11 miles in 1:30
Great run tonight. I wasn't exactly feeling up for it, but I brought
along my iPod with a This American Life podcast to encourage myself to
stay out for 60 minutes. I wandered northward, across The Circle, and
ended up on Solano Ave, in the bougie part of town. Down Solano with
the sun in my eyes, to the Greenway, and back downtown via Ohlone Park.
I was dragging a little bit less by this time and when the podcast
ended, inspired from yesterday, I put on some Judas Priest. The uptempo
songs had a refreshing effect on my legs, and I picked up the pace and
decided not to turn back home. After Priest, I put on some Assuck in
honor of tomorrow's trip to Tampa and continued southward into Oakland.
It's been a while since I didn't want a run to end, and the feeling was
a good one.
Since it was getting late, and I know that it's not a good idea for me
to go on spontaneous 15 mile runs, I decided to turn home by 55th St.
My legs were starting to ask "are we there yet" as I approached home,
but with an act of will I pushed myself a few blocks past home to bring
the run up to 90 minutes. The topologically complex route is here.
Perhaps, as Reba suggested and Kurt Vonnegut did not warn me, living in
Northern California is making me soft. In any event, I am not bringing
my running shoes on my 5 day trip to Florida, where it is currently 190
degrees.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Bear Creek Trail
7.5 miles in 1:04
Since Silas is out of town, I decided to get in another trail run this
week. I barely made it to the Transports trail run last night;
actually, I didn't make it, but several others were late, including
the run leader, so I was able to get a late start with some company.
This week's run was on the Bear Creek trail at the Briones reservoir.
It's over the hills (or through the hills, since I took the Caldecott
Tunnel to get there) in Orinda, where our water comes from. Being stuck
in traffic was made more bearable by hearing "Hell Bent for Leather"
played on Fresh Air; thanks, Ian, for arranging that.
The course was singletrack out and back, mostly hugging the reservoir
but with wild fluctuations in elevation. It basically started with a
short downhill, a long uphill (where I took a spill - rolling to break
my fall and causing some concern for one of the early-birds who was on
her way back to the start), a long downhil, and a flat stretch past a
herd of goats to the turnaround. I spent most of the run with a new
guy who recently moved from back east; we chatted a bit when the hills
weren't too bad, but I dropped him on the way back as he had some GI
issues.
The sun was setting on the way back, making for a beautiful run as the
brown scrub on the sides of the trail took on new colors that I hadn't
seen before. This more than made up for the long hill that I was
struggling up, and I picked up the pace quite a bit for the last long
downhill. I met with a few of the runners in the parking lot and then
we headed down to Oakland for a post-run dinner.
Since Silas is out of town, I decided to get in another trail run this
week. I barely made it to the Transports trail run last night;
actually, I didn't make it, but several others were late, including
the run leader, so I was able to get a late start with some company.
This week's run was on the Bear Creek trail at the Briones reservoir.
It's over the hills (or through the hills, since I took the Caldecott
Tunnel to get there) in Orinda, where our water comes from. Being stuck
in traffic was made more bearable by hearing "Hell Bent for Leather"
played on Fresh Air; thanks, Ian, for arranging that.
The course was singletrack out and back, mostly hugging the reservoir
but with wild fluctuations in elevation. It basically started with a
short downhill, a long uphill (where I took a spill - rolling to break
my fall and causing some concern for one of the early-birds who was on
her way back to the start), a long downhil, and a flat stretch past a
herd of goats to the turnaround. I spent most of the run with a new
guy who recently moved from back east; we chatted a bit when the hills
weren't too bad, but I dropped him on the way back as he had some GI
issues.
The sun was setting on the way back, making for a beautiful run as the
brown scrub on the sides of the trail took on new colors that I hadn't
seen before. This more than made up for the long hill that I was
struggling up, and I picked up the pace quite a bit for the last long
downhill. I met with a few of the runners in the parking lot and then
we headed down to Oakland for a post-run dinner.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
pm tempo
5.5 miles tempo in :42
Another long day at work, but thanks to the wonders of automation I was
able to get out for a couple of hours at lunchtime to make up for this
morning's DNR. I biked home and set out on a slightly longer version of
the tempo
run that I did a couple of weeks ago. I tacked on about 6
minutes to the warm up by running down to Sacramento Ave at the
beginning, and a bit less onto the end by running down to California
Ave.
It was about 1:00 when I started, and the conditions were a bit
challenging. 70 degrees or so with 50% humidity (I know, cry me a
river). The tempo portion is all uphill, starting with about 3/4 miles
for the first leg, then a turn and 1 mile for the second leg. I'm
going to add a 1/4 mile downhill leg to this, but today wasn't the day.
The first leg went quickly in 4:42, but I slowed down considerably for
the second leg (6:50). This works out to 6:38 pace for the fast bit;
nothing special, but it was good to get a run in.
During my warm up, I noticed the "New Economy Laundry and Dry Cleaning."
I take this to mean that they accept Paypal, or maybe I can monitor my
spin cycle in real time via streaming video. What will they think of
next?
Oh, here's today's route.
Another long day at work, but thanks to the wonders of automation I was
able to get out for a couple of hours at lunchtime to make up for this
morning's DNR. I biked home and set out on a slightly longer version of
the tempo
run that I did a couple of weeks ago. I tacked on about 6
minutes to the warm up by running down to Sacramento Ave at the
beginning, and a bit less onto the end by running down to California
Ave.
It was about 1:00 when I started, and the conditions were a bit
challenging. 70 degrees or so with 50% humidity (I know, cry me a
river). The tempo portion is all uphill, starting with about 3/4 miles
for the first leg, then a turn and 1 mile for the second leg. I'm
going to add a 1/4 mile downhill leg to this, but today wasn't the day.
The first leg went quickly in 4:42, but I slowed down considerably for
the second leg (6:50). This works out to 6:38 pace for the fast bit;
nothing special, but it was good to get a run in.
During my warm up, I noticed the "New Economy Laundry and Dry Cleaning."
I take this to mean that they accept Paypal, or maybe I can monitor my
spin cycle in real time via streaming video. What will they think of
next?
Oh, here's today's route.
am DNR
Well, I got home from work at 10:30 last night and so I decided to sleep in a bit this morning. Maybe I'll get home early enough for a run tonight.
Did I mention in yesterday's post that the hills were foggy? And I ran into it? In the hills?
Did I mention in yesterday's post that the hills were foggy? And I ran into it? In the hills?
Monday, August 27, 2007
Into the fog
I got one good run in over the weekend. Christine's folks were in town, and I stuck around and made breakfast on Saturday morning. While everyone else went to the farmers market later that morning, I waited a respectful length of time for the blueberry pancakes to digest, then started out, looking for 90 minutes on the road.
Since I was running without Silas, I decided to get part of those 90 minutes off the road, and I headed up toward the Strawberry Canyon trail. This is a hilly route on a dirt fire road above the Cal campus; I have hiked on it before, but never run. I thought I might just take the first leg of the trail, where one has the choice of heading up a very steep quarter-mile hill or turning out onto the residential streets. I had been planning to go with the latter, but changed my mind at the last minute and chased another runner up the hill. He was more up to the challenge than I (did I mention it was very steep) and I had to walk the last bit of hill, but I continued on the trail for another 10 minutes or so. I asked a couple of hikers for directions; they told me I could continue on and come out above the national lab, then I could take the road back into town. I considered this, but the at the thought of pounding back downhill on solid asphalt I decided I should double back and get as much time on the dirt as possible. I mostly retraced my steps coming home, taking the long route around the University and grabbing a few extra blocks at the end. I can't map this route, and I had a slight timing malfunction, but I'll call it 11.5 in 1:33.
I'm almost done with a busy day at work, but it's looking too late to get in a run tonight. C and S left for Tampa today, and I'll be joining them on Friday. I'll try to get in runs each of the next four mornings, but I think I'll leave my shoes at home for the trip.
Since I was running without Silas, I decided to get part of those 90 minutes off the road, and I headed up toward the Strawberry Canyon trail. This is a hilly route on a dirt fire road above the Cal campus; I have hiked on it before, but never run. I thought I might just take the first leg of the trail, where one has the choice of heading up a very steep quarter-mile hill or turning out onto the residential streets. I had been planning to go with the latter, but changed my mind at the last minute and chased another runner up the hill. He was more up to the challenge than I (did I mention it was very steep) and I had to walk the last bit of hill, but I continued on the trail for another 10 minutes or so. I asked a couple of hikers for directions; they told me I could continue on and come out above the national lab, then I could take the road back into town. I considered this, but the at the thought of pounding back downhill on solid asphalt I decided I should double back and get as much time on the dirt as possible. I mostly retraced my steps coming home, taking the long route around the University and grabbing a few extra blocks at the end. I can't map this route, and I had a slight timing malfunction, but I'll call it 11.5 in 1:33.
I'm almost done with a busy day at work, but it's looking too late to get in a run tonight. C and S left for Tampa today, and I'll be joining them on Friday. I'll try to get in runs each of the next four mornings, but I think I'll leave my shoes at home for the trip.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
8ish miles in 1:05
I have a long day at work today with a long break in the middle - my E
coli are growing without my help right now - so I went for a
mid-afternoon run after lunch. I gave myself about an hour to digest,
which wasn't quite long enough, and I was feeling pretty sluggish out
the door. Add to that the afternoon sun and the warm day, and I decided
to head down to the bay to seek out some ocean breeze.
Caesar Chavez Park always reminds me of a scene from the book A
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. It is a place of youth and
invincibility, where one can throw a Frisbee 1000 yards. I was feeling
pretty old and vincible, rather than young and in-, but a loop around
the park put a spring in my step. I didn't see any Frisbee players, but
the kites were out in full force. Having cooled off, I headed back into
town to wrap it up.
I have a long day at work today with a long break in the middle - my E
coli are growing without my help right now - so I went for a
mid-afternoon run after lunch. I gave myself about an hour to digest,
which wasn't quite long enough, and I was feeling pretty sluggish out
the door. Add to that the afternoon sun and the warm day, and I decided
to head down to the bay to seek out some ocean breeze.
Caesar Chavez Park always reminds me of a scene from the book A
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. It is a place of youth and
invincibility, where one can throw a Frisbee 1000 yards. I was feeling
pretty old and vincible, rather than young and in-, but a loop around
the park put a spring in my step. I didn't see any Frisbee players, but
the kites were out in full force. Having cooled off, I headed back into
town to wrap it up.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Friday, 5.5 miles, 44 minutes
Saturday, 7.9 miles, 1:03
Tuesday, 5.5 miles, 42 minutes
I've decided against running a marathon this fall. I still have a vague
pain in my right ankle that won't go away, and I'll probably have to take
a few weeks off to really get it healed up. Plus, I just don't have
the time on the weekdays to get in the 40 miles or so that I need in
addition to the long runs. I am OK with this, and I may try to find a
10K goal race for something to work toward.
I attempted a run Sunday afternoon, but neither Silas or I were up for
it, and that was just too much malaise for me to handle. Turned around
before half a mile. Skipped Monday as well. Part of this is because I
finally borrowed the new Harry Potter book, and I didn't get a lot of
sleep this weekend. I also watched Without Limits this weekend. I
didn't really think the movie was all that, too Hallmarky and
sentimental, but I could watch that Munich 5000 any day of the week,
even in recreation, and I also was reminded to keep my pelvis level when
I run.
This morning, for a change of pace, I decided to run a fartlek. (sorry).
I should say "decided", because most of my runs these days have just
involved following my feet out the door. This morning that involved
turning right and following the same route down Milvia that we took on
Friday. I felt my pace accelerating, and decided to mix it up a bit. I
did about 7 accelerations over the 5.5 miles, varying between mile and
marathon effort. Silas just chilled out and took it all in this
morning.
Saturday, 7.9 miles, 1:03
Tuesday, 5.5 miles, 42 minutes
I've decided against running a marathon this fall. I still have a vague
pain in my right ankle that won't go away, and I'll probably have to take
a few weeks off to really get it healed up. Plus, I just don't have
the time on the weekdays to get in the 40 miles or so that I need in
addition to the long runs. I am OK with this, and I may try to find a
10K goal race for something to work toward.
I attempted a run Sunday afternoon, but neither Silas or I were up for
it, and that was just too much malaise for me to handle. Turned around
before half a mile. Skipped Monday as well. Part of this is because I
finally borrowed the new Harry Potter book, and I didn't get a lot of
sleep this weekend. I also watched Without Limits this weekend. I
didn't really think the movie was all that, too Hallmarky and
sentimental, but I could watch that Munich 5000 any day of the week,
even in recreation, and I also was reminded to keep my pelvis level when
I run.
This morning, for a change of pace, I decided to run a fartlek. (sorry).
I should say "decided", because most of my runs these days have just
involved following my feet out the door. This morning that involved
turning right and following the same route down Milvia that we took on
Friday. I felt my pace accelerating, and decided to mix it up a bit. I
did about 7 accelerations over the 5.5 miles, varying between mile and
marathon effort. Silas just chilled out and took it all in this
morning.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
I didn't run much last week, just a couple of 6-ish mile runs over the weekend as I was pretty busy with work during the week. Silas has been training a lot harder than me, of late, on his own legs - hill repeats Saturday on the way home from the farmer's market, distance on Sunday when we went to Muir Woods, and intervals Monday night before back (laps through the laundry room, bathroom, and bedroom. 12x, I think).
Chagrined, and having finally submitted a proposal on Tuesday, I went out for a short tempo run by myself after work. The loop I did has the makings of a good weekly standard if I'm training for anything less than a marathon, but it needs to be stretched out a little bit, especially at the beginning since I think I need a longer warmup. I get ahead of myself.
Started out easy, running south on MLK to Alcatraz, then turning uphill. I wanted to get through the major intersections before I picked up the pace, so I crossed Shattuck and then turned it on. The tempo portion of the run is all uphill, with the steeper part in the first 3/4 miles. I had to stop the watch at Telegraph to wait for the light, but then made it up to College (.73 miles, 4:34) and turned north. Another stop for the light at Ashby, and this segment ended at Dwight (1.0 miles, 6:33). The total tempo portion was 1.73 in 11:07, or 6:26 pace. I actually ran the beginning part faster, and I was definitely feeling fatigue by the time I hit Ashby. The start-and-stop didn't help that much, but it's hard to find an uninterrupted stretch of road or path for tempo runs around here. The run mapped to 4.25 miles in 31:09 and was followed up with kale burritos for dinner.
Chagrined, and having finally submitted a proposal on Tuesday, I went out for a short tempo run by myself after work. The loop I did has the makings of a good weekly standard if I'm training for anything less than a marathon, but it needs to be stretched out a little bit, especially at the beginning since I think I need a longer warmup. I get ahead of myself.
Started out easy, running south on MLK to Alcatraz, then turning uphill. I wanted to get through the major intersections before I picked up the pace, so I crossed Shattuck and then turned it on. The tempo portion of the run is all uphill, with the steeper part in the first 3/4 miles. I had to stop the watch at Telegraph to wait for the light, but then made it up to College (.73 miles, 4:34) and turned north. Another stop for the light at Ashby, and this segment ended at Dwight (1.0 miles, 6:33). The total tempo portion was 1.73 in 11:07, or 6:26 pace. I actually ran the beginning part faster, and I was definitely feeling fatigue by the time I hit Ashby. The start-and-stop didn't help that much, but it's hard to find an uninterrupted stretch of road or path for tempo runs around here. The run mapped to 4.25 miles in 31:09 and was followed up with kale burritos for dinner.
Friday, August 3, 2007
6.5-ish in :52
Si and I ran a version of Tuesday's run, but turned off of Marin before the big hill and headed straight home. I'm pretty busy and plan to keep running next week, but probably won't be blogging much. "Without Limits" is next on the Netflix queue.
I'm considering running Philly, but it depends on Thanksgiving plans and whether I actually commit to marathon training. CIM is another option, of course. Maybe if there were a G42K...
Si and I ran a version of Tuesday's run, but turned off of Marin before the big hill and headed straight home. I'm pretty busy and plan to keep running next week, but probably won't be blogging much. "Without Limits" is next on the Netflix queue.
I'm considering running Philly, but it depends on Thanksgiving plans and whether I actually commit to marathon training. CIM is another option, of course. Maybe if there were a G42K...
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