New Shoes and New Style

I stopped by Ragged Mountain Running Shop this afternoon to pick up some new shoes. I tried on a few different styles while looking for something similar to the ASICS 2150. I was looking for something that was a bit lighter and fit my 2 different size feet well. Since my left foot is ~1/2 a size shorter than my right foot, it can be a bit tricky to find shoes. I considered a pair of Nike's and Saucony's, but neither fit right or kept me from overpronating. I finally settle on a pair of Brooks Adrenaline.

Today's Run - 4/28

Humid, windy and warm for the run this am.

Today's Run - 4/27

Overnight storms left a dark, wet, warm and humid spring morning for my run this am. I have been thinking that I have not been pushing myself in recent runs so I decided to do some speed work today. I did 1mile repeats with 5min rest between for a total of ~5.75Miles. I did pretty good on the mile repeats running at a 5K pace. This workout felt good as I had forgotten what it feels like to run fast.

Today's Run - 4/25

After a busy day yesterday with the Easter Holiday I got a good nights sleep and felt rested for my run this am. Another awesome morning for a run, sunrise is getting earlier and the weather was a bit warm but overall great for running.

I pieced together a few different routes to get in ~5Miles. I found some good rolling hills around the Paddington Loop, some flat sections around the lake and then a few good hills in the Scottish Homes.

My cadence and speed continue to improve. In the last 8Months my cadence has increased from the 84spm to the 88spm. My target is to get this up to 90spm and expect this will happen by the end of the summer training season. My pace continues to improve and I can tell that the level of effort required is reducing to maintain the same pace.

Today's Run - 4/23

I decided to go for another run this morning because I knew that I would not be able to get out tomorrow morning. I was able to get out and run just after sunrise. I headed back to over to the Darby Loop and Out to 250 because I had not run that track in a while. The horses were out feeding on the grass in the pasture as I headed out of the neighborhood. There were very few people out this morning, probably because it was cool and cloudy but when I got home the weather had started to break. I enjoyed starting my weekend off with a good run. I am very comfortable running at the 8:35 pace, so I think it is time to start up some speedwork again.

It is time for some new shoes, both my pairs have 300Miles or more on them. My feet are starting to feel the impact of the road a bit more. I am struggling with what type and size of shoes to get next. I struggle with shoes because my left foot is about 1/4 size smaller than my right. This means that really neither shoe fits perfectly. I have tried the smaller size, the 1/2 size larger and wides. Each work ok, but I can feel the difference between the fits. I need to get down to Ragged Mountain Running Shop and see what they recommend.

Today's Run - 4/22

The spring weather has been excellent for running, even when it is not sunny the cool temps are great. I ran around the Paddington Loop and the Lake to get a relatively flat run in. As I was finishing up the last 1/4 miles of my run I passed the Golf Course Maintenance Shed, and the crew was heading out on their utility carts to start the days work. The parade of carts continues down the same road I was taking to finish my run, so I decided to race them to the corner. As I was running it felt like an Austin Powers movie where everything was moving in slow motion but should have been happening so fast. I am sure that the workers were watching me thinking, "What is this guy doing?" All that really matters is that I beat them to the corner. I think I need to find a local 5k or 10k race to join...

Today's Run - 4/21

I bounced back from the stomach flu on Tuesday but gave myself another 2 days before getting out to run. I was pretty anxious to get back to running and even though I was suffering from either the significant spring pollen or a small head cold, I headed out early on Thursday morning. I was going to just run an easy 3 Miles but since the run was feeling good I decided to push to 4 and then decided to end after 5. This was an easy paced run at ~8:40 pace. After a few days being sick and not able run I really enjoyed this morning run.

Sidelined by Stomach Flu

Caught the stomach flu on Sunday night, and spent much of Monday recovering. I lost ~5Lbs in water weight in 24hrs.... ouch.

I hope to back in action on Thursday morning.

Today's Run - 4/16

An awesome Saturday morning run. I got out early to find a cool morning with a bit of drizzly rain. I would have liked it to be a bit nicer weather but the run was fun.

Today's Run - 4/13 - 4/14

Traveling again this week. I was forced to do one run on the treadmill due to heavy rain but I did get out for a quick out and back.

Today's Run - 4/11

I have been itching to get out for a run since Saturday when I decided to swim at ACAC rather than running on the treadmill. The weather is starting to improve as we come into spring. The temps were in the low 50's but still pretty dark when I headed out. I really do enjoy the early runs, the only downside is that it is dark for much of my time on the road.

This was a pretty easy run, I worked to keep my pace at about 8:30. I tackled the hills in Q2 and did a warm up and cool down loop.

Not a bad way to start out the week.

Today's Run - 4/7

I have been worried that I am loosing my speed with all these long runs. I know that the Long Runs will actually improve speed but I have not done any real speed work in the last couple weeks. I was itching to do a little speed work and headed out this morning to do 1 Mile Repeats with 1/2 Mile jogs. I did 3 Repeats for a total of 5.5Miles. Each mile repeat I increased the pace by 15 Secs, starting at ~8Min/Mile and ending at 7:30Min/Mile. Not a bad return to speed work as I prepare for some shorter races this spring.

Today's Run - 4/6

A nice recovery run out on the Darby Loop, Out to 250 and through the Scottish Homes. I have not run this route in a while and it was good to have challenge of the some hilly sections. I always like running by the horses and open fields on the way out of the neighborhood. This was a good easy run.

Today's Run - 3/30 - 4/4

It was a recovery week after the marathon and I did get a few runs in.  We have been busy around the house so I did not have a opportunity to post them to the blog.  These were just standard recovery easy runs with not too much mileage, speed or excitement.   It feels good to get in a get some miles in, I will look to keep my mileage in the 4-6Miles during the week and a longer run on weekends.

Spring Running Schedule

Now that I completed my spring marathon I am looking for my next challenge.  I have signed up for the Montalto Challenge 5K and the Charlottesville Men's 4 Miler.    I think I will also look at the Park to Park 1/2 Marathon and Wounded Warrior 5k.

I think this is a good mix of distances to keep my running sharp.  I am also looking forward to doing some multi-sport workouts with spinning, swimming and resistance training.