Running for Jen

I actually had 7 hours of sleep last night, which is really good considering that I was up at 4:15 am for my run.  I felt a  bit tired, but not too bad.  I was up to my 10:00 minute mile by the start of mile 2.  At mile 4, I took it up to 9:50, mile 5 was 9:40 and then I started mile 6 at a 9:30 pace.  At 5 1/2, I took it up one more time to a 9:22 to finish.

I finished my workout by completing two of the core exercises that I am supposed to do for a total of 6 sets.

I chose to run after work so that I could get some much needed sleep.  Unfortunately, I was tired during my drive home and felt the same way while running.  I was planning on taking up the pace of miles 3 and 4 in preparation of my upcoming 5k, but my body disagreed with my brain.  I honestly attempted to run faster, but I was just not moving well.  I was going a good 30 - 40 seconds faster than my first couple of miles, but that was it.  The only positive thing that I can say is that my final time was just over an hour (by 47 seconds), which was a good 3 minutes faster than Monday.

I ran at the gym this morning after taking yesterday off.  It was decent.  I was up to a 10:00 minute mile by the start of mile two.  At mile 3, I took it up to 9:50, mile 5 was at 9:40 and then mile 6 was at 9:30.  After I completed my run, I was able to work in 6 sets of core work.

This is one of those races that reminded me as to why I am a runner.  I went into this race not feeling very confident.  I knew ahead of time that it would be a challenging aka hilly course.  My husband attempted to motivate me on the way there by playing some good 80's music.  By the time the race started, I was relaxed and told myself to just do the best that I can and whatever happens, don't walk!  My approach seemed to work.  We were running uphill right from the start.  Once we took our first turn, you could see the upcoming downhill and then the really big uphill.  I clocked the first mile in 8:15, which I considered alright considering.  The 2nd mile wasn't too bad although I could definitely tell that I was working.  I really tried to move as fast I could on any flat surfaces as well as the downhills.  I clocked the second mile in about 8:20.  The last mile plus took the longest.  There was some serious uphill running especially when we were about a half mile plus from the finish.  It was daunting, although I was proud of myself as I attempted to motivate a kid that I eventually passed.  Once we were up the final hill, I noticed that the finish was a bit further than I anticipated based on what my watch showed.  I finished with a clock time of 27:03, although my watch showed the distance at around 3.25, not 3.1.  I asked a few others that had the same watch and our readings were all around the same.  I was content with my time as most people were saying that they were about a couple of minutes off from their normal pace.

As far as the age group goes, the top female was in my age group and won the female overall, which gave me first place in our age group as far as the awards went.   The results show me in second, which is why I listed my age group place as one or two.  The award was some pottery in the form of a plate.

I ran this afternoon after work so that I could sleep a bit more this morning and to give my legs a bit more of a rest.  They were actually still sore today from my 5K on Saturday.  I will be honest, I really was not in the mood to run, but had mentally committed myself to do it.  I didn't get out of work until 4:30 due to some obligations there, which therefore delayed me getting home and out the door.  I was home, changed and out the door by 5:15 or so.  I took it slow and felt how slow I was going up the hills and then felt the soreness on the way down.  By getting the later start, I was also cutting it close as far as daylight hours go.  I realized that 5 miles would be about all I could get in.  I timed it fairly well as the rain began soon after I got home.

I went to the gym this morning and ran on the treadmill.  I definitely felt tired this morning.  My legs actually felt alright, but my brain just wanted to go back to bed.  Needless to say, I made it through and maintained my new standard paces of 10:00 mile by the start of mile 2, 9:50 by mile 4, 9:40 by mile 5 and 9:30 for the final mile.

I ran in the afternoon so that I could get that extra bit of sleep in the morning. I was able to leave work on time, which was good.  I had to really push myself out the door and once again, my legs felt a bit tired by the time I got out there.  After a good 3 miles, I finally started loosening up and not feeling so fatigued.  I had told myself at least 6 miles, therefore getting 7 was a really good thing.  I also told myself that I had no excuse not to get 7 miles in.

I hit the treadmill bright and early at the gym. Fairly typical run: up to a 10:00 minute mile by the start of mile 2, 9:50 for miles 3 and 4, 9:40 for mile 5 and 9:30 for mile 6.  Outside of the nose running a bit, everything was fine.

It was a cold one this morning with temperatures in the upper 20's.  The people I was planning on meeting bailed at the last minute due to a late evening with the kids, but I did wind up running into (no pun intended) someone else that I knew and ran with her and her friend for the first 6 miles.  I then finished the last 5 on my own.  It went fairly well.  I noticed that my pace for a while was under a 10:00 minute mile, but then would catch myself slowing down.  We ran on a couple of streets that were new to me, which was a nice change although there was a slight incline.  Overall, I was happy with the way things went and happy to get 11 in.  First time that I have been over 10 since the marathon, which also took me to my minimum goal for the week, which was 35 miles.

I did not get nearly as much sleep as I wanted to since we went out last night.  I am really getting too old for these late nights, especially when I am working.  I did finally get myself out the door by 10:30 plus.  I had some iPod issues at first, but I was finally able to straighten that out.  The weather was gorgeous, one plus to starting late.  It had already started to warm-up by the time I got out there.  My run was not bad at all, but wasn't great. It really fell in the so-so range.  I am glad that I did it and I was happy when it was over as I was scheduled to have a busy day.

I ran at the gym this morning.  Everything went fine.  Just a fairly typical morning.  I was at a 10:00 minute mile by the start of mile 2.  I then hit a 9:50 by mile 3, 9:40 by mile 5 and a 9:30 by mile 6.  Sportscenter kept me company once again.

I was back at the gym this morning.  I definitely felt tired this morning.  Fortunately, it didn't effect my running too much.  I was at at 10:00 minute mile by the start at mile 2.  I didn't hit 9:50 until mile 4 and then finished the last mile at a 9:40 pace.

I ran at the gym this morning and felt pretty good considering the lack of sleep.  I was at my 10:00 minute mark by the start of mile 2 and stayed there until mile 5, basically because I forgot to increase the pace. I then took it to a 9:50 pace,  and finished the last mile at a 9:30 pace.  I needed to get to work early, which is why I stopped at 6 miles and did not do my core workout.

I slept in this morning and enjoyed running on a beautiful morning.  I even broke out the shorts.  I decided to go with the hillier of the two courses that I run from home.  I had a good day, finishing in 1:46:+.  I felt good the whole time and did not walk the hills.

I had another good run this morning.  It wasn't as nice out as it was yesterday, but I was still able to put on the shorts.  I ran my other route today and listened to my music along the way.  I felt good the whole time and finished in 1:34:+.  There weren't as many hills on this course, but the ones that I did face I made myself run them and not walk.  Hopefully, I will continue to have good, solid runs as I have had the past few days.

This run was short because it was a joint venture between me and my dogs.  This was actually an off day for me.  I decided that as long as I got out of track practice early enough, that I would run with the dogs when I got home.  It was a nice evening and we all enjoyed it.  I had the energy and knew that the dogs needed to run.

I was back at the gym this morning for my pre-work run. I was a bit tired but alright. My run was fairly typical for a treadmill workout.

I decided tor run after work so that I could get some sleep. I was able to get home by before 5:00 and was out the door just afterward. My legs felt tired and a bit heavy, but overall everything went alright. I finished up in 1:13+, which I was happy about. The weather was nice as it was cooling down.

I had a lousy nights sleep, which is I believe due to allergies.  Fortunately, I didn't have any issues at the gym outside of having to blow my nose every mile or so, which has become somewhat normal for me.  I was at a 10:00 minute mile by the start of mile 2, took it up to 9:50 by mile 4, 9:40 by mile 5 and then 9:30 for the last mile.  After my run, I completed six sets of my core exercises.

I did not get nearly enough sleep, but fortunately my run went fine.  It was cold, at least in comparison to what it has been like outside. It was in the upper 30's when we started.  I met a friend of mine at around 6:30 as well as a newcomer to our group and we ran 10 miles.  It was nice, casual and relaxing.  

I was able to get back to 40 miles for the week, which I was very happy about doing.

It was a beautiful day for a run, especially after a good nights sleep.  It was probably in the upper 50's/ low 60's and sunny.  My plan was to run at least 8 miles, therefore, I was happy to complete 9.  I will say that I was starting to feel a bit tired during mile 8.  I finished in 1:34+, which I was happy about.