Good Run in the Park

Forty degrees today, so we had a nice short run in the park.  I went 3.53 miles in 34:43, for a pace of 9:50, run/walking in a 2 to 1 (40 to 20) ratio, same as in the Stillwater Bubble yesterday.  I might have pushed a little harder today, though, especially near the end, and the pace was just slightly better despite the hills.

Whining:  None.  Great taper run, plenty of energy left at the end.

Canned Alaskan sockeye salmon with some crushed organic
blue corn chips and organic yogurt. The rest is organic too.

Five More in the Bubble

We ran in the Stillwater Dome again, five miles again, but this time I did a run/walk, about 40 to 20.  The resulting pace was 9:58, hardly slower than two days ago when I ran the same distance without walking, although I did run the last two laps (of 25) without walking.

Whining: None, and no sign of the tight calves.  Good run.

Splits: 20:07 (2 mi), 20:19 (2 mi), 9:24, total 49:48, pace 9:58.

Five Miles in the Bubble

With outdoor temperatures in single digits, we three decided to run in the Stillwater Dome, an indoor soccer field.  We run around the outside of the lines defining the soccer field bounds, where five full laps plus one short side are a mile.  I ran five such miles, 25 laps plus five short sides, dodging walkers the whole way.  The going was easy at first, but became harder as I ran, and in the last two miles I was wishing I was done.  Running in circles is boring.

I did well enough, though, running without walking at a pace of about 9:30 minutes/mile, and I had energy left when I finished.

Whining:  Calves were tight toward the end, threatening to cramp up after only five miles, especially the left calf.  Maybe I’ll add in some walking the next time, for a pace more like the pace I’ll use in the Honolulu Marathon, see what happens.

Splits: 19:15 (2 mi), 9:01, 9:39, 9:36, total 47:30, pace 9:30.

Half Chickened Out

We went to the park this afternoon, to run on the paved trails. I had intended to run five miles, same as I would have run with the St Croix Valley Runners this morning if I hadn't chickened out of that too.  Seven degrees indeed.

Bison sausage, squash & wild rice,
salsa, mixed veggies, cranberry
sauce.  Pretty much all organic.

This afternoon the temperature was better, 26 degrees, but the wind was sharp, and I had eaten rather recently, and I just didn't feel much like running.  I finished one loop of 2.51 miles, stopped at a portable toilet near the car, and decided to skip the second loop. Usually running is fun, and I wasn't having fun.  I could have kept going - just didn't want to.

I did OK anyway though, time 22:43, for a pace of 9:03.  That’s good enough, considering that I slowed to a walk over a few patches of snow that might have had ice beneath.  We’ll probably go a little longer and maybe slower on Monday, indoors.

Thanksgiving Morning Run

From a precious daughter-in-law:
Gluten-free, organic pumpkin pie.
As good as any pie we've ever eaten.

The St Croix Runners meet every Saturday at 7:00 am, and also on Thanksgiving morning, maybe Christmas too.  This morning we had three walkers and seven runners.  I ran with Doug, Jim, Wayne, and Dave, finishing the five miles in about 47:30, for a pace of 9:30.  It felt good, and I had some energy left over at the end.

Whining: My left foot has felt a little creaky on occasion recently, not while running but after resting it for a while.  The pain is on the top outside, near the lisfranc ligaments.  I limped a little for the first few steps of today’s run, but the pain went away quickly.  No problem.  Jim tells me that if running causes the pain to decline, rather than increase, that’s a good sign.

Identical Runs

Wednesday, November 21, 2012:

Monday’s run (below) felt so good that I just did it again.  Same pace, same finish time.  All the same except I went the other way around the 3-mile loop.  No pain, no problems.  Sixty degrees, dry, and sunny on November 21 - very nice running.

Monday, November 19:

After 20 miles on Saturday, I felt like doing a nice, easy run on the grass trails in the park.  I ran a nice, fairly-hilly 3-mile loop in about 32 minutes for a pace just under 11 minutes per mile.  I walked and ran, in about a 1 to 2 ratio.  No problems, no pains, beautiful day, nice run.  I could do this every day.

23 Miles

Saturday afternoon, Nov 17, 2012:

With a marathon coming up in three weeks, it was time to do a long run today.  We ran five miles with the SCV Runners this morning, so I did another 15 this afternoon on the Gateway Trail, finishing the 15 in 2:35:22, for a pace of 10:22.  This time I ran 40 triplets and walked 20, where a triplet is three footfalls (I count triplets because, while running, one triplet takes me almost exactly one second.)  The pace, if I could have continued, would finish a marathon in 4:32.  I can’t do that yet, but I do feel like I’m very slowly getting back some of the speed that the dexamethasone took away.

I did feel a little pain in the left knee from time to time, the knee with PFS, and in the last two miles I felt a little pain in the upper left hamstrings.  Neither of these was a limiting factor.  Cramps appeared in the last two miles or so, though, and would have been a limiting factor if I had run any farther.  When I finished I was really worn out, with sore and cramping leg muscles everywhere.  But this is why we run a long run, isn't it!

I carried water on this run, and took three gels along the way.  I forgot to bring salt, though, and I did not properly rehydrate after the morning's five-mile run.  Both of those could have contributed to the cramping.

Breakfast between today's runs.
There is oatmeal under there.

Splits: 3:51, 10:35, 9:50, 10:34, 9:26, 20:00 (2 mi), 10:38, 10:48, 3:15, 7:05, 10:49, 11:28, 10:10, 10:36, 10:00, 6:28, total 2:35:32, overall pace 10:22.

Saturday morning, Nov 17:


The St. Croix Valley Runners meet every Saturday at Stillwater’s Northland Tennis Courts, 7:00 am sharp.  This morning we had seven runners and four walkers.  I ended up running with Doug and Wayne, very nice because they ran about my pace.

We finished the five-mile run in about 49 minutes - the time is imprecise because none of the three of us remembered to start our watches!  The pace, then, was just under 10 minutes per mile, all running, no walking.  We ran the McKusick route, which is fairly hilly.  Lovely run.

Wednesday, Nov 14:

Three miles in the Stillwater Dome.  This was our first run since last Saturday’s half marathon.  With sub-freezing weather outside we decided to run indoors.  It actually seemed just as cold in the dome, though, but we did escape the wind.

I ran just three miles, at a pace of about 9:30 I think - I later cleared my stopwatch without writing down the splits.  This was a nice run, though, a little faster than a recovery run would normally be, perhaps, but I enjoyed it, with plenty left at the end.  I do recall that the last mile was faster than 9 minutes.