Diary of a Bad Runner:: Improvement and Setback

My last runner entry was full of high hopes to improve pace and finish a four miler. Here's the update on that.

I did successfully finish Zoom thru the Zoo with an official time of 48 minutes but my Runkeeper tracked it at 45, so we'll go with that and blame the 3 minute deficit on the starting line crowd. Either way I proved to myself I could run for 45 minutes straight and that was a big confidence booster in the way of training.

As far as improving my pace I have kinda gone in the opposite direction and it is totally working for me. I've still been training with Gipis ( I discussed in my last entry) that I cannot recommend it highly enough to anyone running out there. There are countless running apps and programs out there but this one didn't just give me a set training plan, or just pace me as I trained. This app takes you where you are and factors in where you are trying to get to and makes up a plan just for you. It is straight up a personal running trainer on your phone.

So far in my training I am up to running 1:10 at a 12:00 min pace.  So I have almost made it to 6 miles. My program has me finishing a 2:11, with a 10:03 pace so obviously I have some work to do but I'm pretty excited that I went from feeling like I couldn't go on after 3 miles, to sailing through 5 and feeling fine now. The key is to worry more about how long I run instead of how far, for now. Which is something I knew all along, but still couldn't help but want to push.

The small set back is that I had some outpatient surgery last week and I am not suppose to run at all for two-four weeks depending on how I feel. This really stinks because I was making some great progress, but also totally worth it as it has to do with some good ol' family planning and we definitely want that in the near future. So the surgery did not need to be put off.

So here I am just sitting and dreaming of running like a nerd. Hope your summers are going well!

Anybody else training? What has been the biggest help? Ever had to power through an injury?