Saturday Hill Run Workout (5.83 mi - 49:34 - 8:30 min/mi)

The reason I run is mostly due to my interest in analyzing data. This blog was started to deliver my report on analyzing OPM data for interesting vocational trends and patterns in my Data Visualization grad school course. I got a Nike Plus kit after seeing its capability for capturing your running data using an accelerometer. My wife bought me a more Garmin Forerunner 405 GPS watch for Christmas last year and this wonderful device captures running data such as elevation gain and loss, geo-location data, and speed. I have always been interested in how the data it provides can answer questions I have, such as if "I do a hill workout what percent grade is some of the lengths of my running course?"

Using my watch's collected data I determined that a hill I have been eying for a long time is 0.30 miles long and has a rise of 130 feet over that distance. That equals have the data I need to calculate the percentage grade - rise over run, remember Pythagoras? The grade formula is: grade percent = rise / run. This yields a grade length of 8.228%. Now the days when one has to pull out a pen and paper to calculate this may be forever over using the Wolfram Alpa knowledge engine. Just phrase your question properly and the answer is yours and the formula if you want it (see - http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=1580+feet+run+130+feet+rise).

So, as far a running goes I did four hill run ups. I ran up the hill at a steady pace, jogged back down and repeated it. I did only four because it was getting dark and fairly cold for what I dressed for.

Cheers


Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Saturday Hill Run Workout (5.83 mi - 49:34 - 8:30 min/mi)

A Frozen Long Run (14.01 mi @ 9:09 min/mi)

Garmin Connect - Activity Details for Frozen Long Run

Planned to do a 15 mile run today. It was a windy 18 degree morning and I ran about 8.2 miles until I got to the neighborhood Starbucks and stopped to slurp down a Tazo® Chai Tea Latte before trekking back home. I really froze on the second half of the run as I was running directly into the wind and had to lean and put my head down to keep going. I actually ran about 2.5 miles with my left hand in my pocket to avert the frost bite I was feeling.

At mile 12 I ran into a serious hill climb of about 150 ft in a quarter mile. I will have to remember this hill for when I need to do hill training in the future. It really kicked my butt, I had to walk a lot in the last two miles on the way home. Home was at 14 miles and I did not feel like extending the run for another mile so I ended early.

Good first long run of the new year.