I am liking this more and more

Ever since I did the Isagenix cleanse, I have been feeling really good. I have managed to keep the weight off, I was 206 this morning which is about what I was when I completed the first 9 days. What I have really noticed is the lack of weight has allowed me to run a little faster, a little longer and the hills don't kill me like they used to. I picked the best part of the day to head out for my run. Today was a make up day from Tuesday cause I had no gas in the tank that day. So I laced up and headed for the hills. I have really been trying to pay attention to warming up well and today was no different. I ran the first two km at a pace the was considerably slower than normal making sure that the tendon in my right leg didn't act up and that I was warm enough. Then I got down to business. I kept pace hard and consistant on the three major hills that are part of this route. The final one is always insulting as I have great intentions one day of running it hard to the top but it is such a bastard near the top that is always slows me up. I rocked the last two km home averaging 45 seconds a km faster than the first two. Good times, good times. 42:22 ~ 8.3km, 5:09 per km.

During a rare break in the day...

I got a rare split day today. Which was perfect cause with my staff meeting following work today I wasn't sure how I was going to get some distance in today. So I came home around 11:30 and was on the road before 12. The weather is lovely, 10C and light breeze. I packed my water belt and took a couple gels and headed out. I had a route that I wanted to get familiar with so I settled into an early pace that was comfortable and was very careful not to push my heartrate beyond the 150 range or above. I felt really good, concentrating on stride and my foot landing midrange beneath my body. I had no instances of pain or discomfort. The one long hill was easy as I crested it with ease. The only rough patch was around 9km when some old woman almost backed into me coming out of her driveway. I saw here with a couple of seconds to spare and climbed up on the back of her expensive car, pounding it with my fists and screaming horrible obsenities at her. I mean horrible. I yelled at her so that she was crying screaming at me to stop. Too fucking bad lady, you could have killed me. Then I carried on, shaking off the scare and fantasizing momentarily about doing what I imagined I would have. It was a memory long since past as I cruised along back into town, thrilled at how fresh I felt and easy it was to run at this pace for this long. At the end I was glad to be done but still not beaten up. Good and tired. My legs are stiff as I would have expected them to be but I feel great. I might later go back and sit in that ladies driveway just to finish my mental game and show her not to fuck with me. Probably not but that was part of the fun. 1:39:10 ~ 18.1km, 5:30 per km.

12 km was 1.5 km ago

Either I didn't pay enough attention to the map or it lied. I had good intentions of running 12k today. I laced up and headed out at a nice comfortable pace. Easy day to run, no wind, 10C and sunny. Wow, I love it here. I was feeing good, cruising up the hills as they came and working the downhills hard. I took a GU gel along with me, espresso flavored, which I took as a tester. Every run now over 12k will have to have some form of energy supplement be it Gatorade, water, gels or real food. I have to learn to eat and run, literally. I took it at 45 minutes in and it tastes good and was easy to manage. At 11.5km, the Hill showed up again. It is only 300 meters but it is equivalent to about 30 flights of stairs. And it sucks. The only way to beat it is focus. And I always win. But the time I finished my run, I was tired but feeling great. 1:11:13 ~ 13.6km, 5:13 per km.

The hills are alive

Today was a tough one, Thursdays are a combination of two workouts in little amount of time. I was in the gym for another 90 minutes then decided that I would run my 8k hill workout shortly there after. So within the hour of finishing my workout I started my run. I was tired for the first few km, which include a moderate climb but by halfway in I was warmed up and ready to go. At the first hard steep climb I ran up it faster than I ever have before, passing two people on it that made some comment that I didn't catch. I cruised down to start the next longer yet less steep climb and muscled my way up and over it. The last and most cruel of the hills in this lot is only .6k away, so I took what I had left and powered up. I had to focus near the top as I was pretty much out of gas. I crested the hill and found my second wind, bringing home the final couple of km really quick. 41:01 ~ 8.2km, 5:00 per km.

I like that kind of run

I got home from work, changed, laced up and headed out. Weather, perfect. 10C and no wind of note. I put a singlet on under my longsleeve in hopes of needing it later. No gloves for the first time this year. I traced the waterline along the harbour then moved inland for some fierce hills at the end. I was running easy early, my pace comfortable. I picked up the pace at about 5k when I took off my longsleeve and ran sleeveless. How awesome is that in February? At 8, 9.5 and 10.5 there is a collection of three hills, the second being the most offensive. I put everything I had into them to keep my pace up, only letting it drop by a second per km over the distance. At the end of it all I felt pretty good about the way I ran and how I felt. I switched my long run days to Wednesdays now cause I am in the gym on Thursdays as well, which just seemed a little too much. 1:02:41 ~ 12.1km, 5:10 per km. Another good on in the books. Just a note, 708km and counting.

On cruise control

Up and out after work today, tired from a long busy day at work and my morning 90 minute gym session, I laced up and slipped into a nice steady pace. The weather was nice, 9C with little wind. I stayed well within my comfort pace, easy striding and focused on my right leg as it twitches sometimes like it did back in Nov/Dec. My pacing was quite consistant. By the time I got home, I felt good and not even fatigued. I look forward to running multiples of that distance and feeling the same way. 33:42 ~ 6.6km, 5:07 per km.

Something just feels different

I recently started this Isagenix program and being a skeptic I wanted to see if it would make a difference. So I through my money at it and started the program in earnest. I have stayed true to it, I have only had one cup of coffee and one handful of capers in addition to what the program provides. Truth be told I have been hungry, like holy hell hungry. But it is important to do this for me, so I have endured. I cut a workout this week cause I was tired and irritable partly due to dealing with the changes of eating habits and the flushing of toxins, partly due to just being a grump sometimes. I haven't noticed much difference in the gym as I am still reasonably new to it but today, something just felt different. Hard to explain. I laced up and went out for my usual 10k loop that I have run many times. It was beautiful this afternoon, sunny and 7C. First off I felt very comfortable within the speed I was running. I felt little in the way of fatigue until near the end. I didn't feel the usual "bounce" of chub around my belly as I cruised along. At the end of the 10k, which was a personal best time, I felt easy. Tired but not brutalized. Fresh like I could have gone on more. Awesome. So I owe some of this to my new friend, Isagenix. Strange but I may just be a believer. 49:13 ~ 10km, 4:53 per km.

Quality all the way around

I was in the mood today. I know some of you might like the sound of that but I was in the mood to run. I'm feeling good and the work in the gym and in my own mind have proved to be very good for me. I ran the same route as I did a month or so ago. It's the killer one with all those bloody hills. I know what I was getting into and I just went for it. I did a little fartlek, you know the funny Finnish word for speedplay. I mixed up my speeds, running fast for a bit, then slow, slow downhill then fast up and vise versa. It was kinda fun. Took the agony out of the hills. Found myself running up hill faster than a couple of people were riding their bikes. Now that was funny. I saw them struggling so I pushed hard to catch them and did, passing them about 3/4 up the hill. They looked at me strangely as I ran on by, smiling. I finished really strong, bringing my pace down considerably, as if I were finishing a race. Felt really good. 44:42 ~ 8.77km, 5:06 per km. Good times.

Sometimes taking a few days off has a beneficial effect

This is a repost as I obviously did not save the one I originally wrote. I was off for a few days due to some dental work so when I returned to running I was ready to go. The weather was perfect, 6C, still and overcast. I ran my usual 5k route through the park. I started out feeling really good, if running was that easy all the time, I would turn professional. My time after the first km told me I was into something good, so I pushed harder. After 3km I was just flying. The last km hurt but I wasn't going to give in. At the end, I had posted my PR for the distance. I was pretty stoked I can say that much. 23:18 ~ 5km, 4:37 per km. Whohoo!!!

Crazy Island weather

Today was my first "long" run since my LTSS injury. As I was getting ready going over the route, I looked outside and the rooftop across the street that I use as my rain gauge told me that it was coming down in buckets. I wore appropriate clothing and laced up deciding on a vest as the rainjacket I have doesn't breath worth a damn. So out I went, 5C, windy as hell and I was wet through within 500 meters. I just kept going and my pace was comfortable. I was feeling good, strong and positive. The leg that was injured was giving me queues that I was listening to, if my stride was too long or off a bit, my leg reacts. So as I went on I listened and adjusted accordingly. I paced off 8 km then the weather changed. The wind and rain stopped and it was dead calm. Almost like I would think in the eye of a hurricane. It remained like that all the way home. I could really feel the distance in my legs the last few hundred meters but it was AWESOME. 1:19:00 ~ 14.3km, 5:32 per km. My pacing should actually be about 15 - 30 seconds slower per km, I can't imagine running that slow but I suppose I will have to figure that out next week. Peace.

Love the tempo run

I haven't run quickly in some time, due in part to my injury and just taking it easy. Today I ran with a purpose and it felt real good. It was overcast and cool, around 6C with no wind again, which I swear is quite irregular. I went out easy then picked up the pace a little, coasted for the next couple of km, then powered the last two km hard, running a 4:42 for the last km, which surprized me cause I felt reasonably fresh. My heartrate was comparable to the last 10km I ran which tells me my fitness is coming back to where it was in November. So things are looking good. Time to ice and put my $40 cream on my leg again. 30:05 ~ 6.1km, 4:56 per km. Peace is out there friends.

Running should never feel like work

But today it did. I wasn't in the right frame of mind from the time I left the house but I was also very clear that if I am going to go any distance I have to run. The weather was pleasant enough, 6C no wind and mostly sunny. I chose a different route today and one that which I will not be running again on a Sunday. Along the water through the park was doggie central. Now those of you who know me know well that I do not like dogs and today just polarized my distain for them. Moreso their owners but the dogs too. I will admit that I did swear at several people today directly, about their dogs and the lack of leashes but I'll just avoid the area which I am sure will be better for everyone. I felt real good by the time I got home glad that I did run today. 42:11 ~ 8k, 5:13 per km.