I went for a morning run today, planning to run either 5 or 7 miles. I would decide at the 0.5 mile point, where the two routes split. But, having eaten pizza and beer the night before, at the turnoff point I was reluctant to do just the 5. Eating poorly does affect running, at least I can tell a difference. Another concern was the snow. We got a couple inches over night, and it was still snowing while I ran. It was 30 degrees, so I had gym pants, a short sleeve tech shirt, my semi-light Nike running jacket, wool gloves and a beanie. It really doesn't take much for me to enjoy a cold run, as I'm usually warm.
The sidewalk had 2-3 inches of new snow, so I ran on the road facing the approaching traffic (as the police suggest). The street was clean, as Blue Ash takes great care of everything when it snows. At the half mile point I chose the 5 mile route and kept going. I would run in the gutter when a car would pass, so my shoes and socks were getting soaked. I was surprised to see several other runners along the way. I saw a group of probably 7, then a few sets of two. I always like seeing other runners out on the road, especially when the weather stinks. Rain or snow seems to scare off most casual runners, leaving only the most hardcore on the road. There is a "badge of honor" feeling to running when no one else does.
But the run went okay. I was just cruising along, trying to avoid cars and getting my shoes too wet. The last two miles had a strong head wind, but before that I actually had my jacket half unzipped to stay cool. I was listening to my music and more or less zoning out. It wasn't until I got home and reviewed my Garmin data that I understood why it felt hard about halfway through. My first mile pace was 9:27mm, or 9:14mm moving. I normally don't run that fast. But, I'd love to get faster and to a point where I'm running 9:00mm for 5 miles. I slowed down after this first mile considerably. I wanted to walk at one point, but pushed on. Below is my Garmin Connect data, mile split times.
The last half mile, I started to think of the Tough Mudder race I'm registered to run April 27th, in Mansfield, Ohio. The Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile race with 25 military-style obstacles, like climbing over 8' walls or crawling through mud under barbed wire or getting electricuted. My thinking was that "running" a 10-12 mile race, I should make sure I can run 12 miles. This is basically a half marathon (13.1 miles), and the Mini Heart Half Marathon is about a month before the Tough Mudder race. Perfect timing. I thought I could train for the Mini Heart race for 2.5 months, and then I'll not only do well at the Mini, but be ready for the Tough Mudder. I ran the Mini in 2012 as my first ever half marathon, and my first race ever beyond about 6 miles, and I would love to best my time of 2:25:00 (roughly). I ran the Air Force Half Marathon in September 2012 in 2:17:00, making that my 13.1 PR (personal record).
I'd love to get my 13.1 time closer to 2 hours flat, but some guys on Facebook said they never ran more than a couple miles before their Tough Mudders, and suggested I do the Crossfit exercise the "Murph" as my primary training. The Murph is the following: run 1 mile, do 100 pull ups, do 200 push ups, do 300 squats, then run another mile. I saw guys on YouTube doing all of this in about 35 minutes, breaking it up into 10 sets of 10/20/30. Pretty nuts, if you ask me. I don't think i could do one pull up now. So, I'm still going to shoot for a new 13.1 PR by running a lot, and I'm still going to work on swimming 1-2 times each week to get ready for my half Ironman race in the summer/fall, but now I'm also going to add push ups and pull ups to my routine. I was starting to think I was getting busy before the Murph addition, so now I'm really going to feel swamped. Plus, I am joining a book group to discuss capitalism in depth. Lots of stuff going on, so I better get to work. The run and swim are fun, and I'll enjoy the intellectual discussion, but I'm really going to struggle with the Murph.
Here are the mile splits from today's run:
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