Saturday

Long run today, 15 miles with Jack at 5:30am. Yesterday I did hills and I could feel it today, so it was a slow and easy pace. Followed the run with my usual shower at the YMCA, then Starbucks, then working at Below The Knee all day today.

2 things: 1, the shower I use at the YMCA is like a hot firehose of water, probably the best water pressure in town and this just voluminous cascade of hot water. Awesome. But 2, I did something really stupid lifting weights the last week in March and it still hurts. The next time I have a brilliant idea like that one, I'm going to attribute it to my Inner Dumbass and just dismiss it. What I did was bend over at the waist, holding 35-lb dumbells, and try to stretch out my hamstrings. What a f'ing idiot move. I immediately sensed that I had done something to my back and stopped, but I've had pain in my lower back ever since then. This morning it was as bad as ever... I thought last week that I had healed.
I will do some swimming this week and I bet that will fix it.

Some races are coming up: The Celebrity Classic 5k on April 19th, then the Midtown Classic on April 26th.

Also, Jeff Galloway is holding a clinic at Below The Knee on April 10th at 6:30PM.

All this information and details about ALL the upcoming local races are available on the Columbus Roadrunners website.

Tuesday

5.7 miles around the lake again, the first lap a little slower than the 2nd two laps. Each lap is 1.9 miles. I usually warm up for about the first half mile then fall into whatever pace I set.

My heartrate is getting back to normal now after the marathon. It was higher than normal for a couple of weeks.

I'm doing 3 things this spring that might make a difference in my 5K times. First, I'm sticking to a training plan and doing tempo runs and hills/intervals. Second, I'm trying to lose about 10 pounds. And third, I'm doing some supplemental strength training for my legs.

I don't like feeling scrawny but I weigh 182 now, and I'd like to be 172 or so through the spring and summer this year. So I'll pay a little more attention to how much I eat.

On Mondays, I'll run 5-7 miles but run part of it at a faster pace for as long as possible. I will have to track the speed and distance so I figure out if I'm making any progress.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays will be easy runs.

Thursdays will be either hills or intervals.

Friday will be a shorter, easy run.

Saturday is long run day, my favorite day of the week.

Sunday is either a very slow recovery run or crosstraining of some sort.

And I'll continue to do my strength circuits m-w-f and add leg strength exercises.

Monday

Goal for the next 6 weeks: lose about 8 pounds. Right now I'm at 182 pounds but I really feel better at 175. So I'm going to increase my miles back up to 45-50 again and pay more attention to what I'm eating.

So today was 182.3, I'll keep track and post again next Monday with the results for this week.

Plan for today is weights at 5am, then run at lunch or after work or both. Weather this week looks pretty good:

Monday: Mostly Sunny 74°/53°

Tue: AM Clouds / PM Sun 77°/62°

Wed: T-Showers / Wind 65°/42°

Thu: Sunny 72°/44°

Fri: Sunny 73°/49°

Sat: Partly Cloudy 77°/52°

Saturday

Got to the Riverwalk at 5:30am... ran 15 miles. Very humid, hard to tell if it was raining or not.

Will run a few miles on Sunday.

Thursday

Pretty nice weather here. I ran 7.6 miles after work and it was probably 65 degrees, something like that. Very nice.

 

I'm running in the Asics Trail Attack shoes when I do laps around the lake. So far I like the shoe a lot, although my wife says that it's ugly, which is sort of an endorsement if you ask me. SpEVA midsole, light, there's a low key plate on the bottom, not good enough for some rockier terrain but enough for what I do, which is run slowly around a dirt path with the occasional mud puddles, rocks, sand and whatever.

 

Friday will be a short 5 mile run if possible, then a longer run planned for Saturday.

Tuesday (week later)

Sorry - computer problems.

Basically just been taking it easy on my runs. Some easy runs last week, some walking, going to the gym, etc. Ran 5.7 on Sunday, 2.1 on Monday then 5.7 again tonight, and I think my legs are feeling normal again. For a while they were very heavy and my left hamstring was very tight. Just needed to work through it.

Got a new pair of shoes. I'll be running mostly around Lake Heath for a month or so after work, so I picked up a pair of Asics Trail Attack 4 shoes, since I wanted a shoe to wear strictly off-road. These shoes are neutral and have the off-road sole, plus they use SpEVA for the midsole material. I am one of the runners who prefer Asics' SpEVA material over the newer SoLyte material, so I was happy when I saw these Trail Attacks in stock at Below The Knee and picked them up on Sunday while I was at work. I'll write a full review on them shortly.

Plan is to pick up some more miles this week and then run 12 very easy miles on Saturday morning. I'm loving the time change and the warmer weather.

Monday

I was pretty sore yesterday (Sunday) but feel a lot better today. I walked a couple of miles last night, and that seemed to help a bit.

Went to the gym and lifted weights this morning. I'll try to swim at lunch and then do an easy run or another walk tonight. Probably an easy run. The weather looks fantastic! 73° is the forecast for 7pm tonight.

Albany Marathon

The Snickers marathon was my 2nd marathon and my 1st 'real' marathon. I ran the Columbus Red Nose Marathon on January 5th pretty much by myself. I had finished lots of 20 mile runs before that and did the Red Nose in 4:23:23, which was about what I expected. My goal was to do the Red Nose as a marathon-length long, easy run. I just wanted a baseline marathon time at a comfortable pace.

I chose the Snickers Marathon because it was close and because it got some good reviews on Marathonguide.com. Having read the reviews and now having run the course, I'm extremely glad that I chose this marathon. It was just small enough (371 in the full, 386 for the half marathon)that I didn't feel crowded, but big enough so that I was never running by myself. Every intersection had volunteers, the aid stations were every 2 miles and well-stocked with both water and Gatorade, and there were lots of people cheering at nearly every intersection on the course. The race director did a great job. I will definitely do this race again next year!

So anyway, I had between January 6th and February 29 to train up for this one. I got in a 12 and 3 20-mile runs, then another 12 the Saturday before the race. I'm a slow, steady plodding runner and my average pace on long runs is about 9:20. On my last 20-mile run my pace was 9:11. So I got to thinking, after that run, why not try to break 4 hours since my long run pace, like a lot of beginners, is eerily similar to my marathon pace.

One of my goals was to lose some weight between the Red Nose Marathon and the Snickers Marathon. I swam, I lifted, I did my usual thing... didn't gain or lose a single pound. I stayed right at 180 lbs. A bit heavy.

A friend and I drove to Albany on Friday and picked up the race packets. Drove back home that night, ate some dinner and was asleep by 9. I woke up at 3, like usual, and ate a Power Bar and drank some water. Then it was a couple cups of coffee... and some more coffee at the Circle K for the road. I met John at Below The Knee at 4:45am, we headed out and got to the race about 6:15. Plenty of time to loosen up, use the porta potties, stretch, check things out, make last minute adjustments or whatever. It was 44° at the start and the forecast was 57° at 11am. I wore shorts, a sleeveless tech tshirt, throwaway gloves, and a cap. I also wore my fuel belt, so I had 4 10-oz bottles and a flask of Hammer gel.

The first 4 miles were a bit fast for me but I settled in pretty well. At about mile 4, I started to run beside a kid named Adam. We didn't talk or anything, but at mile 6 I noticed that he wasn't drinking when we passed the water stops. I told him to start drinking right away, otherwise it would catch up to him later. The first 8 miles or so were kind of boring, just long stretches along the major roads in Albany, but then it turned in to the residential areas. Very scenic and lots and lots of people cheering on the runners. The race support was fantastic- every single intersection had support for the runners. Adam and I just kept trucking along at about a 9 minute per mile pace. He started hydrating pretty good and looked like he was in good shape. I felt fine, just trying to stay at a 9:00 pace. I used the Hammer Gel every 30 minutes, just as I had done on dozens of 20 mile runs, drank the CeraSport from my bottles, listened to us and other runners' footsteps, and tried to stay on track.

To cut to the chase, at mile 25 we were still very much right on track and I told him to kick it in to the finish... he asked about me, and I said "dude, this is my sprint". So he took off and I see where he hit 3:59:00 almost exactly. Good run for him. I watched him take off, then glanced at my watch, freaked out, and started my other sprint pace, the one that was probably about an 8:40 pace... but to me it was a sprint...and crossed the finish line still looking at my watch. Dang if I was going to do all of that and then get a 4:00:01 or something.

I talked to Adam afterwards and told him thanks for keeping me motivated during the race.

mile 10 01:29:44 8:59
mile 13.1 01:58:03 9:01
mile 20 03:01:29 9:05
finish 03:59:41 9:10

Marathon website Results

So, I'm glad I hit the pace I was shooting for and ended up with a 3:59:41... the fuel belt, Hammer Gel etc definitely helped me a lot. I didn't bonk at all, and only experienced major pain when I tried to sprint in to the finish. I have a feeling that when the photos are available, my finish line photo will show me fiddling with my watch.

Right now my plan is to work off all my soreness and then figure out what's the next thing up... probably the Ft Benning Reverse Sprint Triathlon in May.

Tuesday - Wednesday

Didn't really do anything on Tuesday... ran 3 miles on Wednesday and lifted weights. I'm getting a lot better at the 'knees to elbows' exercise that I am doing on the pullup bar when I do my strength circuit. I'm able to touch my feet to the bar now on about 5 of 10 reps on each of the 5 sets. On the others, I'm close. I normally start them when I'm doing decline bench, so it's decline bench/knees to elbows/decline bench/ knees to elbows etc for 4 sets, then bench press / knees to elbows for the 5th. After the knees to elbows sets, I start on the glute-ham situps and do 3 or 4 sets of those, sometimes more, of 20 reps.

3 miles pretty easy. Getting excited about the Snickers marathon on Saturday. I keep remembering the line in Running To The Sun where the guy says "I start out with high expectations. I lower them during the race. At the end, I just try not to throw up on my shoes."

Monday

Lifted at 5am. I was thinking this morning how much I like the current place, and that's saying a lot- I first starting lifting in 1972 and have worked out in a lot of weight rooms. The current place is good because

a. It's usually only me or 1-2 others there at 5am, and we are used to each other's routines and never get in the way.
b. The staff is cool and just what I need at 5am
c. Even though the place is a dungeon, that's sort of what keeps others away...and it has exactly the equipment I need.
d. I never have to meet this guy.
e. I never have anything to contribute to this thread.

So I weighed myself on Saturday morning, and I weigh 181. I was hoping that I'd be around 175 and hadn't weighed myself in a month or so, half hoping that I would weigh less. It's not a big deal.. I just bought size 33" pants the other day... and I'm thinking that the lifting is adding some weight. Will I stop lifting? No. Will I run more? Yes, espescially since the weather is getting nicer and I'll be more likely to run more often and longer when I do run. I'll swim more, too. So I'll weigh again in another month or so and see what happens. It's all about filling the blanks in on the training log.

Ran 4 miles after work around Lake Heath. Feel OK, just keeping loose before the marathon on Saturday morning.

Saturday

12 mile run this morning. The first 6 were faster than normal, the last 6 were about the pace I would like to run next Saturday at the Snickers Marathon Bar Marathon. About 60 degrees this morning and very humid.

I'll be at the store all day today and tomorrow.

Wow, it's Wednesday already

Man, what a week so far! busy at work, plus I've done my lifting and running. Not a bad start, even though it's already Wednesday.

Monday: lifted, couldn't leave work at lunch, so no swimming, and then one of my 2 dogs had a health issue when I got home.

Tuesday: Worked, didn't do anything at lunch other than practice my Kung Fu grip, then ran 6.1 miles when I got home. 8:55 pace around Lake Heath.

Wednesday: Lifted again at 5am, then worked through lunch in a catered meeting, then ran when I got home. Great weather, like 62 degrees. This time it was 5.7 miles at a 9:13 pace. I'm trying to get my pace down to exactly 9:09 a mile or something like that, since that's a 4 hour marathon pace and my one stated goal is to break 4 hours. I've noticed on my long runs that I start to fade at around mile 18... so instead of going all over the map with my pace, I'm going to try to keep it as close to 9:10 as possible for the first 20 miles. I guess after that, I'll either speed up, slow down, or keep going ;-)

But the plan is to speed up at that point, for the last 6.22 miles.

Sunday

Chooch262 posted this link in the Runner's World discussion forum today. It's from Ryan Hall's blog:

Ryan Hall: Confidence (Elite Athlete Blog - Entry #3)

here's a video:

Video of Ryan Hall training, from GodTube.

Saturday

20.1 mile run early, last long run before I do the Albany Marathon. 9:14 avg pace, comfortable. If I could stay at 9:08 or so for Albany I'd be very, very happy :-)

Saturday very busy at Below The Knee with lots & lots of runners coming in, including many from military schools on Fort Benning who were complaining of shin splints. Shin splints can be very painful & they are definitely the last thing you want if you're trying to complete a military course like BOLC II or OCS, since the runs & distances are all mandatory and the typical treatments for shin splints (rest, lower your mileage, ice, etc) can't be used. You just basically have to suck it up, do the best you can, and try to get better so that you can complete the course without getting recycled or worse.

The web has some great information about shin splints. Here is where I'd start- these are the places I've gone to get information:

1. The Shin Splints Injury Forum in Runner's World online forums has lots of real world examples of ways to treat shin splints.
2. There's an excellent article in Sports Injury Bulletin that is full of stretches & exercises to help treat shin splints.
3. Finally, here's a guide to taping your shins.

Thursday

"I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain - and you've got to work your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is 'Don't overdo it' and 'Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond. " - Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers general manager, NHL Hall of Famer

I'm probably a slacker when it comes to pushing myself, but I like that quote. I really enjoy long runs but not to the point where I'm suffering... As I evolve as a runner, I think my long runs will just get longer.

So today was busy and I did not get to the pool. Still managed to get in a 6.4 mile run after work.

16 days until the Albany Marathon. This Saturday I'll run 20.5 or so, again. Next week I'll run 12 or 14, I think.

I haven't weighed myself in the past month or so, I don't really care about that. I think I'm somewhere around 180. I haven't changed my diet or anything, it's still as the same as ever.

Wednesday - USRD

Unscheduled rest day for me. Got busy at work, didn't have time to do anything at lunch, got home late blah blah blah. But I was looking at my training calendar , saw that I run 5 days in a row, and figured that I'd take a one day break. Swim and run again on Thursday.

Joe Friel is one of the TrainingBible Coaching coaches - he published the Cyclist's Training Bible and other books - and he and Adam Zucco have a series of triathlon camps in the US and other countries. He's got a great blog which is worth checking out.

do you lift weights? Here's Joe Friel's take on it. I have lifted weights since the 8th grade, off and on... so more than 30 years for sure. Sometimes that's all I've done, but usually it's part of a bigger effort. Right now I cherry-pick the Crossfit workouts and do a 32-minute circuit training workout 3 or 4 times a week.

Tuesday

I went to the SNICKERS® MARATHON® Energy Bar marathon & half marathon site today and was stunned to see that March 1st is just 17 days away. Crikey! Time does fly when you're having fun.

6.4 miles tonight around Lake Heath & the neighborhood.

Tomorrow, the plan is lift weights at 5am and run after work. After a 3 week layoff from weights, I started back on Monday morning. I don't think I will stop again, it's too painful to start back up!

Sunday - Monday

Sunday: 2.1 easy miles around Lake Heath

Monday: lift weights 5am, haven't done it for 2 weeks... felt OK this morning but I think I'll be sore later. It was impacting my swimming, so I stopped - but I feel a lot better when I lift, so I'm back at it.

Plan to swim 1 mile at lunch, then run 6 miles tonight after work.

Talked to a handful of people this weekend who were starting beginner's programs leading up to entering the Midtown Classic 5K here in Columbus.

Saturday - Long Run

5:30 am, Riverwalk... 20.5 miles. Got finished at 8:45 so it was, again, around a 9:33 pace for my long run. Yesterday I ran at lunch from North Marina through Bibb City to just about the 'homeless shelter' area, and back, which meant that I did a fairly hilly course. I could feel it today...

No big deal though. Went to the YMCA after the run, showered, made it to Starbucks... then home to grab some stuff & then to Below The Knee. Lots of runners in today, so it was a fun day to work there. We have some new Brooks Adrenalines & Glycerins in, and they always sell really fast.

Probably do a couple of laps around Lake Heath tomorrow afternoon.

-Mike

2,800-mile run across America coming to Columbus

2,800-mile run across America coming to Columbus
 
Three former cross-country stars averaging a marathon a day
for four straight months as part of "Nation Run 2008"
 
By Seth Odell
(518) 928-2962, partridgehousepr@gmail.com
 
Three longtime friends and former college track teammates have embarked on the biggest race of their lives, running across the entire length of America. The coast-to-coast journey, which kicked off Feb. 1, is set to arrive in Columbus, Georgia Tuesday Feb. 12.
 
The runners, all from upstate New York, average 25 miles a day for an expected 116 days, planning to complete their journey in San Diego, Calif., sometime in May.
 
Andrew Wahila, Matthew Durkin and Ken Stannard, all 23 years old, have been planning the eight-state run for more than three years. Originally an idea hatched in their college dorm room, "Nation Run 2008" has finally come to fruition.
 
"Over the last three years, our plans have altered, the route has evolved and personal reasons for doing such a run have changed," says Wahila, of Endicott, N.Y.
 
But for all the runners, "Nation Run 2008" is about the ultimate challenge, a life-changing adventure and experiencing life one step at a time.
 
"This has nothing to do with Forrest Gump, getting away from something or saving the world," says Durkin, of East Greenbush, N.Y.  "This is about adventure, friendship and living the dream."
 
With no support car following them, the runners will push all their gear in two baby joggers and will carry tents and the food and water they need each day.
 
"We fully expect and are prepared to be sleeping in our tents each and every night," says Wahila. "We welcome this lifestyle and are looking forward to it … to some degree."
 
That isn't to say, however, that a warm meal or bed will be turned down. If you see these four pavement nomads as they make their way across the continent, they want you to know, they say half-jokingly, that they will never refuse food from kind strangers.
 
The public is even being encouraged to take part. Wahila, Durkin and Stannard are welcoming everyone, from running clubs and college track teams to casual walkers and skateboarders, to join them, be it for a minute, a mile or a day.
 
The runners also welcome supporters to make donations to the PFC Philip Diaferio Memorial Scholarship Fund. The fund has been set up in honor of Wahila's first cousin, who was killed Nov. 24, 2007, in a car accident while home on leave from the U.S. Army. Diaferio was an Iraq War veteran, and the scholarship in his name will be granted to a selected graduating senior from Union-Endicott High School in Endicott, N.Y.
 
Those interested in tracking the runners' progress can do so at the trip's official Web site, www.nationrun.com. In addition to daily updates, the site offers a full trip itinerary, an equipment listing and runner biographies.
 
To learn more about "Nation Run 2008" or to interview any of the runners anywhere along their route, please contact:
 
Seth Odell, Partridge House PR
partridgehousepr@gmail.com

Swim Goggles

I got some new goggles, the Speedo Air Seal XR, a few days ago. I've used them twice so far and have really enjoyed them. Prior to these, I was using the Speedo Sprint & the Speedo Pro Anti-Fog. I have used the Sprint and the Pro Anti-Fog models since 1985, if that gives you any idea of what 'changing goggles' means to me.



The strap: very comfortable, very easy to adjust. I had to tighten it a bit from the initial settings and it was easy to do.

The seal: These goggles come with 3 interchangeable nosepieces. I swapped out the nosepiece after using them, and went with a smaller nosepiece, and the goggles fit better after that. I guess I have beady eyes or something. So even though the seal was very, very good on first use, it was even better once I used a smaller nosepiece.

Field of vision: wide. You can see really well in these goggles- which is what I liked about the Pro Anti-Fog. Field of vision is great.

Cost: $20

Where can I find them in Columbus? Dick's Sporting Goods.

Wednesday

Great weather here. It was 62° after work tonight when I ran- which I did at Lake Heath, in the dark, using my headlamp. Sweet run.

So today was 1 mile swim, then 6.4 mile run. The swim was a little faster than usual... I got some new goggles and can see the other lanes more clearly. So I was doing my laps, and then noticed that someone a couple of lanes over had the audacity to swim faster than me, and I could see him, so I had to speed up. I hate it when that happens at the pool. It's worse if they're in the lane right next to me... that's the absolute worst. So I sped up on laps like 17-25 or something, that's why my time was better today by about 90 seconds.

Wow, tomorrow is Thursday already. Time flies. Probably another mile swim, then 6 mile or so run later. We'll see.

Scott Matty

I'd just like to offer my deepest sympathies and heartfelt prayers to the family of Scott Matty, the local cyclist who was killed while riding on Sunday morning. What a tragedy.

I've had close calls both while running and while cycling. Please, those of you who are reading this, be careful. And be careful driving when you see cyclists and runners.

Monday

Felt pretty good tonight. 68° for the run, very nice, in the dark, with my blinking red light & headlamp, etc... 6 miles at 8:38 per mile. I could probably go faster on my nightly runs but I like to start out slow on the first mile. Afterwards I did have a painful cramp in my butt, which is a new thing, so that cramp combined with the odd calf & arch cramps I've been getting at the pool, and I think I need to watch my diet a bit more.

I swam a mile at lunch today, too, so that contributed (maybe?) to the cramp. Who knows. Shower & food & some CeraSport w/ protein and I'm good to go.

Saturday - Long Run Day

31° this morning at 5:30am... so I ended up running from the River Club to Fort Benning & back, by myself, for 20.5 miles @9:29 pace. I wanted to take it easy and test my foot out, and it felt good throughout the run. I think it's OK, but I'll keep using the insoles for awhile anyway, just in case.

I did renew my membership in the Columbus Roadrunners today. I didn't run in the Super Bowl 5K , but I went by the race after my run.

let's see...

I'd like to drop from 179 lbs down to about 175 by the end of February.

I got a new pair of swim goggles on Friday afternoon... can hardly wait to test them out in the pool on Monday. Photos & a review soon. It's funny how I swim so much, but have gone through a bunch of $8 goggles. I have used the Speedo Sprint & the Speedo Ultra anti-fog for years and years. My pair of Speedo Sprint is scratched and can barely seal now, so I needed some new ones badly. I fall into a rut of just using the same thing over and over. So these are new, and more expensive, and I'm excited to try them out.

I think I'll run a couple of laps around Lake Heath tomorrow after work, so I'll wind up w/ 44.3 miles for the week.

Thursday

Didn't get to do anything at lunch, so I ended up running once I got home, around 6:45 pm. It was 43° (felt like 35°, according to weather.com), and a little breezy, but I dressed appropriately. A few raindrops, but a nice run nevertheless. Went a different route so I could get hills, so it was probably 5.9 miles instead of 6.05 or whatever (I wasn't wearing the Garmin, lesson learned).

My foot is feeling much better. I've been using my old, tried-and-true Sorbothane rigid arch insoles religiously, moving them from one shoe to another starting when I get out of bed in the morning, and it's making a difference. At first I could literally feel a tendon or something snapping every time I took a step with my right foot, right in the arch area.

I'll run probably 3 or 4 miles on Friday, then go for a 20 mile run on Saturday morning. Saturday will be the test, for sure. I'm just gonna take it slow and easy and see how my foot feels. It's supposed to be clear and cold (31°) on Saturday morning.

Wednesday

"When I first started running, I was so embarrassed, I'd walk when cars passed me. I'd pretend I was looking at the flowers. " - Joan Benoit Samuelson

Boy, ain't that the truth... I was followed by an ambulence once for a couple of blocks, I guess because some concerned citizen had called to tell them about the staggering old man in the road. After that, I tried to run on trails so nobody would see me.

ok, so Wednesday: 1 mile swim. I ran Sun-Mon-Tues and swam yesterday, basically to give my right foot some rest- I still have some arch pain.

It's supposed to rain tonight, so I'll try to run at lunch. Hope that works out.

***I put the link to Podrunner up in the links area***

This is my current short run playlist:

Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)
The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
Amy Winehouse - Rehab
Echo And The Bunnyman - Stormy Weather
Santana - No One to Depend On
The Rolling Stones - Under My Thumb
MIA - Paper Planes
Guster - Satellite
The Rolling Stones - paint it black
Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
Joan Osbourne - What if God Was One of Us
The Rolling Stones - Shattered
Peter, Bjorn & John - Young Folks
Santana - Smooth (Ft. Rob Thomas)

Monday - Tuesday

"The difference between a jogger and a runner is an entry blank. " -Dr. George Sheehan

So I was looking at the Snickers Marathon Bar marathon page this morning when the race countdown grabbed my attention:

31 Days, 01 Hours, 44 Minutes, 28 Seconds

Ran 6 miles Monday, Ran 6 miles Tuesday.... I really need to run 20 this coming Saturday.

Saturday - Sunday

I missed my long run on Saturday. It was raining early, so I postponed...and then it didn't work out.

Ran 6.3 on Sunday, after work... it's sure a lot lighter outside now.

Plan for next week - 2 weight workouts, 4 swim workouts, 5 runs + a long 20 miler on Saturday morning. The weather forecast looks pretty good.

Upcoming long run schedule:
Feb 2: 20
Feb 9: 16
Feb 16: 20
Feb 23: 12

Wednesday - Thursday

Foot seems OK... lifted & swam Wednesday... swam and ran Thursday. I'll try to run Friday at lunch, then do a long run Saturday morning.

Monday - Tuesday

Well, the Sorbothane Rigid Arch insoles seem to be working. I ran about 4 miles over the weekend, then 3 yesterday and 6 tonight, and felt fine. I didn't really notice the insole while I was running, either. I've got my fingers crossed. I'll try to get 3 more runs in this week before Saturday's 16-mile run.

I've been able to get to the pool and knock out a mile swim at lunch... basically speed to the pool, change, swim a mile, change, speed back to work in almost exactly one hour.

Goggles are to swimming laps what shoes are to running... the wrong goggles & the whole experience is messed up. Monday I forgot my good goggles and had to use some old ones that leak. After about 15 laps, the eyepiece over my right eye was 3/4 filled with water and both goggles were totally fogged up. Wow. Felt like I was swimming in the washing machine... very disorienting.

So Wednesday should be swim, lift, and 6 mile run or something like that.

Wednesday

I felt a tearing sensation in the arch of my right foot last night, while I was running. Ouch. It continued to hurt for about 2 more minutes, then the pain went away. Business as usual for me until I woke up this morning and noticed that my arch was very painful. I noticed it as soon as I woke up, even before I got out of bed.

I've had arch pain before and I've resolved it using the Sorbothane Rigid Arch insole. I'll try that and see what happens.



Today was weights this morning at 5, then swimming at lunch and a run tonight. I'm still working on my abs, which I've been doing since May, but with an added motivation now after reading this article on General David Petraeus in Runner's World magazine. I think it's going to take me a full year to match that ab routine he's doing. Just amazing.

Tuesday

"Life is short... running makes it seem longer." -Baron Hansen

Got to the pool today around 1pm and swam a mile, then got back to work in time for meetings. Swore to myself that I'd run after work. Finally ended up running a little over 6 miles at 6:45pm. The wind had died down a little bit.

Monday

Good news~ I checked Thinnmann Online and saw that the 2008 Running Log has been created and is ready for download. And this year, it has totals for swimming and cycling distance. I'm using the Runner's World Online Training Log, but I always keep an excel version. Now I need to add my workouts to the new Thinnmann log.

So I can add todays' workouts: weight training in the morning, and tonight was a 4 mile run w/ 3 miles @ 8:00. My legs are feeling better and I feel sort of back on track again.

Saturday - Long Run Day

"Out on the roads there is fitness and self-discovery and the persons we were destined to be." -Dr. George Sheehan

Took it sort of easy this week & had to deal with one very late night at work.

This morning was a 12 mile run on the Riverwalk. I felt OK but my legs were pretty tight, I should have run more this week. I'll fix that next week.

Thursday night I was up till 3am or so (the time I normally get up every day)working on
************NERD ALERT***************

email servers, blackberry servers, windows sync servers etc after we re-IP'd the machines on our DMZ at work. I got home, lay down on the bed & bingo, there went the alarm.

Needless to say, I missed my 5am weight workout Friday morning. Fell asleep last night about 7pm, woke up at 2am, ran at 5:30am.....

Anyway, I'll be at Below The Knee Saturday and Sunday this weekend.

Wednesday

I do a circuit training workout M-W-F at 5am. The first part of the workout is upper body and abs:

decline press & 'knees to elbows' x 3
bench press & 'knees to elbows' x 4

This is the 'knees to elbows' part. I usually do 10 reps. This is my last set, so it should probably be called 'knees to armpit'... but the first ones are usually up to the elbows. This exercise is in the current Runner's World magazine 'Elite Abs' article.


Video: Workout - Knees to Elbows

Saturday - Long Run Day - Red Nose Marathon

Today is sort of an unusual day for a couple of reasons. First, I ran the Columbus Red Nose Marathon and second, today is my longest run since 1982, when I was a Second Lieutenant in the Army.

I've been doing 20 mile runs for a while now and just figured that 26 would be OK as long as I kept to my normal long run pace, which is about 9:45 when I do 20 mile runs. I really enjoy my long runs, so I was pretty excited about tacking on an extra 6 or so miles.

So my time wasn't great, 4:23:23, but I'm running tomorrow again and will do a 20-miler with a friend this coming weekend in preparation for the Snickers Albany Marathon in March.

It was still very enjoyable, my knees didn't hurt, and I didn't have any major pain at all until mile 25 when I stepped on a rock or something. That sucked. But I was back at the car shortly after that, then I was taking a hot shower at the YMCA, and now I'm working and trying to sneak some chips & salsa in between customers.

One of the coolest moments on the run today was when I had crossed onto Fort Benning, just past Oxbow Meadows, at about 6:45am, and 2 Army guys wearing full gear came out of the mist just across the long wooden bridge. I was able to say hello & find out they were Army Lieutenants getting ready to attend Ranger School & doing a 12 mile ruck march to prepare. I said 'hooah' and ran past them. Very motivating. I got my tab with Ranger Class 8-88... seems like a very long time ago.

So anyway, that's my day so far. An invigorating 26.2 mile run, then working until 6. Man am I hungry!

I'll run 3-4 miles tomorrow and then it's back to the normal routine next week.

Friday

Chuck Norris does not get frostbite. Chuck Norris bites frost! - Chuck Norris facts

On Wednesday when I went to the YMCA, I noticed that instead of 1 or 2 cars there, there were about a dozen cars! I was worried that they would all be in the free weights room, which I typically have all to myself. But no- it is the Master's Swimming Program! Not sure who to contact if you want to be a part of it, but it's definitely up and running.

It was 25° outside this morning when I went to the gym and did my normal strength routine. I'll swim a mile at lunch. I might run a little bit, just not sure.

Tomorrow morning is my first long run of 2008 and the longest for me in a dozen years. I've run a lot of 20-24 mile runs but not 26.2, so tomorrow will be a first for me. I'm treating it as a training run since I still want to do 20 next Saturday.

Thursday

2 miles on the treadmill, in a hurry. It was 20 degrees or less outside- not a great thing when you live in the deep South.

Wednesday

"Listen to your body. Do not be a blind and deaf tenant." -Dr. George Sheehan

Did my strength training this morning at 5am. Will swim a mile at lunch, then run 3-4 miles tonight after work. Still planning on doing the Red Nose Marathon this Saturday.

I'm getting a lot better now at the Crossfit 'knees to elbows' and 'glute-ham situps'. Typically I do 10 knees-to-elbows in between incline press and bench press sets, then do 4 sets of 20 glute-ham-situps as part of the curls-dips-abs rotation.

The 'knees to elbows' is featured in the February 2008 Runner's World magazine. It's called 'body curls' in the article. My suggestion is go to the Crossfit exercise demo area and watch the sample demonstration.

New Year's Day - Resolutions

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face." -Eleanor Roosevelt

6.4 mile run today. Sunny but windy. Tomorrow and Thursday will be similar.

It's 2008 now, and I need to get busy with my plans for the year.

HOUSECLEANING:
1. Need to start new running log.
a. The Runners World online training log. I am going to use this one in 2008 along with an excel log that I can keep on my PC. This is my Runners World log. So far, it only has Monday's run :-(
b. The Thinnmann.com excel log (not ready for 2008 yet). I used this one in 2007. He put it online on 1-09-2007 last year.
c. The David Hays excel training log. I've used this one in the past.

GOALS FOR 2008:

1. Run 2000+ miles
2. Run 2 marathons
3. Complete a 50K run
4. Ride 2000 miles on the bike
5. Swim 200 miles
6. Run 30 days in a row, no run less than 3 miles.