Author's Note: This dispatch from the front line is a couple days late because, frankly, sleep was more important before two night shifts in a row.
The second "long run" of the program, six mile jaunt, and it got started an hour later than I wanted. My intent was to get outside to run after the firehouse as soon as possible after my shift, before the temperature and humidity really started to climb. Unfortunately, my relief was almost an hour late, and then he had to be brought up to speed on what was required during the day. So 0645 turned into 0800.
When I finally did get out, I took a liter of water with me to drink, figuring with the rapidly-increasing humidity that water might be a good idea...and it was, except for the fact that carrying it loose in your hand is never as smooth as you'd think. Another firefighter-marathoner (they're all over the place!) I work with has graciously lent me a couple of his belts that he used, those specialty-kind that is designed to carry small containers of water as well as a couple of energy bars and the like. I'll be testing those in the next couple of weeks.
As with last week's long run, I built some breaks into it, but even those breaks became longer as the run went on. I'd like to run consistently without stopping, but it seems to be taking me awhile to get there on these longer runs. But then, as some of my more experienced colleagues have said, this humidity is brutal, and getting past it will make me a better runner. I hope.
After I finished the run, I took a moment to realize why I really hate the sound of the Dog-day Cicada , which is that annoying buzz you hear on hot days. That sound to me represents feeling plenty hot and tired.
My Herculean (so far) Effort
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Friday, July 26, 2013
Week Two - Day Three
It's amazing how much a 20-degree-plus drop in temperature makes one run a little faster.
Went out yesterday evening around 8:30 for a three-mile run, one of the short ones. Still a bit humid, but after the first mile and I was chugging along at 9:23 per mile, I thought to myself, "Self...I feel pretty good!" And when the last mile was even faster, I thought, "My, there is something to this cooler weather thing." Even the hills were not a problem.
I'm starting to develop some soreness in the left leg, with a little bit of pain around the knee. I'm reasonably sure that this is because I'm not stretching, so I think I'm going to have to incorporate some of that into the post run workout, which will probably mean getting out even earlier on those early days. I don't really want to short-circuit this marathon training because of something entirely preventable.
One of the recruits, before he got on the job, worked as a personal trainer, and pointed out that running, especially distance running, leads to not only fat loss, but muscle as well. Once I get back to my regular spot at the firehouse - I'm the support guy at the moment, which means I have to be in at 6:30 AM, with lots of running around all day - I'm planning on getting back to the weights. Not that I want to be huge, but I don't want to be concave, either. Still, being down three-plus pounds does worlds for encouragement.
In other news, Jay passed on to me a couple of sites where I can earn stuff or donate to those less fortunate, simply by getting out there to run. If anyone is interested, inbox me. (This way I can earn some points!)
Yesterday's run, which included my fastest mile to date.
Went out yesterday evening around 8:30 for a three-mile run, one of the short ones. Still a bit humid, but after the first mile and I was chugging along at 9:23 per mile, I thought to myself, "Self...I feel pretty good!" And when the last mile was even faster, I thought, "My, there is something to this cooler weather thing." Even the hills were not a problem.
I'm starting to develop some soreness in the left leg, with a little bit of pain around the knee. I'm reasonably sure that this is because I'm not stretching, so I think I'm going to have to incorporate some of that into the post run workout, which will probably mean getting out even earlier on those early days. I don't really want to short-circuit this marathon training because of something entirely preventable.
One of the recruits, before he got on the job, worked as a personal trainer, and pointed out that running, especially distance running, leads to not only fat loss, but muscle as well. Once I get back to my regular spot at the firehouse - I'm the support guy at the moment, which means I have to be in at 6:30 AM, with lots of running around all day - I'm planning on getting back to the weights. Not that I want to be huge, but I don't want to be concave, either. Still, being down three-plus pounds does worlds for encouragement.
In other news, Jay passed on to me a couple of sites where I can earn stuff or donate to those less fortunate, simply by getting out there to run. If anyone is interested, inbox me. (This way I can earn some points!)
Yesterday's run, which included my fastest mile to date.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Week Two - Day Two
Went out the morning after the firehouse. Mostly cloudy skies, reasonable temperatures, looked good.
Except for the humidity. Positively deadly.
Made about two miles in Gregg Park before I had to work a two-minute break into it. Also, since the first loop took me north-to-south along the water right into the wind, which was pretty stiff, I decided to run the reverse for the second loop. A great idea until the sun came out, which was a little warm in the front, while I was getting a good tailwind. I also found out that the hill on the 48th Street side is steeper than the 37th Street end. I was taking another short break at the top of the hill when I ran into my FD colleague Jimmy the Red Sox Fan/eight-time marathoner, who was taking a nice easy run around the park while waiting for a local repair shop to open so he could retrieve his car. He turned around and ran with me the rest of my fourth mile. His presence definitely made it easier to finish what was becoming a really slow run.
Walked around a bit after the run, and encountered another fellow runner who was training for a marathon in November. Called herself a Jeff Galloway girl.
The run details.
Except for the humidity. Positively deadly.
Made about two miles in Gregg Park before I had to work a two-minute break into it. Also, since the first loop took me north-to-south along the water right into the wind, which was pretty stiff, I decided to run the reverse for the second loop. A great idea until the sun came out, which was a little warm in the front, while I was getting a good tailwind. I also found out that the hill on the 48th Street side is steeper than the 37th Street end. I was taking another short break at the top of the hill when I ran into my FD colleague Jimmy the Red Sox Fan/eight-time marathoner, who was taking a nice easy run around the park while waiting for a local repair shop to open so he could retrieve his car. He turned around and ran with me the rest of my fourth mile. His presence definitely made it easier to finish what was becoming a really slow run.
Walked around a bit after the run, and encountered another fellow runner who was training for a marathon in November. Called herself a Jeff Galloway girl.
The run details.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Week Two - Day One
One week down, 15 weeks to go.
Continuing the plan of short-medium-short-long, this morning was a short run of three miles. Since I had to be in work at 0630, I was out the door by around 0410, and again it was h-u-m-i-d, but the temperature was a little better, about 73 Fahrenheit. The original plan was a new route off OFR, with some hills thrown in. One wrong turn later, and I wound up just reversing the route. Still got a couple of hills in though.
Pacing is getting a little better. According to the Nike app, my pace for the second mile was actually two seconds faster than the first, under 10 minutes per mile.
Going to have to work on leaving a little bit of time at the end of the run to allow for cool down, since it seems that the body keeps working for a bit after the run stops. A little like food that keeps cooking for a while even after you remove it from the heat.
This morning's run.
Continuing the plan of short-medium-short-long, this morning was a short run of three miles. Since I had to be in work at 0630, I was out the door by around 0410, and again it was h-u-m-i-d, but the temperature was a little better, about 73 Fahrenheit. The original plan was a new route off OFR, with some hills thrown in. One wrong turn later, and I wound up just reversing the route. Still got a couple of hills in though.
Pacing is getting a little better. According to the Nike app, my pace for the second mile was actually two seconds faster than the first, under 10 minutes per mile.
Going to have to work on leaving a little bit of time at the end of the run to allow for cool down, since it seems that the body keeps working for a bit after the run stops. A little like food that keeps cooking for a while even after you remove it from the heat.
This morning's run.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Week One - Day Four
Yesterday was the first "long run" of the program, a distance of five miles (which, by the twelfth week, will be a "short run"). Because of the temperature and humidity (81 degrees Fahrenheit and 88%) at four in the morning, I decided to modify the run a little bit. I wouldn't call it cheating, since this will be my strategy for the marathon anyway, but I didn't want to kill myself for a mere-five miler. For every ten minutes of running, I did one minute of walking, the idea being that I'd still have some gas in the tank at the end.
It actually worked out. I started out faster than I wanted to, about 9'20" and change, but slowed down to just above my so-far-normal pace at around 9'40". Hit my first walking part at almost 1.1 miles, then kept that up for the next four. Still a little tough at the end, but I gave it a little extra boost knowing the finish was in sight. Of course, realizing that I would be late for work if I didn't was also a great motivator.
The end result was that my average pace was 10'12" with the walks included, which I am quite happy with, given the conditions. If I hadn't included those little breaks, I'm sure that the pace would have been much slower.
At the end, Shalane Flanagan says I ran my fastest 5K to date, second time this week that happened. I guess I'm doing something right.
This time the run was straight up OFR to the Parkway overpass by Whitty Road, then back.
Tomorrow is another short run, a three mile course through the neighborhood. I plan on running that one without breaks, so the pace might be a little slower, but the temperature is supposed to be around 70 F at four in the morning, so it hopefully will even out.
It actually worked out. I started out faster than I wanted to, about 9'20" and change, but slowed down to just above my so-far-normal pace at around 9'40". Hit my first walking part at almost 1.1 miles, then kept that up for the next four. Still a little tough at the end, but I gave it a little extra boost knowing the finish was in sight. Of course, realizing that I would be late for work if I didn't was also a great motivator.
The end result was that my average pace was 10'12" with the walks included, which I am quite happy with, given the conditions. If I hadn't included those little breaks, I'm sure that the pace would have been much slower.
At the end, Shalane Flanagan says I ran my fastest 5K to date, second time this week that happened. I guess I'm doing something right.
This time the run was straight up OFR to the Parkway overpass by Whitty Road, then back.
Tomorrow is another short run, a three mile course through the neighborhood. I plan on running that one without breaks, so the pace might be a little slower, but the temperature is supposed to be around 70 F at four in the morning, so it hopefully will even out.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Week One - Day Three
Today was a bit of a group effort. Met at Stephen R. Gregg Hudson County Park - "Bayonne Park" to those who grew up around here - with fellow firefighters from my tour, who gather every morning before work at about 0630. Jimmy is an eight-time marathoner who has done Boston twice, and with me running next to him gives the appearance he is out for a stroll, even in this weather, though he graciously denies it. Also joining us this morning were probies Scott and Jon, and in the second loop, another marathoner named Jim, who has done the MCM twice, among others. Illustrating just how out of their league I am, during the entire second trip around the park, the two Jims (who are both Red Sox fans) kept up a running dialogue about the Sox, the All-Star Game, and a host of other topics, when I could only make sure that I was actually breathing the right way. Talking would have been completely out of the question.
Speaking of the weather, Day 5 of the heat wave, and today was a little tougher than in the past. Of course, two cups of coffee plus almost a full liter of water before going out to run might have had something to do with it. Right now, they're saying this weather is here til Saturday or Sunday, when the temperatures drop into the mid-to-high 80s.
Today's route was again the upper and lower portions of the County Park, this time sticking to the roads, which seems to cut about a tenth of a mile off the total if you run on the paths.
Again lauding me on my effort was Sanya Richards-Ross.
Twice around the park and then home, gents.
Speaking of the weather, Day 5 of the heat wave, and today was a little tougher than in the past. Of course, two cups of coffee plus almost a full liter of water before going out to run might have had something to do with it. Right now, they're saying this weather is here til Saturday or Sunday, when the temperatures drop into the mid-to-high 80s.
Today's route was again the upper and lower portions of the County Park, this time sticking to the roads, which seems to cut about a tenth of a mile off the total if you run on the paths.
Again lauding me on my effort was Sanya Richards-Ross.
Twice around the park and then home, gents.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Week One - Day Two
Have I mentioned that I'm starting this training program in the middle of a heat wave? 79 degrees at 0645.
Today was a scheduled run of four miles, and I wanted to get out early because of the heat. By "early", I was thinking somewhere around 0530, but my brain said getting up then on a day I don't have to be in work was not what it had in mind.
The route was up Old Freehold past High School North, with the original intent of just going til the app told me I'd hit two miles, then turn around. Around a mile and three-quarters, I made the impromptu decision to detour into a local development, and ran around that for about a half mile, then back down OFR. When I got to Lilac, I hung a left, and used the decline to rest up, hoping (and failing) to finish the run before I got to the corresponding hill at the other end of Lilac towards Mapletree. (Of course not.) Not til I got to OFR and Mapletree did I reach the end. I walked the rest of the way home, another 15 minutes, to cool down. Heart rate immediately post-run was 172, then 132 at about five minutes.
Today's pep talker was American marathoner Kara Goucher. British marathoner Paula Radcliffe told me I ran my fastest 5K to date.
Making progress.
Today's run.
Today was a scheduled run of four miles, and I wanted to get out early because of the heat. By "early", I was thinking somewhere around 0530, but my brain said getting up then on a day I don't have to be in work was not what it had in mind.
The route was up Old Freehold past High School North, with the original intent of just going til the app told me I'd hit two miles, then turn around. Around a mile and three-quarters, I made the impromptu decision to detour into a local development, and ran around that for about a half mile, then back down OFR. When I got to Lilac, I hung a left, and used the decline to rest up, hoping (and failing) to finish the run before I got to the corresponding hill at the other end of Lilac towards Mapletree. (Of course not.) Not til I got to OFR and Mapletree did I reach the end. I walked the rest of the way home, another 15 minutes, to cool down. Heart rate immediately post-run was 172, then 132 at about five minutes.
Today's pep talker was American marathoner Kara Goucher. British marathoner Paula Radcliffe told me I ran my fastest 5K to date.
Making progress.
Today's run.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Week One - Day One
This morning was my first scheduled run of the sixteen week program. A short run, it was "only" three miles. It seemed much longer. Not because I couldn't do three miles - I just did that the other day, and could have gone more than that had time considerations not been a factor.
No, today was more difficult because of the weather - which, admittedly, I am going to have to get used to, as I've said before - with a heat index approaching 90 at a little after 0800, and because I screwed up on the way I went.
Today was a new route, right in the neighborhood of my firehouse. I chose this area since it would mean I could immediately go out after getting relief this morning, as well as a place to shower and change when I returned. My other option in Bayonne was to go to Stephen R. Gregg Hudson County Park, but that meant a delay in getting out on the road, and the way the day was heating up, I didn't want to wait.
Using the mapping option on Nike+, I figured from the firehouse, if I ran to Broadway, turned right and headed to 1st Street, made another right, taking me to John F. Kennedy Boulevard, then up to West 4th Street and back to the firehouse would be about 1.6 miles. I set the app on my phone to a distance of 3 miles and out I went. The plan was to go the way I did, since the decline (or going the other way, the incline) on Broadway from around 2nd Street to 1st Street would be and the gradual incline from 1st Street to the 4th Street on the Boulevard would be easier than the incline going up Broadway in the opposite direction.
Ah, no.
Not only was the climb about as tough going up the Boulevard as it would have been going north on Broadway, but it was longer. And being that it was just paved, I felt like I was baking on the fresh asphalt. And there was less shade, which I am finding out on days like today is a precious commodity. I find myself altering which side of the street I'm on, just to take advantage of the trees. To somebody who may be following me, I'm sure I looked quite confused.
Towards the end, right on the incline on the Boulevard, I got one of those meant-to-be-inspirational "go get 'em!" statements from one of Nike's sponsored athletes, this time from Sanya Richards-Ross, who implored me to give it a little extra over that last tenth of a mile, while simultaneously getting pumped by "Danger Zone", by Kenny Loggins. Maybe it helped, I don't know. I just wanted it to end, period.
Run completed, I got an attaboy from Tim Tebow...*sniff*
The details on today's run.
No, today was more difficult because of the weather - which, admittedly, I am going to have to get used to, as I've said before - with a heat index approaching 90 at a little after 0800, and because I screwed up on the way I went.
Today was a new route, right in the neighborhood of my firehouse. I chose this area since it would mean I could immediately go out after getting relief this morning, as well as a place to shower and change when I returned. My other option in Bayonne was to go to Stephen R. Gregg Hudson County Park, but that meant a delay in getting out on the road, and the way the day was heating up, I didn't want to wait.
Using the mapping option on Nike+, I figured from the firehouse, if I ran to Broadway, turned right and headed to 1st Street, made another right, taking me to John F. Kennedy Boulevard, then up to West 4th Street and back to the firehouse would be about 1.6 miles. I set the app on my phone to a distance of 3 miles and out I went. The plan was to go the way I did, since the decline (or going the other way, the incline) on Broadway from around 2nd Street to 1st Street would be and the gradual incline from 1st Street to the 4th Street on the Boulevard would be easier than the incline going up Broadway in the opposite direction.
Ah, no.
Not only was the climb about as tough going up the Boulevard as it would have been going north on Broadway, but it was longer. And being that it was just paved, I felt like I was baking on the fresh asphalt. And there was less shade, which I am finding out on days like today is a precious commodity. I find myself altering which side of the street I'm on, just to take advantage of the trees. To somebody who may be following me, I'm sure I looked quite confused.
Towards the end, right on the incline on the Boulevard, I got one of those meant-to-be-inspirational "go get 'em!" statements from one of Nike's sponsored athletes, this time from Sanya Richards-Ross, who implored me to give it a little extra over that last tenth of a mile, while simultaneously getting pumped by "Danger Zone", by Kenny Loggins. Maybe it helped, I don't know. I just wanted it to end, period.
Run completed, I got an attaboy from Tim Tebow...*sniff*
The details on today's run.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
What Training App to Use?
In yesterday's post, I displayed some of the stats from my run last night. I'd like to display an actual map of the course, as well as more comprehensive numbers, but unless the reader is a subscriber to Nike+, and also a "friend" of mine on there, they aren't going to be able to see it for themselves. It does display to Facebook, which I could probably link to from here, since most people who'd read this here are going to be my friends there, anyway. That would take care of the map, but not much in the way of stats.
Several of my friends are using MapMyFitness, and still others are on RunKeeper. I'd like to pick one app that would work well, instead of spending the first minute of any run starting three different timers, which will skew the numbers (four if you include the Garmin watch Kim gave me for Christmas).
My cousin Rose's husband Jay pointed me in the direction of linking the MapMyFitness app to the Nike+ one, but if you click on an individual run on the MMF site, it doesn't seem to load the individual run's information correctly. Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong.
Also, does any one app seem to work better than another, as far as accuracy? So far, Nike and the Garmin watch can have as much as half a mile and 30 seconds in pace difference over the three, though both use GPS technology. Nike also said I did 14.1 miles in the Marine Corps' Historic Half Marathon, which would probably be news to the race organizers, I would think.
Suggestions are welcome.
Update, July 17th: I've found that if I go to my Twitter feed, where I also share my runs, I can find the link to a specific run there. So for now, the plan is to copy-and-paste the link and repost it here.
Several of my friends are using MapMyFitness, and still others are on RunKeeper. I'd like to pick one app that would work well, instead of spending the first minute of any run starting three different timers, which will skew the numbers (four if you include the Garmin watch Kim gave me for Christmas).
My cousin Rose's husband Jay pointed me in the direction of linking the MapMyFitness app to the Nike+ one, but if you click on an individual run on the MMF site, it doesn't seem to load the individual run's information correctly. Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong.
Also, does any one app seem to work better than another, as far as accuracy? So far, Nike and the Garmin watch can have as much as half a mile and 30 seconds in pace difference over the three, though both use GPS technology. Nike also said I did 14.1 miles in the Marine Corps' Historic Half Marathon, which would probably be news to the race organizers, I would think.
Suggestions are welcome.
Update, July 17th: I've found that if I go to my Twitter feed, where I also share my runs, I can find the link to a specific run there. So for now, the plan is to copy-and-paste the link and repost it here.
Sixteen Weeks
Yesterday was my last pre-training run, a total of 30 minutes, plus ten or so for cooldown. The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer says I should have had two weeks of four thirty-minute runs each to this point, but...that didn't happen.
On to the training plan. Tomorrow is the start of the sixteen week plan, which will take me to the Marine Marathon on October 27th. Four times a week I'll be getting out there, for two short runs, a medium run and a long one. The longest runs are scheduled for the last Saturday in September, and the first Saturday in October, 18 miles apiece. Of course, it would be the weekend we leave and the weekend we return from the Outer Banks. Why wouldn't it?
Tomorrow is a short run for three miles, which I'm planning to do as soon as I get out of work, right in the area of the firehouse. Early in the day, when it's still (somewhat) cool. The humidity is still going to be high, but that looks to be the case for the summer. Might as well get used to it.
On to the training plan. Tomorrow is the start of the sixteen week plan, which will take me to the Marine Marathon on October 27th. Four times a week I'll be getting out there, for two short runs, a medium run and a long one. The longest runs are scheduled for the last Saturday in September, and the first Saturday in October, 18 miles apiece. Of course, it would be the weekend we leave and the weekend we return from the Outer Banks. Why wouldn't it?
Tomorrow is a short run for three miles, which I'm planning to do as soon as I get out of work, right in the area of the firehouse. Early in the day, when it's still (somewhat) cool. The humidity is still going to be high, but that looks to be the case for the summer. Might as well get used to it.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Last "Pre Training Run"
Went out this evening about 1830 for a scheduled 30 minutes of running, going up to High School North, short turn onto Bey Lea and a u-turn in the parking lot of the OCVTS, then back down Old Freehold Road to home. Hit the 30-minute mark just at the corner of my street, so I walked the rest of the distance to my house, while waiting for "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins to finish playing, having selected that as my "power song". Have to see if I can adjust when I can play that to the last five minutes of a run, as opposed to the last minute of a run. Might work a little better.
While on the subject of music, some work is needed on the playlist, since I have been using the same one now for at least four months or so. It's getting a little old. The first nine songs of the playlist, which is about where I am at thirty minutes:
This evening's stats, according to Nike+:
While on the subject of music, some work is needed on the playlist, since I have been using the same one now for at least four months or so. It's getting a little old. The first nine songs of the playlist, which is about where I am at thirty minutes:
- "Armageddon It" - Def Leppard
- "Already Gone" - The Eagles
- "Land of Confusion" - Genesis
- "I Want It All" - Queen
- "She's A Rebel" - Green Day
- "Back in the Saddle" - Aerosmith
- "Side of a Bullet" - Nickleback
- "Bicycle Race" - Queen
- "Invisible Touch" - Genesis
This evening's stats, according to Nike+:
- Total time: 33:56 (includes almost four minutes of cooldown)
- Distance: 3.1 miles
- Average Pace: 10'44" per mile (though I was averaging around 10 per mile, if you exclude the cool down walk).
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