Category: Run Report

What a bag of mixed emotions. This was another day I wasn’t really in the mood to run, yet I felt compelled and did it out of what my grandmother would call, “Duty.” It was my duty to run. I had my day off, and I didn’t want to take another two-day break, so I just got out there and did it. Started with 70 push ups as going past this was going to be work. I am happy anytime I get past 60.

I then set out for the run. It was HOT. It was nearly 85 degrees out and humid. I knew immediately that it was going to be a tough run, and I was right. Within a mile, my legs started getting sore. Normally, that doesn’t happen until around the third mile, so for it to happen after the first was unusual. With that said, I also had my best first-mile time in a very long time: 8:54/mile. The second mile was my slowest of the three, but I picked it back up for the final mile which gave me an average of 9:20/mile. I’m happy with that, as it’s my best three-mile average in a long time (if ever; I need to look that up).

When I was done with the run, I was pretty wore out. My legs were not quite cramping, but they were very sore. Mostly from the heat. I think it’s about time I start switching back over to morning runs. I hate that, because it means I have to go to sleep at between 8-9 pm, but if that’s what I have to do to get these runs in, that’s what I’m going to do.

Today was pretty awesome. I really, really didn’t feel like getting started, but I pushed through it and got it going anyway. I got it done. 80 push ups to start with and then my best time since November for my first time: 8:58 for the first mile. YAY! The rest of the run was at a great pace, too! I felt so good, I kept going and went past my initial goal of 3 miles. At the end, I shot this little video.

Get it done.

Wow, that picture makes me look old! Today’s run was okay, but the heat made it far more difficult than I thought it would. I thought I was running a good, fast pace. Turned out it wasn’t nearly as fast as I thought it was. Oh well. I definitely got my workout. 

I started with 50 sit ups. I could have done more, but my tail bone was still sore from Saturday’s sit ups. I will need to use some sort of yoga mat or something from now on to keep from hurting my lower back. It’s still sore four hours later. 

I also did 70 push ups. They were pretty comfortable and I didn’t want to push it. My tail bone and butt were hurting pretty badly when I did my push ups which is why I didn’t do more. Hopefully the pain will subside as I keep doing them. 

All in all, it was a positive day. I weighed myself after the run and came in at 173.7 lbs. that’s 1.5 lbs over my lowest, so I’m happy. This ties the lowest I’ve been since coming back from Spain. Just 8 more to my final goal!

I held off running yesterday due to my Nationa Guard drill, and I knew we had PT today. It ended up being individual, so I ran 4 miles this morning. The weather was great and I felt great. I also did sit ups for the first time in 20 years and I easily did 31 in 49 seconds. In other words, I will easily pass the APFT next month. 

I did 70 push ups before my run and set out with a decent pace. Legs and breathing both felt great. I’m finally at a point where I can run and it feels good. I also got my 10 miles for the week in which is a goal of mine. 

What a fantastic run today! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but today’s run, while I pushed it, was tremendously awesome! I went out with a comfortable pace, and it ended up being my best run in a while, and my second-best for this course! I cut over 20 seconds off my pace from the last run, and I even added a little distance. I felt great during the run; so much so, that I almost went for 4+ miles but decided against it because I didn’t want to risk pushing it too hard before my upcoming drill this weekend and it was pretty hot out.

I felt as good as I’ve ever felt during a run, especially after the first mile. Once I was warmed up, the pace felt comfortable, and my low heart rate confirms that I wasn’t having to push too hard to get such a good pace. I was able to be pretty consistent throughout the run, and my legs had no aches or pain at all except for a little bit on my toes. I think I didn’t tie my shoes tight enough and I my feet were able to move around in the shoes a bit causing them to be a little sore. I need to be careful with that in the future.

As for push ups, I am back up to 70 now, which was nice. I was doing 80 at my highest before my vacation, and I think I’ll be back up to that within the next week or so. I’m also hoping to be running sub-9’s within the next two weeks in preparation for my APFT with the National Guard in April.

It’s amazing to feel so good during and after a run. This is what I was hoping for when I started. I was wondering if I would ever get to this point, where I can run three times a week and not feel pain after a run, and I think I’m finally there. This is great!

I’ve been super busy and haven’t been able to run in the past four days. I felt guilty and even angry about it, but things were going on and I just didn’t have the time to go out and run. Well, that ended today. I finally had a chance to get out there and hit the pavement. It was tougher than usual because of the lack of running over the past four days, but I got it done with a respectable pace.

I started with my customary push ups. I did 65 without much effort and decided to just stop there. I didn’t do sit ups (again!) and I really am getting concerned about that. I have an APFT in the Army National Guard coming up in April that I need to do at least 40 sit ups in two minutes for. I need to get a baseline so I know where I’m at and what I’m working to. Anyway, I had a chance to use my new Fenix 3 HR watch today as well, and while it’s a bit bigger and heavier than the Fitbit Surge, it seems to be more accurate and I do like the bigger screen. For my eyes, it’s easier to read. I run without my eyeglasses, and the Surge’s screen was a bit hard to read. Not so with the Fenix.

The run itself was good. I did look at my watch from time to time to see what my pace was, and whenever it slowed, I kicked it in. That made me a bit more winded and it was a harder run than usual, but I’ve already said why that was. Otherwise, it was a good run, and I’m glad I got the run in. I will run again on Wednesday, but I’m not sure when I will run this Friday. I have my first National Guard drill on Friday starting early in the morning, and I don’t know when I’ll be finishing up. Either way, I will make time to run at some point.

It’s good to be back to running again. I hate these small, unplanned breaks.

Holy cow, what a great run! I was thinking that it was going to be a hard run. My legs would feel heavy and sluggish, and I would have trouble breathing. My pace would be horrible, and I would feel spent afterward. Nothing could be further from the truth!

I immediately felt great when I started running. I felt so good after the first half mile that I decided to go past four miles today. I’m glad that I did. I also made the decision to not look at my pace once during the run. I’m also glad I did this as well. Today’s run was all about feeling good and running a pace that felt natural. In the end, it turned out that I had a good (not great) pace, that I kept pretty steady, my heart rate was in the “Extreme Suffer” range (according to Strava) and I felt amazing. I don’t know what runner’s high feels like, but during the run, I literally could not feel my legs. At two points during the run, I almost started tripping over my legs when I thought about them. I was literally just along for the ride today.

I’m happy with the run, and I am actually looking forward to Wednesday’s run now. If I can have more runs like this in the future, it’s only going to get better! As for push ups, I stopped at 60. I need to start upping them again soon, but today, 60 was the number to be counted to.

What a great day. I thought it was going to suck and it was 180 degrees from sucking. Just wow.

Today’s run was supposed to be a slow run, and while it wasn’t nearly my fastest, it was by no means a crawl. I was able to keep the pace below the 10 minute/mile for the average although my last mile was the slowest with a 10:03/mile pace for the last half. I will begin to work on speed again maybe later next week or the week after. My speed is good now. I want to be back to sub-9’s by April.

Otherwise, it was a good run. Felt pretty good and no pain to speak of. Only did 60 push ups, but anything past 60 for me is gravy anyway. I will keep working on this. I’d like to get to 100 easy push ups before my runs.

I didn’t do sit ups again. I hope this isn’t going to bite me in the butt in April.

I’ll run again on Saturday. Hopefully the weather cooperates, but it’s not looking good.

Finally. It’s been a week since I last ran and I was finally able to get a run in this morning in the Plaza de Sagrada Familia. In case you’re wondering, that’s in Barcelona, Spain directly across from the back side of the Sagrada Familia Basilica. Talk about running in history! The park is beautiful with many people from around the world (which were difficult to dodge from time to time, but only at the side of the plaza near the church) and sights we rarely get to enjoy during a run. The added bonus: half of the plaza run course (which was the exterior sidewalk) is up-hill. While the run’s pace was slower than my average lately, the level of workout I received was on-par or harder than usual for a 3 mile run.

I haven’t been able to run in the past week due to the activities and weather here. Now, it looks like the rest of the trip will be more amenable to a regular run activity at least every other day, so I should have at least another 2-3 runs here in Spain before returning home.

Today’s distance: 3 miles with a 10:24 pace but an amazing view, so I’m okay with the slower pace. Besides, half of it was literally running up a hill and dodging people, so there’s that.