Total Mileage – 38.87
Run 1 – 12/14/20 – Easy Run – Today was my first run en route to the Carmel Marathon. I woke up right at 6am and did not hit the snooze button, not because I did not want to sleep more, but because the day calls for sleet/rain/snow that supposedly starts at 7AM. So I wanted to make sure Day 1 was in the books. Now it is.
This new phase and this new marathon is being done using a coach, Javier from XPlora, in the Dominican Republic. The hope being that with proper coaching I can somehow break the 4 hour barrier.
It was drizzling when I left this morning and that drizzle almost kept me at home. I checked the weather on the way out and it said it would continue doing so the remainder of the morning with actual rain/snow starting at 7am. So I put on a hoodie and went. I was going to try the new shoes today, but figured I should wait, not knowing how bad the weather would be.
The run was uneventful, with about 15/20 minutes left I started feeling pain on the inside back part of my left knee. I ran with it the rest of the way. I told myself I need to roll out as soon as I get home and I did.
50 minutes at an easy pace. I use to think easy pace was a 9:15-9:30 pace. The new coach says I need to run slower. So the new easy pace is a 10 flat. We will see how that goes. I have been practicing for a couple of weeks now. I was able to do 5.03 miles in that time of a modified hilly loop or a 10:02 pace. The great thing about that pace is that thus far, I always feel like I can keep running.
Day 1 in the bag, and since I am paying for coaching and this week is about to turn messy. Let me reach out to my coach to modify the week around the snow.
Run 2 – 12/15/20 – From the very get go I knew it was going to be a hard run. The idea of holding and 8 minute pace for that long put doubts in my head. So I think I had lost before I even left. Not sure how the 5k will work later this week.
Maybe its the fact of going in circles that kills you. Doing the circles in around the lake sounded like a good idea when I got there, but waiting to get to a certain place just does not make much sense.
Run 3 – 12/18/20 – It snowed quite a bit yesterday and the day before, so I have not ran in two full days because of it. Today, I will run at the gym and it was the first but will definitely not be the last I run on the treadmill. The winters could be tough. I will try and run outside as much as possible, but the treadmill will have to do at times.
The run was an easy one, with strides at the end. I have seen that in different apps but have never really done them. Basically you run slow and just push to 5k pace in 30 second intervals. Nice and quick. I have a 5k test tomorrow and it was nice to see that I can speed up to that without much pain. Can I really hold that for three miles. Tomorrow will be the indication of that.
Today’s run also was done with the mask on the whole time. I need to see about getting a better running mask for when I have to run in the gym. What I am using is too tight and actually feels like it cuts circulation.
Run 4 – 12/19/20 – 5k Test – For this run, I needed to do a 5k test to make sure that I was running at the adequate pace. I was afraid of undertaking this, since the other day, during run 2 I had so many struggles pushing. Having had a big snow storm the other day, the only logical way of doing this was to head to Central Park.
It started with a 15 minute warm up that consisted of 9 minutes at an easy pace. Then 4 rounds of 30 minute at 5k pace and 1 minute super easy. Called Strides. It really does help to ease out the muscles.
Then the 5k test, I came out of the gate WAY too quick. WAY too quick. I started at a sub 7 pace, even though I knew I would not be able to uphold the pace. I then had to slow down and stopped the watch at the 72 street pass, between the horses and the snow. It was the safest thing to do, at least that is what my mind told me to do.
After that, it was just pushing. I have no explanations if not to say that it was hard, but I am guessing it was suppose to be hard. Central Park is not the right place to undertake runs like this. The hills, oh the hills, are long and violent and the downhills somehow are not any better.
I wound up finishing the test in 22:53, a descent showing.
With the result of this test, all my times dropped and now I am training more in line with what I think are my capabilities as a runner. This whole week will be a gym week, so we will see how this all goes. I think I will wear the disposable masks which may be better in the long run for what I want to do.
Run 5 – 12/21/20 – Easy run but on the treadmill which adds a certain overall difficulty to the equation. I had not slept well the night before and running for 50 minutes made things rather difficult specially on the fucking treadmill.
The first treadmill was skipping so I had to change machines mid stride. The second machine was better but the never ending monotony of running at the exact same pace for a such a long time makes the whole process rather boring and difficult. I will have to run again on the treadmill soon and not only run, but also do sprints of about a 1/2 mile each while I am at it.
Run 6 – 12/23/20 – 800m at 5k Times 5 – Again this was done at the gym, but I am recollecting it 3 days later. It was the first time I did not wear a mask at the gym. I tried, but running at a 5k pace for a mile with a mask is not easy. Also, my 5k pace was dropped precipitously after the 5k test so it’s even harder to keep tabs on it. Instead of the mask I wore the chin strap, and brought it up if anyone was walking by and during my breaks.
I had to do this 5 times, the first 3 times were hard but doable. 800m is about .5 miles. The last 2 times, I felt like stopping the treadmill as I got close. I take it that if I was running on the road, this is where the drop in speed would happen. The moment in which you give up and let go. The great thing about doing this on the treadmill is that all you have to do is nothing. DO NOT TOUCH the speed controls and ride it through.
Next week, I will try going to Van Cortlandt park for this and see how that goes in the very big running track. Since I also feel that doing it in the track by my house makes it hard by it being so small. Going circles in the track or having to traverse narrow bridges in the park make for a poor experience.
Run 7 – 12/25/20 – Missed – I did not run this run. I went to mom’s house for Christmas with the clothes to run it, but, I could not. It was 100% chance of rain and it did not disappoint. First missed run!
Run 8 – 12/26/20 – First Real Long Run – 80 Min – Just like my 5k pace dropped, so did my easy pace. Supposedly I can go as fast as 9:09 pace. Yet, while I did just that, having done the run at a 9:10 pace. I think this was too fast. I felt like I should have done it slower. I seemed to hit zone 3 quite often and that is not the way it should be. I should have never touched Zone 3 and stayed in Zone 1/2. I tried a different route today, one that included some long arduous climbs. Yet, I still get the pace. I’m guessing that those 3’s are the hills!
Other than that, it was an uneventful run. I started listening to Ready Player 2. Not sure how I am enjoying it , but I enjoy the cadence of Whil Wheaton’s voice doing the narration.
The end of the loop I did is California Road a long 2 mile stint. When I use to do my daily drive from work to home. I use to see this road and say damn, look at that hill, imagine running it. I eventually got to bike it a few times which added to the desire to run it. Not sure if it’s long run material. But definitely enjoyed the run. It was solitary with few souls running as well and the few I did see were seemingly concentrated on their task!