Stupid pedometer

I put a new battery in my pedometer and took off around campus. Problem is that, with switching shoes, the pedometer appears to be off somewhat. I think it's sensitive to where, exactly, you place it on the shoe. You see, you tell it your stride and then with every foot strike on the pavement it tallies up your mileage. But if it misses a strike every now and then because it doesn't get jostled enough or whatever then your total is off. And this messes up the pace it calculates. So while I clearly ran over 3 miles in just under 30 minutes the pedometer came up with an 11-minute mile. I don't think so. So now I've got to monkey around with the damn thing until it starts reading more accurately. I seem to recall having to do this many years ago when I first got it. I went to the track and ran laps, fiddling with the settings every so many laps, until I had it calibrated. Apparently I'm going to have to head to the track on campus to get it working correctly again. Who knew that buying new shoes would end up wrecking such havoc.

Back in the saddle

I ran outside yesterday. It was cold but no wind and the sun was out. My pedometer battery died as soon as I headed out so I couldn't tell what my exact pace was but I could feel that I was slow. I decided not to worry about it and just focus on the fact that I was running outside for the first time in weeks. It felt like it had been a lot longer than that. Plus I was breaking in some new shoes (finally!). It was good to be out and, with a combination of good music and a lot on my mind, the time flew by. I'll be out again tomorrow, around campus this time. It's supposed to hit a high of 45 but it will only be 35 or so with the wind chill. Still, anything above freezing is good at this point.

Itchin' to race

I find myself checking the website for the Broad Street Run every couple of days. Registration for the race (held on May 4th this year) won't open until mid-February. So why do I keep going back to the site? Mostly because I want to be signed up for something. I want a goal. Something I can look forward to. I'm distracting myself fairly well with speed work on the treadmill (which I ran on again yesterday) but that's only going to last so long. I'm hoping to get outside for my run tomorrow. I haven't run outside in weeks. It's going to be cold (high 20's to low 30's) but as long as it's not snowing I'll be out there. Running on the road clears my head much better than on the treadmill and I think I'm in need of some of that.

Not all treadmills are created equal

I had to do another treadmill run the other day. I've come to realize that not all treadmills are created equal. The ones at the Y are fairly new while the last two I've used were much older. The older ones have a better feel to them (with the exception of the buttons that only work if you really press on them). I think it has to do with the fact that the older treadmills have lost a lot of their cushioning and hence they feel more like the road. Regardless, I ran indoors this past Saturday and took the opportunity to really push myself. I managed to do a couple of miles in the 8-minute range and even sprinted up to a 7-minute pace and then back down. It was a good run, for a treadmill. I won't be able to get outside until at least Thursday. And, of course, the forecast is for 20's by then.

First day of school

I ran on the treadmill last night. It was the first day of the semester yesterday and I had to teach and then go to four different meetings. There was no way to get in a run before leaving the office. Plus it was raining/snowing when I did finally leave. So the treadmill it was. The run wasn't great. Two years ago I fell down the stairs at my house (call me Grace) and my right hip has never been the same. For whatever reason, it was bothering me during the entirety of my run last night. I'm hoping this is not a symptom of a larger problem. I think I'll be looking into those new shoes soon.

Another great run

I can't believe that it's January 12th. The weather has just been spectacular lately. Perfect for running. I did 6 miles today on my newest course, which I really like. It's a one-way route, as opposed to out-and-back, so there's no option for cutting it short when I'm tired. Unless I just want to walk the rest of the way home. Yeah, right. But today I wasn't tired. On the contrary, the run was pretty easy. Which, of course, means I need to kick it up a notch.

Winter?

Another very nice day for a run. Colder than the past couple but really nothing to complain about. Relatively sunny, in the 40's and no precipitation. Did another 5 miles this morning. I need to force myself to do a longer run now and then. I keep saying that I'm going to but then I wimp out. Maybe this weekend, if the weather holds. I've also decided that I need some new running shoes. The ones I have now are several years old and even though there was a big lull in the amount of running I did over those years, I've easily logged several hundred miles on these puppies just in the past 4 months. Time to go shoe shopping.

What a difference a day makes

What a fabulous run! I could rationalize and say that taking yesterday off was exactly what I needed but I think it had more to do with the fact that I got a good night's sleep and the weather is absolutely gorgeous! I was running in a T-shirt, for crying out loud! I ran a 8:59 mile. Technically not a PR but this was 5+ miles at that pace - a longer distance that my other PR's. So I'm pretty happy about it. Now I'm jonesing for spring to really get here.

Sigh

For the first time in probably 5 months I am choosing not to run today. The weather is beautiful but I just don't have it in me. I've had two nights in a row of lousy sleep and I'm just not feeling very chipper. However, I will cross train tonight and will run tomorrow, swapping my schedule for these two days, so as to still get in my normal weekly mileage. That should be acceptable. I would really worry if I skipped a run all together. I guess we all have off days.

Really cold

Call me a chicken but I ran inside yesterday. According to weather.com it was 25 degrees but with the wind chill it felt like 15. While I might consider running in 20-something weather, there's no way in hell I'd run when it's in the teens. So it was the treadmill for me. I've decided that I should use my time on the treadmill to increase my pace (since there aren't any hills and it's actually an easier workout). I got up to an 8:40 mile yesterday (for 1 mile) and that was my limit. Not bad for a first try. Now I'm starting to get ideas about my next race.

Happy New Year!

The weather has been quite kind recently. I was able to run outside again yesterday. Had to wear my jacket this time but still. Had a decent run. I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that I need to vary my distances a bit more. I think my body is getting too used to the 5 mile-ish runs. I think I need to push myself every couple of weeks with a longer run. However, the forecast says that this "nice" weather is about to disappear. The high for Thursday, my next scheduled "run" day, is 25. Yikes! I don't know if I'm up for running in those temps. So I might have to do a quick 5 on the treadmill and wait for a warmer day for a long run. You know what's really funny? To look back at my posts from November when I thought 47 degrees was cold.