He was otherwise-occupied and I knew I would be running alone. I also knew that I needed to start challenging myself a little more distance-wise. I want to start running longer again now that Fall has arrived but I need to do it gradually.
So, I planned a 6 km route, the first half along the waterfront and then back along a street a couple of blocks higher than the water, through a part of the neighborhood that is unfamiliar, therefore more interesting. I do get tired of the same scenery.
It was a bit cool so I put on some shorts, and a long-sleeved tee and off I went. I knew I wanted to run slowly enough that I wouldn't need to take walk breaks, and gave myself 48 minutes to complete the loop.... 8 minutes per km which I thought would be a comfortable and pretty easy pace.
I loped along, really enjoying myself, and at the 25 minute mark, I did a one-minute walk and drank some water and then started off running again. At 41 minutes I started onto a short section that I had run before, and knew that if I kicked into a higher gear, I could finish well ahead of my 48 minutes... and I did. My time was 45 minutes and I was very happy to average 7.5 minutes per km. overall. I know that some of you would be devastated to run at this speed, but for me it is pretty good!
I had certainly overdressed though... part way through I was pushing my long sleeves up over my elbows and if I hadn't been wearing a water belt, I might have taken my shirt off altogether.
Dressing for running in the Fall is definitely a challenge and after I read a post that Miss Zippy wrote about it, I recalled that I had a pair of Moeben sleeves that I had never worn and decided to try them next time out.
That opporunity arrived yesterday, Sunday. I put on some Reebok shorts, the technical tee that I got in May when I ran my half, my Moeben sleeves, and my new Mizuno shoes.
I decided to go out and run the same 6 km route again, but I opted to try a different approach. I would run faster for 10 minutes and then slower for one minute and repeat those intervals till I was done. I thought it may help improve the overall time.
As I began running I had to keep myself from going too quickly so that I could run at a pace I could maintain for 10 minutes.
The sleeves worked really well. When I decided I was too warm, I just pushed them down and turned them over on themselves. They didn't get in the way as I had thought they might and were not distracting at all.
At the 30 minute mark I did walk for one minute and had a good long drink of water as I went. And then later, when I got to that same final section, I really turned it on! I finished in just over 42 minutes... I was so excited and was very proud of myself for having pushed it so hard... and also pleased that I hadn't actually been sick during that last couple of minutes, cause I really felt like I might be.
I made sure to have a really good stretch when I got in and ate a good snack, too!
Posing with my sleeves to show them off... one up and one down. Oh, and this was the first run in my half marathon tee shirt too.
Do you like to vary your running routes?
Do you use Map My Run or another program to plan your routes?
Have you worn sleeves? Do you like them?
I just bought a pair of sleeves yesterday to which my hubby said "what's wrong with long sleeves?" He just doesn't get it! I use geodistance.com to map routes all the time in my hood but I bet I could use mapmyrun too. I've got a 3, 4, 5, & 6 mile route all planned out. I need an 8 for Wednesday so I may need to get out there and clicking! Nice job on the runs!
ReplyDeleteI downloaded map my run but I'm not there yet. I can't even run 20 minutes ninstop yet. I thought this was an inspirational post for a newbie runner. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI just wore my sleeves today! I love them, they really are perfect for fall weather.
ReplyDeleteI love to vary my routes, although my routes usually depend on who is going to be watching my kids while I run. I don't use MapMyRUn but most of my "roads" aren't on their maps anyway :)
Glad you had a great run and like your arm sleeves!
I love my sleeves, too. They're so handy for when you're cold, but you know you're going to warm up.
ReplyDeleteGreat job pushing yourself. Awesome run.
Sounds great! I tend to run the same parts of the same routes all the time depending on distance because my town is so small! When I get back out with my RR group, I'll get some variety. I LOVE g-maps-pedometer for mapping runs. I find it much easier and more accurate then Map my run. I've never worn sleeves, but want to get some. Like you, I can get hot mid-run and like the flexibility they offer.
ReplyDeleteI haven't worn my sleeves yet this year but we've got colder temps ahead next week so I may have to pull them out. Glad you enjoyed your new running route!
ReplyDeleteI wore sleeves somewhere (oh geez, I can't remember where now, but I loved them). I have the Courage to Start ones from One More Mile. They remind me of Mom, so I especially love them. I think I wore them for the Air Force Half and they were perfect. I was a little chilly to start, but just perfect as the sun came up and it warmed up.
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of you and your sleeves!! :)
Great job on your runs. I really do get bored of running the same routes over and over again, which often happens on Saturday mornings. So, I liked to vary my runs when I was doing my own training. Ever since I stared using my Garmin, I don't really map out my runs. I just run until I want to and then turn around. It really took away my "fear" of not knowing where I was going and how far it was. I can always do an out and back or a loop if I don't know the distance. My favorite new place to run is parks - they have loops that usually let you know exactly how far it is so unless I need to know pace, I can ditch my watch and enjoy my surroundings too.