Filtering by Category: practice
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.
LSD - 12 mile run toward 1/2 marathon
LSD (long slow distance) runs build endurance. I want to participate in the Valley Harvest Marathon on October 13th in Wolfville, NS. As the race gets closer I will decide whether I can do the full marathon or just the half. But in the meantime I will train for the full marathon.
Yesterday, I intended to run 12 miles at a 13:30 pace but I ran the 12 miles at a 13:03 pace and ran 10 miles the previous week at a 13:20 pace. I felt surprisingly good throughout the run. I was running mid 12s to 13 for the first nine miles and then slowed to 14-15 pace because my left adductor was tightening and It took over a mile for me to adjust my posture enough for it to relax. I ran the final mile at 12:54. Felt good.
Next week it is at 13.1 mile run (half marathon distance).
I must be rolling up on my toes and pushing off, because they are still sore this morning. Need to work on my mid foot strike and lifting my feet rather then pushing off with my toes. Another form focus for this week.
Today is an easy run day, just to loosen up. I will let my toes rest a little more and do either an afternoon or evening run.
Vitamix Total Nutrition Center
Why did I wait so long before buying this, I will never know. In the past month we have purchased and returned two Black and Decker blenders that just stopped working. So we bought a Vitamix Total Nutrition Center (a version of the 5100) and it is wonderful. Makes the creamiest smoothies and I look forward to grinding our own whole grain flours and making soups right in the Vitamix. I love the self-cleaning aspect also. It seems expensive until you realize it replaces a blender, juicer, food processor, grinder, and you eliminate kneading and chopping from your kitchen tasks. We had it three days after we ordered and they charged no shipping and added an 8th year to the warranty.
Looking forward to no mess Margaritas and Peach Ice Cream this summer.
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)
Gaspereau Press
The Gaspereau Press & Printers's latest post gives us a unique insight into the workings of a great Canadian literary press and Printer.
How Bicycle Tires are Made
Disturbing Movie That Is Important to Watch
EARTHLINGS is a powerful and informative documentary about society’s treatment of animals, narrated by Joaquin Phoenix with soundtrack by Moby. This multi-award winning film by Nation Earth is a must-see for anyone who cares about animals or wishes to make the world a better place.
Sculpting The Hand
Chi Running Works...First 5k and 10k
In an earlier post I mentioned how I read Chi Running by Danny Dreyer after Jamie Constable sent me a link through Facebook. Three weeks later I ran my first 5k here in Blue Rocks. Not fast, but it was pain free and actually felt good. I am now planning on running the Lunenburg 5k on June 9th and the Epic Canadian 10k on June 29th. Using Danny's recommendations I created my own Training Plan below.
I have just completed the first week and will try to maintain the target pace for tempo and long runs. My tempo pace this week for 7:54, a minute faster than target, but my long run pace was 9:41, slower than the target, because I was trying to stay in Zone 2 (aerobic / fat burning zone) and I slowed whenever my heart rate reached 135 bpm and resumed when it dropped to 132 bpm.
Today was also my first ever 10k, see below.
If you would like to give running one more try, read Chi Running. The physics make sense and Danny Dreyer's clear and detailed discussion is inspiring. The subtitle of the book is "A Revolutionary Approach To Effortless, Injury-Free Running."
It is becoming more effortless every day and feels natural. He has also written Chi Walking and Chi Marathon books. See below. See you on June 9th.
