Another taste of Spring

Today I had a nice run across the Potomac and it almost felt like Spring.  It was in the high 40's F maybe 50 F and the sun was out.  If it wasn't for the strong SE wind it would have seemed a great deal warmer.  I decided that for the next podcast episode I would talk about some local landmarks as well as the usual training update and general philosophizing.  Being able to run around the monuments of DC is quite a privilege and it might be interesting for me to pick a few of them, research a bit of their history and interesting trivia, and then talk about it in future podcasts.

RunDiggerRun episode 3

RDR episode 3 has been uploaded and should be available in ITunes shortly.  In this episode, I talk about my training, adjustments to my recording rig, do some general philosophizing about fueling, and share my recent experience with Apple products.

stuff I talk about: 

“mobile me”: http://www.apple.com/mobileme/ 

Nigels’ podcast: http://runningfromthereaper.blogspot.com/

please feel free to contact me with any feedback at runpodcast@gmail.com, or you can catch me on twitter as “rundigger”, or thru my blog at rundiggerrun.blogspot.com

thanks for listening!

Saturday long run

I ran 9 miles yesterday for my weekly long run.  That's the farthest I have run in some time; I think it was probably last year at this time that I went that far in preparation for last years Shamrock half marathon.  I didn't have any arch pain and that was a great relief.  It's been a bit of a "niggling" issue for me of late but I believe the active stretching and strengthening exercises i am doing are helping.  

The weather yesterday was perfect for a run.  It was in the high 50's F, sunny, with a bit of breeze. I ran in shorts and a tank top and was perfectly comfortable.  I supplemented with some gel and electrolyte in capsule form which I find very convenient.  I used a fuel belt with one 8 oz bottle with a mixture of 4 oz gel and 4 oz water.  There is a water fountain about three miles into the run which is very convenient so when I run that route I don't have to carry much water. That's one of the things I really enjoy about the Mt Vernon Trail.  I do find that, in agreement with most of the fueling literature I have come across, that any run I do that lasts longer than one hour is helped significantly by moderate use of supplemental fuel and electrolyte.  I use and am a big fan of Hammer products which can be found here.  

I ran a very steady 11:00 pace for much of the run and is spite of some large heart rate spikes at the beginning of the run it steadied out to average about 144 bpm. I felt a surge of inspiration at the 8.25 mile mark and ended up cruising the last 3/4 mile at a sub 8 minute mile pace and it felt really good.  I actually felt so good I was grinning ear to ear and felt pure joy as I came to a walk at the end of the run.

very chilly on the mall today

from "Spring" back to Winter

From 60 deg F on Sunday to 37 deg F today with snow flying, the past few days have been a real roller coaster.  I thoroughly enjoyed running in shorts the other day, but today it was back to full length tights, compression base layer top, and technical shell.  And hat.  So much for the Spring teaser we had.

I did some recording for RDR episode 3 on Sundays run and through the initial editing I've done I'm pleased with the audio quality.  I think it has improved over earlier episodes due to a few adjustments I've made.  I will probably get episode 3 out this weekend since I have recorded more than enough blather for one episode.

My training is going well and I'm pleased to report that after another 20+ mile week I have no arch issues.  I believe the stretch regimen and foot strengthening exercises I'm doing have plenty to do with that.

What a great day. 54 deg!

RunDiggerRun episode 2

Episode 2 is up.  In this episode I talk about my training, running tights, and the motivation to run.  I also ramble aimlessly quite a bit but usually get back to my point.  I still think I need to adjust my recording rig somehow to try to reduce the footstrike sound which seems too much in the forefront.

The winner of episode 1's movie quote of the week contest was Sean from Colorado.  This weeks movie quote might be a bit more obscure but I bet we'll have a winner soon.

Several people took the time to either write me a note or plug me on their podcast or "twitter" me, which I really appreciate:

Nigel

Jan from Yorkshire, UK

Kelownagurl

Ashland Dave 

Mangorunner

Mickdo100

thank you all very much for the encouraging words!