Two weeks of runs - getting faster

I reached a great milestone this week, ran 7 miles averaging less than 8 minutes per mile. Still walking 30 seconds per mile on distance and tempo runs, and those walks are in the times. Here are all the runs and their logs...​

April 20 - 7 miles at an 8:08/mile average - had a good run and beat the goal, averaging 8:03/mile according to Nike+'s record here.​

April 22 - intervals - four 3/4 miles at 5:13 each, with 1/4 miles resting between them. On intervals, I run 2 miles to warm up, and around 1 mile as a cool down. I managed to keep the pace close to the goal on the first two intervals and dropped 20 and 30 seconds on the uphill segments. Full details here.​

April 25 - Tempo run - 3 miles at 7:38/mile average - plus 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down. Almost did this - the splits on the three miles were: 7:18, 7:40, 8:03. So I did come pretty close! See the whole run here.​

April 28 - 7 miles at an 8:08/mile average - and here was where I went under 8 minutes per mile on average, actually averaging 7:57/mile! See it all here.​

May 1 - Intervals - 5 kilometer intervals aiming for 4:18/kilometer with quarter mile rests between them.​ I struggled with these, came close on 3, and dropped 20+ seconds on two. Not much to look at here, since the walks slow down the overall pace a lot!

Mourning Boston & Texas - Moving towards goals

​Keep on running Boston - comfort and strength to Massachusetts and Texas during this terrible week.

Over a week of runs, so four to report on, now that I am getting into the schedule towards my next race, the Zombie Run in Charlotte, on Sunday, May 19 - please join me and register with our Temple Beth El team - Run for your life, save the world here!

Here are the "rundowns" (pun intended :-D):​

Wednesday, April ​10 - Goal: 4 miles averaging 7:53/mile.
On this Tempo run I gained 20 seconds on the first two miles after the warm-up mile, giving me some room to slow a bit on the second two uphill miles, where I lost 32 seconds. So on the miles that counted I averaged 7:56/mile, which is pretty close. Run details here.

​Saturday, April 13 - Goal: 8 miles averaging 8:08/mile.
On my first really hot and humid run of the season, in the middle of a crazy day, I managed a good pace for the first 5 miles and then dropped like a stone for the last three - really glad I got out though! Run details here.

Monday, April 15 - Goal: 6 half miles at 3:25 each, with 90 second rest intervals.
I came pretty close to the 3:25 time, within 2-3 seconds, on 4 out of 6 of these - the uphill ones were brutal. On interval runs I do between 1.5 to 2 miles of warm-up and at least 1 mile cool down. Run details here.

Today, Thursday, April 18 - Goal: 2 miles at 7:43/mile, 1 mile easy, 2 miles at 7:43/mile.
I took it easy on the warm up mile and was able to push through, without any of my mid-mile walks on both 2 mile segments today. On the first 2 mile segment I averaged 7:40/mile, and on the second 7:45/mile with the uphill parts too, so I feel pretty good. Run details here.

I have dropped to using only Brooks Pure Cadence shoes - the NB Minimus seem to hurt my right calf.​

NYC City Hall Flies Boston Flag.jpg

Runs across the land

In the last week, after a Passover break from running, I managed to run my best mile ever during intervals on Monday, April 1, struggle with the uphill half of a run in Palm Desert on Wednesday, and have a great meet my goal 6 miler today upon returning home. Here are the runs, and their goals...​

Monday - Intervals with 1/4 mile breathers in between: 1 mile at 7:06, did it in 6:39!; 3/4 mile at 5:13, came pretty close; 1/2 mile in 3:25, I petered out here on the hill; and 1/4 mile in 1:40, which I also managed pretty well. Run map and splits here.​

Wednesday - Tempo Run in Palm Desert - Warm up mile, 1 mile at 7:38, easy mile, 1 mile at 7:38, easy mile, 1 mile at 7:38, cool down mile. 7:23 and 7:30 on those first miles which were downhill and relatively flat, respectively. I died on the last mile, going back uphill, ending up at 8:53. Run map and splits here.

​Today, Sunday - "long" run - 6 miles averaging 8:08/mile. Felt mostly good, and carried a good average all the way through, including on the hills. Ended with an 8:05/mile average, and I am happy with that! Run map and splits here. This run includes the Galloway recommended 30 seconds walking per mile as well, with the exception of the last break after mile 6 which I just ran through.

Long run and intervals

Since I last posted I swam a little, did Torah yoga, ran 14 miles in the snow, and managed to do intervals this morning at a pretty fast clip.

Intervals today - 2 mile warm-up, then 3 mile intervals, with 400m slow between them, then a little more than a mile cool down. My mile splits were, around: 7:04, 7:40, 7:50. The first was good, the last two less so :-) Here are all the details.

14 mile run on Saturday, aiming for 8:20 average minute/mile pace, and come close for a while. Started out cold, and then got snowy, which was fun. Ended up with two runs on the Nike app since in the wet I encountered some of my own human error - all told a good run considering the conditions. Here are the links to the incomplete records:
First 9+ miles
Last 4+ miles

More to come this week - a little calf soreness after today's run - I hope it will improve by Wednesday's scheduled tempo run.

Intervals - a good run

Ran a new interval run today:
- About a mile and a half warm up
- 2 x 1200 meters - aimed for around 5:25 per interval - 2 minutes resting after each
- 4 x 800 meters - aimed for around 3:35 per interval - 2 minutes resting after each
- around 8 minutes cool down
Still having some tech issues, so the recording isn't entirely accurate.
Feeling good - sore today, felt good running.
Here are the details, less accurate in the second half of the run, for some reason.

Last two runs

So, did a temp run today and slowed down in my second and third splits - I suppose that's what happens when I start going downhill and finish going uphill :-) Keeping my speed pretty good and still walking 30 seconds every mile, except for the last - I felt too good!
Here's the detailed workout.

Also got in my interval training run on Monday - 6 x 800's, with 90 seconds walking between them. I was pretty happy with this run too.
Details.

Next run, on Saturday, an easy paced 10 miles.

Dog Bites Rabbi

So, while on my temp run yesterday, more to come about that, I passed a dog owner and his two little Scotties that I see relatively frequently. One of his Scotties, off leash of course, decided to chase me, and took a chomp out of my calf - biting through my running pants and breaking the skin. Doctor says I should be OK :-)

Meanwhile, here's the link to the run.

Goal was 1 warm up mile, 5 miles at an average of 8:30/mile, and 1 cool down mile. Even with the dog bite near the end of mile 2, I did pretty well on the goal. Made it through the uphill mile in 8:41 and was pretty kicked for the final tempo mile. Still walking 30 seconds at the end of each mile and still keeping this pace, so all in all, I feel I am making progress and feeling good.

Chappy Chanukah!

Interval training - feels good!

At least, it felt good when I got back to my cool down run :-)

Meant to do 12 x 400's (quarter miles), and only managed 10, as I lost count, and number 9 was weak.

In order to get to the training program for a half marathon at 1:33:30, which seems to be what I need to do in order to start the training program for the 3:15 marathon - the Boston qualifying time, I need to be doing a 5k pace at about 20 minutes, which is 6:26 per mile, or 1:37 per quarter, and I came close to that today, sometimes!

Here's the ragged training record.

Oh, and here's the book I am using to put all of this together