Showing posts with label Birmingham Half-Marathon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Birmingham Half-Marathon. Show all posts

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Me & My Shadow




from last week

Tuesday/ 35:55/ 4 miles/ treadmill

Thursday/ 57:55/ 6.2 miles/ treadmill

Saturday/ 2:32 (2 hrs, 32 min)/ 14.5 miles/ outside

Sunday/ 40:12/ 4.1 miles/ outside


One of the things I am able to do while training is really get to know my body and what i think it can do, what it can't, what makes it feel better, what doesn't, etc... I am my own experiment. The roads are my laboratory. There is always something to learn and then, of course, something I can't explain away by logic and reasoning. It becomes my best guess.
The treadmill runs were very good. I was aided by being lucky to catch Roger Federer one day & Serena Williams the other day as they competed at the Austrailian Open. Watching them helped me stay focused. I felt very solid both days on treamdill as I opted for the gym instead of the cold, windy conditions outside.

Friday I took a vacation day and did basically nothing except venture over to the famers market. Had not been grocery shopping in like forever so i got a few things...especially items i knew i'd want after the weekend runs. Other than that, I rested, read, napped, hung out at the coffee shop....read some more. A nice, stress free day. By the time Saturday AM rolled around, I felt good enough to tackle the long run instead of waiting for Sunday. I headed out and was able to run some of the real marathon course. I was solid and strong. I had my IPOD, water and a Powergel. I had a second-wind and then a third wind...it was definitely nice to feel good and not be in horrible pain. I was in a very focused and serene groove. It wasn't until the last 2 miles when i started to think, "Man, I have been running for a LONG time." And then, it was over. Another solid run under my belt.

The Birmingham Half-Marathon is in 14 days. Looking forward to the challenge!

Monday, January 1, 2007

Monday Report

3.0 miles/ 26:35/ Treadmill/ Tues

5.0 miles(approx) / 48:00 min/ flat, rolling/ Wed

3.0 miles/ 24:55/ hilly/ Thurs

5.8 miles/ 56:00/ flattish/ Sat

8.0 miles/ 1:16/ Treadmill/ Sun

A decent week by all standards. Yesterday(Sunday's) run was the hardest...8 freaking miles on a treadmill. I opted for it to help with my pace and because we had a steady rain in Atlanta. I normally don't shriek away from the rain, but I just didn't feel like being wet for 9 miles. Know what I mean. In hindsight, I should have just run outside. The treadmill is brutal for anything over 4 miles. Needless to say, glad I got the runs in. Also, I have decided to run the Birmingham Half-Marathon in February. This will be a good race to do before the big one. I ran the Birmingham half last year and did well. I hope to finish in 2 hrs. which is better than what i did last year. I had a fun, challenging race last year. It was brutally cold & hilly, but I still had a blast. If anyone is gonna be around them there parts on February 11, please come cheer me on!