Run 9 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 2 times
Run additional 8 minutes
30 minute "run"
Run stats:
Distance: 2.64 miles
Pace: 11:22/mile
Run Review: Ok. So it didn't feel "good", but it also didn't feel "bad". It was "ok". My calves warmed up after the first run, so that helped. I also didn't feel exhausted like I did last Friday. J's knees were better today. I taped them with some cheap-o sports tape, but he thinks it helped, so we'll keep doing that for a couple more weeks. We lacked on our stretching and foam rolling this (Holiday) weekend, but we got back into the flow of things again today. One cool thing of note is that we ran 30 minutes with only 4 minutes of walking! That's only 13% walking!
The weather was also "ok"; it wasn't raining, but it was pretty chilly at 43°. (Although it did warm up considerably after we started running!)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
Week 5: Run 3
Run 8 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"
Run stats:
Distance: 2.59 miles
Pace: 11:35/mile
Run Review: Well, today didn't feel "good", but it didn't feel as bad as Wednesday. My calves warmed up...eventually. Overall, though, I just felt exhausted. I wonder if it could have been that large meal last night...Thank you Thanksgiving dinner! :)
Just for good measure, we stopped by Voodoo Donuts for an after-run pit stop. If you ever visit Portland, it's definitely a spot to check out! They have some very creative donuts, and they taste pretty good, too! I had the Portland Cream Donut and bought a Dirty Donut for later. :) Mmmm.
Later, we stopped by a local running store to purchase a foam roller. I'm using it for my calves and hamstrings (and IT band for my own protection), and J will be using it for his IT band, which will hopefully stave off any more knee pain!
No more running or working out until Monday! See you then!
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"
Run stats:
Distance: 2.59 miles
Pace: 11:35/mile
Run Review: Well, today didn't feel "good", but it didn't feel as bad as Wednesday. My calves warmed up...eventually. Overall, though, I just felt exhausted. I wonder if it could have been that large meal last night...Thank you Thanksgiving dinner! :)
Just for good measure, we stopped by Voodoo Donuts for an after-run pit stop. If you ever visit Portland, it's definitely a spot to check out! They have some very creative donuts, and they taste pretty good, too! I had the Portland Cream Donut and bought a Dirty Donut for later. :) Mmmm.
Later, we stopped by a local running store to purchase a foam roller. I'm using it for my calves and hamstrings (and IT band for my own protection), and J will be using it for his IT band, which will hopefully stave off any more knee pain!
No more running or working out until Monday! See you then!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Week 5: Run 2
Run 8 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"
Run stats:
Distance: 2.56 miles
Pace: 11:44/mile
Run Review: I did not feel good. My calves were hurting the whole run. J also had a bad run; his knees hurt the whole time. The good news is, the pain did not change our distance! I just wish it hadn't have hurt so much! I got out of work earlier yesterday (the day before Thanksgiving) so we almost caught some sunlight during our run! Although it was still pretty dark, the weather behaved itself: no rain, minimal wind, not too cold. Now, if only my calves hadn't hurt so much!
After the run we did our yoga routine. Later, I had J rub my calves at the painful areas. He concurred that they felt "tight". I guess I have been somewhat lacking on my calf stretching... Shame on me.
New goal: Good calf stretching x 10 minutes every night.
There. Now I just have to do it!
Oh. And by the way... HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"
Run stats:
Distance: 2.56 miles
Pace: 11:44/mile
Run Review: I did not feel good. My calves were hurting the whole run. J also had a bad run; his knees hurt the whole time. The good news is, the pain did not change our distance! I just wish it hadn't have hurt so much! I got out of work earlier yesterday (the day before Thanksgiving) so we almost caught some sunlight during our run! Although it was still pretty dark, the weather behaved itself: no rain, minimal wind, not too cold. Now, if only my calves hadn't hurt so much!
After the run we did our yoga routine. Later, I had J rub my calves at the painful areas. He concurred that they felt "tight". I guess I have been somewhat lacking on my calf stretching... Shame on me.
New goal: Good calf stretching x 10 minutes every night.
There. Now I just have to do it!
Oh. And by the way... HAPPY THANKSGIVING.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Change of Plans
So remember yesterday, when I went on and on about my "plan" and the included "strength training"? (Reference this post.) Well, it didn't go exactly according to plan...
We were all dressed and ready to go when, *POW*, J remembered we were expecting a shipment from UPS, and it hadn't arrived yet! It was one of those deals where they say they'll deliver it sometime between 7am and 7pm. Well this particular package (which may or may not have included wine... ;) needed to be signed for.
"Well, hmm?," I said. "What about our workout?," all the time saying to myself, "Crap! I was just blogging about how good we were at sticking to our plan! I can't say that I'm going to do something and then back out! What would the Blog Gods do to me??"
We could split up, one of us going to the gym, one staying to wait for the delivery. But we're relative newlyweds! We can't be separated!! (i.e. J wouldn't do the exercises on his own, without my "expert" guidance! Translation: J wouldn't do them because he doesn't want to!)
Since I am a PT, I knew exactly what to do in this situation: I turned to my trusted friend for support: Google. (It's not cheating is it?!) I searched for exercises we could perform in our limited condo space, that would still focus on the selected muscle groups. I found 2 exercises and added one of my own. These are what we ended up doing:
Wall Sits: Pretty self-explanatory. We did it with a pillow between our knees to incorporate more VMO action. 2 sets of 10 reps (holding each rep for 10 seconds). Slow motion.
Straight-Legged Bridging (best name I could think up!) Heels placed on couch, lift buttocks off ground, keeping knees and hips straight. Your shoulders should still be on the ground. We held each rep for 5 count. 2 sets of 5 reps.
Hip Abduction: Sidelying, with top hip slightly more forward than bottom hip. Lift top leg straight up into air, only about 45° up. 2 sets of 10 reps.
These exercises were tough, and definitely did their job. We might try to incorporate them into our regular routine!
To tie up all the loose ends: The shipment did arrive, although not during our workout. It arrived at about 7:30pm, outside the timeframe, but at least we got our wine!
We were all dressed and ready to go when, *POW*, J remembered we were expecting a shipment from UPS, and it hadn't arrived yet! It was one of those deals where they say they'll deliver it sometime between 7am and 7pm. Well this particular package (which may or may not have included wine... ;) needed to be signed for.
"Well, hmm?," I said. "What about our workout?," all the time saying to myself, "Crap! I was just blogging about how good we were at sticking to our plan! I can't say that I'm going to do something and then back out! What would the Blog Gods do to me??"
We could split up, one of us going to the gym, one staying to wait for the delivery. But we're relative newlyweds! We can't be separated!! (i.e. J wouldn't do the exercises on his own, without my "expert" guidance! Translation: J wouldn't do them because he doesn't want to!)
Since I am a PT, I knew exactly what to do in this situation: I turned to my trusted friend for support: Google. (It's not cheating is it?!) I searched for exercises we could perform in our limited condo space, that would still focus on the selected muscle groups. I found 2 exercises and added one of my own. These are what we ended up doing:
Wall Sits: Pretty self-explanatory. We did it with a pillow between our knees to incorporate more VMO action. 2 sets of 10 reps (holding each rep for 10 seconds). Slow motion.
Straight-Legged Bridging (best name I could think up!) Heels placed on couch, lift buttocks off ground, keeping knees and hips straight. Your shoulders should still be on the ground. We held each rep for 5 count. 2 sets of 5 reps.
Hip Abduction: Sidelying, with top hip slightly more forward than bottom hip. Lift top leg straight up into air, only about 45° up. 2 sets of 10 reps.
These exercises were tough, and definitely did their job. We might try to incorporate them into our regular routine!
To tie up all the loose ends: The shipment did arrive, although not during our workout. It arrived at about 7:30pm, outside the timeframe, but at least we got our wine!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The "New Plan"
If you have ever run across another "Newbie Runner" blog, or started running from "scratch" yourself, you are probably familiar with "The Couch-to-5K Running Plan". It's a straightforward, and more importantly, safe way to begin upping your running "time". And let me tell you, I am all about making sure my husband/running partner (we'll call him "J") and I don't injure, or otherwise burn ourselves out before we even get started in this new pursuit.
Why am I so obsessed with preventing injury? Well first of all, I like to avoid any unnecessary pain! (duh!) But it's also because I am a Physical Therapist, and I am very familiar with the kind of injuries that can derail a new runner before they really even get started (i.e. shin splints, stress fractures, patellafemoral pain, hamstring strain, etc.) So I am very diligent about doing everything right, and as a new runner that means starting slow. The plan J and I are following gradually increases running time, and indirectly distance, so that our bodies won't get burned out right away (which may or may not be how J and I have both started running programs in the past...morale of the story, we never made it past a week!)
Here's "my version" of "The-Couch-to-5K Plan" (mmm...math equations ;):
Week 1: Run 2 minutes + Walk 4 minutes x 5 = 30 minutes
Week 2: Run 3 minutes + Walk 3 minutes x 5 = 30 minutes
Week 3: Run 5 minutes + Walk 2.5 minutes x 4 = 30 minutes
Week 4: Run 7 minutes + Walk 3 minutes x 3 = 30 minutes
Week 5: Run 8 minutes + Walk 2 minutes x 3 = 30 minutes
Week 6: Run 9 minutes + Walk 2 minutes x 2 + 8 minutes = 30 minutes
Week 7: Run 9 minutes + Walk 1 minute x 3 = 30 minutes
Week 8: Run 13 minutes + Walk 2 minutes x 2 = 30 minutes
Week 9: Run 14 minutes + Walk 1 minute x 2 = 30 minutes
Week 10: Run 30 minutes + Walk 0 minutes x 1 = 30 minutes
(As previously noted, J and I are currently on Week 5.)
**Let me preface the rest of my "plan" by saying:
1. I am a new Physical Therapist. I graduated in August 2008, and was officially licensed about one year ago, December 2008.
2. Although I did some of my clinicals (as a student) in outpatient/sports therapy clinics, I currently work as a long-term inpatient therapist, so I may not be as up to date with "sports therapy".
Preface over**
Additionally, J and I are doing strength training on our "off" days (Tuesday and Thursday, currently) to build muscles that will hopefully prevent uneven stress on our joints and muscles. What we've been working on thus far (and will continue with tonight):
Quads: I make sure we focus mostly on the VMO, aka the innermost quad muscle. This will hopefully allow us to avoid patellafemoral pain (aka knee pain).
Glutes: In my brief foray into running mechanics research, I found this to be one of the most important muscles to build up for running. Aka: Buns of Steel :)
Shoulder retraction: (aka good posture muscles) I am a sloucher, and I am ashamed of it. I figured whilst performing these other strength training exercises, I could also try to improve my posture, you know, while I am around all those fancy machines!
Besides running 3 days/week and strength training 2 days/week, we are also stretching everyday. Yes. You read that right. Every. Single. Day. 7 days/week. Well, we try to at least. 6 days/week, minimally. And by "we", I mostly mean "me", but J at least does it with me after running! My opinion is that tight muscles = bad running mechanics = injury. Besides, stretching is such an easy thing to do, might as well make it a habit! I found a great yoga (stretch + strength) routine on Runner's World.com. (The video should be included in that link. Trust me, the pictures are not the easiest way to determine the correct form.) It gets all the important areas, including the piriformis (#4) and hamstrings (#6); please, watch the video for instruction!
So that's it. That's the plan. We are nearly to the halfway point of "The Couch-to-5K plan". Once we finish it, we'll start focusing more on mileage vs. time. I'm sure I'll be able to Google myself a good, "newer" plan. Until then, this is where we're at!
Why am I so obsessed with preventing injury? Well first of all, I like to avoid any unnecessary pain! (duh!) But it's also because I am a Physical Therapist, and I am very familiar with the kind of injuries that can derail a new runner before they really even get started (i.e. shin splints, stress fractures, patellafemoral pain, hamstring strain, etc.) So I am very diligent about doing everything right, and as a new runner that means starting slow. The plan J and I are following gradually increases running time, and indirectly distance, so that our bodies won't get burned out right away (which may or may not be how J and I have both started running programs in the past...morale of the story, we never made it past a week!)
Here's "my version" of "The-Couch-to-5K Plan" (mmm...math equations ;):
Week 1: Run 2 minutes + Walk 4 minutes x 5 = 30 minutes
Week 2: Run 3 minutes + Walk 3 minutes x 5 = 30 minutes
Week 3: Run 5 minutes + Walk 2.5 minutes x 4 = 30 minutes
Week 4: Run 7 minutes + Walk 3 minutes x 3 = 30 minutes
Week 5: Run 8 minutes + Walk 2 minutes x 3 = 30 minutes
Week 6: Run 9 minutes + Walk 2 minutes x 2 + 8 minutes = 30 minutes
Week 7: Run 9 minutes + Walk 1 minute x 3 = 30 minutes
Week 8: Run 13 minutes + Walk 2 minutes x 2 = 30 minutes
Week 9: Run 14 minutes + Walk 1 minute x 2 = 30 minutes
Week 10: Run 30 minutes + Walk 0 minutes x 1 = 30 minutes
(As previously noted, J and I are currently on Week 5.)
**Let me preface the rest of my "plan" by saying:
1. I am a new Physical Therapist. I graduated in August 2008, and was officially licensed about one year ago, December 2008.
2. Although I did some of my clinicals (as a student) in outpatient/sports therapy clinics, I currently work as a long-term inpatient therapist, so I may not be as up to date with "sports therapy".
Preface over**
Additionally, J and I are doing strength training on our "off" days (Tuesday and Thursday, currently) to build muscles that will hopefully prevent uneven stress on our joints and muscles. What we've been working on thus far (and will continue with tonight):
Quads: I make sure we focus mostly on the VMO, aka the innermost quad muscle. This will hopefully allow us to avoid patellafemoral pain (aka knee pain).
Glutes: In my brief foray into running mechanics research, I found this to be one of the most important muscles to build up for running. Aka: Buns of Steel :)
Shoulder retraction: (aka good posture muscles) I am a sloucher, and I am ashamed of it. I figured whilst performing these other strength training exercises, I could also try to improve my posture, you know, while I am around all those fancy machines!
Besides running 3 days/week and strength training 2 days/week, we are also stretching everyday. Yes. You read that right. Every. Single. Day. 7 days/week. Well, we try to at least. 6 days/week, minimally. And by "we", I mostly mean "me", but J at least does it with me after running! My opinion is that tight muscles = bad running mechanics = injury. Besides, stretching is such an easy thing to do, might as well make it a habit! I found a great yoga (stretch + strength) routine on Runner's World.com. (The video should be included in that link. Trust me, the pictures are not the easiest way to determine the correct form.) It gets all the important areas, including the piriformis (#4) and hamstrings (#6); please, watch the video for instruction!
So that's it. That's the plan. We are nearly to the halfway point of "The Couch-to-5K plan". Once we finish it, we'll start focusing more on mileage vs. time. I'm sure I'll be able to Google myself a good, "newer" plan. Until then, this is where we're at!
Week 5: Run 1 (of the "new plan")
Run 8 minutes
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"
Run stats:
Distance: 2.56 miles
Pace: 11:44/mile
Run Review: I felt good last night. I felt like I picked up the pace. (Which is not my focus at this point, since I'm starting this "adventure" by upping the amount of time I run first; but I just felt good.) The weather was pretty nice. It was about 50° and NOT raining, which is unusual for the Pacific Northwest this time of year :) There were a lot of runners out last night too, which helps keep me motivated. During last Friday's run, runners were scarce. I'm not sure whether that was due to the weather, or the fact that it was Friday night. Either way, it was good to see so many people out there.
**I'll post about my "new plan" in a separate post. I'm a sucker for organization (OCD?)
Walk 2 minutes
Repeat 3 times
30 minute "run"
Run stats:
Distance: 2.56 miles
Pace: 11:44/mile
Run Review: I felt good last night. I felt like I picked up the pace. (Which is not my focus at this point, since I'm starting this "adventure" by upping the amount of time I run first; but I just felt good.) The weather was pretty nice. It was about 50° and NOT raining, which is unusual for the Pacific Northwest this time of year :) There were a lot of runners out last night too, which helps keep me motivated. During last Friday's run, runners were scarce. I'm not sure whether that was due to the weather, or the fact that it was Friday night. Either way, it was good to see so many people out there.
**I'll post about my "new plan" in a separate post. I'm a sucker for organization (OCD?)
Monday, November 23, 2009
A Slight Change of Scenery
Ok, so I'm addicted to blogs. I stumble across one, read it in its entirety, then have to search for a new one. I move from subject to subject. I don't even KNOW these people, and yet, I can't stop reading!
So, I've decided to start my own blog. I don't know if anyone is ever going to read it, but I want in on the fun. It's fun to read what other people are doing in similar situations to your own. (At least it is for me! :) I imagine that it's just as much fun to write a blog of your own!
What subject am I going to examine? Well, I've just begun running, with the ultimate goal of running a marathon. (Well at least one.) I'm starting with a smaller goal, though: To run a 5K. On paper (or in text on a computer), it doesn't seem like such a large goal. But, if you take into consideration that I absolutely loathed running until about a month ago, its a giant step for me.
This brings me to the name I've given my blog. I may not have enjoyed running (hated it, actually), but I was a fairly active youngster. I was a competitive swimmer for twelve years. My swimming career ended during my last year of undergraduate studies. I was a long distance swimmer, actually, which you think would prepare me for any other endurance activity (running included). This was not the case. When I would swim, during training or races, I hardly even used my legs; they just kind of dragged behind me. So any activity requiring excessive use of my legs (ahem...running) did not come as naturally as you would think.
During the first 27 years of my life, I had never once received pleasure from running. That all ended about 1 month ago when I experienced the mythical "runner's high". I had come across an article in some magazine (can't for the life of me remember which one) that detailed how a non-runner could transform into a runner. What motivated me to attempt this, I do not know, but thus far I am very grateful it did! The "plan" was similar to many beginning runner plans. It started by having you run 1 minute, walk 4 minutes, and continue until you've reached 30 minutes. I subsequently lost the paper holding the "plan" and had to google search for a new one, which I actually like more. But it was during the first phase, with the first "plan" that I experienced my first "runner's high".
At this point in the "plan", I was only supposed to run for 2 minutes, but after the first 2 minutes, I still felt great. That had never happened to me while running, so I continued for another minute, and another, until I had been running for 5 minutes. At that time, 30 minutes had passed since the beginning of the session, so I stopped to avoid injury, but I was hooked. I've been running 3 days/week, 30 minutes/day, and it has been going great! I run with my husband (we're newlyweds!! :) which has been a great motivator!
In my swimming days, I would spend hours with my head submerged in water, following an endless black line. Now, I get to enjoy the beautiful scenery around my home, which is constantly changing. It is certainly a change of scenery.
I'll write more about my running schedule later. I may be new at this, but I'm sure I've written plenty for my first post (I'm a rambler! watch out!)
So, I've decided to start my own blog. I don't know if anyone is ever going to read it, but I want in on the fun. It's fun to read what other people are doing in similar situations to your own. (At least it is for me! :) I imagine that it's just as much fun to write a blog of your own!
What subject am I going to examine? Well, I've just begun running, with the ultimate goal of running a marathon. (Well at least one.) I'm starting with a smaller goal, though: To run a 5K. On paper (or in text on a computer), it doesn't seem like such a large goal. But, if you take into consideration that I absolutely loathed running until about a month ago, its a giant step for me.
This brings me to the name I've given my blog. I may not have enjoyed running (hated it, actually), but I was a fairly active youngster. I was a competitive swimmer for twelve years. My swimming career ended during my last year of undergraduate studies. I was a long distance swimmer, actually, which you think would prepare me for any other endurance activity (running included). This was not the case. When I would swim, during training or races, I hardly even used my legs; they just kind of dragged behind me. So any activity requiring excessive use of my legs (ahem...running) did not come as naturally as you would think.
During the first 27 years of my life, I had never once received pleasure from running. That all ended about 1 month ago when I experienced the mythical "runner's high". I had come across an article in some magazine (can't for the life of me remember which one) that detailed how a non-runner could transform into a runner. What motivated me to attempt this, I do not know, but thus far I am very grateful it did! The "plan" was similar to many beginning runner plans. It started by having you run 1 minute, walk 4 minutes, and continue until you've reached 30 minutes. I subsequently lost the paper holding the "plan" and had to google search for a new one, which I actually like more. But it was during the first phase, with the first "plan" that I experienced my first "runner's high".
At this point in the "plan", I was only supposed to run for 2 minutes, but after the first 2 minutes, I still felt great. That had never happened to me while running, so I continued for another minute, and another, until I had been running for 5 minutes. At that time, 30 minutes had passed since the beginning of the session, so I stopped to avoid injury, but I was hooked. I've been running 3 days/week, 30 minutes/day, and it has been going great! I run with my husband (we're newlyweds!! :) which has been a great motivator!
In my swimming days, I would spend hours with my head submerged in water, following an endless black line. Now, I get to enjoy the beautiful scenery around my home, which is constantly changing. It is certainly a change of scenery.
I'll write more about my running schedule later. I may be new at this, but I'm sure I've written plenty for my first post (I'm a rambler! watch out!)
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