C25K W8d???

What day is is, what day is it??? Last night (or is it this morning) was the local Relay-for-Life event for the American Cancer Society, so the training schedule has been thrown into severe turmoil.

I was scheduled to run 3 miles on Saturday, but since R4L was Saturday night, I decided I would do my run there. I was scheduled to walk a 30 minute block (you'll see why this is laughable in a sec) @ 1am. But when we got to the venue, the organizers had moved it form the high school football field/track. The event was moved indoors due to impending bad weather (which, btw, never showed up--Grrrrrr!!!). After I saw that we would be walking inside the Valley Sportsplex, I decided that I probably wouldn't be able to run as planned (due to a very cramped environment). The Bloodsouth Blood-mobile was there, and I figured that since I wouldn't be running, and would not be doing my walk for several hours, that I would donate. So now, I'm a pint low, in a cramped environment, and having to eat junk food on site.

Steph and I started walking MUCH sooner than I probably should have, and I had to slow down several times, and stop for sugar-rich drinks to combat my low blood sugar and blood-loss related fatigue. We ended up walking about 6 hours (2 hour sessions, 3 times that night), because so FEW people were walking (again, probably due to not being at the track, and the generally uncomfortable environment of walking around a basketball court with tents set up around it. I estimate that we did about 20 miles (given our pace, and time walked), so I'm not sure I'd call this a wash of a day, but I don't' think I'll be running anymore until Monday at the earliest.

C25K W8d3

Tonight was baptism night. I was scheduled to run 3 miles (I've butchered this weeks schedule pretty well). I did my warmup walk, and almost as soon as I started running, the raindrops started falling. Steph and I had intentionally waited a little while tonight to start the run - we're still remembering the blistering Saturday afternoon run. So we didn't get started until after about 6:30. It was nice and cool, and there was a VERY strong breeze from the water and across the dam. It knocked my sideways a couple of times.

I started at the .5 mile marker with the intention of running to the 2 mile marker for a 3 mile total, but when the rain started, everything just kind of fell into sync. I was singing along with the MP3 player (which luckily lives in a neoprene arm holster), the temperature was right, and I was enjoying the occasional booms of thunder. I got to the 2 mile mark, and decided that I wanted to tack on another mile to make it a 4-mile day. I had elected to not wear my watch again, so time was a non-issue. It was a GREAT run. When I got to the end, I felt like I could have gone another mile, but Steph was already finished with her run, and was walking while waiting for me to return, and she was already soaked to the bone. Also, I didn't want to risk overdoing it - as that seems to be the quick road to injury, and I've had enough of those for a while. I must have been really into it because when I passed Steph on the opposite side of the road (the rain had quit by now), she crossed over and tried to run with me for the last 1/4 mile. She said I must have been really enjoying it because when she saw me round the corner on the dam, it looked like I was flying. She tried to run the last quarter with me, but fell back relatively quickly. I told her that this fall was going to be awesome - cool evening runs, I'll be out of 'training' phase and can just build base miles and increase my weekly mileage.


Tomorrow night is the local Relay for Life event, so I'll probably be walking a good bit throughout the evening. I'm supposed to walk @ 1am. I think I'm going to take an extra change of clothes, and run my 3 miles on the outside of the track during my hour and use the rest of the hour for cooldown time - - I may go another 4-miler depending on the environment. I love being on their soft rubber track. I need to be careful to not over extend myself, and add miles to the program.



Edit: As great as the run was, it got a little worse later that evening. I didn't realize it at the time that I was making the post above, but, my soaked cotton shirt had rubbed my nipples raw over the course of my run. I didn't notice it unti I hit the shower - OUCH. Lesson learned - don't wear a shirt when it's raining, or at least use some band-aids, or surgical tape over them.

C25K W8d2

I did a little modification to the scheduled run this afternoon. I was scheduled to run 3 miles tonight, and 4 miles on Thursday, but I switched those two days since the temperature was nice tonight at the dam. I wasn't sure how hot it would be on Thursday evening, so I elected to offer myself a shorter option that night.

I ran without my watch again tonight (this time it was intentional) to see if it would make me slow down a little and relax a bit more during my runs. It's really too early to tell, but so far, so good. I've still feel a little naked without it on though.

Tonight I ran from the .5 mile marker to the 2.5 mile marker, and at the end, I tacked on a little extra distance to get me to the Jeep quicker (only about 1/8 mile extra, but...). The run felt really good, but my legs knew I was adding distance tonight. At about mile 3.5 I could feel my quads pretty distinctly - a little soreness, and tired. I didn't eat as well as I should have today, so I attribute some of the fatigue to that.

It wasn't nearly as hot as it was on Saturday, or even last night. There was a fairly constant breeze when I was in sight of water. Just before I got back onto the dam on my return trip, I saw a turtle body surfing down one of the grass embankments headed for the water, and that gave me a good laugh.

I also started looking at a schedule for my 'post-week10' training in prep for the Beulah race, and for the Midnight Express race. That will probably take me a few days of tweaking to be happy with it, but I'm shooting for 30mpw with a long run on Saturday mornings or evenings.

I've noticed a significant difference since I've switched from water to Gatorade for my runs since the heat has come on so strong.

C25K W8d1

Last night was hectic, so I didn't get to post this right after my run (like I prefer to do). The weather was much more tolerable yesterday evening than it was on Saturday morning (how could it be much worse?). I ran the scheduled 3 miles again, on the same route (starting @ .5 mile marker and turning around @ 2 mile marker). The temperature was a little better, but it was about 6pm, so there was shade in places along the route. There was also a slight breeze at the beginning of the run, but it faded as I got closer to the end - almost no breeze for the last 3/4 mile. I did make sure I was well hydrated for this run, so that wasn't an issue. I also took 2 bottles of Gatorade for me and Steph, and we still drained both bottles - but it wasn't as life-and-death as Saturday. I told Steph, I may need to start pre-driving the route and stashing bottles of water/Gatorade in the bushes at 1 mile intervals, once my daily mileage gets a little higher.

I also forgot to take my watch with me, which threw me off a little. I'm not concerning myself with my time too much at this stage, but it's nice to have an idea of the pace that I'm running. Since I didn't have my watch, I dont' have any real idea of how long it took to run the 3 miles last night - but I imagine that it was still about a 10 minute mile pace. I may try running without my watch for the remainder of the program to see if it will help me slow down and go a little easier on myself for the last 3 weeks, since the runs will be getting longer.

I'm looking forward to getting back into the normal routine, and not having to run on an unfamiliar route like last week.

C25K W7d5

Good Lord in Heaven was it HOT today. It was 92 degrees when I went out to run today @ around 11:30. I went to the dam, and ran 3 miles (as scheduled), and my time was still on pace, but the heat was brutal. I started at the .5 mile marker and turned around at the 2.0 mile marker. There was a slight breeze, but it was a pretty warm breeze. I wish they had been generating at the dam - that would have put some mist in the air and cooled things down a bit as I crossed the dam.

Sometimes you look back and you see all the things you did wrong that day. I started making that list at about 1.5 miles:

• Had not eaten anything but a granola bar, and a couple of pieces of beef jerky before I ran - mistake.
• I had not drank very much water prior to the run - less than 2 glasses - mistake.
• I ran close to noon = no shade on the route, anywhere - mistake.
• I ran a little faster than my normal pace - mistake.
• I did not stash water along the route to help with the heat - mistake.
• I didn't put on any sunscreen - mistake.
• I didn't bring enough water for both me and Steph. We were both thirstier than we have been in the past - mistake.

I'll have to prepare better for weekend runs in the coming weeks to help make up for the wicked heat. The runs next week are all 3 and 4 milers, and I'll need to do all of them in the evening.

Before I ran, I weighed myself with all my running gear - 164 lbs. Then I weighed myself after the run - 162.5 lbs. 1.5 lbs lost in sweat - I would have never believed it. I've been chugging Gatorade all day today trying to get my fluids back to normal - but the sweetness sits a little heavy on my stomach. The rest tomorrow will be good.

C25K W7d4

I'm BACK! I'm back in town, and back running on my 'home turf'. If felt really good to be back on a familiar route and measuring distance again, instead of time. I did the scheduled 2.75 miles- I started at the .5 mile marker and ran to the 1.75 mile mark, then turned back and ran to the .25 mile mark. I park between the .25 mile mark and the .5 mile mark, and I try plan my route so that I don't have to run past the Jeep, then go back to it. It messes with my head a little towards the end of the run.

It was a hard run tonight because it was hot and humid, but there was no breeze at all, so it was like breathing through mud. My shirt was drenched when I got back because with no breeze and the high humidity, the sweat had nowhere to evaporate off to.

About a half mile into my run, I fell in behind another runner and paced myself with him for a while, but was going a little faster than I needed to be going, and I realized this when he turned off the road before I did (probably got tired of me shadowing him). I ran the 2.75 about a minute ahead of pace, but I think that was a mixture of the other runner, and my pushing so hard at the end (running past the parking spot, remember?).

Nothing hurt during the run (that's good), but I did feel a little tension behind my left knee. That little boo-boo seems to be fading away. I did have my first beginnings of a side stitch however. It's the first one I've gotten since I started running at the beginning of the year. I wasn't a full blown stitch, but I could feel it starting to hurt a little and it caused a little discomfort in my right collar bone (weird, huh?).

Even though it was a harder run than it should have been, it was good to run at home again. Tomorrow is the last day of Week 7, that means only 3 more weeks and then I need to be starting a new schedule and start moving my mileage up a little every week before my races start.


Next week looks like this:

Week 8:
Day 1: 3 miles
Day 2: 3 miles
Day 3: 4 miles
Day 4: 3 miles
Day 5: 4 miles


Week 10 has me doing a 6 mile run one day, so that will be fun, because it will take me from one end of the dam park to the other end. I guess I need to verify my turnaround point.

I'd have never thought that I'd be looking forward to a 6 mile run - strange changes. I have started to notice the muscles in my legs toning up more, so that's good, too.

C25K W7d3

Short entry tonight. I'm still in Huntsville, so I went down to the University of Alabama @ Huntsville to look for running space today. I was scheduled to run 3 miles, so I ran for 30 minutes around the soccer fields, fitness center, fraternity/sorority row and library. It was still a lot of concrete, but I managed to spend some time on concrete and grass, so I'm hoping that it will help my shins a little.

Unfortunately I went overboard on my eating today. I went 500 calories over my target, and 50 grams over on my carbs (too much sushi).