Monthly Archives: July 2006

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“Town Lake” long run

We did the standard Town Lake 10 mile run today. I ran with Ed Burgess, Kevin, Todd, and Jim. Good company and good talk. We started off real slowly. Near the end Ed sped up and I had troubles keeping up with him. But I pushed ahead and finished. You can see the speed up in my heart rate. You can also see the three water stops at 2 miles, 5 miles and 7 miles (those are the dips). I definitely felt better than the day before, but I was still exhausted by the end. I guzzled down a quart of Gatorade Rain and then some water. Oh yeah, my ankle was OK today. I barely felt it. Afterward I went to Barton Springs, paid my $3 for parking and stood in the cool water for about 20 minutes. I think it helped my recovery.

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Very tough morning run

I had to do: “Tempo run: 2 miles easy warmup, 4 miles at Half m goal pace, 1 mile cooldown”. Well I tried, but I didn’t do very well in my humble opinion. After about 5 miles I was just out of energy, and I had two more miles to go. Maybe it’s because I didn’t have breakfast beforehand, but then I don’t do this normally. Maybe it was the humidity since it was cloudy out. Whatever it was I had to stop and walk a few times. I never do that. My legs felt like logs. Heavy and stiff, and I just couldn’t catch my breath. When I got home I immediately went in and got a bottle of water and then finished it off. After stretching I was still wiped. I was almost dizzy. Sheesh! After breakfast, I noticed a 5″ puddle of sweat under my chair. Wow that’s never happened. Upstairs I weighed myself and I was down 6 pounds from 3 days ago which is more than I expected. Especially after chugging the water and eating breakfast. Next I took a shower. Yet while I was in it I didn’t feel well. My stomach was upset. Maybe it was all the water I chugged down. I don’t know, but I finally began to feel better after getting dressed for work. I just don’t know why today was so tough, but it was.

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The marshes in the heat

I don’t know what is wrong with me, but tonight was very very tough. The marshes run is a serpentine course nearby the main RunTex store. Up – across – up – across and so it goes. Each across is a mini-hill to make it even more fun. There are 12 across streets which are about 400 yards long. The across streets were to be run at 10K pace and the ups were recovery jogs.

However, by the time it’s evening I seem to have no energy. I barely found the effort to do this course but it was very daunting. We had to run it up, then down, then up again; in other words, we had to run it 1.5 times. What I mean is that I had to run the 12 across streets, get water, then run the return path back down the 12 across streets, get water, and then do it again up one more time. On the last 12 streets I kept promising myself that I could walk on the next street, but each time I found just enough energy to complete it. I had to dig deep to complete it.

When I was done I was dizzy. I think maybe it was because I didn’t have any food since lunch. I don’t know, but it was scary. Oh one other thing, my ankle is still there and that bothered me too. But mostly it was my struggling to breathe, and my total exhaustion that was so tough tonight.

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“Crestview” long run

I ran 16 miles today in 80-85 degree heat. I tried to keep my pace slow and ran pretty much alone the entire time. I did this so I wouldn’t be motivated to keep up with someone else. Then the last 4 miles we were supposed to pick up the pace to HalfMGP or MGP. I think I was able to do it. I left two guys behind as I ran my little butt off. My heartrate shows the increase.

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Running mile loops in the heat

Tonight I’m back at class (now with the Wednesday evening group). We ran to the Barton Springs Pool at Zilker Park about 1 1/2 miles from RunTex where I parked. Then we ran four one mile loops at 10K pace which for me should be 7:42. Well it was about 100 degrees out at 6:30 – 8:00 PM. I ran them in 7:56, 7:48, 8:24, and 8:25. Between each I walked and jogged a bit, and got some water. I was just dripping in sweat. It was very hot out and near the end of it I was absolutely exhausted. Almost dizzy. After the last one I headed back to RunTex and even then I had to run and walk it. When I got home I got something to eat, and a cold pack on my ankle. After this level of exertion I was having troubles keeping myself warm so I wrapped myself up in a quilt. Then it was off to bed at 11 PM where I also snuggled under the acrylic blanket something I most never do in the summer.

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“Run from Hell” long run

I ran up and down the Westlake hills of Austin completing the 14.5 mile long run named “The Run from Hell” in 2:33. I have probably run this route over 5 times, and I like it even though it’s tough. I tried to take it slow and easy as my ankle is still recovering. Also I ran up and then down all the hills in the first two-thirds of the course, whereas many times in the past I’ve had to walk them, but when I got back on hilly Stratford I had decided to walk up the rest of them. Nevertheless I happy that I completed it. Afterwards I put an ice pack on my ankle to help reduce any swelling. Now I’m slow and gimpy since I haven’t run this far in months, but my ankle is OK with no major aches or pains which I’m thankful for.

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Class tonight

This was a recovery week so we only had to do a 4 mile loop on the Town Lake trail at 6:30 PM. It was still quite hot out. I only felt my ankle a tad, but I took it real easy. I let all the others run on ahead and just plunked along as I thought about work.

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New shoes

I stopped by RunTex and bought a new pair of running sneakers. They are ASICS GEL-KAYANO® XII (TN600), and they cost me about $125 which included a 10% discount because I’m taking a running class. I changed brands to try something new, and because Nike dropped their Kantara line. I wanted high cushioning, and high stability. I tried Brooks, and Mizuno too, but the most comfortable were the ASICS sneakers.

Image courtesy of ASICS Corporation

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Saturday long run

Having only arrived back from California yesterday, having run once last week, wearing my running sneakers all last week on my trip, staying up until 11:15 PM then having to get up at 5 AM – nevertheless I decided to do the long run today at 6 AM. It was the familar St. Edwards long run through the hills and dales of south Austin. It went pretty well, but then I didn’t push it. I ran by myself so I could keep it slow. It took me 1:41 to complete the 10 miles (about 10 minutes per mile). I felt a slight burning sensation in my ankle, but it was slight enough that I could ignore it. However, I was careful with each step throughout the run.

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Vacation non-running

I’ve been traveling and haven’t run since last Monday. Maybe I’ll do the long run tomorrow and see how the ankle feels. The run is a recovery week of 10 miles. This might be pushing it since (1) I need new sneakers, and (2) I’ve gained weight over the past week which will stress my ankle. Hmmm, I gotta think about this.