Author Archives: Henry Longmore

I’m Proud Of…

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I’ve gone for six runs since I last posted (and almost as many bike rides). I’m not going to catch up, but here are some highlights I’m proud of.

On the 18th, I did a hill training run. I ran to the closest steep hill and ran intervals up it. I was always slowing a lot by the top, so my last two, I broke it in half, and found it was not the slope of the hill but my endurance that was the problem.  That said, I’m proud of my average speed for each of my uphill segments.

Lap Highlights

I’m also proud of my peak speed for the run being while running uphill, and of how fast it was.

Peak Speed Uphill

Today, I did an interval workout. It was tough. Randomly drawn distances from the set of {100m, 200m, 400m, 800m} (4 each of each distance but only two 800s). But Garmin thinks I got new 1K, 1 mile, and 5K records (I accepted them even though they weren’t continuous). This hard workout resulted in my run being primarily anaerobic, and my post-run weight lifting session being primarily aerobic.

And I’m Back

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Back hurdling hydrants, and phone punch down panel boxes (not sure what they’re actually called). Nearly biffed it on that last one as I forgot to take into account the fact that I was going downhill.

Went for a six mile run. I had forgotten how fun it is to run downhill for a mile and a half after having gone uphill for almost two. I ended up getting a 5K time faster than my race time.

Suburban Waxing Moon

The sun was setting as I started, and it was almost completely dark as i was finishing. I harvested some zucchini when I finished.

Working Around Schedule Conflicts

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On the 10th I planned to go for a four mile run, but, got asked to bring a drum kit to orchestra rehearsal that night. It’s kind of a hassle doing so, but I’m happy to do it for the orchestra. I have to take a bunch of stuff apart, being careful with the stuff that stays behind (especially mics), bring it upstairs, pack it in my vehicle, unload it at rehearsal, and reverse the process when we’re done. I decided I should start the drums first before my run. It turned out I didn’t have time for my run.

Instead, I went for a run on Friday the 11th before my concert. (I left my drums in my car overnight, as I had to bring them to the concert as well.) My big toe was hurting where my toenail is still growing back, so I cut it short at four miles.

Nothing special about the run statistics wise. I did have a best pace of 6:40 on the downhill without trying.

Apple Harvest Run 5K

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On Saturday, October 5th, I ran the Apple Harvest Run 5K in Santaquin. Did okay. Didn’t quite hit my goal of under 33:00, by about 4 seconds (except the course was short, by 0.05 miles, so more like 44 seconds). I did get my fastest 1K, 1 mile, and 5K (since starting running again).

The course was pretty great, from a cross-country perspective: dirt, gravel, grass, asphalt, gentle hills. If I were to complain about anything, it would be having the finish line be basically all uphill from the mid point of the race, or having a long, continuing uphill on asphalt (I’d rather have a short steep hill).

I took third in my age division, out of three. But, in several other age divisions near mine, I would have come in 3rd or even 2nd, with more than 3. I was 59th out of 177 overall, 28th out of 52 among the males.

Catchup: I also went on a very short 1.6 mile run on the 3rd to break in my new running shoes. Game changing, having shoes that aren’t worn out. I also went for a short, relatively easy run on the 8th, 2.5 miles.

Catch Up

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On September 25th, I didn’t leave myself enough time for a longer run before dark, so I only went 3.1 miles. My fastest pace was only 5:19, with an average of 6:58 in my last 0.1 miles.

On the 27th, I did another hill workout, mostly the same route as on the 23rd. It was really hot out, max temperature during my run was 99°F, with an average of 94°F. It appears Garmin made an update that made it so my watch or Garmin Connect figured out I was doing intervals, so I can say that my interval average was 7:56. But, it lumped my hills with my last 0.1 mile. The hills were in the 8:xx range (8:31, 8:11, 8:53), while the last 0.1 was 6:47. My fastest pace, in that last 0.1, was 4:45, after having run over 6.5 miles. And once upon a time I could keep that pace up for at least a mile!

October 1st I went for an easy, short run, 2.11 miles, basically uphill then back down. This allowed me to get a new “fastest mile” (as far as Garmin knows) of 9:55, with a max pace of 7:29, but this was not pushing hard, just going downhill.

10K, 7 miles, Hills

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10K

Last week I ran one more time. I planned to do six miles, but as I was finishing, decided to add 0.2 miles to make it a 10K. So it was my first run of 10K for a long time.

There wasn’t much special about it (it took almost 1:18:00), but I did have a fastest pace of 5:00 and an average pace of 7:18 in my last 0.1 miles despite being quite beat. Then I thought about how in high school, that 7 minute pace was my easy run pace.

Cycling

I didn’t run more last week because I went for bike rides instead: 18+ miles on the 17th, 26.2 miles on the 20th, and 35.2 miles on the 21st, for a total of just over 80 cycling miles last week. That 26.2 took me just under two hours, but taking out traffic lights and such, it was about 1:45.

The 35.2 took me 2:53:50, but 2:43:09 moving time. I was kind of beat before I was headed home. I stopped for a tiny rest at a place with a great view. I didn’t take pictures that time, but I had rested there on Labor Day, and took some then.

7 Miles and Hills

Today I decided to go for a seven mile run, because why not? I also decided to do a hill workout. So I ran three miles or so to a great hill by a river. I forgot to press the lap button for my first time up, which was going to give me a nice, slow baseline. Oh well. I ran up twice more, each time trying to go fast.

My first fast lap up was 0.09 miles in 0:43.1. Second was in 0:45.9. I was a little bummed that I didn’t get my second lap faster, but, my average pace was 8:04 and 8:41 on an average of 5.3% grade (there’s a fair bit of not steep distance, followed by steep stuff). And, my fastest pace for the run was not downhill, it was on my first uphill, 5:33.

Let’s not discuss my pace in my last mile.

First Five in Three Years

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Stats

  • Distance: 5.11
  • Time: 1:00:43
    • It’s kind of sad to think I used to be able to run five miles in almost half that time (58%), but I used to weigh almost half what I weigh now (59%)
  • Fastest pace: 4:17 🎉🥂
    • During my last 0.1 mile speed challenge
    • Pace during that last 0.1 was 7:01

I’m happy with that fastest pace, even though the average for the last 0.11 was only 7:01. I really started slowing down at the end. I was kinda of winded. That 4:17 might possibly have had something to do with it.

50

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My first ever 50 mile bike ride was yesterday. I made it all the way around Bear Lake (Utah and Idaho), but the distance was only 49.6 miles or so, so I made a U-turn and got another 0.2-ish miles before heading back. When I finished, I was at 50.15 miles.

Stats:

  • Time: 4:06:36
  • Average speed: 12.2 mph
  • Fastest speed: 34.5 mph
  • Estimated Calories burned: 2033
  • 1076 feet ascent / descent

The last time I tried (3.5 years ago), I didn’t make it all the way around. The last seven miles killed my average this time, and last time I don’t think I would have continued somewhere in that stretch.

The hill that I thought of as huge last time, didn’t seem as big this time, so much so that I kept looking for the next big hill, and never got to it. Glad I tried to get a fast speed going down the last hill.

Paused to capture the view on the east side of the lake

4:29

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I ran the reverse direction from what I’ve been running, and in the 5 pm afternoon sun. I had a little bump that formed on my leg, which I’m hoping a) that it was due to the lotion I had put on trapping heat in, and b) the cold water shower I took after my run resolved the issue. If not, I may not be working out for a few days while I deal with another eczema flare up.

The course is harder in reverse. It’s a little bit of downhill followed by a lot of gentle uphill, then steep uphill, and then it’s still uphill, until finally it’s downhill. I wasn’t feeling motivated to push it downhill. I still did a 0.1 “speed test” even though I was running short on time before symphony orchestra rehearsal.

Stats:

  • Distance: 3.1 miles
  • 36:42
  • Fastest pace for the last 0.1 mile: 4:29
  • Average pace for the last 0.1 mile: 6:48

I also got my fastest mile since starting to use my 965: 10:13

Update: oh, and I hurdled over a hydrant. Sort-of. If my left foot had been further over, I might have caught the tip of it, and the ensuing scene would have been reminiscent of the time I hurdled three garbage cans at the curb, and my foot caught the inside lip of the last can.