Tuesday nights run went pretty good. They've started construction on part of the road I run for my hill run. So my turn around point is closer to the overpass now. The benefit is that there is even less traffic on the road now than there has been previously.
The little dog also didn't come out to me Tuesday night either, I didn't even hear it barking, so maybe it was inside.
Once the construction is completed, I've mapped out another route that will be a longer run for me and take me over 4 different overpasses. It will be a 5+ mile run when I decide to tackle that one.
For the most part, as long as the weather holds up, I think I'm getting re-adjusted to running outside again. My legs are feeling much better now.
Yesterday also marked the actual 1 year anniversary for my blog!
Since it was such a nice day again, I decided I'd run some more tonight. Instead of running my hill route, I just stuck to the neighborhood and attempted a bit of interval/speed work running.
I need to find a better setup for Runkeeper to do actual interval speed work. What I did tonight was 5 minute warm up walk, 1/2 mile "normal" pace run, 1/4 mile walk, 3/4 mile "fast", 1/4 Mile walk, 1/2 mile normal pace and finally a 5 minute cool down.
My 3/4 mile fast segment turned into a "run as fast and long as I can then walk some" segment. I'd pick a point and say I'm going to run to there as hard as I can. Then I'd walk to catch my breath and pick another target and run to that. It seemed to work out well, as my "normal" pace for 1/2 mile was 14:48 mile pace and the 3/4 mile I did in 14:05 mile pace!
Heh... apparently there is a term for what I did tonight:
FARTLEKThis is Swedish for speed-play, a no-brainer speed session. You don't need GPS or a measured course, you simply run fast and slow - run between lamp-posts, or do timed bursts (30 seconds to 3 minutes). Or, try a pyramid fartlek session, for example, run hard five, four, three, two and one minute bursts with equal recovery time. This is a great way to run fast with no pressure and ideal when you're starting out.I also made sure to pay more attention to my walk segments. I've noticed that I've been slowing down quite a bit when I go into them. So now I try to keep walking at a faster pace than I have been. In order to do this, I've been trying to lengthen my strides while I walk.
Well, I think I wrap it there for now.
Thanks for Reading! Regards,
~Kipp
 | Lighter, Stronger & Faster for 2013! Walt Disney World 1/2 Marathon - January 7, 2012 FINISHED 3:48:49 |
Ha - glad you found the term fartlek. It's a really great way to build speed and endurance.
ReplyDeleteBe careful of lengthening your stride when you walk - that can actually cause injury. Instead, try shortening your stride just a bit and work on increasing your turn over (the number of times you take a step in a minute).
I've tried to increase the number of steps I'm taking and I begin to feel like I'm tripping over myself.
DeleteWhat I've been noticing is that while I slow down in my walking, I also start hunching over. Doc has said that is due to my weight and trying to kind of "hide" my gut.
So now I've been trying to keep the posture good and have noticed that I tend to walk with a longer stride that way. I try to walk to the beat of the song that is playing at the time and I've been able to keep to it a lot better.
It's hard to describe really. I think in the hunched over walking I've seen a recording of myself in the past is that it looks more like I'm more side to side action in than just moving forward.
I'd be surprised if this is making any sense...
I'm trying to get rid of my fat person walk and get a normal person walk.
Not to be confused with a funny walk, that's an entirely different skit.
You definitely want to walk more upright. I find that just by looking forward and keeping your head from facing downward towards the road can really help you run posture.
ReplyDeleteAs for cadence (the turn over rate), my trainer says you want to get it in the 90 range. My cadence is around 85 right now. Developing a more mid-foot strike can help you manage your stride length and improve your cadence. That has been what I have been working on for many months now, and starting to see results.
Good job on the run, dude! :)