It's been a while since I last updated this. Things are going well with training, each week from here on out my total weekly mileage is increasing more and more. The long runs truly do start to become, "long runs."
This past Saturday my training schedule called for a 5 mile run. I decided to bite the bullet and see what it would be like to run with a group of people fighting for the same cause. As I left the house at 7:30am Saturday morning I wasn't sure if I would be 1 of 10 people, or 1 of 100 who were participating in the weekly Mentor Program for the Riverbank Run put on by the Grand Rapids Running Club. When I pulled into the parking lot before the sun was up, I was surprised to see I could hardly find any open spaces! As I got out, a group began to form in the parking lot with a lot of friendly fellow runners. We received some instructions on the routes that were offered that day, along with where the aid station would be on how to navigate the cones setup earlier that morning.
As we started out it felt almost like being in a small race, except nobody was terribly concerned with pace. I'm pretty sure I saw people running from about a 7 minute mile, to a 13 minute mile. I personally was around 9-9:30. It was a great feeling knowing that there was support and motivation around at all times. I talked to a few people along the way, which helped break the run up. The entire run went by fairly quickly, and was more effortless than I had imagined it would be. It was a great having structure build into my weekly long run, and made the week worth of training runs well worth it. I can't wait to continue running with this new found support group.
Last Friday as I was coming around the corner towards home on a short 2 mile run, it felt like fire had taken over the toes on my left foot. With it being so sudden, I thought for sure it was a nerve issue with all of my back and neck related problems. I made it back to the house, took off my shoe and noticed that one toe in particular was sore to the touch. I pulled my sock off to find a huge blister had burst and peeled back a large amount of skin. Luckily I was able to bandage it up and it didn't give me too much trouble on the Saturday run. After the run Saturday though, I went with Emily and Lennon to Gazelle Sports and grabbed that new pair of shoes I've been putting off getting.
I started reading "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen" about a week ago. It is an amazing book for runners and non-runners alike. I'm about a third of the way through it, and it is really encouraging to see what some people can accomplish with the human body. It makes my goal of finishing the 25k look like a half-day workout for some of the people in that book. That's not discouraging for me, it actually makes me feel good to know that people love to run, just to run.
Until next time,
Keith
Monday, January 25, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
A New Year
T-minus 115 days until the Fifth Third Riverbank Run!!!
The sickness in our house has subsided, and life is returning back to normal now that the holidays have passed. I only missed a couple of days worth of training over Christmas when I had such a horrible cold, but those few days off really seemed to set me back, if only in spirit.
It has taken the past 2 weeks to get back into the swing of things and regain my confidence of being able to accomplish my goals. Before the snow started to fly I couldn't wait to get all of my new winter running gear out, strap on my Yaktrax and plow through the snow banks! The novelty of that wore off quite quickly. I still would not even consider running indoors though. I need to see that I'm making forward progress when I run, and I like the change of scenery. I do enjoy a nice cold, sunny morning run. Sometimes I look down and notice other Yaktrax marks in the snow which seems to send a boost of energy to my legs because I don't feel like I'm in this alone. I've always run by myself, and I am not sure how my training would change if I had a running partner(s). I really can't wait for the snow to clear just enough to allow a solid path to run on. The worst feeling is when I start "treading slush" and seem to stop moving forward.
Yesterday I went to the chiropractor for the first time in a few months. My hip, ankle and back have all been starting to feel a little discomfort. A combination of not going to the chiropractor for so long, needing new shoes, running on unstable ground, and previous injury have all contributed to this. I'm as confident as ever that I'll be able to complete the Fifth Third Riverbank Run in the time that I want, which as of right now is just under a 10 minute/mile pace. My runs lately have been between 8:45-9:30/miles so I'll see if I want to bump up that goal pace as I go. We'll see!
My wife also talked me into getting a Wii/Wii Fit on Sunday, which has already proven to be an effective cross-training device that works muscles running does not. Sore!
Best of luck to all who are actively training in this weather!!!
The sickness in our house has subsided, and life is returning back to normal now that the holidays have passed. I only missed a couple of days worth of training over Christmas when I had such a horrible cold, but those few days off really seemed to set me back, if only in spirit.
It has taken the past 2 weeks to get back into the swing of things and regain my confidence of being able to accomplish my goals. Before the snow started to fly I couldn't wait to get all of my new winter running gear out, strap on my Yaktrax and plow through the snow banks! The novelty of that wore off quite quickly. I still would not even consider running indoors though. I need to see that I'm making forward progress when I run, and I like the change of scenery. I do enjoy a nice cold, sunny morning run. Sometimes I look down and notice other Yaktrax marks in the snow which seems to send a boost of energy to my legs because I don't feel like I'm in this alone. I've always run by myself, and I am not sure how my training would change if I had a running partner(s). I really can't wait for the snow to clear just enough to allow a solid path to run on. The worst feeling is when I start "treading slush" and seem to stop moving forward.
Yesterday I went to the chiropractor for the first time in a few months. My hip, ankle and back have all been starting to feel a little discomfort. A combination of not going to the chiropractor for so long, needing new shoes, running on unstable ground, and previous injury have all contributed to this. I'm as confident as ever that I'll be able to complete the Fifth Third Riverbank Run in the time that I want, which as of right now is just under a 10 minute/mile pace. My runs lately have been between 8:45-9:30/miles so I'll see if I want to bump up that goal pace as I go. We'll see!
My wife also talked me into getting a Wii/Wii Fit on Sunday, which has already proven to be an effective cross-training device that works muscles running does not. Sore!
Best of luck to all who are actively training in this weather!!!