Day 25: Turning on the Afterburners

I think I've found a new sub-goal. A meta-goal, if you will.

I think I'd like to get faster. More specifically, I think I'd like to get good at hustling through 5ks.

In my gait analysis session Halima (the wicked-awesome running guru) told me "marathons aren't really for everyone; a lot of people would be better off running shorter races." And you know, I'm thinking she's right.

Sure, I want to develop a huge cardio base. But I don't particularly want to deal with the wear that marathon training seems to have on your body. Knees, hips, feet—if I can get a good workout running shorter races and still feel on top of my game, then I'd like to do that.

And, I'd like to do that faster.

This is all really coming about due to a sort of challenge thrown down by our buddy @MapleJen, who is running the La Jolla 5k with us. She's shooting for a sub-30:00 time. And while I was happy to plug away and come in at around 33:00, it got me thinking. It got my competitive juices flowing.

So today I went out with the goal of opening it up, pushing it and seeing just how fast I could knock 5k out.

I increased my stride rate right out of the gate and basically kept the hammer down the whole time. There was a stiff headwind at Crissy Field on the way out, and that kicked my ass a little, but that turned into a tailwind on the way back so I can't claim any great disadvantage—especially on such a short run.

My finishing time was 30:22. That's (unofficially) my fastest 5k ever. Honestly, I feel pretty good about it.

While I was doing it I was so busy focusing on pushing myself that I didn't even think about quitting, which I am plagued with doing. And yes, 5k is a short distance, but I have quit during a short run before.

So, instead of having the goal of "completing" X distance when I run (and possible not toughing out the distance for whatever reason), my new goal is to do X distance in a specific time. If I am focusing on time, I'll be too busy to be thinking about quitting.

I'm gonna have to get some fartleks in before the La Jolla 5k in the hopes of shaving those 22 seconds off my 5k time. After that, I'm gonna try to crank down my 5k times minute by minute.

It'll be cool.

Day 2: Good Stuff Abounds

Second day in and things are cruising along. Did my hip rehab exercises, did my food, did my running—good stuff. Plus, it was a gorgeous day for a run.

I'll tell you what: the Active Range of Motion exercises I'm doing for my hips have made an appreciable difference in how I feel when I run. It's hard to explain, but I feel much more stable and solid, and I feel like I have more "spring" in each stride. It's good.

I woke up a bit later than I wanted, but considering I'm adjusting my sleep schedule quite a bit that's not that big a deal.

I did have my follow-up Running Analysis session at CPMC today and it reaffirmed what I felt during my run: my stride has improved and I'm in a better place than I was a month ago. I'll write more on Hella Sound shortly.

Tomorrow's a swim day, which I'm looking forward to. Good stuff.

Total Weight: -3lbs (I tend to shift weight +- rapidly, so don't get too excited)

Change of Plans, and with Good Reason

I went to CPMC's Running Clinic yesterday and had my gait and physiology analyzed. It was an absolutely fascinating experience, and I'm going to report on it in detail on HellaSound.com. But, as a quick takeaway, I learned that my hips—not unlike our German Shepherd friend here—are perilously weak.

Halima, the running guru mastermind at the CPMC program, ran me through a variety of tests and examinations, and pointed out a true weakness in my hip muscles (and a potential skeletal issue with my right hip joint). I've been given a list of things to work on and have been instructed to cut down my miles. For now.

Soooo, that means my plans to start the Cool Running 12 Week 10k Training Program, which would have started next week, have been temporarily put on hold.

Basically, until I get my hip flexibility and strength up, I'll be running and lifting three times a week and swimming on off days. That's cool, because I've been meaning to start swimming again, and I'm looking forward to checking out the pool at the local gym. Hopefully it's not full of hair and bandaids, like the 24 Hour Fitness pool in San Diego (I wish I were kidding).

I'll be updating the calendar to reflect my new plan.

Man oh man what an amazing experience it was to be examined and talk about it with Halima. She really knew her stuff, and it was incredibly eye opening. Seriously folks, for about the cost of a new pair of running shoes you can get invaluable information that could affect your entire running (and otherwise) life. I strongly, strongly recommend it.

I'll be going back in a month for a follow-up exam and to talk about my progress. Here's to it!

Image courteys WikiPedia and Photoshop.