jueves, 31 de diciembre de 2015

Last run of 2015

I did not run Tuesday and Wednesday, low motivation, but that low motivation has to come to an end, because I ll get back into shape, maybe I wont get to my fastest times this  upcoming year, but eventually I will.  I dont pretend to race if I am not in shape, nor in a decent weight.

I see great things coming next year, 2014 and 2015 were not very good years in my book, and 2015 was even worse, I have to be greatful that I am healthy and can walk, breath, smile and be greatful for all the people that encouraged me and were with me in the happy times as in the difficult times.

I hope that those difficult times stop for a bit in 2016 and I can get a bit forward in life, this past year I was very stuck in my professional and running life(I trained very consistently, in fact , this year is one of my most consistent years in the running departament, but I just jogged along and seldom did something fast), in the personal life I am always learning new things and try to be better everyday.

I have understood that everything comes with dedication, and if things dont show up in one moment, if you keep putting effort into it, success is inevitably. 

I see myself succeeding and moving forward! I had enough of "stuckness". 


As for the today`s run, I ran with my brother this morning at 8:30 a.m. wanted to run earlier, but got to bed late watching a baseball game, my team lost! We got to the conservatory in 7:57, did 5 laps in 6:24,6:22,6:31,6:20,6:05, back in 6:49 for 47:02 in 7.5k. The run was very slow, but I think given my recent performance that is probably my actual easy pace, so no biggies. The weather was a bit hot and I enjoyed my brothers company!

Have a great new year eve! and Enjoy with the family!

lunes, 28 de diciembre de 2015

Zapping the zero

I did not run in the morning so that meant to be creative to run in the evening, the only thing that made sense today was to run at 4-5 p.m. in the conservatory, since after 6 p.m. the light park is up and the crowd is unmanagable to run.

I got out with my brother to the conservatory at 4:30 p.m., I dont remember the last time I ran that early in the afternoon. I ate lunch at 1 p.m. and I was feeling it throughout my run, but I ran decent despite my stomach feeling full.

We did get to the conservatory in 7:24, then did 5 laps in the conservatory and my splits were 6:07,5:51,5:52,5:45,5:20 and back home in 6:45, for a total of 43:38 for 7.5k. My brother was 10 secs back.

I tried to drop him a few times to no avail, He is in much better shape than me. To be honest I did not feel fairly confortable today, basically I raced the watch to not get over 6 mins after the 1st lap.

Happy to have gotten my run in. The weather was a bit hot!

7.5k@43:38.

Have a great day!

domingo, 27 de diciembre de 2015

Easy tiring morning run

Yesterday I did not run, so I suppose this is going to be a 4 runs week.

Today at 10:00 a.m. ( We woke up at 9 am), my brother and I went out to the conservatory, but  Danilo took off early and I catched him just before the conservatory, but He took off again and never looked back, each lap the gap was bigger and each lap I was pushing a bit more. I was running without a watch because my brother had the watch, but He did not start the watch properly, so I dont know my total time.

I did 3 laps in the conservatory and back for a total of 5.5k. I felt tired and I felt good at times and like crap other times, but overall could finish in one piece.

This was a down week of training, and I ll start my normal runs tomorrow.

Have a great Sunday!

viernes, 25 de diciembre de 2015

Catching up

Merry Christmas to all of you!!

On Wednesday I tried to run but just made it 2 laps to the 400s dirt track in the baseball stadium before calling it a day! About an hour before running, I just felt weak and aweful, as if I would get sick, it was a smart decision.

On Thursday I took the day off, so I think that those 2 days were my days off of the week, so today evening I was back to business.

At 5:30 p.m. I went out with my brother to do  modofied route, 1k out and back to the Altagracia mini market and back (2k), then head to the conservatory front door and back (4.5k), and complete the 5k, I completed the 30:21, which was bout 5.2k.

I felt good overall, but a bit bloated, but as the run went on , felt better and better. Honestly, I wanted to run a bit more, but the conservatory its full of people watching the light and running there is a nightmare, thanks goodness, I suggested my brother to do the modified route, since I knew from previous years that in days like these is almost impossible to run in the conservatory , even outside the conservatory.

Anyway, happy to have run and to have not gotten sick, I felt very good again!! Hope you have a great Christmas day!!

5.2k or so @30:21.

martes, 22 de diciembre de 2015

Easy progressive run

Today at 6:45 p.m. my brother Dan, Alexis and I went to the baseball stadium to do a few miles (or too much laps!!). I did 20 laps without a watch, but Danilo had my watch and I would ask him the time once in a while, until He sped up and let me in the dust of course. The first 3k were in (6:24,6:11,6:02) 18:36 or so, then at 6k I asked the time and I had 35:51, Alexis was behind, but He did a heck of a job, because He was running with me in the 5k.

The last 2k I sped up a bit to run sub 47 mins, of course I did not push the pace until the last 400s, that my brother suggested to do sub 2 mins, so I gradually increased pace so with 100s to go I was hufffing and puffing. The last 2k were in 10:48 doing the math, I finished the 8k in 46:39, so mission accomplished.

The run was unconfortable today because the lights in the stadium were turned off, and the terrain is irregular in some areas, so that made a bit unconfortable the footing.

Overall felt good and felt very strong!!

8k@46:39.

Have a great Tuesday!

lunes, 21 de diciembre de 2015

Christmas 5k photos



Easy evening run

Yesterday took the day off.

Today I experienced some DOMS, but not like in the past, maybe I did not ran hard at all. Today I went at 6:10 p.m. with my brother to the Baseball stadium, did 20 laps or 8 kms. I was not sure how many laps I would do, but I felt good and did my normal run.

Splits per km were 6:29,6:12,6:00,11:43 in 2k,5:54,5:42,5:16 for a total of 47:19 for 8k. First half in 24:35. In the last lap I sped up and some fast guys were doing 1k repeats in the dirt track so when the fastest guy passed I tried to follow him for 200s, mission accomplished, then ran easy till finishing the run.

Felt really good today, and I did not drink coke today, snacks on yogurt and an apple, but not coke and I felt good out there.

I made a promise to myself that if I dont hit 170 pounds or less I wont race. We will see how that plays out! I have read a lot about nutrition, so its very possible, and ditching sugar and too much fat are keys to that quest!!

Have a great Monday!

sábado, 19 de diciembre de 2015

Christmas 5k race

Today I " raced" the Christmas 5k. I said " raced" because to be honest it was a confortably hard effort all the way, I know that I am in much faster shape. I ran 25:54 or so, my name does not appear in the race results, but I crossed the line in 25:58 minus 4 secs or so that took me to run over the starting mat.

I dont feel too dissapointed, because I pretty much ran the same as the last time, but I felt much better the whole way and I know that I can even run sub 25 mins, I did several light workouts that indicated that, but because my fear of getting out of my confort zone and get in the pain cave, I paid the price with a sub par performance.

Another key factor is my weight, I woke this morning and my weight was 197 pounds, I am just too heavy, I am not eating that much, but I am drinking more coke than not, and its affecting me obviously, the overall calories that I am consuming through beverages are insane.

All in all, the good part is that my confidence was good today, I did not feel too pressured during the day, felt like I was going to train to be honest, I think that I attribute that to the workouts that I did that made me sure about what I was capable of. In my last race, the fastest that I ran was in the last 1k of a couple of easy runs and I was very afraid and clueless of I was capable of.

Knowing that I am capable of running a certain time, that makes me confident and ready to roll. To be honest I am enjoying running a lot more running 5 times per week, because I can get the most of my workouts and have 2 rest days per week. As I said earlier I am not professional, so no point in obsessing to drop 1-2 seconds of a time.

Probably next week I ll do a time trial in the mirador to make sure I can run at least sub 25:30, probably these days racing  watchless (I always race without a watch) is not helping a whole lot, because my competitive fire is decreasing and maybe if I had worn a watch I could focus better in MY goal,also today when I saw that if I did not increase my pace with around 100s to go, I would get over 26 mins, ( if I did accelerate with 100s to go, why I did not accelerate before in the race, maybe the watch is a motivator in some way, it could be your best friend or just worst enemy) but who knows! maybe if I checked the watch and saw that I was running so slow I would get frustrated well before finishing the race. Although today I was frustrated with all those old guys around me well before the finish!

At the end of the way, the fitness is there and if I keep running 5 times per week and incorporating workouts and medium long runs, I ll eventually get better. Couple that with a decrease in weight and I am good to go!

On to the next one!

Edited... I appeared in the results in 25.53 first half in 12.31, second half in 13.22. I thought that I was going faster in the first half, but it seems that is my fitness, at least I did not get worse from my last race, I ran the exact time, and it is the first time that I run the identical time in 2 different races.

viernes, 18 de diciembre de 2015

Shaking out

Yesterday I took the day off.

Today at 6:30 p.m. I went once again to the baseball stadium and wanted to do 16 laps or 4 miles. I wanted to run easy, but not so slowly that it affects my form and my sanity, instead, I ran at my normal pace, and I was surprised with how good I felt, splits per km were 6:18,6:03,6:00,5:53:5:49, then did 4 x 100s strides feeling pretty good and smooth and that km did it in 5:18, then did 1 more lap easy to cool down.

Total time was 37:52 for 4 miles, so about the same pace as Wednesday and felt awesome!!

I hope to feel that great tomorrow in the 5k race.

Have a great Friday!

miércoles, 16 de diciembre de 2015

Easy run with 8 strides

Today I ran with Juan at 7:00 p.m. in the baseball stadium once again, I did not know if I should do a workout, a workout today wont help at all for Saturday`s race, except with the confidence, but fitness wise it would not matter if I just ran easy or run fast.

I played it safe and did 20 laps there which is 8 kms, and in the last 2k incorporated 8 x 100s strides, I normally do 4 strides, but since I did not do a workout 8 was fine.

I felt really good today because I only drank 1 glass of coke with lunch and dont drink for the rest of the day, so I arrive to my run feeling light and smooth, so that translated to a faster time and feeling much better.

I took splits every 2k, I did not want to obsess with each 1k, I have enough with all those laps that I have to run to complete a 8k run.

2k splits were: 12:29,11:50 (24:20 halfway),11:40,11:13 (including 8 strides), for a total of 47:13 for 8k. Those strides really helped to bring the average pace down, those last 2k were fast compared to how easy the recovery jog was between strides.

Overall, I felt very good and fresh.

Tomorrow I ll rest, Friday an easy shake out and Saturday I ll race the Christmas 5k, which I plan to at least run faster than the 25:53 of last time.

Have a great Night!

martes, 15 de diciembre de 2015

Low motivation

This week in particular I have been facing low motivation to run, but luckily I force myself to get out the door.

That was the case today since at 6:30 p.m. I was unsure of running, but then sitting in the coach I told myself that I had to run whatever distance I could, but I needed to force myself out, I wont lose weight skipping runs, so I decided to go out.

I went out with my brother at 7:00 p.m. to the 400s dirt track in the baseball stadium, I wanted to do the same as yesterday( 8k or 20 laps), I felt like crap from the get go because I ate 6 slices of pizza at 2 something pm, and that was in my stomach at 7 p.m., I want to improve my diet and I will, but a friend came visiting and ordered a pizza, I have to eat that so that  she does not offend, but to be honest I wanted to eat pizza too :), but after reading a lot about nutrition and learing a thing or two, I know that I can improve in that departament, that was the biggest motivation today, I need to keep going forward and I ll accomplish my goals.

Ok! into the run! I did 15 laps or 6k, wanted to complete the 8k, but my stomach felt like s"$%t and I was feeling pretty heavy, but the splits were almost identical than yesterday splits per km for 6k were 6:30,6:11,6:05,6:02,5:53,5:52 for a total of 36:37 for 6k.

I wanted to go on, but as I said, was feeling  abit bad and was sick of doing laps and laps over there!!

No excuses, tomorrow I gotta do my 8k run plus some strides or maybe a mini workout, the important thing is to go out and run!!

Weather was hot!!

Have a great night!

lunes, 14 de diciembre de 2015

Easy evening run with Alexis

This evening at 6:30 p.m.  I headed out to the Baseball stadium with my friend Alexis and did 20 laps there ( Alexis did 10 laps to complete 4k), I did 8k.

I started the run feeling pretty heavy because all the coke that I have consumed today, yeah, I need to stop that crap, Hit the 4k in 24:52, then loosened up the second half and started to do sub 6 mins kms. Finished the 8k in 48:18, so a nice negative split.  Second half was in the 23:30s range. It does not matter much, I was just running easy and recovering from yesterday`s 10k.

Did not have a lot of motivation today, but got out there and got the job done, life is not color of roses, sometimes what you love is not going to be very motivating, but you have to do what you have to do, that is how you get better in all areas of life!!

Weather was very hot, sometims I thought that I were in a sauna!!

8k@48:18.

Have a great night!

domingo, 13 de diciembre de 2015

Morning 10k

Yesterday I slept in and did not run, well, I should have run yesterday, because last night I could not drink even a little beer because I wanted to run 10k today, not that I drink a lot, I dont even remember the last time I drank, maybe 3-4 months ago.

This morning woke early at 6:40 a.m. and headed out the door with my father at 7:30 a.m. to the mirador, I wanted to do 10k+ including some 400s there in the mirador, but when I went out that I felt that tight and tired, dont know why, because I rested yesterday.

I went out the first 3k feeling not fairly confortable in 17:47, the next 2k in 5:48,5:42 to cross the halfway in 29:18 (5 seconds slower than last time but more unconfortable), the next 2k in 5:46 and 5:42, then the last 3k (mirador to home) in 15:49, it contains a big downhill, that is the reason why I can run so fast compared to the other splits.

Finished in 56:36, a bit over 70 secs slower than last time, luckily, I felt better in the second half than in the first half, in the first half I felt very tight and out of breath sometimes, but could recover in the second half, I did not push as hard as last time in the last 3k, but I pushed a little bit.

Today I felt very fat and heavy compared to last time where I just ran smoothly and felt like flying at times. The 400s did not happen, did not worth it to do a workout feeling like that and I wont get any benefits since the 5k race is on Saturday.

10k@56:36 (29:18,27:18).

5 runs this week as planned.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

viernes, 11 de diciembre de 2015

Easy run + strides

Yesterday I took the day off. As I said earlier I am running 5 times per week, but increased intensity.

This morning I went out to the conservatory at 7:30 a.m. and did 5 laps and back. Got there in 7:40, then the 5 laps were in 6:37,6:15,6:12,6:11 and 5:45 incorporating 4 x 100s strides. I dont know if I did the strides to loosen up, or to see a sub 6 mins in my watch:)

I felt a bit tight and tired in the first 15 mins, but I thought I was going faster for sure, but the effort was easy enough so that I could recover but fast enough to get the adaptations. Maybe my actual natural easy pace right now is 6:10-6:15 per lap as I did in the second through the 4th lap. Got home in 6:56 and finished the 7.5k in 45:56.

Again, it was slow, but I was tight and a bit tired eventhough I yesterday.

Have a great Friday!

miércoles, 9 de diciembre de 2015

Some Flash Night 5k photos

                                                   
                                         My friend and I saluting the cam.

                                         My friend Juan nailing it!

Evening mini tempo run

This evening at 7:40 p.m. or so, Juan, my brother Danilo and I went out to the 400s baseball stadium in front of my house, since at night the lights park( the conservatory) its in full force at night so its virtually impossible to run inside, the only way is to run outside of the park and its not very attractive, but I ll do several laps outside soon for sure, its hard to do laps on  and on in a 400s loop.

I warmed up 6:30(1k), then did 3k " fast", I wanted to improve my 14:59 of last week when I did that during the last 3k of my 10k. I thought that it was going to be easy, but the terrain got the best of me and I could only muster a 15:28 or so for 3k, 4k in 21:58 including the warm up. Not bad, that is a bit faster than my last 5k race, but the effort was way harder than I thought.

After those 22 mins, I continued running easy to complete 48 mins what I think is 8 kms. I felt good, but man I just could not get under 2:03 per lap, I was stuck at that pace, and the effort was high enough.

A good mini tempo run I think, that terrain is not the best to run hard, because the footing is slow, anyway, I ll try to incorporate a bit more faster running this week.

Tomorrow ll be a rest day! 8k total for the day soaking wet at the end!! December, what december!!, it feels like summer, the heat was so high IMO!

Have a great day!

Catching up

Had not have the opportunity to post because of a problem in the internet connection, but here I am.

On Saturday night at 8:05 p.m., I ran with a friend the Flash Night run to help her in her first 5k race, I was very surprised and happy or her, it was a success in my book. I thought that We were going to run 32-34 mins or so, but We did 30:30 and were on sub 30 min pace in the first 3k, but then She hit the wall, She ran great nonetheless.

My friend Juan called 1 hour before the race to confirm if I was going to the race, I told him yes, and since He had not gone to the gym that day, He decided to run with us.

In the first 400s She went out too fast and as soon as I catched her ( We did not go out together, because the race staff did not allow me to enter the corral without a bib so I had to wait in the sidelines, watching 1000s  people and trying to spot her, oh well!!) I told her to slow down that We were going too fast (25 min 5k), We passed the 1st km in 5:48, and they were running pretty well, I always asked them if they were good and if they could sustain the pace, I threw some words of encouragement as well.

The second km was in 6:12 (12:00 for 2k), after that I tried speed up a bit, I really wanted that sub 30 mins, We hit the 3k mark in 17:57, I tried to keep the pressure so that They could run sub 30 mins, after that Juan found another gear and put the hammer down and did not look back, I stayed behind with my friend, with about 800s to go She stopped for a walk, but I told her to jog very easy, but not stop, I really did a great job in that regard, in the last 400s She stopped again, but I did the same thing, and She finished strong.

She finished the 5k in 30:30 which is a great time for her in her first 5k, I suspect She can run faster, because She told me she was not sore the day after the race.

On Sunday I took the day off.

Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. I went to the conservatory and ran pretty slowly because I was very tight, did not why, but I could not move, 7.5k in 47:23 (5 laps in the conservatory in 6:41,6:30,6:23,6:15,5:48), did 4 strides in the last lap, hence the fast lap. Felt much better at the end.

Tuesday morning at 7:00 a.m. did the same thing, but this time without a watch, but according to my body and effort it was much faster than yesterday, still in the easy range., so 7.5k total watchless.

I ll run tonight, and I want to do something a bit faster, since I ll rest tomorrow.

See you tonight!

sábado, 5 de diciembre de 2015

Perspective... RIP Pablo

I generally dont write subjects outside of running, but I think what I am going to write deserves a post in itself.

Today I was running some errands and receive a call of a friend telling me if I know the news of what happened in the same bank I worked for, the same place, "Plaza hache". I told her that no, I did not even watch the news, then She told me that a security man had commited suicide, then I told her that I would call a friend from the bank to make sure about the news and to confirm what I already suspected.

Yeah, it was my friend Pablo, but how do I knew it, you might ask? He was a very kind man, and We teased each other a lot eventhough He was 63 years old, We were really good friends. We always told each other like it is while I was there, He considered me a great person and He was very sad the day We said good bye, when I stopped working for the bank. I considered him a great person too and We respected each other alot eventhough We treated each other like young guys.

I realized and could see through him, He was a very lonely guy, and sometimes He was serious as it something worried him, We all have problems, but I could see a big sadness in him eventhough He smiled a lot and a lot people loved him.

Little I knew that the las time We shook hands and hug each other was going to be the last time We see each other, I wanted to see him in another circunstances of life, but  was not the case.

Maybe I should have called him more often to say hello and to tease each other, I did not and I wont have that opportunity once again, but  I am sure that whereever He is, He has the same respect and admiration for me as I have it for him.

I ll always remember Pablo for his positive vibe and the respect that We had for each other that made our friendship there unbreakable forever.

My advice is to pay attention to the details and call friends when you have a lot without talking to them, if you see them sad, try to help them or offer a ear to listen!! Sometimes that will save a life, sometimes not.

RIP Pablo! You ll be missed!! Condolences to the family!

I ll run tonight in the name of him, I am not going to race, but will run every step dedicated to him!!

I sometimes complain a lot about life, but I ll be more greatful now, you dont know who is in a worse situation. Life is perspective!!




Run number 1: Morning easy run

Today I woke up at 7:00 a.m. to do my own run this morning, I headed out to the conservatory with my father at 7:50 a.m. and I did 5 normal laps and back home. I think I have been lied, all of this 1.5 months I believed that I have been running faster than my normal easy pace, but today I realized that was not the case, but that is not a problem at all, since on my workouts or tempo runs I have been improving nicely, and as I have said before, splits on easy runs dont matter much, but for the pace of mind I thought I was running faster:)

Laps in the conservatory were 6:24,6:15,6:07,6:02,5:42. And from the conservatory to home 6:40. So the last 1.2k were a bit faster than the last lap in the park, but who cares! Botton line, is that today I felt tired and I had to push a bit to do that 5:40. It would be interesting, what can I do on tempo runs doing normal laps, We will find out soon!

Total was 7.5k in 45:34, the last 2.5k helped to bring the average pace down.

So run no.1 done and Tonight at 8:00 p.m. I ll be my friend`s rabbit in her first race ever! Should be fun!!

Have  a great morning!

viernes, 4 de diciembre de 2015

Easy morning run

Yesterday was off.

Today at 7:30 a.m. I headed out to the conservatory  at an easy pace, felt tired, but then I remembered that I did a fartlek on Wednesday night so that made more sense.

I got to the conservatory in 7:40, then did 3 laps corner to corner in 10:18,10:05,9:51. Then ran 1 more min, and headed back home to run 7.5k+ in 46:23.

I felt good by the end and the weather was a bit hot. Tomorrow I ll run twice because in the morning I ll do my normal run, and at night, I ll run with a friend her  1st 5k in the Flash night run 5k. I ll run with her in her first race ever and I ll add mileage to my training so a win /win situation.

I ll have to be very careful since I have a lot of years without running twice in one day (without the long hours of sleep).

It should be a good experience, I wanted to run that race hard, but Ill save that energy for the Christmas 5k, 2 weeks from tomorrow.

Have a great day!

miércoles, 2 de diciembre de 2015

Evening Mini fartlek

Today I wanted to do something fast and headed out to the conservatory at 7:05 p.m. with Juan got there in 8:40, the traffic was just awful, I was running very easy to prepare myself to the fast running,did 1 lap corner to corner in 11:10 to warm up and at around 23 mins I started my 1 min repeats, I just did 5 x 1 min repeats, wanted to do more, but I was just spent, the humidity was crazy, and I was huffing and puffing a lot, then ran around 15 more mins and I decided to do a longer/slower repeat in the last 2:30 or so to finish up the run, this time the effort was more controlled but still hard, because I was not too content with the 1 min repeats.

I did 4 laps corner to corner, but I only was aware of the time in the first one in 11:10 and in the last one 9:53, thanks to the last 2.5 mins acceleration.

I wanted to warm up faster, but I was fucked up and nervious of the workout ahead, and honestly running that slow did not help too much to the fast running, but after the first interval my turnover could get used to that pace.

All in all, a good workout, around 7-8 mins total of fast running, which is decent.

Total time was round 50:40, which I think was around 8k. But fast portion was the key today not overall time.

Weather was just awful, I was sweating in the first 5 mins of starting the run!!

Have a great Humpday!

martes, 1 de diciembre de 2015

Humid evening run

As I said this morning, I ran in the evening today at 6:30 p.m. I headed out to the conservatory with my brother and I did 4 laps corner to corner and ran some more to complete the 48 mins, or at my judgement, 8k.

My brother struggle to keep that pace eventhough the pace was very easy, I got to the conservatory in 7:47, I thought that I was going faster, then did 4 laps corner to corner in 10:06,9:55,9:47,9:37. My brother stopped just after 30 mins, He was very tired, He said. I continued on to complete the 48 mins, feeling good overall, but hey! within 15 mins of running I was sweating like a pig and I finished the run as if I would have just jumped in a pool. The humidity was just crazy, nothing compared to yesterday or Sunday, that might explain the slower splits given the effort. Anyway, splits does not matter in easy runs, I want to do something fast tomorrow, so I was holding back today.

We will see how it goes!

8k+ in 48 mins.

Have a great day!

Yesterday`s easy run

This post is from yesterday`s run, I could not post yesterday so here it goes.

The whole day had been very rainy so I was not sure of my running happening,  I was actually was not afraid of the rain, I was afraid of all the holes in the street on my way to the park, thats what caused my ankle spring earlier this month. Now imagine that without seeing the holes under big paddles of rain, not fun.

Luckily, it stopped raining after 5 p.m and as a female friend of mine came to run with my father and me, my father bailed the run, but I decided to get my run in, so my friend and I headed out to the conservatory at 5:30 p.m., but I told her that after the big hill, after the 500-600s I would run at my normal pace, I kind of did that, but  I did not increase pace  a whole lot.

I got to the conservatory over 8 mins, and then did 3 laps corner to corner, my friend opted for another route, my splits were 10:21,9:55,11:04. After half of the first lap I was running at my normal easy pace until the last half of the last lap, when I told my friend to run with me so We could get out of the conservatory together to home, since it was pouring, the plan was to finish there and to come walking from there. Since it was raining, I decided to run home, so I slowed down to meet her pace and We continued on to finish the run in 50:40 for 7.5k or a bit more for me.

The pace was very easy, but I felt really good, and also I wanted to play it safe because on Sunday I would have pushed the pace and did not want to hurry things up. I am getting in shape but its a process and I dont want to fuck things up!

Today the day started very cloudy, but right now the sun is strong, hope that it continues that way till my run this evening, today`s run is going to be faster but still easy, because I want to do a workout tomorrow!!

Hope you have a great start to the week!

domingo, 29 de noviembre de 2015

Mirador morning 10k

Yesterday I took the day off. I said, that I was going to take 1 of the weekend days off, so I took Saturday, I just woke up very tired and a bit sore from the tempo yesterday.

Today I woke up at 7:30 a.m.( We headed out at 8:05 a.m.)  to a very good weather, very cloudy and cool morning. I had planned to do 10k to the mirador with my father and thats what We did.

We started out slow, but my father was always ahead till past the 7k when I decided to push a little, but that " little" resulted in a much faster pace and my previous 2 5ks", so I am starting to question my actual fitness to be honest.

First 3k were in 17:49, 5k in 29:13 (my father in 28:49), I was just trying to keep it easy because I felt a bit sore, but I rested yesterday so a bit pushing in the end was fair!! 6k in 34:50, 7k in 40:24, then I decided to push to catch my father who was around 10 secs ahead, then He started push when I passed, but I knew that I would win since I felt very strong (I was not racing though), finished the 10k in 55:23, with the last 3k in 14:59, and last 5k in 26:10, so   feeling tired at the end, but very strong and good at the same time. My father finished in 56:29, which is very good for him, I dont remember the last time He ran that fast, He is basically jogging at 10 mins per mile pace everyday. I am sure that weather helped a ton, but hey anyway, that is much faster than my last race, I should be able to run sub 25:30 at least in the next one, and to be honest I would be dissapointed with that time, but you cant fake fitness.

It seems that those tempos and accelerations are paying off, eventhough I have only done those 4 times after my last race, maybe the weather decrease is paying off in times and the way that I feel during runs, because I have been feeling amazing during runs. Definately I dare to say that I am in sub 25 mins shape.

10k@55:23, its time to ramp up the  long runs a bit, I should be able to get out more of my training with the extra days off.

5 runs this week, feeling very strong and hoping to get very fit!!

Have a great Sunday everyone!Dont stuff yourself with muffins or pizza :), but you have my permission to indulge a bit!!


viernes, 27 de noviembre de 2015

Morning tempo run

Yesterday I took the day off.

This morning I went out with my father at 6:50 a.m. to the conservatory and I inmediately started faster than normal, because I wanted to run faster today in form of intervals or tempo running, I chose the latter.

I dropped my father after the big hill around 500-600s in, then continued my pace solo. Got to the conservatory in 7:05, which is fast compared to most days, but slower than I thought. Anyway, I built from there and did 3 laps corner to corner at that fast pace.

The 3 laps came in 8:49,8:25,8:28, so basically 1 min faster than I normally run, which is a good tempo run, I estimate that to be 1.7k or a bit less for the laps, but I dont know for sure, effort is the most important thing, but I certainly would like to know my time in the 5k. After the 3rd lap I slowed down to a very easy jog to wait for my father, then ran 1:42 back to the conservatory entrance and 7:36 back home very easy to cool down. I did 42:22 for 7.5k or more, so I improved my time in that distance by more than 2 mins and the last 10 mins were a very easy jog, I must have pushed in those 33 mins.

Anyway, I think I ran 25-26 mins for the 5k, but I ll leave it at 26 mins, which is good for me at the moment, but I am slowly getting back into shape eventhough my training has not been optimal. Today was also a confidence booster, because I watned to stop in the middle of the 3rd lap, but then slowed down a bit and felt better, then pushed again, botton line is that I never quit, I kept hurting and pushing till the completion of the 3 laps.

I would like to do this in a flat terrain,because if I ran 26 mins or less with 6 hills, I must be in better shape than in my last 5k race, but who knows, I went out controlled today, and in races I go out like an idiot, believing that something magical can happen on race day.

Good day for running, and I ll run a bit longer on the weekend, it could be tomorrow or Sunday, but `probably tomorrow, Sunday off and 2 hard workouts next week.

Today is the 5k race of the company that my brother works for, this year is not in the shape He was last year, I predict that He will do 23:20-23:40, which is slower than the 21:10 He did last year. I ll be there watching and cheering.

Hope you have a great day!

jueves, 26 de noviembre de 2015

Yesterday`s run

Yesterday I could not blog, so here it goes.... I went out with my friend Juan to the conservatory at 7:10 p.m., a little later than planned, but the weather was pretty good. I ran with him for the first 500s or so, but then started to pull away and got to my normal groove, got to the conservatory in 8:02, and then did 4 laps corner to corner in 10:09,9:52,9:27,9:26.

I felt really good today, especially in the last couple of laps, completed the 50 mins to make sure I ran 8 kms. I am planning to do something fast today or tomorrow, maybe I ll run today or rest, I have planned to run 5 times per week this week.

I have also decided to drop my runs to 5 runs per week, instead of 6 runs, I have seem that when I strive for 6 times for running per week, I end up running 4-5, and I have also realized that I am not a professional runner and I ll never be, so 5 runs a week its a very good balance and if you insert the right intensity there you can reap great fitness.

Another thing, that I want to try is to do strength training in my rest days, I have not decided if bodyweight exercises or gym exercises, but either will do good for me.

Hope you have a great day!

miércoles, 25 de noviembre de 2015

Catching up

Sorry for lack of blogging the last few days, I am having problems with the internet connection, but I hope that those are solved now.

I have been running consistently and feeling pretty good.

Sunday I was out with my brother and father at 9:30 a.m. We just stayed up late watching the boxing fight that I did not like between Cotto and Canelo. This time I did 4.5 laps taking the outside of the conservatory when its closed, this is the first time that I do that but I was running with my brother, I prefer the corner to corner route, I felt good but the heat was strong at that time of the day. I did around 42-43 mins, dont know for sure, because I was not wearing a watch.

Monday at 6:00 p.m. I headed out to the conservatory in 7:30 and did 4 laps corner to corner at a very controlled pace, but the pace was good, splits were 9:58,9:40,9:40,9:38, then completed the 48 mins. Felt really good.

Yesterday (Tuesday) I headed out at 6:30 p.m. with my brother to the conservatory, but I decided to ditch the watch once more, I was feeling good and my brother was feeling tired, so I dropped him early, did 4 laps corner to corner and then bought some water and back, for a total of 51:56 according to my brother who was wearing my watch. I dont know about splits, but the pace was good and I was feeling pretty strong!! Almost 9k I would say!

Hope all of you are good!

sábado, 21 de noviembre de 2015

Morning run

Today I was up before 7 a.m. and at 7:30 a.m. I headed out to the conservatory to do 3 laps corner to corner, what a novelty!! and back home. I got to the conservatory in 7:40 and the 3 laps were 9:58,9:39,9:33 feeling pretty good in all of them, much better than in the evening. From the conservatory to home I accelerated in the last stretch, that has around 450-500m, I did that in 1:56 racing the watch, to get down the 44:40 that I did in that route a couple of weeks ago, I finished in 44:23. The last 1.2k were in 5:57, dont remember the last time I ran sub 6 mins in that loop.

Not the smartest thing to do, but what can I do, I was feeling pretty good because I rested for 2 days, in fact, I should have done a workout today.

The weather was awesome, have not experienced a weather like that in a long time, probably for american people it was a heatwave, but for us, it was fairly refreshing and great, maybe that was the reason I felt so good today, even runnin fast at the end!

Anyway, around 7.5k in 44:23.

Have a great day!

viernes, 20 de noviembre de 2015

Back to the blogsphore

I did not run from Thursday to Monday due to a strong pain in my right ankle as I said earlier, I decided to give it some rest, it was a hard thing to do but the best decision, right now I am pain free and back to my normal running again,

I started again on Monday and felt really good, Monday morning at 9:00 a.m. I went to the conservatory and did 2 laps corner to corner and back home, was not wearing a watch, but I think it was about 35-36 mins.

Tuesday evening I went to the baseball stadium and did laps around the 400s track, sounds a bit crazy, but the track enters the stadium and pretty much the whole track is inside the baseball stadium. I was not wearing a watch either but my brother took me 40 mins there, felt really good.

On Wednesday I ran in the evening at 7:00 p.m. with Juan, We went to the conservatory , I had about 3-4 weeks without going to the conservatory in the evening, this time I dropped Juan within the 500s and I followed my own pace, this time around, I did 4 laps corner to corner but stopped there, it was around 8k total, I took the laps splits : 9:44,9:27,9:22,9:25. Ironically, the fastest lap was the lap that I felt under control, other laps I pushed the pace at times. I finished soaking wet, and was amazed by the humidity, I looked like I just got off a pool!!

I did not run Thursday, I took that as my day off, but Today I decided to rest as well, nothing special, just lazyness, I am not enjoying evening running as much as morning running, but when I was injured , it was impossible to run in the morning, since I woke up limping off bed!! 

I am pain free and feeling pretty good, next month is crucial and I ll try to run sub 25 mins in the Christmas 5k, I do have another 5k in a couple of weeks, but because I have not been pretty consistent in the last few weeks, I dont know what to expect!!

Hope all of you are good and running strong!

miércoles, 11 de noviembre de 2015

Evening aerobic threshold run

Yesterday I took the day off, because when I woke up the right ankle was hurting and I got up from bed limping, not good news, since in the past 3 days I was running normally and thought that the ankle thing was an afterthought. Apparently, it is not.

This morning again I woke up limping and everytime that I get up off a chair is the same thing, is not a big thing when I warm up, but the pain is there. I wanted to do some 1 min repeats, but I am an old runner and I know that I cant push the pain like that, eventhough it gets a lot better when it warms up.

Anyway, I wanted to run today but ran in the evening at 6:10 p.m. I crossed the street and got to the baseball stadium of UASD university, (as I said in a previous post, They have a 400m trail track) and was going to run 20-30 mins depending of my foot, but as soon as I started running the pain went away and after the first km, decided to do 5k, but after 4k, decided to do 8k. On top of that, it was like a progression run, starting slow the first km, but pushing the pace a lot ( according to my fitness of course)  later on.

I did 8k(20 laps to the track) in 45:22, splits per km were 6:07,5:59,5:50,5:48,5:35,5:28,5:24,5:09. As you can see, in the last 3-4k I pushed the pace a lot compared to my last 5k, that was the reason that I tittled the post " aerobic threshold run" or maybe it was an anaerobic threshold run , eventhough that was my easy pace a while back. Anyway, I dont have lactic acid accumlation and I feel just fine.

I must admit, though, that in the last km, I was huffing and puffing a lot and I wanted to push much harder in the last lap, but could not find another gear. both halves were 23:45,21:37, so last 4k were about 1 min slower than my pace in my last 5k pace, not bad at all. But to be  honest, I think, that I am not in 25 mins just yet, too much effort ( but controlled) in the last km today.

In regards to the ankle, it felt fine, but later in the run I could feel a bit, after the run I was feeling it, I ll try to run in the morning tomorrow, if not I ll take advantage of this trail in the evening, because its good to run there when you are injured.

One more thing is that I found that 9 min miles there is not the same that 9 min miles on the road, given that terrain in that track, I think you run slower, eventhough the pounding is much easier.

That is all I got for today, I should have just run slow, but I am stubborn, but hey, I did not do my 1 min repeats!!

Have a great Humpday!

lunes, 9 de noviembre de 2015

Zapping the zero early

Today I was up at 6:50 a.m. and out the door with my father at 7:30 a.m. to the conservatory. My quads still very sore from Saturday, but I decided to take the watch with me this time. We got to the conservatory in 7:52, running pretty relaxed, then did 3 laps corner to corner in 10:11,9:58,9:55, after that my father had 1 lap (7+ minutes) remaining, so I decided to do that lap with him, I only cathched him later in  the lap because when I had finished my 3 corner to corner laps He had started his 5th lap.

Well, that lap I did it in 6:58 running very relaxed, then it was time to get out of the conservatory and head home, did those 1.2k in 6:50. I wanted to push in the last 500s, but thought better of it and decided to leave that energy for the next workout. Anyway, I am still tired from Saturday, my I played it smart since when I started to accelerate and the breathing sped up and forced myself to take it easy again to truly recover.

I did around 8.7k, not sure, but total time was 52:31,my father was a bit back 29 seconds back.

I felt good today, at 30 mins I had a low in energy, but after 2 mins that went again and I felt fine again.

Weather was a bit hot, because the sun was out already. All in all a good way to start the day and the week! I am very greatful that I can run!! Today is a public holiday here so the streets are quiet!

Hope you have a great week!

domingo, 8 de noviembre de 2015

Morning recovery run

Yesterday I could not run in the evening, because my friend did not bring running clothes and it rained like the sky would fall. Not that I would not run in the rain but I had run in the morning already.

Today I woke up at 7:40 a.m. and was out the door with my father at around 8:20 a.m. to the conservatory. I ran without a watch today because my quads were very sore, maybe I pushed more than I should yesterday, but I am glad I did. Today was just an easy run, 3 laps corner to corner and back, basically the same route as the past 2 weeks.

Felt very good today, just running easy, and monitoring my effort to keep it as easy as possible, yea! a good recovery run. The weather was great, because it was very cloudy and a good breeze, probably will run hard the rest of the day as well.

4 runs this week, not because I wanted, but because I sprained my stupid ankle and had to take a couple of days off.

7.5k+ without a watch.

Hope you have a great Sunday!

sábado, 7 de noviembre de 2015

Spontanous tempo run

This morning I was up at 7:00 a.m. and was out with my father at 7:40 a.m. to the conservatory, We started pretty easy, but I was feeling very fresh and rested, maybe that ankle rest payed its dividends, the problem with those rests is that you can build up your fitness further, you just rest and get the benefits of the training done. Anyway, When We hit to the UTESA hill, within 600s of starting the run, my father likes to accelerate and runs the hill  hard, so as I was feeling so well, I followed him and passed him, but when We hit the top of the hill and our way to the conservatory, I was feeling very strong and decided to keep pushing the pace, my father was well behind.

I hit the conservatory in 7:02, was surprised with that split, I had seen a split like that since 2009, the only difference is that today I was pushing the pace although feeling good, but back then that was easy pace. I felt very happy and confident to keep going, decided to do 3 laps corner to corner, but I was not sure if I could hold that pace for 3 laps but kept going nonetheless.

Long story short, I did 2 laps corner to corner in 8:54, and the second one pushing a bit more came in 8:15 and I was surprised with that one, at that point my breathing was very high and I could feel my Lactate filling up my muscles, so I left it at that, I completed the 3rd lap of course but this time in 10:24, that felt like walking, maybe that faster pace got my legs loose.

Since I was going a lot faster than my father, I had to wait 8 mins running there( not laps this time), so that We could get out of the conservatory together, I stopped there for around 4 mins, after the 8 mins, since my official run would be over by 43 mins or so, so basically what I did not done when I twisted my ankle, I did it today, maybe that day was not the most convenient day to run hard ! who knows!

My father and I got out to the conservatory and ran around 8 more mins to home, I did almost 9k total in 50:56 total time, but this time around the most important part of the run was the 4k or so that I did pushing the pace, I would dare to say that todays pace was at least equal than my 5k race, but today I felt much in control and I faced 2 hills per lap today, the mirador is pancake flat, so no comparison at all!

These fast workouts are giving me confidence that is the most important thing in racing, next week I ll try to do 7 x 1 mins on, 1 min off.

The ankle problem is gone and I felt awesome today!

Likely, I ll run again this evening, because I told my friend Alexis to bring his running clothes to run a few miles, I dont run a double since 2009 maybe, We will see how that workouts out!!

See you in the PM!

viernes, 6 de noviembre de 2015

Back on the wagon luckily

Yesterday I wanted to test the leg in the baseball field at night, but in the afternoon it rained so my chances were out, instead I waited till this morning.

This morning I headed out later than planned, at 7:55 a.m. and was very careful in the section that I sprained my ankle, and man, that sidewalk is a nightmare, I had not realized that because no harm was done, but after that accident, I realized that that sidewalk is very irregular, and I am suprised that I had not injured before.

Today I just wanted to test the leg so I left the watch at home, and I was feeling a bit unconfortable, in the first half of the run, thought that I was going to cut this short, but I kept at it and then got into a groove and was fine.

Ran very easy, then in the last lap, oh yes! I did 3 laps corner to corner so around 7.5k or more total, I sped up a bit.

Ankle behaved very well, and did not bother me at all to be honest, so tomorrow is going to be a normal pace run, maybe I push a bit in the latter stages, We will see!! Next week I resume workouts!

All in all, happy to have run again, I am very happy, thought that this thing was taking me longer to cure!!

7.5k watchless!

Have a great Friday!

miércoles, 4 de noviembre de 2015

Injured? Tempo run fail

Today I headed out later than usual, again with not so much motivation, but once I got dressed the motivation came back and the mindset changed.

However, when I started my run at 7:50 a.m. at a good pace and feeling pretty good, within 1:30 into the run, I twised my ankle pretty hard, that sounded craaaaaaaaaa, my face completely changed, it was a lot of pain, for around 15 seconds, then I started limping back home, then did a mini 1 sec jog and I could run, but I played it safe, and called it a day.

I dont know if I did the best decision, but I hope that this does not turn into several days off!! Damn, when I am about to start workouts in full force, something comes up!!

Today I wanted to do the 7.5k route that I am doing lately, but 2-3 min faster, so basically a tempo run, but now I have to be content with running 1 min ,30 secs.

I hope that I can get back at it tomorrow, but who knows!

Have a great Wednesday!

martes, 3 de noviembre de 2015

Zapping the zero in the morning

Yesterday I was a bit tired, because lately when I wake up I feel my achilles very sore, but yesterday my knee was sore and I felt tired overall, so I decided to take the day off.

This morning woke up at 5:45 a.m., but my motivation was very low, and I went to bed, but the guilt did not let me fall sleep again, lasted a while moving from side to side, pondering the pros and cons of running today, the pros won and defeated the guilt, at 7 a.m. my motivation came back and I got dressed and headed out to the conservatory at 7:30 a.m. to do my peanut butter route of these days.

I got to the conservatory in 7:30, felt good but at the same time felt flat, I wanted to run faster today, but played it safe and ran easy instead, when I got to the conservatory, did 3 laps corner to corner in 10:02,9:55,9:38, 1 min inside the park and from the conservatory to home in 6:44, feeling pretty good at the end.

Did 45:25, for 7.5k or more, dont know exactly! I cant say today that it was cool, because at the time that I headed out the sun was shining hard, and I had to wear my sunglassed today. Hot in my opinion!!

Anyway, happy to have gotten this run in, and happy to start the running week on a positive note!!

Have a great week!

domingo, 1 de noviembre de 2015

Morning run to finish up the week

Today I was up at 6: something a.m. and was out with my father at 7:10 a.m. to the conservatory, and I did 3 laps corner to corner ( what a new route!!-_-) 1 more min and back home. Today I looked at the splits and I think that I got impatient after the first lap, but kept the effort as easy as I could, but sometimes I was just pushing more than neccesary. Some day I ll learn the lesson.

Splits were 7:55, 3 laps corner to corner in 10:21,9:50,9:30 and back home in 7:08 (1.2k). As I said earlier, I pushed a bit after the first lap eventhough I felt a bit tired today. Finish up the run in 46:23 for 7.5k or more!!

6 runs in 6 mornings  this week, I must have became a morning runner!!

Today there is a 10k race in the mirador that I ll go watching, I am not in shape to run 10k now, but eventually I ll start racing those again.

Hope you have a great Sunday everyone!

sábado, 31 de octubre de 2015

Morning recovery run

Today was up at 5:45 a.m. and I was out with my father at 6:35 a.m. or so to the conservatory, once there We did different routes as most of the time. I did the same old route of this week once again, but this time I was running very easy, when I was increasing pace/effort, I would dial back since I am in recovery mode from yesterday`s workout, that workout look very easy on paper, but I remember the last time I did it, I felt like crap for more than a week after that, so today I itentionally wanted to run very easy.

When I finished the 3 laps there corner to corner, my father had 1 more lap to go ( around 7 more mins), so I had to run back and forth to wait for him, then We got out the conservatory together and I pushed the last 200s, because He was closing strong, and my competitive juice took place in the last 200s, I should not have done that, because I  am in recovery mode, but sometimes you cant help it.

Weather was good at the beginning, but was starting to heat up at the end!!

Total time of running was 54:27, so around 9k, probably a little less!

I was wearing a watch, but did not look at it, just look at it post run and the splits were 8:00 to get to the conservatory, then 3 laps corner to corner in 10:27,10:10,9:59, ran back and forth waiting for my father 8:44, then from the conservatory to home in 6:30 (1.2k or so).

Good day of running, and I am feeling that my fitness is improving little by little!!

Have a great Saturday!

viernes, 30 de octubre de 2015

Morning mini intervals

Yesterday I slept in to be honest , felt guilty for part of the day, but then decided that it was going to be my rest day. So today I was up at 5:45 a.m., but headed out at 6:45 a.m. to the conservatory to do the same old route as the whole week, the only difference is that since Wednesday I had planned to do some intervals, at least 5 x 1 min fast, 1 min slow to start the anaerobic stuff!!

I did not look at the watch today except when I was doing the 5 x 1 min, I did 1 plus lap corner to corner ( about 20 mins into the run), then the fun started, the first one I think that I did it too fast since I was huffing and puffing right away, to sum things up, I was huffing and puffing even on the recovery min, and on 2 occassions I had to take more than 1 min, because I was still very tired from the " on" part. Splits were 7:39 to get to the conservatory, 3 laps corner to corner in 10:00,8:49 ( this included pretty much the whole workout),9:57, ran 1:30 inside the park before getting out to do 7:13 from the conservatory to home running very easy.

When I finished the 5 x 1 min, I thought about stopping to catch my breath before the cooldown, but toughed it out because in the race you dont have recovery, and I started jogging the cooldown( most part of the 3rd lap and back home) huffing and puffing, I was making a lot of noise, some people stared at me in an akward manner!

Anyway, I was happy to have gotten this one in, its an easy workout (in terms of duration), and I want to increase that to 10 repeats in the upcoming weeks, I am very unfit anaerobically, because the breathing was out of control for most of the 5 x 1 min on and off, and also because one year ago ( I checked my blog from October, November last year) I was running almost 2 min faster in a 5k race ( Christmas 5k on December), eventhough I was training at the same pace, even slower sometimes.

Around 7.5k total or more in 45:24.

 Happy to have gotten this one in, I want to run a double digit ( in kms) this weekend, its time to get down those racing times. I have also realized that in the morning I am more motivated to do workouts, the last time I did a workout was on June I think, and it was the same as today.

Have a great Friday everyone!

miércoles, 28 de octubre de 2015

Good morning run

This morning was up at 5:45 a.m. but stayed in bed past 6 a.m. and did not get out the door till 7 a.m., yesterday I went to bed past 11 p.m. I was sleepy, but as soon as I put myself into bed I could not sleep and pass a while before I fell asleep, on top of that, I woke up several times past midnight, but when the alarm went off, I was asleep, anyway, I did a commitment with myself, and I ll run early in the morning, maybe I need to run harder so that I can fall asleep as soon as I touch the bed!

This morning was out at 7:00 a.m. wanted to start out earlier, but somethings got in the way, anyway, I got to the conservatory and did the same thing as the past two days, but this time I did not look at the watch but pressed the split button in the 3 laps corner to corner, when I entered the conservatory and when I went out the conservatory.

I only looked splits post run when I was drinking water, but I knew that today would be faster than the previous 2 days, because in the last lap I incorporated 4 x 100s (or so) strides at a good clip.

Felt good, a bit tired in the second half, but in the 3rd lap when I changed gears a bit I felt much better again.

Splits were :7:30 to get to the conservatory, 3 laps corner to corner in 9:56,9:42,9:19 and 6:32 from the conservatory to home because I sped up a bit in the last 500s. That last lap really surprised, but strides must have helped!

Total time was 44:40 what I think is 7.5k or even more, so 1 more min faster than yesterday, but dont think about that I am decreasing a min each day, in fact, I think that although I did not look at the watch, I was racing it subconciously, so sometimes I ll have to leave it at home (I was doing that several a weeks ago, what happened?).

Glad to have run first thing in the morning! Have a great Wednesday!

martes, 27 de octubre de 2015

Another morning run

Yesterday I went early to bed, at 10:50 p.m. which is early for me, but if I want to keep this morning running going, I have to go to bed early enough, so that I can get 6-7 hours of sleep.

Today I woke up  at 5:45 a.m. but it was very dark yet, so I waited a more bit, and at 6:45 a.m. I headed  out the door with the weather pretty good. It seems that a storm is coming so probably this evening will rain hard such as yesterday, it was wet this morning when I had to jump some little paddles.

I headed out to the conservatory  in 7:36, faster than yesterday, then did 3 laps such as yesterday from corner to corner, laps today were 9:59,9:46,9:45, ran 1 min before leaving the conservatory and headed home to finish in 45:35, so basically 1 min faster than yesterday at the same effort. I am looking at the watch because I dont know the pace, dont know the distance between corners, but I do better cut the habit of looking at the watch, because it can turn into a race of between the day before`s splits, a big no no!! Tomorrow I just click the split button, and check splits post run!

I felt really good today, but at the beginning I was having some stomach problems which I think it was going to give me even more problems, but then it went away and I could go on running without much problem.

All in all, liking these morning runs, I already ran and its only 8 a.m., but when the majority of your running is after 6 p.m. this feels like an accomplishment. The weather was great once again!!

So I would say 7.5k in 45:35

lunes, 26 de octubre de 2015

Catching up and zapping the zero early in the morning

I did not run for the entire weekend, no excuses, I just did not run in the morning on Saturday and in the evening I was not around, I was hanging out with my brother and father. On Sunday I was going to run in the evening, but I was feeling lazy then, and decided to do it early in the morning of Monday, and that is basically what I did.

4 runs the past week.

I woke up before 6:30 a.m. I put the alarm at 5:45 a.m., but when I saw that it was lighting out I checked the watch and it was 6:24 a.m., I misset( I dont know if its a word) the alarm, put it PM instead of AM. I was sleepy, but I was feeling really guilty because I did not run for the entire weekend, but I also ate like a pig.

I went out just before 7 a.m., with a very good temperature and went to the conservatory in 7:51, if you check in this time of year for the last couple of years in my blog, I say that the conservatory is closed in some areas, but luckily I have my own route for that , that is corner to corner, both sides, a bigger lap, and the time passes more quickly.

I took 3 laps and it were 10:16,9:55,9:54, the pace was easy, but the weather made the run a great one, and I could run forever today, from now I decide to become a morning runner, no excuses if I want to get back close to where I was years ago. I have to stop trotting along in the evening for years on end, and start planning some good quality workouts and put in longer runs, as the weather is much better in the morning, the effort that you can put in is optimal and greater, thus racing faster? sounds good!

After those 3 laps I ran 1 more min inside of the park and headed home to finish in a total of 46:32, which I think was 7.5k, probably did a bit more but lets leave it at that.

I ll run in the morning and will become a morning runner!!

Have a great start of the week! and run when you can and when your schedule permits, at the end of the day, the most important thing is to get the run in, no matter the time of day!

viernes, 23 de octubre de 2015

Evening running

Today when it was running time, I was feeling a bit lazy, but at 6:30 p.m. I forced myself to go out, no reason to skip the run, so I headed out and the weather was great, a cool breeze and it poured a bit during the run.

I went out to the conservatory in 7:42, then did 5 laps in 6:03,5:20,5:33,5:34,5:32, then headed back home in 6:48 for 7.5k in 43:05. The weather was great and that was the reason I felt so great I think. That race opened my lungs because after the race, I am running faster on easy days, feeling a lot better.

Another thing is that I did not look at the watch during the run, I looked at it after the run when I was drinking my water.

From the get  go I felt very rested after yesterday recovery run and went with the flow, Jose joined me for the first 2 laps, but as it started pouring, He sped up so his cellphone does not get wet, that was the main reason I pushed more than necessary in the second lap, after that He called it a day and I continued for 25+ mins.

7.5k in 43:05.

Have a great Friday!

jueves, 22 de octubre de 2015

True recovery run

To be honest today I did not plan a morning run, but my father and myself were force to get out the door after 8:30 a.m. because I received a message of a friend telling me that her brother died in an accident yesterday, that was a very bad message. With all honestly after that message, running did not cross my mind one bit, and then after a while of processing the message, my father invited me to run because in the afternoon evening We would not get a chance to do so!! I accepted, but today`s run was pretty much to be greatful for life and to pray a bit for Argenis.

I hope that He is doing fine wherever He is right now, my big condolences to the family!!

As for the run, I just left the watch at home and ran easy to the conservatory, 5 laps and back  for a total of 7.5k. Felt a bit tired but good.

7.5k total watchless!


Have a great day and enjoy every day to its fullest!!

miércoles, 21 de octubre de 2015

Easy progressive run

No morning run, it seems that I ll just run whenever I can and as I am not working at the moment, I do have a lot of times in my hands, so as long as you are running no matter the time.

Today I ran with my friend Juan in the evening at 7 p.m. at that time is already very dark in this season of the year,We started off pretty easy to the conservatory and got there in 8:38, much faster than last time We ran together indeed.

Then I was going to do 6 laps there, and He was going to do whatever laps He could muster, He told me that He was having a side stitch well before We completed the first lap in 7:03, the second lap We slowed some and did 7:14, then He slowed some more, but He was struggling some, so I decided to go ahead and run at my normal pace, after all, in the conservatory you always keep in touch due to the 1k length of the park.

3rd lap came in 6:35, then speeded up some more and the 3 remaining laps were in 6:03,5:46 and the last one I pushed it a bit,but not too much in 5:14. Then ran some more at the same pace to complete the 7.5k. It seems that I am getting better, because that 5:14 felt easier than in past weeks.

I passed Juan when I ran that 5:14, so I lapped him I guess, no worries, I told him that He should be more consistent, because the last time He ran was when  We ran 2 weeks ago.

I did around 7.5k in 48mins or so, felt really good, but heck the heat was strong out there!!

Have a great Humpday!

martes, 20 de octubre de 2015

Zapping the zero

Yesterday I took the day off. I did not run in the morning, but was going to run in the evening, but when the evening came I was hungry and skip the run. So I guess that that is going to be my rest day for the week.

Today I ran in the college that my brother and I studied that is located in front of my house, they have a kind of track inside a baseball field. They say that the dirt track is accurate. Several events are held in that same dirty track and my brother has done several intervals there, and I think that its pretty much accurate.

I had not been there except cheering when my brother is doing a workout, today is the first time that I run in there. I thought that is going to be difficult because if the conservatory is monotonous due to the 1k laps there, this is just 400m, but given that this is the first time that I run there, I found it funny!! I would not imagine running there everyday though!!

So We started running at an easy pace and I decided to mark every km (2.5 laps) I started in 6:24 the first km, I was a bit frustrated because felt a lot faster than that, luckily, I got faster later with the same effort, the second km was 6:00 or so, next was 5:39 if my math is not bad, 3k passed in 18:03 after that I decided to push the split button for the 4 remaining kms.

The next 4k came in 5:42,5:41,5:38,5:35, next 200s in 63 seconds and pushed a bit the final lap in 1:49, I tried to sprint the last 100s, but the sprint in my last race was way faster than today`s attempt!!

I did 7.6k in 43:34!! I really liked the pace and now I understand my slow race, probably I went out too fast in the first 400s of the race and was in survival mode after the mile. Today I let the pace came to me and it was confortable, I was huffing and puffing at times, but I could sustain the pace easily and no lactic acid accumulation.

Theorically, today`s pace is my tempo pace, but I found that I just went out easy and pushed just a bit at the end, this is not even close as taxing as a tempo run.

This is a step in the right direction I guess, and I ll continue to train hard, I ll do a several sessions there to improve my LT and Vo2 max.

Another thing is that the terrain there is optimal for training, is a dirty track, but you dont feel the pounding as much, and is ideal to avoid injuries, would be very useful for me as I tend to suffer of Shin splints.

The weather was super hot, I felt like I was in an oven, but felt great by the time I finished. Its good to run in flat routes and not do 50 hills in the conservatory route.

7.6k in 43:34!( yeah, I thought in my house that I would have done 1 more lap to complete the 8k, but then I did not even think about that!

Have a great Tuesday!

domingo, 18 de octubre de 2015

Changing routes

Today I did not run in the morning, but I started running just before 5 p.m. Soon in the run I was huffing and puffing and the heat was awful, luckily I hydrated well during the day and now even more that I am not drinking sodas.

Today I went out to the conservatory only to realize that the walking event of this morning was still there and I could not enter the conservatory, when I realize that, I inmediately changed routes and took another street straight that drags me to another park called " La plaza de la cultura", I had been there when they do the " books events", but I had never been there running, when I took a more flatter route and the sun was setting, I started to feel much better and ran randomly inside the plaza.

I lap there took me around 7:18 is more than a km and I could realize that I can run more often there, because the conservatory is a monotony. There were several straight roads where you can run some short repeats over there.

When I had around 34-35 mins I got out of the park and headed home which took me around 7 mins, I got home exactly in 42 mins, so give or take, a 7k run.

I dont the exact distance, but the change in route helped to feel better given the way I felt starting out!!

4 runs this week, took a couple of more days than necessary, but this upcoming week, I ll try to keep the 6 times per week training going.

Hope you have a great Sunday!!

sábado, 17 de octubre de 2015

Post race lack of motivation

I did not run on Thursday or Friday, I tried to wake up in the morning both days but did not succeed, in the evening I did not have a lot of motivation. That always happens to me the week after a race, and is not necessary a bad thing (if you are not training through it and have a bigger goal of course) but luckily this time it wont drag several weeks since today I was back in the wagon feeling pretty good and motivated to fix my recent race disasters, are not disasters by ifself, because its a true indicator of my actual fitness.

Today at 7:15 a.m. I went out with my father to the conservatory and as lately took all the splits, but only looked at the watch at the end so basically ran blind during the run. I felt really good during the run, the first couple of laps felt long mentally, but then got into a great groove and just cruises. In the last lap I incorporated 4 x 100s strides or so at a good rythm, just to get the turnover moving, felt awesome!

I did 7.5k in 45:59 and my father in 46:40, I got to the conservatory in 7:46 , then 5 laps in 6:27,6:22,6;14,6:00,5:43 (striddes), and back home in 6:53 (around 5:50 per km). The weather was hot, but We have a nice breeze at times.

7.5k total!!

I probably will run with my brother and a friend this evening, I am not sure, but We will see, if not!! then See you tomorrow morning!!

Have a great Saturday!

miércoles, 14 de octubre de 2015

More Rexona 5k photos



Digging deep through the finish line ( I lost to that young guy in the line)

Morning run

Yesterday as I said, I took the day off.

Today I was up at 6:00 a.m. or so, and was out with my father at 6:54 a.m. to the mirador, I did 5 laps there and back home for a total of 7.5k in 46:39. The pace was slow, but given my actual shape thats about it.

From the get go, I felt like a million of bucks, in fact  I dont remember the last time I felt so good and awesome!! I thought that  I was going faster than the actual splits, but anyway it was a very good run and the time passed by very quickly.

I only checked splits when I got home downing my water, the 5 laps were like this: 6:30,6:20,6:16,6:14,6:05. So yeah it was slow, but felt great and as I said , given my 5k race on Sunday, this pace is not so bad.

I ran in the morning because I want to become an early morning runner again( I did for some time), because its clear that in the evening, I am not doing the necesary mileage to improve, plus in the morning I have more energy as today. It reflected today because the 7.5k today morning felt like a breeze and in the evening it sometimes feels looong!!

I think that in the morning I am willing to run longer or harder as opposed to the evening where I just run to decompress, but while running for release stress or to cap off the day on a good note, you have to run a decent mileage and do decent workouts to improve, I am not doing any of those, and besides weight, I think that not getting out of my confort zone, it whats making me slower!!

Plus, when you run in the morning you have the end of the day to do other things.

So any tips to become a morning runner? Why do you run in the morning?


lunes, 12 de octubre de 2015

Recovery run

This evening I went out with Jose to the conservatory. I am very sore, and I ran without a watch, decided to do just 5.5k very easy to clean out some junk.

When I started I could feel my breathing very hard soon in the run, but after a while it got better and better, till feeling pretty good during the run.

The pace was very easy, I think in these runs We got to strive for recovery rather than pace. Mission accomplished.

Tomorrow I ll have the day off, and probably de DOMS will be in full force tomorrow, hope that on Wednesday they are better.

5.5k watchless!

Have a great Monday!

5k rexona photos

      Just before the start.
       I am the bib 135.                                     
      First 200m.                                                                  
       Representing Hillrunner.com
       Digging deep in the last 400m. A lot of weight too lose!                                        

domingo, 11 de octubre de 2015

Rexona 5k race :Personal worst

Today at 5 p.m. I raced the Rexona 5k race. Last week I was going to race a 5k, but it seems that they cancelled since I did not see it in the calendar anymore last week. Luckily, I just watched in the calendar that today was the Rexona 5k, and I decided to run it.

This is a new event and I think that they did a pretty good job, very organized and the logistic was great.

During the day today, I even considered not running the race, I knew deep down that I am not in shape to race, nor my weight of 193 pounds is adequate to run a race also. But I had registered already and I needed to get it done.

As I said yesterday, I was not going to be surprised if I saw 26 mins on the finishing clock, but deep down I wanted to run faster than the 25:10 that I ran in May.

I warmed up around 1 mile, and was feeling pretty good, then We waited for around 10 mins in the starting line before taking off, the horned sounded and I went out at a good pace, harder than I should, but I only realized so in the first 400s when my breathing was at 1000 per hour that early in the race.

I was feeling tired, but strong till the 2k mark, after that the wheels just came off, and I just wanted to run " hard" the first half of the race and in the back half jog easier or do what I could, after turning back in the half I poured myself with water and was very tired already, I just decreased the pace till around 1 mile to go, a guy gave me words of encouragement and I sped up again to stay with him, could not catch him, but I was just around.

In the last 400s my brother was there and like in my last race He ran with me from 400s to go , to the 200s to go mark, I was rolling at a good speed there and did everything I could to not fade so much, I just watched the clock ticking the 25:12, I said to myself, oh my god, I need to really speed up if I want to be sub 26 mins, I just increased effort a bit, but with 80-100s to go, I just looked behind and a young kid was flying sprinting hard just 5-10m behind me, and in that moment I just put myself in sprinting mode too, I just opened my hands and was swinging like a sprinter, the knees were as high as they possibly could, I did not want that kid to pass me in the final stretch, I swong hard up to the point that I almost eat dust because my legs got very weak, but could regain my composure, the guy passed in the finishing line, but I battled the best I could and gave the crowd a very good time to cheer us and encourage us.

I crossed the line in 25:57, but the chip time said 25:53. That is my worst time in the 5k, but eventhough I have been consistent with my running, I am not really training, I am just jogging around for 40-45 mins and thats about it.

For a 5k, you need to train all systems to really muster a great race. Another thing is the weight, how can I race my old pr`s or close to them if then I weighed 140-150 pounds and now I am 193 pounds, no  way!!!  I need to lose weight and I am working on it ditching coke and only drinking on occasion, and I know that it will be a big change and a big benefit!!

All in all, I did not run that bad given my actual fitness, I have only run sub 5 mins in 1k once in the last 6 months, everything else is easy, so not really training, just running easy.

I think the first half was sub 8 min miles or sub 5 mins per km, I dont wear a watch when I race, but when the splits in the results are up, I ll post it!!

Anyways, what really matter is finishing time, not split times. But I think I went out much harder than I should given my actual conditioning!!

The weather was just fine and I got a lot of work to do!!

sábado, 10 de octubre de 2015

Watchless shake out + strides

Today I headed out at 6:00 p.m. with my brother and my friend Alexis. Alexis had years without running, but 4 years ago He was a very good runner whom my brother and I trained. I think He did very good today because He completed the run with us. Besides that, He is at an ideal running weight, if He starts training again He could fly.

I went out without a watch today and just ran easy, at first it was very easy, but in the last 10-15 mins I decided to speed up a bit, because going that slow would not help me tomorrow, in fact, it could be counterproductive and affect my form.

I did 4 laps today and in the last lap incorporated 4 x 100s at a good pace, it was not at my normal strides pace, because that could force me to  go out harder than I should tomorrow. Instead, I just did them at a good controlled pace and eventhough I did them controlled, I huffed and puffed at times, and that was frustrating.

All in all, I completed the 5.5k and I think that I ll be just fine for tomorrow`s Rexona 5k.

My expectations for the race are not that good, because in the last 5-6 months I have only run sub 5 mins in 1k, one time, and that happened to be on Wednesday and it was not too confortable.

Honestly, I wont be surprised if I run 26 something, which is farly slow for me, but given recent efforts it wont be that easy.

We will see if in December I can muster something much better and lose some weight eliminating sugary drinks and sodas.

I have realized that I have trained very consistent this year, but the weight is still there and that is frustrating, I am not eating that much, but it seems that my severe coke addiction is paying off, I hope that eliminating that s$·%$t, I ll be much leaner when December rolls around. Man training 5-6 times per week and not seeing the scale moving in the right direction is frustrating!!

Speaking of, no coke today either!! Just need to cut that habit out of my life!

Have a great Saturday!

viernes, 9 de octubre de 2015

Shaking out

Today I headed out to the conservatory at 6:30 p.m. with my brother. As yesterday, I just pushed the splits but never looked at it after the run.

Today I was very skeptical to speed up when I felt good because I have a 5k race in two days and dont want to do something stupids just to " increase confidence" since fitness cannot be improved in 2 days.

Got there in 8:02, then did 6 laps in 6:21,6:18,6:12,6:10,5:56,5:50. In the last 2 laps I felt awesome and could not help going with the flow a bit.  The pace started pretty slow, but that does not matter just before a race.

Weather was hot and I was soaked after the run!!

No coke today and felt great during the run, I wish today would have been the race, I just felt awesome out there today, its a shame that I had to hold back!!

7.5k in around 46:10.

Have a great Friday!!

jueves, 8 de octubre de 2015

Nice evening run

Today I headed out to the conservatory at 6:25 p.m. and today I wore my watch, but just recorded splits, but only looked at them after the run, so basically the run was entirely by effort.  I felt bloated in the first couple of laps but then loosened up pretty good and finished feeling much better and faster than I started.

The splits were 7:48 to get to the conservatory and then did 6 laps in 6:13,6:06,6:01,6:00,5:52,5:44 and ran some more to complete 45:30 what I could call 7.5k.

The reason of not watching the splits was due to an article that posted my online friend and fellow runner Ryan Hill in his website, about how the watch is useful, but only for post run analysis, you dont gain anything by modifying your paces because you dont like what you see on the watch.

Its better to run by effort like I did today and then check splits or your time after the run, I realized that lately I have been racing even my easy runs and that is a mistake, I ran much faster today than other days where the pressure to get down of 6 mins per lap is huge, but today it just came naturally and just happened when I loossened up.

I have done runs like that in the past (several years ago to be honest), but doing that today I see that its a very effective way to train because you are paying attention to the body and not reacting to the watch.

" Let the watch report, not direct" was the tittle of the article, and I think a lot of people train way harder than they should or race the watch even they should not.

Today I drank soda because I wanted to, but I realized that it bloated me a lot and today i could not understand how I could zip a lot of that, its tasteful, but as soon as I drank my two 16 onzes cup, I felt bloated and that carried for half of the run.

Given that I drank that everyday I could not spot the bloatness (I dont know if that is a word) and thought that it was normal, today I can tell that its not normal and its fairly unconfortable.

I ll still drink coke, but much more less than before, I just need to drink more natural foods and stick to mostly water, that coke is good for an ocassion, maybe 1 time per week, but I can see that the excess of that its causing me to gain a lot of weight and causing that my performances decrease.

Hope you have a great night!

miércoles, 7 de octubre de 2015

Running with a friend

Yesterday I took the day off.

Today I talked with my friend Juan and We arranged to run together so at 6:45 p.m. He came, got dressed and at 6:50 p.m. We headed out to the conservatory at a very easy pace, I wanted to do 6 laps there, He did 5 laps and I think He did an awesome job.

We got to the conservatory in 9:02 and then did 6 laps in 7:07,7:01,6:54,6:50,6:41, and then I just increased my pace for my finishing lap, I mustered a 4:54 last lap, I had around 6 months that did not do sub 5 mins, last week I really tried and only mustered over 5 mins, but this time I was going fast but not over the edge and could do 4:54, then ran some more to complete the 7.5k in around 50:02.

Overall it was a good run, I helped a friend to do his run, especially in the last couple of laps where the going got tough for him given his breathing, He could do a negative split nonetheless.

That was the first time that He ran in the conservatory, but I warned him about the hills and not being the same as the mirador, the conservatory is much harder and the splits just reflected that.

The left shin sometimes gave me problems, but I hope that it does not get worse!!

Have a great Humpday!

martes, 6 de octubre de 2015

Monday run

Yesterday I forgot to post honestly.

Danilo and I got to the conservatory at 6:05 p.m. or so, We got there in 7:33 and I felt like I was working, then Danilo started pushing the pace and built a gap, He was running much better than Sunday. After a lap Jose joined me but after around 400s He sped up to join my brother ahead, They built a gap of 10 seconds on me, but I did not let that gap got bigger, I was feeling confortable, but with a quick turnover.

After 4 laps in the conservatory I called it a day and did a couple of mins more to complete 5.5k for a total of 32:30. The reason that I called it a day was because the pace was not that easy and the splits were way too slow, also  I get pissed off when people dont train as hard as( not even close) me nor as often and they can maintain your rythm without much effort, even pull ahead. To be honest in the last lap, I could pass my brother and my friend, but I was not going to make that a race, if they want to race lets put a number on our chest. I just called it a day and headed home walking from the park.

Laps were 6:00,5:47,5:38,5:45, faster than my everyday pace, but that should be very easy by now. The legs are just heavy and I have to maintain a quick turnover to maintain that pace.

Typing this I wanna run, because Sunday and Monday were both short runs, and the body is asking for more. I ll probably rest today since the left shin is giving signals of inflamation and hurted a bit when I started running yesterday.

I have realized that the conservatory is not a good place to train if you are a runner, yeah! the conservatory has 2 hills on each lap, but I have trained there for years now and I have gotten worse not better and a big reason for that is that in the mirador you could do a lot more quality stuff, thus improving fitness faster and getting more hard efforts. I ll try to incorporate more mirador running, and when I have a car the staple of my training will be tempo runs and speed workouts there in the mirador, that is how you improve, not just jogging 4-6 laps in a park (each lap has 1 kilometer) and mentally seem that you ran 2 hours because of the monotony. In the Mirador you run 8k and its a breeze, this is an aerobic sport so the more mileage the better( up to a point of course), so no matter if each lap of the conservatory has 2 hills, you can get enough quality or enough long running there to really improve further.

Another thing is that since I am only drinking water for the most part for the last week, I dont fee bloated after or during runs and I feel like I could speed up and work harder without going to trash, not like when I zipped more than 5 glasses of coke per day, I felt like I was going to explode during runs, back then did not feel the difference because that was my way of living everday, now as I am drinking only water I can feel much better during runs and during my day, although I have to admit that sometimes the craving comes and I just endure to avoid those cravings, overall feeling much better.

so 5.5k total in just over 32 mins.

Have a great week!

domingo, 4 de octubre de 2015

Short run to cap the week

Today I headed out in the evening at 5:15 p.m. with my brother to the conservatory, He wanted to run 65 mins, and I wanted to do around 7.5k.

I got to the conservatory in 7:43 or so, and my brother already was behind I just kept building a bigger lap, but He was feeling very bad and tired that He called it a day after the 2nd lap when He had 20 mins, I was surprised because He seldom do that kind of thing, but He did a fartlek last week, that probably fatigued him way more than it should and the heart rate skyrocket even running easy,along with it is the weight issue, He has increased around 15 pounds of fat in the last 6 months or so.

I did 4 laps in the conservatory and stopped there to go home with my brother, so I did not do 7.5k, but at least I could spend time with my brother doing something We both love so much.

The splits were pathetic so does not worth mentioning it, but I finished the run hard and I want to throw something hard tomorrow, maybe in the form of strides or some 1 min intervals, We will see.

5.5k and 6 days of running again this week, I think that this consistency will pay off.

No sodas since Monday and I have been feeling pretty good and smooth during my runs, not that bloated feeling during runs or after lunches, I am feeling much better to be honest.

Have a great end of week!