When you get up and it is 35*F and a bit of a breeze outside on the last day of September, you know what is right around the corner – Old Man Winter. At least, we didn’t get that snow storm that they got out West that was measured in multiple feet, so having things a bit chilly seemed pretty good in comparison.

Even so, I had on hat, gloves and light winter jacket on to walk Bennie on his first walk and still needed the gloves and jacket for his second one. Which made me re-think going to the track for a harder workout.

I don’t mind running hard in the cold, but as the body ages each year, the reality is that the colder weather doesn’t do me any favors. I seem to pull muscles and stuff too easily at this point, so with the real feel still in the 30’s I thought it was prudent to do the planned Intervals inside.

• Day: Monday
• Time of Day: 10:54a
• Course: Planet Fitness Treadmill
• Distance: 6.2
• Time of Run: 48:53
• Pace: 7:53
• Rating (1-4): 3
• Running Streak Day #: 7
• Weather: Indoors

Shoes Worn: Altra Impulse – Even though they weigh a bit more than most of my trainers or “go faster” shoes, I didn’t feel as though they got in the way of me running faster.

The only problem I had is one that seems to bother after about 5.0 miles on the treadmill where the outside of my right foot begins to bother in shoes that are a bit firm or don’t have enough cushioning for my too consistent treadmill stride. It only seems to be a factor when I am running on the treadmill, but it will limit the Impulse to about 6-7 miles max on the ‘mill. Outside it will be interesting to see how they perform on a longer run.

Variables that impacted the run: I did a complete warm-up before the run and it did help with how I was feeling that first mile. Otherwise just the right lower back was a little tight when I started, but once I got going it didn’t bother.

Workout Description: I planned on doing 6 x .25 at race pace and then a few .1 strides to finish up to 10K. What I ended up doing was 1.0 @ 6.6 mph for a warm-up, 8 x .25 @ 9.1 mph, with .25 rests @ 6.6 and then .1 in a 9.2 to 9.8 ladder, with .1 rests @ 6.6.

Comments: It took a couple faster intervals to get the “right” stride with the Impulse, but once I did they did exactly what I wanted, until around the 4.5 mile mark when the right foot issue started. It didn’t really bother on the .1 repeats, but I knew it was there.

I was surprised that I was able to maintain the 9.1 mph for 8 repeats, in the past I had limited the speed a little more, but at this point I wanted to see if I could push the pace a little and it worked. The .1 ladder was tough though and that last tenth at 10.0 mph definitely got my attention. However, it was nice to push the last mile or so and not be totally trashed.

How did this run move me towards my goal(s)? Running on the treadmill is easier for me than the track or roads, so running at a faster speed will probably help me run better paces outside. I usually do my treadmill intervals at 8.6 or 8.7 mph for quarters or longer and today I was up to 9.1 mph. That might not sound like a huge difference, but I could definitely feel it.

Cardio (walking, elliptical, bike, mowing, etc.) Total: 3.97

Weight: 156

Non Running Comments: Just a small note, I have worn my watch on my left wrist pretty much since I started wearing a watch. However, all of my watches are set up for right handed people and now that colder weather is here, I went through my annual start the watch accidentally because I put my left hand in a pocket and the select button is the first thing that touches the pocket. So I am going to try again to start wearing my watch on my right wrist as it is designed for.

Just another one of those things that left-handed people have to put up with in a right-handed world. 😉