Wednesday, June 6, 2007

T and W's runs

Yesterday I wore my running clothes to work (the joys of no dress code, haha) in order to set up an experiment and run while I had some free time. It was a sticky day, but the heat wasn't too sweltering. My plan called for 5 miles, an easy loop to do from lab and around the reservoir in Central Park. I felt good from the beginning: legs were rested, I felt energized and strong. I tried to keep a consistent pace until I had about 2 miles left, and then I let my stride open up a bit and pushed the pace back home. I've been trying to count my steps and reach 180 strides/minute, and each time I counted during my run, I was pretty close! It helps me keep my feet going and really does help me go faster, I think. I returned to lab sweaty but not stiff, just a really good, strong run! 5.1 miles in 42:08 (8:14 mpm)

I also had a training session last night. Every year the trainers at my gym have a little contest between their clients - they sign them up and there's a weeks worth of events, with a couple each day, for the competition. My trainer wants to sign me up. It takes place the week of June 18, so because my mileage won't be too extreme yet, I said I would do it. I may have to be careful and take some of my easy run days as rest days, but I think if I concentrate on rest and fueling and listening to my body, I should be fine. It's only a couple of extra exercises each day, not like I'm doing a decathalon or something!

Today: easy 3-miler along the East River. Again had to watch my speed a bit, but my legs did feel a bit tight so it wasn't as hard to hit a slow-but-comfy recovery speed. It was a bit cooler this morning than it has been, so it would have almost been nice to put in a few more miles in this weather, but it's not worth compromising my legs for tomorrow's hard hill workout. 3.1 miles in 27:48 (9:01 mpm)

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