Merry Christmas! I ran in Edwin Warner Park again today. A bit shorter and a different route.

Total: ~2.0mi Run

I think I ran about 3 miles today. The reason I'm not sure is that my GPS Forerunner stopped working. It locked up when I turned it on and it was searching for a signal. I think I know the reason - I'm about 2400 miles away from Seattle. It's the first time I've taken it outside the Puget Sound area. Still, I was surprised. And I can't turn it off -- the screen is frozen. I didn't bring the computer connector cable with me but hopefully that'll unlock it when I try to transfer data from the device even though there is none on it right now. Actually by the time I get back to Seattle the battery will have been burned and so when I plug it in to recharge it it'll work again, I hope.

The park I ran it is called Edwin Warner Park in Nashville, Tennessee. Together with Percy Warner Park next to it, it's one of the biggest city parks in the U.S. I had some extra time today so I edited the park map to include my route. I wish it was a GPS-generated map, but this will do.

BTW, in my last post I forgot to mention that the problem with the right foot is not due to the new Mizuno shoes. I've been having the same problem in all of my running and non-running shoes. I really don't know why that is because it wasn't hurting at all prior or during the marathon. Maybe just a random minor strain, not sure. I even felt it a little bit today while running but it doesn't seem the type of strain that could turn into an injury.

This could be my last workout prior to Chrimstas so Merry Christmas! :-)

Total: 3.0 mi Run

I haven't run the Discovery Park Loop in a while. Sometimes, I've called the ~14 mi. bike ride that goes through there (Belltown-Elliot Bay-Magnolia-Discovery Park-Ballard-Fremont-Belltown) by the same name. But this workout is about a 2.9 mile loop that goes exclusively through the park. I checked the Forerunner Logbook with my GPS entries and it looks like the last time I ran it was on May 22nd, before I started this blog. I don't run it that often because I have to drive there vs. just running straight from my place which I do almost all the time.

In any case, it's a beautiful route that, if you park in the south parking lot, starts out with incredible views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. The edge of the park is on a cliff, so you get to see the sound from about a 300 foot elevation right above it. The cliff is on the southwest corner of the map. The route then goes through mostly forested areas which are still green even in the winter because of the evergreens and plants. However, many other trees are deciduous, so the tree cover is much more sparse than in the spring. Back then, I remember having some problems with the GPS signal when running through those areas. But I wasn't expecting it today. I think I know the solution however - I should have turned the watch just a bit on my wrist so that it was facing up a bit more (the watch does make a beep when the signal is lost). The result was that I lost coverage for just less than a mile I think. That's where the line is straight on the map and towards the end as well because the start and the finish are in different places.

I started out at a regular 7:30 pace but started running faster almost right away. I find myself often running a lot faster on dirt roads and trails than on asphalt. The sound made is so much different -- it's louder, which makes me want to go faster, probably because the louder sound itself creates an illusion of going faster. I compare it to a horde of horses running by you. Pretty inspirational, isn't it?

Total: 2.91mi Run (6:48 pace); 213 cal.; 142 lb.

I ran with the new shoes again. They felt good until the half-way point and then the left arch started to bother me a little bit, as if the shoe was too narrow in the middle. I ran back fine and maybe I'll settle into the shoes over the next few runs. Otherwise I'll have to look for other ones.

The other thing I was thinking about today is stretching -- that is, whether or not to do it; if so, when, and then how much? Back when I was running cross-country in high school, we always stretched before running, so that's what I've always done. A couple of months ago, I read an article in either Outside or Men's Journal that stretching doesn't help before running, but could possibly afterwards. So which one is it? I think that in general flexibility is good because it keeps the muscles lean and improves blood flow. So I have been stretching - but more now after working out vs. before. I sometimes do quick stretches before running - spots I know that can tighten up when I run. And as I've mentioned in another post, situps and push-ups work for me prior to working out too. I still haven't gotten that mat I've been meaning to buy...

BTW, I ran by the Sound today. The goal was 10k, I went a little over that.

Total: 6.57 mi; 646 cal.; 142.5 lb.

A very tough day at the gym -- a spin class with a ten minute climb. The guy who teaches the class is a former racer and he really pushed it. The climb consisted of 1-minute increments of increasing resistance; the first 5 minutes were on the seat, the latter 5 standing up. It was definitely one of the toughest spin classes I've been too. I left a huge puddle of sweat underneath the bike and was dehydrated for the next day or so as I didn't drink enough water during the day.

Total: 15 mi Bike Ride (spin class)

[Backdated on 12/14/2005]

Well, today was the first day in probably more than two weeks that the sun was out for most of the day. The temperature was about 40 and the air crisp. A perfect day for biking? It was, but I also learned that you need to dress up when biking in colder temperatures. I have relatively a lot of experience running in the cold all the way down to about 20 degrees. But today I think was the coldest day I biked as I've only been biking since August. So while my light long-sleeve dry-fit-type shirt and another thicker, but also breathable long-sleeve jersey were just enough to keep me dry, my fingertips and toes were very cold by the time I finished biking today. My hands and feet get cold quite easily but I wasn't expecting to get so cold. The reason is that a) running is harder than biking over the same time and b) at faster speeds the body will get colder because of wind resistance. So, these two factors have convinced me to buy "bibs" or covers that will go over my bike shoes (they have holes in the bottom still allowing the shoes to clip to the pedals), warmer gloves and a long-sleeve jersey that's thicker and more windproof. I bought full-length biking gloves a month or so ago. In fact, today was the first day I used them. But, based on my experience today they seem more approapriate for 45-55 degrees.

Also, I pumped up my tires to about 95 PSI. I don't know what I previously had them at, but it was closer to 40 or 50. I really couldn't pump them up more with the small pump that I used. It's perfect for taking along a bike ride because it fits in the small pack under the seat and it will pump up a tire enough in case of a flat. So, the floor pump I bought on sale at REI a couple of weeks ago does the job for higher pressures. The ride was a little more stiff, especially over bumps but I can also go faster, which is more important.

As for the ride, it biked the "standard loop" (Belltown -> Elliot Bay -> Magnolia -> Ballard -> Fremont -> Belltown) with a detour to the marina.

Total: 16.2mi Bike Ride (15.8mph); 609 cal.; 143 lb.

A nice jog around the same place as on Thanksgiving day. My friend Livestrongrrrrl is in town so we ran together! A bit chilly but I wanted to see how I felt in shorts, and I warmed up about the time I finished :-) We started around 4:30 so it was dark by the time we finished.

I almost forgot: I got new shoes today at the Seattle Running Company in Capital Hill. They taped me while I ran on the treadmill both bare feet and in the new shoes. I went one size up to 10.5 (I normally wear 9.5) and was also recommended buying ones with more support in the back. The reason is that I have low/medium arches. So the shoes I got, Mizuno Alchemy 5, are built for moderate overpronators and are considered stability shoes. Here's a description I found on another Web site:

Perfect Blend of Motion Control & Cushion Plus New Open Cell Mesh Upper!
Solid and blown rubber forefoot adds flexibility and durability
Wave Technology gives great heel-to-toe transition
More open cell mesh for cool running

Best for runners with a medium build and low to medium arches.

The last line matches me perfectly so hopefully these will work out. BTW, Livestrongrrrrl got other shoes for herself, which I'm sure she'll write in her blog soon.

Total: 2.45mi Run

[Backdated on 12/7/2005]

Jogged to work today -- I think I mentioned previously that it's about 1 mile each way. It's a good little exercise to get the blood flowing. I enjoy it so I think I'll start doing that every time I go to work unless it's pouring outside. I probably won't post it here anymore since it's not really a workout. It's akin to walking -- I probably walk about 10 miles a week but don't consider that exercise per se either.

[Backdated on 12/7/2005]

Snow, snow, snow. Very nice, but unfortunately it was melting right away here in downtown Seattle, although the mountains are picking up piles of it. Maybe I'll go skiing this weekend.

I jogged to the gym and back. There, I cycled on a stationary bike for about 40 minutes. Pushed it pretty hard.

Total: 10.5mi Bike Ride (stationary); ~450 cal.; 146 lb.