SO! Today was Run Day. It was officially Week 6, Mix 2 of the Podrunner Intervals series. Man I love those podcasts. I am still at the stage where I need to completely shut down my frontal lobes (so as not to focus on the difficulty of the job at hand), and go into caveman run (left, right, left, right... or sometimes, I count steps.)... and the podcasts are amazing - all I have to do is wait for the ding! run. Different Ding, Walk. No thinking.
Without further ado, today's run looked like this:
- 5 min warm-up walk
- 10 minute run
- 3 min recovery walk
- 10 minute run
- 1 minute recovery walk
- 3 minute run
The official podcast is done after 20 minutes of running, but I've been trying to push the envelope a bit, so I've been tacking on time at the end of each run.. somewhere between 1-4 minutes, to make sure that I'm never running (total) less time than the last.
Today's total time: 23 Minutes. YEAH. And I have to say, it didn't feel *that* bad. The first 10 minute run was totally fine. Steady breathing, steady stride, good times. The second 10 minutes was a bit more of a fight... particularly the last 2-3 minutes... but then, I just remind myself that I have a job to do, there is a reason I'm doing this, and I can go slower - but there is NO stopping. And then I concentrate on my caveman tactics - left, right, left, right.... haha
I am a bit apprehensive about the upcoming run schedule though... from here on out, there are no segments shorter than 25 minutes (Thursday's run... da da DA.). Then 25, 28, and slowly working up to a solid 30 minute run. I am pushing forward with gusto for that benchmark... but yikes.
Incidentally, I am LOVING these Inov-8 shoes I've got (f-lite 230s). They are totally different than any sneaker I've ever had on, and I love it. SO much lighter to run in, and cooler. My feet, for once, didn't feel like they were sweaty and suffocating. It is a much different run, in a way, because you don't have that heel cushion, but not uncomfortable. And thus far, I don't find myself sore in the joints or anything. Just for my own edification, I think I'm going to have to look into some reading materials on "pose" or this new minimalist running style.
Keeping up the hydration, has been an awesome thing, too. I had no idea how dehydrated I must've been. I feel WAY better now that I'm (consciously) drinking the appropriate amount of water in a day.
Oh, and incidentally, the Spartan Race ladies - The Spartan Chicks - have created a FB group for all the ladies of the Spartan Race. I joined today and am inspired on even more levels. Contrary to my fears, these ladies are NOT just super athletes. They are people - just like me - who have put in the work, sweated, cried, doubted, but WORKED and finished races. I'm excited. I can't wait until next year. August 11, 2012 is tentatively looking like my race day.
With that... I'm off to throw a little Tiger Balm on my slightly cramping calves (better to nip it in the bud, before it gets real ouchy!), and relax a bit. Ahhh... Tomorrow, we lift.
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