OUC Half Training – W5D32 – Yoga and Rest

Since today was marked as a rest day on my training schedule, I decided to sign up for the Nike Run Club yoga class. My hotel is about half a mile away, so I did an easy run there and back. The weather was great! No idea what happened to the rain yesterday since I only saw it at the exact moment I tried to go out for a run. Today it was clear skies and cold; the 50s are cold to me. It gave me a chance to try out my new ASICS arm warmers that I bought a couple weeks ago, which worked great by the way.

I hadn’t practiced yoga since I was last in Boston, so the class was challenging to say the least.  It amazes me how we could do the same kind of moves in different ways and it felt like a completely different workout.  There were a couple new moves and it seemed like this class was more difficult than the ones I had done before. Despite how hard some of the moves were, I tried all of them even though my legs were shaking during some. After the workout we took a group photo and then I ran another half mile back to the hotel through the cool Boston air. The rest of the day my legs felt fatigued: the mark of a great workout!

Training – Yoga and 2 Mile Run

Since I am now further from the Nike store I decided to run there and back.  It took me about three fourths of a mile so I ran a little past it and circled back around to get the full mile.  The first half was great at a 7:58 pace!  I was surprised when the Nike app said that pace because I can never tell when I am in the seven range.  It was a cool morning and I just wanted to get to class fast.  The whole mile ended up taking 8:07.

When I arrived at the store everyone was standing outside and here I was, worried that I may be late because of my further commute.  At about ten till seven they finally let us in.  Apparently they were still setting up the yoga mats.  This class was probably the most challenging one I have had yet!  It combined every hard pose from every other week all into this one class.  My legs felt very fatigued once we were finished.  I am proud of myself for sticking with it and trying all of the harder modifications.  At one point we went through a series of poses without letting up on our legs; they had to stay in a bent position.  This really stressed my legs causing them to shake and was the reason they became fatigued.  I really hope my legs get stronger someday, so I am going to try to stick with yoga at least once a week to try to make that happen.

It was a great end to my Nike training in Boston.  I ran back to the hotel, but it was more difficult than on the way there because of my tired legs.  This time I went through the Public Gardens.  It was so beautiful!  I stopped for a few pictures and then continued on my way.  Again I was a little short of a mile, so I ran around the corner of my hotel and then back again.  That mile was a little slower at 8:50.  I will try to rest my legs the rest of the day and hopefully I will be ready for another run tomorrow!

Training – 8 Miles with the Nike Run Club

Today was my last day running with the Nike Run Club before I head back to Florida next weekend.  It was a bit different than the other Saturdays.  When I arrived I was let in by a security guard and everyone was just standing around by the door.  Usually everyone is more spread out and chatting in different groups, but today:  total silence.  So I just stood around as well until we were ready to go outside to warm up.  We went a couple blocks to a central park and stood in two lines to do our dynamic stretches and warm ups.  After the group picture we got in our distance groups to do a cheer before we headed out.

I always found it weird that they group people based on distance rather than pace because everyone running eight miles isn’t going to be running it at the same pace, but that’s how they do things.  They supposedly have one person sweeping between all the groups but I never saw them.  I tried to stay with the lead group, but I wasn’t feeling as great as last week.  I had a pretty good pace, but a little after we started I was on my own; there were either groups in front of me or behind me.  It’s weird that no one goes my pace, but I still had a great time!

I wasn’t real far behind during the first lap as I maintained a steady pace.  My mile splits were around 8:30 to 9:00, which is great for a long training run.  We made our loop around the river and came to the water stop at about 3.4 miles.  Why not four?  no idea.  The loops are supposed to be 4 miles long so some people can just run one loop, the eight milers can run 2 loops, and the twelve milers can run 3 loops.  I’ve run with them 3 weeks in a row and the loop is never four miles long.  I was a bit disappointed because I knew that I would have to make up the rest of the eight miles after the second loop.

After I drank my water we headed off with a different pacer leading the group.  Another thing that was different from the other weeks were the pacers; I only recognized two of them.  As I followied this new pacer the gap between us started to increase.  I just couldn’t keep up!  I was already running faster than my training pace and they kept increasing to complete a progression run.  One reason I really wanted to keep up may seem silly but it was because of the photographs.  I may have mentioned this before but there is a photographer that rides a bike past us as we run and then stops at different points along the route to take our pictures.  There are amazing photos and one week there were some that had runners running right in front of the Boston skyline across the river.  I was not in one because I believe he had left before I arrived at the spot.  With so many runners at different paces he can’t get everyone in every area.  This week being my last, I really wanted that picture to sum up my love for running and running in Boston.  The ultimate Boston souvenir!  I think I am in luck because when I passed the skyline he was there taking photos!  I will have to wait a couple days when the photos are sent to me to find out.

After the photo spot we made our way over the Harvard Bridge and back to Boston.  Instead of turning left after I exited the bridge I turned right to try and make up some miles before I returned to the water stop.  I ran all the way parallel to Kenmore and then turned around and headed back.  When I arrived only the pacers were there and I was still only at 7 miles.  Apparently everyone else had finished and ran back to the store, so I grabbed another water and headed back myself.  When I made it to the park where we warmed up I took a right and ran all the way to the end and then back.  I was at a slower pace now and just wanted to finish my eight miles.  I ran back to the store and the Nike app said I had gone about 7.75 miles.  I decided to go in and make up the rest on my way home.  The guard let me in and then I went to the back to get another water.  They also had a bunch of protein bars gels and other items for fueling on a long run;  I took one of each.  After that I stretched a bit and then decided to head home.  When I got there I still needed more distance so I ran up and down Newbury Street until my Nike + app said 8 miles.

My 8 miles ended up taking 1:11:32 which gives me a pace of 8:56 per mile.  I have really enjoyed these Nike runs while I have been away from home.  It gives me something amazing to do every Saturday.  If any of you are near one of these clubs, take advantage of it.  There is something to do almost every day of the week.  It is a great program and an amazing opportunity to learn and run with people who also love running.  And Nike:  if you are reading this please bring one of these stores to Florida, Orlando in particular.  Thanks!

Training – 5.25 Miles

As good as yesterday’s run was, today’s was the complete opposite.  I was really feeling the overtime and was extremely tired; only one more week!  Today I went 5.25 miles in my usual running spot.  I really wasn’t feeling it, but I have had too many off days already this week… so I pushed on.  The weather was still beautiful, but that didn’t help my run today.  I just felt sluggish the whole way.  My pace wasn’t horrible, but it was definitely worse that yesterday’s pace on an even further run.  I was due for a bad day.  I just hope that I have a better run in the morning,  It will be my last run with the Nike Run Club and I want to do my best.  We’ll see!

Training – 8.25 Miles with the Nike + Run Club!

What a great morning to run!  I had been worried earlier in the week that it would rain today, but it was the perfect weather; cool, breezy and overcast.  Today was another run with the Nike + Run Club in Boston.  I was really anxious to run today because I had taken an unplanned off day yesterday and I wanted to get the full 8 miles in since last week was a little short.  After everyone arrived at the Nike store we headed outside this time to do our warm up and group picture.  There is a nice long park about a block away that is lined with statures where we did this.  After the dynamic warm up we broke up into groups based on what distance we were running to hear our directions and then do a cheer.  Then we were off!

The weather wasn’t the only good thing; I had an amazing run!  I felt so good and my stress melted away; I just felt happy!  I stayed up with the front group the entire first lap.  This time we ran through the Public Gardens and around the perimeter of Boston Common before heading over to the Charles River and back around to the starting point.  For those of you that don’t know, the Public Gardens and Boston Common make up a huge park in the middle of Boston, which is so beautiful this time of the year!  Every other time I have been here they have been covered in snow.  The Common was built on a hill, but I was able to run up it with little difficulty.  After we left there we stopped at a light to let others catch up before we took off again; it was nice to have a little breather.  Then we made our way to the river.  We stayed on the Boston side this time, never crossing the bridge.  About 2.5 miles in we made it to out water stop.  I grabbed a Gatorade, which was so refreshing!  It was nice to get to the water stop and have a quick break before the halfway point.  When some more people caught up we started up again and made our way back to the center park where we started.  During this part of the first lap one of the pacers was playing music through a speaker that he was holding.  Hearing the music while running with this group of people that also loved running really pumped me up and it was so much fun!

The second lap was a little tougher.  I was trying to play catch up with the lead group the whole time.  Right after we entered the Common they became so far ahead that I started following a couple of runners who had passed me.  I didn’t slow down the second lap; my fifth mile was actually my fastest at 8:01, but they had sped up.  Before we had started our coach had said that she was going to do a progression run.  I hadn’t run this far in a while so I was not able to keep up with them, though I am very proud of how I ran.

We got back to the water stop at about 6.2 miles which would make our total miles about 7 if we finished the loop.  Because of this they told the 8 mile people that we could run with the 12 milers all the way back to the Public Gardens and then turn around and head back to the Nike store which would give us our 8.  I did this and was having even more trouble keeping up.  The lead group stopped before entering the gardens  and before I could get there they all took off so I headed back  to the Nike store by myself.

I was really happy with my time.  I had stopped the Nike app every time we stopped running, so my total run time was 8.25 miles in 1 hour 10 minutes and 45 seconds, which comes to an average pace of 8:34.  According to the Nike app I ran my fastest training 10k in 53:17!  Today was such a great day and I am really glad that I have running in my life.  I don’t know what I would do without it!

Training – 6.64 Miles with the Nike + Run Club!

This morning I woke up in Florida…well not really, but by the fourth mile of my run it sure felt like it.  In spite of the heat I had an amazing actual first run with the Nike Run Club (last week I just jumped in there and ran with them for a while).  I arrived at the Nike store around 7:45 am.  The run started at 8:04 so I had a chance to stand around and talk to the others there.  This girl came over to a bunch of us with the word coach on her shirt.  She was extremely nice, introduced herself and then started asking us questions.  I found out that I wasn’t the only one just visiting Boston.

Before we got started we took a group photo and then did a bunch of dynamic warm up exercises.  I never warm up before I run; maybe I should start.  Then one of the pacers told us what we would be doing.  The plan was to run a loop around the river three times with the loop being four miles long so some people would run four miles, some eight , and then some would run 12.  I chose to run eight when I signed up.

We left the store and immediately started running.  We ran to the river where I do all my training runs; it really is beautiful.  As we went across the overpass I heard some of the runners complaining about the humidity.  I just laughed in my head and thought:  Florida.  I felt pretty good at the start!  I was even able to keep pace as I talked to another runner who happened to be from the United Kingdom.  I was worried that talking while running would be too hard but at this point it wasn’t.  The pacer at the front had said she was going to go 8 minutes per mile, but the front ended up going about 8:30.  I tried my best to stay with them.  About a mile in I looked back behind me and couldn’t see any of the Nike pacers or people I recognized from the warm up in the store.  I knew if I didn’t keep up with the front then I would probably get lost because they go into parts of Cambridge that I am not familiar with.  My first mile ended up being 8:47 which was really good because we had to slow down for traffic before we got to the river.

The second mile was a little slower than the first at 9:03.  I still felt good, but there were some bridges that we had to cross in Cambridge; bridges aren’t my friends.  The lead pacer came over to me to see how I was doing, then the coach caught up and I talked to her for a bit.  Everyone was so nice and supportive!  The running community is really great and I am so glad that I have running in my life.

During the third mile I was in familiar territory again; it was the path along the river and then over the Harvard Bridge back towards Boston that I usually run.  I felt great and started to pick it up a bit because I knew the water stop wasn’t much further and I had to keep the runners in the front in my sight so I knew where to go when I exited the bridge. I ran it in 8:38.

The fourth mile started in the middle of the bridge and I saw that the lead runners were turning left instead of right like they did last week.  I followed them and ran as hard as I could.  It was really hot out and I couldn’t wait to get a drink and take a breather.  At about 3 and a half miles I saw a table set up with the a cooler on it and a Nike + Run Club sign in front of it.  I ran toward it, high-fived a pacer, and then grabbed a red Gatorade.  The Gatorade was delicious, but I only had about two sips when the lead pacer said “Everyone doing eight follow me!  Let’s go!”  That was our break?  Oh well, I don’t usually stop mid run anyway.

So we were off again on the same path.  Since the first loop wasn’t four miles I knew I wouldn’t have eight after this loop.  I thought maybe we would run back to the Nike store to make up the eight.  The rest of the fourth mile went pretty well as I struggled to keep up with the lead pack again.  It ended up being 8:31, I had paused the app when I stopped for the Gatorade.

There were maybe six or seven people in the lead including the pacer.  I was just a little bit behind them for a while.  I noticed that the photographer was on the side of the path taking their pictures and mine when I came around.  Then he would ride his bike past us to a spot further up on our course and take our pictures again as we went by.  I didn’t see him during the first loop and figured that he stayed back taking pictures of the back of the group.  I really wanted my picture taken with the lead group so I lessened the distance between us until I was in the group.  The United Kingdom guy said hi to me as I caught up and I said hi back, but nothing more because of how difficult it was to talk at this point.  At the end of the 5th mile I struggled because we went up a hill which I believe was Longfellow bridge.  Looking back at my splits now I don’t know why this happened, but the lead group grew further and further away from me even though I was maintaining a consistent speed. At the time I thought I had slowed down, but I guess they just wanted to go faster.  The fifth mile ended up being 8:30: my fastest yet!

During mile six , I knew I was almost finished with the second loop because of how short the first one was.  I didn’t care; I just wanted to finish.  It was incredibly hot out and I regretted laughing about the humidity earlier.  My pace showed how much I struggled because the sixth mile took me 9:15 which I think is still pretty great!  I got back to the refreshment table at 6.64 miles and noticed that there were only pacers standing around.  Where did all the runners go?    The coach finished right behind me and the pacers informed her that the others kept going to make up the 8 miles.  I thought about going after them but was still trying to catch my breath and didn’t think I could catch up.  Another runner came up and decided to run a bit more to get to 7 miles.  I thought about doing that too but I was really tired and proud of how I ran so I ended my run on the app.  I decided that I would run eight next week.

When some other runners got back we walked to the Nike store and talked as we went.  It was nice to chat with other runners.  I don’t know any runners in Orlando, but I think I will look up local running clubs when I get back.  At the store I grabbed another Gatorade.  They were the small ones and I was really thirsty.  They also had some gels and protein bars that I tried.  After everyone sat on the floor and rested a bit we began to stretch.  Our coach went through a series of sitting and standing stretches, some of which I had never done before.  I usually do the same exact stretches after every run, but I think I will try to mix it up and add some of these in next time.  When we were finished I ran home to shower, so I could get to my hair appointment!

I am really proud of how I did today on my first group run.  The Nike app shows you your entire pace throughout the run and apparently at one point I was running a 7:06 pace!  I don’t think I have ever run that fast outside during a training run.  My race instincts must have kicked in today.  My total time was 58:34 for 6.64 miles making my average pace 8:49.  I had a lot of fun and can’t wait to sign up for next week!