Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Running Gear



This is what I have been wearing out the last couple of days. It's good down to at least zero fahrenheit in a fifteen mile an hour wind. I proved that out this morning on the mid week two hour run. This setup can probably go to five below, but after that I'd add arm warmers and another thin layer on the legs over the tights.

If the air temperature gets colder than -20F, it's treadmill time. Otherwise it's fair game for a run. In a normal year, we will have a couple of weeks with early morning air temps in the minus teens, especially on clear nights. Once the sun comes out, it might warm up to zero. Fortunately, that doesn't last long.

I have been anxious to feel comfortable again at 6:10-6:20 pace like I had been right before the injury. With all this clothing, mid-6:30s is about where I get due to the restriction of movement. I found out that's only part of the issue when I weighed all my gear a couple of days ago. It came to 4.8 pounds, which is a good bit. I guess I can look at winter running as resistance training.

Saturday, November 18, 2006

New blog features

I have added some functions to this blog and the training blog in an attempt to better organise and display the information I'm entering every day. You may have noticed the recent comments that have been added to the sidebar. That's just to make it a bit easier for readers to follow new comments, especially those that get added to old threads. Additionally, for the training blog, I've added a larger button and link to the sidebar at Mike's suggestion, since the training blog is getting a lot more updating than the 'regular' blog nowadays.

Another training blog feature I'm excited about is the addition of some roll-up areas below the day's main workout entry. By clicking on the various links at the bottom of each day's entry, I can add (and you can display) additional information about other activities that have played a part in my training for the day. It may not be interesting, but it is detailed. I hope you find the new features useful.

Yes, I know I promised a plan in the next entry. Once I finish sanding my drywall seams this afternoon and gotten in my second run I can think about it. I promise.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Slacker!

Sorry I haven't updated here in a while. I've been writing up my daily runs on my training blog and not giving this blog much attention. I tend to to think of a lot more things to write about than I actually have the motivation to create. Anyway, there's my excuse. If you're here for a good story, my apologies! Try Mike or Andrew for some exceptional writing about running.

I've been reading a lot of training information lately, trying to understand what exactly makes up a proper training plan. I'm infamous for never having a plan, but somehow lining things up in my head and generally doing approximately the right thing. Whether I actually devise a plan this time or not, it helps to have the right information floating around in my brain. Some good information I've found lately can be found here, and here.

Enjoy.