Training Week 56
My next race is the Clear Water Outdoor’s 6th Annual Turkey Trot: 10K on November 20.
Day 386 | November 8, 2010: rest
Day 387 | November 9, 2010: 5.7 m run
Steven and I ran/biked at the Rollins Savanna – we ran 1.9 miles together, then he got on the bike and we completed 5.7 miles.
It surely didn’t feel like November weather – it was in the 50s!
The Rollins Savanna is one giant loop with no shade. It’s perfect for days like this when it’s a bit cooler and sunny, but not (too) windy.
We usually see deer and other wildlife when we run there:
Click to see larger
Click to see larger – I wonder what kind of birds those are!
This run felt really slow to me, but like I was working hard. I wonder if running on crushed limestone slows me down (compared to running on the sidewalk). Have you noticed that you are a faster runner on certain surfaces?
Distance: 5.7 | Start Temp: 59° | End Temp: 56° | Time: 57:48 | Avg Pace: 10:08 | 1: 10:10 | 2: 10:12 | 3: 10:23 | 4: 10:14 | 5: 10:05 | 6: 6:43
Day 388 | November 10, 2010: cross + yoga
Again, I had to force myself to do yoga, but it felt so good!
Recumbent Bike Time: 45:00 | Distance: 7.33 | Average Speed: 9.78 mph | Set on “Forest Ride”
Day 389 | November 11, 2010: 3.8 m run
Wow. This run was challenging.
Originally I had plans to do a long run, but Steven suggested I check out the Volo Bog, which is only 10 minutes from our house. Great idea! I wasn’t sure how far I’d be able to run there though – the website said they had a 2.75 mile trail, but that it was for hiking – I had no idea how rough the terrain would be.
Before my run, I checked out a .5 mile trail, mostly on raised platforms over water! I can’t wait to go back.
I got on to the trail, and sure enough, it was dirt and grass. Very beautiful, but uneven terrain, and difficult to run on (for this novice trail runner!). And I was too hot! (I wonder if it was more humid by the water?) I decided to cut the run short to just the 2.75 mile loop.
But then I accidentally got on to another loop that was a mile long. The trail signage was kind of confusing, and it turned out the 2.75 mile loop didn’t connect! So I ran on the road for the last quarter of a mile.
Most of the view looked like this though:
Very beautiful!
Distance: 5.7 | Start Temp: 59° | End Temp: 61° | Time: 38:41 | Avg Pace: 10:10 | 1: 10:29 | 2: 10:24 | 3: 10:15 | 4: 7:32
Day 390 | November 12, 2010: 5 m temp run
I ran a quick four miles around my neighborhood, followed by a cool-down mile. I was definitely pushing it for this run, but felt pretty good (except for the wind!).
Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 50° | End Temp: 50° | Time: 46:04 | Avg Pace: 9:12 | 1: 9:18 | 2: 9:01 | 3: 8:48 | 4: 8:38 | 5: 10:15
Day 391 | November 13, 2010: cross
My mom, dad, and I walked 1.7 miles on the new trail by our house. At 9:00 pm. In the dark. That wasn’t exactly how I wanted to show them the trail, but it worked! Unfortunately, it had rained that day and the trail was covered in mud! we couldn’t see it in the dark and were kind of slipping around.
Day 392 | November 14, 2010: 4 m run
I noticed that more of the trail by our house had been covered in black top so I ran back there to check it out. The trail doesn’t open for a year and I feel kind of bad using it. Would you use the trail if you lived near it? Do you think I should stay off of it?
It kind of looks like they want us to stay off of it, but I’ve seen plenty of other people on it. Hmm. Anyway – all of the trail is covered in black top now and some more work has been done on the bridge:
This run felt easy in the beginning, but toward the end, I felt my Red Robin lunch coming up and the hills were getting to me.
Stupid hills.
I should mention that I wore my muddy Adrenalines, because I thought the trail might still be covered in mud.
Distance: 4.0 | Start Temp: 46° | End Temp: 43° | Time: 38:08 | Avg Pace: 9:31 | 1: 9:31 | 2: 9:17 | 3: 9:23 | 4: 9:54
Week Summary: 18.5 miles
Let’s just call this a rest week and start over next week. I started this week off on a bad foot and never got back in to the swing of things.
Themocracy
Wow, I have NO idea what kinds of birds they are. They look like the bird on the movie UP.
YES! I’m totally slower on gravel vs sidewalk. Probably 5 or MAYBE 10 seconds per mile given similar effort (closer to 5).
I can’t help but look at your pictures and wonder which ones you modified. I vote the last one. Your shirt is way brighter than the one before it 😉 Am I right?
Ha! They do remind me of that bird from the movie up. Aww. It was so cute.
I changed the shadows and the color intensity on the last photo, yes. Good eye! I also played with the coloring in the deer and bird photo, and the two from the bog (me running and the open grassland). 🙂
“Have you noticed that you are a faster runner on certain surfaces?”
Nope. Consistently slow. LOL 😉
“Would you use the trail if you lived near it? Do you think I should stay off of it?”
Yep, probably would. Seems like temptation to me… that would be tough!
A rest week for you would be a super active week for me!
I think those birds are Sandhill Cranes.
Trail running is tough, right? It’s beautiful and challenging though. I want to go out and run more trails!
I would probably use the trail too as long as they weren’t working on it at the time you were using it. 😉
Love the raised walkway run pictures! Looks like a fun place to run.
Kim,
I love the nature and trails. It looks so peaceful. I definitely would run on the path even though its officially not open. It’s to tempting not to.
That trail is beautiful! Trail running is definitely a different beast but I like doing it when I’m just running for distance and not time. It probably felt warmer because the tree canopy keeps in more heat than when you’re just out on the prairie. At least, that’s my guess.
I’d use the path by your house, too. They probably just have to put up the “barricade” for liability reasons. So as long as you don’t hurt yourself and sue them I think you’re fine 🙂
Wow, you have been running in some really cool places lately! I don’t know about running on the closed trail, I am kind of rule follower so I probably wouldn’t, but what could it hurt?