Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Run 2/4/09 and a goal

I don't know why, but I woke up with a sore back. No, it's not like I pulled something. It feels more like I did an exercise that targeted my back muscles. Running is all I do. And it's not at all related to running. How do I know? Because I didn't feel anything during the entire 60min run. I guess this means chamomile tea for a nightcap.

Today's run wasn't as enjoyable as the others. But it was still pretty decent. I felt more tired and slower. Of course, I have no stats to measure. But I'm pretty sure I didn't cover as much ground as I did last time I ran 60min. The good thing is that not once did I tell myself to cut it short. Instead, I told myself to slow down. It was just important that I meet today's goal. I figured that I'd be too beat to pick up the pace at the end, but I got energy from somewhere. It actually felt good. My legs are ready for speed. My lungs, on the other hand, are still playing catch up. That's okay though.

So I decided that I have a goal pace in mind. I would like to consistently run sub 9:00 miles. Actually, 8:30 miles would work. Who knows if I'll actually meet that goal this year. I do know that since I've been running (and I'm still pretty much a noob), my pace has improved drastically. When I started the Couch to 5k plan (July 2007), it took about 13min or so to complete a mile. Now the majority of my runs are in the 9:30-9:45 range. And I've had just a couple sub 9:00 miles. I'm thinking that if I continue to run consistently, I should be able to reach that goal. The question is "When"?

10 comments:

Michelle said...

Oh no!! You are way ahead of me!!!

WHEN???

NOW!!!

I'm just saying!!!

GOOD JOB TODAY!!!

Jen said...

Awesome goal, Christie! I'm guessing you're gonna be rocking an 8:30 5k pace by the time the daffodils are blooming!

TNTcoach Ken said...

Okay Speedy, the Olympics are a ways off, so take your time. One day you wkae up and thos esub 9's will be there.

tfh said...

That is quite an improvement. I hope one day 8:30s will feel easy for me but it's hard to imagine them being comfortable.

kate nesi said...

You can actually make your back sore from running. You use your trunk muscles a lot. I found that my back would get sore from a really long run if I wasn't ready for it.

RunToTheFinish said...

good luck this weekend!!

USJogger said...

Try yoga for your back. It helps me a lot (when I take the time to do it.)

Thanks for signing up for the FFFK. Sounds like 5K is going to be a run in the park for you!

Laurel said...

You can totally do it. If you keep running consistently and intelligently, it will happen.

Great job on getting the running in.

Jess said...

Lower back pain is actually pretty common for some runners. Was the pain in your lower back?

Vickie said...

Maybe your back problem is related to running circles on the track, not necessarily to running. I had that last year after a week on board a ship and running circles every day.