I was TDY again, so here's my Country Music Marathon race report, a week late...
I took last friday off from work and drove up to Nashville. I made it around 3:30 pm and went straight to the expo. The expo was nice, a bit busy, but I quickly got my race number and goodie bag and went to find my hotel. I found the hotel by around 5, checked in, and walked down to Applebee's for some pre-race pasta. After that, I settled in, got ready for the race, laid out everything I needed, and watched some hockey. I got in touch with Leo and planned to meet up with him, Wes, and Bryan before the race.
I woke up at 4:30, ate a bagel, put on my race attire, and drove over to LP Field to catch a bus to the start. I made the buses by about 15 minutes before they stopped running, so I kinda cut it close. I made it over to the start in Centennial park, found Leo and company, and found our place at the start. Soon enough, we were on our way.
Looking at the weather report that morning, I knew it was gonna be a little warm, but I didn't know that it was gonna be an underestimate. The temperature quickly rose as the miles accumulated. Around 6 miles in, I knew this was going to be a huge effort. I started to slow down and some early hills took their toll. My knee was starting to hurt again, not too badly at first, but by the time the half-marathon split came along (Wes and Bryan were only doing the half), I needed to walk a bit. Leo walked with me up the hill at the 12 mile point, where he said his knee was having the exact same problem.
We came to the conclusion (whether this is true or not is to be decided, but it assigns blame, so I'm going with it) that our knee issues were due to the ING Georgia Marathon. Most of the race was run on the right side of the road, and all the roads were crowned (they slant down to the sides so that rain water doesn't accumulate in the middle). That caused one leg to take a shorter stride than the other, so we went with that blame, since it was in the same knee.
As we walked more and ran less, our knees hurt more and the temperature rose. After the race ended, the temperature read 91 degrees with 80-90% humidity (read: suck) I was horribly dehydrated, so much that at one point my nose bled quite a bit. I got it under control and started taking about 3 cups water, 1 cup cytomax at the aid stations. I was still bad at the end of the race, but I felt better towards mile 20 or so.
The bands on the course were actually quite entertaining. For not being a country fan, I enjoyed having them to look forward to. Walking most of the second half of the race meant it went longer in between bands, but I enjoyed listening to them perform as we walked past.
Leo and I eventually finished in 5:45 (a new personal worst for both of us) and I think 15 minutes before the cut-off. Only about half of the 7500 marathon runners finished, so I'll take the bad performance as a boost, but not much of one. It was too hot, and its only going to feel hotter in the Keys. I'm gonna get one of those Badwater hats and some ice-bandanas to help me keep cool during the race. Gutting it out in Nashville through the heat proved to me that I can play the mental part of the game. I wanted to quit a few times but I kept walking, knowing that a finish was within reach and that it was good training for the Keys. Hopefully I'll run a smart race and get plenty of awesome support from my wonderful crew (Emily) :)
As for my marathon buddies, our next planned trip will be the Disney race weekend in January of 2010, Leo and I are doing the Goofy's Challenge, but we'll see what comes up in between now and then.
And so the adventure continues...
Friday, May 1, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
A Few Minutes of Torture
So I was reading about IT Band Syndrome, and many of the articles pointed to this little piece of medieval torture equipment...
Wow does this thing hurt, but its a good hurt! Just put it under my leg while laying down on my side, and roll back and forth. It's foam, so it'll feel good, right?
NO! It hurts like hell. Yeah, it feels better when you get up and move around for a few seconds, but the few seconds that you're actually using it... pain. I tried it on my back too, and realized that I'm just one big ball of muscle knots! The next few weeks are gonna be painful with this thing, but hopefully I'll be better off than I was without it.
My knee feels pretty good right now, so for the moment I'm still going to go to PT tomorrow. I told everyone at work not to expect me, but I'm feeling a bit better and its only 1.5 miles, so I can walk out if I get too bad. I gotta see where I stand though, with a 12 miler on Wednesday, 8 on Thursday, and 24 on Friday so I can have a restful weekend. Still don't know what I'm gonna do about the 10 miler on Sunday, either get up early and do it or break it up over a day or three. Who knows. Lets just get past Wednesday before I make those plans...
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Croom Trail 50K Race Report
I'm an ultrarunner again!
Well, technically I am. While a 50k is technically considered an ultra, the first true "bragging rights" ultra is 50, so I'll give that a go in a month. But anyways, I broke the ultra barrier this weekend and here's the promised race report:
I left work around noon on Friday and finished packing. I was feeling pretty nervous about the race, so I read an article written about the Barkley Marathon, which made me feel a lot better about the distance. If those guys can finish even one loop of that race, I can do 31 miles on a marked trail in Florida! On the way there, I noticed that it was a full moon out. Not only that, but it was blood red. I called my parents and Emily to ask if that was a good or bad sign, and it was a split vote. Oh well, tomorrow will be what it will be I guess. I got to Brooksville around 9:30 or so, checked in, and pretty much crashed.
Woke up at 5:20 and got ready. This was the first race where I went with gym shorts over triathlon shorts to try to avoid the wicked chaffing that I was getting with the just gym shorts routine I was going with before. I also tried a product called Body Glide, which I am now willing to buy stock in, but more on that later...
I left my room around 6 and drove to the start. It was a dusty gravel road to the start, and my car is now filthy from it and the bugs that hit my car on the way down. I got my race packet, threw my number on my shorts (ultrarunners put their numbers on their shorts, and since I was to be part of their club again, I guessed I better start doing that) and threw the bag in the car.
It's true from all the race reports I've ever read. You're standing at the start, wondering what the day is going to bring, and you expect there to be some big, symbolic start, something meaningful, a warcry, anything. Nope, the crowd just starts moving forward. That's the start, no gun, no yelling, just running. I guess I like that better, I just always expect more...
The first mile was down the dusty gravel road so that we run the extra mile (its a 15 mile loop, times two is 30, plus this mile gives 50K). A lot of the trail was sandy, which surprised me. I would say a quarter of it, but a few of the big hills were sandy, which made it harder. The course was well marked with orange spraypaint marks and ribbon, which made it easy. Only one turn could have been better marked, but luckily there was group in front of me that caught it the first time. This group consisted of the people I ran much of the race with. A guy named Dave (I think) who went to law school at Duke and Stanford, but he didn't keep with the group long. I also ran with an AF reservist from Macdill AFB named Tim and a girl whose name I forget (the race results haven't come out yet, so I can't go look up names). I finished the first lap and made it to the first aid station of the second lap with them. The aid stations were very helpful, serving coca-cola, energy drink, water, M&M's, and chex mix. The first lap went well, sticking with Tim and his friend, walking (some) of the uphills and getting out of the aid stations quickly after thanking the volunteers. The second lap didn't go so well. I started to overheat, as it was a moderately hot day out (85 degrees) and overcast, so it didn't feel as hot as it was. I had a slight headache the whole way and I felt like I couldn't drink enough water. That and my roommate who had borrowed my camelback left a gu packet that somehow opened into the pocket where my saltsticks were, dissolving them into the orange gu. No electrolytes for me today!
Someone told me this was Bundy's Pit, where the serial killer Ted Bundy buried some of his victims... creepy!
I made it through the second aid station and quickly made it to the third, which seemed odd when the aid station volunteers said it was only 2.5 to the finish. I left with an older gentleman (68 years old) and ran/walked with him for a while, who informed me that their estimate was bullshit, and that it was at least 6 to the finish! We talked about his history of ultrarunning, that he started in this 11 years ago and has ran a 50k in the desert in July. He seemed very upset that he was moving so slow with his age, but we talked about how much better it was to be doing ultramarathons at 68 when I know plenty of 20 year olds who can't finish a mile. I started to pull ahead a little and felt a little better, so I thanked him and wished him luck, and sped off.
The rest of the race was almost a big blur, except for when Joe from work texted me about a party he was having for Easter the next day. He told me to bring a dish or dessert, so I made him tell me exactly what to bring as I was having trouble thinking at the moment. The next thing I remember is seeing a sign saying "Camp/water 0.2 miles ahead"! Yes, the finish! I started moving with whatever energy I had left, and finished in 6:28:something. My older friend finished about 10 minutes after me. I waited for him at the finish line, congratulated him, and called Emily and my parents to tell them about the race as I hobbled to my car.
Oh, and on the way home, I got one of these, even though Emily said not to:
My knee hurts now, and my back is really sore, worse than my legs! My knee seems like a tight IT band, so I'm stretching it out now as I have two days off, and my back just needs a heat pad. I also have that "I slept too long and I'm dehydrated like a hangover" headache, which sucks, but I'll take it, as I had a great but difficult time yesterday. I feel very confident that I can finish the 50 miler now that I finished the 50k. I don't know that it will be an amazing finishing time, but barring injury, I'll make it.
Well, technically I am. While a 50k is technically considered an ultra, the first true "bragging rights" ultra is 50, so I'll give that a go in a month. But anyways, I broke the ultra barrier this weekend and here's the promised race report:
I left work around noon on Friday and finished packing. I was feeling pretty nervous about the race, so I read an article written about the Barkley Marathon, which made me feel a lot better about the distance. If those guys can finish even one loop of that race, I can do 31 miles on a marked trail in Florida! On the way there, I noticed that it was a full moon out. Not only that, but it was blood red. I called my parents and Emily to ask if that was a good or bad sign, and it was a split vote. Oh well, tomorrow will be what it will be I guess. I got to Brooksville around 9:30 or so, checked in, and pretty much crashed.
Woke up at 5:20 and got ready. This was the first race where I went with gym shorts over triathlon shorts to try to avoid the wicked chaffing that I was getting with the just gym shorts routine I was going with before. I also tried a product called Body Glide, which I am now willing to buy stock in, but more on that later...
I left my room around 6 and drove to the start. It was a dusty gravel road to the start, and my car is now filthy from it and the bugs that hit my car on the way down. I got my race packet, threw my number on my shorts (ultrarunners put their numbers on their shorts, and since I was to be part of their club again, I guessed I better start doing that) and threw the bag in the car.
It's true from all the race reports I've ever read. You're standing at the start, wondering what the day is going to bring, and you expect there to be some big, symbolic start, something meaningful, a warcry, anything. Nope, the crowd just starts moving forward. That's the start, no gun, no yelling, just running. I guess I like that better, I just always expect more...
The first mile was down the dusty gravel road so that we run the extra mile (its a 15 mile loop, times two is 30, plus this mile gives 50K). A lot of the trail was sandy, which surprised me. I would say a quarter of it, but a few of the big hills were sandy, which made it harder. The course was well marked with orange spraypaint marks and ribbon, which made it easy. Only one turn could have been better marked, but luckily there was group in front of me that caught it the first time. This group consisted of the people I ran much of the race with. A guy named Dave (I think) who went to law school at Duke and Stanford, but he didn't keep with the group long. I also ran with an AF reservist from Macdill AFB named Tim and a girl whose name I forget (the race results haven't come out yet, so I can't go look up names). I finished the first lap and made it to the first aid station of the second lap with them. The aid stations were very helpful, serving coca-cola, energy drink, water, M&M's, and chex mix. The first lap went well, sticking with Tim and his friend, walking (some) of the uphills and getting out of the aid stations quickly after thanking the volunteers. The second lap didn't go so well. I started to overheat, as it was a moderately hot day out (85 degrees) and overcast, so it didn't feel as hot as it was. I had a slight headache the whole way and I felt like I couldn't drink enough water. That and my roommate who had borrowed my camelback left a gu packet that somehow opened into the pocket where my saltsticks were, dissolving them into the orange gu. No electrolytes for me today!
Someone told me this was Bundy's Pit, where the serial killer Ted Bundy buried some of his victims... creepy!
I made it through the second aid station and quickly made it to the third, which seemed odd when the aid station volunteers said it was only 2.5 to the finish. I left with an older gentleman (68 years old) and ran/walked with him for a while, who informed me that their estimate was bullshit, and that it was at least 6 to the finish! We talked about his history of ultrarunning, that he started in this 11 years ago and has ran a 50k in the desert in July. He seemed very upset that he was moving so slow with his age, but we talked about how much better it was to be doing ultramarathons at 68 when I know plenty of 20 year olds who can't finish a mile. I started to pull ahead a little and felt a little better, so I thanked him and wished him luck, and sped off.
The rest of the race was almost a big blur, except for when Joe from work texted me about a party he was having for Easter the next day. He told me to bring a dish or dessert, so I made him tell me exactly what to bring as I was having trouble thinking at the moment. The next thing I remember is seeing a sign saying "Camp/water 0.2 miles ahead"! Yes, the finish! I started moving with whatever energy I had left, and finished in 6:28:something. My older friend finished about 10 minutes after me. I waited for him at the finish line, congratulated him, and called Emily and my parents to tell them about the race as I hobbled to my car.
Oh, and on the way home, I got one of these, even though Emily said not to:
My knee hurts now, and my back is really sore, worse than my legs! My knee seems like a tight IT band, so I'm stretching it out now as I have two days off, and my back just needs a heat pad. I also have that "I slept too long and I'm dehydrated like a hangover" headache, which sucks, but I'll take it, as I had a great but difficult time yesterday. I feel very confident that I can finish the 50 miler now that I finished the 50k. I don't know that it will be an amazing finishing time, but barring injury, I'll make it.
Monday, April 6, 2009
ING Georgia Marathon
Ok, so another month, another TDY, this time to Boston, and a lot to write about...
I'll start with a race report for the ING Georgia Marathon:
Traveling down to Atlanta from Boston proved comfortable as I was sitting first class on a Delta flight. If I were only so lucky on the return trip! I flew down the night before the race so I could make the expo, pick up my packet, and meet my friend, Chelsea. Little did I know, she wasn't able to make it, so I had to find one of her friends, Renee, at the expo, and split a room with her. The expo was good, tried some Almond milk, bought some shorts, looked at stuff. Fun times. Found Renee and it was off to dinner with her friends at a Japanese Hibachi place. After that, we returned to the hotel, got our stuff ready for the race, and turned in for a good nights sleep before the race.
Which didn't happen, I tossed and turned all night...
Race day came with temperatures in the 40's. Not knowing anyone there not running, I decided to just brave the cold in shorts and t-shirt, which was smart. After the national anthem, we were off, and I started to warm up. I said farewell to Renee and wished her luck about a half mile into the race, and took off.
I quickly caught up to a group of 3 guys with a ton of energy, laughing and yelling at everyone. Knowing there was still about 4 hours of running left, I decided to stick with them for however long I could. Turns out they were all from Pensacola and we had a good time until mile 7, where the half marathoners branch off the marathon course. My new friend, Leo, and I continued on, talking about anything and everything that could possibly come up, and the miles flew by. We were ready to break a 4 hour race when I suddenly cramped up at 22.5 and had to stop. I wish I could have finished with him, but these things happen, and I wasn't about to kill myself on a training run.
The race had way more hills than I expected, which if they weren't there, I could have easily broke 4 hours I think. I would have loved to PR, but it wasn't in the books this time. My post-injury PR is 4:10, and that's the one I'm gonna go with from now on, and I finished in 4:12! So close on a harder course! Maybe Nashville will be better. I quickly returned to my hotel, sat in an icebath for ten torturous minutes, took a shower, and headed for the airport, where my flight was cancelled and I had to sleep in the airport until the next morning to get back to Boston! I wasn't doing to hot Monday to say the least... It was a fun time, met many new people, and I'm itching for the next one!
With that said, I returned to Boston, finished my work, and finally returned home, just in time to relax for a week before the Croom Trail I'm Not A Fool 50K! My first attempt at an Ultramarathon in 3 or 4 years. Am I nervous? Yes, of course I am! Will I finish? Barring injury or doing something stupid, yes, I will finish. It's only 5 miles more than a marathon, but those 5 miles might be pretty tough. I know there will be tough times and I know it will hurt, but I've been waiting for this week for years, and it feels like the time is right for a spectacular comeback!
Oh, I ordered some pictures from the marathon, and I'll probably order pictures from the ultra, so I'll post those when I get them... Next week I'll be heading to Philly to see Emily, which will be great, but hopefully I can squeeze in the long run that weekend... might have to wake up early!
I'll start with a race report for the ING Georgia Marathon:
Traveling down to Atlanta from Boston proved comfortable as I was sitting first class on a Delta flight. If I were only so lucky on the return trip! I flew down the night before the race so I could make the expo, pick up my packet, and meet my friend, Chelsea. Little did I know, she wasn't able to make it, so I had to find one of her friends, Renee, at the expo, and split a room with her. The expo was good, tried some Almond milk, bought some shorts, looked at stuff. Fun times. Found Renee and it was off to dinner with her friends at a Japanese Hibachi place. After that, we returned to the hotel, got our stuff ready for the race, and turned in for a good nights sleep before the race.
Which didn't happen, I tossed and turned all night...
Race day came with temperatures in the 40's. Not knowing anyone there not running, I decided to just brave the cold in shorts and t-shirt, which was smart. After the national anthem, we were off, and I started to warm up. I said farewell to Renee and wished her luck about a half mile into the race, and took off.
I quickly caught up to a group of 3 guys with a ton of energy, laughing and yelling at everyone. Knowing there was still about 4 hours of running left, I decided to stick with them for however long I could. Turns out they were all from Pensacola and we had a good time until mile 7, where the half marathoners branch off the marathon course. My new friend, Leo, and I continued on, talking about anything and everything that could possibly come up, and the miles flew by. We were ready to break a 4 hour race when I suddenly cramped up at 22.5 and had to stop. I wish I could have finished with him, but these things happen, and I wasn't about to kill myself on a training run.
The race had way more hills than I expected, which if they weren't there, I could have easily broke 4 hours I think. I would have loved to PR, but it wasn't in the books this time. My post-injury PR is 4:10, and that's the one I'm gonna go with from now on, and I finished in 4:12! So close on a harder course! Maybe Nashville will be better. I quickly returned to my hotel, sat in an icebath for ten torturous minutes, took a shower, and headed for the airport, where my flight was cancelled and I had to sleep in the airport until the next morning to get back to Boston! I wasn't doing to hot Monday to say the least... It was a fun time, met many new people, and I'm itching for the next one!
With that said, I returned to Boston, finished my work, and finally returned home, just in time to relax for a week before the Croom Trail I'm Not A Fool 50K! My first attempt at an Ultramarathon in 3 or 4 years. Am I nervous? Yes, of course I am! Will I finish? Barring injury or doing something stupid, yes, I will finish. It's only 5 miles more than a marathon, but those 5 miles might be pretty tough. I know there will be tough times and I know it will hurt, but I've been waiting for this week for years, and it feels like the time is right for a spectacular comeback!
Oh, I ordered some pictures from the marathon, and I'll probably order pictures from the ultra, so I'll post those when I get them... Next week I'll be heading to Philly to see Emily, which will be great, but hopefully I can squeeze in the long run that weekend... might have to wake up early!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
I Suck At This
Ok, yeah... I know... more than a month.
In my defense, I've been really busy lately. I was TDY to three different cities in four weeks. Try as I might to get miles in on a treadmill, it didn't happen. I'm kinda behind on my mileage right now (140 at the moment)
I have gotten in some pretty nice long runs since I've returned though. Notably was the 20 miler last Saturday, and then 10 on Monday. The 20 sucked because I was dehydrated to begin with and it was hot out, but I pushed through it anyways. 10 was hard because I was just tired, but I did pretty well for those conditions.
Yesterday at PT was the trail run, which I smoked everyone but one person. Good because I placed 2nd, bad because it gave me shinsplints (anyone who knows why I get shinsplints only when I run really fast, could you please let me know!)
Today was 8 miles with shinsplints, which made my time really slow. I think this run taught me what its like to require mental energy to finish a run. By the time I ran through the shinsplints, I was exhausted mentally, which only let me run maybe a half mile at a time. My legs felt reasonably well, and I wasn't breathing heavy, just done. It taught me a lot.
Anyways, tomorrow is another 8 miles (hopefully easier), then Saturday is 19 miles early in the morning followed by a 5K in Pensacola with Emily and a bunch of work friends! I'm excited for it for the chance to run with Emily (she says she's too slow, but I'll be pretty slow by then too), and to do another 5K and another race to my growing list of runs I've done. Looking forward to it!
(I'll eventually get better at this thing, I promise!)
In my defense, I've been really busy lately. I was TDY to three different cities in four weeks. Try as I might to get miles in on a treadmill, it didn't happen. I'm kinda behind on my mileage right now (140 at the moment)
I have gotten in some pretty nice long runs since I've returned though. Notably was the 20 miler last Saturday, and then 10 on Monday. The 20 sucked because I was dehydrated to begin with and it was hot out, but I pushed through it anyways. 10 was hard because I was just tired, but I did pretty well for those conditions.
Yesterday at PT was the trail run, which I smoked everyone but one person. Good because I placed 2nd, bad because it gave me shinsplints (anyone who knows why I get shinsplints only when I run really fast, could you please let me know!)
Today was 8 miles with shinsplints, which made my time really slow. I think this run taught me what its like to require mental energy to finish a run. By the time I ran through the shinsplints, I was exhausted mentally, which only let me run maybe a half mile at a time. My legs felt reasonably well, and I wasn't breathing heavy, just done. It taught me a lot.
Anyways, tomorrow is another 8 miles (hopefully easier), then Saturday is 19 miles early in the morning followed by a 5K in Pensacola with Emily and a bunch of work friends! I'm excited for it for the chance to run with Emily (she says she's too slow, but I'll be pretty slow by then too), and to do another 5K and another race to my growing list of runs I've done. Looking forward to it!
(I'll eventually get better at this thing, I promise!)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Two Week Update
Wow has it been a while! Almost two weeks since my last update...
I know I suck at this whole update thing, I've just been really busy lately. I just got back from a weeklong trip to Newport News, VA. Now I'm getting ready to spend two weeks in Dallas. All of this travel makes it hard to get my miles in, but I've mostly kept up with it. Last weekend I did 12 and 8, this weekend 14 and 8. Last Thursday I did 6 miles in 49 minutes, my best time in about 3 years! Granted it was on a treadmill, but that's about the best you can do while TDY. Today I did 8 miles in 1:13. This normally isn't that newsworthy, but in late December I did 7 miles in 1:13. I like to know that my speed is improving even when I'm not actively working on it.
This upcoming week in Dallas will be tough to get miles in. I hate running on treadmills, but thats all I can do before or after work when its dark in a city I'm not familiar with. Over the weekend I have a 16 miler and then a 10 miler. I don't know how I'll manage on a treadmill, but I guess I'll just have to get my iPod and zone out for close to 4 hours this weekend...
I'm thinking about doing a 100 mile race in October, the Heartland 100. I'm going to ultimately decide after I do some much longer runs, but hopefully by the time April rolls around, I'll be able to see how well I recover after longer runs and races.
Thats the news for now. I'll try not to be too busy this week to provide another update or two...
I know I suck at this whole update thing, I've just been really busy lately. I just got back from a weeklong trip to Newport News, VA. Now I'm getting ready to spend two weeks in Dallas. All of this travel makes it hard to get my miles in, but I've mostly kept up with it. Last weekend I did 12 and 8, this weekend 14 and 8. Last Thursday I did 6 miles in 49 minutes, my best time in about 3 years! Granted it was on a treadmill, but that's about the best you can do while TDY. Today I did 8 miles in 1:13. This normally isn't that newsworthy, but in late December I did 7 miles in 1:13. I like to know that my speed is improving even when I'm not actively working on it.
This upcoming week in Dallas will be tough to get miles in. I hate running on treadmills, but thats all I can do before or after work when its dark in a city I'm not familiar with. Over the weekend I have a 16 miler and then a 10 miler. I don't know how I'll manage on a treadmill, but I guess I'll just have to get my iPod and zone out for close to 4 hours this weekend...
I'm thinking about doing a 100 mile race in October, the Heartland 100. I'm going to ultimately decide after I do some much longer runs, but hopefully by the time April rolls around, I'll be able to see how well I recover after longer runs and races.
Thats the news for now. I'll try not to be too busy this week to provide another update or two...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Rainy Days
What is it about bad weather that makes me want to run in it?
Every time its raining hard, I'm reminded of an American Express commercial I saw a few years ago with Tiger Woods. He describes what chances await him on rainy days, then fades to him out in the pouring rain practicing his shot as he narrates "Problem is, there are no rainy days". By the time I make it to the computer to watch it again, I'm lacing up the shoes to go run.
I love running when its 65 degrees on a not to sunny day and the run is as comfortable as can be. There's just something about bad weather that makes me feel tougher for running in it. Extreme heat, blistering cold, blizzards, tropical storms, I've ran in them all. Coming back from a run when your ears are ringing from thunder and someone gives you that "are you kidding me?" look just cause me to smile and nod slowly. It rained both on my Saturday and Sunday long runs, and I loved it.
Saturday was a 10 mile run and Sunday was a 6 mile run. At the halfway point of Sunday's run, I was tempted to go even further. I'm really starting to hit my stride here and I'm always motivated to try to run farther. Just two weeks into my training plan and I'm thinking I'm already good to go with a 50 mile run. It can't stop me. Tomorrow's scheduled run is 2 miles...
... who knows how far I'm going...
Every time its raining hard, I'm reminded of an American Express commercial I saw a few years ago with Tiger Woods. He describes what chances await him on rainy days, then fades to him out in the pouring rain practicing his shot as he narrates "Problem is, there are no rainy days". By the time I make it to the computer to watch it again, I'm lacing up the shoes to go run.
I love running when its 65 degrees on a not to sunny day and the run is as comfortable as can be. There's just something about bad weather that makes me feel tougher for running in it. Extreme heat, blistering cold, blizzards, tropical storms, I've ran in them all. Coming back from a run when your ears are ringing from thunder and someone gives you that "are you kidding me?" look just cause me to smile and nod slowly. It rained both on my Saturday and Sunday long runs, and I loved it.
Saturday was a 10 mile run and Sunday was a 6 mile run. At the halfway point of Sunday's run, I was tempted to go even further. I'm really starting to hit my stride here and I'm always motivated to try to run farther. Just two weeks into my training plan and I'm thinking I'm already good to go with a 50 mile run. It can't stop me. Tomorrow's scheduled run is 2 miles...
... who knows how far I'm going...
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Still Here
So I'm not dead...
Just been really busy. Last week was hectic with work and running (got all my miles in, even made up some from Christmas), and this week Emily was in town (still got all my miles in!).
I signed up for another race, the Croom trail 50K Fool's Run. It's in Brooksville FL, and it lines up perfectly with the weekend I need to run a 50K.
On Tuesday, for PT we had a personal workout because it was "cold" outside. What that means is that it was 40 degrees out and everyone else was a baby and went to the gym. Not I! I put in 4.5 miles on the trails. I dunno what it is, but I enjoy running in the cold, makes you feel like you accomplished a little more.
That's about all the news I have for right now. I promise to update this thing more often!
Just been really busy. Last week was hectic with work and running (got all my miles in, even made up some from Christmas), and this week Emily was in town (still got all my miles in!).
I signed up for another race, the Croom trail 50K Fool's Run. It's in Brooksville FL, and it lines up perfectly with the weekend I need to run a 50K.
On Tuesday, for PT we had a personal workout because it was "cold" outside. What that means is that it was 40 degrees out and everyone else was a baby and went to the gym. Not I! I put in 4.5 miles on the trails. I dunno what it is, but I enjoy running in the cold, makes you feel like you accomplished a little more.
That's about all the news I have for right now. I promise to update this thing more often!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Smoked
"Runners wake up tired, and go to bed really tired"
Wow does that apply today! I'm not sure why, but its only 8:30 here and I'm way past ready to go to bed. On Saturday I did a 7 mile run in 1:13 and then on Sunday I did a 6 mile run in 56 minutes. I think its just the fact that I did a back to back long run weekend that I'm so smoked.
I've also been in the process of trying to kick caffeine out of my daily diet. For those of you who don't know, soda is my kryptonite. If I were to say I have one vice, it'd be Dr. Pepper. I love the stuff. Unfortunately, its not very good for you, so I'm trying cut down on it. The problem is that I seem to be addicted to caffeine, and I'm now going through withdrawals. Mid-afternoon, I'll have a splitting headache that makes me just want to lie down for the rest of the day, ruining any chance of working out. If I drink something caffeinated, it'll go away. Anyways, to make a long story short, I'm doing a lot better now. Only half a 20 oz bottle of coke kept the headache away all day. Tomorrow will be the first work day I try to go without it, so I'll see how I do. If its bad, I'll take some bottles to work so I can drink a little of it now and then to keep the headache away, and slowly ween myself off of it. Slowly but surely I'll quit drinking the damn stuff.
This week is another normal week, 2 mile runs scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, an 8 miler on Saturday and a 6 miler on Sunday. Weight lifting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm gonna try riding the bike to work on Friday and see how it goes. If its well, I'll start doing that a few days a week for some extra training and cutting back on gasoline costs.
Anyways, thats it for today, time for BED!!!
Wow does that apply today! I'm not sure why, but its only 8:30 here and I'm way past ready to go to bed. On Saturday I did a 7 mile run in 1:13 and then on Sunday I did a 6 mile run in 56 minutes. I think its just the fact that I did a back to back long run weekend that I'm so smoked.
I've also been in the process of trying to kick caffeine out of my daily diet. For those of you who don't know, soda is my kryptonite. If I were to say I have one vice, it'd be Dr. Pepper. I love the stuff. Unfortunately, its not very good for you, so I'm trying cut down on it. The problem is that I seem to be addicted to caffeine, and I'm now going through withdrawals. Mid-afternoon, I'll have a splitting headache that makes me just want to lie down for the rest of the day, ruining any chance of working out. If I drink something caffeinated, it'll go away. Anyways, to make a long story short, I'm doing a lot better now. Only half a 20 oz bottle of coke kept the headache away all day. Tomorrow will be the first work day I try to go without it, so I'll see how I do. If its bad, I'll take some bottles to work so I can drink a little of it now and then to keep the headache away, and slowly ween myself off of it. Slowly but surely I'll quit drinking the damn stuff.
This week is another normal week, 2 mile runs scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, an 8 miler on Saturday and a 6 miler on Sunday. Weight lifting Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm gonna try riding the bike to work on Friday and see how it goes. If its well, I'll start doing that a few days a week for some extra training and cutting back on gasoline costs.
Anyways, thats it for today, time for BED!!!
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