Friday, February 10, 2006

A run under the moonlight.

Thanks for the encouragement and tips from the previous posts guys. Very appreciated. I am going to keep training by myself. By spring/summer I will look for someone to train with.

Last night, I ran 17 km in 2 hr 15 min. This translates to 12 min/mile. Woah..slow.. :). I kept my HR at 141. I look over my past record and if I run with 150 HR, my pace will be 10 min/mile. That's not too bad. I know slowly my pace will speed up. I am more excited at keeping my HR low. When I see it hovers around 137, I am happy.

There was no wind. The moon was out. I wished there is less street light so I could see the moon. I had a gel flask with me. Because of the cold weather, I had a lot of trouble getting the gel out of the flask. Imagine seeing a guy with his head up and a flask over his mouth, walking and sticking his tongue in the flask to get the gel out. Yeah I was doing that for at least 3-4 minutes. I have to figure out how to keep it warm in the long runs.

It was colder than I thought. By the end of the run, the water in my water bottle become ice. Never happened before.

20 comments:

Trisaratops said...

Hey! Great job on the run--too bad we don't live closer or we could be LSD running buddies! :) Hey, a tip for when it's really chilly....I put my fuel belt inside my coat to keep it from freezing up. Yeah, you have to unzip it to get it, but nothing's worse than a gatorade slushy or gel-sicle when ya really need it. :)

Sixteen Chickens said...

Cliff, 12 minute miles are FAST for me, you are doing a great job managing your heart rate. Way to go! If you were out there 2+ hours no wonder everything froze... sheesh. Maybe you should just run past a kwik mart and pick up a coffee on your cold runs? (And don't forget a beer for me):)

Cliff said...

Sara, the weird part is that it doesn't feel like it is 12 min mile. I was sure I miscalculate or something.

I want to try to run with a HR 150 next time. I like to see the different pace I can run at different HR.

Cliff said...

No beer for you Wylee. I will be drinknig them down and give u the coffee instead.

William said...

Hey Cliff.

Make sure the fuel belt is under as many top layers as possible.

I strap mine around my waist, over my tights, and then pul my fleece and jacket over the bottles. They stay plenty warm in there.

Salt also lowers the freezing point so put in a little salt if you can bear the taste.

Isn't winter running awesome Cliff?

Cliff said...

I think Will is suggesting me to find a g/f for housework..ahem...support my training :)

Comm's said...

running at a slower hr is such a foriegn concept to me. I do it but it seems so slow. I know ultimately it will build up the overall goal though. Running at night is fun, good for you.

Hilda said...

Nice run! Watching the moon.
Iced water, wow that should be so cold...
I just read about the asics sale... I am going to amazon right now... again.

TriZilla said...

WTG on the run, Cliff... Sounds beautiful! I keep my Gel close to my body when it's that cold. I can't STAND thick gel. Glug.

Keep up the great work!

E-Speed said...

the water always waits until you need it to freeze i swear!

Backofpack said...

Cliff, 11-12 minutes are my standard pace! The one time this winter that it was cold enough to freeze gel, I was more worried about my face freezing. I dressed plenty warm enough, but neglected to think about covering my face. Thank goodness it doesn't happen too often!

Ellie Hamilton said...

What a neat run, though... the moon is so near full.

You did great!

Anonymous said...

Cliff,
Thank you for your encouragements. I am once again reminded that even though we are called to "wrestle with God", I am not wrestling alone. I am not the only lonely candle burning in a family. There are others running alongside me, wrestling and struggling alongside me too. So I also encourage you to continue on wrestling for the right cause. I am sure that God will honour our hearts and will bless us, just how He blessed Jacob.

Shalom,
Jenny

Boris' Dad said...

cool! it's nice when there's snow and no wind*

Dawn - Pink Chick Tris said...

Great job on the run. I've never had my water freeze but then the weather here lately has been unseasonably warm. I think I might even run in shorts today.

Cycling Under The Influence said...

Sometimes I find those HR based runs are harder mentally than something a bit quicker. Stick with your plan, and you will reap the rewards. Nice Run!

Unknown said...

Cold Gu is not a good thing Cliff. The first time I tried Gu I kept the packets in my camelback, but I had put ice in the water to keep it cold. I soon found out that Gu is not good when it is cold. Nice job on the run.

Rae said...

Great run! I've ha some problems with my bottles freezing too. I always find it so strange since I would think the movement would keep it from freezing.

Chris said...

Yikes! I've never run with water bottles in the winter, but that does sure sound cold! Hats off to you for being outside in the dead of winter for that long!

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