Sunday, March 23, 2008 RunningBlog: Earlier this week I managed to catch my friend Nat (husband to Staci) on IM, and we chatted briefly about our training programs. (He's doing a half-marathon about the same time as I am.) After hearing about his most recent "long run," I felt inspired to push even farther myself. Yesterday I headed out on my longest run since last year's City to Surf. I headed up Cleveland Street all the way to the end, then past Fox Studios, down to Centennial Park, around an entire lap of the park, then all the way home again. It was just over 10K (about six miles). I was feeling a little achy in my lower back (I saw my physio again on Thursday) so I decided to take it easy. I started doing 5:1 intervals (five minutes running, 1 minute walking), but switched to 4:1 about halfway through. The interesting thing is, I still managed to keep a really good average pace. I'm not far off what I need to do to make the time cutoff in the race. I did the 10K in 77 minutes, and for the race I need to do 11K in that time. That includes probably ten minutes of warm up and cool down walking too, so without those I'd have been even faster. And what's even more remarkable: I didn't get any side stitches! I think the run-walk breaks are helping with that a lot. My friend Susi lent me a copy of John Bingham's No Need for Speed, and I love the idea that you don't need to go fast to be a "real runner." I'm starting to feel more confident about this race! Of course, I'm pretty sore today. I think we might head over to the pool later for a recovery swim...   Comments   Wow that's so far. I'm always amazed at the distanes you run. I can barely run a couple of ks before my knees or lungs kark it. » Anna [www] » 2008-03-23 21:42:59   The Couch to 5K podcasts were the thing that got me going. You build up really slowly, doing short intervals of running and walking. I think it's the best way to get started! (And as your Dream GP, I highly recommend it.) » Kris [www] » 2008-03-24 22:35:11   Leave a Comment   Please note: As this post is over two weeks old, your comment will not appear until it has been moderated.     Name:   * optional   Save as cookie?       E-mail:   * Website:   What colour is an orange?     (Spam prevention.)   Created and maintained by Kristine Howard © 2000-2008.   » about » archives » photos » contact   archived post This is where my weblog goes to die. Every post has a permanent home, so this is where you should link if you're so inclined.       "Moblog" refers to posts and images posted directly from my mobile phone.   "PW Blog" refers to posts recovered from my very first weblog, which dealt with news related to my college dorm.