How many miles did you run today?

[Fueco]

3.1 miles with the dogs. It’s a bit cooler than yesterday (temps dropped from 87 to 81 while we were out.

 

[jbarwick]

7 miles last night. Cooler but still humid.

Bought some more LuLuLemon Surge running shorts after deciding I needed a few more pairs. My cheaper Target Champion C9 running shorts work for shorter runs but lack pockets I use during longer runs. I checked the various companies mentioned a few months back but decided to stick with what I knew when the price was similar.

 

[Michigan Planner]

6.3 miles yesterday morning and 7.1 miles last night.

 

[Dusty Heaters]

First time attempting a tempo run in a while and was a little unsure of my target pace. 2 miles warm up, 3 miles tempo (7:06/m avg. pace or 4:25/k), 3 miles cooldown with a long stride on the last mile. All fluid. Going forward I think my target range will be 6:58-7:08 (4:19-4:26).

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I also did a tempo run today. Don't have splits for you but it was 8.3 hilly (and wet) kilometres in 38:15. Just under 4:39 pace, I think. I'm not as fast as Dusty Heaters, certainly not at this stage of my training, but unlikely to be in the future either...

 

[Dusty Heaters]

I also did a tempo run today. Don't have splits for you but it was 8.3 hilly (and wet) kilometres in 38:15. Just under 4:39 pace, I think. I'm not as fast as Dusty Heaters, certainly not at this stage of my training, but unlikely to be in the future either...

That's a great run and you've been making consistent progress from what I can tell. 7:30 pace for 5+ miles is certainly well above average...Especially considering we have full time jobs and running is just a hobby for us.

With regard to comparing ourselves to others out there, I think Hemingway said it best. "There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility comes from being superior to your former self."

 

[FlyingMonkey]

With regard to comparing ourselves to others out there, I think Hemingway said it best. "There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility comes from being superior to your former self."

Indeed. I'm merely being realistic about my goals. But you're right - I am making good progress. Despite that, I am still trying to be very conservative about my ambitions, times etc. and not adjusting my program if I have a faster run or two than expected. I'll wait until after my first half-marathon on September 1st to look back, assess and adjust.

 

[Dusty Heaters]

Indeed. I'm merely being realistic about my goals. But you're right - I am making good progress. Despite that, I am still trying to be very conservative about my ambitions, times etc. and not adjusting my program if I have a faster run or two than expected. I'll wait until after my first half-marathon on September 1st to look back, assess and adjust.

I’m all for pushing yourself, if that’s in line with your goals/ambitions. I’m personally trying to test my potential for all that it’s worth; but it’s a razor’s edge, right? Several times I’ve fallen off that edge by pushing a little too hard which lead to injury. In retrospect I’m glad I’ve endured those injuries and learned from them.

Running isn’t as finite as strength training, which is more in line with my athletic background, and that was a big learning curve for me. With strength training, you can either lift the weight...or you can’t, it’s very black and white. With running, you can easily push yourself to go beyond your current limits and you may not recognize you’re tiptoeing on the verge of injury until a couple days later when all of that cumulative fatigue/stress comes crashing down on you with crippling force. That’s especially compounded when running fatigued and your form breaks down, but your endorphins mask the pain that will later ensue. Big learning curves...but hey, you wanna make an omelette? You’re gonna have to break a few eggs.

All the best in your upcoming half! Hope you have great weather. Looking forward to the post race recap.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

Mid-range easy / marathon-pace today - just under 16km (9.5 miles). Hilly, partly off and on-road. I felt good all the way around and even put in a bit of a spurt at the end. Once again, I was quicker than my (new) target pace (5:15min/km) at 5:05min/km. Excellent. Next one will be a long run and I'll try not to get lost this time...

 

[Dusty Heaters]

Short/Med long run yesterday on a hilly urban route -- 14.2m at 8:17 avg. pace (23km, 5:09/k). Happy with the pretty consistent pacing and HR. Definitely felt tired around the 1:45 mark.

 

[imatlas]

Long run today, my first 10K in over a year, and I set a new personal best @ 57:10. Between my usual joint issues and having had a crappy 2.5 mile run on Thursday I was worried that it wouldn’t go well, but I felt great (and still do several hours later).

 

[jbarwick]

16.4 miles on Saturday. Brutal humidity got the best of me in the end. The first 2 laps were 4 miles each and felt great. Then I did the break off section and started to get pretty warm. Finished with another 4 mile loop and my legs just hated it. Had a gallon and a half of water, electrolytes, and some Teddy grahams. Last night was leisurely by comparison. Tried only nose breathing for 7 miles. Tough on the hills.

 

[Dusty Heaters]

Took a recovery run day yesterday post my longer run for the week. Was just bopping along at 9 minute pace (5:37/km) for just shy of 5m (8.5k) and absolutely loved it. Legs felt flushed and limber.

Today’s run (pictured) was a bit of a surprise. It’s my 9th consecutive day running, over 50m (80k) rolling 7-day average distance, and I thought I would be feeling a lot worse. That is significantly above my normal volume/intensity. Strangely...I feel just short of fantastic. Everything was in sync and smooth today. I remember looking at my watch and seeing 7:30 pace (4:39/k) thinking “wow, this is too fast”, but it felt easy/moderate and holding below HR goal (150, my max aerobic HR... ish) so I kept it rolling. Happy.

Playing it safe this week and dropping the mileage back by 20% after 3 consecutive weeks of increase. It’s a long game. I don’t have any goal races this year. May as well keep the calculated risk low.

 

[FlyingMonkey]

I should have been doing my long run today and a tempo tomorrow, but family logistics meant I had to reverse the order. So it was an 8.3km (5.2 miles) tempo today, almost exactly the same distance as the other day but a completely different route, although again hilly and mostly off-road. I feel like I am finally shaking off this very persistant cold I've had so I felt pretty good all round.

Although I have targets and I record start and finish times, I work by feel when I am actually running and don't wear any kind of smart watch or iThing. I know that today I was running at high effort but not as fast as I could go; I dropped the pace when I felt I needed to and pushed it more when I could. My aim was 39:25, a 4:45min/km pace (7:39 min/mile), but I came in at 37:50, an average of just under 4:34 min/km (7.21 min/mile).

To put this into perspective, that's several seconds per km faster than the 10km race I did just over a month ago, and this is off-road and much more hilly. Essentially, over the course of a month of a careful training program I've already shifted my baseline speed and more importantly, stamina, quite substantially, and remained uninjured and feeling good. I think if I ran a 10k right now, I'd be well under 45, perhaps much faster. However, that's not what I'm aiming for, even in the immediate term. This has to remain a careful, longer-term process. My first milestone is that forest half-marathon on September 1st... and tomorrow I have a nice, slow 22.5km (14 miles).

 

[FlyingMonkey]

BTW, I know shoes are very personal (in the sense that our feet and gaits are all different), but what do people wear?

After several years of hunting and being told I needed this or that kind of correction by supposed experts or even that I should wear much smaller shoes than felt comfortable, I finally found my perfect road shoe in Brooks Pure Cadence. These are neutral, fairly flat shoes with a low drop but with some arch support, and Brooks's 6.5 UK (7.5 US) size and shape fits me like a glove. Since I've been using them I've had none of the foot problems I used to have. So, of course they have phased them out, just like their amazing Racer ST which I used to wear for well, racing... Apparently their Asteria is a replacement for both, and they might suit me fine, but it seems hard to find anywhere that's got them over here in the UK, and I don't want to buy without trying them.

Off road, I use Brooks Pure Grit - which are basically like a slightlier chunker version of the Cadence although they feel a bit more 'flabby' (hard to describe). That's what I've been wearing on the trails the last few days.