Monday, October 29, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Catchup
Monday am, 4.9 miles in 40 minutes
Friday pm, Marin #6: 7.4 miles in 1:05.
Saturday pm, 10.8 miles in 1:19(?)
Judging by the log, I've only had three runs so far this week, but I thought I went on Tuesday also. Oh well, the log doesn't lie. Silas and I did Marin #6 on Friday, to Craigmont Ave. It was hard, and slow.
I wanted to get in a long (ie, >1:45) run this morning but didn't get around to it. Instead, this afternoon during Si's nap I headed out for an 80 minute run. I wanted to get about 10 miles and figured I'd just run around until the time was up or my legs were beat. I started with a fast pace down to the Bay and headed up to Gilman. There was a timing malfunction on the Bay Trail when I stopped to tie my shoe and forgot to restart my watch for a few minutes. I continued on a new route, for me, up San Pablo into El Cerrito. By the time I got into Berkeley, I decided to run past the Cheese Board collective so I could figure out how far it would be to walk there for dinner (about 1 3/4 miles). I had dropped the pace a bit while running up Cedar, and by the time I ran around to home my legs definitely were beat. My watch read 1:15, but I'm guessing it was more like 1:18-1:19. That makes for a 7:19 pace for the run, which is feeling pretty good in my legs right now. After my shower, I walked back to the Cheese Board with my mom and carrying Silas, and the pizza was awesome. We took the bus home.
I now have 999 miles for the year. It hit that point on June 30 last year, but I'd never hit it before that, so there it is.
Friday pm, Marin #6: 7.4 miles in 1:05.
Saturday pm, 10.8 miles in 1:19(?)
Judging by the log, I've only had three runs so far this week, but I thought I went on Tuesday also. Oh well, the log doesn't lie. Silas and I did Marin #6 on Friday, to Craigmont Ave. It was hard, and slow.
I wanted to get in a long (ie, >1:45) run this morning but didn't get around to it. Instead, this afternoon during Si's nap I headed out for an 80 minute run. I wanted to get about 10 miles and figured I'd just run around until the time was up or my legs were beat. I started with a fast pace down to the Bay and headed up to Gilman. There was a timing malfunction on the Bay Trail when I stopped to tie my shoe and forgot to restart my watch for a few minutes. I continued on a new route, for me, up San Pablo into El Cerrito. By the time I got into Berkeley, I decided to run past the Cheese Board collective so I could figure out how far it would be to walk there for dinner (about 1 3/4 miles). I had dropped the pace a bit while running up Cedar, and by the time I ran around to home my legs definitely were beat. My watch read 1:15, but I'm guessing it was more like 1:18-1:19. That makes for a 7:19 pace for the run, which is feeling pretty good in my legs right now. After my shower, I walked back to the Cheese Board with my mom and carrying Silas, and the pizza was awesome. We took the bus home.
I now have 999 miles for the year. It hit that point on June 30 last year, but I'd never hit it before that, so there it is.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Marin #5
Saturday, 7 miles in 59:51
I had to spend a few tedious hours in the lab today, and when I got home Silas was waking up from an abbreviated nap. We let off some steam by reading a Woodie Guthrie book, The New Baby Train, and then he brought me my shoes, so it was time to run. This was a 5 block attack on Marin Ave, going up to Spruce St. I had not been looking forward to this last block, which I will have to run 8 more times, because it appears abruptly steeper than the previous block, and I measure it as a 16% grade. Not coincidentally, this was also my pace in minutes per mile for the 4:57 that I spent running from The Circle to Spruce St, not that anyone's counting. Spruce St also represents, more or less, the midpoint in elevation between the Greenway and the top of the road. And, of course, I lived on Spruce St in Philly, so it holds a special place in my heart.
I normally take the steep downhill back into town at a pretty cautious pace, but with Silas in the stroller shouting "Whee!" I may have picked up the pace a bit.
I had to spend a few tedious hours in the lab today, and when I got home Silas was waking up from an abbreviated nap. We let off some steam by reading a Woodie Guthrie book, The New Baby Train, and then he brought me my shoes, so it was time to run. This was a 5 block attack on Marin Ave, going up to Spruce St. I had not been looking forward to this last block, which I will have to run 8 more times, because it appears abruptly steeper than the previous block, and I measure it as a 16% grade. Not coincidentally, this was also my pace in minutes per mile for the 4:57 that I spent running from The Circle to Spruce St, not that anyone's counting. Spruce St also represents, more or less, the midpoint in elevation between the Greenway and the top of the road. And, of course, I lived on Spruce St in Philly, so it holds a special place in my heart.
I normally take the steep downhill back into town at a pretty cautious pace, but with Silas in the stroller shouting "Whee!" I may have picked up the pace a bit.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday pm, 3.5-ish miles
I got home a little late on Thursday, just in time to see C off to journal club. I took Silas for a short spin, just to get in the run; the plan was that I would be able to wake up early today for a solo tempo run. Didn't happen, though, because my legs and brain were too tired at 5:45. Oh well, on to the weekend.
We received a mystery package of ice cream today as a thank you gift for something. No name on the tag though. I'll still be able to enjoy it, but hopefully the mystery donor will step forward...
I got home a little late on Thursday, just in time to see C off to journal club. I took Silas for a short spin, just to get in the run; the plan was that I would be able to wake up early today for a solo tempo run. Didn't happen, though, because my legs and brain were too tired at 5:45. Oh well, on to the weekend.
We received a mystery package of ice cream today as a thank you gift for something. No name on the tag though. I'll still be able to enjoy it, but hopefully the mystery donor will step forward...
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Fartlek
Tuesday pm, 8.2 miles in ?.
The good thing about a fartlek is that it can't go wrong. The pacing of this run was a little awkward, though, since there was a stretch of over two miles that was all downhill that made it hard to pick up the pace and feel like I was still in control. Silas and I started this run from the Farmer's Market, loaded down with greens, Asian pears, and grapes. We headed north while I tried to to think of a route, and ended up zig-zagging down toward the bay. We saw no less than 6 buses while waiting to cross San Pablo, which totally made Silas's night. Silas watched the crescent moon over the bay, along with all the trucks on I-80, while I did a 3/4 mile pickup on the Bay Trail. I kept the pace brisk during the recoveries, and my watch read 55:08 for the run, which was either a timing malfunction or simply shows how I was burning up the road.
We came home and made burritos with some great Red Russian kale from the market and some really good tortillas from Trader Joe's. Silas warmed my heart by eating all of the kale that I carefully concealed in his bites. Just a little bit of salsa does the trick!
I have a complicated plan for Wednesday that may or may not involve a run from work, depending on how things come together.
The good thing about a fartlek is that it can't go wrong. The pacing of this run was a little awkward, though, since there was a stretch of over two miles that was all downhill that made it hard to pick up the pace and feel like I was still in control. Silas and I started this run from the Farmer's Market, loaded down with greens, Asian pears, and grapes. We headed north while I tried to to think of a route, and ended up zig-zagging down toward the bay. We saw no less than 6 buses while waiting to cross San Pablo, which totally made Silas's night. Silas watched the crescent moon over the bay, along with all the trucks on I-80, while I did a 3/4 mile pickup on the Bay Trail. I kept the pace brisk during the recoveries, and my watch read 55:08 for the run, which was either a timing malfunction or simply shows how I was burning up the road.
We came home and made burritos with some great Red Russian kale from the market and some really good tortillas from Trader Joe's. Silas warmed my heart by eating all of the kale that I carefully concealed in his bites. Just a little bit of salsa does the trick!
I have a complicated plan for Wednesday that may or may not involve a run from work, depending on how things come together.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Lessons learned
Monday am, 4.6 miles in 33:12
I've been pondering my slow runs a lot lately, and not really feeling
satisfied without that gentle ache lingering in my legs through the day.
It occurred to me yesterday that the solution to the problem of slow
running is, simply, to run faster. I did that yesterday with a pretty
quick run, considering the long uphill, and again this morning in an
out-and-back to get bagels. I only had time for a short run this morning,
since Silas and I didn't wake up until 7. Normally I would have skipped
the run, but I got us both ready pretty quickly and we were out the door
in 20 minutes. Lately, Silas hasn't been eating breakfast first thing, so
it's a little easier to get out the door and then eat with him when we get
home. A nice run, and I'm feeling the ache.
My back has been sore for the past week (I hurt it lifting a 34 pound
sack of cuteness). I guess the lesson is that I need to stretch every
day, even if I don't run every day. Hardly seems fair.
I've been pondering my slow runs a lot lately, and not really feeling
satisfied without that gentle ache lingering in my legs through the day.
It occurred to me yesterday that the solution to the problem of slow
running is, simply, to run faster. I did that yesterday with a pretty
quick run, considering the long uphill, and again this morning in an
out-and-back to get bagels. I only had time for a short run this morning,
since Silas and I didn't wake up until 7. Normally I would have skipped
the run, but I got us both ready pretty quickly and we were out the door
in 20 minutes. Lately, Silas hasn't been eating breakfast first thing, so
it's a little easier to get out the door and then eat with him when we get
home. A nice run, and I'm feeling the ache.
My back has been sore for the past week (I hurt it lifting a 34 pound
sack of cuteness). I guess the lesson is that I need to stretch every
day, even if I don't run every day. Hardly seems fair.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Marin #4
Tuesday pm, 5.5 miles, 44
Saturday am, 7 miles, 1:00:00
Sunday pm, 8.9 miles, 1:10
Only a few runs to report. Mainly Saturday morning's run with Silas, in which we made our fourth attack on Marin Ave. The San Benito-Santa Barbara block is a short one, so this was probably a good week for it. We took the usual approach, via the Ohlone Greenway, at a pretty brisk pace. My legs were feeling fresh from 3 days off, but I had to be sure to save myself for the hill. We made it up four blocks and turned off, ending up 430 feet above home. Looking at the map, I see that I'll have to start planning these runs, because the roads get pretty winding further up the hill and I could end up getting lost on the way home. On the other hand, the answer may be to just run downhill. The downhill run from Santa Barbara is pretty steep, so I took it as a cautious pace. My day was made when I got home and hit my watch at exactly 1:00:00.
Today's run evolved as I went. Silas had skipped his nap, and fell asleep down by the bay about 20 minutes into the run. I decided to stretch things out a bit to go for a 10-miler. We ran up Gilman and hit the Greenway, then back to revisit Marin Ave. We only went up a block, though, before turning downtown. We saw Christine walking home from yoga at the Y, though, and decided to stop and walk with her. I was enjoying the run, but this is generally a good idea.
I haven't finished Born to Buy yet, because I'm a slow reader, but I've been reading about all the sleazy ways that corporations target kids, including actually writing curricula for public schools. I was somewhat relieved to read a shout-out for the Edible Schoolyard, which is right next to the track at MLK Middle School. Maybe we're in the right place.
Saturday am, 7 miles, 1:00:00
Sunday pm, 8.9 miles, 1:10
Only a few runs to report. Mainly Saturday morning's run with Silas, in which we made our fourth attack on Marin Ave. The San Benito-Santa Barbara block is a short one, so this was probably a good week for it. We took the usual approach, via the Ohlone Greenway, at a pretty brisk pace. My legs were feeling fresh from 3 days off, but I had to be sure to save myself for the hill. We made it up four blocks and turned off, ending up 430 feet above home. Looking at the map, I see that I'll have to start planning these runs, because the roads get pretty winding further up the hill and I could end up getting lost on the way home. On the other hand, the answer may be to just run downhill. The downhill run from Santa Barbara is pretty steep, so I took it as a cautious pace. My day was made when I got home and hit my watch at exactly 1:00:00.
Today's run evolved as I went. Silas had skipped his nap, and fell asleep down by the bay about 20 minutes into the run. I decided to stretch things out a bit to go for a 10-miler. We ran up Gilman and hit the Greenway, then back to revisit Marin Ave. We only went up a block, though, before turning downtown. We saw Christine walking home from yoga at the Y, though, and decided to stop and walk with her. I was enjoying the run, but this is generally a good idea.
I haven't finished Born to Buy yet, because I'm a slow reader, but I've been reading about all the sleazy ways that corporations target kids, including actually writing curricula for public schools. I was somewhat relieved to read a shout-out for the Edible Schoolyard, which is right next to the track at MLK Middle School. Maybe we're in the right place.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Marin #3
Thursday pm, 7.6 miles in 1:05
After work last night I took Silas, full of pomegranate seeds, out for
another attempt at Marin Ave. We took a different approach that usual
since I needed to stop by the library to pick up a book that was on hold
(by the way, the Berkeley Public Library website is pretty awesome, and
includes contents and excerpts of books in the catalog.) From the South
Branch, we proceeded northward on Milvia and The Alameda (passing the
Central and North Branch libraries).
We hit the circle and headed up. Today's course was 3 blocks, up to San
Benito. I was concentrating so hard that I almost missed the best yard
art of the run, a rusted iron skeleton holding a brass saxaphone.
Appropriate, since I was breathing hard and tasting blood by the time I
hit the top of my run. From San Benito to downtown was a pretty steep
downhill, to boot, so I kept a slow pace for much of the return. I was
able to get my footing enough to pick up the pace a little bit by the
time we hit the Cal campus, and wandered up and down a bit to tack on
some distance on the way home.
The route is here. I'll have to do some more planning to design a course
that includes the Claremont and West Branch libraries as well. Or maybe
not.
The book? Born to Buy, about how Silas is meant to serve as a conduit for
advertisers to access my (meager) wallet. A creepy proposition, if you
ask me.
After work last night I took Silas, full of pomegranate seeds, out for
another attempt at Marin Ave. We took a different approach that usual
since I needed to stop by the library to pick up a book that was on hold
(by the way, the Berkeley Public Library website is pretty awesome, and
includes contents and excerpts of books in the catalog.) From the South
Branch, we proceeded northward on Milvia and The Alameda (passing the
Central and North Branch libraries).
We hit the circle and headed up. Today's course was 3 blocks, up to San
Benito. I was concentrating so hard that I almost missed the best yard
art of the run, a rusted iron skeleton holding a brass saxaphone.
Appropriate, since I was breathing hard and tasting blood by the time I
hit the top of my run. From San Benito to downtown was a pretty steep
downhill, to boot, so I kept a slow pace for much of the return. I was
able to get my footing enough to pick up the pace a little bit by the
time we hit the Cal campus, and wandered up and down a bit to tack on
some distance on the way home.
The route is here. I'll have to do some more planning to design a course
that includes the Claremont and West Branch libraries as well. Or maybe
not.
The book? Born to Buy, about how Silas is meant to serve as a conduit for
advertisers to access my (meager) wallet. A creepy proposition, if you
ask me.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Tuesday pm, 30 minutes
Wednesday am, 5.5 miles tempo
I slept through my alarm on Tuesday and had a packed schedule even after
work, but I was able to squeeze in a 30 minute run with Silas, running
from the Farmer's Market to the grocery store (the long way). It was
good to keep the run short and easy, anyway, because a tough evening run
is a sure recipe for skipping the next morning.
As it happened, I dragged myself out of bed at 5:45, made an espresso,
and sat down to read the previews of todays playoff games. I then
remembered the reason that I was up, and got out the door by 6:07.
Having moved to the Bay Area in May, I had been under the impression
that it is a place with remarkably long hours of daylight. It turns
out that this isn't the case, and the days are actually starting later
now. This apparently has something to do with the tilt of the earth.
In fact, the length of the day seems to vary sinusoidally over the
course of the year, with a maximum in June and a minimum (I reckon) in
December. Most incredibly, the rate of change of the length of the day
has the same variation, but seems to be phase-shifted by about -3
months. Fascinating.
With such ruminations on my mind, I missed starting the first split for
my tempo run, so I'll call it 20:52 for the first 3/4 mile. Things
could only get better from here, and they did, but just barely. I was
running the long version of the course, and the plan was to feel
like quitting by the time I hit College and Dwight, and then hold the
effort for another 1/4 mile downhill to Dwight and Telegraph, for 3
splits of .75, 1.0, and .25 miles. I was feeling it by the time I hit
Dwight, but the mile split was a dismal 6:58. Even accounting for the
uphill run, this is the slowest that I have taken this mile and was
pretty deflating. I managed the next 1/4 mile in a fast 1:28, though,
so I'm not sure what to make of the run overall. It's possible that
my mind wandered during the mile and I let the pace drop off a bit.
I'll have to try it again next week and see what happens.
Wednesday am, 5.5 miles tempo
I slept through my alarm on Tuesday and had a packed schedule even after
work, but I was able to squeeze in a 30 minute run with Silas, running
from the Farmer's Market to the grocery store (the long way). It was
good to keep the run short and easy, anyway, because a tough evening run
is a sure recipe for skipping the next morning.
As it happened, I dragged myself out of bed at 5:45, made an espresso,
and sat down to read the previews of todays playoff games. I then
remembered the reason that I was up, and got out the door by 6:07.
Having moved to the Bay Area in May, I had been under the impression
that it is a place with remarkably long hours of daylight. It turns
out that this isn't the case, and the days are actually starting later
now. This apparently has something to do with the tilt of the earth.
In fact, the length of the day seems to vary sinusoidally over the
course of the year, with a maximum in June and a minimum (I reckon) in
December. Most incredibly, the rate of change of the length of the day
has the same variation, but seems to be phase-shifted by about -3
months. Fascinating.
With such ruminations on my mind, I missed starting the first split for
my tempo run, so I'll call it 20:52 for the first 3/4 mile. Things
could only get better from here, and they did, but just barely. I was
running the long version of the course, and the plan was to feel
like quitting by the time I hit College and Dwight, and then hold the
effort for another 1/4 mile downhill to Dwight and Telegraph, for 3
splits of .75, 1.0, and .25 miles. I was feeling it by the time I hit
Dwight, but the mile split was a dismal 6:58. Even accounting for the
uphill run, this is the slowest that I have taken this mile and was
pretty deflating. I managed the next 1/4 mile in a fast 1:28, though,
so I'm not sure what to make of the run overall. It's possible that
my mind wandered during the mile and I let the pace drop off a bit.
I'll have to try it again next week and see what happens.
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