I had taken a day off as my legs were unusually sore after the intervals. Thursday evening I resumed running.
The schedule from LA Running Club called for 80 minutes of aerobic pace, a decent run, to prepare for the LA Rock 'n' Roll 1/2 Marathon.
The evening was pleasant and there was even a slight breeze. I set out along Pico before heading towards the Santa Monica Airport and Clover Park areas again.
Setting out was relatively easy. I did have to dodge bikes, dogs, walkers, etc. that are not normally around at pre-dawn runs. I trotted south and then entered the airport area before heading for the welcoming lights of Clover Park after about 20 minutes.
I then began doing the laps around the park. It helps not having to stop for traffic lights, having a relatively level surface and also knowing the landmarks. The park also nicely provides water!
So around and round I went. I stopped at 40 minutes to take in water and a Clif Shot mocha flavor to see how I did with it as well as needing energy.
I must have been somewhat focused on running as I finally noticed a nice Citation jet had been replaced by a King Air on the ramp by the park. Normally, I would have noticed the slightest move.
The mocha Clif Shot seemed to be a boost as well. A bit messy to try and use; but, it tasted great!
So, I did the 80 minutes and felt decently. I still need to get faster; but, 80 minutes is not bad.
1:25.34 of running
7.21 miles
11:54 pace
Showing posts with label Clif Shot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Clif Shot. Show all posts
Friday, September 3, 2010
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday ... A Bit Better is Better than A Bit Worse
Monday morning came all too soon and it was soon time to be back at it. I got up and decided to give it a go.
I headed out for a scheduled 45 minute run for the LA Roadrunners mid-week training. I now have kind of routes depending on time due.
At the start my knee did feel sluggish; but, the legs felt better than normal. I started taking Clif Shot ROKS right after the long runs and they definitely seem to help in recovery. My calves were a little sore; but, there was nothing really hard to overcome due to Saturday.
I was doing alright, not great; but, the soreness in my knee was not threatening.
I continued along and while off the LT pace target, I was relatively comfortable, especially compared to Saturday.
I also have begun a bit of mental adjustment. I was not frantically sprinting to try to get to the magic number. The reality is I have a concern about an injury and sprinting on uneven sidewalks in the dark is a good way to add more problems. While not a great run, I was still going and trying.
I made it home and looked ...
45:56, 4.14 miles, and 11:22 pace.
Great? No.
Good? Not really.
Satisfying? In a way, yes as I was able to run at least and reality is compared to April level, those are good numbers.
Adelante!
I headed out for a scheduled 45 minute run for the LA Roadrunners mid-week training. I now have kind of routes depending on time due.
At the start my knee did feel sluggish; but, the legs felt better than normal. I started taking Clif Shot ROKS right after the long runs and they definitely seem to help in recovery. My calves were a little sore; but, there was nothing really hard to overcome due to Saturday.
I was doing alright, not great; but, the soreness in my knee was not threatening.
I continued along and while off the LT pace target, I was relatively comfortable, especially compared to Saturday.
I also have begun a bit of mental adjustment. I was not frantically sprinting to try to get to the magic number. The reality is I have a concern about an injury and sprinting on uneven sidewalks in the dark is a good way to add more problems. While not a great run, I was still going and trying.
I made it home and looked ...
45:56, 4.14 miles, and 11:22 pace.
Great? No.
Good? Not really.
Satisfying? In a way, yes as I was able to run at least and reality is compared to April level, those are good numbers.
Adelante!
Monday, December 14, 2009
After the Deluge
After the fun and challenge of Saturday's long and wet 15-miler, it was a return to the LA Roadrunners schedule for self-training.
One change I did was I took some Clif Shot Roks which are designed to aid recovery. I had the chocolate flavor, which was good. They come in a ball shape and are easy to bite, which was great after getting back from the run. This was the first time I used them. As with the gel, no stomach issues.
I was a bit "workout sore" but not as much as before and more in the area just above the knees rather than my whole quadriceps area. So, that was a bit of progress. Perhaps the recovery product helped with this as well?
Sunday I set out dark and early for a 30-minute run; but, the happiness of Servite winning gave a bit of a mental boost. I felt a bit of a twinge in my knee and it slowed me down. I did 2.36 miles at a 13:04 pace for 30:41. (I also did about three minutes of running where again I accidentally deactivated the Garmin 305; definitely it is not a good habit to have). It was not a great run and I was disappointed; but, I finished it and I actually had decent energy the rest of the day, which was busy. I really want to see how I react after the 16-miler and use of the Roks.
Monday was another run dark and early. I started out and did not feel like a maximum effort was coming. Still, I headed out and got three hills in, which was a plus. I also had to run a few small circles at lights, which hurt my pace times. On the other hand, my knee was a bit of a bother. The result of all of this was running for 45.1 minutes covering 3.87 miles at 11:21 pace. The good news is that is faster than the lactic pace I had been operating on; the bad news is I wanted to be at around 10:30.
I have noticed a few things though. One is my Monday runs seem consistently slower and the pace and feel gets better as the week continues. The second thing it takes about a mile or so for my knee to feel better; for some reason, it improves as I run. it is more of a bother when the leg is has not been active for a bit! Third, I am now running loner and earlier; I think I may need to start using gels or bloks on these runs. The side effect of that is I lose precious sleep time as the Clif Shot gel recommends using 15 minutes prior to starting and 45 minutes is relatively short.
Still, I am doing my best. I am hoping I can carry on and make this something special, completing the Los Angeles Marathon. It seems it may be a bit of tough route; but, may be that is the Servite way!
One change I did was I took some Clif Shot Roks which are designed to aid recovery. I had the chocolate flavor, which was good. They come in a ball shape and are easy to bite, which was great after getting back from the run. This was the first time I used them. As with the gel, no stomach issues.
I was a bit "workout sore" but not as much as before and more in the area just above the knees rather than my whole quadriceps area. So, that was a bit of progress. Perhaps the recovery product helped with this as well?
Sunday I set out dark and early for a 30-minute run; but, the happiness of Servite winning gave a bit of a mental boost. I felt a bit of a twinge in my knee and it slowed me down. I did 2.36 miles at a 13:04 pace for 30:41. (I also did about three minutes of running where again I accidentally deactivated the Garmin 305; definitely it is not a good habit to have). It was not a great run and I was disappointed; but, I finished it and I actually had decent energy the rest of the day, which was busy. I really want to see how I react after the 16-miler and use of the Roks.
Monday was another run dark and early. I started out and did not feel like a maximum effort was coming. Still, I headed out and got three hills in, which was a plus. I also had to run a few small circles at lights, which hurt my pace times. On the other hand, my knee was a bit of a bother. The result of all of this was running for 45.1 minutes covering 3.87 miles at 11:21 pace. The good news is that is faster than the lactic pace I had been operating on; the bad news is I wanted to be at around 10:30.
I have noticed a few things though. One is my Monday runs seem consistently slower and the pace and feel gets better as the week continues. The second thing it takes about a mile or so for my knee to feel better; for some reason, it improves as I run. it is more of a bother when the leg is has not been active for a bit! Third, I am now running loner and earlier; I think I may need to start using gels or bloks on these runs. The side effect of that is I lose precious sleep time as the Clif Shot gel recommends using 15 minutes prior to starting and 45 minutes is relatively short.
Still, I am doing my best. I am hoping I can carry on and make this something special, completing the Los Angeles Marathon. It seems it may be a bit of tough route; but, may be that is the Servite way!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Week 14: Mananitas in the Rain
Normally, for a Catholic lad such as myself, December 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and in my current parish it is a BIG deal. It is close to a 24-hour celebration capping a nine-day Novena and party. The 12th means Mananitas at 4 a.m. and Mass and food ... well, it has since I got to Santa Monica in 1999. But, like the rest of 2009, this day was going to be different ... I had another training run with the LA Roadrunners.
The other variable was the weather ... rain and lots of it expected. There were Group 7 emails of advice and also worried runners.
I still got up early. This time though I was eating beforehand and wearing running gear and my music was not exactly Mananita Tepeyac or Mananita Ranchera. I was actually excited about the rain. I always enjoyed playing sports in the rain and in track was notorious for liking it either cold and wet or very hot. So, I decided for my music to open my eyes to to go with the old school stuff ... Danger Zone, Hell's Bells, Thunderstruck, Back in Black, Black Celebration ....etc. all before one last song, my marathon running theme. Really, I was amped to go then! I was channeling Servite track days definitely.
It got more fun as I loaded the car and ensured I had the usual supplies: Garmin 305, heart rate belt, energy food, keys, hat, etc. I also added change of clothes and garbage bag outfit as suggested. As I began the drive, the rain started to come and hard.
At the Strand Group 7's senior pace leader, Alan, seemed almost giddy. Indeed quite a few of us were excited. I also tried a new strategy: I consumed a Clif Shot chocolate energy gel while on the Strand before the group set off. It reminded me of pudding (yum!) and I think it helped to have some energy boost in the system (the package recommended using 15 minutes prior to starting). I think it may be mental; but, I still think the gels may be a bit messy and cumbersome for the actual run. This pre-run idea may be the one for me at least. I did not have any stomach issues either. The pace leaders have said some runners have issues with digesting gels; I have been lucky I guess and no problems!
Group 7 was soon on its way. Due to the Santa Monica-Venice Christmas run, we headed immediately south through Venice, slightly altering the route. I had a new partner as my normal colleague-in-crime had not arrived; we began talking about the week's running, the weather, snow in Texas, ... It began to rain lightly in Venice but nothing too dire. I did feel a little soreness in my knee.
Soon we were into Marina del Rey with the nice condos and numerous yachts. I recognized the taller buildings of Lincoln Boulevard. It also began to be off-on rain; luckily, it was not too slick. The first water station even had Gatorade which was a nice bonus. The group ran past the small beaches, around the Marriott Hotel and the Ritz Carlton, and onwards into the inlet areas, where it began to rain heavily to much excited shouting. The group went past a Coast Guard station as well as the Sheriff's station, where I am sure a lot of "51-50" codes were being issued. Alan, our senior pace leader, was cheerfully urging us on at a water station reminding us of the fun of rain running.
I saw one of the leaders, Captain Jesus, and began to think of prior weeks when he promised menudo was just around the corner (as well as coffee and doughnuts). Only this Saturday I really was missing menudo and champurrado and everything else since I was not at St. Anne's for mananitas.
The new route took us quite south and into the Playa Del Rey area just north of LAX. It was raining again. It was nice to see a few aircraft on short finals for LAX as they took the ocean approach route, including a Horizon Air Q400, a Southwest Airlines 737, and an All Nippon Airways 777.
Eventually, we reached a turnaround. Shortly after as I was putting my windbreaker on I noticed my Garmin unit had stopped; I think I must have tapped the timer while moving the left sleeve of my windbreaker. Yikes!
By now, I was pretty damp. Shoes. Socks. Shorts. Shirt. Windbreaker. Hat. (Still no garbage bag). Still it was FUN! I also felt like I had more energy than normal. I think the gel helped as I only ate three GU chomps, despite it being my longest ever run.
Lucky 7/Magnificent 7 was soon headed back north retracing the steps as the weather improved. I was able to permanently keep the windbreaker around my waist and not even resort to the garbage bag.
Once the group was back in south Venice my knee started acting up. I began to worry I would not make it and I guess I would have had good reason to fall off the group. My initial partner had gone in search of a restroom and not returned to the group for example. The group was also more ragged than normal and my normal partner and I linked up only for him to be seen falling back on the Strand.
Still, I kept going. I was wet. I was a bit sore. I was a bit tired. But, I kept going. This was definitely like the Servite days. Keeping with the song theme, I was singing "Take me home United Road" in my head thinking of rain soccer and weather well-suited for Manchester.
Soon enough we were on the Strand again and passed the start heading north to Santa Monica border. One of the pace leaders thought it was a turnaround and began to turn only to be told to keep going! So, we had an amusing sight of 50 adults doing a giant circle in the middle of the Strand for no apparent reason to observers. Then we reached the actual turnaround and headed the short distance back to the start. I kept with the group.
I was quietly happy. I had done 15 bloody miles in the rain on a dodgy knee. Our senior pace leader was also pretty enthusiastic. We did a quick stretch. I just felt like I had something to be proud of in this one and it had been a good gut check to see if I can do this whole thing.
Once we were back at the school, I quickly swapped to a Servite shirt (Servite was playing for the PAC-5 Championship that night). Once a Friar Always A Friar. I headed off to get Gatorade and began to eat a banana as usual when I heard someone say, "Hey, did you go to Servite?" Realizing that was a question for me, I looked over and was soon in conversation with another Roadrunner and a fellow Friar! he was 10 years younger and in Group 5; he also knew of my brother and we were soon in Friar talk. Unreal. CREDO! It was a nice end for the running day (prior to the other fun on the docket and more rain).
So, it was a good day. Tough but good. I was sore; but, still functioning. It was a Servite Day. (And to boost it, SERVITE WON!)
Run according to my Garmin: 11:54 pace for 2:42.40 and 13.66 miles. So, I did not miss too much. Another runner posted 3:05.19, 15.33 miles and 12:05 pace (he said he had fallen a bit behind; so, times are a bit slower than the group).
The other variable was the weather ... rain and lots of it expected. There were Group 7 emails of advice and also worried runners.
I still got up early. This time though I was eating beforehand and wearing running gear and my music was not exactly Mananita Tepeyac or Mananita Ranchera. I was actually excited about the rain. I always enjoyed playing sports in the rain and in track was notorious for liking it either cold and wet or very hot. So, I decided for my music to open my eyes to to go with the old school stuff ... Danger Zone, Hell's Bells, Thunderstruck, Back in Black, Black Celebration ....etc. all before one last song, my marathon running theme. Really, I was amped to go then! I was channeling Servite track days definitely.
It got more fun as I loaded the car and ensured I had the usual supplies: Garmin 305, heart rate belt, energy food, keys, hat, etc. I also added change of clothes and garbage bag outfit as suggested. As I began the drive, the rain started to come and hard.
At the Strand Group 7's senior pace leader, Alan, seemed almost giddy. Indeed quite a few of us were excited. I also tried a new strategy: I consumed a Clif Shot chocolate energy gel while on the Strand before the group set off. It reminded me of pudding (yum!) and I think it helped to have some energy boost in the system (the package recommended using 15 minutes prior to starting). I think it may be mental; but, I still think the gels may be a bit messy and cumbersome for the actual run. This pre-run idea may be the one for me at least. I did not have any stomach issues either. The pace leaders have said some runners have issues with digesting gels; I have been lucky I guess and no problems!
Group 7 was soon on its way. Due to the Santa Monica-Venice Christmas run, we headed immediately south through Venice, slightly altering the route. I had a new partner as my normal colleague-in-crime had not arrived; we began talking about the week's running, the weather, snow in Texas, ... It began to rain lightly in Venice but nothing too dire. I did feel a little soreness in my knee.
Soon we were into Marina del Rey with the nice condos and numerous yachts. I recognized the taller buildings of Lincoln Boulevard. It also began to be off-on rain; luckily, it was not too slick. The first water station even had Gatorade which was a nice bonus. The group ran past the small beaches, around the Marriott Hotel and the Ritz Carlton, and onwards into the inlet areas, where it began to rain heavily to much excited shouting. The group went past a Coast Guard station as well as the Sheriff's station, where I am sure a lot of "51-50" codes were being issued. Alan, our senior pace leader, was cheerfully urging us on at a water station reminding us of the fun of rain running.
I saw one of the leaders, Captain Jesus, and began to think of prior weeks when he promised menudo was just around the corner (as well as coffee and doughnuts). Only this Saturday I really was missing menudo and champurrado and everything else since I was not at St. Anne's for mananitas.
The new route took us quite south and into the Playa Del Rey area just north of LAX. It was raining again. It was nice to see a few aircraft on short finals for LAX as they took the ocean approach route, including a Horizon Air Q400, a Southwest Airlines 737, and an All Nippon Airways 777.
Eventually, we reached a turnaround. Shortly after as I was putting my windbreaker on I noticed my Garmin unit had stopped; I think I must have tapped the timer while moving the left sleeve of my windbreaker. Yikes!
By now, I was pretty damp. Shoes. Socks. Shorts. Shirt. Windbreaker. Hat. (Still no garbage bag). Still it was FUN! I also felt like I had more energy than normal. I think the gel helped as I only ate three GU chomps, despite it being my longest ever run.
Lucky 7/Magnificent 7 was soon headed back north retracing the steps as the weather improved. I was able to permanently keep the windbreaker around my waist and not even resort to the garbage bag.
Once the group was back in south Venice my knee started acting up. I began to worry I would not make it and I guess I would have had good reason to fall off the group. My initial partner had gone in search of a restroom and not returned to the group for example. The group was also more ragged than normal and my normal partner and I linked up only for him to be seen falling back on the Strand.
Still, I kept going. I was wet. I was a bit sore. I was a bit tired. But, I kept going. This was definitely like the Servite days. Keeping with the song theme, I was singing "Take me home United Road" in my head thinking of rain soccer and weather well-suited for Manchester.
Soon enough we were on the Strand again and passed the start heading north to Santa Monica border. One of the pace leaders thought it was a turnaround and began to turn only to be told to keep going! So, we had an amusing sight of 50 adults doing a giant circle in the middle of the Strand for no apparent reason to observers. Then we reached the actual turnaround and headed the short distance back to the start. I kept with the group.
I was quietly happy. I had done 15 bloody miles in the rain on a dodgy knee. Our senior pace leader was also pretty enthusiastic. We did a quick stretch. I just felt like I had something to be proud of in this one and it had been a good gut check to see if I can do this whole thing.
Once we were back at the school, I quickly swapped to a Servite shirt (Servite was playing for the PAC-5 Championship that night). Once a Friar Always A Friar. I headed off to get Gatorade and began to eat a banana as usual when I heard someone say, "Hey, did you go to Servite?" Realizing that was a question for me, I looked over and was soon in conversation with another Roadrunner and a fellow Friar! he was 10 years younger and in Group 5; he also knew of my brother and we were soon in Friar talk. Unreal. CREDO! It was a nice end for the running day (prior to the other fun on the docket and more rain).
So, it was a good day. Tough but good. I was sore; but, still functioning. It was a Servite Day. (And to boost it, SERVITE WON!)
Run according to my Garmin: 11:54 pace for 2:42.40 and 13.66 miles. So, I did not miss too much. Another runner posted 3:05.19, 15.33 miles and 12:05 pace (he said he had fallen a bit behind; so, times are a bit slower than the group).
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