Last time I posted, I discussed a couple of my short term goals. Then it occurred to me that I often have these short term goals, but don't actually record them and make some sort of timeline for accomplishing them. I sort of say I'd like to achieve a particular goal at some point, then go on about my business and hope they happen over time and training. It's arbitrary. More so than I'd like it to be. Therefore, I decided to make a list of goals as well as a date or general time by which I intend to accomplish each one. This can be found on the "2011 Goals" tab. As you may have figured out, I'm a really big fan of spreadsheets. Occasionally I try to express my love of Microsoft Excel to someone, but typically all I get in response is blank stares or even looks of horror.
As I was writing them, I realized it's an ambitious set for one year. My hope, though, is that one builds upon the next. For example, the goals I mentioned on Wednesday. They sort of build upon one another. And once I can run a 5K in 24 minutes, it'll just be a matter of time before I can do 4 miles at that pace, then 5, then hopefully I can extend that to 13 miles to achieve my 2 hour half marathon goal. Others are simpler, like doing a pull up and completing the NYRR 9+1 program for entry into the 2012 New York City Marathon.
Yesterday I worked out with Jared again and we did a few circuits. Then, Jared told me to run a 5K and to record not only that time, but also my mile and how far I'd gone at the 20 minute mark. I was skeptical about this, as we'd already done quite a bit of working out. But I did it, and it turned out very well! After a quarter mile warmup, I ran a mile in around 7:25. Then I slowed my pace to 6.8 miles per hour, which is about an 8 minute and 48 second mile. Once I hit 20 minutes, I was at 2.68! In retrospect, that seems suspiciously high so I'll take it with a grain of salt. Regardless, though, making progress felt good. I finished the 5K in 25:48. Not the best, but definitely a good start.
In other unfortunate news, the Brooklyn half marathon sold out before I even knew it was open for registration! We're talking a couple of days, maybe. It's such a popular race that I'm starting to wonder when I'll get to run it again. Glad that I got to run it at least once though.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
And Miles to Go Before I Sleep
Or in this case, a mile every day before I sleep. To boot, I have some woods that are lovely, dark and deep in Central Park. Sort of. Okay, fine, it's a weak metaphor. I don't know what made me read that poem today but I did and am glad about it. Read it, if you haven't. The last verse is beautiful and a little haunting. Plus, considering the ongoing brutality of this winter, it's refreshing to read something that still treats the whole season with a measure of wonder rather than the disgust and annoyance I've adopted.
Jared and I worked out today. Circuits, as usual, but with a mile to begin. I did it between 7:30 and 7:35. Along with improving my mile time, I think I'm ready to begin increasing the distance I can run at this pace. I've gotten to the point where running a 7:30 mile requires a standard amount of effort; therefore, it's time I tackle a couple of goals. I've mentioned at least one, possibly both. The reason I feel like they need to be restated is that I now have a clear plan of action to achieving them. The first is running 2.5 miles in 20 minutes. This will come into play for the remaining two indoor triathlons in the JackRabbit series. As I've mentioned before and is easily calculated, 2.5 miles in 20 minutes works out to be an 8min/mile pace. The key here is increasing my distance steadily at the 7:30 pace. Maybe increase by a tenth or quarter of a mile every day? Or maybe somewhere in between. A quarter mile per day might be overly ambitious.
My second goal is really an extension of the first. I want to run a 5K in under 24 minutes. I did it in high school and I'm sure I can do it again. It's just going to require lots of discipline. If I can achieve these smaller goals and the approach proves successful, it may be that I can revamp my whole running strategy and be much faster than I thought possible. One step at a time, though.
Jared and I worked out today. Circuits, as usual, but with a mile to begin. I did it between 7:30 and 7:35. Along with improving my mile time, I think I'm ready to begin increasing the distance I can run at this pace. I've gotten to the point where running a 7:30 mile requires a standard amount of effort; therefore, it's time I tackle a couple of goals. I've mentioned at least one, possibly both. The reason I feel like they need to be restated is that I now have a clear plan of action to achieving them. The first is running 2.5 miles in 20 minutes. This will come into play for the remaining two indoor triathlons in the JackRabbit series. As I've mentioned before and is easily calculated, 2.5 miles in 20 minutes works out to be an 8min/mile pace. The key here is increasing my distance steadily at the 7:30 pace. Maybe increase by a tenth or quarter of a mile every day? Or maybe somewhere in between. A quarter mile per day might be overly ambitious.
My second goal is really an extension of the first. I want to run a 5K in under 24 minutes. I did it in high school and I'm sure I can do it again. It's just going to require lots of discipline. If I can achieve these smaller goals and the approach proves successful, it may be that I can revamp my whole running strategy and be much faster than I thought possible. One step at a time, though.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Streaks - Harder than I Thought
The idea of a streak was originally appealing to me because the time commitment required isn't very large. Thinking about it, I realized I didn't need more than 10-15 minutes to do the things I set out to do (run at least 1 mile and do 100 situps per day). I still believe that's the case. What I didn't account for, though, was the process of getting ready and being in the right mindset. Getting ready and actually going to the gym or to Central Park is usually something of an event. This streak has made me rethink that approach. Yesterday, for instance. I waited until the very last minute to do my run and I knew that I didn't have time to make a production of finding appropriate clothes and such. I'm sure you're thinking, "can getting ready for a workout be that big a deal." I guess it's not that it's a big deal, but I realized that prepping for the workout is definitely something to take into consideration. Yesterday I didn't want to be bothered with all of it so I went in the clothes I was wearing. Jeans and all. It was kind of weird but a little liberating as well.
What takes getting used to is not the workout itself, it's the idea that not everything has to be just right in order for me to squeeze a workout into a busy day. Sometimes Jeremy runs to or from somewhere he needs to be during the day. I wasn't the biggest fan of this idea because I always thought it would be strange to just run around in the clothes you're wearing. I'm beginning to rethink that. Soon, hopefully, I'll be able to manage this streak without doing so much thinking.
What takes getting used to is not the workout itself, it's the idea that not everything has to be just right in order for me to squeeze a workout into a busy day. Sometimes Jeremy runs to or from somewhere he needs to be during the day. I wasn't the biggest fan of this idea because I always thought it would be strange to just run around in the clothes you're wearing. I'm beginning to rethink that. Soon, hopefully, I'll be able to manage this streak without doing so much thinking.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Quick Run
I'm starting to wonder if this isn't making my workouts brief, unnecessarily. I'm still following through with this challenge, but it's making me wonder. Did a quick 2.5 around the teensy lower loop of the park. The park is always well maintained, so ice wasn't a big problem today. Tomorrow I need to get in a real workout, though.
I should have been doing the NYRR Gridiron, but it sold out before I registered! That means no run AND no football throw. Ah, well.
I should have been doing the NYRR Gridiron, but it sold out before I registered! That means no run AND no football throw. Ah, well.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Streak Rolls On
Alright, so it's really not that big a deal because it's only the second day. Still, it was a busy day and, had I not started this whole streak thing, I may not have worked out because of it. The situps were easy. I can do those in front of the TV. I will say that my buttbone was pretty sore from doing them yesterday and I wanted to set up some sort of cushion but couldn't figure out how. I guess that'll be a project for another day.
The run was the interesting part. I was pressed for time so ended up doing some city running. City running is great when you have no particular destination in mind and a block of time to while away. You run in one direction until you hit a red light, at which point you begin running in the direction of the green light. Sound arbitrary? It is. It's part of what makes it fun, though. That and dodging the crowds and vaulting over small dogs and, in today's case, avoiding ice patches. It didn't work out as well as I'd hoped because I had to be back by a certain time and so had to set a definite route. I started in midtown west, ran east to Madison, north to Central Park, then south again to return to the starting point. Since I was sticking to this route, I had to stop for red lights. The loop was about a mile and a half and I completed it in 15 minutes. That averages out to a 10 minute mile, but it was the result of sprinting between red lights and having to stop for seconds to minutes at a time. But, when all is said and done, my streak has survived another day.
The run was the interesting part. I was pressed for time so ended up doing some city running. City running is great when you have no particular destination in mind and a block of time to while away. You run in one direction until you hit a red light, at which point you begin running in the direction of the green light. Sound arbitrary? It is. It's part of what makes it fun, though. That and dodging the crowds and vaulting over small dogs and, in today's case, avoiding ice patches. It didn't work out as well as I'd hoped because I had to be back by a certain time and so had to set a definite route. I started in midtown west, ran east to Madison, north to Central Park, then south again to return to the starting point. Since I was sticking to this route, I had to stop for red lights. The loop was about a mile and a half and I completed it in 15 minutes. That averages out to a 10 minute mile, but it was the result of sprinting between red lights and having to stop for seconds to minutes at a time. But, when all is said and done, my streak has survived another day.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
One Good Mile
It's fairly easy to get into a workout slump where I either don't work out at all or don't work out enough or hard enough. That's where I feel like I've been for the past week or so. What's amazing, though, is how quickly things can turn around. It only takes one good workout, even one good mile to get me back on my feet and excited again about racing and working out.
I just had a workout with Jared that did just that. He described it as something to do with how Gerard Butler trained to play Leonidas in 300. While I'm sure it's a modified version of that, it was challenging nonetheless. Also, in designing it, Jared took into account my streak goals. The idea behind the workout was that we had four types of exercises. In this case, they were pull up jumps, sit ups (for my streak), side push ups, and kettlebell swings. Our goal was to complete as many of each exercise as we could and then move onto a cardio intermission on the treadmill, elliptical, or rowing machine. After the cardio, we'd move onto the next exercise. The goal was to complete 300 of any combination of the four exercises. This seems a little confusing. Here's an example of a round:
21 pull up jumps - 21 total reps
400 meters on the elliptical
50 sit ups - 71 total reps
400 meters on the treadmill
26 side push ups - 97 total reps
400 meters on the rowing machine
50 kettlebell swings - 147 total reps
400 meters on the treadmill
And so on and so forth until the total reps reach 300. The key to finishing this workout quickly was doing the 400 meters on a treadmill whenever possible. It's the hardest of the three, but definitely the fastest. It takes entirely too much time to complete the same distance on an elliptical machine.
After finishing my 300, I ran my mile. I did it in 7:30. Granted, it's not the fastest I've ever done and it was on a treadmill. But considering I'd already done the bulk of the workout, I was pretty happy with it. It made me excited about my streak and excited about the NYRR Gridiron on Sunday.
Another bit of good news: today I got an email saying that I made the Indoor Tri Championships! Woo hoo!
I just had a workout with Jared that did just that. He described it as something to do with how Gerard Butler trained to play Leonidas in 300. While I'm sure it's a modified version of that, it was challenging nonetheless. Also, in designing it, Jared took into account my streak goals. The idea behind the workout was that we had four types of exercises. In this case, they were pull up jumps, sit ups (for my streak), side push ups, and kettlebell swings. Our goal was to complete as many of each exercise as we could and then move onto a cardio intermission on the treadmill, elliptical, or rowing machine. After the cardio, we'd move onto the next exercise. The goal was to complete 300 of any combination of the four exercises. This seems a little confusing. Here's an example of a round:
21 pull up jumps - 21 total reps
400 meters on the elliptical
50 sit ups - 71 total reps
400 meters on the treadmill
26 side push ups - 97 total reps
400 meters on the rowing machine
50 kettlebell swings - 147 total reps
400 meters on the treadmill
And so on and so forth until the total reps reach 300. The key to finishing this workout quickly was doing the 400 meters on a treadmill whenever possible. It's the hardest of the three, but definitely the fastest. It takes entirely too much time to complete the same distance on an elliptical machine.
After finishing my 300, I ran my mile. I did it in 7:30. Granted, it's not the fastest I've ever done and it was on a treadmill. But considering I'd already done the bulk of the workout, I was pretty happy with it. It made me excited about my streak and excited about the NYRR Gridiron on Sunday.
Another bit of good news: today I got an email saying that I made the Indoor Tri Championships! Woo hoo!
What's Going on?!
Urgh. For whatever reason, I've found my motivation flagging the past week or so. I don't like it and I need to get back into it before it turns into a long term thing. The last thing I need is to find myself out of shape in the springtime, when all the best marathons and ultras take place. I guess what's also not helping is that I haven't actually picked and committed to a spring ultra or marathon. I'll compare some in a future post.
What is my proposed solution to this funk? Why, starting a streak of course! My friend Kim inspired this decision with her streak of biking at least 30 minutes every day. I've never been good at keeping streaks, but I'm hoping the one I'm about to start will be simple enough to keep going for at least a couple of weeks. Here's the idea: I pledge to run at least 1 mile and 100 situps every day for as long as I can. Should I put a definite number on this? Probably, since the crux of my workout strategy is commitment to a goal. Let's say two weeks. This doesn't mean I'll only run a mile per day, It just means that, should I find myself having not worked out at the end of the day, I'll have to drag my butt up and go outside for 10 minutes to run a mile. 10 minutes. It shouldn't be that big a deal.
I've read about people who thrive on streaks and love to be able to say they've run every day for the past however many weeks (or months, or years!) and I really admire them. One thing I'm kind of bad about is scheduling my training around my life rather than the other way around. I'm sure there are arguments for both, but in order to achieve some of the long-term goals I have (Boston, someday), I'll have to become more disciplined about training and I'm hoping this experiment will assist in that area.
My friend Meghan, with whom I graduated from high school, suggested I sign up for DailyMile. Apparently it's good for tracking workouts and connecting with other people that have similar workout goals. Check it out. Also, email me if you're interested in trying out this streak business with me! Keep in mind, your streak can be whatever you want and, if you don't mind going public with it (you can use an alias), I'll put you on the Streak List.
What is my proposed solution to this funk? Why, starting a streak of course! My friend Kim inspired this decision with her streak of biking at least 30 minutes every day. I've never been good at keeping streaks, but I'm hoping the one I'm about to start will be simple enough to keep going for at least a couple of weeks. Here's the idea: I pledge to run at least 1 mile and 100 situps every day for as long as I can. Should I put a definite number on this? Probably, since the crux of my workout strategy is commitment to a goal. Let's say two weeks. This doesn't mean I'll only run a mile per day, It just means that, should I find myself having not worked out at the end of the day, I'll have to drag my butt up and go outside for 10 minutes to run a mile. 10 minutes. It shouldn't be that big a deal.
I've read about people who thrive on streaks and love to be able to say they've run every day for the past however many weeks (or months, or years!) and I really admire them. One thing I'm kind of bad about is scheduling my training around my life rather than the other way around. I'm sure there are arguments for both, but in order to achieve some of the long-term goals I have (Boston, someday), I'll have to become more disciplined about training and I'm hoping this experiment will assist in that area.
My friend Meghan, with whom I graduated from high school, suggested I sign up for DailyMile. Apparently it's good for tracking workouts and connecting with other people that have similar workout goals. Check it out. Also, email me if you're interested in trying out this streak business with me! Keep in mind, your streak can be whatever you want and, if you don't mind going public with it (you can use an alias), I'll put you on the Streak List.
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