Ran 863 km in 2013

Today was my last run for the year. I did a 5k form interval run around Mahone Bay. Luckily the roads are almost ice free and the wind was mild, but the -13C kept me moving for fear of turning into an ice cube. The cars gave me a wide berth, probably thinking I may be a little "touched".

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I started running for the first time on February 24th after reading Danny Dryer's book Chi Running which was recommended to me by James Constable. Thanks, Jamie. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.  It makes sense and it has helped me to run all year injury free. 

I ran 5k, 10k, and Half-Marathon races this year. I wanted to run a Marathon but just did not have enough experience. My longest run was 29km. I am still slow and my best 5k is a 6:01/km pace. 

My goal for 2014 is to complete the Valley Harvest Marathon in Wolfville, NS on October 11, 2014. I enjoy running in winter the best and hope to be in good condition for the start of the season this coming spring. 

I learned the importance of hydration, nutrition, and pacing and intend to continue practicing my Chi Running forms because posture makes all the difference. It feels good to be back on the road after running very little the last three months. I would like to run 1000km next year and would have this year if I had continued my training the last three months. But I slept in and gained back some of the weight I had lost. Now it is time to hit the pavement again. 

So if you see me along the road, please share the road and wave, it is a great encouragement. Thank you dear friends for all your encouragement in the past and I wish you all a Happy New Year. 

A special thanks to the following:

• Jamie Constable - for recommending Chi Running
• Luke MacDonald, Aerobics First - for helping me select my running shoes
• Chris Anderson - inspiration and encouragement
• Pamela Segger - sometime running partner
• Chris, Steve, & Jacklyn, SmashRun - for a great analytics site

Nova Scotia Half Marathon at Cape Sable Island, Barrington, NS

I  ran my first half marathon race on Cape Sable Island in Barrington, NS on July 28th.

The official time was 2:27:11 at a 6:59/km pace. I was hoping to do between 7:00-7:20 pace, so I was shocked to set a new PB as sub 7:00/km. 

The first 5k was cool and overcast which helped increase my pace. I am in the orange shirt in the photo above.

First 10 Mile Run

High Volume, Low Intensity

Starting February 24 I have run 5-6 days every week. The five days of February only totaled nine miles. March was eighty-seven miles. April has twenty-two miles down so far and I am up to fifty miles a week now. I am trying to maintain high volume and low intensity in my runs to burn fat and build endurance. Speed is not a concern now. I will continue to maintain a low intensity (HR zone 2) on 80% of my runs and allow speed to increase gradually over time. I have run one hundred and eighteen miles to date without injury, thanks to Chi Running and my New Balance MT-10 running shoes that feel like perfect fitting gloves on my feet. The following are my current personal records.

Personal Records

• 1 mile - Mar 7 - 11:24 mi/min (improved from 13:27 on Feb 24)
• 5 k - 2013-0320 - 11:26 mi/min (improved from 12:07 on Mar 10)
• 10 k - 2013-0324 - 13:38 mi/min (first run)
• 10 mile - 2013-0331 - 13:07 mi/min (first run)

Chi Running

Running is something I enjoy only because the calorie burn is high for the short time invested. But I am a pavement pounder and running is difficult on my joints. That is one reason I prefer cycling, but it takes longer to achieve the same calorie burn. This article caught my attention after Sensei Jamie Constable (aikido) sent me the following link. 

 http://m.runnersworld.com/running-tips/find-your-chi-running

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Chi Running by Danny Dreyer is the book mentioned in the article.