She might be getting it

With my work schedule and the fact that we live 1 hr from the speed skating club, we don’t always make it on time to do some off-ice training before the practice session begins. This past week was one of those weeks, I knew that beforehand, so I asked my daughter, last Monday, if she wanted to go do some off-ice training to make up for it. She was eager to do so, and her brother and sister wanted to join us. I tried convincing my wife to walk while we did our thing, but she made other plans. Maybe next time.

The location we went to is frequently used by people for indoor walking, so I expected some people to already be there. I informed my kids that they need to pay attention to the others around, and to stay on the outer edge of the walkway when running, and on the inside edge when walking. The walkway is marked accordingly, but it doesn’t hurt to re-iterate the fact to the kids. Show respect, get respect.

We started off with 1 lap walking and the followed it up with 1 lap light jog. During the jog, speed skating daughter stayed in front with a faster than I wanted pace. Her older sister had problems keeping up, and I had to keep calling out to her to slow down. My son would start off in a full run and then stop after about 20 seconds, so I would walk with him until he was ready to start up again. We did that until the lap was complete.

We followed that up with crossover runs, 1 full lap. I made them face one way for half the lap and then face the other way for the second half, so to work both legs evenly. For those that don’t know, a crossover run is when you face 90 degrees from the direction you are going and you start running sideways. Instead of side stepping, your back leg crosses over in front of your front leg and then behind your front leg. Essentially your hips are doing a twist while you run. It really teaches balance while improving your push-off strength. The point of this one is to start off slow and increase your speed as you become comfortable. Speed skating daughter is getting pretty good at this one, while the other 2 kept getting confused on their stepping.

After that, we did a 3 step kick drill. I encouraged my kids to start off walking and once they got the motion, to try it while jogging. Speed skating daughter took this as more of a jog with the occasional kick, and since she was too far ahead (due to me sticking with my son),  I could not correct her. Oldest daughter was getting it while walking, but had some difficulty doing it while jogging. With time they will all get it.

Next up was stairs. The good thing about where we were doing our exercise is that in each corner of the “track” there are 2 flights of stairs. My suggestion was to walk to the corner, do a flight of stairs and then continue walking, repeating at each corner. By the time my son and I reached the first set of stairs, speed skating daughter was done (she kinda ran to the stairs), so I told her to do a 2nd set, which she did happily. On the following corner set of stairs, I suggested she try to do them using crossovers. I also asked that she hold on to the railing so to no fall. Again, she did them two times and only commented that it was hard, but she was still happy. For the 3rd corner set, I ask that she hop up each stair with both feet at the same time. Again, two times with a smile. The last set were done normally and again she wanted to do them two times. It’s hard to say no when she asks if she could do them again.

By this time everybody was getting tired, but I didn’t think we were done, so I asked if they could do 1 more thing. Other than speed skating daughter, a few groans came out. This time I suggested a slow jog around the track with each step over extended to the side. This drill really works on your push off as you focus more on going side to side instead of directly forward. I have to say, this was much harder than expected.

At the end of that lap, speed skating daughter wanted to do a fast lap, while the other two were getting tired. I said OK and told her to keep going until the lap was done, but I would stay with the other 2. Oldest daughter tried to keep up with speed skating daughter, but you could tell that that wasn’t going to happen. Speed skating daughter was becoming faster and had more endurance than her older sister. When I commented on that a little later on, at home, speed skating daughter was all smiles (yes she is very competitive with her sister and brother).

We finished off the training with a cool-down walking lap, and all 3 mentioned that their hearts were beating fast, but all still felt good. My heart rate was definitely up as well.

If anyone is interested in some off-ice training exercises, the Midland Speed Skating Club offers some good ideas, with training videos. Check them out.

Since our off-ice training session, I’ve been encouraging speed skating daughter to work on doing crossovers. She said to me that she wants to wait until next year before trying, but last practice found her giving them a try on several occasions.

I think she is getting it.

ARHM2 - Run # 8

Made it out today, but I forgot I had an afternoon meeting so I cut my run short.

Here are my numbers.

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Tempo	6:1s	better
Distance	4 Km	3.1 Km	31.56 / 43 km
Pace	6:15	6:47	better
Average HR	161-168	148	low
Max HR	180	162	low
Calories Burned		406	total:3969

My pace was better and it really felt like I was pushing, despite not having really high HR numbers.

ARHM2 - Run # 7

Like promised, I made it out today.

Here are my numbers.

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Tempo	6:1s	better
Distance	3 Km	3.91 Km	28.46 / 39 km
Pace	6:15	7:09	slow
Average HR	161-168	148	low
Max HR	180	162	low
Calories Burned		521	total:3563

Today I did 6:1s for the first time and it felt good. I actually thought I'd have a better time, but my pace and HR numbers tell me I wasn't pushing as hard as I could have. I will try to go faster on my next run.

ARHM2 - Run # 6

2nd run in a row in this lovely heat.

Here are my numbers

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Tempo	5:1	ok
Distance	3 Km	3.38 Km	24.55 / 23 km
Pace	6:15	7:06	ok w/ walking
Average HR	161-167	145	low
Max HR	180	163	low
Calories Burned		440	total:3042

My legs felt tired so I didn't push, but I got through it anyway.

ARHM2 - Run # 5

Even with a humidex of over 30, I still made it out for the first "hot" run of the year.

Here are my numbers

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Tempo	5:1	ok
Distance	4 Km	4 Km	21.17 / 20 km
Pace	6:15	7:03	ok w/ walking
Average HR	161-167	153	low
Max HR	180	170	ok
Calories Burned		539	total:2602

By the time I was into my 5th 5:1, it was getting a little difficult. Other than that, and the heat, I managed to get it in and feel good about it.

ARHM2 - Run # 4

Made it out today for my 1st LSD run in a long time and although it started off fine, it didn't end well.

Here are my numbers

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	LSD	various	not ok
Distance	7 Km	6.94 Km	17.17 / 16 km
Pace	7:00-8:00	7:50	ok w/ walking
Average HR	140-152	141	ok
Max HR	160	155	ok
Calories Burned		816	total:2063

After my 6th 5:1s I was done and began walking more. I eventually started doing 1:1s for most of the way back, getting almost all the run in, just not exactly how I had it planned.

ARHM2 - Run # 3

Made it out again today.

Here are my numbers

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Steady	5:1	ok
Distance	3 Km	3.40 Km	10.23 / 9 km
Pace	6:45	7:04	ok w/ walking
Average HR	152-161	162	high
Max HR	170	176	high
Calories Burned		412	total:1247

I really wasn't trying to push and I was really feeling it today. Tomorrow will be my first LSD run in a long time, it should be interesting...

ARHM2 - Run #2

Despite the slight drizzle and the fact that I haven't had back-to-back runs in months, I still made it out today.

Here are my numbers

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Tempo	5:1	ok
Distance	3 Km	3.39 Km	6.83 / 6 km
Pace	6:15	7:04	ok w/ walking
Average HR	161-167	153	low
Max HR	180	168	OK
Calories Burned		423	total: 835

I didn't push as hard as yesterday, so my numbers are a little lower. Other than that, I'm glad I made it out.

ARHM2 - Run # 1

Made it out for a run today and it felt better than last week's runs.

Here are my numbers

		My results	Comments
Type of Run	Tempo	5:1	ok
Distance	3 Km	3.44 Km	total: 3.44 km
Pace	6:15	6:58	ok w/ walking
Average HR	161-167	158	low
Max HR	180	173	OK
Calories Burned		412	total:412

Being that this is only my 3rd run in over 3 months, it is going to take some time before I can do the types of runs I need. As long as I'm running, then that is good enough for now.

Back at it

Made it out for a 5k run today and finished it in just over 31mins. Not bad, and I didn't cramp up this time. Now to keep it up and find a new challenge.

Heather Run

Made it out for the annual Heather Run and this year I did the 10k in 1:03:07, which is over 1min faster than last year, and a PB at this distance. Unfortunately, I had to walk for 1min at 5k due to some chest cramps, but my split time was 30:27 which is close to a PB. Overall, it was a decent run, I just wish I could have done it without walking.

Easy run

Made it out today, first time this week, for a 5k easy run. I managed to do it in just over 33mins and my HR seem to be within reason. Saturday's the Heather Run and I don't think I'll be up for doing a PB, but you never know.

Long run

I was hoping to run 12k today, but with so much going on, I cut it short to 10k. I did manage to get it done in a little over 1:05, which is a decent time for me.

Less than 1 week to the Heather Run.

A couple of runs this week

I've managed to get a couple of runs in this week, but neither of them were that good. I forgot my watch on wednesday, so I don't know how far or how long I ran for, but due to having aches in my feet, I figure I did about 3k in around 20mins. Today I had my watch, but this time it died after about 5 mins, so again I don't know how far or for how long I ran, but I figure I did close to 5k in under 35mins. I'm planning on running 12k this weekend, hopefully without stopping.

Long run day

Made it out for an 11k LSD run and I did it in under 1:17 without walking. It was a very nice day for a run.,

Much better

Made it out today and this time I did 4k in under 24mins. I wasn't trying to push, nor did I feel like I was pushing, as I never checked my pace throughout the whole run, only going by feel.

Not a great run

But I made it out non-the-less. My pace was 20s/km slower than a couple of days ago and my HR #'s were higher, but in my defense, the path I took today had plenty of hills to go up and down, so things can be justified. I did feel some minor aches and pains in my legs throughout this run, but not enough to affect it.

1 week

That is how long it has been since my last run. I have to admit, other than 1 day last week where I was lazy, I've been feeling under the weather and that is why I haven't run.

Today's run was great as I did 5k in under 31:30 without walking. Along with a great time and speed, my average HR was down lower than my previous fast runs, which is also a good thing. The plan for the rest of this week is to get 2 more  short runs and an 11k run on the weekend.

Another good run

Went out this morning with my buddy and my dog and we did a 6k run in just under 37:30, which is a good pace for me. My runs are going well and my times are slowly coming down, which make me feel like I will be able to get really close to my goal of a 1 hr 10k.

Long run

Made it out today for a longer than run than what I've been doing lately. Today I did 10k at a nice easy slow pace and finished, non-stop, in just over 1:11. At least now I know I can do 10k without stopping. Now I need to improve that time.