It’s been a while since I posted here but that tends to be what happens when I stop running. My day to day life is not that exciting when I’m stuck in a cubicle for at least 9 hours a day.
I ran a bit here and there last fall and did still manage to complete 3 half marathons early this year so I suppose that’s something. Truth is, I still haven’t gotten into any sort of routine since moving over a year ago. There is no longer a nice little neighborhood to run through and driving 20-25 minutes to get to any of my trails makes it much easier to make an excuse to skip it. The hubby also wasn’t really into it so I had to go alone and that hardly ever happened.
Last week we both agreed enough was enough. We missed running and have both gained some weight that we aren’t happy about.
Thursday June 11th
Thursday night we hit the park for 2 miles. I decided to try a 3:2 run/walk ratio. I am horrible at set intervals but since it had been a while thought it would be better than trying to do it by feel.
It was brutal. Of course last week summer decided to show up here in New Jersey and the humidity has been off the charts as you can see in that photo. It’s a bit hazy. I don’t think I snapped a pic of my garmin but I did 2 miles in 27:48, average pace 13:53
Mile 1- 14:42
Mile 2- 13:05
I am TRYING not to let these slow times bring me down but its hard. My last good run was in October – 8 months ago. It’s going to take some time but if I stick with it, it will come back!
Friday June 12th
Friday I went back to the park and did 2.25 miles. There was a heat advisory because we hit a record high (for this time of year) of 95 degrees and the humidity was up there too. I thought about skipping the run because of the weather but its almost summer and not going to get any better.
29:21 with an average of 13:03. Better, but what made this run reassuring is that I was able to run the first mile without taking a walk break especially despite the heat. The second mile I did a run/walk, but not the 3:2 I had set. I really can’t stick to set intervals!
Mile 1- 12:26
Mile 2- 13:49
The last .25 was a 12:25 pace.
Saturday June 13th
Saturday morning I went to charge my garmin and the screen shut off. I went to google and found this to be a common problem with the 210 and a simple software update should correct it. I bought this watch as an upgrade to my 205. There wasn’t anything wrong with the 205, aside from the size of it. I really felt like I had a Cadillac on my wrist. I picked the 210 up at a race expo for the Tower of Terror 10 Miler in Disney two years ago. I have had nothing but problems with it since. For the most part, its the charger. There are 4 prongs that take some maneuvering to get lined up just right to charge. I have no patience and get frustrated easily. When it shuts off, you have to do a reboot to get it back on. The problem is, to update the software I had to hook it to the computer. No big deal right? Ya well I had to connect the charger to get it hooked up. It took at least 5 times, all while shutting off and having to reboot, before I could get it to connect WITHOUT powering down. Then it took a few tries for the computer to recognize it. All of these issues are common among 210 owners. I was finally able to get it connecting and updated the software.
If the 220 wasn’t $250 I would have bought it by now. I love the look and function of the 210 but the frustration is totally NOT worth it. But I also don’t want to continue to spend over $200 every 2 years for a new watch. Lets hope the software update fixes all the bugs.
Once my garmin was charged and ready to go, I took my run to one of my favorite trails for 2.5 miles.
I ran the first mile again without walking but my legs felt really heavy. At the time I didn’t know why but after I got home the hubs reminded me that we had already run two days in a row. I had forgotten we ran on Thursday. OOPS! Had I remembered that, I would have stuck to a run/walk instead.
33:24, average pace 13:21
Mile 1- 12:46
Mile 2- 14:09 <—- totally dead after that first mile!
The last .5 was 12:56 pace
As you can see from my watch, we ran at 3:00 in the afternoon. It was hot. I knew it was going to be gross so in addition to my water, I packed a little bag of ice.
I had this on my neck after the run and it really helped bring my body temp down. I think I might do this again.
Tuesday June 16th
Three days in a row of running wiped me out! Sunday and Monday were rest days. Tuesday was up in the air until last minute. We had plans to go to dinner at my in-laws but that got cancelled. There were thunderstorms in the area, again thanks to the humidity this week, but were hopefully to get a short run in.
The sky didn’t look too bad, until we got to the park. Directly over us was a HUGE storm cloud. It wasn’t raining yet so we both agreed to try to get the run in anyway. If it rained, we’d head back to the car.
Of course as soon as I started, the rain did too! It was a light rain and no thunder or anything so I didn’t stop. The rain actually felt nice because it was so muggy. Again I was able to run the whole first mile. I admit to pushing more than I should have but I did that because I wasn’t sure if Mother Nature was going to allow a mile 2. She did and it was much slower! I walked the entire first half of mile 2. Not pretty.
2 Miles in 25:00, average 12:29
Mile 1- 11:36
Mile 2- 13:22
I was never a fast runner, but man do I miss my 10:30s!
The humidity broke a bit today and I think it is supposed to be in the upper 80s the rest of the week which is good. I’m not quite ready for those 90-100 degree days just yet!
Basic Brandy 