1.0 miles - 9:48/mile
total: 1.0 miles
78°F
Current: Mostly Cloudy
Wind: E at 0 mph
Humidity: 53%
course: neighborhood loop
Just a mile.
Executive Speechwriting: Corporate, Weddings, Retirement
Showing posts with label neighborhood half mile loop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label neighborhood half mile loop. Show all posts
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Easy Mile Counterclockwise on a Sunny Road
1.0 miles - 9:50/mile
total: 1.0 miles
79°F
Current: Partly Cloudy
Wind: E at 0 mph
Humidity: 51%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
The goal was just one mile. After I couldn't fit into a pair of pants I wore last year, I knew things were in trouble.
Nothing more.
total: 1.0 miles
79°F
Current: Partly Cloudy
Wind: E at 0 mph
Humidity: 51%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
The goal was just one mile. After I couldn't fit into a pair of pants I wore last year, I knew things were in trouble.
Nothing more.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Two Miles Around the Block
2.0 miles (16:52.84 8:26/mile)
total: 2.0 miles
72°F
Current: Cloudy
Wind: E at 0 mph
Humidity: 71%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
When a man steps out to workout after a long layoff, he cannot help be insecure. After all, he weighs more, and that added weight is not muscle or handy capillaries. No, no. It is pure fat, as if purity were the issue here. Solid fat? Hardly. That's a contradiction. Nothing solid about it. Just fat. It is heavy to cfarry, it heats up the body, and, the most important thing -- it does not help.
That's me, and more. An especially challenging week needed flushing out, and I have time today. No rain, not yet.
I tossed on my togs.
With my stiff neck, I wondered if I would last. My goal was a humble 15:00. I ran a little more.
My splits? I dare mention them. How did I speed up that much? I need to pace better.
0.50 - 4:28
1.00 - 8:50 (8:50)
1.50 - ?
2.00 - 16:52 (7:02)
total: 2.0 miles
72°F
Current: Cloudy
Wind: E at 0 mph
Humidity: 71%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
When a man steps out to workout after a long layoff, he cannot help be insecure. After all, he weighs more, and that added weight is not muscle or handy capillaries. No, no. It is pure fat, as if purity were the issue here. Solid fat? Hardly. That's a contradiction. Nothing solid about it. Just fat. It is heavy to cfarry, it heats up the body, and, the most important thing -- it does not help.
That's me, and more. An especially challenging week needed flushing out, and I have time today. No rain, not yet.
I tossed on my togs.
With my stiff neck, I wondered if I would last. My goal was a humble 15:00. I ran a little more.
My splits? I dare mention them. How did I speed up that much? I need to pace better.
0.50 - 4:28
1.00 - 8:50 (8:50)
1.50 - ?
2.00 - 16:52 (7:02)
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Accomplished. Next.
1.62 miles - 15:00 (9:16/mile)
64°F
Current: Clear
Wind: NE at 1 mph
Humidity: 36%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
Goal: 15:00
Accomplished. Long time missing. Long time gone. Now, the next gpal? Long time back?
Next.
64°F
Current: Clear
Wind: NE at 1 mph
Humidity: 36%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
Goal: 15:00
Accomplished. Long time missing. Long time gone. Now, the next gpal? Long time back?
Next.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Time for Spring: 2.5 in 56
2.5 miles run (21:48 - mile 1: 8:52; average 1-2.5 miles: 8:37/mile)
0.25 warm down
total: 2.75 miles
56°F
Current: Clear
Wind: W at 15 mph
Humidity: 68%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
First warm day of 2009. Started struggling from the first step, but egging me on was returning to JSRC once again out of shape. I survived. I intend to be ready this year.
I feel OK, cooling off before heading out for pizza with some old high school friends. Shower time.
0.25 warm down
total: 2.75 miles
56°F
Current: Clear
Wind: W at 15 mph
Humidity: 68%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
First warm day of 2009. Started struggling from the first step, but egging me on was returning to JSRC once again out of shape. I survived. I intend to be ready this year.
I feel OK, cooling off before heading out for pizza with some old high school friends. Shower time.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
No Winter Bluster Could Hold Me Back
3.0 miles - 31:22 (10:27/mile)
total: 3.0 miles
16°F
Current: Haze
Wind: S at 11 mph
Humidity: 78%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
finish
17°F
Current: Cloudy
Wind: S at 10 mph
Humidity: 78%
weight prior: 138.6 lbs
weight after with gear: 145.6 lbs
weight after without gear: 136.4 lbs
Windchill. The story starts there. Midwesterners know the sub-zero temps we have had here, with yesterday at least as low as -23°F where I live, with windchills around -35°F. The temperature listed above is drastically warmer, but by no means toasty. Just because the difference is over 40°F hardly makes a cold thing warm. Still cold. Freezing cold.
That's the beginning. Before I could even get out the door, the cold factor was chilling my bones. Cold just thinking about it.
Warmed up inside, per the suggestion of Bill Bickhart, Wheaton Academy's very successful cross country coach, and himself a runner. He tells me he'll get to the school early, run a while in the gym to warm up before hitting the Illinois Prairie Path or the roads. All I did was dress about ten minutes before and hop around, walk fast. Not a real warm-up, but I am short a gym to take laps around.
As you'll see above, I wore a lot of gear. Some is official running stuff, but mostly, odd sweatshirts and the like.
My time varied, starting at around 10:05, and the next two around 10:40. I'm not certain. Most important is the distance. I shuffled through each mile, huffing and groaning. I will ache tomorrow. Each mile for the next three months, at least, will be as painful. That's OK. I can moan in agony for a long time, so long as I am healthy.
The wind blew snow like ashes strewn on the floor from a fireplace through the chimney. Tiny pieces hit my face, singeing me as they froze a spot of skin. My glasses, worn to protect my eyes as windbreakers, fogged up before the first turn. I kept my head low just to see.
In all, I warm surprisingly warm.
It could be worse. I could be a penguin. See the trailer to March of the Penguins.
total: 3.0 miles
16°F
Current: Haze
Wind: S at 11 mph
Humidity: 78%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
finish
17°F
Current: Cloudy
Wind: S at 10 mph
Humidity: 78%
weight prior: 138.6 lbs
weight after with gear: 145.6 lbs
weight after without gear: 136.4 lbs
Windchill. The story starts there. Midwesterners know the sub-zero temps we have had here, with yesterday at least as low as -23°F where I live, with windchills around -35°F. The temperature listed above is drastically warmer, but by no means toasty. Just because the difference is over 40°F hardly makes a cold thing warm. Still cold. Freezing cold.
That's the beginning. Before I could even get out the door, the cold factor was chilling my bones. Cold just thinking about it.
Warmed up inside, per the suggestion of Bill Bickhart, Wheaton Academy's very successful cross country coach, and himself a runner. He tells me he'll get to the school early, run a while in the gym to warm up before hitting the Illinois Prairie Path or the roads. All I did was dress about ten minutes before and hop around, walk fast. Not a real warm-up, but I am short a gym to take laps around.
As you'll see above, I wore a lot of gear. Some is official running stuff, but mostly, odd sweatshirts and the like.
My time varied, starting at around 10:05, and the next two around 10:40. I'm not certain. Most important is the distance. I shuffled through each mile, huffing and groaning. I will ache tomorrow. Each mile for the next three months, at least, will be as painful. That's OK. I can moan in agony for a long time, so long as I am healthy.
The wind blew snow like ashes strewn on the floor from a fireplace through the chimney. Tiny pieces hit my face, singeing me as they froze a spot of skin. My glasses, worn to protect my eyes as windbreakers, fogged up before the first turn. I kept my head low just to see.
In all, I warm surprisingly warm.
It could be worse. I could be a penguin. See the trailer to March of the Penguins.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Two Miles (or 1.56?) of New Year's Resolve
2.0 miles 18:30 (9:15/mile)total: 2.0 miles
30°F
Current: Cloudy
Wind: NE at 9 mph
Humidity: 59%
course: neighborhood loop
Four laps around. My GPS watch seems to be reading wrong, as it thinks I did 1.56 miles. Now, all other distances are in question.
Today's goal was just to get it done. I'm swamped with a t-shirt, sweatshirt and running jacket, plus tights and wind pants, as well gloves and hat. My form is close to a glorified shuffle, my stride is shorter than a dachshund's, and my arm movement equals that of a chair.
Got it done. Steady pace. It turned out a little faster than yesterday morning, but I expect my pace will jump as I find my running legs.
Legs ached a modest amount, even with just one mile. No great pain: just fat fighting back. I'm glad I am starting slow. My brain says, "Faster, farther," but this would only end in disaster.
Friday, January 2, 2009
One Slow Mile to Start the New Year
1.0 mile 9:30/mile
26°F
Current: Clear
Wind: W at 12 mph
Humidity: 72%
course: Neighboorhood half mile
One mile is not much, but it is one mile more than the last two-three months.
I had a goal today: run one lap. I ran two. I have a goal this year: run a lot. How often? That's not a question. Once I get back into it, and Jim is writing workouts for me again, it will be six days/week.
My goal was inspired by a few things.
26°F
Current: Clear
Wind: W at 12 mph
Humidity: 72%
course: Neighboorhood half mile
One mile is not much, but it is one mile more than the last two-three months.
I had a goal today: run one lap. I ran two. I have a goal this year: run a lot. How often? That's not a question. Once I get back into it, and Jim is writing workouts for me again, it will be six days/week.
My goal was inspired by a few things.
- Received an e-mail that went to the entire JSRC mailing list. A few are running in a half-marathon. I'm in no position to say yes. I want to, but can't. Not yet.
- Saw my buddy Dave. I keep telling him the reason his weight loss has stagnated is because he doesn't exercise. I still believe that, but I need to practice what I preach.
- Was writing on a discussion board for writers to a guy with shin splint trouble. I have no shin splint trouble, not so long as I'm sitting on my duff. Similar issue as motivation #2.
- Stood on the scale last night at 138.2. lbs. That's not heavy in the grand scheme of things, but it is almost 10 lbs more than just a few months ago.
- And then -- there is that dogged 20:00 mark that flees as I get older. No idea if it is in my reach, but I still want to give it a go.
There it is.
What about you?
Friday, September 26, 2008
Bugs Dug As Run's Fun Done
1.29+ miles - 11:21 (8:48/mile)10x100 (.52/mile - 836.9 meters) e3obu (every third one a build-up)
total: 1.81+
71°F
Current:Clear
Wind: N at 0 mph
Humidity: 47%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
Not quite the prerace run I expected. 11:30 should have been 25:00. I tried running my neighborhood loop, dodged cars, mosquitoes, neighbors, all of which jumped into my planning. Not that neighbors are a bad thing. We need neighbors more than we let on.
My watch acted funky, or, rather, I missed the correct button. 1.29 is probably closer to 1.60. One mile was a 7:32.
So I sit here, drained of blood from a TB test I took yesterday (no blood really taken, but it hurts), drained of blood donated to the Anopheles Family Blood Drive, sweating without having run hard.
My legs are tired. Lack of steady training. Harder 100s. Ten, with the build-ups.
More than last week's race. I am a little more tired, a little better prepared? Look here tomorrow after the race to find out how it all worked out.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Easy Does It, Or, So I Hope: Prerace Relaxing Jog
2.3 miles -- 20:08 (8:45/mile)
6x100 meters striders
total: 2.675 miles
81°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 1 mph
Humidity: 71%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
finish
80°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 2 mph
Humidity: 73%
Easy 20 minutes getting ready for tomorrow. The night was exceptionally humid, and there's every reason to think tomorrow's race time will be similar.
Race plan: 7:10 mile to start, hold steady for mile two, then see what's left. I need a 6:58 pace for the last 1.1 miles to get my PR, but that, I think, is less up to me, or more dependent on the weather.
6x100 meters striders
total: 2.675 miles
81°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 1 mph
Humidity: 71%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
finish
80°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 2 mph
Humidity: 73%
Easy 20 minutes getting ready for tomorrow. The night was exceptionally humid, and there's every reason to think tomorrow's race time will be similar.
Race plan: 7:10 mile to start, hold steady for mile two, then see what's left. I need a 6:58 pace for the last 1.1 miles to get my PR, but that, I think, is less up to me, or more dependent on the weather.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Four Mile PR (Circuitously Speaking)
4.0 miles -- 30:42 (7:40.5/mile)
0.5 warm down
total: 4.5 miles
79°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 5 mph
Humidity: 32%
course: Neighborhood half mile loop
finish
70°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: N at 1 mph
Humidity: 59%
Raining. Again. Happily, though, this time, I was just finishing my warm down when the drizzle started, and just hit my patio when the rain flushed down.
Eight laps around my neighborhood, a convenient half mile loop, dodging smokers and parked cars.
My time surprises me. My goal was to run four miles fresh, and I felt fresh. My first mile was around 8:05, my second came in at 7:50, my third was done in 7:21, and I finished number four in 7:26.
I am encouraged. In the process of running four miles, I ran 5000 meters faster than my Zambia outing in May. The July 4 Freedom Run is a fun, hard workout, and I will take it less seriously than the Viking 5k in late July. Still, I am encouraged to know I can run four at a strong pace. This time would put me about 122 places ahead of where I was last year. With a good warm up, some race buzz and a few days of rest before, and I could break into the low 29s.
A big 5K PR is brewing. Low 21s seems ready and waiting this time next month.
Tomorrow is a day off. My right calf will enjoy this respite.
0.5 warm down
total: 4.5 miles
79°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 5 mph
Humidity: 32%
course: Neighborhood half mile loop
finish
70°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: N at 1 mph
Humidity: 59%
Raining. Again. Happily, though, this time, I was just finishing my warm down when the drizzle started, and just hit my patio when the rain flushed down.
Eight laps around my neighborhood, a convenient half mile loop, dodging smokers and parked cars.
My time surprises me. My goal was to run four miles fresh, and I felt fresh. My first mile was around 8:05, my second came in at 7:50, my third was done in 7:21, and I finished number four in 7:26.
I am encouraged. In the process of running four miles, I ran 5000 meters faster than my Zambia outing in May. The July 4 Freedom Run is a fun, hard workout, and I will take it less seriously than the Viking 5k in late July. Still, I am encouraged to know I can run four at a strong pace. This time would put me about 122 places ahead of where I was last year. With a good warm up, some race buzz and a few days of rest before, and I could break into the low 29s.
A big 5K PR is brewing. Low 21s seems ready and waiting this time next month.
Tomorrow is a day off. My right calf will enjoy this respite.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Short Pre-Rain Run
2.5 miles - 21:46 (8:42/mile)
total: 2.5 miles
83°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 0 mph
Humidity: 42%
course: Neighborhood half mile loop
Rain came. Hard. Thunder. Run over.
Tomorrow.
total: 2.5 miles
83°F
Current:Mostly Cloudy
Wind: S at 0 mph
Humidity: 42%
course: Neighborhood half mile loop
Rain came. Hard. Thunder. Run over.
Tomorrow.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Day One of a New Thing: Real Training
3.3 miles - 30:38
4x100 striders
total: 3.55 miles
75°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 4 mph
Humidity: 28%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
First day of Jim's daily workouts. Itself, no big deal. In the bigger picture, the end of my personal guesswork on training. I'm a semi-educated fool by comparison, and, on my own, can justify punting a run with no accountability. Here, now, no more.
The run was easy, yet hot and sweaty. Right calf aches.
Much to do, so no meandering online about tonight's run.
4x100 striders
total: 3.55 miles
75°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: SW at 4 mph
Humidity: 28%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
First day of Jim's daily workouts. Itself, no big deal. In the bigger picture, the end of my personal guesswork on training. I'm a semi-educated fool by comparison, and, on my own, can justify punting a run with no accountability. Here, now, no more.
The run was easy, yet hot and sweaty. Right calf aches.
Much to do, so no meandering online about tonight's run.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Places I Run in DuPage County
Forest Preserve District of DuPage County - Springbrook Prairie
Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve
9S400 Plainfield-Naperville Road
Naperville, Illinois
Get directions
5.5 mile loop, with each half mile noted. Clean, semi-paved path, with some minor hills at around the three mile mark. Find me here on occasional Saturday mornings or mid-day, mid-week when I'm not working. Among my favorites when I need to run alone.
Wheaton College Track
501 College Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187
Get directions
Excellent quality 400 meter track. Run with me here on Thursday evenings as part of the Jim Spivey Running Club. It can be crowded sometimes, but mostly, these are other serious runners who are aware of track courtesies and etiquette.
College of DuPage Track
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
(630) 942-2800
Low quality and beat-up, but convenient 400 meter track. Not only is it close to home, but I can run a track workout without competing for lanes with other runners. The COD football team often leaves equipment in the lanes near the 350 meter mark.
Illinois Prairie Path
W Liberty Dr & Carlton Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187
Excellent 61-mile trail, with markers every mile. Convenient, and many runners use it. The downside is it can be buggy (bees, mosquitoes) and roads need to be crossed every mile or so.
You will see many runners here, including the Glen Ellyn Runners Club. Be polite, nod to other runners.
Sometimes I go north or south. Most recently, I have been heading southward -- fewer road crossings -- as far as the four mile mark for an eight mile run, and expect to push it further as I can.
Elsewhere
There are other places -- occasional treadmills (COD's treadmill), paths, but either too infrequent (like Greene Valley), or too difficult to provide specifics (like road workouts that change course each time). The ones listed above are the most frequent, but also, the ones I expect to use the most moving forward this spring.
Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve
9S400 Plainfield-Naperville Road
Naperville, Illinois
Get directions
5.5 mile loop, with each half mile noted. Clean, semi-paved path, with some minor hills at around the three mile mark. Find me here on occasional Saturday mornings or mid-day, mid-week when I'm not working. Among my favorites when I need to run alone.
Wheaton College Track
501 College Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187
Get directions
Excellent quality 400 meter track. Run with me here on Thursday evenings as part of the Jim Spivey Running Club. It can be crowded sometimes, but mostly, these are other serious runners who are aware of track courtesies and etiquette.
College of DuPage Track
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
(630) 942-2800
Low quality and beat-up, but convenient 400 meter track. Not only is it close to home, but I can run a track workout without competing for lanes with other runners. The COD football team often leaves equipment in the lanes near the 350 meter mark.
Illinois Prairie Path
W Liberty Dr & Carlton Ave
Wheaton, IL 60187
Excellent 61-mile trail, with markers every mile. Convenient, and many runners use it. The downside is it can be buggy (bees, mosquitoes) and roads need to be crossed every mile or so.
You will see many runners here, including the Glen Ellyn Runners Club. Be polite, nod to other runners.
Sometimes I go north or south. Most recently, I have been heading southward -- fewer road crossings -- as far as the four mile mark for an eight mile run, and expect to push it further as I can.
Elsewhere
There are other places -- occasional treadmills (COD's treadmill), paths, but either too infrequent (like Greene Valley), or too difficult to provide specifics (like road workouts that change course each time). The ones listed above are the most frequent, but also, the ones I expect to use the most moving forward this spring.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (For a Three Mile Run)
3 miles easy 26:59 (9:15, 9:07, 8:36)1 mile walk
total: 4 miles
39°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind: N at 7 mph
Humidity: 46%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
My base was largely, if not entirely, lost over the winter. Now, I need to pile the miles on safely. Hitting the road today was not planned but it was such a nice day that denying the run was no good.
It started slow, but picked up. I was still slower than most of my JSRC warm-ups, but, then again, those often feel too fast. My last mile was merely me feeling better, looser. I think I had a couple more miles in me, but I am saving those for Monday.
I have fat to lose, muscle to gain, and a mileage base to gain. In fact, JSRC running pal Margaret suspects that's what kept me from breaking 20:00 last summer. I agree, and now, I have 1.5 months extra to get it in, plus the reckoning of its necessity.
Time for me to begin thinking about upcoming race options, and how to run through April. I would love to enter May ready, at around 3o miles per week.
pictured: Bloomington-Normal Constitution Trail
I used to run here when I lived in central Illinois
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Misery Has No Time: 2.5 Miles of Timeless Agony
2.5 miles run (time: unknown)
0.25 hard walk
total: 2.75 miles
46°F
Clear
Wind: S at 21 mph
Humidity: 46%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
No clock on today's run. Presume slow. Why? Look at the dates of my posts. Not many workouts. My watch was hiding, and I left it hid.
Right out my door I have a half mile loop with minimal traffic. Given how little expected to run, it made little sense to drag myself to a running path or track. The journey would been longer than the run (though this run was long despite its length).
Each step was laborious, like slogging through sludge while wearing a backpack. Every part of me defied my kind request for movement. Wearing tights, running pants, and a t-shirt, mock tee, and a running jacket, all topped with a knit hat, I was hot. Not in a good way.
Tomorrow I'll do it again. Maybe farther. It will be more enjoyable soon.
News
I'm committed to run the 200-mile relay. We meet Sunday to talk about who gets which legs.
0.25 hard walk
total: 2.75 miles
46°F
Clear
Wind: S at 21 mph
Humidity: 46%
course: neighborhood half mile loop
No clock on today's run. Presume slow. Why? Look at the dates of my posts. Not many workouts. My watch was hiding, and I left it hid.
Right out my door I have a half mile loop with minimal traffic. Given how little expected to run, it made little sense to drag myself to a running path or track. The journey would been longer than the run (though this run was long despite its length).
Each step was laborious, like slogging through sludge while wearing a backpack. Every part of me defied my kind request for movement. Wearing tights, running pants, and a t-shirt, mock tee, and a running jacket, all topped with a knit hat, I was hot. Not in a good way.
Tomorrow I'll do it again. Maybe farther. It will be more enjoyable soon.
News
I'm committed to run the 200-mile relay. We meet Sunday to talk about who gets which legs.
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