Saturday morning, according to Lance Armstrong, I completed my longest workout to date. No, I don't know Mr. Armstrong personally, but via the Nike+ system, every time you log your "longest workout to date," Mr. Armstrong's voice comes through your iPod headphones* to tell you that you have completed your longest workout to date, and, of course, congratulations.
I had a hit-or-miss training week, so actually completing my 9 mile run on Saturday was surprising. Even more surprising was that it was a great run, in which I maintained a good pace, stayed hydrated, and felt as if I could run longer (than 9 miles). Given that my race is now 10 weeks away (from today, actually), I feel confident that 13.1 miles will be doable and, dare I say, enjoyable. Saturday's run also reinforced that "time on your feet" (see my post about Run 65) actually does make a training difference. Somewhere during the past 14 weeks, I have become a runner.
*I do not actually use the standard Apple-issue iPod headphones while running. I find that the earbuds get sweaty and slip out of my ears during a workout, so I tend to run with the Sennheiser PMX 70 sport headphones, which I purchased from the online Apple store. I love them for running.
Showing posts with label Lance Armstrong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lance Armstrong. Show all posts
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
What goes down (Run 17)...
Yesterday morning was a forty minute training run--one that was supposed to be easy. I headed out down Riverside (on the start of the Bloomsday route) with Chad just before six in the morning. The start of the run was an easy downhill. Somehow while running downhill, I did not consider that on the way back, I would have to run uphill.
We headed east towards the Centennial Trail, crossed the footbridge, and had to run uphill on the looping trail as it makes its way to the Hamblem (Hamlen?) Conservation area on the hill directly across the river from the hill we just ran down. The uphill run was a pretty decent climb, but I focused on keeping upright and keeping my arms low to conserve energy and power my run up the hill. The trail loops back and forth for a good distance, all the while on an incline. I remember yelling "flatten out," as my quads really started to burn. However, I rocked that hill and we ran a bit on the flat portion before it was time to turn around and head back.
Downhill on the winding portion of the trail was a nice break. Of course, every time I run downhill I think of an article I read in Runner's World about Lance Armstrong's marathon training. Lance asserted that cycling downhill was a pleasure while running downhill was work. In the same article, Lance also claimed he could "phone in" a half-marathon. Now, Lance is unarguably one of the best endurance athletes on the planet. I don't expect to be able to phone-in my half-marathon, but I am a bit disheartened when I think about his position that running is so much more work than cycling. If Lance thinks it's hard work, I might be doomed.
Crossing the bridge after the downhill, winding trail, the Riverside hill loomed before us. Another steady climb, that, after the previous hill work, required a brief walk break. I did manage to finish strong, after completely close to four miles of hill running before 7 in the morning. However, I am relegating this running route to the back shelf until hill work actually appears in my training schedule.
We headed east towards the Centennial Trail, crossed the footbridge, and had to run uphill on the looping trail as it makes its way to the Hamblem (Hamlen?) Conservation area on the hill directly across the river from the hill we just ran down. The uphill run was a pretty decent climb, but I focused on keeping upright and keeping my arms low to conserve energy and power my run up the hill. The trail loops back and forth for a good distance, all the while on an incline. I remember yelling "flatten out," as my quads really started to burn. However, I rocked that hill and we ran a bit on the flat portion before it was time to turn around and head back.
Downhill on the winding portion of the trail was a nice break. Of course, every time I run downhill I think of an article I read in Runner's World about Lance Armstrong's marathon training. Lance asserted that cycling downhill was a pleasure while running downhill was work. In the same article, Lance also claimed he could "phone in" a half-marathon. Now, Lance is unarguably one of the best endurance athletes on the planet. I don't expect to be able to phone-in my half-marathon, but I am a bit disheartened when I think about his position that running is so much more work than cycling. If Lance thinks it's hard work, I might be doomed.
Crossing the bridge after the downhill, winding trail, the Riverside hill loomed before us. Another steady climb, that, after the previous hill work, required a brief walk break. I did manage to finish strong, after completely close to four miles of hill running before 7 in the morning. However, I am relegating this running route to the back shelf until hill work actually appears in my training schedule.
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