Back Up To 5K Runs!

Well i just got off the treadmill and I am happy to say that I exceeded my goal and pushed myself back up to 3.1 miles, or 5K.

This was my old "go to" distance for a quick run and I am glad that i can still pull it off without too much effort. I did however get a strange sensation during this run. I think it was due to not eating too much throughout the day.

My arms became sort of tingly towards the last leg of the run...not really sure what this means but i can imagine that it means I didn't have enough oxygen in my system to keep everything going as normal. This has happened before to me but only in more intense runs.

Either way, i survived this run and will survive many more like it in the future. I think i will stick with this distance for a week or so before i bump it up again.

293 days to go and as of now, I am excited for each of them.

Reboot, Let The Countdown Begin

Hello, I am Ryan Reid and I am training for my first Marathon this year.  I will be running in the Detroit Marathon on October 20th. Registration starts on January 1st and i will be signing up right then so i cant back out when i get lazy down the road. I am a pretty cheap individual so that registration cost will keep me on task.

So, that also gives me a date to count down to. I have 294 days until the marathon. Which gives me a pretty good challenge to get my most recent distance of 2.6 miles up to a whopping 26.1 miles...

I know it sounds nearly impossible from where I stand now. But I have learned how quickly I can train my body. In just over a month last summer I went from 1 mile to 8. running 2-3 times a week at my current distance goal. So with over 9 months to prepare i really hope i am able to not only complete my first marathon, but break into the middle of the pack as well. I have no lofty goals of actually competing with the professionals that will undoubtedly be there, but average would suit me just fine.

For now I will be running on my treadmill on a 3-3.5% incline to simulate actual outdoor running. Maybe I will even step it up so on the days i can run outside it isn't such a shock. I am taking it slow as to prevent injury to my knees. I have been known to hurt them if I try to push myself too far too fast. So easy does it this time around.

And while my distance suffered after my couple month hiatus, I am happy to say that my cardio and all that is just fine with getting back to running. I don't find myself out of breath quickly or anything like that. And my leg muscles are not sore at all after a run. So really it's just my knee that i am working with.

So, wish me luck! 294 days and hundreds of miles to go.

First 8 Mile Run!

Today after sleeping in a bit too long i decided to run off last nights drinks. I wasn't so sure how far i planned on running, so i just ran. I ended up following my previously biked out course to complete my first 8 mile run!

So I didn't break any world records, not even a personal best. But I did finish my new longest distance with a decent final time to boot! I think I am going to hang at this distance for a little while and try to work my time down a bit. I think if I could get closer to the one hour mark I would be close to where I want to be.

I also decided that I should probably start bringing water along with me on runs. The last couple miles are tough on me and I think a short walking / water break would really recharge me for those last miles.

Onward!

Small Steps Forward 9-2-12

Today I didn't even feel like running. But i got my butt out there and I am now glad I did!

I was feeling this run more than normal but when I heard my lap times over my music I knew why. I was on course to run my best run today, and in most ways I did. Even if it was only by a couple seconds.

Today I set a new personal best for 1 mile, 1 km, And 10K. This run was something for me to be proud of. Though I didn't up my distance any, I still feel I did pretty good. I will probably up my distance to 8 miles sometime next weekend. I tested out a course on my bike the other day and I think that will be the way I go.

I have also made some observations about my body when it comes to running. The first mile or two are always the hardest for me. And the third mile seems to wear me down. But if I can just get past those marks somewhere around mile 5 I just hit a stride and can keep going much longer. My biggest hurdle is probably going to be my constant need to compete with my past time. While this is good for improving my times, it doesn't help my distance training much if I am always burning myself out early in the run. I think I need more mental tempering before I can even hope to compete in a marathon! But luckily I still have about a year before that is an issue.




Here is the readout from my run, the little trophies next to the times if you click "Best distances" mean it was a new personal best for me.

Endomondo Running Workout

Hey everyone, i just got back from a run. I didnt think i was going to get to run today like i havent the past few days. It was starting to get to me...but as it turned out Katies schedule got flip flopped and i got my chance so i took it and ran (snort)

It wasn't a great run, in fact around miles 2-4 i thought about just giving up. But with a few well placed walking breaks i was able to recover and even finish my 7.2 mile run in just under (like 2 seconds under) an hour. Which isn't my best time by any means, but its not really all that bad for my average either.

So i am a little over 7 miles closer to my goal of 3000, still nowhere close but closer none the less.

Never could have done this back when i was smoking a pack a day!

A Personal Best Kind Of Day!

Today was the kind of run you always hope for. I was kicking my normal pace's butt on every mile and felt great doing it.

Not only was today my longest run this year. It was also my new personal best in basically every way. I upped my one mile time, my 5K and my 10K time as well! And all before breakfast. Here is the Endomondo readout of today's run.

(click on best distances to see my new bests)




I love when a run comes together like this!

I am one step closer to my goal of running a marathon for the first time. But not just that, I am more confident I can find it inside myself to actually pull it off after today.

Gotta love the good runs!

Back At It And Better Than Ever!

It has been a year since I last posted to this blog, but here i am again.

Last year quickly went to crap not long after I started this blog. My son was born and had some issues at birth that quickly consumed all of my free time. It was months before I even stepped foot on my treadmill again. Let alone getting outside and running. Then after about 6 months I started running again and quickly (as in a week) I injured myself.

After almost 6 months of basically no training i decided I could jump right back into running at the same pace I had been at before. Quickly leading to knee pain that got worse over time. So i ended up giving up for months longer. It wasn't until this summer that I felt well enough to start running again.

This time I was keeping myself safe! I started at about a mile and a half and slowly increased my mileage every week or two. I have been at it for about 3 months now and I am very proud of my progress thus far!

I usually only find time to run twice a week. Sometimes 3 or 4, but with work and my special needs child time is hard to come by. But in the past month alone I have increased my "normal" run from 3.75 miles to just over 7 miles. But its not just my distance that is improving. my speed is getting a little better and i am able to maintain my running for the large majority of each run. I only really stop for cars or stoplights. And those are pretty few in my area.

I wish I had gotten back on track sooner in the year so i could compete in a Marathon this year. But the two marathons I am interested in (Detroit and Chicago) are in less than 2 months and there is no way i will be ready by then. So 2013 it is! If i can keep up my current pace there is no reason I shouldn't be able to not only complete a marathon by then, but i should be able to compete to a reasonable degree. I don't plan on winning...or being even close, but somewhere in the middle of the pack would be awesome for a first timer if you ask me.

So you can expect to see more of me around this corner of the internet in coming months...

I'M BACK!