We have had some great weather around these parts. Time to get out in your yard and start getting it cleaned up for Spring weather. Of course, that kind of weather is good for running too. =)
I haven’t been running much lately. 3-4 times a week at just 2.5 miles per run. Most of the time I run at lunch at work. Every run for the past month has been faster than the previous, but I am still slow. My mojo must have bleed out.
My goal at this point… is to run my 2.4 mile loop in under 7 minutes per mile. Goal #2, is to run one mile in under 6 minutes. By the end of the summer I want to PR a 5K and a 10k. Those seem like reasonable goals for now.
Soon I will be able to run Iinthe morning once again. Oh who am I kidding… I could do that now if my mojo wasn’t gone.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Lunchtime run
After stretching my legs for a short run Sunday… I did my first lunchtime run today. Just a short 2.6 miler at about 8:30 miles. It felt very good to get back out there again, even though it was windy and I am not in very good shape. My run barely took over 20 minutes giving me plenty of time to shower and get back to work. I just ate some food from home at my desk.
Once the sun is out again and it warms up I will probably switch to running in the morning most day. Who knows though… I am just winging it at this point. There are a few runners where I work, including one who BQ’d. She gave me some advice and told me to not give up… that people don’t usually BQ in their first few marathons.
And so… it begins… again.
Once the sun is out again and it warms up I will probably switch to running in the morning most day. Who knows though… I am just winging it at this point. There are a few runners where I work, including one who BQ’d. She gave me some advice and told me to not give up… that people don’t usually BQ in their first few marathons.
And so… it begins… again.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Dreaming about running
Recently I have been dreaming about running… you know… a glorious run through Springtime air, spotlit by golden rays or sunshine… not a care in the world… on autopilot… just one finely tuned human machine fast forwarding through the world on the wings of a gentle breeze. Then I wake up however, to the reality that I have not ran a step in over two weeks. Yuck.
No… I am not injured… I just was very busy, lost some motivation and one missed run turned to two… then three… then two weeks. I did at some point make a mental shift and decide that family is more important than running… and running during dinner 3 nights a week in the cold rain was more than I was willing to tolerate. I do miss running though, and am scheming about ways to get it back in my life.
Plan #1, I find a golden stopwatch to freeze time. Ok, plan #2, for my weekday runs… I run… AT LUNCH. Ok Ok… so there is a bit of a problem about how to fit consuming some food AND a 1.5 hour run into just one hour, but it is a start. We have a shower at work here. I could come in early too, thus avoiding running in the dark. This plan has some legs! Now I just need to get my legs… back out there and on the street.
No… I am not injured… I just was very busy, lost some motivation and one missed run turned to two… then three… then two weeks. I did at some point make a mental shift and decide that family is more important than running… and running during dinner 3 nights a week in the cold rain was more than I was willing to tolerate. I do miss running though, and am scheming about ways to get it back in my life.
Plan #1, I find a golden stopwatch to freeze time. Ok, plan #2, for my weekday runs… I run… AT LUNCH. Ok Ok… so there is a bit of a problem about how to fit consuming some food AND a 1.5 hour run into just one hour, but it is a start. We have a shower at work here. I could come in early too, thus avoiding running in the dark. This plan has some legs! Now I just need to get my legs… back out there and on the street.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Never enough time
Last Thursday’s 10 mile run was much like the story of my running to date. It started off nice enough, though my legs were tired. On most mornings I wake up think ‘how am I going to run tonight?’, but by the time I have to run… they are OK. Last night… not so OK. The weather was nice though… 50 and not raining (dark of course), and I started out at a nice clip. Sweet I thought… maybe I was just running slow because the weather was always around 35 and raining.
About the 5 mile mark my legs started to burn and I got that shaky week feeling that my body was running low on energy. Figures… since I had to skip a proper dinner the previous two days in order to run. The second 5 miles were into the wind and about the time I turned around, it started raining. Just a drizzle at first, but the fine misty kind that can cover you whole body in minutes… and render my glasses useless.
The rain continued to come down… and the mist turned into small drops… that turned into bigger drops… that turned into a downpour. At one point my glasses were so covered with water and the glare from oncoming cars was so bad I ran into a tree branch that was sticking over the sidewalk. While I didn’t poke my eye out… the jarring reaction my body made in response, was even worse than the branch. I don’t remember what swear word I invented… but it was something creative.
My cloths started soaking up the rain and I became heavier and my pace slowed to sloth-like. Because it was so dark and my view was so limited, it was like the rest of the world didn’t exist. Just me, the 5 feet of my path I could see, and the rain and wind. After stepping into a few water puddles soaking my feet… but sad state was complete, and the only thing that would improve my situation was finishing the next 3 miles.
It was there in the dark downpour, highlighted by the headlights where the passing drivers where probably wondering… ‘what the!’ or ‘idiot!’ that I too pondered just what I was doing out there… just where I was going. I seem to be running slower than I was at this time last year, despite having two marathons under my belt since then. My beautiful (inside and out) pregnant wife was at home without my help. Perhaps it is time to do some re-evaluating. As much as I’d like time to stand still until I finish my running… it does not, and if there is one thing marathon training requires a lot of… is time.
About the 5 mile mark my legs started to burn and I got that shaky week feeling that my body was running low on energy. Figures… since I had to skip a proper dinner the previous two days in order to run. The second 5 miles were into the wind and about the time I turned around, it started raining. Just a drizzle at first, but the fine misty kind that can cover you whole body in minutes… and render my glasses useless.
The rain continued to come down… and the mist turned into small drops… that turned into bigger drops… that turned into a downpour. At one point my glasses were so covered with water and the glare from oncoming cars was so bad I ran into a tree branch that was sticking over the sidewalk. While I didn’t poke my eye out… the jarring reaction my body made in response, was even worse than the branch. I don’t remember what swear word I invented… but it was something creative.
My cloths started soaking up the rain and I became heavier and my pace slowed to sloth-like. Because it was so dark and my view was so limited, it was like the rest of the world didn’t exist. Just me, the 5 feet of my path I could see, and the rain and wind. After stepping into a few water puddles soaking my feet… but sad state was complete, and the only thing that would improve my situation was finishing the next 3 miles.
It was there in the dark downpour, highlighted by the headlights where the passing drivers where probably wondering… ‘what the!’ or ‘idiot!’ that I too pondered just what I was doing out there… just where I was going. I seem to be running slower than I was at this time last year, despite having two marathons under my belt since then. My beautiful (inside and out) pregnant wife was at home without my help. Perhaps it is time to do some re-evaluating. As much as I’d like time to stand still until I finish my running… it does not, and if there is one thing marathon training requires a lot of… is time.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
The Streak is Broken
After over 5 straight weeks without missing a run… I missed 3 in one week. (Including the long run) OUCH! I actually was prepared for the long run… I dressed and drove to my running spot… but a quick calculation of the time and I realized there was no way I could finish my 2.5 hour run in time to meet a friend for the Blazer game. I gave up and headed home. The other two runs? I have no excuse for them. =) Just lost my mental grove I think.
This week I am back on track through. Good thing too… 46 miles on the schedule. Hopefully the weather will be a little more cooperative. Last winter the weather seemed pretty darn conducive to running… but no so this year. There have been a lot of nasty days. It was raining again last night so I hit the gym for my 9 miler.
My boss at work commented that if I don’t qualify for Boston… all my running would be a waste. I don’t think of it that way… but it did get me to pondering… specifically just why am I running? I don’t really have a textbook answer at this point. While qualifying for Boston is not out of the realm of possibilities for me… it would be extremely difficult at this point. I am not running fast at all now. This is in part because they weather has been so nasty… I feel I am just trying to hang on, and I suppose the other part must be lack of effort. All I can say in that regards is that it was certainly easier to run faster when I was running less miles.
On my long run Sunday I planned on 2 loops… one 8 miles and one 7. My GPS watch battery was dead when I headed out… but I already mapped my route (or so I though). The problem was… the route I mapped had a road that didn’t actually connect to another road. I was faced with heading back… or continuing on roaming the countryside until I could find a road that did connect. Well… my 8 mile loop turned into a 13 mile loop by the time I got back to the car. That is just too long for me to run without fuel or water. I bagged it at 13 miles. It was kind of fun exploring a new route where I didn’t really know where I was going.
I am really looking forward to some nicer weather and not running in the dark though.
This week I am back on track through. Good thing too… 46 miles on the schedule. Hopefully the weather will be a little more cooperative. Last winter the weather seemed pretty darn conducive to running… but no so this year. There have been a lot of nasty days. It was raining again last night so I hit the gym for my 9 miler.
My boss at work commented that if I don’t qualify for Boston… all my running would be a waste. I don’t think of it that way… but it did get me to pondering… specifically just why am I running? I don’t really have a textbook answer at this point. While qualifying for Boston is not out of the realm of possibilities for me… it would be extremely difficult at this point. I am not running fast at all now. This is in part because they weather has been so nasty… I feel I am just trying to hang on, and I suppose the other part must be lack of effort. All I can say in that regards is that it was certainly easier to run faster when I was running less miles.
On my long run Sunday I planned on 2 loops… one 8 miles and one 7. My GPS watch battery was dead when I headed out… but I already mapped my route (or so I though). The problem was… the route I mapped had a road that didn’t actually connect to another road. I was faced with heading back… or continuing on roaming the countryside until I could find a road that did connect. Well… my 8 mile loop turned into a 13 mile loop by the time I got back to the car. That is just too long for me to run without fuel or water. I bagged it at 13 miles. It was kind of fun exploring a new route where I didn’t really know where I was going.
I am really looking forward to some nicer weather and not running in the dark though.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Christmas Run With Snow
What could be better than a Christmas run with snow falling? Well, besides sitting warm inside the house with my family… but if you are going to have to run on Christmas… having it snow isn’t a bad deal. It sounded rather simple… 9 miles… no problem. I decided to run from the house… so that would leave me without and fuel or water (didn’t take my belt). Again… no problem… I do that a lot.
When I stepped out the door the weather was quite blustery. Bad sign. Wind… snow that would melt on contact with my face… for a minute I considered heading back inside. The gym was not an option (closed on Christmas I am sure) It was either brave it… or bag it. With Bill Bowerman’s quote “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just soft people” in the back of my mind… I headed out. Besides… I just finished 5 weeks on my training schedule and hit every single run on every day. No way I could break the streak just for some bad weather.
Bowerman was Oregon’s famous track coach… and if you know Oregon weather, you can understand why he had to have a nifty quote about the weather… because frankly… the weather sucks a lot here. If you can’t change the weather… I guess he had to change the opinion of it. Well… it worked for me… but I can say that Bowerman, in this particular case, was wrong. There is such a thing as bad weather.
My run called for 9 miles. Even in bad weather I can hold my body heat for 6 miles. Rain, snow… whatever… six miles and I am OK. After six miles is where it gets tricky. On long runs I can stop at the car on a loop and change my shirt or socks. But yesterday was an out and back… and when I started back… I was heading right into the wind… with a full gale of snow blowing right into my face. (And umm… other body parts)
I was dressed in my typical cold weather outfit. Runderwear shorts and tank top, long sleeve poly pro shirt, running shorts, a very light semi-waterproof jacket, light wool knitted runner gloves and a nice warm hat. Again… this is just about guaranteed to keep me comfortable for 6 miles. In heavy rain or snow I can start having trouble after that.
My face and ears were of course quite frozen with the wind and snow blowing. Expected… nothing different than a trip down the slopes while skiing. I was completely soaked however. Then… it started. At first I thought I was having friction pain. Nothing new there… happens a lot when a lot of water and running are involved. But the umm… location was quite new. As I meandered back into my neighborhood with about 1 mile left on the run… the pain grew quite extreme and the only thing I could think about was getting back home to get a sit rep on what the heck was wrong.
When I finally burst through the door… one quick check and it was obvious what my problem was. A particular body part that was quite useful in producing a baby girl (did I mention before it was a girl?) was quite frozen. If you’ve ever had your fingers or ears partially frozen… you know the pain when they start to defrost. Well, take that pain and multiply it… and you get an idea of what I was feeling. Ouch.
So… Bill Bowerman was definitely wrong on one particular subject. There is such a thing as bad running weather… and I am pretty sure I have experienced the worst it has to offer.
When I stepped out the door the weather was quite blustery. Bad sign. Wind… snow that would melt on contact with my face… for a minute I considered heading back inside. The gym was not an option (closed on Christmas I am sure) It was either brave it… or bag it. With Bill Bowerman’s quote “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just soft people” in the back of my mind… I headed out. Besides… I just finished 5 weeks on my training schedule and hit every single run on every day. No way I could break the streak just for some bad weather.
Bowerman was Oregon’s famous track coach… and if you know Oregon weather, you can understand why he had to have a nifty quote about the weather… because frankly… the weather sucks a lot here. If you can’t change the weather… I guess he had to change the opinion of it. Well… it worked for me… but I can say that Bowerman, in this particular case, was wrong. There is such a thing as bad weather.
My run called for 9 miles. Even in bad weather I can hold my body heat for 6 miles. Rain, snow… whatever… six miles and I am OK. After six miles is where it gets tricky. On long runs I can stop at the car on a loop and change my shirt or socks. But yesterday was an out and back… and when I started back… I was heading right into the wind… with a full gale of snow blowing right into my face. (And umm… other body parts)
I was dressed in my typical cold weather outfit. Runderwear shorts and tank top, long sleeve poly pro shirt, running shorts, a very light semi-waterproof jacket, light wool knitted runner gloves and a nice warm hat. Again… this is just about guaranteed to keep me comfortable for 6 miles. In heavy rain or snow I can start having trouble after that.
My face and ears were of course quite frozen with the wind and snow blowing. Expected… nothing different than a trip down the slopes while skiing. I was completely soaked however. Then… it started. At first I thought I was having friction pain. Nothing new there… happens a lot when a lot of water and running are involved. But the umm… location was quite new. As I meandered back into my neighborhood with about 1 mile left on the run… the pain grew quite extreme and the only thing I could think about was getting back home to get a sit rep on what the heck was wrong.
When I finally burst through the door… one quick check and it was obvious what my problem was. A particular body part that was quite useful in producing a baby girl (did I mention before it was a girl?) was quite frozen. If you’ve ever had your fingers or ears partially frozen… you know the pain when they start to defrost. Well, take that pain and multiply it… and you get an idea of what I was feeling. Ouch.
So… Bill Bowerman was definitely wrong on one particular subject. There is such a thing as bad running weather… and I am pretty sure I have experienced the worst it has to offer.
Monday, December 17, 2007
2007 Year in Review
The numbers
By the end of this year I will have ran over 1600 miles. That is quite a leap compared to my 625 miles the previous year. At my pace… that is probably over 250 hours of running… or just under two weeks of running every waking hour. My feet have hit the pavement in my running shoes over 3 million times this year.
Fastest mile: 6:35
Slowest mile: 13:21 (Last mile at Portland Marathon)
Longest run: 26.2 Miles
Longest training run: 23 miles
Shortest run: 1 mile (time trial)
Number of times I had to run into the bushes to relieve myself during a long run: 2
Races completed: 5
Marathon’s completed: 2
Major injuries: 0
Falls: 0
Near falls: 2
Number of times I was almost hit by a car: Too many to count.
Pairs of running shoes used: currently on 5th
Runs 15 miles and over in length: 18
Number of times I was honked at or yelled at while running: ~15
The marathons
Eugene
Portland
The future
After gazing into my crystal ball… I see… wha? I see…. Myself? I see myself staring at myself staring into a crystal ball? Oh wait… let me turn in on. Nope… still nothing. I can’t see my running future. I will try to keep on my current training schedule and run the Eugene marathon… though even that could be cancelled if baby decides to come early. I won’t be running Boston in 2008 (haven’t qualified). I will probably be too tied to home to get to prance off to any out of state marathons. I do plan to keep running though...it has become a part of me… but for the first time… I am not exactly sure where it will take me. It will be fun to find out though.
By the end of this year I will have ran over 1600 miles. That is quite a leap compared to my 625 miles the previous year. At my pace… that is probably over 250 hours of running… or just under two weeks of running every waking hour. My feet have hit the pavement in my running shoes over 3 million times this year.
Fastest mile: 6:35
Slowest mile: 13:21 (Last mile at Portland Marathon)
Longest run: 26.2 Miles
Longest training run: 23 miles
Shortest run: 1 mile (time trial)
Number of times I had to run into the bushes to relieve myself during a long run: 2
Races completed: 5
Marathon’s completed: 2
Major injuries: 0
Falls: 0
Near falls: 2
Number of times I was almost hit by a car: Too many to count.
Pairs of running shoes used: currently on 5th
Runs 15 miles and over in length: 18
Number of times I was honked at or yelled at while running: ~15
The marathons
Eugene
Portland
The future
After gazing into my crystal ball… I see… wha? I see…. Myself? I see myself staring at myself staring into a crystal ball? Oh wait… let me turn in on. Nope… still nothing. I can’t see my running future. I will try to keep on my current training schedule and run the Eugene marathon… though even that could be cancelled if baby decides to come early. I won’t be running Boston in 2008 (haven’t qualified). I will probably be too tied to home to get to prance off to any out of state marathons. I do plan to keep running though...it has become a part of me… but for the first time… I am not exactly sure where it will take me. It will be fun to find out though.
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