Tag Archives: 3.1

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.

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.

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.

Dropped Another Three

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I didn’t hit my goal of a sub-35:00 5K on last Friday’s run, but last night I did it. I changed several things, so it’s hard to say which had the most impact, and which had little or no impact. But here’s what was different:

  • No phone weighing me down
  • I got a Garmin Forerunner 965. This allowed me to not lose time unlocking my phone in the dark. It also enabled better visibly for my stats, so I could see how fast I was going downhill, and try to keep the pace from slowing too much. I could see when I was dragging (especially as I approached the 2 mile mark) and pick up the pace.
  • I uploaded a Spotify playlist to my Garmin, with songs specifically selected with running in mind, rather than random every eclectic thing I’ve ever liked on YouTube Music. This focused list made it easier to run harder, and let me not lose time to skipping or rearranging songs (and more phone unlocking).
  • Because I was thinking about high knee workouts last time, I tried harder to use my hamstrings when I started going slow.
  • I stretched deeper and longer before my run, and I didn’t do an upper body workout the night before.

Here’s my stats:

  • 3.1 miles
  • 34:50, more than 9 minutes less than four runs ago
  • Average pace was 11:14
  • Top pace in last 0.1 was 4’36”
    • My last 0.1 mile overall was slower than it should have been because I tried to see what my instantaneous pace was while running

I’ll probably bring my phone next time, as I like being able to reflect on my run (viz. make these post-run posts) during my cool down walk home, I like being able to take pictures on my run, and it looks like I can’t control the Spotify playlist from my Garmin while in the middle of an activity. I also can’t get messages from Live Tracking if I’m sharing a feed without my phone.

First race post-accident

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I ran the Taylorsville Days 5k on Saturday. I managed to go all race without back pain. I also managed to get a time similar to my time I the last race I ran. It was a pretty decent course, a bit on the flat side, but pretty close to exactly 5k. It also covered a lot of familiar terrain this year unlike previous years.

My Garmin said my time was 27:47, my official race result was 27:46. I love chip-timed races. No worrying about the lineup afterward, or tearing the perforated bib.