Start time: 01/30/06, 6:00pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 4 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 6:1
Average pace: 8:58min/mile

Well, after a week off due to being sick with a nasty cold, I headed back out onto the trail today. Part of me was saying, “Wait one more day, know you’re really better.” The other part was saying, “It’s in the 60s in January. It won’t be tomorrow. Go running.” Well, you know which part won.

The problem with having taking a week off and then being all on my lonesome was that I headed out of the gate fast. Way too fast. (Well, too fast for me.) I’d been originally thinking that I’d start with 4 miles, maybe push it up to 6 because I’d have a more pleasing total mileage for the month. Well… 8:33 was probably a bit fast for the first mile when you consider that was almost my pace for my last 5K. The next two leveled out somewhat (8:51, 9:06) and I coudl feel myself getting tired. I knew the fourth mile would have an extra walk break… but I wasn’t prepared for it hitting where it did. It seemed early, way too early along the trail for the mental math game I was playing. (And if it was going to come early, I almost would’ve rather it had been at the base of the hill, not just after I crested it. Hmph.) I just felt run over with a steamroller. Finally it ended, I ran the last bit in, muttering to myself, and looked at the watch: 9:23. Which was still slower, but not as slow as I’d convinced myself. (Especially when you compare it to the previous mile and know that this one had an extra minute of walking.)

Isn’t it fun, the games your mind plays with you?

Anyway, for my first time back out doing any sort of exercise in a week I’m not displeased. And for the month? 48 miles, an improvement over last January (42.45), which considering I didn’t have any double-digit runs and was sick for a week is a good amount indeed.

Start time: 01/22/06, 1:45pm
Location: Custis Trail and a bit of the W&OD Trail
Distance: 8 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 6:1
Average pace: 10:03min/mile

Tod and Bug were having their open house today, so while Bug and Lucy watched some Battlestar Galactica, Tod and I hoofed it up and down the Custis Trail. I’m not kidding about the up and down part, either. I already knew the first mile and a half of the Custis Trail was Hill City, but now I know… the next portion of the trail is just as crazy. Phew! We ran about 5.5 miles worth of Custis Trail (annoyingly, where Custis strikes the W&OD is about a quarter mile past Custis’s 0 mile marker) and supplemented with a bit of the W&OD, the latter of which was blessedly flat.

It was a great run, though. Really tiring, don’t get me wrong, but considering the amount of climbing we did (oh, how I hate going up hills and how they hate me) I think we did fantastic.

Although since Julie’s going to be out of town and I’ll run by myself on Tuesday, my original plan to jump onto the Custis Trail then is now sounding decidedly mad. Better think this through carefully; up and down after a long day at work? Maybe I’ll just run Tuesday morning on the Arlington Boulevard Trail.

(Oh, and as of this morning? 3.5 of the 5 pounds I wanted back off of me are gone. Half a pound until I’m at the top edge of my 3-pound range I was in before depressive eating started, a pound-and-a-half until I’m squarely in the middle of it again. Phew.)

Start time: 01/18/06, 6:45pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 4 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 6:1
Average pace: 9:05min/mile

It was indeed just me today, although I had to give serious thought to if I was even going to run. I forgot my iPodShuffle, and the only non-black-or-navy-colored clothes I had was a white hat, hardly a brilliant outfit for running at night. Oh yes, and I also was starting late and unlike other times hadn’t remembered to bring anything to eat beforehand. Oof.

Still, out I went. I hadn’t decided up until the last second if I was going to just run it, or if I’d stick with the 6:1 and see how that would do. I was really quite happy with the end results; the last mile slid a little bit (9:00, 8:54, 9:09, 9:18) but considering that fourth mile by the rules of math ended up with a second walk cycle, I’m not complaining. It’s always fun playing with a new ratio. I’ve got a 10K in March and while I know planet3rry is saying I should just run the entire thing all the way through, I still haven’t decided if I’d plug in a run:walk or not. If I could nail under a 9min/mile average for the St. Patrick’s Day 10K then I’d be delighted. (My last 10K, which was a PR, was a 9:22.) Shouldn’t be a problem, I hope.

Start time: 01/16/06, 6:45pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 4 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 6:1
Average pace: 10:29min/mile

We had a late start last night due to work, and I was feeling tired before we even began. I ran four miles with Julie, and she’s doing great at keeping the 10:30min/mile pace consistent. (10:29, 10:31, 10:24, 10:30.) Originally I was planning on knocking out two more miles by myself afterwards, but between the past weekend making me still a little tired, and also being more than a little hungry, I decided four was good enough for me and called it a night… especially since I’d spent most of the run talking with Julie about the weekend and explaining the long path of events. (Julie said she liked not having to say anything but understanding noises and phrases occasionally.)

A nice mental reset button, though. Wednesday I might be by myself for running, so I need to start thinking of what plan of attack I’m going for if that’s the case. Four “fast” miles? A slow build of five or six miles? Decisions, decisions.

Start time: 01/14/06, 7:00am
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 6 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 6:1
Average pace: 9:33min/mile

It was a small group of people this morning; just me, Tod, and Dave for a 6-miler. I’d woken up around 2am for a massive thunderstorm rolling through the area and it took me a solid hour to fall back asleep, so I was a little worried on how I’d be doing. I was pretty happy with the end result, though; we did a run:walk this week and I felt really strong the whole way through, even picking up speed at the end. Since I’d set my eyes on the 9:30min/mile group as a potential training option for 2006 marathon season, it was nice to knock six out at “their” pace and ratio and feel like yeah, I can do this. Great run, great weather, great company. I can’t ask for much better than that.

(And as the music playing right now says, “You’re the greatest gift that I could ever wish for.” Well, yeah.)

Start time: 01/12/06, 6:30pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 4 miles & 2 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 6:1 & all running
Average pace: 10:24min/mile and 8:51min/mile

Julie and I had another four miler together on Thursday; she’s been concentrated on getting her speed up and was aiming her sites at the 10:30 speed. Well, she hit it and did a great job, especially when you look at our mile splits: 10:35, 10:28, 10:14, and 10:20. When we finished, Julie said, “I feel like a badass,” and my response was, “That’s because you are.” After two months off because of injury, she’s doing fantastic at hitting her new goals. Yay!

I was definitely a bit tired after that and my additional 2 miles were slower than on Tuesday; I told Julie later that it was because she wore me out, and it’s so true. My half mile splits? Well, I’m certainly consistent. 4:22, 4:29, 4:22, and 4:29. What’s with those seven extra seconds on the back half of each mile? (Ironically, not even the same parts of the trail.)

Start time: 01/10/06, 6:30pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 4 miles & 2 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 6:1 & all running
Average pace: 10:50min/mile and 8:35min/mile

First, a funny side-story. After planning on doing so for a while now, I started doing stomach crunches on Sunday. The idea was to start with with a reasonable amount, then add a few more on every day for a nice slow-and-steady build up. So I did the crunches on Sunday, added a few more on Monday morning, then got up this morning and… ow. My abs were not happy. So, new rule: on days when I’m going running, I don’t have to do stomach crunches. Phew! (I could still feel the soreness when I ran today, though.)

Anyway, Julie and I ran four miles together at a 6:1. Julie seemed to handle them pretty well, and I let her set the pace. I know she wants to build her speed back up, so once she’s used to these I’m going suggest picking the pace itself up a bit. The splits were actually back and forth, back and forth: 10:37, 10:59, 10:37, 11:05. Afterwards Julie headed out and I was going to do the same, but at the last second I decided to take two more miles and do them a bit faster; preparing, as you will, for possibly running with the speedies again.

For these other two miles I took splits for each half mile: 4:13, 4:13, 4:24, and 4:18. Very consistent early on, then slowing down a tiny bit later. It felt great to speed up, though. I’d love to be able to sustain that speed for longer distances—a goal to work towards.

Start time: 01/04/06, 6:30pm
Location: W&OD Trail
Distance: 4 miles
Run:Walk ratio: 5.5:1
Average pace: 11:04min/mile

I’d talked with Julie about shifting the run:walk ratio up to a 6:1 with the New Year, and she agreed to give a 5.5:1 shift a try on Wednesday. Since the past couple of runs I’ve done with her have averaged between 11:15 and 11:40min/miles, I was curious to see how just the 30-second addition would do. It’s a little hard to say but I think it helped a bit; 11:03, 11:04, 11:23, 10:44 for the splits. I’m curious what a fifth mile would’ve meant for mile #4–back up to 11 or down towards 11:30?

Either way, a faster pace certainly doesn’t bother me; when most of the group was gasping and groaning last Saturday I still felt really good. Now that Julie’s been back out on the trail regularly for a month hopefully everything’ll start really coming back for her.