Saturday, October 12, 2013

Weekly Wrap-up

Another fantastic week of training for me.  I needed it too, my runs really do help keep me sane.  My heel bursitis is mostly just a memory, but it was such a slow healing injury that I still am gentle with it and careful not to bump it or let it rub on the back of my shoe as I'm putting it on. 

 Monday I ran on the TM because Dallas wanted to go to the Centre, my 30 minute speedeeish run.  Tuesday I got a workout of a different kind.  Savannah is turning 13 in just over a week and she wanted a room re-do.  She's had bright blue walls, zebra print, and posters plastered all over her walls and decided she wanted something a bit more mature.  We had to prime the walls in order to paint the light peach color she ended up picking.  I started priming while she took the last of her posters down. 

 You only get a tiny sneak peek of the finished room because she wants her friends to see it in person and told me I wasn't allowed to share pictures all over the internet. (parents of her friends, don't show them this picture or I will likely get in trouble!!!)  Can you find the hidden kitty?


My legs and back got a workout with all that painting and moving furniture.  Fall has arrived and when Wednesday rolled around I couldn't stand the thought of the treadmill again (Dallas prefers the TM), so at the break of dawn, I threw on a long sleeve tech and ran out the door.  It was almost too cold!  I took a selfie afterwards, I sat outside for a bit after my 4 miles and was rolling in laughter b/c there were huge wafts (is that a word?) of steam coming off me.  I know, I already told you this but what can I say, it was worth mentioning again.  


I had promised Dallas that I would take him to the gym since he prefers the TM, so I changed my shirt after my run and off we went!  I did leg and arm strength training and then stretched/rested in the little alcove overlooking the pool.  It was nice!


Friday was my scheduled long run, I'm back up to 5 miles, and Dallas did not want to get up as early as I needed to do it.  This may be an issue in the coming weeks but I have to get these runs done early, partially because of my petsitting.  Anyway...I ran alone and on the nice paved trail we like to run.  It was crazy foggy but lovely out. 



It was a gorgeous run, I tried not to pay much attention to the Garmin and just ran at a comfortable pace.  Ran 1.5 out and back to the car, grabbed a drink and then out the other direction 1 mile and then back to make my 5 miles.  It was a fantastic run!!
 

My question for today is about pace, however.  Does your pace fluctuate on your Garmin wildly?  Sometimes I will look down and see 9:56 and then I'll look down again (when it feels like I'm going the same pace the whole time) and it will be 12:20??  In the end, lately, it always balances out to around 11 minute miles on long runs.  Does this happen to you?  It causes issues when I'm running with Dallas, he says my pace changes around too much and it frustrates him.  Suggestions? 

14 comments:

  1. Savannah's room looks great! Love the lights. :) I'm super jealous of the pool at your gym! I don't have a Garmin, but the running app on my phone fluctuates, too. I think it has to do with the gps jumping around as it connects to difference satellites. I don't have any suggestions, just to run at what feels like a normal pace for you?

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    1. Thanks Kim! She loves the lights too, I think they are her favorite part. I had gotten one strand and she went out and bought two more with her own money so she could string them all the way around the room!

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  2. That looks like a great room makeover! And awesome job on your long run! My pace does jump around on my Garmin while running, but normally it's because the Garmin gets a bit lost under trees or with a sharp curve or u-turn. Overall I tend to have a steady pace on my runs unless I'm doing speed work.

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    1. Thanks April! I try to just run at a comfortable pace, but Dallas says I'm all over the place and hard to run with. Oops! :/

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  3. Loving the sneak peek of Savannah's room, especially the lights!

    Great job on 5 miles in 55 min that is an awesome time! My pace doesn't usually fluctuate too much, unless it is really hot and humid outside and I can feel my legs get tired faster. I also think it's pretty easy to feel in 'the zone' and feel like you're going the same pace, but there is a difference in mentality and actual pace. Does that make sense at all? lol

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    1. Totally makes sense, I think that's what is happening. I also notice that if I change my form at all, this can make me faster or slower. If I shorten my gait but speed up my feet, I seem to go much faster...but then I feel like a prancing pony! LOL

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  4. I have the same issue with the Garmin being a little erratic when I'm under trees or by tall buildings, so on those days I just try to go by feel and see how my overall time and distance measure out. I know my pace varies a lot when my mind wanders so I'm never sure how much of it is the erratic Garmin vs my erratic legs! - Jess

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    1. Well, it's good to know I'm not the only one! I would just like a general idea of my speed so I can make sure I'm not slowing up TOO much or speeding up too much, but I guess either way I'm going to go at a pace that is comfortable. It really only causes issues when I'm running with my son, he gets annoyed that I'm all over the place. LOL

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  5. The room looks fabulous! My Garmin live pace is all over the place, too. It's really interesting when you run side by side with someone else who has one and they have completely different things. I have found that looking at it a few times over the course of a minute will give me a good idea, and my mile split paces are always right. The Garmin only grabs a satellite every 3 sec. or something like that, so if you turn, etc. it messes it up a bit.

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    1. Thanks Jan! My son doesn't seem to believe me, he thinks he can keep it pretty steady...so he attributes the jumping around to ME! LOL

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  6. First of all, I think I will be jealous of your daughter's room because it already looks like something I would have loved from the sneak peek pic! And the hidden kitty is too cute - seems kitty is cozy and lovin' the room too!

    Second, my Garmin does fluctuate wildly, and it has been a lot recently. I'll see during a run consistently one pace, but then when I look at my splits after, its way different. And during the run, the splits could be all over the place. So I try not to look at it too much because of this.

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    1. I know, I told her that I like her room best in the house now and that she should let me have it! LOL. I usually don't look at mine much except to see my distance, but my son seems to be obsessed with trying to stay on pace.

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  7. The room looks great!!!!
    When I have used my Garmin in the past I try to ignore the current speed, because like you mentioned mine also fluxuates. I've noticed on declines and such that is when it will say I'm running a 7 min mile pace, and (which is not really something I have been able to hold for years) then it will equal out to 8 or 9 and sometimes 10. But like you the mile time is pretty much right on what I assume.
    The great thing is, when I am running I don't need a Garmin to tell me my pace, I can pretty much tell you at any given time what pace I am running. Sure I might be off on the seconds a bit, but I have (well pre injury) gotten to the point that I can tell you the round about pace and distance even without looking at the Garmin. Guess that is why I don't always take it out with me:) except on my longer runs, I really enjoy it on those even if I try to only glance at it once every 30 or so minutes:)
    So glad your injury is in the past! Your smart to keep easy and careful with it! I had bursitis in my hip and it has a tendency to want to come back every now and then. But at the first sign if I baby it for a few days it seems to go back to hidden:)

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    1. I'm being super careful b/c even though there is no pain, it still feels a little "off" occasionally. I think it's just one of those things I need to be careful with and cutting down my runs to three a week seems to have done the trick. It's hard, sometimes I want to go out for an extra run, but I'm sticking to the plan b/c finishing my half is my first priority right now!

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