Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Getting lost and some top-5 lists

Last night I went out for a 5mi run. I headed out on a 5mi course that I've run several times lately. It's a nice course because there are alot of turns, which I think helps break the run up and makes it less mentally taxing. It just seems easier than a 2.5mi straight run out-and-back. The only problem with a course like this is that there's a greater risk of missing a turn - which happened last night. The result was that I got lost discovered a new 5.5mi course!

Despite my plan to take it slow, I actually averaged a fairly quick (for me) pace last night with an average pace of 9:39min/mile. To put that into perspective, here are my five fastest paces for runs I've done over the past year according to my dailymile page:

1. 07:48 min/mi on 10/16 (my 5k PR race)
2. 08:31 min/mi on 11/03
3. 08:40 min/mi on 10/29
4. 08:50 min/mi on 11/09
5. 09:15 min/mi on 10/22

In other words, I didn't take it slow last night. The run was pain-free, but I have some soreness in my left calf today. Not terrible, but I wish it wasn't there. I think I'm going to try a compression sleeve for my knee and see if that helps.

One possible reason for the leg pain could be this - my five longest runs are now all over 10 miles, and most of them were within the past 8 weeks:

1. 11.12mi on 11/20
2. 11.02mi on 10/09
3. 10.18mi on 10/02
4. 10.02mi on 09/04
5. 10.01mi on 11/05

Being a new runner, meaning that before last December I hadn't done much running for the previous 14 years, I guess it's fair to expect some fatigue at this point. Plus, even when I was running consistently back in the early/mid 90's, I never ran further than about 5 miles. I shouldn't expect HM training to be easy, and it also gives me a whole new level of respect for people who have managed to complete the full 26.2.

.

3 comments:

  1. One advantage to the Garmin 305 is that it has a feature that will take you back on the track you took...think bread crumbs.

    Granted, you would not have used it last night and would have still missed your turn, but it is something I like having when I am running in a new place so I know I can get back to my home, hotel or car.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Funny you mention that. As I was trying to find my way last night, I kept thinking about the fact that I had a GPS device on my wrist, so it should be easier to find my way around.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Brian--have you seen a trainer or anyone about the leg pain? The trainer at school works wonders with me. My pain usually comes back to tightness.

    For knee pain, I stretch my quads if the pain is in the front. If it is on the side, I massage the crap out of the thigh (on the outside)and stretch the thigh and hips to work on the "I-T" Band.

    I do towel stetches for tightness in the feet and ankles. The calves you have to be careful with.... the achilles tendon can be quite uncooperative.

    Haven't read much on peoples blogs lately, I need to check out when your half is.

    If you have much soreness, my major suggestion besides stretching is an ICE BATH. They work wonders especially when you are over 10 miles on your runs.

    Hang in there!

    ReplyDelete