Goals

On a happier note, I recently achieved a short-term goal one mine: a 30 minute 5k. I know that's not fast, but it's less than 10 minutes per mile for an extended period of time, so I was proud. That's also under the cut-off for a lot of qualifying times for races.

Speaking of which, I just registered for the Navy 5-miler in late September. It does official times, and I'd like to run a qualifying time. The times are valid for like 5 years, so if I want to do a restricted marathon in the future (like the National Marathon), I'll need to run some faster races.

Just some thoughts!

I am now uncomfortable with my own neighborhood. I don't want to bike home after work today, past that intersection that I'm so familiar with but is probably still surrounded in police tape. I don't want to run through that area during my long weekend runs. I don't want to spend the next year commuting through that neighborhood on an expensive bike (that I love), with a blackberry and white skin.

Maybe I am overreacting. But as someone who spends a lot of time with the sidewalks and roads of her community, this sucks. I have friends and an Andrew who are in a neighborhood that has had 6 homicides this year, and in a city that had 5 homicides last weekend. And that's the price you pay of living in a city, especially Baltimore, but I guess it never really hit me until now.

This has nothing to with running. Or, in a way, everything to do with running.

Update and Request

Long time, no update!

Basically, I've been pretty good about my weekday runs and not good about my long run. On the weekdays I range anywhere from 2-4 miles a day, though sometimes that has to be done on an elliptical if all of my work gym treadmills are taken up. I've missed the last TWO long runs (I know! I know!). Due to the accidentally longer 10-mile-turned-11-mile run two weeks ago, I'm only one mile behind. But still, it hasn't been good for my psychologically to miss those runs. This weekend WILL be different.

On another note, I just bought my RoadID and I think you all should too. I used to think it was just some way to get more money out of runners, but if we are all doing long runs alone (sometimes in cities or on rural stretches of highway) it's not a bad idea. It's $20 and very cheap shipping. www.roadid.com. If you don't buy it, it will likely be what you get from me from the next gift giving holiday, just a heads up. :)

The Newbie Chronicles

This link is to a series of articles on Runner's World called The Newbie Chronicles. I hightly recommend it, mainly because it's hilarious. I did like one of its more serious quotes, for those moments when you're running by yourself:

"No one is an island. No one runs in a vacuum. There is always someone watching you leave the house, dig it out, come back, and do it all over again. You are being watched by a roommate, a brother, a spouse. The driver of every passing car. You are being watched by future generations. My grandmother ran in college! someone might say of you one day. My great uncle took it up in his 30s and ran marathons into his 60s! We are inexorably entwined within each other's influence. You may run by yourself, but no matter how early you start, no matter how remote your location, you never run alone."

Success!

This attempt at the 12 miler was much better. More sidewalks, less crazy drivers, less stray dogs. And the run itself wasn't too bad either. Glad I got it done! Next weekend, won't be doing a long run, because I'll be in Constanta.

Best Laid Plans of ... Runners

Attempted my 12 miler this morning. It was my first time running in Baneasa. From my investigations on Google Maps, it looked like my path had sidewalks along it. So I set out early this morning. But about 1.5 miles into it, I discovered that the "sidewalks" was seeing on Google Maps, were in fact cement drainage ditches. And the roads were essentially highways, without lanes and full of crazy Romanian drivers. Oh and buckets of stray dogs along the drainage ditches. So I decided that my life was worth way more than a 12 mile run, turned around and ran home.

I'm going to try again tomorrow. But this time around, I'll be taking the bus in town to run in an area I'm familiar with, an area that has sidewalks and less crazy dogs and drivers.

Moving right along

2.5 miles this evening - still aiming for 10 this Sunday. I believe that we have all experienced this at one point or another, but excessive heat (or cold) uniquely affects the quality of any given run. I waited until about 9:00 this evening to run, and the temperature was still in the upper 80s. Still, not a bad run, and running in the heat will pay off once we hit October. I hope.

11 is such an awkward number...

Ran my 11 mile run this morning. Actually wasn't as bad as the 10 miler was, for some reason. I did make the mistake of going to sleep again right after showering, didn't eat anything, so when I woke up, I still felt pretty crappy. Note to self : Some post-run carbs and protein will make all the difference in recovery!

Tomorrow, after dropping Stephen off at the airport, I'll be moving out to the suburbs for the remainder of my stay here. On the negative side - I'll have to make up entirely new routes in an unfamiliar area, which inevitably leads to getting lost, and since it's the suburbs of Bucharest (aka not Lee's Summit), there are much fewer sidewalks. On the plus side - I'll get a chance in routine and the family whom I'm catsitting for has a gym membership, which I can use. This means weight machines, a steam room, and a hot tub. Score!

I'm feeling pretty good about this marathon's training so far. No serious injuries and I'm getting in more weekly miles than I did last year. Also, I'm averaging a 12 minute mile, instead of like 14. :) I hope things are progressing well in Bmore and KC!

10, er, 11 Miles

Completed my run on Sunday morning. I ran from Hopkins down Charles Street, past Penn Station, to Inner Harbor and Federal Hill, and back. It was a late starting run (6:30-9:00) so I was afraid it would get hot before the end of the run, but the weather held out until I got home. I got lost in Inner Harbor and ran way past my turn. I backtracked, but it added a mile to my run. The last two miles were a bit rough, not helped by a mile-long uphill, so I was glad to discover that part of the reason was the extra mile! I'll actually probably run the modified route next week for my 11-miler.

I was pretty achy/tired the rest of the day, which was a change from last week. I'm hoping it's because my body is still getting used the longer runs-- my joints were not feeling good!

This week I hope to get in several training runs, as they are really helping my weekend runs.

10 miler

Ran 10 miles this morning. Wasn't too bad, until the last mile or so. But I persevered!

In other news, Delilah chewed up the water bottles that go in my water belt. Not really sure how I'm going to run long distances now... Guess I'll run 2 mile loops or something, so that I can pick up water. This is why you have cats, not dogs.

Killer Lunges - variation on a theme

I have long felt that moving from one residence to another serves as one of the great workouts in which one can engage. It's a combination of free weights and aerobic exercise that is hard to force yourself to match in, e.g., a trip to the YMCA. I am rediscovering that phenomenon this week, as we move various items out of the house into a 20 cubic yard dumpster (about 15 pickup-loads worth). Unfortunately, it leaves me fairly drained at the end of the day. I haven't gotten in a good bike ride for some time, and last night I could only muster the strength for a one mile jog/walk. Still, we're getting rid of lots of flotsam and jetsam that are otherwise problematic to dispose of in the weekly trash. (One interesting part of this is that we haven't really had to make any difficult emotional decisions about what to get rid of, and we're still going to end up filling the dumpster easily by the end of the week.)

So, I'm getting in some blue-collar lunges, getting sore, but probably getting some useful conditioning out of this, assuming that I don't break a leg with a runaway sofa.

Killer Lunges

Man, I can run 4 or 5 miles and not feel sore at all. Even the longer runs I feel pretty soreness-free at the end. But I do 25 lunges, and I'm so sore the next day I can barely walk.

Not cool, lunges. Not cool.

Plans

Dad, a 22 mile run on October 9th sounds like a good plan to me! And Erin, would you be interested in doing a long run while we're in Cincinnati for Adrienne's wedding? We'll be doing 15 together about 3 weeks before that, so maybe a 16 or 17 miler?

Didn't get to do any running in Istanbul, but I'm back on the wagon now! Ran 3 miles this morning and am planning on 5 tomorrow morning. I've decided I need to get my weekly total mileage up. Right now, I'm averaging about 20 to 25 miles weekly, and I'd like to get closer to 30. Planning on doing a 10 miler this weekend, since I missed my long run last weekend. Stephen's coming to visit next week, so I'm planning on dragging him along on my morning runs. He hasn't exercised since MCM '09!

Also, I need another pair of running socks. I love my current pair, but I only have the one pair. They really do help reduce blisters and rubbing. Once I get back to KC, I'll be heading to Gary Gribble's with my gift certificate for a new pair!

DC Runnin'

Oh hai running friends.

I spent the weekend in DC and, to my great surprise, actually did my long run. I got off my google maps path while running, so I just ran through my old haunts/routes until I felt I had run 9 miles. Upon checking it later online, it was about 9.5 miles. Saw a lot of great DC sites, including Iwa Jima, Teddy Island, and even my old house. I started in Rosslyn, so I was right next to Potomac and there were a lot of yuppies with puppies.

The run itself went fine, my legs were less tired than the week before (gave myself Friday off this time!), though I was getting sore by the end of the run and was glad for it to be ending. I didn't nap afterwards because I was doing things around DC, which I was not happy about but it was probably a good habit not to immediatly pass out for three hours following a run. I played some pickup soccer later in the day and felt pretty good, though Sunday was a very sore day!

In other news, DC is a nice place to spend the 4th but nothing replaces an Owens 4th filled with fireworks/basketball/roof!

Momentum and analgesics

Just got back from 6 miles. 4th of July basketball and/or ping pong later today. The Meloxicam bottle is gonna be busy tomorrow, oh yeah.

Note: the run actually went better than I assumed it would. "Ran" most of the way, with a mile or so near the end being the only particularly bleak stretch. Averaged about 12 minute miles. Not great, but a start.

Aaaand ...

Okay, the answer to your hypothetical question is that I looked over some of the sample marathon training programs, and I noticed that none of them - none of them - would have me running 20 and 22 mile routes in the four weeks preceding the marathon. Now, Galway's extended training program suggests a 26 mile training run, but this would occur several weeks before the marathon, and has a number of short runs leading into the marathon week. This suggests to me that my original program might be a wee bit ambitious, possibly leading to significant injury before the marathon and/or significant injury during the marathon and/or having little energy left for the marathon. Any of these outcomes would be bad.

This is not to say that I live my life according to someone else's program - speaking of sagacity, or my lack thereof - but given that I have not actually completed a marathon since 2003, I'm beginning to get the cosmic message that maybe I'm not my own best running coach, or at least that maybe I should pay a little more attention to some of the training advice out there.

Anyhoo, Bethany (and Erin, if you plan to be in KC at the appropriate time), I suggest that we calendar a 22 mile run for Sunday, October 10th, or thereabouts. What say, training buddies?

I hope this doesn't qualify as "backsliding," but . . .

I'm thinking that instead of: (a) MS-150 on the weekend of 9/26, (b) 20 miles the next weekend, (c) 22 miles two weeks later, and (d) MCM two weeks later, a more realistic (and probably better) program will be: (a) MS-150 on the weekend of 9/26, (b) 10 miles the next weekend, (c) 22 miles the next weekend, and (d) MCM two weeks later.

So, I'm sure you're asking yourself, "But, Dad, what prompted this rather shocking turn of events?" Ah, yes, the wisdom of that question far surpasses your relative youth. I salute you for it, and encourage you to continue on this grand path to knowledge and sagacity. Salute!

Programming notes

I had to pick up some items at the Mid-Continent Library on 7 Highway, so - in true commuter spirit - I rode my bike out to get them. About 10 mile round trip, no big deal, but I feel reasonably good about it.

This evening, short run. Tomorrow, bicycle over to Delta Woods to do some intervals on their track. Ride on Saturday. 6 mile run/walk on Sunday, plus whatever 4th of July sports we get in.

I've got weekend runs planned up to MCM, with a 20 mile run four weeks in advance and a 22 mile run two weeks in advance. Cider Mill century ride is coming up on August 1 (I'll probably do the 50 or 70 mile route, not 100, but hope springs eternal). MS-150 the weekend of September 26th. If I get this stuff in as planned, barring injury (ha!), should be ready for MCM.

Jim Fixx

Dad, if I remember correctly, this is the guy you've told me about who was responsible for the running movement in the 70s and then keeled over from a heart attack while running. Interesting paragraph from a runnersworld.com article:

"A family-ordered autopsy showed that Jim Fixx had significant blockage in all three coronary arteries. The Vermont state chief medical examiner briefed the family and said that his heart muscle, strengthened by running, had probably extended his life by eight to 10 years."

And a quote of his that I like:

"I don't know if running adds years to your life, but it definitely adds life to your years." -Jim Fixx