Day of Rest Poetic Prayer

Our Father who art in heaven
Help me to be wise regarding
Which activities can be done
On days when we should be resting
This I ask in the name of thy Son
Whose name in scripture is Christos Yayzoos
Whose name on earth is Jesus and Hayzoos

6 minute half-mile runs, March 31, using quick paces style

I did not run March 30. Took a break, got absorbed in and depressed from studying the economy.

Tuesday March 31 (late tuesday night after midnight to be exact):

For the first time since returning to long-distance running in Nov 08, I ran half-miles, taking approx 5 minute breaks between half-miles.

I left the footwear as it was during the previous runs of March 29, 26, 25, & 24. Footwear advice I gave to myself after the previous run March 26, was that the advice is the same as described after the March 25 run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html ).

Results foot-comfort wise:

Left foot/leg: Some pain in arches of feet and lower leg after first two or three half-mile segments. irritation where shoe touches top surface of big toe behind toenail.

Right foot/leg: Some pain in arches of feet and lower leg after first two or three half-mile segments.

Again the pattern of gradual adjustment to changes in footwear once the footwear stops changing.

Tuesday March 31:

I ran the round the block course again (1st 3rd 5th miles run, 2nd 4th 6th miles walked). I stopped for usually approx five minutes every half-mile. I used style A, short quick paces.

Time after 5th mile: 66:13 (1/2 mile runs): (120:48 - 54:35 subtracted for break-times = 66:13). The 9 breaks taken, 1 after each half-mile, averaged 7 minutes; breaks were usually 5 mins, one break was 13 minutes as I had to return indoors to get the hydrocortisone cream.

For the first 5 miles, I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue):

'Great is our speed as we streamline the sky
Many are our steps per unit of time

(NEW) Doing...just half a mile
in the short paced quick paced style

Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

The three stanzas were chanted in various orders.

I added the new stanza about half-a-mile because I wanted to remind myself that I was running or walking half a mile not an entire mile; I wanted my body to go at a speed faster than the speeds for the mile it has become accustomed to.

I did not walk or stretch before starting the run.

Split times recorded last four times out using style A/D, featuring emphasis on short quick paces: March 31 style A (2 half-mile times), March 25 style A, March 21 style A, March 18 style D

1st, run: 7:07/7:02=14:09, 15:23, 15:15, 15:05
2nd, walked: 6:37/6:30=13:07, 14:12, 14:50, 14:15
3rd, run: 7:02/6:00=13:02, 15:23, 15:26 15:47
4th, walked: 6:39/6:36=13:15, 14:00, 14:05, 14:23
5th, run: 5:52/6:48=12:40, 15:02, 15:12, 15:40
Total 66:13,

My aim in pausing after every half-mile March 31 Tuesday night, was to shake off the slow style of running which I suspected had become habitual, the idea being that if I could just cast off the habit of going slowly, I would suddenly be able to go much faster.

Looking at the times I definitely achieved my goal. I was using the short quick paces style of running, which is my slowest style; but I ran one half-mile in 6:00, and another half-mile in 5:52.

The first three-half miles I ran were all 7:02 half-miles or slower; then suddenly the fourth half-mile dropped to 6:00, and the fifth half-mile dropped to 5:52. My fastest mile so far in this running project (starting Nov 08) is 13:57, using the double-emphasis on long and quick paces.

The sudden improvement in the 4th and 5th half-miles run March 31, backs up my suspicion that the problem is that running slow has become a habit; seems the first three half-miles were slow due to simple habit.

The half-mile is run about ten percent faster than the mile at world record speeds (http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/tfn/records/records.jsp?listId=1 ). My fastest half-mile today (5:52) was 20 percent faster than my fastest mile so far (15:02) in the current running project (since Nov 08) using the short quick steps style of running.

The footwear was the same as the previous run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/68-minute-5-mile-run-march-29-new.html ).

'Twas a night-time run.

The gray lightweight sweatshirt, long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt-type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility-vest, sweatpants, shorts, & baseball cap were too warm.

After the first half-mile I removed the sweatshirt, & replaced the baseball hat with a headband.
I ran/walked miles 2 to 5 wearing only the long-sleeved shirt made of t-shirt-type cloth, a t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, headband, and the visibility vest on my upper body, shorts and sweatpants on my lower body. This felt about right in the 32 degree windless night (http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=1&year=2009&month=4&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 ). For the 6th mile walked at leisurely pace I added the sweatshirt to what I was wearing and replaced the headband with the baseball hat.

Advice to myself for the next run fotwear-wise: Same as that listed in the March 25 post (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html )

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run the next run, using style B/E, the long-paced style, pausing five minutes after each half-mile to rest/take-notes.

Chant to use:

'Maxed/long are our strides as we streamline the sky,
Far is our distance per unit of time,

(NEW) Doing...just half a mile
in the long-paced style

Lord of roads of magnificence am I
Lord of roads of painlessness am I'

Running tactics/strategy

Once I had three room-mates on Myrtle street in Waltham: Tony, Chris, & Jon.

I've forgotten Chris's last name, but he was a nice tall thin yellow-haired white guy who smiled alot and was in good physical condition that he was proud of. Once he argued with me for a long time about methods for training to run the mile.

I said that to train for the mile, one should get used to running in the style one will be running at when one eventually becomes fast, by running distances shorter than a mile at faster speeds than the speed one can run a mile at. The idea being that the faster speed uses muscles and the aerobic system differently than the slower speed.

Chris vehemently and stubbornly disagreed; he believed in training by running non-stop for distances of a mile or more. He was very self-righteous because he was sure that everyone agreed with him and that I was a weirdo.

In contradiction of Chris, the research I did on the internet this week re the subject, showed me that as of now, times have changed and the leading authorities are preaching what I preached on the subject when I was way ahead of my time and the scorned lunatic arguing with Chris: improve your time in the mile by running shorter distances than the mile at speeds faster than your mile speed, taking little breaks in between the runs, and gradually whittling down the break time.

I feel tired of what I perceive to be a situation wherein I am always being scorned for being ahead of my time...years later it turns out I the weirdo was in the right, and they, the condescending majority were in the wrong.

Possible suspects for the good performance today: stretching not running before start; 2 tblspns cod liver oil before run; rest of 1 day prior to run.

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs

68 minute 5-mile run, March 29, new personal record, using quick long paces style

Friday March 27, I felt like I was coming down with a cold after the run in the rain the previous day. Saturday March 28, I got absorbed in studying the economy and did not run.

Sunday March 29:

I left the footwear as it was during the previous runs of March 26, 25, & 24. Footwear advice I gave to myself after the previous run March 26, was that the advice is the same as described after the March 25 run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html ).

Results foot-comfort wise:

Left foot/leg: some relatively mild pain in front outside muscle of right lower leg, in second halfs of miles 2 and 4, which were walked.

Right foot/leg: Nothing significant.

Seems this continues the pattern wherein if the footwear is left the same as it was the previous run, there is improvement in terms of pain in arch of foot and lower leg.

Sunday March 29:

I ran the round the block course again (1st 3rd 5th miles run, 2nd 4th 6th miles walked). Style used: C, long & quick paces, stopping to record split-times (I had scheduled myself to use style F, long & quick paces not stopping to record split-times).

Time after 5th mile: 67:55 (102:00 - 34:05 subtracted for break-times = 67:55).

Pauses were due to: having to retreat indoors to pee, get a towel (it was raining during miles 3 and 4), get another sweatshirt after the first sweatshirt became wet; removal of layers of clothing; recording of split times & pains; tying shoes & sweatpant waistband.

For the entire 5 miles, I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue):

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky
Far is our distance per unit of time
(NEW) Our greatness of speed is famed in rhyme
Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

Before going out to run, for this first time since starting the running project that these runs are part of in Nov 2008, I stretched my legs using various stretching exercises. I did not walk around as a way of loosening up before starting the run.

Mile split times recorded: March 29 style A (long quick paces, pauses to rec split times), March 19 style E (long paces with pauses to rec split times, the day previous personal record set):

1st, run: 13:58, 15:27
2nd, walked: 13:03, 13:15
3rd, run: 13:57, 14:59
4th, walked: 12:57, 13:22
5th, run: 14:00, 14:32

Comparing March 29 to March 19, the run times declined much more than the walked times. March 15, I started tinkering around with a rotation involving different styles of running because I was frustrated by the lack of improvement in the run miles.

The amount of break-time was high at 33 minutes. But the first mile was my fastest ever since I returned to practicing long distance running in November 2008; there were only 3 minutes break-time in between the 4th and the 5th mile which was run in 14:00, 32 seconds faster than my previous fastest mile ever (not counting my fast miles of years ago); I did not feel as if the breaks had speeded me up.

Footwear in Left shoe:
SAME AS PREVIOUS RUN

8 m-wrap layers pad under heel +
lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
16 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
12 layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes & ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
8 layers m-wrap pad under middle & index toes +
40 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
Adhesives: tape, not glue.
'Pretaping' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: medium tight on top shoelace, loose on other shoelaces

Footwear in Right shoe:
SAME AS PREVIOUS RUN

8 m-wrap layers pad under heel +
Lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
8 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
12-layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes and ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
16 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
'Multipurpose' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: tight on top shoelaces, loose on others

The temp was on average 40 degrees with wind at avg 1 mph, rain at avg 0.1 inches per hour during the run (5th mile completed at 1:06 AM 3/27):
(http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=29&year=2009&month=3&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 )

'Twas a night-time run.

It was not raining when I started the run. I started wearing the lighter gray sweatshirt, long sleeved shirt made of t-shirt type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility vest, sweatpants, shorts, underwear, gloves, baseball hat.

This was too warm. After the first half-mile, I removed the baseball hat, and gloves. After the 2nd mile I removed the long-sleeved shirt made of t-shirt type material. For mile 4 that was walked, I put on a sweatshirt.

I ran miles 3 & 5 wearing only a t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility vest, sweatpants, shorts, underpants; for mile 4 which was walked I added the heavier black sweatshirt. This was about right for the avg 0.04 inches-per-hour rainfall rate in the 41 degrees 3 mph wind in the night-time; but for the 6th mile walked at a leisurely pace, I put on the sweatshirt; I would have been too cold walking the 6th mile at a slow pace without the sweatshirt.

Advice to myself for the next run fotwear-wise: Same as that listed in the March 25 post (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html )

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run the next run, using style "A Medium-length-paced, emphasis on paces per minute, pauses to note split-times".

Chant to use:

'Great is our speed as we streamline the sky,
Many are our steps per unit of time,
Lord of roads of magnificence am I
Lord of roads of painlessness am I'

Running tactics/strategy

The previous run March 26, was according to my post-run notes, "my biggest step backwards in a long time". Strangely enough, this run was my biggest step forwards in a long time.

Possible causes of the superior performance March 29: stretching the legs before the run--for the first time since I got back into running around November 2008 I stretched my legs the way I was taught to in high school; two days of rest prior the day of the run; the new line added to the chant.

Looking at the improvement from March 19 when I set a personal record of 71:35 to March 29 when I set a personal record of 67:55, I will be at my goal of 55.2 minutes for the five miles, around May 8. This indicates an acceleration in the rate of improvement.

The rate of improvement March 29 to March 19 was about five times better than what 10k runners consider to be an excellent rate of improvement.

Things have not been what they have seemed to have been: the last few days, I felt as if I had stagnated and was not going to get any faster, but the rate of improvement March 19-29 turned out to be good; March 29 running using a high rate of steps per minute I did not feel like I was going as fast as I actually was.

Possible tactical innovation: stop every half mile for a four minute break, as a way of teaching the body to get out of the habit of running at a slow pace and to develop the habit of running at a faster pace.