Today we decided to find another trail to run because it was too hot to run around the neighborhood where most of the route is in the sun. We found a spot pretty close to our house where part of the WB&A (Washington, Baltimore, & Annapolis) Trail starts, so we decided to give it a try. We loved the trail. A good portion of the trail was shaded, which made running in 93 degree heat with 50 percent humidity a little more bearable.
Once again, we started our run later than we like to, around 6:15 pm, but had to due to the hot weather we are still having. We hope September brings cooler temperatures, and soon!
It was a great run, despite the fact that I had a slight stitch in my side most of the run. It was there at the beginning of the run, went away for awhile, and then came back towards the end of the run. I am sure it was because I didn’t have as much water as I should have had before our run, so it was my fault. I will make sure to hydrate better before Thursday’s run!
Here is a breakdown of the splits for today’s run:
Miles 1-4: 44:58:78
Miles 5-8: 42:05:03
The more we run the faster we seem to be getting. We set another new PR on today’s run. We finished our 8 mile run in 1:27:03, which is a 10:52 minute per mile pace, and we started the run with a 13 minute mile the first mile. Once we got about a mile and a half into the run, we both felt pretty good and picked up the pace, and finished strong! If we can keep this same pace for our 16 mile run this weekend, we will finish in less than 3 hours! Last weekend we did our 16 mile run in 3 hours and 12 minutes so we will see how we do this weekend.
Today's run summary:
Miles---8
Time---1:27:03
Cool Down---19:56:62
Total Time---1:47:00
Total Calories---1358
Total Miles Run---179
Next run: Thursday, September 2---5 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
All By Myself
Today I ended up running by myself because Rob was feeling under the weather. It was very weird at first to be running by myself because I was so used to having someone else running beside me. It took about the first half mile to get used to being by myself, but once I got into a rhythm I just took off, and had the best 5 mile run I have ever had.
I started my run a lot later than I like to, around 6:45 pm, but so glad that I ended up going out for my run. I felt amazing after my run! At run time it was between 75 and 80 degrees and the humidity was around 60 percent. It was actually a good time to run because the sun was going down, so most of the sun was shaded, which makes the run a little bit cooler.
It was a great run!
Here is a breakdown of the splits:
Miles 1-4: 41:07:00
Mile 5: 9:33:58
I set another new PR the last mile is the fast mile I have ever run by myself and it was the fastest 5 miles I have ever run.
I finished my 5 mile run in 50:40:58, which is a 10:08 minute per mile pace. Crazy! I felt great after the run. I ran with new shoes, which I am sure had something to do with how good I felt as well. I felt like I was flying! :) The new shoes felt amazing. I didn’t realize how worn my other shoes were getting until I ran in the new shoes.
Great run!
Today's run summary:
Miles---5
Time---50:40:58
Cool Down---15:19:84
Total Time---1:06:00
Total Calories---927
Total Miles Run---171
Next run: Tuesday, August 31---8 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
I started my run a lot later than I like to, around 6:45 pm, but so glad that I ended up going out for my run. I felt amazing after my run! At run time it was between 75 and 80 degrees and the humidity was around 60 percent. It was actually a good time to run because the sun was going down, so most of the sun was shaded, which makes the run a little bit cooler.
It was a great run!
Here is a breakdown of the splits:
Miles 1-4: 41:07:00
Mile 5: 9:33:58
I set another new PR the last mile is the fast mile I have ever run by myself and it was the fastest 5 miles I have ever run.
I finished my 5 mile run in 50:40:58, which is a 10:08 minute per mile pace. Crazy! I felt great after the run. I ran with new shoes, which I am sure had something to do with how good I felt as well. I felt like I was flying! :) The new shoes felt amazing. I didn’t realize how worn my other shoes were getting until I ran in the new shoes.
Great run!
Today's run summary:
Miles---5
Time---50:40:58
Cool Down---15:19:84
Total Time---1:06:00
Total Calories---927
Total Miles Run---171
Next run: Tuesday, August 31---8 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Three Hours of Running
W-O-W…wow! That is only one way to explain how today’s run went and felt! When we started our 26.2 mile journey 7 weeks ago, we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. We didn’t really know how far 26.2 miles were. Sure we have all driven 26.2 miles, and probably many times throughout our lives, but driving 26.2 miles and running 26.2 miles are two VERY different things, and we are starting to see that as our weekly miles continue to increase. This week we ran a total of 31 miles and over half of those miles today! Today we ran 16…yes, 16…miles!
We love doing our long runs first thing in the morning because it is so much cooler, plus they take a while to do. This morning was another great Saturday morning for a long run. We started about 15 minutes (around 8:15 am) later than we had been the previous weeks, but the temperature was still pretty low, in the low 60’s. The humidity, however, was up in the mid-to-high 70’s, so it felt a little warmer and sticky. Despite the humidity it was still a lot cooler than it has been for our runs.
Even though it was a 16 mile run it was a great run with another strong finish. We finished the last 2 miles in 22 minutes! Here is a breakdown of the splits:
Miles 1-5: 1:02:55
Miles 6-10: 1:01: 01
Miles 11-16: 1:08:01
Not only was it a great run, but it is a new PR (personal record) for the both of us. We both felt much better during today’s run compared to last week’s long 14 mile run. It is amazing what one week can do for your training. I am still having a hard time believing that we just ran 16 miles. Although it might be hard to believe that we ran 16 miles; we know and can feel that we did it! We are one step closer to that 26.2 mile goal we have set for ourselves!
Now back to my running versus driving analogy. Since I was having a hard time believing and seeing how far we had just run, I decided to measure the distance from where we park at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis to our driveway on the way home. I was shocked when we pulled into the driveway and my odometer read 16.2 miles! Wow! We pretty much ran the distance to the park we drive to to do our long runs! Crazy! While it might seem crazy, it really puts just how far we ran into perspective. We have driven to Quiet Waters Park numerous times, but now we can truly appreciate that distance and know that we have run that far, and in time, farther than that!
We are very proud of where we have come with our running. We can’t wait to see what the next week brings. We are reaching new levels of health and fitness we never knew was possible. I guess over 3 hours of running will do that for you!
We finished our run in 3 hours, 11 minutes, and 58 seconds which is just under a 12 minute a mile pace! Right where we want to be, as we have been shooting for a 12 minute mile pace for the marathon.
Today's run summary:
Miles---16
Time---3:11:58
Cool Down---25:02:46
Total Time---3:37:00
Total Calories---2830
Total Miles Run---166
Next run: Monday, August 30---5 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
We love doing our long runs first thing in the morning because it is so much cooler, plus they take a while to do. This morning was another great Saturday morning for a long run. We started about 15 minutes (around 8:15 am) later than we had been the previous weeks, but the temperature was still pretty low, in the low 60’s. The humidity, however, was up in the mid-to-high 70’s, so it felt a little warmer and sticky. Despite the humidity it was still a lot cooler than it has been for our runs.
Even though it was a 16 mile run it was a great run with another strong finish. We finished the last 2 miles in 22 minutes! Here is a breakdown of the splits:
Miles 1-5: 1:02:55
Miles 6-10: 1:01: 01
Miles 11-16: 1:08:01
Not only was it a great run, but it is a new PR (personal record) for the both of us. We both felt much better during today’s run compared to last week’s long 14 mile run. It is amazing what one week can do for your training. I am still having a hard time believing that we just ran 16 miles. Although it might be hard to believe that we ran 16 miles; we know and can feel that we did it! We are one step closer to that 26.2 mile goal we have set for ourselves!
Now back to my running versus driving analogy. Since I was having a hard time believing and seeing how far we had just run, I decided to measure the distance from where we park at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis to our driveway on the way home. I was shocked when we pulled into the driveway and my odometer read 16.2 miles! Wow! We pretty much ran the distance to the park we drive to to do our long runs! Crazy! While it might seem crazy, it really puts just how far we ran into perspective. We have driven to Quiet Waters Park numerous times, but now we can truly appreciate that distance and know that we have run that far, and in time, farther than that!
We are very proud of where we have come with our running. We can’t wait to see what the next week brings. We are reaching new levels of health and fitness we never knew was possible. I guess over 3 hours of running will do that for you!
We finished our run in 3 hours, 11 minutes, and 58 seconds which is just under a 12 minute a mile pace! Right where we want to be, as we have been shooting for a 12 minute mile pace for the marathon.
Today's run summary:
Miles---16
Time---3:11:58
Cool Down---25:02:46
Total Time---3:37:00
Total Calories---2830
Total Miles Run---166
Next run: Monday, August 30---5 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
An Easy 4
Today was a pretty good day for a run. Although it was still a little bit warmer than I would like it to be. We started our 4 mile run at 4:45 pm. At run time it was about 80 degrees with the humidity in the 70’s. This made the run pretty hot, but still doable because we have run in weather hotter than this.
We finished our 4 mile run in 43:29:04, which is a 10:52 minute per mile pace. Once again a pretty good run pace, and right about where we have been running our 4 mile routes. Today we ran a different route than we had been for our 4 miles and started the route a little slower than we wanted to because I had not been feeling well. After we got running, I actually felt better and we were able to pick up the pace a little bit by the last mile, which made our last mile our fastest. We ran our last mile at a 10:41 pace.
Overall, not a bad pace, considering I wasn’t feeling my best, but still wanted to go run. We also wanted to take this run kind of easy because we have the biggest run of our short running career on Saturday…16 miles!
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---43:29:04
Cool Down---21:39:09
Total Time---1:05:00
Total Calories---717
Total Miles Run---150
Next run: Saturday, August 28---16 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
We finished our 4 mile run in 43:29:04, which is a 10:52 minute per mile pace. Once again a pretty good run pace, and right about where we have been running our 4 mile routes. Today we ran a different route than we had been for our 4 miles and started the route a little slower than we wanted to because I had not been feeling well. After we got running, I actually felt better and we were able to pick up the pace a little bit by the last mile, which made our last mile our fastest. We ran our last mile at a 10:41 pace.
Overall, not a bad pace, considering I wasn’t feeling my best, but still wanted to go run. We also wanted to take this run kind of easy because we have the biggest run of our short running career on Saturday…16 miles!
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---43:29:04
Cool Down---21:39:09
Total Time---1:05:00
Total Calories---717
Total Miles Run---150
Next run: Saturday, August 28---16 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Lots of Reading
I have been doing a lot of reading over the last few weeks, and of course, it is running related. I am definitely addicted to running and cannot ever see myself not running. I already told you about one book that I have read, Grete Waitz’s book “Run Your First Marathon: Everything You Need to Know to Reach the Finish Line.” After I read that book, I went and bought 3 more running books to read. So far, I have finished one of them and I am currently reading the other two.
The first book is a “Women’s Complete Guide to Running” by Jeff and Barbara Galloway.
You can get the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Complete-Guide-Running-Galloway/dp/1841262056/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282852531&sr=8-1
I really enjoyed this book, not only for the tips and information, but also for the inspirational stories throughout the book. Truly amazing!
The second book I got was “How Running Changed My Life: True Stories of the Power of Running” edited by Garth Battista.
You can get this book here: http://www.amazon.com/How-Running-Changed-My-Life/dp/189136930X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282852796&sr=1-1
I am 100 pages into this book and enjoying every minute I spend reading it. The stories are definitely inspiring and illustrate how running can truly change your life, if you give it the chance to do so!
The third book I bought was “Nancy Clark’s Food Guide for Marathoners” by Nancy Clark, MS, RD.
You can get her book here: http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Clark-Food-Guide-Marathoners/dp/1841262064/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282852907&sr=1-1
I am only about 30 pages into this book, but am finding it to be very helpful. I really need to get reading this book some more, but I am sure that I need to be eating more than I have been. I am continuing to burn more and more calories every day and every week. This book is helping me to know which foods and how much of these foods to consume every day.
I want to learn as much as I can about running. It is definitely changing my life! It can change yours too!
The first book is a “Women’s Complete Guide to Running” by Jeff and Barbara Galloway.
You can get the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Complete-Guide-Running-Galloway/dp/1841262056/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282852531&sr=8-1
I really enjoyed this book, not only for the tips and information, but also for the inspirational stories throughout the book. Truly amazing!
The second book I got was “How Running Changed My Life: True Stories of the Power of Running” edited by Garth Battista.
You can get this book here: http://www.amazon.com/How-Running-Changed-My-Life/dp/189136930X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282852796&sr=1-1
I am 100 pages into this book and enjoying every minute I spend reading it. The stories are definitely inspiring and illustrate how running can truly change your life, if you give it the chance to do so!
The third book I bought was “Nancy Clark’s Food Guide for Marathoners” by Nancy Clark, MS, RD.
You can get her book here: http://www.amazon.com/Nancy-Clark-Food-Guide-Marathoners/dp/1841262064/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282852907&sr=1-1
I am only about 30 pages into this book, but am finding it to be very helpful. I really need to get reading this book some more, but I am sure that I need to be eating more than I have been. I am continuing to burn more and more calories every day and every week. This book is helping me to know which foods and how much of these foods to consume every day.
I want to learn as much as I can about running. It is definitely changing my life! It can change yours too!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
A Cool 7 Miles
Today was another great day for a run. The temperature and humidity were wonderful, especially for a late August day. We started our 7 mile run at 4:45 pm. At run time it was 74 degrees with 69% humidity. This combination made our 7 mile run feel awesome! It was partly cloudy and made some of the run even better.
We finished our 7 mile run in 1:18:56, which is an 11:16 minute per mile pace. We probably could have run it a little faster, and had a couple of quicker splits, but we also didn’t want to run too hard in the beginning knowing that we had 7 miles to run today. Despite a couple of really slow splits, compared to what we had been running, we ended up with a pretty good pace.
Here are our splits for this run:
Mile 1: 11:19:76
Mile 2: 11:05:56
Mile 3: 11:07:25
Mile 4: 11:41:03
Mile 5: 11:59:64
Mile 6: 11:02:33
Mile 7: 10:41:19
Once again our last 2 miles were our fastest, so we finished pretty strong, but could have probably been stronger. I had a small stitch for the last mile, but I was able to run through it. I wish I would have been able to finish a little stronger, but there is always tomorrow.
Still a great run! The runs are getting easier and easier! :)
Today's run summary:
Miles---7
Time---1:18:56
Cool Down---14.04.44
Total Time---1:33:00
Total Calories---1181
Total Miles Run---146
Next run: Thursday, August 26---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
We finished our 7 mile run in 1:18:56, which is an 11:16 minute per mile pace. We probably could have run it a little faster, and had a couple of quicker splits, but we also didn’t want to run too hard in the beginning knowing that we had 7 miles to run today. Despite a couple of really slow splits, compared to what we had been running, we ended up with a pretty good pace.
Here are our splits for this run:
Mile 1: 11:19:76
Mile 2: 11:05:56
Mile 3: 11:07:25
Mile 4: 11:41:03
Mile 5: 11:59:64
Mile 6: 11:02:33
Mile 7: 10:41:19
Once again our last 2 miles were our fastest, so we finished pretty strong, but could have probably been stronger. I had a small stitch for the last mile, but I was able to run through it. I wish I would have been able to finish a little stronger, but there is always tomorrow.
Still a great run! The runs are getting easier and easier! :)
Today's run summary:
Miles---7
Time---1:18:56
Cool Down---14.04.44
Total Time---1:33:00
Total Calories---1181
Total Miles Run---146
Next run: Thursday, August 26---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Amazing Run
Today was a great day for a run. The temperature was finally bearable and so was the humidity. We started our 4 mile run at 4:50 pm. At run time it was 80 degrees with 77% humidity, which felt great, plus it was partly cloudy so we didn’t have to run in the hot sun the whole time either.
We finished our 4 mile run in 43:06, which is a 10:46 minute per mile pace. Still about the same pace we have been running our 4 miles. We are always faster the last mile, but pretty consistent the first 3 miles.
Here are our splits for this run:
Mile 1: 11:05:94
Mile 2: 10:47:92
Mile 3: 11:01:02
Mile 4: 10:11:71
Today’s run felt amazing. It is amazing how much easier a 4 mile run is after running 14 the weekend before. :) Another great run! We are looking forward to Wednesday’s 7 mile run, as long as the weather cooperates.
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---43:06
Cool Down---16:54
Total Time---60:00
Total Calories---782
Total Miles Run---139
Next run: Wednesday, August 25---7 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
We finished our 4 mile run in 43:06, which is a 10:46 minute per mile pace. Still about the same pace we have been running our 4 miles. We are always faster the last mile, but pretty consistent the first 3 miles.
Here are our splits for this run:
Mile 1: 11:05:94
Mile 2: 10:47:92
Mile 3: 11:01:02
Mile 4: 10:11:71
Today’s run felt amazing. It is amazing how much easier a 4 mile run is after running 14 the weekend before. :) Another great run! We are looking forward to Wednesday’s 7 mile run, as long as the weather cooperates.
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---43:06
Cool Down---16:54
Total Time---60:00
Total Calories---782
Total Miles Run---139
Next run: Wednesday, August 25---7 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
A New Personal Record
Wow! Today we set a new PR (personal record) and accomplished something we NEVER thought we would be able to do. While it was definitely not easy, it was something we knew we COULD do, and something we did TOGETHER. All of which are very important to the both of us. So what did we do? We ran 14 miles! Yes, I just wrote 14, and no, that is not a typo! That is over a half-marathon, which is 13.1 miles. As I am writing this, it is still hard to believe that we actually ran 14 miles today, except for the fact that we are exhausted! :) But, it is a welcome exhausted and a great feeling.
We started our 14 mile run at 8:00 am down at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis. We really like doing our long runs there because the trail is mostly shaded, which makes the run a little cooler. It felt really good temperature wise in the beginning, but the humidity was way up. At the beginning of our run it was 63 degrees with 100% humidity, and the temperature had risen to around 80 degrees when we were on our way home. We can’t wait for this humidity to drop again…and the temperature too!
We finished our 14 mile run in 2:50.53, which is a 12:12 minute per mile pace. It was not as well as we were hoping for, but we finished the whole 14 miles. That is really good considering we really slowed down the last 4 miles, or at least felt like we did. I was fighting off a sore right knee and thigh the last 3 miles, and really had to slow the pace down. If it wasn't for the knee and thigh pain, I would have been fine, as I felt great otherwise. I was determined to finish the 14 miles!
I was a little disappointed with our overall time, until I got home and looked back at some of our other previous long runs and compared the times. Upon looking back at the last few weeks, I noticed that we ran our 10 mile long run in 2:01.50, which is a 12:11 minute per mile pace, and we ran 14 miles today at a 12:12 pace. So, I guess we did better than we thought after all.
Here is a breakdown of our times:
Miles 1-5: 59.46.12
Miles 6-10: 1:00.53
Miles 11-14: 50.15.96
Overall, pretty good run and a new PR!
Today's run summary:
Miles---14
Time---2:50.53
Cool Down---22:07.61
Total Time---3:13.00
Total Calories---2516
Total Miles Run---135
Next run: Monday, August 23---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
We started our 14 mile run at 8:00 am down at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis. We really like doing our long runs there because the trail is mostly shaded, which makes the run a little cooler. It felt really good temperature wise in the beginning, but the humidity was way up. At the beginning of our run it was 63 degrees with 100% humidity, and the temperature had risen to around 80 degrees when we were on our way home. We can’t wait for this humidity to drop again…and the temperature too!
We finished our 14 mile run in 2:50.53, which is a 12:12 minute per mile pace. It was not as well as we were hoping for, but we finished the whole 14 miles. That is really good considering we really slowed down the last 4 miles, or at least felt like we did. I was fighting off a sore right knee and thigh the last 3 miles, and really had to slow the pace down. If it wasn't for the knee and thigh pain, I would have been fine, as I felt great otherwise. I was determined to finish the 14 miles!
I was a little disappointed with our overall time, until I got home and looked back at some of our other previous long runs and compared the times. Upon looking back at the last few weeks, I noticed that we ran our 10 mile long run in 2:01.50, which is a 12:11 minute per mile pace, and we ran 14 miles today at a 12:12 pace. So, I guess we did better than we thought after all.
Here is a breakdown of our times:
Miles 1-5: 59.46.12
Miles 6-10: 1:00.53
Miles 11-14: 50.15.96
Overall, pretty good run and a new PR!
Today's run summary:
Miles---14
Time---2:50.53
Cool Down---22:07.61
Total Time---3:13.00
Total Calories---2516
Total Miles Run---135
Next run: Monday, August 23---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
6 More Miles
Today we ran the 6 miles we were supposed to run yesterday, but didn’t due to the time we got to start our run yesterday. Today’s run went really well. We both felt amazing throughout the run, and we were able to finish it just a little bit faster than we did last week. For today’s run I kept track of our splits again. Here are the splits:
Mile 1: 11:29.75
Mile 2: 11:14.08
Mile 3: 10:53.73
Mile 4: 10:53.88
Mile 5: 11:31.26
Mile 6: 10:07.59
Once again we had a pretty strong finish and two really consistent miles (miles 3 and 4) for this run. We are trying to be more consistent runners throughout our runs.
Today’s run was 6 miles and we wish we would have been able to run them yesterday when it was cooler, but we had to be flexible with our training schedule. Being flexible during your training is very important! We started today’s run around 5:30 pm, still a little later than we would have liked, but it was too hot to get out there sooner. It was definitely warmer than yesterday. By the time we started our run, the sun was starting to go down, and was pretty much behind the trees after the first 2 miles of our run. This made the 6 miles much easier to run. It was around 85 degrees with the humidity around 80% when we left for our run.
We finished our 6 mile run in 66:10, which is an 11:01 pace per mile. It was our fastest 6 miles by 5 seconds a mile.
Another great run!
Today's run summary:
Miles---6
Time---66:10
Cool Down---21:90
Total Time---88:00
Total Calories---1147
Total Miles Run---121
Next run: Saturday, August 21---14 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Mile 1: 11:29.75
Mile 2: 11:14.08
Mile 3: 10:53.73
Mile 4: 10:53.88
Mile 5: 11:31.26
Mile 6: 10:07.59
Once again we had a pretty strong finish and two really consistent miles (miles 3 and 4) for this run. We are trying to be more consistent runners throughout our runs.
Today’s run was 6 miles and we wish we would have been able to run them yesterday when it was cooler, but we had to be flexible with our training schedule. Being flexible during your training is very important! We started today’s run around 5:30 pm, still a little later than we would have liked, but it was too hot to get out there sooner. It was definitely warmer than yesterday. By the time we started our run, the sun was starting to go down, and was pretty much behind the trees after the first 2 miles of our run. This made the 6 miles much easier to run. It was around 85 degrees with the humidity around 80% when we left for our run.
We finished our 6 mile run in 66:10, which is an 11:01 pace per mile. It was our fastest 6 miles by 5 seconds a mile.
Another great run!
Today's run summary:
Miles---6
Time---66:10
Cool Down---21:90
Total Time---88:00
Total Calories---1147
Total Miles Run---121
Next run: Saturday, August 21---14 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Running In The Rain
We finally got to run in the rain! It was nice and refreshing, since it was a light rain. It actually felt really good to run in cooler weather. We took it pretty easy today and only ran 4 miles instead of the scheduled 6 due to time, so we will run our 6 miles tomorrow. We started out at a slower pace than usual because this was the first time we had run in the rain, and really didn’t know what to expect. We picked up the pace after the first mile and a half, and ended up running just under a 9 minute mile the last mile! The fastest mile we have ever run!
Today’s run ended up only being 4 miles, since we didn’t get to start our run until around 6:00 pm. It was about 75 degrees with 100% humidity for our run, but the light rain made it feel even better.
We finished our 4 mile run in 43:56, which is a 10:58 pace per mile. The pace is about what we had been running our 4 miles in, and set a new PR (personal record) for ourselves with a sub 9 minute mile. It was amazing!
Great run in the rain!
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---43:56
Cool Down---14:44
Total Time---58:00
Total Calories---746
Total Miles Run---115
Next run: Thursday, August 19---6 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Today’s run ended up only being 4 miles, since we didn’t get to start our run until around 6:00 pm. It was about 75 degrees with 100% humidity for our run, but the light rain made it feel even better.
We finished our 4 mile run in 43:56, which is a 10:58 pace per mile. The pace is about what we had been running our 4 miles in, and set a new PR (personal record) for ourselves with a sub 9 minute mile. It was amazing!
Great run in the rain!
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---43:56
Cool Down---14:44
Total Time---58:00
Total Calories---746
Total Miles Run---115
Next run: Thursday, August 19---6 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Another Hot Run
Today we began week 6 of our marathon training. It is hard to believe that we have already been training for 5 weeks. We are really starting to see some great progress during our runs, and continue to surprise ourselves with how well we have been running.
Today’s run was only 4 miles, and it was a good thing because the weather was back to being hot and humid. We are still hoping that this hot and humid summer we have been having will start to break soon. We started our run around 4:15 pm and it was HOT! It was 91 degrees with 84% humidity and we felt every single bit of that. Due to the extreme heat, we had to slow our run down, especially after the first couple of miles. It was just too hot! Despite the heat, it was still a pretty good run and we felt good afterwards.
We finished our 4 mile run in 46:13, which is an 11:33 pace per mile. A little slower than we had been running 4 miles, but sometimes the weather just slows you down a little bit. Overall, it wasn’t a bad run and we still got a good work out in.
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---46:13
Cool Down---23:87
Total Time---70:00
Total Calories---877
Total Miles Run---111
Next run: Wednesday, August 18---6 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Today’s run was only 4 miles, and it was a good thing because the weather was back to being hot and humid. We are still hoping that this hot and humid summer we have been having will start to break soon. We started our run around 4:15 pm and it was HOT! It was 91 degrees with 84% humidity and we felt every single bit of that. Due to the extreme heat, we had to slow our run down, especially after the first couple of miles. It was just too hot! Despite the heat, it was still a pretty good run and we felt good afterwards.
We finished our 4 mile run in 46:13, which is an 11:33 pace per mile. A little slower than we had been running 4 miles, but sometimes the weather just slows you down a little bit. Overall, it wasn’t a bad run and we still got a good work out in.
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---46:13
Cool Down---23:87
Total Time---70:00
Total Calories---877
Total Miles Run---111
Next run: Wednesday, August 18---6 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Almost A Half Marathon
Today’s run was 12 miles, which is only 1.1 mile short of a half marathon. Amazing! We set out to run these 12 miles at a 12 minute a mile pace because we knew we had a lot of running ahead of us. We didn’t want to start out too fast and then not be able to finish the run and feel good at the end.
Once again we did our run at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis and the weather couldn’t have been too much better. We started our run around 7:45 am and it was a wonderful 60 degrees out! Definitely the coolest temperature we have run in since we started training 5 weeks ago. The humidity was up again, around 100% when we started, but dropped to around 77% by the time we finished.
We felt really good through most of the run, the first few miles were a little slow, but have to wake up and get that blood flowing first. Once we got running we felt great and finished strong. We ran the last 2 miles, after already running 10 miles, in 21 minutes. It is amazing how much you can still give and have to give at the end of a long run. We know that if we can give, even just a little bit more, at the end of a long run that we could run a few more miles at a slower pace. We do this because we know that we will be running just a little bit further the next week.
We finished our 12 mile run in 2:20:26, which is an 11:42 pace per mile, and just a little bit under the 12 minute a mile pace we set out for in the beginning. We ended up running the first 5 miles slower than the next 5 miles, and picked up the pace the last 2 miles for a strong finish.
On Monday we start week 6 of our training and have already run a total of 107 miles! Amazing!
Today's run summary:
Miles---12
Time---2:20:26
Cool Down---37:33
Total Time---2:57:00
Total Calories---2218
Total Miles Run---107
Next run: Monday, August 16---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Once again we did our run at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis and the weather couldn’t have been too much better. We started our run around 7:45 am and it was a wonderful 60 degrees out! Definitely the coolest temperature we have run in since we started training 5 weeks ago. The humidity was up again, around 100% when we started, but dropped to around 77% by the time we finished.
We felt really good through most of the run, the first few miles were a little slow, but have to wake up and get that blood flowing first. Once we got running we felt great and finished strong. We ran the last 2 miles, after already running 10 miles, in 21 minutes. It is amazing how much you can still give and have to give at the end of a long run. We know that if we can give, even just a little bit more, at the end of a long run that we could run a few more miles at a slower pace. We do this because we know that we will be running just a little bit further the next week.
We finished our 12 mile run in 2:20:26, which is an 11:42 pace per mile, and just a little bit under the 12 minute a mile pace we set out for in the beginning. We ended up running the first 5 miles slower than the next 5 miles, and picked up the pace the last 2 miles for a strong finish.
On Monday we start week 6 of our training and have already run a total of 107 miles! Amazing!
Today's run summary:
Miles---12
Time---2:20:26
Cool Down---37:33
Total Time---2:57:00
Total Calories---2218
Total Miles Run---107
Next run: Monday, August 16---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Short Run With A Little Rain
Since our run got cut short yesterday, thanks to thunderstorms, lightning, and rain, we ran the 2 miles we missed from yesterday’s run today. We took it pretty easy, since we have our long run tomorrow morning, and don’t want to burn our legs out for only a 2 mile run. We set out to run it at a 12 minute a mile pace, but ended up running it in 21:55, which actually felt slow compared to yesterday’s 9:41 pace!
The best part of today’s run?! We actually had a little drizzle to run in for part of our run and it felt good to actually get to run in the “rain.” The weather was actually really good for this run. We started our run around 4:00 pm. The temperature was around 72 degrees, which felt great, even with 100% humidity. It was overcast and cloudy, which helped as well. The run felt great, but it was weird to run only 2 miles and stop. We wanted to run a little more, but knew we could not afford to with our long run the next day. So, we opted for a longer cool down instead to give our legs the needed rest.
Great run!
Today's run summary:
Miles---2
Time---21:55
Cool Down---16:45
Total Time---38:00
Total Calories---387
Total Miles Run---95
Next run: Saturday, August 14---12 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
The best part of today’s run?! We actually had a little drizzle to run in for part of our run and it felt good to actually get to run in the “rain.” The weather was actually really good for this run. We started our run around 4:00 pm. The temperature was around 72 degrees, which felt great, even with 100% humidity. It was overcast and cloudy, which helped as well. The run felt great, but it was weird to run only 2 miles and stop. We wanted to run a little more, but knew we could not afford to with our long run the next day. So, we opted for a longer cool down instead to give our legs the needed rest.
Great run!
Today's run summary:
Miles---2
Time---21:55
Cool Down---16:45
Total Time---38:00
Total Calories---387
Total Miles Run---95
Next run: Saturday, August 14---12 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Thunderstorms Are Not a Runner's Best Friend
Thunderstorms are not a runner’s best friend, but are very motivating! While we only got in 2 of our scheduled 4 miles in today due to a thunderstorm, we had a really good 2 miles. It was the fastest 2 miles that either of us has ever run during our short running career.
The weather has definitely been crazy this summer, so you don’t know what it is going to do from one minute to the next. We got a bad thunderstorm this morning, so I was hoping that the one they were calling for this afternoon wouldn’t actually hit us. Unfortunately it did, although not as bad as they were calling for, but it decided to head in our direction during our run. When we started our run there was a clear, blue sky in one direction, but if you turned around, it was cloudy and gray, but not really dark, so we decided we would try to get as much of our run in as possible.
Since we knew that it was very possible that another storm was going to hit us, we just ran a loop very close to our house, so we could get home quickly, if we needed to. We started our run around 5:30pm and got only about a 1/2 mile in before it started to get pretty dark. We could hear thunder in the distance, but wanted to try and get in at least 2 of the 4 miles. We got a mile and a half into our run and knew that we were only going to be able to get in 2 miles. It was getting darker and creeping up closer and closer to us as we ran, so we got to our 2 mile marker and cut through a side street to make our way back home before it hit us.
We were very happy to get in at least 2 miles today, since the weather was not going to cooperate. We ran 2 miles in 19:24! The first mile was 10:17, and the second mile was 9:07, which is a 9:46 a mile pace. Amazing what adrenaline can make you do and a thunderstorm on the horizon. Even though we ran much faster than we usually do, we both felt really good and actually felt like we still got a work out in. A short one nonetheless, but still a workout. We are hoping that we will be able to get 2 more miles in tomorrow outside, but if not there is always inside on a treadmill.
We made it home just in time, as there were a few bolts of lightning shortly after we got home. At this point it wasn’t even raining yet! By the time we got home and out of the shower it had started raining a little bit, but nothing terrible. We were a little mad the storm didn't end up being that bad. It hardly even rained. There was more thunder than anything else. We probably cut our run short for nothing, but better to be safe than sorry. It just gives us a chance to run a little bit tomorrow too! :)
Despite the weather, it was a great run and we were glad to get in the 2 miles we did. We felt great after our run even if it was only 2 miles.
Today's run summary:
Miles---2
Time---19:24
Cool Down---5:76
Total Time---25:00
Total Calories---364
Total Miles Run---93
Next run: Friday, August 13---2 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
The weather has definitely been crazy this summer, so you don’t know what it is going to do from one minute to the next. We got a bad thunderstorm this morning, so I was hoping that the one they were calling for this afternoon wouldn’t actually hit us. Unfortunately it did, although not as bad as they were calling for, but it decided to head in our direction during our run. When we started our run there was a clear, blue sky in one direction, but if you turned around, it was cloudy and gray, but not really dark, so we decided we would try to get as much of our run in as possible.
Since we knew that it was very possible that another storm was going to hit us, we just ran a loop very close to our house, so we could get home quickly, if we needed to. We started our run around 5:30pm and got only about a 1/2 mile in before it started to get pretty dark. We could hear thunder in the distance, but wanted to try and get in at least 2 of the 4 miles. We got a mile and a half into our run and knew that we were only going to be able to get in 2 miles. It was getting darker and creeping up closer and closer to us as we ran, so we got to our 2 mile marker and cut through a side street to make our way back home before it hit us.
We were very happy to get in at least 2 miles today, since the weather was not going to cooperate. We ran 2 miles in 19:24! The first mile was 10:17, and the second mile was 9:07, which is a 9:46 a mile pace. Amazing what adrenaline can make you do and a thunderstorm on the horizon. Even though we ran much faster than we usually do, we both felt really good and actually felt like we still got a work out in. A short one nonetheless, but still a workout. We are hoping that we will be able to get 2 more miles in tomorrow outside, but if not there is always inside on a treadmill.
We made it home just in time, as there were a few bolts of lightning shortly after we got home. At this point it wasn’t even raining yet! By the time we got home and out of the shower it had started raining a little bit, but nothing terrible. We were a little mad the storm didn't end up being that bad. It hardly even rained. There was more thunder than anything else. We probably cut our run short for nothing, but better to be safe than sorry. It just gives us a chance to run a little bit tomorrow too! :)
Despite the weather, it was a great run and we were glad to get in the 2 miles we did. We felt great after our run even if it was only 2 miles.
Today's run summary:
Miles---2
Time---19:24
Cool Down---5:76
Total Time---25:00
Total Calories---364
Total Miles Run---93
Next run: Friday, August 13---2 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Another Great Run
We got another late start, but still went for our run anyway, and we are so glad that we did! Today’s run was great. Rob and I both felt great. We are amazed at how much easier running is becoming, and how much better at it we are getting. We seem to be getting faster every time we run.
Tonight we started our run around 6:30 pm and it was still 90 degrees with 49% humidity. The best part about running at this time of night is that the sun is starting to go down, so our running route has a lot more shade, which makes it not feel quite as hot and humid out there.
Tonight’s 6 mile run felt amazing. By the time we were ready to get out there and run, neither one of us really felt like it, but knew we would feel better if we did. Once we got a couple miles in we both felt really good and were able to pick up our pace a little bit. For the first couple of miles we were around an 11:20 mile pace, and ended up finishing our 6 miles at an 11:06 per mile pace.
Great run tonight!
Today's run summary:
Miles---6
Time---66:37
Cool Down---23:63
Total Time---90:00
Total Calories---1190
Total Miles Run---91
Next run: Thursday, August 12---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Tonight we started our run around 6:30 pm and it was still 90 degrees with 49% humidity. The best part about running at this time of night is that the sun is starting to go down, so our running route has a lot more shade, which makes it not feel quite as hot and humid out there.
Tonight’s 6 mile run felt amazing. By the time we were ready to get out there and run, neither one of us really felt like it, but knew we would feel better if we did. Once we got a couple miles in we both felt really good and were able to pick up our pace a little bit. For the first couple of miles we were around an 11:20 mile pace, and ended up finishing our 6 miles at an 11:06 per mile pace.
Great run tonight!
Today's run summary:
Miles---6
Time---66:37
Cool Down---23:63
Total Time---90:00
Total Calories---1190
Total Miles Run---91
Next run: Thursday, August 12---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Wonderful Book
Well…it didn’t take me long to finish reading Grete Waitz’s book “Run Your First Marathon: Everything You Need to Know to Reach the Finish Line.” I finished reading it yesterday before we went out for our run. I read it faithfully every day, even if I only got through one chapter, but read it nonetheless.
Definitely a must read for new runners and marathoners. This book gives you pretty much everything you need to know about running your first marathon. A very inspiring book that provides you with great advice, two different training programs depending on your fitness level when you start, and short motivational stories throughout to give you the confidence that you can do this too.
One part of the book that has stuck with me is the use of “power words” or a “mantra,” especially when you start to fatigue throughout a long run or the marathon itself. For example you could say to yourself as you are running, “I’m strong. I’m fit. I’ve trained hard for this. I believe in myself. I know I can do this” (Waitz, 99). According to Waitz, using a mantra helps to distract yourself from the fatigue or discomfort, and allows you to remain positive and finish the run or race (99).
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to new and future marathon runners. While reading this book I found myself getting more excited about running my first marathon. I think it helped to know and understand that Waitz, herself, even though she is a nine-time NYC marathon winner, didn’t always have a good run during her marathons. It just goes to show that it all depends on how you are feeling that day, the temperature, what you are running on, and the weather.
Definitely worth the money! Great read!
Definitely a must read for new runners and marathoners. This book gives you pretty much everything you need to know about running your first marathon. A very inspiring book that provides you with great advice, two different training programs depending on your fitness level when you start, and short motivational stories throughout to give you the confidence that you can do this too.
One part of the book that has stuck with me is the use of “power words” or a “mantra,” especially when you start to fatigue throughout a long run or the marathon itself. For example you could say to yourself as you are running, “I’m strong. I’m fit. I’ve trained hard for this. I believe in myself. I know I can do this” (Waitz, 99). According to Waitz, using a mantra helps to distract yourself from the fatigue or discomfort, and allows you to remain positive and finish the run or race (99).
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to new and future marathon runners. While reading this book I found myself getting more excited about running my first marathon. I think it helped to know and understand that Waitz, herself, even though she is a nine-time NYC marathon winner, didn’t always have a good run during her marathons. It just goes to show that it all depends on how you are feeling that day, the temperature, what you are running on, and the weather.
Definitely worth the money! Great read!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Another 4 Miles Completed
Today's run went pretty good. It was really hot, especially in the sun, and humid. Definitely cannot wait until this summer heat finally breaks, but figure that if we can run in this we can run in pretty much anything. We started our run around 4:15 pm and it was 90 degrees with 58% humidity.
Today I decided to use splits while we run to see how fast we are running each mile instead of just our pace for the entire run. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. I guess I just didn't think about it, but am glad I did. Here is a breakdown of our splits for today's 4 mile run:
Mile 1---11:05:72
Mile 2---10:45:03
Mile 3---11:40:58
Mile 4---11:24:16
Really glad I did this today because we did not feel as fast as we were the first mile, and thought we had slowed down between miles 1 and 2, but once again, we were way off. It is good to see this so we can better know how to pace ourselves for the marathon. Overall it was a good run in the hot summer sun!
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---44:55
Cool Down---18:45
Total Time---63:00
Total Calories---874
Total Miles Run---85
Next run: Wednesday, August 11---6 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Today I decided to use splits while we run to see how fast we are running each mile instead of just our pace for the entire run. I don't know why I didn't do this sooner. I guess I just didn't think about it, but am glad I did. Here is a breakdown of our splits for today's 4 mile run:
Mile 1---11:05:72
Mile 2---10:45:03
Mile 3---11:40:58
Mile 4---11:24:16
Really glad I did this today because we did not feel as fast as we were the first mile, and thought we had slowed down between miles 1 and 2, but once again, we were way off. It is good to see this so we can better know how to pace ourselves for the marathon. Overall it was a good run in the hot summer sun!
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---44:55
Cool Down---18:45
Total Time---63:00
Total Calories---874
Total Miles Run---85
Next run: Wednesday, August 11---6 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
10 + 1
Today is Saturday, which means it is our long run day, and today was our 11 mile run, or 10 + 1 as we called it. We called it 10 + 1 because we already knew that we could run 10 miles, and so it was only 1 more mile than last time. It was a wonderful morning for a long run. The temperature and humidity were just right. Temperature was in the mid-60’s and the humidity was around 50% or so at run time.
We started our run around 7:45 am. We decided to do our run at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis again this weekend. It is just so nice to run down there. A good portion of the trail is shaded, with some hills (both up and down), and some straight stretches, which makes for a good run. We both felt really good throughout the run today, much better than how we felt last during last Saturday’s run. Hopefully this is a sign that running is starting to get a little bit easier for both of us.
We finished our 11 mile run in 2:07:11, which is an 11:33 minute a mile pace. That was definitely faster than we planned on running it. We figured we would average around a 12 to 13 minute a mile pace. We were definitely shocked to realize we were under a 12 minute a mile pace because we didn’t feel we were running that fast. Sometimes we just get to talking and running and don’t realize the pace that we are running at. Overall it was a really good run. We felt good after the run, tired, but good.
On our drive back home after our run, I was thinking about what we just had done and said to Rob, “Did we just really run 11 miles?” At that point I didn’t feel like I had just ran 11 miles, nor for over 2 hours straight…until…I went to get out of the car. :) That was when I really started to feel the run. Will I do it again? Of course! I feel too great while running and right after not to. We have 26 total miles awaiting us this week!
Today's run summary:
Miles---11
Time---2:07:11
Cool Down---26:11
Total Time---2:33:00
Total Calories---1995
Total Miles Run---81
Next run: Monday, August 9---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
We started our run around 7:45 am. We decided to do our run at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis again this weekend. It is just so nice to run down there. A good portion of the trail is shaded, with some hills (both up and down), and some straight stretches, which makes for a good run. We both felt really good throughout the run today, much better than how we felt last during last Saturday’s run. Hopefully this is a sign that running is starting to get a little bit easier for both of us.
We finished our 11 mile run in 2:07:11, which is an 11:33 minute a mile pace. That was definitely faster than we planned on running it. We figured we would average around a 12 to 13 minute a mile pace. We were definitely shocked to realize we were under a 12 minute a mile pace because we didn’t feel we were running that fast. Sometimes we just get to talking and running and don’t realize the pace that we are running at. Overall it was a really good run. We felt good after the run, tired, but good.
On our drive back home after our run, I was thinking about what we just had done and said to Rob, “Did we just really run 11 miles?” At that point I didn’t feel like I had just ran 11 miles, nor for over 2 hours straight…until…I went to get out of the car. :) That was when I really started to feel the run. Will I do it again? Of course! I feel too great while running and right after not to. We have 26 total miles awaiting us this week!
Today's run summary:
Miles---11
Time---2:07:11
Cool Down---26:11
Total Time---2:33:00
Total Calories---1995
Total Miles Run---81
Next run: Monday, August 9---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Treadmill Run
Today we ended up driving over to base to do our run because the weather was not very good. We finally got the thunderstorm and rain that they had been calling for the last couple of days. It started raining and storming on our drive over to base, but we had decided even before then that we were going to run inside due to the heat and humidity. The heat index for today was, once again, 105 degrees! Ugh! When we left the outside temperature was 97 degrees and the humidity was in the 80’s, so we thought running inside on the treadmill would be cooler and a better idea.
I thought the gym would be air conditioned and much cooler than outside for our run, but I was wrong. We got to the gym and started our run around 4:00 pm. We were lucky enough to find two treadmills next to each other, so we could at least “run together.” Since we were on treadmills we decided to run at our own pace, but still finished within a minute of one another. In the beginning it was a little cooler in the gym, but even after the first mile, we were both dripping in sweat because it was so hot in there. They had both sets of doors open and a couple of big fans going, but it was still hot in there. So much for air conditioning!
I finished our 4 mile run in 42:14, which is a 10:33 minute a mile pace. Rob finished our 4 mile run 41:24, which is a 10:21 minute a mile pace. We ran it pretty fast for us, even though it was terribly hot in the gym. Running on the treadmill and running outside on the road/sidewalk is very different. The treadmill was a nice change, but the first 2 miles seemed to take forever compared to running outside. I think it is because you can see everything on the screen in front of you. I tried not to watch it, but when it is right in front of you it is hard not to. After the first 2 miles time seemed to go quicker and I got used to running on the treadmill again.
Overall today’s run was really good, a little warm, but still good. Time to rest up tomorrow and prepare ourselves for Saturday’s 11 mile run at Quiet Waters Park.
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---42:14
Cool Down---9:86
Total Time---52:00
Total Calories---757
Total Miles Run---70
Next run: Saturday, August 7---11 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
I thought the gym would be air conditioned and much cooler than outside for our run, but I was wrong. We got to the gym and started our run around 4:00 pm. We were lucky enough to find two treadmills next to each other, so we could at least “run together.” Since we were on treadmills we decided to run at our own pace, but still finished within a minute of one another. In the beginning it was a little cooler in the gym, but even after the first mile, we were both dripping in sweat because it was so hot in there. They had both sets of doors open and a couple of big fans going, but it was still hot in there. So much for air conditioning!
I finished our 4 mile run in 42:14, which is a 10:33 minute a mile pace. Rob finished our 4 mile run 41:24, which is a 10:21 minute a mile pace. We ran it pretty fast for us, even though it was terribly hot in the gym. Running on the treadmill and running outside on the road/sidewalk is very different. The treadmill was a nice change, but the first 2 miles seemed to take forever compared to running outside. I think it is because you can see everything on the screen in front of you. I tried not to watch it, but when it is right in front of you it is hard not to. After the first 2 miles time seemed to go quicker and I got used to running on the treadmill again.
Overall today’s run was really good, a little warm, but still good. Time to rest up tomorrow and prepare ourselves for Saturday’s 11 mile run at Quiet Waters Park.
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---42:14
Cool Down---9:86
Total Time---52:00
Total Calories---757
Total Miles Run---70
Next run: Saturday, August 7---11 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Late Run
Today’s run was later than we usually go run because of the weather. They had been calling for thunderstorms all day, but it would only get cloudy, clear up, get cloudy again, and clear up. We didn’t know if it was actually going to storm or not, so we were trying to wait it out, plus it was very hot and humid! Finally around 7:00 pm, we decided to just go and try and get as much of our run in as possible. It was still very hot and humid, but at least the sun wasn’t out to make it any hotter.
At run time it was still a miserable 95 degrees and the humidity was 83%. Ugh! Despite the heat and humidity we still ran a pretty good run. The first 2 miles were great, but between mile 2 and 3 the outside of my left knee started to bother me, so we slowed the pace down just a little bit. That did the trick, and within a ½ mile or so, we were back on track and I didn’t have a problem with my knee the rest of the run. Then we hit mile 4! I got a huge stitch on my right side. This caused me to have to slow our pace way down. This was the first time that I actually felt bad during one of our runs. I took some really deep breaths and kept the pace slow for at least ½ of the last mile. Finally the pain in my right side subsided and I was able to finish out the last ¼ of a mile or so at a better pace.
What caused the stitched? Well, probably a combination of things: running a pretty fast pace for the first couple of miles, the heat, the humidity, and hoping to be able to finish our run before we got caught in a thunderstorm. The latter of which didn’t happen. We didn’t even get rained on, we were hoping for a few sprinkles to help cool us off, and it hadn’t rained before we went to bed either.
We finished our 5 mile run in 54:00, which is a 10:48 minute a mile pace. Definitely faster than we have ever run 5 miles before. It is crazy to think that our times keep getting better and better, even though we aren’t really too concerned with time, as we just want to be able to finish the marathon! Except for tonight’s run…we usually don’t feel too bad running at the paces we have been either. I think tonight was just because it was so hot and humid. Besides the stitch in my side I felt great and we had a good run.
Today's run summary:
Miles---5
Time---54:00
Cool Down---18:00
Total Time---72:00
Total Calories---1061
Total Miles Run---66
Next run: Thursday, August 5---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
At run time it was still a miserable 95 degrees and the humidity was 83%. Ugh! Despite the heat and humidity we still ran a pretty good run. The first 2 miles were great, but between mile 2 and 3 the outside of my left knee started to bother me, so we slowed the pace down just a little bit. That did the trick, and within a ½ mile or so, we were back on track and I didn’t have a problem with my knee the rest of the run. Then we hit mile 4! I got a huge stitch on my right side. This caused me to have to slow our pace way down. This was the first time that I actually felt bad during one of our runs. I took some really deep breaths and kept the pace slow for at least ½ of the last mile. Finally the pain in my right side subsided and I was able to finish out the last ¼ of a mile or so at a better pace.
What caused the stitched? Well, probably a combination of things: running a pretty fast pace for the first couple of miles, the heat, the humidity, and hoping to be able to finish our run before we got caught in a thunderstorm. The latter of which didn’t happen. We didn’t even get rained on, we were hoping for a few sprinkles to help cool us off, and it hadn’t rained before we went to bed either.
We finished our 5 mile run in 54:00, which is a 10:48 minute a mile pace. Definitely faster than we have ever run 5 miles before. It is crazy to think that our times keep getting better and better, even though we aren’t really too concerned with time, as we just want to be able to finish the marathon! Except for tonight’s run…we usually don’t feel too bad running at the paces we have been either. I think tonight was just because it was so hot and humid. Besides the stitch in my side I felt great and we had a good run.
Today's run summary:
Miles---5
Time---54:00
Cool Down---18:00
Total Time---72:00
Total Calories---1061
Total Miles Run---66
Next run: Thursday, August 5---4 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Can't Put It Down
I am having a hard time putting Grete Waitz’s book “Run Your First Marathon: Everything You Need to Know to Reach the Finish Line” down. I have been reading it faithfully every night before I go to sleep, but have a hard time finding a good place to stop. I am 75 pages into the book and am so glad that I bought it.
I was hooked as soon as I started reading the first chapter. Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First of all, the author, Grete Waitz is a nine-time winner of the New York City Marathon, a World Championships marathon winner, and an Olympic marathon silver medalist. But, even more importantly, she includes her personal experiences. Her personal experiences provide the reader with excitement and inspiration to run their first marathon. The first night I started this book I didn’t want to put it down, and when I did, I had a difficult time sleeping because I kept thinking about her first marathon experience and how would mine compare to hers.
Not only are her personal experiences throughout the book inspiring, but the advice she provides, even though you might already know some of it, is sound, makes sense, and really puts running a marathon into perspective.
I think the most important thing she tells the reader is that anyone can run a marathon, no matter your fitness level. You just have to start training based on your fitness level and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to train. But, don’t run a marathon because someone else wants you to. You have to do it because you want to do it!
Best Advice: “Hurry slowly.”
Great book! I recommend this book to anyone who wants to run their first marathon, is training to run their first marathon, and those of you who have already run a marathon. Even if you have already run a marathon, I believe this book would still be able to provide you with some inspiration and advice to help you for your next marathon.
I was hooked as soon as I started reading the first chapter. Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First of all, the author, Grete Waitz is a nine-time winner of the New York City Marathon, a World Championships marathon winner, and an Olympic marathon silver medalist. But, even more importantly, she includes her personal experiences. Her personal experiences provide the reader with excitement and inspiration to run their first marathon. The first night I started this book I didn’t want to put it down, and when I did, I had a difficult time sleeping because I kept thinking about her first marathon experience and how would mine compare to hers.
Not only are her personal experiences throughout the book inspiring, but the advice she provides, even though you might already know some of it, is sound, makes sense, and really puts running a marathon into perspective.
I think the most important thing she tells the reader is that anyone can run a marathon, no matter your fitness level. You just have to start training based on your fitness level and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to train. But, don’t run a marathon because someone else wants you to. You have to do it because you want to do it!
Best Advice: “Hurry slowly.”
Great book! I recommend this book to anyone who wants to run their first marathon, is training to run their first marathon, and those of you who have already run a marathon. Even if you have already run a marathon, I believe this book would still be able to provide you with some inspiration and advice to help you for your next marathon.
Monday, August 2, 2010
4 Miles Down, 20 To Go...This Week
Even though the weekly miles are starting to go up, logged 21 miles last week and have 24 miles scheduled for this week, the runs (at least the shorter ones) seem to be getting easier.
During our little over a mile walk back home, after our 4 mile run today, we both looked at each other and said, “Did we just run 4 miles? It sure doesn’t feel like it.” Then we both laughed and said, “Hopefully we can say that during the marathon!” It is hard to believe that in just 3 weeks of training we are already getting used to running longer distances.
We started our run around 5:00 pm and just ran around the neighborhood. The weather was pretty good for running. The temperature was 84 degrees, and although the humidity was around 83%, it was still good for running because it was pretty overcast for most of our run.
We finished our 4 mile run in 43:05, which is a 10:46 minute a mile pace. That was definitely faster than we planned on running it. We didn’t even feel like we were running that fast. At our first mile I looked down at my watch to check our pace. I was like whoa! Rob said, “Yeah, I know we are a little slow today.” “Actually, we are ahead of our 12 minute a mile pace” I said. We were both surprised to find out that we were at 11:15 for our first mile. We felt good at that pace, so we kept that pace for a little while and then picked up the pace, just a little bit, between miles 2 and 4.
Today’s run felt amazing. We feel better every time we run. We are so glad we decided to take on this 26.2 mile journey!
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---43:05
Cool Down---21:95
Total Time---1:05:00
Total Calories---824
Total Miles Run---61
Next run: Wednesday, August 4---5 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
During our little over a mile walk back home, after our 4 mile run today, we both looked at each other and said, “Did we just run 4 miles? It sure doesn’t feel like it.” Then we both laughed and said, “Hopefully we can say that during the marathon!” It is hard to believe that in just 3 weeks of training we are already getting used to running longer distances.
We started our run around 5:00 pm and just ran around the neighborhood. The weather was pretty good for running. The temperature was 84 degrees, and although the humidity was around 83%, it was still good for running because it was pretty overcast for most of our run.
We finished our 4 mile run in 43:05, which is a 10:46 minute a mile pace. That was definitely faster than we planned on running it. We didn’t even feel like we were running that fast. At our first mile I looked down at my watch to check our pace. I was like whoa! Rob said, “Yeah, I know we are a little slow today.” “Actually, we are ahead of our 12 minute a mile pace” I said. We were both surprised to find out that we were at 11:15 for our first mile. We felt good at that pace, so we kept that pace for a little while and then picked up the pace, just a little bit, between miles 2 and 4.
Today’s run felt amazing. We feel better every time we run. We are so glad we decided to take on this 26.2 mile journey!
Today's run summary:
Miles---4
Time---43:05
Cool Down---21:95
Total Time---1:05:00
Total Calories---824
Total Miles Run---61
Next run: Wednesday, August 4---5 miles!
Thanks for following our journey!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
July Running Summary
I use www.dailymile.com to log all of my training. I really recommend this website to log your workouts, as it is not just for runners. You can record a variety of activities, such as, running, walking, biking, swimming, hiking, spinning, rowing, elliptical, and even yoga! One component of the website that I particularly love is that it keeps track of your lifetime stats. Here are my current lifetime stats—July 12th – July 31st:
57.25-----Total Miles
10.96-----Total Time
3 ----------Lbs Burned
12---------Total Workouts
0.00-------Around the World
166.50---TVs Powered
3.01------Gas Saved
59.84-----Donuts Burned
I love seeing these every time I log in and post a new workout, especially the donuts and pounds burned! :)
Another thing I love about this website is that you can encourage, motivate, and follow your friends throughout their training as well. Best of all…it is free to join! When you sign up, add me!
57.25-----Total Miles
10.96-----Total Time
3 ----------Lbs Burned
12---------Total Workouts
0.00-------Around the World
166.50---TVs Powered
3.01------Gas Saved
59.84-----Donuts Burned
I love seeing these every time I log in and post a new workout, especially the donuts and pounds burned! :)
Another thing I love about this website is that you can encourage, motivate, and follow your friends throughout their training as well. Best of all…it is free to join! When you sign up, add me!
Addicted to Running
Ahhh…I think I am officially addicted to running; however, I do believe that there are worse things that I could be addicted to. Today while we were out shopping I went into Barnes & Noble to find a book on running marathons. Wow! I can’t believe how many books there are out there on running. After looking through the books for about 10 minutes or so, I definitely could have stood there longer, but knew Rob didn’t want to stand around and wait for me forever, I finally decided to get this book:
You can find this book here:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Run-Your-First-Marathon/Grete-Waitz/e/9781616080365/?itm=1&USRI=run+your+first+marathon
I am excited to start reading it tonight! I will post some reviews as I read, and when I finish reading the book.
You can find this book here:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Run-Your-First-Marathon/Grete-Waitz/e/9781616080365/?itm=1&USRI=run+your+first+marathon
I am excited to start reading it tonight! I will post some reviews as I read, and when I finish reading the book.
I Have Always Wanted One of These
I have always wanted one of these to put on my car!
I finally have one, but now I have to wait until October 16th, 2010 to put it on! I can't wait to be able to put it on my car. It might sound silly, but this is something I have always wanted, and something I am finally going to do! It doesn't matter how long it takes me to finish this marathon. The important part is that I am going to finish it.
I finally have one, but now I have to wait until October 16th, 2010 to put it on! I can't wait to be able to put it on my car. It might sound silly, but this is something I have always wanted, and something I am finally going to do! It doesn't matter how long it takes me to finish this marathon. The important part is that I am going to finish it.
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