sore on Saturday and I was afraid I had really hurt them. Then yesterday, they didn't feel bad at all, which was unexpected. Today, they hurt not really at all. The best thing about today's run was that I felt so normal.
A friend of mine just finished Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. It was her second marathon. She ran 4:26 something. Her goal was 4:22, but she had been sick and missed over a week of training (and one long run) about three weeks before the marathon. I think she did pretty good---she ran very even splits, with her times for the first 10K, the half, 20 miles, and 25 miles all averaging out to about the same pace.
Today was an easy three miler. Well, it felt easy, but it was a few seconds per mile under my target marathon pace (of 9:10 / mile), so it was more like a pace run. I concentrated on running the last kilometer with good form, and ran 5:32 with about the same effort as the rest of the run.
I know that I have too much up and down motion in my running form. This means I use more energy bouncing than going forward. That energy translates into a bigger impact on my joints with each step. When I concentrate on good form, I try to imagine that there is a ceiling just a couple of inches above my head and that I have to stay under it. I can tell when I am doing it right, because I move forward at a greater pace (and so my legs actually have to work harder to turn around faster---so I slip back into bad form when I'm tired).
It seems to me that I must look silly running so low to the ground, but the opposite is probably true (I look silly bouncing up and down like Tigger). I should have my wife videotape both strides so I can actually look at them.
I've been trying to concentrate on form because of the sore knees I developed last week. Today my knees felt much better. The were sore after the (half downhill) long run a week ago and the soreness lasted until the long run this past weekend. After two rest days on Thursday and Friday, they were still very sore on Saturday and I was afraid I had really hurt them. Then yesterday, they didn't feel bad at all, which was unexpected. Today, they hurt not really at all. The best thing about today's run was that I felt so normal.
A friend of mine just finished Grandma's Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota. It was her second marathon. She ran 4:26 something. Her goal was 4:22, but she had been sick and missed over a week of training (and one long run) about three weeks before the marathon. I think she did pretty good---she ran very even splits, with her times for the first 10K, the half, 20 miles, and 25 miles all averaging out to about the same pace.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
8.2 mile long run
8.2 miles (13.2 km) | 1:19:00 | 9:38/mile (5:59/km)
I did manage to make it out for my long run (again, the longest of the year so far). I went just over 8 miles and took just under 80 minutes. My pace per mile was just about the same as all of my training runs have been.
I ran the first half in 39:24 and the second half in 39:35, which is pretty good because the second half is gently uphill. I tried to push the last two kilometers a little bit but not to much. I ran 6:03 for the second-to-last kilometer (almost entirely uphill) and 5:40 for the last kilometer.
I am still getting over this cold, so my throat was dry and sore. My knees were still a little sore for about the first kilometer, but then they started to feel better.
About halfway through, I got soaked by a quick but heavy rainshower.
The first week of my training program is in the bag. I skipped one day (a 5 miler) due to sore knees and the cold, and I skipped a cross training day. I shuffled the other days around due to my transatlantic flight. I still got my long run in, which is the important one.
I don't think I will make any special effort to do any cross training tomorrow. Then I will run 3, 5, 3, rest, 5, and 9 (miles) for the rest of the week. The important thing next week is to get the 9 miler in and let my knees rest, so I may shorten the five milers to three, depending on how I feel those days.
17 weeks to Amsterdam.
I did manage to make it out for my long run (again, the longest of the year so far). I went just over 8 miles and took just under 80 minutes. My pace per mile was just about the same as all of my training runs have been.
I ran the first half in 39:24 and the second half in 39:35, which is pretty good because the second half is gently uphill. I tried to push the last two kilometers a little bit but not to much. I ran 6:03 for the second-to-last kilometer (almost entirely uphill) and 5:40 for the last kilometer.
I am still getting over this cold, so my throat was dry and sore. My knees were still a little sore for about the first kilometer, but then they started to feel better.
About halfway through, I got soaked by a quick but heavy rainshower.
The first week of my training program is in the bag. I skipped one day (a 5 miler) due to sore knees and the cold, and I skipped a cross training day. I shuffled the other days around due to my transatlantic flight. I still got my long run in, which is the important one.
I don't think I will make any special effort to do any cross training tomorrow. Then I will run 3, 5, 3, rest, 5, and 9 (miles) for the rest of the week. The important thing next week is to get the 9 miler in and let my knees rest, so I may shorten the five milers to three, depending on how I feel those days.
17 weeks to Amsterdam.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Unscheduled off day
I took today off. Two days ago, my first day back in Denmark, I started to come down with a cold. Probably I was exposed to something on one of the long airplane flights. As colds go, it's a pretty bad one with a lot of pressure in my head and aching in my joints.
My knees are still a little sore, too, so I want to take it easy on them. I had a five miler at marathon pace scheduled for today and an eight miler for tomorrow. This morning I decided that the eight miler was more important to the training program and so if I only run one of them it should be that one.
I felt so bad this morning that I didn't even want to ride my bike in to work, so I took the bus instead.
The plan at this point is to run eight miles tomorrow, and then do some cross training (probably a bike ride) on Sunday.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
5K easy, sore knees
3.1 miles (5k) | 30:00 | 9:41/mile (6:00/km)
Today was an easy 5k. My knees were still sore after returning from my trip to Salt Lake City. It didn't slow me down. I ran at my usual training pace.
I have been trying to read about running and sore knees. Several websites suggest that it is commonly caused by quadriceps that are too weak, calves and hamstrings that are too tight, or running downhill.
I was certainly running downhill a lot (half of each run) in Salt Lake City, and that's where my knees started hurting. So that's probably the big contributor. My legs are certainly not as flexible as they were when I was younger, either. I don't think my quadriceps are weak compared to the rest of my leg, because of the daily bicycle commute. I may have increased my mileage too much too fast---though I have been bicycling, I have not done any high-impact exercise in a long time.
For now, I'm going to try to stick to my program, but avoid running hills and stretch really well before and after each run, before going to bed, and an extra time on my off-day mornings.
This is the first week of the official marathon program, which means the race is less than 18 weeks away. Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day (the rest day on Tuesday was the cross-training day from Sunday, moved to Tuesday due to travel). Friday I am planning to run 5 miles at my marathon pace of 9:10/mile. Saturday is my long run (and longest of the year so far) of 8 miles.
Today was an easy 5k. My knees were still sore after returning from my trip to Salt Lake City. It didn't slow me down. I ran at my usual training pace.
I have been trying to read about running and sore knees. Several websites suggest that it is commonly caused by quadriceps that are too weak, calves and hamstrings that are too tight, or running downhill.
I was certainly running downhill a lot (half of each run) in Salt Lake City, and that's where my knees started hurting. So that's probably the big contributor. My legs are certainly not as flexible as they were when I was younger, either. I don't think my quadriceps are weak compared to the rest of my leg, because of the daily bicycle commute. I may have increased my mileage too much too fast---though I have been bicycling, I have not done any high-impact exercise in a long time.
For now, I'm going to try to stick to my program, but avoid running hills and stretch really well before and after each run, before going to bed, and an extra time on my off-day mornings.
This is the first week of the official marathon program, which means the race is less than 18 weeks away. Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day (the rest day on Tuesday was the cross-training day from Sunday, moved to Tuesday due to travel). Friday I am planning to run 5 miles at my marathon pace of 9:10/mile. Saturday is my long run (and longest of the year so far) of 8 miles.
Monday, June 16, 2008
30 minutes & 47:30
Sunday morning I drove up to the capitol building (west) side of Memory Grove Park, parked on the street, and run up to the City Creek Canyon area for 15 minutes. When I turned around, I ran down into Memory Grove Park from its top (north) end. I stopped after an even 30 minutes.
From where I stopped down in the valley, I couldn't get directly back up to the top where I was parked. Instead, I walked south through the park until I got to the first street that curved back around to my car. Walking through the park in the morning was nice, anyway.
My knees were a little sore when I started on Sunday, after my long run the day before, but they felt better as I ran (or else my body got acclimated to the soreness so I no longer noticed it).
Today, Monday, I drove right up to the gate on City Creek Canyon Road, parked, and ran up the road for 25 minutes and then turned around and headed back downhill. My total time, due to the downhill second half, was 47:30.
Again, both knees were a little sore when I started but felt better within the first half mile (800 meters). They don't hurt at all when I'm just doing normal things (sitting, walking around, etc). In fact, they feel just like regular knees except for the first few minutes of my run on Sunday and Monday.
Tomorrow is an off day due to travel, so that's good. I'll try to read about knee pain and running and see what I think. They were also sore a few months ago when I first moved farther out of town and my daily bike ride went from 2 km to 11 km each way. After a week or so of riding, the soreness went away. Maybe this is the same sort of thing (increasing my distance a little too much too fast), but I'll be careful about it.
Salt Lake City was a pretty nice city to run in. The next time I'll be on the road to run is when I come to New York City in July.
From where I stopped down in the valley, I couldn't get directly back up to the top where I was parked. Instead, I walked south through the park until I got to the first street that curved back around to my car. Walking through the park in the morning was nice, anyway.
My knees were a little sore when I started on Sunday, after my long run the day before, but they felt better as I ran (or else my body got acclimated to the soreness so I no longer noticed it).
Today, Monday, I drove right up to the gate on City Creek Canyon Road, parked, and ran up the road for 25 minutes and then turned around and headed back downhill. My total time, due to the downhill second half, was 47:30.
Again, both knees were a little sore when I started but felt better within the first half mile (800 meters). They don't hurt at all when I'm just doing normal things (sitting, walking around, etc). In fact, they feel just like regular knees except for the first few minutes of my run on Sunday and Monday.
Tomorrow is an off day due to travel, so that's good. I'll try to read about knee pain and running and see what I think. They were also sore a few months ago when I first moved farther out of town and my daily bike ride went from 2 km to 11 km each way. After a week or so of riding, the soreness went away. Maybe this is the same sort of thing (increasing my distance a little too much too fast), but I'll be careful about it.
Salt Lake City was a pretty nice city to run in. The next time I'll be on the road to run is when I come to New York City in July.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
58:19
Friday was a scheduled off day. Saturday was my longest run so far of the year. I ran 58 minutes and 19 seconds.
I'm staying in Salt Lake City for the weekend for a meeting. I found the website www.run.com which has running routes "worldwide". In Salt Lake City, one of the recommended runs was to run up City Creek Road.
City Creek Road goes north out of the city from a park called Memory Grove Park. Memory Grove Park is right beside the state capitol building. I didn't think I could set the GPS in my rental car to just the road, so instead I set it for Memory Grove Park. That was a small mistake. The GPS took me to the capitol side of the park (which was a nice tour of Salt Lake City). The park is a deep canyon, City Creek Canyon. From where I parked, it didn't look like I could get directly across the canyon. There was a road that went north from where I parked across from the capitol, but it didn't look like it would take me to where I wanted to go. This road was one-way, so I couldn't drive down it either.
So, I got back in the car to try again. This time, I tried "City Creek Road" on the GPS, and it gave me a route. I parked at the corner of B and 11th Avenue, right at the foot of City Creek Road. The road is one-way, with a wide bike and pedestrian lane. After maybe a kilometer, the road makes a big U and heads back on the other side of the canyon---it was the same road that I parked at on the other side of the park. So I could have run from my original parking place, but I think it's a bit longer from that side of the park.
At the curve of the U is a road that goes off to the north. There is a gate across the road and signs about the road being impassable (to cars), so I didn't immediately recognize that it was where I wanted to go. I ran up and down this little stretch before deciding that it was what I wanted. When I got closer, I could see that bikes and pedestrians can enter. In fact, I could have driven that far and parked right there too.
After that (before that, too), the run was beautiful. The sun was just rising, so I was in shadow in the valley but the west wall of the valley (and the south one after a curve) was in the sun. The route was uphill, but it seemed gentle. At least, my legs felt great running uphill.
I turned around after 32 minutes. The run back downhill took just over 26 minutes. It was faster even though it was the second half because it was all downhill, and also because I didn't include the extra trip up and down the short access road to the trail.
I don't regret parking a little farther away, either. On the way back down to my car I had a beautiful view from above the state capitol building looking down on the city.
I had left my hotel at about 6 AM (the sun was just barely up, not like Denmark at this time of year), and was back around 7:30 (with the extra driving).
It was a great run. It made me glad I've chosen this sport: it was so nice to land in a strange city and find a beautiful place like this to run for an hour.
I plan to run 30 minutes Sunday (today) and 50 minutes on Monday. Both days, I will just go back to the same place. Tuesday will be an off day because I fly back on Monday afternoon and won't get home until Tuesday afternoon.
I'm staying in Salt Lake City for the weekend for a meeting. I found the website www.run.com which has running routes "worldwide". In Salt Lake City, one of the recommended runs was to run up City Creek Road.
City Creek Road goes north out of the city from a park called Memory Grove Park. Memory Grove Park is right beside the state capitol building. I didn't think I could set the GPS in my rental car to just the road, so instead I set it for Memory Grove Park. That was a small mistake. The GPS took me to the capitol side of the park (which was a nice tour of Salt Lake City). The park is a deep canyon, City Creek Canyon. From where I parked, it didn't look like I could get directly across the canyon. There was a road that went north from where I parked across from the capitol, but it didn't look like it would take me to where I wanted to go. This road was one-way, so I couldn't drive down it either.
So, I got back in the car to try again. This time, I tried "City Creek Road" on the GPS, and it gave me a route. I parked at the corner of B and 11th Avenue, right at the foot of City Creek Road. The road is one-way, with a wide bike and pedestrian lane. After maybe a kilometer, the road makes a big U and heads back on the other side of the canyon---it was the same road that I parked at on the other side of the park. So I could have run from my original parking place, but I think it's a bit longer from that side of the park.
At the curve of the U is a road that goes off to the north. There is a gate across the road and signs about the road being impassable (to cars), so I didn't immediately recognize that it was where I wanted to go. I ran up and down this little stretch before deciding that it was what I wanted. When I got closer, I could see that bikes and pedestrians can enter. In fact, I could have driven that far and parked right there too.
After that (before that, too), the run was beautiful. The sun was just rising, so I was in shadow in the valley but the west wall of the valley (and the south one after a curve) was in the sun. The route was uphill, but it seemed gentle. At least, my legs felt great running uphill.
I turned around after 32 minutes. The run back downhill took just over 26 minutes. It was faster even though it was the second half because it was all downhill, and also because I didn't include the extra trip up and down the short access road to the trail.
I don't regret parking a little farther away, either. On the way back down to my car I had a beautiful view from above the state capitol building looking down on the city.
I had left my hotel at about 6 AM (the sun was just barely up, not like Denmark at this time of year), and was back around 7:30 (with the extra driving).
It was a great run. It made me glad I've chosen this sport: it was so nice to land in a strange city and find a beautiful place like this to run for an hour.
I plan to run 30 minutes Sunday (today) and 50 minutes on Monday. Both days, I will just go back to the same place. Tuesday will be an off day because I fly back on Monday afternoon and won't get home until Tuesday afternoon.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
6.5 km at marathon pace
4 miles (6.5 km) | 36:38 | 9:03/mile (5:38/km)
My target pace for a four hour marathon is 9:10/mile or 5:41/km. I was pretty close today. I also wanted to run even splits (the same time for each km). There was some operator error with my watch, so I didn't get splits for all the kilometers. I ran the first three in 5:35, 5:23, and 5:58. I'm not sure that the km marks are exact (I took them from my route online). The third one is partly uphill, so it might be right. Then, I ran a half kilometer (the 0.25 km of my 3.25 km out-and-back, twice) in 2:47, a 5:34/km pace. I forgot to stop my watch at the next km mark, but I had 11:18 for the next two, or 5:39/km. The final one was 5:38.
So my average and my splits were mostly in the 5:35 - 5:39 range, about what I was targeting.
Tomorrow is a scheduled off day. The training program I'm following has two hard runs per week: a pace run on Friday followed by a long run on Saturday. Those runs are intentionally back-to-back to tire you out for the long run. This week, due to travel (to Salt Lake City) all day Friday and a busy schedule in Salt Lake City, I have split the two hard runs.
There is also a scheduled cross training day on Sunday, but I'm going to change that to a rest day and move it to Tuesday. The start of the official 18-week marathon program is Sunday. The first two days are a three miler and a five miler. Since I'll be on the road, I will run 60 minutes on Saturday (approximately 6 miles), 30 minutes on Sunday, and 50 minutes on Monday. I will also not get my 60 minutes of daily bicycling on Friday, Monday, or Tuesday. However, I will have two layovers each way. Maybe I can count walking from airport gate to airport gate with a carry-on bag as cross-training.
My target pace for a four hour marathon is 9:10/mile or 5:41/km. I was pretty close today. I also wanted to run even splits (the same time for each km). There was some operator error with my watch, so I didn't get splits for all the kilometers. I ran the first three in 5:35, 5:23, and 5:58. I'm not sure that the km marks are exact (I took them from my route online). The third one is partly uphill, so it might be right. Then, I ran a half kilometer (the 0.25 km of my 3.25 km out-and-back, twice) in 2:47, a 5:34/km pace. I forgot to stop my watch at the next km mark, but I had 11:18 for the next two, or 5:39/km. The final one was 5:38.
So my average and my splits were mostly in the 5:35 - 5:39 range, about what I was targeting.
Tomorrow is a scheduled off day. The training program I'm following has two hard runs per week: a pace run on Friday followed by a long run on Saturday. Those runs are intentionally back-to-back to tire you out for the long run. This week, due to travel (to Salt Lake City) all day Friday and a busy schedule in Salt Lake City, I have split the two hard runs.
There is also a scheduled cross training day on Sunday, but I'm going to change that to a rest day and move it to Tuesday. The start of the official 18-week marathon program is Sunday. The first two days are a three miler and a five miler. Since I'll be on the road, I will run 60 minutes on Saturday (approximately 6 miles), 30 minutes on Sunday, and 50 minutes on Monday. I will also not get my 60 minutes of daily bicycling on Friday, Monday, or Tuesday. However, I will have two layovers each way. Maybe I can count walking from airport gate to airport gate with a carry-on bag as cross-training.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
4.5 km easy
2.8 miles (4.5 km) | 26:06 | 9:19/mile (5:48/km)
Today was an easy day. I was supposed to run 5 km, but it started a cold drizzle after about 3 km. I started thinking about the rain and completely forgot about a turn I had to make to cross to the other side of the road and go down a parallel trail. Thus I unintentionally cut about 500 meters off my run.
I ran (nearly) the same loop as Monday but in the opposite direction. That probably contributed to forgetting my turn.
I didn't realize I had cut out some distance until I got home and tried to figure out what my pace was. I ran faster than on Monday, for the same perceived effort, but not that much faster.
Tomorrow I will run a pace run over the same 6.5 km as Tuesday. I will try to run 5:41 per km, which works out to 9:10 per mile and a four hour marathon.
Today was an easy day. I was supposed to run 5 km, but it started a cold drizzle after about 3 km. I started thinking about the rain and completely forgot about a turn I had to make to cross to the other side of the road and go down a parallel trail. Thus I unintentionally cut about 500 meters off my run.
I ran (nearly) the same loop as Monday but in the opposite direction. That probably contributed to forgetting my turn.
I didn't realize I had cut out some distance until I got home and tried to figure out what my pace was. I ran faster than on Monday, for the same perceived effort, but not that much faster.
Tomorrow I will run a pace run over the same 6.5 km as Tuesday. I will try to run 5:41 per km, which works out to 9:10 per mile and a four hour marathon.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
6.5 km
4 miles (6.5 km) | 39:10 | 9:40/mile (6:01/km)
Today I ran an out-and-back 6.5 km. My pace was nearly the same as yesterday, but my legs felt a little dead today. I'm leery of ramping up my weekly mileage too fast when I'm just starting. Though I'm following a training plan, I will feel free to reduce some of the distances (except for the long runs) at least at the start.
My uncle has registered to run the Amsterdam marathon as well. That will be nice to see him there. It will also motivate me to stick with my training plan.
I'm still biking about 13 miles (round trip) per day. Yesterday, half of that was pretty hard (uphill in the morning, and I was late for a meeting). So, in addition to my running training, I have two 25 or 30 minute cross-training sessions per day.
Tomorrow I'll run the same loop as Monday (to compare my pace) and Thursday I'll run the same out-and-back as today. Thursday is a pace run. I'm still targeting 4 hours, so I'll run at a 9:09/mile pace. I found a pace calculator at Macmillan Running that I think is pretty good. It indicates that my 4 hour marathon target is equivalent to a 51:08 10K, and that I should be running 9:40 to 10:10/mile on my easy runs.
Today I ran an out-and-back 6.5 km. My pace was nearly the same as yesterday, but my legs felt a little dead today. I'm leery of ramping up my weekly mileage too fast when I'm just starting. Though I'm following a training plan, I will feel free to reduce some of the distances (except for the long runs) at least at the start.
My uncle has registered to run the Amsterdam marathon as well. That will be nice to see him there. It will also motivate me to stick with my training plan.
I'm still biking about 13 miles (round trip) per day. Yesterday, half of that was pretty hard (uphill in the morning, and I was late for a meeting). So, in addition to my running training, I have two 25 or 30 minute cross-training sessions per day.
Tomorrow I'll run the same loop as Monday (to compare my pace) and Thursday I'll run the same out-and-back as today. Thursday is a pace run. I'm still targeting 4 hours, so I'll run at a 9:09/mile pace. I found a pace calculator at Macmillan Running that I think is pretty good. It indicates that my 4 hour marathon target is equivalent to a 51:08 10K, and that I should be running 9:40 to 10:10/mile on my easy runs.
Monday, June 9, 2008
5K easy
3.1 miles (5 km) | 30:12 | 9:44/mile (6:02/km)
Today was just an easy 5K. I found a loop around my neighborhood that was exactly 5 km on the online løberute planlægger (Danish: "running route planner"). The pace I ran today, 6 minutes per km, is about my "easy" running pace.
I ran earlier today, about 7:15. The kids in the neighborhood were all bicycling to school, so there was a lot of traffic on the walking/bicycling trails.
I wore my Adidas shoes. I have two pairs of running shoes, and I alternate them. I'll sometimes write in this journal which pair of shoes I've worn so I can keep track.
My calves are a little sore after two harder days running and a long bike ride in the last three days. I am also not nearly as flexible as I was in high school. So, I am starting a flexibility routine too, where I run through about 15-20 minutes of stretching before bed (and after my runs, too).
Today was just an easy 5K. I found a loop around my neighborhood that was exactly 5 km on the online løberute planlægger (Danish: "running route planner"). The pace I ran today, 6 minutes per km, is about my "easy" running pace.
I ran earlier today, about 7:15. The kids in the neighborhood were all bicycling to school, so there was a lot of traffic on the walking/bicycling trails.
I wore my Adidas shoes. I have two pairs of running shoes, and I alternate them. I'll sometimes write in this journal which pair of shoes I've worn so I can keep track.
My calves are a little sore after two harder days running and a long bike ride in the last three days. I am also not nearly as flexible as I was in high school. So, I am starting a flexibility routine too, where I run through about 15-20 minutes of stretching before bed (and after my runs, too).
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Cross training
Today was cross training. I cycled with my wife and son to the beach south of Aarhus, laid out and waded in the water for a while, and then rode back. I carried our son in his child seat on my bike.
Distance was 39.3 km (24.4 miles). Total time was 2:32:02. We didn't go too fast. We averaged 15.5 km/h (9.6 mph) with a top speed of 36.6 km/h (22.7 mph).
Temps have been high here lately. They have reached 30 (86 degrees F) for the last few days.
The plan for the upcoming week is to run 3, 4, and 3 miles on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday respectively. Thursday is supposed to be a scheduled rest day and Friday is a 4 mile run at marathon pace (which I will have to start adjusting downward, ie, faster, soon). I think I will switch these two days (running 4 miles on Thursday, resting on Friday). I am traveling to Salt Lake City for a meeting on the weekend, and have to be on the bus to the airport at 6:35 on Friday morning.
For my long run, I will increase my mileage by one from this past week and run six miles. In Salt Lake City. Jet lagged. Sunday I will find a way to do cross training. There is a pool at my hotel, or else I will just take a really brisk walk.
The Hal Higdon Intermediate I program I will be following starts officially the week after that.
Distance was 39.3 km (24.4 miles). Total time was 2:32:02. We didn't go too fast. We averaged 15.5 km/h (9.6 mph) with a top speed of 36.6 km/h (22.7 mph).
Temps have been high here lately. They have reached 30 (86 degrees F) for the last few days.
The plan for the upcoming week is to run 3, 4, and 3 miles on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday respectively. Thursday is supposed to be a scheduled rest day and Friday is a 4 mile run at marathon pace (which I will have to start adjusting downward, ie, faster, soon). I think I will switch these two days (running 4 miles on Thursday, resting on Friday). I am traveling to Salt Lake City for a meeting on the weekend, and have to be on the bus to the airport at 6:35 on Friday morning.
For my long run, I will increase my mileage by one from this past week and run six miles. In Salt Lake City. Jet lagged. Sunday I will find a way to do cross training. There is a pool at my hotel, or else I will just take a really brisk walk.
The Hal Higdon Intermediate I program I will be following starts officially the week after that.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
LSD
5 miles (8 km) | 44:14 | 8:51/mile (5:32/km)
Today was long, slow distance. At five miles, it is my longest run of the year. It was a good run for several reasons.
First, I felt very good running. Though I haven't been running since we moved at the first of April until now, I have been riding my bike 13 or 14 miles a day five days a week (in two "workouts", my morning commute and my afternoon commute). That has given me a good base. I spend about 45 minutes on the bike per day, so a 45 minute run is not too bad. Also, since I started my training program (four runs ago!) I have not walked on any of my runs. Usually I have to mix in some walking when I am starting.
I ran down the the south side of the lake near us and back. At the halfway point my time was 21:10 (an 8:28/mile pace) and my split for the second half was 23:04 (a 9:14/mile pace). I considered trying to push it the last half, but stuck to my plan of a long run. Since my longest run of the year so far, at an easy pace, is under my marathon target pace, I can see that is completely realistic for me to run sub-4 hours (provided I stick to the program and get the mileage in to actually run a whole marathon).
Finally, it was a good run because I went out and did it. I didn't start until about 9:30 in the morning and the day had already become hot. It would have been too easy to put it off in favor of errands (grocery shopping, mowing lawn) and try to get it in later in the day. If I did that, though, it would be too easy to not do it at all. Putting an unscheduled day off on your long-run day is not a good recipe for success.
Tomorrow is cross training. I have convinced my wife to take a 41 km (25.5 mile, almost marathon distance) bike ride in two installments. We will ride to the Moesgaard beach south of the city, spend the morning and early afternoon on the beach, and then ride back.
Today was long, slow distance. At five miles, it is my longest run of the year. It was a good run for several reasons.
First, I felt very good running. Though I haven't been running since we moved at the first of April until now, I have been riding my bike 13 or 14 miles a day five days a week (in two "workouts", my morning commute and my afternoon commute). That has given me a good base. I spend about 45 minutes on the bike per day, so a 45 minute run is not too bad. Also, since I started my training program (four runs ago!) I have not walked on any of my runs. Usually I have to mix in some walking when I am starting.
I ran down the the south side of the lake near us and back. At the halfway point my time was 21:10 (an 8:28/mile pace) and my split for the second half was 23:04 (a 9:14/mile pace). I considered trying to push it the last half, but stuck to my plan of a long run. Since my longest run of the year so far, at an easy pace, is under my marathon target pace, I can see that is completely realistic for me to run sub-4 hours (provided I stick to the program and get the mileage in to actually run a whole marathon).
Finally, it was a good run because I went out and did it. I didn't start until about 9:30 in the morning and the day had already become hot. It would have been too easy to put it off in favor of errands (grocery shopping, mowing lawn) and try to get it in later in the day. If I did that, though, it would be too easy to not do it at all. Putting an unscheduled day off on your long-run day is not a good recipe for success.
Tomorrow is cross training. I have convinced my wife to take a 41 km (25.5 mile, almost marathon distance) bike ride in two installments. We will ride to the Moesgaard beach south of the city, spend the morning and early afternoon on the beach, and then ride back.
Friday, June 6, 2008
"Pace" run
2.8 miles (4.5 km) | 24:10 | 8:38/mile (5:22/km)
My current goal is to finish a marathon, and I'd like to run sub-4 hours. The training program I'm (loosely) following has a pace run at marathon pace once per week. The run comes on Saturday in the program, but I've shifted the entire program one day to move the long runs to Saturday and leave Sunday as a cross-training day. (I have a lot of travel planned on Sundays already this summer.)
For my little 4.5 km run around the "block", I was targeting 25:35, which is a 9:09/mile pace. I was under that, but I pushed the last half kilometer or so just to see how it felt. My big goal was just to make sure I got out and ran. I don't want to skip days (at least not in the first month before I develop the habit).
I've registered for the Amsterdam marathon, which is October 19. That puts it about 20 weeks out from when I started the training program. I was also targeting that weekend (or the one before) because they are the two weekends of the fall vacation (efterårsferie) in Denmark so the whole family could travel with me. We had a vacation flight canceled on us in May, so we have vouchers for another flight to somewhere in Europe.
That means, if I can stick to my training program, that our fall vacation will be to Amsterdam.
My current goal is to finish a marathon, and I'd like to run sub-4 hours. The training program I'm (loosely) following has a pace run at marathon pace once per week. The run comes on Saturday in the program, but I've shifted the entire program one day to move the long runs to Saturday and leave Sunday as a cross-training day. (I have a lot of travel planned on Sundays already this summer.)
For my little 4.5 km run around the "block", I was targeting 25:35, which is a 9:09/mile pace. I was under that, but I pushed the last half kilometer or so just to see how it felt. My big goal was just to make sure I got out and ran. I don't want to skip days (at least not in the first month before I develop the habit).
I've registered for the Amsterdam marathon, which is October 19. That puts it about 20 weeks out from when I started the training program. I was also targeting that weekend (or the one before) because they are the two weekends of the fall vacation (efterårsferie) in Denmark so the whole family could travel with me. We had a vacation flight canceled on us in May, so we have vouchers for another flight to somewhere in Europe.
That means, if I can stick to my training program, that our fall vacation will be to Amsterdam.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Back in the saddle
I've just started running again. I dropped my earlier training program due to (a) cold weather, (b) short days with dark mornings and nights, (c) moving to a new house, and (d) a bunch of travel.
I'm still targeting finishing a fall marathon, though. I'm trying to follow Hal Higdon's Intermediate I marathon training program. The program will start on June 15, just over a week from now. Initially, I will run less mileage than the program asks and hope to ramp it up to closely follow the program. The reason I'm not following one of the novice programs is that I want to run five days a week with one rest day and one cross training day (compared to four days a week with two rest days and a cross training day).
I ran 3.3 km (2 miles) on Tuesday. I have forgotten the time, but it was 17 something for somewhere between 8 and 9 minutes per mile pace.
I ran 4.5 km (2.7 miles) on Wednesday. Time was 26:21 for a 9:45 per mile pace.
I took Thursday as a scheduled off day and will run tomorrow (Friday). The plan is to run the same 4.5 km loop and try to do it at a 9:09 pace (which would be a 4 hour marathon pace). That works out to 25:35 as a target for tomorrow.
I'm still targeting finishing a fall marathon, though. I'm trying to follow Hal Higdon's Intermediate I marathon training program. The program will start on June 15, just over a week from now. Initially, I will run less mileage than the program asks and hope to ramp it up to closely follow the program. The reason I'm not following one of the novice programs is that I want to run five days a week with one rest day and one cross training day (compared to four days a week with two rest days and a cross training day).
I ran 3.3 km (2 miles) on Tuesday. I have forgotten the time, but it was 17 something for somewhere between 8 and 9 minutes per mile pace.
I ran 4.5 km (2.7 miles) on Wednesday. Time was 26:21 for a 9:45 per mile pace.
I took Thursday as a scheduled off day and will run tomorrow (Friday). The plan is to run the same 4.5 km loop and try to do it at a 9:09 pace (which would be a 4 hour marathon pace). That works out to 25:35 as a target for tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)