Week Six: The First Double Digit Run
This weekend (16th July) was my first ever double-digit (in miles) run.
This 10 mile run was on the Coastside Trail at the beautiful Half Moon Bay. We started from Pillar Point Harbor, and ran 5 miles south along the beach, and back. Rather than trying to map this trail, here's a link to a brochure containing a map of the trail. The Bay Area hiker has a wonderful description of a part of the trail, along with some nice pictures.
All along the trail, we were running with the ocean on one side. Anyone who has been to Highway 1 in California, can attest to the beauty of the coastal route. We passed by quite a few beaches along the trail, as well as a number of campgrounds. It was breakfast time for most people in the campsites, which was enough to encourage us to finish the run quickly. After the run, the entire group headed to a restaurant at Pillar Point Harbor for a well-earned brunch.
I was once again pleased that I managed to maintain my 10K pace. I will have to see how long that will continue though. I did feel much more tired this time around, compared to the 8 mile run. As my mentor had organized carpools, I was glad I did not have to drive back after the run.
Our next long run, two weeks from now, will be a 12-mile run, on a relatively hilly terrain. This promises to be a challenging run, on account of the distance, as well as the terrain. I will need to focus more on pacing myself on this run. I'll keep everyone posted on the status of the run.
This 10 mile run was on the Coastside Trail at the beautiful Half Moon Bay. We started from Pillar Point Harbor, and ran 5 miles south along the beach, and back. Rather than trying to map this trail, here's a link to a brochure containing a map of the trail. The Bay Area hiker has a wonderful description of a part of the trail, along with some nice pictures.
All along the trail, we were running with the ocean on one side. Anyone who has been to Highway 1 in California, can attest to the beauty of the coastal route. We passed by quite a few beaches along the trail, as well as a number of campgrounds. It was breakfast time for most people in the campsites, which was enough to encourage us to finish the run quickly. After the run, the entire group headed to a restaurant at Pillar Point Harbor for a well-earned brunch.
I was once again pleased that I managed to maintain my 10K pace. I will have to see how long that will continue though. I did feel much more tired this time around, compared to the 8 mile run. As my mentor had organized carpools, I was glad I did not have to drive back after the run.
Our next long run, two weeks from now, will be a 12-mile run, on a relatively hilly terrain. This promises to be a challenging run, on account of the distance, as well as the terrain. I will need to focus more on pacing myself on this run. I'll keep everyone posted on the status of the run.
posted by Pradnya at 1:13 PM
8 Comments:
Congrats on the first double digit run! It is a significant milestone, physically as well as psychologically. The course sounds like fun and so does your group ... reminded me of the brunches i had with SFFIT in the Marina after our runs ... I am tapering down in my half marathon training, had a nice 9.5 - 10 miler at the sawyer trail saturday evening and was satisfied with my pace ...
Rohit, Thanks! Yes, the group is awesome; they make it a point to cheer everyone in at the finish line. The coach is great; he encourages every single person while on the trail. Good luck with the half marathon; I guess you are done with most of the training now. I will be there to cheer you guys.
At what speed do you run on treadmil? You mentioned you did a 5 mile run. Also, for how many minutes is this? Should i have to do any weight training to start off with or should i just concentrate on running. These days i found a new technique. I walk fast for 10 mins. This warm up charges me up so much i can run continuously then, for 10 mins. 3 mins walk and then another 5-10 mins of a faster run. I then go on teh treadmill and do 3 mins at 6.4 mph and 3-4 mins really fast at 7.0 mph. How does this sound?
Hey pradnya,
Its a great news. Keep it up. It really is a significant milestone as rohit sonak puts it.
Half Moon Bay you said. I remember we took a ride in the car on this route. I visualise the beuty alongside the road.
....dad
way to go ... congratulations!!
your fundraiser seems to be picking steam too :)
Thanks Baba. Yes, we did go on Highway 1 along Half Moon Bay. I am glad you remember how beautiful the route was.
Aditya, Thanks for the wishes. Yes, the fundraiser has definitely picked up speed over the last couple of weeks. The target does not seem that far now.
TheDQ, A warmup is definitely necessary to get you going. In fact you should add some stretches before and after the run as well. Your running routine sounds great. That's way faster than what I run for the longer runs. Personally, I prefer to run easy early on, and then pick up speed later if I have the stamina. In fact, I alternate running and walking such that my average speed comes to about 5 miles per hour. That's on the slower side, but it helps me conserve energy for the longer runs. I don't think you need to do any strength training for upto 30-45 mins of running. If you wish to run longer than that, you should. I will put up a more detailed post on this soon. Good luck!
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