After much indecision, I decided to run Saturday morning after all (right after saying I wouldn't) mostly because Jennifer handed the phone to me instead of just telling Kari that I wasn't running.
The reason for my indecision? My ankle (or whatever that muscle is that runs outside of your ankle between foot and knee) has hurt all week. By Thursday, I could walk normally, but there was still a twinge every time I turned or walked on steps or hills. Our friend, a former Olympic trainer, suggested I just continue to ice it and let it heal another week. He was sitting next to me, playing cards and shaking his head, as I agreed to run.
Jon decided he had had enough of cold weather, so he ran his 11 miles on a treadmill at the gym. Kari and I couldn't imagine going that long on a treadmill (even though my hero can do it all the time) so we ran in/out/around the neighborhood.
The morning was cool, but that great kind of cool. We took off at an easy pace and turned at the end of our street. Jon drove by and yelled at us on his way to the gym. At the 2 mile point, I could already feel a lot of tension in my foot, but I wrote that off to the lack of use this week. Kari is a great running partner, because she has a million (interesting) stories and is always gung-ho to run faster or slower depending on our needs.
We wound through neighborhoods and got to this great little 1-mile nature trail through the woods that connects two neighborhoods. Since we have had a bunch of rain, sleet and ice this month, the little stream was actually rippling, which provided a nice sound to run by. Very enjoyable until we got to one of the bridges where the ice and rocks and dammed up the flow-holes and water was rolling over the bridge. It wasn't deep at all, but we were 4.5 miles from home and didn't cherish the idea of wet shoes. After looking around for other ways to get across the stream, we gave up and returned on our original path.
Stopping was good or bad, depending on your viewpoint and medical knowledge. My foot hurt like someone had snapped it in half. We walked back to the road and then resumed the run. I'm not sure why, but running felt a lot better than walking.
We completed our run at about a 10 min/mile pace, which is slower than both of us wanted. A little bit of walking and my stupid foot were to blame. Jennifer has convinced me to call the doctor this week and get it checked. I hate being a wuss. So, probably no running this week either. And I think I've scrapped my plans for the April marathon. I'll focus on some other activities this week and let my foot rest up. Ideas? Other suggestions? Fill the comments with "wuss".
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
15.3 miles - Saturday, Feb 16
Ice storms, busy schedules, and laziness -- pretty much sums up my exercise week, where I add 0 miles to the tally board. The roads were clear enough on Friday that I could have run, but after last week's decision to take Friday off before the big Saturday run… well, there is that laziness kicking in, I suppose.
Truth be known, I was dreading the long run this week. Since I struggled so much to get 14, I wondered how in the world I would get 15. I tried to do it up right, though. I rested the day before. I prepped my water backpack, so I'd have proper hydration throughout. I packed an energy bar for mid-run. I reviewed the map and satellite images so I'd know exactly what we were running and where to turnaround. I checked the weather. I figured that the more things under control and in my mind for visualization purposes, the better.
We decided to run the Frisco Highline Trail because it is relatively flat and it has a chat/gravel bed. We ran our 11 mile run in January there and loved it. We picked another section of the 35 mile trail for this run.
We started our run at about 1:00 and ran at a solid 9-minute pace. The first two miles are paved until you leave the Willard city limits. Pretty much as soon as we left the pavement, we knew we were in for a long day. A light rain started falling and the ground was not very solid. A trail tractor had been through fairly recently, so we lined up in its tread to get a little stability.
I won't describe the entire run (thankfully, for the one reader), but will call out some highpoints. At mile 3, I was dead tired again. At mile 3.5, I felt great. I'm not sure why, unless it is just that 5K mindset because that was what I ran so much before starting to stretch out the distance. At our turnaround point, we took a breather, shared water and split an energy bar. The eating thing was against all our wishes, but I think it really helped.
Our merry band of three runners is pretty talkative. Jon and Kari are very enjoyable and our conversations make time and miles go by quickly. Jon decided we were going too slowly, so he started the return trip at a much faster pace. After about 10 minutes, he was out of our sight on the tree-surrounded trail.
We noticed that we had had the benefit of a light wind for the first half and were now going back in to the wind, which seemed stronger and a lot colder. Our gloves and top layers came back on after we had said not more than 20 minutes earlier that we should have run in shorts. During the next 30 minutes, I'd say the temperatures dropped about 15-20 degrees. Kari and I just kept plugging and realized that we weren't noticing any of the mile markers. In retrospect, that may have helped us. We didn't have a watch with us either, so we were 'just running'. Kari's goal was to run 12 miles since she is prepping for a half-marathon at the end of March.
We knew we were getting close to the end for her, but were surprised when we saw the mile marker indicating 12 miles. She was still doing well, so she agreed to accompany me for one more mile. Once we hit the pavement, she stopped and I felt a surge of energy. I saw Jon in front of me again, and the solid running surface felt great. I caught up with him because he was walking. He had gashed his Achilles tendon on a rock or something and was really hurting. (He was also cursing me for giving him a water backpack to carry for the run!) I pulled in to the finish line right about 2 hours and 30 minutes. A long, slow run, but I felt good because a) I completed a 15 mile run, b) I had properly hydrated, c) my final two miles were at a faster pace than the previous 13 and d) I had completed it even though the course was so soft -- almost like running on a beach.
I'm going to strive to get my training runs in on Tues, Wed, Thursday this week. I notice that in the waistline more than anything. This lots of running thing is great for guys who like to eat a lot. Congrats to Kari for completing her full half-marathon ahead of her plans and to Jon for looking like a Navy Seal with his "aquamarine" pack.
Truth be known, I was dreading the long run this week. Since I struggled so much to get 14, I wondered how in the world I would get 15. I tried to do it up right, though. I rested the day before. I prepped my water backpack, so I'd have proper hydration throughout. I packed an energy bar for mid-run. I reviewed the map and satellite images so I'd know exactly what we were running and where to turnaround. I checked the weather. I figured that the more things under control and in my mind for visualization purposes, the better.
We decided to run the Frisco Highline Trail because it is relatively flat and it has a chat/gravel bed. We ran our 11 mile run in January there and loved it. We picked another section of the 35 mile trail for this run.
We started our run at about 1:00 and ran at a solid 9-minute pace. The first two miles are paved until you leave the Willard city limits. Pretty much as soon as we left the pavement, we knew we were in for a long day. A light rain started falling and the ground was not very solid. A trail tractor had been through fairly recently, so we lined up in its tread to get a little stability.
I won't describe the entire run (thankfully, for the one reader), but will call out some highpoints. At mile 3, I was dead tired again. At mile 3.5, I felt great. I'm not sure why, unless it is just that 5K mindset because that was what I ran so much before starting to stretch out the distance. At our turnaround point, we took a breather, shared water and split an energy bar. The eating thing was against all our wishes, but I think it really helped.
Our merry band of three runners is pretty talkative. Jon and Kari are very enjoyable and our conversations make time and miles go by quickly. Jon decided we were going too slowly, so he started the return trip at a much faster pace. After about 10 minutes, he was out of our sight on the tree-surrounded trail.
We noticed that we had had the benefit of a light wind for the first half and were now going back in to the wind, which seemed stronger and a lot colder. Our gloves and top layers came back on after we had said not more than 20 minutes earlier that we should have run in shorts. During the next 30 minutes, I'd say the temperatures dropped about 15-20 degrees. Kari and I just kept plugging and realized that we weren't noticing any of the mile markers. In retrospect, that may have helped us. We didn't have a watch with us either, so we were 'just running'. Kari's goal was to run 12 miles since she is prepping for a half-marathon at the end of March.
We knew we were getting close to the end for her, but were surprised when we saw the mile marker indicating 12 miles. She was still doing well, so she agreed to accompany me for one more mile. Once we hit the pavement, she stopped and I felt a surge of energy. I saw Jon in front of me again, and the solid running surface felt great. I caught up with him because he was walking. He had gashed his Achilles tendon on a rock or something and was really hurting. (He was also cursing me for giving him a water backpack to carry for the run!) I pulled in to the finish line right about 2 hours and 30 minutes. A long, slow run, but I felt good because a) I completed a 15 mile run, b) I had properly hydrated, c) my final two miles were at a faster pace than the previous 13 and d) I had completed it even though the course was so soft -- almost like running on a beach.
I'm going to strive to get my training runs in on Tues, Wed, Thursday this week. I notice that in the waistline more than anything. This lots of running thing is great for guys who like to eat a lot. Congrats to Kari for completing her full half-marathon ahead of her plans and to Jon for looking like a Navy Seal with his "aquamarine" pack.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
14 miles - Saturday - 2/9
My flights home from Pittsburgh were great and I was able to kiss the kids who were all sleeping quietly when I get home. I was wired from the trip, so I sat up reading too late. My neighbors, Jon and Kari, had agreed to meet at 7 am for our long Saturday run. Jon is training for a marathon in April. Kari is "just keeping us company", but she manages to run longer, faster and easier than me every time.
Kari had conflicts for the morning, so we decided to do two 7 mile laps, so she could drop off in the middle. The first several miles were really pretty easy. We talked about the events of the week and kept it right at a 9 minute pace, which was our goal. At about mile 5, we hit a series of quick, steep hills before we level off again. For some reason, the hills really took it out of me and I found myself wishing I could stop with Kari after the first lap. We pulled in right at 63 minutes and grabbed our water and I took a few minutes to say hi to the kids, who were upset that they woke up to no dad again.
Jon and I started up again and it felt like I was running with barrels on my legs. I wrote it off to the crazy Friday morning run on the ice, short night and stopping for too long between runs. Our goal was to get closer to a 8:30 pace for the second lap. We kept that going for a bit. We have a nice steady downhill between mile 1 & 2 followed by a steep incline. By the end of that incline, I had no breath and my legs felt like rocks. I walked for about 20 seconds and then ran again. I tried to get my mind off of how I felt by talking about anything. Jon probably thought I was crazy.
By the time we hit the 1o mile point, I was fried. I told Jon to go on without me. I was apologetic and mad for leaving him to run alone and discouraged at my own lack of discipline. I walked about another 30 seconds and then thought I'd just try to run home slowly. When I got to the turn to go home, I went the opposite direction. I was still so mad at myself that I decided to at least go the long way home and add a little more distance. For the next two miles, I kept running (slowly), but on our path promising that if I could just get to the next tree, driveway, road, signpost, that I could walk. When I got to the next tree, driveway, road, signpost, I negotiated another milestone. I finally had to stop to cross a busy road and walked for two minutes to get my breath back and to put some drops in my eyes. My legs were screaming and I hurt all over.
By this time, I was as far from home as I could be, so I might as well finish the 14 mile run, right? I started running again and walked from the middle to the peak of the next two hills (ugh). As I started the final two miles, I didn't know if I was ever going to get home. I remembered reading some place that you should just focus on your shadow to get your mind off of the act of running. I did that until the sun was in front of me. At that point, I started counting steps. I'd run 100 steps and then another one hundred steps. Then, I could walk 100 steps. I repeated that, increasing my running steps each time.
During this time, two puppies ran out of a yard and in to the street right in front of a pickup truck. I through my arms up and stopped the truck, got the puppies shepherded back in to their yard and then started the run again. I was amazed at how I could feel so exhausted, but then be able to respond quickly to a dog nearly getting hit by a truck. The body is amazing.
Jon, who had run the entire thing in 59 minutes, got in his van to find me since he notice my water bottle was still out on the street. He drove next to me for the last .75 miles talking about our next run and how well he thought we were doing and what he was planning to do that night. Good old Jon kept me running next to the van the whole way and I finished the back half in 75 minutes.
So, my first "half +" was not glamorous, but I was proud to have completed it -- especially since I had completely bailed at one point. I learned a little about the science of the body in the next hour (as my system collapsed!) and later that evening over dinner with some friends. I'll write more about that when I get all the facts straight in my head.
My plan calls for a 4-7-4 week and a 15-mile run next Saturday. I'm going to take Friday off this week.
Kari had conflicts for the morning, so we decided to do two 7 mile laps, so she could drop off in the middle. The first several miles were really pretty easy. We talked about the events of the week and kept it right at a 9 minute pace, which was our goal. At about mile 5, we hit a series of quick, steep hills before we level off again. For some reason, the hills really took it out of me and I found myself wishing I could stop with Kari after the first lap. We pulled in right at 63 minutes and grabbed our water and I took a few minutes to say hi to the kids, who were upset that they woke up to no dad again.
Jon and I started up again and it felt like I was running with barrels on my legs. I wrote it off to the crazy Friday morning run on the ice, short night and stopping for too long between runs. Our goal was to get closer to a 8:30 pace for the second lap. We kept that going for a bit. We have a nice steady downhill between mile 1 & 2 followed by a steep incline. By the end of that incline, I had no breath and my legs felt like rocks. I walked for about 20 seconds and then ran again. I tried to get my mind off of how I felt by talking about anything. Jon probably thought I was crazy.
By the time we hit the 1o mile point, I was fried. I told Jon to go on without me. I was apologetic and mad for leaving him to run alone and discouraged at my own lack of discipline. I walked about another 30 seconds and then thought I'd just try to run home slowly. When I got to the turn to go home, I went the opposite direction. I was still so mad at myself that I decided to at least go the long way home and add a little more distance. For the next two miles, I kept running (slowly), but on our path promising that if I could just get to the next tree, driveway, road, signpost, that I could walk. When I got to the next tree, driveway, road, signpost, I negotiated another milestone. I finally had to stop to cross a busy road and walked for two minutes to get my breath back and to put some drops in my eyes. My legs were screaming and I hurt all over.
By this time, I was as far from home as I could be, so I might as well finish the 14 mile run, right? I started running again and walked from the middle to the peak of the next two hills (ugh). As I started the final two miles, I didn't know if I was ever going to get home. I remembered reading some place that you should just focus on your shadow to get your mind off of the act of running. I did that until the sun was in front of me. At that point, I started counting steps. I'd run 100 steps and then another one hundred steps. Then, I could walk 100 steps. I repeated that, increasing my running steps each time.
During this time, two puppies ran out of a yard and in to the street right in front of a pickup truck. I through my arms up and stopped the truck, got the puppies shepherded back in to their yard and then started the run again. I was amazed at how I could feel so exhausted, but then be able to respond quickly to a dog nearly getting hit by a truck. The body is amazing.
Jon, who had run the entire thing in 59 minutes, got in his van to find me since he notice my water bottle was still out on the street. He drove next to me for the last .75 miles talking about our next run and how well he thought we were doing and what he was planning to do that night. Good old Jon kept me running next to the van the whole way and I finished the back half in 75 minutes.
So, my first "half +" was not glamorous, but I was proud to have completed it -- especially since I had completely bailed at one point. I learned a little about the science of the body in the next hour (as my system collapsed!) and later that evening over dinner with some friends. I'll write more about that when I get all the facts straight in my head.
My plan calls for a 4-7-4 week and a 15-mile run next Saturday. I'm going to take Friday off this week.
Friday, February 8, 2008
7 miles (accidentally)
After the good vibes I felt from last night's run, I mapped out a 4.5 mile run that I could do before we headed to class this morning. I knew that it was going to be snowy and slippery and with my on/off vision, I thought I better stick to someplace familiar.
The beginning of the run was down a steep slope for about 1/3 mile on newly fallen sleet. Because there was so much early morning traffic (at 6am?), I decided to reverse my course and run along 5th Avenue instead of crossing in to the Carnegie Mellon University campus. I'm a smart guy, I can run a reversed course, right?
There is a gentle slope on 5th Avenue heading in to the Squirrel Hills neighborhood. I slipped and skidded along the sidewalk, jumping out in to the road when ever traffic was clear. I got to my turn and immediately started climbing. The weather was chilly, but I felt great running in it. When people told me they preferred running in cold weather, I never believed them, but now I understand it. Crisp, refreshing and soothing.
I ran and ran starting to wonder when my next turn was going to appear. Sometimes, a distance feels longer than it should. Today was one of those days. When I checked my time, I realized that I had been running nearly 30 minutes, which is way too long even taking icy sidewalks in to consideration. I decided to turn back and just retrace my steps. That worked pretty well until I noticed that I could no longer see my footsteps in the snow. Being the well-versed orienteer that I am, I made a series of turns and ended up in a cemetery and then exactly at the point where I had, at first, turned around.
I tried again, discovered the error of my ways and returned to 5th Avenue and then back up the steep slope to my hotel. End result was just shy of 7 miles with three dogs, two lost ways, and one cemetery adventure to boot.
The beginning of the run was down a steep slope for about 1/3 mile on newly fallen sleet. Because there was so much early morning traffic (at 6am?), I decided to reverse my course and run along 5th Avenue instead of crossing in to the Carnegie Mellon University campus. I'm a smart guy, I can run a reversed course, right?
There is a gentle slope on 5th Avenue heading in to the Squirrel Hills neighborhood. I slipped and skidded along the sidewalk, jumping out in to the road when ever traffic was clear. I got to my turn and immediately started climbing. The weather was chilly, but I felt great running in it. When people told me they preferred running in cold weather, I never believed them, but now I understand it. Crisp, refreshing and soothing.
I ran and ran starting to wonder when my next turn was going to appear. Sometimes, a distance feels longer than it should. Today was one of those days. When I checked my time, I realized that I had been running nearly 30 minutes, which is way too long even taking icy sidewalks in to consideration. I decided to turn back and just retrace my steps. That worked pretty well until I noticed that I could no longer see my footsteps in the snow. Being the well-versed orienteer that I am, I made a series of turns and ended up in a cemetery and then exactly at the point where I had, at first, turned around.
I tried again, discovered the error of my ways and returned to 5th Avenue and then back up the steep slope to my hotel. End result was just shy of 7 miles with three dogs, two lost ways, and one cemetery adventure to boot.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Easy 3 miles - more to come!
You can call me Mr. Cliche-ridden-Excuse-sayer, but I finally got back in the saddle. I had LASIK surgery last Friday and my vision has been crazy. My right eye is usually crystal clear, but my left eye has been a little fuzzy. Together, they make my head hurt and cause me to run in to things.
I'm traveling this week, so am in unfamiliar territory for courses and safety, not to mention a steady surface.
Yes, I'm full of excuses, but I finally overcame them and hit the treadmill tonight. I've only been running outside since early September, so I was really uncertain even what setting to use for speed. Last time, I was at a 5.4-5.7 mph and struggled to push 6. I was pleasantly surprised to start at 6 and then keep moving up, peaking at 8 for most of the end. I know that makes sense based on my outside running, but old habits die hard.
I felt a lot of pressure from the people standing around doing other exercises; eyeing the treadmill (the other machines were broken). I probably should have done more, but I didn't want to be greedy and now that I know I can stay between the uprights with this wonky vision, I'll try it again tomorrow before flying home.
We have a 14-miler planned for Saturday morning. This will be my longest run. Ever. And I'm really pumped about this. I wish I would have had more miles in this week, but I'll take it easy.
Thanks to GZ for the nudges. Actually, he's really the reason that I pushed off of the couch in the first place. A little bit of sarcastic playfulness and a lot of sincere encouragement. I'll still do tracking at Flotrakr, but I'll try to document a little more here. I do see the value of the narrative.
I'm traveling this week, so am in unfamiliar territory for courses and safety, not to mention a steady surface.
Yes, I'm full of excuses, but I finally overcame them and hit the treadmill tonight. I've only been running outside since early September, so I was really uncertain even what setting to use for speed. Last time, I was at a 5.4-5.7 mph and struggled to push 6. I was pleasantly surprised to start at 6 and then keep moving up, peaking at 8 for most of the end. I know that makes sense based on my outside running, but old habits die hard.
I felt a lot of pressure from the people standing around doing other exercises; eyeing the treadmill (the other machines were broken). I probably should have done more, but I didn't want to be greedy and now that I know I can stay between the uprights with this wonky vision, I'll try it again tomorrow before flying home.
We have a 14-miler planned for Saturday morning. This will be my longest run. Ever. And I'm really pumped about this. I wish I would have had more miles in this week, but I'll take it easy.
Thanks to GZ for the nudges. Actually, he's really the reason that I pushed off of the couch in the first place. A little bit of sarcastic playfulness and a lot of sincere encouragement. I'll still do tracking at Flotrakr, but I'll try to document a little more here. I do see the value of the narrative.
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