Pffff het was afzien afgelopen weekend #loopmaatjes #trailrunning #bearsports #keeprunning

Milestone reached in this week's 5k #Parkrun! I earned my latest Personal Best at 23:51 (pace 7'41"), and my watch recorded the fastest 5K at 23:47 (pace 7'39") -- it's whole 13 sec or 11 sec faster than my previous records, respectively! And it's the first time I recorded < 24 minutes both officially and by my watch!

Let's hope my half #Marathon tomorrow can break my personal records too!

#KeepRunning #running

5/end

* Safety: when a runner can see someone approaching in the opposite direction, it's easier for the runner to take the necessary evasive maneuver, especially when the runner is buried in her/his agony (or is thinking over some unsolved work
problems!), and may not notice a holler "to the left" coming from behind!

#keepRunning

4/

* Curvature of the road: each side of a trail is curved in an opposite direction. It helps not to always run on the same side because our legs have to compensate the curvature and it can get pretty tiring after a while.

#keepRunning

3/

PSA: for cyclists sharing trails with runners, please have sympathy if you see a runner running towards you on the same side of the trail, i.e., don't yell at them. The reasons why runners do this:

* Shades: any little shade helps when you're running long hours under a blistering sun. The side a runner chooses may have more shade than the other!

#keepRunning

2/

* 1:59:03 at my 9th #HalfMaraton along Sammamish River Trail. I did get my fastest 10k according to my watch (53:12 pace 8'34", ~2 minutes faster than my fastest), but on my way back I decided to take an easy run thanks to my tired legs caused by the extensive walking during my "vacation".

(pictures: 1 was taken when I drove to the trail -- a fawn and the mom were trapped in the middle of a ramp; 2 was me devouring my energy bar and water after the run)

#keepRunning

1/

Here is my weekend 16.3-mile report after coming back from a so-called "vacation" (who thought it's a good idea to visit Great Canyon in this 110+F weather?):

* 24:07 at weekly 5k #Parkrun (3 seconds slower than my PB)

#keepRunning

4/

One random thing I started doing today in my half Marathon run was waving and shouting “good job” “keep it up” to every runner running in the opposite direction! For some reason encouraging the other fellow runners makes me feel more motivated and therefore less pain!

(Another is to blare my favorite military workout playlist from my earbuds)

I’m also starting to read Born to Run 2!

#keepRunning

3/

A bit long-term thinking: I think running long-distance all about pain control: how to produce less pain per unit of work, and how to increase my pain tolerance. For the first point I need to make my motion more efficient, especially in reducing wobbling (my arm movement is not so great). For the second, well, I just got to push my limit each time.

#keepRunning

2/

On Sunday it was my 8th #HalfMarathon along Sammamish River Trail: well, I did score my fastest 10k (55:11 at pace 8’53”), but overall I didn’t run faster than last week when I scored 1:51:48 at pace 8’32”. One excuse I have was my training regime was probably a bit too intense this past couple months: on average I run ~32 miles per week! Next week I’m going to take a little break and reduce milage a bit.

(But I did keep it under 9:00 per mile in my Half Marathon run!)

#keepRunning

1/

My 16.3-mile report this weekend is a mixed bag. On Saturday #Parkrun 5k I scored my best on both the official record and on my watch! They are 24:04 (pace 7’45”) and 23:58 (pace 7’43”). I guess the “5k” ParkRun is actually slightly longer than what my watch thinks 5k is.

#keepRunning

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* Sunday: started on Sammamish River Trail my 7th #HalfMarathon earlier to avoid sun and heat (learned my lesson from last week), resulting in two personal bests: 10k at 56:32 (pace 9’06”), and full distance 13.1 mile at 1:51:48 (pace 8’32”). Yes -- my half Marathon pace is actually faster than my 10k, because I sped up in the second half!

Bonus: waved back at two fellow runners, and met one senior lady with her 15-year-old dog named Brandy!

#keepRunning

1/

This weekend's 16.3-mile runs saw some progress!

* Saturday: At weekly 5k #Parkrun my watch recorded the fastest 5k, clocking at 24:15 (pace 7'48"). Happy #CanadaDay!

#keepRunning

2/

But I wasn't as lucky on my Sunday #HalfMarathon run on Sammamish River Trail: it's a spotless day (feels like 23 celsius), and sun and heat was getting to me. I finally gave myself permission to walk a bit at 10-11 mile, and finished 13.21 miles in 2:05:13. But my first 10k set my personal record at ~56 minutes!

(well, some days are better than the others, but it's important to #keepRunning!)

Weekend progress 2/2

Sunday: ran my 5th half Marathon on Sammamish River Trail and scored my best — 1:53:39 at pace 8‘41“, almost 4 minutes faster than last time! I caught decent rain and headwind in the last 3 miles — completely soaked and running with heavy shoes (water)!

#keepRunning

Weekend progress 1/2

Saturday: Watch recorded my fast 5k @ Parkrun — 24:32 at pace 7‘54“. Bonus for Father‘s day: kids came to run with me!

#keepRunning

As long as a person doesn't admit he's defeated, he is not defeated — he's just a little behind, and isn't through fighting. - (Darrell Royal)

Behind in the race? Don't let it discourage you. Every setback is an opportunity to come back stronger. Keep pushing forward!

#MondayMotivation #MondayMood #KeepRunning #resilience

Brought just a couple energy bars to Sammamish River Trail today, and ran my best half Marathon ever! Time is 1:57:11 (pace 8’56”) — 10 minutes faster than my Seattle Half Marathon record last November!

(first picture was taken from a previous run — today was cloudy and cool, perfect for a long-distance run)

#keepRunning

A bit of drizzle, but another milestone was made today! I got my Personal Best in Park Run 5k: 24:38 (pace 7’55”)! My watch also recorded the Fastest 5k at 24:34 (pace 7’54”)!

#keepRunning

Tragedy happened today: I ran annual UW Husky 5k run, only to miss the last turn and ran the most challenging uphill leg twice (see the red circle marked on the map)! Instead of running 3.1 mile, I ran 3.66 mile.

Had I not made the mistake, I would’ve finished around 24:30 at pace 7’54”, beating my PB at Park Run 5k…

#keepRunning