Week Two is under way

Ran a slightly longer distance today. Time was 28.34. Distance, was, ah, 2.49 miles. Which is about what I thought I had been running, distance-wise. But I doublechecked on geodistance.com and figured I had been running about 2.43 miles.

So, if I want to add 10 percent to my distance per week -- a rule of thumb, so I've heard -- then I probably need to run more like 2.7ish miles. Which, using geodistance.com again, I think I've found an easy route change to accomplish.

On the other hand, I probably need to add some variety  to my training. Long runs, pace runs, speed runs. You know. That kind of stuff. Ever since I subscribed to Runner's World, I get an email every other day touting a new book that's essential for beginning/serious runners. This would probably be a good time to head back across the street to visit with neighbor/serious runner Dave. In fact, as I was heading out the door this morning, Dave and his wife were getting in the car to head to a run -- wife noticed me, smiled and waved. Kindred spirits now, even though I'm sure they could both run me into the ground without too much effort.

I came across some more info on the web this evening that's starting to convince me that running every day isn't recommended anymore. Many of the training plans I've seen recommend three runs a week, with some kind of cross training every other day. The idea is to limit the pounding of running but building cardio endurance through other kinds lower impact exercise. Makes sense. I kept asking Dave the other day how long until I wouldn't be sore. He never did give me a definitive answer, other than to say, "One day you'll be running and realize you're not sore anymore."

Hmm.

I did 30 minutes on the elliptical and 20 minutes on the stationary bike today at lunch -- just to burn some more calories/fat. I figure running will be easier if there's less of me to haul around.

One thing is for certain: I need to target a race to train for to keep my training focused. Dave recommended the RunTex website for a list of area races. So that will be a goal for this week; pick a race and start training for it. All the training plans I've found are targeted for a specific distance event, with a specific training period beforehand.

And way we ... progress.