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Sunday, May 29, 2011
OBJECTIVE
8 mi.
ACHIEVED
9.54 mi.@ 8:00
6:28 AM 77° 81% 3 mph
Happy with this run. It was really good to back yesterday's 9-miler with this solid effort. I was a little slower-paced this morning than yesterday but that was somewhat by design. Similar to yesterday's run, I decided to block this run into 3 3-mile segments. Like yesterday, I let how I was feeling dictate the pace over the first 3 miles. Unlike yesterday, I did not want any mile to be faster than 7:53. I did a pretty good job keeping it in check.
0-3 mile pace = 8:20
3-6 mile pace = 7:54
6-9 mile pace = 7:52
I was feeling tired over the final third of the run but it was a "good" tired; not the dreaded "dead dog" tired. As long as I kept the pace in check, I was able to push along just fine.
I only had 2 water stops today. One at around 4.5 miles (ate a fun size Butterfinger) and another just before 8 miles. Each time I stopped at Meyer Park. It looked like there was a big soccer tourney about to start the day as I was passing by.
Without much thought yesterday, I decided to try a tracking my daily caloric intake via blog. Over the years I've tried a few different tracking variations. Up to this point, they've all been focused on nutritional components: carbohydrate, protein and fat. The tracking has never lasted long because it's too time intensive. This time I just decided to track total calories and just send it to the blog when I eat. I'll try it for a while (which I know makes for bad blog reading!). The last time I calculated my daily caloric requirement, I believe it came out around 2,600 per day.
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.9%
diet V8 splash
POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin
8 mi.
ACHIEVED
9.54 mi.@ 8:00
6:28 AM 77° 81% 3 mph
Happy with this run. It was really good to back yesterday's 9-miler with this solid effort. I was a little slower-paced this morning than yesterday but that was somewhat by design. Similar to yesterday's run, I decided to block this run into 3 3-mile segments. Like yesterday, I let how I was feeling dictate the pace over the first 3 miles. Unlike yesterday, I did not want any mile to be faster than 7:53. I did a pretty good job keeping it in check.
0-3 mile pace = 8:20
3-6 mile pace = 7:54
6-9 mile pace = 7:52
I was feeling tired over the final third of the run but it was a "good" tired; not the dreaded "dead dog" tired. As long as I kept the pace in check, I was able to push along just fine.
I only had 2 water stops today. One at around 4.5 miles (ate a fun size Butterfinger) and another just before 8 miles. Each time I stopped at Meyer Park. It looked like there was a big soccer tourney about to start the day as I was passing by.
Without much thought yesterday, I decided to try a tracking my daily caloric intake via blog. Over the years I've tried a few different tracking variations. Up to this point, they've all been focused on nutritional components: carbohydrate, protein and fat. The tracking has never lasted long because it's too time intensive. This time I just decided to track total calories and just send it to the blog when I eat. I'll try it for a while (which I know makes for bad blog reading!). The last time I calculated my daily caloric requirement, I believe it came out around 2,600 per day.
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.9%
diet V8 splash
POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin
Saturday, May 28, 2011
OBJECTIVE
8 mi.
ACHIEVED
9.08 mi.@ 7:51
6:07 AM 78° 79% 3 mph
Ran from the Cypress Creek YMCA this morning ... in my new Mizuno Wave Rider 13's (Silver/Dress Blue/Gold Fusion edition).
I felt okay starting out. I didn't eat or drink anything before the run which may have impacted me later as I didn't take any GU or other fuel with me. I don't think I should really need fuel for a 9-miler as there should generally be enough "on board" already.
As the run evolved, I decided to block the run into segments. I wanted the overall pace to be 7:53 per mile but I also wanted to ease into it based on however I was feeling. I decided I'd just let the first 3 miles be whatever they were going to be so I ran disinterested in time for the first 3 miles. Those miles felt fine at a 3-mile average pace of 8:14. For the middle 3 miles, the idea was to hit the overall goal pace of 7:53. That 3-mile block came in at a 7:48 average pace with a break occurring at the midpoint. I was pushing ever-so-slightly past "comfortable" to hit that pace. I wanted to run the final 3 miles at whatever pace was necessary to bring the overall average pace for the run to 7:53. My calculations indicated that I needed 7:37 (in hindsight and now with the benefit of oxygen!, I'm not sure that calculation was exactly correct). My actual average pace over the final 3 miles was 7:34 - and it was a struggle. I stopped for water and two other times on the way in. Cheating - I suppose.
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.9%
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin & bran flakes w/skim milk
8 mi.
ACHIEVED
9.08 mi.@ 7:51
6:07 AM 78° 79% 3 mph
Ran from the Cypress Creek YMCA this morning ... in my new Mizuno Wave Rider 13's (Silver/Dress Blue/Gold Fusion edition).
I felt okay starting out. I didn't eat or drink anything before the run which may have impacted me later as I didn't take any GU or other fuel with me. I don't think I should really need fuel for a 9-miler as there should generally be enough "on board" already.
As the run evolved, I decided to block the run into segments. I wanted the overall pace to be 7:53 per mile but I also wanted to ease into it based on however I was feeling. I decided I'd just let the first 3 miles be whatever they were going to be so I ran disinterested in time for the first 3 miles. Those miles felt fine at a 3-mile average pace of 8:14. For the middle 3 miles, the idea was to hit the overall goal pace of 7:53. That 3-mile block came in at a 7:48 average pace with a break occurring at the midpoint. I was pushing ever-so-slightly past "comfortable" to hit that pace. I wanted to run the final 3 miles at whatever pace was necessary to bring the overall average pace for the run to 7:53. My calculations indicated that I needed 7:37 (in hindsight and now with the benefit of oxygen!, I'm not sure that calculation was exactly correct). My actual average pace over the final 3 miles was 7:34 - and it was a struggle. I stopped for water and two other times on the way in. Cheating - I suppose.
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.9%
POST RUN
SlimFast
Later, water, multivitamin & bran flakes w/skim milk
Friday, May 27, 2011
OBJECTIVE
6 mi.
ACHIEVED
6.16 mi.@ 8:06
6:14 AM 73° 78% 1 mph
Last night's flight was quite late getting back into Houston. Felt really tired on this morning's run from the house. It was supposed to be a 4-miler but since I missed a couple days earlier in the week, I tacked on a little additional. I plan to do the same tomorrow then reset the training schedule to "redo" this week's work. (Yes, there's a couple week's a slack in the training schedule.)
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.8%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, flax seed & skim milk
6 mi.
ACHIEVED
6.16 mi.@ 8:06
6:14 AM 73° 78% 1 mph
Last night's flight was quite late getting back into Houston. Felt really tired on this morning's run from the house. It was supposed to be a 4-miler but since I missed a couple days earlier in the week, I tacked on a little additional. I plan to do the same tomorrow then reset the training schedule to "redo" this week's work. (Yes, there's a couple week's a slack in the training schedule.)
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.8%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar, cinnamon, flax seed & skim milk
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Objective
Speed or Tempo
Speed or Tempo
Achieved
35 min. Treadmill (8:20/mi. 2% incline)
~5:30 AM
Hey Crowne Plaza Metro Chicago, take the training wheels off your treadmills!
Missed Tuesday's speed. Yesterday was scheduled to be a rest day. Today was a tempo. Rain, failure to bring running shorts (bought some last night), and lousy hotel location have conspired against me. If Corporate Travel puts me in the Crowne Plaza again and it's bad weather, I'll plan those days to be "mileage only" and also try to do daily doubles. The treadmills were set to max out at 8:20 pace so I wasn't able to get intervals or tempo. But made the best of it by setting the incline at 2% and cranked it up to 3% for the final ~6 minutes.
After the treadmill session, did ITB stretches then used some of the hotel exercise equipment to do one-leg balancing, exercise ball crunches and exercise ball back extensions.
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Monday, May 23, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
OBJECTIVE
6 mi.
ACHIEVED
6.22 mi.@ 7:55
6:22 AM 76° 79% 4 mph
Had an upset stomach this morning for some reason. Don't want to blame Macaroni Grill where I ate last night but I'll have to say it was their worst culinary effort in the many times I've been there.
PRE RUN
weight=167
body fat=22.9%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
6 mi.
ACHIEVED
6.22 mi.@ 7:55
6:22 AM 76° 79% 4 mph
Had an upset stomach this morning for some reason. Don't want to blame Macaroni Grill where I ate last night but I'll have to say it was their worst culinary effort in the many times I've been there.
PRE RUN
weight=167
body fat=22.9%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Saturday, May 21, 2011
OBJECTIVE
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.08 mi.@ 8:15
5:47 AM 74° 78% 2 mph
Got a good night's sleep last night but oddly still felt sluggish for this morning's run.
Got treatment for back yesterday. Ultimately not sure how much good it's doing other than it feels better after the "tissue work" (i.e., focused massage) and electronic muscle stimulation. All of that seems short-lived though. It also forces me to make time for strengthening exercises.
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.9%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.08 mi.@ 8:15
5:47 AM 74° 78% 2 mph
Got a good night's sleep last night but oddly still felt sluggish for this morning's run.
Got treatment for back yesterday. Ultimately not sure how much good it's doing other than it feels better after the "tissue work" (i.e., focused massage) and electronic muscle stimulation. All of that seems short-lived though. It also forces me to make time for strengthening exercises.
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.9%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Friday, May 20, 2011
OBJECTIVE
5 mi.
ACHIEVED
5.07 mi.@ 8:01
6:59 AM 79° 79% 5 mph
Got a late start and didn't want to be around the high school and give the wreckless teenage drivers who were late for class a chance to hit me so I modified my route to run a double Kleinwood loop with a Shadow Valley loop added on at the end. This gave me the mileage I was looking for today.
Felt slightly less than "okay".
PRE RUN
weight=166.5
body fat=22.4%
water & granola
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & frosted miniwheats w/skim milk
5 mi.
ACHIEVED
5.07 mi.@ 8:01
6:59 AM 79° 79% 5 mph
Got a late start and didn't want to be around the high school and give the wreckless teenage drivers who were late for class a chance to hit me so I modified my route to run a double Kleinwood loop with a Shadow Valley loop added on at the end. This gave me the mileage I was looking for today.
Felt slightly less than "okay".
PRE RUN
weight=166.5
body fat=22.4%
water & granola
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & frosted miniwheats w/skim milk
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Objective
4 mi.
4 mi.
Achieved
4.18 mi.@ 8:17
6:22 AM foggy
New territory this morning: Hyatt to Riverwalk to Lakefront Trail to Aquarium. Nice morning although I wasn't feeling particularly "bouncy" with my step.
Flight tonight ... have to remember compression socks. Failed on my flight earlier this week.
Pre run
Homemade granola & water
Post run
Chocolate milk
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Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Objective
5 mi.
5 mi.
Achieved
5.14 mi.@ 8:01
5:21 AM ~50F light rain/mist
Along the Lakefront Trail in a misty, light rain. The mallards, Canadian geese and sea gulls didn't seem to mind. Neither did I.
Got passed by a pony tail on the trip back. Not that I was running that fast; just haven't been passed very often on this route in the morning.
Pre run
-
Post run
Chocolate milk & apple
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Monday, May 16, 2011
OBJECTIVE
5 mi.
ACHIEVED
5.43 mi.@ 8:10
5:46 AM 65° 64% 1 mph
Slow roll this morning. Just took it as it came.
Thinking about what I need to do this week:
1) Hydrate better. Be more balanced throughout the day; every day. Be especially vigilant when flying.
2) Eat cleaner and reduce portions slightly. Nothing dramatic here. Just looking for consistency.
3) Crunches and planks are my friends. Spend time with them!
4) Wear compression socks on flights.
5) Get away from "just-in-time" attitude. Work ahead of the curve - running, professionally and personally.
This is the last training week of base building. Next week will introduce speed and tempo work.
PRE RUN
weight=166
body fat=22.6%
POST RUN
skim milk, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar, cinnamon, flax & skim milk
5 mi.
ACHIEVED
5.43 mi.@ 8:10
5:46 AM 65° 64% 1 mph
Slow roll this morning. Just took it as it came.
Thinking about what I need to do this week:
1) Hydrate better. Be more balanced throughout the day; every day. Be especially vigilant when flying.
2) Eat cleaner and reduce portions slightly. Nothing dramatic here. Just looking for consistency.
3) Crunches and planks are my friends. Spend time with them!
4) Wear compression socks on flights.
5) Get away from "just-in-time" attitude. Work ahead of the curve - running, professionally and personally.
This is the last training week of base building. Next week will introduce speed and tempo work.
PRE RUN
weight=166
body fat=22.6%
POST RUN
skim milk, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar, cinnamon, flax & skim milk
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Friday, May 13, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 7:50
8:16 AM 68° 88% 2 mph
I felt heavy and sluggish back on my "home track" this morning. I'm sure last night's late-arriving flight and my general dehydration were contributing factors.
PRE RUN
Life cereal w/skim milk
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 7:50
8:16 AM 68° 88% 2 mph
I felt heavy and sluggish back on my "home track" this morning. I'm sure last night's late-arriving flight and my general dehydration were contributing factors.
PRE RUN
Life cereal w/skim milk
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Objective
5 mi.
5 mi.
Achieved
5.07 mi.@ 7:54
7:38 PM 90F
I am here to report that there's a whole different vibe along the Lakefront Trail in the evening. Runners, bikers, skaters, volleyball, frisbee, etc.
Also, I have to report an oddity: it was warmer in Chicago than Houston when I ran today: 90F versus 82F
Pre run
-
Post run
Chocolate milk, string cheese, almonds & tapioca
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Monday, May 9, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
OBJECTIVE
5 mi.
ACHIEVED
5.16 mi.@ 7:49
5:19 AM 73° 81% 2 mph
Probably pushed this one slightly more than necessary for an easy run (and working my way back from injuries). But I was feeling good on this humid morning.
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.4%
water & 2 fig newtons
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
5 mi.
ACHIEVED
5.16 mi.@ 7:49
5:19 AM 73° 81% 2 mph
Probably pushed this one slightly more than necessary for an easy run (and working my way back from injuries). But I was feeling good on this humid morning.
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.4%
water & 2 fig newtons
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Saturday, May 7, 2011
OBJECTIVE
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.11 mi.@ 7:33
6:44 AM 67° 85% 1 mph
Felt really good this morning. I love the smell of freshly cut grass in the morning (with apologies to Apocalypse Now fans).
Just noticed that my online running log just clicked over 5,000 total miles. I started running in March 2007 and didn't start using the online log for a couple months.
I also noticed that Garmin now has a "similar runs" feature. I'm not exactly sure what criteria are used to determine what qualifies as a similar run but I have 112 runs similar to today's run. Of those 112 runs, today's was the third fastest overall pace. I suppose this is nothing more than interesting trivia. Although I did notice a 4-mile tempo run in 2007 at Memorial Park was completed slower than today's 4-miler - an "easy" run. That demonstrates progress ... right?
Should find out if I get pulled for St. George on Monday.
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.3%
POST RUN
multivitamin & strawberry-blueberry smoothie
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.11 mi.@ 7:33
6:44 AM 67° 85% 1 mph
Felt really good this morning. I love the smell of freshly cut grass in the morning (with apologies to Apocalypse Now fans).
Just noticed that my online running log just clicked over 5,000 total miles. I started running in March 2007 and didn't start using the online log for a couple months.
I also noticed that Garmin now has a "similar runs" feature. I'm not exactly sure what criteria are used to determine what qualifies as a similar run but I have 112 runs similar to today's run. Of those 112 runs, today's was the third fastest overall pace. I suppose this is nothing more than interesting trivia. Although I did notice a 4-mile tempo run in 2007 at Memorial Park was completed slower than today's 4-miler - an "easy" run. That demonstrates progress ... right?
Should find out if I get pulled for St. George on Monday.
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
body fat=22.3%
POST RUN
multivitamin & strawberry-blueberry smoothie
Friday, May 6, 2011
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Objective
4 mi.
4 mi.
Achieved
4.68 mi.@ 8:02
5:25 AM
Sluggish. "Original" Chicago-style pizza sitting on my gut from last night's late dinner. By inference "original" must not be a FDA regulated term in food labeling and marketing.
Tried to find a route where the Lakefront Trail links up with the Riverwalk. Unsuccessful.
Garmin was haywire. It really doesn't like tall buildings, underpasses, overpasses, etc. I estimate it gave me credit for around 1/4 mile more than I actually ran this morning.
Nice sunrise on Lake Michigan. Temps in the 40s.
Pre run
-
Post run
Instant oatmeal
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Monday, May 2, 2011
OBJECTIVE
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.10 mi.@ 8:15
5:36 AM 62° 74% 3 mph
Nice coolish morning. Running from the house. Back and right calf started out a bit balky but each loosened up quickly and wasn't an issue. Tomorrow is an off day which I feel like I need.
PRE RUN
weight=166
body fat=22.7%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.10 mi.@ 8:15
5:36 AM 62° 74% 3 mph
Nice coolish morning. Running from the house. Back and right calf started out a bit balky but each loosened up quickly and wasn't an issue. Tomorrow is an off day which I feel like I need.
PRE RUN
weight=166
body fat=22.7%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk
Sunday, May 1, 2011
OBJECTIVE
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 7:54
6:49 AM 77° 81% 5 mph
After the first mile, I pushed this easy run a little bit. I know that's really not the purpose right now. There will be plenty of time for speed and pushing later in the cycle.
With the turn of the calendar to May, I realize that I should get the results of the St. George marathon lottery this week.
The qualifying standards for the Boston marathon changed a couple months ago. I read about it at the time but didn't focus on what that really means for me personally. Yesterday I took the time to translate. The long and short of it ... to qualify for Boston 2012, I need to run a 3:30 qualifying time before September 12 (St. George is October 1). To qualify for Boston 2013, I need to run a 3:25 after September 24, 2011.
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.5%
POST RUN
milk, multivitamin & French toast w/maple syrup
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 7:54
6:49 AM 77° 81% 5 mph
After the first mile, I pushed this easy run a little bit. I know that's really not the purpose right now. There will be plenty of time for speed and pushing later in the cycle.
With the turn of the calendar to May, I realize that I should get the results of the St. George marathon lottery this week.
The qualifying standards for the Boston marathon changed a couple months ago. I read about it at the time but didn't focus on what that really means for me personally. Yesterday I took the time to translate. The long and short of it ... to qualify for Boston 2012, I need to run a 3:30 qualifying time before September 12 (St. George is October 1). To qualify for Boston 2013, I need to run a 3:25 after September 24, 2011.
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.5%
POST RUN
milk, multivitamin & French toast w/maple syrup
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Last year Chris Solinsky broke the American record in the 10,000 meter track event. He recently had an interview with Runner's World. I found one of his comments particularly enlightening:
Runner's World: It's one thing that you broke 27:00 for 10,000 but the fact that you broke 13:00 in the 5000 indicates that there are no psychological barriers in terms of time anymore for you, are there?
Chris Solinsky: Yeah. I mean, the 10K was obviously a great race in terms of the time that I ran, but for me, it's knocked down a lot of mental barriers that I had in races. I was actually just talking to the guys today about how the 10K last year really opened my eyes to being able to not look at the lap counter. Before, I'd be too cognizant of how much I had left, and who was there, the things you shouldn't be thinking about as much. But in that 10K, I thought more in terms of time, how much time I had left. I remember at one point I looked at the clock and we were at 19:00 and I was like "well, that's like seven or eight minutes left, I can hammer, I can do anything for seven or eight minutes." When I finally stopped thinking of it in terms of laps, it kind of opened things up for me, and that's where it went for the rest of year. It changed my mental focus and how I approached things drastically and that opened a lot of doors for me.
I find this interesting as I consider my own mental approach to racing. There have been a few times where, rather than focusing on either how much distance is behind me or how much remains in front of me before finishing, I've focused on how much time I have left. Similar to Solinsky, I've found that this approach has somehow made the push to the finish easier than the "distance approach". I've only done this a few times by more or less stumbling upon it rather than by premeditated planning. Now that the approach has been confirmed by an American record holder, I plan to use the approach consistently going forward.
Runner's World: It's one thing that you broke 27:00 for 10,000 but the fact that you broke 13:00 in the 5000 indicates that there are no psychological barriers in terms of time anymore for you, are there?
Chris Solinsky: Yeah. I mean, the 10K was obviously a great race in terms of the time that I ran, but for me, it's knocked down a lot of mental barriers that I had in races. I was actually just talking to the guys today about how the 10K last year really opened my eyes to being able to not look at the lap counter. Before, I'd be too cognizant of how much I had left, and who was there, the things you shouldn't be thinking about as much. But in that 10K, I thought more in terms of time, how much time I had left. I remember at one point I looked at the clock and we were at 19:00 and I was like "well, that's like seven or eight minutes left, I can hammer, I can do anything for seven or eight minutes." When I finally stopped thinking of it in terms of laps, it kind of opened things up for me, and that's where it went for the rest of year. It changed my mental focus and how I approached things drastically and that opened a lot of doors for me.
I find this interesting as I consider my own mental approach to racing. There have been a few times where, rather than focusing on either how much distance is behind me or how much remains in front of me before finishing, I've focused on how much time I have left. Similar to Solinsky, I've found that this approach has somehow made the push to the finish easier than the "distance approach". I've only done this a few times by more or less stumbling upon it rather than by premeditated planning. Now that the approach has been confirmed by an American record holder, I plan to use the approach consistently going forward.
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 8:13
6:46 AM 73° 86% 3 mph
Humid this morning. Seems like it may rain today - which we need. I felt sluggish.
Had my fourth treatment at Koala. They've back working on my back since last Friday. The routine is essentially focused massage on my lower back followed by ultrasound then electro therapy. From there I do physical therapy which consists of stretching - back, glutes and outer thighs ?(I guess that's really glutes ... ???). I then do some single-leg balancing on a "Thera band" foot pad (it's unstable so forces me to lose some muscle to stay upright). Last Monday they hit me with back extensions and crunches using an exercise ball. And that's where I believe we all discovered my weakest link - pitifully weak abs! After all that, a chiropractor adjusts my low back. I'm not sure about the overall benefit yet. It does force me to do some strengthening which I'm sure doesn't hurt any.
My latest theory is that the back issues are either associated with the chair in my Chicago office or the seats on planes that I'm spending time on. I've essentially ruled out the hotel beds that I've been sleeping on. You've gotta love the scientific process ....
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.5%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 8:13
6:46 AM 73° 86% 3 mph
Humid this morning. Seems like it may rain today - which we need. I felt sluggish.
Had my fourth treatment at Koala. They've back working on my back since last Friday. The routine is essentially focused massage on my lower back followed by ultrasound then electro therapy. From there I do physical therapy which consists of stretching - back, glutes and outer thighs ?(I guess that's really glutes ... ???). I then do some single-leg balancing on a "Thera band" foot pad (it's unstable so forces me to lose some muscle to stay upright). Last Monday they hit me with back extensions and crunches using an exercise ball. And that's where I believe we all discovered my weakest link - pitifully weak abs! After all that, a chiropractor adjusts my low back. I'm not sure about the overall benefit yet. It does force me to do some strengthening which I'm sure doesn't hurt any.
My latest theory is that the back issues are either associated with the chair in my Chicago office or the seats on planes that I'm spending time on. I've essentially ruled out the hotel beds that I've been sleeping on. You've gotta love the scientific process ....
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.5%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Friday, April 29, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.24 mi.@ 8:01
6:45 AM 56° 82% 1 mph
Back at home. Felt okay. Back was a bit bothersome. I really think that problem is either the chair in my Chicago office or the seat on the plane.
PRE RUN
weight=166
body fat=22.4%
POST RUN
Diet V8 Splash, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.24 mi.@ 8:01
6:45 AM 56° 82% 1 mph
Back at home. Felt okay. Back was a bit bothersome. I really think that problem is either the chair in my Chicago office or the seat on the plane.
PRE RUN
weight=166
body fat=22.4%
POST RUN
Diet V8 Splash, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk
Thursday, April 28, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.39 mi.@ 8:19
5:40 AM
Cool breeze blowing through the Windy City this morning. I felt slightly on the sluggish side. Took a new route down to the Lakefront Trail. From Club Quarters went up the hill past the Hyatt then down Columbus. Instead of turning on Illinois continued two blocks to Ohio. Wanted to see a high rise apartment that looked interesting from the internet. It is close to the water ... with a bunch other high rises around it. Ahhh, urban living .... Hurmphhhh!
PRE RUN
-
POST RUN
water
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.39 mi.@ 8:19
5:40 AM
Cool breeze blowing through the Windy City this morning. I felt slightly on the sluggish side. Took a new route down to the Lakefront Trail. From Club Quarters went up the hill past the Hyatt then down Columbus. Instead of turning on Illinois continued two blocks to Ohio. Wanted to see a high rise apartment that looked interesting from the internet. It is close to the water ... with a bunch other high rises around it. Ahhh, urban living .... Hurmphhhh!
PRE RUN
-
POST RUN
water
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
OBJECTIVE
2 mi.
ACHIEVED
2.11 mi.@ 8:02
7:40 PM
First evening run in a long time. Run from Club Quarters Hotel along Chicago Riverwalk to Lakefront Trail. (I've obviously made it sound further than it really was!) I did get to see part of the Lakefront Trail that I haven't seen before. There were a bunch on Canadian geese and a scraggly cottontail rabbit along my way.
I felt okay. Abs were sore from the routine the doc put me through yesterday. I think she has isolated my weak link ....
PRE RUN
-
POST RUN
water
2 mi.
ACHIEVED
2.11 mi.@ 8:02
7:40 PM
First evening run in a long time. Run from Club Quarters Hotel along Chicago Riverwalk to Lakefront Trail. (I've obviously made it sound further than it really was!) I did get to see part of the Lakefront Trail that I haven't seen before. There were a bunch on Canadian geese and a scraggly cottontail rabbit along my way.
I felt okay. Abs were sore from the routine the doc put me through yesterday. I think she has isolated my weak link ....
PRE RUN
-
POST RUN
water
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 7:58
6:40 AM 74° 82% 5 mph
Felt okay this morning. Back was tight over the first half mile. Nice morning. Game plan going forward is firming up. Look for another blog entry for details.
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.3%
POST RUN
skim milk, multivitamin, blueberry protein pancakes w/maple syrup
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.22 mi.@ 7:58
6:40 AM 74° 82% 5 mph
Felt okay this morning. Back was tight over the first half mile. Nice morning. Game plan going forward is firming up. Look for another blog entry for details.
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.3%
POST RUN
skim milk, multivitamin, blueberry protein pancakes w/maple syrup
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Grete Waitz Dies
Nothing like setting a world record in your first marathon which was supposed to be your swan song ....
Nothing like setting a world record in your first marathon which was supposed to be your swan song ....
Monday, April 18, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
OBJECTIVE
14 mi.
ACHIEVED
14.10 mi.@ 8:06
6:39 AM 58° 43% 1 mph
It was a beautiful morning with the conditions pretty much in my "happy zone" for good running. Ran with Augie, Tricia, Josh, Israel and Randy. I didn't realize until checking my training log later in the day that it's been over 3 months since I've run this distance or longer. Not exactly what can be called a stellar training routine. The good news is that I felt alright physically. The left calf felt tight at the start but seemed to loosen up quickly and wasn't even a consideration.
Josh broke from the group around 2.5 miles into it. For reasons still unknown to me, I decided to go with him. We hung around 7:45 pace. This was a good pick up for me. Probably too early into this run given the overall planned distance but I felt okay throughout that burst. When the join came back together at a water stop Josh, Randy and I run together ahead of the others and at sub-8 pace. After that, I was happy to trim it back and stay with the group. By the time we were a couple miles from finishing, I was spent and just happy to log the miles no matter what the pace. At the end of the day, it was a strong pace over a good distance on a very nice morning.
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.1%
oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
14 mi.
ACHIEVED
14.10 mi.@ 8:06
6:39 AM 58° 43% 1 mph
It was a beautiful morning with the conditions pretty much in my "happy zone" for good running. Ran with Augie, Tricia, Josh, Israel and Randy. I didn't realize until checking my training log later in the day that it's been over 3 months since I've run this distance or longer. Not exactly what can be called a stellar training routine. The good news is that I felt alright physically. The left calf felt tight at the start but seemed to loosen up quickly and wasn't even a consideration.
Josh broke from the group around 2.5 miles into it. For reasons still unknown to me, I decided to go with him. We hung around 7:45 pace. This was a good pick up for me. Probably too early into this run given the overall planned distance but I felt okay throughout that burst. When the join came back together at a water stop Josh, Randy and I run together ahead of the others and at sub-8 pace. After that, I was happy to trim it back and stay with the group. By the time we were a couple miles from finishing, I was spent and just happy to log the miles no matter what the pace. At the end of the day, it was a strong pace over a good distance on a very nice morning.
PRE RUN
weight=165
body fat=22.1%
oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
Monday, April 11, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
OBJECTIVE
30 minutes
ACHIEVED
40:20 (4.90 mi.@ 8:14)
5:49 AM
Heart really wasn't in to it today. Although I did manage to keep going longer than planned once I got out on the Lakefront Trail. Left hamstring was a bit balky over the last mile and a half or so.
PRE RUN
water
POST RUN
water & maple & brown sugar instant oatmeal
Saturday, April 2, 2011
OBJECTIVE
8-10 mi.
ACHIEVED
10.06 mi.@ 7:57
6:41 AM 71° 82% 0 mph mist/very light rain
This run turned into a ragged progressive. Not by design; it just evolved. I was feeling pretty good at the outset. I started easy and wanted to keep it easy over the first half of the run. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go. I wanted to get 10 miles but was willing to shorten to 8 if I wasn't feeling okay. After the first mile, things picked up a bit and the run ended up looking like this:
9:00/8:13/8:06/8:01/7:48/7:56/7:49/7:32/7:37/7:34
I was pretty wiped out with about 2.5 miles to go. I stopped for water and ended up needing to stop again with about a half mile to go. I obviously don't have a base under my belt nor do I have speed training so the result isn't surprising ... just a little disappointing to confirm where I'm actually at right now. I should be happy that I got some mileage without problems with my calves.
Other running news: I got a massage yesterday and think that helped my calves and back. I ran in brand new Mizuno Wave Rider 13's for the first time today. I bought them several months ago but haven't needed to break them out yet as there were still miles left in my Mizuno Wave Rider 12's. I also threw my hat in ring for the St. George marathon in October. The lottery will be drawn in early May so I've got some time before finding out if I get pulled.
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.2%
POST RUN
SlimFast
8-10 mi.
ACHIEVED
10.06 mi.@ 7:57
6:41 AM 71° 82% 0 mph mist/very light rain
This run turned into a ragged progressive. Not by design; it just evolved. I was feeling pretty good at the outset. I started easy and wanted to keep it easy over the first half of the run. I wasn't sure how far I was going to go. I wanted to get 10 miles but was willing to shorten to 8 if I wasn't feeling okay. After the first mile, things picked up a bit and the run ended up looking like this:
9:00/8:13/8:06/8:01/7:48/7:56/7:49/7:32/7:37/7:34
I was pretty wiped out with about 2.5 miles to go. I stopped for water and ended up needing to stop again with about a half mile to go. I obviously don't have a base under my belt nor do I have speed training so the result isn't surprising ... just a little disappointing to confirm where I'm actually at right now. I should be happy that I got some mileage without problems with my calves.
Other running news: I got a massage yesterday and think that helped my calves and back. I ran in brand new Mizuno Wave Rider 13's for the first time today. I bought them several months ago but haven't needed to break them out yet as there were still miles left in my Mizuno Wave Rider 12's. I also threw my hat in ring for the St. George marathon in October. The lottery will be drawn in early May so I've got some time before finding out if I get pulled.
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
body fat=22.2%
POST RUN
SlimFast
Friday, April 1, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.23 mi.@ 7:38
6:36 AM 62° 79% 3 mph
After getting in late last night due to a delayed flight, I slept in more than planned this morning. This shortened my run and caused me to pick up the pace. Felt strong. Off to the Houston Open now.
PRE RUN
weight = 164
body fat = 22%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.23 mi.@ 7:38
6:36 AM 62° 79% 3 mph
After getting in late last night due to a delayed flight, I slept in more than planned this morning. This shortened my run and caused me to pick up the pace. Felt strong. Off to the Houston Open now.
PRE RUN
weight = 164
body fat = 22%
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Objective
4 mi.
4 mi.
Achieved
Garmin - 4.74 mi.@ 7:40
My estimate - 4.5 mi.@ 8:06
5:06 AM 33° 77% 2 mph
The good ole Garmin doesn't like the concrete jungle of the city. I don't like standing around in the cold waiting for the Garmin to sync up with satellites. That's a bad combination if I want accurate readings here in Chicago.
Felt pretty good this morning. Only saw two other runners and no bikers along the Lakefront Trail.
Will be running in warm weather and humidity the next few days. Heading to the Shell Houston Open PGA golf event tomorrow. Also, expect to make it to the the Final Four too. Turning out to be a very good sports spectating year for me.
Pre run
Nothing
Post run
Instant oatmeal maple & brown sugar
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Thursday, March 24, 2011
OBJECTIVE
run
ACHIEVED
3.04 mi. treadmill hills in 27:18
ITB exercises & push-ups
~5:30 AM
There was supposed to be snow overnight but when I looked out the window this morning I didn't see any. However the flags at the Hyatt Regency Chicago were extended horizontal from the wind. I checked the weather on my Blackberry and it said the "feels like" temperature was 18F. Enough to push me in the direction of the hotel fitness center. I don't like treadmills. I'm sure I've mentioned that before. The center was surprisingly busy at this hour. I jumped on, set the dreadmill for a 27 minute hill workout at Level 5 and set out. Listened to my MP3 player for a bit but the cords were getting tangled and earbuds were coming out so I switched to the morning drivel on the television. Made it through the boredom and worked up a pretty good sweat. I don't trust any treadmill's calibration so the mileage and incline are always a question in my mind. So the best I can say is that I can at a pretty good pace for 27 minutes this morning.
I went back to my room and cranked out my old IT band exercises and mixed in push-ups during the rest intervals. I haven't done the ITB exercises for a while. I need to do them more. Not that I'm having ITB problems but I think they're good injury prevention as they work leg muscles associated with lateral movement. These are stablizing muscles for running. Can they help my calf problems? I don't know. Certainly not directly but maybe there's some linkage in the chain that benefits and helps with the calf issues.
I still don't have my sleeping and eating routine set while traveling. My nutrition is improving slowly but it's rare that I sleep through the night in a hotel room. This morning I woke up around 2:30 - the same time I did yesterday. Today gave up on falling back asleep so I cleared some work email before going to the fitness center. I also packed since I'm headed back to H-town later today. Hopefully I'm on a plane with LiveTV and can watch Jimmer and the Coogs' sweet sixteen matchup against Florida. I'm holding my breath on this one.
PRE RUN
POST RUN
sugar free instant oatmeal (maple & brown sugar) & Tazo Calm herbal tea
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.35 mi.@ 8:23
6:03 AM blustery; ~30F w/winds
Another trip over to the Lakefront Trail. I'm not exactly sure what the tidal effects are with Lake Michigan but I was a bit surprised to notice this morning that the waves were coming over the banks this morning. This with with I believe is relatively light winds.
It rained last night and will probably rain quite a bit today. But I caught a window where there was no rain.
And finally, it was cold stepping out from the hotel so I didn't wait for my Garmin to find enough satellites to get a good bead on my location. After flying and when standing among the buildings of the city, the Garmin takes quite a long time to sync. I wasn't going to wait around this morning as it was cool and I wanted to get on with it. Therefore, I'm not too confident in the accuracy of my distance and pace.
PRE RUN
POST RUN
* maple & brown sugar sugar free instant oatmeal
* How can the oatmeal be "sugar free" and the flavor be "maple & brown sugar "? Sounds like I'm eating some bad chemicals ... ?
Monday, March 21, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
OBJECTIVE
run
ACHIEVED
5.19 mi.
6:20 AM
Finally got outside in the Windy City this morning. Found my way down to Lake Front Trail for a run along Lake Michigan. Felt okay. Warmed up pretty quickly once I got going. I found the Lake Shore path to be a surprisingly hard surface - concrete broken in some places.
PRE RUN
POST RUN
instant oatmeal
run
ACHIEVED
5.19 mi.
6:20 AM
Finally got outside in the Windy City this morning. Found my way down to Lake Front Trail for a run along Lake Michigan. Felt okay. Warmed up pretty quickly once I got going. I found the Lake Shore path to be a surprisingly hard surface - concrete broken in some places.
PRE RUN
POST RUN
instant oatmeal
Monday, March 14, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Back in Chicago. Staying at Club Quarters whose fitness room is not nearly as nice as The Wit's last week. Therefore, I found myself on a Cybrex machine this morning. It looked like an elliptical but was more of a glider. I'm not all that familiar with fitness equipment since I rarely use it.
By way of update, I tried running last Saturday but didn't even go a block before my right calf was flaring. I decided rest was the order of the day and have been doing so since. All this rest is going to make the half in a couple of weeks an interesting challenge.
WU ~15 min. Cybrex glider
10x20 sec. all out w/10 sec. rests on Cybrex glider
CD ~15 min. Cybrex glider
Wanted to use the recumbent bike for the Tabata intervals but quickly determined that it wasn't working.
By way of update, I tried running last Saturday but didn't even go a block before my right calf was flaring. I decided rest was the order of the day and have been doing so since. All this rest is going to make the half in a couple of weeks an interesting challenge.
WU ~15 min. Cybrex glider
10x20 sec. all out w/10 sec. rests on Cybrex glider
CD ~15 min. Cybrex glider
Wanted to use the recumbent bike for the Tabata intervals but quickly determined that it wasn't working.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
WU 15 min. elliptical
Tabata intervals 9x20 sec. w/10 sec. recoveries recumbent exercycle
CD 15 min. elliptical
Back to the hotel fitness room. Went a little harder on the intervals this morning than yesterday. Used a different bike and it seemed much more stable. Also used a tuck position (leaning forward) rather than yesterday's recumbent. (I'm not I cyclist so I probably have this all wrong!)
Felt fine. May try running tomorrow or Saturday to test the calf out.
Tabata intervals 9x20 sec. w/10 sec. recoveries recumbent exercycle
CD 15 min. elliptical
Back to the hotel fitness room. Went a little harder on the intervals this morning than yesterday. Used a different bike and it seemed much more stable. Also used a tuck position (leaning forward) rather than yesterday's recumbent. (I'm not I cyclist so I probably have this all wrong!)
Felt fine. May try running tomorrow or Saturday to test the calf out.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
WU 15 min. elliptical
Tabata intervals 8x20 sec. w/10 sec. recoveries recumbent exercycle
CD 15 min. elliptical
Calf not a problem as long as there's no impact. Figured I'd take advantage of the equipment in the hotel's fitness room this morning. Wasn't able to go 100% all out on the bike because it started shaking so much that it was drawing too much attention.
Tabata intervals 8x20 sec. w/10 sec. recoveries recumbent exercycle
CD 15 min. elliptical
Calf not a problem as long as there's no impact. Figured I'd take advantage of the equipment in the hotel's fitness room this morning. Wasn't able to go 100% all out on the bike because it started shaking so much that it was drawing too much attention.
Monday, February 28, 2011
OBJECTIVE
2 mi.@ 8:35
ACHIEVED
4.96 mi.@ 8:45
5:06 AM 67° 71% 1 mph
Well, it's official. I'm injured. I laid off running over the weekend sensing that my right calf was still pretty tight. I headed out this morning with a six-miler in mind to somewhat "makeup" for the lost weekend mileage. A little over 3 miles into it my right calf kept getting tighter and tighter. In the past I would have just pushed through. This time I tried listening to my body and just walked for a while then ran ... a little and slowly ... then walked some more. It's the exact same thing that kept me out of Boston last year. I'm wondering what the cause is and what the true diagnosis is. I suppose it could be repetitive muscle strain as I was told last year. Or could it be something else? As far as I can tell the only thing that remedies it is time.
PRE RUN
weight=165
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
2 mi.@ 8:35
ACHIEVED
4.96 mi.@ 8:45
5:06 AM 67° 71% 1 mph
Well, it's official. I'm injured. I laid off running over the weekend sensing that my right calf was still pretty tight. I headed out this morning with a six-miler in mind to somewhat "makeup" for the lost weekend mileage. A little over 3 miles into it my right calf kept getting tighter and tighter. In the past I would have just pushed through. This time I tried listening to my body and just walked for a while then ran ... a little and slowly ... then walked some more. It's the exact same thing that kept me out of Boston last year. I'm wondering what the cause is and what the true diagnosis is. I suppose it could be repetitive muscle strain as I was told last year. Or could it be something else? As far as I can tell the only thing that remedies it is time.
PRE RUN
weight=165
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Friday, February 25, 2011
OBJECTIVE
2 mi.@ 8:37
ACHIEVED
4.10 mi.@ 8:17
6:18 AM 53° 85% 2 mph
Recovery run after yesterday's track workout. Calves were tight especially right but seem to be somewhat better than they would have been had I not rolled them yesterday (How do I know that? Pure speculation, I suppose.)
Rolled again today after the run and will roll again later.
Scheduled for 8 tomorrow. Thinking about turning it into 10.
PRE RUN
weight=163.5
water
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar & skim milk
2 mi.@ 8:37
ACHIEVED
4.10 mi.@ 8:17
6:18 AM 53° 85% 2 mph
Recovery run after yesterday's track workout. Calves were tight especially right but seem to be somewhat better than they would have been had I not rolled them yesterday (How do I know that? Pure speculation, I suppose.)
Rolled again today after the run and will roll again later.
Scheduled for 8 tomorrow. Thinking about turning it into 10.
PRE RUN
weight=163.5
water
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar & skim milk
Thursday, February 24, 2011
OBJECTIVE
4 mi. inclu. 2x1600m @ 6:47 w/800m active recovery
ACHIEVED
1.95 mi. WU
2 x 1600m (6:16/6:17) w/800m active recovery
1.89 mi. CD
total distance = 6.33
total time = 50:04
6:04 AM 69° 87% 4 mph
Went to the track uncertain how this one might turn out. Happy with the result and the effort. Fairly tough workout.
After the run, I "built" a rudimentary rolling device (basically a cut down broom handle threaded through a section of PVC pipe). Rolled my calves using quite a bit of pressure. Optimistic this could provide some relief for my tight calves. (fingers crossed ...)
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
water
POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin
4 mi. inclu. 2x1600m @ 6:47 w/800m active recovery
ACHIEVED
1.95 mi. WU
2 x 1600m (6:16/6:17) w/800m active recovery
1.89 mi. CD
total distance = 6.33
total time = 50:04
6:04 AM 69° 87% 4 mph
Went to the track uncertain how this one might turn out. Happy with the result and the effort. Fairly tough workout.
After the run, I "built" a rudimentary rolling device (basically a cut down broom handle threaded through a section of PVC pipe). Rolled my calves using quite a bit of pressure. Optimistic this could provide some relief for my tight calves. (fingers crossed ...)
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
water
POST RUN
SlimFast & multivitamin
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.@ 8:36
ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 8:27
5:35 AM 67° 85% 1 mph
With a final push over the past three days, the all-consuming project at the office was completed yesterday. That's almost 8 weeks of +70 hours per week. Hoping to get back into a little more reasonable "life balance" now! That includes more consistent running ....
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
3 mi.@ 8:36
ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 8:27
5:35 AM 67° 85% 1 mph
With a final push over the past three days, the all-consuming project at the office was completed yesterday. That's almost 8 weeks of +70 hours per week. Hoping to get back into a little more reasonable "life balance" now! That includes more consistent running ....
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Saturday, February 19, 2011
OBJECTIVE
8 mi.@ 8:39
ACHIEVED
8.43 mi.@ 7:48
6:05 AM 63° 87% 0 mph
Had a conference call this morning so I stayed close to home for this run. Slogging along for a couple miles before a solo woman jumped on the Faulkey Gully Trail about 40 meters ahead of me. Had the darndest time reeling her in. Finally got her with a 1/4 mile left on the trail. As luck would have it, her route crossed mine two more times on the way back in. I marked her and passed her both times. I don't know who she was but she sure helped my run today. Thank you, Anonymous Fast Asian woman along my run this morning!
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
POST RUN
SlimFast
8 mi.@ 8:39
ACHIEVED
8.43 mi.@ 7:48
6:05 AM 63° 87% 0 mph
Had a conference call this morning so I stayed close to home for this run. Slogging along for a couple miles before a solo woman jumped on the Faulkey Gully Trail about 40 meters ahead of me. Had the darndest time reeling her in. Finally got her with a 1/4 mile left on the trail. As luck would have it, her route crossed mine two more times on the way back in. I marked her and passed her both times. I don't know who she was but she sure helped my run today. Thank you, Anonymous Fast Asian woman along my run this morning!
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
POST RUN
SlimFast
Thursday, February 17, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.@ 8:36
ACHIEVED
3.24 mi.@ 8:16
6:01 AM 63° 84% 3 mph
Ominous sign ... tight calves this morning ....
New Boston qualifying requirements announced yesterday. I need to get faster.
PRE RUN
weight=165.5 <---- chicken fried steak & brownies yesterday ... that's really not like me
POST RUN
orange juice, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
3 mi.@ 8:36
ACHIEVED
3.24 mi.@ 8:16
6:01 AM 63° 84% 3 mph
Ominous sign ... tight calves this morning ....
New Boston qualifying requirements announced yesterday. I need to get faster.
PRE RUN
weight=165.5 <---- chicken fried steak & brownies yesterday ... that's really not like me
POST RUN
orange juice, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
OBJECTIVE
5 mi. incl. 3 mi. tempo @ 7:13
ACHIEVED
WU 1.01 mi.
3 mi. tempo @ 6:51
CD 1.05 mi.
5:34 AM 57° 73% 0 mph
This was a surprise. After no semblance of speedwork in months, I was able to uncork a very solid tempo run. I was targeting a 7:13 pace but started a bit too hot and, surprisingly, was able to hold it. My fitness certainly isn't anywhere near what it was last fall but it hasn't fallen off as much as I thought it may have. Good news!
PRE RUN
weight=164
POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin & Kashi GoLean cereal w/skim milk
Monday, February 14, 2011
OBJECTIVE
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.06 mi.@ 8:18
5:31 AM 46° 94% 0 mph
Work life has not been kind to my running life as of late .... Very frustrating. Decent run today. Felt okay.
Will be moving to Chicago ... eventually.
PRE RUN
weight=163
FRS orange chew
POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin, oatmeal w/brown sugar, almonds & skim milk
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.06 mi.@ 8:18
5:31 AM 46° 94% 0 mph
Work life has not been kind to my running life as of late .... Very frustrating. Decent run today. Felt okay.
Will be moving to Chicago ... eventually.
PRE RUN
weight=163
FRS orange chew
POST RUN
diet V8 splash, multivitamin, oatmeal w/brown sugar, almonds & skim milk
Sunday, February 6, 2011
OBJECTIVE
Run
Run
ACHIEVED
4.51 mi.
.5 mi. WU
3.51 treadmill hills
.5 mi. CD
Westin Galleria Dallas treadmill. Eating too much and running too little ... but having a lot of fun.
On the bus to tailgate party now. I guess Keith Urban, Maroon 5 and another gluttonous food fest are in my immediate future.
PRE RUN
Water
POST RUN
Water
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi.
ACHIEVED
3.21 mi.@ 7:35
6:08 AM 57° 90% 9 mph
Nothing like a shirtless run on February 1. Until the temperature drops 17°F over 20 minutes, torrential rains start falling in buckets and a cold north wind starts gusting to 14 mph. My friends, that will get your attention .... (And made me run a little faster! ha)
The front wasn't forecast to hit until around 7 AM. Obviously moving faster than the forecasters expected.
PRE RUN
weight=165
GrapeNuts & skim milk
POST RUN
orange juice, multivitamin & oatmeal w/almonds, flax, brown sugar & skim milk
Monday, January 31, 2011
OBJECTIVE
3 mi. easy
ACHIEVED
3.21 mi.@ 8:05
5:55 AM 58° 85% 1 mph
Nice morning. Easy run. While I was out this morning, thought about my goal for the Seabrook Half. Preliminarily targeting 1:35. It's a little disappointing to set that target after hitting my 1:28 PR last September but realistically that's probably the best I can shoot for. I'll have a better idea after 3 weeks of training. To be continued ....
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
corn flakes w/skim milk
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk
3 mi. easy
ACHIEVED
3.21 mi.@ 8:05
5:55 AM 58° 85% 1 mph
Nice morning. Easy run. While I was out this morning, thought about my goal for the Seabrook Half. Preliminarily targeting 1:35. It's a little disappointing to set that target after hitting my 1:28 PR last September but realistically that's probably the best I can shoot for. I'll have a better idea after 3 weeks of training. To be continued ....
PRE RUN
weight=164.5
corn flakes w/skim milk
POST RUN
water, multivitamin & oatmeal w/brown sugar & skim milk
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
OBJECTIVE
13 mi.
ACHIEVED
14.44 mi.@ 8:48
6:06 AM 58° 82% 3 mph
This was a fun run. The men's and women's US Half Marathon Championships were run in Houston today. About 8 miles into our run, we intersected the course and watched for a while before moving to another vantage point. They were absolutely flying. And they looked really young. Ryan Hall ended up second to Mo Trafeh. Jen Rhines looked very determined when we saw her. She won the women's.
Randy, Michele, Augie and me.
Good luck to everyone running the Houston Marathon tomorrow!
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
oatmeal w/skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
13 mi.
ACHIEVED
14.44 mi.@ 8:48
6:06 AM 58° 82% 3 mph
This was a fun run. The men's and women's US Half Marathon Championships were run in Houston today. About 8 miles into our run, we intersected the course and watched for a while before moving to another vantage point. They were absolutely flying. And they looked really young. Ryan Hall ended up second to Mo Trafeh. Jen Rhines looked very determined when we saw her. She won the women's.
Randy, Michele, Augie and me.
Good luck to everyone running the Houston Marathon tomorrow!
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
oatmeal w/skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
Saturday, January 22, 2011
OBJECTIVE
~12 mi.
ACHIEVED
12.16 mi.@ 8:11
6:53 AM 34° 76% 2 mph
Nice run with the crew today. It was a cool morning which gave me some dread before leaving the house. Once at the park, I was eager to get going and ended up really enjoying the brisk fresh air.
Augie, Josh, Jonathan (Josh's friend from work), Randy and me. We saw William who joined us for a stretch along the way.
PRE RUN
corn flakes w/skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
~12 mi.
ACHIEVED
12.16 mi.@ 8:11
6:53 AM 34° 76% 2 mph
Nice run with the crew today. It was a cool morning which gave me some dread before leaving the house. Once at the park, I was eager to get going and ended up really enjoying the brisk fresh air.
Augie, Josh, Jonathan (Josh's friend from work), Randy and me. We saw William who joined us for a stretch along the way.
PRE RUN
corn flakes w/skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
Thursday, January 20, 2011
OBJECTIVE
6 mi.
ACHIEVED
5.99 mi.@ 7:54
5:43 AM 55° 87% 1 mph
Felt really good this morning for no identifiable reason.
Maybe it was a good night's sleep last night. Maybe it's the relief of a major project at work getting closer to the end of phase one. Maybe it's the rest I've given my legs with only intermittent running lately. Maybe it's luck? Could it be something I ate or didn't eat. Who knows?
PRE RUN
1 cup corn flakes w/ 1 cup skim milk
POST RUN
multivitamin & 16 oz. skim milk w/Hershey's chocolate syrup
6 mi.
ACHIEVED
5.99 mi.@ 7:54
5:43 AM 55° 87% 1 mph
Felt really good this morning for no identifiable reason.
Maybe it was a good night's sleep last night. Maybe it's the relief of a major project at work getting closer to the end of phase one. Maybe it's the rest I've given my legs with only intermittent running lately. Maybe it's luck? Could it be something I ate or didn't eat. Who knows?
PRE RUN
1 cup corn flakes w/ 1 cup skim milk
POST RUN
multivitamin & 16 oz. skim milk w/Hershey's chocolate syrup
Monday, January 17, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
OBJECTIVE
~13 mi.
ACHIEVED
14.16 mi.@ 8:35
6:38 AM 49° 82% 3 mph
Decent run with the group today. Started with Augie, Michelle, Shellie, Nikki, Josh and Randy. Run through Tanglewood and River Oaks then back to the park via Memorial Drive. I finished with Augie, Josh and Randy. Although had pressed ahead at his marathon pace then came back to us several times throughout the run.
I felt okay today - a little sluggish, I guess, but that's to be expected given my slack training during my annual "busy season" at work. I did manage to break away for the Rockets-Hornets game last night. (Rockets lost pitifully in overtime.) My vantage point for the game was from here:
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
oatmeal w/skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
~13 mi.
ACHIEVED
14.16 mi.@ 8:35
6:38 AM 49° 82% 3 mph
Decent run with the group today. Started with Augie, Michelle, Shellie, Nikki, Josh and Randy. Run through Tanglewood and River Oaks then back to the park via Memorial Drive. I finished with Augie, Josh and Randy. Although had pressed ahead at his marathon pace then came back to us several times throughout the run.
I felt okay today - a little sluggish, I guess, but that's to be expected given my slack training during my annual "busy season" at work. I did manage to break away for the Rockets-Hornets game last night. (Rockets lost pitifully in overtime.) My vantage point for the game was from here:
PRE RUN
weight=165.5
oatmeal w/skim milk
POST RUN
SlimFast
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Friday, January 7, 2011
In lieu of me running right now, here's an animated celebration of movement.
Thought of You from Ryan J Woodward on Vimeo.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
OBJECTIVE
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.08 mi.@ 7:40
5:54 AM 62° 82% 2 mph
It rained last night leaving the early morning soggy and the air heavy. I pushed the first mile a little bit this morning rather taking the "Kenyan approach" of starting out just shuffling.
It seems I'm going to have to do something about my back and abdominal problems. Both were bothering me slightly during today's run. I'm hoping they are related and there's one fix to cure both.
PRE RUN
weight=167
POST RUN
frosted mini wheats w/skim milk
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.08 mi.@ 7:40
5:54 AM 62° 82% 2 mph
It rained last night leaving the early morning soggy and the air heavy. I pushed the first mile a little bit this morning rather taking the "Kenyan approach" of starting out just shuffling.
It seems I'm going to have to do something about my back and abdominal problems. Both were bothering me slightly during today's run. I'm hoping they are related and there's one fix to cure both.
PRE RUN
weight=167
POST RUN
frosted mini wheats w/skim milk
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
OBJECTIVE
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 8:21
5:45 AM 37° 78% 1 mph
I felt slightly sluggish this morning. I suspect I am somewhat dehydrated, unrested, and and poorly nourished after my quick up-and-back to Utah the past couple days.
My running plan for the next several (seven ?) weeks is to stay consistent by getting up to and maintaining a level of fitness. I'm not in a position to ask much more of myself. Work over this time frame will be very demanding. My future opportunity (or lack of) with my post-merger employer will most likely play out over this period as well. The result could range from moving to Chicago to being without work. Hopefully things settle down in late February and I can focus on a Spring half marathon.
PRE RUN
water
POST RUN
orange juice, multivitamin, glutamine, calcium, oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar & skim milk
4 mi.
ACHIEVED
4.09 mi.@ 8:21
5:45 AM 37° 78% 1 mph
I felt slightly sluggish this morning. I suspect I am somewhat dehydrated, unrested, and and poorly nourished after my quick up-and-back to Utah the past couple days.
My running plan for the next several (seven ?) weeks is to stay consistent by getting up to and maintaining a level of fitness. I'm not in a position to ask much more of myself. Work over this time frame will be very demanding. My future opportunity (or lack of) with my post-merger employer will most likely play out over this period as well. The result could range from moving to Chicago to being without work. Hopefully things settle down in late February and I can focus on a Spring half marathon.
PRE RUN
water
POST RUN
orange juice, multivitamin, glutamine, calcium, oatmeal w/almonds, brown sugar & skim milk
Friday, December 31, 2010
OBJECTIVE
12-13 mi.
ACHIEVED
13.02 mi.@ 8:22
6:39 AM 67° 90% 4 mph
Good run today. Started with Josh, Jon Colletti, Randy, Augie and me. Augie wasn't feeling well and broke off early. Josh and Jon were running a tempo to prepare for the Houston marathon in 4 weeks so they sped ahead. Randy and I aren't training for anything ... and enjoyed a comfortably-paced long run and conversation.
This run closes the book on my 2010 mileage. I finished up with 1,440 miles which isn't too bad given a couple rounds of injuries and races that I didn't end up making it to the starting line for (Boston, rarrrr!!!)
PRE RUN
weight=168 <--- still the holiday season, right?
cocoa pebbles & skim milk (cleaning out pantry is part of my holiday binging.)
POST RUN
strawberry-banana smoothie, poached egg, ham, English muffin & apple pie
12-13 mi.
ACHIEVED
13.02 mi.@ 8:22
6:39 AM 67° 90% 4 mph
Good run today. Started with Josh, Jon Colletti, Randy, Augie and me. Augie wasn't feeling well and broke off early. Josh and Jon were running a tempo to prepare for the Houston marathon in 4 weeks so they sped ahead. Randy and I aren't training for anything ... and enjoyed a comfortably-paced long run and conversation.
This run closes the book on my 2010 mileage. I finished up with 1,440 miles which isn't too bad given a couple rounds of injuries and races that I didn't end up making it to the starting line for (Boston, rarrrr!!!)
PRE RUN
weight=168 <--- still the holiday season, right?
cocoa pebbles & skim milk (cleaning out pantry is part of my holiday binging.)
POST RUN
strawberry-banana smoothie, poached egg, ham, English muffin & apple pie
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
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