Final Long Run

My final long run was on August 29th. Since it was just a little over a week before the race, I only ran 10 miles. I started at the park where the race starts and ran on part of (what I think) the course will be. This was a pretty good run. It actually felt much easier to run 10 miles. I can tell that I have improved a lot since the beginning of this process. I finished with a my best long run pace ever - 11:25 min/mile. I'm not sure what the actual race will be like (being 3 miles longer), but I hope to try and keep that pace. For this run, I was able to keep up that pace for the whole time - sometimes I will slow each mile, with the last few miles being really slow. I wish I had the answer as to why I run out of steam sometimes.



I love running outside now. Each mile seems to pass by quickly. Now when I run on the treadmill it seems to drag on forever - even just running 3 miles is like torture. It used to be the opposite - I thought running outside was so much harder. It does take more effort, but it is worth it.

Sometimes I feel like I haven't adequately prepared for the race. Like I should have run more or started earlier. I hope that I am prepared for race day. All in all, I am proud of what I have accomplished. We'll see if I ever want to do it again...

Garmin Connect Data

August 22 5 mile run

This was not a very good run for me. I just felt like I could not get in a rhythm. I just ran around where I live and it is very hilly! Going up the hills made me tired and then I had to keep stopping for traffic lights. I guess I'm better off running on the trails that are flat and pretty free from street crossings.



Garmin Connect Data

August 15th long run

Today my challenge was to run 13 miles. Since my previous long run had been 12 miles I didn't think it would be much harder. For some reason it was! There were 2 trails that I had run on before. According to an article in the paper, there was a way for them to connect up - you just had to go off trail for a little bit and follow some railroad tracks. I did get a little lost trying to connect the trails - and that probably got my rhythm off a little bit. I also had taken some ibuprofen earlier to help with some aches and pains - I think this made my stomach hurt. The last couple of miles I was walking a lot and in a lot of pain. Hopefully my half goes better! It took me about 2:40 to run 13 miles. My average pace was 12:22. I am shooting for 2:30 or under for the race.



August 15th long run

One mile time trial.

This week it was time to head to the track to do a one mile time trial. Last time I did this my mile time was 9:39. I know that I can run faster because that was my first mile split when I ran the 5K. Also, my long run pace (11:30 - 12:00) suggests that my 1 mile time should be a little faster. Today I ran it in 9:05. I'm happy that I was able to cut 30 seconds off, but I could probably still cut it down a little more. I ran a few more miles and then headed home. I enjoy the challenge of my long runs but it's nice when it's a recovery week.

August 8th Time Trial

Monument Valley Park

This run was a much needed long run. I usually do a fairly long run every other week as part of my training plan. Last week I was supposed to do a long run, but it was the also the 5K (plus I was traveling and it's always kind of hard to do while traveling). Anyway, it had been two weeks since my 11 mile run and I was a little worried about doing a 12 mile run. I had been wanting to go to Monument Valley Park - another nice downtown park that connects to the Pikes Peak Greenway trail. This park had trails that circle around the park and connect to the longer main trail. I thought I would circle the park once and then go out and back on the main trail. There was actually some kind of race going on at the park, but after I circled the park and got to the part of the trail where the "finish" line was, the race was all over. It was a really nice trail and park. The day started out overcast and cool - which was nice, and then cleared up with some sun. The trail was nicely shaded in most parts so that helped. I'm pretty sure at least part of the half marathon is on this section of trail. So it was also nice to get familiar with the terrain. I took along two different gels - a power bar chocolate gel and a cliff shots vanilla. The chocolate one actually tasted pretty good. The vanilla was was disgusting. I think I'll stick to the power bar brand - that one has tasted the best so far. I also had my best pace ever for a long run - 11:29 average per mile. My 10 mile run was 12:41 and my 11 mile run was 12:22. Somehow, I had the energy to finish faster than my last few miles. In the past, I have always gotten slower and slower as the run went a long. Now I'm hopeful that I can finish in about 2:30. I did 12 miles in 2:18 and I'm pretty sure I could have done one more mile in 12 minutes or less. I misjudged my distance and had about 3/4 of a mile back to my car after the 12 miles. I stopped my watch right at 12 miles because I wanted my average pace to be for the 12 miles. I was pretty sore and tired on that walk back. I was also sore the rest of the day - not really my muscles, but my joints. The next day my muscles were pretty sore. I got some blisters on my toes as well. I felt like it was a pretty good run. I love getting to know the trails all around Colorado Springs. Today there was an article in the paper that had maps and explanations of a lot of the trails. I'm excited to try some different ones next time.



August 1 Long Run on Garmin Connect

First 5K

I have run several times since the last post but nothing post worthy or exciting. I did run a 5K on July 25th. It was my very first race ever. Even though I routinely run 3 miles or more every time I run, I wanted to have an actual race experience before the half marathon. It was just a small community race that I ran with several of my family members. I was aiming to finish under 30 minutes and my time was 29:54. I think I started out a little too fast (it's really hard not to do that!) Also, I started to get faster when I had about .75 miles left - and I ran out of steam too early. My first mile was 9:39 - which is surprising because that was about my time for just one mile. I think that I should be able to do just one mile a lot faster. Also, when I finished, my watch didn't stop and the time on my Garmin page is over 34 minutes - which is incorrect. Overall it was fun and I think I learned a few things. I think it's going to be difficult to take walking breaks in the half marathon because everyone is going to be passing me. Also, I just need to be proud of what I am doing and not let it bother me that I am going to be one of the slowest people in the race. I really don't want to come in last in my age group. I was looking at the results from last year's half marathon and it's a very good possibility that I could come in very near the end. I'll just have to not let it get to me. I am officially signed up now! There's no turning back :)


Garmin Connect

Rock Island Trail - Long Run

A friend mentioned that she knew about a great trail that was right by our church building. Today I needed an 11 mile run and I thought this would be a great place to try it out. I love not having big hills and running on a trail - as opposed to running on sidewalks around a neighborhood. It was a nice trail and I'll probably do it again sometime. For this long run, I took along some energy gels. I seriously need more exercise clothes that have pockets - how do you runners out there carry around all the stuff you need? I have an mp3 player, cell phone, car key, water bottle, and now energy gel packets. My only pants with a pocket have a tiny hidden one in front that fits one cell phone pretty well. I usually stick my mp3 player in there too. I have tried an armband, but the one I have rubs my arm raw by the time I am done with my run. Today I put 2 gel packets in there too - I just left my cell phone in the car, it wouldn't really fit with the packets in my pocket as well. I just carry my water bottle in my hand. Anyway, I waited until I had run for about 35 minutes, and took "sips" of the gel during my walk breaks. Man, that stuff is nasty. I didn't eat it all at once - just small amounts over the course of about 15 minutes. Then I started the other one at about 1 1/2 hours into the run. I think that it did help. Near the end of my run my head and my heart felt really good - it was just my legs/knees/feet that were killing me. I was able to keep up with the scheduled run periods, but I definitely slowed down on the last half of the run. I set up my watch for an interval workout - I tried 4 mins running and 1 min of walking. When you set up the workout on the watch, you have to say how many intervals you want to do. Since my goal was 11 miles, I had to guess how many intervals it would be. I entered 26 and that ended up being the perfect number. I completed 11 miles during my final walk break. I did better on this run than my last long one (12:22 average pace per mile) and hopefully I'll still improve a little.

Here's the map. I think this trail might connect to the Pikes Peak Greenway trail, but I couldn't be sure. A sign said the trail was ending. There was another established path that I took at the end of the Rock Island Trail - the Shooks run path.


All in all I felt pretty good on this run. I was still pretty tired for the rest of the day, but I guess that's pretty normal. Here is the link to the Garmin Connect data.

Garmin Connect July 11th Run

One Mile Time Trial

This is the second time trial that I've done during the course of this training. It's actually probably not very valid because I did it on the treadmill. It was the 4th of July and Aaron had to go into work for a couple of hours in the morning. I knew that I wasn't going to want to run later on in the day, so I opted to do my time trial (plus 4 more miles) on my treadmill. I used my foot pod (and not the treadmill readings) for the distance. When I ran a mile on the track, my heart rate was high. It seems like it was at or above my AT (167) the whole time. I was able to shave 7 seconds off of my time and did a mile in 9:23. But my heart rate barely got out of zone 3. I guess you just aren't working as hard on the treadmill. I really need to just do it on a track again to really compare the numbers. Then I ran a few more miles. I tried a 4/1 run/walk ratio and it felt pretty good. I ran slightly slower, but since it was for a minute longer, I think it improved my overall time. Now it feels like I can run 5 miles and it's not really that hard - at least I can feel like I'm improving a little.

Garmin Connect Data

A friend told me about another trail in town that I want to try out this Saturday for my 11 mile run. Also, I got a variety of energy gels, bars, and drinks to try out. I really needed something on my last run and I'm hoping that this will really help. I will have to use some trial and error to see what works best for me.

Also, check out the cool new widget I found that works with your Garmin Connect data. You can choose what info to display and they have three different styles to choose from. It's at http://garminconnect.codedrobot.com.

Pikes Peak Greenway - Long Run

I wanted to find a new place for my long runs because there are so many hills where I live. I found out about a long bike/foot path that goes all the way through Colorado Springs - it's called the Pikes Peak Greenway. One of the places that connects to it is the America the Beautiful park - when the half marathon starts. I thought it might be nice to do a run down there to familiarize myself with the location. I found what I thought was the path - but it was actually a branch off of the main path. It abruptly ended after about 1.5 miles and I was pretty confused since I thought the whole thing was supposed to be 16 miles long. Then I realized that the main path runs north-south just east of I-25 and I had been running west and had gone under I-25. I ran back to the beginning. Part of the reason that I was confused was that the main path was not paved and the one that branched off of it was a nice wide paved path. Also, the trail that went north (the way I was planning on going) was blocked off with a detour sign - and the detour went through the streets of downtown. I ended up going south. It was a very nice path that ran along side a river. Part of it was paved and part of it was gravel. It crossed over the river several times and there were quite a few little waterfalls. I took this picture with my cell phone - so the resolution is not very good, but it was beautiful.

Down by the river were also some tents where I assume homeless people lived. It was a little unnerving, but there were quite a few people on the path, so that made me feel a little better. I needed to do a 10 mile run (my longest yet). At one point I had stopped my watch - when I was trying to figure out which way to go and I forgot to restart it. Luckily I noticed after about half a mile, so I actually went 10.5 miles. I was exhausted by the end and pretty much walked my last mile. Sometimes I wonder if I will actually be able to do 13.1 miles. By the time I got to my car I felt like I could hardly walk and was really beat for the rest of the day.

I think if I try the Greenway again I will go a park a little further north and run the north part of the path. All in all it was a good experience.



Garmin Connect Data

Treadmill Run

I actually felt pretty good on this run - even though it was 9:00 at night and I did a step class during the day with my daughter. She really wants to learn how to do step and they have a beginning class (which is very boring for me). Kids under 13 have to be accompanied by an adult. It was really easy - not very strenuous, but still, it was an hour of activity. I hadn't run on the treadmill for a while. It is so much easier than running outside! I can definitely keep a faster pace on the treadmill. I did a run/walk pattern - thus the hills on my heart rate chart. I feel that I am increasing my endurance and it is getting easier to run longer distances. Hopefully this will keep happening!



Garmin Connect Data

Legacy Parkway

After talking to my dad about suggestions on where to run, he pointed me to the legacy parkway bikepath. It was exactly what I was looking for - long and flat. I wanted to do a medium length run of about 5 miles. I felt pretty good and was able to keep the pace that I wanted.



Garmin Connect Data

Running in the mountains June 20

We had a family reunion to attend in Heber, Utah. I was determined to get out there for a run - even a brief one. It was quite challenging running on the side of a mountain on a gravel road. It was either steep uphill or steep downhill - with a little flat part in the middle. Also, the elevation was higher than what I'm used to in Colorado so that added to the challenge. The scenery was beautiful and it was a great way to start out my morning. I'm glad that I made the effort, even for a short 2 mile run.



Garmin Connect Activity June 20

June 15 run

I took a little trip to see some family and it kind of messed up my running plan. I drove all day on a Friday. I was going to try and do a long run on Saturday, but I had a migraine the night before and then it was raining on Saturday morning. I did manage to get a run in on Monday. My parents neighborhood was quite hilly and somewhat unfamiliar, but even cutting off a couple thousand of feet in elevation helped. It felt good to get out there and run after taking a few days off.



Garmin Connect Data

Long Run June 6

This was supposed to be a 9 mile run. I had a course all plotted out on mapmyrun.com and downloaded into my watch. You can put in a target pace for the run, and it will tell you if you are behind or a head of your goal - pretty cool. I stayed on the pace for the first hour - then I hit a huge hill and it was killing me! My heart rate was at my AT and I was barely chugging along. After that, I was pretty wiped out. I had to add a lot more walking breaks and didn't end up finishing the whole course. I went 7.58 miles. I think part of the problem is that I did an hour long step class yesterday. I guess I should really just rest the day before a long run - I think it does make a big difference. Oh, also it has been the warmest weather yet this season - I think it was between 70-75 degrees. Jeff Galloway says you should slow down if it's above 60 degrees, about 30 seconds per mile for every 5 degrees. That could have made a difference as well.

Garmin Connect June 6 Run

June 1 Treadmill

This was my first treadmill run after having calibrated my foot pod on the track. When I'm running, the numbers are very accurate and, I'm actually running faster than the treadmill thinks I am, so that's good. My average pace for 3.25 miles was 11:48. Now, why can't I do that outside?

June 1 Treadmill run on Garmin Connect

May 30 - TT and 3 mile run

I really needed to do a one mile time trial and I wanted to calibrate my foot pod with a track. It took a couple tries, but I finally found a track that wasn't locked up. First, I calibrated my foot pod and the calibration factor it gave me was much lower than the number it had before. Hopefully this will give me more accurate data when I'm on the treadmill. Then, I did a timed one mile - at about the fastest I could run. My first lap was great - about 2 minutes, but of course I ended up slowing down. I probably needed to go a little slower on the first lap, and make my last one my fastest. I ended up with a 9:27 mile (I know, I'm VERY slow). I know I was working hard because my heart rate was in zone 4 (above my anaerobic threshold) the entire time. Then I cooled down and did an interval workout (which was basically my 3 min run/ 1 minute walk) but I wanted to try one of the workouts that you can program in the watch. Because I started doing a workout, it started my timer over and there are two files. The map is pretty boring because it was just a track.


May 30 warm up, TT, and cool down

May 30 interval workout

May 27 Treadmill Run

I've been using a Polar Heart Rate Monitor for the past couple years to monitor my heart rate and calories burned. Since I got the Garmin watch for Mother's day, I've been using that one. One thing I really liked about the polar watch was that it based your calories burned off of your heart rate. It won't give you an exact number, but it's a lot more accurate because it is based off of your heart rate. When I started using the Garmin watch, I noticed it was only using a formula based on distance (kind of what a treadmill would use, so not very accurate). I did a little research, and I found out that my Garmin watch could upload a new leaf profile and use that data to calculate calories and fat calories. That test is done with a mask and a metabolic cart - it can determine how many calories you burn based on your specific heart rate zones. I had that test done at a life time fitness about a year and a half ago. I was able to get my file, upload it into my watch, and now my watch tells me calories burned based on my specific metabolic profile. I'm excited because it will give me a more accurate number. This was the first time I used it while running. This run was kind of short, because right after I went to a conditioning class at the gym. My foot pod was still giving me strange numbers (especially while walking) but it was pretty close.

May 27 treadmill run on Garmin Connect

Heart Rate Chart

May 25 Treadmill Run

Now that I have a foot pod, I can keep track of my speed and distance on a treadmill. The first time I used it on a treadmill, the calibration factor was a little off and it said I was going a lot faster than I really was. I do think my treadmill is off a little anyway, and I plan on calibrating the foot pod at a track to get a better number. I ran 3.29 miles this day. I am definitely faster on the treadmill. One reason I like to run on a treadmill is that it pushes me to go a little faster - I have to keep up with the belt. I physically have to turn down the speed or jump off if I want to slow down. When I'm running outside, my body just slows down when I get tired and it's a little harder to push my self.

May 25 run on Garmin Connect.

Since there is no map with a treadmill run, here is my heart rate data.

Long Run May 23

I was able to get a foot pod for my watch (so that treadmill runs would also be stored in my watch and on Garmin Connect). The first part of this run I was calibrating my foot pod, so it doesn't show up on the map or the total distance. It was about .65 miles, so the total for this run was actually over 8 miles. It started pouring during the middle of this run, and I got a little lost, but it ended up being okay. I felt really good and didn't get too tired.

May 23 run on Garmin Connect

Long Run May 16

This week was my long run of about 7 miles. I really wanted to go to a track (maybe to help me transition from a treadmill?) and I found a middle school that had an open track. My times were faster on a track - probably because it was a level, flat surface. After a few miles, I went home for a bathroom break and then continued my run from home. I felt good on this run (maybe it was the long break in between?) and felt like I could have run even longer. My run/walk ratio is about 3 minutes running, 1 minute walking. When I'm running, I aim for about 6 mph. It's not as easy to keep a steady pace when the treadmill isn't creating that pace for you.


May 16 Long Run on Garmin Connect

Long Run May 9

This was my first official long outside run. I usually run on a treadmill but I knew I better start training outside. It's a lot harder for a lot of different reasons. Of course there is the weather, the terrain, and the hills. But that's not the only reason it is harder. When you are on a treadmill, you are stationary - you don't have to propel your body forward, and that takes more energy. For this run, I ran down to a local highschool so that I could run on the track - but it was all locked up. So, I had to improvise. I felt pretty good on this run, but got a bad headache afterward. This was also my first run with my Garmin 405 watch that I got for Mother's Day. It gives you the kind of data (and a whole lot more) that a treadmill would give you - distance, pace, speed, etc. It's really fun to know all of that information when you are running outside - it's a great motivation.

May 9th run on Garmin Connect.

My Training Program

The training program that I am following comes from Jeff Galloway. This is the only way possible that I believe I will be able to complete a half marathon. You use a run-walk-run method. The walk breaks are very helpful for me. I'm able to run faster on the running portions. I'll probably be able to finish faster doing it this way rather than running (very slowly) for the whole thing. My basic program is this: 2 runs during the week about 30 minutes each (I usually do these on the treadmill) and then a long run on Saturday - increasing the mileage every week but also alternating with a shorter run some weeks. I also do some classes at the gym for strength training and cardio.

Am I Crazy?

I don't know why, but for some reason I want to do a half marathon. I have never really been the runner type, but have always tried to do some sort of running to stay in shape. I thought having a race to prepare for would be some good motivation to stick with a program. So, here I go! I googled races in Colorado Springs and there is a half marathon here on Labor day, which also happens to be my birthday. This blog will be my training journal and will help me prepare for and train for the big day.