record week

I made it out nice and early. My long runs still are not all that long, but they are long enough for me right now. Today's long run was 16km. It was very slow, and it had a lot of uphill running in it. I ran up Kishon and down Tzeelim and up to "Gimmel" and around Gimmel for a while, then down and back to RBS A, then up to Hayarden-Hayarqon, then up to Dolev-Dolev (almost) and then back home with some extensions to ensure I would hit 16km.

Today's run gives me five runs for the week totaling 53km!

The coming weeks filled with holidays will surely mean less running.

short over long

I was debating whether to go out this morning for a long run or for a short run.

In favor of a long run would be because:
1. I did not run yesterday and was well rested.
2. who knows what tomorrow might bring
3. running short today might harm my chances for a good long run tomorrow

In favor of a short run would be because:
1. Friday is always more convenient from a scheduling perspective for a long run
2. tradition

In the end I decided that Friday is the long run day, and today would be a short run. I ended up running 10.5km and felt great.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a good long run in of maybe 16km or so

So far this week I have run 8, 10, 9, and 10.5. This could still turn into, if plans work out, a 5 run week. Have not had one of those in a long time. I could also set a new high (since my return) for my weekly distance. Anything above 9km tomorrow and I have reached a new high.

base run moves up

Great run this morning. I ran a decent 9km and felt great. I ran a bit slower, after yesterday's quasi-interval workout, but I got past the distance I was looking for, feeling great the whole time.

It seems my base-run has moved up from 5 or 6 km to 8 or 9 km, so I'll consider that an accomplishment.

running hard

Today was an awesome run. I wanted to run in the range of about 10km, so I went out on a standard 10km course - out 5km on the 375 to Tzomet Etziyona and back.

This course has uphill and downward trends in both directions, so it is pretty even.

I wanted to push myself more on this run and I ran with a lot of energy. I ran several intervals through the course where I ran at what I think is my maximum speed.

I finished the course strong and concluded 10km at 1 hour of running time. My watch said the pace was an average of 6:05 per kilometer. I am not sure how that works exactly, as 10km in 60 minutes should be an average pace of 6. so either the watch is doing its calculations wrong or a few seconds off (it was 60 minutes and a few seconds) makes that much of a difference.

if I can do this a few more times, I should start seeing some significant improvement in my average speed.

Saturday night recovery

I did not get to write here much last week, so I apologize for that. I ran a lot, sort of, but it was poorly scheduled.

I ran Saturday night, and then not again until Wednesday. Then I ran Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. So I got 4 runs in, which is a lot for me right now, but they were poorly scheduled. 3 consecutive runs means my legs were tired and none of them were too great.

On Wednesday I ran 12+km while feeling great with an awesome run, on Thursday I ran 8km recovery - very slow, then on Friday I ran 12km again - having hoped for anywhere between 12 and 16km.

I really have to work on better scheduling, so each run can be a better run on stronger legs.

Tonight, Saturday night, I ran 8km recovery. I am actually happy with the distance. I was going to run 7km, then while on the run I was going to bail after 3km as I was struggling and having a hard time breathing. I stopped for a pit stop and then felt better. I figured I would do a full circuit of RBS and then stop, but by then I was feeling good, so I finished my circuit and then did another 3 with some additional extension to complete the 8km.

good start to a new week

I took 3 days off of running after having some pains. I figured I have been running a lot recently, both in frequency relative to what I have been running and in distance, and figured it was time to rest my body. Nobody wants to push through pain and end up injured, especially when I am just running for fitness and not training for a marathon or anything in particular.

So 3 days off it was.

Tonight, after Shabbos, I went out for a slow run. I was looking to run 9km. While out on the run I decided I would run some uphill terrain, and ended up running up to RBS Gimmel, and around some random road sin Gimmel - whichevr road I came across that took me uphill. By the end of the run, by the time I made it back home, I had run a slow 10km, and felt great. No aches or pains, an dI probably could have kept going for a much longer run. I'll save that for later in the week, but am happy to have gotten it off to a good start!

running and bailing

yesterday I ran 10km.

I ran out on Kvish 10, at 4:30am. It was nice and quiet. I felt good.

I was looking forward to running today another 14-16km on the same road, but I just went out and changed my mind immediately. As soon as I started running I felt some pain in my ankle and decided it was prudent to not run today. I don't want to aggravate anything. Hopefully I'll get this one in tomorrow instead.

recovery

recovery run tonight. I ran about 5.5km, very slow, very tough.

Recovery runs are important as they help the muscles recover from the long runs. Hopefully it actually works and my netxt run will be string again

epic run with some great results

Today was an epic one for my return to running...

I went out planning a long run. I decided to do a route that is a circle - the Lamed Hei road - being from RBS out to the 10 - 375 to Tzomet HaElah - 38 to Tzeelim and back up Tzeelim to RBS. This is a route of about 18km. The distance is one aspect of it being epic for me right now, but the commitment is another aspect.

When you run an out and back, even if you add little side detour runs to add distance, you are not really committing, mentally - you figure you can always turn back - if you aren't feeling well, if the run isn't going well, whatever. When you run a circuitous route, at a certain point there is no turning back. Sure, until you get to the point of no return you can change your mind and turn around early, but mentally by choosing to run a circuitous route you have committed and you just go do it.

Just a couple of km into the run I came across the BS running club members out for their 22km run - they were taking a water break. That was nice - I have not seen them in a while nor run with them, and now I did, even if just for a few moments. Then I cut up to another couple of friends who were out for a 12km run, and I ran with them for about 1.5km. Then I was back to running on my own, with the running club out in the distance.

I hit the 10km mark just under the hour mark, which is another point that was epic for me, though the first 10km of this route is mostly a slight downhill. I knew the last 8km would be much more difficult, with both the Zechariya hill and the Tzeelim hill - both 2 and 3km hill climbs that are pretty steep.

At about 10km I finished the water I had been carrying, and then just chugged on. It was a great run. I felt strong until nearly the end. At the end I added a small amount and finished at 18.5km. My average speed was only slightly slower than Tuesday's 15km run, but this was a much hillier route.

So, overall a great run on a beautiful morning.

Back on the horse with a new record distance

Taking two days off after a lousy run really turned out to be a great idea, even though it was not really planned. Sunday I could not run because of scheduling issues, and Monday I woke up a bit later than usual and woke up tired after going to sleep very late on Sunday night, so a run was out of the question.

Last night I was exhausted and went to sleep earlier than usual, and woke up earlier than usual as a result. I was feeling great and when I went out for a run I was undecided as to whether to go for a run of about 9km or to try for a long run.

I started off with 3km out to the end of Kishon and back, as that is flat and it is a good stretch to start with, both as an addition to another distance without having to run out too far and possibly get stuck somewhere, and just for a nice flat start.

I was feeling strong and great so i decided to go for a long run. I ran out to the 375, and with a couple of additional detours to add a bit of mileage, such as turning left on the 375 towards Gush Etzion for about 500 meters, and then turning towards Neve Michael for another 500 meters out and back (each way), I only had to run a short distance past the satellites, and by the time I got home I was at 15.5km. Another record distance for me since returning to running.

And, not only did I hit a new record distance, but when I looked at my watch I discovered I had shaved a fulled 11 seconds per kilometer off my speed from my recent previous runs, both long and short. I felt great the entire time, but I was surprised to see such a significant boost in speed.

One thing I did differently is that I took water with me and drank a bit on the road but planted it for my return run when I might be feeling a bit weaker. So, I drank a bit along the way, and maybe that helped, but in general I was feeling strong.

Don't give up after a bad run. or a bad day at anything else in life. Get back on the horse and try again another day.

First lousy run

on Friday I had a great run, after Thursday's 14km long run. I did not know how long of a run I would be able to sustain on Friday, so I went out with an open mind, and was hoping for anywhere between 6km and 9km.

I ended up running about 7.5km and felt very good the entire way, so I considered that a good run.

Tonight however was one of those runs that was just lousy. I went out thinking it would be a good run, after a day and a half of rest from Thursday and Friday's runs. I went out and my legs felt like they were filled with lead. I just could not move.

I had been planning on running the entire Kishon and back, which starts with a flat 3km, and then a circuit around RBS, totaling about 7.5km.

Seeing how it was going, I decided to bail much sooner. I was going to run just the first 3km and call it a night, but in the end decided to do a circuit of RBS instead, making my run a total of about 4.5km. I figured even a lousy run is better than nothing, and at least I was sweating out a few calories. We can even call this a recovery run, if necessary.

I must say though that this was really my first lousy run since my return to running. Sometimes it happens. You just have to push through and put it behind you.

back in Israel with a new record..

Having arrived back in Israel from the USA yesterday, I was conflicted as to whether I should run a long or a short run this morning. I suspected I would not wake up early enough anyway, but if I would, should I keep it short as my body might be tired form the travel, or should I go for long as I have not yet run long this week due to the travel schedule?

I woke up early enough, so that was not a problem.

After a momentary glitch with some pain in a foot that almost made me bail on the run at the very beginning, I persevered and continued running. The pain went away a just several moments later. I felt really strong and decided I would try to go for a long run.

Everything felt great until the last 2 or so kilometers when I felt worn out. I finished with 14+km, a new high since my return to running, and according to my GPS watch my speed was also just slightly faster than it has been until now.

It felt great to be able to come back and run like that right away, especially with the addition of hills here that don't exist in Chicago. Maybe the "high" of being back home gave me that extra boost...