Hot & Humid Run, June 10th

I'll keep this short and sweet. Wednesday after work and before the Blackhawks game, I got in a 3.6 mile run, up to the Wooddale Forest Preserve. Temps were around 85 degrees and extra humid. My legs didn't seem to want to move as fast as I would have liked, but the heat wasn't going to let them move any faster. Next run should be on Thursday, my body is extra sore and tight from the heat that I had to deal with, so today will be a rest day. Maybe I'll be smart and do yoga to help with the soreness.

Highlights from my run:

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:

My 6/3/15 Run

This run was a little tougher then my more recent runs. I haven't done a run the day after one on the previous day for awhile. I was sluggish to start, but started to move a little quicker the second mile, but just never really felt race ready. Take a look at my splits. 

These are no where near some of my best times. I guess I have something to work on going into the summer and race season! Here's a map and another look at my run. Start to finish. 

So a decent start to the month, Still have some work to do but hanging in there on the leaderboard with the ladies. Happy Running!

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 Very Active Spring

So I've been bad since returning from my second Achilles injury with my run blogging. If you are on Nike+, you can follow me here, Ronnie's Nike+ account. Here are a bunch of pictures from my runs: