Running from the New House

Week of 3/24-3/30:

Well I'm finally feeling settled in the new house. The last few months have been crazy with the house hunting, house buying, house painting and the moving in. Not that every box is put away but I decided this was the week to get back on the horse. So I actually completed a full week of training.

I was spurred on by a plethora of new routes and mildly better weather. It's still a little on the cold side but I suspect the really bad weather is behind us.

Anyway the first thing I've learned is that the days of running on flat terrain are over. I have my choice of three directions and two of the three involve rolling hills starting almost immediately out my driveway. The third direction is less hilly but not flat. Longer more gradual hills. I guess the good news I should be an even stronger runner for training on hills.

While I was pretty slow this week I was surprised at how good I felt during my runs. I think I'm at a good starting point.

16.57miles/2:55:53/10:37avg

Big Improvement in Heart Rate!

Week of 12/10-12/16
20.23 miles/3:26:37/10:12avg
153BPM Heart Rate

This week I could definitely notice an improvement. I was somewhat surprised not to see an improvement in pace, but I was really excited to see my heart rate lower. I really noticed it during my speedwork. I ran faster than last week (9:19 @ 174bpm) and dropped my heart rate significantly running an 8:38 at 165bpm for a 30 minute tempo run. How cool is that?

Tonight's run was my long run of 6 miles. I was pleased that my heart rate continued to stay low (149bpm) although I really sacrificed pace to do it (10:54). It didn't feel like I was running that slow but I did not see my pace until the end of the run. I guess I will just focus on the improvement.

So all in all I'm feeling good about my training. I'm feeling like I'm finally starting to get back into running shape. Let hope for continued increases in performance. Now I guess I have to pick a winter half to run somewhere!

Strange Week... Good & Bad

Week of 12/3-12/9
13.75 miles/2:20:32/10:13avg
165BPM Heart Rate

Strange week. The first three runs I was in the cold Michigan weather then the Friday run I was in Florida running at noon. That was a horrible run. Now I didn't get much sleep at all and mu eating was not great but I was literally spiking a heart rate of nearly 180 while running 11:30's at the end. I'm not sure if it was the heat or what but that scared me to be sure. So much so I decided to blow off my 6 miler on Sunday. We'll see if that helps.

Well as crappy as my Friday run was my Wednesday Speedwork was hard but good. I ran 30 minutes at 9:19's. Not fast by historical standards but freaking flying compared to what I have been running lately.

So next week I'll just redo this week's program. The nice thing about not having a set race goal is I can move around my running program as needed. The bad news is I still don't have a target race to shoot for.

Anyway, another week in the books and I feel like progress is being made.

Still Fighting My Heart Rate

Week of 11/26-12/2
16.98 miles/3:00:07/10:36avg
157BPM Heart Rate

Another week of training in the books and the good news is I am getting my heart rate down a bit, the bad news it's not where I want it to be (145bpm) and I had to slow down almost 30 seconds to do it. I just keep telling myself that this will pay off in a few weeks. Lets hope!

The other theme of the week is "Tom is a big baby". I've run outside almost all year and I hit the treadmill three times this week. It was windy as hell on Tuesday so I cowered in the gym, and earlier today it was a bit sloppy so I headed for Pennock. What a baby I'm turning into. But I guess the important thing is I got all my runs in so I feel good about that.

I still haven't picked a February Half to run but there are several to choose from. I'd really like to find a good sized one in a warm climate so if you have any suggestions please let me know.

Anyway good week in the books. Technically this is the end of Week One of my training program so the mileage starts climbing just a bit next week. Hopefully I'll keep lowering my heart rate without having to give up too much speed!

Just when you thought you'd seen it all....

I know runners are a little off in the head but this race takes it to a new level...

2008 Antarctic Marathon
www.marathontour.com/antarctica/

Back at it...

Week of 11/19-11/25
17.47 miles/2:54:49/10:00avg
164BPM Heart Rate

Well my break after New York is over and I'm back running again. The plan for the winter is to find a Half in February to run. During this training program I would like to drop 10-15 pounds and lower my heart rate. Ideally I'd like to do my long runs at 145bps which I'm finding hard to do. I'm thinking that as I lose a couple of pounds and begin running consistently again my heart rate will naturally fall.

This week overall I felt pretty good. I ran a turkey trot on Thanksgiving and averaged a 9:05 which I was pleased with. I felt strong the whole race which was nice. Above you can see my week's totals. Keep in mind that includes a variety of runs including some speedwork on Wednesday as well as a 5K race on Thursday. I fully expect my average to slow a bit and my heart rate to come down in future weeks.

If anyone has any suggestions for good halfs in warm climate please let me know, I am always open to suggestions.

Great Run For My Confidence

Week of 9/3-9/9:39.51 miles/6:41:36/10:09avg
148BPM Heart Rate

Actually the week was for the most part pretty rough. It was hot and every run seemed to really drain me. So going into Saturday’s 18 mile long run I was really worried. At the last minute they shortened the route due to road construction. It ended up being a 14 mile route that we would have to add 4 miles to on the end. I was thinking that this was a good thing because if I was dieing I could just call it quits after 14.

But boy was I surprised. It was by no means easy, but I felt really good until the last couple of miles. I attribute this to two things. First, one of the women I ran with, Nancy, was insistent on not running faster than a 10 minute mile pace. Given that we were running 18 miles I was OK with that. I started out in the lead and was going to fast, so I made a mental note to always be behind Nancy or at least keep my shoulder behind hers. That slower pave really saved me.

The other big plus is that a cold front came through and the temperature was great. The whole run it didn’t get about 70 and it was not humid in the least. And most of the route was in the shade so that really helped.

So anyway earlier in the week I was really nervous about being ready for New York. I’m still nervous but feeling much better about my conditioning.

Let’s just hope it continues!

Below is the map of my 18 miler…