More reading as of late...Running with the Buffaloes by Chris Lear. This is the new book on the plate. Lots of running books recently means lots of excitement for returning to running. This doesn't mean I have forgotten about climbing, but sometimes you need to do other things. I have completed three untimed 5 milers at a steady pace and two timed shorter runs. I am against listening to music and running and against wearing a watch. Well, not so much against the watch but not knowing your pace keeps you listening to you body and not focusing on numbers (I already do that enough in climbing).
This running book makes the fourth in two months, and after the first I made the decision to begin running again. Running is liberating, an investment, and a struggle. Most of all, it is rewarding. I was told once that people are less likely to achieve something if they tell others about small successes en route. However, I chose to begin running again about two months ago with a track workout. Four quarters at a stead pace with a quarter jogged as rest between laps. I could not complete the workout, but the purpose was to measure the current fitness level. Four runs, three books, and two months later, it was time to "check in" again. I managed a 5:55 mile on a treadmill at the gym. Certainly not a glorious time for the masses, but it was a personal best for me. The best part about it was setting the treadmill to a pace to follow and realizing that I've been running sizeable portions of my longer training runs at a higher heartrate. It would be nice to run a sub 5 minute mile sometime this summer, maybe even a 4:30, but the joy of covering ground is enough for now.
The climbing is on the up and up as well, as Target would say. I've been exclusively sport climbing for about three weeks now. Prior to that it was more or less thirty days in a row of weight lifting. It seems the running and sport climbing are working well together for now, and this is a wonderful time of year to be living in the Republic of Boulder.
2 comments:
i completely agree with your sans music/watch/electronics running methodology. it'll serve you good in the long run- no pun intended. I need to get ahold of some of these running books. I've been feeling extra phat lately, mainly because of this damn master's thing I'm doing. I look to pick it up again this summer though. Good to hear you're back at it.
Also a note on gym treadmills: if they're not constantly tuned and maintained, the measurements can be off by quite a bit- Just sayin.
well, cheers bro, and keep on poundin' the pavement. wish I could make my way over to CO to catch up. hopefully sometime soon.
You're right about the treadmills losing calibration and don't read the running books unless you anticipate having some time to run between your sittings with the book. When we get our new place for next year both of you guys should come!
Post a Comment