Train Insane or Remain the Same

Yesterday I ran a pretty hard run but only for a short amount of time. I wanted to run around 1.5 miles with around a 9:00 minute mile. I really want around a 9:00 or 10:00 minute mile for race day on September 1st (It will be here before I know it!) so I'm trying to train closer to 9:00 minutes that way I have some wiggle room.

I've kind of been getting bored in my runs, which sadly, makes me want to stop running. Then I end up not getting to my goal or not conquering what I wanted to. I haven't been really into my running playlist so I thought that maybe I should do a run without music. Didn't go too well. I lasted like a mile. Lol. So yesterday I thought I should change my course. Instead of running out on the streets, I ran around all of my connecting neighborhoods. It was kind of nice because I could set little goals to myself like "When you get to that green house, you can turn around and go back" or something like that. Whereas on the streets, I would get confused on which tree I set my goal at.

The new course actually helped me a lot! I ran at a 9:27 pace for 1.44 miles. I was done within 13:39 minutes (I didn't want a super long run yesterday).

I actually felt really good afterwards too. And lately, I have been feeling like I'm going to either pass out or throw up when I run. I felt so good but also completely exhausted afterwards that I literally laid down on my grass and stayed there for a while. People walking by probably thought something was wrong with me.

Yeah so that's me lying down on the grass. Great picture huh? But that face literally describes how I felt. Even though it was a short run, it was definitely a great run :)

QOTD: Have you ever had a great run, short or long?

Nike Running App

 When I first started running, I wanted to find the perfect app where it could tell how many miles I've gone, know my pace for every mile, calculate my average pace...etc. I thought about doing those Couch to Half Marathon apps but those are walk/run. I didn't want to tell people that I walked/ran a half marathon, I wanted to tell people I ran a half marathon! After searching for many days, yes I searched for days, I'm pretty sure I found the best running app ever. The Nike Running App. It fits every single expectation I had for a running app. I usually need music when I run (see my music playlist HERE) so I wanted an app that would allow me to play music while I ran. You would think that would be a common thing in a running app but most of the running apps I looked at didn't allow you to play music. Anyways, this app lets me do so many things and I will give you a little tour of how this amazing app works...

So this is your "home" page. It tells you how many miles you have ran total, your average pace, how many runs you have been on, and how many Nike Fuel points you have. It also has little facts and different goals that you have conquered. For example, the one on my screen today said that I ran .15 miles more and 0"22/mi slower than the average of all of my past runs. Pretty neat. It was also tell you your fastest mile, 5k, 10k, or your longest run.

   When you want to go on a run, all you do is click the "run" button in the top right hand corner. Then you get to the "Run Setup" page (left). This is when you make your options for your run. It lets you choose your music, location, and how you are holding your device. The one thing that I recently discovered is the "Run Type" option. At the very top, you tap on whatever setting it is on already (in my case, time run) and then it will bring you to this screen (right). Now it know exactly was run you are running and how to track it! It amazes me.

When you click the options tab, it tells you all of your past runs. If you turn your device horizontally, you see the picture below which is a graph chart about all of your runs.

The last thing to mention is the end of the run. Once you are finished running, this screen pops up. It shows your progress throughout the run. After your run you get to choose how you felt, where you ran, and if you have Nike+ shoes you get to tag your shoes. It's really cool to see that when I first started running 2 miles, I felt sick and horrible after. But now, I always choose the "I felt great!" happy face. 

As you can see, I would definitely recommend this app. It's pretty amazing. Hopefully you can give it a try!

QOTD: What is your favorite running app?