Posts Tagged ‘armband’
Distance: 4.75ish k Tuesday, 4.91k today
Time: 45:00ish Tuesday, 32:24 today
So I’ve done two runs now since the marathon. On Tuesday, I met my friend Erika and we went for a nice, easy run on the Walkway (I don’t think it was as easy for Erika, though!). She hasn’t been running much lately, although she did the TC10K last April. It was a good pace for me, since it was my first run since the marathon, my right foot was not 100%, and it had been a week since my last run. It was a lovely evening to be out, still sunny and warm, but without the heat of the day. I’m hoping that Erika and I can go running together on a regular basis. It’s great to have the company, and maybe it’ll help keep some runs relaxing, instead of always trying to beat my last time. That being said, I have put up a tentative training schedule, to prepare for the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon (formerly the Royal Victoria Marathon) in October. It’s pretty tight, because I had to work around my work schedule. You can see the new schedule by clicking the tab above.
Today was supposed to be a 6.5k hill run, but I was too tired, and it was 7:45 pm by the time I left the house! So I switched it to a short run, and I plan to do the hill run tomorrow. I was pretty grumpy when I left, and actually kicked the car when the RunKeeper pro app wasn’t able to find a GPS signal (I also forgot my armband so I had to carry my phone the whole run). I needed some Linkin Park music, and it helped get me motivated. I finished in 32:24, which isn’t my fastest time, but it’s pretty good. Too bad I don’t know what my splits were. When I got home, I reinstalled the RunKeeper pro app and synced it to my iPhone, so it seems to work now.
Anyway, as I already mentioned, I’m planning to run another marathon in October. It may seem crazy, or even too soon, but I really want to try for it. In fact, once I got home and was able to lift my leg up high enough to get into the car, I knew I wanted to do another marathon. Only this time, I want to be faster. I’m pretty sure I could finish another one in 5:15:00, but my goal is under 5 hours. I realize that while my heart may want to run another 42.2k in only 16 weeks, my legs may not be up for it. So, as part of my plan, I will evaluate how I’m doing at the 6 week mark. Far enough in that the long runs are getting long, but not so far in that feel like I’m in too deep. If, at the 6 week mark I’m having trouble fitting in the runs, or if I’m struggling with the distances, I will cut back and train to do the half marathon instead.
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Posted in Running Marathon | 
Tags: armband, iPhone, RunKeeper, runners, Running, Times Colonist 10k | 
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Distance: 9.83k
Time: 70:25
I’m way too tired from my run today, and my boys waking me up at 6:30 am to write a full post, so I’ll do a list of the good and not-so-good things that have happened run wise in the last two days.
Good:
- I now fit into my lululemon hoodies that I bought way before I got pregnant with my first son. They didn’t fit in between pregnancies, because I could never zip them up over my chest. Now they do, so I’ve been wearing them non-stop. I so missed them. Warm and cozy. When I Tweeted about this, the lululemon Twitter person actually Tweeted me back to congratulate me! Kinda cool.
- I beat my last 10k time on this route by about 2 minutes, although I did not beat my PR from the race last month.
- I’m closer to being back on track with my training plan. I was tired at the end, but from an energy standpoint, I probably could have kept going for another couple of kilometers.
Not so Good:
- I wrecked my knee. Call me stupid, or hardcore, or just plain stubborn, but I was absolutely determined to get the distance in today. My right knee was fine for the first half of the run, but it was screaming again by the end. And the pain radiated through my whole leg, so that my inner thigh was hurting at the end, too.
- I learned that when wearing short-sleeved shirts that I need to put my armband on the other way because the jack for my headphones rubbed the skin just below the elbow on my arm raw.
- RunKeeper totally messed up my splits on my iPhone so that the first 9k had 0 time and 0 distance, but my speed for the last kilometer was 1:19/km. Also it said I only burned 2 calories. Well, I guess if it took me an hour and twenty minutes to run one kilometer, I wouldn’t burn very many calories! Oddly, when I went to the website, my splits were on there for each kilometer, and they looked okay (http://bit.ly/9ZJffu).
So, I don’t know what to do about my knee. I refuse to even consider stopping running, and I really don’t want to even cut back too much, because the marathon isn’t that far away. I tried stretching it more after this run, and I plan to rest it tomorrow. I even considered an ice bath, although I didn’t do it. Any suggestions out there?
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Posted in Running Marathon |
Tags: armband, iPhone, knee injury, long run, lululemon, marathon, RunKeeper, Running |
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Distance: 5.08k
Time: 38:53
Had one beer last night, and I sure felt it today. My right knee started to give me a bit of grief, mostly just making its presence known. More than that, my run felt more difficult today than yesterday. I wasn’t really slower time-wise (had to stop and tie my shoe), but I only walked for about a minute after my 25 minutes of running, before running the rest of the way. Oh and my 3 minutes of walking warm-up. So I actually was a bit slower, since I walked less with about the same time as yesterday. Now I know; not even one beer the night before a run.
I had considered trying for 7k today, but obviously that was out of the question once I got started. Maybe I’ll try next week, on a run when I’m feeling good. My sister arrives in town tomorrow, and I’m gonna make sure we get at least one run in together while she’s here. I think I’m good to go for a run without walking, since I know she hates to walk during her runs. Hopefully I’m not too slow for her.
Also, I finally got to test the water-resistance of my armband today, since it was drizzling for my whole run. I’m happy to report that my iPhone stayed nice and dry, although the rest of me didn’t. I managed to keep the headphone cord dry by tucking it into my coat and feeding it through the vent hole on the sleeve of my running jacket. A nice bonus was that it kept the cord out of my way, too.
I got a nice encouraging comment to yesterday’s blog. Keep ‘em coming! And let me know what you listen to during your runs, if you listen to music. And you run. At the same time.
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Distance: 5.13k
Time: 40:19
Wow! Nearly two minutes faster than yesterday! Of course, today’s run program had me run for 20 minutes straight before a 3 minute break. In fact, including my 5 minute warm-up, I only walked for 8 minutes of the whole run. Not so much as a peep from either leg. It was cold out though; I actually saw a few snowflakes during my run!
As I promised on my last post, I have compiled my top 5 list of running necessities. Here they are, in no particular order:
This first one is a combination of the iPhone itself, and my favorite app, RunKeeper. I know this isn’t the most useful suggestion unless you know someone who already has an iPhone, or you want to spend some serious coin, but it is the coolest way to track your runs. Both the free and pro ($9.99 on iTunes) versions use the GPS from the iPhone to track your course, keep time and even calculate your pace and speed. The pro version lets you set up run programs (such as the “couch to 5k”), take photos that are tagged along your route, and set up the iPod to play when you start the timer. If you sign up online, you can also see a map of your course, your splits, and the number of calories burned. You can then send this information automatically via Facebook or Twitter. If you happen to have a runner and a nerd on your holiday list, this is the present for him or her.
This next accessory for the iPhone (notice a pattern here?) is the XtremeMac Sportwrap for the iPhone, but it could also be used for the iPod Touch, or the old iPod. It’s made of neoprene, which is waterproof, and it has openings on both ends, so you have access to the headphone jack regardless of where it is. According to the website, they’ve improved on this model, adding a space to store your spare headphone cord, but it’s not out yet. I got one of these through ebay for $15.99, with a bit of hassle – read my blog to find out the story. Now that I have it, it works great. Haven’t tested it in the rain yet, though.
The next thing I can’t live without are my oh-so-comfy running shoes. These are New Balance 758’s, and they rock. I personally like New Balance because I have pretty narrow feet, and they make all their shoes in multiple widths, so my feet don’t slide around in them. If you want to get the runner on your list a new pair of runners, though, I would take them to the store so they can try on different pairs. Or, you could buy them another pair of their current runners, if you know they like them. Everything I’ve read says to replace your runners every 500 miles (800k), and each pair of good shoes costs at least $100, so if you have a serious runner on your list, a new pair of shoes is always welcome.
Next, is the softest running shirt ever. Yes, it’s made by the evil Nike, but it’s totally worth it. I read a review that complained about the seams, but I didn’t have any problem with them, and it’s super-soft. Oh, and the colour is pretty, too. I bought it for around $50. The only problem I have is that it’s not very warm on its own, so it would make a good mid-layer with a rain jacket. I read that the weather in Tofino is still pretty cool in June, so this may very well be the shirt I wear to the marathon.
Last, but certainly not least, is my cold-weather shirt, the Run:Spirit Pullover by lululemon. It ain’t cheap ($119), but it’s functional and cute. This photo doesn’t really do it justice but I couldn’t find a better one on the website. lululemon clothing does tend to be on the pricey side, but you can’t deny they pay attention to details. This top has a zippered pocket in the back, perfect for keys; a hole in the hood for a ponytail; thumbholes with pullover cuffs to keeps hands warm; a side zipper at the neck to prevent rubbing; and a hood that does not slip off in the wind. The fabric is also supposedly reflective, although I have not had a chance to test this. I would recommend this top to anyone doing some cold-weather running, although our “cold snap” here is not as bad as the rest of Canada.
Hopefully I’ve given a few ideas for the runners on your list. Again, if anyone out there has any other suggestions for gift ideas or any running stuff they love, let me know. And if any of my family is reading this, I want running gloves and running socks for Christmas, or gift cards to any running store. Happy shopping!
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Posted in Running Marathon |
Tags: armband, Christmas, gift giving, iPhone, lululemon, New Balance, Nike, RunKeeper, Running, XtremeMac |
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