Belated pic from the half marathon courtesy of my dad. That’s my blurry self on the far right in the blue and black. That’s right, I was grinning (that was mile, like, 12.9!).

Race Me: Run Wild Recap and the Importance of Pacing

A few weeks ago, I posted about signing up for the Detroit Zoo 10K. Running through a zoo? What could be more fun?! Well, not running next to a highway, that’s for sure. Turns out, we weren’t running next to cute animals so much as heavy traffic. Oh well, it was still the perfect day for racing. The sky was clear, the humidity was low, and the temperature was perfect. You know it’s perfect running weather when you’re a little bit chilly before starting.

I met Rachel and her fam there (how freaking cute is her brother?! He and her mom did an untimed fun run/walk through the zoo). Since Rachel and I were both running the race as more of a training run, we agreed to run together. She had never run with anyone before, so I said I’d try to keep her entertained by doing most of the talking in case she got too winded. Luckily, that wasn’t an issue, and the first four miles flew by because we were engrossed in conversation. I love running with people for that very reason. The time always flies by and though it sometimes takes more effort, it’s definitely worth it. I now prefer conversation to music most of the time.

Rachel and I kept a steady pace when we were running together, but I wanted to practice picking up speed at the end, so during the last 1.5 miles I pushed myself to my limit. Because we had paced ourselves so well for the first 4.5, I had a lot to give at the end. I was passing people left and right! It was a real lesson in the power of pacing. When you spread your efforts out over the course of the race rather than giving it your all the beginning, you’ll have the energy and will to finish strong. If you burn out in the beginning, the rest of the race can be more defeating than fun. I will definitely keep this in mind as my half marathon approaches (less than a month… ahhh!).

After the race, we headed to a cute vegetarian brunch place called the Inn Season Cafe to discuss business. We have a lot of things in the works that I can’t wait to share with you all once we get going. See Rachel’s race recap post here for her take on the 10K.

Run It: 12 Miles!!!

A new distance for me, I was very happy with my 12-miler this morning. The sky was clear, the temperature was literally perfection (started at 55 and climbed to 65 as the sun rose; low humidity), and I felt strong. Also? Add 1.2 more miles to that and there’s my race! There were some killer hills on this run, but our coach instructed us we were not to whine about the hills because we would be happy we did them come race day. I’m sure I will be. I think the hill repeats we’ve been doing as our mid-week workouts have been a huge help… these hills didn’t kick my butt as much as they have in the past.

I’m learning to run without music and, much of the time, very little conversation. But having a couple people to get you through those last few miles is great.

Run on, running lovers!

Race Me: Run Wild!

Rachel convinced me to sign up for the Detroit Zoo 10K. I know we probably won’t be running right by the lion cage or anything (that might instigate them?), but it’ll still be pretty sweet to be running in the zoo. We’re trying to get any other Michiganders to do it with us! If you’re interested, feel free to email either of us and let us know so we can plan to meet up.

10K is pretty much the perfect distance for a runner who’s been at it for a few months, but isn’t ready to tackle a longer distance quite yet. My first race ever was a 10K. I went from zero running to pacing under 9 min/miles during that race in about 3-4 months, so I know anyone can do it. 10K is also a distance that feels like an accomplishment, but can still be completed in about an hour, which is a reasonable amount of time to be doing cardio.

If you live in the Detroit area, consider doing this race!

I ran my scheduled 10 miles all alone this weekend (it ended up being closer to 11 due to a short accidental detour). It was the first time I’ve run with my iPod in awhile. It was a nice run, but I definitely prefer running and chatting with people.

I’m also extremely grateful for my running group and its interesting routes/well-placed water stops. The 10-miler I designed wasn’t the most visually interesting, though I did convince my boyfriend to drop off water at some strategically planned locations (thanks, boo boo!).

Run It: Nike+ Update

I calibrated my Nike+ Sportband and now it’s muuuuch more accurate. I mapped out a hilly 6.1 mile run on walkjogrun (which I prefer to mapmyrun for some reason). That means the Nike+ was only a tenth of a mile off. It was also a tenth of a mile behind my running partner’s Garmin. I actually liked that it was behind instead of way ahead this time. I hate to be told I’ve run farther than I actually have at a faster pace than I actually did.

For anyone who has a Nike+ or uses similar technology, if you care about accuracy, CALIBRATE! I think the factory settings are way off for most people. One other piece of advice: The longer the calibration run, the more accurate the device will be (I think my 8 mile calibration worked pretty well).

Now that my Nike+ is more accurate, it’s so much fun to use. I love watching the miles tick away and noticing how my pace changes depending on whether I’m going uphill or down. I think it can only make me a stronger runner.

Run It: Review of Nike+ Sportband

I finally received my Nike+ and used it on my Saturday long run! I must admit, having a new toy was the only thing getting me out of bed at 5am that day. Getting up for those runs has not necessarily been getting easier. Who would’ve guessed? But I never regret going afterwards, and that’s the important thing.

Anyway, I loved running with my new toy. It was completely easy to use (I love minimalistic technology… it only has TWO BUTTONS!) and comfortable to wear.

My only issue was accuracy. It just wasn’t all that accurate. I was running with several people who had GPS Garmins and as we ran, my Nike+ kept getting more and more off in terms of mileage. By the end of the run, the Sportband reported I ran 8.6 miles, when I had only run 8. That means the reported pace was way off, too. I calibrated the Sportband after the run and haven’t used it since, so hopefully it will be improved.

Bottom line? It’s a good device for those of us who aren’t quite committed enough to spring for a Garmin, but for serious runners, it’s probably not quite adequate. For my part, I’ll definitely enjoy using it for the remainder of my half marathon training, but if I ever train for a full, I’ll probably save up for a GPS watch.

On another note, I’ve been getting some great emails from all of you fabulous readers in the past week or so, and I promise I will get to them. I’m still in the midst of that other project, but it ends soon and then I’ll be back on the Nutritionista wagon. :)

Inspired by this new running fanatic, I just bought myself one of these (thanks, girl! Until now, I thought I had to have a Nano in order to use Nike+). I didn’t want to splurge on a Garmin, so this seemed like a healthy (read: cheaper) compromise.

I’m sick of relying on running buddies to tell me how far we’ve gone and at what pace. Plus, this will be an easy way to track my progress.

For about $80 (including S+H and a shoe pouch for the sensor I bought separately), this system is less than half the price of similar devices I’ve seen. Even on sale, the cheapest Garmin will still run you $170, plus they seem like sort of a pain to use.

Anyone used the Nike+ SportBand? What do you think?

ETA: A good motivation tip… if you’re ever feeling blah about working out/training, buy yourself some gear to put a little pep in your step. Seriously, there’s nothing like new workout clothes/shoes/gear to get me going. It doesn’t have to be pricey, either. It can be as simple as a $4 wristband in a fun color (I also bought some of those today). I hope no one thought I was buying the wristbands in a hipster-ironic way. Noooo, I actually use them to wipe away sweat on my longer runs.