Category: Running Log

Gym bag – Check
Socks – Check
Running clothes – Check
Running shoes – Check
Course map – Check
Everything in gym bag – Check

Now to make sure I don’t forget it when I leave tomorrow morning.

Last week I started adding a 30 minute jog on the treadmill at about a 8:30/km pace in the evenings to help build up my endurance. Last week was full of early mornings and late days, so I didn’t get out running nearly as much as I would have liked, but the treadmill workouts helped preserve what little conditioning I’ve built up so far.

This morning’s run felt pretty good, and I can definitely feel my conditioning and endurance improving. The first couple hundred meters or so still feel rough, but once I get out past the ponds, I start getting into a nice stride. The left knee protests though, which is starting to become a somewhat limiting factor in how far I jog before stopping.

Temp: 15°C
Distance: 2.4 km/1.5 miles
Time: ~20 min
Pace: ~13:00

It seems like on all my jogs lately, I’ve been coming back against a headwind. Now that I think about it, that used to happen quite a bit when I went out riding back home as well. At least it wasn’t a very strong headwind. Enough for me to feel the extra effort, but helped cool me down a bit.

Took things out a little faster this morning (maybe about a 7:30/km pace), but didn’t last long. It’s a pace I can do on the treadmill for at least 10 minutes, but on the road I sputtered out in about half that time. Today’s run was a mix of jogging a little faster than I was last week (about 8:30/km or so) interspersed with walking breaks. Endurance is starting to get better after last week’s blood donation. With 10 days left until the run, I have no illusions that I’ll be able to run the whole thing. I’m nowhere near that yet, but I hope to at least not be the last one across the finish line.

Temp: 19°C
Distance: 2.4 km/1.5 miles
Time: ~25 min
Pace: ~16:00

I had barely made it past the ponds up the road before I was gasping for breath and ready to turn back and head home. I was thinking “Crap, I can’t still be this out of shape, can I?” when one of the little voices in my head reminded me: “You gave blood two days ago, dummy.”

Oh yeah, that’s right. No wonder I’m so out of breath. It’ll probably be a couple more days before that gets better.

I think all the rain the last few days has brought all the frogs out of their winter hibernation, because the racket they were making as I jogged past the ponds was almost deafening.

Temp: 19°C
Distance: 2.4 km/1.5 miles
Time: ~30 min
Pace: ~20:00

Headed out in what I thought would be a brief break in the rain this morning, but ended up getting sprinkled on anyway. Helped keep things nice because it was pretty warm this morning.

Several days of early mornings at work interrupted my training schedule and today was the first chance I had to get out for a jog in a few of days. Boy was I feeling it too. Finished off with a 10 minute cool down walk on the treadmill.

Temp: 18°C
Distance: 3 km/1.8 miles
Time: ~40 min
Pace: ~13:30