A Passion for Running

Goals:

1. Run a 3:30 marathon on May 20th (current PR set in October 2003 is 3:42)
2. Run a mile in under six minutes (current best time set on February 23, 2007 is 6:19)
3. Drop 15 pounds (done!)

Upcoming Races:

1. Woody’s RV Marathon (Red Deer, Alberta) is on May 20, 2007. This will be my first marathon in three years and will be on a hilly course.
2. Queen City Marathon (Regina, Saskatchewan) is on September 9, 2007. It’s on a very flat course.

That’s it for now, although I’d like to do some shorter races if I can fit them in somewhere within my training schedule.

Well, I beat myself anyway. Today, since I was supposed to be in rest mode, I decided to throw one fast mile into the mix – just to see how fast I could comfortably run it.

I think my mile record prior to today was 6:25.

Today, without much difficulty at all, I clocked in at 6:19. Neat. I wonder if a six minute mile is in my future? I’m not sure if I’ll get many chances to try but it sure would be a fun side goal to shoot for besides the marathon.

The entire run (including the fast mile) amounted to the following:

Time: 59:40
Distance: 6.86 miles
Pace: 8:42 min/mile
Average Heart Rate: 166

I had another smokin’ busy day at work – a day that ended in a meeting going extra long making my run home happen later. Regardless, it was a run that felt so easy I found myself smiling most of the way. Details:

Time: 1 hour, 29 minutes
Miles: 10.4
Pace: 8:33 minutes per mile (it’s becoming easier and easier to imagine running faster than that for 26.2 miles)
Average Heart Rate: 163 bpm (a real sweet spot near the low end of my “easy” heart rate zone)

Following the crappy start to my running week, it’s a nice feeling to have lightness return to my steps. That said, I’m still going to do my next two runs at easy pace (8:30 to 9:00 min/mile) to rest up from the previous two weeks hard work.

A big “hello” to all of you who’ve left comments this last few days. I’ve been pretty swamped at work and home and look forward to answering your comments and questions this evening.

I’m in rest mode. Today’s hard run was replaced by a nice, easy paced one. I feel great. A few of these babies and I think I’ll be feeling fabulous.

Time: 60 minutes
Distance: 6.54 miles
Pace: 9:10 minutes per mile
Average Heart Rate: 155