Fartlek Workout

I ran a 27 minute fartlek (speed) workout last night and it was a blast. I was exhausted when I finished the run although I can see how fartlek training can help improve one's speed. The pace was pretty good too (I had an 8:18 minute/mile pace). Tonight I will do an easy, flat run.

The Goal: Getting Faster

Last night I ran for 3.77 miles (6K) using a hill training program I created on my treadmill. I finished in about 34 minutes which is pretty good considering the terrain was hilly. The goal tonight is a 30 minute interval run. To improve my speed, I will do a fartlek workout (fartlek is Swedish for "speed play" simply means to run fast and jog slower in intervals). Here's another sample fartlek workout from Runners-Resource.com.

Here's the fartlek workout I dreamed up:

Interval	Level	Speed (mph)	Time (min)
1	Easy	6.8	01:00.0
2	Hard	7.4	01:00.0
3	Easy	6.8	02:00.0
4	Hard	7.4	03:00.0
5	Easy	6.8	02:00.0
6	Hard	7.4	03:00.0
7	Easy	6.8	02:00.0
8	Hard	7.4	03:00.0
9	Easy	6.8	02:00.0
10	Hard	7.4	01:00.0
11	Easy	6.8	01:00.0
TOTAL			21:00.0

Speed Is Important

Last night's run: 3.16 miles with an 8:12 minute/mile pace. After Saturday's race, I was able to run over 3 miles quite easily. I felt a lot better after I completed the run. It made me think that I should have also run on Sunday. Well, tonight I will do a hill climb to help me get a little faster. My goal is to get in the 7-7.5 minute per mile pace by Spring 2009.

Hundred Push Up Challenge

I DID IT! In the presence of my daughter and son I completed the Hundred Push Up Challenge last night. On further review, my daughter revealed I actually did 102 push ups which provided more inspiration (my son miscounted along the way because he said I was going too fast.) After I completed my last push up, I feel flat on the floor and asked, "Did I do it?" Both of them said, "Yes, daddy." Man, that was the best news of the day. Then I told them, "Now I can not get up!" (My arms were too tired!) As I crawled off the ground, I looked at my daughter and said, "Next goal: 200 consecutive push ups." My daughter replied, "No way!" When I asked her why, she said, "You struggled too hard to do 100 push ups!" Okay, maybe 200 consecutive push ups is a little too optimistic. I think I'll go back to my regular routine of 200 push ups in 20 minutes.

My First Race

On Saturday, October 25, 2008 I completed my first run, Run Forest Run, which was held at Izaak Walton Nature Preserve in Homewood, IL. I finished the 4 mile race with a 7:57 minute/mile pace - something I did expect at all. This was probably the toughest run I ever experienced because it was a trail run, i.e., we ran on rocks, grass, dirt, mud, etc. I kind of expected a difficult run because of the terrain. However I did not want to back out of the race, so I just ignored the conditions and kept my legs moving. About half-way through, I had to pray for strength - I was about to run out of gas. I had mad the terrible mistake of starting the run way too face - hence a brief struggle to finish.

I will definitely run this race again and I am already entered in next year's race. Now that I have race experience, I know what to expect the next time I run. I will try not to start too fast!

A 20 Minute Sprint

I gave myself about 20 minutes to run on the treadmill last night.  I basically sprinted the for 2.5 miles without getting too tired.  I will do a longer hill climb tonight.

Run Forest Run

I plan to participate in the Run Forest Run event which is a 4 mile race that will be held this Saturday not far from my house. I think I have trained well enough to run 4 miles without collapsing. This will be my first official race.

Last night I did 3.1 miles on the treadmill. Since we had softball practice that evening, it looked like a run was out of the question until I told my body "you gotta do this". I was able to check my son's Algebra homework, eat a small meal and do some chin-ups too.

4 Miles and 97 Push Ups

Yesterday evening I did a little over 6K (about 4 miles) running through the neighborhood while I listened to ESPN 1000 radio. The run was quicker than I expected though I am not sure why. Maybe the cool weather was a big distraction. Next up: a 30 minute Hill Climb this evening.

To add more pressure, I asked my daughter to witness my attempt to do 100 push ups as part of the Hundred Push Up Challenge. Man, I got up to 97 and just collapsed again! I thought I had it this time. Well, now I have to work a little harder this week and test again on Sunday night. I'm almost there!

Almost There

Last night I did 3.14 miles on the treadmill which is about what I wanted to run. I am also looking at two end-of-the-year races, the first of which is next Saturday. The last race I would even consider is the day after Thanksgiving. I'm waiting to get details on both races.

I made my third attempt to do 100 push ups and got very close. When I reached 80 or so push ups, I just knew I would make it to 100. I should have asked the Lord for strength because after I hit 85 push ups, I began to feel extreme fatigue in my triceps. I made it to 91 push ups before my arms completely collapsed. I will get up to 100 soon!

Top of The Hill

I did 35+ minutes (3.83 miles) of hill training last night. It was a tough run considering I had not trained like this for almost two weeks. I could feel that I was not lifting my legs as well as I should. About half way through the run, my HRM watch stop tracking my heart rate. I need to remind myself to replace the battery in the heart rate strap soon or else the HRM may stop working completely.

Fall Is Here

And with the season change, I am finding it a little difficult to stick to a schedule. The good news is I ran a combined 14 miles on Saturday, Sunday and Monday; two of the three days were outdoors. I will need to do more hill training as I can feel my legs getting tired sooner than they should. My lungs are holding out extremely well. Sometimes I think I can run forever.