Back to Tuesday night track work

Tonight I was able to go back to running with the club on Tuesday night, doing track workouts. I showed up early so I was able to do a good warm up for myself. Walked the first lap before jogging the next two, walked another then jogged two more. I followed this up with some stretches to loosen up the legs even more before joining in with the club for the workout.

The first thing we did were strides. We ran four 100 meter intervals with about 30 seconds in between. The running was at about 5K pace - I was the slowest in the group as my leg still felt a little tight but it got better the more I ran on it. We followed it up with some more longer interval works. Being in the beginner group we did three 800 meters at approximately 2:05 pace with a slow jog in between. I followed during the first two sets of 800 but in the last one I was told to set the pace. Luckily the only other person in my group, other than Michelle the coach, was Brandy who was also a bit winded so my pace of almost 2:10 was more than fast enough.

By the way I enjoy running with Brandy, who during the three times I have ran with the club on Tuesday nights, has been very consistent with her pace of about 2:05 per lap. So staying with this club and running with her will be great for my building up my endurance. Despite missing out almost two weeks of running I was able to get back into it. After the last 800 we ran a few more laps of cool down, always running the opposite direction around the track as when we do the workouts. The warm up laps are also ran in a clockwise direction, workouts in counter clockwise. This helps balance whatever strain running in a track, since the track slopes from the outside lane to the inside ever so slightly.

Michelle mentioned that the club is doing a running and bowling thing - we get timed on how fast we run a mile and then we'll bowl as a group and whatever score we get, that gets subtracted from our mile time. I better start practicing my bowling. We have two chances to get timed in our mile, once during the regular Tuesday night workout on March 8 and then again during the Compete Green Mile on March 12. This event is part of the St. Patrick's Day festivities in Ventura, and goes along Main Street from Cemetery Park to Mission Park. Overall, I was glad with the workout this evening. I was slowed down a bit with my stupid ski injury but I should be back on course for the Old Agoura 10K on March 26.

Taking it easy

Last weekend I went with some friends to CO for a little skiing vacation. This was my first time skiing in that state and was excited. The first day, Friday, we skied in Keystone and I had a blast. The runs I went on there were much longer than any I had tried in Mammoth. Just as challenging but these were long. And the view was just spectacular. Lots of tall mountains - these were the Rockies after all. On Saturday we went to Vail and that's where I had an adventure I didn't plan on. After a few runs on another challenging and long blue run, I tried a different blue run but unfortunately I ran into some moguls. Took a spill and somehow pulled a calf and hamstring muscle on the left leg. Or was it a muscle tear. Regardless it hurt. Was able to make it down to the bottom of the hill. Spent the rest of my vacation not skiing and just barely getting around.

Now back in SoCal. Showed up at Inside Track to meet up with people from the club before they headed on out on their runs. I told them I was just gonna walk, and luckily found someone else who was walking too. Went on a four mile walk at a leisure pace. Completed it in under 90 minutes, and actually felt a little winded. Maybe it was the 7 am start, maybe it was the fact I hadn't done any form of exercise in a week. It was good to stretch out the legs before, during and after the walk. Hoping to go for another walk tomorrow and maybe a little jog on Monday. Stay tuned ...

Blogging again, on running?

Yes, I am going to give this blogging thing another shot. This time I have a somewhat real purpose, at least for me. It will be mostly about my running. I actually wish that I started this blog while I was going through my attempt at weight loss, which was partially made possible because I decided on waling as a form of exercise. This walking then turned into jogging, which after a few 5Ks and a half marathon I cannot deny that it is actually now running.

OK, since this the first entry I can put in a little background on my running. On November 2, 2009 I decided to join the online version of Weightwatchers. On that morning I weighed myself at 195 pounds!! Yeah, being 5 foot 5 inches on a good day, I should not weigh that much unless I am just ripped full of muscles. Well, I wasn't that, instead I was just fat. I couldn't hide behind the fact that I was born with a physically large head for my height. So I gave WW a shot. Slowly but surely the pounds went away. My first goal of losing ten pounds came by quickly, within a month, so I set up for 20 pounds. The weight kept coming off but it was getting harder todo it just by not eating as much as I used to - I would tell people I stopped eating thirds initially and then stopped eating seconds, finally figuring out what a proper portion of food should be.

After some time I decided to do some form of exercise to augment my eating less. Walking seemed to be the easiest thing to do. I decided to get ambitious and set a goal for my walking - to walk the Disneyland half marathon in less than 3 and 1/2 hours!! The half was on Labor Day weekend and this was in April when I decided on the goal. 5 months seemed like it was do-able. I had to walk at a 16 minute mile pace to achieve the goal so I went at it. By the end of May I was walking up to 7 miles and at a 15 minute pace so I was stoked. By my birthday I was up to 8 miles but my pace had decreased to about 14:30 so more good news. Then I was told at work that I had a chance to go to France but that the trip would be over the Labor Day weekend. I was disappointed to miss out on the halfmarathon, but we're talking about a free trip to France!

I continued my walking regimen despite the goal of the Disneyland half no longer existed. Guess I wanted to show myself that I could have done it. I participated in the Wounded Warrior 5K on base and I did it in about 41 minutes. Well, walking at a pace faster than 14 minute miles was beginning to hurt so I decided to jog a little and then walk the rest. Other 5Ks came and I signed up for them. There was the Be The One 5K in Long Beach, where I jogged more than half of the distance and I finished in 31 minutes - 10 minutes faster that the Wounded Warrior 5K. The Calabasas Classic was done in 32 minutes but that had some hills so that was okay. The Ventura Turkey Trot 5K was the first one when I completed it in under 30 minutes. I remember turning the final corner and seeing the clock at 29 minutes, so I just grinned and ran as fast as I could, and I did it 29:51.

After this race I got it in my head to try and find a half marathon to participate in and see if I could do it. My walking/running had gone up to about ten miles and at under a 12 minute mile pace. This gave me plenty of wiggle room should I get too tired at the end and walk a bit slower. So I looked for a half and saw that there was one in Venice the middle of January, the LA 13.1. It was a flat course, starting off at the boardwalk in Venice, then about 6 miles each way up and back on Venice before ending up at Venice Beach again. With a goal set I went at it. Thank goodness I had the last two weeks of December to really concentrate and it paid off. To make a log story not as long, not only did I finish the LA 13.1 in under 3 and 1/2 hours - I actually had thought I could do it in 2 and 1/2 hours - I did it in 2:06:51. Yes, I averaged 9:40 miles for 13.1 miles. This blew my mind and totally set me up for disappointment, should I not finish another half in less than two hours. Actually I am okay with it. I will continue to walk/jog/run - whatever it is I will call it. To insure my transition into a runner, I joined the Inside Track running club. I will try to join them on Tuesdays as they work on drills, and on Saturdays for their long runs.

As of today I have signed up to do the Old Agoura 10K and then the Coaster 5K the end of March. I think I will sign up for the Ojai to Ocean half marathon in June, and I have signed up for the Disneyland half marathon in September. So those are my goals for now, to compete in those and do the best I can. Stand by for updates on my training, my actual races, and maybe some random musings I may post about.