Track workout basics

I got a little track workout 101 today. My running group jogged a mile to the high school track where the Coastal Athletic Association (our local running club) hosts track workouts from the day after the Boston Marathon to the middle of October (26 weeks.) First, Mr "Bob" went over some track etiquette, which is good because frankly, except for high school marching band, I had never been on a track!!
Rule #1. Run counter-clockwise
Rule #2. Warm-up on the outside of the track (the outer lanes). The inner lanes are for workouts
Rule #3. Learn one word - "TRACK!" If you are doing a workout (in the inner lanes) and someone faster comes behind you, they will yell "Track" - this is your queue to MOVE OVER! - towards the right.

That's the basics....After we warmed up, we did a very simple interval workout.
- 3 laps(3x400m) of jogging on the curves and sprinting on the straights.

Simple but effective. I managed a 8 min/mi on one of my sprints! Now, I couldn't breathe after that, but it was fun!

Overall I ran 4 miles, 0.75 on the track, 3.25 on the road. A 11:43 average pace! Yeah!

Week 3 Report - Kick in the Butt

Finished 3 or 4 runs again this week. What is with me! I need a kick in the butt! (check it out!)

Tuesday - 2.34 mile run. Fastest this year! 11:45 pace.
Wednesday - bonked
Thursday - 3 miles in Portsmouth. Got a blister from my SoreDawgs. Darn! I'll have to go back to sans-insert. Left leg is feeling stupid again...
Friday and Saturday - cleaning(which is XT, right?)
Sunday - 3 miles. Beautiful day, slow, but felt good.

This week - We have our first group track workout on Tuesday. Yikes! Track workout? me? It brings up some horrible high school presidential fitness test memory....something I could NEVER pass as a kid. I'll try to report on that tomorrow!

10k Plan week 2 Roundup

I managed 3 of my 4 scheduled runs this week....
Tuesday - 2.7 miles in Portsmouth with the group. Great run! The kind of run that keeps me coming back for more!
Wednesday - 2 miles with L and the Super Mutt! Ok run. Very windy! My left leg (the stupid one) is feeling tight. Pain in my arch. Tight Calf. I think I might have to put the Sore Dawgs in my new Omni 7s.
Thursday - 3 miles in Portsmouth. Again, tight left leg....today pain is up in the back. strange. Nice sunny day!
Weekend run - NADA! My godaughter, the "bean" or "peanut" as I now call her, came to visit. She is walking now, and she's such a riot! She toddles around saying "ma-ma," "da-da," "na-na" indiscriminately! It's quite funny! We went to Boston to visit the aquarium, but the line was literally a mile long, so we walked Quincy market instead. She was so good!

This week - The weather is warming up so I hope my "stupid leg" loosens up and I can stop feeling this constant ache....I'll post a training report this weekend....until then,

Happy Training!

11 Week Beginner 10k Plan

Why is my blog is called Just Start Running?

Just Start Running.
Sounds simple.
You'd think!

I started running in 2007 and also started this blog to log my experiences. I named it Just Start Running because I have trouble "starting" things. I think, I plan; I organized; I double check my plan; I rethink my plan; then I start. That's just the way I am. So Just Start Running was my mantra to "stop thinking, and start running!" At first it was was easy to start running and keep running.
But life, weddings, winter, and a bout laziness interfered with my quest to be an athlete and I'd have to start the planning, thinking process all over again!

So fast forward to today; I have been trying to "start" a running plan since February. Since I was getting way to involved in the details, I broke down and joined the Runners Alley 10k training group again. I had good luck getting motivated by joining a group in the past, so I thought, why not!

The running group takes out the thinking, planning, rethinking cycle I fall into. I show up every Tuesday and Thursday, they tell me how long, hard, fast to run, and I do it. Easy as that! They also give me a 11 week plan to follow - brainless, and wonderful! So here I go. Another year, another training plan....but I'm still running :)