racepace

Week 2 Work-Out Recap.

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Thursday, July 27. [Group Run]

I joined RacePace for another group run at their location on Taylor St. in the Heights. This time, I completed 2 miles in about 35 minutes. I’m still working on my breathing pattern, placing more focus on my calves. When my legs began to “burn”, I slowed down and stopped to stretch them out. Maybe it’s best to startout at 1-2 miles to get my legs used to running rather than trying to jog/walk for 3 miles. Baby steps, right?

The weather was very hot and humid, and I’m still not used to running in it. My body definitely needs to acclimate to running outside. Running on the treadmill is definitely easier since the temperature and elevation is controlled. However, marathons don’t happen indoors.

I used the Strava app for the first time and it did not work very well for me. If I’m walking too slow, the app doesn’t think I’m moving. I’ve come to a conclusion that depending on the GPS location of my phone is not accurate enough when trying to track my run.

Mood: Hot. Just feeling hot.

Total: 1 day.

This week was definitely a low for me, and publicizing this for everyone to see is a little embarrassing but really motivates me to work out more.

 

~ gwinger

Week 1 Work-Out Recap.

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Monday, July 17. [Treadmill]

This is was the first time on a treadmill in over a year. I completed 1.85 miles at zero elevation, jogging at 4.0-4.5 mph and walking around 2 mph. Pressing buttons and trying to find a good speed was quite challenging for me. I guess it’s better than running in the summer heat right now.

Mood: Better than expected, but stopped early because my stomach wasn’t feeling too good.

Wednesday, July 19. [Upper Body]

3 sets x 10 reps.
Dumbbell Curl. 10 lbs.
Lat Pulldown. 45 lbs.
Underhand Cable Pulldown. 45 lbs.
Tricep Pushdown. 25 lbs.
Pectoral Fly. 20 lbs.

1 mile on the treadmill at zero elevation, jogging at about 4.0-5.0 mph and walking at 2.5 mph.

Mood: Tired, but it felt like a productive work-out.

Thursday, July 20. [Group Run]

RacePace hosts a group run every Thursday at Holler Brewery. I gave myself another try at a 5K distance, but my body was not ready for the changes in elevation at the Bayou trail. The more I ran, the more my calves just burned. I felt like my muscles were cramping up or my legs just wanted to give out from under me. My friends have suggested that I stretch more, hydrate more, and keep running.

Another frustrating aspect during my run were my strides. I’m not sure what is considered a “good stride.” I feel like my strides are too small, yet, when I do take longer ones, I feel like I’m using up way too much energy.

Using the Nike+ Run Club app on Android has been very unreliable. The app cannot capture my location correctly, thus I cannot view my stats. Endomondo has recorded my runs more accurately, but I would like to see more details, such as pace per individual mile. After chatting with some runners in the group, they suggested I download Strava (and add them as friends as well.)

Mood: Defeated. My upper body felt so sore.

Total: 3 days.

How did you cope with muscle aches? How did you find your stride?

 

~ gwinger