Speed Work...Finally...and a Garmin HR Monitor Issue

Got out to the Centennial Trail in Snohomish and ran a total of five miles, which included a 1 mile warmup, followed by 4x .5 mile fast, .5 mile slow. The fast half mile segments were:

3:24
3:23
3:14
3:25

I tried to keep them at about 5k race pace. Legs felt good, but chest & lungs are still a mess.

Okay, this has been irking me since I got my Garmin Forerunner 305 about a month ago. The HR monitor doesn't seem to settle into an "accurate" reading until about 2-3 miles into the run. Even when I'm running very slowly and KNOW that my HR is likely in the 130-135 range, it immediately jumps up to about 165 and holds there until that 2-3 mile mark, when it suddenly drops down to where it should be. I can remember ONE TIME when it seemed to read correctly the entire run. Does this happen to anyone else? If so, is there a way to get it to work properly? It's frustrating and, obviously, not very helpful.
Thanks!

The Hills Are Alive...With the Sound of Couging

Decided I was tired of running the same course six times last week, so I made the short drive over to a local park to run my favorite hilly, 1-mile dirt/gravel loop. I had planned on going 5 miles, but cut it short at 4. My legs feel fine, but my lungs and chest are still a mess. I coughed quite a bit and had that tight, burning sensation most of the time. I hate going to the doctor, but I might find my way there this week. I've basically been sick with something or other for about a month now. I think I'm susceptible to upper respiratory infections. I had one for two months last fall (when I wasn't yet running), for which the doctor put me on antibiotics. Might be time for a little deja vu, unfortunately.
Tomorrow, my plan is to run some half mile intervals within about a 5-mile run. Hopefully I can follow through on that. I'm itching to pick up the pace!

Rest is Best

Alas, the mini running streak came to an end at six days after yesterday's fatigue-filled run. I decided to give in to this war I've been waging against whatever illness I've had. My cough won't go away & I've been feeling weak & tired, so I'll probably be visiting my doctor soon. It's supposed to be rainy all day tomorrow (Monday), so the odds are, I'll be taking tomorrow off as well. I just want to get healthy again! This is getting old!
Congrats to those of you who raced this weekend. I've read a couple of good reports so far!

Day 6

Last night I had a slight fever of 99.9. My normal body temperature is about a degree lower than normal (usually 97.3-97.5), so it was noticeable. I had the chills, followed by the usual sweating. The fever broke sometime during the night. So, did I run today? Did I continue my silly streak, along with my "battle" against this illness? Why, yes I did! And I felt pretty sluggish and tired, too, even while only running 3.5 miles at an easy 8:43 pace. I'm not sure if I'm trying to channel my inner Nietzsche, but I may continue for a 7th day tomorrow, even with this cruddy cough...as long as the fever doesn't return.

Another Decent Run (While Sick)

Ran another 4.5-miler today. I haven't pushed the pace since my half marathon (coming up on 2 wks ago) and my legs were itching to let loose a bit, so I threw in a little surge during mile 2 (6:52). It felt awesome! I also pushed the pace up a 1/4 mile hill at about mile 4. What strikes me as odd is that I've been sick all week, but my runs are going fairly well. I've never been a "streak" runner (I once ran 16 days straight back in 1985), but this was my 5th day in a row and I felt stronger than in my earlier runs this week. I plan on keeping it up, although I'll probably continue to keep the pace and distance down until I get over this crud.

I Should NOT...

...be running (have a head/chest cold with a bad cough & feel weak), but I'm waging war against this illness! It seems like it doesn't get any better when I lie down or sit on my butt, so I'm going to run (albeit short and slow). This was my 4th day in a row of running while sick (4.5 miles today at an 8:44 pace). Hope it doesn't put me out of commission for the long term. I know...I'm not being very smart. I'm just really ticked off.

You've Got To Be Kidding, Part 2

Well, I indeed DID listen to the voice that said to run anyway! Just got back from an easy 4.5 mile run at an 8:38 pace. I'm waging war on this "perpetually being sick" crap.

And if you don't see a post from me again, you'll know what my stubbornness did to me...

;-)

You've Got To Be Kidding...

Went out for my first run yesterday since the October 11th Spokane Half Marathon. Ran an easy 3.5 miles, then did some strength work. I took last week off to let my body rest and recover from both the training and racing, as well as the illness that beat me up for over 2 weeks.

So...

Last night, I started getting a cough. Again. My youngest daughter stayed home from school yesterday with a fever. My oldest daughter woke up with a fever this morning. I still have a burning, raspy cough that started last night. My wife, while holding up the best, is also under the weather. I thought I was done being sick, but it appears I'm going from one crappy illness to another. This is @#$%&* frustrating!

Part of me is saying "screw it. I'm going to run anyway". But that's probably not the part of me I should listen to. We'll see how this plays out. I'm not happy, in case it's not clear.
;-)

Thumbs Can Get Sore From Too Much Twiddling

I've taken this week off from any exercise...and it's killing me! I was over the soreness from the half marathon by Wednesday. The effects from my cold are nearly gone (still tired at times and have just a very slight cough). Monday I'll strap on the running shoes and start training for next spring's marathon. At this point, I'm leaning toward the Windermere, once again in Spokane. It falls on May 15th, which gives me a full 30 weeks of training. To keep me focused for that long haul, I've got 3-4 10k races and 1 or 2 half marathons lined up along the way. My recent half marathon went well, but this time I want to focus on slowly building a bigger base, and running SLOWER during my long runs and my easy runs. Like most recreational runners, I tend to run my easy runs at too fast a pace. I'm going to fight that tendency. But, by the same token, I will also put the appropriate effort into my intervals, tempo runs and "B" races, too...all while staying injury-free. Sounds great, doesn't it? Hehe. We'll see. As for mileage, I roughly mapped out a plan that'll take me up to a 50 mile week, along with a 24-mile long run before the marathon. If I can run more miles while staying healthy and NOT overtraining, I will. I would just rather err on the side of caution, so 50 is the tentative "high" week in my plan.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Photos from Spokane Half Marathon

Spokane Half Marathon - October 11, 2009

About 8:00am, before the race. It was in the low 20's, but felt like MINUS 20!


Right before the start. There were 804 finishers in the half marathon.


The finish. They had me at 1:44:09, but was actually 1:44:04...but what's five seconds among friends? I had a nice coughing fit after this.


My sister Andrea and I. Andrea (and her husband) ran in the five mile race.


Waiting in line, after the race, to pick up my t-shirt and other post-race goodies. Still VERY cold outside!


This is the elevation profile of the race...not my EKG readout.