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Jon’s musing about running and things about running while running and after running and probably before running too

Done some two a days lately, but pretty close to each other time wise. 2 miles at 5pm and then 2-3 miles at 6:30pm as i try to eek out some sort of consistent schedule alongside my kids practices instead if sitting in car or watching them. Definitely need a better system of getting needed kit ready quickly. I feel like going for a run should be easy but maybe its the DC swampy weather or maybe its just me. I really feel like a quick change of clothes and a small towel is appreciated. Even a change of footwear is nice.

currently i’m out the door at 4ish pm and returning around 9ish pm with 70-100 mins of driving, so i am going to need to find a way to make it a pleasant lifestyle and not a pain.

i’m also trying to find ways to make sure i dont go one way too far and then end up too tired, injured or in really crappy weather too far from the fields. But so far so good, 2 miles is a quick 30 min session including warm up and cool down. And for now each kids session is 90 mins or so in series.

i am going to try to keep up some AM runs but I really dont want to sit/stand around my kid trainings so hopefully this becomes a positive and not more of an “obsession” than it already is.

in other news, i finally pulled the trigger on a toe spreader product called correct toes that supposedly attempts to realigns the phalanges. Looks a lot like inexpensive toe spreaders but on inspection are clearly different enough to warrant distinction. I had manually been doing a toe spread for 10 mins or so at night and could feel (perhaps even see) a pleasant effect so i’m hoping this product is beneficial. It took me a year or so to finally buy them.
 
global_dev said:
in other news, i finally pulled the trigger on a toe spreader product called correct toes that supposedly attempts to realigns the phalanges. Looks a lot like inexpensive toe spreaders but on inspection are clearly different enough to warrant distinction. I had manually been doing a toe spread for 10 mins or so at night and could feel (perhaps even see) a pleasant effect so i’m hoping this product is beneficial. It took me a year or so to finally buy them.
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Never thought to think of such a thing even existed! Of course it does! 😂

Hope it works for ya!
 
GearNoir said:
Never thought to think of such a thing even existed! Of course it does! 😂

Hope it works for ya!
Click to expand...
You can imagine my excitement when i saw they existed and then looked at the price. 😢 not terrible, but definitely not a spontaneous buy.

hopefully they’ll enhance my feet and be part of an overall positive health well being.
 
So i’ve made the location transition pretty successfully, i now run wherever i am for about 30 mins when i am at my kids practices. That ends up being 2 sessions of 2-3 miles each day. For one of those sessions i have company and i can easily see the progress i have made vs these 2 other guys. It was surprising but yet unsurprising if you guys can understand.

without a training plan, i’m all over the place and I’m clearly missing a lot of good stuff so it’s probably time to re-engage.

yesterday went out for a quick run about an hour before sundown and ended up just under 7miles feeling great but also mind of slow at avg of 10:30 on road/trail/boardwalk. i had on some nike free rn5s for the first time and definitely a different feel than the cushioned asics novablasts that i put a bunch of miles on.

tried out some nike pegasus 37s but the laces are too short, so gotta switch them out to get a better feel.

the running has been great and I wonder why its just so much harder in the heat and humidity, its a huge drain on the body it feels, gives me a huge respect for the work that the athletes had to put in for the races around the olympic trials and games when the conditions are terrible and they still pull it off.

the correct toes product feels great. Its just enough space that i dont feel worn out from wearing them. How long it will take to actual adjust something is a different matter, but it feels like a nice stretch and since i dont have to actively maneuver the stretch anymore… So far a win in my book.
 
Took yesterday off and did some yard work. I clearly am not putting in core work, a bit of raking, mowing, and shovel work and my shoulders/upper arms were sore.

today swapped out the laces in pegasus 37s and went for a jog. It started to drizzle while i was finishing up putting my kit on my porch steps. I figured it would be fine and it stopped about a 1/2 a mile in. Interesting in that i had no plan, no idea where i was headed or for how long. I decided on a new route but in the same area. Ended up at a bit more than 7 miles around an 11min/mile pace. The first 2 miles were uphill, then a slow long downhill for 2 miles and then 2 was all high hills in the forest and 2 in rolling hills on the road home.

somewhere around mile 5 i was led through the forest by swarms of dragonflies for about 1/2 mile. Pretty cool, a bit unnerving though. Must be symbolic about something in my life.

my clothes were soaked with sweat, WBGT at 80F, 70% humidity, dew point 70F.

it definitely feels like an accomplishment for me but at the end i’ve enjoyed it but it’s a bit exhausting and I’d like to get to a point thats its not that overwhelming. Maybe its the weather still.
 
Been running 2 a days lately. So far so good. Usually breaking 10k into at least 2 5ks done over 2 hrs. feels a bit easier on the system, but still a good effort.

I feel like i’ve turned a corner and noticed that for some, if not most, of 5ks i’ve been able to keep my HR below 140 completely while keeping a 160 spm turnover which has me moving around 11mins/mile. Kind of slow but i feel like i am in control of what i can control during the run. Its a lot LOT easier with limited to no hills to do that.

tried out saucony’s triumph 18s - super comfortablly cushioned. A nice welcome fit after a couple days with the Pegasus 37s. A bit slower than the Pegasus 37s, but some instability on the pegs on my ankles until mile 3 or 4. Not sure whats going on with that, but the sensor feedback says i’m not anywhere near heel (or even midfoot) striking so its an odd feeling.

i was able to do a 4.5 mile easy session at 5:15pm and then a 7 mile hills interval session (1/4mile uphills along a 1/2 mile /\ hill. It just felt good so i went with it while i was waiting on for the second kids training to end around 9:30. It was just long enough to not feel to repetitive even though i did the same out and back 15x over the hour and change for the 30 1/4 mile uphills. I did 3 uphill strides at the end pushing the form and pace just enough to feel really good and not into injury. Wow. enjoyed it but not sure i want to make this a regular thing.
 
Yesterday was hot on the pavement so took a 7 miler through the trail slowly. Gentle teail wak with my wife. It was great.

got out today in the late morning and started out at 11am 85° WBGT. I figured i could get 5 miles and be back in about an hour. Did a quick 5k in just under 29mins. Definitely not able to contain HR under 150. NOt crazy high. Around 155 avg , Conditions would not allow it. Heat, pace, hills.. Slowed it down for less than a kilometer until the HR hit mid 120s and then ramped back up to a good feel/pace for the balance of the run.

Ran with the pegasus 37s not sure how long to break in these zoom peg37s but not my favorite by far so far.

i was impressed by my 5k performance but still a ways to go.
 
last night around 7:30PM did a nice 5K on my flat course - a 1.5mile loop, nice breeze, nice & slow pace... i keep telling one of my running companions to set the pace, and he constantly complains i push it faster before we run, but i keep telling these guys to slow it down during the entire run. it's so odd, idk what this guy is thinking. i tell w guys to be the lead and i'll follow their pace since it's my easier runs for the week.

reeeeegardless, went out this AM at 10 for a 5 mile fartlek (love that word), more or less half mile or so intervals and pushed the stride length a little bit. it's interesting to feel the differences in cardio vs muscular issues. it was all pretty overwhelming and before pretty much cardio was the primary constraint, with some muscular stuff, now i can feel some issues in muscles and cardio isn't as huge an issue, but clearly today i was pushing a bit of both. i definitely can't hold the pace that resulted from the slight form change in either cardio or muscles, it's about a 7-8min/mile pace for more than 4 mins on the normal route of hills. but it felt good to open up the stride a bit. i know i've seen folks say that steps per min shouldn't change that much from easy to tempo, but i think my easy run is just really slow and the rule of thumb isn't at play yet for that conversation. my spm on easy is 160ish and on the tempo is low 170s. that feels like a big jump.
 
i had to take some time off from running this last Friday to Sunday. took a "family trip" that afforded me little no good availability to go for a jog/run or recover for what my responsibilities were of chauffeuring my family from DC to SC for 4 soccer games on Sat and Sun. I brought some kit just in case, but i was kind of teetering on exhaustion each day from the driving, the standing in the humidity and sun (or under an umbrella), the early rising to get to fields at 0800 standing around until 1600 each day at soccer fields. I don't think jogging would have helped my condition, i felt like i really didn't have the time. I was already getting up at 6am in the hotel, having gone to bed at midnight and moving from 1 hotel in one city to another the next.

I did manage to walk a bit for ~3 miles in Columbia on Saturday on the main city drag in the evening, but that was about it. PLUS a shin splint injury is/was acting up and kind of rally hurts.. so i "rested" my injured shin by having to use it for almost 20 hours of driving, lol.

and maybe that was good. shin splints is uncomfortable and i wonder if i did too much too soon, between the increased mileage, a slight increase in pace, and the increased use of the pegasus37s, or maybe its just DOMS catching up with me after a good run of no injuries... its also the leg where i broke my knee and it definitely felt relatively warm to the touch as compared to my left leg. so i stayed off and enjoyed the hiatus and hopefully I'll be back to good form in no time as i have a slow jog planned for this early evening.

this is also the first day i've taken off from work in a while, where i wasn't doing something really constructive. feels good, but also like i should be doing something.
 
Traveling soccer team? Ouch. I love my kids…but I hope they never ask to be on a traveling team (at least until they can drive themselves lol).
 
GearNoir said:
Traveling soccer team? Ouch. I love my kids…but I hope they never ask to be on a traveling team (at least until they can drive themselves lol).
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These "national" leagues are ridiculous. My u13 and u17 kids "area" league is Virginia, North Carolina, & South Carolina. The other league they were last 2 years was Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. With annual showcases in 3 other national regions in winter, spring and summer. usually FL, CA, and one other place.

Back to running, rode a bike 3 miles, gave it to my kid, and she rode alongside me while I jogged back 3 miles. It wasn't great feeling at first, i was just not feeling it, but by mile 3 i was doing ok, but ready to give it a rest. Decided to go on a nice walk with my wife and it was beautiful out, nice breeze, not to warm/cool, and we enjoyed a 5 mile walk. my leg felt fine for that.. probably need to rest, ice and tylenol.
 
finally got back on the horse yesterday; it was a beautiful day... It was really hard to take a break, but my shin was feeling pretty sore last week.

I decided to hit the trails and my younger kid, who is 12, accompanied me on a 7 mile trail run fartlek, which we completed in about 85 mins. it was phenomenal, no shin pain, no issues outside being tired sprinting up a hill or after a fast interval. the session felt about right, not too long, not too difficult. we had a really good time and came back around 2pm. we didn't see many people which was odd for such a beautiful day, but it was kind of cool and perhaps it was too close to noon for most people.

definitely feel like I could use a better water carrier, I don't normally take one with me for a run (which usually top out around 90 mins), the one I have on a belt carries only 10 oz and I feel it's hard to run while having something in hand. as I start to run longer, I'd like some sort of vest to move the weight to. place that it doesn't feel like its bobbing around.

I can also still feel the heel instability of the pegasus 37s for the first mile, not sure what that's about... doesn't seem to happen on any there shoe.. however the cushioning felt great on hills after the the instability "pain" went away.
 
beautiful day again, these days will be my downfall to injury, just finished my typical 5mile run in nike "zoom tempo next%". all I can say is wow. these are ridiculously comfortable to run in, definitely awkward to walk in, but wow.. these aren't even the alphaflys or vaporflys or whatever that are blowing other peoples minds . that's all I can say for now. I have more shoes to try so I'll hold back on any FOMO but I was not unimpressed for sure.

images

I didn't break a PR today, but damn close and I wasn't even trying to move quickly. I think I was 20-30 seconds off, which given my start stop warm up cool down and stopping to check texts twice and very slow recovery at hill crests was pretty amazing after yesterdays effort. I finished the 5miles in less than 49 mins and my legs feel good, I think that is what may make these cushioned shoes useful.. legs don't feel like they are taking a beating during the run and perhaps faster recovery... my HR wasn't as low as I'd like, but today I was running by feel.
  • fastest 5mi in 6 months
  • fastest 8k in 6 months
  • fastest run in 3 months
  • highest calories/hour in 3 months
  • best performance in 3 months
  • highest average heart rate in a month
  • fastest mile split in a month
  • fastest start in a month

watched 2 short video clips yesterday and interestingly, Alyson Felix said she loves to run in hot humid weather. early I sympathized about the hot Tokyo summer temps, but sprinters feel and run better in that weather, while distance runners prefer way way cooler weather. the second clip was about kipchoge and how he says he only sleeps about 6 hours a night, maybe he naps, but that was surprising given all of the call for better longer sleep.
 
been pretty busy in the running shoes these last 5 days (sun-thurs) putting in 7 sessions for a total of 35 miles so far. gorgeous weather, i feel spoiled..

i think yesterday I hit a PR of 7 miles in just under 70mins unexpectedly, but the Smashrun app gives me all these great things it tracks... ironically that site is down today.. i run a decent 5K with a friend in the evenings usually making sure i can talk normally while we do it.

today i decided to get back to keeping my HR under 155 around my 5 mile course and for the most part was successful, the hills still get me into the low 160s but i just try to slow it down without walking, just breathing and speed change.. "averaged" around 150bpm.

felt like i was in control of the run and not having to glance too much at my HR monitor.
 
Last night i had a second 5k session that i tried to go by feel but also slightly push the pace. It was a nice run and put me over my monthly goal of 100 miles distance with 111 miles. This was the first month i used a monthly goal. I think 100/month is very doable and would like to see 120-150 at a reasonable pace soon.

The weather is really conducive to enjoying the longer runs now and i am gonna try to get some earlier AM runs.
 
7mile trail run today and my youngest was kicking my butt. This was a first as she is usually asking to stop, she said she much prefers trails over pavement, and the weather was super accommodating with cool temps, 70° not too humid 50%, and sunshine rays leaking all through the canopy.

I was tired though and need more sleep. Zzzz
 
took the weekend off, i was pretty tired from other early start activities and needed a rest.

yesterday went out feeling pretty ok in some saucony endorphin speeds. it was a bit warm & slightly humid aroun 11:30, but pretty nice and i tried to stay in the shade of the neighborhood trees when available.

the endorphin speeds definitely have an odd roll to them and some cushion, but not super bouncy.. i was moving and i noticed that i didn't feel as tired at certain spots as i usually do. there were definitely points of being tired, but sometimes your mind says time to slow it down, sometimes you ignore it, sometimes, like yesterday it isn't as loud... i am going to chalk that up to some combination of the weather change, my fitness going up, and the shoes..

i was really trying to continue working my 5K speed and yesterday was 28:30.. not terrrible, but feels like my tempo pace... 5 miles at 49:45, also not terrible, but i stopped for a short recovery break at the 5K, and then about quarter mile later for another recovery :ROFLMAO:.. i restarted at too high a pace..

i thought maybe i had some notable moments on the run, alas smashrun said nothing..

sometimes find myself going out and somehow fining myself close to a garbage truck along a portion of the route.. i need to change that.
 
the runnings been getting easier, but i'm still not able to keep a 5 mile 8:45 pace in my neighborhood hills.. it was definitely fast day, beautiful weather, little to no traffic. i barely missed 27min 5K and the HR is definitely lower than when i started, so lots of good news for my local scene.. 50 mins to get around the 5m block..

ran last nights usual group run by myself and took opportunity to run an easy 5K then some intervals - quarter milers at ~5:30 min/mile... about 5x and then an easy recovery back to start. i can definitely feel the difference in that speed portion and the slightest of heel lift at the back swing engages some hip/quad muscles i don't normally get to use in my easy runs... wow. i think that heel kick is truly the key to my pace change in the vast majority of my runs..
 
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