3.1 miles (5 km) | 28:14 | 9:07/mile (5:39/km)
I went five kilometers at about the same pace as Monday.
My left knee is still sore. I stretched this morning before my run, and my legs were really tight. When my knees hurt before, I was stretching twice a day morning and night and additionally after every run. Then, when my knees suddenly stopped hurting, I was so excited that I completely stopped stretching at all.
So perhaps the knee soreness that has been dogging me for the last week and a half is the same issue and due to lack of flexibility. I'll get back to a stretching routine and see if it helps.
I seem to have been able to drastically alter my "natural" running form with just a couple weeks of attention to it. For the last kilometer today, I concentrated on lengthening my stride by pushing off behind and turning my legs over a little faster. For about the same perceived effort, I ran 5:24 (faster than my average) for the last kilometer.
Tomorrow is a scheduled rest day, with stretching. Friday is a six miler at marathon pace. I will take Saturday off. I am taking my family on the ferry to Copenhagen first thing in the morning, and spending the day at the Tivoli amusement park and the night in a hotel in Copenhagen. Sunday, I will run 11 miles around and about Copenhagen before heading to the airport for a 12:20 flight to New York for two weeks of vacation.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
10 km
6.2 miles (10 km) | 56:43 | 9:09/mile (5:40/km)
Ten kilometers today. It turned out to be at my target marathon pace for a four hour marathon. My pace was pretty even, running 5:40, 5:37, 5:28, 5:33 (average for kilometers 4 and 5), 5:38 (average for kilometers 6 and 7), 5:40, 6:08, and 5:47. The second to the last kilometer, run in 6:08, is almost entirely uphill.
My left knee has been sore. It stiffens up when I'm sitting around at work and hurts a little when I'm walking around. It doesn't hurt when I run. Today, I noticed that my let shin is also a little sore when running. There is also a pair of bones in the top of my left foot that sometimes get out of joint somehow and hurts a little from the odd pressure on it. If I stop and twist my foot a little bit, it pops back with a click and feels better after that (popping it back doesn't feel so good). I have had this for at least ten years. When I used to do hiking and backpacking with forty or more pounds in my pack, the foot would do this all the time.
The last two days, I've noticed my foot behaving oddly in this way on my run. I wonder if my knee pain in my left knee is due to compensating by running differently on my left foot.
I think my running form has improved over the last few weeks since I began trying to be conscious about it. I still don't know if it's good (and my knee started hurting after I changed it), but it definitely feels strange to run with my old bouncy stride.
Ten kilometers today. It turned out to be at my target marathon pace for a four hour marathon. My pace was pretty even, running 5:40, 5:37, 5:28, 5:33 (average for kilometers 4 and 5), 5:38 (average for kilometers 6 and 7), 5:40, 6:08, and 5:47. The second to the last kilometer, run in 6:08, is almost entirely uphill.
My left knee has been sore. It stiffens up when I'm sitting around at work and hurts a little when I'm walking around. It doesn't hurt when I run. Today, I noticed that my let shin is also a little sore when running. There is also a pair of bones in the top of my left foot that sometimes get out of joint somehow and hurts a little from the odd pressure on it. If I stop and twist my foot a little bit, it pops back with a click and feels better after that (popping it back doesn't feel so good). I have had this for at least ten years. When I used to do hiking and backpacking with forty or more pounds in my pack, the foot would do this all the time.
The last two days, I've noticed my foot behaving oddly in this way on my run. I wonder if my knee pain in my left knee is due to compensating by running differently on my left foot.
I think my running form has improved over the last few weeks since I began trying to be conscious about it. I still don't know if it's good (and my knee started hurting after I changed it), but it definitely feels strange to run with my old bouncy stride.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Off day and 3 miles easy
3.1 miles (5 km) | 28:10 | 9:05/mile (5:38/km)
I skipped my long run for the weekend. It was to be a six miler on Saturday, but my knee was still a little sore on Saturday and I helped some friends move, which took pretty much all day. It was quite a bit warmer than usual on Saturday, too.
Sunday the stores were open (because it was the first Sunday in the month) and we had to run some errands before our vacation next Saturday. My knee was still hurting, so I too Sunday off, too.
As a result, I didn't get my six miler in. I though about trying to run six this morning, but decided to just stick to today's scheduled three miler. I will run six miles as scheduled both tomorrow and Friday anyway.
There are now 15 weeks to go until the marathon. It's annoying that I skipped two runs last week (three miler on Wednesday and six miler on Saturday), but it's also annoying that my left knee is sore for two days after a run. It is still a little sore today, but I think I'll be able to do my six miler tomorrow. I'll just do a 5 km loop and see if I feel like doing another one after that.
This week has an 11 miler (almost 18 km) on Saturday. I'll move it to Sunday, because Saturday we will be traveling early in the morning to Copenhagen and then visiting the city all day. There is also a mileage jump with the Tuesday and Friday runs jumping from five miles to six miles.
I skipped my long run for the weekend. It was to be a six miler on Saturday, but my knee was still a little sore on Saturday and I helped some friends move, which took pretty much all day. It was quite a bit warmer than usual on Saturday, too.
Sunday the stores were open (because it was the first Sunday in the month) and we had to run some errands before our vacation next Saturday. My knee was still hurting, so I too Sunday off, too.
As a result, I didn't get my six miler in. I though about trying to run six this morning, but decided to just stick to today's scheduled three miler. I will run six miles as scheduled both tomorrow and Friday anyway.
There are now 15 weeks to go until the marathon. It's annoying that I skipped two runs last week (three miler on Wednesday and six miler on Saturday), but it's also annoying that my left knee is sore for two days after a run. It is still a little sore today, but I think I'll be able to do my six miler tomorrow. I'll just do a 5 km loop and see if I feel like doing another one after that.
This week has an 11 miler (almost 18 km) on Saturday. I'll move it to Sunday, because Saturday we will be traveling early in the morning to Copenhagen and then visiting the city all day. There is also a mileage jump with the Tuesday and Friday runs jumping from five miles to six miles.
Friday, July 4, 2008
5 mile pace
5 miles (8 km) | 46:07 | 9:13/mile (5:46/km)
This was a five miler at my marathon pace of 9:10/mile. My knee felt better at the start of the run after an extra rest day (I skipped a three miler on Wednesday). After the run, it was a little sore again. I should probably ice it, but I have to go to work and sit in front of a computer for eight hours now (July 4 is not a holiday here).
My splits for kilometers 3, 4, 5, and 6 are a little fishy. I think that I have the wrong idea of where the 3 kilometer mark is (so 3 is short and 4 is long; since it's 4 km out and 4 km back, that means that 5 is long and 6 is short).
My splits (target for a four hour marathon in 5:42/km) were 5:40 for the first kilometer and 5:32 for the second. The second is downhill. For kilometers 3 and 4 I averaged 5:31 and for kilometers 5 and 6 I averaged 5:58. Kilometer 7 was 6:19 (uphill) and the last kilometer was 5:48.
Tomorrow is my long run for the week, but it's only six miles. If I keep my knee from stiffening up too much, I should be fine for it. On my way to work this morning, I am going to ride my bike on my running route to verify where the three kilometer mark is and also to check where five kilometers is in case I want to make my six-miler a 10 km by running 5 km out and back.
This was a five miler at my marathon pace of 9:10/mile. My knee felt better at the start of the run after an extra rest day (I skipped a three miler on Wednesday). After the run, it was a little sore again. I should probably ice it, but I have to go to work and sit in front of a computer for eight hours now (July 4 is not a holiday here).
My splits for kilometers 3, 4, 5, and 6 are a little fishy. I think that I have the wrong idea of where the 3 kilometer mark is (so 3 is short and 4 is long; since it's 4 km out and 4 km back, that means that 5 is long and 6 is short).
My splits (target for a four hour marathon in 5:42/km) were 5:40 for the first kilometer and 5:32 for the second. The second is downhill. For kilometers 3 and 4 I averaged 5:31 and for kilometers 5 and 6 I averaged 5:58. Kilometer 7 was 6:19 (uphill) and the last kilometer was 5:48.
Tomorrow is my long run for the week, but it's only six miles. If I keep my knee from stiffening up too much, I should be fine for it. On my way to work this morning, I am going to ride my bike on my running route to verify where the three kilometer mark is and also to check where five kilometers is in case I want to make my six-miler a 10 km by running 5 km out and back.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
5 miles, sore left knee
5 miles (8 km) | 48:47 | 9:45/mile (6:06/km)
I ran five miles this morning. My watch is at home, so I don't have the time right now (I'll update this post with it when I get home). It was pretty slow, over 46 minutes.
My left knee was a little sore after Monday's three miler. It might have been a little sore beforehand, I don't remember. Today, it was more sore after the run. This is a different knee soreness than I had after Salt Lake City---it is only one knee not both, and it hurts when I'm just walking around. If I sit for too long it stiffens up and it's hard to walk around after that.
I actually think it's sore from biking, not running, but I'm not sure of that. If it still feels this way tomorrow morning, I will skip tomorrow's three miler to give myself two rest days in a row.
I ran five miles this morning. My watch is at home, so I don't have the time right now (I'll update this post with it when I get home). It was pretty slow, over 46 minutes.
My left knee was a little sore after Monday's three miler. It might have been a little sore beforehand, I don't remember. Today, it was more sore after the run. This is a different knee soreness than I had after Salt Lake City---it is only one knee not both, and it hurts when I'm just walking around. If I sit for too long it stiffens up and it's hard to walk around after that.
I actually think it's sore from biking, not running, but I'm not sure of that. If it still feels this way tomorrow morning, I will skip tomorrow's three miler to give myself two rest days in a row.
Monday, June 30, 2008
5K easy
3.1 miles (5 km) | 28:38 | 9:14/mile (5:44/km)
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.
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.
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