the 619 runner

today i completed a goal that i thought was unreachable. most of my runs range from 2 to 3 miles and my longer runs are 4 miles. today i went ahead and ran the longest distance so far. i went for a 5 mile run. i brought along my water bottle with my powerbar endurance drink to hydrate and refuel my muscles. usually with long distance runs i tend to get a dry throat which usually slows me down... so this time i decided to try something new. the powerbar endurance did a good job hydrating and provided an extra boost to go the distance. the only cumbersome part was carrying the water bottle in one hand. i didn't really mind though. its better to have it with me than having to go without water for the entire time.

i felt my pace was fairly good. i didn't really overexert myself. my breathing was good and posture was inline. there was some slouching but i corrected that almost immediately by straightening my back and focusing my attention toward the sky.

my overall time was 54 minutes and 16 seconds to run a 5.16 mile. my overall pace was 10 minutes and 30 seconds per mile. which i think is fairly good when you add in a few inclines here and there. i'm looking forward to running another 5 miles some time soon... maybe i can finally make it the big 10k distance (6.20 miles).

i was researching how to increasing my strength and found several cool articles regarding hill training. last friday i had the opportunity to give it a shot. we have a nice hill in the neighborhood. it's about a good 400 yards or so. i filled up my water bottle with water and went for it. i did a warm up run to the area where the hill was located... nothing to fast, i didn't want to tire myself out. i ran up the hill about 6 times in fast tempo speed but not sprint speed. i jogged downhill and took a few sips of my water... the jog down hill helped out by helping me catch my breath... overall, i felt really good with my performance. i didn't slow down. i look forward to seeing the results of this work out later on in my other runs. this seems like something i would do every other week.

here are some articles to some hill training tips

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?uan=159

http://www.marathonguide.com/training/coachmindy/hillrunning.cfm

http://www.runquick.com/corcorn/hills.html

i went for a 3.5 mile yesterday in the dirt with my trail shoes. everything went well till some rocks sneaked. i didn't really feel them that much during the end of my run... but when i got home when i removed my shoes i noticed that i have imprint of a rock on my foot... OUCH!

i went out running with my neighbor lawrence. he just signed up for the America's Finest 5k and started his training. i told him i would be down if he wanted to run. this morning we went out for a short 1 mile run around the neighborhood. our pace was nice and easy, about 11 min 14 second mile run pace. since he just started training i didn't want to run too fast. i had my heart rate monitor on me and i was on sport level 2 which is a nice warm up.... i noticed that i went up to 160 beats per minute. usually when i do my runs i can reach up to 185 beats per minute.

when i got home from work i was trying to figure out where i can run. i suited up and went off to Imperial Beach to try out beach running. immediately when i stepped on the sand i knew this was going to be a challenge. the water was fairly close to the shore and i had to avoid the water when it came close. it was hard to get decent traction. i felt like i was exerting more energy but yet not moving too far. its like getting stuck in quicksand... you struggle to get out but the more you struggle the more you sink deeper and deeper. i felt my calves doing a lot of the work. this type of run is definitely not for beginners. one must build leg strength to run in this kind of surface. in the end, this was a pretty good work out.

i just came back from my morning run. i was looking to run 3 miles in 30 mins but instead i ran 2.89 miles in 30 mins... i was close by .11 miles. here are some of the factors that might've slowed me down.

• i ate an entire power bar 20 mins before my run. i thought by eating the power bar i'd get a little boost. next time ill just eat half if i need some energy for a run.


• the heat was tough. the sun beaming on my skin and face. i drank some water to keep me hydrated before the run. i also have to make sure i have sunscreen on too. i don't want to be toasted.


• in the middle of my run i picked up my water bottle to rehydrate myself because it was so hot. i think i drank too much water and felt kind of sluggish for about 3 or so mins.

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i found this really cool article about running in the heat that might be handy.

here's a brief summary:

1. stay hydrated
   its always important to be hydrated when you run. the more you sweat the more you lose fluids.


2. choose clothing carefully
   avoid dark colored clothes or tight fitting clothes. they will absorb heat. loose clothes are good.


3. don't push it
   you should scale back your performance goals. you can't beat the heat
   


4. make a splash
   splashing water over your head will help if your overheating.
   


5. be educated
   if your not feeling to well or dizzy STOP immediately and rest.
   

to view the article in its entirety it can be found here.

my friend Angela, Justin, and i decided a new route. i was browsing through the Nike Plus MapIt routes and came across a nice route in Chula Vista. it's about 3 or so miles but my Nike+ calculated it as three miles. the overall route was pretty flat with no hills... i had my share of hills riding my new bicycle today. having no inclines on this run helped out a lot and didn't tire me that much. overall, fun run and ill definitely be running this route more.

today justin and i went for a run in the lower montgomery high school field around the softball / baseball fields. we ran twice around the lower field and ran 3x around the stadium which i assume is 400 meters. this was my first run with my new adidas supernova trail 5 shoes... and i must say im impressed. the shoes were really stable when i ran over some rocks and gravel. it has good padding around the shoe and felt great throughout the run. my feet didn't hurt at the end of the run. the gravel and sandy surface was easy on my legs and shins... and these shoes really did an awesome job! give them a try at your local running shoe store.

Ever since i got my dad his pair of New Balance 992 running shoes for his birthday there has been a renewed interest in running around the gaspar household... since then i picked up three running shoes. my nike triax 11s, which are my everyday style running shoe... they provide me with enough stability on regular runs. my nike elite 4s are my light weight trainer. they are noticably lighter than my nike triax. i use them for longer runs or for fast tempo runs. and lastly my new adidas supernova 5 trail shoes that i picked up yesterday.

my family is following the positive influence and picking up there own running shoes... justin picked up kayano 14, mom has her saucony hurricane 7 classics, jarv selected the new balance 768, and sherilyn picked the new balance 858... now its time to hit the road and run :)

I've been planning out my 5k runs that i'd like to do for the remainder of the year... My initial goal is to do at least 4 or 5 runs under my belt. I've already signed up for the America's Finest 5k on Sunday, August 17.

The others i would like to do are:

- 44th Balboa 4 Mile Cross Country - August 30, 2008

- Crimestoppers 5K run/walk: Light the Night against crime - October 25, 2008

- 2008 Shelter Island 5K Run / Walk - November 9, 2008


- Silver Strand Half Marathon & 5K - November 16, 2008

today i ran 2 miles in the morning and another 3 miles in the evening. ive been nailing down 5k runs like nothing now... i think its time to increase the distance to 4 miles once a week... pace seems like its increasing on my faster runs. my fast pace seems pretty good, 9 mins and 20 seconds per mile pace. usually my first mile is a bit slow but once im fully warmed up i can go on. hills are a bit tricky, since i have to change my breathing pattern.

i decided to go for a 5k run with my brother Justin and my friend Harold. We went on a nice steady pace and I didn't over exert myself. it was a nice run with the sunsetting. the total time was 31 mins.

today was my return to running after my day off yesterday. i was debating whether i should run montgomery waller park or montgomery high school. i didn't want to overwork myself running up and down hills at the park so i decided to go to montgomery high school. the track is pretty much flat and didn't have any inclines at all. i choose to do a 5k a run to work on my speed. the first lap was my warm up and after that i decided to keep a faster tempo every other time. i felt really good though out the run and didn't feel any aches from my previous run. the days rest definitely helped me recover. i felt that my legs were used to the distance. overall, i clocked a 5k at 29 mins and 10 seconds which is a personal best :) in addition, i was able to clock in over 100 miles on nike+... seems like things are getting serious.

today i decided to take a rest from my long run... i decided to go for a walk instead of running to stretch out my legs. sitting down for long periods of time can definitely put a toll on your body in a different way. the walk was great. i didn't walk to slow and went a steady pace. hopefully the next day ill be all good for a nice 2 miler. we'll see if i can heal by then.

i ran my longest run so far...4.12 miles. Its unbelievable. I would've never thought i would be able to make a 4.12 mile run. Equipped with my Nike Elite 4+ shoes i was able to make it. I mapped out my route on Nike+ and went for it. the key for this run was not how fast i ran it but more of pacing myself to endure the distance. the only time i stopped was to wait for the stop lights to signal me to cross the street. my time for this run was 42 mins and 51 seconds. So about 10 mins per mile. im quite excited about this accomplishment... i cant wait to go out again for another long run :)

well i logged in 33.76 miles for the month of june, which is pretty good. it's the most miles i've logged for a single month. i definitely want to top that mileage for july. ill set a goal of 40 miles for the month july... so if i can log 10 miles a week ill be set.