Category Archives: travel

Once more into the breach

0, 03mi, 04mi, travel, treadmill

Start time: 2/17/07
Location: LAX Marriott Gym
Distance: 4 miles
Average pace: 11:00min/mile

Start time: 2/19/07
Location: LAX Marriott Gym
Distance: 3 miles
Average pace: 9:50min/mile

Well, after injuring myself on January 31st, it was time for a little rest. So, two and a half weeks later, I decided to give running another whirl. Even though the temperatures were nice outside in Los Angeles, I used the hotel gym for two reasons. First, that way if the injury returned I didn’t have to limp all the way back. Second, the further you head away from the hotel, the slightly sketchier it got. So, no running outside.

Saturday’s run went well; I wanted to take it easy so I did the first mile at a 12:00 pace, the next two at an 11:00, and the last at a 10:00. All with no problems, phew! Monday night I felt the need to work off some dinner, so it was two 10:00 miles and then (feeling brave) a 9:30. Still no problems. Yay! This Saturday I’ll run with my old pace group and pick up some longer mileage at a slightly slower pace. With any luck, the National Half Marathon is still on!

One more run around the development.

0, 04mi, rightfoot, travel

Start time: 03/06/06, 9:30am
Location: Yulee, FL
Distance: 4 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 6:1
Average pace: 9:20min/mile

Unlike Saturday’s run, I stuck with just a single loop around the neighborhood, and likewise instead of just running it went back to the old 6:1 run:walk. When I completed the loop it was a bit faster than my “just plain running it” loops from Saturday, and afterwards I used the car’s odometer to measure it out. The end result was pleasing—a 9:20min/mile pace that was extremely consistent.

My right foot felt like it was on the verge of falling asleep the last mile or so. Hmph. Did my right foot get jealous of the problems I’d had with the left one? I’m hoping that this can be fixed with a new pair of shoes; it could be that washing them made them shrink a bit. It’s either that or seeing if instead of a 2E wideness I have to shift to a 4E. Yikes! We’ll see what the foot measuring device at Metro Run & Walk has to say, first.

I’m ready to go home.

Running away from home

0, 05mi, travel

Start time: 03/04/06, 9:00am
Location: Yulee, FL
Distance: 5 miles
Average pace: 9:45min/mile

I managed to leave one or two things at home before coming down to Yulee, Florida–and naturally, one of them was the GPS unit so I could track my running, and my parents’s home is new enough that it’s not on Google Maps. Oh well. I’m putting in my best estimate until I can determine otherwise; it may’ve been a little faster but I think that a 5-mile, 9:45min/mile pace is a safe bet. It was nice to just get outside and run by myself or a while.

(Three people waved hello, one confederate-flag sticker on a car, two people who gawked, one other runner.)

Two updates, 9 days apart

0, 03mi, 04mi, travel, treadmill

Start time: 02/18/06, 2:00pm
Location: Hotel Treadmill
Distance: 3.5 miles
Average pace: 9:31min/mile

Start time: 02/27/06, 6:00pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 4 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 6:1
Average pace: 10:35min/mile

I totally forgot to post the one update from my vacation. In short, the area around the hotel stunk when it came to safely running so I stuck with a treadmill. I also should’ve stuck with not eating fast food an hour beforehand, which sat in my stomach like a ball of lead. My originally-planned 5-miler got cut a bit short, but better something than nothing.

Finally got back out and running today. Julie was sans allergy medicine (oops) and I could hear her huffing and puffing next to me. The week and a half off probably didn’t help either. I was originally going to knock out two extra miles afterwards, but my hamstrings were feeling tight, so another run cut short. Better safe than sorry, right?

This closes the month out with 45 miles; three less than January, but still more than February 2005. Not too bad.

Down by the Water

05mi, travel

Start time: 07/16/05, 10:00am
Location: San Diego
Distance: 5.5 miles
Average pace: 9:02 / 13:00 / 9:55min/mile

Last Saturday I went running with three of my friends (Jill, Laurenn, and Brendan) while off in San Diego. I was to meet them at the Hyatt in the Gaslamp District down by the water, so I ran from my Little Italy hotel a mile and a quarter in 11:18. A great opening salvo in some of the best running weather I’ve probably ever had. From there it was three miles down along the water, which was fantastic. Laurenn set the pace (she’s training for a triathlon) and while the first half (12:29min/mile) was faster than the second half (13:34min/mile) it ended up with a good solid 13 average, which is what I do believe Laurenn was aiming for. From there it was slogging uphill all the way back into Little Italy by myself. When I got to El Cortez hill, I finally gasped and let myself get a 10 second walk break; that thing is steep. As in, San Francisco Steep.

A great, great run, and after two days of stiff and sore calves from walking all over the convention center, my legs felt fantastic for the rest of Saturday. And as an added bonus, I now know all about checking out “boobies” while I’m running.

Catching up

05mi, travel, treadmill

Start time: 02/20/05, 5:30pm
Location: Airtel Plaza Hotel treadmill
Distance: ~5+ miles
Average pace: ~11min/mile

The figures here are fuzzier than normal thanks to someone kicking out the power strip that my treadmill was connected to. Nice. I’m still amazed I didn’t go flying through the front of the machine when it lurched to a halt. I should’ve actually taken it as a cue to stop, in retrospect; my left calf was sore for a good day afterwards thanks to it being grumpy from several days of nothing but walking leading up to this.

Start time: 02/26/05, 9:00am
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 4:1
Average pace: 12:30min/mile

Finally got back outside and running this morning with my friend Katie. The first half was at 12min/miles and under, but after refilling our water bottles at the community center Katie asked if we could slow down a bit; she was just dragging, so we downshifted a bit and chatted and jogged the rest in.