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