Walk at work

Duration = 29:56
Distance = 1.5
Calories = 127 (estimate)

I felt fairly good after the race on Saturday. I didn't have any hint of the ITB on the right that I have a tendency for. Sunday, I had very stiff calves. This is the first time I've had any issue with the calf muscle. The stiffness seems to go away once I start moving. My wife massaged my legs last night. Rather than run this morning, I decided to walk at lunch inside my office building. We have a measured 1/2 mile path. I did this at a very comfortable pace. I only did 1.5 miles as I had to get back to work and had started later than I had planned.

Lap Times:

1. 10:04
2. 9:48
3. 10:04
   

2009-10 Reese Winter Race Series 10K #1

Duration = 1:02:33
Distance = 6.36
Calories = 764
Max HR = 190
Avg HR = 178
Running Index = 42
Max Cadence = 125
Avg Cadence = 93

I drove up to Reese, MI for this race. This is the first of a monthly series of races on the first Saturday of each month finishing in March. The course is a flat loop through part of the town run twice for the 10K. The temperature was in the mid-20s and sunny with a few clouds and a wind from the southwest during the race. There was overcast and snow flurries before and after the race. I was planning on running at 9:00/mile for the first half or so, but I quickly determined that this wasn't to be. I, then, hoped to stay under 1 hour, or at least to be under 10:00/mile. At least I made the last of those. I finished 89 of 90 running the 10K in 1:01:15.15 (9:51/mile).

This really shows me that I need to be consistent with my training. I will participate in as many of these races as I can. Repeating the same course will give me great feedback on this phase of my training.

[Posted 7 Dec 2009]

Gotta keep running

Duration = 50:11
Distance = 3.58
Calories = 410
Max HR = 151
Avg HR = 141
Running Index = 44
Max Cadence = 94
Avg Cadence = 88

Not as good as the last treadmill session at this intensity. I gotta get more consistent if I want to improve.

Standard start of 5 minutes at 4.0 mph. Ramp finished at 4.9 when I topped 145 on the heart rate. I did 8 minutes at 4.9 before I started hitting 150 which is the current limit I want to stay under. I dropped the speed as needed and finished at 4.4. Then the normal cool-down at 4.0, 3.5, 3.0, 2.5 and 2.0 for a minute each with a finishing HR of 124.

Saturday will be the first of a series of monthly races that I will use to gage my progress through the winter.

Indoor Track in Springfield, IL

Duration = 47:00
Distance = 3.78
Calories = 420
Max HR = 184
Avg HR = 148
Running Index = 44
Max Cadence = 124
Avg Cadence = 90

After Thanksgiving, my wife and I did a road trip to Springfield, IL. Another member of our party noted that access to a local gym came with the room we were in. She and I took advantage of that access this evening before dinner.

She explored the indoor pools and did some water aerobics. I used their indoor track (13 laps per mile) as I have friends who think I already spend too much time on treadmills. There was never more than one other runner or walker on the track which was two lanes wide. I did the entire session aiming to keep my HR around 145 except for the three strides I ran on one of the longer straight sections. I also ran the last lap as a strong sprint.

[Posted 3 Dec 2009]

Thanksgiving Day Shuffle

Duration = 33:05
Distance = 1.96
Calories = 231
Max HR = 138
Avg HR = 130
Running Index = 41
Max Cadence = 92
Avg Cadence = 72

I ate way too much. I took it easy on myself and held the HR down. I did a 5 minute warm-up run at 4.0 mph and held that pace until about 8:00 into the session when I slowed to keep the HR under 135. This resulted in a drop to a walk for the remainder of the session.

[Posted 3 Dec 2009]

USAF Fitness Test - Nov 2009

Duration = 16:42
Distance = 1.85
Calories = 190
Max HR = 192
Avg HR = 171
Running Index = 46
Max Cadence = 97
Avg Cadence = 108

I didn't have to complete this assessment this month, but I did anyway. We ran on a 1/4 mile track. I ran the first lap with another unit member running just ahead and to the outside. For the second lap, I picked up the pace to demonstrate what his target would look like. I ran the remaining mile at a progressively faster pace. Final time was 13:06 (8:44/mile) which beats last years time by 30 seconds. I then ran with the other member for his last lap.

My waist is still 37 inches and I only did 30 push-ups and 20 sit-ups which, with the run, yielded 75.15 points. This is just good enough to pass this year. The rules change next year. This performance next year would yield 75.3 points which meets the 75-point requirement, but you also have to meet a minimum on each component. I would fail as I need 34 sit-ups to pass that component of the test. My best performance on the sit-ups is 24, so I have a ways to go to bridge the gap. The good news is that I have at least 6 months before I have to meet the new standard.

[Posted 3 Dec 2009]

We Have a Baseline

Duration = 36:07
Distance = 2.70
Calories = 286
Max HR = 153
Avg HR = 139
Running Index = 47
Max Cadence = 101
Avg Cadence = 90

You gotta like it when you have to increase pace to keep from falling under your target HR range. Tonight, I planned a shorter session leading into my assessment this weekend. Heart rate took a bit longer to ramp up tonight than the rest of the week. I was still in the target range when I got to 4.9 mph. After 2 minutes there, I was under the target again, so I increased to 5.0. I stayed in the range for the rest of the session. Also, the cool-down had me down to a HR of 116. Granted this was a shorter session, everything is pointing to improved fitness.

Based on these numbers, I will try for a 1.5-mile time of 12:00. This would knock over a minute off the average pace. I hope I have enough strength endurance in my arms and core for a decent showing on those parts of the assessment. I am a bit disappointed in myself as I had hoped to be shooting for an across-the-board maximum performance by now, but I haven't trained for it and that is not even on the radar at this time.