27 Days to Go - I've noticed that if I go several days in between runs that it is harder for me to get started the next time. Since I ran a 10K the previous day, my son H and I went out for a short 1.3 mile run just to burn some of his energy and stretch my legs. Before the run, I tested out Honey Stingers Chews in Pomegranate. Very tasty!
26 Days to Go - The YMCA training group on this week was moved to Monday night so that we could have a guest speaker. Adam, the owner of a Danville running shop called The Brick, came to speak to us and tell about his store. I fueled up with Honey Stinger Gel which is a pouch of pure honey but just a little thinner than honey. We ran a 6.13 mile route and I finished it at an average pace of 9:58 per mile. This run was great because I had full energy right from the start. Normally the first one to two miles of a long run are rough for me, but this one was really pleasant.Not sure if it was due to the Honey Stinger or not but I'll definitely try that kind again.
24 Days to Go- Our assignment for the weekend was to run 10 miles. To date I had only run seven miles before so I felt that something in between was needed. Wendy, who is in my training group, drove up from Danville to run 8 miles with me. We ran the 8-mile route at an average pace of 10:22 per mile.
My iPhone died at mile 7.91 and I was not happy about losing all the data. Several days later I opened the RunKeeper app on my other phone (it's downloaded to both). The first screen to pop up was my 7.91 mile run asking me if I wanted to save it. Thank you, RunKeeper! So make sure you have the app linked on two devices and you'll always have an emergency back-up.
It's not too late to register for the Martinsville Half-Marathon, Relay & 5K if you haven't already. #KeepRunning #WeCanDoThis
Showing posts with label RunKeeper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RunKeeper. Show all posts
Monday, March 3, 2014
Sunday, February 16, 2014
SNOMG!
Winter Storm Pax stopped by this week and left us with 14-18" inches of snow in Martinsville-Henry County. My family was fairly prepared for being snowed in a couple days - minus a serious craving for Doritos, which we didn't have. #Didn'tNeedThemAnywayWe enjoyed sledding, snow cream, building snow forts, making a snowman and making snow angels. All this trekking up and down the hill, packing snow blocks and rolling snow balls had to constitute some kind of cross training right? Two and a half days after the snow fell we ventured out to go restock on groceries...and yes, I bought Doritos!
35 Days to Go - H and I were enjoying the morning at home while Darrin went on an outdoor excursion to combat cabin fever. I planned to run at some point during the day but no firm commitments had been made. Mid-morning I received a text from Sharon inviting me to a group run. I knew going with a group would be more enjoyable than running alone so I jumped on the opportunity. H got to spend some time with his Gigi and Pops while I went out for a run.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Lifetime Record
I am 31 years old and yesterday I ran the longest distance that I have ever run in my life. EVER. It was the most amazing feeling, but before we delve into that I want to tell about the week.
If you want to test your dedication for running (or any hobby for that matter) see how well you fare in a polar vortex. Yes, we've now had two of them this winter. Days and days of freezing cold, ice, snow, repeat. There were days that I longed to run, days that I was willing to run if I had to and then days when asked if I was going to run my response was "No Way!"
After three weeks of continuously increasing my distance with each run I had been feeling great but the past week was just rough in more ways than one.
54 Days to Go - The weather was so nice. Temperatures were in the mid-50's and after publishing my friend Juan's guest post that morning, I was really pumped to run. In fact, I thought about it all day long and could not wait to get home for an afternoon run. An impromptu afternoon meeting kept me at work a little longer than I had planned to be there but it was OK, I'd still have time to do something.
When I arrived home I set out on my run, dressed for 50 degrees, and realized that the temperature was dropping rapidly as the polar vortex set in. My fingers, nose and ears all burned. I decided to pick up the pace and make the most of this one-mile route. I finished one lap at a pace of 9:21 per mile. This was a new personal record for that distance.
If you want to test your dedication for running (or any hobby for that matter) see how well you fare in a polar vortex. Yes, we've now had two of them this winter. Days and days of freezing cold, ice, snow, repeat. There were days that I longed to run, days that I was willing to run if I had to and then days when asked if I was going to run my response was "No Way!"
After three weeks of continuously increasing my distance with each run I had been feeling great but the past week was just rough in more ways than one.
54 Days to Go - The weather was so nice. Temperatures were in the mid-50's and after publishing my friend Juan's guest post that morning, I was really pumped to run. In fact, I thought about it all day long and could not wait to get home for an afternoon run. An impromptu afternoon meeting kept me at work a little longer than I had planned to be there but it was OK, I'd still have time to do something.
When I arrived home I set out on my run, dressed for 50 degrees, and realized that the temperature was dropping rapidly as the polar vortex set in. My fingers, nose and ears all burned. I decided to pick up the pace and make the most of this one-mile route. I finished one lap at a pace of 9:21 per mile. This was a new personal record for that distance.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Making The Moment Count
71 Days to Go - I ran 1.25 miles during my lunch break on the YMCA treadmill at a pace of 11:22 per mile.
70 Days to Go - This morning H woke up exceptionally early. My plea for him to snuggle in the bed with me was futile; he wanted me to get up and play. So we had fun playing trains and cars, ate breakfast and watched cartoons together. All during this time a heavy rain and thunderstorm was going on outside. It appeared that I would not have an opportunity to run today. I already had plans made for the rest of the day and the morning was my only chance.
While H was engrossed in a favorite program, I slipped off to check my e-mail. Sharon, my guest blogger this week, had invited me to be a friend on RunKeeper. I accepted the invite and sat there in amazement looking at her stats..."how on earth does she find the time to run like that?"
After the thunder stopped I hopped in the shower to get my morning started. (I have a date with a cute young man at Dino Day later today.) As soon as I was out of the shower and dressed it was no longer raining. For the moment I was torn, I just got all cleaned up but I really want to run. If my new running friend had found the time to get in 5 miles this morning, surely I could do something, right?
70 Days to Go - This morning H woke up exceptionally early. My plea for him to snuggle in the bed with me was futile; he wanted me to get up and play. So we had fun playing trains and cars, ate breakfast and watched cartoons together. All during this time a heavy rain and thunderstorm was going on outside. It appeared that I would not have an opportunity to run today. I already had plans made for the rest of the day and the morning was my only chance.
While H was engrossed in a favorite program, I slipped off to check my e-mail. Sharon, my guest blogger this week, had invited me to be a friend on RunKeeper. I accepted the invite and sat there in amazement looking at her stats..."how on earth does she find the time to run like that?"
After the thunder stopped I hopped in the shower to get my morning started. (I have a date with a cute young man at Dino Day later today.) As soon as I was out of the shower and dressed it was no longer raining. For the moment I was torn, I just got all cleaned up but I really want to run. If my new running friend had found the time to get in 5 miles this morning, surely I could do something, right?
Friday, January 10, 2014
It's Not About the Numbers
Since I've started training and blogging, word has spread across the community about my, now very public, plans. So far everyone has been very supportive and excited for my news. My friend Morgan made cute handmade hair ties for my workouts, Katie shared her recipe for delicious peanut butter energy balls and colleagues throughout the community have been sending me words of encouragement. It is exciting and I hope that I am inspiring others to become more active in 2014 and challenge themselves, personally.One of the most common questions I hear is "Wow, you're running a half-marathon; so how many miles are you up to?" The question is innocent and very valid. The first week, my answer was sheepishly "one." This week, my answer is a confident "one to two miles."
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Two Miles!
Despite the fact that it was 32 degrees and misting rain on and off, I was anxious to just go and get it over with this morning. I got dressed to run and played with H while waiting for a break in the mist. About 11 a.m. I saw the opportunity and went for it.
The first half-mile, my fingers and cheeks were cold but everything warmed up as I got going. At mile 1.2, I shed my outer jacket after coming up a steep hill and around mile 1.3 the jacket made an excellent matador cape to swat at the neighbors' grumpy dogs as they approached me.
The last half mile was the hardest but the RunKeeper app (and lure of the cozy couch waiting for me) kept me motivated to push onward to my goal.
I ran 2.02 miles at a pace of 12:01 per mile and covered 140 feet in elevation gain. Now that I have met my goal, I can enjoy the rest of this winter day inside by the fire with a cup of coffee and a feeling of accomplishment!
My next goal is to run the same 2 mile route at a pace of 11:30 per mile.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Setting the Pace
Now that the critical "first run" (a.k.a. "get off the couch") event has occurred. I plan to update the blog each week with my training progress and helpful tips that I discover along the way.
82 Days to Go - I took my first run using the RunKeeper app. I ran the same residential route as my first run Dec. 28th. Throughout the workout, my audio trainer gave me information on distance covered and pace to push me along. It's encouraging to hear when I've hit a milestone distance. I was happy to complete the route without any walking and could tell that it was a little easier the second time around.
When I completed the run and hit the stop button, I learned that I ran 1.65 miles at a pace of 11:20 per mile. The charts on the app show how my pace fluctuated during the run and the elevation of the course. This particular route provides 130 feet of elevation gain, adding to the challenge. I'm looking forward to learning tips in the YMCA's training program on when to pick up the pace and when to go easy so that I can be more efficient in my running.
The RunKeeper app thinks of everything and even sent an email to congratulate me on my new record. Ok, so it was my first run with the app but I did set the bar. Thanks for the shout out and encouragement, RunKeeper!
82 Days to Go - I took my first run using the RunKeeper app. I ran the same residential route as my first run Dec. 28th. Throughout the workout, my audio trainer gave me information on distance covered and pace to push me along. It's encouraging to hear when I've hit a milestone distance. I was happy to complete the route without any walking and could tell that it was a little easier the second time around.
When I completed the run and hit the stop button, I learned that I ran 1.65 miles at a pace of 11:20 per mile. The charts on the app show how my pace fluctuated during the run and the elevation of the course. This particular route provides 130 feet of elevation gain, adding to the challenge. I'm looking forward to learning tips in the YMCA's training program on when to pick up the pace and when to go easy so that I can be more efficient in my running.
The RunKeeper app thinks of everything and even sent an email to congratulate me on my new record. Ok, so it was my first run with the app but I did set the bar. Thanks for the shout out and encouragement, RunKeeper!
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