Blaine’s Running Journal

It’s 10k Month!

Okay – I know it’s not May yet, but technically the first run starts May 1st and to make a title like… “It’s one month of 10k racing right after Easter” is a little long. And… to be honest, it’s only three races over the entire month – two of which are actually 10k. But hey, I needed to make the title sound a bit exciting, right!?! And I am excited! Why? Glad you asked!

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My 5 Miler and The Jelly Bean Race

Distance: 9.96km Time: 1:10 Pace: 7’21 kCal: 969 Heart: 143/162 RPE: 6 Type: 5 Miles


Yesterday was Saturday
and I did the first long run in my Marathon Training.

It was also Easter Saturday, which makes today Easter – a rainy quiet Easter Sunday morning where I am sitting on my balcony listening to the pitter-patter of rain drops and the sounds of doves and birds in the background, while everyone else is still sleeping before the rush of church goings and Easter egg hunts.

 

 

That’s one good thing about getting up in the morning to do my runs – even on my rest days I’m up early enough to enjoy the peace, quiet, and spiritual solitude that life and nature can offer.

So here I am, with my coffee, and thinking about the big Easter brunch that will be coming later in the day… and I don’t feel guilty!

Why? – Because yesterday I did the first long run in my marathon training.
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Marathon Training in Progress – Week One / Yeah Boston Runners

Distance: 6.28km Time: 0:34 Pace: 6’49 kCal: 657 Heart: 121/145 RPE: 5 Type: 3 miles (Lake)

What better way to start my first week of marathon training plan than by celebrating the Boston Marathon!?! It was great to follow my Twitter friends on their runs to victory. Don’t you just love Real-time Stats? Thank you Boston!

And then there is Ryan Hall. Did you see what he wrote on his shoe before the race? How did he know? 2h4m Amazing!

So here I am, starting out.
Well, not really… Pre-training is all done and 5k runs are a norm for me now.

This last Saturday I actually ended up doing a ½ marathon.

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Speeding it up with Nike Splits

Distance: 7.14km Time: 0:53 Pace: 7’26 kCal: 742 Heart: 134/153 RPE: 6 Type: 5k (2x Lake)

So this is my first serious run after doing the 10k last weekend. I had to stop for a few days because I developed a Subconjunctival Hemorrhage on my left eye. I’m not really sure what caused it, but it was recommended that I hold off a few days on doing any intense exercise.

Of course I could have gone out for a walk, but sleeping an extra hour Tuesday morning felt so much better at the time!

 

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My First 10k

Distance: 11.25km Time: 1:21 Pace: 7’17 kCal: 1,172 Heart: 139/152 RPE: 5 Type: 10k

So I did it again!
Sunday was supposed to be a rest day since I did 6k the day before, but it was so nice out and my wife came with me, that I decided to run just a little more than 40 minutes. How much more?
Well… enough to do 10k!

Pretty silly, but since I’m going to be doing a 10k race in a few weeks, I wanted to see if I could do it. Thinking back at it, I was a bit crazy to do it (my butt is still sore!). However, I must admit that I didn’t push myself.

For me, 10k in an hour is pushing it… but in 1hour 10min?
That’s a good training pace to start at – no?

Besides, my heart rate was in zone III and I felt pretty good while running along the boardwalk watching at all the amazing volleyball players!

So for the rest of this coming week I’ll keep things steady (4×40 minute runs) and just try to increase my pace a bit. I’ve got 2 weeks to go and then let’s see how I do at the Cinco De Mayo race on May 1st and to help out in Reaching for the Cure.

Running in my Sleep

    Distance: 7.10km Time: 0:52 Pace: 7’26 kCal: 746 Heart: 133/151 RPE: 5 Type: 40min (2x Lake) 

    I’ve read about it, I’ve seen it, and I’ve even experienced it while driving a car. A very scary experience. One that I’m proud to say will never happen to me again. As soon as I feel the sleep coming on, I pullover as soon as it’s safe and take a quick 5 minute nap. Even if it means I’ll miss an important appointment or loose my job. After all, life it too precious to take crazy chances like that.

    So how does this reflect on my running?    Read the rest of this entry »

The 5k Coaster Fun Run was a blast!

Distance: 5.00km Time: 0:33 Pace: 6’40 kCal: 571 Heart: 149/166 RPE: 6+ Type: 5k Race

Wow. What a lot of fun last Sunday was!
My first running race in years and I was actually able to get some sleep the night before. So when the alarm went off at 5:45am, I was already up and ready to go. The fact that I’ve been doing my walks and runs in the mornings for the last month helps with that too.

For my wife, well…
She likes her sleep on the weekends.
But today was different. I secretly enrolled her into the 5k as well. Since she’s years younger than me (and in much better shape, I might add) I knew that she’d love to join me on my first 5k race towards a marathon.

And… whew… I was right!

 

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Treadmill Running and the Hilton Orlando

Distance: 6.06km Time: 0:46 Pace: 7’36 kCal: 528 Heart: 143/155 RPE: 5 Type: 1×30+8min (5k)
After days of insane schedules, meetings and seminars, it was finally time to sit back, take a breather, and de-stress. And what better way to do it, than by using the fitness center of the hotel to take a run and do some light cross training with weights.

When coming to the CTIA Wireless show in Orlando, Florida, I envisioned myself getting up early every morning, going down to the gym, and methodically doing my runs. Afterwards, I would hit the shower, have a light breakfast (with lots of fruit), and be ready in plenty of time for the 9:30 am opening Keynote speakers. Besides, when you plan what hotel your staying based on the type of equipment they have in the fitness center, you know you’re an exercise freak and will be using all the equipment everyday during your stay, right?!?… WRONG!

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My First 5K

Distance: 9.15km Time: 1:10 Pace: 7’39 kCal: 692 Heart: 130/155 RPE: 5 Type: 1×30+10min

Okay, I know that it’s only supposed to be a 30 minute run, but I really wanted to see if I could go the distance. I started out like every other run, but then after my 25 minute mark, I started day-dreaming and before I knew it, I already passed my 30 minutes. I know I’m a slow poke, so I didn’t get to 5k yet. Besides, I was running around the local reservoir and know that 1 lap is just over 2.5k. Since I started my pre-training I’ve been very good at not looking at my distance – only running based on time. But in this case, I knew I was short for 5k.

So, me being…. ME! I decided to see if I could go the distance and complete two laps. That would put me over 5k. My first 5k running all the way. Yoo-hoo! Then I’d know that I’m ready for the 5k coming up next week!

So less than 40 minutes later I completed 2 laps and decided to walk four more kilometers as part of my recovery. Did I ever find out what my time was for doing the 5k part? No. Does it matter? Hmm… not really… at least not yet. Instead, I was just happy that I got to go around 2 times. What a great way to start my last week of pre-training!

Beach Running on Grace Bay

Distance: 7.87km Time: 1:06 Pace: 8’29 kCal: 654 Heart: 123/145 RPE: 5 Type: 1x25min
The along waited vacation is here. After an overnight stopover in Atlanta, a short hop south to Turks and Caicos and a short taxi ride, we (my wife and I) finally arrived to the famous Grace Bay Beach. The water is Caribbean green and the sand is soft; a welcome sight after travelling from the not-so-sunny Southern California.

We were shown the hotel’s amenities and introduced to the exercise room. It was air conditioned and had some decent weights, ellipticals, and a few modern treadmills with HBO. But my mind was on one thing… an early morning beach run as the sun is coming up. So after a little more orientation, it was off to sleep to start my first day in paradise.

It’s 5:00 am.
I wake up and hear the surf as I get ready for my run.

Ring – Ring 5:00 am. I wake up and hear the surf. I jump out of bed with nay a sleepy eye because I’m so excited about getting on to the beach. It’s the crack of dawn and you can see the red glow off on the waters horizon.

It’s going to be a great day, so I put on my running shoes and already see a few runners out and about (oh – a word of caution, do not run for a long time barefoot in the water unless you want lots of blisters).

So off I went. I light jog, but it really felt difficult. The sand was a little too soft and the beach’s shoreline was steep. It was quite a challenge to keep my feet landing properly and then to pick them up again! Wow, how do all those people make it look so easy! But I struggled on, determined to do this and get the bragging rights once I returned back state-side.

Three miles later I was done, and you know what, it took a little getting used to, but I figured it out and the last part of my run was very enjoyable. I then took a few minutes to enjoy the waves and to watch the sunrise. From there I turned around and walked back to the hotel with a sense of great accomplishment. Upon entering the room, my wife was just getting up.

Coffee was on and we were ready to plan our first day in paradise!

Here’s what I learned about running on the beach…

  • Find a flat shoreline – the flatter the better
  • Run when the tide’s going out – it’s better to run on sand that was just covered with water
  • Run with your running shoes on
  • Don’t wear your earphones, just enjoy the sound of the waves
  • Don’t forget the sun block – even if the sun is just coming up!
  • Wear running shorts that you can get instantly wet so you can kick off your shoes at the end of the run. Why you ask? Because the water is sooooo inviting!