A not-so-long run that felt like a long run

Yesterday, I took advantage of a busy kid and nice weather and ran while my son was at a birthday party on campus.  Since I don't get back to campus much, I decided to run around campus.  It was a tad strange, because there were groups of people doing the stuff groups of people do on university campuses.  I was about the only jogger out and about, which was a little strange for having so many people around.  It was a very enjoyable run, though.  I ran about 4.5 miles, the longest I've run in a long time.  I know I have to increase my distance, though.  This felt like a long run, but in the scheme of things, it wasn't very long at all.  I have a 12.4 mile run to prepare for in June.  So, I have a lot of work cut out for me!

Enjoyable long run

Today's run started at 31F and only got up to 35F by the time I was done, so the warm weather gear worked better this time.  One thing I noticed on my jacket today is that the inside of my elbows sweat!  Weird.  Also, I realized that as the weather gets colder, I might want to drink my coffee at the cafe and then jog back.  Walking really requires an extra layer, particularly after a sweaty run.  My body temp just gets too low when walking and I get cold.

It was a beautiful day.  I got a late start because my daughter woke up early and I didn't want her being the only one awake, letting her roam around the house getting into stuff isn't a good idea.  Since it was light out when I got out, I got to run on the paths.  I enjoy that.

There were a few times when I wanted to stop, but I didn't.  For the steep hills, I put myself in efficient mode, kind of like what I do when I do a kick at the end of a run.  I think that leaves me with a lot more breath at the top of the hill and a lower heart rate.

I ran for 5.56miles at an average of 11:13 pace.  Then, I walked 0.84 miles.

5.5 miles!!

I set out this morning for a 5.5 mile run and completed it!

When I got out, it was foggy at 54F. Not bad at all. The nice thing about long runs is that I can get farther away from home and see new areas. I did run a route that I had basically run before, but changed it up a little bit. A lot of it was on a straight path, which I haven't liked in the past. It got boring pretty quickly. But today it was fine. Maybe it helped that the wind was barely blowing. It's an exposed area, so the wind really catches you when it's strong.

Along the way, my path led me by a school track. It's a dirt track with a little bit of tiny gravel. I don't know what that is called. I thought that it would be very level, but it wasn't really. I guess when it gets wet, it gets uneven. There were dog prints in it and a couple places where there had been puddles. This track is only a couple years old, too. Anyway, I circled that a couple times and continued on.

Before I got to the track, on the path was a small dead racoon. Yuck. Its entrails were on the path. Pretty fresh from the looks of it. I assume it was a dog or fox or something that got it, because there was no street nearby.

I decided that I was going to time my 5.5 miles to end by a cafe in my neighborhood. That way I could "reward" myself with a coffee! I had to run past for about 0.2 miles, but it was worth it.

Overall, a nice run.

I didn't run fast, of course. But my heart rate stayed in the 170-180bpm range, so I don't think I could have sustained anything much faster.




I had a comment recently asking about the holder I use for my phone. It's really nothing special. My husband had bought it and wasn't using it, so I commandeered it. I'm guessing it was rather cheap. It says "Bally Fit Gear" on it.

It has a velcro strap that goes around your upper arm. There is an access area on the top to put your headphone cord through. And there is a small zippered pouch to keep a dollar or two in. (Just enough for a cup of coffee!)

I've found that if I run my cable out of the holder under my sleeve and up through my neckline, the cord doesn't bother me much. I also clip it to my sports bra and it stays in place.

Hope that helps!!

Long run!

So, even though we haven't formally signed up for the 10k at the end of September, I'm training for it just so I have some goal. I decided to train as follows. I'm going to run three times a week. Two days will be 30 minutes. At least one of those will have intervals, maybe both. One day will be a long run, with a distance goal that increases every week by 0.5 miles.

So, I started the long run today with a goal of 4 miles. However, I found myself farther away from home at 4 miles than I wanted to be, so I just finished the run by running home. It ends up that I ran for 5.2 miles!! I ran for 1:02, which puts the run at about 12:00 min/mile. That isn't too crazy. That would put me finishing the 10k in an hour and 14 minutes. I certainly wouldn't be the last one across the finish line! I'd even beat the marathoners!

I think I set a pretty good pace for myself. Most of the run showed a heart rate of 170-175 bpm. That seems like a good endurance-type heart rate for me. Toward the end, my ankles were feeling a bit worn out, so it is good I didn't have farther to go.


I think this is the farthest I've ever run! There might have been one other run on a treadmill during the winter that was about the same, but this is pretty good for me! Woo hoo!
Update: That hour run was actually only 4.75 miles. So, here's a new PR!

It was an absolutely beautiful day. The slightest of breezes, 57F-62F and partly cloudy skies. Nice.

I ran to a 149bpm Podrunner mix called Runnerfunker. This might have been the first time I used the whole podcast then started with the next one!! Haa haa... So, I did listen to a few minutes of a 150bpm podcast called Square One.