Today's Run - 9/30

I headed to ACAC this morning for my run and strength training. There were lots of runners out this morning, looks everyone must be training for something. I decided to head toward the UVA campus and corner. Once I got to the top of the corner I decided to run to the Rotunda and climb the steps to the Thomas Jefferson Statue. It took everything I had not to do a Rocky style pose and yell.



After leaving the rotunda, I ran back towards the downtown mall and circled the amphitheater before heading back to ACAC to for my strength training workout.

My pace was pretty good on the flat surfaces on the downtown route. The sidewalks and downtown mall were great for staying out of traffic.

Running in the Dark

My early morning runs provide a quiet, cool and relaxing time to bang out a few miles. The mornings are getting darker as we move farther into the fall seasons. The dark morning makes it difficult to see and to be seen. I am running in a residential area that has a limited early morning traffic at the times I am on the road. I try to stay on the neighborhood trails to make sure I am not in the road but I would like to find reflective items to wear to ensure others can see me.

I am thinking that the
Jogalite Cross Training Reflective Leg bands might do the trick. A friend reminded me that the goal is to not get hit, so she suggested the fashionable Nathan Streak Reflective Vest.

I am going to keep looking around for the right mix of function and fashion to make sure that I can be seen while running in the dark.

Today's Run - 9/29

Considering that I overslept yesterday it would only be appropriate that I did not get enough sleep before today's run. Watching Football and a late-night work issue kept me up much later than usual. After triple checking the alarm before finally getting to bed, I was up and out of the house this morning to find a very dark and cool fall morning for my run.

I planned on running 3.5Miles, but the route ended up be a bit more. I was happy with my pace, but find that I really need to concentrate on running to keep my pace below a 10min mile. Hard to believe that running is so mentally and physically challenging.

Today's Run - 9/28

A small training disaster this morning that was oddly similar to an episode of Seinfeld.



Apparently when I set the alarm for this morning I did not check the volume! I woke up 30mins late and could not get to the gym this morning. I contemplated just moving my runs up by a day, but decided that I would take today as a rest day and do today's workout on Friday. I hope this does not happen on race day!

Runkeeper

The Runkeeper iPhone app is one of my favorite apps on my phone. Runkeeper is a GPS application that tracks running routes and provides a website for displaying activities. I started using the Runkeeper just before I began training for the Richmond 1/2 Marathon. The interface is iPhone app is simple to use when running, the website dashboard provides a good summary of training progress and the ability to embed runs in blogs or Tweets is fantastic.

I think it is time to upgrade to RunKeeper Pro to get the added features of integrated playlists and voice prompts.

Today's Run - 9/27

I did this weeks long run in the neighborhood by combining a number of previous short run routes. I planned to run 6miles but it worked out to be ~6.5miles. My legs felt pretty rested as I started my run and only my hamstrings were tight when I finished. The weather was cool and humid due to heavy rain on Saturday.

Today's Run - 9/26

I enjoyed working out at ACAC this morning after traveling for the week. Emily and I hoped to do the morning spin class but we were a few minutes late in getting to the gym. I decided to do some of cardio machines and do an ab workout.

ACAC has some new exercise bike machines made by Expresso Fitness. These bikes have an integrated game console which lets you race others on a number of different simulated courses. It is not exactly like spinning or road biking but it was a good distraction and challenge for a 15min ride.

My head cold seems is almost gone. I look forward to my run tomorrow.

Today's Run - 9/25

No run or workout today which will allow my legs to rest for a spinning class tomorrow and a 6Mile Run on Sunday. I am recovering from a slight head cold and traveling back from CT tonight.

Today's Run - 9/24

A light 30min cross training workout this morning on the elliptical. I woke up with a slight head cold, so my workout was not the best. I will take tomorrow off and rest for my long run this weekend. I hope to do a spinning class on Saturday Morning and do my long run on Sunday.

Today's Run - 9/23

I started my run a little later than normal this morning. Starting later in the morning provided more light and visibility for my morning run. I followed a similar track from yesterday and the weather this morning was great as well. With the later start I was not able to do any strength training, but plan to do that tomorrow.

Today's Run - 9/22

I headed out on my run this morning not really knowing where I was headed. I started in the hotel parking lot and headed onto a busy street looking for a neighborhood cross street. I eventually found a cross street that had a sidewalks and side streets which worked out pretty well. I find if I don't concentrate on my pace I slip fairly quickly into the 10.5min mile speed. I ran ~3.5Miles which was pretty easy on my rested legs. The weather in CT was great this morning, with temp in the low 60's.

Today's Run - 9/21

Headed to the gym early this morning for a quick workout. Did ~15mins on the elliptical followed by my standard upper body weight lifting routine. I finished with a short 5min stretching session. My legs feel pretty good and I am looking forward to a run tomorrow. I will be traveling to CT tonight and hope to run somewhere outside in the morning.

Today's Run - 9/20

No run today, I am recovering from the race yesterday. My legs are in pretty good shape, but I does not keep me from putting my feet up and watching football on my day off.

I am traveling to Connecticut this week for work. I am not sure where I will run Tuesday through Thursday. The hotel has treadmills and some other equipment, but I would much rather run outside. I will ask around and see if i can find any good running locations.

Today's Run - 9/19

I ran the Pepsi 10K this morning. For my first 10K, I am very happy with the results. My pace was greatly improved from recent runs, as I averaged 9.06/mile. I attribute my increased pace to getting locked in with other runners at good pace. This was definitely faster pace than I expected to run but overall it was comfortable. The course was a good mix of flat and hills, which compared well to the training runs.

My offical time was 56:00, I was not able to stop my Runkeeper timer until after I was in the finish corral which accounts for the difference in time.

Today's Run - 9/18

No training today. I have a rest day to prepare for the Pepsi 10K tomorrow morning. The weather looks perfect for running. This will be the longest organized run that I have done. My goal is to run a consistent pace the entire race and finish strong. My target pace will be ~10min/mile.

The race does not allow runners to listen iPods, but I plan on having my iPhone in my pocket to let the RunKeeper track my race.

Today's Run - 9/17

I opened the front door this morning and found that very dark and rainy run was in store for me. I put my iPhone into a ziplock bag and headed out for my 2mile training run. The rain kept me cool and over all it was not to bad. It was good training for the race this weekend because there is rain in the forecast.

The iPhone Genius Mix feature provided better running songs than my previous play lists.

New Shoes...

This past weekend, Ella and I went to the Ragged Mountain Running Shop to get me new running shoes. Ella had a great time in the store playing with the buckets of socks and placing her princess crocs on the display shelves. The staff was very patient with us.

I have worn ASICS for the past few years, but I was not really happy with the last pair primarily due to the fit on my foot width and my high arch. The fit was never right. I wanted to try something new, so I picked up a pair of Nike Shocks about a month back. I like the fit and feel of the Shocks, but they don't seem to provide enough support for my right foot. I wanted to see what Ragged Mountain had to say.

Working with the running shop, I tried on a few different pairs of shoes and settled on a pair Saucony. The jury is still out on these, but so far the support and feel is pretty good.

Today's Run - 9/16

I decided to run downtown this morning to get a change of scenery. The fall morning air is really nice to run in and the downtown area was pretty quiet when I started my run. The stretch on the downtown mall was nice and smooth and drastic contrast to the traffic filled roads on the last half of the run. I decided not to do strength training this morning and did some good stretching as my legs are definitely getting tight.

I need to figure out how to improve my pace, I think my music play list is to mellow.

Today's Run - 9/15

An early morning Birthday Run today. Ran ~3.5miles in 36min at an easy pace and effort. My legs are still a little tired from the increased number of runs, which is definitely impacting my pace. My endurance is greatly improving and I am looking forward to the Pepsi 10K this weekend.

Today's Run - 9/14

Strengthen and Stretch workout this morning at ACAC. I did more strengthen than stretch, with 30mins on the elliptical machine and lifting upper body.

Today's Run - 9/13

This morning was a great day for an early run. Emily and I walked with Ella in the stroller a little before I started my run to stretch and warm up. We were visiting my parents in Springfield, and I was able to explore my old neighborhood on my ~5mile run. It was fun to run down memory lane, seeing the houses of childhood friends and wonderinger what they were doing now.

The terrain was much different from my normal tracks, with steeper and longer elevation changes and parts with short trail runs. The elevation changes definitely impacted my overall speed, but I was happy to finish 5miles in less than 1hr. Overall it was a good way to start the morning, and this distance makes me confident that I will not have any issues with the 10K next week.

Today's Run - 9/12

I did the spinning class at ACAC for cross-training today. A good 60min class that burns lots of calories. I hope that it does not make my legs too tired for my 5mile run tomorrow.

Today's Run - 9/11

Today is supposed to be a rest day. I did not run, but decided to continue with my normal work out routine at ACAC. I opted for a lighter than normal workout at the gym to allow my body to recover. I did a little bit of cardio on the elliptical (12min - ~1.25M), followed up by upper body weight-lifting and finished off with a small ab workout.

Today's Run - 9/10

Quick run today and the first of back to back run days. It was very dark at 6am as I ran through the neighborhood, but the weather was nice and cool. I extended my run to 2.38M, a little more than my training program required.

Today's Run - 9/9

Day 1 on the training program.

3 miles on the treadmill at ACAC in 27.15 and lifted arms and ab work after run. Overall it was a good run, but the constant pace on the treadmill is harder for me than running outside. I don't think I will be able to do longer runs on the treadmill due to the pure boredom.

Richmond 1/2 Marathon Registration

Today I signed up for the SunTrust Richmond 1/2 Marathon on Nov 14, 2009. Time to start training, I will be following the Hal Higdon training program.