Woolmarket Duathlon

I'm switching my cross/long run days again. This morning I did the Woolmarket Duathlon north of Biloxi. It was a sprint duathlon: 3 mile run, 11 mile bike, 1 mile run. I probably shouldn't be running so much on cross days, but I figured I'd be fine since this is the exception.

My 3 mile run time was among my fastest at 27:45. I'm starting to feel very comfortable at that distance. I think I could push faster still, but I don't want to push too hard and risk injury.

I got hosed on the bike leg, though. It didn't take long to get passed by a slew of people of road bikes. I did manage to pass a few slower road bike riders and two mountain bike riders, but on balance I was very uncompetitive. Tri/duathlons aren't my priority this season, but for next season and beyond I'll need to consider upgrading my equipment.

The final 1 mile run leg surprised me. I had to stop several times and walk during the first mile after my April triathlon, but this time I threw down a respectable 9:30 and only stopped once at the aid station to drink my water.

For me, the take away is that I'm becoming a stronger runner, which is my goal for this season. My cycling needs some work beyond just the equipment, but I can work on that more seriously next year.

The race itself was well-organized for a smaller event. The directors were efficient and on-the-ball, and everything went very smoothly. The course was moderately hilly for the gulf coast, but traffic was very light so it made up for it. I definitely recommend the Woolmarket Duathlon series if you're in the area and are interested in a relatively easy race.

Thanks for reading!

Nick

Weekday 3 Miler

Ordinarily there's not much to be said about a 3 mile treadmill run. To me it's boring and repetitive, and the only redeeming features are that it's over soon and I feel good about having done it. Sometimes I'm just feeling good going into the run, though. I'll turn up some volume on my high-energy playlist and have at it. Tonight was one of those nights.

You can see the details of my run on Garmin Connect. I always run with a GPS watch with the heart rate monitor and footpod accessories since I love having data about my runs. The footpod measures running cadence at all times and speed and distance when there is no GPS signal. It uses built-in accelerometers to calculate how far you move with each step, and it's surprisingly accurate. The heart rate monitor does what you think it does.

What's interesting to me about the data is that there is only a slight correlation between my cadence and my speed. On treadmill runs this is largely because I run to the beat of the music, but I leave the speed setting alone. I end up taking faster, shorter steps or slower, longer steps. This tends to hold true for me when running outdoors as well, though. One of my minor goals is actually to find a comfortable cadence and try to maintain it for longer distances without much variance. I'm thinking the consistency may lead to faster times, but that's a long term project for me.

At any rate, I'm pleased with my run tonight and I wanted to share it with y'all.

Thanks for reading!

Nick

Week 1 Review

Hey all,

Sorry for the late post. This past weekend was a busy one and I wasn’t around my computer much.

The first week of training went very well. I ran my 3 miles on the treadmill for Tuesday and Wednesday. These runs were largely uneventful; there’s really not much to be said about a treadmill training run.

I went to Langan Park in Mobile, AL for Thursday’s 3 miler, and at just under 31 minutes it was my fastest run of the week. This is one of my favorite places to run in Mobile. There are always lots of people exercising or relaxing at the park, and the loop around the pond offers a scenic view. It’s definitely a welcome change from treadmill running.

Since I went to Birmingham to watch motorcycle racing with my dad on Saturday, I switched my long run and cross training days. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to bike or swim like I wanted to, but I did walk over 2 miles according to Map My Run. It’s not ideal, but it’s acceptable and I don’t feel guilty about not doing more.

My plan was to swing by Fairhope, AL on the way home for my 6 mile long run, which is by far my favorite place to run in the area. Unfortunately, Tropical Storm Debby had other plans so I went home for a treadmill run instead.

Since there’s nothing more boring than long treadmill runs, I set up a small TV in front of the treadmill and popped in a movie. Big mistake! My time was a full 10 minutes slower than my 10K time of 1:11:30—from back in March! I’m disappointed at not running faster, but I did finish the required miles and that’s what matters.

This week I’ve got 3 milers again for my weekday runs and a 7 mile long run. I’m also planning to introduce product reviews and talk more in depth about what I learn over the course of training.

Thanks for reading!

Nick

Weekday Runs

I completed the first series of weekday runs last night: 3 miles each on Tuesday through Thursday. I can already tell that the big challenge for running during the week will be commitment and consistency, especially on treadmill run nights. It's very easy to find excuses not to run: I'm exhausted after a long day at work, the treadmill is boring, a movie or show I love is playing on TV. It's certainly OK to skip the occasional weekday run, but it's important not to let one or two missed days turn into one or two missed weeks or months.

Today is a rest day, with my first long run of 6 miles coming up tomorrow and a cross training day on Sunday. I'll write back with a recap and give my thoughts. Until then I hope everyone has a good weekend, and thanks for reading!

Gear I Use

Here's a short list of the gear I use. I intend to review many of these as I spend more time running with them, and of course I'll offer my thoughts on how useful they are to a novice runner. I'm not paid to write reviews for these products; I simply got them to help my training and am sharing my experiences.

• Sole F63 Treadmill
• Asics Gel Evolution 6 Running Shoes
• Garmin Forerunner 210
• Garmin Heart Rate Monitor
• Garmin Footpod
• iPod Shuffle
• Spibelt
• Amphipod Hydraform Handheld Water Bottle
• Proform Water Belt
• Camelbak

Training Plan

So as to give my training some focus and direction, I'll be following the 18 week Hal Higdon Novice 1 training plan. This plan is geared towards newer runners with a relatively light running base. The program consists of three shorter-distance mid-week runs with a long run and cross training on the weekends and two rest days. The weekly mileage is designed such that you take two steps forward and one back; this gives your body time to recover before the next push forward.

There is no pace goal or speedwork with this plan as it is simply designed to get you to the finish line. Since I'll be going from couch to marathon in less than one year, I feel like it is appropriate to my goals. I'll be providing my thoughts on this training plan over the next 18 weeks and let you know how it goes!

Welcome to Run Comfortably

Hello all,

Welcome to my corner of the interwebs. I'm a former couch potato currently in training for my first marathon: Running for the Bay in Apalachicola, FL. I intend to document my training progress and share my experiences as I go.

I first started running consistently in February 2012. Prior to that I lived a fairly sedentary lifestyle, and I've never been the athletic type. I've run a handful of 5Ks with a PR of 31:28, and a sprint triathlon in 2:05:42. My marathon goal is simply to finish and enjoy the race.

I hope you find my posts enjoyable and motivating. If there's anything you'd like to see me write about, please share in the comments.

Thanks,
Nick