Another 3 miles

My legs were doing a little better Thurday. The extra protein is probably helping... building up the muscles a bit more. I pushed myself for the 3-mile non-stop run again. This time it was a bit hard on the lungs. I'm sure my body will do fine with 3 miles in another week.

16:00:00 start
16:10:15 1st mile (10:15) - again, started VERY slowly, as Darrell suggested
16:20:15 2nd mile (10:00) - Actually did the 2nd mile faster than the first!
16:31:10 3rd mile (10:55) - I wonder why this mile was a full minute slower?!

Temp: (didn't check) - (WeatherUnderground)
Humidity: (didn't check - seemed a bit humid)
... It was a pretty nice day. Perhaps a bit on the humid side.

jogging 2 miles

My legs were pretty sore Tuesday, after the first 3 miles of non-stop jogging since last year, so I skipped that day. Today the legs are still a bit sore, but good enough, i suppose. I didn't want to push it, so only did the first 2 miles jogging without stopping, and then finished the last mile walking only.

16:00:00 start
16:10:25 1st mile (10:25) - started VERY slowly, as Darrell suggested
16:20:30 2nd mile (10:05) - right on target with my normal 2-mile time
16:34:20 3rd mile (13:50) - (walk only) a little longer than I had wanted!

Temp: (didn't check) - (WeatherUnderground)
Humidity: (didn't check)
... overall it seemed like a nice day. Maybe not as hot (or humid) as Monday was

I'm a bit dissappointed to see the overall time quite a bit slower for today. My legs were certainly feeling it after the first mile.... still fairly sore from Monday's non-stop, and near the end of the second mile there is a rather large hill, which almost got me walking at that point. I didn't want to push it, though, so it's probably for the best. At least I'm doing the first 2 miles non-stop, which is probably where I should be anyway, so I'll even call this "overall progress" :)

Back to 3 miles

(ahh.. what the hell... I'll post it here too)

Today I managed to run the complete 3 miles without stopping!

This last weekend I was talking to my friend Darrell (who will be running the 10k with me next month). He’s got a bit more experience running, and so I mentioned to him that I was a little frustrated with my lack of progress over the last month. It’s been a long time since the last post, but for the past 2 weeks I have been running 4 out of the 5 weekdays (I’ll post more about that later), but have only been jogging the first mile, and then doing a walk/jog combination on the last 2 miles. My total completion time is always about 31-32 minutes with VERY little variation. The first mile is always done in about 9:30 (min:sec). He suggested I REALLY slow down on that first mile, and then push through the next two.

So today, that’s what I did. I completed the first mile in 10:40, the second mile by 21:02, and the third by 32:30, which means that my overall time stayed the same, but I reached the goal of running the entire course. I was able to keep my breathing very controlled until the last half of the last mile, and then it did get just a little faster, but not as much as the previous weeks. My legs are quite a bit more sore though! So, time to up the protein drinks.

As for the weather. It’s starting the get a little warmer. I started the run at 16:00 again today, and did a bit more sweating than the last couple weeks. I enjoy getting the extra sun, but might need to go back to my early morning runs before too much longer.

moving time

I HAVE been running!
But not posting :(

I've been meaning to move this (and a few other blogs I have) to my own domains for quite some time now. Today I made the move and kicked it off with my latest post about my 10k training progress.

The new blog is at rock808.com and will be a container for quite a bit of what I do online.

I will still keep these other blogs up and running, and WILL be continuing to post on them! But we'll have to see where my loyalties end up.

struggle

Wow!
What a struggle...

I was sick all last week and so couldn't do a thing.
In fact, I've still got a runny nose today, but overall
feel well enough to get back out there.. and too much time
has been slipping by anyway.

It seems like I have a LOT going on these days, so
again, only going to put in the times for right now...

15:10:00 start
15:09:34 finish 1st mile (jog 100%)
15:21:53 finish 2nd mile (walk/jog combo)
15:34:12 finish 3rd mile (walk/jog combo)

I'll try to get 3 miles in on Thursday and
Friday as well.

Getting ready

Ugh...

Today was the 5th day I've been running again over the last 2 weeks.
I keep forgetting to post! (way too busy)

Just going to put in the times for right now...
16:00:00 start
16:09:42 finish 1st mile (jog 100%)
16:21:54 finish 2nd mile (walk/jog combo)
16:34:00 finish 3rd mile (walk/jog combo)

The 10k is coming up in a couple months!
Got a long way to go!

sprint

I ran some either yesterday or the day before, but forgot to put in a post...
now I forgot the data :(

Well, for today, I decided to try the jog with a couple 30 second sprints thrown in, which are suppose to be really good at taking off those last HARD TO LOSE bits of luv handle...

14:35:00 start
14:43:35 1st mile (8:35) - Did one 30sec sprint and one 20sec sprint
14:54:40 2nd mile (11:05) - walk/jog combo
15:04:25 3rd mile (9:45) - walk/jog combo, and one 30sec sprint

WeatherUnderground reports temp is 84F with 4% humidity. Pretty nice day.
MY gauge shows 46% humidity.

The sprints really took a lot out of me... the second one during the first mile was suppose to be 30sec also, but I couldn't seem to pull it off... then, I was so out of breath, I ended up walking quite a bit of the 2nd mile.. I suppose this will get better with time.

By the end of the 3rd mile I was REALLY beat ! wow...

onward

Starting to push onward a little more.
Still a ways to go to catch up to where I left off, but I don't want to push too hard too soon.

14:57:00 start
15:07:28 1st mile (10:28) - walked first 2 minutes, jogged rest
15:18:45 2nd mile (11:17) - walk/jog combo
15:29:08 3rd mile (10:23) - walk/jog combo

WeatherUnderground reports temp is 94.2F with 5% humidity. Very hot...
MY guage shows 58% humidity which seems much more realistic.

I didn't have any problems with my leg today, but was not pushing hard
at all. I DID have some cramps right under my lower ribs. Maybe from
the heavy sit-ups I did two days ago? Anyway... gave me a little problem
during my jogging.

muscles

Felt pretty good today.

9:25:00 start
9:33:40 1st mile (8:40 wow!) - stage2 breathing (stage1 first 2 minutes)
9:43:22 2nd mile (9:42) - stage3 and stage2 breathing
9:53:27 3rd mile (10:05) - walk/jog combo

WeatherUnderground reports temp is 85F with 71% humidity, and yes... i could feel it today!

I am having some problems with one of the muscles below my calf muscle in the back of my right leg. I could feel a bit of soreness (pain) yesterday evening.. just walking on it, and this morning also. I could feel it a bit, but as you can see I did pretty well with the run anyway. I think it might have to with just the small amount I've been eating recently. I'm not TRYING to eat light, but just have not been very hungry. Anyway, I think it could be a lack of protein intake needed to replenish/rebuild the muscles due to all this jogging. After each run I DO take a 24 grams of protein with some whey protein powder mix.

As for the vinegar.... found a recipe for some cleansing thing that is suppose to help (maybe) with love handles, so I'll see what that does for me. 2 tbps apple cider vinegar, 2 tbps lemon juice, as much cayenne as you (I) can stand. Drank it in two gulps. "YUM"

Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Today was indeed pretty good!
I got up a bit early, and got right to my run:

9:15:00 start
9:24:22 1st mile (9:22) - stage2 breathing
9:33:25 2nd mile (9:03) - stage2/3 breathing
9:43:18 3rd mile (9:53) - walk/jog (mostly jog)

I managed to get a handle on my breathing during that second mile a bit more. After the first 1/4 mile (uphill) I was able to slow my breathing back down to stage2 for 1/2 mile.. before the final 1/4 mile uphill again. I am starting to get the feeling that it my breathing needs to be in check before I will be able to run the entire third mile.

The temperature at this time of day was 85F... I didn't check the humidity, but it didn't seem too bad, which probably helped a bit also.

As a side note (for now), I've done a LOT of reading about the health benifits of apple cider vinegar (AVG) and am going to start trying to get about 1/4 - 1/2 cup a day (taken with water, salads, juice, etc). I'd suggest reading: Home Remedies To Lose Weight. It's mostly about weight loss, which I don't think I need, exept for these love handles I STILL have not shrunk after 2 months of running. Many other health benifits are listed too, and seems like something ELSE I should experiment with. :)

Anyway, it's suppse to work FAST, so if I see such results I might break the vinegar experiment off in to it's own topic.... we'll see.

progress

Well, even though I DID wake up a bit earlier today, I still didn't get out to jog until 10:50. I think tomorrow I'll make it a point to get out before 8:30.

10:50:00 start
10:59:02 1st mile = 9:02 (all stage2 breathing)
11:08:03 2nd mile = 9:01 (all stage3 breathing)
11:18:35 3rd mile = 10:32 (walk/jog combo)

Looks like I finally made some good progress on the total time for all 3 miles! Legs didn't give me any trouble... it's that stupid out-of-breath thing. I'm gonna have to see if the time of day/temperature has something more to do with that.

The temp was about 97F during the time of my run, with 40% humidity (according to Weatherunderground - I think I should check my own reader).

short week

This has been a light week. Only ran one other day... Monday, I think... and forgot to post about it. Several personal things happened this week, and took my attention... strange how we can be so easily sidetracked! The hardest part is being sure to keep with it.. hop back in the saddle and GO.

Anyway, let's get to the details of today:
10:36 start
10:45 first mile (9 min) - stage 2 breathing (L-R-L in / R-L-R out)
10:54 second mile (9 min) - stage 3 breathing (L-R in / L-R out)
11:06 third mile (12 min) - walk/jog combo (total = 3 miles and 30 minutes)

The temps have been over 100F most days for this week.
I think the main reason for mostly walking the 3rd mile is due to the heat, and possibly my small meals. I don't mean to "make excuses", but feel it's important to document possible causes. Ultimately I need to move past this 3-mile limit and start doing 4, 5, then 6 miles. It was really my breathing that was bothering me so much... not my legs... just couldn't catch my breath enough, and stopping for a bit seemed to take over.

Maybe this next week I should try doing my run a bit earlier... 7am.. I wonder how that would affect things. I also want to work on a 4-mile route, so I'm ready... maybe just force myself to take the next step.

We'll see more, next week!

late night run

Been a very busy boy lately. Up late, both waking and sleeping. Didn't get my run in until just after 9pm tonight, but let's see how it compares to the day time runs.

21:05:00 - start run
21:14:00 - first mile (9:00)
21:13:00 - second mile (9:00)
21:23:00 - third mile (10:00) - walk/jog combo (mostly jog)

As you can see, the pace for the first two miles was a bit faster. Actually, it FELT like I was doing the first mile even faster than that, but I guess the clock doesn't lie. I kept a "stage 2" breathing rhythm the entire first mile... if you remember, that is inhale on (Left-Right-Left) and exhale on (R-L-R).

The second mile was "stage 3" breathing (L-R-in and L-R-out) the whole mile. Even though it was a night time run, it seemed more draining than the night run I did several weeks ago.

The third mile was mostly running, but I did take 2 short breaks to help catch (slow down) my breathing. Muscles were a bit sore from yesterday's run too.

All in all it was a good 3 miles... in 28 minutes total. Pretty soon I'm going to have to come up with a good 4-mile course.

Rhythm

WOW! August the 9th already?

Yes, I've still been running... just about every weekday as normal. It's just that after my run I do a little more exercise, then shower, and then forget to blog about it. :(

Anyway, I DID start marking the time at the proper distances for each mile. This last week has been rather consistent. I don't remember all my exact times, but yesterday's were:

• 10:22:00 started jog
• 10:31:30 first mile (9:30)
• 10:41:00 second mile (9:30)
• 10:52:00 third mile (11:00) (walk/jog combo)

Today was almost the same...

• 10:32:00 started jog
• 10:41:00 first mile (9:00)
• 10:50:30 second mile (9:30)
• 11:02:00 third mile (11:30) (walk/jog combo)

I thought I'd post a little about my "rhythm" today. Our heart beats at a natural rhythm, and our breathing takes on a natural rhythm also, so it's not surprising that when we run our stride would take a natural pattern that fits our breathing.

My breathing has become very controlled over the last month, and so I'm going to refer to how I breathe in 3 different stages:

Stage 1 is when I first start out. The in-out of my breathing matches up with the exact time my left foot hits the pavement and is 4 steps in duration. So, when my left foot hits the road I start breathing in. I continue the "in" breath while the right, then left, then right foot hit. Then, with the next LEFT foot hit, I start the exhale, which continues for right-left-right again.

Stage 2 is little faster... and it is breathing in during LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT, then breathing out for RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT.

Stage 3 is as fast as I breathe during the tough uphill climbs, and it is breathing in for LEFT-RIGHT, then breathing out for LEFT-RIGHT.

Well, just one more interesting thing to keep note of. :)

right route?

Skipped Friday's run. (lazy me)

Got out today at 10:35am. WeatherUnderground says it's 95F and 3% humidity, but I don't know how that is possible!! Seemed very humid out there to ME! And my humidity reader says 57%.

Again, I did the first 2 miles at right on 9:30 each. I did the walk/jog thing again for the last mile, but still managed to get it done in.... 9:45 !? Something doesn't seem right... hmm.. I think I know what it is.. lemme re-check the route info !

Yup! I was right. I have been thinking each of the first two miles were actually longer than they really are, so have really been doing them a little faster than 9:30, but not by enough to matter much. STILL... it might be enough to be part of the reason the last mile has seemed faster... because I've been taking maybe 60 seconds from that last mile and including it in the first 2 miles. Probably not a big deal. I have been correct about the total 3 mile distance, but I will try to be correct for the first two miles starting tomorrow.

Anyway... breathing was pretty controlled and steady the entire run, although a bit quicker during the uphill climb right after the first mile. Legs didn't feel too bad, but there were a couple times I just felt like taking a break...

Returning

Where have I been??

Well... had been a bit of a secret.
I spent last week in Peru, so no jogging or updates.

THIS week has been a little interesting because of the time off while in Peru.

I was eating quite a bit more down there than I had been eating while here at home. And not really getting any exercise at all.... hmm.. it was only a week, but still.. how would that affect my run?

Monday, I woke up around 9 or so, and started my jog about 10:20. WOW! It seemed very hot and humid compared to the weather I was starting to get use to in Lima, Peru. I was breathing very heavy and legs aching a bit... I ran most all the first two miles, except part of the last uphill stretch. It was about all I could take, so decided to stop there, and not even walk the last 3rd mile. Even though I did walk the last bit, I noticed my total time was still just about a 10 minute mile.

Tuesday, I did a bit of house work, and so didn't get out for my run until 9:46 PM! The air was quite a bit cooler, and it was dark, of course. I was really amazed to find out my legs felt really good. Also, my breathing was very controlled and not too heavy the entire run! Even during the uphill parts. I completed the first two miles "easy", and felt so good, I continued on running... and ended up not walking ANY of the 3 mile route! Looking at my watch I saw I was 2 full minutes ahead of a 10 minute mile pace as well! I have a feeling MOST of this had to do with the fact I was running at night.

Wednesday (today), I got off to a late start. It was fully overcast, so no hot sun beating down on me, but... it had only been a little more than 12 hours since my last run.... but the biggest factor today is probably STILL the high heat and humidity! I ended up running the first 2 miles without too much difficulty.... and about 1 minute ahead of normal pace. A bit of more heavy breathing at the last uphill stretch. Then did a walk/jog combination for the last 3rd mile. Even still, the total time was 28:30, putting me at a 9:30 minute/mile average, which seems a little fast for the amount of time I did walk that last mile. I will have to double check the distance for that last mile.

route map !

Started my run at 10:26am
Got to my 2 mile mark at 10:46am, right on time again.
Continued the last mile with a combination of walk/jog and
finished at 10:57:58 !
So, I did shave off a few seconds time from yesterday.
The high temp for today was suppose to get up to 97F,
guess I should start checking what it is the exact time of my run.
I sure was sweatin' like a pig for about 45 min after.

Here is a cool map link for my jogging route:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=276763
jogging route

WOW! I just noticed that my mile markers are a little
different (longer) than that route site shows. I guess I've
been just a little faster than I thought, but only by 30-90
seconds, so I'm just going to ignore that and stay on the
conservative side of my estimates.

I'd be MUCH happier doing the race a little faster than
expected, than to not meet my projected goal.

Jogging

Been a little more distracted from blogging than I had wanted, but not a WHOLE lot to tell in the last couple days.

• Tuesday: ran first 2 miles, walked .25, ran .25, walked .5
• Wednesday: ran first 2 miles, walked .25, ran .25, walked .5
• Thursday: ran first 2 miles, walked .25, ran between .25 and .5, and walked the rest.

Because it seems like I'm not being very accurate in the distances, I thought I'd also start making a note of the time I get back home.

Each day I've been right on target with a 10-minute-mile for the first two miles. This last day, started at 10:00am. 2 mile mark at 10:20am. Finished last mile at 10:32:27.

More On Exercise

I'm not sure how much of an "experiment" this is. But, I do think there is some interesting data here to collect, and so I thought I'd add it to my blog.

About a month ago I started getting back outside for some jogging.
A couple of years ago I had been jogging about 3 miles a day, 5 days a week.
Like many things... I got side tracked and slipped out of it.

It was only 6 months ago that I was still doing a very occational 1-2 miles.
But WOW! When i got out the first time again I was only able to run about
.5 miles, then walk .75 miles, run another .25 miles, and walk the final .5
miles of my 2 mile route! How pathetic !

Over the next 2 weeks I commited myself to not push TOO hard, because I
did not want to over do it so much that I could not keep going out each day.
But, I did add anywhere from a couple hundred feet to 1/4 mile of jogging
each day.

This is when I thought about first adding the info to my blog. I am starting
to prepare for one of the city-wide 10k races early next year (2007), and so
thought.... how long, and what will be my regular progression from .75 miles
of jogging the first day, to a full 6 miles of jogging needed for the race?

I WAS happy to see that my speed/pace still seems to be just at a 10 minute mile.
The same as 2 years ago, so I'm very happy about THAT!

This last week has really had a couple days that I've been so busy working
on my house that I've not been able to run every day, so I decided to get
in a little on the weekends, during lunch breaks.

Today is the start of a new week, and so I hit the pavement around noon time
(yes... in Austin it is 91 degrees and lovely humidity -- I have decided to
kill two birds with one stone and run during the high sun, to work on my tan
at the same time... and one reason I might be slower at ramping up my distance)

I was able to jog just about the first full 2 miles, but the last stretch is
up a fairly steep hill, so walked it. But decided to extend the route to my
3-mile path and ran another .5 miles of it.

From this point I'll keep up with the blog daily.

The goal is 6.2 miles (10km) in 65 minutes by February 2007.