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Saturday, December 02, 2006
Best Training Run Yet
Run Time: 47:25
Total Miles to Date: 141.3
Thoughts on the Run:
Today was the best run yet, by far.
I woke up and stepped outside. It was COLD. It was in the low 30s. I decided to have breakfast and run after the sun was a bit higher so it would warm up.
Breakfast was two Kashi whole-grain (7 grains) waffles with blackberries and raspberries (no syrup). I also brewed some coffee in the French press. I took my multivitamin pack and then relaxed with my wife for about an hour.
For gear, I decided to try my shorts with the long running pants over them. I debated what to wear up top, and then decided just the long sleeve whick would be fine - nothing over it. I knew I would warm up and where I usually make my mistake is by overdressing and then trapping all of the sweat.
The only deviating from my standard routine was that I decided to take a Succeed! cap before the run. I sweat A LOT ... friends and family joke that just thinking about exercise causes me to sweat - so I figured even on the shorter run it would be a good test of electrolyte balance. Each cap has 341mg of sodium and 21mg of potassium.
I stepped out and started the run. It was COLD. My hands were freezing but I was out in the sun fairly quickly. I also chose and out-and-back route that would lead me up a rather long incline to warm-up quickly. I felt great and knocked that first mile out in 9:29 despite the uphill.
The second mile went faster due to more uphill. Ironically, this was a mile I stopped at. About 3/4 into the mile, I had a sharp pain in my knee - the right knee that I had complete reconstructive ACL on. I identified the pain immediately. It's what happens when I do what I call "lazy running." Basically my joint there is reconstructed and part of the problem is that the quad muscle helps cushion the fall - there is a "teardrop" muscle that wraps around the joint and can help stabilize and cushion the joint. "Lazy running" means running without engaging this muscle. I stopped and walked for about a block, focusing on contracting that muscle and engaging it. Then, I took a few tentative warm-up steps and finally broke back into a full run. The pain was completely gone and did not return. I knocked out that mile, even with the walking, in 9:06.
The third mile was half a mile downhill next to a park down the road, then turning around and coming back up. The uphill was a little daunting but I just focused on keeping a steady cadence and easily climbed it in 9:31. I was feeling great. It was at this point that I noticed two differences with the run. First, my uphill efforts almost always cause a little stomach distress and I felt none this time. Second, I was barely sweating! Here I was going up a hill and in direct sunlight and while I was sweating, it was a mild, light sweat and not the "totally drenched and dripping water" sweat I'm used to.
The fourth mile had me ascending Goliath. Again, I focused on a steady, consistent run. I knew I would slow down going up the long hill, but also felt I had enough energy to make up for it on the backside. It took me 10:31 to finish that mile. I then picked up the pace for a strong finish. As I anticipated, the last mile made up for it and was finished in an 8:36 pace - a negative split!
The end of the run was warm - it was in the fifties but felt like the seventies.
Finished the 5.03 of the run in 47:25 for an average pace of 9:26. That's my best training pace (short of paced runs on the treadmill).
Very excited about the results. I can't attribute it to any one thing yet, but needless to say I was pleased. Now we'll see how I fare on my first back-to-back run, knocking out 10 miles tomorrow.
After the run I cooled off far more quickly than I normally would have and stretched for 20 minutes with my yoga routine.
I'd say the caps may have had an impact. It also helps that I've overcome the upper respiratory problems I was having and seem to simply be improving overall in training. I'm sure the 5 pounds I've shed also helped lighten the load on the run.
Until tomorrow,
Jeremy Likness
Labels: exercise, running, supplementation, training
posted by Jeremy Likness | 12:18 PM
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