A Good Run

Today was a good run. I was scheduled to run for 70 minutes, based on my training plan. When I get a timed run (versus a mileage run), I try to run at a 'zone 2' aerobic level -- that is, keeping my heart rate at a good aerobic level to build stamina. Now, my heart rate monitor's battery died 2 years ago, so I translated the 'zone 2' into a 'conversational' pace (remember running before gadgets? You needed to actually listen to your body). Since I'm running alone, and not into talking to myself (at least out loud), I eventually translated the conversational pace into '1 breathe every 4 paces' -- I usually run at 1 breathe every 3 paces.

Sooo... long story short (well, not really anymore, as I've already told my story), the goal for my timed runs is to run at 1 breathe / 4 paces. Whew.

Anyway, I did improve from last week's 70 minute run, but the conditions were different. We'll see if I continue to improve next week.

Oh, I ran 7.8 miles in 1:10:32 today (versus 7.7 miles in 1:11:xx last week).

Easy Run?

Easy run today, 5 miles at 8:56 / mile. Mild this morning, 45 degrees! I actually ran in shorts, which was nice.

I did a hilly route, so my effort was higher than the result. I'll need to remember to use this route more often because of the hills. Unfortunately, it maxes out at around 5 miles, as any further is a little too tight and windy for night time (or early morning) running. It'd be better to extend the course during daylight hours.

It was a nice surprise to see My Lovely Wife up and about ready to run this morning. Her schedule is busy today, so she'll be doing a morning run (well, she *did* a morning run) and an evening run when I get home.

Cheers.

Rainy Day

It feels good to run in the rain, although less so when it's cold and dark. It was 35 degrees today, so it wasn't too cold. The problem with it being dark is that the water droplets on my glasses make it very hard to see when the on-coming headlights (hey, I'm on a path, not on the road!) are right in my eyes.

I ran 8.03 today -- pretty good. I'm off schedule this week due to my mountain time. I didn't run yesterday (tempo run) so I ran far today. *Maybe* this week I'll do a tempo run, but I don't want to impact my long run this weekend. As I'm increasing my miles, I don't want to injure myself, and personally, I think my pace is getting a little faster. Not sure if I can run 26.2 at an 8:30 pace, but I'm getting there.

Mountain running

Ran in Wintergreen today. Was pretty much at top of Wintergreen mountain and it was very very hilly. After first hill, I was done. Unfortunately, it wasn't the last hill. I had option to double my run at middle of run, and since I was at the cross-roads of the longest hill I had and had two choices: 1) cut my run short and go downhill; or 2) continue running uphill, I chose option 1. When I passed the point where the second loop met back up with the first loop, I noticed that the second loop ended with a very long and very steep downhill. That means that if I chose the longer route, they probably would have had to pick me up, as I would have passed out somewhere going up hill. Well, maybe not, but running 4.7 (guess) rather than 2.3 would have taken MUCH more than twice as long, given the hills.

I enjoyed it overall though. We are at around 3,000 feet (I'm totally guessing on this), so it does affect my breathing, but not much. I wish I could train here on a regular basis. All it takes is money! :-)

Not sure if I'm running tomorrow, as we are packing, skiing (well, My Lovely Wife as well as my children) and driving home. Number 1 Son has sports practice tomorrow night, so maybe my next run will be on Tuesday.

A Good Long Run

Today was a good long run. My training plan had me go 12 miles, and although I chose a flatter course, I felt really good. My pace was an 8:33 average, which included a couple minutes of waiting for traffic lights (the flatter course also crosses two major roads -- twice, on an out-and-back run).

At time I notice that I was running a sub 8:00 mile -- not for long, mind you -- but at least I hit it once or twice.

This brings my total to 34 miles this week. I'm on my way to a pretty good training plan... assuming I keep it up. But then again, that's why I have a blog (and online training log).

No Run Today

Although I woke up on time (4:50 am), due to the following reasons (excuses), I did not run: it was 15 degrees, windy, and I needed to get to the office early.

Oh well, I feel bad I didn't run, but I only needed to do 3 today. Still, excuses are excuses....

Triangle of Life, Part 2

As mentioned in the prior post, I got too busy to define the term 'triangle of life'. It was ironic in that the reason is part of the definition. Essentially, you can break up your time into three components: Work, Family, and Personal Fulfillment. Unfortunately, you can choose only TWO components to focus on at any point in time. For example, you can spend time exceling at your job and focusing on your kids, but that reduces the time for Personal Fulfillment (Running, for example). You could also train for an Ironman and Work, but essentially abandon your family in the process.

These are extreme examples, and no one (hopefully) will choose two items exclusive of the third item, but it serves a point: if work gets busy, and you don't want to spend *less* time with your family, your running will suffer. Conversely, you have read in magazines (printed and online) that you shouldn't start peaking for a marathon if you are starting a new project at work (or a new job), as work will take up more of your time.

A couple years ago, while training for my first marathon, I was getting up at 4:30 am, doing my run, going to work, coming home, eating dinner, and then going to bed. Needless to say, my Family time suffered. Now, I don't do that. If work or more important, Family time needs to increase, it's a no-brainer to let my Personal Fulfillment suffer.

Finally to answer the burning question, why couldn't I post this earlier this morning? I had to help get the kids up and I have a project at work -- ergo, my Personal Fulfillment time was reduced. 'Nuff said.

Triangle of Life

During my runs, I think of some great posts that I could write here, but then I sit down at the computer and my mind goes blank.

I had originally planned on going 8-10 miles today to see how I felt, but as it goes, although I got up at 4:50am (!) I still did not have enough time to to run that far and still get all the things done I need to do this morning. So I opted for 6. I then thought -- how about a fast 6, sorta to make up for not going longer? At mile 2, I noticed that my mile times weren't bad and I was feeling pretty good, so presto, a fast 6 became the dreaded Tempo Run. I picked up the pace and ended up doing a 2 x 2 x 2 tempo run. Looking back on my paper log, my tempo paces are significantly faster than 3 weeks ago (8:41, 8:26, 8:39 today versus 9:03, 8:49, 9:10 on 12/31).

I'm happy I was able to do a Tempo Run today, as I was supposed to do one earlier this week, but it was too cold (this morning was a balmy 27 degrees). But, how does this all relate to the title: Triangle of Life? Stay tuned (I don't have time to tell you right now -- ironic given the defintion).

Easy Day

Easy run today, 3 miles, 9:00-ish pace. Woke up 30 minutes late. Was going to do a 4 - 4.5 miler, but didn't have the time.

35 degrees, but windy. Still, not as bad as the past three days. Sidewalks and paths have opened up pretty well. I don't need to worry about ice.

Took an easy run using Nike Free's, some of the reasoning being that I was telling someone at work about athletic shoes, and people's feet becoming used to the extra support -- whereas Nike Free's reduce (but don't eliminate) some of the extra support, so it's like running in socks, but with more cushioning. I'm not advocating Nike's or anything, but these shoes have helped reduce my injuries, or at least helped me adjust my running style for less of an impact.

Another Day

Went for a 70 minute run today. Tried to keep pace slower. As my batteries ran out on my heart rate monitor last year, and I never got new ones, I changed my 'pace' runs to try to keep my breathing steady -- 1 breathe every 4 paces. This keeps my pace steady (although it usually gets slower!).

Was very windy on the way back home, a steady head wind. That, combined with the 24-25 degree temp made the second half a little cold. Going out though, I got a little warm.

Someone told me that keeping my core warm will keeps my extremities warm. Today (and yesterday), my core was a little cold. I wonder if a vest would be worth the purchase. I'll need to investigate. The only about making winter purchases, though, that in this area, it's really only cold about 3 months out of the year. The rest of the winter is not cold enough to warrant tons of purchases. I'm more likely to get use out of summer long sleeve (UPF protection) gear.

While on the subject of purchases, my Lovely Wife and I were talking about gripping on ice during runs. Perhaps Trail Running Shoes would work? I'll stop by the local running store to see what they say. Once again, I'm hesitant about purchasing special gear just to stay on the ice -- as we only get ice a handful of days (watch, now that I've said this, we are going to get a solid week of ice!). Trail shoes would have the extra benefit of trail running, plus local hikes. So that might be worth it.

Tomorrow's run? Not sure. I'm sorta off schedule, but perhaps 4-4.5 if it doesn't snow and ice tonight.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Okay, it's Monday, cold outside, weather.com says it's 10, my thermometer says its 13.3. At this temperature, who's to argue? I put in a good 6 just now, and 3 degrees didn't make a difference.

This is the first time in a long time (since last February, according to the news) that I've felt this cold. I had my warmest UnderArmor on, plus a warm top over it. If I wore this at 30 degrees, I'd be a ball of sweat in 10 minutes. Today, however, it took me about a mile to warm up. Legs got cold towards after 3 miles though. Not sure what that's all about. I had two pairs of pants on to help though.

Need to say this, if only to show to the world how dedicated (nuts) I am: my water bottle froze (again) today. I use the Nathan water belt. I converted from the Fuel Belt brand a year or so ago as I like the nozzles better and the tops fit better on the bottle. However, due to the wider mouth on the bottle itself, I guess that the Nathan bottle is is more exposed to the air. Therefore, the nozzles freeze in a higher temperature than the Fuel Belts do. In my experience, the Fuel Belt water nozzles froze at around 15 degrees. The Nathan brand freezes at around 25 degrees. The water itself doesn't freeze, although I do get ice cubes; the nozzles freeze, which ends up with the same result -- I can't get the water. However, at the end of the day, I can still say that I ran in weather so cold that my water bottle froze -- which doesn't mean anything to non-runners, and usually gets a 'big whoop' from runners. Doesn't mean I won't stop saying it though.

Peaceful in the neighborhood, lots of traffic on Fairfax County Parkway though (as usual). I'm beginning to wonder if running on the Parkway, no matter how convenient it is, is taking some of the fun out of running, as I hear the constant traffic going 60 mph nearby the whole way. I find that running through other neighborhoods is much more peaceful. The trouble is, how do I get to those other neighborhoods if I can't take the Parkway? Oh well, today's not the day to worry about it.

Legs felt heavy at the end, but I'm not going to worry about it too much, as it was pretty cold outside.

A Good Week

This has been a good week, and today has been a good day. Although I slept in and didn't get my run in earlier, My Lovely Wife and I got our schedules synced up so that she got a run in (8+ miles) first and I got a run in this afternoon. For both of us, the weather was good. I ran 10.53 miles, in a 8:29 pace, my best average pace all year (all 2 weeks of it). It was 38 degrees, and cloudy. The best part though, was the fact that I could see -- that is, I wasn't running in the dark. Running in the dark is usually fine, mostly because since I run in the morning, I don't have much much choice, but I like two things come Springtime -- 1) I get to pull out my shorts again; and 2) I get to run in daylight.

Once in awhile, such as today, I get to run in the daylight. When that happens, it makes it a good day. About running in shorts, we haven't gotten to the truly cold weather yet (that'll come in February), and in December, we had mild enough days to run in shorts... a little cool for shorts, but I'd much rather run in shorts than in long pants.

I was a little worried that I wasn't going to get my mileage in for the week, and I don't like relying on my Saturday long run to make my mileage, as there is too much risk of not making the run.

Regarding yesterday's fall, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I have a bruise on my hip, plus scrapes on my shin (not sure how I got those, as I fell backwards), but it didn't affect any of my 'running' muscles.

All in all, though, a good week.

Ouch

Ran this morning, hoping for a easy workout on the untreated streets. Well, it was a pretty good workout -- up to a point. I was running a slow pace (around 9:30 - 10:00) as the streets were pretty icy. I was going down a hill, and wham, my feet slipped out from under me and I landed on my behind. ouch. I landed hard enough for my head lamp to fly off my head. I picked myself up, turned around, *walked* up the hill and down the street to the 1/2 mile point from my house, and did an easy jog home. I'm going to feel this in a few hours.

Year in Review

One would think that this sort of post would be towards the beginning of the new year, rather than, oh, halfway in, but oh well.

My running goal for 2007? 1,250 miles. Actual? 1,401 miles. I also ran two marathons, one hitting my goal (sub 4:00) and one not hitting my goal (again, 4:00 hours). The Frederick Marathon was sorta a knee-jerk reaction to not being ready for the National Marathon 4-6 weeks earlier. I took the opportunity to race hard in the National 1/2 Marathon and then putting in some long weekly long runs (up to 20 miles, twice, I think). Whatever I did, I think I did pretty well. I hit the sub-4:00 mark, which I am very proud of, on a nice sunny day in Frederick. The only thing that I remember (as well the winner, in a post race interview on local Frederick TV) was the high wind ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE COURSE. At times, it felt like the wind was in my face for miles (literally). We even joked about it on the course. All in all, Frederick was a nice, but small marathon. It's on my list for a repeat, possibly this year -- that is, assuming I get off my fanny and begin training for real.

My second marathon last year (and my fourth overall) was Richmond. I had high hopes for that one, and I thought I trained pretty well. However, the elements, combined with a not-quite-so-well-trained body, beat me up starting around mile 18. It had rained the night before, and was still a little damp at start time. I dressed for slightly warmer weather, and this is the only race (and probably one of my only runs) where I put my gloves back ON during the race (several times) rather than getting overheated. I hit the ever-loving wall around mile 18, and then I started getting cold again, with my right hand getting numb every once in a while. Needless to say, I worried less about my pace time and worried more about actually finishing. I walked several times, and tried to bust through the last mile (but didn't).

Richmond was a good marathon, as they really pulled out the stops for it. There were 'party zones' a couple times through the course where the locals partied while cheering us on. That was cool. The post-race food was good, after we found it (about 2 blocks away).

So, year in review... 1,400 miles, 2 marathons, not bad.

My goal for 2008? Actually reduced mileage (1,300 miles) but 4 races (I'm not saying how long the races should be). I'm reducing my mileage as at times, I felt I needed 'junk miles' rather than speed work, just to keep my miles up. This year, I need to do more tempo runs and maybe even (gasp) speed work. Hopefully reducing my overall mileage goal will help me keep those (smaller) goals of tempo runs and speed work.

Which races? candidates are: 1/2 National with my lovely wife, Frederick (maybe), Marine Corp (very much a maybe), Goblin Gallup 5k with Number 1 Son, Leesburg 20k (I broke my streak of 3 straight years last year and want to start it back up) and maybe a 10k somewhere. -- I really want the t-shirts... :-)

What to say?

What to say? what to say? I just added my workouts from January 1 onto my training trainer (www.buckeyeoutdoors.com). It doesn't amount to much right now, as you can easily see my weekly totals -- which aren't much to write home about right now. Theoretically, I'm ramping up for the Frederick Marathon early May, and on the 16 week training plan, I have two weeks to play with. Unfortunately, last week, I used up one of my free weeks, but not for fun... but for the flu. yuck. I would have much rather worked all day long and skipped a run (or even two) than be sick for 2-3 days.

So, now a week later, I'm trying to get back on track. We'll see about tomorrow though. It snowed today and temps are supposed to drop tonight. I dunno how well the streets will be tomorrow morning. We'll see.

Otherwise, I'm pretty excited about the blog and training log. Nothing really interesting to report on though

First Post

Hello, dear reader. This is my first post. I bet if you did a Google search on 'this is my first post', well, you'd get at least one hit (mine), but probably millions more -- sorta like 'I'm a first time caller but a long time listener'.

I had an idea in the back of my mind about starting a blog, and to be quite honest with you, dear reader, I'm not sure I'm going to continue with this. However, I've started listening to some running podcasts (well, one in particular -- phedippidations, from www.steverunner.com) and viewing running posts and websites, and have even found a free (!) training documentation site (www.buckeyeoutdoors.com) that I'm going to see if I can work into this blog site somehow.

That's the funny thing, I'm actually in the computer industry, but used to building things from scratch. Actually taking bits and pieces from other sites and incorporating into my own site is something a little new to me.

So it's a small post (for now). Check back again soon, dear reader, and see if this site has gone all moldy and stale.