I had racked up about five or six weeks on my Couch to 5K program before the end of the school year and then, somehow, all my effort seemed for naught. I tried to run the week four interval set the other day, thinking that it would be a nice way to warm back up to the program, and, let's just say, I was struggling. It's amazing how quickly my stamina regresses.
I've been using the Android RunDouble App for several months now because it follows the interval program, allows you to use your own music playlist, keeps statistics for you including a map of your run, and prompts you between intervals. It's been a great help, but there is no app that makes me want to walk out the door and get started. (If they invent that, let me know.)
So, today, I started over again with Week 1, Day 1. This consists of a warm-up, eight 60 second intervals interspersed with eight 90 second intervals, and a cool-down. I decided not to have any expectations and to just go out and...well...go. I did pay attention to one thing, though: my gait. A couple years ago, my friend, Kacy, wrote about her experience and research on barefoot running. This intrigued me. The concept is that, basically, because humans have become used to padded shoes, we don't use our feet like we should. Instead of walking or running on the balls of our feet or our midsoles, we tend to rock from the back to the front. This can cause heel injuries, put us out of alignment, and, generally, doesn't allow the nerves in our feet or the feet themselves to work properly.
Now, though this idea intrigued me, I never thought I would be able to wear the minimalist shoes that are so popular since I have back issues. I was sure I needed the cushioning. However, a couple weeks ago, I needed new sneakers. I went to DSW to get my go-to Saucony sneakers because I have to wear men's sneakers a lot of the time; Saucony sneakers run narrow so they fit my feet better. ( I should mention that I've been too cheap to ever get fitted for sneakers, though I do plan to do it the next time I need a pair.) Billy, bored with the mall crowd, wandered off to find a pair of sneakers and attempt to make the pain of the shopping experience end quickly. He found a pair of minimalist sneakers on sale so I tried them on and walked around. They were quite comfortable, extremely light, and fit much better than the other ones I had been trying on. So I decided to buy them. I found that, when running, I was able to push off the front of my foot instead of landing on my heel and having to gain the momentum to move forward. This made it much easier to run and much easier to believe my eyes when I see people running down the street, making this form of exercise seem effortless (though I'm clearly not there yet.)
Starting over with the program today, I made sure to land towards the front of my foot rather than the back. I felt like I was flying. The closest thing I can compare it to is when I took ballet classes as a kid and you had to stay on the ball of your foot. It even helped to align the rest of me a bit more so, though breathing was still difficult, it was much easier than I was used to. And, apparently, it made a difference since, with walking, I brought my pace down from an 11 minute mile to a 10 minute mile. My average running intervals were also in between 8 and 9 minutes rather than 10 and 11. I know it's going to be difficult to keep moving, but it's encouraging to know that, with a few tweaks, I might be able to be more successful this time around than I have been in the past.
Stats, Week 1, Day 1:
Overall Pace: 10:59
Overall Distance: 1.68 miles
Time: 18:30
Fastest Interval: 8:07
Longest Interval: 0.12 miles
(Including Warm Up/Cool Down):
Overall Pace: 12:07
Overall Distance: 2.35 miles
Time: 28:30
To see the map of my run, click here.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Summer Goals: Background
This summer, our school has decided to add to our summer reading assignment. We have chosen the theme of goal setting and each student (and participating faculty) must choose one of the six books listed that focus on goals to read and discuss on the first day of school. In addition to this, everyone must set at least one goal to attempt to accomplish over the summer and keep track of the progress made towards that goal. (If you want to see a more detailed explanation of this project, go here.)
As part of this, I have chosen to pursue two goals over the course of the summer and, in order to make myself accountable for following through on these, I've decided to blog about them here. If I've published it, I have to go through with it, right? I'm going to be posting updates periodically, divided by the goal that I'm talking about. I would appreciate if those of you who are actually interested in my progress can occasionally check up on me to help motivate me a bit.
So, what are my goals, you are probably asking by this point? One is physical while the other is more creative/emotional. Let's go with the physical one first: I've been wanting to be able to run a 5K, without having to stop to walk, for at least the last three years. I've continually attempted to do the Couch to 5K program, which is nine weeks long, but I've never been able to get past week 6 and, usually, I have to do some of the program for a couple weeks in a row. Part of this is due to the fact that I'm not in as good of shape as I'd like to be while part of it is simply my exercise-induced asthma. The closest I've come to completing this was during the Buffalo Corporate Challenge when I ran about 2/3 of the 3.5 miles in 42 minutes. Not great and my back started hurting partway through, but, still, a place to start.
I don't have a particular race in mind yet. I've looked for local ones that are a little more than nine weeks out to allot for doubling up on a couple of the weeks, but I have to be careful not to schedule anything at the end of August or the beginning of September because of the girls moving back in, orientation, and the beginning of school. I think I'm leaning more towards the end of September or the beginning of October so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know. Anything I write about this particular goal will be tagged "running goal" if you want to search the blog that way.
Now, on to the second goal. The creative one. I would like to write a play. I came up with an idea I fell in love with a few months ago and I would like to see it come to fruition. At this point, I'm not sure how much of the play I can feasibly write before the school year begins again, so part of my goal setting process is determining what a reasonable amount to have accomplished by the end of the summer would be. Anything I write about this goal will be tagged "writing goal" if you want to keep track of that one.
If you do read this, feel free to cheer me on or make suggestions. Even if you don't, thanks for providing the possibility of an audience to help me stay on track.
As part of this, I have chosen to pursue two goals over the course of the summer and, in order to make myself accountable for following through on these, I've decided to blog about them here. If I've published it, I have to go through with it, right? I'm going to be posting updates periodically, divided by the goal that I'm talking about. I would appreciate if those of you who are actually interested in my progress can occasionally check up on me to help motivate me a bit.
So, what are my goals, you are probably asking by this point? One is physical while the other is more creative/emotional. Let's go with the physical one first: I've been wanting to be able to run a 5K, without having to stop to walk, for at least the last three years. I've continually attempted to do the Couch to 5K program, which is nine weeks long, but I've never been able to get past week 6 and, usually, I have to do some of the program for a couple weeks in a row. Part of this is due to the fact that I'm not in as good of shape as I'd like to be while part of it is simply my exercise-induced asthma. The closest I've come to completing this was during the Buffalo Corporate Challenge when I ran about 2/3 of the 3.5 miles in 42 minutes. Not great and my back started hurting partway through, but, still, a place to start.
I don't have a particular race in mind yet. I've looked for local ones that are a little more than nine weeks out to allot for doubling up on a couple of the weeks, but I have to be careful not to schedule anything at the end of August or the beginning of September because of the girls moving back in, orientation, and the beginning of school. I think I'm leaning more towards the end of September or the beginning of October so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know. Anything I write about this particular goal will be tagged "running goal" if you want to search the blog that way.
Now, on to the second goal. The creative one. I would like to write a play. I came up with an idea I fell in love with a few months ago and I would like to see it come to fruition. At this point, I'm not sure how much of the play I can feasibly write before the school year begins again, so part of my goal setting process is determining what a reasonable amount to have accomplished by the end of the summer would be. Anything I write about this goal will be tagged "writing goal" if you want to keep track of that one.
If you do read this, feel free to cheer me on or make suggestions. Even if you don't, thanks for providing the possibility of an audience to help me stay on track.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)