Well, it's been a week since I ran in my first 5k, and I've run twice since then. The first run was the Tuesday night after the run on Saturday, and it was ROUGH. I attribute that to a couple different factors: 1) I hadn't run much in the couple weeks prior to the race, 2) I upped the distance by .2 of a mile from my regular weekly runs, 3) I was running at night (which I always find harder than running in the morning), and 4) I was still sore from the race. That being said, I started out pretty strong, then faded as the run went on. And as I slowed down, I realized one thing: The slower you go, the longer the pain lasts. Nothing serious, mind you, just the normal stress of running. Not injury pain, just well, more discomfort, I guess.
I was going to run on Thursday morning, but being Thanksgiving, opted not to.
My second run was this morning, and I set out specifically not worrying about time, but instead on making it the longest run I've done yet (4 miles) and "running" the whole way. It was actually kinda funny, because even though I was running slowly, my body seemed to want to see what it could throw at me to make me quit. For about the first 3/4 mile, my left shin kinda ached. Then it went away. Then for about the next mile, my right shin started to ache. Then it went away. Then my thighs were a bit sore; then that went away too. I think finally my body just said "Screw it. This dumbass isn't going to quit, so I might as well make the best of it." After the run I felt REALLY good. Ain't it strange?
Nike + tells me I hit 52 miles (congrats it says), but the "real" reward comes when I break 100 miles. So I can't wait for that :-). And Lance Armstrong congratulated me personally on achieving my longest workout yet. Man, am I popular or what?? ;-)
Later, folks.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Race Day....One Down, Many More to Go.
Well, today was race day. I had been working towards this day for awhile. I know it was only a 5k, but it marked my foray into the world of "racing".
I was a bit nervous last night, partly because it was the night before my first race, but also because events had conspired against me in the last couple of weeks that really limited my running. It seems like everyone here has been sick (Wife, check. Oldest daughter, partial check. Baby, BIG check (pneumonia). Me, check there, too unfortunately.) As a result, the baby hasn't been sleeping well and the efforts to get up in the morning and run proved unsuccessful. Part of me feels really guilty for the lack of running the past couple weeks, but then again, Life happens. I think I've only ran two or three times in the past couple weeks total, so I felt justified in being nervous.
Initially when I started running and decided that I was going to run in the race, my goal was to finish in under 35 minutes. As I progressed a little in my "training" I moved that goal to wanting to finish in under 30 minutes. This seemed to be a bit in jeopardy, what with the lack of preparation the past couple weeks.
I felt good this morning; the gunk in my chest wasn't too bad and I could breathe, so there was hope. The race was in a little forest preserve here in town, and I got there about a half hour early to warm up, etc. When I got there I found several members of my family waiting, and found out that my cousin, her husband, and my aunt were all entered into the race. Which was good, since I would have someone to run with, but I also felt some pressure, as I didn't want to be holding anyone back.
There were a decent number of runners for our little town (I saw numbers into the 300's), all of whom were there to run in support of the town's efforts to get a new (SORELY needed) library. I started off towards the back of the pack, but in front of the walkers. Brandon, my cousin's husband, decided he was going to stick with me, so it was nice to have someone to hang with. I started out fairly quickly (I think about a 9 minute mile pace, if that can be called quick) and seemed to be going along pretty well. Now, we don't have a lot of hills here in Illinois, but it seemed that there were a good number of them on this course. At least enough to make parts of the run really burn. Anyway, about the time we hit the halfway point we ran into the first of the runners coming back. THAT was a little disheartening. Kinda like when watching the Olympic Marathon trials, and seeing how seemingly effortless those guys were running. And then you realize that they're running 4:30 miles. That's just sick.
Before long we hit the 2 mile mark, and I was starting to feel it a bit. My pace had dropped to about 9:45 per mile and my thighs were burning a bit. As we got to the 2.6 mile mark or so, Brandon said that he needed to walk for a minute, and, while I didn't WANT to, I sure needed to. We walked for about a tenth of a mile or so then put on our last push to the finish. Our family was waiting for us at the finish, cheering us on, all except the baby who was asleep on mom's shoulder. Finish time 29:09.7. I know that my Nike + says I finished in 30:38, but to be honest, I was having a bit of trouble pushing the buttons by the end. Being focused and all, you know. So I made my goal, and am happy with that, but if I hadn't walked may have come in a little bit faster. Next time, I guess.
After the race there was a pancake breakfast, and we all sat down to some pancakes and sausage. And I had my first taste of Accelerade. I had picked some up at the store, having seen ads for it, and thought I'd give it a try post run to see how it was. Mango Peach sounded good at the store, so I picked it up. When i tasted it at first, it tasted like something, but I wasn't sure for a second what. Until I realized that I kinda thought it tasted like I threw up a little in my mouth. Not the most pleasant taste. Kinda like a little verp. Guess we'll pass on the Mango Peach next time, though I still have a bottle of Fruit Punch in the fridge. Should be interesting.
On a Star Wars note (it IS called Jedi Dad, after all). Found out this week that I did NOT win the raffle for the set of Gentle Giant Clone Commander mini busts that I really wanted, but my friend, who I turned on to GG, BTW, did. Gotta say I'm a little pissed? jealous? some not so pleasant feeling? that he won. Oh, well. I'll save my rant on the wonderful "business" practices of the Gentle Giant company for another time.
Later, folks. And thanks for the shout out, Sis!! Just in case you didn't already know, I'm proud of you too!!
I was a bit nervous last night, partly because it was the night before my first race, but also because events had conspired against me in the last couple of weeks that really limited my running. It seems like everyone here has been sick (Wife, check. Oldest daughter, partial check. Baby, BIG check (pneumonia). Me, check there, too unfortunately.) As a result, the baby hasn't been sleeping well and the efforts to get up in the morning and run proved unsuccessful. Part of me feels really guilty for the lack of running the past couple weeks, but then again, Life happens. I think I've only ran two or three times in the past couple weeks total, so I felt justified in being nervous.
Initially when I started running and decided that I was going to run in the race, my goal was to finish in under 35 minutes. As I progressed a little in my "training" I moved that goal to wanting to finish in under 30 minutes. This seemed to be a bit in jeopardy, what with the lack of preparation the past couple weeks.
I felt good this morning; the gunk in my chest wasn't too bad and I could breathe, so there was hope. The race was in a little forest preserve here in town, and I got there about a half hour early to warm up, etc. When I got there I found several members of my family waiting, and found out that my cousin, her husband, and my aunt were all entered into the race. Which was good, since I would have someone to run with, but I also felt some pressure, as I didn't want to be holding anyone back.
There were a decent number of runners for our little town (I saw numbers into the 300's), all of whom were there to run in support of the town's efforts to get a new (SORELY needed) library. I started off towards the back of the pack, but in front of the walkers. Brandon, my cousin's husband, decided he was going to stick with me, so it was nice to have someone to hang with. I started out fairly quickly (I think about a 9 minute mile pace, if that can be called quick) and seemed to be going along pretty well. Now, we don't have a lot of hills here in Illinois, but it seemed that there were a good number of them on this course. At least enough to make parts of the run really burn. Anyway, about the time we hit the halfway point we ran into the first of the runners coming back. THAT was a little disheartening. Kinda like when watching the Olympic Marathon trials, and seeing how seemingly effortless those guys were running. And then you realize that they're running 4:30 miles. That's just sick.
Before long we hit the 2 mile mark, and I was starting to feel it a bit. My pace had dropped to about 9:45 per mile and my thighs were burning a bit. As we got to the 2.6 mile mark or so, Brandon said that he needed to walk for a minute, and, while I didn't WANT to, I sure needed to. We walked for about a tenth of a mile or so then put on our last push to the finish. Our family was waiting for us at the finish, cheering us on, all except the baby who was asleep on mom's shoulder. Finish time 29:09.7. I know that my Nike + says I finished in 30:38, but to be honest, I was having a bit of trouble pushing the buttons by the end. Being focused and all, you know. So I made my goal, and am happy with that, but if I hadn't walked may have come in a little bit faster. Next time, I guess.
After the race there was a pancake breakfast, and we all sat down to some pancakes and sausage. And I had my first taste of Accelerade. I had picked some up at the store, having seen ads for it, and thought I'd give it a try post run to see how it was. Mango Peach sounded good at the store, so I picked it up. When i tasted it at first, it tasted like something, but I wasn't sure for a second what. Until I realized that I kinda thought it tasted like I threw up a little in my mouth. Not the most pleasant taste. Kinda like a little verp. Guess we'll pass on the Mango Peach next time, though I still have a bottle of Fruit Punch in the fridge. Should be interesting.
On a Star Wars note (it IS called Jedi Dad, after all). Found out this week that I did NOT win the raffle for the set of Gentle Giant Clone Commander mini busts that I really wanted, but my friend, who I turned on to GG, BTW, did. Gotta say I'm a little pissed? jealous? some not so pleasant feeling? that he won. Oh, well. I'll save my rant on the wonderful "business" practices of the Gentle Giant company for another time.
Later, folks. And thanks for the shout out, Sis!! Just in case you didn't already know, I'm proud of you too!!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Who Farted??
I did. Well, at least I think I did. Fartlek that is. If you look at my latest run, the pace is all over the place. Short periods of faster than normal running (I just picked out a landmark a ways ahead; tough to do in the dark) and ran at a fast pace towards it, then slowing to recover afterwards. It felt pretty good, and I'm pretty sure I haven't run as fast AT ALL since I've started running.
Other than running things are pretty normal around here.
Oh, except for the NASTY case of diaper rash my daughter has. It's SO red and sore; she screams every time we put her down to change her. She's had diaria for the past week or so, and her poor little tushy is a mess.
Work is not very exciting, and I don't expect it to be. It's just that kind of job. It IS a job, though, and it's nice to be working again.
Sorry to be so lame, but that's about it for now. Latr.
Other than running things are pretty normal around here.
Oh, except for the NASTY case of diaper rash my daughter has. It's SO red and sore; she screams every time we put her down to change her. She's had diaria for the past week or so, and her poor little tushy is a mess.
Work is not very exciting, and I don't expect it to be. It's just that kind of job. It IS a job, though, and it's nice to be working again.
Sorry to be so lame, but that's about it for now. Latr.
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Who Writes This Stuff??
Well, it's been a little while, and now I'm back with not a whole lot to say.
The van smells much better, so that's a huge relief.
I've decided that I am not an evening runner, at least not on a regular basis. I tried running while my wife put the kids to bed, but being only a little while after eating dinner, I felt really miserable. And so now I've dedicated myself to getting up a couple mornings before work (5am is really a wonderful hour, isn't it?) to get my runs in. I'm posting the info for my last 5 runs here:
My evening runs were all over the place, but my morning runs seem to be a little better. As a matter of fact, one of my morning runs was great in that I ran faster almost throughout the whole run. It wasn't my fastest run ever, though I only added 6 seconds to my pace, and ran .2 of a mile further. I don't know, I have a hard time judging how well/poorly I'm doing.
Anyway, I weighed myself this morning and have lost a bit more weight. Up to 30 pounds as of this morning. I ate for crap today, though, so it's probably not as good. Hopefully the run tomorrow (I'm going to overdo it a little and do a "long" run, even though I probably shouldn't) will melt the weight right off. AS IF! I don't run nearly fast/far enough for that to happen. I think I'll go 2.75 miles at a fairly easy pace and see how it goes.
I'm still trying to recover from the Bears miserable performances this season so far. At 1-3 I don't think they can turn it around. I'm fairly certain they'll be 1-4 after meeting Favre and the resurgent Packers tomorrow night. Oh, well. At least my AFC team (Colts) and the Illini are looking good so far. Go figure.
Things at the job are fine...nothing at all exciting. But it's a job. For now. Until something better happens. Soon. Hopefully.
TTFN, as Tigger would say.
The van smells much better, so that's a huge relief.
I've decided that I am not an evening runner, at least not on a regular basis. I tried running while my wife put the kids to bed, but being only a little while after eating dinner, I felt really miserable. And so now I've dedicated myself to getting up a couple mornings before work (5am is really a wonderful hour, isn't it?) to get my runs in. I'm posting the info for my last 5 runs here:
My evening runs were all over the place, but my morning runs seem to be a little better. As a matter of fact, one of my morning runs was great in that I ran faster almost throughout the whole run. It wasn't my fastest run ever, though I only added 6 seconds to my pace, and ran .2 of a mile further. I don't know, I have a hard time judging how well/poorly I'm doing.
Anyway, I weighed myself this morning and have lost a bit more weight. Up to 30 pounds as of this morning. I ate for crap today, though, so it's probably not as good. Hopefully the run tomorrow (I'm going to overdo it a little and do a "long" run, even though I probably shouldn't) will melt the weight right off. AS IF! I don't run nearly fast/far enough for that to happen. I think I'll go 2.75 miles at a fairly easy pace and see how it goes.
I'm still trying to recover from the Bears miserable performances this season so far. At 1-3 I don't think they can turn it around. I'm fairly certain they'll be 1-4 after meeting Favre and the resurgent Packers tomorrow night. Oh, well. At least my AFC team (Colts) and the Illini are looking good so far. Go figure.
Things at the job are fine...nothing at all exciting. But it's a job. For now. Until something better happens. Soon. Hopefully.
TTFN, as Tigger would say.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
What An Incredible Smell You've Discovered.
Have you ever wondered what it would smell like on the inside of a minivan after raw hamburger was left inside it for a day and a half in 90 degree weather? I never wanted to know what that smelled like, and now that I HAVE smelled it, I never want to smell it again. Only problem is, EVERY time I get in the van, yup, you guessed it. I smell the smell.
We went grocery shopping on Sunday (I had been doing the shopping during the week, but now that I was (am) going to be working, shopping has once again been relegated to a weekend activity). After picking up the week's groceries, we stopped at Sam's Club to pick up hamburger. It's cheaper there, and we can buy six pounds at a time, break it up and freeze it. Since we didn't have our oldest daughter (she's 4) with us (she was at her grandparents) I put the hamburger, not with the rest of the groceries, but on the floor behind the driver's side seat. Due to some miscommunication, I thought my wife had got it, and she thought I had. It wasn't until I picked up the girls after my first day of work and opened the side door to let my daughter get in, that I noticed the offending foodstuffs on the floor. Oddly enough, I hadn't smelled it. It wasn't until this morning when I went to go to work and opened the door, that the smell knocked me back. NASTY!! Anyway, I've bought some professional strength deoderizer and am working to get the smell out. I'll let you know how that goes.
Alas, the gods frowned upon me this morning, and it was raining when I got up at 5am to go running. It's really hard to get motivated to run in the rain that early. So I went back to bed for a few minutes before getting up to feed our youngest. I'm hoping for better weather in the morning. It seems to me that this whole working thing is really interfering with my running. There must be a balance somewhere, just need to find it.
Weight loss stalled at 24 pounds, which is a bummer, cause it's only about half of where I want to be (at least).
Well, I'm off to bed to read for a few minutes before getting a few hours sleep and hoping that the weather's better tomorrow morning.
Later.
We went grocery shopping on Sunday (I had been doing the shopping during the week, but now that I was (am) going to be working, shopping has once again been relegated to a weekend activity). After picking up the week's groceries, we stopped at Sam's Club to pick up hamburger. It's cheaper there, and we can buy six pounds at a time, break it up and freeze it. Since we didn't have our oldest daughter (she's 4) with us (she was at her grandparents) I put the hamburger, not with the rest of the groceries, but on the floor behind the driver's side seat. Due to some miscommunication, I thought my wife had got it, and she thought I had. It wasn't until I picked up the girls after my first day of work and opened the side door to let my daughter get in, that I noticed the offending foodstuffs on the floor. Oddly enough, I hadn't smelled it. It wasn't until this morning when I went to go to work and opened the door, that the smell knocked me back. NASTY!! Anyway, I've bought some professional strength deoderizer and am working to get the smell out. I'll let you know how that goes.
Alas, the gods frowned upon me this morning, and it was raining when I got up at 5am to go running. It's really hard to get motivated to run in the rain that early. So I went back to bed for a few minutes before getting up to feed our youngest. I'm hoping for better weather in the morning. It seems to me that this whole working thing is really interfering with my running. There must be a balance somewhere, just need to find it.
Weight loss stalled at 24 pounds, which is a bummer, cause it's only about half of where I want to be (at least).
Well, I'm off to bed to read for a few minutes before getting a few hours sleep and hoping that the weather's better tomorrow morning.
Later.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Finish Day 1 of New Job, Check.
Well, I made it through my first day at the new job. I must say that it was a bit more intimidating than I thought it would be, and information was thrown at me like this would be the only opportunity. I hope that's not the case.
I must admit I expected to be in a much worse mood this morning given the Sunday Night walloping the Cowboys put on my beloved Bears. What a stinker! Last year, I was high on Grossman when he played well, and low on him when he played poorly. This year: SHOW ME SOMETHING!! Given the lackluster start by the offense, my high hopes at the beginning of the season are quickly sliding further away.
I am looking forward to 2 of my favorite shows that premier tonight: How I Met Your Mother, and Heroes. Ahhh, the wonders of Tivo. If not for the miracle of Tivo, I would be unable to waste hours upon hours of time watching too many shows. See my Tivo schedule is something like this this season:
Monday: How I Met Your Mother, 24 (when it starts), Heroes.
Tuesday: The Unit, Kitchen Nightmares.
Wednesday: Kid Nation, Bionic Woman (we'll see about this after the premier), Lost.
Thursday: Survivor, CSI (the original, not the imitators)
I THINK that's all, but I won't guarantee it. I know I left out Jericho when it comes back.
Anyway, that's it for now. Tomorrow is the real test: Getting up at 5am to get in a run (1.7, then 1.9 on Thursday)before work, then day 2 of work. Pray for me now.
Oh, BTW, Sis...I owe you a big knock on the melon. I've actually toyed with running a 1/2 marathon sometime late next year. What the hell have you done to me????
That's it for now folks.
I must admit I expected to be in a much worse mood this morning given the Sunday Night walloping the Cowboys put on my beloved Bears. What a stinker! Last year, I was high on Grossman when he played well, and low on him when he played poorly. This year: SHOW ME SOMETHING!! Given the lackluster start by the offense, my high hopes at the beginning of the season are quickly sliding further away.
I am looking forward to 2 of my favorite shows that premier tonight: How I Met Your Mother, and Heroes. Ahhh, the wonders of Tivo. If not for the miracle of Tivo, I would be unable to waste hours upon hours of time watching too many shows. See my Tivo schedule is something like this this season:
Monday: How I Met Your Mother, 24 (when it starts), Heroes.
Tuesday: The Unit, Kitchen Nightmares.
Wednesday: Kid Nation, Bionic Woman (we'll see about this after the premier), Lost.
Thursday: Survivor, CSI (the original, not the imitators)
I THINK that's all, but I won't guarantee it. I know I left out Jericho when it comes back.
Anyway, that's it for now. Tomorrow is the real test: Getting up at 5am to get in a run (1.7, then 1.9 on Thursday)before work, then day 2 of work. Pray for me now.
Oh, BTW, Sis...I owe you a big knock on the melon. I've actually toyed with running a 1/2 marathon sometime late next year. What the hell have you done to me????
That's it for now folks.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Where to start??
So this is my first post in what is sure to be a completely random schedule of postings.
A little bit about me: My name is Rob, I'm 38 (for a few more months anyway), a Star Wars fan/collector, and a father of two of the most wonderful girls in the whole world. I've been married for 5 1/2 years, and each day is something different.
I've recently started running to get into shape. I went to the doctor back in January for something (who can remember what, especially THAT long ago). When they weighed me in I stood there at 250 pounds. An eighth of a ton. At least that's how I chose to look at it. I decided then and there that I was going to do something about it in a few months. So a couple months ago, I started walking in the mornings, 2 or so miles, nothing major. Eventually I worked up to walking 3.5 miles. And then I started running a bit. When I started, I could only go a couple tenths of a mile at a time before getting out of breath. I eventually worked up to .9 of a mile. Then 1.1 miles. Then 1.3 miles. Well, you can see where this is going. Slowly but surely I'm working up to running further. Yesterday, I ran my longest run so far, 2.25 miles (Nike + calculated it at 2.32 or something, but my stride's all over the place. Here is the info on my last few runs:
It's getting better all the time, and I'm enjoying it more and more. My wife thinks I'm completely insane. I guess I have my sister to blame a bit since she's run a couple marathons, some 1/2 marathons, etc. I really look to her for a lot of advice, and I think it's cool she's willing to share her wisdom with such a neophyte.
A couple quick notes : I was supposed to have a "procedure" done at the hospital today (nothing serious) but they called this morning and told me we had to reschedule as the doctor wasn't going to be in the office today. As I start a new job on Monday, getting time off will be next to impossible, so this is being put off indefinitely. I guess the one plus is that the training for my 5k in November will go unhindered.
Oh, did I mention that I start a new job on Monday?? After nearly 15 months of not working/ working temp positions, I finally have a job outside of retail making a bit less than half of what I was making before I left retail. Guess it's better than nothing, and hopefully things will continue to look up on the job/career front.
That' all for now. I'll see ya' when I see ya'!!
A little bit about me: My name is Rob, I'm 38 (for a few more months anyway), a Star Wars fan/collector, and a father of two of the most wonderful girls in the whole world. I've been married for 5 1/2 years, and each day is something different.
I've recently started running to get into shape. I went to the doctor back in January for something (who can remember what, especially THAT long ago). When they weighed me in I stood there at 250 pounds. An eighth of a ton. At least that's how I chose to look at it. I decided then and there that I was going to do something about it in a few months. So a couple months ago, I started walking in the mornings, 2 or so miles, nothing major. Eventually I worked up to walking 3.5 miles. And then I started running a bit. When I started, I could only go a couple tenths of a mile at a time before getting out of breath. I eventually worked up to .9 of a mile. Then 1.1 miles. Then 1.3 miles. Well, you can see where this is going. Slowly but surely I'm working up to running further. Yesterday, I ran my longest run so far, 2.25 miles (Nike + calculated it at 2.32 or something, but my stride's all over the place. Here is the info on my last few runs:
It's getting better all the time, and I'm enjoying it more and more. My wife thinks I'm completely insane. I guess I have my sister to blame a bit since she's run a couple marathons, some 1/2 marathons, etc. I really look to her for a lot of advice, and I think it's cool she's willing to share her wisdom with such a neophyte.
A couple quick notes : I was supposed to have a "procedure" done at the hospital today (nothing serious) but they called this morning and told me we had to reschedule as the doctor wasn't going to be in the office today. As I start a new job on Monday, getting time off will be next to impossible, so this is being put off indefinitely. I guess the one plus is that the training for my 5k in November will go unhindered.
Oh, did I mention that I start a new job on Monday?? After nearly 15 months of not working/ working temp positions, I finally have a job outside of retail making a bit less than half of what I was making before I left retail. Guess it's better than nothing, and hopefully things will continue to look up on the job/career front.
That' all for now. I'll see ya' when I see ya'!!
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