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Today’s Run (Day 39)
After a schedule rest day yesterday (Day 38), today continued Week 6 of my “Return to Running” program, which includes:
- 3 to 5-minute walking warmup
- 25-minute run /1-minute walk
- 15-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 10-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 3 to 5+ minute walking cooldown
I met Paxton at Bellevue United Methodist Church, and we ran a big loop through the surrounding neighborhood, the Harpeth River Greenway, and Edwin Warner Park. The temperature at 6am this morning was 78°, which I think is the highest for an early morning run so far this year. I could definitely feel the heat and humidity during the run, but we were saved a bit by a consistent breeze. We kept the pace pretty chill throughout, though it was a bit quicker than Tuesday’s effort. I was tired by the end, but overall my legs felt fairly decent today. In total we finished 50 minutes of running and just under 8 minutes of walking for a total of 6.11 miles completed.
- Miles: 6.11
- Time: 57:48
- Pace: 9:28
- Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3 (#8)
- Route: BUMC / HR Loop
2013 ING New York City Marathon Confirmation
Even though I already knew I was in the NYC Marathon this fall, it was still cool to get this email last night:
Cross-Training
- Balance Squats x 25 reps (each leg)
- Calf Raise Squats x 25 reps (2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- Wall Squats – 90 Seconds
- Step-Back Lunges x 15 reps (each leg with 2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- 3-way lunge x 15 reps (each leg)
- Chair Salutation x 2 (30 sec each)
- Toe Roll Iso Lunges x 20 reps (each leg)
- Hip Hike 2 x 30 reps (each leg)
- Monster Walk with Band 3 x 12 reps (each leg)
- Clamshells with Band 2 x 15 reps (each leg)
- Toe Flexor x 75 reps (each leg)
- Dorsiflex Raises x 75 reps
After a schedule rest day on Sunday (Day 35), Monday began Week 6 of my “Return to Running” program, which includes:
- 3 to 5-minute walking warmup
- 25-minute run /1-minute walk
- 15-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 10-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 3 to 5+ minute walking cooldown
Monday’s Run (Day 36)
Since I had the day off work (Memorial Day), I started my solo run a little later in the morning than normal (around 8:00am). Unfortunately this also meant that the temperatures were a bit warm, which made this a more challenging effort. I started off from the main gates at Percy Warner Park, and ran through the streets of Belle Meade. I think I’ve figured out that my ankle soreness is a touch of achilles tendonitis, which had flared up again on Monday after being better on Saturday. Thankfully this quickly faded during the first running segment. I picked up the pace a bit during each of the 3 intervals (8:45, 8:15, 8:08), but was toast by the end of the third with the heat and the hills. In total I finished 50 minutes of running and just under 9 minutes of walking for a total of 6.43 miles completed.
- Miles: 5.75
- Time: 58:41
- Pace: 9:08
- Shoes: adidas Energy Boost (#1)
- Route: Belle Meade
Tuesday’s Run (Day 37)
The Bellevue Trio (Paxton, Nathan) was reunited for this AM run after Paxton had taken a week off for a leg injury. We started from the Edwin Warner nature center, and kept the pace very chill throughout, though my legs were pretty toasty from the very beginning. Thankfully my ankles felt better than on Monday. In total we finished 50-minutes of running and just over 7 minutes of walking for a total of 5.89 miles completed.
- Miles: 5.89
- Time: 57:32
- Pace: 9:47
- Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3 (#7)
- Route: Nature Center / Harpeth River Greenway
No running today (Day 38) – Scheduled rest day.
Cross-Training (Day 36)
- 2.5-mile hike / run with Kate and Sara on the White trail at Percy Warner Park. I expected this to be a leisurely hike, but the girls ended up running a significant portion of the route.
- 100 Push-Up Routine >> Week 4 / Level 2 / Day 1 – 102 total reps completed.
-After two attempts at Week 4 / Level 3, I decided to start week 4 over on level 2.
Cross-Training (Day 37)
- Balance Squats x 25 reps (each leg)
- Calf Raise Squats x 25 reps (2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- Wall Squats – 90 Seconds
- Step-Back Lunges x 15 reps (each leg with 2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- 3-way lunge x 15 reps (each leg)
- Chair Salutation x 2 (30 sec each)
- Toe Roll Iso Lunges x 20 reps (each leg)
- Hip Hike 2 x 30 reps (each leg)
- Monster Walk with Band 3 x 12 reps (each leg)
- Clamshells with Band 2 x 15 reps (each leg)
- Toe Flexor x 60 reps (each leg)
- Dorsiflex Raises x 75 reps
Cross-Training (Day 38)
- 100 Push-Up Routine >> Week 4 / Level 2 / Day 1 – 120 total reps completed.
- Pull-Ups >> 23 total reps
For students in my Wednesday night class on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: Handouts and Notes for Acts Chapter 20:17-38 are now available online. Lord willing we will cover this text during class tomorrow night at 7pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!
I’m still on week 5 of my “Return to Running” program, which includes:
- 3 to 5-minute walking warmup
- 20-minute run /1-minute walk
- 15-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 10-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 3 to 5+ minute walking cooldown
Thursday’s Run (Day 32)
I joined Nathan at the Edwin Warner Park Nature Center on a slightly cooler, but still humid morning. We ended up running the same route as Tuesday morning, but this time in reverse. As has been the norm lately, my ankles were quite stiff/sore for the first mile, but felt much better as the run went along. I’m not sure if this is because of my coming back to running after the injury, or if it might be related to the new adidas Energy Boost shoes. Anyway, my legs were pretty fatigued after the tough leg workout on Wednesday night, but it was still good to run with Nathan. In total I finished 45 minutes of running and just over 9 minutes of walking for a total of 5.75 miles completed.
- Miles: 5.75
- Time: 54:20
- Pace: 9:27
- Shoes: adidas Energy Boost (#1)
- Route: Nature Center Loop
No running on Friday (Day 33), as I just didn’t have enough time in the day.
Today’s Run (Day 34)
I joined my running group for their run down Old Natchez Trace this morning. The conditions were absolutely awesome with clear skies, low humidity and temps around 50°. Brian had again agreed to run with me this morning, and we were able to stay with the group through the first 20-minute running interval before stopping to take my 1-minute walk break. We turned around mid-way during the second running interval and headed back towards the cars. I actually lost track of where we were time-wise, and ended up turning around a bit too late, which left us with almost a mile walk at the end.
It was all good though. The conversation was great, and my legs felt fantastic. This was the first run this week where I really wanted to keep going after the last interval. My ankle soreness was not quite as bad this morning, and I hope it will continue to get better. In total we finished 45-minutes of running and just over 23 minutes of walking for a total of 6.48 miles completed.
- Miles: 6.48
- Time: 1:08:18
- Pace: 10:33
- Shoes: Saucony Kinvara 3 (#7)
- Route: Old Natchez
Cross-Training (Day 32)
- Aqua Jogging >> 1 hour – I have now decided that the Water Aerobics ladies not only own the pool, but are downright mean. Some little kid jumped into the middle of them, and they let him have it. I hate the pool.
Cross-Training (Day 33)
- None
Cross-Training (Day 34)
- Elliptical >> 1-hour
- Aqua Jogging >> 1-hour
My friend Josh Jackson posted a link to this on Facebook earlier this week, and I was absolutely blown away. Eruption is one of the most famous guitar solos in history, performed by perhaps the greatest guitar player in history, Eddie Van Halen. The fact that a 14-year-old girl can can play this (and much more if you check her YouTube channel) is mind-boggling. Definitely worth a watch.
After taking my normal rest day on Sunday (Day 28), I started week 5 of my “Return to Running” program on Monday evening:
- 3 to 5-minute walking warmup
- 20-minute run /1-minute walk
- 15-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 10-minute run / 1-minute walk
- 3 to 5+ minute walking cooldown
Monday’s Run (Day 29)
I wasn’t able to get my run in until almost 9pm, which is less than ideal. I started off from my house, and ran through the streets of Bellevue with humidity so thick it felt like soup. My legs felt decent considering the conditions, though my ankles were quite stiff during the first mile. The 20-minute segment is the longest since I returned from my injury, but my legs responded pretty well. I kept my running pace between 8:10 and 8:15 per mile for all of the running segments, and was pretty fatigued by the end. In total I finished 45 minutes of running and just under 9 minutes of walking for a total of 6.11 miles completed.
- Miles: 6.11
- Time: 53:52 minutes
- Pace: 8:49
- Shoes: adidas Energy Boost (#1)
- Route: Streets of Bellevue
Tuesday’s Run (Day 30)
I met up with Nathan at the Edwin Warner Nature Center, just over 9 hours after the Monday evening run. As we started, there were some threatening clouds rolling in, and the rain started coming down about halfway through the run. I expected my legs to be completely toast, but they actually felt pretty good. The pace was a little easier than Monday night, which was helpful. It was great to catch up with Nathan and hear about his experience at the Scenic City Trail Marathon last weekend. It’s pretty impressive that he finished a trail marathon on Saturday, and then ran a 5-miler on Tuesday. In total we finished 45-minutes of running and just over 8 minutes of walking for a total of 5.51 miles completed.
- Miles: 5.51
- Time: 53:01 minutes
- Pace: 9:38
- Shoes: adidas Energy Boost (#1)
- Route: Nature Center Loop
No running today (Day 31), since it is my rest day.
Cross-Training (Day 29)
- None
Cross-Training (Day 30)
- Aqua Jogging >> 1 hour 15 minutes completed
Cross-Training (Day 31)
- 100 Push Up Routine >> Week 4 / Level 3 / Day 2 – 145 total reps completed.
The target was 160 reps, but I felt very fatigued while doing the pushups, and crashed during the last set. I’m going to start week 4 over AGAIN, this time on level 2. - Balance Squats x 25 reps (each leg)
- Calf Raise Squats x 25 reps (2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- Wall Squats – 90 Seconds
- Step-Back Lunges x 15 reps (each leg with 2 x 20lb dumbbells)
- 3-way lunge x 15 reps (each leg)
- Chair Salutation x 2 (30 sec each)
- Toe Roll Iso Lunges x 20 reps (each leg)
- Hip Hike 2 x 30 reps (each leg)
- Monster Walk with Band 3 x 12 reps (each leg)
- Clamshells with Band 2 x 15 reps (each leg)
- Toe Flexor x 60 reps (each leg)
- Dorsiflex Raises x 75 reps
For students in my Wednesday night class on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: Handouts and Notes for Acts Chapter 19:21-41 are now available online. Lord willing we will cover this text during class tonight at 7pm at Bellevue Church of Christ!
Back in April I posted a preview of the first track from the upcoming, self-titled Queensrÿche album called Redemption. Well today they released their second preview track called Where Dreams Go to Die. While I don’t necessarily like this one as well as Redemption, it definitely sounds like the Rÿche of old, and the new vocalist Todd La Torre sounds fantastic. Worth a listen. This is the first time I’ve been excited about a new Queensrÿche album since the mid 90s.