Personal Record!

Did my tempo run today and hit my new PR! It's only a matter of time before I break the 8:00 pace mark.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
4.00 miles - 0:33:36 - 8:24 pace

Turn my workout into an RPG? I'm listening

http://www.fitocracy.com/home/
This website serves like any other online workout journal. What makes it special is that it gives "points" for working out that can be used to "level up" and show off prestige. It even has an achievement system and quest line so you always have something to accomplish besides the daily grind.

In my opinion, this seems like a good way to keep my runs and lifts interesting. For people who like video games and can sit down for hours doing repetitive tasks just to beat the next boss, this seems like a good way to shift that unhealthy lifestyle towards something more productive.

24 Hour Fitness
4.00 miles - 0:34:46 - 08:41 pace

Just got back from Berkeley...

and the first thing I did was go to the gym! I was hoping to get home earlier so I can run outside at the park but that didn't happen so I did a treadmill run instead. Oh, well.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
8.00 miles - 1:11:06 - 08:53 pace

PS. I'm re-evaluating my training routine. I figured running 12 miles EVERY Sunday would be too much (it like running a half-marathon every weekend). Instead, I'll dial it down a little and make up for the lack of distance with a lot more speed-work.

I spoke too soon about that sports band

Apparently, the website that handles info for the Nike sports band is fraught with problems. The reason why I bought the Lunar shoes was to use the band. Today, I returned those shoes and picked up another pair of Asics Cumulus 12. Gonna run in then tonight and try to break them in.

Update:
First run with these babies and they felt great!

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
3.47 miles - 0:30:00 - 08:39 pace

About time

Just got home from work and saw these at the door steps. Can't wait until I run in them tomorrow!

First run all week

I went hiking to the Holy Jim waterfall in my Asics running shoes. I figured, "with almost 450 miles on these things, I think I can spare a hike with them and then run the next few days until I receive my new shoes." Turns out, I was dead wrong considering that I ended up stepping into one stream after another, essentially compromising the cushioning provided by the insoles. Anyways, I decided to take a couple rest days on Monday and Tuesday before I got guilty enough to run this morning. Today will be the official day where I will retire my Asics Cumulus-12 running shoes. I will reserve those for hiking and off-road stuff and do my future runs in Nike LunarFly+ 2 running shoes.

24 Hour Fitness - Treadmill
4.00 miles - 0:34:36 - 08:39 pace

My little brother is back for the week

He just finished his semester at UC Berkeley so now hes back for the week to kick back. He used to be a cross country runner in High School so I always egg him for tips and tricks when running long distance. When I told him I ran a marathon, he was impressed because he has never done a marathon (let alone the training distances) himself.

Anyways, I went hiking last Sunday up a really beautiful creek towards a small waterfall. My soon-to-be-retired running shoes got wet and some sand got stuck underneath the in-soles. In effect the shoes are now "officially" retired and I will never run long distances in them again. I'll probably keep them as shoes that I can abuse. Anyways, my new shoes arrive on Wednesday so I won't be running until I get them. Until then, and for the foreseeable future, I am starting a strength training routine in addition to my generic runs. For now, here's my planned workout schedule.

Sunday- 12 miles
Monday- 4 miles and weights
Tuesday- 4 miles tempo
Wednesday- 4 miles and weights
Thursday- 4 miles repeats
Friday- weights
Saturday- 8 miles

-This equates to 36 miles a week with room for speed work, strength building, and endurance stacking.
-Tempo is where I start easy for a while, then gradually speed up to a fast pace, then slow to a cool down.
-Repeats are where I run a mile at a pace below race pace, then rest, then do repeat for a total of 4 separate but fast miles.