My running has been going well. Um...Yup, that's all. Actually I have been running hills more often and I think I'm getting better at them. Last Saturday I did 9.35 miles on hills with some of my Yankee Runners and a few F'N Runners joined us as well. This was the same hilly area (Palos Park) that I trained for my spring marathon last year. My friend Shelby was only going to do 6, so I looped back with her and a few others (including Jill and Melanie) and then headed back out with Jill and Melanie to finish up the 9 miles they wanted to do.
Melanie, Jill, me after our 9 mile hilly run. |
Since I got that new gym membership, I decided to try a spin class the other day. I've taken a couple spin classes in the past and what I have come to find out with that or any other classes, it's all in the personality of the instructor. This instructor was somewhat boring BUT...I really felt like I got a good workout so I might go back anyway. It was tough and I was all sweaty when I finished and my legs were burning!
I did finally run this morning. What? Are you confused? Yes, I said this morning. If you know me, you know I run in the evenings after work (with the exception of Saturday) because I hate getting up early. I've run in the morning before work in the past and I feel like it's a struggle and that I'm half asleep while running! But since I have "very important plans" after work, I decided to give it a try. It was about 12 degrees (which was about 14 degrees warmer than the morning before). I dressed appropriately (shocker!) and headed out. I just wanted to do 30 minutes, whatever mileage that came out to be. It didn't feel too bad temp-wise in the beginning. And even though it wasn't completely light out yet, it wasn't as dark as the evenings when I run. It seems more peaceful and I actually kind of enjoyed it! However, by the 3rd mile, I felt as though it got a little bit colder and windy. I was trying to keep an nice easy pace (maybe around 9:30 or whatever my body felt was easy) since I have the F^3 half marathon this weekend. I'm guessing the cold had something to do with my pace. I started easy and just got faster (without being aware of it). My splits were 9:33, 9:19, 9:11 for the 3 miles (8:52 for the last 0.22 since I did 3.22 miles in the 30 minutes). So much for easy pace.
The next big thing for me is the half marathon this weekend. It's going to be a high of about 24 degrees so a little colder at race time. I've never run a half marathon is temps less than about 50 degrees! Luckily, I've run long runs and short runs in cold temperatures so I should be able to adjust. I'm not really running for time. My goal for this race is to try to start conservative and finish strong. I have a big problem pacing myself at longer runs and generally start out way too fast!
What time of day do you run and why? If you are a evening runner, have you tried running in the morning before work and what are your thoughts on it?
I tend to run in the evening, but my schedule has been a little wack-a-doo lately. Good Luck this weekend!
ReplyDeleteI actually got up and went to the gym this morning! I was so proud of myself and I felt great all day because of it!
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