Born to run ?

5/31/2006

After a Memorial Day weekend that consisted of one trip to the gym and one 19-mile ride, it was time to get back to some real training. I did finally find a position with my stubby Profile bar extensions that I think will work. I'm happy that I won't have to think about dropping another $50-70 on a longer set (unless I decide to really get serious about triathlons in the future).

I decided to do a run at the track of a local middle school. It was a really warm day (about 85 degrees at 6pm), so I grabbed a bottle of water and my running hat, and walked over to the track. I wore my trusty TYR jammer trunks (which I plan to use for the entire event), and a dri-fit tshirt.

The .5 mile walk was a good warmup, so I stretched a little, then started my run. I felt like I was running at a good pace, but wasn't sure I'd be able to maintain it for the entire three-mile distance. I hit the Lap button on my watch as I came around the first time, and it read 2:02. That works out to a little more than eight minutes/mile. My target is a ten-minute/mile average, so this one was a bit quicker.

After the first mile, I was forced to walk for half a lap. While running, I was concentrating on keeping my cadence up and 'floating' as much as possible to minimize the impact on my knees. I walked once more for 1/8 of a mile, and my pace did slow toward the end, but I still managed to do three miles in 32:25. Not quite the pace I'm hoping for, but I didn't feel particularly strong, so I think I will do better with proper rest and a bit more training.

One bright spot - I have clearly improved the mechanics of my running. I had virtually no soreness in my knees or calves after this run, so that is really encouraging. I would love to keep upping my mileage and speed, but don't have much time left.

24 more days to put it all together.