Accumulating Miles

If you click on the title of this post, it will take you to my Nike+ page where my runs are being stored. My wife bought me a Nike+ wrist band for Father's Day. It comes with a sensor that goes inside a special (call it secret, if you must) compartment (how often does anyone get to use the word compartment?) under the footbed of my left running shoe. It isn't fancy, no GPS unit this, but rather it is a pedometer of sorts. It is quite accurate. I have run known courses (though they all can be known now with GMAP, Map My Run and other sites) and it is very close. It has a thin display that gives running time or mile pace, or calories or total distance run. After the run, you pull part of the wrist band out (think USB memory stick)and stick it into the USB port in the computer. That uploads each run to the site you get to when you click the link above. The site has all sorts of features I haven't yet explored. For now, it is simply a log of the running I have been doing.

What you really need to know is this: each run I presently do lasts between 30 and 37minutes (so far) and includes a 3 minute fast-paced walk at the beginning. I walk, my legs warm-up and then I begin running. About 25 minutes into each run, I feel like I have been running for 25 minutes, confirm this and then run for another 5 or so minutes and then walk home from wherever I am. That's it. I am trying to be smart this time. No attempts at an hour long run, though that sounds nice. No repeats on the track, no group runs. Just running. Interestingly, I have noticed my pace is quickening.

My run from Wednesday of this week shows a pace of 7:43 on the Nike site. This includes the 3 minutes of walking. Most of the run happened at a 7:10-7:15 pace and was not a race. It was where my stride settled. I like it. I am doing what I said I would do -- I am running myself back into shape. Somewhere along the line, I will need to try running 4 days in a week instead of three, but not now. At some point, I will need to try 40 minutes, but not now.

And, one day, in the future, I really want to run for an hour, slower than I am running now, but to me progress in running has some very specific progress markers:

1) 3-4 days a week of running
2) Running for an hour
3) Running a race and being in control throughout

I am getting pretty close to number 1. I think 2 is a ways away, but so be it. As for number 3, well, I am going to give it a go on July 4th at the Wilmette Park District 4 miler http://www.wilmettepark.org/4thinfo.cfm .

Please, come join me. The race is always fun, it has pave (cobbled sections) and on a warm day a post-race dip in the Lake is de rigueur.