Today's run (Stillwell Woods): 6.2 miles at 9:35
As soon as I got up I started debating my strategy for today's run -- go out long again or keep it short and treat it like a recovery run from yesterday's 7+ mile workout? I decided that length would still work if I ran on a softer surface like the Stillwell trails and maintained a moderate pace. Still, I didn't intend to run 6 miles, 4 to 5 was more my target, but conditions were perfect and I wasn't under any time pressure today. I wore my old ASICS 1130's that I've used mostly on the elliptical over the last year because I intended to keep away from the technical trails. The 1130's did fine over the root-y and rutty sections and it made me realize how well road shoes work on most trails (as long as you don't mind getting them dirty). Even during some close encounters with fast moving mountain bikers the shoes allowed me to agilely shift to the right without breaking stride.
I reached three miles faster than I expected and felt strong despite the longer distance that I covered on Saturday. Perhaps the spate of 6+ mile runs I've compiled over the last few weeks are contributing to my conditioning. It's all a matter of what you're used to. The Running Geek, who wrote a great review for Runner's Tech Review, considers 13 miles a short run. I still haven't broken ten and when I do, I know I'll feel it for days. I was rolling along through the woods, not looking at my Garmin, but noting the chirp it provides at every mile. For some reason I thought I was at 5 miles and working on 6 (and deciding whether to go for 7) when I glanced at my watch and it said 4.51 miles. Whoops, delusions of grandeur. No matter, I still felt like I could go for a while longer and I continued on until I reached six miles and added another .2 as I ran out the trail, back to my car.
A perfect trail 10K on a cool and comfortable Sunday morning. I watched a men's soccer game while I re-hydrated and then headed home to shower. Next weekend BJS, Dave and I are going to do a practice run of the Great Cow Harbor course and this distance training should help me keep up with them. They've both run Cow Harbor at speeds faster than I expect to run but perhaps my recent conditioning will make me a little more competitive on race day.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
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One of the joys of having a Garmin that you can keep track of what you are doing on the trails. Unless they are marked, its hard to do the mileage on mapmyrun.com. lol. You are right on using road shoes on the trail, as long as they are still ok, not totally worn, and as long as you don't mind getting them dirty. Take care and enjoy those long distances. If you gradually build up distance, that 10 miles will not cause you any grief. Just the 11
ReplyDeleteFinally got to run this AM with the new shoes. They were great. I did about 3/4 mile walking and 3/4 mile running since I haven't run in a long long time but the weather was so perfect I had to get out.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
Thanks Kenley. I love the FR60 and I also use Gmaps for calibrating the foot pod.
ReplyDeleteBill, great start! Don't overdo it, that's a decent distance for now. Next week go for a mile and work up in weekly increments of .25 until you reach two miles which is a good foundational distance. Stay at 2 for a while and work on feeling comfortable at that distance. When you can do 2 miles at least 3x per week you can start thinking about increasing your pace.