Kenyan Speed

I left work with the goal of runing 10+ miles yesterday evening but when I got home, I started to waffle on the idea. It was windy, it was going to be cold... why not go to the nice warm gym for a long swim. I started to pack up gym bag and put on my bathing suit. The whole time thinking about mileage for the week and when was I going to have time to make up this run, especially because I am moving this weekend. I unpacked my bag, took off my bathing suit and laced up my sneakers. If I have the chance I'd rather get the miles out of the way early in the week when I have the chance. You never know what can happen later in the week to make you miss a run.

I was glad I ran. For one, it wasn't as near as windy and cold as I had imagined and two, it was a great workout. I'd read couple articles about progression runs that Kenyan runners are fond of. They start very slowly in the 9+ pace range and slowly but surely speed things up over the course of 10-15 miles until they are better than 5K pace by the end. The article went on to explain how they don't measure their pace but rather they try to find that sweet spot where speed and aerobic respiration are at their peak. A tempo run without looking at your watch.

I am no Kenyan but the idea for the workout sounded good. My plan for the for the run was an abbreviated version of the above. Start kind of slow but build up to a fast pace more quickly and just adjust based on how I felt, not by what my watch was telling me. I headed for the Art Museum and after 1.5 miles of fairly easy running I began to speed things up. I have to admit I did split the miles just to gauge my speed, not for adjustments, I also didn't glance at the 1/4 and 1/2 mile splits, something I normally can't resist on tempo run.

Mile 1 - 6:49 A slight stomach cramp, so I slowed down and it passed, so I picked it back up.

Mile 2 - 6:23 This was generally into a headwind and I was surprised at how quickly it went.

Mile 3 - 6:13 I now had a tail wind but it still didn't feel like a tempo run, just running hard and totally comfortable

Mile 4 - 5:52 The last mile uphill to the Art Museum. I think that is my fastest non-race mile to date and I didn't really feel like I killed myself to get it. Just kept the pressure on as I was going up the hill and that was the time.

Needless to say I was very happy with the workout. It's funny how three little number, 5:52, can really brighten your mood and give you a better understanding of your fitness. I ran the return trip at much easier pace, my legs were tired but I felt good. 10.8 miles in 78 minutes.

Running Easy

I again ran a Roxborough loop this morning and along the way in Manayunk I was joined by Lee. Having someone to meet for a run in the morning is a huge motivator to get out of bed. It was cloudy and the sun took a little longer to brighten the sky than yesterday but the temps were a few degrees higher and there was less wind.

Overall it was good run to add on to a string of very good runs. This is the best my legs have felt in a while. Most likely because every run is an easy run. On only a few occasions in the last 6 weeks have I dipped below 7:20 pace. It reminds me of the winter of 2005 when I ran nearly every run at or around 8:00 pace but still had a 61 minute Broad Street run in the spring, a 4 minute PR. I don't expect to have a huge fitness gain running an easy 50 miles a week but it will be a good base for faster run that are sure to come later in February and March.

A Great Weekend

I can happily say that I have to log four workouts from Friday night to Monday morning. So here goes.

Friday - I got home from work late and had some things to do around the house before I could think about a workout. I probably would have bagged it but I had mentioned in this blog just that morning that I wanted to break 22 consecutive days of exercise and I wasn't going to ruin the first chance I could.

So At 8:30 I headed out to L.A Fitness for a dip. I ended up completing what is by far the best pool workout I've done. 1.25 miles in 42 minutes. I find that if I set my watch on a 1 minute repeating countdown it motivates me to keep pushing. At an easy pace I can complete a full lap in 50-60 seconds, so I try to get as far as I can into the next lap before I hear the beep indicating a minute. After 15 laps I was 3/4 of a lap ahead. I also worked in 6 - 50 meter repeats, I was gasping for air by the end.

Saturday - I joined the group run at the Art Museum. I knew Seebo had been somewhat regularly attending these runs and I was hoping to run with him. He showed up at the last second and we were soon headed up MLK. After a somewhat brisk 4 miles up to Falls Bridge we turned for the Bloody Nipple and without us really trying, the pace picked up. We huffed and puffed up the steepest section of the hill and kept things going to Monument Road after it flattened out. We weren't pushing hard, just keeping things moving.

Seebo has run this length for time on many occasions and he was surprised by his time check at the top. Apparently we were moving along pretty well. This inspired him and I to run the next portion of his circuit to Belmont Mansion at a faster clip. With a few hundred meters to go things really picked up. It was great to do somewhat of a speed workout with Seebo. I have run with him numerous times but it has just about always been at long run pace.

The rest of the run was at an easy pace across Strawberry Mansion and back to the AM. I continued with Seebo across Spring Garden and over to Market where we split ways. I wanted to run over 14 miles and I figured breaking 1:50 would definitely get me over that mark so I looped around a little on the way back to my car. 15 miles in 1:52. Longest run so far this year.

Sunday - An easy 6 miles with Heather on Forbidden Drive. My legs felt better than expected. 52 minutes.

52 miles of running and a long trip in the pool. If I can string together several more weeks like this I'll be in great shape for the spring.

Monday - Another attempt at morning running and this time I got up. I ran a Roxborough loop in quickly brightening skies. Morning runs are great for that fact. Instead of running into the darkening night you get to anticipate the sunrise. Mentally it brightens your mood. I think it was just about officially up when I got back to my house at 7:00. 6.2 miles in 50 minutes. I felt that I had run faster than this but the map and my watch don't lie.

An easy five miles last night through Manayunk. I set out on a 4 mile loop that at one time I ran fairly often and added a bunch of twists and turns to get over 40 minutes. An uneventful run other than that it puts me at seven days of exercise in a row, something that hasn't happend in months. My longest to date has been 22 days last winter, I am going to try an improve on that. 5.5 miles in 42 minutes.

I hate startling people as I run by. It's always in the evening on a particularly desolate stretch of road (yes there are some desolate stretches in a crowded city). Somebody walking, lost in their thoughts or maybe lost in their headphones and at then all of a sudden there I am, directly behind them and running. A jump, perhaps a quickly stifled yelp, and I'm by but now the walkers heart rate matches mine.

I've become adept at warning of my approach before actually yelling "On your right!" I drag my feet a little more, cut over into a pile of leaves and rustle as much as possible, maybe a cough or two. It seems that even if I can subconsciously alert someone that I am passing by the startle just isn't as bad. It worked last night as I crossed a bridge over the Cresheim Creek into Chestnut Hill. I was treated with a smile as I went by instead of yell.

It was another easy run on a rolling route through the city. It was cold but not to cold and I felt great. I added a few twists and turns onto a 9.2 mile route I ran last week to push the total over 10 miles. I stopped my watch at a bathroom break 33 minutes into the run and unfortunately I forgot to restart it. But I know I left the house at 5:00 and I got back at 6:19 so I'll call it 10.3 miles 80 minutes.

Another good run last night. I had class so I didn't get out on the road until after 7:30 but by then the rain had ended and the weather was great for running. I headed out on a Roxborough loop at an easy pace. The temp was quickly dropping and I was soon watching the street for signs of ice. A few slick spots but nothing bad.

I was feeling better as the run progressed and would have liked to add a couple more miles but it was getting late and I can save those extra miles for a run tonight when I have more time. 7.25 miles in 54 minutes. This pace was just under 7:30, a little faster than I expected based on how I felt.

25 cold, clear and still for the run last night. If there isn't any wind, a 25 degree run is perfectly comfortable and that was the way I felt as Heather and I rolled down Kelly Drive towards the John Kelly statue. That was where we bumped into English Mike who was on his return trip from the Art Museum for home. We ran a couple miles with him and then continued on to Manayunk.

Heather headed up Ridge Avenue to our house and I continued on Main street to Shurs lane to add a just a little more. This run felt great from start to finish. 7.7 miles, untimed because I forgot my watch but I am guessing slightly over an hour.

A Small Week

I'm watching a great NFC championship game. 20-20 in the 4th, you can't beat that. Let's go Brett.

Saturday - I was planning on a 6 mile trail run but I cut the trail portion short after 3.5 miles and ended running only 42 minutes. With all the twists and turns it was tough route to measure and I really couldn't tell how fast I was but it was definitely a reserved pace. So I'll call it 5.2 miles. Just didn't feel to good during this one.

Sunday - whew the winter is in full effect all of a sudden. Temps never got out of the 20's all day. As is my Sunday morning routine I pushed off the morning run and decided to run later in the day. Errands, packing for the move, football games, and several other excuses found me sitting on the couch at 6:00 pm having not run a mile. The thought of heading out into a 19 degree windy night for a run wasn't appealing and I decided to go to the climate controlled gym for a swim.

Couldn't find my rhythm in the pool at first but I didn't way to get out of the pool after only 20 minutes without feeling like a slacker. I just kept going, mixing in some faster laps and soon was gliding along. Swimming is such a different workout from a run, almost totally an upper body thing.

I pushed things to 40 laps which is officially my furthest swim at 1.25 miles in about 40 minutes. Woo hoo. I now only felt slightly like a slacker for not running.

The week. A measly 19.6 miles in 3 runs plus a long swim. Not a great week but considering the nasty cold it's OK.

Feeling Better

I was feeling good enough by Friday night to head out for a run. Running 9.5 miles has curative properties right? At least that is what I tell myself. "It'll probably make me feel better... spike the old immune system... get the blood flowing.. clear out my head and lungs." I ran this route out to the edge of Chestnut Hill.

I could feel the head cold from the start but I kept the pace easy and started feeling better, just as I had imagined. Temps in the low 40's and barely a breeze, good running weather. I did have a little intestinal distress towards the end of the run but other than that it went well. I have stomach problems much more often then in the past. It used to a be a problem once every few months. Now it is more like once a week. I am at a lose for an explanation.

9.3 miles in 72 minutes.

Can't Outrun a Cold

After wrapping up 5 easy miles in 39 minutes on Tuesday night I was feeling so good that I thought I had beat the head cold that had been building all day. The cold had other ideas on Wednesday morning and it knocked me on my ass. So no run Wednesday and there won't be a run today. Looks like it will be an unplanned down week. It seems I lose a good part of one week every winter due to a cold.

Looking back at my last post I realize that mentioned getting up Monday morning to run. It didn't happen, not because I couldn't get myself out of bed but because on Sunday night I didn't even plan on running this morning. The weather was bad, I ran hard Sunday night, and I can feel a cold coming on so I decided not to.

So, this weekend.

Friday night was a trip to the pool where Heather and I put in about a mile. Heather has the ability to count every lap and never lose track doing the workout. I don't. Soon after I start I've lost count... was that # 8 or # 9??? I decided to stop worrying about and just swim for a time period. Friday night was 30 minutes.

Saturday I joined fellow bloggers Seebo and Tom for a trip through West Philly and Delaware County. I was looking forward to the run Friday evening. It was break from the drives and onto routes I've never run before, it was also a chance to run with Seebo and meet Tom, a runner in the area close to my age but a good bit faster.

Tom and I had no idea where we were going so we just followed Seebo along a 10 mile loop that took us past the 400 yr old Sycamore that Seebo often mentions, it was was impressive as he's suggested. The weather was beautiful, the pace stayed easy and I enjoyed. Before I knew it we were wrapping up and I was wishing we still had a few more to go. 10 miles in 80 minutes

Instead I hurried home, showered and hustled up to Chestnut Hill with Heather to sign the lease on a small house that Heather and I will be renting, starting Feb 1st. We had an interested buyer for our current house and we decided to sell it it while the deal was good. So we move from a 2000 sq ft house with a big back and side yard to a 950 sq ft row home (or what is now commonly refereed to as a townhome because it sounds much nicer) with a small backyard. It is however a nice little place that cuts my work commute in half to about 15 minutes. It is also within walking distance to a number of stores and a nice park for the dog. Heather and I didn't have near enough stuff to fill our old house anyhow and I think this one will work well.

In keeping with the theme of this blog: How will this move effect my running? I'll be further from the Art Museum and group runs but I'll definitely still get down there for long runs, although maybe not as frequently for Tuesday nights. The Wissahickon Park was 1/2 block from my old home and now it will be more like 1/2 mile. Still close and it will give me chance to explore the upper portion of the park a little more. I won't be able to easily hop on Kelly Drive for evening runs in the winter. A route I often complain about because I run there so much but, it is lit, there are no intersections, and it is plowed when it snows. I think I'll miss the convenience of having it so close but it is still only a 15 minute drive away. I'm looking forward to the move.

Back to running. Sunday afternoon I took a trip up to Valley Green on Forbidden Drive. I ran hard because it felt good and I wanted to be out of the park before it got dark. The first 4 miles went by in 26 minutes, somewhere between tempo and marathon pace. The return trip was a little longer and I finished up the 8 miles in 54, for my quickest run in over a month.

For the week, just over 42 miles in 5 workouts and a swim. It continues the trend of increasing mileage, although very slightly.

Waking Thoughts

Heather dragged me out the door last night despite my whining about being hungry and we took a trip out and back on Kelly Drive. I'm getting tired of Kelly Drive. However, Heather likes it so that is where we ended up. We took a trip to the John Kelly Statue, famed Philadelphian rower, and the reason they call it Kelly Drive. Pace was in the 8:30 range and we finished about 6.5 miles in 52 minutes.

My best bedtime intentions have been thwarted all week by my mind tricks in the early morning. Heather gets up at 5:45 and you would think that I'd be able to drag myself out of bed at the same time to head for a run but it just isn't working. Every morning I am able to run through a list of excuses to stay under the covers. Its raining... I'll have plenty of time this evening to run... I can tell by the way my legs are feeling that it is going to be a bad run. (As if the way my legs feel during a mental check in bed has any relation to how they would feel after a mile warm-up). I was hoping to run at least three mornings a week. I figured that I'd often end up running or swimming with Heather in the evening anyhow and I'd pull a double a couple times a week.

I hope writing about it will add a little mental weight to the "Get out of bed!" side of the scale and on Monday, I'll actually be able to get up.

Roxborough Loop

Seven miles last night on the Roxborough Loop. The weather is still warm and I was again able to run in shorts and short sleeves. I know this weather can't last forever but I hope we see more of it. I am beginning to like this loop more and more. It's through mostly residential neighborhoods and has many rolling, and a few more serious hills along the way. Plus a lot of twists and turns to keep things interesting. Feeling good. 7 miles in 52 minutes.

I Got My New Shoes On

I decided to take Monday off. I felt decent but I had run a lot of miles from Thursday through Sunday and figured I'd take a day off.

Last night I slipped on some fancy new racing flats that Heather got me for Christmas. I was not planning on racing any miles but I wanted to give them a spin to see how they felt. I've tried a few different pairs of racing flats and have yet to find a pair that I like. These however, felt good and perhaps they were giving me a boost because I was trying to keep things around 7:30 but every mile came in at 7:16-17. I'm sure it wasn't actually the shores but just that I felt good.

I timed my arrival to the group run almost perfectly and they started running about a minute after I arrived. I fell into pace with a new guy who I have run with before but I can't remember his name. He's a triathlete that is pretty good at running as we were having a conversation at 7:00 pace. We were joined by a few more guys as we approached the turn around and I was wishing I could return to the Art Museum with the group instead of continuing home.

I did continue on, slipping my headphones back over my ears and continuing the CD I am currently addicted to, Sky Blue Sky by Wilco. Almost 11 miles in 1:19.

I'm in the Mood...

...to run. Something I haven't felt in a while, just the urge to get out there and run some longer miles. Nothing forced, or because I feel like I need to. Miles just because it feels good to run.

I solicited a long running partner for Saturday morning and realized my options have dwindled to two people, Seebo and Steve K. Two great people to run with but still only two. I got one taker and met Seebo at the group run after putting in a little over three miles. Seebo had a Bloody Nipple Route in mind and it sounded good to me. This run really cruised by and I felt more like we were hanging out than actually putting in miles. The pace stayed in the mid 7 range and after finishing I felt great. 13.4 miles in 1hr 42min. My longest run since the marathon.

Sunday, Heather and I ran about 6 miles in a damp but fairly warm for the winter, Wissahickon Park. I was feeling good and decided to continue on for around 4 more miles through Manayunk, getting in a couple hills. The pace was easy with Heather and I tried to keep things around 7:30 after that. 9.7 miles in 1hr 19min.

I broke 40 miles for the first time since early November. I hope to build on that in teh coming weeks.

Morning Repeat

This morning was almost a mirror of yesterday with slightly less wind. I got out the door at exactly the same time, 6:10, and again ran the 6.5 miles in 48 minutes. The sun is just starting to brighten the horizon when I get home and I think it will be cool to see it getting brighter as the weeks go on. Of course I will have to continue to run in the mornings for this to become reality.

My thoughts have turned to spring racing and trying to decide what I am training for. It's nice to run just for the sake of staying in shape but a goal race makes getting out there in the cold much easier. I am leaning now towards a half marathon sometime in April as a goal race. I am going to miss the Caesar Rodney Half marathon in March because of vacation so I was thinking something a little further out and a lot flatter.

I am hoping that a good half marathon may qualify me for the NYC marathon and allow me to bypass the lottery system. However, I am not sure what the qualifying time is in 2008. Last year it was a 1:23 but in 2005 it was a 1:21. The first is definitely a possibility the latter may be doable but much more difficult. I assume they vary it from year to year but I couldn't find any info about 2008. We'll see.

Happy New Year

I have a lot to catch up on from my last post. Heather and I travelled out to her parents, west of Seattle, for the New Years, for two rainy, and two beautifully sunny days. No matter how much the sun shines there in the winter it always seems damp. Although her parents are only about 25 miles from Seattle, they average nearly 20 more inches a year of rain and this December had been especially wet. I was told we were very lucky to catch a full day of sun.

Heather and I took advantage by getting in a longish run. She planned a scenic route for me which included a good dose of hills. It was sunny, but humid, and in the upper 30's. I started off on a mile long hill and I was soon blowing plumes of smoke as I pushed towards the top. The first half of the run was not too exciting and I was mostly surrounded by large pine trees, small farms and homes.

After cresting an especially steep hill I was treated to the scenery which Heather had promised. It was one of those times when the run, view, music, and your feeling come perfectly together and give you a moment that you'll remember for a long while. God it felt good to be out there. The second half of the run was generally downhill and I floated the rest of the way back to town. 11.5 miles in 1hr 28min

There were a couple shorter runs out there that were just as beautiful. I also hit the gym and went for a family trip to go rock climbing. Heather's family is very competitive and it was fun to smack talk about our climbing ability, knowing that none of us really had any.

For the year, 2162 miles. 62 more than 2006. The beginning of 2007 started off with a ton of miles compared to the previous year and then things leveled off and I finished off with just a few more.

For 2008 I am again making an attempt to put in more morning runs. My first chance was Wednesday morning and it didn't happen. Winter 1, Wesner 0.

I garnered a little more resolve after reading Seebo's post about the realities of morning runs in the winter and was able to get my ass out of bed at 5:45 this morning despite the 17 degree temperature and the freezing wind. I think the cold motivated me, if I can run when it is like this I should be able to run on those calm 25 degree mornings. An easy 6.5 miles in 48 minutes.