20:40 second run/walk ratio
1:41:54 hours
6.38 miles
16.0 min/mile
15:54 Magic Mile
Pretty good run today, although I was confused about how long it was and messed up my Magic Mile! It started off as usual with three minutes walking to warm up, then he said, "Go for one mile!" and I wasn't sure whether that one mile run was supposed to be a warm up (because before we've always done 5 minutes run to warm up before a Magic Mile) or whether that was the Magic Mile. I decided to go ahead and push it a bit, in case it was the Magic Mile, but then when it was over, he said that now we'd start the Magic Mile. So there I was, on the uphill side, having already pushed for one mile, about to do the Magic Mile uphill all the way. Oops! I still pushed a bit, and felt pretty good, and in fact did my Magic Mile in under 16 minutes, so it was fine. And I don't worry that much about the Magic Miles anyway. I don't think the Magic Mile is very accurate for predicting marathon times at my speed. I don't really do my long runs much slower than my short runs.
But then I was wondering, when the day's run called for "Magic Mile plus 4 miles," whether that 4 miles included the warm-up mile before the Magic Mile. Turned out to be four more miles after the Magic Mile, so the total for the day was six miles. But I felt good the whole way, didn't get really tired at all. Partly the weather—even though I got a slow start, and didn't get to the park until around 9:20 AM, it wasn't very hot, no more than around 75 F, I think, and there was a nice breeze. Also, getting a little extra sleep this morning helped.
It was nice to have a good run, especially since yesterday I was considering skipping the long run this week! I had a really hard week, working on clearing the brush off my property. I'd worked for four hours in the heat on Thursday, and had to clear a fallen tree off the road as well, and Friday I was so sore and exhausted I just wanted to collapse. Didn't know if I'd be recovered enough to run today. But it was a short one, so I figured I'd just go and take it easy. I'm glad I did! I think the run actually helped work some of the kinks out of my back and shoulders, so I feel better than I did before I started.
Next week is another mile-extender—20 miles! The weather report is currently calling for 88 F and clear on Saturday. I'd better start setting my alarm so I'm used to getting up early this week. I want to try to get to the park around 6 AM so I can finish before noon.
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Saturday, July 18, 2015
Week 15: Five miles
20:40 sec run/walk ratio
1:24:09 hours
5.42 miles
15.5 min/mile
Ah, a nice short run today. I was thinking of running on Dennison & Valley today, but went on to Meadowbrook Park instead, as I always seem to do. But it's so pretty and pleasant to run there, I suppose it's worth the extra ten minutes to drive down to the park.
The weather was pleasant, mostly clear but not too hot. The weather report had been for clouds and thunderstorms today, but it didn't really start to cloud up until I was nearly done with my run.
I decided to practice taking pictures along the way, since I'll be wanting to do that during the marathon, and wanted to make sure switching back and forth between camera & my running app wouldn't be a problem. It wasn't, it was very easy. I took some pictures just in the camera and a few I took from the Instagram app and posted them to my Instagram, since I thought it would be fun to live-Instagram my marathon. Both worked fine. One problem might be that I'll have to run with my phone in my hand, or else be fumbling it in and out of my running belt camera pocket all the time. I didn't mind holding it while I ran for a mile or so, but then I started to get tired of it. I suppose I'll be able to put it away when I don't want to hold it. I won't be taking pictures constantly, maybe a few every mile or so.
The other problem will be making sure my phone battery doesn't run out. My battery was getting low after the 17-mile run last week. It might have gone another mile or so, but I was getting low-battery warnings, so it definitely wouldn't have lasted a full 26 miles. On the one hand, I was using the GPS last week, which uses more power, and I won't need the GPS during the actual marathon, so that will help. On the other hand, I will be taking and posting pictures, which will take some battery power. Probably not as much as the GPS, but will it last out the marathon? I might also turn off the vibrating notification, since that probably takes more battery, too. And I do have a battery stick I can take with me to recharge the phone if it gets low. Problem with that is, I have to plug it into the same slot the headphones use, so I won't be able to use headphones and charge at the same time. One option would be to get another interval timer and just use the phone for camera. Or hold the phone while it's charging and either watch the intervals or turn the vibrating alarm back on so I can feel them. I guess if I have the volume turned up loud enough, I can hear the intervals without headphones. Will have to experiment with that some more on the next long runs.
(If I had Bluetooth headphones, I wouldn't need to plug them in. But Bluetooth uses a lot more power, too, so my battery would drain even faster.)
Anyway, had a good run today.
1:24:09 hours
5.42 miles
15.5 min/mile
Ah, a nice short run today. I was thinking of running on Dennison & Valley today, but went on to Meadowbrook Park instead, as I always seem to do. But it's so pretty and pleasant to run there, I suppose it's worth the extra ten minutes to drive down to the park.
The weather was pleasant, mostly clear but not too hot. The weather report had been for clouds and thunderstorms today, but it didn't really start to cloud up until I was nearly done with my run.
I decided to practice taking pictures along the way, since I'll be wanting to do that during the marathon, and wanted to make sure switching back and forth between camera & my running app wouldn't be a problem. It wasn't, it was very easy. I took some pictures just in the camera and a few I took from the Instagram app and posted them to my Instagram, since I thought it would be fun to live-Instagram my marathon. Both worked fine. One problem might be that I'll have to run with my phone in my hand, or else be fumbling it in and out of my running belt camera pocket all the time. I didn't mind holding it while I ran for a mile or so, but then I started to get tired of it. I suppose I'll be able to put it away when I don't want to hold it. I won't be taking pictures constantly, maybe a few every mile or so.
The other problem will be making sure my phone battery doesn't run out. My battery was getting low after the 17-mile run last week. It might have gone another mile or so, but I was getting low-battery warnings, so it definitely wouldn't have lasted a full 26 miles. On the one hand, I was using the GPS last week, which uses more power, and I won't need the GPS during the actual marathon, so that will help. On the other hand, I will be taking and posting pictures, which will take some battery power. Probably not as much as the GPS, but will it last out the marathon? I might also turn off the vibrating notification, since that probably takes more battery, too. And I do have a battery stick I can take with me to recharge the phone if it gets low. Problem with that is, I have to plug it into the same slot the headphones use, so I won't be able to use headphones and charge at the same time. One option would be to get another interval timer and just use the phone for camera. Or hold the phone while it's charging and either watch the intervals or turn the vibrating alarm back on so I can feel them. I guess if I have the volume turned up loud enough, I can hear the intervals without headphones. Will have to experiment with that some more on the next long runs.
(If I had Bluetooth headphones, I wouldn't need to plug them in. But Bluetooth uses a lot more power, too, so my battery would drain even faster.)
Anyway, had a good run today.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Week 15: Seventeen miles
20:40 second run/walk ratio
5:05:59 hours
17.58 miles
17.4 minutes/mile
Got my 17-mile run done! I'm somewhat disappointed in my time, but oh well. I should be able to do better in the actual marathon—I'll be better trained, the weather should be cooler, and there won't be as many hills.
The weather wasn't too bad, though. The high today was supposed to be 82 F but it looks like it won't go over 80 F. It's about 75 F right now. It was partly cloudy most of the morning with a slight breeze, so I never felt overheated.
I got up at 5 AM and got to the park and started my run at 6:30 AM. It was cool then. I wore my shorts and black short-sleeved shirt, with the long-sleeved running shirt over it for the first three or four miles. When it warmed up enough, I took off the long-sleeved shirt and left it in the truck. That worked pretty well. I wasn't too cold for the first hour, or too hot for the rest of the time.
I felt pretty good most of the time—I just got tired! For one thing, I was in Disneyland earlier in the week, and I'm not sure I was completely recuperated from that. I walked over 12 miles on Monday, and over 7 miles on Tuesday, plus all the driving. I didn't feel too tired, but I have been sleeping in a bit these past few days, which didn't help, either, when I had to get up early this morning and probably didn't get enough sleep last night. So I guess I have a pretty good excuse for a slow run today.
I also don't think I got enough to eat. I had a protein drink at home before I left to start me off, but I only brought one gel thing with me. It was extra large, so I thought it would go for two servings, but it was a thin kind of applesauce-y thing that was only one serving, and I got hungry again and didn't have anything else to eat. Must remember to take more food on these long runs.
I made one bathroom stop—fortunately, the bathrooms were unlocked this time! I didn't pause my app, but it only took a couple of minutes so I don't think it added much to my time.
In any case, I got it done and it went pretty well, if a bit slow. I'll be doing the long runs every third week from now on, so the next two weeks are five-milers. I'll be able to rest up and be ready for the next mileage increase—20 miles in three weeks!
5:05:59 hours
17.58 miles
17.4 minutes/mile
Got my 17-mile run done! I'm somewhat disappointed in my time, but oh well. I should be able to do better in the actual marathon—I'll be better trained, the weather should be cooler, and there won't be as many hills.
The weather wasn't too bad, though. The high today was supposed to be 82 F but it looks like it won't go over 80 F. It's about 75 F right now. It was partly cloudy most of the morning with a slight breeze, so I never felt overheated.
I got up at 5 AM and got to the park and started my run at 6:30 AM. It was cool then. I wore my shorts and black short-sleeved shirt, with the long-sleeved running shirt over it for the first three or four miles. When it warmed up enough, I took off the long-sleeved shirt and left it in the truck. That worked pretty well. I wasn't too cold for the first hour, or too hot for the rest of the time.
I felt pretty good most of the time—I just got tired! For one thing, I was in Disneyland earlier in the week, and I'm not sure I was completely recuperated from that. I walked over 12 miles on Monday, and over 7 miles on Tuesday, plus all the driving. I didn't feel too tired, but I have been sleeping in a bit these past few days, which didn't help, either, when I had to get up early this morning and probably didn't get enough sleep last night. So I guess I have a pretty good excuse for a slow run today.
I also don't think I got enough to eat. I had a protein drink at home before I left to start me off, but I only brought one gel thing with me. It was extra large, so I thought it would go for two servings, but it was a thin kind of applesauce-y thing that was only one serving, and I got hungry again and didn't have anything else to eat. Must remember to take more food on these long runs.
I made one bathroom stop—fortunately, the bathrooms were unlocked this time! I didn't pause my app, but it only took a couple of minutes so I don't think it added much to my time.
In any case, I got it done and it went pretty well, if a bit slow. I'll be doing the long runs every third week from now on, so the next two weeks are five-milers. I'll be able to rest up and be ready for the next mileage increase—20 miles in three weeks!
Saturday, July 04, 2015
Week 14: Magic Mile +4 miles
20:40 second run/walk ratio
1:28 hours
5.64 miles
15.8 minutes/mile
15:04 minute Magic Mile
My time was pretty good today, which surprised me a bit, because I felt like I was plodding along pretty slowly. I ran at home today and didn't use the GPS, which generally tends to overestimate the miles, so I probably did even better than that. In fact, I counted laps on my Magic Mile and did ten full laps before it told me my mile was finished, so my time was probably actually closer to 14 minutes.
I ran at home because I slept in a bit late, and it was 7:15 AM before I was ready to run. Didn't want to take that extra 20 minutes to drive to the park, because it was already getting hot. Supposed to be another 90 F day today. It was "only" around 80 F when I finished running, but I was still feeling the heat.
I bought myself a running visor at Big 5, and wore it today. It was nice to have the top of my head uncovered. I also cut my hair short, so that helped keep my head cooler, too. I didn't take my water bottle, because it was a shorter run, but I kind of wish I had. I was starting to wish I had a drink at that last mile.
Next week, 17 miles! The weather report is currently calling for a high of 81 F next Saturday. Still hot, but much better than 91F. I should have no trouble if I get an early start.
1:28 hours
5.64 miles
15.8 minutes/mile
15:04 minute Magic Mile
My time was pretty good today, which surprised me a bit, because I felt like I was plodding along pretty slowly. I ran at home today and didn't use the GPS, which generally tends to overestimate the miles, so I probably did even better than that. In fact, I counted laps on my Magic Mile and did ten full laps before it told me my mile was finished, so my time was probably actually closer to 14 minutes.
I ran at home because I slept in a bit late, and it was 7:15 AM before I was ready to run. Didn't want to take that extra 20 minutes to drive to the park, because it was already getting hot. Supposed to be another 90 F day today. It was "only" around 80 F when I finished running, but I was still feeling the heat.
I bought myself a running visor at Big 5, and wore it today. It was nice to have the top of my head uncovered. I also cut my hair short, so that helped keep my head cooler, too. I didn't take my water bottle, because it was a shorter run, but I kind of wish I had. I was starting to wish I had a drink at that last mile.
Next week, 17 miles! The weather report is currently calling for a high of 81 F next Saturday. Still hot, but much better than 91F. I should have no trouble if I get an early start.
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