Post TDay

Well I could write about all the running I did over Thanksgiving, but I won't because I did not run much over the holidays...sort of!

Wed - Ran a little over an hour...about 8 miles along a country road in east Tennessee. While the weather was great, the road was narrow and fairly well traveled with vehicles running at 50-60 mph. PLUS, the damn dogs. I actually had to cross the road and run with traffic for a few hundred yards because of this hugemongous dawg. It did not run across the road and I passed by safely (as far as the dog is concerned).

Thur and Fri - Eat, drink and remembered why I am thankful for everything I have...family, job, health, friends. We spent the holiday with some old friends that we usually meet at the beach. However, they could not get down there this year so we went to see them instead.

Sat - Ran about 9 miles in 1:05. Ran some fast miles and some slow miles. My right calf was tight for nearly half the run until I stopped and walked a little bit to get a drink of water. Must of been tight from laying around on my asterisk and eating/drinking too much!

Sun - I am the MAN! Back home, ran 5 laps (1.2 miles) at 9:10 pace and then another 5 laps at 10:10 pace for a total of 12 miles. I was tarred after that episode of running madness.

Mon - I hurt, my knees hurt, my shins hurt...I am a mouse...where is my cheese? Got out and ran with my buddy Jim for about 4 miles...nice and slow. Stretched afterwards and feel much better. I hope to get a good night's sleep since I slept pitifully last night. Thanks for the run Jim and I certainly enjoyed this one!

Well this holiday is in the history books. Still too many folks dying in Iraq. Too many folks eating too much and overweight. OSU lost to OU...again (but still going to a bowl). Shula got fired. A work acquaintance lost a son. Some kids from my wife's school lost a father. Life goes on and we must still be thankful even under less than ideal conditions. We are all going to lose people we love. This world will always be filled with people that can only hate. We are going to exit this life in some form or fashion. But life goes on.

Day Off - Pre Tday Vacation

I have been dreading this day because it was gonna hurt.

I ran a moderate warmup lap then began my hill workout. This workout entailed running uphill about 250 yds, jogging about 350 yds, followed by a 200 yd stride with a 20 yd sprint at the end and then an easy jog back down the hill.

There is a long hill at the entrance to our subdivision. Our subdivision has about a 1/2 mile loop near the entrance and then a straight road to a cul-de-sac at the end (about 7/10 mile) for a grand total of 1.2 miles.

Today's workout, I used the hill and then ran the 1/2 mile loop to recover and do the strides/sprints.

I went back to last year and looked at my mileage. I am ahead in miles overall, but I am not exactly racking up big miles. I would like to get up to about 60 miles a week, but I am not sure my body can take it. So how do I improve my 1/2 marathon time without additional miles? I am not sure I can cause I just ain't getting faster sitting around on my arse.

Off for vacation and being thankful for no heart problems, good health and great family!

Chilly Monday Night

I managed to run about 11 miles in about 1.5 hours. While I felt like I was running slow and my legs felt like lead, my heart rate stayed under 140 bpm for most of the run. It was a struggle to finish the last couple of laps cause I was just plain tired...I don't recover as quickly as I used to. What is interesting is that my HR stayed low even though my lap times (for 1.2 miles) was around 10:15.

I was planning on running hills tonight, but my legs were still recovering from a weekend of running plus it was windy and chilly ~45 degrees (mid-Alabama mind you). So I changed plans and ran 4 laps in about 40 minutes (10:05 per lap) and my HR still remained low. It seems like my engine is running more efficiently after my race this weekend; however, I need to get the rest of my body to catch up. All part of the training process and trying to understand the physiology of the human body.

I will run the hill workout tomorrow especially since I will be on vacation. So I can run mid-day when it is a little warmer. I must also continue to reduce my food intake and trim down a wee bit further...nothing radical mind you!

Race Today

Traveled the end of the week and tried to recover from my first hill workout and following day's post run strides. My glutes were sore on Wednesday and Thursday. I had to travel to Charleston, SC on Thursday and was very stiff after arriving at my hotel. I did manage to run for about 30 minutes around some small mall area...boring I know, but the weather was nice (sunny and warm) unlike the weather I left in Bham (cold and drizzly). I sat in a hot tub for about 10 minutes after I cooled down.

I did not run Friday because I worked all day, flew home and met the family out to eat late.

Got up and ran a 5K today. I ran a 21:09, but I thought my time would be better. However, my legs were stiff when I woke up and I was still recovering from the past week's workouts. My heart rate actually got up to 174 on the last mile which was higher than the HR I had during my 5Ks last year. Not sure what to make of this. I have not done any tempo runs and I am just starting my hill work so I have some ways to go. One of the frustrating things today is that my age group was 36-49 and I got second place. However, I beat the winner of the younger age groups down to the collegiate CC runners who smoked us all. I actually recovered from the race pretty well. I came home and mowed the lawn to get rid of all the leaves that accumulated since last weekend when I did the same thing.

Watched a couple of football games, OSU vs Michigan and Auburn vs Alabama. Both good games. My alma mater got beat by Texas Tech. However the Cowboys have 6 wins and may go to a bowl. I have not seen a live Ok State football game since college. Maybe some day. My daughter has turned into a real Cowboy fan for some reason. Although, she will never attend school there (too far from Mama).

Got to go rest and do a long run tomorrow.

It seems like it rains all the time...

Nonetheless, the rain must stop and runners must run. I got out for a 4.8 mile run followed by 6X100 yard strides with ~200-300 yd jog in between. Total run time was a little over 1 hour. Believe it or not, my glutes are sore from yesterday's hill run. Other than that, I feel fine!

I was rereading an old Lydiard file on training. This is my first season to try it and I am still working out the kinks. His method is not so straightforward like many you find on the Internet. His mantra is a strong aerobic base, followed by hill training, anaerobic training, coordinated training and then sharpening. He also suggests doing morning jogs of at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour in addition to your normal training day. The overall training method is not cookie cutter and actually takes someone that knows (or least thinks they know) how to train effectively without overdoing it. A lot of his methodology is by "feel." So I am kind of soloing through this method to see how it applies to my training and capabilities.

What is unfortunate for me is that I am starting this process in my mid-40's. So I have already missed my peak years. But I am willing to continue trying to improve my times especially since I don't do a lot of racing.

I believe that the Lydiard method will work, but the process takes time. Not a year or even two, but many years of tweaking to reach peak performance. While the human body starts to slowly degrade by the time a male reaches their mid-20's, physical training and a good diet while slow the degradation. Eventually it will fail, but there is no sense in going easily into the night.

Besides, I enjoy being physically active. People often comment on how skinny I am. What they don't realize is that I continually work at staying in shape. Yes, I am fortunate to be gifted with a slender build and active metabolism. But folks, if you are active, then you have less mass in the ass!!!

The funny thing is that I weigh about 164 lbs and would like to drop to mid 150's. Man, it is hard to trim off 10 lbs cause there ain't much left to trim off. I am a firm believer in the power-to-weight ratio. So the only thing I can control is weight and I already on the slim shady side. Frankly, I still like chocolate and red wine...

The Weather is Changing

What a crappy title. I could not think of anything else, however, the title is true.

11/3 Friday - Took the day off.

11/4 Saturday - Ran ten miles after my Navy Reserve drill. I felt pretty good on this run and was cruising right along. I ran late in the afternoon after drill and I had a Navy Birthday Ball to attend.

11/5 Sunday - Took day off.

11/6 Monday - Ran easy 45 minute run.

11/7 Tuesday - Flew to Dallas for meeting and ran an easy 35 minutes. The temp was much warmer in Dallas so I went slow.

11/8 Wednesday - Took day off since I worked all day and then drove to my parents house that evening.

11/9 Thursday - Ran about 4.5 miles after eating a large breakfast. The temp was in the low 80's and there was a 15 mph wind from the south. So running south was challenging, while running north was easy.

11/10 Friday - Ran about 5 miles and did 5X100 yard strides.

11/11 Saturday - Weather was cooler, but I had so much to do. I waited until later in the day to run and ended up running 2 hours - 14.4 miles. I felt like I could go longer, but my knees and hips were getting sore. Besides, with daylight "no" savings time, it was getting dark toward the end of my run and I was ready to hang it up.

11/12 Sunday - Recovery run. I felt pretty good. Legs were a little taxed from the previous day, but my knees and hips felt OK. I ran 4.8 miles (1.2 mile laps) in about 10:30 per lap. Very comfortable pace and kept my heart rate down.

11/13 Monday - Maintenance is working on the HVAC in the gym at work so it is closed down for 3 weeks!!! All I want to do is change my clothes and run at lunch. I did not run on Monday since I had a very good weekend of running.

11/14 Tuesday - Hill repeats has started. I love running up hill. It is so painful it makes me want to puke. I ran 3.6 miles prior to the hill repeats to get nice and warm. Since I am running after work, I have to get all of reflective stuff and wear it so I don't get run over by one of my neighbors. After the warm up, I did 4X300 yard repeats and jogged down the hill. My heart rate on the last 2 runs hit about 170 bpm. I did not try to run up the hill fast, but I did try to run while maintaining form. What that means is that I tried to pump my arms, lift my knees and push off after each stride. I actually think that my aerobic base is pretty good because I ran a 1.2 mile lap afterward and recovered rather well. Since this was my first set, I decided not to push it and kept the workout to about an hour. I have several more weeks of hill repeats and tempo runs. I am looking forward to seeing how it will help my running overall. I plan on running a 5k this weekend to gauge my progress to date. The 5k may use the cross country course my son runs. If so, then there are two stream crossings during the race that I am not looking forward to.

I have to travel at the end of the week, so my running may take a minor hit. Since I travel a reasonable amount, my return to running has certainly helped me maintain my fitness over the winter and do something besides riding my bike. I do need to get back on my mountain bike and doing a little off road riding for a change of pace. I may try to get out there this weekend.

Catching Up...

10/29 Sunday - Sore knees from Saturday's run. I was aching around the knee area on both knees. It may be an overuse / old age injury. So today I ran 3.6 miles at a very easy pace. Legs felt fine afterward, but my knees were still a little sore. Not as bad as Saturday when going up and down the stairs was a chore.

10/30 Monday - I was catching a flight that morning and had grand plans to get up and run. But I did not do squat.

10/31 Tuesday - Halloweenie. Returned from my trip earlier in the day, went to work, and then came home to run. I ran 7 - 1.2 mile laps. My legs felt great!!! I ramped up the speed on my first lap and cranked out 6 9-minute laps. My average pace was a 7:30 pace. My heart rate was moderate, but slowly moved into the anaerobic area. But I have run ZERO tempo runs or speedwork. Now if I can minimize the chance of injury, things will be looking up.

Had a nice cold beer right after the run...mmmmm, good!

11/1 Wednesday - ran about 4.5 miles at work at an easy pace. I was running on the grassy area to help my legs recover from running on the road too much. Overall, I felt ok.

11/2 Thursday - ran 6 miles at work using the hilly route (4.5 mile loop) and then added another 1.5 miles. Ran at the higher end of the aerobic band, legs felt pretty good. My legs are tired now as I write with a little bit of shin splints and slightly sore knees. Well after another exciting day, I am ready for the rack.

I have been having trouble blogging because it has been hard on occasion to get on this website. Not sure what the problem may be...but I don't believe it is me!

A Little Rain and a Little Sunshine

Things are slowly improving. I did have to spend 45 minutes on the treadmill on Friday due to the ongoing rain, but it was not too bad. I think I got about 5 miles at a 8 to 8:30 pace with a slight incline in the middle of the run to shake things up a bit. That and listening to some good tunes to take my mind off of spending time on the treadmill.

10/27 Friday - Treadmill run as described above. 45 minutes covering about 5 miles.

10/28 Saturday - The dreaded long run. I was laying in bed at about 7AM knowing that it was chilly outside and I really did not feel like running. I finally rolled out of the rack at about 7:30 looking to see if my friend Chip was running yet. I knew he was doing a long run today and I was hoping to go along for the ride. However, my legs were feeling stiff and I was not sure that I was up to a long run today. So I went with plan C and decided to run until I was tired. So I got my water bottle, put on some warm clothes and headed out for a run. I happened to see Chip down the road and took off after him. We finally hooked up and ran together. Chip had a lap on me which was fine because he is getting ready for a marathon (and I am not). So we ran some slow laps for a while and realizing that we were a bit slow on the pace, we picked it up. Our last 4-6 laps (of 1.2 miles) were about 10:10. I got in a 2:15 run covering 15 miles while Chip finished about a 2:30 run covering 18 miles. My legs never felt good the entire run, but the rest of me felt fine. My heart rate remained reasonable and only got a bit high on the small hill at the end of our lap. As I sit here typing, my knees are sore especially as I go up and down stairs. Anyway, I plan on going to bed in a few minutes to take advantage of the clock shift and hopefully my legs (knees) will feel better in the morning. I would like to get in a short recovery run, but it will be dependent on how I feel.

Hasta manana.

Picking Up the Pace

I really hate this blog format in trying to simply write something everyday (which I have not been very good at anyway). Yesterday I could not get into the system to do a little writing.

Latest events:

10/24 Tuesday - Ran about 6-7 miles (about an hour) at a good pace during lunch. I then ran 3.6 miles (30 minutes) that evening. Felt pretty good especially the second run in the evening.

10/25 Wednesday - Ran about an hour (7.2 miles) at home in the evening due other events during lunch. Felt really good running 10:10 pace for each 1.2 mile lap. My heart rate stayed lower than usual and I was running quite smooth. One of those nice evenings to run with an overcast sky and slight sprinkle the entire run.

10/26 Thursday - I ran about an hour (maybe 7 miles)...the run from hell. I started out with sore legs and they pretty much stayed that way the entire run. I did not feel smooth or fast. In fact, I felt like I was really slogging through the run. It was a good day to run, overcast and slight sprinkle. I guess my previous evening run was a tad to hard and I just did not take the time to recover. I have to be careful or I will end up injured and it is way to early to push hard.

It is supposed to rain tomorrow so I plan on doing a moderate run on the treadmill. I usually do some windsprints on Friday, but I think I will skip them until later in the weekend. Need to have a good run tomorrow so I can knock out a long run on Saturday.

Still Running

Where did I leave off? It is difficult to only blog occasionally and then try to remember what I ran. Anyway, here goes:

10/18 Wednesday - I think I ran 6.5 miles about an hour.

10/19 Thursday - I ran about 5 miles (40 minutes) on the treadmill. It sure helped with recovery since my legs felt better afterward.

10/20 Friday - I ran 6 miles with 3 sets of 3x100 yard sprints about every couple of miles.

10/21 Saturday - ran 7.2 miles while listening to Alabama get beat by Tennessee. I ran with my neighbor Jim and we ran a fairly easy pace. Legs were tired after running for so many straight days.

10/22 Sunday - Did a physical readiness test today (Navy Reserves). 76 situps, 60 pushups (not enough practice), and ran a 9:20 1.5 mile (little slow after running 7 miles the previous day). Followed up the run with an easy 3 mile run. My best time was last spring when I ran an 8:50. I have a hard time ramping up to a fast pace for this short of run. I reckon if I practiced, I could do better. But I don't run anything less than 5K in "normal" races. Who cares about a physical readiness test? I enjoy being a 44-year old man that is outrunning all the other folks. There is one full-time Navy sailor that can beat me. Unfortunately, he does not practice and therefore does not realize his real potential. It is ashame to have talent and hide it under a bushel. I am trying to convince him to train for an upcoming 1/2 marathon.

10/23 Monday - day off finally. Got to get down to "bidness" tomorrow.

It takes Heart to Run

Well once again I have been in hiatus with regard to this blogging stuff. However, since my huge following is awaiting words of wisdom, I won't disappoint this go around ;-)

10/11 Monday - feeling a little better. It has been over a week that I have had the crud. I feel good enough to run an easy 4.5 miles at lunch. Problem - heart rate problem starts again about an hour after I finished my run. Call doc. See doc. Atrial Flutter. Hmmm (what my doc says after he runs the EKG). Need to see a cardiologist. Doc prescribes a blood thinner.

10/10 Tuesday - see cardiologist. Echocardiogram and nuclear stress test. Nothing like running hotter than a firecracker in a radioactive kind of way. The flutter was gone...disappeared the previous evening and did not recur during any testing. This is just like taking your car in to the mechanic and telling him you hear this noise every now and then. The mechanic never hears the noise.

10/11 Wednesday - nothing.

10/12 Thursday - cardio nurse calls with my "results." No problem. Says that the doctor is impressed with my output and there are no restrictions. I run 4.8 miles that evening after work...easy of course.

10/13 Friday - run 4.5 miles at work and leave for the Ocoee after work.

10/14 Saturday - after spending the coldest night of my life in an unheated cabin and in an inadequate sleeping bag, I get up with the rest of my compadres and go rafting down the Ocoee...no restrictions and no problems.

10/15 Sunday - long run in the high aerobic heart rate range. 1 hour and 45 minutes...a little over 12 miles. No problems. Actually feel pretty good after the run.

10/16 Monday - kids off from school and I take off from work. Very windy and rainy all day long. I run 45 minutes in the hood and then 15 minutes at a local park where my son practices with his XC team. My son and I go the movies and I have a little flutter - few minutes at best - during the movie. No other issues.

Cardio nurse calls again to let me know that my echocardiogram was negative...still don't know what is wrong other than the flu-like crud that I had...feel pretty good after nearly 2 weeks of feeling crappy. I would hate to have a full blown case of the flu.

10/17 Tuesday - back at work and run 4.5 miles at work (a bit rainy - rained like crazy on the way to work)....no problems.

Well I will continue to blog and track my progress. I just hope this heart issue calms down and I can work on my aerobic base. Now did I mention my legs hurting...must be from all this running!

Still Out

Still down and out with this cold, flu, sinus infection, crud, etc. I finally do feel a little better today than previous days. However, not quite good enough to run. Don't want to make things worse so I will chill until I can get back out.

SLB...seeya later bye!

Blah Blogging and Running

OK, it has been over a week since I did blogging...I think I have been running so now I must try to recall what I did last week.

Tuesday - no run...cannot remember why.
Wednesday - 3.1 miles I think.
Thursday - 4.5 miles I think.
Friday - no run
Saturday - the worst run of my life and I have not run since!

Got up early to get ready to take my son to a XC meet. Very sore throat. Spent four hours on my feet and the day was cool at first, but quickly warmed up. I did not drink a thing all morning long (ah oh #1). Stopped to get a burger at Sonic and then my heart rate starts acting up...kinda racing (ah oh #2). Went home and helped same son mow lawn (I edged and he mowed), but my heart rate was still FUBAR and I still was not drinking a thing (ah oh #3). Upon completion of that activity, I decided to go for a run on a very hilly course that goes through our sub division (ah oh #4). HR is still high and when I start running (foolishly thinking it would drop), my HR ran way higher than what I expected for my given pace (ah oh #5). I think you can see where this is all going (downhill). It took me well over an hour to complete a 6.5 mile run. Yeah it has some serious hills in it, but it got to the point on the last couple of hills that I walked them. I did take a water bottle with me...I hate running with a sloshing water bottle.

Finally got home, HR is still FUBAR and I shower then drink fluids the rest of the evening without peeing a single time...someone was seriously dehydrated and ignored the signs. My HR finally returned to normal later in the evening once I had enough fluids in my system. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Today is Wednesday and I have not been running because I have been sick...upper respiratory crud. I took at flu mist vaccine about 10 days ago and I think that is what led to the sickness...nothing like a live virus introduced up your freakin' nose. I had to drive 5 hours to job location on Sunday feeling lousy. Worked part of Monday feeling lousy. Worked very little on Tuesday feeling lousy and decided to head home and see the doc. Got a couple of shots and some antibiotics. I still argue that the flu mist is the root cause of my illness and I do not recommend it for any one else. Nothing like getting sick intentionally.

So I am here about to download a couple of months worth of exercises, so to say I am behind the 8-ball is an understatement. Hence the reason for the blog and then I still fail to update at the end of last week.

Like I tell my kids...what a doof!

I ran so hard I still hurt

What a lovely day. Sun was shining, birds were chirping and I was feeling frisky (in an athletic, run fast sort of way). I ran the same route as Friday and as I headed toward the first climb, I decided to run this one harder to see how much I could improve my time. Recall from the post below that I ran ~4.5 miles in a little over 38 minutes (ok - I didn't confess the time). Today I ran the same course in 34 minutes and I cruised mile #3. The average was 7:33 min/mile. For a hilly course, spur of the moment go-fast urge, and zero warm up, I am pleased with the time. The hardest part about running faster that usual is....running faster than usual. The human body dislikes pain and usually insists that one stop inflicting pain on ones self. Must be that preservation of self thing. A hilly course tends to bring out the pain especially after you top a hill and feel like your are going to exhale a lung. Then you have a tendency to rest/recover (which in running is very hard to do without stopping unlike my cycling brethren). So to push yourself on a hilly course you must be willing to endure more pain and not cruise to recover on the flat and downhill sections. In MHO, I would prefer to run/race a flat course where you push yourself to the brink of exhaustion and then hold it just below that critical threshold where your legs turn to jelly and you feel as if you are breathing fire. Running the hilly course has a tendency to push you over that threshold which hurts even more and recovery is more challenging for each additional hill. I believe this is why I have not been able to break 1:30 in the half marathon cause the only one I run is the Mercedes. Nothing like a challenge!

I am at home now, legs still aching a little and I sure would like to take a nap. Unfortunately, it is 5:30PM and I am a terrible napper. Once I go to sleep during daylight, I don't want to wake up and if I do, then I am as grumpy as a grizzly bear. Better to just stay half awake and hit the rack a little earlier than usual.

Off to do daddy duty AKA taxi driver.

Working and Trying to Run

Don't you hate it when work gets in the way of a beautiful day and the opportunity to run or ride? Yeah, me too. I did not run on Wednesday or Thursday. Can't remember why I did not run on Wed, but I am sure it was a fairly nice day and I did work all darn day. Thursday I just did not feel too hot, so I took another day off. I finally got in 4.5 miles on Friday running at work on an ~85 degree day with 80% humidity...oh my, nothing like saving a run for the day of high heat and humidity. Shoulda taken another day off. The route I ran is quite hilly and with a mile to go I was already just hot and tired. Whatever was bothering me on Thursday must have carried over into Friday cause I still felt a little under the weather.

I did manage to get in another 3 miles today running between thunderstorms in the middle of the afternoon (yeah ~85 degrees and 200% humidity cause it felt like I was running in water just needing a snorkel and mask).

Why do I keep doing this? Who knows, who cares...just runnin' n ridin' (mostly runnin').

Running and Behind

A little behind (hence the title) on my running update. Plus, my laptop battery is running low so I gotta make this quick!

Saturday - 10.2 miles in 1:24. Ran an easy pace, felt ok, ran the last lap fairly fast, but I am not sure of the time since I have not downloaded my Polar HR monitor to my computer. Trimmed bushes and watched my son mow the lawn.

Sunday - day of rest. Literally. Did go to church though!

Monday - ran 4.45 miles at work. Sorta fartleked (?sp) with 4-5 200-300 yard bursts of fast intervals with long breaks in between. Felt pretty good.

Tuesday - ran in the evening. Legs a little tight from yesterday's run. Ran 4.2 miles with about a 10:06 pace every 1.2 miles (each loop). Legs felt good and my HR was good. Good recovery run while listening to some tunes.

Well House is on so my time here is over.

Mid Week

Ran Wednesday AND Thursday...wow! Wed I ran about 5.5 miles with fast/hard mile at 2-3.5 and finished the last mile fast/hard. Trying to throw in a little speedwork (aka fartlek...always loved that term at least until I run them...must be a guy thing ;-) as the fall 5K season approaches. In the next month I will actually start doing speedwork to see if I can get my 5K time down to around 18 minutes. It will hurt...that is the thing about running is that you subject your body to pain...heavy, gasping breathing and aching legs. The hard part is to manage the speedwork such that you gain benefit and not injure yourself. I think that running a fast pace is mainly mental ONCE you know your God given (or not) limitations. Not everyone can run a 15 min 5K or 20 min 5K. Once you know your limits, you can train to maximize the talent (or lack thereof) you have. yada yada yada, blah blah blah!

Ran easy and slow on Thursday...about 3.2 miles. Trying to recover from the earlier workouts. This is the hardest thing for me to do! Running at a slow, comfortable pace is just not my style. But the intelligent, thoughtful runner recognizes the aforementioned limitations and works with them rather than against them. I have yet to claim that I am intelligent or thoughtful, but I try!

My son raced a 2-mile XC meet today. He ran 14:34 which was about 45 seconds better than the last 2-mile race. When I tried to find him at the finish, he was nowhere to be found. Turns out he probably ran faster to the restroom than he did finishing the race. He just does not have a competitive drive, but at least he is out there doing something.

Monday N Twoday

Monday - ran 7.2 miles around the neighborhood on our 1.2 mile loop course after work. Felt pretty good and tried to keep a steady pace...each lap was slightly slower than the previous one. That is the problem I have when I run by "feel." I usually wear a heart rate monitor to gauge my effort because it is hard to run by gut feel. So while my lap times slowed, my heart rate remained the same. I ran 10:27 to 10:45 laps. The last lap though I cranked out just under 9:00 minutes. I did not walk for a while to cool down nor did I stretch. So I woke up this morning stiffer than a woody on adolescent boy...what fond memories, but I digress.

Tuesday - raining today so I ran on the treadmill at work. I ended up running 3.87 miles due to not using my noggin. I ran for 1.87 at 9 min pace then had to go pee. Got back on the treadmill after pausing it then screwed up and reset the machine (along with my watch). So I started over and ran two more miles finishing the next to last 1/4 at 7 min pace and the last 1/4 in 6 min pace. It is always hard to run on the treadmill because the effort does not feel the same. What I do like is that I can crank up the speed and really work those fast-twitch muscles (what is left of them). The danger is that you can end up running so fast and you tire quickly that it is hard to hit the down arrow to slow the treadmill. On a rare occasion I will hit the panic STOP so I don't look like a doof getting flung off the treadmill to the ground.

Gots to go eat...C U!

Metric Century Saturday

Cranked out a 62 mile bike ride (aka metric century...hence the title). I did not plan on riding hard, but I did. It ALWAYS seems that I hook up with some other riders and put down the hammer. Started hard, felt crappy. Legs were tight and I knew that I just had not spent enough time on the bike lately. I got in with a few folks and we motored up near the front...I finally threw in the towel and slowed up (as did most near the front). A group up front gapped the rest of us and then made the first turn. I was near the front of the second group and we made the turn...a couple of miles later, we couldn't see the front group and realized we should have made a hard right instead of the 45 degree right. After checking the map, I found that we could get back on course by heading on down the road and making a later turn. After the "revised" turn I checked the map again and then looked back. Instead of 4 or 5 of us off course, there were 25-30. Where the heck did they all come from? Turns out they watched us make the earlier wrong turn and followed blindly behind. Never said bike riders were the smartest folks in the world...including yours truly.

Rode past the second rest stop and most stopped. A few of us pressed on to the turn around point and returned to the same rest stop after spending ~40 miles on the road. While waiting on some folks to leave, I decided to leave and soft pedal until they caught up. After soft pedaling about a mile, I did not see anyone coming up behind so I got going. I usually don't like to time trial on my own. I enjoy riding in a small pack taking turns pulling at the front...much more efficient and fast. I figured the group behind would catch up eventually. But, after passing a number of folks and still riding alone, I am about 3 miles from the finish with a couple of steep little rolling hills that I ran out of gas. I have not bonked in quite a long time, but I hit the wall on this one. Fortunately, I was not far from the barn and pressed on with a guy I know from earlier rides. This guy is big and as he says, "the best 300 lb bike rider in the area." There is no doubt...I had trouble hanging onto his wheel after I initially caught him. I finished the ride with him and was ready to be off the bike. I packed up the bike, had a bite of BBQ (it is a southern bike ridin' thing), and headed to the house.

Stats: 19.7 mph pace for 62 miles and 2700' of climbing (rolling hills...no real climb).

Sunday...did not do jack...I did think about running if that counts for anything ;-)

Naughty Friday

ATE a big meal at lunch...did not run, ATE a smaller dinner...did not run. Trying to decide if I want to do a local organized bike ride tomorrow. If I do, then I will do the metric century and call it a day. Riding a hundred miles with little riding lately leads to disaster or a bad day. I still want to feel good at the end of the day so I will do a mere 64-ish and then head to the house. Gotta deal with the lawn, got either army worms or some sort of fungus really working in some area of my front lawn...so I will mow, then spread some anti-bug, anti-fungus and then feed it some fertilizer. Great lawn service that I pay $50 a month.

More tomorrow!

Thumpin' Thursday

Ran a fast 3.6 miler in about 25:40 with a 9:10, 8:10 and 8:14 laps (the laps in my 'hood are 1.2 miles long as measured by my trusty steed - aka bike - and GPS). I did not do a warm up so the first lap I expected to be slow, but the last two were zoomin'! I haven't had time to figure my actual mile splits...ok I just did. My overall average was a 7:07 mile pace with the fastest lap at a 6:48 mile pace. The best part is that although it felt hard, I still feel like I had gas in the tank and I started slow. The other bonus item is that I have done zero speedwork in a number of months. The aerobic base looks pretty good and it is still early September. My goal is to get down to about an 18 minute 5K this year and break 1:30 in the 1/2 marathon next year...I think I can, I think I can, etc. I found a neat little splits calculator that will calculate any funky mileage into regular miles, it will even do that metric stuff.

Gots to go to bed...

Humpday

Got in another lunchtime run...little warmer today with the sun shining brightly into my eyes (forgot my sunglasses). I got in 3.3 miles because I started late...nothing like working on a few things and all of sudden it is 11:48 AM. The bugs were out in force and it probably looked a little weird to oncoming traffic (I ran in the street cause I had on my new running clogs) to see this guy running toward oncoming traffic all of a sudden jukes to the right and then to the left like he is running through an offensive line. Little did they know, that I was only dodging large swarms of gnats that would soon splat themselves on grills and windshields. (Not sure if something intentionally or unintentionally splats itself on something, but they sure as heck are not impaled on the windshield.) For some reason, the gnat swarms were easier to see without sunglasses...hmmm.

The reason for the (semi) precise mileage is that I normally wear a heart rate monitor when I run...anal engineer thing. The problem is that I will rack up a month's worth of activities (running and riding) and then download the data to my computer...anal geek engineer thing. The problem arises when I try to remember exactly what I did at the beginning of the data set. So I plan on using my blog to help me remember some of those pesky little details like mileage. I don't really analyze my data to trend improvement or vice versa...not so anal or geeky after all. I just like to see how much mileage I rack up and be able to point to why I did really shitty on some run or ride...usually attributed to lack of workouts more than anything else...lazy freakin' bum thing.

Tuesday Felt Like Monday

Ran at lunch today and the weather was just about right...still a little too warm, but it was overcast and slightly windy. The biggest problem...have you ever run into a swarm of these itty bitty bugs that like to hover next to the road in extremely large numbers? I did...numerous times. I had these critters in my hair, all over my face and arms, in my mouth and nose....blech. By the time I got back to a bathroom, I was covered in itty bitty buggy remains. Good thing I was wearing sunglasses (yeah I know it was overcast), otherwise I would have had them swimming with my contact lens.

Anywho...got in 4.45 miles (as measured by my trusty road bike) in about 36 minutes. I felt I was running faster than normal, but my heart rate was running low. Probably attribute it to the slightly cooler weather (mid-80s) and my long Saturday run. The last 1/2 mile I hammered home in near race pace. Overall, not a bad day for a run.

Went to my son's XC meet...he did OK...15 min in the 2-mile. He said he did not feel to good. There is nothing worse than trying to coach your own son. I know many things from "been there, done that" experience. However, I am dumber than a rock when it comes to my son. While I am glad he is running XC, I am disappointed that he does not have much of a competitive inclination. He gave up band this year to run. He is much better at band. I know he will improve and hopefully he will really catch the running bug. I don't expect him to be great, I just want him to be his best.

Labor Day

Well after rolling out of the rack late and waiting until it was nice and warm, I hit the road for about a 50 mile ride. I did several short but steep climbs. The pace was fairly slow since I was not in a hurry. I could tell that my run from Saturday was still lingering in my legs especially after the last couple of climbs just to get back home. Another contributing factor is that I haven't been riding much lately. Tired of 80-90 mile rides in high 90 temps. Little saddle time does not help one ride effectively. Anyway, legs feel better now and I will see how I feel in the morning. I will try to get a 5 miler in at lunch then I will be headed to my son's XC meet.

Had to add another note about using crampnomore which has a high concentrate of minerals. It is not so bad on the initial bottle. But it seemed to make me thirstier and I had to stop and buy a bottle of plain water. I have not ridden a ride yet that would induce a potential cramp so I am not sure if the stuff actually works. The salty taste just doesn't go down well when you are hot AND thirsty. I will need to experiment more with the stuff to see if I can stomach it over a long ride.

Day Off

Little stiff this morning when I rolled out of the rack. I was thinking of mountain biking this afternoon, but I was tired. Nothing worse than trying to get up a 3 mile climb with dead legs. So I bagged the ride and cooked some steak instead...what a trade ;-)

I may try to hit the trail on Monday with my neighbor.

So TTFN - ta ta for now!

Cool Weather on Saturday

Ran with my neighbor Jim for about 13 miles at a slow pace (building that aerobic base). Jim is training for a marathon in Portland which is in the next couple of weeks. I felt pretty good overall. Left calf was a little tight and my left groin muscle twitched every now and then. I took a shot of crampnomore which is extremely salty in its concentrated form. Followed that shot with some water. Blech!! However, no cramping the entire run!!

I managed to keep busy the rest of the day such that my legs feel OK this evening as I write. I hope Jim is doing ok since he really struggled with his last couple of laps (20 miler). I think he will do ok in his marathon as long as he keeps the pace reasonable and drinks plenty of fluids early!

Anyway, not a bad run considering the 2 margaritas and Mexican food I had last night. Tomorrow will be the test when I try to drag my butt out of bed.

Next Day

Ran at lunch...approximately 3.8425 miles and change. Actually it was about 40 minutes on a course I have near work. Felt pretty good even though my HR got up to about 80-85% . The temp was definitely cooler...mid-80's. It is nice that Fall is starting to kick in cause I am sick and tired of the heat. My left calf is still hurting slightly even though it did not really bother me during my run. Overall, it felt pretty good especially after laying off for 3 days.

I did a real age test on realage.com and it turns out that I am 10.9 years younger than my actual age! I told my wife that she is now married to a younger man...she did not see the humor in my real agedness. We will see who has the last laugh when she kicks the bucket before me ;-)

Also, had a comment from a lady at work the other day about how I was so trim. People don't seem to realize that I have to work at it even though I am not prone to being overweight. Having a fat butt takes a lot of inactivity unlike having a skinny butt which takes a lot of activity and a reasonably healthy diet. It takes commitment, determination and dedication. Now if I was just rich, I could work out to my heart's content and really eat well rather than eat on the run like all the other working stiffs out there in that harsh, cruel world.

Lazy Bum

I haven't run or ridden since Sunday. Was going to run after work, but it was raining. Rain cleared up and then it was soooo humid. I missed lunch so I am going to take the kid's out to eat and run (no pun intended) by the store. I WILL run tomorrow at lunch. I am trying to get out of a training funk by setting some new goals and taking it easy...run/ride when I feel like it.

Welcome

I have tried this bloggin' business before with little perseverance...so I thought I would try again to be little more diligent in my blogging.