Cruising through Winter

My how time flies… I Wish I could run that fast. I knew January would be a hard month in my training, and it has been, but heck… it is almost gone! I missed just one 4-mile run so far this month, and that was because we had 5 inches of snow on the ground. Yeah yeah… I know a REAL runner would be out there *and* pulling a sled. =)

This week I covered 34 miles and I am only on day 5. Plodding along. My legs are definitely tired… but I have two more long runs of 16 and 18 miles before I get a rest. Argh. I am determined to keep the schedule… regardless of how my legs feel. I will just run slower if I have to. And I have (oh yes I have).

I have been running with my IPod lately, now that I have discovered Nike+. I purchased shoes that were Nike+ without actually knowing it. When I read about what it was… I thought... cool… I will have to give it a try. If you have an IPod Nano, basically you buy a Nike+ kit, and they are cheap… like $19 bucks I think, and put the sensor in your Nike+ shoe. (Or heck… search around and I am sure you can figure out how to put the thing on another shoe in the laces or something) Calibrate the sensor to a known distance, and off you go!

When you plug your IPod in to charge… it uploads your workout data right to a Nike+ website where you can see charts and graphs. You can also participate with others in challenges to see who can run the most miles in a month, or the fastest 10K etc… It is all for fun… and I think the biggest motivator is that it helps put you in a virtual group of runners for encouragement. The idea is still in its infancy, but I can see a huge market for such a tool. The techno geek in me certainly likes it, and it will certainly drive the obsessive compulsive runners to new mind-boggling heights. (And I think most distance runners have to be at least a little obsessive compulsive)

The Nike website had big trouble keeping up with the traffic after the holidays… when everyone’s new year’s resolutions are to get in shape and lose weight. Once they worked all the bugs out, it is very cool. And again, I think we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg. (Think virtual races, GPS Ipods for better accuracy, etc… etc…)

Anyway… I am about to the point where I should register for the big race. I get chills up my spine just thinking about it! I have topped 750 miles in my training so far, and am heading down the home stretch… toward… er… the starting line! The fat lady will be singing already by then. I am doing the work now during my training so there will be no questions about the results on April 29th.