First long run with my Garmin and HR monitor, no music! - 9/7/14

I was able to try out my new Garmin watch and HR monitor on my 10 mile run today. I'm still figuring out all the ins and outs of the watch, which hopefully John can help me with when he gets back from Rev 3 Cedar Point. I followed along while I was at work, and it must have been a pretty tough course base on some of the finishing times I saw. It always gets me psyched up and thinking of my own personal goals when I follow along with someone I know as they compete! I can't wait to hear all about it next time we are able to get together.

Back to my run. Ten miles, first time since the Tower of Terror 10-miler last October. I mainly just watched my HR and tried to keep it below 85% of max (or ~163 bpm or less), with a periodic check on time elapsed and distance. I also ran without music today too, first time in a long time. Figured I might as well get used to that since most races won't let you listen to music anyway. It was different but it felt good and I think I'm really going to like focusing mainly on HR as I train going forward. It would be nice to still use the Nike watch too, since I like the way it outputs the data, but I haven't quite figured out how I'll work the two watches. I paced less than 11 min/mi overall for the 10 miles, which really isn't bad for me. Also, my 10 mile time was only 3.5 min behind my 10 mile split in the TOT 10-miler. That makes me happy and excited for the Wine and Dine Half Marathon two months from now. My knees were a little sore towards the end, and I didn't get to ice them after because I had to rush to work, but I'll have to be sure to do that and/or plan to do that from now on, just as a precaution. I used Advil today though. No GI issues on or after the run. Also used Chris' water belt so I could hydrate along the way and I feel like that worked well. I'm interested in trying out my fuel belt purchases when they get here. My body is much less sore than after the 9 miles last weekend and overall I just feel better (both during and after).

Garmin Connect data from my 10 mile run today.

I'm craving a big sushi dinner. I also really want CiCi's pizza buffet right now.

I looked up a couple of nutritionists, but will get some info from a few friends before I decide where/who I want to go see. Looks like my insurance should cover some visits, which is definitely a bonus!


9/8/14:

Rest day! I think I'm going to like having a rest day every week. I slept in until around 8:30 am when Lexi (my dog) woke me up. I went to Inside Out Sports in Raleigh to see Tim and learn how to change a bike tire. It seems pretty easy, just a matter of practicing once in awhile so I don't forget. Also, got a tire changing kit for my bike. I picked a good day to rest since it has been and will be raining all day and night. I will try to get in a run tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will be nicer then. I'll also be off work, which will be nice. Knees are a little sore today, just below my kneecap.