My runs the last few days

6/6/15 Run

So I have managed to get a few decent runs in, in the last few days. Neither of them felt great, my legs have felt sluggish. All that tells me is that I need to get out a little more often and to be drinking more water throughout the day rather then right before my run. I have enjoyed making friends with all the wildlife along the trail in the forest preserve.

As you can see my mile times aren't as good as they have been in the past. Let's hope the next few runs start seeing some improvement. I'm planning on trying to get out one of these morning before work. My thought is that my legs might be a little fresher in the morning without having the long work day wear down my legs before I go. 

I have been lacking at doing other workouts besides running. I haven't done any yoga for awhile, which I know will help my flexibility and soreness in my hips and hamstrings. 

With lots of possibilities this summer, I have to make sure I stay focused and put time aside for my runs. I'm also hoping to try to rework my nutrition. I don't nearly watch what I eat, when I know I should. Still looking for a race to do soon, I'll post as soon as I sign up. Happy Running!

6/8/15 Run

So far this month:

First Race Checklist

Since a lot of you ask what I should be ready for, when running my first race. So, I decided to put together a list of items and my usual routine going into a race. Some of these things are common sense but if you are in a hurry this list might be handy as you are sprinting out the door.

Now all of this makes much more sense if give you a sense of what to get ready for as a first race approaches. As for me, it kind of is my first race all over again. Yes, I have run races before, and yes, I've been running a lot the last few months, but this again will be my first race after recovering from my left Achilles tear.

Thinking back to my recovery of my right Achilles, my first race back was the Naperville St. Patrick's Day Run of 2012. I was extra excited to run that day, showed up about a half an hour before the race and did some sprints to the registration tent to grab my packet. My heart rate never seemed to calm down. After I did some stretches and jogs, I felt slightly better.

Once I got to the line to start the race, my adrenaline spiked, and I took off once that gun fired. Wearing the goofy green top hat was making me extra warm since there wasn't anywhere for the heat to escape, I ended up having to carry it the last 1.5 miles of the race. Because I was too excited at start of race, I never got my watch set. Once I passed the second mile marker it said my time was 12:50, I knew my 2nd mile was 7 minutes, I realized my first mile was a sub 6 minute mile! Way too fast!

So now I keep thinking what could I have done differently to ensure that I wouldn't die the last mile like I did in the St. Paddy's Day race. Leading up to my first race this time, I will try to describe my pre-race routine and anything else that I may think of. As of now, here's my basic list of starter items that will help make your race a little easier:

The obvious:
Shoes, Socks
Shorts/Legging/Pants, underwear
T-shirt/jacket
Hat/gloves (when needed)

Not-so-obvious
Headphones attached to iPhone
Sunglasses
Heart rate Watch
Water Bottle

My next posting on this will focus on Pre-race food, I'll will look at foods to have before, during and after the race. Thanks for stopping by!

A Look At Week #3 Running

When looking back at Week 3, all I can see are cold runs. Of the four runs I went on. I was snowed on three times. The temps ranged from 19-45 degrees, while my pace averaged out to around 8:17ppm for all my runs. Not great, but not bad after taking a few months off. I'm trying my best to keep up with the mileage while making sure I keep a close eye on any aches or pains that don't go away. I've started slowly lifting again, only in 3 exercise grouping each time I go. I don't want too many muscle area to be sore when I run.




My best run was on Wednesday, in which I set multiple PRs for 1K & 5K.







On Monday when it was 45, I decided to wear shorts and it felt great. The only problem was that the Commissioners Park was full of melted sloppy snow all over the trail.




On my last run on Saturday it was snowing, so I decided to get a short video of the conditions. Here it is:

Meanwhile, on the same run I took pictures of myself at each mile marker to see if there was any snow accumulation, and there was.


Mile 1:


















Mile 2:

















Mile 3:

















Mile 4:



















Here are the maps of the runs this week, with the temp.

A Look Back At Week 3



















A Look Ahead To Week 4

Nike+ Pics:

The Past Few Runs

Here's a look at the start of my 24 Week Marathon training through the Nike+ app. The training lines up with a Race date of the weekend of June 14-15. If you get the app add me as a friend and we can help motivate each other.

My Runs To Date:

My Earlier Runs in the Neighborhood

Running With High Schoolers - 1.9.14

When running on a weekday around

 2:30pm you are bound to find kids out on the roads.

 I think I ran past a couple different
 track teams getting ready for the indoor season. You can see the greenest part of my run on the back half after I past a group of 5 young men and I took off refusing to let any of them to come close to catching up to me. Once I realized I wasn't being followed anymore my pace quickly declined. Longest run of the year so far.

Saturday Night Run - 1.11.14

  Another fun night run down Heritage Meadows Drive, you can see the green sprint runs I had at the begining of the third mile and again near the 3.5 mile mark. The roads were very clear and the temp was just above freezing so what snow was left after the rains hadn't iced over yet.  And as you can see below this was my best 5K, 1mile, & 1K.

                   

Balmy Sunday Sunset Run - 1.12.14

With the conditions finally giving some relief with temps in the 40s I ventured out for my 5 mile run. I headed west and ran in neighborhoods that I haven't investigated. Since the roads were finally dry I decided on breaking in my Race Blue Asics. It was a welcome relief not having to deal with slush under my toes.

Weekly Stats:

My Instagram Pics:

Here's week 3 so far: