Thursday 5 Miler

Decided to do another tempo run today vs. a slow jog. Windy and cold - tights and a jacket cold. Good thing it was sunny.
Managed the 5 mile neighborhood route at a 8:30 pace.
Started to research some local tri's and think I will hit the pool for some additional cross training. Depending on how that goes, the Smithfield Sprint Tri is at the end of March and that may be my first Tri to try.

Tuesday's Run

Ran the 5 mile neighborhood route at lunch. Time was 43:12 at an easy/steady pace. Temp was 48 and breezy. The new NB shoes took about 2 miles to break in then felt fine the rest of the run. On my Asics, my feet and shins started to feel sore at 4+ miles on last Saturday's run but felt no pain today.
Thursday will be the same route but it will be a tempo run and Saturday will be the East Beach 5k.

Brand New Shoes

Picked up a pair of New Balance 1061 from Running Etc. These feel like pillows and cradle my feet. I'll put a review out after a few runs.

Dismal Stomp 1/2 Marathon Training Program

Just finished planning out my 1/2 marathon 13 week training program for the Dismal Swamp Stomp 1/2 Marathon. I used Runner's World online training program to map out my program. The training program doesn't look too intimidating since I'm just a mid-packer and my goal is to finish faster than I did the Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon back in 2001.

My first week of training consisted of 2 indoor treadmill runs and a 3 mile and 5 mile run outside. I'll work on speedwork, intervals and faster tempo runs in the next few weeks after I get my body adjusted to the pavement.

This Saturday is the East Beach 1/2 Marathon and 5K race. Hopefully I'll get a baseline 5K time out of this race to work on my pacing for my training. This will be the first time I pin on a race number in 7 years. I just need to remember I don't need to crumple the number like I do for cycling races and don't have to worry about asking "which side?".

Running: Getting Started

I'm off the bike for awhile so I need to keep the aerobic engine in shape. Looks like it's running for me for the next few months. It's not all that bad now that I have some endurance built up, a higher LT and stronger leg muscles from cycling. I don't get the exhilliration from speed as I do on the bike but it's a bit more relaxing since I don't think about getting hit by a car as I do on my bike.

Holly is doing the Shamrock 8k and I plan on joining her on the run. It'll give me something to train for. Before that, there's also the East Beach 5k on Feb 2nd that I'll do too.
Other races/run down the road include:
Yorktown Victory Run at the end of March to use as a warm for the Dismal Swamp 1/2 Marathon
Chesapeake Bay 10k or my favorite run in N. VA - GW Parkway Classic on April 29th.
Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon over Labor Day weekend.

If I get back on the bike, I'm sure they'll be some duathlons thrown here this season too.