Good afternoon everyone! It has been some time since I have posted. Although I have slacked in posting, I have not been slacking in the running department. Lots of running lately as my marathon training plans get kicking into a higher gear. Wednesday I put in a 12 mile run.
Some were surprised to hear that I did not watch the end of the MLB All-Star game Tuesday night so I could go to bed early and get up early for the run. It was a good thing I did, because as most of you know, the ballgame went well into the night. I was up at 430am Wednesday and running by 515am. I put in my 12.14 miles at 2:45:47. That translates into an overall average pace of 13:39 a mile, well ahead of my pace I put in for the OKC half marathon back in April. At 5am the temp was down to 72 and the humidity was up to 87%. By the end of the run at 8am the temp was back up to 75 and the humidity was down to 76%. By 10am, the temp was already up over 80. Hope that helps to explain the early rising.
With the 12 mile run being my longest since the OKC Half I was a bit excited about it. My running strategy for it was a run 5 minutes, then walk 5 minutes and repeat, therefore some miles would have more walking than other miles. I followed through with it after my initial warm up within the first mile. For those that are interested, here are my splits. I am interested in any feedback you may have.
Mile 1: 14:33
Mile 2: 13:55
Mile 3: 13:37
Mile 4: 13:27
Mile 5: 14:02
Mile 6: 13:15
Mile 7: 13:23
Mile 8: 13:09
Mile 9: 13:06
Mile 10: 13:25
Mile 11: 13:48
Mile 12: 13:08
Mile .14: 2:12
Total: 2:45:47
Pace: 13:39 / Mile
Thinking I would give status updates, the Disneyland Half Marathon is 6 weeks away. The Maine Marathon is only 11 weeks away. Maine is going to be tough, one because of the hills, although not as bad as my sister, A’s hills during the KC Hospital Hill Run, but also because it is a faster marathon. What I mean by that is they have a cut off time of 6 hours (Disney is a 7 hour cut off for a full marathon). This translates into a 14:00 / mile pace. Fortunately at this time I am on track to stay ahead of that. As we get closer I will keep you all updated.
As for the hills within the Maine Marathon, I think I will be okay. Friday night my wife and I made it a date and drove around some of the county roads near our home. For over two hours we drove along measuring a number of different routes. What we found were some roads to run on that will provide us with relief from the concrete from in town. In addition, the roads have numerous hills of various shapes and sizes providing that joyful hidden speedwork. As we were driving my face was lighting up in excitement. I am sure my body will disagree with that excitement after I get out and run those hills. I was a bit nervous about the hills of the Maine Marathon, until I found these hills of Norman to train on.
Other exciting running news, at least for me it is, I have surpassed the 400 mile mark on the year. As a result, I have bought my third pair (Brooks Addiction 8) of running shoes to begin breaking them in. My first two pair are at the 200 mile mark, with the first pair (ASICS) nearing their early retirement. The second pair (Brooks Addiction 7) I will be hanging onto I think a bit longer. For those not aware, typically the cushioning of your shoes are good for 300-500 miles. The reason for the wide range stems from the differences in body weight, frequency of use, and rest to name a few. Since my weight was up much higher and they were the only pair in the beginning my ASICS are getting the boot early. For now they have been relegated to my short distance shoe. The Brooks running shoes, both the 7’s and 8’s, are for my longer distances.
The one negative to report, although not entirely negative, is the weight has gone back up. The weight increased due to some slacking in the food intake department, but also from the rebuilding of muscle. During May and June the mileage amounts were a bit less, partially due to work and travel. There were a couple weeks where I was only able to get in a single run. All combined, I am back up to a total weight loss of only 6 pounds, having put back on 10.
There is your brief update. If time allows I will fill you in more on the past 2 months, but don't be holding the breath for too long.
Happy feet.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Why I Run
The question has been posed, why do I run? While there are probably just as many reasons to not run as there are to run, I had to take a few moments to really seek out why I am hitting the pavement, treadmill, trails and concrete. Much of my list came to mind while I was where else but amid a run. Some of my reasons are common amongst numerous other runners. Others may be unique to me.
First and foremost, I run for MYSELF. This is one of the few times I am selfish and do something for me. I have come to find it allows me some alone time. Getting out on the open road and breathing in the nature around me helps to clear my thoughts, workout plans and problems, analyze situations and scenarios. My wife might say it gives me the time to conjure up some kind of Rodgers and Hammerstein ideas. In addition, being a Libra, it is in my nature to always weigh the pros and cons.
I run for HEALTH. After drinking and eating my way through the college and ESPN years I managed to put on a pretty good share of pounds. Through my running I strive to lose weight, stave off illnesses and diseases, and improve my overall fitness.
I run for EMOTION. Finishing a training run is satisfying. The days and weeks prior to a race are full of nerves. Toeing the Start Line is a sense of joy. Ticking off mile after mile as I traverse the course is exhilarating. Crossing the Finish Line is elation. Receiving a finisher’s medal is a sense of honor. And, there is a sense of pride in wearing the race t-shirt knowing I had run in the race.
I run for STRUCTURE. I find the training leading up to the road races lends itself to a more structured regimen for me. I like to have a set plan. There is room for flexibility to compensate for unforeseen circumstances, but the structure of the training gives me something to strive for and takes out the guesswork.
I run for INSPIRATION. Whether I am in search of inspiration for myself or offering up inspiration to others, it is there, therefore I run for it.
I run for ENERGY. Hearing the cheers of encouragement from spectators, hearing the comforting words of the volunteers, and seeing the smile on a little kid’s face when I run by and high five his or her outstretched hand, that is the energy I seek.
I run for FAMILY. I run so I may live longer and am able to spend more time with my loved ones. I run to provide family support when needed.
I run for CHARITY. Most road races are organized to help raise funds for a charitable cause. It is my pleasure to provide a donation to the charitable cause for the honor to run in their race.
And finally, I run for FOOD. Not just any foods mind you. I run to eat more pasta. I run for Little Debbie Swiss Rolls, Olive Garden Tiramisu, Pat’s Pizza, McDonald’s double cheeseburgers, Prudie’s whoopie pies, Maine lobster with butter, Grammie Jane’s fruit salad, Fenway Franks, and Dysart’s Poutine.
There you have it, the reasons I run.
First and foremost, I run for MYSELF. This is one of the few times I am selfish and do something for me. I have come to find it allows me some alone time. Getting out on the open road and breathing in the nature around me helps to clear my thoughts, workout plans and problems, analyze situations and scenarios. My wife might say it gives me the time to conjure up some kind of Rodgers and Hammerstein ideas. In addition, being a Libra, it is in my nature to always weigh the pros and cons.
I run for HEALTH. After drinking and eating my way through the college and ESPN years I managed to put on a pretty good share of pounds. Through my running I strive to lose weight, stave off illnesses and diseases, and improve my overall fitness.
I run for EMOTION. Finishing a training run is satisfying. The days and weeks prior to a race are full of nerves. Toeing the Start Line is a sense of joy. Ticking off mile after mile as I traverse the course is exhilarating. Crossing the Finish Line is elation. Receiving a finisher’s medal is a sense of honor. And, there is a sense of pride in wearing the race t-shirt knowing I had run in the race.
I run for STRUCTURE. I find the training leading up to the road races lends itself to a more structured regimen for me. I like to have a set plan. There is room for flexibility to compensate for unforeseen circumstances, but the structure of the training gives me something to strive for and takes out the guesswork.
I run for INSPIRATION. Whether I am in search of inspiration for myself or offering up inspiration to others, it is there, therefore I run for it.
I run for ENERGY. Hearing the cheers of encouragement from spectators, hearing the comforting words of the volunteers, and seeing the smile on a little kid’s face when I run by and high five his or her outstretched hand, that is the energy I seek.
I run for FAMILY. I run so I may live longer and am able to spend more time with my loved ones. I run to provide family support when needed.
I run for CHARITY. Most road races are organized to help raise funds for a charitable cause. It is my pleasure to provide a donation to the charitable cause for the honor to run in their race.
And finally, I run for FOOD. Not just any foods mind you. I run to eat more pasta. I run for Little Debbie Swiss Rolls, Olive Garden Tiramisu, Pat’s Pizza, McDonald’s double cheeseburgers, Prudie’s whoopie pies, Maine lobster with butter, Grammie Jane’s fruit salad, Fenway Franks, and Dysart’s Poutine.
There you have it, the reasons I run.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
H1413
Sorry for the absence once again. Just a quick note before I head off to sleep though. Tomorrow (Sunday, April 27) is the Oklahoma City Half-Marathon my sister and I are running in. It will be my first race of any kind since Jr. High. My wife will also be taking part in the 5k (untimed event). You may track my sister and I by logging onto www.okcmarathon.com , then clicking on the "participant tracking" then "half-marathon participant tracking." Once there you can enter my bib number H1413 for me, or H4951 to check on my sister. More blog to come tomorrow or Monday. For now I need to get some sleep because I will be getting up in 6 hours to head to the corral.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Embassy Eleven
Excuses, excuses! Sorry for the delay in posting this weekend. Yesterday was my wife’s drinking birthday and the first night of Passover. Passover services went much later than we expected and I was quite exhausted by the time we got home. After all, an 11 mile run can tire you out pretty well. That’s right; I said an 11 mile run. I was originally slated for 2 miles on Friday and 9 on Saturday, however, thanks to having to wait on the cable guy all day on Friday I never made it out for my 2 mile run. Wanting to get the miles in I just added them onto my Saturday run. Heck, it was only 1 mile longer than my longest run to date.
Now, one benefit to being home waiting on the cable guy Friday was that I was home when the UPS guy showed up and delivered my brand new Fuel Belt. Earlier in the week I had ordered the Terminator 6-bottle Fuel Belt for me to use on those longer runs. One challenge I had found out when doing my 10 mile runs was that my water bottle just did not have enough capacity to get me any longer. Therefore, I opted for the Fuel Belt, providing me with a few more ounces of liquid capacity. In addition, it also provides me with a little pouch to put my ID, cash, key, Gu Gel packs, and for those photographic runs I can even add in my compact camera (it will be handy passing through Disney’s Hollywood Studios towards the end of the Goofy Challenge).
It is time now to talk of the run. Despite my desire to wake early and get the run in before the heat I still managed to sleep in. By the time I had awoken the outside temperature had already reached 72 degrees. I ate my Power Bar, got dressed, slathered on the sunscreen, filled the Fuel Belt and laced up my Brooks. When I was finally ready to get out the door the temperature had risen another degree to 73. GARMIN took hardly any time to locate satellites this time. I was quite shocked. Could it have been the addition of the Fuel Belt? Just kidding. Locked in, I set out for 11 miles. At first I did not have a real plan of how I was going to break down the day’s run, but within a minute or two I devised a plan. I decided to try and work some speed into the beginning of my run rather than take the usual full 1-2 miles of warm up walking. This would work twofold. One, it would put some speed into my entire workout, but two, it would also help to reduce the time I would be spending in the higher temperatures. Knowing I would need to slow it down as the temperature went up I figured it would be better to more miles behind me before it got too hot. When you see my splits you will be able to see the results. Speaking of the splits, here they are:
Mile 1: 13:42
Mile 2: 13:54
Mile 3: 13:32
Mile 4: 12:26
Mile 5: 13:21
Mile 6: 13:16
Mile 7: 13:00
Mile 8: 13:25
Mile 9: 13:10
Mile 10: 14:16
Mile 11: 14:36
Mile 1: 13:42
Mile 2: 13:54
Mile 3: 13:32
Mile 4: 12:26
Mile 5: 13:21
Mile 6: 13:16
Mile 7: 13:00
Mile 8: 13:25
Mile 9: 13:10
Mile 10: 14:16
Mile 11: 14:36
Accumulative Time: 2:28:43
Overall Average Pace: 13:31 / mile
Overall Average Pace: 13:31 / mile
As you can see, I did well until the last two miles. Today’s running route was along the Target Ten, only I went an additional half mile beyond it to where they are building the new Embassy Suites hotel here in Norman. Therefore, the name for this run is now the Embassy Eleven. When I reached the halfway point at the Embassy Suites the temperature had climbed up to 78 and I had consumed half the Gatorade in my Fuel Belt. Knowing it was approaching 80 I did not want to push it if my body was telling me not to. That is why in the last 2 miles the times were longer. Besides, the final mile I also intentionally planned to walk as a cool down. Also, I had a personal goal to want to try and get the first 9 miles in within 2 hours. Once I had achieved that the slow down began. By the time I finished my run the temperature had topped out at 84.
Wouldn’t you know it, the hottest run day this week there would be NO wind. After all the wind I had endured earlier in the week, nothing on this run but an occasional gentle breeze. Oh well! What’s one to do but drink more liquid? Speaking of drinking liquid, may I say how nice it was to not carry a water bottle in hand while running? It was quite enjoyable to be free of it. Here’s another question, kind of rhetorical, but also looking for insight. Why is it that I tend to find myself pushing harder and faster on the warmer days when I should be taking it easier and slower?
Non-running observations while out running yesterday. With the warmer weather it seemed as if everyone was outside. The parks were full of families picnicking, the skate park was packed full of kids on boards and blades, numerous runners and bikers were out along the route, and I even saw a gentleman and his dog out flying a kite. The funny thing about the kite flyer was he was using a fishing pole to reel in the kite.
I am sure to have forgotten something I wanted to add, however, it is time for me to pack up and head to the airport. I am off to Boston for the Patriot’s Day Red Sox game and cheer on the back-of-the-pack runners as they pass through Kenmore Square heading towards that ultimate goal of the finish line in the Boston Marathon.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Noble 8
Aah, another great day of running in the wind of Oklahoma. Just south of Norman, along OK-77, is a little town called Noble. Today's run took me out my front door onto OK-77 and southward to Noble, four miles away, where I then turned around and returned home. This is what I will for now on refer to as the Noble 8. Today's run was a simple out and back straight shot with some hills during the middle miles. Yes, we do have some hills here in Oklahoma! It's not ALL flat.
The temperature for today's outing started at 68 and rose to 73 by the end. The wind at the beginning was a 26 mph wind out of the South, straight into my face for the first four miles. And once again, wouldn't you figure, I turn around to head home and the wind is reduced to a gentle breeze, if existent at all.
My run actually started out as a fast walk heading into the wind. For much of the first 2 to 3 miles I was feeling the fatigue in my shins, a result from pushing myself hard in yesterday's 5k loop. However, somewhere in the latter stages of the third mile I started to feel loosened up and ready to go. After having reached the halfway point and making my way back, after mile 5 I decided to work in some speed work. Sure, it would have been nice to have the wind help push me home, but as I said, it pretty much died off when I turned around. Anyway, starting at the beginning of mile 6 I set out to run for 6 utility poles and then do a 3 pole recovery walk. I went on to do this for a total of 5 times. Feeling good about that I then upped the ante and ran for 8 utility poles and walked for 4. I did the 8/4 utility pole cycle 3 times. This put me at about 7.5 miles. As I was starting up a fourth cycle I decided to just go ahead and run the rest of the way to complete the 8 miles. At the conclusion of the 8 miles I still had another .17 miles to get back home so I used that to do a slower cool down walk. Here are the mileage splits for today's Noble 8:
Mile 1: 14:47
Mile 2: 14:42
Mile 3: 14:29
Mile 4: 14:08
Mile 5: 14:02
Mile 6: 11:34
Mile 7: 11:50
Mile 8: 11:27
Mile .17: 2:25 (14:45 pace)
The final three miles are the three fastest miles I have run to date. Almost all of my actual running during these three miles was at a sub 11:00 pace. During the final .5 mile run I had about a tenth of a mile stretch where I sustained a pace sub 10:00. I was excited to see myself achieve these paces and not feel exhausted and totally spent at the conclusion of my 8 miles.
I have two more runs this week, a short 2 miler and then a 9 miler on Saturday that I will be contributing my miles to the family multi-state fitness group. Will check in again this weekend.
The temperature for today's outing started at 68 and rose to 73 by the end. The wind at the beginning was a 26 mph wind out of the South, straight into my face for the first four miles. And once again, wouldn't you figure, I turn around to head home and the wind is reduced to a gentle breeze, if existent at all.
My run actually started out as a fast walk heading into the wind. For much of the first 2 to 3 miles I was feeling the fatigue in my shins, a result from pushing myself hard in yesterday's 5k loop. However, somewhere in the latter stages of the third mile I started to feel loosened up and ready to go. After having reached the halfway point and making my way back, after mile 5 I decided to work in some speed work. Sure, it would have been nice to have the wind help push me home, but as I said, it pretty much died off when I turned around. Anyway, starting at the beginning of mile 6 I set out to run for 6 utility poles and then do a 3 pole recovery walk. I went on to do this for a total of 5 times. Feeling good about that I then upped the ante and ran for 8 utility poles and walked for 4. I did the 8/4 utility pole cycle 3 times. This put me at about 7.5 miles. As I was starting up a fourth cycle I decided to just go ahead and run the rest of the way to complete the 8 miles. At the conclusion of the 8 miles I still had another .17 miles to get back home so I used that to do a slower cool down walk. Here are the mileage splits for today's Noble 8:
Mile 1: 14:47
Mile 2: 14:42
Mile 3: 14:29
Mile 4: 14:08
Mile 5: 14:02
Mile 6: 11:34
Mile 7: 11:50
Mile 8: 11:27
Mile .17: 2:25 (14:45 pace)
The final three miles are the three fastest miles I have run to date. Almost all of my actual running during these three miles was at a sub 11:00 pace. During the final .5 mile run I had about a tenth of a mile stretch where I sustained a pace sub 10:00. I was excited to see myself achieve these paces and not feel exhausted and totally spent at the conclusion of my 8 miles.
I have two more runs this week, a short 2 miler and then a 9 miler on Saturday that I will be contributing my miles to the family multi-state fitness group. Will check in again this weekend.
Windy Running
Sorry for the brief absence. I was a little busy trying to get everything together for my taxes. Now that the bulk of that stress is behind me I can take the time to tell you about my newest stress--running in wind. Living in Oklahoma it is no surprise that it is windy here. Heck, for someone who chases tornadoes, a.k.a. wind, I know well enough it is windy here. However, this is the first windy season I have been running in it. My last three runs here in Oklahoma have been in a sustained wind of 20 mph or more with gusts continually at 30 mph or higher. Two silver linings in the wind are that it helps to keep me cool and when running into it it helps build upon my speed in the long term.
My last two runs I have headed out solo. On Sunday I put in 10 miles, running along the route I have dubbed the Target Ten. It is a five mile route from my house to Target and then a return trip along the same route. The wind was at my face coming out of the North for the first five miles. Wouldn't you know it that when it was time to turn around the 20 mph wind died off and was almost non-existant. So much for having it help push me home. I set out at the beginning in my usual walking to warm-up. About 1.5 miles in I decided to kick it up and begin the running. After I quarter mile of battling the wind I decided I would walk the rest of the day. I figured I had 10 miles to cover and with having covered 10 miles in the previous two days following a week of sickness there was no need to over exert myself. The end result of my run was 10 miles in a time of 2:20:52. My mileage splits for the Target Ten on Sunday were:
Mile 1: 15:06
Mile 2: 14:07
Mile 3: 14:23
Mile 4: 13:59
Mile 5: 13:51
Mile 6: 13:50
Mile 7: 13:49
Mile 8: 13:35
Mile 9: 13:49
Mile 10: 14:17
Looking at these numbers makes me feel great. They were done at a fast walk and the first five were into the wind. Mile 10 was slower because I was aiming for a cooldown.
Today I set out for another 3 miles, again training in the 20 mph wind. Only this time I did not have to contend with the wind in my face for much longer than a half mile as my route took me along what I call the Home 5k Loop, even though it is slightly more than a 5k coming in at 3.3 miles. I did not really have a plan for today's run at the start. However, after the first tenth of a mile I decided to do something I have not done in the past. That was to run at the start. With a tenth of a mile walked behind me I went on to run and complete the first mile. I then took a two minute walk to start the second mile before I returned to running to complete the second mile. Once again I took a two minute walk to start the third mile before I ran the remainder of my 5k (3.1 miles). Once I clocked my fastest 5k time at 38:22 I proceeded to do a cooldown walk for the final .23 miles home. Overall I covered 3.33 miles in 41:30. Both times here were my fastest to date. My mileage splits for the 5k loop today were:
Mile 1: 12:21
Mile 2: 12:37
Mile 3: 12:20
Mile .33: 4:11 (12:44 pace)
One interesting note towards the end of the run is I found a comfortable groove and my pace was quickening. It is not uncommon for me to be faster towards the end as my muscles have stretched out and all, but for the final quarter mile of the running 5k I had a consistent pace below 12:00 with about half of it below 11:00. Two additional factors beside having been stretched out and warmed up to aide in the faster pacing are the wind was at my back and perhaps subconciously I knew I was nearing the end, therefore willing to draw more upon the tank.
With my first race in less than two weeks I only have a few more runs on tap. Wednesday I will be putting in 8 miles, Friday a short 2 miles, Saturday I hit it for 9 more. Next week I have a 2 and a 5 miler with the week concluding on April 27 with 13.1 miles at the Oklahoma City Memorial Half-Marathon. Stay tuned for more.
My last two runs I have headed out solo. On Sunday I put in 10 miles, running along the route I have dubbed the Target Ten. It is a five mile route from my house to Target and then a return trip along the same route. The wind was at my face coming out of the North for the first five miles. Wouldn't you know it that when it was time to turn around the 20 mph wind died off and was almost non-existant. So much for having it help push me home. I set out at the beginning in my usual walking to warm-up. About 1.5 miles in I decided to kick it up and begin the running. After I quarter mile of battling the wind I decided I would walk the rest of the day. I figured I had 10 miles to cover and with having covered 10 miles in the previous two days following a week of sickness there was no need to over exert myself. The end result of my run was 10 miles in a time of 2:20:52. My mileage splits for the Target Ten on Sunday were:
Mile 1: 15:06
Mile 2: 14:07
Mile 3: 14:23
Mile 4: 13:59
Mile 5: 13:51
Mile 6: 13:50
Mile 7: 13:49
Mile 8: 13:35
Mile 9: 13:49
Mile 10: 14:17
Looking at these numbers makes me feel great. They were done at a fast walk and the first five were into the wind. Mile 10 was slower because I was aiming for a cooldown.
Today I set out for another 3 miles, again training in the 20 mph wind. Only this time I did not have to contend with the wind in my face for much longer than a half mile as my route took me along what I call the Home 5k Loop, even though it is slightly more than a 5k coming in at 3.3 miles. I did not really have a plan for today's run at the start. However, after the first tenth of a mile I decided to do something I have not done in the past. That was to run at the start. With a tenth of a mile walked behind me I went on to run and complete the first mile. I then took a two minute walk to start the second mile before I returned to running to complete the second mile. Once again I took a two minute walk to start the third mile before I ran the remainder of my 5k (3.1 miles). Once I clocked my fastest 5k time at 38:22 I proceeded to do a cooldown walk for the final .23 miles home. Overall I covered 3.33 miles in 41:30. Both times here were my fastest to date. My mileage splits for the 5k loop today were:
Mile 1: 12:21
Mile 2: 12:37
Mile 3: 12:20
Mile .33: 4:11 (12:44 pace)
One interesting note towards the end of the run is I found a comfortable groove and my pace was quickening. It is not uncommon for me to be faster towards the end as my muscles have stretched out and all, but for the final quarter mile of the running 5k I had a consistent pace below 12:00 with about half of it below 11:00. Two additional factors beside having been stretched out and warmed up to aide in the faster pacing are the wind was at my back and perhaps subconciously I knew I was nearing the end, therefore willing to draw more upon the tank.
With my first race in less than two weeks I only have a few more runs on tap. Wednesday I will be putting in 8 miles, Friday a short 2 miles, Saturday I hit it for 9 more. Next week I have a 2 and a 5 miler with the week concluding on April 27 with 13.1 miles at the Oklahoma City Memorial Half-Marathon. Stay tuned for more.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Slow, Windy Fat-Burn
With a 7 mile run yesterday and a 10 miler set for tomorrow I could have taken today off to give my body some recovery. However, I did not want to let my family down on what is now becoming our weekly multi-state fitness outing. My wife and I set out at 11am and logged ourselves 3.4 miles each in 55:00. The overall pace for the walk was 16:05. This definitely was one of my slower outings in some time, but that is okay because it is what I intended on at the start. With the longer runs on each side of today I wanted something slower and lower impact on my body. The slower pace I figured would be better suited on burning the harder to burn belly fat.
One real big challenge today was the wind. The winds were blowing at a 20-30 mph clip, gusting to 40.
As of this writing, my family's multi-state fitness has had 12 participants in 6 states accumulating more than 28.5 miles in just over 6 hours. I am sure there are a few more that have yet to report in. In all, more than 20 family members have banded together to be a part of our weekly multi-state fitness outing. It is great to have this family support.
One real big challenge today was the wind. The winds were blowing at a 20-30 mph clip, gusting to 40.
As of this writing, my family's multi-state fitness has had 12 participants in 6 states accumulating more than 28.5 miles in just over 6 hours. I am sure there are a few more that have yet to report in. In all, more than 20 family members have banded together to be a part of our weekly multi-state fitness outing. It is great to have this family support.
Food Poisoning....Bad For Running!!!
After a great run last Saturday, contributing my 8 miles to the family multi-state relay, I decided on pizza for dinner. That proved to be the worst decision I made in my entire time in Tampa while at the Women's Final Four. Sunday morning I woke up around 5am with diarrhea and was unable to keep food in my stomach, losing my dinner out the other end as well. To attempt keeping this clean and not disgusting, I spent the entire day on Sunday this way. I was unable to keep anything in my body. I could not even sip and keep down water--it was bad. Monday morning, needing to get some nutrition, I consumed a Gu Gel pack (Just Plain) and chased it with some water. Afterward I was finally able to attempt resumption of consumption and was able to keep it down. That was at least a good step in the right direction on the road to recovery. My food intake was not great, but it was something. To wrap this up, it was Wednesday evening when I was finally back on track eating somewhat normal and it was Thursday before the diarrhea ceased. Now, you ask why you had to read through all that. The reasoning was that thanks to me getting a case of food poisoning I did not do any running for FIVE days. Unable to provide my body with any necessary nutrition I did not have the energy to sustain any kind of fitness. I was really frustrated with this because I wanted to run again in Tampa. I thoroughly enjoyed the run along the bay. It was very disappointing that I could not do so.
Upon my return home from Tampa I weighed myself. I looked at the scale and was half surprised to see it read 234. Now, I have not seen 234 with me standing on the scale since November 2002. The reason I was only half surprised at this weigh-in is because not having eaten much of anything in three days my body had turned to the stored fat to get me through when I could not eat. This weigh-in meant that I had lost 7 pounds in the 9 days I was on the road traveling. I figured that I would regain some of that weight as soon as I began eating normal again. Here I am two days later and this morning I weighed in at 235 lbs. I am happy with that and that is what I am calling my current weight.
Having food poisoning that prevents me from meeting my running objectives for the week by keeping me off the road for five consecutive days really stinks to say the least. With a full day of eating normal yesterday I finally had the energy to get out there and run today. Reworking my run plan for the week I managed to get in 7.3 miles today in a time of 1:37:09. Here are my splits:
Mile 1: 14:37
Mile 2: 12:18
Mile 3: 14:31
Mile 4: 12:32
Mile 5: 12:37
Mile 6: 13:28
Mile 7: 12:39
Mile .3: 4:23 (14:43 pace)
My overall pace for the 7.3 miles was a 13:18. The breakdown here is I walked Mile 1 for warm up. Aside for having to stop for traffic lights and crosswalks I ran the whole Mile 2--that might be why it is my fastest mile to date. Mile 3 I returned to walking. Starting at Mile 4 I ran until I was at about Mile 5.75 when I returned to walking. Wanting to finish strong I went ahead and ran the majority of Mile 7. It is great for me to see these times at what they are, consistency and improvements. For much of my training I was focused more on getting my endurance up for the distances to be covered, not speed. Therefore I was primarily walking, albeit at a fast rate. Now I am trying to transition into actual running and seeing how long I may maintain the steady speed over distance. Ultimately, this will increase the weight loss, thus allowing me to go faster, which in turn allows for more weight loss and then I cycle through it all over again.
With 7.3 miles in the can today, I plan to contribute another 3.3 miles tomorrow during my family's multi-state fitness day and then another 10 miles on Sunday. Last week the family multi-state fitness relay incorporated 15 members totalling more than 46 miles. We now have accumulated more than 20 family members into the mix. Whether we are walking or running, skating (ice hockey) or swimming (water polo), or whatever tickles our fancy, we are all getting out on Saturday to do something that will help get us and keep us fit. The family outpouring for this now weekly event has been tremendous.
Sunday will mark 2 weeks to my first race, The Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon. I am getting excited to finally have a race under my belt, and furthermore, an official time.
Upon my return home from Tampa I weighed myself. I looked at the scale and was half surprised to see it read 234. Now, I have not seen 234 with me standing on the scale since November 2002. The reason I was only half surprised at this weigh-in is because not having eaten much of anything in three days my body had turned to the stored fat to get me through when I could not eat. This weigh-in meant that I had lost 7 pounds in the 9 days I was on the road traveling. I figured that I would regain some of that weight as soon as I began eating normal again. Here I am two days later and this morning I weighed in at 235 lbs. I am happy with that and that is what I am calling my current weight.
Having food poisoning that prevents me from meeting my running objectives for the week by keeping me off the road for five consecutive days really stinks to say the least. With a full day of eating normal yesterday I finally had the energy to get out there and run today. Reworking my run plan for the week I managed to get in 7.3 miles today in a time of 1:37:09. Here are my splits:
Mile 1: 14:37
Mile 2: 12:18
Mile 3: 14:31
Mile 4: 12:32
Mile 5: 12:37
Mile 6: 13:28
Mile 7: 12:39
Mile .3: 4:23 (14:43 pace)
My overall pace for the 7.3 miles was a 13:18. The breakdown here is I walked Mile 1 for warm up. Aside for having to stop for traffic lights and crosswalks I ran the whole Mile 2--that might be why it is my fastest mile to date. Mile 3 I returned to walking. Starting at Mile 4 I ran until I was at about Mile 5.75 when I returned to walking. Wanting to finish strong I went ahead and ran the majority of Mile 7. It is great for me to see these times at what they are, consistency and improvements. For much of my training I was focused more on getting my endurance up for the distances to be covered, not speed. Therefore I was primarily walking, albeit at a fast rate. Now I am trying to transition into actual running and seeing how long I may maintain the steady speed over distance. Ultimately, this will increase the weight loss, thus allowing me to go faster, which in turn allows for more weight loss and then I cycle through it all over again.
With 7.3 miles in the can today, I plan to contribute another 3.3 miles tomorrow during my family's multi-state fitness day and then another 10 miles on Sunday. Last week the family multi-state fitness relay incorporated 15 members totalling more than 46 miles. We now have accumulated more than 20 family members into the mix. Whether we are walking or running, skating (ice hockey) or swimming (water polo), or whatever tickles our fancy, we are all getting out on Saturday to do something that will help get us and keep us fit. The family outpouring for this now weekly event has been tremendous.
Sunday will mark 2 weeks to my first race, The Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon. I am getting excited to finally have a race under my belt, and furthermore, an official time.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
The Joys Of Running
Today was a day filled with joy throughout. My day began waking up at 5am. While taking time to eat a Power Bar I laced up my BROOKS running shoes and then headed for the elevator. With GARMIN, Gu gel and some Gu 2 Go in the water bottle I set out for an 8 mile run. The concierge at my hotel recommended crossing over the Hillsborough River to get to Bayshore Drive and run along the 4.5 mile sidewalk along the bay waters. At 5:30 am I was on my guard heading out because it was still dark. Once on Bayshore I became a little more relaxed, as the safety appeared a bit more evident. On one side of me I had water gently sloshing up along the sea wall. On the other side I had four lanes of nearly empty roadway with an occasional passing car. Separating me and the roadway was a 20-30 foot grassy section with a few interspersed palm trees blowing in the breeze. Along the way I passed numerous stretching and exercise stations, in addition to waste bins (which made it easy to throw away empty Gu gel packs), and best of all, water drinking fountains. This was a definite runners spot. By 6am I had begun to see other runners. By 7am there were numerous runners. Unlike my run in Austin there were no dogs this morning.
The entire run along Bayshore was lit with street lamps spaced about every 50 yards. I mention this because after my first two miles I decided to get in some interval work during my run. I started out with running two light posts, then walking for two. I repeated this four times and then stepped it up to three run and one walk, again repeating four times. After that cycle I remained in a walk mode for a bit while I consumed a gel pack. Shortly afterward, I went to a run four light posts and walk four. I did this until I reached my four mile halfway point. Upon turning around I wanted to push a little harder and went to a run six light posts with a three light post recovery. I did this for nearly three miles.
One of the greatest surprises I have received while out on a run came when I turned around at the halfway point of the day’s run and began my second four miles back to the hotel. When I turned around, still in the dark but with a slight glimmer of daylight beginning to crack the horizon, was the beautiful nightlight skyline of Tampa, Florida. Seeing it just overpowered me. I was blown away with the sight. I guess because inside I was thinking "Wow! I ran that far? " Knowing I was staying in Downtown Tampa, the center of the skyline I was gazing upon, it just amazed me I had gone out so far.. It just sort of put the distance traveled into a different frame of light. What made this sight even better was that I got to look at it for the next four miles as the sun began to come to life on the horizon.
With a great feeling of energy at the conclusion of my run I made my way back to my room to clean up and head off to work. I can tell you today’s run was by far the sweatiest I have ever done. I do not think there was an ounce of dry clothing on my body, including my Fenway running hat. Something I may take as a lesson is to have a visor as opposed to a cap when on my warmer weather runs. I found myself to be a lot warmer wearing the hat, where a visor would allow more heat to escape the head while running. Now I just need to find me an appropriate visor to my liking. After the shower, I did a quick download of GARMIN to the computer. Here are my mileage splits today:
Mile Time
------ ------
1 16:11
2 14:57
3 13:26
4 13:19
5 12:52
6 12:31
7 12:35
8 12:40
In addition to analyzing my split times, I got a better sense of the elevation graph today. Normally when home in Oklahoma I run at an altitude between 1100 and 1200 feet above sea level. Today I ran between 5 and 40 feet. It also made me realize that next weekend will be a bit tougher as I will be running in the mile-high air of Denver, Colorado.
Done with the initial analyzing, I packed up the computer and walked close to another ¾ miles to work at the St. Pete Times Forum, host location of the Women’s Final Four. This is where the day really became joyful. A quick back story first. Last weekend three of my sisters, in three different states, set out on a run together at the same time. It was to be a family support fun run. Knowing someone else in your family was out there running with you, but not with you, was to give you the extra boost to keep you moving along. Upon their completion of their runs they found out another sister and I had completed our runs within an hour of theirs as well. It all sounded pretty cool and we decided to do it again this week. Now, back to today. Four of the five from last week committed to today’s run. In addition, we recruited a few more family members (cousins, parents, siblings and spouses). We started the day with what we thought would be seven runners. With us in different time zones and different work and immediate family time requirements we were not all able to run at the same time. Therefore, we decided to email and text one another when we set out for our runs. My cousin in Oregon I am sure to say was happy to receive my text at 230am his time when I set out on my run. Throughout the morning hours while at work I was logged into my email, reading everyone’s mention of heading out to run. As people began to conclude their runs they emailed or texted their mileage total, some included their time. With each report that came in I would calculate the time and distance and send out an email update. I half jokingly asked if we would be able to complete a marathon today with the seven of us running. The day moved along, the updates kept going out, and to my surprise, more and more reports kept coming in. One even got on the treadmill for a couple of miles in guilt for not taking part. By the day’s end we had had 15 family members take part in our relay fun run. Not only did we make the marathon, we surpassed the Disney’s Goofy Race and Half Challenge distance of 39.3 with an accrual of 46.18 miles in an estimated 11 hours of run/walk time. In all we had participants in seven states: Florida (1), Louisiana (2), Kansas (1), Maine (3), Massachusetts (5), Oregon (2) and Texas (1). It was so heart-warming to see the family support grow throughout the day as more and more people took part. The end result of it all was a successful one because we got people up and moving. There was no shame in the distances traveled or the time it took to cover it. Everyone was very supportive. I am hoping next week we may reprise the family run again and maybe shoot for the 50 miler, or better yet, the double marathon (52.4).
With all the joy in the day, I almost forgot the little bit of frustration with GARMIN. I am really getting tired of it taking so long to locate satellites. When I am ready to go for my runs I am far too often finding myself having to wait anywhere from two to five minutes for GARMIN to lock in. It gets aggravating when I am ready to go. Also, I once again point out that GARMIN does not function well in the city – at least around tall building as they warn (this is true for my auto GARMIN as well). Once I did finally lock in the satellites and set out on my run it would tell me to speed up or slow down. It would tell me I traveled five feet, then nothing, then ten feet, then nothing. This morning it was really acting stupid until I got out away from the buildings. I am finding that not only does it have difficulty finding the satellites, but the tall buildings bounce the signals around, ultimately confusing the machine, therefore frustrating me. Okay, rant over.
Thank you for taking the time to read. See you again soon on the runners’ blog.
The entire run along Bayshore was lit with street lamps spaced about every 50 yards. I mention this because after my first two miles I decided to get in some interval work during my run. I started out with running two light posts, then walking for two. I repeated this four times and then stepped it up to three run and one walk, again repeating four times. After that cycle I remained in a walk mode for a bit while I consumed a gel pack. Shortly afterward, I went to a run four light posts and walk four. I did this until I reached my four mile halfway point. Upon turning around I wanted to push a little harder and went to a run six light posts with a three light post recovery. I did this for nearly three miles.
One of the greatest surprises I have received while out on a run came when I turned around at the halfway point of the day’s run and began my second four miles back to the hotel. When I turned around, still in the dark but with a slight glimmer of daylight beginning to crack the horizon, was the beautiful nightlight skyline of Tampa, Florida. Seeing it just overpowered me. I was blown away with the sight. I guess because inside I was thinking "Wow! I ran that far? " Knowing I was staying in Downtown Tampa, the center of the skyline I was gazing upon, it just amazed me I had gone out so far.. It just sort of put the distance traveled into a different frame of light. What made this sight even better was that I got to look at it for the next four miles as the sun began to come to life on the horizon.
With a great feeling of energy at the conclusion of my run I made my way back to my room to clean up and head off to work. I can tell you today’s run was by far the sweatiest I have ever done. I do not think there was an ounce of dry clothing on my body, including my Fenway running hat. Something I may take as a lesson is to have a visor as opposed to a cap when on my warmer weather runs. I found myself to be a lot warmer wearing the hat, where a visor would allow more heat to escape the head while running. Now I just need to find me an appropriate visor to my liking. After the shower, I did a quick download of GARMIN to the computer. Here are my mileage splits today:
Mile Time
------ ------
1 16:11
2 14:57
3 13:26
4 13:19
5 12:52
6 12:31
7 12:35
8 12:40
In addition to analyzing my split times, I got a better sense of the elevation graph today. Normally when home in Oklahoma I run at an altitude between 1100 and 1200 feet above sea level. Today I ran between 5 and 40 feet. It also made me realize that next weekend will be a bit tougher as I will be running in the mile-high air of Denver, Colorado.
Done with the initial analyzing, I packed up the computer and walked close to another ¾ miles to work at the St. Pete Times Forum, host location of the Women’s Final Four. This is where the day really became joyful. A quick back story first. Last weekend three of my sisters, in three different states, set out on a run together at the same time. It was to be a family support fun run. Knowing someone else in your family was out there running with you, but not with you, was to give you the extra boost to keep you moving along. Upon their completion of their runs they found out another sister and I had completed our runs within an hour of theirs as well. It all sounded pretty cool and we decided to do it again this week. Now, back to today. Four of the five from last week committed to today’s run. In addition, we recruited a few more family members (cousins, parents, siblings and spouses). We started the day with what we thought would be seven runners. With us in different time zones and different work and immediate family time requirements we were not all able to run at the same time. Therefore, we decided to email and text one another when we set out for our runs. My cousin in Oregon I am sure to say was happy to receive my text at 230am his time when I set out on my run. Throughout the morning hours while at work I was logged into my email, reading everyone’s mention of heading out to run. As people began to conclude their runs they emailed or texted their mileage total, some included their time. With each report that came in I would calculate the time and distance and send out an email update. I half jokingly asked if we would be able to complete a marathon today with the seven of us running. The day moved along, the updates kept going out, and to my surprise, more and more reports kept coming in. One even got on the treadmill for a couple of miles in guilt for not taking part. By the day’s end we had had 15 family members take part in our relay fun run. Not only did we make the marathon, we surpassed the Disney’s Goofy Race and Half Challenge distance of 39.3 with an accrual of 46.18 miles in an estimated 11 hours of run/walk time. In all we had participants in seven states: Florida (1), Louisiana (2), Kansas (1), Maine (3), Massachusetts (5), Oregon (2) and Texas (1). It was so heart-warming to see the family support grow throughout the day as more and more people took part. The end result of it all was a successful one because we got people up and moving. There was no shame in the distances traveled or the time it took to cover it. Everyone was very supportive. I am hoping next week we may reprise the family run again and maybe shoot for the 50 miler, or better yet, the double marathon (52.4).
With all the joy in the day, I almost forgot the little bit of frustration with GARMIN. I am really getting tired of it taking so long to locate satellites. When I am ready to go for my runs I am far too often finding myself having to wait anywhere from two to five minutes for GARMIN to lock in. It gets aggravating when I am ready to go. Also, I once again point out that GARMIN does not function well in the city – at least around tall building as they warn (this is true for my auto GARMIN as well). Once I did finally lock in the satellites and set out on my run it would tell me to speed up or slow down. It would tell me I traveled five feet, then nothing, then ten feet, then nothing. This morning it was really acting stupid until I got out away from the buildings. I am finding that not only does it have difficulty finding the satellites, but the tall buildings bounce the signals around, ultimately confusing the machine, therefore frustrating me. Okay, rant over.
Thank you for taking the time to read. See you again soon on the runners’ blog.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Running All Over The States
Holy crap!!! My first race is only 24 days away! HOLY CRAPPOLA!!! It's been 27 days since I last typed a true blog for you all. My sincerest and deepest apologies for the lengthy absence. "No excuses!" Right? Wow! There is so much that has happened and so many things I have learned it is hard to pick where to begin. I am bound to leave out some details that would have made it here if I had blogged in a more timely fashion.
Let's start with some numbers. 4 states, 6 cities, 13 runs, 70.4 miles. That is what you have all missed. Or rather not received details on. In the past four weeks I have now traveled to Florida twice, running in Fort Myers (4 miles), Orlando (4 miles) and Tampa (2 miles to date). I have also run in Emporia, KS (8.5 miles), Austin, TX (6 miles), and my home of Norman, OK (10 miles). (Mileage in parantheses represents my longest run in each location during my blogging absence.) I have surpassed the century mark twice. The first time celebrating 100 was when I reached my first overall 100 miles. The second was when my ASICS hit their first 100 miles. I have now had two 20-plus mile weeks and set to have a third by this week's end. GARMIN has told me I achieved my first 12:30 mile, along with many more miles that were sub-13:00. My run temperatures have ranged between 36 and 80 degrees, with most of those in the 60-72 range. And one final number to dish out is 241. When I left home on Monday this week I weighed in at 241 pounds, giving me a total weight loss of 11 pounds. How did you like me sneaking in that extra number? Better yet, this one - 5 lessons learned, keep reading to see the lessons.
Transitioning out of the numbers with the weight talk, it may appear I have only lost 2 pounds since my last real blog, but there is some reasoning behind that. For nearly a week my wife and I were on the road in Florida, eating three meals a day, with little control over how it was prepared. We did our best to watch what we ate and the quantities, but nonetheless, upon our return home I had put back on about three or four pounds. This I figure was due in part to the eating out. But it may also have been related to a lighter run load that week - only 8 miles. Needless to say, I did lose it again once I got home and back on running track. Lesson number one I learned here is to do a better job in watching my food intake while traveling. This will be a major stepping stone for me since my job pretty much has me traveling a LOT.
My second lesson I learned comes from a run up in Emporia while visiting my sister. To you women readers this may not be a surprise, but to you men it may. You want to protect your nipples. What do I mean by that you may ask? Let me tell you. Runner or not, I am sure you are aware of chaffing. Well, when you run, particularly longer distances, the constant bouncing up and down can cause a lot of friction rubbing between your upper-body clothing and your nipples. Without some kind of protection the nipples will get a little raw. Fully aware of this fact and body glide stick in my toiletries bag, I set out on my 8 mile run in 42 degree weather wearing a tech shirt and sweatshirt to keep me warm, but NO body glide. By about mile 6 or 7, I was wishing I had remembered to apply the glide prior to my run. End result after 8.5 miles? Sore nipples for a few days.
A third lesson I learned came all the way from Super Target. Or rather to and from Super Target. You see, last Sunday I set out for my long run while at home in Norman. I was scheduled for 8 miles, but was targeting 10. My run took me from home, through part of the OU campus, through downtown Norman along the railroad tracks, past the Norman Aiport and finally to the Super Target. Once there I turned around and retraced my steps to complete what I now call the Target 10-Miler. The weather was a little humid to start and a bit breezy throughout. The cloud cover was non-existant. I know all about the importance of applying sunscreen before you go outside in the sun, especially for a prolonged period of time. Guess what! I did not apply any. Why? I don't know. Here is the big lesson though I learned, do not leave home without a hat! For some unknown reason I left the house without putting on my Fenway Park running hat. This proved to be a mistake twofold. Reason one is the obvious one I have foreshadowed with the lack of sunscreen. The second is the hat helps to keep sweat from running down the forehead and into the eyes. While out running I could not for the life of me figure out why I was having to wipe my face more often than usual. It was when I got home and looked at my Rudolph-like nose, my egg-frying forehead and my Oklahoma red neck that I realized I forgot to put on my hat. What an idiot! Furthermore, because I did not wear the hat, it allowed my face to take on extra color where it normally would have been shaded, even without the sunscreen.
Lesson four comes from the treadmill, or maybe not. Over the past 13 runs totalling 70.4 miles, only 18.9 of my miles came while on the treadmill. I am happy to say that I have discovered the joy of running outdoors more than indoors. In the beginning I prefered to be on the treadmill, but now I prefer to be outside. I find myself now trying to find new places to run (doing longer runs aides in that drive) to help prevent boredom of the same course. One great place I recently ran was in Austin, Texas - across and along the Colorado River and through Town Lake Park. It was by far the most pleasurable run I have had thus far. The running path is loose dirt, not asphalt or concrete. The parks department was even out grating the trail and keeping the maintenance up while I was out. I must have seen about two to three hundred people and about fifty dogs along my six mile excursion. Another great thing about this particular run was the company RunTex has a table set up with about 20 5-gallon water/gatorade jugs set up on a table for the runners to help themselves to when needed along the trail. I was very impressed. I wish Norman could do something like this.
A fifth lesson I have discovered is also related to treadmill/no treadmill situation. Not only am I faster off the treadmill, but I almost always negative split on my runs off-treadmill, without me even thinking of doing it. I guess that as my body loosens up and warms up in the begining I manage to pick up speed going deeper into the run. Not a bad thing I think, is it?
Just a few more items I would like to share as I try to wrap this up for the evening. While in Austin, heading out for my run down to Town Lake, my GARMIN kept going into "auto pause" and "auto resume" at times it should not have been. I was in the city and there were some tall buildings around, so I understand the issues of it having difficulty in locating the satelites. But, if it had already located the satelites and was running, why would it go into "auto pause" while I was moving along at an approximate 15:30? Also, while standing completely still at a crosswalk awaiting the little white illumination to tell me I could cross GARMIN would "auto resume", adding time to my run that wasn't going anywhere. I don't know, I guess I will chalk it up to being in the city and GARMIN having difficulty with the satelite locations.
Another item of run blogging interest comes from the shoe department. With my ASICS having celebrated their first centennial I felt it was a good time to go ahead and begin breaking in another pair of shoes. After all, we are hitting the rainy season in Oklahoma and I would like to have more than one pair of shoes to run in in the event one of them gets wet during a rainy run. When my sister came to visit back in February, I had purchased my first pair of shoes at the running store in Oklahoma City. They only had two types of shoes for me to try on there. Therefore I wanted to try the Norman store this time and see what they had to offer up. I have read and heard that once you find a shoe that works for you you should not alternate or continually try the newest, latest and greatest shoe just for the sake of doing so. However, I am not completey sold on the idea that my ASICS are THE shoe. Making my Maine-like long story short, I purchased a pair of BROOKS Addiction 7. I have now worn these out on two runs and love them so far. For now I am designating my BROOKS shoes as my longer running shoes, while the ASICS are destined for the shorter runs. Upon hearing of my BROOKS purchase my wife got all excited because we were now a complete BROOKS household, since she too has a pair of BROOKS.
And finally, I love my family. Last Saturday, while out on my 5k run around the block I received a call on my cell phone. I did not answer it at the time, but when I got home I retrieved the voicemail. The call was from one of my sisters asking me to join her and the rest of my sisters for a Saturday family run. What was so great about this is we all live in different states. I called her back, reaching her amidst her run, and informed her I did not answer the phone because I was out on my run at the time. She then told me one of my sisters had already run in her local town's 5k that morning in Massachusetts, another sister was going out for a run in Georgia, and another one was going to hit the pavement in Kansas. The end result was a four state family run. To me, that was just so cool. Although I was already on my run when my invite came, thank you for including me in on the run. I had a great time and I hope we do all get to do another multi-state family run soon. I know we will be doing the family run together in person come Disney, but until then, let us keep having these family runs.
Thanks to you all for your patience. I hope this has helped get you caught up. I will do my best to not let as much time expire between updates again.
Let's start with some numbers. 4 states, 6 cities, 13 runs, 70.4 miles. That is what you have all missed. Or rather not received details on. In the past four weeks I have now traveled to Florida twice, running in Fort Myers (4 miles), Orlando (4 miles) and Tampa (2 miles to date). I have also run in Emporia, KS (8.5 miles), Austin, TX (6 miles), and my home of Norman, OK (10 miles). (Mileage in parantheses represents my longest run in each location during my blogging absence.) I have surpassed the century mark twice. The first time celebrating 100 was when I reached my first overall 100 miles. The second was when my ASICS hit their first 100 miles. I have now had two 20-plus mile weeks and set to have a third by this week's end. GARMIN has told me I achieved my first 12:30 mile, along with many more miles that were sub-13:00. My run temperatures have ranged between 36 and 80 degrees, with most of those in the 60-72 range. And one final number to dish out is 241. When I left home on Monday this week I weighed in at 241 pounds, giving me a total weight loss of 11 pounds. How did you like me sneaking in that extra number? Better yet, this one - 5 lessons learned, keep reading to see the lessons.
Transitioning out of the numbers with the weight talk, it may appear I have only lost 2 pounds since my last real blog, but there is some reasoning behind that. For nearly a week my wife and I were on the road in Florida, eating three meals a day, with little control over how it was prepared. We did our best to watch what we ate and the quantities, but nonetheless, upon our return home I had put back on about three or four pounds. This I figure was due in part to the eating out. But it may also have been related to a lighter run load that week - only 8 miles. Needless to say, I did lose it again once I got home and back on running track. Lesson number one I learned here is to do a better job in watching my food intake while traveling. This will be a major stepping stone for me since my job pretty much has me traveling a LOT.
My second lesson I learned comes from a run up in Emporia while visiting my sister. To you women readers this may not be a surprise, but to you men it may. You want to protect your nipples. What do I mean by that you may ask? Let me tell you. Runner or not, I am sure you are aware of chaffing. Well, when you run, particularly longer distances, the constant bouncing up and down can cause a lot of friction rubbing between your upper-body clothing and your nipples. Without some kind of protection the nipples will get a little raw. Fully aware of this fact and body glide stick in my toiletries bag, I set out on my 8 mile run in 42 degree weather wearing a tech shirt and sweatshirt to keep me warm, but NO body glide. By about mile 6 or 7, I was wishing I had remembered to apply the glide prior to my run. End result after 8.5 miles? Sore nipples for a few days.
A third lesson I learned came all the way from Super Target. Or rather to and from Super Target. You see, last Sunday I set out for my long run while at home in Norman. I was scheduled for 8 miles, but was targeting 10. My run took me from home, through part of the OU campus, through downtown Norman along the railroad tracks, past the Norman Aiport and finally to the Super Target. Once there I turned around and retraced my steps to complete what I now call the Target 10-Miler. The weather was a little humid to start and a bit breezy throughout. The cloud cover was non-existant. I know all about the importance of applying sunscreen before you go outside in the sun, especially for a prolonged period of time. Guess what! I did not apply any. Why? I don't know. Here is the big lesson though I learned, do not leave home without a hat! For some unknown reason I left the house without putting on my Fenway Park running hat. This proved to be a mistake twofold. Reason one is the obvious one I have foreshadowed with the lack of sunscreen. The second is the hat helps to keep sweat from running down the forehead and into the eyes. While out running I could not for the life of me figure out why I was having to wipe my face more often than usual. It was when I got home and looked at my Rudolph-like nose, my egg-frying forehead and my Oklahoma red neck that I realized I forgot to put on my hat. What an idiot! Furthermore, because I did not wear the hat, it allowed my face to take on extra color where it normally would have been shaded, even without the sunscreen.
Lesson four comes from the treadmill, or maybe not. Over the past 13 runs totalling 70.4 miles, only 18.9 of my miles came while on the treadmill. I am happy to say that I have discovered the joy of running outdoors more than indoors. In the beginning I prefered to be on the treadmill, but now I prefer to be outside. I find myself now trying to find new places to run (doing longer runs aides in that drive) to help prevent boredom of the same course. One great place I recently ran was in Austin, Texas - across and along the Colorado River and through Town Lake Park. It was by far the most pleasurable run I have had thus far. The running path is loose dirt, not asphalt or concrete. The parks department was even out grating the trail and keeping the maintenance up while I was out. I must have seen about two to three hundred people and about fifty dogs along my six mile excursion. Another great thing about this particular run was the company RunTex has a table set up with about 20 5-gallon water/gatorade jugs set up on a table for the runners to help themselves to when needed along the trail. I was very impressed. I wish Norman could do something like this.
A fifth lesson I have discovered is also related to treadmill/no treadmill situation. Not only am I faster off the treadmill, but I almost always negative split on my runs off-treadmill, without me even thinking of doing it. I guess that as my body loosens up and warms up in the begining I manage to pick up speed going deeper into the run. Not a bad thing I think, is it?
Just a few more items I would like to share as I try to wrap this up for the evening. While in Austin, heading out for my run down to Town Lake, my GARMIN kept going into "auto pause" and "auto resume" at times it should not have been. I was in the city and there were some tall buildings around, so I understand the issues of it having difficulty in locating the satelites. But, if it had already located the satelites and was running, why would it go into "auto pause" while I was moving along at an approximate 15:30? Also, while standing completely still at a crosswalk awaiting the little white illumination to tell me I could cross GARMIN would "auto resume", adding time to my run that wasn't going anywhere. I don't know, I guess I will chalk it up to being in the city and GARMIN having difficulty with the satelite locations.
Another item of run blogging interest comes from the shoe department. With my ASICS having celebrated their first centennial I felt it was a good time to go ahead and begin breaking in another pair of shoes. After all, we are hitting the rainy season in Oklahoma and I would like to have more than one pair of shoes to run in in the event one of them gets wet during a rainy run. When my sister came to visit back in February, I had purchased my first pair of shoes at the running store in Oklahoma City. They only had two types of shoes for me to try on there. Therefore I wanted to try the Norman store this time and see what they had to offer up. I have read and heard that once you find a shoe that works for you you should not alternate or continually try the newest, latest and greatest shoe just for the sake of doing so. However, I am not completey sold on the idea that my ASICS are THE shoe. Making my Maine-like long story short, I purchased a pair of BROOKS Addiction 7. I have now worn these out on two runs and love them so far. For now I am designating my BROOKS shoes as my longer running shoes, while the ASICS are destined for the shorter runs. Upon hearing of my BROOKS purchase my wife got all excited because we were now a complete BROOKS household, since she too has a pair of BROOKS.
And finally, I love my family. Last Saturday, while out on my 5k run around the block I received a call on my cell phone. I did not answer it at the time, but when I got home I retrieved the voicemail. The call was from one of my sisters asking me to join her and the rest of my sisters for a Saturday family run. What was so great about this is we all live in different states. I called her back, reaching her amidst her run, and informed her I did not answer the phone because I was out on my run at the time. She then told me one of my sisters had already run in her local town's 5k that morning in Massachusetts, another sister was going out for a run in Georgia, and another one was going to hit the pavement in Kansas. The end result was a four state family run. To me, that was just so cool. Although I was already on my run when my invite came, thank you for including me in on the run. I had a great time and I hope we do all get to do another multi-state family run soon. I know we will be doing the family run together in person come Disney, but until then, let us keep having these family runs.
Thanks to you all for your patience. I hope this has helped get you caught up. I will do my best to not let as much time expire between updates again.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Brief Check In
It is midnight now and I reall have to be going to sleep. I am waking up in four hours to catch a plane to Austin, TX for work on College Baseball and Softball. From there I head off to the Women's Final Four in Tampa, FL. I told myself I could not go to sleep tonight until I blogged. I promise all you readers out there that there is more information to come. I have been making notes over the past three weeks of my blogging absence. I have been keeping up with my running and can say that I am on track for the OKC half marathon in less than four weeks. Thank you for your patience. I will get you more detailed updates from the past few weeks shortly, but for now, I must get to sleep. Sorry this is so short and non-descript.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Great Workouts and a Plan
Nothing long today. Just a short note to keep you updated. Yesterday I put in a 5.8 mile run with the cooldown. Today I put in a cross-training session. I spent 20 minutes on the stationary bike, 40 minutes on the eliptical and did 3 sets of my strength training weights. The run yesterday felt great after the first two miles. I kind of did not want to stop, but it was getting late and I did not want to end up eating dinner at 11pm. The cross-training session also felt great. Exciting info of the day was stepping on the scale and seeing 241. I am not making that down officially yet because I want to see it couple of more times before I change the total in the sidebar. I am still officially calling myself 243.
The workout plan for the rest of this week and all of next week is going to be modified a little because of having to work on Tuesday and Thursday next week. I will be doing 8 miles on Sunday this week, followed by another 2 miles on Monday. I will be off on Tuesday for work, Wednesday will be a 6 mile temp run, Thursday again off for work. Friday I will get in a 2 miler with some strength training before visiting with my sister. Saturday will be a fun day and then I will finish the week out next Sunday with a 7 miler. This next week is the first week on my training schedule that calls for me to run on 4 days, so it is making it more of a challenge as my work schedule this month is picking up a bit more.
That's all for now. Check with you later.
The workout plan for the rest of this week and all of next week is going to be modified a little because of having to work on Tuesday and Thursday next week. I will be doing 8 miles on Sunday this week, followed by another 2 miles on Monday. I will be off on Tuesday for work, Wednesday will be a 6 mile temp run, Thursday again off for work. Friday I will get in a 2 miler with some strength training before visiting with my sister. Saturday will be a fun day and then I will finish the week out next Sunday with a 7 miler. This next week is the first week on my training schedule that calls for me to run on 4 days, so it is making it more of a challenge as my work schedule this month is picking up a bit more.
That's all for now. Check with you later.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Life, Lewis and the Pursuit of Cross-Training
So it has been a few days since I last posted. Strength training did not happen last Friday. Life, Huey Lewis & The News, and work got in the way. I did get my six miles in on Sunday. I spent the first half of it with my wife as she busted out her new running shoes and her own GARMIN. We covered what I call the 5k loop around the block. It really is more like 3.3 miles, but makes for a nice warmup, run, cooldown. The only downfall to it is there is a lot of concrete sidewalk, some asphalt, and a little bit of dirt/grass along the roadside. I made two laps around the loop, while my wife only did the first lap. She's training for the OKC 5k the same day my sister and I are doing the OKC Half (04/27).
Monday I was hoping to cross-train, but again, life got in the way. Waking up and having to wait at home for the cable guy to arrive, then there was the whole process of setting up my newly installed TiVo, and by the time I got done with all that I had to go do the grocery shopping for the week. Yes, these are excuses. BUT, they are excuses for cross-training. I have still been getting in my runs when they are due. I have not been cheating myself there. It was a bum deal that I did not get to cross-train Monday because I was all jazzed up to do it. You see, in the morning when I did my weigh-in, the scale read back to me a weight of 243. That means I have lost 9 lbs. since I have started my more concentrated effort to get my weight down and train for the Goofy Challenge. I was so pumped I wanted to go pump some iron.
Today, Tuesday, I was only on schedule for 2 miles. I did a total of 5 laps around my condo complex, each lap is .56 miles. The fifth lap was a cooldown lap. Even with the cooldown lap I knocked off about 50 seconds from last week's 5 laps of the complex. That was cool to see since I was not trying to beat any time. Thanks GARMIN for that knowledge. I also managed to do the laps at an overall average pace :07 faster than last week. Another thing I took note of is with each lap I was getting faster. This was the same situation last week, and I was not intentionally trying to make that happen. Again, another GARMIN nicety I have been enjoying. Following today's run around the complex I did do some strength training in the fitness room.
With work tomorrow (Wed.) and another run on Thursday it will be Friday before another cross-training session takes place. That's all for now.
Monday I was hoping to cross-train, but again, life got in the way. Waking up and having to wait at home for the cable guy to arrive, then there was the whole process of setting up my newly installed TiVo, and by the time I got done with all that I had to go do the grocery shopping for the week. Yes, these are excuses. BUT, they are excuses for cross-training. I have still been getting in my runs when they are due. I have not been cheating myself there. It was a bum deal that I did not get to cross-train Monday because I was all jazzed up to do it. You see, in the morning when I did my weigh-in, the scale read back to me a weight of 243. That means I have lost 9 lbs. since I have started my more concentrated effort to get my weight down and train for the Goofy Challenge. I was so pumped I wanted to go pump some iron.
Today, Tuesday, I was only on schedule for 2 miles. I did a total of 5 laps around my condo complex, each lap is .56 miles. The fifth lap was a cooldown lap. Even with the cooldown lap I knocked off about 50 seconds from last week's 5 laps of the complex. That was cool to see since I was not trying to beat any time. Thanks GARMIN for that knowledge. I also managed to do the laps at an overall average pace :07 faster than last week. Another thing I took note of is with each lap I was getting faster. This was the same situation last week, and I was not intentionally trying to make that happen. Again, another GARMIN nicety I have been enjoying. Following today's run around the complex I did do some strength training in the fitness room.
With work tomorrow (Wed.) and another run on Thursday it will be Friday before another cross-training session takes place. That's all for now.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Fast Start Not So Good
Today was to be 5 miles with speedwork. I started out on the treadmill with my warmup mile going at 3.9 mph. My next mile was to be at 4.2 mph, however, after a half mile I had to knock it back down to 3.8. My ambition to do the warmup mile faster came back to bite me and prevented me from doing the full mile at 4.2. My legs just could not keep up at the 4.2 rate today. I did a quarter mile at 3.8 then kicked it back up 4.2. I held it there for another quarter mile and then dropped back to 3.6 for the next half mile. Realizing my legs were not going to do 4.2 today I lowered my hi-end speed to 4.0 and managed to take this for the next mile, took a quarter mile break at 3.7 and then back to 4.0 to finish out my first four miles. After a brief two minute break to reset the treadmill (it's time limit is 1 hour plus a five minute cooldown) I was back up for the final mile, which I did at 3.8.
Looking back over today's and other previous workouts I am able to see the benefit to starting slow and then picking up the pace. In workouts I have done the slower start I seem to have less struggle with and feel as if I can continue further than what I set out for.
During today's workout I consumed two bottles of Propel (50 calories) and a packet of GU (100 calories). This time the GU was tri-berry flavored. It was not as bad as the banana-strawberry, I could have it again if need be, but I will pass when I have the option. Sunday I think I will give the orange flavored one a shot.
Looking back over today's and other previous workouts I am able to see the benefit to starting slow and then picking up the pace. In workouts I have done the slower start I seem to have less struggle with and feel as if I can continue further than what I set out for.
During today's workout I consumed two bottles of Propel (50 calories) and a packet of GU (100 calories). This time the GU was tri-berry flavored. It was not as bad as the banana-strawberry, I could have it again if need be, but I will pass when I have the option. Sunday I think I will give the orange flavored one a shot.
Cool Running
To keep from continually complaining here I am jumping right to the run. Tuesday was a light day for me, only 2 miles on tap. It was 9pm when I finally got the chance to get my run in. The fitness room was locked up. I did not have reflective gear, so, dressed in my lightest colored sweats I opted to do laps around my condo complex. Each lap came in at .56 miles. I did the first lap rather slow, as a warm up. With the temperatures outside being at 32 degrees I wanted to get moving so I would feel warm. My next three laps continually got faster with each one. Throughout the run I was trying to remain focused on my pacing, keeping it more stable. In the past, when not on the treadmill, I have had the problem of my pace fluctuating. Having GARMIN at hand, or rather just above my hand, I was able to continue checking on the pacing. For much of the run I was hovering in the 14:09-14:45 range. During the fourth lap I managed to get the pace steadily in the 13:30-13:50 range. I even looked down and saw the pacing in the 12:30-12:40 range for about a tenth of a mile. Upon completion of my four laps I took a fifth lap as a cool down. My total mileage for the run came in at 2.87 in 43:23, including the cooldown lap. Here are my average pace speeds for the .56 mile loop:
Lap 1: 15:51
Lap 2: 15:35
Lap 3: 14:04
Lap 4: 13:43
Lap 5: 16:21
A great thing about this run is I felt revived. I don't know if it was the cool air or the results on GARMIN when I got inside on the computer to analyze. Either way, I really did feel good about this. Looking at the graph on the computer I was much more successfull in stabilizing my pace and it was easier to see the speeding up as the distance went on.
Today, Wednesday was an off day all around. I took a total rest day. Thursday will be 5 miles with speedwork, Friday I will cross-train, Saturday will be another complete rest day because of work, and I will finish the week Sunday with a 6 mile run after I work the Women's Basketball game at OU. I would love to get outside for the 6 miles but I will have to wait and see what time I get home and if I will have enough daylight.
Lap 1: 15:51
Lap 2: 15:35
Lap 3: 14:04
Lap 4: 13:43
Lap 5: 16:21
A great thing about this run is I felt revived. I don't know if it was the cool air or the results on GARMIN when I got inside on the computer to analyze. Either way, I really did feel good about this. Looking at the graph on the computer I was much more successfull in stabilizing my pace and it was easier to see the speeding up as the distance went on.
Today, Wednesday was an off day all around. I took a total rest day. Thursday will be 5 miles with speedwork, Friday I will cross-train, Saturday will be another complete rest day because of work, and I will finish the week Sunday with a 6 mile run after I work the Women's Basketball game at OU. I would love to get outside for the 6 miles but I will have to wait and see what time I get home and if I will have enough daylight.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Cross-training Weight Loss
One of the reasons I began running is to lose weight. I am sure many of us have used that as a reason to run. When I returned from my three week honeymoon and a weekend cheering my sister on in the Disney marathon this year in mid-January I stepped on the scale. I was shocked and surprised to see it read 252 lbs. Never in my life had I topped the 250 mark. Needless to say, I was not happy with that sight and knew some things had to change. I first began with some walking/running. Then I began to take a look at the foods I consumed. Now, about a month and a week later I stepped on the scale this morning. To my delightful eyes I read the numbers 247 lbs. I was so happy to begin seeing the weight loss I went ahead and ate breakfast, had some lunch later in the day, along with a light snack in the middle. To top it all off, for dessert I had a good 90 minute cross-training session in the fitness room with two bottles of Propel, again one lemon and one berry. There are a couple of ways I can go from here.
First, the cross training session. I started out with a round of strength training doing 15 reps of the bench press, shoulder press, bicep curls, tricep pulldowns, reverse biceps, lats, leg press and calf raises. Next I moved over to the stationary bike for 20 minutes and 3.9 miles. It was warmer in the fitness room than usual, as a result I downed the first bottle of Propel during the biking and right before I started the second round of the strength training. Round two of strength training was the same as round one. At the conclusion, I got on the eliptical for 40 minutes, covering 2.5 miles and finishing off the second bottle of Propel. To finish off the day's workout I made one final round of the weights, repeating the same number of reps.
Second, when I returned home from the workout I had a banana, a blackberry yogurt and two pints of water. When I stepped on the scale before I jumped in the shower it read 245 lbs. WOW!!! I chalk that weight loss up to the depletion of liquids, which I would soon remedy with more water afterward.
The third thing for today deals with the weigh-ins. I know most of you might say don't get too excited over a single weigh-in at a certain weight because it will fluctuate. You may also want to tell me how muscle weighs more than fat and not to get discouraged when I don't see the weight coming off right away. That is true and I am aware of it. But, I will also say that over the course of this past week I have been monitoring my weight, and this is the third time I have hit the 247 lbs., enough for me to be convinced that the growing muscles are now starting to eat away that fat.
Through the running catalyst I have begun and a further look into the foods I eat, the changes I make hope to help me reach my target weight goal. Ultimately, I would like to see myself get out of the 200s and find myself happily around 185. But first things first, I will break it down into 10 lb increments and allow myself a reward upon completion of each 10 lbs. Anyone have suggestions for some quality self-rewards? My starting weight on this mission was 252, I am now at 247, yet I will not accept my first reward until the 240 mark has been successfully achieved.
Please share your comments. I welcome your thoughts.
First, the cross training session. I started out with a round of strength training doing 15 reps of the bench press, shoulder press, bicep curls, tricep pulldowns, reverse biceps, lats, leg press and calf raises. Next I moved over to the stationary bike for 20 minutes and 3.9 miles. It was warmer in the fitness room than usual, as a result I downed the first bottle of Propel during the biking and right before I started the second round of the strength training. Round two of strength training was the same as round one. At the conclusion, I got on the eliptical for 40 minutes, covering 2.5 miles and finishing off the second bottle of Propel. To finish off the day's workout I made one final round of the weights, repeating the same number of reps.
Second, when I returned home from the workout I had a banana, a blackberry yogurt and two pints of water. When I stepped on the scale before I jumped in the shower it read 245 lbs. WOW!!! I chalk that weight loss up to the depletion of liquids, which I would soon remedy with more water afterward.
The third thing for today deals with the weigh-ins. I know most of you might say don't get too excited over a single weigh-in at a certain weight because it will fluctuate. You may also want to tell me how muscle weighs more than fat and not to get discouraged when I don't see the weight coming off right away. That is true and I am aware of it. But, I will also say that over the course of this past week I have been monitoring my weight, and this is the third time I have hit the 247 lbs., enough for me to be convinced that the growing muscles are now starting to eat away that fat.
Through the running catalyst I have begun and a further look into the foods I eat, the changes I make hope to help me reach my target weight goal. Ultimately, I would like to see myself get out of the 200s and find myself happily around 185. But first things first, I will break it down into 10 lb increments and allow myself a reward upon completion of each 10 lbs. Anyone have suggestions for some quality self-rewards? My starting weight on this mission was 252, I am now at 247, yet I will not accept my first reward until the 240 mark has been successfully achieved.
Please share your comments. I welcome your thoughts.
Completing My First Marathon....Sort Of
I have completed my first marathon, well sort of. With my 6.45 mile long run yesterday (Sunday) it brought my new running shoes mileage to an even 26.2 miles. I had no idea until I entered my run into my training log. I was surprised to see I had gone that far already in them. During the run I made note of my 10k time since this was the first time I had actually gone that far. It came in at 1:30:10. I was very psyched to see that.
The breakdown on the stationery 10k treadmill run went like this. I set out for the first mile with the intention of it being a warmup mile at 3.5. Five minutes into it I decided to step up the beat and bumped the speed up to 3.9 for the rest of the first mile. At the onset of the second mile I decided to try the "running" on the treadmill and got the speed to 4.5. This only lasted for a tenth of a mile and then I backed it down to 4.0. I remained at 4.0 until mile three where I went up to 4.1 for a half mile before I pulled an Emeril and "kicked it up a notch" to 4.2. I stayed at 4.2 until I had to stop because the treadmill will only run for 60 minutes and then it does a five minute cool down. At the conclusion of the 60 minutes when the cooldown began I cranked the speed and incline back up until I completed the fourth mile and then hit stop. It took about a minute to clear out the info on the first 4 miles and get the belt back up to speed for the remaining 2.2 miles. With that I was on my way at a 4.2 speed. Once I reached the 10k time I hit the "cooldown" and took that for the five minutes it gave me. Not counted in this run is the 1/4 mile walk from condo to the fitness room and the 1/4 mile back. I never count those. On the way back I did not waste the opportunity to high step it for .2 miles, kicking my knees up to my face, having people look at me weird.
In the realm of refueling, as I closed in on the 45 minute mark of my run I downed my third sampling of GU Gel, this time in the flavor of "Espresso Love." It was pretty good. Of the three flavors I have tried now, I would rank them Chocolate Outrage, Espresso Love, and then Strawberry-Banana from best to worst in taste. My sister had mentioned she did not care for the fruit flavored ones, and I would say that if the other fruit flavored ones taste as bad as Strawberry-Banana I want to stay away from them myself. Throughout my entire run, to remain hydrated, I also put away two bottles of Propel, one lemon and one berry.
The breakdown on the stationery 10k treadmill run went like this. I set out for the first mile with the intention of it being a warmup mile at 3.5. Five minutes into it I decided to step up the beat and bumped the speed up to 3.9 for the rest of the first mile. At the onset of the second mile I decided to try the "running" on the treadmill and got the speed to 4.5. This only lasted for a tenth of a mile and then I backed it down to 4.0. I remained at 4.0 until mile three where I went up to 4.1 for a half mile before I pulled an Emeril and "kicked it up a notch" to 4.2. I stayed at 4.2 until I had to stop because the treadmill will only run for 60 minutes and then it does a five minute cool down. At the conclusion of the 60 minutes when the cooldown began I cranked the speed and incline back up until I completed the fourth mile and then hit stop. It took about a minute to clear out the info on the first 4 miles and get the belt back up to speed for the remaining 2.2 miles. With that I was on my way at a 4.2 speed. Once I reached the 10k time I hit the "cooldown" and took that for the five minutes it gave me. Not counted in this run is the 1/4 mile walk from condo to the fitness room and the 1/4 mile back. I never count those. On the way back I did not waste the opportunity to high step it for .2 miles, kicking my knees up to my face, having people look at me weird.
In the realm of refueling, as I closed in on the 45 minute mark of my run I downed my third sampling of GU Gel, this time in the flavor of "Espresso Love." It was pretty good. Of the three flavors I have tried now, I would rank them Chocolate Outrage, Espresso Love, and then Strawberry-Banana from best to worst in taste. My sister had mentioned she did not care for the fruit flavored ones, and I would say that if the other fruit flavored ones taste as bad as Strawberry-Banana I want to stay away from them myself. Throughout my entire run, to remain hydrated, I also put away two bottles of Propel, one lemon and one berry.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Cross-training and Races
When I woke up this morning I made the decision to cross train. As a result, I feel great. I did 40 minutes on the eliptical and 18 minutes on the bike, along with some strength training on the weights in my condo complex fitness room. Aside from cross-training today I did some searching online and found an 8k in OKC on March 15 I may do, as well as a 10k on May 24, also in OKC. The 10k is named after Willie Nelson as part of the Andy Payne Memorial Races in OKC. That's it for today, a nice and short entry. I'll check back in Sunday after my long run of 6 miles.
Frustrating Start To A Great Finish
Having taken the last two days off from running, I was getting a bit tired, I was anxious to run today. However, my run got off to a frustrating start. First, it was 29 degrees out with a wind chill at 21. I really did not want to run outside in that, plus, the overnight and early morning weather we had had left numerous icy patches around. Again, I did not want to run in/on that and risk injury. Therefore, I settled to go inside on the treadmill. The frustrating part is that when I went to the fitness center here at my condo complex it was locked up still. Someone forgot to come unlock it for the residents to use. I called the management company and through a series of phone calls I was told it would be after 3pm before someone could come by and unlock it......grrrrrr! I was not happy, I wanted to run then, not later. So, nearly two hours later someone came and unlocked the fitness room....yay! Finally inside I get on the treadmill and within two minutes I stopped and had to change treadmills. The first one kept slipping and I just could not get into a groove. So, onto the second treadmill. This one, upon first start up screeched at me as the belt stayed in place and then all of a sudden let loose and started to rotate. Good thing I was not standing on it. After a few minutes and a rise of the incline I did not notice the treadmill slipping anymore. I have noticed it slips the most when it is at a 0 incline and when it is cold.
Onto the workout. Once I got moving I set out for five miles to nowhere by way of speedwork. My goal today was to do the first and last miles at 17:10 with the middle three miles at 15:30. Not once during the workout did I feel tiredness in the shins, yet I could feel the calves working. When I was on my last mile at the slower speed I noticed how much easier it was to do after having done the previous three at a higher rate of speed. Forty-five minutes into the whole workout I sucked down a GU Gel, Chocolate Outrage. It tasted like I was eating chocolate frosting. This was MUCH better than the banana-strawberry I had sampled over the weekend. I see today's run being easier partly because I was on the treadmill, but also because I had given my body two consecutive days of rest, something I had not done in more than a week. My training plan up to this point has had me down for one period of two off days a week or cross-train on those off days. Not having really excercised much in the previous few months I had been out of shape and was sticking to the two off day plan, until I tried to compensate for my working schedule. Doing so caused me to run five of the last nine day prior to these past two off days. I am sure I have just lost you, but it is just the ramblings coming out of my head as I think of them.
Now onto the exciting post workout. Tonight was the showing of Spirit of the Marathon up in Oklahoma City. Hayley and I opted to share our weekly Thursday "date night" at the movies. With our not so healthy bags of popcorn and sodas in hand we made our way into the theater to pick out our seats. Arriving in the theater nearly 50 minutes early we thought we would be really early. We were surprised to see about 20 others already in there sitting and waiting. By the time the movie started the theater was nearly full, it was not a sell out. For the next two hours we watched the movie and the "extras" . We thoroughly enjoyed the movie and laughed at a number of spots. Our hearts went out to some and we could certainly feel and relate to others in the movie. I hear the movie will be out this summer on DVD, so if you did not get to see it you will still have the chance. I would recommend seeing it, if not own it, as it helped put some things into perspective. It was great to relive some history, gain knowledge of some other history and just feel the power of the Marathon.
Back home now, I am trying to figure out my next run. I am scheduled to do my long run of 6 miles sometime during the remainder of the week. I have to work the OSU/OU basketball game Saturday at 7am and won't be home until about 5pm. Wanting to do my run outside that late won't provide me with enough daylight. So, if I do not do it Saturday I would have to do it on Sunday, but that gives me another two days off before I run again. I am leaning towards doing the six miles on Sunday with a cross-train day on the bike and eliptical in the fitness room either tomorrow or Saturday after the basketball game. Any suggestions?
Onto the workout. Once I got moving I set out for five miles to nowhere by way of speedwork. My goal today was to do the first and last miles at 17:10 with the middle three miles at 15:30. Not once during the workout did I feel tiredness in the shins, yet I could feel the calves working. When I was on my last mile at the slower speed I noticed how much easier it was to do after having done the previous three at a higher rate of speed. Forty-five minutes into the whole workout I sucked down a GU Gel, Chocolate Outrage. It tasted like I was eating chocolate frosting. This was MUCH better than the banana-strawberry I had sampled over the weekend. I see today's run being easier partly because I was on the treadmill, but also because I had given my body two consecutive days of rest, something I had not done in more than a week. My training plan up to this point has had me down for one period of two off days a week or cross-train on those off days. Not having really excercised much in the previous few months I had been out of shape and was sticking to the two off day plan, until I tried to compensate for my working schedule. Doing so caused me to run five of the last nine day prior to these past two off days. I am sure I have just lost you, but it is just the ramblings coming out of my head as I think of them.
Now onto the exciting post workout. Tonight was the showing of Spirit of the Marathon up in Oklahoma City. Hayley and I opted to share our weekly Thursday "date night" at the movies. With our not so healthy bags of popcorn and sodas in hand we made our way into the theater to pick out our seats. Arriving in the theater nearly 50 minutes early we thought we would be really early. We were surprised to see about 20 others already in there sitting and waiting. By the time the movie started the theater was nearly full, it was not a sell out. For the next two hours we watched the movie and the "extras" . We thoroughly enjoyed the movie and laughed at a number of spots. Our hearts went out to some and we could certainly feel and relate to others in the movie. I hear the movie will be out this summer on DVD, so if you did not get to see it you will still have the chance. I would recommend seeing it, if not own it, as it helped put some things into perspective. It was great to relive some history, gain knowledge of some other history and just feel the power of the Marathon.
Back home now, I am trying to figure out my next run. I am scheduled to do my long run of 6 miles sometime during the remainder of the week. I have to work the OSU/OU basketball game Saturday at 7am and won't be home until about 5pm. Wanting to do my run outside that late won't provide me with enough daylight. So, if I do not do it Saturday I would have to do it on Sunday, but that gives me another two days off before I run again. I am leaning towards doing the six miles on Sunday with a cross-train day on the bike and eliptical in the fitness room either tomorrow or Saturday after the basketball game. Any suggestions?
Monday, February 18, 2008
Books, Food and a Short Run
I have read and heard that there are good days and bad days in running. In some ways I feel I felt my first bad day today. Today I set out for two miles. My plan was to walk the first mile and then run what I could for the second, then I would do a half mile cooldown around my condo complex. Run time temperature was 50 degrees on a beautiful clear day, I thought it would be great for getting out and running. Three quarters of the way into my first mile I decided to go ahead and start the running, I was feeling good. I found a stride that felt good and went with it, yet I did not really pay attention to the pacing and my body tired rather quickly within the next quarter mile. Returning to a walk I did a recovery quarter mile then stepped up the speed again. Although, this time I paid more attention to my pacing and managed to maintain a slower, yet more consistent speed over a greater distance. That I was happy with. With another quarter mile recovery walk and one more stint on the run I finished up walking it in. At the end of two miles I had gone at an overall 14:21 pace. By the end of my cooldown I had covered 2.71 miles at an overall pace of 15:16. My cooldown was really slow. Now what makes me feel like this was a bad day is that (a) I feel like I labored more during the run than I should have, and (b) throughout the rest of the afternoon my body ached a bit more than it had in the past. I think my body was expecting more activity and when I called it quits at the point when I usually find that light switch it just did not know what to do.
Moving onto other run-related activities, I spent a good bit of time today working on my blog site, giving you more information in the sidebar. It was a pleasure doing it and I have a list of some other additions to come in time. Also today, while out running errands I swung by Borders Bookstore to pick up a book I read about online just the other day. It is called Eat This, Not That. It is a great book for the traveler or anyone that has to or chooses to eat out frequently. It does not tell you to not eat out, what it does do is tell you alternative selections to certain menu items at numerous popular restaurants to help watch your caloric intake. It is quite a jaw dropping eye opener. There is also a section for when you go to the grocery store. The reviews I had read about it were enough to make me go out and get it. And, since I was at Borders and had a 40% off coupon with a $20 purchase, the book was just under $20, I also picked up Running for Mortals, another book written by "The Penguin" John Bingham. Following my book purchases I made my way over to the grocery store. The importance of the grocery store is that I made a change in my cereal purchase this week. Instead of Special K or whatever sweet cereal I was craving, I took advantage of the 3 for $8 Kashi cereals, picking up three different kinds to sample. Now, my marathon sister has been eating this stuff for years so it is not foreign to me. However, now that I am trying to get my weight down and have running goals, I figure this is a good move forward to aid in both goals.
Moving onto other run-related activities, I spent a good bit of time today working on my blog site, giving you more information in the sidebar. It was a pleasure doing it and I have a list of some other additions to come in time. Also today, while out running errands I swung by Borders Bookstore to pick up a book I read about online just the other day. It is called Eat This, Not That. It is a great book for the traveler or anyone that has to or chooses to eat out frequently. It does not tell you to not eat out, what it does do is tell you alternative selections to certain menu items at numerous popular restaurants to help watch your caloric intake. It is quite a jaw dropping eye opener. There is also a section for when you go to the grocery store. The reviews I had read about it were enough to make me go out and get it. And, since I was at Borders and had a 40% off coupon with a $20 purchase, the book was just under $20, I also picked up Running for Mortals, another book written by "The Penguin" John Bingham. Following my book purchases I made my way over to the grocery store. The importance of the grocery store is that I made a change in my cereal purchase this week. Instead of Special K or whatever sweet cereal I was craving, I took advantage of the 3 for $8 Kashi cereals, picking up three different kinds to sample. Now, my marathon sister has been eating this stuff for years so it is not foreign to me. However, now that I am trying to get my weight down and have running goals, I figure this is a good move forward to aid in both goals.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
95 Minutes to Nowhere
Getting caught up we are finally up to yesterday, Saturday. I moved up my long run this week by a day because of my schedule for next week. My long run concluding Week 4 was set for 5 miles. With inclement weather outside (35 degrees and rain with potential for icing) I took the workout indoors to the treadmill. In doing so there was no need for GARMIN. I also wanted to go a bit easier on the body with this run, one because I had not gone this long before, and two because the last two runs were outdoors on a lot of concrete sidewalk. Being inside on the treadmill I opted to use my older New Balance 475s instead of the new ASICS. To sum up the treadmill workout, I covered 5.45 miles in 95 minutes, including my cooldown of ten minutes, for an overall pace of 17:25. Going with some information I had read, a slower pace can help the body with energy management, I set the treadmill for 3.5 miles per hour. That is why it took longer to complete the workout. As with my road runs, I felt the tiredness in the begining 2-2.5 miles and then I was off to the races. A luxury of the treadmill is a place to hold a beverage. I took two bottles of Propel with me. I drank one and took a few sips of the second by the end of the workout. Half way through the run at 45 minutes I also tried for the first time a packet of Gu. According to the treadmill I had burned off almost 450 calories at that point, so replenishing 100 calories in the packet of Gu I figured would not be a bad thing. I tried the Banana-Strawberry. To sum it up, it was interesting. I do feel the Gu served its purpose however. Another luxury for me of going on the treadmill was being able to use my iPod. I do not use my iPod when I am out on the roadways, but in the fitness room, facing the door, I will listen to a mix of music I assembled for working out.
Aside from the runnings of this week, I have been reading a chapter a night from The Courage to Start. I also have been enjoying the daily quotes I have been receiving from Runner's World in my email I had signed up for on their website. Tomorrow is the start of a new week, Week 5. By week's end my mileage total will be up to 13. Tomorrow I have a short run in the plans for a total of 2 miles, with a five miler on Wednesday and a six miler on Friday. I do hope to get in a day of cross training, preferably on Sunday, doing the eliptical. I also hope to get a couple days of doing some upper body weights in. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated.
Aside from the runnings of this week, I have been reading a chapter a night from The Courage to Start. I also have been enjoying the daily quotes I have been receiving from Runner's World in my email I had signed up for on their website. Tomorrow is the start of a new week, Week 5. By week's end my mileage total will be up to 13. Tomorrow I have a short run in the plans for a total of 2 miles, with a five miler on Wednesday and a six miler on Friday. I do hope to get in a day of cross training, preferably on Sunday, doing the eliptical. I also hope to get a couple days of doing some upper body weights in. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated.
Shaving the Pace
Following Tuesday's run, while out running errands I stopped by the two running stores located here in Norman we did not check when shopping over the weekend. One of the stores, Athletic Village, was in the process of moving to a new location so their stock was not complete. They were having a moving sale and were not restocking the shelves because all new stock was being sent to the new location, which was not opened yet. I was not a big fan of this store in terms of running because they were a multi-sports store, not specializing in running. Now the other store I ventured into, The OK Runner, was a running store. In many ways this store was better than the store in OKC. They had a larger apparel selection, they had a larger sock selection (although no Injinji), and they had more selection and stock of energy foods, gels and drinks. There also was a larger section of accessories, including sunglasses, winter gear, electronics and more. I was very pleased with the service I got and felt welcomed there, unlike in Athletic Village. I can not speak for the selection of shoes for me because I did not shop for shoes on this trip, although there was a large selection of shoes on the wall.
Now onto Thursday this week. I did not get to my run until late afternoon (4pm). This was my second trip out on the road. I followed the same 5k loop I did Tuesday, except I added an extra half mile section near the beginning and had to start start a second lap briefly to complete my goal of 4 miles. One of the joys I am finding in the outdoor running is the element weather plays into your outcome. Thursday's run saw the temperature start at 69 degrees and drop to 59 degrees an hour later. Plus, the winds were quite strong, giving me a great tailwind in the middle of my run, but provided me with a strong headwind challenging me down the final stretch. I did not take note of my 5k time on this run, partly because I was not focused on my 5k. I was going for 4 miles and I was trying to pay more attention to GARMIN and my pacing. One of my goals on this run was to try and smooth out my pacing. Checking on the computer post-run it appears that I did do a better job with that. Once again, I traversed the asphalt, concrete and roadside dirt along the route, doing the series of runs along the way. At times I felt I was laboring more than I had the previous run. In the begining I had the same tiredness felt in the shins and as before it disappeared and I felt I could keep on going. Overall, the run felt great.
Checking with GARMIN I realize I have messed up my times over the past few posts. The correct times are as follows:
Sunday, 4.01 miles, 58:20 (5k time was 48:26)
Tuesday, 3.32 miles, 48:02 (this 5k time was 45:15)
Thursday, 4.31 miles, 1:01:16 (5k time was not noted)
One great thing with GARMIN is the ability to check your history. In doing so I am able to see my overall pacing has improved with each run. Sunday's overall pace was 14:33, Tueaday's was 14:28, and what may help explain the additional laboring on Thursday is the pace of 14:12.
Now onto Thursday this week. I did not get to my run until late afternoon (4pm). This was my second trip out on the road. I followed the same 5k loop I did Tuesday, except I added an extra half mile section near the beginning and had to start start a second lap briefly to complete my goal of 4 miles. One of the joys I am finding in the outdoor running is the element weather plays into your outcome. Thursday's run saw the temperature start at 69 degrees and drop to 59 degrees an hour later. Plus, the winds were quite strong, giving me a great tailwind in the middle of my run, but provided me with a strong headwind challenging me down the final stretch. I did not take note of my 5k time on this run, partly because I was not focused on my 5k. I was going for 4 miles and I was trying to pay more attention to GARMIN and my pacing. One of my goals on this run was to try and smooth out my pacing. Checking on the computer post-run it appears that I did do a better job with that. Once again, I traversed the asphalt, concrete and roadside dirt along the route, doing the series of runs along the way. At times I felt I was laboring more than I had the previous run. In the begining I had the same tiredness felt in the shins and as before it disappeared and I felt I could keep on going. Overall, the run felt great.
Checking with GARMIN I realize I have messed up my times over the past few posts. The correct times are as follows:
Sunday, 4.01 miles, 58:20 (5k time was 48:26)
Tuesday, 3.32 miles, 48:02 (this 5k time was 45:15)
Thursday, 4.31 miles, 1:01:16 (5k time was not noted)
One great thing with GARMIN is the ability to check your history. In doing so I am able to see my overall pacing has improved with each run. Sunday's overall pace was 14:33, Tueaday's was 14:28, and what may help explain the additional laboring on Thursday is the pace of 14:12.
First Non-treadmill, Non-track Run
So my last entry was going longer than I initially thought and I still had more I wanted to update you on so I posted what I had, took a meal break to replenish my energy and now I am back. One thing about Sunday's track workout I forgot to mention is that that was my first non-treadmill workout. With all my traveling I had been doing the treadmill was really the best option I had prior to Sunday because of my work schedule and locations.
Now, I am currently amidst a fourteen week training plan leading me up to my first race, the Oklahoma City Memorial Half-Marathon. This past Sunday I spoke of completed my Week 3 training. Moving forward into Week 4, on Tuesday this week I did my first non-treadmill, non-track workout. Using GARMIN I navigated my way around a convenient 5k loop right here from home. For this run/walk I adorned my new ASICS, along with the Injinji socks for the first time. The socks were weird upon first putting them on, however, once my feet were inside my running shoes I could not tell a difference between the Injinjis and my normal socks other than my feet did feel cooler during the run. Through the first mile and a half to two miles I could feel the tiredness build in my shins. Yet I kept going. It was not a tiredness feeling like shin splints, it was more just the building up of the lactic acid I would say. Then, like someone turned on a light switch, the tiredness was gone and I felt like I could run/walk forever. During the run/walk I mixed up the pace with a series of runs, mostly about four utility poles at a time. Some of the runs were the length of the parking lots I would pass, some I would run the four telephone poles and find I was feeling good and had a good stride going so I continued another pole or two. This was a run that covered numerous surfaces: asphalt, concrete (the worst), and some roadside dirt. When possible I would not run/walk on the sidewalk but rather along the sidewalk on the grass. Now I only did this when it appeared to be pretty smooth and not slanted to one side or the other. I also kept a close eye out for any holes, as I did not want to experience a busted ankle like my cousin did last fall. At the conclusion of my run I had covered 3.31 miles, this including my cooldown walk. My 5k time was 45:15. I was excited to see the time had improved. Perhaps the weather had something to do with it. The starting temperature of the run was 32 degrees and it had warmed up to 36 by the time I got back inside, and the start of the run was about noon here in Oklahoma.
With the cold temperatures you would think I would have used that as an excuse to either not run or use the treadmill in the fitness room. Nope, I got out there and did it. I first felt the cold for about two or three minutes, but once I really got moving the blood got pumping and I was warm, not feeling the cold until I began the slower pace of my cooldown distance. At the end I had an exhilirated feeling having just gone three plus miles, in the cold. It was great.
Now, I am currently amidst a fourteen week training plan leading me up to my first race, the Oklahoma City Memorial Half-Marathon. This past Sunday I spoke of completed my Week 3 training. Moving forward into Week 4, on Tuesday this week I did my first non-treadmill, non-track workout. Using GARMIN I navigated my way around a convenient 5k loop right here from home. For this run/walk I adorned my new ASICS, along with the Injinji socks for the first time. The socks were weird upon first putting them on, however, once my feet were inside my running shoes I could not tell a difference between the Injinjis and my normal socks other than my feet did feel cooler during the run. Through the first mile and a half to two miles I could feel the tiredness build in my shins. Yet I kept going. It was not a tiredness feeling like shin splints, it was more just the building up of the lactic acid I would say. Then, like someone turned on a light switch, the tiredness was gone and I felt like I could run/walk forever. During the run/walk I mixed up the pace with a series of runs, mostly about four utility poles at a time. Some of the runs were the length of the parking lots I would pass, some I would run the four telephone poles and find I was feeling good and had a good stride going so I continued another pole or two. This was a run that covered numerous surfaces: asphalt, concrete (the worst), and some roadside dirt. When possible I would not run/walk on the sidewalk but rather along the sidewalk on the grass. Now I only did this when it appeared to be pretty smooth and not slanted to one side or the other. I also kept a close eye out for any holes, as I did not want to experience a busted ankle like my cousin did last fall. At the conclusion of my run I had covered 3.31 miles, this including my cooldown walk. My 5k time was 45:15. I was excited to see the time had improved. Perhaps the weather had something to do with it. The starting temperature of the run was 32 degrees and it had warmed up to 36 by the time I got back inside, and the start of the run was about noon here in Oklahoma.
With the cold temperatures you would think I would have used that as an excuse to either not run or use the treadmill in the fitness room. Nope, I got out there and did it. I first felt the cold for about two or three minutes, but once I really got moving the blood got pumping and I was warm, not feeling the cold until I began the slower pace of my cooldown distance. At the end I had an exhilirated feeling having just gone three plus miles, in the cold. It was great.
Sisterly Visit
Ok, sorry for the delay. I may not be right on top of getting the blog entries up in a timely fashion, but at least I have not been slacking in my training. I have now completed a 12-mile week. Next week will be a 13-mile week. Not bad for having only started back in January.
First things first, last weekend my sister came to visit. During her visit, my wife and I went to OKC and got ourselves some new running shoes. We went to a store called The Runner. They measured our feet, watched us do some walking in the store to see how our feet work, and then gave us some shoes to try on. For me, because I have a wide foot, they only had two styles in stock, a pair of New Balance (I don't recall the model number) and a pair of ASICS Gel Fortitude 2. They had me put on one shoe of the New Balance and one of the ASICS and let me go for a run out of the store. Let me say this blew me away. After living in Connecticut for ten years, I can tell you they never would have let you run out of a store with new, unpaid sneakers on your feet. I ran to the end of the parking lot and then returned to the store. The salesman asked me what felt better. It was tough for me to answer because I have been a long standing New Balance person and I had to swallow my pride and go against that. I told him the ASICS were better. So, he gave me the other ASICS shoe and had me put that on and go for another run. Once again, I ran out the door and down to the end of the parking lot and back. I was happy with this pair. My decision was pretty easy, unlike my wife, whom had to try out I think four pairs.
In New Balance I have always worn size 10-4E. In the new ASICS I am wearing a size 11. Also, when I asked about wether I overpronate or over supinate I was told that I do pronate, but not severly like my wife and other family relatives do. My arches I was told are about normal.
While my wife continued to work on her selection of shoes I explored the rest of the store. I picked up a two pair of running shorts that had an internal lining to replace the need to wear underwear. This was important because I can tell you that running in boxer shorts is not fun. Hey, if my sisters and wife can talk about their sports bras in their blogs it is only fair for me to mention my underthings. I had been on a search to find some boxer briefs I could wear, but I came across these shorts first. Along with the running shorts, I also found a pair of running pants. In addition, I also decided to pick up an experimental pair of Injinji Socks. Injinji socks are unique in that they have seperate compartments for your toes. They are like a glove for your feet as opposed to the mitten-style of a typical tube/crew sock. I had read about them in this months edition of Runner's World magazine in an article reviewing the top 10 running socks.
My most expensive purchase however was the GARMIN 205. The GARMIN 205 is a runner's watch equipped with GPS navigation. The watch will keep track of my running time, pace, calories burned, and not only the distance I have traveled, but where I have traveled through the GPS. A benefit to the watch is that at the end of a run, I can download the information from the watch to my computer and analyze the run, including cross-referencing it with past runs. This was a purchase I am finding was definitely well worth the expense.
With my new purchases in hand and my wife having hers we set out to find her an my sister some new sports bras, but you will have to check out their blogs for those details because I stayed out in the car reading up on the GARMIN while they did that shopping. Later in the day I did pick up some boxer briefs so I may give them a shot and won't always have to do laundry everyday or wear dirty running clothes. We also made a stop at Barnes & Nobles where I picked up a few books: The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer; The Courage to Start; and 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon. While shopping at B&N I wore my new ASICS around the store to begin breaking them in before my first run with them.
The next day, last Sunday, it was time to put things into circulation and see how everything comes together. First, my sister had me eat a PowerBar about fifteen minutes before we made our way to the local high school track. At the track, with my new ASICS, running shorts, running pants and GARMIN on I did my long run of four miles for the week. This was the first time, with the help of GARMIN, I had a time for a 5k. I did the 5k in 48:20. Altogether, I did my four miles in 1:01:15. Being on the track provided me the first time that I had easily recognizable distance references during my run/walk. I also took this opportunity to actually do some running. Following a 1-mile warmup walk I introduced the running into my workout. I would run a quarter of the track, walk a quarter, run the next quarter and then walk the last quarter to complete a lap. I did this twice and then followed it up with a full lap of walking. The next four laps I would run half the track, walk a quarter, run another half lap, walk another quarter and repeat until I had completed four laps. I then finished my workout walking until the final 100-meters when my sister was supporting me to "finish strong." Hearing her voice I kicked it up into a comfortable run until I crossed the four-mile mark and did two walking laps for cooldown.
Upon returning home I loaded the run into my computer from GARMIN and it was really cool to see the run in graphical form. I could see where I picked up speed and where I slowed down. I also could see that my stability in pacing needs some work. My overall pace was good, but throughout my workout my pace fluctuated up and down drastically. Despite the fluctuation in pace, I felt great. My new shoes felt great. And I was excited to get back out there for my next run.
First things first, last weekend my sister came to visit. During her visit, my wife and I went to OKC and got ourselves some new running shoes. We went to a store called The Runner. They measured our feet, watched us do some walking in the store to see how our feet work, and then gave us some shoes to try on. For me, because I have a wide foot, they only had two styles in stock, a pair of New Balance (I don't recall the model number) and a pair of ASICS Gel Fortitude 2. They had me put on one shoe of the New Balance and one of the ASICS and let me go for a run out of the store. Let me say this blew me away. After living in Connecticut for ten years, I can tell you they never would have let you run out of a store with new, unpaid sneakers on your feet. I ran to the end of the parking lot and then returned to the store. The salesman asked me what felt better. It was tough for me to answer because I have been a long standing New Balance person and I had to swallow my pride and go against that. I told him the ASICS were better. So, he gave me the other ASICS shoe and had me put that on and go for another run. Once again, I ran out the door and down to the end of the parking lot and back. I was happy with this pair. My decision was pretty easy, unlike my wife, whom had to try out I think four pairs.
In New Balance I have always worn size 10-4E. In the new ASICS I am wearing a size 11. Also, when I asked about wether I overpronate or over supinate I was told that I do pronate, but not severly like my wife and other family relatives do. My arches I was told are about normal.
While my wife continued to work on her selection of shoes I explored the rest of the store. I picked up a two pair of running shorts that had an internal lining to replace the need to wear underwear. This was important because I can tell you that running in boxer shorts is not fun. Hey, if my sisters and wife can talk about their sports bras in their blogs it is only fair for me to mention my underthings. I had been on a search to find some boxer briefs I could wear, but I came across these shorts first. Along with the running shorts, I also found a pair of running pants. In addition, I also decided to pick up an experimental pair of Injinji Socks. Injinji socks are unique in that they have seperate compartments for your toes. They are like a glove for your feet as opposed to the mitten-style of a typical tube/crew sock. I had read about them in this months edition of Runner's World magazine in an article reviewing the top 10 running socks.
My most expensive purchase however was the GARMIN 205. The GARMIN 205 is a runner's watch equipped with GPS navigation. The watch will keep track of my running time, pace, calories burned, and not only the distance I have traveled, but where I have traveled through the GPS. A benefit to the watch is that at the end of a run, I can download the information from the watch to my computer and analyze the run, including cross-referencing it with past runs. This was a purchase I am finding was definitely well worth the expense.
With my new purchases in hand and my wife having hers we set out to find her an my sister some new sports bras, but you will have to check out their blogs for those details because I stayed out in the car reading up on the GARMIN while they did that shopping. Later in the day I did pick up some boxer briefs so I may give them a shot and won't always have to do laundry everyday or wear dirty running clothes. We also made a stop at Barnes & Nobles where I picked up a few books: The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer; The Courage to Start; and 4 Months to a 4-Hour Marathon. While shopping at B&N I wore my new ASICS around the store to begin breaking them in before my first run with them.
The next day, last Sunday, it was time to put things into circulation and see how everything comes together. First, my sister had me eat a PowerBar about fifteen minutes before we made our way to the local high school track. At the track, with my new ASICS, running shorts, running pants and GARMIN on I did my long run of four miles for the week. This was the first time, with the help of GARMIN, I had a time for a 5k. I did the 5k in 48:20. Altogether, I did my four miles in 1:01:15. Being on the track provided me the first time that I had easily recognizable distance references during my run/walk. I also took this opportunity to actually do some running. Following a 1-mile warmup walk I introduced the running into my workout. I would run a quarter of the track, walk a quarter, run the next quarter and then walk the last quarter to complete a lap. I did this twice and then followed it up with a full lap of walking. The next four laps I would run half the track, walk a quarter, run another half lap, walk another quarter and repeat until I had completed four laps. I then finished my workout walking until the final 100-meters when my sister was supporting me to "finish strong." Hearing her voice I kicked it up into a comfortable run until I crossed the four-mile mark and did two walking laps for cooldown.
Upon returning home I loaded the run into my computer from GARMIN and it was really cool to see the run in graphical form. I could see where I picked up speed and where I slowed down. I also could see that my stability in pacing needs some work. My overall pace was good, but throughout my workout my pace fluctuated up and down drastically. Despite the fluctuation in pace, I felt great. My new shoes felt great. And I was excited to get back out there for my next run.
Friday, February 8, 2008
806s Out
After having been doing the run/walk thing for the past three weeks and rotating two pairs of sneakers in between workouts, I can say I have found which pair will be retired upon this weekend's purchase of some new kicks. I have been using two pairs of New Balance--475s and 806s. The 806s are on their way out. I have discovered that I tend to labor a little bit more when wearing them, plus they are just getting old. Both pairs are old for that matter. It is just that the 475s have had less wear--they spent a good part of three years sitting underneath my grandfather's desk collecting dust. I do want to switch out both pair, but I have heard the suggestions to only bring in one new pair at a time. By this time tomorrow the 806s will be out of commission and I will have a new set in the rotation. Check back to find out what I pick up.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Super Sunday Is Nearing...
...So it is not quite the Sunday of the half marathon, or the Sunday of a full marathon, or even the Sunday to complete the Goofy Challenge. However, it is Super Bowl Sunday coming up in just days. As I reside here in Arizona for a few more days working I have managed to get in some workouts over the past few days. With a couple of walks last week totaling 2.2 miles each and an increased amount this week (two walks totaling another six miles) I am on my way to the Goofy Goal. It has been a challenge to get the workouts in while here in Phoenix because of the changing work schedule, but nonetheless I have managed to get them in. Some days I have had to get up extra early, something I am not accustomed to just yet. My "long run" day is slated for Super Sunday, however, I am moving that up to Saturday because of the work schedule. Super Sunday I will be working at 4am straight on through to perhaps Midnight or later (all times are Mountain Time). I am planning on another 3 miles Saturday to bring my weekly total up to 9 miles.
I have two sisters doing a walk in Massachusetts this Saturday and wish them well. They too are shooting for a piece of the Disney Marathon Weekend, just not as Goofy as my third sister and me.
Thanks for taking the time to check in and read. I am sure to have more next weekend. Andria is coming to visit and we are going shopping for running shoes and apparel. I am very much looking forward to that.
I have two sisters doing a walk in Massachusetts this Saturday and wish them well. They too are shooting for a piece of the Disney Marathon Weekend, just not as Goofy as my third sister and me.
Thanks for taking the time to check in and read. I am sure to have more next weekend. Andria is coming to visit and we are going shopping for running shoes and apparel. I am very much looking forward to that.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Title Says It All
It is all there in the blog title. After one of my sisters completed the 2008 Disney Marathon I was inspired to want to do it myself. To go a step further, talking with her, we are now shooting for the Goofy Challenge in 2009. The Goofy Challenge for those that do not know is a half marathon on a Saturday and a full marathon on Sunday. I know, it does sound insane to some and you must be a bit goofy to want to do it.
Now my race path to get me there first will take me to Oklahoma City on April 27, 2008 for their half marathon. Returning the support favor, my sister will be joining me. I will follow it up over Labor Day weekend in Disneyland for another half marathon. My sister will join me again, as she goes for her bi-coastal medal - a medal given to finishers of the road races at both Disney World and Disneyland. Wanting to have completed a marathon before the Goofy, I will be Goofier and target the Tulsa World Route 66 Marathon in mid-November.
I know this may all sound quite ambitious and I recognize that it is. However, it will keep me moving forward. I hope to hear feedback from you all--your advice, tips and additional comments are welcome.
Now my race path to get me there first will take me to Oklahoma City on April 27, 2008 for their half marathon. Returning the support favor, my sister will be joining me. I will follow it up over Labor Day weekend in Disneyland for another half marathon. My sister will join me again, as she goes for her bi-coastal medal - a medal given to finishers of the road races at both Disney World and Disneyland. Wanting to have completed a marathon before the Goofy, I will be Goofier and target the Tulsa World Route 66 Marathon in mid-November.
I know this may all sound quite ambitious and I recognize that it is. However, it will keep me moving forward. I hope to hear feedback from you all--your advice, tips and additional comments are welcome.
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