Recently in Long Run Sunday Category

A couple weeks ago I decided I wanted some goodies for my bike. I wanted to be able to ride my bike more often, and that means riding in the dark at this time of year. So I got lights. A white one for the front, a red one for the back. And I got a bike computer because I'd rather not rely on the GPS. And I always need to know the numbers.

New toys!

So I've been on a few night rides since. A trip to Target. Today I got home from work late and felt like I'd be safer biking than running in the dark, so I rode. There were quite a few people out around the nearby lakes. Running, walking dogs, whatnot. Kinda surprising. But great weather for it. Clear and 60°. Just dark.

In an hour I'm cutting myself off from work. I say an hour, because it'll be more like an hour and a half. Half of my team is heading down to La Crosse, WI tonight to get ready to run the inaugural Great River Relay tomorrow. The other half of the team will catch up with us tomorrow afternoon.

I've been stressing about the organization of this. I'm ready for it to just be over. I'm sure once we get going, we'll be fine and I'll be having fun. Right now.... *twitch*

Well... I finished it....

2:16:19
2003 out of 3858 (for the 1st half)
861 out of 2114 women
329 out of 722 F 20-29
10:24 pace overall
10:27 pace at 7.4-mile split

I expected the cooler weather to work to my advantage. Which it did. It was about 60° at 5:30 on Sunday morning. I don't think I ran one long training run any faster than 11:40 min/mile in weather anywhere from the upper 80s to near 100. Looking at those numbers, I'm actually pretty pleased. Top half of the females. Hell, even top half of my age group. Not quite middle of the group overall, which I'd expect with all those guys.

But the hills. Woo, lawdy, the hills. The hills totally kicked my ass. Given the hills, that time's not too bad, but I had hoped to be a little faster.

More of the story and photos below the jump....

I know y'all have been asking for weeks. Aside from the fact that the the heat and humidity have been deathly oppressive, training has been mostly unremarkable.

I had a really great, early morning 8.6-mile run along the Mississippi River a few weeks ago. That was immediately followed by the never-ending boat trip with some co-workers. Which really was fun, but an 8-hour boat trip with very little water and no food and lots of sun is probably not the best way to recover.

Last weekend's 9.86 miles in 90-degree heat and humidity were awful. I was delirious for the rest of day. I came home and did manage to get in the shower right away. Then I fell asleep. Woke up starving, but was too tired to get something to eat. I finally went out in the awful awful weather to get something to eat. And then I slept some more.

In Great River Relay news, Bosslady is likely out of the race with a stress fracture. I'm not only disappointed because we're short a person, I'm disappointed because she was really excited to do it. I may require her to volunteer anyway. Actually we would have been fine, numbers-wise, without her, but a few other people dropped out, coincidentally right when it was time for them to pony up some cash. Folks do have legitimate reasons, but it still pisses me off. I think we'll be okay, though.

I've been checking out all the local running stores and picked up a new pair of shoes over the weekend (Tiffany, they're white, navy, and carolina). I also got some Michigan socks, a FuelBelt (which I might return), and I returned a pair of shoes I got a long time ago but didn't want, for which I got a pair of heavier winter tights and another pair of shorts.

I needed all that stuff. Really.

No, I really did need the shoes. I didn't think I'd be able to break them in in time for the half marathon, but they're pretty comfy and I haven't had any problems with them on three runs so far. If I make it through this weekend's 11-miler okay, then I'll wear them for the race.

The race, which is next weekend already! Eek! I know that the weather there will significantly improve my times. But I'm not very confident having had only one longer run that felt comfortable. It's only supposed to be 82 this Saturday, so I've got high hopes for this last long run before my taper week.

I might be imagining this, but as I've been ramping up the mileage, I can swear I can see the difference in my legs. I can also see the difference (for worse) in my arms since I stopped doing all the push-ups trying to pass the PFT. I for sure put on a few pounds when I switched to my desk job. I still haven't gotten a very good eating habit down, but I don't feel quite so bloated and gross all the time.

Long run this weekend is gonna be 8 miles. Woo! I think my longest long run before the half marathon is gonna be 11 miles. And it's only a month away. OMG, where does the time go? I should probably buy a plane ticket. And find some accommodations in SF. I wasn't paying attention and missed the deadline to book hotel rooms near the start at marathon-participant rates.

My legs are dead.

Ran late Friday night. Ran my long run early Saturday. That right there was ill-advised. Went for a 19-mile bike ride this morning with Fly Girl. A hilly one. And then played two hours of sand volleyball.

But my friend Girl Talker and his fiancee did a triathlon yesterday, so I feel lame complaining.

We had thunderstorms Friday and Saturday, so both those runs were in real humid conditions. Felt gross. I was slow. I was sopping wet at the end of each one. Took a nap Saturday afternoon. Today was gorgeous. 70s, sunny, and with a light breeze. Great for a bike ride and for volleyball. Took a nap this afternoon, too.

Can't wait to take tomorrow off.

Alternate title: Baby did a bad bad thing.

I went to Target. Shopping list: Paper towel, toilet paper, a water pitcher, and an audio cable.

You know how Target is and how you always spend more than you expect to and you often forget one thing that you meant to get in the first place. I did not get toilet paper. At that point I didn't feel like carrying it. Because my arm's were full of other stuff.

I ran the Easy Does It 5-Miler last week.

I felt like I was off the whole week before. But, yet again, I took it easy a couple days before and, yet again, was fine come race day. I really ought to quit worrying about these things. I've not just been pleasantly surprised, but personally blown away by my finish times in almost every race I've run. It's one thing to manage my expectations and it's another to just be way the hell off.

Holy fucking shit!

Buy a Nike shoe, buy the special Sportkit for $29, get a sensor to stick in your shoe, and it sends data about your run back to your iPod nano. No details on what kind of data, but the picture shows time, pace and distance (and some music info).

Time, pace, and distance are really the main things I want out of my GPS, so this would be perfectly adequate. And cheap. I mean, you're also paying for Nike shoes and an iPod nano, but I'd be buying running shoes anyway and it wouldn't kill me to upgrade from my iPod mini.

More from The Unofficial Apple Weblog.

(via Kimberley)

I've spent so much time over the last few weeks focusing on these new speed milestones I've reached. Especially how I've managed to reach them without killing myself. I've only felt like I expended significant effort on the day I ran that new best time. Not so much on any other normal day of running.

I'm now at the beginning of a half marathon training program. So my long run today was a mere 4 miles. I made a conscious effort to take it slow and easy and it felt so good. I always do this. Get preoccupied with speed. Even when it's my long run of the week, if the distance is relatively short, I feel compelled to run it at faster than "easy" pace. Today I didn't and it was so comfortable and so effortless.

So, about that half marathon. I haven't actually registered for the San Francisco Half Marathon, but I did already commit to another event in town that weekend, so I know I'll be there. I should probably go on and do that. The fee goes up from $65 to $70 on Tuesday.

I found this:

Registration is open to participants running under a 6-hour Marathon Pace (13:44 minute miles), a 3-hour 1st Half Marathon Pace (13:44 minute miles) or a 3-hour & 30-minute 2nd Half Marathon Pace (16:01 minute miles).

I'm curious to know what exactly is different about the two Half halves that the 2nd Half allows you an extra 30 minutes. I'm gonna guess it has something to do with hills, but I'm too lazy to analyze the course. But it also seems strange that, if the second half is that much more difficult than the first, they'd limit the marathon pace to the same limit as the first Half half. I would think they'd allow a slower marathon pace to account for the more difficult second half. And, if you're that slow that you'd be close to the limit, how would you know if you could make the time on one but not the other?

I know I want to run the Golden Gate Bridge, so I'll be running the first half anyway. And I expect to be more around the 2-hour mark. I'm guessing the first half is gonna be a lot more crowded. Wouldn't everyone want to run the bridge? What would really suck would be if the terror alert level is raised at that time.

CODE ORANGE ALERT: In case of a Code Orange alert, issued by the US Department of Homeland Security, the Course would feature an out and back on the Great Highway instead of crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Again this would only happen in case of a Code Orange alert.

Okay, reading further I see this part that gives me pause:

STARTING TIMES will be between 5am and 6:35am for the full marathon and first half marathon. The 2nd half marathon starts at 8:15am....

That alone makes me really want to do the second half. Especially since I know I'll be occupied for a good chunk of the previous evening and I'll be having to come up to San Francisco from San Jose. Nah. I really want to run the bridge.

Alright, I just registered for the first half Half. w00t!

I just mentioned that I was interested in the Great River Relay, right? Teams of 12 run a 150-mile, 36-leg course from La Crosse, WI to Harriet Island in St. Paul. Each team member runs 3 legs. Each leg is 3-8 miles long, and varying in difficulty from pretty hilly to pretty flat.

Today a guy at work stopped by my cube and asked if I was interested. He thought he had heard me mention it before. I hadn't, but he knows I run. He doesn't want to organize it, but he wants to participate. His department has most of the runners in it, so he's gonna see if he can round up some folks and I'm gonna ask around amongst my peeps. Maybe we can finagle some sort of company sponsorship.

I had a two mile run on my training schedule for yesterday. I opted out of doing hills with Run Club so I could make this two miles another stab at improving my PFT score.

I had just determined that I ought to be able to do two miles in 16:47, according to the McMillan Running Calculator. You know what my time was?

Haven't checked in in a while. This is gonna be a long one.

File under You know you're a runner when...

The half marathon training schedule I'm putting myself on calls for a two-mile run today. I thought, "Hey, I'll make it a time trial for the PFT." But then I got the email from Running Room with the schedule for this week's practice sessions. Tonight they will be running hills. I actually thought to myself, "Ooh! Hills!"

Hot damn, y'all. The spring weather feels so good. SO GOOD!

So last week I complained about my hip flexors being tired (but not sore), and then I came across a thread in the Cool Running forums about... strengthening your hip flexors! How 'bout that? I tried adding some flutter kicks in with my push-up and sit-up routine. My hip flexors went from "tired" to "sore" with the quickness.

There was also a thread about running just to run vs having a strict training schedule. I wish I could run just to run, but right now I can't. I did that all winter with no set schedule and I hated it. That might have had more to do with the fact that it was winter. But still. I think part of my problem is that since I'm still pretty new to running, I haven't raced all the distances that there are to race. I feel like I need to actively work towards a five-miler/8k, a half marathon and a marathon, and then after those monkeys are off my back I'll feel better about getting out there and doing what feels good every day. I have a feeling I'll probably make better progress if I just stop worrying about it. Although if I'm running just to run, how do I track progress? Or why do I need to progress, exactly?

I took my long run yesterday. Started from Lake Nokomis, took Minnehaha Parkway over to the Mississippi River and back, then did a lap around Lake Nokomis for about 6.3 miles. Now, there's a spot in town where Minnehaha Ave and Minnehaha Parkway intersect. Minnehaha Park is right there. As many times as I've driven, biked, and run through there, I never until yesterday realized that Minnehaha Falls are right there. I mean, I knew the falls were somewhere between Lake Nokomis and the river. In my defense, they're not very well marked. There's a roundabout there, so if you're in a car, you are not at all looking around. You're just trying to figure out where the hell you need to turn off. You can't see the falls from the road. Anyway, now I can say I've seen the falls.

Today I took my first bike ride of the season with Fly Girl. (Note to self, get your bike checked out. You could have gotten up this morning and at least made sure you had air in the tires and the chain was on track and you had all your gear instead of noticing this stuff as you're on your way out the door.) It was a nice day out, but windy. And our route was hilly. Talk about a hip flexor workout. Sheesh.

*pooped*

Tuesday (28 March) was the one-year anniversary of starting this crazy habit o' mine. I might have to treat myself to some gear.

And now a PFT Update, as of Friday.

2-mile run: 17:40, for 85 points.
Pushups in 2 minutes: 26 for 71 points.
Situps in 2 minutes: 53 for 69 points.

For a grand total of 225. Still not passing (need 240 points for that), but much improved. Again, pushups seems to be the greatest room for improvement. I'm rather impressed with myself on that 2-mile time. It was definitely a push and I did it without taking my inhaler, too. That's definitely a best time for me. And here's my thing about the situps: you're not allowed to have your feet held or tuck 'em under something, so I feel like my situps are limited by the fact that my feet keep popping up off the floor. I'm not sure how I could do them much faster.

My friend Tim and I are all signed up for Get in Gear. I've switched training programs, so I've been putting in a lot more miles. Where by a lot more miles I mean about an extra mile a day, and about two extra miles on my weekend long run.

Since I ran such a good time in my last 10k, I'm down with running GIG for fun, not for time. Besides, GIG is the largest 10k in Minnesota and it'll be crowded and six miles is not enough room for folks to really spread out. In light of that, I probably don't really need to be running the extra miles, but hopefully getting my base up sooner will give me the endurance and flexibility to run a half marathon sooner in the year.

When I start to add on the mileage, I really start to feel it in my hips. Right along the front. What are those muscles? Hip flexors or something? I figured I ought to be feeling it in my legs, but it's not in my legs. And it's not soreness. They're just tired. I like a little bit of soreness. But my hips just feel tired. Especially since being up north last weekend altered my schedule and I've been trying to play catch up, which meant I ran every single day this week. And which means I'm taking today, my long run day, off. Besides, it's really gross outside. 40° and drippy. If it were warmer I'd love to run in the rain. But it's not.

I'm really enjoying Slow Burn. I was gifted with it from my Amazon wishlist. It gets a bit repetitive, but there's some good information in there. I've already read through all the mental stuff. Now I'm in the meat of the training stuff. And I have yet to read the nutrition stuff. I had read about some of these concepts in the Cool Running forums when I started out, so I think I really had the right approach when starting this running habit from scratch. Namely, I started out slow.

Also in the CR forums I came across DJ Steveboy's Podrunner. Each mix is at a fixed BPM, so you can pick one to match how slow or fast you want to go. I've only run once while listening to it. I found the 150 BPM mix to be too slow, but the music was still good to listen to. Sometimes it's nice to have a good beat that you can zone out to. The 180 BPM mix was great for keeping my feet moving. 180 steps/min is supposedly the optimal cadence for running efficiency (and biking as well). It was a funny little shuffle, because I was trying to keep the cadence, but I was also not trying to go very fast, so I was talking these really short, quick steps. But I was comfortable, and that's all that matters. There are other mixes at other speeds that I haven't downloaded yet. They're really long, about an hour each. The Groundpounder mix — the 180 BPM one — is two hours. They'll be better for when I get to longer runs and into marathon training where your long run is two or three hours.

And it's finally warming up some. It's been a little dreary, but I haven't had to keep it indoors and go to the Y in weeks.

It turned out to be a beautiful day today for the St. Patrick's Day 5k & 10k. At 10:00 this morning it was about 30°. I was skeptical with all the snow we got this week, but the roads were clear, the sun was out, and it warmed up nicely. I figured we'd be on the bike path, but the street around Lake Calhoun was actually blocked off, which was nice.

I ran with Alena, who kept my ass moving. I would have probably slowed down quite a bit on the second lap had I run it by myself. We kicked it a little at the end and I ended up with a finishing time of 58:03 (my official time is 58:07, but I started back a little ways in the pack; 58:03 is what I saw when I crossed the finish line). That's a 9:21 pace. Waaaay faster than I thought I could run it. I was expecting about a 10:00 pace if I was lucky, accounting for race adrenaline and all that.

They moved the starting line at the last minute, so there was quite a bit of confusion amongst race-goers as to where to be. They said something about the course certification, but didn't they know that far enough in advance to let everyone know? Nothing was very well marked. If I had driven, it would have been less of a big deal, but Fly Girl dropped me off. I hitched a ride part way and then walked some.

The red Running Room tent ended up being about a quarter of the way around the lake from where they said it would be. Which was okay in the beginning, since the weather was nice and I wasn't running too late. But at the end it meant that I was on the complete opposite side of the lake from where I live, so I was lucky enough to hitch another ride instead of having to walk the whole way or wait very long for FG to pick me up.

So it was good! I'm glad I did it. I'm glad Alena was there. And now I have my first official 10k finishing time.

I'm timed myself doing pushups and situps today.

I did 20 pushups in 2 minutes for a score of 64. The first 12 went fine. Then I stopped for a break. And the last 7 were ugly. I discarded a couple for bad form.

I did 48 situps in 2 minutes for a score of 63. Not bad for my first try, but I know I can do better on those.

And I did my last 2-mile run in 18:34, for a score of 76. I can do a little better on this, too, but I don't anticipate doing a whole helluva lot better.

Which makes for a grand total of 203. Not passing yet, but better than I thought I'd be able to do. Looks like I have the most opportunity for improvement in the pushups, followed by the situps, and then in the run.

On Monday.

I've decided to see if I can pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (PFT). Saw it at FitFool, who got it here.

Here are the standards charts. To pass any one section - # of situps in 2 minutes, # of pushups in 2 minutes, and a 2-mile run - you need to score a minimum of 60 points. To pass the PFT, you have to score 240 points overall. So you can compensate in one area for another.

For females age 27-31 (that would be me), I need a minimum of 45 situps, 17 pushups, and a 20:30 in the 2-mile run. That would be to pass each individual section. I need to do better than that to pass the PFT overall.

I had been doing a variety of crunches and some real basic free weight stuff with my arms, with the occasional set of girl pushups. The PFT requires you to do full situps and boy pushups. Last week I started doing full situps just to see how it would go and it was easier than I thought it would be.

So far I can only knock out about 12 consecutive boy pushups (if my arms are well-rested), but I've been doing them a couple times a day. I may alternate with more reps of girl pushups. I think my arms look stronger than they actually are. Or maybe it's not my arms so much as my chest and back and shoulders aren't that strong. Anyway, more pushups.

The 2-mile run is not a problem. In fact, I ran an 18:34 last week. I haven't officially timed myself on the situps and pushups. I'm going to try to do that this week.

Given that we got dumped on with snow today (scratchafrickin' Minnesota), my enthusiasm for this weekend's St. Patrick's Day 10k is in the toilet. The jury's still out on that one. I have until Wednesday to sign up at the reduced rate and get the free (with your race entry fee) toque. We'll see.

So March hits and immediately we're saddled with two weeks of just-above-freezing weather, in which it slushes and sleets and might be sunny and is generally wet all the time. I decided to take my long run yesterday, on account of it being fairly nice out, and it's a good thing I did, because the forecasted "wintry mix" came this morning.

Two weeks until the St. Patrick's Day 10k (which I still haven't actually registered for), and I'm just betting after a couple weeks of 40-ish weather we'll get a huge snowstorm and the temperature will drop the morning of the race. But I want the toque that comes with my race entry fee.

I am now officially a fan of the elliptical machine. On days when I have to do long-ish crosstraining, I split my time between the stationary bike (can't decide if I prefer recumbent or upright) and the elliptical. There's one woman whom I see regularly at the Y and she gets on the elliptical and flies and will go for a good hour and a half! I know she was on it when I came in today, and she was still on it when I finished up my hour of cardio. She crazy.

I know my 10k time is going to be dismally slow. I keep reminding myself that it's still the very beginning of the season and of course I'm not going to be as in shape as I was last fall for the 10-miler.

I keep telling myself I need to get some more long-sleeve shirts. I can't keep wearing the same two for a week at a time. They get pretty funky.

Clearly I have nothing exciting to report.

So, I still don't have a functioning heart rate monitor. Because I've been too lazy to pack mine up and pre-pay to send it back to Polar to fix it. If they weren't, like, $50, I'd just go out and buy another one.

I've been training for this 10k, and the weekly mileage is not very high. After all, 10k is not very far. So I had been thinking that I'd try to run my shorter runs at a fast pace. Not just a faster pace, a fast pace (for me). I'd still keep my Sunday long run slow. Since I only have to do two or three miles at this fast pace, it hasn't been much of a problem, except that it's proportionally more difficult since I'm doing them on the treadmill instead of outside.

Except that I went back to the CoolRunning forums, and was reminded of two things. One is the whole low heart rate for aerobic base building thing. The other is that the best way to prepare for a race is to get the mileage in, not necessarily to to run particularly hard. I'm still too much of a beginner to be worried about speed. Plus, you know, it's the very beginning of the season.

So I really need to get that heart rate monitor thing taken care of. I'm particularly curious to know what my numbers look like after a few months of taking it easy.

My four miles on Sunday were cold, but pleasant. I do really miss the variety of route options I had at my doorstep at my last place. And it ain't warm enough yet to ride my bike to a better starting point. I'm gonna have to do some adjusting of my schedule while I'm in Mexico. Maybe shift next week's long run up to Saturday before I leave. Then I've got to get a few days in while I'm down there. I'll take my gear with me and see what presents itself. I'm sure I'll be dying in the heat.

I gave up on the half marathon. Both the one in San Francisco and the one in St. Paul would have been today. I had already ruled out SF because I didn't think I could afford the travel, and I didn't want to train in the cold for a warm weather race. I ruled out the St. Paul one because I didn't want to run 13.1 miles in the freezing weather. January was unusually mild -- average temperature was 12 degrees above normal -- but now we're back down to the usual ridiculous below-freezing cold. So I'm comfortable with those decisions.

I still hate running inside. Even in the cold, in the unsure snowy footing, even not trying very hard and generally feeling very windblown and slow, I'm a little faster and much more comfortable outside than on the treadmill, and a lot faster than on the track at the Y.

So, yeah, running inside sucks. I had been running with a 2% incline on the treadmill, which is supposed to more closely approximate the resistance of running on the road, but that was way to difficult, so I've been doing 1%. It still feels worse than it should. I wonder if part of it is the temperature. It's pretty warm inside, and despite the numerous ceiling and floor fans, the ventilation isn't the same.

Between the moving and the holidays, I ended up taking most of December off. My first day back I could barely eke out 20 minutes on the treadmill. But it didn't take too long to get back in the swing. I decided for January that I was just going to take it easy. Not do too much, but make sure I do it regularly. Which I did, and I felt pretty good about it.

Now I've got a goal. The St. Patrick's Day 10k. I'm kind of tired of running around Lake Calhoun, but, you know, hey. I'm looking forward to having an official time for a 10k, a distance I have not raced yet. And then 6 weeks later I'll do the Get in Gear 10k. I'm following novice schedule to work up to the first one, it being the first race of the season and all. I'll probably do the intermediate program for the April race. Then it'll be on to the half marathon after that. I'm pretty sure. Though I have yet to pick one.

I tried the elliptical machine for the first time yesterday. Once I got used to it, I liked it alright, but my calves are killing me today. Woo, lawdy! Fly Girl and I went to the Y yesterday afternoon, and it was much busier than it is on weekday mornings. Which is understandable. But all the cardio equipment was in use and it was pretty frustrating seeing the same six chicks on the elliptical machines for a half hour, and then seeing them rotate so they could all stay on it without staying on the same machine for 30 minutes which you're not supposed to do. Now, I've considered signing up on a machine with two different sets of initials. But on a day when it is clearly very crowded and there are obviously people waiting to use the machines, figure something else out, you know? And the staff there isn't super helpful about enforcing the time limits and respecting the reservations.

There's a Valentine's Day 5k next Saturday which I'm considering signing up for, but mainly because I want the long-sleeve technical t-shirt that comes with your entry fee. It's at Lake Harriet which I have run, but not raced before. I think I'll wait a couple days and see what the weather forecast looks like.

I feel much better now having races planned. I made it through January, but I need to have a set schedule to keep me on track. Too bad February's the coldest month and March the snowiest month of the year. *hates Minnesota*

Someone at the Cool Running forums asked about goals for 2006. I'll probably wait until December or January to really work these out, but off the top of my head, I'm thinking:

• 2 half marathons
• 1 marathon
• a 5 mile race and a 10k (since I don't have official times for those distances)
• get some more structure around my low heart rate training

I've decided I'm gonna train for the Frozen Half, but I haven't decided yet if I'm actually going to run it. I need to have something to work towards now, because I've been unsatisfied with the freewheeling (lack of) plan I've been on.

I ran with the Running Room Run Club for the first time on their Sunday morning run. Alena invited me along. It was fun. We ran with the fastest pace group. It was supposed to be a slow run, but since it wasn't very far, I did the faster pace. They run 10-and-1s (so you run for 10 minutes, then walk for one, repeat). I can't decide if I like that or not. I should have taken Sunday off since I ran long on Saturday, but, you know, what the hell. It was a social engagement. I might even have to do that again some time.

Weather's starting to get gross, so this week will be a test of my mettle. It was upper 30s, drippy, and super windy on Sunday. The tights, jacket, and long sleeves are working just fine, but the first five or ten minutes until you warm up are killer. We're supposed to get snow on Tuesday. Ugh. Ugh, I say!

A guy in the Cool Running forums posted saying that he got an incentive idea from a book he read. The general idea is to map yourself a route to travel from where you live to some dream destination of yours. Then as you run every day, mark off the miles on the map (or count 'em down, or whatever). If you have more cash flow than I, you may even sock away some funds to match your progress. Sounds like an awesome idea. Now I just have to pick where I'm going to run to.

Where would you run to?

I had an "Aha!" moment last week.

I've read in numerous places that the most efficient running cadence is 180 footfalls per minute. So the way to increase your speed is to increase your stride length. Thus far, I haven't been too worried about increasing my speed. I haven't really even been sticking to the 180 steps/min thing. I just naturally fell into a longer stride/slower cadence on my long slow runs.

So then an episode of Run Cast Weekly I was listening to talked about running posture. They explained the cadence thing (heard that). They pointed out that your foot should be landing directly underneath you, already moving backward, so you don't land on your heel and thus slow yourself down with every step (got that, in principle). Then they stated that you should sort of be leaning forwards from your ankle, and an increase in stride length comes from kicking your legs out behind you.

Now, that seems obvious, but I didn't really get it until I heard it on RCW. So that's what I've been practicing. The leaning forward actually helps with the cadence because you have no choice but to move your feet to catch yourself. So I tried that on a few 3 to 4 mile runs. My legs didn't feel like I was working much harder, but my heart rate was up a little and I did those shorter runs at about a 9:30 pace, so I guess I was going faster.

I had my most enjoyable run in my six-month history of running last Tuesday. I went out with a mind to do 45 to 60 minutes. Whatever felt good. So I went up the unpaved trail on the east side of Cedar Lake and holy shit it was fantastic! You'd never know you were in the middle of the city. It was so green and so fresh. I found Hidden Beach, a fire pit around the north side, a number of benches and places to sit around and do camp-y things, and a rock with a poem inscribed in it. All these hidden gems that most people will never find.

I got notification that my pictures from the TC10 are available. I don't really need them framed to hang on the wall or anything, but I'll gladly put 'em on the internet. (click to embiggen)

I think this is on East River Parkway, just before turning onto Summit Ave. I was feeling much better than my facial expression seems to imply. And I would just like to say look at those guns!

Ta daaaaa! I put my bib up on my door next to my bib from the first race I ever ran.

Thank you, sweet jeebus, for the recovery jog. I was pretty sore on Monday and after a whole day of ibuprofen and stretching, I still felt like crap on Tuesday. So I went out for a slow easy three miles which turned into four miles and on Wednesday I felt just fine.

Whose legs are these? Not that I'm particularly buff, but hot damn.

I had no cold weather running gear, so I skipped Thursday and went out not quite properly dressed on Friday and Saturday. I have plenty of lightweight fleece and I have a jacket, but I didn't have a wicking layer to put on underneath it all. I was checking out what I saw people wearing over the last few days. I picked up a pair of tights, a couple long-sleeved zip-neck shirts, and an earband. Tried one of the new shirts on a bike ride on Sunday and it was perfect.

Got new shoes, too, since I had a coupon. Saucony Grid Trigon 3s. Not sure how I feel about 'em, but I couldn't tell in the store if I wasn't sure just because they felt different than the Asics Gel 1100s I have now. We'll see.

Gmap Pedometer has its own domain now: gmap-pedometer.com. And I don't know how long this feature has been there, but the "Complete there and back route" option is quite handy.

I seem to be hitting a 10:00 min/mile pace on pretty much all my shorter runs now. By shorter I mean three to five miles. My next goal is to focus on a longer distance, but I sure will be happy if I start to consistently break that 10:00 barrier on my shorter distances.

I know there are some half marathons coming up in the next couple months in Minnesota, but I'm not particularly jazzed about any of them. I might consider the Frozen Half in February, although I gotta say the idea of running a race outside in the coldest part of the year isn't all that appealing. Maybe I am ready to settle into winter maintenance mode.

The TC10 results have been updated. I actually placed:

• 2471 out of 4087 runners
• 1280 out of 2493 women
• 340 out of 686 females aged 22 to 29

My chip time was 1:39:45. The average finish time was 1:37:36.

My longest ever training run was last weekend. Minnehaha Parkway from Lake Harriet to Lake Nokomis and back. 8.8 miles. I had biked through there before, but you see so much more of it on foot. It was so green and gorgeous. And that was it before the race.

So, yeah. The TC10. I have an account of it up at the Mpls Metblog.

I was not thrilled to get up at 5:30 in the morning. I was a little worried about my bottom system intake and output. But everything worked out okay. Fly Girl very kindly dropped me off at the Metrodome, then just made it home to her house in St. Paul before they closed off the roads. She was waiting for me at about Mile 8 on Summit Ave. She was on her bike, so I saw her again at about Mile 9, once more coming down the chute towards the capitol, and then she was waiting for me in the family meeting area at the end. At which point she promptly informed me that I was completely encrusted in my own salt. After that we doubled back to Summit Ave and watched the marathoners start to come in.

The results are already up. As of right now, they only have our clock times listed. Not our chip times. Chip times are included in the marathon results, but not ours. Meh.

Overall, I placed:

• 2412 out of 4085 runners
• 1231 out of 2492 women
• 328 out of 686 females aged 22 to 29

I'm pretty proud of myself.

I was totally wowed by the whole thing. The race route is fantastic. The organization of the whole thing was amazing. This was my first "real" race. It was so easy to navigate the starting area and the finish area. The weather was great. About 65°. A little humid, but the sun wasn't out at and there was a pretty good breeze. Getting up on the Franklin Ave bridge going over the Mississippi River was so refreshing.

I'm pretty sore today. Besides running faster and longer than usual, there was a fair bit of up- and downhill, so the pounding on my legs was harder than I'm used to. I woke up a few times in the middle of the night last night and could barely move my legs. I can walk, though. I'm not incapacitated or anything.

So I don't know what to do with myself now. I want to go on to a half marathon. Like, now. There's a small possibility that I may be doing one in a month or so, but that's completely up in the air. Otherwise, I may just hunker down for the winter, although it's a little early in the year for that. It's not that cold yet. I might pick up this winter training program which looks like it'd be easier on a track since it's all based on time. Which reminds me I'm supposed to be looking for a gym. I really need to get on that.

This week has been a mostly unremarkable week in training. I took a couple days off when the weather sucked or I didn't feel up to it. I got in some good bike rides. I did my six miles this weekend at a 10:30 min/mile pace (my target Ten Miler race pace) with minimal effort. I've been slacking on my meager dumbbell arm routine and sit-ups. Meh.

Looking into signing up for a gym membership to give me somewhere to go during the winter. Not super thrilled about the idea of joining a gym, but I know in the dead of Minnesota winter I'm not gonna be outside on the road. My health insurance provides me with a discount at Bally's, but I'd much rather go to the Y. In either case, it's not all that cheap and I haven't decided yet if it really fits in my budget or not. $37/month is the discounted rate at Bally's, and $46/month is the rate at the Y. The Y seems to have more no-additional-charge classes but Bally's seems to have more amenities (that I probably wouldn't use anyway).

My experimentation with the heart rate thing and my comfort with my increasing long distance is pointing me towards what goal times to set for the Ten Miler. I'll have a better idea in a couple weeks when I do 8 miles. That'll be my longest training run before race day.

I've slacked on posting about this the last few weeks. I've got shit going on this weekend making it likely that I won't get my run in tomorrow, so I did it today.

Four weeks to the TC Ten Mile. Four weeks!

The week in running was somewhat unremarkable. Week 1 of the 8-week program for the 10-miler. Which is not all that different from what I've been doing the last month or so. Ran in the rain on Wednesday and it was fantastic. 9:30 min/mile pace. Anything less than 10:20 or so is a big deal to me. Other than that, meh.

They cashed my check for the TCM Ten Miler, so I'm pretty sure I'm in. My third week at the higher mileage has gone well and now it's time to start the eight-week program for the Ten Miler. I'm essentially doing the Hal Higdon intermediate 10 mile/15K program, but I'm swapping out the four speed work interval sessions with short cross-training days. Rollerblading has proven to be more of a workout than I had thought it would be, so I feel good about keeping that on the schedule. Plus it's a little more conducive to socialization than running is.

Details of the week below.

So, after I kvetched about Lake Calhoun being crowded last Sunday, I went there on Tuesday morning. Much better. And it was so much cooler. Low 60s. So I decided to run it kinda hard. If I needed any proof of the effect the heat has, this was it. I did the 3.09-mile loop in 29:19. About 2 min/mile faster than I've been running lately. It was a harder effort than usual, but in a different way from running in the heat. It felt pretty good. I know it's still kinda slow compared to many people, but I felt like I was flying. I can't wait for the fall.

Even further proof that the weather is the culprit: I ran 4 miles and change on Wednesday at a similar pace and still had enough for a kick at the end.

For today's run, I did two laps at Lake Nokomis. I've driven near it once or twice, but I've never actually been to Lake Nokomis. It was nice. The beaches were pretty crowded. It was still mid-80s close to sundown and not unbearable. I may do my rollerblade there next Saturday.

So my second week at the increased mileage went pretty well. My knees haven't been bothering me nearly as much as they used to when I was doing half the weekly mileage. Maybe my legs are getting a little stronger. I definitely like doing the cross-training on Saturday instead of a short run.

I have a feeling I got in to the TC Ten Miler, but I'm not positive yet. Details when I get them.

The running link of the week is not actually a link, but just a mention that if you thought Google Maps was the bomb before, the new hybrid feature that overlays street names on the satellite map is even better. Especially since it's also a part of GMaps Pedometer. I do a lot of my running on trails that aren't exactly on the map, but are a little hard to follow just from the satellite picture.

You know what? Running feels good. More broadly, I feel good when I exert myself. Before, any activity used to be tiresome. Now, it's not only less tiresome, it's a source of pride. I can make it up the stairs to my apartment without getting winded. I can squat a certain way while doing something at work. I actually have stamina!

UPDATE: These words from Jen are the running link of the week.

Today was my first run for over a week and half -- between my sister's wedding and the heat, I was on a mini-break. It felt good to be running again; my body missed it (though after the first 30 minutes, my body decided it didn't miss it that much after all). My appreciation for running -- for exercise of any kind, really -- is freaking a lot of my friends out. It's hard to explain, as I can't really say that I like running, it's just ... there. I like being outside and alone with my thoughts. (Yeah, because what I need to do is think some more.) I've even come to appreciate sweating. Kind of.

I need to get some goals going here. So far, all I've really had for goals is knowing I want to run the Ten-Miler in October, and having some semblance of a training schedule to conform to every week.

So. Goals for July:

Running link of the week: Gmaps Pedometer. Can't use it on my desktop like Route Ruler, but it moves around the map so I don't have the pesky problem of zooming in close enough to see the details of my route, but far enough out to get the whole route in one picture.

I think I'm going to make this a regular feature. If I'm gonna be serious about this running thing, the Long Run Sunday should be a regular occurrence. And I have these thoughts, especially while I'm out running, and I feel a need to record them. But I'm not gonna do a running blog because...zzzzzzzzzz.

If my running schedule makes you zzzzzzzzz, pay no attention to the post behind the extended entry.