I finished the 14 miler Saturday at 8:48 pace. It was faster than I planned on running. I wasn’t really pushing for any pace in particular, just running. My long run was supposed to be on Sunday, but about 1 on Saturday the sun was shinning, and I knew there couldn’t be too many nice days like that left in the year, so I quickly changed my plans and headed off in into the wild blue.
The run went OK I guess. I took my IPod along for the first time in a long time and I am glad I did. Two hours is a long time to be out there, and I already am familiar with the damage an annoying tune can do on a long run when it gets stuck in your head. You know… I knew the long runs would be hard. I was warned. I was warned again. Everyone said, ‘find a running partner for the long runs’, but no… in order to save some time… I just run alone. And I tell you what… those long runs can get pretty freaky. I have heard that people trapped on deserted isles or deprived of social interaction can go crazy. I am thinking the same thing holds true for long runs. =)
A few times, even in the chilling cold, I ah… disconnected a bit and it was warm spring day. And that is all I have to say about that. In generally I was pretty comfortable, though my hands froze. I think gloves might be in order. My knee was killing me of course, but after two hours of running in the cold... can I really expect to feel like a spring chicken? Heck no… just waking up every day after 40 is an excuse for ibuprofen.
I tell you… I sat down to Blog on Saturday after the run, but had to stop myself. I just couldn’t do it. I know enough already to know I should just wait a bit and let my body and mind recover before I start typing away.
Any minute now I will grab my shoes and head out for a 4 mile recovery run. Err.. JOG I mean JOG. What blows my mind is that I have some 20+ mile runs coming up… with 1 day rest and then 5-7-6 on the next three. Where is the REST? When am I supposed to recover?! It seems a bit insane… but I will do the best I can. I just need to think positive, drink a lot of water, carb load, stretch, eat right, manage my time, avoid injuries, mitigate blisters, keep my shoes fresh and oh yes… maintain my sanity.
“Once more into the breach, dear friends, once more…” Henry V
Monday, November 27, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
The calm before the storm
Well… actually… there was a bit of storm this morning on my way to work. The wind was howling… the rain was blowing and it was another of those hurricane-like days. A few times my car almost blew off the road. About this time the clouds started to light up with the explosions of transformers... 3 of them in the span of 1 minute. It reminded my of the way the sky would like up when I was in the Army during a live fire exercise (field artillery).
For my running the storm begins Sunday with a 14 mile jaunt, and continues with a 16 mile run the next week, and an 18 miler thereafter. Good lord, that will be close enough that I will almost be able to reach out and touch the last 6 miles.
Can I make it through the next three weeks? Will my body physically stay in one piece? Right now… I don’t know. I will give it my all, and let the chips fall where they may. I will have to be one hydrating fool, and watch my nutrition very carefully.
My shoes were so soaked after my run on Sunday I put them in the garage. Big mistake. Now they smell like one of the dead things I pass on the side of the road. Mental note, never leave wet things in the garage.
I ran on the treadmill again today. The weather was cold and rainy, (big shock). If I put the treadmill on an incline of 1… it almost feels like running. I will never do a long run on the treadmill… mentally that would kill me, or should I say, I am not mentally strong enough for 2+ hours on the human hamster wheel.
I feel like a plane that has just taken off into the fog… flying by instruments… into the hazy misty weather… just hoping I make it out to blue sky in a few weeks.
For my running the storm begins Sunday with a 14 mile jaunt, and continues with a 16 mile run the next week, and an 18 miler thereafter. Good lord, that will be close enough that I will almost be able to reach out and touch the last 6 miles.
Can I make it through the next three weeks? Will my body physically stay in one piece? Right now… I don’t know. I will give it my all, and let the chips fall where they may. I will have to be one hydrating fool, and watch my nutrition very carefully.
My shoes were so soaked after my run on Sunday I put them in the garage. Big mistake. Now they smell like one of the dead things I pass on the side of the road. Mental note, never leave wet things in the garage.
I ran on the treadmill again today. The weather was cold and rainy, (big shock). If I put the treadmill on an incline of 1… it almost feels like running. I will never do a long run on the treadmill… mentally that would kill me, or should I say, I am not mentally strong enough for 2+ hours on the human hamster wheel.
I feel like a plane that has just taken off into the fog… flying by instruments… into the hazy misty weather… just hoping I make it out to blue sky in a few weeks.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Treadmill Tuesday
I actually ran on a treadmill yesterday. Six miles. I had to force myself NOT to look down at the mileage more than once per song on my IPod. Otherwise… time stands still even more that it seems to when on the treadmill. I think perhaps the motion of the tread in the tight circle warps the fabric of the time-space continuum causing time to proceed slower when running on a treadmill. Over all though… it wasn’t TOO bad. Better than running in the cold rain. I may run on the treadmill on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. I am running in the dark part of the time right now… and on some pretty narrow roads… with dark clothing. I don’t really have a death wish… just haven’t had time to get anything reflective.
My knee is finally starting to feel a little better. Maybe it was my shoes wearing down after all. I sure hope so. The knee cap still kind pops out a little after a run, not painful, the pain I think is from it doing that repeatedly on the run. Maybe I should wear something to help hold it in place when running. That would be a mess to keep clean though.
I am currently 499 miles into my marathon training!!! My schedule calls for at least 1000. I can’t believe I am half way there! AND I have survived two weeks on the big boy marathon training schedule. I am scheduled for 36 miles this week after 34 last. My knee problems really kicked in after my 39 mile week a month ago… so fingers crossed that everything holds up.
I bought Nike shoes that take a sensor that communicates with my IPod somehow. Probably something like ‘ouch ouch ouch… this guy weights too much… can you believe how slow he is running?’ or something like that. Actually… it is supposed to track you miles and pace somehow. I really an not sure how… I guess the sensor fires on the foot strikes… but how to they now how long your stride is? The sensor is only 25 bucks or so… and being the computer geek I am I will have to try it out. I usually don’t run with my IPod outside… but I will have to try it.
My knee is finally starting to feel a little better. Maybe it was my shoes wearing down after all. I sure hope so. The knee cap still kind pops out a little after a run, not painful, the pain I think is from it doing that repeatedly on the run. Maybe I should wear something to help hold it in place when running. That would be a mess to keep clean though.
I am currently 499 miles into my marathon training!!! My schedule calls for at least 1000. I can’t believe I am half way there! AND I have survived two weeks on the big boy marathon training schedule. I am scheduled for 36 miles this week after 34 last. My knee problems really kicked in after my 39 mile week a month ago… so fingers crossed that everything holds up.
I bought Nike shoes that take a sensor that communicates with my IPod somehow. Probably something like ‘ouch ouch ouch… this guy weights too much… can you believe how slow he is running?’ or something like that. Actually… it is supposed to track you miles and pace somehow. I really an not sure how… I guess the sensor fires on the foot strikes… but how to they now how long your stride is? The sensor is only 25 bucks or so… and being the computer geek I am I will have to try it out. I usually don’t run with my IPod outside… but I will have to try it.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Driving on
Another week, another 34 miles. We… actually just 30 for me so far… but Saturday’s 4 will make it 34. Then we start the next with a 12 miler. Yahoo! Can I say that? Or is that copyrighted now? You never know with the web, click you mouse freaky and you may find someone already patented that freaky click.
There were a couple of interesting points in my running this week. On Tuesday I started running and as soon as I reached the edge of the field near my house, I came to a dead stop. It was weird… because I didn’t even think about it before it happened. So there I was, pondering, what the heck am I doing? No, not by stopping, but running! The weather was crappy, my knee was hurting, I had a cold and few about 2 seconds I considered just taking a month off and picking it up fresh. I could… it would fit into my schedule and give my knee time to recover… but NO!!! That is crazy talk. I quickly started running again and never looked back.
The Wednesday as I headed out for the 8 miler it started POURING. I know I have said it was raining on some of my previous runs… but this was apocalyptic stuff! It is literally flooding here. Not at my house… but near some rivers. I think the county declared a disaster or something. And there I am, heading off in the torrential rain. I swear I was honked at once, and another time someone yelled ‘idiot’ or something as nice out of their car or truck window. Another time there was a truck stopped at the light and the window rolled down and someone shouted something bizarre… like some weird outburst you would only let out when no one was around. I locked eyes with the driver and she seemed rather shocked that it came out of her. I guess it was as if my stupidity was causing the dunces to shout and jump for joy. Either that or they just expected that no one in their right mind would actually BE there in that rain.
That 8 miles was hard. I was dark by the time I finished… and I was so tired and cold and there was so much ruble on the paths that more than once I almost fell. My ankle twisted as I was approaching a crosswalk and I fell against the pole. Not exactly graceful, but I needed the pole to hold me up at that point.
During that run I just kept thinking that during my marathon I will have a whole chorus of little devils on my shoulder trying to convince me to give up… to stop or to walk. During those last six miles, they will all be there, and I must figure out how to line them up and knock them off, one by one.
There were a couple of interesting points in my running this week. On Tuesday I started running and as soon as I reached the edge of the field near my house, I came to a dead stop. It was weird… because I didn’t even think about it before it happened. So there I was, pondering, what the heck am I doing? No, not by stopping, but running! The weather was crappy, my knee was hurting, I had a cold and few about 2 seconds I considered just taking a month off and picking it up fresh. I could… it would fit into my schedule and give my knee time to recover… but NO!!! That is crazy talk. I quickly started running again and never looked back.
The Wednesday as I headed out for the 8 miler it started POURING. I know I have said it was raining on some of my previous runs… but this was apocalyptic stuff! It is literally flooding here. Not at my house… but near some rivers. I think the county declared a disaster or something. And there I am, heading off in the torrential rain. I swear I was honked at once, and another time someone yelled ‘idiot’ or something as nice out of their car or truck window. Another time there was a truck stopped at the light and the window rolled down and someone shouted something bizarre… like some weird outburst you would only let out when no one was around. I locked eyes with the driver and she seemed rather shocked that it came out of her. I guess it was as if my stupidity was causing the dunces to shout and jump for joy. Either that or they just expected that no one in their right mind would actually BE there in that rain.
That 8 miles was hard. I was dark by the time I finished… and I was so tired and cold and there was so much ruble on the paths that more than once I almost fell. My ankle twisted as I was approaching a crosswalk and I fell against the pole. Not exactly graceful, but I needed the pole to hold me up at that point.
During that run I just kept thinking that during my marathon I will have a whole chorus of little devils on my shoulder trying to convince me to give up… to stop or to walk. During those last six miles, they will all be there, and I must figure out how to line them up and knock them off, one by one.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Lance Runs the NY Marathon
So Lance Armstrong, sports super-hero runs the New York Marathon. I was following his story closely because for me it was interesting to try to guess how he would finish. He finished a little better than I thought he would, and I only say that because I know he really hasn’t been training for it that long. I knew he is an AMAZING athlete though… and I couldn’t wait to see how he did and what he felt about it. I think he is a pretty cool dude too.
He finished in under 3 hours, which is remarkable, but what worries me is that in order for me to qualify for Boston I’d have to finish in 3:20. LOL. On one hand you have super-athlete at 3 hours, on the other you have super-coach potato with an affinity for IPA and Christmas beers. What am I thinking?!
I can’t help but laugh at myself. Now… don’t get me wrong… I will be laughing all the way while trying… I’m not giving up, but my sanity (what little is left) also knows that it might be stretching the limits of the physical universe for me to qualify for Boston… I mean… the space time continuum would have to warp, OJ would have to go to jail… dogs and cats living together and all that stuff. Somewhere along the line my Boston dream might disappear with all those free-spirited people who dress up in costumes to run a marathon. (Like it isn’t hard enough without being stepped in a Darth Vader mask trailing a cape and in storm trooper boots) They start and then somewhere along the way… quietly… they just fade away. I don't know much about running, but I do know this, you see a lot more people in costumes at the starting line, than the finish line.
So he runs it… and does great. Then what does he say?
“that was without a doubt the hardest physical thing I have ever done” Lance Armstrong
From http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/sport_sto1002235.shtml
WONDERFUL. That is just peachy. I had a kidney stone once and seriously thought of killing myself to end the pain. Unfortuntely (or not?) I was on a prop plane flying from Fairbanks Alaska, to Arkansas. I imagine the marathon might be worse, given all the Lance has been through.
I can just hope this quote holds true for me. It may be my only hope.
“At mile 20 I thought I was dead/ At mile 22 I wished I was dead/ At mile 24 I knew I was dead/ At mile 26.2 I realized I had become too tough to kill”
-Author Unknown
I found that quote at Running Cuckoo's marathon blog. Check it out http://runningcuckoo.blogspot.com/
He finished in under 3 hours, which is remarkable, but what worries me is that in order for me to qualify for Boston I’d have to finish in 3:20. LOL. On one hand you have super-athlete at 3 hours, on the other you have super-coach potato with an affinity for IPA and Christmas beers. What am I thinking?!
I can’t help but laugh at myself. Now… don’t get me wrong… I will be laughing all the way while trying… I’m not giving up, but my sanity (what little is left) also knows that it might be stretching the limits of the physical universe for me to qualify for Boston… I mean… the space time continuum would have to warp, OJ would have to go to jail… dogs and cats living together and all that stuff. Somewhere along the line my Boston dream might disappear with all those free-spirited people who dress up in costumes to run a marathon. (Like it isn’t hard enough without being stepped in a Darth Vader mask trailing a cape and in storm trooper boots) They start and then somewhere along the way… quietly… they just fade away. I don't know much about running, but I do know this, you see a lot more people in costumes at the starting line, than the finish line.
So he runs it… and does great. Then what does he say?
“that was without a doubt the hardest physical thing I have ever done” Lance Armstrong
From http://www.eurosport.com/cycling/sport_sto1002235.shtml
WONDERFUL. That is just peachy. I had a kidney stone once and seriously thought of killing myself to end the pain. Unfortuntely (or not?) I was on a prop plane flying from Fairbanks Alaska, to Arkansas. I imagine the marathon might be worse, given all the Lance has been through.
I can just hope this quote holds true for me. It may be my only hope.
“At mile 20 I thought I was dead/ At mile 22 I wished I was dead/ At mile 24 I knew I was dead/ At mile 26.2 I realized I had become too tough to kill”
-Author Unknown
I found that quote at Running Cuckoo's marathon blog. Check it out http://runningcuckoo.blogspot.com/
Sunday, November 05, 2006
It is official
I am officially training for a marathon. Not that I wasn’t before, but I was only on my mileage buildup schedule. Buildup About 4 months ago I started training… and now I am moving to the next level. (Hopefully all my body parts will join me)
Marathon Schedule
I planned on running 428 miles, but only ran 407. I got sick there once and missed one run because of my knee. Three 10Ks and a 15K.
The races were
#1) Livestrong challenge
Time 55:14
Pace 8:54
#2) Wildwood Trail Run
Time 49:28
Pace 7:59
#3) Mt Angel 10K
Time 47:45
Pace 7:42
#4) Blue Lake 15K
Time 1:13:43
Pace 7:56
I have made a conscious choice to slow down for a bit. My knee is still not 100% but I have told it that it will just have to figure out how to keep up. I have come too far to let something stop me. My knee actually felt much better today on my 10 miler than it has lately. Let’s hope it still feels good tomorrow. =)
I got my first blister from running today. The wet shoes just did me in. I even put body glide on my foot before the run. (And other parts) The chaffing never got me all summer because I wore synthetic clothing, but when it is raining… I might have to come up with some different approaches.
I haven’t seen any runners out lately. Just me. The Portland Marathon was the crown jewel for around here I guess… and I think most people are taking a break. The weather probably has something to do with that too. Today was in the 50s and raining, which is much better than the 40s last week. If all winter was like today I’d be happy.
During part of my run I couldn’t even see the sidewalk because it was covered in fall leaves. I ran carefully to make sure I didn’t take a dive. Up and down some slight hills is especially tricky.
All and all I am just happy and grateful that I can run and keep running. I wasn’t sure there for a bit whether my knee was going to hold up. Again though… the body should follow the mind, and my mind is made up.
Marathon Schedule
I planned on running 428 miles, but only ran 407. I got sick there once and missed one run because of my knee. Three 10Ks and a 15K.
The races were
#1) Livestrong challenge
Time 55:14
Pace 8:54
#2) Wildwood Trail Run
Time 49:28
Pace 7:59
#3) Mt Angel 10K
Time 47:45
Pace 7:42
#4) Blue Lake 15K
Time 1:13:43
Pace 7:56
I have made a conscious choice to slow down for a bit. My knee is still not 100% but I have told it that it will just have to figure out how to keep up. I have come too far to let something stop me. My knee actually felt much better today on my 10 miler than it has lately. Let’s hope it still feels good tomorrow. =)
I got my first blister from running today. The wet shoes just did me in. I even put body glide on my foot before the run. (And other parts) The chaffing never got me all summer because I wore synthetic clothing, but when it is raining… I might have to come up with some different approaches.
I haven’t seen any runners out lately. Just me. The Portland Marathon was the crown jewel for around here I guess… and I think most people are taking a break. The weather probably has something to do with that too. Today was in the 50s and raining, which is much better than the 40s last week. If all winter was like today I’d be happy.
During part of my run I couldn’t even see the sidewalk because it was covered in fall leaves. I ran carefully to make sure I didn’t take a dive. Up and down some slight hills is especially tricky.
All and all I am just happy and grateful that I can run and keep running. I wasn’t sure there for a bit whether my knee was going to hold up. Again though… the body should follow the mind, and my mind is made up.
"The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy...It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed." - Jacqueline Gareau, 1980 Boston Marathon champ |
Friday, November 03, 2006
Avoiding the big kahuna
This morning on NPR I heard Frank Shorter talk about ‘avoiding the big kahuna’. The ‘big kahuna’ he was talking about was that injury that takes you out of action for an extended period of time. A big kahuna would be devastating to my marathon hopes right now. Heck… a little kahuna might do me in. =) This weekend’s 10 mile run will be a check point for me as I try to figure out whether my knee is a kahuna at all.
Here comes the rain… … and I say… it’s alright…
As Yukon Cornelius would say in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, yesterday was not ‘… a fit night out for man nor beast’. Forty four degrees and pouring rain. Once again… not the misty Oregon variety, but the drenching downpour that we don’t really get here too often. I figured this was time for the full body running gear, so I jumped into my Nike running suit, threw on a baseball cap and headed out. On cold days I was planning on not wearing a baseball cap, but something that covered a bit of my ears, but the rain was going to soak just about anything instantly so I just wore a baseball cap. My ears would live.
Really, the hardest part of running on a miserable day, is just getting out the door. I tried to warm up a bit in the house before I headed out, and stretched quite a bit. I can’t really control whether my knee falls apart or not, but I want to give it the best chance I can to stay together. Once I got out there and moving, it wasn’t TOO bad. Yeah, it wasn’t too great either, especially the spray from a large truck driving by, but I did it… although a very slow 8:50 pace.
Saturday is my LAST run for my mileage build-up schedule.
Here comes the rain… … and I say… it’s alright…
As Yukon Cornelius would say in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, yesterday was not ‘… a fit night out for man nor beast’. Forty four degrees and pouring rain. Once again… not the misty Oregon variety, but the drenching downpour that we don’t really get here too often. I figured this was time for the full body running gear, so I jumped into my Nike running suit, threw on a baseball cap and headed out. On cold days I was planning on not wearing a baseball cap, but something that covered a bit of my ears, but the rain was going to soak just about anything instantly so I just wore a baseball cap. My ears would live.
Really, the hardest part of running on a miserable day, is just getting out the door. I tried to warm up a bit in the house before I headed out, and stretched quite a bit. I can’t really control whether my knee falls apart or not, but I want to give it the best chance I can to stay together. Once I got out there and moving, it wasn’t TOO bad. Yeah, it wasn’t too great either, especially the spray from a large truck driving by, but I did it… although a very slow 8:50 pace.
Saturday is my LAST run for my mileage build-up schedule.
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