Monday run/Tuesday run

Monday run:
Started out week 8 of the Cool Running Couch to 5k plan, 28 minutes. We covered about 2.3 miles along the same route that I mapped around Bergfeld Park on my Daily Mile account. First mile was 11:45, second mile was 12:45. The last portion was about an 11:30 pace (we made an effort to kick it up a bit). I wasn't super thrilled about the pace, but I got through it. Objectively, it's not bad at all. Considering we ran the Komen 5k at an average pace of 12:52, I'm making really significant strides.

I definitely feel most comfortable (in my stride/joints/etc) at about 10:00-10:30. I just can't run that fast over the course of a run, yet. I'm trying to add in a little bit of informal speed work, but I don't know if I'm applying it scientifically enough to make a difference.

I didn't have any issues with aches or pains for this whole run, which was awesome. Mentally, I flagged a bit at the beginning (around 10 minutes) and 3/4 through (a little after 21 minutes).

Tuesday run:
Same time (28 minutes), different route. Normally my second run is on Wednesday, but I'm going out of town this weekend to a convention so I thought I'd compress my running schedule. I didn't plan to run on Tuesday (normally, I have a karate class) but I didn't make it to class this week after some delays at the primary election polling site.

We covered 2.37 miles, apparently, which put us at an average pace of 11:48. That's not bad at all. I'm curious to see what kind of splits we hit next time we run that course. Matt and I played the animal guessing game for the last half, because I was really dropping off. I didn't have any physiological complaints, I just didn't want to run after about 8 minutes. I had an overall malaise that made this run kind of a slog.

Running two days back to back is rough. We've got another run planned for today (Wednesday), which I may postpone. I can definitely feel the effects of not having a rest day in my feet and hips; it's not "pain", just fatigue. I had a lot of problem on this Tuesday run maintaining my form. I got real flopsy. I don't want to set myself up for injury or burnout.

Overall
Anyway, that's where I am so far in the week. I definitely need to invest in some non-cotton running clothes ASAP, and remember that red Gatorade tastes like medicine. Blech.

Plan for May 13-19, 2012

In the wake of the Komen Tyler 5k, I am segueing back into the Cool Running Couch to 5k plan, at week 6.
The half marathon training (using a plan from Jeff Galloway's website) will commence the first week of June. The Couch to 5k program will help condition me and build up some base mileage.

I am using this opportunity to slow down a bit and allow my joints to recover from the brick streets and exertion of the race.  For me, that's an excuse to run on trails! :D We've got some great cross-country trails on campus at UT Tyler (where I work and go to school). I love trail running, because it reminds me of playing in the woods as a kid. As a bonus, it works different muscles and gives me a break from the hard impact of road running.

This week's plan:

Monday, trails - Jog 10 min, walk 3 min, jog 10 min  

Wednesday, trails - Jog 10 min, walk 3 min, jog 10 min

Saturday, neighborhood/park - Jog 22 minutes (no walk breaks)

Tuesdays and Thursdays I have a martial arts class right after work, which doesn't leave much time for targeted cross training... so we'll count those as "rest" days. That means I have the option on Friday and Sunday for this month to work in some strength training.  I'll have to do some research to see what kind of classes are available.

Running log

My plan in the future is to do an update once per week on my running progress (with more snippets in between, maybe, if I find something neat about cross-training or nutrition). But, since I haven't posted a training schedule to keep me accountable yet, I thought I'd share a blurb about tonight's run. So, I was following the Couch to 5k program from Cool Running to prepare for our 3rd annual North Texas Warrior Dash. Unfortunately for ME, my body decided it was a great time to get bronchitis. This weekend was the first time in about two weeks that I was able to run since the diagnosis. It could've gone worse; my leg muscles were lazy and my groin starting twinging a bit, but my heart and lungs did fine. In about an hour, I'm going to join a friend to run the course of the upcoming Susan Komen 5k. I figure that will give me a decent indication of where I currently stand. I will select a training plan based on the cumulative results of this week's runs. Wish me luck. I'll post an update when I get back.

THE UPDATE
Well, folks... we've got a lot of work to do. I ran/walked/stumbled my way through the incredibly beautiful and hilly Komen Tyler Race for the Cure 5K course (which covers some of the same ground as the Tyler Half). It was pretty rough - but exhilarating. I expected my lungs to hold up fine, but my joints to act up. Silly me. My joints were fine and my leg muscles didn't give me any trouble, but my lungs were screaming. This might be a byproduct of the bronchitis, as I've still had a bit of chest tightness and a small cough.  I definitely got extremely dizzy in the last third of the course, although that might have had something to do with the heat.

Overall, I'm happy-ish with the run. My plan for the Komen race this weekend is to run 3 min/walk 1 min from the start of the course. This should allow me to finish the race consistently, without gasping for air and spinning at the end.


The glamour shot...