The bad news first: Last Sunday's 3.5-4 mile run was actually about 2.5 miles. It turns out that I mapped the run incorrectly. It was only my second time using mapmyrun.com and apparently I need more practice. Instead of being bummed, I decided to make things right, which leads me to the good news.
The good news is that I ran at least 3.5 miles today in about 40 minutes at Valley Green this morning. And I ran the whole time, no walking. It wasn't that bad. I actually felt good. Cardiovascularly I felt fine; no burning lungs or huffing and puffing. I have really been pushing hard during cross training to work on my cardiovascular stamina and I guess it has helped. My body also felt fine, however by the time I hit about 30 minutes muscle tiredness started to creep into my hips. I wasn't really pushing myself, so I'm sure I could have gone farther.
Anyway, about the rest of the week:
- Monday: see DAY 30 entry.
- Tuesday: 30 minutes on the StairMaster and 30 minutes weight lifting.
- Wednesday: 30 minutes at Haverford College Track unsuccessfully attempting to calibrate my Nike+iPod system. After this second calibration, it was still off: once tracking 0.34 miles when I had only ran 1 lap, which is only 0.25 miles. It even reported that I had run a 5:11 minute mile once, which is absolutely absurd. I'm sooo slow, I run 10-12 minute miles.
- Thursday: Unplanned rest day due to car troubles.
- Friday: 30-minute run at Kelly Drive. 30 minutes is getting a bit easier, finally.
- Saturday: 30 (hard) minutes on the Elliptical trainer and 30 minutes lifting weights.
- Sunday: 40 minutes, ~3.5 miles at Valley Green. My longest run since training started!
Now that I'm well on my way to becoming a runner, I have been craving a better way to track my runs: distance, time, intensity, etc. The Nike+iPod system is not going to cut it, obviously. So, after weeks of research (I'm a scientist, remember), I broke down and purchased a Garmin Forerunner 305. It's a GPS system and heart rate monitor all in one personal running assistant, with wicked software to manage and track workouts. Most of the serious runners I've encountered use GPS systems and heart rate monitors to track runs, and everyone swears by the Garmin Forerunner 305. It costs a bit more than the $30 Nike+iPod system, but I've been told by several happy owners that it's well worth it . It should arrive this week and I can't wait until it gets here!
Overall, another good training week for me. Bring on WEEK 6!
My goal for WEEK 6 will be to continue with 30 minute runs, with at least 1 run of 3.5 miles to prepare for my first 5K, which is in 12 days.
Chilling out for the rest of the day,
Almost Thirty
1 comment:
Sounds like you're on your way to having a great 5K! You'll have people on the side cheering you on and you will run even faster.
-Aaron
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