Today I did a number of upper body exercises that kicked my butt. I haven't done bicep curls in a LONG time and realized that they kinda hurt today! My game plan was to do higher reps and more endurance oriented training which I think I accomplished pretty well. When it came time to run, I was going to do an easy 3.5 on the treadmill, but now its max speed is only 6 mph which is a measly 10 minute mile! I guess in its broken state it gets progressively worse!
So, I did a half hour on a stationary bike. I burned about 440 calories on setting 12 out of 20 and went something like 8.8 miles. It was a surprisingly good workout and it again did me well to spare my shin which is still gimpy. I found out that I sweat like a maniac on the bike! I'm already quite a sweater when I run, but that biking left me really shwetty! I had to rinse my shirt and shorts in the shower. Not ready to do the big laundry thing yet, you see. They are made of the water wicking material so they aughta dry well even hanging in my locker (fingers crossed.. Please, no mildew tomorrow).
Tomorrow is a wild card. You'll find out soon after I do what I did ;)
Word.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Tuesday Tempo Run
Put in a nice clip 5-mile run today along the tow path. I work at Carderock on the MD side of the Potomac, just west of where the American Legion Bridge (495 bridge over Potomac on the west side of DC). For those of you not familiar with the DC area, there's a canal that follows the Potomac all the way from Georgetown to Harper's Fairy. I get to do a lot of running on that tow path because the canal is just about a quarter of a mile from the gate. There's also a nice trail that spurs on and off of the tow path that can make for high intensity hill workouts. It's called the Billy Goat Trail.
It's usually much nicer to run these paths in the summer, fall, or spring, but a cinder surface (tow path) or dirt path (billy goat trail) is much better for the knees than the road. It's also a good way to appease my shin which did act up a little. Shin's much better than it was before the weekend though!
The canal water level is very low in the winter b/c they drain it -- water in there was frozen for large lengths of the run. I averaged 6:36 per mile which is probably the best outdoor pace I've run on a five miler. And I wasn't even pushin it full out! I was wondering during the trek what must happen to all the turtles during the winter. Also, that path is loaded with Blue Herons that you will ALWAYS see in the warmer months. I think this was the first time I didn't see a single one. Must have been down on the River where they can actually still fish ;)
Tomorrow will be a strength workout and easy run on the T-mill.
Until then -- Rock on!
It's usually much nicer to run these paths in the summer, fall, or spring, but a cinder surface (tow path) or dirt path (billy goat trail) is much better for the knees than the road. It's also a good way to appease my shin which did act up a little. Shin's much better than it was before the weekend though!
The canal water level is very low in the winter b/c they drain it -- water in there was frozen for large lengths of the run. I averaged 6:36 per mile which is probably the best outdoor pace I've run on a five miler. And I wasn't even pushin it full out! I was wondering during the trek what must happen to all the turtles during the winter. Also, that path is loaded with Blue Herons that you will ALWAYS see in the warmer months. I think this was the first time I didn't see a single one. Must have been down on the River where they can actually still fish ;)
Tomorrow will be a strength workout and easy run on the T-mill.
Until then -- Rock on!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Sorry about the gap in posts. . I had a good strength workout on Thursday last week -- Did a number of leg exercises that kept me sore over the weekend and got a little upper body in too. I didn't get a workout or run in on Friday because I my left shin was still b0thering me and I want to make sure I didn't make it worse.
This weekend in Atlantic City was awesome. I went up and down a bunch in money, and ended up losing overall, but I had a good time doing it ;) I took 6th place overall in a 140 person no-limit hold'em tournament at the Taj.
I didn't have my "long run" workout until I was home and off of a phone call last night at 11 p.m. I did our new elliptical (Robyn, my fiance, bought one last week) for 2 hours and I think I ran an equivalent of about 15 miles. Burned 3200 calories according to the machine, but my guess is that's a pretty big overestimate. I watched the end of Battlestar Galactica and two episodes of lost on netflix while on that machine-o-pain and still had time to kill.. Finally got off a little after 1 a.m. and crawled into bed after a shower and shave.. Made for a late morning today. I gotta be a little better about not letting my workouts cut into my normal sleeping hours!
Next weekend's long run I'm going for 17.5 miles. I hope it's not snowing!
Cheers.
This weekend in Atlantic City was awesome. I went up and down a bunch in money, and ended up losing overall, but I had a good time doing it ;) I took 6th place overall in a 140 person no-limit hold'em tournament at the Taj.
I didn't have my "long run" workout until I was home and off of a phone call last night at 11 p.m. I did our new elliptical (Robyn, my fiance, bought one last week) for 2 hours and I think I ran an equivalent of about 15 miles. Burned 3200 calories according to the machine, but my guess is that's a pretty big overestimate. I watched the end of Battlestar Galactica and two episodes of lost on netflix while on that machine-o-pain and still had time to kill.. Finally got off a little after 1 a.m. and crawled into bed after a shower and shave.. Made for a late morning today. I gotta be a little better about not letting my workouts cut into my normal sleeping hours!
Next weekend's long run I'm going for 17.5 miles. I hope it's not snowing!
Cheers.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Easy run
I ran 6 miles on the treadmill today. The one treadmill we have at my work is a nice one (goes to 12 mph and has a built in fan) but it's been busted for the last week or so and only goes 6, 7, or 8 mph. I took 8 mph (a 7:30 min/mile pace) which is just 3 seconds faster than my target marathon pace. I was breathing easy the whole time and kind of wishing I could go faster, but now with the way my left shin is kind of gimpy (I fear the onset of shinsplints..), I'm glad I took it easy. Tomorrow will be a rest day from running (will lift tho), and I'm not all to sure about Friday's training. I'll probably bike or urg (rowing machine) to keep my shins happy.
Training is good, but I need to do some reading on how to prevent the shinsplints from becoming a problem.
Going to Atlantic City this weekend to get some poker in, so the long run may be on the beach!
Until next time.
Training is good, but I need to do some reading on how to prevent the shinsplints from becoming a problem.
Going to Atlantic City this weekend to get some poker in, so the long run may be on the beach!
Until next time.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Tuesday's Speed Workout
Ouch! I went outside for my noon run during my lunch break and the wind was fierce! I used my GPS trainer and did a speed workout I read about in Runners' World. 400 meter (quarter mile) repeats.. 12 of them with a thirty second rest between. My average pace of 5:50 per mile was a little slower than I was shooting for but I'll forgive myself. The cold wind is a good excuse ;)
I like this blogging thing... This is my first blog-- even if no one is reading it it's kind of motivating! Keeps me accountable for what I plan on doing and then gives me a place to acknowledge what I did afterwards.
You'll see another post tomorrow for my planned middle distance run.
I like this blogging thing... This is my first blog-- even if no one is reading it it's kind of motivating! Keeps me accountable for what I plan on doing and then gives me a place to acknowledge what I did afterwards.
You'll see another post tomorrow for my planned middle distance run.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Yesterday's Run
My long run yesterday was pretty far. Here's a quick intro to my running goals since this is my first post: I'm already well into my training for this Marathon because I have an aggressive goal. I finished my last one in Phoenix (January 06, PF Chang's Rock 'N Roll Marathon) in 3:26:40. My target for this one is 3:18:00 which is blazing! I'm working towards fulfilling my long standing goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon, which for my age group is 3:10:00. I want to make my assault on that time at the Marine Corps Marathon in October 07.
I had a real breakthrough in my running about a month ago, when I got on a treadmill and told myself I would beat 40 minutes for a 10 K (6.2 miles). I've wanted to do that for 6 years, but the closest I ever got was still a minute and a half away. I put the grade at 1 (to offset the wind resistance advantage) and started out at a 9.4 mph pace. I had to repeat over and over that I would honor my word to do it!! My "inner voice" screamed for release, for compromise (run a shorter distance at a slightly faster pace and you'll be satisfied!), even demanded that my efforts were futile. I just kept saying, I'm going to honor my word and do this and it will be the best feeling in the world.
I finished in 39:38. It was!
Finally -- to the run!! Yesterday was the first REAL snow of the winter for us DC peeps. The snow, the fine crystally kind, was really coming down with a bit of a nip in the wind to boot. I put on three layers (top), running pants, gloves, a hat, and decided after last weekend's long run (ran out of gas hard at 12.5 miles) that I also needed to have water with me. I grabbed a camel back with a water bladder so I could rehydrate from during the run. I have one of those Garman GPS tracker duhickies that tells you your pace, your distance, time, etc. Brought that too, as my target was to run for 2 hours 15 minutes or 16 miles. A diversion from my usual practice, I brought a music player too -- thought it would keep my spirits up, which it did.
I ran down from my place through Old Town, VA to the Mt Vernon Trail. The wind was blowing the snow right into my eyes so I had to squint. Luckily the snow was still frozen so it wasn't too slick. It was compacting under my feet pretty good and made for decent grip. My original plan was to take the trail south toward Mt Vernon. But when I got to the outskirts of Old Town I discovered that the trail south was blocked off / closed. Must either be the Wilson Bridge construction or the snow.. So, I turned around and ran North instead!
I took the trail out past Washington National and doubled back just before getting to 14th St Bridge. The whole way out I kept on following this one guy's (or girl's) tracks and wondered if I'd ever catch 'em. They seemed fresh. Never did though.. Once I passed the airport going south, I headed down and under GW Parkway and came out onto Rout 1, which I took south past Patomac Yard / Del Rey. Around Del Rey I was straining pretty hard. All the gear I had on, plus the fact that the water in my Camel Back's hose had frozen a few miles back were starting to add up. I hooked west on Monroe and then back SW on Commonwealth. Got to King and headed west to join up with Janeys back to home. Last mile was pain!
I got inside and showered with such acute lactic acid build up it was difficult to keep my legs still. The pain was short lived though.
I took today as a recovery day and plan to do some speed work tomorrow. Until then, Cheers!
I had a real breakthrough in my running about a month ago, when I got on a treadmill and told myself I would beat 40 minutes for a 10 K (6.2 miles). I've wanted to do that for 6 years, but the closest I ever got was still a minute and a half away. I put the grade at 1 (to offset the wind resistance advantage) and started out at a 9.4 mph pace. I had to repeat over and over that I would honor my word to do it!! My "inner voice" screamed for release, for compromise (run a shorter distance at a slightly faster pace and you'll be satisfied!), even demanded that my efforts were futile. I just kept saying, I'm going to honor my word and do this and it will be the best feeling in the world.
I finished in 39:38. It was!
Finally -- to the run!! Yesterday was the first REAL snow of the winter for us DC peeps. The snow, the fine crystally kind, was really coming down with a bit of a nip in the wind to boot. I put on three layers (top), running pants, gloves, a hat, and decided after last weekend's long run (ran out of gas hard at 12.5 miles) that I also needed to have water with me. I grabbed a camel back with a water bladder so I could rehydrate from during the run. I have one of those Garman GPS tracker duhickies that tells you your pace, your distance, time, etc. Brought that too, as my target was to run for 2 hours 15 minutes or 16 miles. A diversion from my usual practice, I brought a music player too -- thought it would keep my spirits up, which it did.
I ran down from my place through Old Town, VA to the Mt Vernon Trail. The wind was blowing the snow right into my eyes so I had to squint. Luckily the snow was still frozen so it wasn't too slick. It was compacting under my feet pretty good and made for decent grip. My original plan was to take the trail south toward Mt Vernon. But when I got to the outskirts of Old Town I discovered that the trail south was blocked off / closed. Must either be the Wilson Bridge construction or the snow.. So, I turned around and ran North instead!
I took the trail out past Washington National and doubled back just before getting to 14th St Bridge. The whole way out I kept on following this one guy's (or girl's) tracks and wondered if I'd ever catch 'em. They seemed fresh. Never did though.. Once I passed the airport going south, I headed down and under GW Parkway and came out onto Rout 1, which I took south past Patomac Yard / Del Rey. Around Del Rey I was straining pretty hard. All the gear I had on, plus the fact that the water in my Camel Back's hose had frozen a few miles back were starting to add up. I hooked west on Monroe and then back SW on Commonwealth. Got to King and headed west to join up with Janeys back to home. Last mile was pain!
I got inside and showered with such acute lactic acid build up it was difficult to keep my legs still. The pain was short lived though.
I took today as a recovery day and plan to do some speed work tomorrow. Until then, Cheers!
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