Category: Running

Today I had a “Tempo Run” thrown into my training plan [PDF]. This basically is a 1 mile warm up at an easy pace. Then you run your required distance at “almost race pace” which is followed by a 1 mile cool down. I was supposed to do 3.5 miles today but had to cut it short due to an appointment and the fact that I woke up 1 hour late. Not sure what happened this morning for that to take place.

I ended up with a great pace for a 3 mile run. Just a bit faster than my workout called for. 9:07 per mile was the prescribed time and I ran it in 9:03.

When I got home I needed to do several things quickly. Since I only had 25 minutes to cool off, eat breakfast, take a shower and enjoy a cup of coffee (not necessarily in that order), I had to combine some of my activities.

Breakfast was ready for me when I walked in the door (my wife is awesome about that). Since said wife does not like sweat puddles under the table, I decided to take my food out to the back porch and eat it there. While consuming a wonderful omelet with a few veggies and avocados, I started eying the pool as a great place to cool off.

In no time I was in the pool enjoying breakfast and cooling off so that within an hour of my shower I should be able to stop sweating. I often will spend time in the pool after a run. I can’t say I am swimming since my daughter will insist on getting in. But if I tell her I am cleaning the pool, she is cool with that. And, I almost always do give it a good skimming.

I don’t know if the pool time really helps me get my core temp down since the water is not that cold. But, it certainly does not hurt.

The only thing I missed on the list of post-run necessities is a massage. But, I guess the necessity of that could be argued.

I am training for the Phedippidations World Wide Half coming up in October. I followed a training schedule last year and did fine with my training. I even accomplished what I set out to do. But, race day was a bit of a disappointment. I did not stick to my plan totally and ran a bit slower than expected. That will be fixed this year due to more experience.

But what I did not do last year was stick totally to the training plan that I had. I did the runs, but not at the speeds that I should have been doing them. I did not see an increase in speed, just in endurance. And, honestly, that is all I was looking for. As a new runner I was not looking to really improve in the speed and strength areas. I just needed to be able to cover the distance.

This year is different though. I am using the McMillan Running Calculator to determine my paces for my different runs. I am running my speed sessions much faster than I would have ever done before. My endurance at higher speeds is increasing. At this stage in my training my long runs are not very challenging, but I am trying not to push the distance too much so that I can really focus on my speed and tempo workouts during the week. I am doing a simple dumbbell workout on my off days.

I am really focusing on my training at this point. I have started a bit late on the intense training, but I am not going into it as a slacker. I have been getting some good long runs in and I have also tried to keep my weekday runs at a higher intensity.

Just 9 weeks until the half-marathon. I may actually run it a week later. I have a bunch of friends that I am trying to talk into running the 5K that weekend. If they will do it, then I will run a (very) easy 5K on the 13th and then the half on the next Saturday. If I run with my friends we will probably be running in the 12 to 15 minute per mile range.

Our daughter asked me to take her running with me yesterday. After I finished my run I took her with me for a run around the block. We ran close to 1/4 mile. She is only three years old. While she was ready to go around again, I did not want to wear her out over it.

Today I did not have a run scheduled. She begged me to take her running again. While I would have taken her myself, my wife was going out for a walk today. I asked if she would take our daughter for a run. And, like yesterday, she said she would do it at the end of her walk.

As soon as my wife left the house our daughter had a break down. Mommy went walking without her. She cried almost the whole time that my wife was gone. She wanted to go running and Mommy didn’t take her.

I finally got her consoled enough that she knew she could go running with Mommy.

They went out for their run together around the block. I think I have a new running partner.

As I was putting on my Road ID this morning to go for a tempo run, I was reminded of a story that happened a couple of weeks ago at camp.

We were using colored wrist bands for all the campers to separate everyone into teams. Everyone had a bracelet, even our 3 year old daughter. One day she got up in the morning and after getting dressed she declared, “I have my shoes and my bwacelet. I’m weady to go wunning.”

That is what she sees me do when I go running. I get my shoes on and look for my Road ID (that she often hides) so I can go out for my run.

Nothing escapes their observation.

I got turned on to the Road ID through the Run to Win website.