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.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
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!
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!
Monday, November 20, 2006
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!
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!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
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.
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.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
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...
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...
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
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.
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.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
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!
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!
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