10 Miles Is Starting To Feel Routine
Posted: January 30, 2012 Filed under: City Running | Tags: 10 miles, Boulder, office, record 7 Comments »
I regularly run from my house in Eldorado Springs to my office in Boulder. My standard run is right around 10 miles and has been a staple of my weekly “medium” runs when I’m in town. I usually leave my house just before dawn and enjoy the sun coming up on my way up 170 to Broadway (the first 4 miles) and then have the sun on my back for the remaining 6 miles into town.
As I’ve been losing weight (I’m now solidly under 200 and have been for a few weeks even with a long trip to the east coast) I’ve been getting faster. I knocked out a bunch of 10 milers at sea level in Boston and this was my first in Boulder since I went to Keystone in the middle of December.
I crushed it. I did a 9:1 pattern which means I walked a minute every 10 minutes and still turned in solid 10 minute miles the whole way, averaging 9:44. I had plenty left at the end although I definitely felt like I’d been working hard. For a 10 mile run, I’m often in the 140 – 150 range for average heart rate so 158 is an indication that there was some exertion today.
I started to fade a little around mile 8. I remember saying out loud “C’mon Feld – quit fucking around” as I picked it up again. As I made my way past the construction on Broadway (where they are building a new underpass), I smiled and hoofed it for the last mile.
Even with all my running, 10 miles used to feel like a long run until recently. Now, it’s just a routine run on my way to a day at the office.
Nice! My aspiration is to be like that as well – to feel running 10 miles is just routine!! Working to get there soon.
Thanks for the blog & this specific post. Very inspiring!
I enjoyed reading this. Started training in Nov for Bay to Breakers (7.5 mi) and this is helpful and inspirational! I see my runs becoming easier as well. THANK GOD! Keep it up.
Good for you! I bet you will only improve as you continue, too.
Back when I use to jog many years ago, I managed to do just over twelve minute miles. I’ve never been particularly fast.
Now, though, I’m doing walking training. Life and the trials associated with it brought my weight to 326.4 lbs at my heaviest (hubby had kidney failure and went on dialysis and I did NOT handle it well, gaining 60 lbs in just over a year!). I decided to take my life back. Back in October I started walking and have lost 30 lbs so far from that (35 pounds overall) and just yesterday walked 9 miles, the farthest I’ve gone in one outing since 2009. I’m doing the happy dance!
At 291 lbs. I’m still too heavy to do any jogging. It kills my joints. But as I continue with my training (I plan to walk across America this year, leaving in April), I would like to work running in. I figure I’ll have the distance on my feet thing down pat, I’ll just need to increase the speed. After my trip, I plan to start training for an Ironman triathalon. It’s the next thing to conquer on my bucket list.
Great job on taking your life back, loosing the weight, and the goal of walking across America!
Great run
It’s funny isn’t it how what was once a long run suddenly seems to be normal. I’m not there yet with 10 miles but have now passed 10-12km as a normal run.
Reblogged this on J. R. Dobis and commented:
It feels great when you keep at something that is challenging and eventually it becomes routine. What a feeling!
It feels great when you work on something challenging, and eventually it becomes routine. Awesome feeling! You rock.