I'm sure that's the question many of you have been asking. Because, believe me, I know that the millions (and millions!) of you out there have been waiting with bated breath to see what's been going on with me.
Not a lot.
Well, technically speaking I guess that's not true.
I practically gave up running for a bit. Suffered some shin splints in June, and then pretty much stopped running.
And then I signed up for a marathon and have started again. I signed up for the Illinois Marathon (April 11,2009). Training so far has gone well, though I'm only about 3 weeks in to the training program. I must say it feels really good to be running again. I won't say that I'm back to where I was when I ran the Pig, but I'm on my way. It's amazing how little time it takes to lose all the progress you made from running. I'm sure it will take awhile to get it back. I guess maybe the secret of running for me, at least the sticking with it part, is to have a race or event to train for. Oh, and once again, my awesome sister will be running with me even though she swore she'd never run another marathon.
Thanks, Sis!
My world changed a bit in October. I got an iPhone. Man is it an amazing little thing. As a matter of fact, it's what I'm using to update this blog right now. Guess now there's no excuse not to update.
I've been playing Xbox a bit lately, mostly online, but some on my own as well. I'll chat more about that in a later blog, but my gamertag is vudurob. Feel free to send me a friend request.
Guess that's about it for now, so I'll holler at you all later.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I turn 40 today. But that's a tale for another time.
Later all, and keep running.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, May 16, 2008
It's Nice to Run Outside
It was beautiful here this evening (mid 60s), so after putting the oldest to bed, I ran outside for the first time since the Pig (even before that, it had been awhile since I've run outside). I strapped on my new Saucony's and set out for a 5 miler.
I felt really good, and started out a little too quickly, but then settled into a nice pace. The shoes felt really good, it was nice to be running in shorts and a short sleeve shirt. Just really nice.
The results: I think it's the fastest 5 miles I've ever run. According to Garmin I ran 5 miles in 47:38 (9:31/mile), and Nike+ had it clocked in at 5.15 miles in 47:40 (9:14/mile). Either way I'm WAY happy with the run, though I suspect the Garmin numbers are more accurate.
Maybe all this running IS getting me in better shape. Who knew! ;-)
I felt really good, and started out a little too quickly, but then settled into a nice pace. The shoes felt really good, it was nice to be running in shorts and a short sleeve shirt. Just really nice.
The results: I think it's the fastest 5 miles I've ever run. According to Garmin I ran 5 miles in 47:38 (9:31/mile), and Nike+ had it clocked in at 5.15 miles in 47:40 (9:14/mile). Either way I'm WAY happy with the run, though I suspect the Garmin numbers are more accurate.
Maybe all this running IS getting me in better shape. Who knew! ;-)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Last Night's Workout...
Just a quick post for those of you interested in my training. Both (?) of you. Last night I ran some intervals on the treadmill. The workout was as follows:
1 mile warmup at 10:00/mile pace
5X .25 mile at 7mph (8:34/mile), each followed by .25 mile at 5.5 mph (10:54/mile).
It felt really good, and the 8:34 pace is getting easier, though I definitely feel the burn a little bit. It will be interesting when I start increasing the intervals from .25 mile to .5 mile. But that will be a little while. :-)
I've also taken to drinking a Myoplex Lite shake post-run. Hoping that the protein will help with recovery.
Anyway, that's it for now.
1 mile warmup at 10:00/mile pace
5X .25 mile at 7mph (8:34/mile), each followed by .25 mile at 5.5 mph (10:54/mile).
It felt really good, and the 8:34 pace is getting easier, though I definitely feel the burn a little bit. It will be interesting when I start increasing the intervals from .25 mile to .5 mile. But that will be a little while. :-)
I've also taken to drinking a Myoplex Lite shake post-run. Hoping that the protein will help with recovery.
Anyway, that's it for now.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Out with the old...
Well, it was finally time to kick my good 'ol Asics Gel 1120's to the curb. Get it?? Shoes...kick. Ah, well. Anyway, they had a good 300 miles or so on them, and I decided it was time to upgrade. I had initially bought the Asics because they seemed like a decent started shoe, and I wasn't really sure if I was going to stick with the whole running thing.
After 300+ miles, with a 5k and half marathon under my belt, and several more "races" on the horizon, I guess I'm sticking with it. :-)
So I went to the local running store to see what they had as far as Motion Control shoes . I figured me being a bigger runner with flat arches, Motion Control would be the way to go. I ended up getting the Saucony ProGrid Omni Ultimate 6. They feel really light, the support seems good (don't even have to use my PowerStep inserts), and my initial opinion is pretty positive. (BTW the lady at the shoe store noted that I was just fitting into the shoes I had, so she moved me up in size to a 12). I wore them on the 5 mile treadmill run the other night, and they seem like they're going to work out well.
I've completed 2 runs since the Flying Pig. One was a 3 mile "recovery" run the Wednesday after, and the other was a steady 10 minute 5 miler. So far things are going well.
The next race on the radar is the Steamboat Classic in Peoria. It's a 15k run coming up in about a month. I know I can make the distance, so that's not an issue. I haven't set a goal time or pace for myself, but I'm thinking a little faster than FP pace would be appropriate. To that end, I think I'll do a bit more speedwork/interval training (probably mostly on the treadmill, as I find it a bit easier to maintain a pace on there right now).
On other fronts...
I'm eagerly awaiting several movies this summer:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man (still haven't seen it)
The Dark Knight
Chronicles of Narnia
And last, but certainly not least....The Clone Wars. The trailer looks awesome, and I can't wait to go see it with my 4 year old daughter.
What I'm Reading: The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes. The second book in a four book fantasy series. Great stuff, and since all the books are out, I can read them all straight through. AWESOME!
What I'm Playing: Grand Theft Auto IV. Not very far in, but lots of fun so far.
What I'm Listening To: PODCASTS! (In no particular order)
1. Star Wars Action News: Fantastic Star Wars collecting podcast. Marjorie and Arnie are lots of fun to listen to.
2. Running With the Pack: Running podcast, fairly new. Initially I started listening because the hosts also ran the Pig (full).
3. The ForceCast: Star Wars goodness with Jason, Pete and the gang. Always fun.
4. SmodCast: Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier talk about, well, whatever.
That's it for now. Except to mention that this post is brought to you by the office in which I work, where I wrote this whole entry the old fashioned way (by hand) while I waited for the copy machine to make the LITERALLY thousands of copies I made this morning.
After 300+ miles, with a 5k and half marathon under my belt, and several more "races" on the horizon, I guess I'm sticking with it. :-)
So I went to the local running store to see what they had as far as Motion Control shoes . I figured me being a bigger runner with flat arches, Motion Control would be the way to go. I ended up getting the Saucony ProGrid Omni Ultimate 6. They feel really light, the support seems good (don't even have to use my PowerStep inserts), and my initial opinion is pretty positive. (BTW the lady at the shoe store noted that I was just fitting into the shoes I had, so she moved me up in size to a 12). I wore them on the 5 mile treadmill run the other night, and they seem like they're going to work out well.
I've completed 2 runs since the Flying Pig. One was a 3 mile "recovery" run the Wednesday after, and the other was a steady 10 minute 5 miler. So far things are going well.
The next race on the radar is the Steamboat Classic in Peoria. It's a 15k run coming up in about a month. I know I can make the distance, so that's not an issue. I haven't set a goal time or pace for myself, but I'm thinking a little faster than FP pace would be appropriate. To that end, I think I'll do a bit more speedwork/interval training (probably mostly on the treadmill, as I find it a bit easier to maintain a pace on there right now).
On other fronts...
I'm eagerly awaiting several movies this summer:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
The Incredible Hulk
Iron Man (still haven't seen it)
The Dark Knight
Chronicles of Narnia
And last, but certainly not least....The Clone Wars. The trailer looks awesome, and I can't wait to go see it with my 4 year old daughter.
What I'm Reading: The Charnel Prince by Greg Keyes. The second book in a four book fantasy series. Great stuff, and since all the books are out, I can read them all straight through. AWESOME!
What I'm Playing: Grand Theft Auto IV. Not very far in, but lots of fun so far.
What I'm Listening To: PODCASTS! (In no particular order)
1. Star Wars Action News: Fantastic Star Wars collecting podcast. Marjorie and Arnie are lots of fun to listen to.
2. Running With the Pack: Running podcast, fairly new. Initially I started listening because the hosts also ran the Pig (full).
3. The ForceCast: Star Wars goodness with Jason, Pete and the gang. Always fun.
4. SmodCast: Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier talk about, well, whatever.
That's it for now. Except to mention that this post is brought to you by the office in which I work, where I wrote this whole entry the old fashioned way (by hand) while I waited for the copy machine to make the LITERALLY thousands of copies I made this morning.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Look, Ma...Pigs Really CAN Fly!!
Well, I did it. More accurately I should say that we did it, because I don't know if I could have done it without my sister there with me stride for stride (we literally have the same finishing time).
The Flying Pig Half Marathon is in the books, folks.
Never having been in such a big race, I was a little unsure as to what to expect ( was also nervous as I had been fighting a cough and some lung congestion for the few days leading up to the race), but my trusty sis was there to guide me through. We started out early, walked from the hotel, and got corralled up just a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start. What we didn't realize (and couldn't hear because we were so far from the front) was that the race had to be delayed 15 minutes due to a major fire along the marathon route, and they were having to plan a reroute on the fly. Eventually the gun(?) sounded and we were off.
With so many people it was kinda hard to get into a rhythm/pace at the start. We actually didn't cross the starting line until nearly six minutes after the race officially started. After about the first mile or so we headed across the first of the bridges that took us into Kentucky. On the bridge we stepped around a massacred pigeon and joked that we didn't know there would be free snacks, particularly so early on. (This must have been something akin to gallows humor.) We headed through the first water stop (quite an adventure for a first timer) without taking water (I carried my own) and shortly after we heard the first of a couple bands, this one playing "Brown Eyed Girl". There was much singing along by the runners, and the feeling of camraderie was cool. The second band came up a bit later (though still while in Kentucky) and we heard the smooth sounds of "Summer of '69". Shortly after this it was back over a bridge and back into Ohio.
I was feeling pretty good so far, and the chest congestion/cough wasn't affecting me, which was great. I have to mention that along with my sister and myself, my brother in law was running along with us, as the lead leg on a relay team. He hung right there with us, and it was about the time we crossed back into Ohio that he mentioned he was almost half way done. (Needless to say, I think we were like 3.5 miles in, and my sister had a ways to go, but it was all good.) It felt good to be running along with people I knew, and I was still in a distance I knew I could do.
A couple miles later we were running through downtown Cinci when I knew to be one the lookout for my wife and little girl (who I must say TORE UP the 4&5 year olds race the day prior). We knew pretty closely where they would be, just not which side of the street. Kris looked one way, and I looked the other, and as we dodged water cups my sister saw them just ahead of where we were. My daughter was a bit surprised to see us (I think because there had been a lot of waiting, and then all of a sudden there we were), but I said Hi and after we passed, she shouted "Run, Daddy, Run". This got lots of chuckles from the spectators around her.
After this, it was on to the hill. I had seen the elevation chart, and heard all about the hilly portion of the race prior to running it, and was a bit intimidated, as I had done exactly ZERO hill training. Overall, I have to say I think it wasn't as bad as I had expected, and we powered on through miles 6,7, and 8. At the 6.8 mile mark, my brother in law finished his leg of the race, and we wouldn't see him again until later. His knees had given him lots of trouble the last couple miles of his relay leg, but he gutted it out.
To be honest, I don't remember a lot between miles 8 and 10. I know that it was at that point that the half course split from the full, so things thinned out a bit. I was pretty much in my zone, just plodding it out.
I DO remember that at the 10 mile mark on of the volunteers made the comment that it really was all downhill from that point, and he was right. We powered into the unknown (for me at least; I had never run further than 10 miles in all my training) and continued on.
It was right around the 12 mile mark that Kris mentioned that if we ran a 9 minute mile she would PR. I asked her if she wanted to go for it, and she said no. I told her if she needed to leave me, to go ahead. She neglected to do that and stuck right with me. If she had said that she wanted to go for the 9 minute mile, I would have honestly tried to do it for her. Not sure if I could have done it or not, but I would have given it everything.
I have to mention here that my sister's hip had been giving her problems (perhaps too much training, but I'm not sure ;-) ). Every time I asked her how her hip was doing, she said it was fine. Not that she would have told me any different had it been killing her. Remember, pain is just weakness leaving the body and all.
Somewhere between mile 12 and 13 we saw Jeff walking (he had somehow missed the bus back to the starting area) and he urged us on. All along I knew in my head that we were going to make it, to finish, but it was somewhere between 12 and 13 that I really FELT it.
We came into the home stretch, and I must say that seeing the finish line was a relief. We powered on through the finish. Ok, little story. There was a point, REALLY close to the finish, where I picked out a guy (in this case an older gent in a red shirt), and decided that there was no way in HELL this guy was crossing the finish line before me. So I dug deep, sister right there with me stride for stride, and we sprinted across the finish.
Net finish time 2:23:10
Chip time : 2:17:40
I had it in my mind going in that I wanted to finish under 2:24, which would have been an 11 min/mile pace. Goal :Achieved. Oh, and I'm still undefeated against the third, silent, member of our little race, the Garmin virtual trainer.
We got our medals (VERY COOL) and made our way through the finish area, clearly picking the wrong side to pick our snacks from. On our side there were chips, bananas, bagels, and bottles of water. Apparently on the other side there were orange slices, ice cream, cheesecake, and people just handing out cash. Ok, ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but we clearly picked the wrong side.
As we made our way to the family meeting area, I saw my little girl, and almost started crying. I was really tired, and having just finished, it was a very emotional moment for me. Anyway, we hung out for a little bit and then went back to the hotel to shower.
Overall, I had a great time. It was a lot of fun, and I can honestly say that I'm proud of having finished and achieving my goal. I have a feeling there will be more half marathons in my future. Oh, and they're organizing a marathon here for next April. It's going to be the first, so what better time to start a streak (??). I'm sure there will be some kinks, but not having to travel will be nice, and I can come home to recover, which would be good. So I'm thinking next April will be my first full marathon. Now, the question is, how hard do I want to push, and how fast do I want to try and run??
Keep on running.
Later.
The Flying Pig Half Marathon is in the books, folks.
Never having been in such a big race, I was a little unsure as to what to expect ( was also nervous as I had been fighting a cough and some lung congestion for the few days leading up to the race), but my trusty sis was there to guide me through. We started out early, walked from the hotel, and got corralled up just a few minutes before the race was scheduled to start. What we didn't realize (and couldn't hear because we were so far from the front) was that the race had to be delayed 15 minutes due to a major fire along the marathon route, and they were having to plan a reroute on the fly. Eventually the gun(?) sounded and we were off.
With so many people it was kinda hard to get into a rhythm/pace at the start. We actually didn't cross the starting line until nearly six minutes after the race officially started. After about the first mile or so we headed across the first of the bridges that took us into Kentucky. On the bridge we stepped around a massacred pigeon and joked that we didn't know there would be free snacks, particularly so early on. (This must have been something akin to gallows humor.) We headed through the first water stop (quite an adventure for a first timer) without taking water (I carried my own) and shortly after we heard the first of a couple bands, this one playing "Brown Eyed Girl". There was much singing along by the runners, and the feeling of camraderie was cool. The second band came up a bit later (though still while in Kentucky) and we heard the smooth sounds of "Summer of '69". Shortly after this it was back over a bridge and back into Ohio.
I was feeling pretty good so far, and the chest congestion/cough wasn't affecting me, which was great. I have to mention that along with my sister and myself, my brother in law was running along with us, as the lead leg on a relay team. He hung right there with us, and it was about the time we crossed back into Ohio that he mentioned he was almost half way done. (Needless to say, I think we were like 3.5 miles in, and my sister had a ways to go, but it was all good.) It felt good to be running along with people I knew, and I was still in a distance I knew I could do.
A couple miles later we were running through downtown Cinci when I knew to be one the lookout for my wife and little girl (who I must say TORE UP the 4&5 year olds race the day prior). We knew pretty closely where they would be, just not which side of the street. Kris looked one way, and I looked the other, and as we dodged water cups my sister saw them just ahead of where we were. My daughter was a bit surprised to see us (I think because there had been a lot of waiting, and then all of a sudden there we were), but I said Hi and after we passed, she shouted "Run, Daddy, Run". This got lots of chuckles from the spectators around her.
After this, it was on to the hill. I had seen the elevation chart, and heard all about the hilly portion of the race prior to running it, and was a bit intimidated, as I had done exactly ZERO hill training. Overall, I have to say I think it wasn't as bad as I had expected, and we powered on through miles 6,7, and 8. At the 6.8 mile mark, my brother in law finished his leg of the race, and we wouldn't see him again until later. His knees had given him lots of trouble the last couple miles of his relay leg, but he gutted it out.
To be honest, I don't remember a lot between miles 8 and 10. I know that it was at that point that the half course split from the full, so things thinned out a bit. I was pretty much in my zone, just plodding it out.
I DO remember that at the 10 mile mark on of the volunteers made the comment that it really was all downhill from that point, and he was right. We powered into the unknown (for me at least; I had never run further than 10 miles in all my training) and continued on.
It was right around the 12 mile mark that Kris mentioned that if we ran a 9 minute mile she would PR. I asked her if she wanted to go for it, and she said no. I told her if she needed to leave me, to go ahead. She neglected to do that and stuck right with me. If she had said that she wanted to go for the 9 minute mile, I would have honestly tried to do it for her. Not sure if I could have done it or not, but I would have given it everything.
I have to mention here that my sister's hip had been giving her problems (perhaps too much training, but I'm not sure ;-) ). Every time I asked her how her hip was doing, she said it was fine. Not that she would have told me any different had it been killing her. Remember, pain is just weakness leaving the body and all.
Somewhere between mile 12 and 13 we saw Jeff walking (he had somehow missed the bus back to the starting area) and he urged us on. All along I knew in my head that we were going to make it, to finish, but it was somewhere between 12 and 13 that I really FELT it.
We came into the home stretch, and I must say that seeing the finish line was a relief. We powered on through the finish. Ok, little story. There was a point, REALLY close to the finish, where I picked out a guy (in this case an older gent in a red shirt), and decided that there was no way in HELL this guy was crossing the finish line before me. So I dug deep, sister right there with me stride for stride, and we sprinted across the finish.
Net finish time 2:23:10
Chip time : 2:17:40
I had it in my mind going in that I wanted to finish under 2:24, which would have been an 11 min/mile pace. Goal :Achieved. Oh, and I'm still undefeated against the third, silent, member of our little race, the Garmin virtual trainer.
We got our medals (VERY COOL) and made our way through the finish area, clearly picking the wrong side to pick our snacks from. On our side there were chips, bananas, bagels, and bottles of water. Apparently on the other side there were orange slices, ice cream, cheesecake, and people just handing out cash. Ok, ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but we clearly picked the wrong side.
As we made our way to the family meeting area, I saw my little girl, and almost started crying. I was really tired, and having just finished, it was a very emotional moment for me. Anyway, we hung out for a little bit and then went back to the hotel to shower.
Overall, I had a great time. It was a lot of fun, and I can honestly say that I'm proud of having finished and achieving my goal. I have a feeling there will be more half marathons in my future. Oh, and they're organizing a marathon here for next April. It's going to be the first, so what better time to start a streak (??). I'm sure there will be some kinks, but not having to travel will be nice, and I can come home to recover, which would be good. So I'm thinking next April will be my first full marathon. Now, the question is, how hard do I want to push, and how fast do I want to try and run??
Keep on running.
Later.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Training....Modified Somewhat
Well, training is in its official 4th week and things are going well. My lower legs get a bit achy, but that goes away after some rest, and if it happens while running, I'm able (so far) to run through it. I suppose this is due in part to the fact that I'm running on a much more consistent basis than I had been up to the beginning of training. It may also have something to do with the fact that I've modified the training program somewhat (mostly in the long run area). For instance, here's a comparison of the 2 plans:
Training Program My Program
Long Runs:
Week 1:4 miles 6 miles
Week 2:4 miles 6 miles
Week 3:5 miles 7 miles
Week 4:5 miles 7 miles
Week 5:6 miles 8 miles
Week 6:5k race (??) 8 miles
Week 7:7 miles 9 miles
Week 8:8 miles 10 miles
Week 9:10 race 11 miles
Week 10: 9 miles 12 miles
Week 11: 10 miles 10 miles
Week 12: 1/2 marathon 1/2 marathon
As you can see, my "program" puts more emphasis on the distance of the long run. Am I (will I be) pushing too hard?? Probably. We'll see as things progress how I feel. Overall I feel really good right now, with the exception of some aches and pains.
Speaking of long runs, I realized something on my 7 miler last Sunday. 13.1 miles is REALLY freakin' far. I realized on Sunday that I had run slightly over half of what I'll be running in a couple months, and I was a bit daunted, I have to tell you.
On the positive side of the run on Sunday, it was nice and I got to run outside for the first time in a long time (adios treadmill). I whipped out the old Garmin virtual training partner, and set him for an 11min/mile pace for the 7 miles. That, btw, is the pace I'd LIKE to run for the 1/2. According to Garmin I finished the 7 miles in 1:12:33 (a 10:21/mile pace) and beat up on the old training partner, beating him by .41 miles. Poor guy, must have been an off day. Eat my dust, sucka!! Anyway, my quads felt it a bit, but overall I felt really pretty good.
I'll try to post more often in the coming weeks to let you all know how the training's going. Thanks to everyone (you know who you are) for all your support.
What I'm Reading: Speaks the Nightbird (STILL). Almost done and it's really good.
The Courage to Start by John Bingham. A good book about running.
What I've Just Finished Watching: Damages, Season 1. FANTASTIC SHOW. If you haven't already, you should check it out.
Later.
Training Program My Program
Long Runs:
Week 1:4 miles 6 miles
Week 2:4 miles 6 miles
Week 3:5 miles 7 miles
Week 4:5 miles 7 miles
Week 5:6 miles 8 miles
Week 6:5k race (??) 8 miles
Week 7:7 miles 9 miles
Week 8:8 miles 10 miles
Week 9:10 race 11 miles
Week 10: 9 miles 12 miles
Week 11: 10 miles 10 miles
Week 12: 1/2 marathon 1/2 marathon
As you can see, my "program" puts more emphasis on the distance of the long run. Am I (will I be) pushing too hard?? Probably. We'll see as things progress how I feel. Overall I feel really good right now, with the exception of some aches and pains.
Speaking of long runs, I realized something on my 7 miler last Sunday. 13.1 miles is REALLY freakin' far. I realized on Sunday that I had run slightly over half of what I'll be running in a couple months, and I was a bit daunted, I have to tell you.
On the positive side of the run on Sunday, it was nice and I got to run outside for the first time in a long time (adios treadmill). I whipped out the old Garmin virtual training partner, and set him for an 11min/mile pace for the 7 miles. That, btw, is the pace I'd LIKE to run for the 1/2. According to Garmin I finished the 7 miles in 1:12:33 (a 10:21/mile pace) and beat up on the old training partner, beating him by .41 miles. Poor guy, must have been an off day. Eat my dust, sucka!! Anyway, my quads felt it a bit, but overall I felt really pretty good.
I'll try to post more often in the coming weeks to let you all know how the training's going. Thanks to everyone (you know who you are) for all your support.
What I'm Reading: Speaks the Nightbird (STILL). Almost done and it's really good.
The Courage to Start by John Bingham. A good book about running.
What I've Just Finished Watching: Damages, Season 1. FANTASTIC SHOW. If you haven't already, you should check it out.
Later.
Friday, February 22, 2008
About Time...!!!
Well, I know it's been quite awhile since I've posted and you've all been waiting with baited breath to see what snippet of wisdom I'll throw out next.
Here goes : Do or do not. There is no try.
I know, I know. I totally ripped that one off, but it seems to fit.
One of the reasons I haven't posted is that, well, life happens. First off, the baby (I can't believe she's amost a year old already) has been battling almost constant ear infections, and hasn't been sleeping all that well. As a result, none of the rest of us are sleeping that well either. Except big sister; she can sleep through ANYTHING!!
It seems as if we've all taken turns getting/being sick. The Wednesday before the Super Bowl (how great was that game??? I was SO happy to see the mighty Pats felled by the sling weilding David that was the New York Giants) the baby was sick with the flu, throwing up, etc. Not fun. Mom stayed home with her on Thursday and she started to get sick on Friday. She ended up spending most of Saturday in bed. The evening of the game (Sunday) I started getting sick. And so it went. Eventually it all cleared up and things returned (a bit) to normal.
Now it seems as if the girls and I have colds that have nearly (hopefully) run their course. Still a bit runny in the nose, and some drainage, but not too bad.
The official training for the Flying Pig Half Marathon is now in its second week, and all I have to say is thank God for the treadmill. The weather has been SO miserable and SO NOT conducive to running outside that I've moved most of my training inside for the time being. Hopefully things will get better outside, as I must say 6 miles on the treadmill (my long run last week) is not so fun. I've been pretty good about putting in the miles, and not so good about the day of cross training and the day of stretching/strengthening. I think next week I'll really try to focus on doing some strength training (probably push ups, lunges, crunches, etc.) to see if that helps me out any. The running itself seems to be going pretty well. I've revised the training schedule a bit and am putting in slightly more mileage than called for (mostly on the long runs). The other night I ran a 3 mile pyramid run (I think). I ran the first mile at a 10:30 pace, the second mile at a 10:00 minute pace, and the third mile at a 9:30 pace. (Times were based on the treadmill speed rather that Nike+ as that seems to be off a bit.) I cooled down with a slow 1/4 mile. It seemed to go pretty well.
Speaking of long runs: My six miler on the treamill last week led to a bit of minor chafing, so I decided to go to the local running store and buy some BodyGlide. This led to the following conversation:
Clerk: Must be doing some long runs if you're needing BodyGlide.
Me: Yeah, I'm running a half marathon in May.
Clerk:Really? Which one? Indy?
Me:No the Flying Pig in Cincinnatti.
Clerk: Oh, yeah. The challenging thing will be getting in some speed work. It's hard to do in the wind and snow.
Me: (Picture a mostly blank expression) Yeah..
Um, SPEED WORK?? Now I know the basic idea behind it, but the training plan I'm using doesn't call for it. Maybe I need to rethink a couple things here.
What I'm Reading :Speaks the Nightbird by Robert McCammon. A great (but LONG) period mystery about a witch trial in the colonies. Really good, and I'm only about halfway through.
Since posting last, I read Duma Key by Stephen King: FANTASTIC. LOVED IT. (Um, did you catch the fact that I REALLY enjoyed it??)
I also read Star Wars: Darth Bane: The Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn (sp??). Good, but not great, Star Wars book.
What I'm Playing: Not much. Some Madden, since I NEED my football fix. Oh, and some Guitar Hero III.
Here goes : Do or do not. There is no try.
I know, I know. I totally ripped that one off, but it seems to fit.
One of the reasons I haven't posted is that, well, life happens. First off, the baby (I can't believe she's amost a year old already) has been battling almost constant ear infections, and hasn't been sleeping all that well. As a result, none of the rest of us are sleeping that well either. Except big sister; she can sleep through ANYTHING!!
It seems as if we've all taken turns getting/being sick. The Wednesday before the Super Bowl (how great was that game??? I was SO happy to see the mighty Pats felled by the sling weilding David that was the New York Giants) the baby was sick with the flu, throwing up, etc. Not fun. Mom stayed home with her on Thursday and she started to get sick on Friday. She ended up spending most of Saturday in bed. The evening of the game (Sunday) I started getting sick. And so it went. Eventually it all cleared up and things returned (a bit) to normal.
Now it seems as if the girls and I have colds that have nearly (hopefully) run their course. Still a bit runny in the nose, and some drainage, but not too bad.
The official training for the Flying Pig Half Marathon is now in its second week, and all I have to say is thank God for the treadmill. The weather has been SO miserable and SO NOT conducive to running outside that I've moved most of my training inside for the time being. Hopefully things will get better outside, as I must say 6 miles on the treadmill (my long run last week) is not so fun. I've been pretty good about putting in the miles, and not so good about the day of cross training and the day of stretching/strengthening. I think next week I'll really try to focus on doing some strength training (probably push ups, lunges, crunches, etc.) to see if that helps me out any. The running itself seems to be going pretty well. I've revised the training schedule a bit and am putting in slightly more mileage than called for (mostly on the long runs). The other night I ran a 3 mile pyramid run (I think). I ran the first mile at a 10:30 pace, the second mile at a 10:00 minute pace, and the third mile at a 9:30 pace. (Times were based on the treadmill speed rather that Nike+ as that seems to be off a bit.) I cooled down with a slow 1/4 mile. It seemed to go pretty well.
Speaking of long runs: My six miler on the treamill last week led to a bit of minor chafing, so I decided to go to the local running store and buy some BodyGlide. This led to the following conversation:
Clerk: Must be doing some long runs if you're needing BodyGlide.
Me: Yeah, I'm running a half marathon in May.
Clerk:Really? Which one? Indy?
Me:No the Flying Pig in Cincinnatti.
Clerk: Oh, yeah. The challenging thing will be getting in some speed work. It's hard to do in the wind and snow.
Me: (Picture a mostly blank expression) Yeah..
Um, SPEED WORK?? Now I know the basic idea behind it, but the training plan I'm using doesn't call for it. Maybe I need to rethink a couple things here.
What I'm Reading :Speaks the Nightbird by Robert McCammon. A great (but LONG) period mystery about a witch trial in the colonies. Really good, and I'm only about halfway through.
Since posting last, I read Duma Key by Stephen King: FANTASTIC. LOVED IT. (Um, did you catch the fact that I REALLY enjoyed it??)
I also read Star Wars: Darth Bane: The Rule of Two by Drew Karpyshyn (sp??). Good, but not great, Star Wars book.
What I'm Playing: Not much. Some Madden, since I NEED my football fix. Oh, and some Guitar Hero III.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Tantalizingly Close....
So after a short run last night (2.25 miles; I was starting to feel it in my lower legs for some reason) I am oh so close to 3 things. Those are as follows:
1. I am 1.8 miles away from hitting my Nike+ goal of running 30 miles in 4 weeks. Right now I am 10.3 miles ahead of my goal pace.
2. I am 5.37 miles away from hitting the 40 miles in my Beginners Only 2 challenge.
3. Last, but certainly not least, I am a mere 1.72 miles away from hitting 100 miles in Nike+.
I plan on accomplishing all 3 on Sunday with my long run.
The Goal for Sunday: 6 miles.
Wish me luck!
1. I am 1.8 miles away from hitting my Nike+ goal of running 30 miles in 4 weeks. Right now I am 10.3 miles ahead of my goal pace.
2. I am 5.37 miles away from hitting the 40 miles in my Beginners Only 2 challenge.
3. Last, but certainly not least, I am a mere 1.72 miles away from hitting 100 miles in Nike+.
I plan on accomplishing all 3 on Sunday with my long run.
The Goal for Sunday: 6 miles.
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Nearly a First
Well, there was NEARLY a new first tonight. As in my "Virtual Training Partner" NEARLY beat me. Let me elaborate.
I intended to go out and run tonight since, although cold, no rain or snow was in the forecast, and I much prefer running outside to trouncing around on the old treadmill whenever I can. After my decent run on Sunday, I decided that I would up my milage just a tad (from 3.25 miles to 3.5 miles) and I would set the trusty old training partner's pace at a seemingly doable 10:20/mile.
Right from the start I wasn't feeling it. After about the first .2 of a mile I checked in with the training partner and saw that he was ahead but what I thought to be 10.o feet. Not bad, right on pace. On closer inspection, however, I soon realized that I was .1 of a mile behind. Ouch. That makes things a bit tougher.
I decided that I would simply run my run and wherever I ended up, that was fine. I realize that everyone has off days/nights and maybe this was one of mine. Then I started to think about it a bit more and got a little pissed at myself. Just who the hell did this little guy think he was, trying to show me up like that?? And was I just going to sit there (ok, run there) and let him embarrass me?? Not a chance.
I realized that I had a lot of ground to make up, and I don't normally run at a pace where that would be easy to do. So I picked up the pace a little. Soon I was 500 feet behind, and the Garmin was beeping at me "Speed Up" it said. Then I was 400 feet behind. About 2 mile in I had cut the lead to about 200 feet behind. Slowly but surely I was making up the distance.
It finally came down to the last .10 of a mile: I was 85 feet behind, and I thought "This is crap. You didn't work this hard to lose by such a little bit." And like Forrest Gump "I was RUNNING...." I ran until I thought my lungs were going to burst. My breath came in gasps, and my heart hammered in my chest. I looked down to the Garmin as I crossed the "finish line." I had beat that miserable old partner by a whopping 17 feet. YES!!
And I remain undefeated! ;-)
I intended to go out and run tonight since, although cold, no rain or snow was in the forecast, and I much prefer running outside to trouncing around on the old treadmill whenever I can. After my decent run on Sunday, I decided that I would up my milage just a tad (from 3.25 miles to 3.5 miles) and I would set the trusty old training partner's pace at a seemingly doable 10:20/mile.
Right from the start I wasn't feeling it. After about the first .2 of a mile I checked in with the training partner and saw that he was ahead but what I thought to be 10.o feet. Not bad, right on pace. On closer inspection, however, I soon realized that I was .1 of a mile behind. Ouch. That makes things a bit tougher.
I decided that I would simply run my run and wherever I ended up, that was fine. I realize that everyone has off days/nights and maybe this was one of mine. Then I started to think about it a bit more and got a little pissed at myself. Just who the hell did this little guy think he was, trying to show me up like that?? And was I just going to sit there (ok, run there) and let him embarrass me?? Not a chance.
I realized that I had a lot of ground to make up, and I don't normally run at a pace where that would be easy to do. So I picked up the pace a little. Soon I was 500 feet behind, and the Garmin was beeping at me "Speed Up" it said. Then I was 400 feet behind. About 2 mile in I had cut the lead to about 200 feet behind. Slowly but surely I was making up the distance.
It finally came down to the last .10 of a mile: I was 85 feet behind, and I thought "This is crap. You didn't work this hard to lose by such a little bit." And like Forrest Gump "I was RUNNING...." I ran until I thought my lungs were going to burst. My breath came in gasps, and my heart hammered in my chest. I looked down to the Garmin as I crossed the "finish line." I had beat that miserable old partner by a whopping 17 feet. YES!!
And I remain undefeated! ;-)
Monday, January 14, 2008
Longest Run Yet....
Well, yesterday I embarked on my longest run yet: 5 miles. There's a bit of discrepancy between what Garmin thought I ran (5 miles) and what Nike+ thought I ran(5.24), but since I know my gait can be a bit all over the place, we'll go with the 5 miles. Initially my goal was to run at about an 11 min/mile pace. Starting out I felt pretty good (after I got warmed up, that is), and it was cold outside (20 degrees). I've found that when it's cold out, I run a bit faster than normal. I think that Garmin figured I ended at a 10:47 pace or something like that, completely outpacing my competition, who I set to pace me at 11:10 per mile. I finished fully .17 miles ahead, thus securing my place in, well, mediocrity.
Seriously, though, it was a decent run.
Other than that, not a whole lot going on around here. My wife and myself are getting good use out of the treadmill, so it seems like a good investment so far.
Also, I'm set to hit the 100 mile mark on Nike+ this week. Right now I'm sitting at 92.07 miles, so it shouldn't be a problem to kick it over 100 this week. I've also discovered the motivational use of "challenges" and "goals" on Nike+. Sometimes knowing that I'm working towards a goal, or to help the USA beat Europe is the only thing that gets me up on the treadmill.
What I'm Reading Now: Persuader by Lee Child. The 6th (I think) Reacher novel. The following sentence says it all: Reacher is a badass.
What I Just Finished Reading: Star Wars Legacy of the Force : Fury by Aaron Allston. Simply a great Star Wars book.
What I'm Playing: Assassin's Creed on the Xbox 360. Yeah, it's repetitive, but the graphics are awesome, and the following sentence says it all: My character in the game is a badass.
That's it for now.
Later.
Seriously, though, it was a decent run.
Other than that, not a whole lot going on around here. My wife and myself are getting good use out of the treadmill, so it seems like a good investment so far.
Also, I'm set to hit the 100 mile mark on Nike+ this week. Right now I'm sitting at 92.07 miles, so it shouldn't be a problem to kick it over 100 this week. I've also discovered the motivational use of "challenges" and "goals" on Nike+. Sometimes knowing that I'm working towards a goal, or to help the USA beat Europe is the only thing that gets me up on the treadmill.
What I'm Reading Now: Persuader by Lee Child. The 6th (I think) Reacher novel. The following sentence says it all: Reacher is a badass.
What I Just Finished Reading: Star Wars Legacy of the Force : Fury by Aaron Allston. Simply a great Star Wars book.
What I'm Playing: Assassin's Creed on the Xbox 360. Yeah, it's repetitive, but the graphics are awesome, and the following sentence says it all: My character in the game is a badass.
That's it for now.
Later.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
It's Been A Long Time...and Going Whole Hog
Well, hello there loyal readers. Aw, c'mon, I know there are a couple of you out there that have just been dying to see what would happen next.
It's been a LONG while since I've posted, and now that the holidays are over, hopefully things will fall back to a more normal rhythm and I'll be posting more.
Speaking of the holidays, I'm glad they're over, but I did have a great time with my sister visiting for the better part of a week. It's always nice to hang out with her, and we get to do it all too infrequently. She's my little sister, but she's a big inspiration. As I think I've said before (it's been so long since I posted that I can't even remember what I've written. Never mind that I can't be bothered to actually go back and read my old posts) she's basically the main reason I started running. Yeah, yeah, it was to get in shape (I've stalled a bit at the 35 pounds lost point), but it was also because I'm so proud of her, and I've seen and heard about all the hard work she's done, and in some way I wanted to be a little bit a part of it. Believe me, it's not for the glory of slogging through 10 minute miles sometimes (ok, ONE time) in the rain and slightly above freezing temperature during which I experienced my first chafing (OUCH). But I have gotten in a bit better shape, so that's a plus. One of my resolutions this year is to actually lose 15 more pounds to get down to the 2 bill mark.
Anyway, so I got a chance to run once with my sis while she was here, and it was great. She was a little rough on me (ok, she claims that she let me set the pace, but we're both a little competitive, and I wanted to show her I wasn't a total wuss) but it was good. I'm sure she could have left me in the dust had she wanted to, but she was gracious enough to stick with me.
And about the "Going Whole Hog" thing. It's more like half hog, really. I've decided that I'm going to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnatti in May. I know it may be a bit of a stretch going from running a 5k to a half marathon, but so what. As my sister likes to say, she went from not running to running a marathon, so it can be done. Initially I was going to run one of the legs on a relay team, but my said "You should just run the half marathon." so that's what I'm going to do. Official training starts at the beginning of February, so I'll be sure to blog all the wonderful training notes here. In the interest of training, and also because running in the cold rain and snow is somewhat of a pain, we've purchased a treadmill to aid the training/getting in shape efforts. I've gotta' say it's boring, but much better than chafing! I also picked up a Garmin 201 Forerunner to help out with pacing and training, and it's really cool. Kicked my virtual training partners ass on my long run the other day!
Oh, and did I mention that my sister is going to fly back so we can run the Pig together? And by together I mean that we'll be running the same race at the same time, but I'm sure she'll WAY kick my ass.
Later, my little Padawans.
Jedi Dad out.
It's been a LONG while since I've posted, and now that the holidays are over, hopefully things will fall back to a more normal rhythm and I'll be posting more.
Speaking of the holidays, I'm glad they're over, but I did have a great time with my sister visiting for the better part of a week. It's always nice to hang out with her, and we get to do it all too infrequently. She's my little sister, but she's a big inspiration. As I think I've said before (it's been so long since I posted that I can't even remember what I've written. Never mind that I can't be bothered to actually go back and read my old posts) she's basically the main reason I started running. Yeah, yeah, it was to get in shape (I've stalled a bit at the 35 pounds lost point), but it was also because I'm so proud of her, and I've seen and heard about all the hard work she's done, and in some way I wanted to be a little bit a part of it. Believe me, it's not for the glory of slogging through 10 minute miles sometimes (ok, ONE time) in the rain and slightly above freezing temperature during which I experienced my first chafing (OUCH). But I have gotten in a bit better shape, so that's a plus. One of my resolutions this year is to actually lose 15 more pounds to get down to the 2 bill mark.
Anyway, so I got a chance to run once with my sis while she was here, and it was great. She was a little rough on me (ok, she claims that she let me set the pace, but we're both a little competitive, and I wanted to show her I wasn't a total wuss) but it was good. I'm sure she could have left me in the dust had she wanted to, but she was gracious enough to stick with me.
And about the "Going Whole Hog" thing. It's more like half hog, really. I've decided that I'm going to run the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnatti in May. I know it may be a bit of a stretch going from running a 5k to a half marathon, but so what. As my sister likes to say, she went from not running to running a marathon, so it can be done. Initially I was going to run one of the legs on a relay team, but my said "You should just run the half marathon." so that's what I'm going to do. Official training starts at the beginning of February, so I'll be sure to blog all the wonderful training notes here. In the interest of training, and also because running in the cold rain and snow is somewhat of a pain, we've purchased a treadmill to aid the training/getting in shape efforts. I've gotta' say it's boring, but much better than chafing! I also picked up a Garmin 201 Forerunner to help out with pacing and training, and it's really cool. Kicked my virtual training partners ass on my long run the other day!
Oh, and did I mention that my sister is going to fly back so we can run the Pig together? And by together I mean that we'll be running the same race at the same time, but I'm sure she'll WAY kick my ass.
Later, my little Padawans.
Jedi Dad out.
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