Running For Trevor

Sunday track day!  I met Julia this morning and she brough her dog plus the dog she is dog sitting.  The dogs ran around and me Julia walked for 2.5 hours.  Probably like 6-7 miles, I have no idea.  It was great to chat.  I jogged a slow 3 miles when I got home.

The weather is gorgeous today!

20 minutes weights.  8 treadmill miles, 1-2% incline, 64 minutes.

PM:  2 miles easy, 8:09 pace.  Perfect weather!

10 min elliptical warm up

5 sets 15 squats with 25lb weight

5 sets 15 alternating lunges with 12lb weights

1 sore butt

53 minutes running

20 minute easy warmup, 1% incline 8:18-8:34 pace

10 minutes threshold, 6:58 pace

23 minutes easy, 8:34 pace

Overall average = 8:01

PM:  2 miles easy.  Another gorgeous night!

Worked tricpes & shoulders for 25 minutes

20 minutes ellpitical

5.5 treadmill miles, last 800 at 6:45 pace.  I am wicked sore from all the squats/lunges I did yesterday.  Hopefully doing a leg workout 1-2 times a week will strengthen my legs and make me stronger on hills.  It is a good sore. :)  Just slows my running down a bit.

The gym is crazy packed lately.  I need to toughen up and start running alone in the dark. dun dun dun.

PM:  3 miles easy.  Holy crud my legs are crazy sore!  I guess thats what I get for doing 5 sets/15 reps of lunges after a 1 year hiatus. 

20 minutes weights (chest/shoulders/abs)

The I'm bored to tears treadmill workout

1 mile warmup 8:18 pace, 1% incline

.25 miles fast 7:13-7:25 pace, 1% incline

.5 miles easy 8:00 pace, 1.5% incline

.25 miles, 8:04 pace, 3.5-4% incline

and repeat x6

Last 800 at 6:48 pace.  Running outside tomorrow!  Woo hoo!

PM:  2 miles easy.

8.5 miles outside, 8:06 AP.  mile 1, 8:48 pace, last 800 meters 7:08 pace.

I am working on giving myself a running makeover.

Heres the background:  I started running in Summer 2010.  I ran my first half marathon Oct 2010 (Halloween Half Marathon).  Before that race the furthest I had ever ran outside was 10k distance.  Every workout I did was medium/hard and almost always an all out effort.  I was an idot new runner and I think this is actually a common mistake.  I continued with this method until just recently.

Anyway I am now just trying to train smarter and figure out what my "natural running pace" is.  I haven't ever really known how to just run naturally since I have always pushed myself too hard in workouts.  I have really been absorbing everything I can from others and especially everyone on the blog and think this will be a good change. 

My plan is to run easier for the next few months (besides 2 "fun runs") and focus on conditioning.  We shall see how it goes.

14 miles with my friend Julia in Provo canyon, 9:35 AP!  Windy and freezing for the first half but perfect weather for the second half.  Great conversation and great recovery miles.  Feeling good!