Three Things for This Thursday April Theventh

3 Things:  Pace, Pulse, and Pressure

First off, I want to take my usual notes about my latest running workout.  That's the Pace... or lack thereof.

Tuesday's workout was 400 repeats.  3 sets.  4 reps in the first with 1:15 recovery.  2 minute rest.  3 reps in the second set with 1:00 recovery.  2 minute rest.  2 reps in the third set with 45 second recovery between them.

That sounded like a piece of cake.  Of special note, I have dropped 5 pounds since last week.  I went from 180 to 175 and I think I was feeling lighter out there on the track.  That's good and bad.  The good is the benefit of feeling lighter and therefore being able to run just a little faster.  The bad was that speed and not being able to reign it in and stay under control at the beginning of the workout.

Coach Nate wanted us to run these 400's at mile pace.  That's around 6:07 for me, so that makes my quarter time around 1:32.  How did I do?  This dumb-ass decided to run 400's at 5:20 pace.  I took the lead out the gate.  I ran the first 3 reps in 1:18-1:20 each.  By the last stretch of the 3rd rep, my arms and legs were tingling.  I don't know exactly what that is scientifically, but that is usually a sign to me that I am running too fast and won't be able to keep it up much longer.  The 4th rep was 1:28.  Much slower than the other 3, but still under my goal speed.

Set number 2.  That was just brutal.  My legs were now connected to cement shoes.  My arms had no drive and I was panting after 100 meters.  I wanted to give up.  I have no idea what my times were and I don't even care.  I ran them.  They were definitely over 1:30 and probably close 1:35/1:37.

That last set of 2 reps should have been really easy.  The first one of those hurt like crazy and I could only plod my legs forward and just think each stride was a couple feet closer to the finish line.  I don't know what my time was.  The very last 400 was hard, but knowing it was my last one made it easier mentally.  I ran that in 1:28, so not only did it feel good to finish, but I also made my goal time.

This workout was tough, but it felt really good to run that fast.  Some of the guys in my group were complementing me for my efforts.  That was definitely for the first 3 reps, since they all beat me on the rest of the runs.  What's really mind blowing is that my fast reps were just slightly better than my coach's pace for a 10k last Saturday.  I could keep up with him for a quarter mile, maybe a half mile of a 6 mile race.  That's probably how he feels about the Kenyans, though.

Here's the Pulse and the Pressure.

I've been taking my blood pressure and pulse at the local grocery store lately.  I know I need more data to get a better assessment, but my blood pressure seems to have been going down and I think it is attributed to eating better in general the past month or two.

2 weeks ago (drove to the store midday before eating and exercise):
135/80, p=39  (that BP is considered in the High Normal range)

An hour after eating and drove to the store on 4/3/2011:

129/73, p=52  (BP is Normal, but my pulse was much higher yet still considered Normal.)

An hour after hard workout (above) and a mile bike ride to the store on 4/5/2011:

118/80, p=62  (BP systolic is Normal, but distolic is High Normal.  Pulse is high, but I just got off a bike.)

 

When I was in high school, I used to check my blood pressure at least once per week since we had a kit at home.  I consistently was 110/70, which is considered either Low Normal or Athletic.  I was definitely of the Athletic variety.  I hope to get it close to that again one day.

Most people only talk about how fast they run, but c'mon, a lot of us run, because it is a good way to exercise in hopes of living longer.  This just happens to be a sport or exercise that you can do by yourself or in a group and you can see measurable results by the amount of work you put forth.  And the skill level is relatively low.  Even little kids can put one foot in front of the other and repeat.  The 2 most common measurable results which you hear about and acknowledge are times (hopefully going down) and weight (also hopefully going down.)  I want people to take notice that your weight is not the only vital sign that can improve with running.  Blood pressure and pulse are also very important and definitely measurable.  There are numerous factors that can change your BP, though, and they can be time from last food intake, time from recent exercise, time of day.  That is why I have left notes on whether I drove or rode a bike to the store and whether I just ate.  There may be other factors as well, but perhaps a doctor or nurse can explain that better.  I am neither, but I hope this gets at least one more person thinking and perhaps, looking forward to their next doctor's visit.

Hitting the Road... on Wheels

I ran 2.5 miles just after noon today and my legs felt heavy and my knees hurt the entire time.  I ran the whole thing between 10 and 11 minute per mile pace.  I knew that I wanted to keep working out, though.

I hit the road on my bike.  Now this may seem quite normal to triathletes, but I don't have a road bike.  This is my road bike...

No gears, fat tires, wide handlebars.  This is good for trolling your neighborhood about 5 miles and then it starts to wear on you.  I got 18.4 miles logged.  DailyMile says that my run and my ride came out to 1900 calories.  My legs are tired, but I feel really good about it.

With every excuse, a little dream dies inside.

That's the saying I came up with today.  I typed it on my computer, printed it off, and taped it to my wall.

While it may seem negative to some people, so is the pain in your legs before the endorphins kick in.  Pushups when your arms and stomach burn to exhaustion are negative.  In the end, whatever it takes to get out that door and on the street, that's what matters.  This came to me after I said that I was going to run this morning and then I put it off to run errands around town and then came home and laid down for a nap.  I taped this to the wall before I went out for my 5.75 mile run this afternoon.

My thighs felt fresh.  Usually they are tight and slightly sore.. they're sore now as I'm typing though.  My knees were a little stiff, but didn't have any pain.  The only time I checked my watch was when I knew I hit the first mile.  I did that in 8:45 and thought I might speed up as I went.  I never did.  I just kept cruising at that pace the rest of the way.  It was a really good run.  My only complaint is that I didn't have an opportunity for water until the last mile.  At that point, I figured what's the use.  I'm practically home and why mess up the groove.

I completed 5.75 miles in 50:57 which is an average pace of 8:50 per mile.

I think my legs felt so fresh today, because of the run I did yesterday.  I had every intention of running 5 miles after work, but due to plans to go with my girlfriend to the Seminole Community College Planetarium, I cut it short to 2.5 miles.  Those short runs seem to just work out the kinks and you are done around the same time you are warmed up.

The Planetarium was cool, too.  After the show, we got to look through one of the telescopes at Saturn.  It is the only planet visible from our skies right now.  You could see the rings around the planet.  That was way cool.  I learned a few things about astronomy.  When you look at the stars, the ones that twinkle truly are stars and the ones that don't are actually planets.  Who knew?  Apparently the astrogeek at the plantarium.

800 Repeats, Pain in my Knee, and Why so much food?

What kind of things do I need to remember about today?

Pain in my right knee for most of the workout and definitely after the workout.  Talked to Mike since he came from a cycling background.  I told him that the knee pain only started once I got back on my bike regularly.  He said that it is possible that my saddle may be too low.  He said that my knee should only be slightly bent.  Not straight and fully extended, either.  I will have to check on this and make an adjustment if necessary.

Cliche:  Pain is temporary.  Pride is forever.  Gotta remember this when my legs feel heavy, there's a sidesticker making it hard to breath, my head feels like it is going to pop, and my arms are tingling.  I gave up on my last repeat tonight.  I was hurting, but was there more?  There's always more.  Always.  Unless you're on the floor.

Don't let the King be the Winner!  I went to Burger King an hour post workout.  I ordered and devoured

a BK Double Stacker (I love the sauce they use),

small french fries,

small Coke,

and the clincher... a BK Fish sandwich.

Did I really need the fish sandwich, too?  The King made me do it.  I will be stronger next time.  Approximately 1900 calories.  BMI just went up 1pt.  I can feel it.  This is gonna need some extra laps on the next workout.

And the workout...

3 laps around the track on my own (.75 mile)
1 mile loop around the neighborhood
Stretching and then 4 x 100 striders

6 x 800 repeats @ 4-7 seconds faster than 5k goal pace (3:20-3:25)
I ran 3:19, 3:20, 3:19, 3:26 (missed by 1 second), 3:21, 3:44 (refer to 2nd paragraph above ^ beginning with Cliche.)

Did some breathing exercises and slow stretching at home a few hours after the workout.

Reset on the Long Run

After getting up to 10 miles on my long runs, I have hit the reset switch and am now back at 6 miles for my long runs.  I didn't run as fast as my 10 milers either.

I didn't start with a warmup this workout, because I had my girlfriend pacing me on her bike.  She stayed slow enough for me to keep up with her, which was very nice.  I say this because a cyclist could very easily push the pace and send a runner into anaerobic activity in no time flat.

My left ankle has hurt since Friday.  No particular reason.  My GF felt my ankle and thinks that I am missing some cartilage.  Could be, but I don't really want to know that.  It was still a little sore when I started today's run, but it felt normal by the time I hit 2 miles.

Everything felt nice and smooth through 3 miles.  That's when I had to start thinking about pushing myself to maintain my pace.  I would say that I probably was running in the high 8's for most of the run.  Somewhere between that point and mile 5, my GF says to me, "Let me see that gazelle stride you talk about."  Of course, I start pushing off harder and lifting my thighs as I drive my knees forward.  I picked it up and ran sub-6 minute pace for about a quarter mile and was out of breath in no time.  I told her to wait as I slowed down, but kept motivated enough to go back to my previous pace.

I yelled out when we had 1 mile left, because I have that marked in my head (from too many runs to count).  When we hit about half mile left, she tells me that we're close and I need to pick it up a little.  I really like that about her.  She knew exactly when to push me.  When we finished up, I was spent.  The temperature was high 70's when the sun was going down.  Felt great!

It is Hard Running after a Layoff

I haven't really worked out very hard in about 3 weeks and I sure feel it.  It is now 3 hours since I finished my workout and my legs are killing me.  This time, I wised up and took my Claritin-D an hour before my workout.  I was very thirsty, which is a side effect, but much better than feeling like my lungs are about to seize up, runny nose, and itchy eyes.  Just saying.

The workout wasn't really that hard, which makes me feel even more pathetic about taking so much time off.  We ran a 1.25 mile warmup, did our usual light stretching and then a 4 mile loop to, around, and back from Lake Baldwin.  Most of the people in my group are running the Winter Park 10k this Saturday, so he didn't want us killing ourselves.  He said to run at conversational pace.  That would have worked if I kept up with anyone.  Instead, I just had to keep my thoughts to myself, which were mostly about just trying to keep pushing.  Nothing truly inspirational that's for sure.  I had to stop for about 30 seconds around the 2 mile mark.  After that, I went between barely jogging to pushing through the headwind and trying to keep pace.

By the time I got back to the track, almost everyone was finishing up the 200 meter repeats.  Coach wanted us to run 4 to 6 of them.  Run them somewhat hard, but not sprinting.  Just get a good turnover with your legs.  I was dying by the time I got there, so I ran 4 of them.  I felt like death afterward.  I sat down on the bleachers next to the water jug, so I wouldn't have to move very far.  I was beat physically, although mentally, I felt very accomplished.  I could have easily not run at all today in fear of the pollen.

I wish I had done more indoor workouts during my time off.  Some of it was to rest my calf, so maybe not that time.  But I could have been doing something instead of going outside and causing a nasal infection a week ago and that would have given me the ability to do even more indoor workouts.  See how that works?  Maybe next year I'll have a game plan in place for when the Oak Pollen Attacks!!

3 weeks exactly until the IOA Corporate 5k in downtown Orlando.

First Run in 2 Weeks and Allergies Did Me In Again

It is 2 hours after my workout stopped and I am still blowing my nose.  The last time I ran I hurt my calf and then I got a sinus infection from pollen overload.  The pollen count is still very high today, but it hasn't been as bad on me the last few days.  The pollen has gone from a light green to brown now and I thought it was a turning point.  I am fully vested in Claritin and hopefully my nose calms down soon.  It is driving me crazy.

So the workout... we did our normal 1 mile warmup, stretching, and then 4x100 striders.  All is well.  The actual workout is 5x1000 at 5k goal race pace with 200 recovery jog.

I ran the first one in 4:05 (6:34 mile pace) and the second in 4:20 (6:58).  That's a considerable drop.  The first felt pretty good even though my legs felt like they were burning up.  I didn't think too much of since I haven't run in 2 weeks.  The definitely felt like I slowed down on the second repeat even though I was trying to maintain the same pace.  My lungs were starting to feel asthmatic, though, by the end of that one.  I walked the recovery, got a little swig of water, and started the third 1000.  My lungs kept getting more constricted as I went and I stopped after 1 lap.  That was it.  I walked it off and got some cover under a tree.

Within 5 minutes, my nose was running like crazy and my eyes were itchy.  Done.  I popped one Claritin right away.  I biked home and ate some veggie lasagna and popped another Claritin.  Hopefully this goes away within the next hour, so I can sleep tonight.

Tuesday's Workout Brought Calf Pain

Irony Alert:  We never stretch our calves during warmups.  On Tuesday, we stretched our calves.  On Tuesday, I hurt one of my calves.

Tuesday's workout was 2 sets of 4 x 600 @ slightly faster than 5k pace.  I ran the first set with no problems.

2:25, 2:30, 2:23, 2:25

The second set was going great.  2:28 on the first rep.  On the second rep, I was on pace all the way through the 400 and as I was coming down the last straightaway, I could hear someone just bearing down on me.  Breathing.  Footsteps.  So I turned around mid-stride to see if the person was going around.  I moved into the second lane to make way and as I stepped through with my left leg, something pulled in my left calf.  Just enough to warrant stopping.  It was the kind of muscle pain that you know to stop and rest it.  So I didn't even try to jog it off.

It is Thursday now.  Yesterday, it was very sore and there was a little pain going into my Achilles.  Today only hurt when I used stairs, but walking on flat ground didn't hurt.  It's still sore.  I will rest it tomorrow as well.  We'll see for Saturday.

Started Riding the Bike to Work Again

I finally took my bicycle to the gas station up the road and inflated the tires.  I haven't ridden my bicycle to work since pulling my hamstring in late October.  Then after my leg healed, it started getting cooler, so I made that my excuse from riding in the mornings.

Well, the temperatures are fantastic and I finally rode my bike to work this morning.  Yay!  It felt great and I was energized when I got in the office.  That may be the kick I needed to start losing some extra pounds.

Tempo Run Around Lake Baldwin

Coach was in a good mood today and extra jolly in telling us that our workout was going to be a tempo run.  Two laps around Lake Baldwin.  Afterward, Jonny's Garmin showed it as 4.98 miles, but I'll call it 5 even.  So he tells us to think of our pace as 15k race pace.  I've never run a 15k, but I figure it is going to be slightly faster than talking speed and not as fast as 5k or 10k speed.  He told us to try to run a negative on the second loop around the lake.

I was running this time with Paul.  He normally runs much faster than I, but he has had foot problems lately and he just got back to running.  He said that he got some more padding for his shoes and socks and that helped with the pain, but he still doesn't have his lungs back.  I totally understand, because I just recently felt like I got my lungs back after a pulled muscle a few months ago.  Anyway, Paul asked me what pace I was gunning for.  I told him somewhere between 8:00 and 8:30.  I figured that if I can run that for 7 miles on my long run, then I should be able to handle that for 5 miles.  He immediately said we were running under 8 minute pace.  I mumbled in agreement and said that I was on the verge of sucking wind.  We kept it up though.

I ran the first 2.5 in 18:50  That's 7:32 average pace.  I stopped for 10 seconds to take my shirt off and wipe my face.  I got right back to my pace.  The entire time I was running the second lap, I thought I was going faster.  Not quite.  Paul only had 10 seconds on me and no matter how much I tried do some pickups along the way, he kept the relatively same distance ahead of me.  My total time ended up being 38:18.  That includes the 10 second stop.  If it was a race and I stopped for any reason, the official time clock wouldn't wait for me.  That made my second loop a 19:28 which gives me an average pace of 7:47 for that one.

My average pace for the whole 5 mile tempo run was 7:40.  No world record, but I feel good about my effort.