off road

I have finally been diagnosed, after taking an ultrasound, with a hernia.

Methods of treatment, i.e. I guess that means surgery, are being explored with the doctors. Hopefully it won't be too long before I am back out on the road.

13km speed

This week's speed workout was scheduled for a 13km run. Being that the group no longer seems to meet for these speed workouts, I did mine this morning, though there was nothing speedy about it. Weather was wonderful and I had a good 13km run.

back to running

after two weeks off, my groin muscle felt almost completely better. I only felt it when stretching my leg at a certain angle, and even then, only slightly. After two weeks off I felt it was time for a run. Life is really different without running. I was hungrier, I ate more junk, I was more tired and earlier in the evenings, and I felt sedentary. The time to run had come.

Unfortunately as soon as I started running I felt it again. Oh well, I think I am just going to keep running and push through it, at least until I cannot.

Anyways, the schedule called for an 11km run tonight. It was as bad as a typical Saturday night run with pit stops and general discomfort, but I got my slow 11km in and I am happy to be back on the road

no run

I did not run today.

I have noticed a certain pain over the past week. I decided it is a groin muscle pull. As fun as that sounds, the pain is not so much fun, though it isnt horrible, and I am able to run with it. I was considering finishing the week, especially because the Friday long run was scheduled for just 24km, and then maybe rest it next week.

Last night we went out late to my son's remote army outpost to visit him and bring him some food. We got home very late and I was very tired. I had a hard time getting up this morning early enough to run. I decided I would begin my groin pull rest today already. I could easily find time at some point today to get my run in, but I think anyway it is smart to rest the groin muscle and take advantage of a tired day..

I would add that "grin muscle pull" is all by self-diagnosis, so I dont really know if that is what it is or not. It was either that or a brain tumor based on the google results :-)

18km

This morning's 18km run went smooth. The weather was really great. Probably perfect. The temps have warmed up just a bit and the early morning was not as chilly as it has been.

I ran across Kishon for one cycle, then up Hayarqon, Hayarden, Dolev, down to Roads 10 and 375 for a bit, and then back with another cycle on Hayarden and concluding with a partial cycle on Kishon.

speedless workout

I wanted to do my run tonight because I needed to get out, but I was tired and had a headache. I hadn't eaten or even had a drink all day. The noisy kids tipped the scale and at dinnertime I decided to just go out and do it.

The speed workout was scheduled to be a tempo run, totaling 14km. I was not really in the mood to track that and figure out speeds and times, so i just went for a 14km run.

The going was tough but after a few kilometers it got better, though not faster. I still seem to be getting slower and slower with each run...

14km recovery

last night I just wasn't feeling great. Between my sore legs and just overall discomfort, I decided there was no chance going out for a run would see any success. I kind of felt bad because after the time change it is such a long Moztei Shabbos night that it felt like a waste to not use some of it for the recovery run. But I just couldn't.

I went out for an early morning run today instead. 14km slow kilometers later I had my recovery run in. The first couple of km were difficult and then my body sort of eased into the rhythm of the run and things got better, though not faster...

36 makes 82

Training Week #9 concluded with a 36km run this morning, bringing my week's total kilometers of running to 82km.

The run was local. The group was doing 2 Bet Shemesh loops but I did not want to do that. At 3:30am I headed out and ran out to Tzomet HaElah junction and back. On the way back in I ran through the new MIshkafayim neighborhood before heading up the hill. At the top I detoured on Hayarden for a couple of kilometers, then headed down to Kishon to finish 36 with 2 cycles on Kishon.

It was a bit tough this morning, but I took it easy and all was good. It is really getting chilly before the sun comes up. Soon I might need to start wearing long sleeves on these early morning runs..

18km

Wednesday was supposed to be a medium run of 18km distance. I was too tired to run it Tuesday night, and Wednesday morning I had to go early to Tel Aviv. I was trying to figure out when to run it when an opportunity came mid-day on Wednesday. It was really nice. Sunny but not too hot. It has been a while since I got a mid-day run in and I still love running in the sun, even though the cooler darker hours are better for it.

18km was comprised of a few cycles of Kishon, and then up to Hayarden Dolev, back down and out on Highway 10 to the end and back home. I ended with 18.25km.

intervals

with no group run tonight, I decided to adjust the speed workout tonight. Scheduled was 14km of fartleks, but without a watch and without other people, it is just too much work to keep the times and speeds straight. So I just did estimated intervals.

I basically ran a 1km warmup, then alternated between about 800 meters at a "fast" pace with a few minutes of light jogging. Everything felt great and the run was uneventful.

14km recovery

tonight's 14km run was good, albeit slow. Much better than Friday's failed 8km run. It was a recovery run even though I was not recovering from anything. I seem to be getting slower and slower as the training season progresses.

It was a nice night out to run, though it is getting noticeably cooler and was even cold at certain points.

gotta know when to fold em

You've got to know when to hold 'em Know when to fold 'em
Know when to walk away And know when to run

Today was not a day for knowing when to run, but to walk away and fold em.

It started off with getting a later start than expected but then continued with what I discovered to bee xtremely low energy. I just couldn't get far without breaks. I just was not feeling this run. My 30 minute mark was at my lwest distance that I can remember, and my 8km mark was at the slowest time I can remember. I knew this was pointless and just gave up. It is a pullback week anyway. Next week I will get back to  routine

missed run

for the first time since training began, I missed a run.

I missed my Wednesday morning medium distance run that was scheduled for 18km.

I had a crazy 2 days of work that required me to be working almost the entire Tuesday night and after just a couple hours of sleep had to be up to continue. I did not have time to run, and I was too tired even if I could find the time.

By Wednesday night, I was too tired to run even though I could have made the time.

Thursday morning I could have run but by then I figured it was just too close to Friday's run.

It happens. Have to be flexible

hill repeat workout

I ran 11.25km of hill repeats tonight. Killer workout. very slow. legs still a bit sore from Friday

9km recovery

This week is a pullback week with lower mileage.

Last night's recovery run was run this morning. My legs were still too sore last night after Shabbos to be able to run it. So this morning I ran the 9km recovery run. It was truly a recovery run at a super slow pace. I was fortunate to be able to move at all, considering the soreness, and specifically considering some tightness in one of my knees.

The run was uneventful, but at the beginning it was really tough, and I thought I might have to be satisfied with a 4km recovery. After 2km or so I realized everything had loosened up and I was moving ok, albeit very slowly but without pain and soreness, so i ran the entire 9.

38km to Rehovot

The group run to Rehovot was scheduled for 34km. I used to love this run, but the past 2 years I have not done it at all.

Back in the day, when I was training for my first marathon, I would get up early and my supportive wife would drive me to a starting point at 4am or whenever, so I could get the distance I needed. Now I don't trouble her any longer with that and if I cannot take the car for whatever reason I just start from my house even if it means I will be running a longer distance than necessary, or find a ride (rare nowadays) or run a different route and not with the group.

The group starting in Bet Shemesh was scheduled for 34km, but because I was running from RBS I was going to get 38km. That is a big jump from my longest run so far of 33km a couple of weeks ago, but I felt I could do it.

Out I went at a bit before 4:30am, timed to finish as closely as possible with the main group at the grassy entrance of the Weizzman Institute in Rehovot before getting a drink at Aroma and then cabs back home.

The new highway, which was lit up, is a vast improvement over running along the old highway. Once on the Highway 44 though it went back to being pitch black at that hour of the morning.night.

At one point I got clipped by a biker. He had no lights on his bike, was wearing a black outfit, and no lights on the road meant my neon shirt and reflective strips weren't helpful at all. I saw him coming at me at the last second and tried to jump out of the way and screamed from being startled and not realizing what it was. We banged shoulders or something. I was ok and I tried to look back and he seemed to be fine, continuing to ride. One of the other runners later told me they saw him as well and nearly crashed into him.

I carried a small water bottle with me, and all was good. I ran through all the stops, occasionally stopping for a pit stop, walking through a water break, but until Mazkeret Batya water stop, about 30km in for me, I basically had just kept running,.

After Mazkeret Batya it was difficult to get started again. Muscles tighten up and it was tough. When I entered Rehovot I was already at 34km and considered taking a bus to the final destination as I already had the scheduled distance. But, I looked around and did not see the other runners at all so I figured I had time and just kept going.  I hit the Weizzman grass and collapsed into it at 38km after a great run.

Runkeeper messed up the time tracking, but it got the distance right. So my actual stats are meaningless (even though I imported them into Endomondo). I dont know why this happened, and it is not the first time. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

My legs are very sore right now

This week closes with 80km on the week. I haven't run this amount in years, if ever.

17km Kishon

This week's mid-week medium distance run was pretty good. I ran it last night and ran it at an intentionally easy and relaxed pace.

My legs seem to feel their best on the Wednesday medium runs and the Friday long runs. Saturday night and Monday night runs seem to be the most difficult for me. I took it easy to make sure my legs would feel good for this Friday's long run which is scheduled for 34km.

I must say I have taken a strong liking for this route on Kishon that gives me 4+km per cycle. Last night I ran 4 cycles of it and ended with 17km. Lots of runners and walkers out in great weather. I still have to decide whether to join the group on Friday's long run, which is scheduled to be a destination run to Rehovot, or to run a local 34km - starting the run in RBS to Rehovot generally gives me a 38km route, so I have to decide whether to run it with the extra distance or stay local..

Recovery and "Speed"

Missed my recaps so I'll just mention my last two runs briefly..

Saturday night after returning from Jerusalem I ran a 14km recovery run around RBS.

Monday afternoon I had a small break in the day and did my speed workout then, running 11km. The tempo run was broken up as 4 cycles of 2000m at 10km race pace, with 4 minutes in between of easy jogging. I must say this was difficult and my legs felt sore and tired. I ran as fast as I could when I was supposed to, but it wasn't fast at all.

22 that is 57

Fridays long run is scheduled for 22km through the Roglit vineyards. The group is actually running 31km because they are assuming many members likely missed some of the runs during the holiday due to schedule conflicts. I kept to the schedule so decided to run the scheduled 22km. However, due to some crazy scheduling I decided to run my 22km at 01:00 (1am) instead of at a more normal hour - the scheduling including a late night trip to Tel Aviv, an early morning Cubs playoff game and an early morning trip to the Kotel for a cousin's tefillin-donning ceremony.

I kept it simple because of the late hour and the dark. I just ran a bunch of cycles around Kishon, including a slight extension past Ayalon on the way back and down Hayarden on the way out.

22km is in the book, with a holiday week of running closing out at 57km.

.

16km

tomorrow's medium run is scheduled for 16km. I did not even wait to see what the group has scheduled for this - I had an opportunity to run it tonight so I took it. Tomorrow's schedule will be difficult. I plan to stay up late tonight (Cubs playoff game followed by some Hoshana Rabba learning), so I have no idea if I would be able to run it tomorrow or not.

My 16km involved a couple of cycles across Kishon, up through RBS C and through the streets there, down the other entrance and back up to RBS A via Tzeelim, then up Hayarqon-Hayarden-Dolev and back.

Good run, good air, streets were busy but only a few runners/walkers...

11km workout

11km speed workout today employing 15 cycles of 150meter strides, tempered by 600meter regular running in between each.

I just finished it. While I did not count the cycles, I did a very good job of estimating the distances and checking my gps tracker and alternating speeds at the right time. I dont know what speeds I ran, but that isn't the point - I ran my 150s at full speed, and a relaxed speed at the 600s.

As a light rain is expected this morning, the morning air was very humid - much worse than it has been the past few weeks...

8km recovery

The weeks starts with a recovery run to the tune of 8km after Friday's crazy 33km run.

The run is in the books and I felt better than expected. No real pain and only some slight soreness. EVerything felt good. From what I see on the schedule, this is a down week with less mileage, so it should be relatively easy

33km!

today was tough. I really wanted to run with the group - 32km to Jerusalem - but I knew I am not yet ready for that. It is really a fabulous and fun run. But, besides for much of it being on a trail in the dark, and I once before twisted my ankle on this run, I am also way too slow right now, and I would be running 32km in the dark all by myself, on a route that I might also make a wrong turn on and not have enough water at the water stops (it has happened before)...so I decided to run local instead.

I planned to run a few cycles of Kishon, up to Dolev with a few cycles of Dolev and then out on the Highways 10 and 375 to finish the distance I needed.

For water on these local long runs, I put out a couple of small bottles near my house, which I pass on my Kishon sections. Then when I go up and out, I carry them with me and drop them where I want to for the way back and for other cycles.

Today, as I was running Kishon I decided to just keep doing that. Why bother dealing with figuring out distances and where to put water - just keep running cycles of Kishon. It gives good distance, and I could mix it up a bit by running on opposite sides of streets on different cycles, and I had water at a perfect spot. So I did that. I ran 9 cycles of Kishon, giving my about 28km, and then decided to go up and finish with a run up Hayarqon, Hayarden Dolev and back, finishing at 32.5km.

It was tough, and slow, but I made it all the way through pretty well.

The one problem was my Runkeeper got messed up. Right after I started my run I had to stop for something and Runkeeper auto-paused, as it is supposed to. Unfortunately it did no restart, and I only noticed it about 1+km in when I checked to see why it was not alerting me. Still a bit later, in the range of about 2.5km in, it still had not alerted me so I checked it again and saw that it had not advanced at all. So, I turned it off and switched to Endomondo which did a good job. So, my run concluded on the clock at 30.5, but adding about 2.5km to that gives me 33km or so for the run. All the stats are worthless because of the lost 2.5km and for whatever reason (I have to check the settings) Endomondo did not auto-pause when I stopped for water or pee breaks.

added: I forgot to include the calculation of the week's total mileage. I ran about 71km in total last week. insane

16 Wednesday

I decided not to run with the group today because they were starting later than I wanted to. So I ran a local 16km through the streets of RBS... I got up early and went out at 5am for 16km. 3 times across Kishon, up Hayarqon, Hayarden, to Dolev, and then back, with a slight detour behind the new DOna buildings at Haraden Hayarqon..

a bit slower than expected but a good run. Probably better for a slow run today so I'll be strong enough for a long run on Friday

10.35

Tonight was a speed workout but the big boys weren't there so the group that showed up just wanted to do a regular run. I tried to run with some seed at times but it just did not work as my legs were sore form yesterday's run, and tonight's route had some hills in it, so it was basically a regular run.

For some reason my Endomondo Activity Assistant stopped working so I have to transfer my details from Runkeeper to Endomondo even more manually than before. What a pain.

Anyways, 10.35km in just over an hour... not bad

12km

this morning's run was 12km. I had no idea how I would feel running the morning after the Yom Kippur fast, but everything was clickign and I felt great. I ran mostly hard and my speed was faster than my norm. I ran twice across Kishon and then up Hayarqon and Hayarden to Dolev and back home. Felt great all the way through.

The early mornings are starting to get really chilly. I like it.

67km, but not all today

Today's run was going to be difficult. I knew that in advance. We had scheduled a 14km trail run for Erev Yom Kippur - the traditional Yishi Trail run. Being that on Wednesday I ran 28km, I knew today would be tough no matter what distance was scheduled. Add to that a trail which is more difficult. I decided to not run with the group because of that - my normal slow speed, and then today's slowness added, would leave me basically running the trail all alone. Plus, the group was starting their run later than I wanted to start.

So, I ran a local 14km on the rads of RBS. I actually ran 15km because I adjusted my route in the middle and miscalculated a bit. I basically ran 3 cycles across Kishon and then up Hayaqon and Hayarden and back.

It was slow and painful, but enjoyable. Good fresh air and a great way to start the morning.

I finished the week with 67km, which is the most I have run in a week in a very long time...

Gmar Chasima Tova.

mid-week 28km

Because Friday is erev yom kippur we scheduled the week's long run for Wednesday, with Friday being a medium length run (I think), so today was meant to be a 28km run out to Tzomet HaEla and back.

Being that I would be starting in RBS, I ran 7km locally before heading out to the highway, and I knew I would still need about another 1.5km of extensions along the way. I went to sleep early and woke up earlier than planned, so at about 3:30am I headed out for my run.

Across Kishon twice had me at 7 already while heading up Hayarqon to leave the neighborhood. I ran out and all the way to Tzomet Haela. Parts of it are very dark and I stopped here and there to hug the shoulders when big trucks were heading my way. I also made a pit stop, and after that my run got better.

I dont know what happened but it seemed to me my Runkeeper app tracking the run did not do such a good job. A few times I checked my progress and things looked wrong - pace, timing, and even at some point it looked like it was not advancing my distance properly. I kept going and things seemed to work itself out, though I am not convinced my time and pace are correct, and I think I ran more than 28km, but I made sure to get the 28 on the clock.

At Tzomet Haela I decided to extend it a bit so I ran a few hundred meters on the 38 and back, and then headed back on the 375. After a few extensions on the 375 and in RBS, I finished my run at 28km. I think the pace it shows me is faster than I actually ran and I think it clocked less time than it actually took, and less distance, but I cannot be sure of it. I might map it out on google maps to check the distance, but I wont be able to confirm the time and pace. I care less about that though.

Yasso 800s

Tonight's speed workout was scheduled for Yasso 800s. This means after a warmup run we would be running 7x800m at marathon pace with 400m of slow running in between each set.

I think I did pretty good, even though I don't have an accurate way of tracking this. I don't know what my marathon pace is so I basically just ran as fast as I could. I also could not accurately track my 800s and 400s, so I estimated and made calculations and checked my phone (RunKeeper) every now and then and kept more or less to the right distances. In the end it was a good run and I ran it at a good pace, though I have no way of knowing what each individual 800m was clocked at, with the 10km a whisker fast than the hour mark.

post rosh hashana recovery

The post Rosh Hashana week started with a 14km recovery run.

It felt great to get out there after 3 days of no exercise, but it was difficult after 3 days of no exercise along with 3 days of overeating.

The first few km were tough, but I got into a rhythm and then just felt great. I took it slow, and the 14km was mostly a breeze.

The weather was great. Really pleasant, for probably the first time at night that I can remember in a long time. Not humid at all and the temperature was good. Lots of runners and walkers out. Really nice night to be out running...

Medium Long Run

Today's long run was really a medium run at 18km. The scheduled route was the Lamed Hey Loop. Being that I was not feeling up to running either the Zechariya or Tzeelim hills, I decided I would run 9km out, to nearly Tzomet HaEla, and then 9km back.

And I did. It was not a great run. I did not enjoy it and I was not a fluid run. I did not feel in sync. But I got it in and finished a short and lower mileage running week to close training week 3..

short recovery

I went out this morning for my recovery run, but had no legs. Everything down there felt like rubber after last night's speed workout. It just was not working. I gave up after about 3.5km. Maybe I'll try again tonight, maybe not.

Intervals speed workout

In tonight's speed workout we ran intervals around Hanarkis St.  Basically we ran 1.6km fast, at 10km race speed, and then 4 minutes of light jogging. We did 5 cycles of this.

I ran the 5 cycles of 1.6km much faster than I thought I could. The fourth cycle was hard, and the fifth cycle was really hard ans a bit slower, but overall I ran a pretty good speed.

This is a short week so tomorrow will be a recovery run at some point and Wednesday will be a "long run" that si really medium run distance of 18km...

recovery

14km recovery run is in the books.

I wanted it to end already at so many different points during this unbearably slow run, but I kept going. perseverance.

Holidays will shorten this weeks running schedule. I am not yet sure how it will all work out.

25km

Today's run was a 25km run along the winding and hilly Highway 353, and then back to Tzomet Srigim via the 38 from Bet Guvrin.

I set out the water at the water stops for the run, so I knew exactly where it was. I started about 15 minutes earlier than the group and had a great run. I ran the first half at a good speed, but the hills and the humidity got to me.

At the 12km mark, we had to cross a barrier of construction dirt to get to the path leading down to the gas station on Highway 35 near Bet Guvrin to get back to the 38. It turned out most of the group decided to not go that way but instead turnedit into an "out and back" instead of a loop and just turned around at that point, unsure of whether the path was also affected by road works or if it was just blocked off.

Being that I was ahead of the group, I ran the path, and only one other guy had caught up with me at that point and he did as well.

When I got back the rest of the group had just finished their run and I discovered they had gone out and back instead of loop.

The humidity was really tough. I was thoroughly drenched. The runner who had caught up with me is a far better runner than I and he was really struggling. I just took it slow and steady and finished my run, but it was tough. I ended up finishing at my normal slow pace.

This concludes Week 2 of training with 66km. That is a big jump for me.

medium 17km

today's medium distance run was scheduled for 17km. I planned to wake up nice and early at about 4:30am to get ready and go out before starting my day. I fell asleep really early last night and my eyes opened at 2am. After using the washroom, checking my email and whatsapp messages and whatnot, I tried to go back to sleep, but by then it was futile.

Around 3:45am I went out for my 17km run. I ran across Kishon, up Hayarqon and Hayarden, 3 loops around Dolev, back out to the end of Road 10 and back home for 17km. Felt good. Air was decent enough.

It was nice being out so early. No cars on the road allowed me to run in the street more than usual. Especially with so many of them having been recently repaved, it is much smoother in the streets than on the sidewalks.

fast tempo

tonight's speed workout was a tempo run. Meaning a 1.5km warmup slow pace to start, a 1.5km slow cooldown to finish, and a tempo run in the middle.

A tempo run is a run the for 8km you run slightly faster than expected marathon pace.

Being that I don't know my marathon pace, I don't really know what to run, or what I can run. I do, however, know that if my marathon pace is going to be 6:30 I wont be running the marathon,so I figured I would try to run the tempo at slightly faster than 6.

Thankfully the entire run was downhill. Starting around Dolev in RBS, and then for the tempo out to the 10 and then on the 10 out to the Industrial Zone and then a cooldown for 1.5km back to where cars were parked to get us back to RBS.

I ran the tempo part at an average of 5:25mpkm which is amazing, but taken with a grain of salt because it is all downhill. I basically skipped most of the cooldown as I turned a bit early to finish the tempo by the cars to make sure I would not miss the rides home. I got in a small amount of cooldown. I ended up finishing 10km at a 5:33 pace

recovery

The trainign scheduled called for a 14km recovery run tonight, and I ran it religiously.
14.5km at a very slow pace. Funnily enough, it did not feel slow and every time Runkeeper gave me the audio alert with my distance and pace I was surprised how slow I was actually running...

Anyways, after a lot of distance last week, including Friday, this was supposed to be naturally slow and it was. Looking forward to Monday night's workout...

22km long run

This morning's run was scheduled by the group to be a 22km run. And I ran 22km. Tghe weather was nice and cool. Overall pace was decent, a touch faster than my long runs have been recently. I ran the middle 10km of it at a pace slightly faster than 6mpkm.

I ran the Lamed Hey loop, starting in RBS with 3.5km. I actually never saw the group. I started my run 15 minutes earlier than they did and I expected them to pass me after Tzomet HaElah, but I never saw them.

The best part of this run was that I had done this route and distance a few times recently, but today was the first time it was not a struggle but a nice run. Even the Zechariya and Tzeelim long hills, though tough, were not a struggle.

That puts me at about 55km or so on 4 runs for the first training week...

midweek 16km

Today's run was scheduled as a 16km run at an easy pace with 4km strides at marathon pace. Being that I don't know what my "marathon pace" is I figured I would just run 4km as fast as I could.

I decided not to go to Bet Shemesh to run with the club. The start time was a bit late for my much slower pace, so I figured I would just do the run out of RBS at an earlier time.

I ran 16km at an easy pace that was really not so easy. Even the easy pace was a struggle at the beginning.I did get a good fast 4km in at about the 8km mark until 12km, in which I ran around 6mpkm. Overall my average pace was 6:35mpkm.

16km would have normally been a Friday long run for me at this stage in my running, so running with the club is really forcing me to up my game a bit.

back to the group

running with other people is far different than running alone.

The Bet Shemesh Running Club began marathon training season this week. While at this point I have not committed to running a marathon, I have decided I would train to the best of my ability, marathon or not. Training with the group is a big help in improving my fitness and my running - especially for the speed workouts and probably for the long runs.

When I run myself, I have to push myself. I often do, but not too hard. I am also listening to podcasts or whatnot, and I am not focusing on my running all that much. Running with other people is far different. We are chatting a bit, when possible, but mostly keeping each other going and reminding each other of the pace and the timing, offering words of encouragement and praise. And, especially, there is a bit of a competitive nature in all of us, and when running with other people there is a natural boost in your step.

Tonight I ran the speed workout with the group. The first speed workout of the season was a fartlek. Fartlek is basically running 4 cycles of twelve minutes each, with each 12 minutes broken into 3 segments of 4 minutes. Each segment of 4 minutes is run at a different speed - slow, medium and fast, and then all over again for a total of 4 cycles - plus a 2km warmup and a 2km cooldown (which was shortened tonight).

Not really knowing my marathon pace, which is how to determine the different speeds for the fartlek, I ran with two other guys at paces of 6:30, 6 and 5:30. While it was difficult to keep to the porogram accurately, overall we were pretty close.

I ended up running just under 10km at an average pace of 6:01mpkm.

A big problem I had was I could not get the fartlek program into any of the apps I tried for tracking, and to alert me of the time to change pace. I ended up using two apps which were not synced so it got confusing, and neither had the correct info for the fartlek, but at least the timing was pretty close so I knew when I was approaching the 4 minute mark , even if I did not know the exact pace I was running at. For that I had to rely on my running partner's occasional updates when they were with me.

Maybe I'll eventually figure something out, or maybe I'll get a new GPS watch that makes the tracking easier and more accurate, or maybe I'll just continue to rely on other people. Whatever happens, the run tonight was great. It is really good to be running with other people again


.

I was so slow that...

catching up here...

Thursday I ran 8km in the morning. It was a good run. But I know I really need to work on running on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays, as good Thursday runs usually means the Friday long run will be a bit more difficult than it should be. This past week I could not run on Wednesday as I went early to Tel Aviv for work, but normally I should be able to.

Friday I ran 23km, as I had hoped to. It was a very difficult run, and if I would have been able to I would have bailed on the run at a few different points. I couldnt really bail, so I forced myself to keep going, and I am happy I did.

Saturday night was a very slow recovery run. I rab 7km, and it was a bit muggier than I expected. I knew it would be slow because my legs had felt sluggish all day long.

How slow was I running?
I was so slow that my phone announced the 30 minute mark far earlier than ever before.
I was so slow that walkers were passing me.

Tuesday 8

I am not running today, Wednesday, but yesterday I ran a pleasant 8+km.. The weather is getting more and more pleasant, at least before it gets hot, and it seems to be getting hot just a bit later in the morning..

On Monday I actually went out to run but it was such a bad run that I bailed early and did not log it. I don't count it as a run. On Sunday night I was out late at a wedding. I overate and I overate very late at night. When I went running on Monday I still felt the food and the tiredness from the wedding  and it all just felt bad...

Motzash 10

I missed logging a couple of runs. So, I will add them to tonight's log.

On Thursday I ran 8.25km. I wanted to get the run in, but I did not want to run too much to negatively affect Friday's expected long run. It was a good run at a good pace.

Unfortunately on Friday I woke up late and by the time I was able to go for a run it was already too hot for a long run. I ended up cutting a very sluggish run short at 8km...

Tonight on Motzei Shabbos I ran a slow, but reasonable, 10km in very humid weather. Tomorrow I wont be able to run, so I am looking forward to Monday for my next run..

Ten Tuesday

I finally got my first run for this week in. This morning I woke up early and after not being able to go back to sleep, I got up and went for my run. 10km. Relatively slow pace - a bit surprising, but fine. Good air, good times. It was mostly still dark. While I went out earlier than usual, it has already been pretty light out at this time of day until recently. Winter is coming....

Jerusalem trails

Had an awesome run this morning. I found myself staying overnight in Jerusalem, in the Rechavia neighborhood. I woke up early enough and decided to go for a run while everyone else was still sleeping. I had not planned a route and only sort of know my way around, so I just went out and tried to stay more or less cognizant of where I would be at each stage relative to where we are staying.

There is a bike trail pretty close to the house that goes down to Gan Saccher, among other places, so I started off in that direction and ran through Gan Saccher. That took me up around the Rose Gardens, which I ran through, and then I ran out and up Cinema City to Agrippas. Cutting through Mahane Yehuda early in the morning was cool as the bastas were getting ready to open and people were just starting their shopping for Shabbos.

From Mahane Yehuda I ran down Jaffa Road down to Jaffa Gate of the Old City and then out through Mamilla Mall. Up the road past the US Consulate and then past the Prime Minister's Residence, taking me down Azza Road back to Rechavia, back up the bike trail and back home.

Beautiful route, cool morning Jerusalem air, nice refreshing sun, and 11km through the roads and trails of Jerusalem.

got to know when to fold em

I was not planing on running today. I knew I needed a day off fro it. But I woke up early, so I figured I might as well..

It was as bad as I thought it might be if I would, so I really should not have. I felt like I could not move. My legs were like lead weights. And the bad humidity had nothing to do with it.

I bailed after 4km and decided it was pointless. The only good thing is I was going to bail after 3 and decided to extend it to 4 before bailing

12 hours later..

10.5km on an early Monday morning.. temps were good, humidity was not a problem. overall a beautiful morning for a nice run..


I ran a bit slower than I had expected, but I guess running just 12 hours after a previous 10km run that might make some sense...

Friday Sunday

On Friday I woke up early to run but was too tired after a late night (cousin's wedding, good excuse)... After waking up again a bit later, it was too hot for a long run, but I went out for a decent run anyway. I got in 11.5km, and had an enjoyable morning.

Saturday night I had to go to Jerusalem so I did not get to run.

Sunday morning I did not get to run either, but late Sunday afternoon I found some time and went out for a 10km run and it was glorious! It was hot but not horrible, it was sunny but not overbearing. There were people out but the sidealks were not crowded. All in all a good run at a relatively slow pace.

running schedule messed up

I just got my first run in for the week, at 9km. This week is tough due to our lives being in a flux with some renovations messing up our schedules and living arrangements. Hopefully moving forward things will settle down and I'll be able to run on a somewhat regular schedule throughout and then back to regular when it is complete.

long run 22+

this morning I ran a little more than 22.5km. It was really a great run until nearly the end.

I started my run running across Kishon for 3.3km. After debating whether to run the "Lamed Hei Loop" from the 38 to the 375 or from the 375 to the 38, I decided to start via the 10 and 375, which would make me run the Zachariya hill and the Tzeelim hill back into RBS.

The Zachariya hill, as always, is tough, but I managed it ok. The Tzeelim hill really killed me. It was already pretty hot by then, and that 3km climb, from kilometer 18 through 21 was really tough. I had to stop a couple times on the climb, but eventually I finished it and finished my run ok. My speed was similar to my other runs this week until the Tzeelim Hill and that really did me in.

Maybe next week I'll run it the other way. The benefit is avoiding the two steep and long climbs. The detriment is that it is a lot of slight uphill for much of the way.

Anyways, I am happy I got the long run in

5km worth of fresh air and bright sun

had some work cancellations so after getting some work done I decided to go out for a short run. Boy is it hot out there! Good thing I did not have a lot of time available so I wouldn't be tempted into a longer run!

I got in 5.3km at another good pace. Got some sun and fresh air, so all is good!

faster 9km

this morning I had a very enjoyable 9km run through RBS. It just felt great.

I didn't feel the run as a particularly fast one, but today, along with Monday's run but even more, so, my final speed suddenly took a big jump and got much closer to what it was before my recent 3+ week break from running due to hip pain.

10km

nice weather this morning for a run. I got in a 10km run. the sun was pleasant, the temperatures were reasonable and the humidity was decent.

Tomorrow will obviously be a day off of running for Tisha bAv... I did not feel a strong need to run today, but I figured with no running tomorrow, today would be a good opportunity.

9km x 2

I have two runs to log here. After Shabbos I went out for a slow recovery run. I ran a bit over 9km, sweaty and slow.

Nothing exciting to report. I always like to see the masses of people out running and walking on Saturday nights.

This morning I woke up early and decided to go out for another run. I got in another 9km. The temperature was really nice and the humidity was not as bad a sit has been recently, so it was a pretty pleasant run.

long run Friday

I ran about 20.5km this morning. I was drenched very quickly form the humidity, but it was good run.

unfortunately my phone flipped out at the end of my run and I dont know why.. maybe from the humidity or maybe from my sweat.. I wasn't able to get the exact details of my run because of it... and I couldnt transfer the info from Runkeeper to Endomondo

mid-week 10

10km.
Almost did not even go out. I woke up and just felt tired, too tired to go run. I was going to go back to bed, but by the time I finished waking up and taking care of my needs, I did not really want to go back to bed and decided I was just being lazy, so I went out to run.

Changed my route a bit - ran across Kishon and then out on the 10 (Road 3855) to 375 and back. My old route.

running 9

I dont really need to write anything here about this morning's run.. I really just write here so my friend Tzvi will know I ran, and today he saw me out running. He ran right by me as I was chugging along..

Just joking. A few other people read what I write here, so it is not just for Tzvi, but yes, Tzvi did run right past me on my morning run.

I got in 9km this morning in decent temperatures at a nice average pace. My legs still feel heavy and tired, but I do feel stronger. and that i am running better. Tomorrow will not be a running day, so I am looking forward to Wednesday...

family matters trump running

family matters trumped running last night, though I did get a run in. It was cut short by family matters, but it was already longer than expected.

I went out to run despite having heard of the news of a terrorist attack on Shabbos and I really was just not feeling it and wanting to run. Some other matters also distracted me, and I just wasn't enjoying it. I was going to stop at 3km and call it quits, but decided to at least hit 5. Then I was caught up in a podcast I was enjoying and thought that would just carry me through to a normal distance.

Then I got the call and had to cut it short. Not the end of the world. I ended at 5km, and hadn't really wanted to run it anyway.

This morning, after a late night and after late night food, I went out for another run. I made it to 9km this morning and all is good, even though my speed is still very slow.

I just dont get how 3 weeks of no running can set me back so far. I was finally hovering at speeds averaging at just around 6 minutes per kilometer, and now I am back down to 6:30 or even slower again.

lotsa laundry

I always like to see a lot of running clothes in my laundry, even often a majority of my laundry pile being running shirts and socks, because it reminds me that I am getting the exercise I need. I am clearly getting back to that stage with a good portion of this weeks clean laundry pile being my running junk.

Today was slated for a long run, but I did not want to go right back to the 20-22km I was running before my break. I decided I would run 13-15km this week, and then next week hopefully closer to 20.

I got out at a decent time, and it wasn't too hot yet but it was already very humid. I got drenched pretty quickly.

My pace was pretty slow, as it has been all week, but I kept chugging along. I really felt like 11-12 would be my maximum, but at some point I decided that i just have to keep going. I had some extra calories to burn off after a late Thursday night siyum with too much eating too late at night.

I ran across Kishon and then up Hayarqon and over Hayarden to Dolev. Then I did a loop around Dolev. At some point I decided I did nto really want to go down to the 375 and back, so instead I ran a few loops around Dolev and then back home with some additional extension on kishon. I ended up with a bit over 15km, though the last 2 km or so werent all that great quality.

back to routine

I was not planning on running today. Early was out, as I had to go to Tel Aviv early, and I did not know if I would have a chance later, and even if I would  it would be too hot. Anyways, making a return to running, a figured it would be good to take a day off after two days of running.

But, I got back early enough and had some quiet time, so i decided to run. It seemed to make more sense to run today and take off tomorrow. That way I'd have rested legs for a longer run on Friday.

But, the heat would still be a problem.

Solution: Go out for a run, but  a shorter run.

And that's what I did.

I went out and ran 5.25km, in the heat. It was a decent run, but I was happy to keep it short. The heat made it difficult, but also I was not looking to push it. Just to get back to a routine.

hot and humid

with the extreme summer heat in full force, it is really time to get back to an early morning running schedule. Not that early mornings are so great. It is still hot, and even worse, the early mornings are very humid right now.

This morning I got out and ran 9km. The humidity made it tough, but the run was at a decent speed and I felt good throughout.

great run

that was really stupid. I got some free time in the middle of the day and decided to go out for a run, despite the intense heat.

I was hoping to get 9km in, but it was impossible. I stopped at 8, and barely made it to that. My speed was at the slow end of my current average, and that surprised me. I thought I had run much slower.

The heat was bearable i the first half, but by the second half it just became oppressive.

What can I say? it isn't a good idea to go running in 36 degree Celsius temperatures. Especially without water.

But, as I put into my Runkeeper tracker as a review of the run, anytime you can go otuside and run in the beautiful clear and sunny skies,  even a bad run is a great run.

hot and slow

Second run for this week. no pain. I had a crazy week that messed up my schedule, so I had planned to run during the week but it just didnt work out.

The run was slow in the heat. I started out normal pace, but got bogged down in the heat after the first few kilometers.

I intentionally kept it "short", to build back up. I still feel in shape, but I also felt that my legs werent ready for a long run. I ran 9km, which is short for a Friday run, but average for a regular run for me right now.

I am happy I am getting back out there.  3 weeks of no running added a few pounds back on to my scale...

getting back on track

After three weeks of no running because of a muscle strain in my hip, I went out tonight for an intentionally slow, intentionally short run.

I specifically wanted to see if I would have any pain, and go out for an easy run just to test everything.

For the most part everything was great, though I did feel a slight niggling pain - nothing hurt but it felt like it isn't perfect. It might just be over-paying-attention to it, or it might be not yet 100%. I'll get back into it and see how it develops. Anyways, tonight went well and hopefully soon I'll be back at full strength

painful 9km

after a few runs early last week, I did not run the rest of the week. I had a very physically tiring work week, along with some pain in my hip, and I just did not run.

I went out tonight for a run, and my hip pain, which had mostly subsided after a few days of rest, flared up again right away. I think I have to go figure out what that is

Anyways, I ran a slow 9km.

slow 7

just got in a short 7km run at the end of the day. nice. legs still feel heavy and slow. I would think after a week off they'd feel fresh, but I guess not

back to 9

After a weak of no running, I went out tonight for a 9km run. Felt good, but it was not easy...legs felt heavy and it seemed a bit humid... but overall I was happy to be out there and getting stretched out again...

break

I have not yet run this week. I have actually been feeling a bit under the weather, though I am now feeling much better, if not yet 100%. I suspect it is from the recent increase in running and my body was just worn down. I am debating whether to not run at all this week or to start running again as soon as I am feeling strong enough.

tiring 22

this morning's 22.5km run was great. A bit of a slow pace, but consistent, with even a slight negative split.

I was very tired. When I went out to run, I thought I would just keep it short, even though I had planned a run of upwards of 20km. I thought of bailing at about 3. I just felt worn out.

But running gives me energy and I just kept going. I decided to run up to Dolev and do a cycle of Dolev, and one cycle turned to 5 cycles, and then I ran out to the highway and finished back in RBS. I did miscalculate a bit. I was going to run 20, and then decided maybe I should run 21, just to have an increase. a slight miscalculation had me ending at 22.5km.

I have been worn out the rest of the day since then..

Surprisingly fast morning

this morning I got out early enough for an 8.3km run. It was good (for the run) that the kids had vacation, and the one kid with school was starting late.

I actually felt much more energized than I had expected, and even ran fast than expected, without any extra effort - except for in one section. At one point I saw a runner about 300 meters or so ahead of me, and I set a target to try to pass that runner. The runner was not running fast, but considering the distance of the gap and the point at which I turn around (about 500, 550 meters away), I was not sure I could make it, but it was a good target. I ended up succeeding and passing the runner with just 100 or so meters before my turn.

Overall I finished my 8.3km run at a pace slightly faster than 6 minutes per km.

tired 9+

After not running Monday and Tuesday due to trans-Atlantic travel, I just ran tonight after the holiday. I got in a 9.3km run, and my body felt tired.

I would guess the tired was due to a combination of factors, including trans-atlantic travel, back to Bet Shemesh hilliness after a week and a half of running flat Chicago, and a crazy messed up schedule over shavuos holiday with the up all night learning programs.

Anyways, I am happy I got out for the run and am looking forward to another tired run tomorrow. Maybe Friday will be back to normal.

last runs before heading back

this morning I ran 8.2km, and last night i ran 8.35km. good runs. I dont think I'l have time to run tomorrow, as I will be traveling.

19km in Chicago

I surprised myself and got 4 runs in this week, despite it being a travel week. I almost got 5, but had too large a dinner on Thursday evening to be able to go out after that.

This morning I went out and ran up Dodge to Dempster, and then across to McCormick. I ran down the Chicago River Trail to Lincoln, and then to Peterson. Across to Clark (via Damen and Granville) and back up to Howard and across to the house. Total of about 19km. Runkeeper on my phone paused in the middle for a while, so this is just an estimate.

My pace (until Runkeeper paused) was below 6, significantly fast than my average. I assume the basically flat terrain had something to do with that, as I did not put any effort into running unusually fast.

The weather was beautiful, after a cold, windy and rainy week.

windy city

I just ran down to the lake (that is, Lake Michigan) and back, a little less than 8.5km.

I ran my average pace and took my time. stopped at red lights, looked around, stopped at the lake. It was pretty windy, but nice to be out.

hat on a treadmill

I am in the USA right now and my running schedule, along with some other schedules, are messed up.

Having stayed the night in a hotel, I decided to bring my running gear along. I woke up early and went for a run on the treadmill in the hotel gym.

Why treadmill? I haven't run on a treadmill in years!
1. I don't really know the area I am in.
2. It is still pretty cold here early in the morning
3. to take advantage of something in the hotel, especially because I cant even eat the food.

Anyways, I did not know what to press, so I just accepted the workout it offered me on the screen, which was a 4- interval. Being that I am used to doing all my running using the metric system, I did not really know and understand the information it was giving me, but at the conclusion of my workout I went online and did the conversions and my workout had me running 10.7km in an hour and an additional 5 minutes of cool down. It was a good workout.

One thought that came to me - our custom is to keep our [male] head covered, especially when walking. We are not supposed to walk 4 steps (4 cubits, really), with our head uncovered. I know there are all sorts of ways out of things, such as being indoors being less of a problem and whatnot, but still - when using a treadmill for example, is that considered staying in place or is that called walking? I mean, I ran 6.5 miles, but I did it all standing in the same place. Is that considered as if I was walking/running or was I standing still? Could I keep my head uncovered, or must a I wear a hat on the treadmill?

9km and safety warning

I went out tonight and ran 9km.  Had a good run.

Whenever I go out at night for a run, I make sure to wear a white, or light, shirt. I realize, as a driver, that dark shirts can be difficult to see at night, and it is dangerous. I see a lot of runners and walkers wearing dark clothing - shirts, skirts, long pants, and it is really dangerous. While walking/running on the sidewalk, it is no big deal. But if you are running in the street or even when you go into the street to cross the street or if the sidewalk is  damaged so you need to step into the street for a bit - it is really dangerous and drivers can have a really difficult time seeing you.

Please - runners, walkers, etc. - please, at night wear light shirts, if possible with reflectors of some sort to improve your chances of being seen by drivers.

bad 17

Friday was a difficult run, and I knew it would be.

After a week of running every day, with [slightly] increased daily distances, I knew the long run would be tough. That is why I planned for  a slightly shortened long run of about 15-16km, instead of the 20km I have recently been running.

I was right. It was difficult. Legs felt tired, humidity made it sweaty and difficult even though air wasn't hot yet when I went out, but I pushed on through it all.

And when I finished my 16km, I extended it by another to finish at 17km, just because.

hot

8km/ hot. very hot

glorious 8km

it would be silly, at this point, to say that today was meant to be an off day, even though it should have been, as I pretty much knew I was going to try to run today and it wuold just be a matter of finding a slot in which to get a decent run.

I foudn my slot, unfortunately it was at the hottest part of the day. It was pretty hot out, but there was a strong breeze that felt sort of cool, so I thought that would help and everything would be fine. Of course, I also figured I am only going to urn a maximum of 8km, so I can at least manage that no problem.

I did manage it, but boy was I wiped at the end of it. I also sweat much more than I usually do, and it even disturbed me as the sweat poured into my eyes.

Hot, sun, headwind, dry. Glorious.

feeling great

Tuesday was not supposed to be a running day. By the end of the afternoon I even had some time for a run and successfully resisted the temptation. But sometimes it just feels like this is the air I breathe. It makes me feel better, even if nothing is wrong.

By evening I was not feeling great. Probably a little bit of dehydration and exhaustion, but also I hardly ate anything today, so I was running low on all counts. But I know running makes me feel better. And sometimes, like today, and in general right now, I just know that going out for a run, sweating a bit, getting some nice fresh air, will just make everything better.

And it did. I went out for a late run, at about 10pm, and it was great. I even got a bit farther distance than my recent mid-week runs, clocking 9.16km at a decent pace. It just felt great. The air was nice, cool, and crisp. And by the end I just felt great.

Actually when I went out I thought I would just get some fresh air and run 3-4km. I figured my legs would not be up for more than that, and they would feel lethargic. But they didn't. Everything felt great.

end of the day

I did not plan n running today. I ran Saturday night and Sunday morning. Monday was going to be a day off.

Then my work schedule made it seem like Tuesday would not be runable, so in the early evening I decided to go out for a run. I ran 8.5km. It was hot but not as bad as mid-day - the air was already more bearable.

Had a nice sweaty run, in still sunny weather. Can't get better than that

running with no oxygen

despite last night thinking I would not run this morning because the smell of bonfires would be too strong, I got up early enough to run, with the benefit I had less time pressure because the kids had a vacation day from school for Lag bOmer...

I got in another 8.3km run at a slightly slower pace than last night. The air wasn't too bad. It was mostly decent, with the smell of fire stronger in some areas. It felt good. I feel like I have a lot to make up. I have also been eating more the past few days, so I need to burn a lot of calories.

bonfire running

I went out right after Shabbos for a run. I figured I had to get out before the bonfires start and the air would become un-breathable.

Last week a medical emergency in the family had me spending 2 days in the hospital accompanying a relative needing treatment. That made me miss 2 to 3 runs (2 runs planned, a third that would have been possible). With tomorrow's schedule unclear, I felt like I had to get back into it right away before not running becomes a pattern.

The run was good. I got in 8.35km around RBS. By the end of the run a couple of the bonfires had just started. It felt great to get out there again. The roads had less runners and walkers out than a regular Saturday night, but there were still more than I had expected.

2x8

Saturday night got me a nice 8km run, again, not great but better than a normal Saturday night run. Not as slow as I had expected. I was then not planning a Sunday run, but hoping for one as my schedule looked like it might have a mid-day slot for one. In the end I got busier than planned and the run did not work out.

Today I did not get out early as I had planned to, as I got distracted with other things. By the time I got to my run it was already very hot. I still had a good run, but the heat was really tough. 8+km in the strong sun.

slow and steady

20.3km. got a late start, meaning had to deal with the heat, but had an enjoyable run. My pace was great and in my splits I can see that every single kilometer was run right around 6m/km (just above or just below), except for the 5km that were on steep hills - km #s 3, 15 and 17-20, and they slowed my average down to a 6:17 pace. I had assumed when starting my pace would be slower because of the heat and because my legs and body felt tired in general, so looking at the splits and seeing that is very encouraging.

Monday recovery

I would have expected my Saturday night run to be a real recovery run with heavy and tired legs, after Friday's long run. yet Saturday night was a decent run, even if a bit tired. This morning's run, on the other hand, was difficult. I felt like I could hardly move.

Due to time constraints, and my run taking longer than expected, I only ran 7.25km instead of 8+. Pace was slow, but not too bad. Weather was good but it felt like it was getting humid and that later in the day would be harder to run.

a good Saturday night run

knowing that I might not have a chance to run tomorrow, I went out for a Saturday night run. I have not run on Saturday night in a long time. I have taken a dislike to Saturday night runs and far prefer the Sunday morning runs.

Despite that, tonight's run was pretty good. 8km at a better than recovery pace. There were a lot of runners and walkers out there tonight. The weather was pretty good and the run did not have all the normal Saturday night issues that normally make me not like the Saturday night runs...

another awesome long run

I had an awesome run and calculated it perfectly.

I went out planning for an 18km run. I figured last weeks 20km run was tough at the end and I really need to solidify my base abilities, so running the low end of that range would be good. As well, this would be my fifth run of the week, so no real need for extra long distance. 18km seemed right to me.

I went out early and had an enjoyable run. I calculated each section and how far out in it I would need and my calculations came out perfect. I actually hit the 18km mark just around the corner from my house. I had to go to the medical clinic for my weekly weigh-in, so I rn another 200 meters or so, and then running home would be it. But I decided that if I can tell myself 18, I can be my own master and decide to run another kilometer and show my body who is in charge. So, after my weigh-in I did another bit and finished at 19.4km.

My only worry is that whenever I needed to stop I felt some pain in my right knee. I would start running and it would go away, but then I would feel it again when I stopped. I have to make sure that is nothing serious - it feels like it isn't, just have to make sure.

here comes the sun

this morning's run was interesting. I knew I wanted to run today, but I also knew that it would be difficult to find a hole in the day in which I could have time for a run. That meant going out early in the morning for a run, like I used to do regularly.

So that is what I did.

The weather was cool, and the run was good. I got in a nice 8km run. I wanted to extend it a bit more, but time constraints prevented me form doing so.

I noticed the stark difference in running early and running during the day with the real sun out.

Running early was nice and pleasant with good temperatures and good crisp air. In the dog days of the summer it won't be like that - it will be hot and stifling even early, but for now it is nice.

Running during the day has the heat and a strong sun beating down on you. You sweat more, you might even struggle more.

I think I prefer the heat and strong sun. I like the sweat. I like the heat and the struggle. It is nice to have a pleasant run, but I love being out in the sun and sweating.

Both of them are great, but right now I like the sun

slow pace average pace

the weather was so decent, temperature-wise, that I expected this to be a great run. It turns out that the humidity is very high and despite the run being slow it made me very sweaty and unpleasant in general.

I almost bailed early, because of the humidity and the 50 pound weights it felt like had lodged in my left leg.. but decided not to. That is one of the key things I have learned - you don't just give up. Not every run will be great, but as long as you are not risking injury, just make yourself keep going.

I ended up running an 8km recovery run, at a slow pace. This slow pace was my average pace just a few weeks ago, so that makes me happy.

hitting the distance

Today's run was great, and difficult.

I went out a bit earlier than recent runs due to a forecast of extreme heat. The weather started off great but eventually got hot and dry. I was expecting something in the range of about 16km, with the hope of extending it just a bit beyond that.

As I approached the 13km mark I decided I would go for 17km, so I adjusted my route. I miscalculated and finished with a 20km run, the last 3-4 of which were very difficult - it felt very dry and hot and was a bit of a struggle. And the pace was at about my current average pace, despite the longer distance...

Hitting 20km is a big marker. I said I was going to start increasing my distances after Pesach, and this is a good start. I need to repeat it a few times and run the same distances stronger and better, and then keep going...

drinking it in

this morning's 8km recovery run was great. Almost every run is great, whether it is a fast run or a slow run - just getting out into the beautiful weather for close to an hour and stretching out, burning some calories, drinking in some sun and fresh air - what more can a person ask for?

fast 8km

I wanted to get a run in earlier this morning but it did not work out. I finally got out for a late morning run, and it was already hot.

Despite the heat, the run felt great. I did not do intervals or any sort of speed workout, but my 8km run was at a faster pace than I have been running recently. I broke 6mpkm this run. It might mean that my average runs without any unusual effort focusing on speed are getting stronger and faster...

This was a surprisingly good start to summer running

four runs

Despite the holiday and a tough schedule, I got in 4 good runs last week. I just did not have much computer time to write them up.

Sunday, Monday and Wednesday got me 7-7.5km runs each day. Friday saw me running 14km on a beautiful early morning...

fab 15

Friday was a great long run. I went out a little bit earlier than in recent weeks. The temps were still cool. I actually thought I would only get in about 12km max, but it just felt so good out there that I just kept going.

I ended up finishing with a 15.5km run at a nice pace.

hot obstacle course

wow that was hot!

went out mid-day for a short run. It was a good 7km run, but it was really hot. I dont think I could have done much more than what I did. Also a lot of obstacles out on the sidewalks now, as people dispose of large waste items on the sidewalks for bulk pickup because of Pesach cleaning.

2 parts

squeezed in a late afternoon run, but had to do it in two parts. I had enough time for about 4-5km, but wanted more. So I planned my run to get back home at about 5km, and then paused my tracker. When I finished what I had to do I figured I could squeeze another 2-3km out.. and went out again for nearly 4km.

My final total was 8.76km. It was warm, but had already cooled off a lot for an unseasonably hot day.

seizing the opportunity

I got in a nice 7.7km run this morning. It was warm and humid but the run felt great.

This is one of those weeks in which it is going to be difficult finding time to run - between work and preparing for Pesach - so I have to seize the opportunity when it presents itself, even for a short run...

5 runs in a busy week

yesterday I got a middle of the day run in. It was tough and slow, it was hot and humid, but  was happy to get it in. I have come to realize that even on such runs, when feeling lethargic and with tired legs, it is often an unintentional recovery run and the next run is much better.

That held true today.

I ran 13km at a nice pace. It was sunny and warm, but nto as humid, though there was some decent headwinds...

It was a good week, getting 5 runs in, despite being a very busy personal week..

fast 7

I went out for a nice short run, and it felt like it is getting too hot and soon I won't be able to run in the middle of the day. The run was pretty normal, felt like average pace - I did not push myself today - yet somehow it was significantly faster than my average runs recently, according to Runkeeper.

I don't know how or why, but while my average pace recently has improved to probably around 6:20 minutes per kilometer, with the occasional faster run, this run was tagged at 6:09 minutes per kilometer. I'll ignore Endomondo's calculation of 5:47 minutes per km just because it cannot be accurate as I put the info in manually and I just rounded the km down and it sensed the amount of time I was running, which I did not adjust. So 6:09 is far better than the 6:20 or 6:35 runs I usually do. Maybe it indicates improvement somewhere.

Anyways, 7km on a nice warm day.

post wedding 7km

post-wedding, body and mind tired, but going for a run is like taking a breath. It makes everything all good. Even though the run was slow and difficult. I got in a 7km run, on the regular route, at a significantly slower pace

7km wedding bells

Today is my daughter's wedding day, so I did not know if I would be able to get a run in or not. After an early morning visit to Hebron to visit and pray by the Mearat Hamachpela prior to the wedding, I decided to not delay and go right out for a run, before anything would get too busy or crazy. It was a good move and I got a nice 7km run in.

It felt great, both physically and mentally. If I could I would go out for another similar run again now or in a bit, but that is not going to happen... The mental and emotional benefits of running ar tremendous and cannot be overstated...

Fabulous Far Friday

fabulous 15.8km run. Beautiful weather, felt great. I could have kept going I felt so good. With the wedding coming up I was not sure I'd be able to get out at all, let alone go for a nice long run. I was hoping for 14-15km, but would have been happy with 10km. I just felt great and just kept going.

I ran once again with Runkeeper and I think that is what I am going to stick with. It notifies me often, it lets me pause the system if necessary and the stats are pretty good. I'll probably keep updating Endomondo as well with the basic info of the runs, just because it asks me every time I finish a run - unless I choose to uninstall the app one day...

10km

got a wonderful 10km run in today. It was so important and necessary. I felt my mind exploding, and going out for a run really lets me get back in sync.

Today I ran with Runtastic. Not bad. I liked the screen and info it gives, and it looks like the premium paid content has some nice features that are missing form the free version. Using the free version, it notified me after each of the first two kilometers as to my distance and pace and even calories burned, but then it went silent. I would assume that the paid version gives notifications at all times. Auto-pause is less important, but I see it in the options for people who pay. The stats at the end, beyond the basic initial stats offered, were a bit confusing and overwhelming.

So far, Endomondo is still the best, if not for the fact that it has been crashing on me. It is especially the best because I still burn the most calories per km using Endomondo! Of the others, Runkeeper seems to be in the lead.

7km stretch

Between a busy work schedule and getting ready for my daughter's wedding ,I have not had a chance to run this week. Every time I made plans to run I would have to cancel. Thankfully I just found some time at the end of the day for a 7km run. It felt great to stretch my legs out a bit. It felt a little slower than I expected, but it was good to be out.

I tried Strava this time to track my run, and was really disappointed. Maybe the paid version is much better, but the free version has hardly any decent features. The display does not even have basic features like a pause button and it did not notify me every kilometer as to the distance or pace I was running, and  could not find any such options in the settings menu. I uninstalled it at the end of the run. So far I like Runkeeper, and next time I'll try Runtastic, and then decide which to keep.

Kol Hakavod Team Lemaan Achai!

I did NOT run any race in the Jerusalem Marathon, but I captained Team Lemaan Achai from the sidelines with 37 runners, many of them first-timers, and they raised a phenomenal amount of money! So far, this is the third year Team Lemaan Achai has had a team, the number of runners and the amount of money raised, has increased significantly each year! I am very proud of all the runners and happy to have been a part of this project.

[part of] Team Lemaan Achai at pre-race pasta and sushi dinner

As to myself, I ran a paltry 7.5km run this morning. Good run, nothing special - no intervals, no workouts. Body was a bit tired from yesterdays long run with intervals.

I just completed my round of the Insanity workout, so as of next week my legs should be doing much better overall.

As to my running app situation, I went out and tried to turn on Strava but couldn't find it. Turns out when I tried to install it yesterday it failed. Good thing I had installed 2 other apps as well to try, so I ran with Runkeeper today and it seemed to work pretty well. I like the stats it keeps, though I noticed that for the same, more or less, distance, and speed, I burned less calories with Runkeeper than what I have been burning with Endomondo. Maybe I should switch back to Endomondo 😊 I am going to try Strava and Runtatic in upcomnig runs and see how they compare.

10km in under an hour!

I decided it is time to start improving my running performance and not just continue going for relatively easy jogs.To that end, I decided that my long run, which would be today instead of Friday (due to possible scheduling problems tomorrow) would include some sort of interval work.

Since I no longer have a GPS watch, tracking my speed during the run is relatively difficult. Using Endomondo just lets me know at the end of each kilometer my overall speed. So, I ran intervals, but I did so informally. I would run normal speed (i.e. slow) for a minute or two and then run fast for a couple of minutes, and so on and so forth. As the KM were going on, I noticed my overall speed was much fast than what it has been, and I was still feeling great.

Unfortunately Endomondo crashed in the middle so I do not know my exact speed or distance. My estimated distance was somewhere between 14.5km and 15km. Endomondo crashed at 10.25km and I only noticed it much later... My speed for the first time in ages, though I have come close before, logged me 10km in under 1 hour - at the 59:36 mark Endomondo told me I had hit 10km!

This is the third time (that I can remember) in recent months that Endomondo crashed on me, so I think it is time to look for a different app. recommendations are welcome. If I go back to running races one day, maybe I'll buy myself a new GPS watch.

great 7km run this morning. great weather. felt great. for the first time in a long time I didnt feel any exhaustion in my legs, and my speed was much faster withoiut feeling like I w

short and sweet

went out for a short run today, mostly to shake out my legs after Purim. When I went out it was cold and windy and overcast and it looked like the rain would come soon. After I finished stretching I turned around and started going home, saying I really dont want to run in this weather. After about 50 meters I turned around and started running - have to win the mind over matter battle and be in control.

Sure enough, while running a light drizzle started and I got a couple of important phone calls as well that made me pause my runs. I ended up running just across Kishon and back, 3.5km, and then finished my run, but at least I went out and ran a bit...

perfectly overcast

great 12.5km run on an overcast Friday morning with perfect temperature and no significant wind. I love what I am doing right now with the regular shorter running, but I think my body feels it is ready to start going longer. If this keeps up, probably after Pesach I will start looking at longer distances.

warm and cool

This morning I went out early enough that it was already warm and sunny but it was still cool enough that the run was very pleasant. I got in about 7.5km. tomorrow will not be a running day. My legs need a break - I really feel the exhaustion in them

didn't bail

Today's run was a warm 7.25km in nice sunny weather. It is getting so warm that i might have to make the effort to start going out earlier again, the way I used to. I still like running in the sun, but it is getting warmer than I like to run in.

Legs felt like lead today, but I stretched it out to 7 after thinking of bailing at 5

Friday rainy 10

I decided not to go for 15km, and kind of felt like 7 would be enough. Weather was not great and I had a bunch of things to do. I was feeling great on the run so I kept telling myself to just keep going and go for 10. In the middle of the run a light rain started falling, which then turned to a harder rain (but not very hard). It was pleasant, however, as it was not windy and the temperature was decent.

I decided to make it to 10 and not go further, and that's what I did. I find it important to let myself dictate to me what I will do and not let myself just get carried along by things..

good 7

got in a decent 7km run. felt very humid - I was sweating much more than usual. felt strong.

slow and slower

this one was really slow. 7km mid-day at a turtle's pace

low and slow

this morning I ran 7.3km at a really slow pace. I couldnt have sped up even if I wanted to. I just felt really slow.

I'd like to blame my leg exhaustion on my Insanity workouts, but I have been really slow (even though not as slow as today) ever since returning to running, as if I was not already slow enough before. The insanity workouts surely effect my strength and speed somewhat, and I guess within 3 weeks we'll start finding out how much is because of that and how much had nothing to do with it...

Weather was great

beautiful Friday runs are the best

great 14km run in beautiful weather, though slightly warmer than expected and slightly warmer than I preferred. I would have liked to continue - I went out considering a distance of 16-17km, but I forced myself to keep it shorter because I still have my Insanity workout to fit in.

What a beautiful day!

mid-day

another great, albeit slow, mid-day run. Beautiful weather. My run came immediately after a tough Insanity workout so I really felt the exhaustion in my legs. I didn't push it but I really wanted some fresh air and a nice run. And I got it

7km

another warm run

this afternoon I was able to slice out about 45 minutes for another great run in the beautiful sun. I ran 7km, again relatively slow. My legs felt really tired. Tomorrow I am not going to run. I'll force myself not to no matter how much I really want to

warm and sunny

7km on a warm and sunny afternoon.

This was basically a slow recovery run, after yesterdays 11km. As well, I am at the stage of Insanity where it is making my legs (and shoulders) very sore and tired, so I could not have mustered more speed even had I wanted to...

other obligations

we are done with the bad weather for now, though early mornings are still really cold. Daytime running in this weather is really fabulous.
Today I ran 11.25km in the brilliant sun and perfect temperature and felt like I could have kept going forever if I did not have other obligations to attend to...

back to decent weather

Got my first run of the week in, not including a failed attempt on Sunday.. I ran 10km on a regular route.. great air, slightly chilly weather... this week has been really bad weather for running, and I was really missing it. Whne today turned nice I was determined to get out for a run at some point.

running shirts

I was putting away my clean laundry and just noticed that I have returned to a situation I was in for a very long time where the vast majority of my laundry is running shirts..

perfect weather

awesome 16km run this morning in the beautiful warm sun..

I combined a few routes together - starting across Kishon, up Hayarqon and Hayarden with a circuit around Dolev, then down to Road 10 and Road 375 part of the way towards the satellites, then back to the shopping district of RBS.

Was perfect weather, which lead to an enjoyable run

beautiful warm sun run

this middle of the day running is becoming quote a habit! A late night last night made the early run this morning impossible. I did not plan on going out during the day - just figured I would run tomorrow instead. However, the opportunity presented itself and I grabbed it.

I got a 7.25km run in on a beautiful warm early afternoon with brilliant sun and fresh, clean, air. I love it

beautiful Friday run

it was way too cold at 5am to go for a run, so I decided to wait and run after my kids would be off for school. I went out at about 8:30am and it was beautiful, if a bit chilly.

I ended up running 14.5km. I wasn't planning to run that much - I went out expecting betwene 10-12km, but it was so nice I just decided to keep going.

crisp 10km

mid-day runs are great. Today's mid-day run was great, even with a few bad interruptions. Had to deal with a couple of scares of emergencies that thank God turned out to be false alarms. Even with those interruptions, the run itself was great.

I got a 10+km run in, around the roads of RBS. The weather was beautiful, if a bit chillier than expected. At least it was nice and sunny, despite the crisp chilly air.

freezing 6.5km

it was freezing cold but I got a 6.5km run in. Pretty good considering the fact that I went out planning on a short 4-5km run. And, I was going to bail after 3.5km-4km because of how cold it was. As I approached 4, I decided to stretch it out to 5, and then just kept stretching it as the temperatures increased slightly...

quiet workday 7

a quiet workday gave me the opportunity to steal some time in the middle of the day and go for a short run..

I went out for an enjoyable 7+km run, through RBS.

Day runs definitely have benefits over early morning runs. They actually each have benefits, but I thinkI enjoy running in the warm daylight more. Too bad the timing does not usually work out...

10km

this morning I got a good run in. I started a bit later than planned, but I was able to manage a 10km run, despite having planned a 7-8km run.

It started off cold and windy, but by the time I was done it was beautiful and warm.

Much of the first halfof the run had a decent headwind, making it slow going. I ran across Kishon, then up Hayarqon, Hayarden and Dolev Dolev. I did a loop around Dolev and then back in reverse down Hayarden, Hayarqon and back home.

a beautiful 10km run on a beautiful morning

lousy recovery

I had a lousy recovery run this morning. Even for recovery runs, which are meant to be bad runs, this was bad.
It was colder than I expected, which isn't really a big deal... What was bad was that I just couldnt move. I felt like I was slogging through deep mud. My legs just wouldn't do what I wanted them to do.

I cut it short at 4km, as I felt like I was wasting my time.

a beautiful day

lost track of time yesterday and dint get tow rite. I woke up early but was too tired to run. Had a late night and a late night workout, so it just didnt work out. I did however calculate that I should be able to do a daytime run instead..

I got out at about 10am and the weather was beautiful. I ran 15km - across Kishon and then out to the satellites and back. Really awesome and enjoyable.

The ne glitch was I was relying on Endomondo on my smartphone, as I knew my watch wouldnt make it that far. I heard the 8km marker and kept going for a bit. I stopped at some point to take a picture and there was a message on my phone that Endomondo had unexpectedly closed. So I restarted it and kept running. When completed I checked the history and it had stopped at 8.6, but I dont know how much I ran after that before restarting it, but either way it wouldnt have been off by too much. The two runs together totaled 15km, but maybe it was just slightly more.

a win

Today was a win. And I can say that even before I think about how much I did or did not run.

Today was a win because I got up early to run, and then decided I was too tired, so went back to bed. But then after 2 minutes I forced myself out again and got dressed to run.

So that was a win.

I've been wanting to check out the new bridge connecting RBS A and RBS C, so this would present a good opportunity. I started out my run across Kishon, as usual, and then instead of running up Hayarkon, I turned up the bridge and ran up to Gimmel (RBS C). Near the top of the bridge I turned in at the traffic circle and ran up the very steep Yona Ben Amitai, over to Yechezkel, Neriah Hanavi and then down the hill to Tzeelim and back up to RBS A.

Because I knew I'd be running in some desolate areas that have recently become known for having stray and wild dogs roaming those areas and even attacking people, I picked up a couple of fist sized stones as I entered the bridge and carried them throughout the run until I got back to near my home.

Total run was 9.4km and it was a very pleasant and enjoyable route, if not a bit too much uphill.

freakin cold

man, that was freakin cold!

I can deal with soreness, but I don't like running with pain, if I don't need to. So, I went out planning a short run for today, just to see how things would be.

My issue is that I just started a new workout routine in the evenings (Insanity). Being very sore left me not knowing if I would be able to run at all. But at least I had no pain in my knees.

So I ran 4.5km and it was tough. I kind of shuffled and hobbled it, but I see that it was not so bad. Part of that was also stiff limbs from the extreme cold.

cancelled

I went out to run, despite soreness and knees that did not feel great. But that's all I did. Went out to run. I did not actually run.

At first I figured I would go out annd stretch and everything would be ok. Then I changed my mind. As I was walking down the street to my stretching spot, every step made my knees hurt. I decided it was smarter to call it off. Also the air was wet and misty with a light drizzle of rain, and the road was already slick from some rain last night.While that wouldn't normally bother me, a slick road is not good for the knees and I figured it is smarter to wait for another day.

nothing fancy

10km in about a hour. my watch flipped out in the middle so I dont know exactly the exact distance and time, but it was a 10km route and it was about a hour, probably a tiny bit over.

felt great. regular route - across Kishon and out on the 10 to the 375 and back. nothing fancy, just still getting back into it after a break of a few weeks.

back on the road

yay for me!

After 30 consecutive days of running, I got off track and have now gone about 3 weeks with no running at all. In that time period, I found great excuses in the bad weather, some personal business, including a family simcha, that caused me to have a number of late nights making early morning running difficult, and some other nonsensical excuses to not run.

But today I finally got myself out and back on the road.

Today's run was a regular run, on a regular route. I just wanted to get back out there and se ehow I feel and how much I could do.

So, today's run was first across Kishon, then up Hayarqon and across a portion of Hayarden, and then back. For a total of a bit over 7km.