Yesterday, I attempted another run on the treadmill. I loathe to admit this, but I am a little gun-shy about running outside with the snow, a little ice, and the cold temps (which have been around or close to 30 degrees, a temperature I had no problem with last winter). As I mentioned in previous posts, I have been swimming, which is a really good workout, so I am not so worried about staying in shape. But I am a little afraid that when I finally get back out there, I may end up struggling to complete two miles (maybe even one) and/or I will run at a pace well over 10 minutes.
But back to my treadmill run. I ran the first mile in just under 10 minutes, going at about a 6 mph pace. For the second mile, I would alternate between fast runs (anywhere between 6.3 mph and 7.5 mph, hitting above that once or twice) and a slower pace of 5 mph. Then I completed the last half mile at a pace of about 5 mph for the first three to five minutes minutes before walking the final few minutes at about 3 to 3.5 mph.
I felt as if this run went better than the previous treadmill attempts. I was never in doubt that I would run two miles, which is something I can't say about my prior times. However, I still found myself bored and wishing I were outside, where I would have trees, cars, people, houses, the road, etc. to look at. The 4 o'clock news on the TV is just not the same..
Hopefully, after Christmas I can get back on the horse.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Dear real December weather, please come back
This week was crazy cold. There was just no way I was going to run in temps in the teens. Wednesday was pretty decent, with temps in the lower 20s by earlier afternoon, but with the snow and ice still on the road, it was just not enough to motivate me to run outside. I did get a brisk, 20-minute walk in, so there is that.
So when I went to the pool on Friday, I knew that in addition to swimming my laps and jogging around the pool, I needed to get on that dreaded treadmill again. This time, I ran about 1.5 miles, and, once again, it was quite a chore.
I do not understand how people run on treadmills. It is sooooo boring. I simply cannot help myself from staring at the elapsed time, which seems to drag on and on, and wishing I had just completed my mile(s) already. I wanted to be done after one mile, which took me just under 10 minutes, but since my kid was in the exercise room with me watching the last few minutes of a Penguins of Madagascar Christmas special, I figured I might as well keep going.
Even though I have not been running, with the regular swimming I have been doing, I have managed to stay in pretty good shape. I will say that after running 1.5 miles and doing a set of various arm and leg exercises on some weight machines, swimming laps was quite challenging yesterday.
Can't we just have our regular December back?!
So when I went to the pool on Friday, I knew that in addition to swimming my laps and jogging around the pool, I needed to get on that dreaded treadmill again. This time, I ran about 1.5 miles, and, once again, it was quite a chore.
I do not understand how people run on treadmills. It is sooooo boring. I simply cannot help myself from staring at the elapsed time, which seems to drag on and on, and wishing I had just completed my mile(s) already. I wanted to be done after one mile, which took me just under 10 minutes, but since my kid was in the exercise room with me watching the last few minutes of a Penguins of Madagascar Christmas special, I figured I might as well keep going.
Even though I have not been running, with the regular swimming I have been doing, I have managed to stay in pretty good shape. I will say that after running 1.5 miles and doing a set of various arm and leg exercises on some weight machines, swimming laps was quite challenging yesterday.
Can't we just have our regular December back?!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
And speaking of the treadmill
Some time ago, I wrote about barefoot running, after I had happened upon an article in the Parade magazine. I never could bring myself to try it until yesterday, when I decided to jump on the treadmill for a quick run.
So how was it? After having run about a mile barefoot, I feel pretty confident in saying I won't be doing that any time soon. Or maybe ever. My feet really hurt by the time I had finished. But almost as important, I am not sure I did it "right." It seemed as if I was slamming my feet pretty hard on the treadmill, but maybe I normally do that and just don't notice. I recently read an article that stated barefoot runners come down on the front or balls of their feet, which I definitely did (and the balls of my feet are what hurt). But I have never really paid attention to how I usually run for comparison. I just know it did not feel "normal," whatever that is.
I also read an article about how a young woman got her toe caught in the treadmill and flew backwards off it, resulting in some stitches. Eek! Of course, you could get your shoelace caught as well.
I just hope it warms up soon so I can get back outside to run. It has been in the low 20s the past few days (was only 20 degrees today), with a windchill much lower. There is no way I am going to run in those conditions when I struggled with my run in 37-degree temps two weeks ago. In the meantime, I am going to try to run on the treadmill at least once a week and/or run in the pool.
It is good to mix it up!
So how was it? After having run about a mile barefoot, I feel pretty confident in saying I won't be doing that any time soon. Or maybe ever. My feet really hurt by the time I had finished. But almost as important, I am not sure I did it "right." It seemed as if I was slamming my feet pretty hard on the treadmill, but maybe I normally do that and just don't notice. I recently read an article that stated barefoot runners come down on the front or balls of their feet, which I definitely did (and the balls of my feet are what hurt). But I have never really paid attention to how I usually run for comparison. I just know it did not feel "normal," whatever that is.
I also read an article about how a young woman got her toe caught in the treadmill and flew backwards off it, resulting in some stitches. Eek! Of course, you could get your shoelace caught as well.
I just hope it warms up soon so I can get back outside to run. It has been in the low 20s the past few days (was only 20 degrees today), with a windchill much lower. There is no way I am going to run in those conditions when I struggled with my run in 37-degree temps two weeks ago. In the meantime, I am going to try to run on the treadmill at least once a week and/or run in the pool.
It is good to mix it up!
Friday, December 3, 2010
The dreaded treadmill
After last week's tough run in the cold, I could not will myself to do it again this week (welcome to the next three months in Pittsburgh!). But since I had been making such good progress running, I hated the thought of a layoff. So hello, treadmill, old friend!
For about three years now, Bally's has been trying to get me to come back. The $100 offer for a year's membership is pretty good, but I was hesitant to spend the money on something I would rarely use or stop using after a few months. The last one to two years I was a member at Bally's, I probably went four or five times. And my husband reminded me of this, saying instead of rejoining, I should just take a 100-dollar bill and burn it.
Then, about a month and a half ago, my mother-in-law generously bought us a family pool membership at a local hotel. My kid loves to swim (and pretty much has no other interests), so it seemed like a good idea. And I don't hate swimming (more just the bathing suit!), plus I figured the smaller exercise room would give me the chance to start lifting weights again or jump on a treadmill if I felt so inclined.
So I did yesterday. And IT WAS HARD! I could not believe how challenging running about 6 mph was, considering that pace was slower than my usual run mostly up hill. I did start on a 4.5 incline (no idea what that means exactly), and once I started getting into the 9-minute mile pace, I had to cut back the incline.
After running about 3/4 of a mile and being bored and willing the miles to add up, I decided to alternate between a fast (7 to 9 mph) pace for 15 to 30 seconds and a slower one (5 to 6.5 mph) for up to 60 seconds. As challenging as that was, it forced me to keep going and really pay attention to the time. No more boredom!
I was planning to run only two miles, knowing I was going to swim for 30 minutes after and I had already used the weight machines on my upper body. Unfortunately, all that frenetic running caused a wire on the treadmill to come loose, shutting the darned thing down after I had run about 1.75 miles. I tried to start it back up, but after a couple of minutes, I gave up and jumped on the older treadmill for a two-minute walk.
Because it is so darned cold (in the upper 20s and maybe 30 or 31), I am going to try the treadmill again next week. Hopefully that baby rights itself!
For about three years now, Bally's has been trying to get me to come back. The $100 offer for a year's membership is pretty good, but I was hesitant to spend the money on something I would rarely use or stop using after a few months. The last one to two years I was a member at Bally's, I probably went four or five times. And my husband reminded me of this, saying instead of rejoining, I should just take a 100-dollar bill and burn it.
Then, about a month and a half ago, my mother-in-law generously bought us a family pool membership at a local hotel. My kid loves to swim (and pretty much has no other interests), so it seemed like a good idea. And I don't hate swimming (more just the bathing suit!), plus I figured the smaller exercise room would give me the chance to start lifting weights again or jump on a treadmill if I felt so inclined.
So I did yesterday. And IT WAS HARD! I could not believe how challenging running about 6 mph was, considering that pace was slower than my usual run mostly up hill. I did start on a 4.5 incline (no idea what that means exactly), and once I started getting into the 9-minute mile pace, I had to cut back the incline.
After running about 3/4 of a mile and being bored and willing the miles to add up, I decided to alternate between a fast (7 to 9 mph) pace for 15 to 30 seconds and a slower one (5 to 6.5 mph) for up to 60 seconds. As challenging as that was, it forced me to keep going and really pay attention to the time. No more boredom!
I was planning to run only two miles, knowing I was going to swim for 30 minutes after and I had already used the weight machines on my upper body. Unfortunately, all that frenetic running caused a wire on the treadmill to come loose, shutting the darned thing down after I had run about 1.75 miles. I tried to start it back up, but after a couple of minutes, I gave up and jumped on the older treadmill for a two-minute walk.
Because it is so darned cold (in the upper 20s and maybe 30 or 31), I am going to try the treadmill again next week. Hopefully that baby rights itself!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Like sucking on a giant ice cube
Today marked the first day of the cold-weather season. It won't officially be winter for almost a month, but the 37-degree temps were definitely not fall weather.
As I started up the killer hill, the cold air that rushed into my mouth seemed like the coldest air I had ever felt. I kind of wanted to blame it on the gum I was chewing, some "ice" flavor, but I am not kidding when I tell you I was actually picturing my mouth wrapped around a giant conical ice cube for a couple of minutes, for some odd reason.
I had noticed last week when I ran that I was breathing in and out through my mouth, kind of forcefully, whereas I think normally I try to sometimes breathe in through my nose and then exhale on more of a "blow," if that makes any sense. Well, with today's frigid air (at least to my mouth), the deeper mouth breathing was very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, after I crested the hill and started running on the flat street, my mouth no longer felt like Antarctica. I was cold for the first mile, for sure, and kept my hands inside my hoodie. But on the way back, I was actually a little bit warm and able to let my hands run free and not worry so much about breathing.
Nonetheless, the cold resulted in my completing my first mile in over 10 minutes (I forget exactly how much). I added some side streets to my second mile, which meant I ran almost 1.5 miles on the way back. And I finished up with a few more minutes of running, followed by three laps around the outside of the gym and up the steps.
I hope the mouth-ice cube thing is just a fluke because we have quite a few months of cold temps coming up. If not, I will just have to deal with it. But for now, I am looking forward to giving my feet and legs some time off from running.
Happy Thanksgiving!
As I started up the killer hill, the cold air that rushed into my mouth seemed like the coldest air I had ever felt. I kind of wanted to blame it on the gum I was chewing, some "ice" flavor, but I am not kidding when I tell you I was actually picturing my mouth wrapped around a giant conical ice cube for a couple of minutes, for some odd reason.
I had noticed last week when I ran that I was breathing in and out through my mouth, kind of forcefully, whereas I think normally I try to sometimes breathe in through my nose and then exhale on more of a "blow," if that makes any sense. Well, with today's frigid air (at least to my mouth), the deeper mouth breathing was very uncomfortable.
Fortunately, after I crested the hill and started running on the flat street, my mouth no longer felt like Antarctica. I was cold for the first mile, for sure, and kept my hands inside my hoodie. But on the way back, I was actually a little bit warm and able to let my hands run free and not worry so much about breathing.
Nonetheless, the cold resulted in my completing my first mile in over 10 minutes (I forget exactly how much). I added some side streets to my second mile, which meant I ran almost 1.5 miles on the way back. And I finished up with a few more minutes of running, followed by three laps around the outside of the gym and up the steps.
I hope the mouth-ice cube thing is just a fluke because we have quite a few months of cold temps coming up. If not, I will just have to deal with it. But for now, I am looking forward to giving my feet and legs some time off from running.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Pushing it
Yesterday I completed my usual two miles in about 17:20, which was my Best. Time. Ever.
I actually finished my first, tough, mile at about 9:18, which pretty much blew away my previous best time, at around 9:45. I rounded out my second mile with a time of about 8:02, also my best.
When I was finished those two miles, I ran up the hill parallel to the killer hill (note that this neighboring hill is every bit as awful as my usual first hill). And by run, I really mean jogged slowly as I was almost out of gas. Once I got to the top, I managed to jog for a few minutes before alternating between fast runs (not quite all-out sprints, though once or twice I managed to do just that) and easy jogs. I am guessing I tacked on over a mile with that, based on the 12 minutes it took me.
I am going to try to get in a second run this week; I really want to keep up with my two-a-week runs. But if not, I am planning a couple of swims in there, to stay in shape.
I will be 39 in just over 1.5 weeks. I am planning to roar right into the end of this decade.
I actually finished my first, tough, mile at about 9:18, which pretty much blew away my previous best time, at around 9:45. I rounded out my second mile with a time of about 8:02, also my best.
When I was finished those two miles, I ran up the hill parallel to the killer hill (note that this neighboring hill is every bit as awful as my usual first hill). And by run, I really mean jogged slowly as I was almost out of gas. Once I got to the top, I managed to jog for a few minutes before alternating between fast runs (not quite all-out sprints, though once or twice I managed to do just that) and easy jogs. I am guessing I tacked on over a mile with that, based on the 12 minutes it took me.
I am going to try to get in a second run this week; I really want to keep up with my two-a-week runs. But if not, I am planning a couple of swims in there, to stay in shape.
I will be 39 in just over 1.5 weeks. I am planning to roar right into the end of this decade.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Oh, the pain
This week was one of my most productive, athletically speaking, in quite some time. I ran about nine miles over two days. I swam three times; though technically the third time I managed only a couple of laps, I did work my legs for about 20 to 30 minutes while sitting on the edge of the pool each of those days. I ran up the 65 steps 20 times on Friday. And today I walked around downtown Pittsburgh for several hours for the Light-Up Night second day celebration. On top of that, thanks to my not being able to find everything and forgetting things on my list, I covered a lot of distance at several grocery stores multiple times this week!
I am beat and I am sore. I am not sure if the leg pain (both thigh and calf) is because I had not run that many steps that many times for over two months or if it was because I just did not stretch enough when I was done. Either way, I probably could have done without all the walking today. But no rest for the weary: I am supposed to take my kid swimming tomorrow, and hopefully the ol' legs will be recovered by then.
Regardless, I want to hang on to this week because with Thanksgiving next week, I will be lucky to get one run in. And even if I do manage to run and swim twice, with the amount of food I plan to consume...
I am beat and I am sore. I am not sure if the leg pain (both thigh and calf) is because I had not run that many steps that many times for over two months or if it was because I just did not stretch enough when I was done. Either way, I probably could have done without all the walking today. But no rest for the weary: I am supposed to take my kid swimming tomorrow, and hopefully the ol' legs will be recovered by then.
Regardless, I want to hang on to this week because with Thanksgiving next week, I will be lucky to get one run in. And even if I do manage to run and swim twice, with the amount of food I plan to consume...
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