The Green Monster

Doesn't that just look yummy? What is it you ask? It's a green smoothie, aka a green monster.

What's in it? Standard smoothie fare: fruit such as pineapple, banana, strawberry, and/or blueberries. Soy milk (or regular moo-milk if you like), maybe some peanut or almond butter, and some sugar.

What makes it green? Spinach. Or Kale, or chard, but spinach is the best.

I know, I know you're probably thinking: WTF? You drink that? We do, and in fact they've become a morning staple. They don't taste any different than a regular smoothie, provide just about your daily recommendation of fruits and veggies and seem to stick with ya in a good way. Just another way to eat a little cleaner and put all the yummy greens from our CSA to a good use.

New Addition

On Friday, June 5, 2009, I bid farewell to a constant in my life. I mentioned here that I gave my Saturn to my niece as a graduation gift and with that gift I gave her the only car I've ever owned - bought it right after I finished grad school and it's been with me the last 12 years. Those 12 years included a cross country move (me, Tonya, our cat, and enough stuff to make it a few months) that provided good memories and some really good stories. It had license plates from Tennessee, Oregon, and Michigan and now it's probably in the hands of it's last driver - I'm thinking she'll get at least 5-6 more good years out of it.

So that left us with the dilemma of what to replace it with....'cause as much as we'd like to, us being a one car family isn't quite as easy as it sounds on paper.

Drum roll please.....here it is:

yep, a 2009 Ford Escape, so I guess that officially makes us a Ford family considering we already have the Explorer.

Not That Long Left

21 days until the PNW...and yes, the excitement is starting to build!

Weekend Recap

1. I forgot how much it sucks to spend 5.5 hours in a car driving to Ohio by yourself.

2. I forgot just how cramped my Saturn was.

3. I got to make my niece very, very, very happy.

4. Spent some time with my parents - always a plus.

5. I got to see some people from high school that I haven't seen in a long time. Fun time.

6. T and I are a one car family for awhile.

There ya go, that was the weekend in a nutshell. Bottom line is this: we sold my Saturn to my sister and then proceeded to give it to my niece, who is starting college in the fall - man, do I feel old now. The look of surprise/joy/freedom on her face Friday when she opened the box with the keys in it was phenomenal and worth every minute of the boring, uncomfortable drive on Thursday afternoon.

Road Trip!!!!

Heading to Cincinnati in about an hour.  Get to see all the family while helping my niece celebrate her high school graduation.

Then we get to hang out with some people from high school (most of which I haven't seen in oh, 8-18 years) which could go either way.  No, it will be a fun time.

Okay...the road is calling.  Check back in on Monday or Tuesday.

Not All Fun and Games

Erin - just so you don't feel bad, I'm also currently making my way through these:

The Association of Scapular Kinematics and Glenohumeral Joint Pathologies, JOSPT

Current Concepts in the Scientific and Clinical Rationale Behind Exercises for the Glenohumeral and Scapulothoracic Musculature, JOSPT

Acute Management of the Cervical Spine-Injured Athlete, JAT (the newly updated NATA position statement)

Clinical Examination of the Hip Joint in Athletes, Journal of Sport Rehab

Hip-Muscle Activation During the Lunge, Single-Leg Squat, and Step-Up-and-Over Exercises, Journal of Sport Rehab

Ballistic Abdominal Exercises:  Muscle Activation Patterns During Three Activities Along the Stability/Mobility Continuum, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research

Summer Reading

I can remember when I was kid (probably age 10-14 or so) the public library sponsoring a summer reading program.  You know what I'm talking about - you would keep track of the books you read over the summer and not that it was a competition, but you'd see who would read the most during your summer vacation.

Yes, first and foremost I must admit that I was one of those kids who actively read during summer vacation.

Well, I'm doing it on my own this summer.  I'm going to keep track of all the books I read (or re-read) this summer and keep a running total here on my blog.

So far this summer I've read (and this is really just the month of May):

Once A Runner - John L. Parker

The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University - Kevin Roose

Marathon Woman:  Running the Race to Revolutionize Women's Sports - Kathrine Switzer

Personal Record:  A Love Affair with Running - Rachel Toor

Okay, yeah there's a theme there, but that's four and counting.

Three more are in the queue, but I'm trying to save one of those for the trip out west.  Not sure if it will happen.

And I'd love to see what, and how much, those 2-3 people who check in here are reading.

Finished Product

Here it is...finished. Finally.


A close-up that hopefully shows off the fine details he added on the face/hands at the end.


Hopefully the scale of her comes through in this photo. The most frequent comment I've gotten from people who have only seen pictures is that the scale is hard to pick up on in photos.

Milestones

I ran 4 miles on Saturday with Tonya.  Felt great.  My hip is about 90% now, so all the pain of ART was worth it.

Those 4 miles were pretty important though for another reason.

I started taking running seriously in the summer of 2004, July to be exact, after I ran the Butte To Butte 10k in Eugene.  I also started logging miles run then and just under 4 years later I hit 4000 miles on Saturday.  I'm still way behind my mileage goal for this year, but that's what injury and setback after setback will do to you.

Then I ran 6 miles yesterday.  First time I've run back-to-back days in since March.  So that's milestone #2.  Just hoping the string continues today when I head out in a few minutes.

Uh, I May Have a Problem

I've been told I'm not allowed to criticize/poke fun at/mention T ever having a lot shoes anymore.

Why?  Because of this photo...

These are my current running shoes.

From the left I have:

Nike Air Pegasus 25 - 447 miles (purchased July 2008)

Nike LunarTrainer - 374 miles (purchased July 2008)

Nike LunarTrainer - 106 miles (purchased Feb 2009)

Nike Air Pegasus 25 - 5 miles (purchased April 2009)

Not pictured are all of the dead running shoes that in the garage for cutting the grass, etc.

Like I said, I may have a problem.

Two Months

Two months.

61 days.

Just a blink of an eye until we get the chance to feel at home.

Miracles of Medicine?

I had a grueling ART session on my right hip yesterday...it's a really good thing that treatment technique works because good lord it hurts.  The hip does feel better - not a 100% yet but definitely improved.

However, I think I finally figured out what the underlying cause of my hip problem is last night.  My right foot.  I think I've mentioned it before on here but it's been bothering me pretty consistently since about February.  I talked to my live-in-health-care-provider last night and she and I agreed that my cuboid might be displaced.  So she mobilized it.  I think it was the second attempt that I felt a nice little "click-pop" as it went back to where it was supposed to be.  Since then, no pain/discomfort/locking feeling/anything in my foot.

4.17 miles this morning in 44:08 (10:36 avg/mile, 148 avg HR, 163 peak HR).  I ran the flat as a pancake 4 mile route.  Again I plan on using this week to just see where I'm at fitness wise, but today's run was really enjoyable.  No discomfort/pain in my foot and significantly less in my hip.

Is that the on-ramp for the road to recovery I see ahead?

Benchmark

4.15 miles today on the normal hilly route, 43:50, 156 avg HR, 174 peak HR, 10:34 pace.  I used today as a baseline run - no pushing the pace at all, just running easy - so that I can use the data as a way to gauge my progress over the next few weeks.  I also used today's run as a chance to get elevation data on said hills so I can choose the appropriate one for the hill sprints that I'll be incorporating this next training cycle (thanks to the Hudson book).

Then I came home and finished the workout with about 15 minutes of core/general strength and some stretching.  Oh, and I did a nice 10 minute warm-up before I headed out for my run.  Same stuff I've got some of my injured-nicked-athletes doing.

Now I'm off to work the last baseball game of the year.

ctl-alt-del...Vulcan Death Grip...Reboot

Today was a fresh start.  I ran 4 wonderful miles with T this morning.  Okay, wonderful psychologically, the hip was a bit achy, but I'm working on that, more later, but the weather was perfect, I was running with my favorite person in the world and we were out in the world before the world really started it's day.

No more worrying about the last race or how far I'm behind my mileage goal for the year (okay I'm still thinking about that a little) I'm looking forward.  I've plotted out a running/race schedule for the summer/fall and I'm addressing some supplemental things like core, general strength, flexibility as I get everything healthy and ready to go to start that training plan.

So, I'm hoping to be posting a bit more regularly on here just how my runs/workouts pan out.

Today's stats:  4.14 miles in 46:55 (11:21 avg pace).

Better Late Than Never

Glass City Marathon...the marathon that wasn't.

Short Version - DNF.  Did.  Not.  Finish.

Longer Version:

In October I made a commitment to this marathon because a friend was planning on running her second marathon.  Just happens that she lives 3 blocks from mile 21-ish of the course for the Glass City Marathon.  It would be perfect for her (she has some real life things to deal with that complicates undertaking such an endeavor) and since she's someone I like running with I told her that I'd run with her - she could pick the distance, half or full.

T and I spent the weekend with her, the rest of her family, and a host of friends.  Best pre-race dinner I've ever had (thanks again Kath and Brian!!!!) at her house the night before.  It was nice not to have to rush and get ready to only stand around for 45-60 minutes at the start line.

T, and another friend were running the half so they were dropped off at the start of that race (at the 13.1 point of the full course) and Kath and I made our way downtown, parked and started towards the start line...okay, so we were running a few minutes late but still I wasn't expecting what happened next.

We arrived at the hotel (the starting line was directly outside of it) to meet some friends...went up to their room and she wasn't there...went back to the front desk and retrieved the key she left.  Dropped off some stuff for after the race, used the bathroom one last time.  Arrived in the lobby, hooked back up with Kath, dropped the key off at the front desk and headed out to the start.  Neglected to notice that the door I tried to exit through wasn't a door, but a window.  Loud thump as the window stopped my progress.  I saw some heads turn, and heard some laughs, but hell I deserved it.

Made it outside only to discover that we missed the start.  Head to what we thought was the start only to find out it was behind us.  Turned around and headed to the start.  By the time we "started" the race we were 9 minutes behind everyone.

Hit the starting line on the street, started my garmin and we were on our way.  Only we had to make it through the people that were running the 5k.  Up on the sidewalk, past the motorcycle escort and continued on our way.  We got some interesting looks from the police holding traffic back, yeah we knew we were behind everyone.  About 5-6 minutes later all the 5k people started passing us.  Finally made it to the point were we turned and left the 5k folks behind.  We think the police (or someone) radioed ahead to let the people know there were two more marathoners coming because as soon as we got to the high level bridge in town and turned on it, the sag wagon fell in behind us and they opened the bridge to traffic.  Great photo of this below.

It was on the bridge that we finally saw some other marathoners.  Made it over the bridge and as we turned onto the road by the Maumee River it felt like someone turned the fan blowing hot air on in our faces.  Did I mention that the time of day was 8:45 a.m. and the temp was 80F?  Yeah.  Fun.

Passed our first runner around mile 7 (he was running the relay) and we were finally able to ditch the sag wagon.  It was about this point that I started to think "I'm not having a lot of fun right now" and started to slow down.  Kath moved ahead of me sometime around mile 9 but I managed to catch up with her at the 2nd relay zone - she was talking to a couple friends of ours - and we set off again.

Did I mention it was really hot?  I had some stomach issues between mile 10-12, nothing too serious but I felt like I was gonna throw up (which has never happened on run/race).  We stopped right around mile 12 because Kath's sister was waiting for us with some water and food for Kath.  I think it was at this point that we both started thinking "today ain't our day".  I noticed Kath seemed a bit "off" but didn't say anything.  Hell I probably seemed "off" too.  Had my second bout of I'm-gonna-throw-up right after stopping.  But we kept going.

Hit a water stop right before the halfway point and I knew things weren't good when Kath went to thank the young man for the water and some gibberishy words came out.  We both sort of looked at each other and knew the day was done.  So we stepped off the course and walked about 1.5 miles up on the course where her husband was waiting for us and went home.

And I don't regret it at all.

Now, keep in mind what my profession is (for those of you who know):  I'm convinced had we kept going there was a trip to the med tent and possibly the hospital for one or both of us.

We did the smart thing.  Thing is, a friend of ours was also running the full.  She stepped off the course at mile 15.5 for the same reasons.

So that's how it became the marathon that wasn't.

On the bright side of things:  T ran a 2:25:something HM, which was only about 1-2 minutes off her PR.  On a really hot, shitty day she ran well, and I'm proud of her.

Soundtrack

I've been purchasing random music from the iTunes store lately.  Some upbeat, some slow, some in between but they all hit me in a unique and different way.

Here's some of the most recent to move me:

Watchmen Soundtrack - loved the movie, and the mix of songs...especially The Times They Are A-Changin'

River of Deceit - Layne Staley's voice is incredible and unmistakeable.  Another creative force lost.

Lullaby - Shawn Mullins...another voice that just hits ya between the eyes.

Hallelujah - previously had the Leonard Cohen version and got it a second time with Watchmen, but today purchased probably the best version I've ever heard of it, by Jeff Buckley.  Haunting.

So why post this?  Things like this upcoming weekend get me thinking a little more, how should I put it?  I'm compiling the soundtrack for my life.  One song, one artist at a time.

The Hay's In The Barn

Big day coming up on Sunday.  Running marathon #3.  Of the three that I've trained for, this one is by far the one that I feel the most under-prepared for going in to it.  But, like the title of this post says, not much I can do about that now.  Just gotta learn from this experience and hope I don't do damage to myself along the way.

The problems this time around have been varied:  lack of motivation, poor weather conditions to run in, lingering, nagging injuries (that I think I finally have beaten into submission), an inability to stop shoveling food into my gob, and work stress just to mention a few.

No matter what though Sunday will be a learning experience.  I just hope it doesn't hurt too much while it is imparting that knowledge to me.

Progress

Not quite done yet - still some fine details around her face to finish, but all of her has been colored.

Randomness

Here are some things that were bouncing around my head on my run this morning, in no particular order of appearance or importance:

• The citizens of Grand Rapids are lazy arses. We have choices as to what garbage pick-up service we use, private companies or the city. T and I use the city. What we don't have to pay for is recycling. All you have to do is go by the sanitation department and pick up the recycling bins. Free 'o charge recycling service. I ran by a house today that used a company besides the city for their trash. 80%+ of the stuff at the curb was easily recyclable. I don't care what your political affiliation is, get off your lazy ass and recycle.
• Why is there such a dislike (almost used the word hatred but thought better of it) of Nike in the running community? See this thread on runnersworld.com's forum. Talk about snark-central. Maybe I'm biased the other way (I wear nikes. They feet my feet really well because they're built on a low volume last and my foot is low volume.) but it seems to me that you're not a real runner unless you wear asics, or mizuno, or something else. I think it's a personal preference and we're all free to choose, but stop running down a company for trying to be innovative. And stop bashing a company that helped introduce running to the general population. If you know the history of the company you know that it was through Blue Ribbon Sports that asics got their foot in the door of the running shoe market.
• It was beautiful out today. No wind. Why can't it be like that when I have a baseball game to work.
• I'm feeling under prepared for the marathon.

The most important thing about today's run? I almost didn't run. I was sitting on the couch watching old episodes of "The West Wing" on bravo and came very close to not running. But I got up, got dressed and headed out the door. About .25 of a mile into my run I realized that I wanted to run today. I wanted to run not because I felt obligated due to a goal race quickly approaching or because I'm beholden to a training plan. I wanted to run because I wanted to be outside and I wanted to run. It was that feeling that made today's run great, the fact that the run felt good and the weather was nice was just icing on the cake.

Bogged Down

Work is just sucking the energy right out of me these days. Seven hours on your feet at a baseball doubleheader is draining (and we're playing at the 2-3 days a week at home) plus with only a month left in all the spring sport seasons anxiety/tension is high for all the injured kids and coaches. And it's taking a toll on me unlike it has the last 2 years and the area that is suffering?

My running. I'm having trouble mustering up the energy to run in the morning because it seems like no matter how many hours of sleep I get I wake up tired. I'm having trouble finding the motivation and energy to run when I get home from work (around 6 pm on a good day).

I'm hoping to make some progress this week though. I'm not focusing on when I get my miles in, and to some extent during the week not worrying about how many miles each day since I have my last 20 miler on Sunday, I'm just focusing on running.

I'm going back to a philosophy/mantra that worked for me in the past, and I'm not sure why I abandoned it, that came from a simple phrase a friend said to me: run your plan. So this week my plan is to run 4-5 days and get my 20 miler in on Sunday. I'm not gonna be concerned about paces, number of miles, what days I run during the week, my only focus is 4-5 (probably 4 at this point) days of running, run 20 on Sunday. The statistics will be what they will be because I'm bogged down right now and I need to do what ever it takes to find some traction.

Well That's Not Gonna Happen

Considering that I just got up and moving about an hour ago, 17 miles ain't happening today since I have to be somewhere at 1:30 pm today.

I'll get some miles in and depending on what the weather does (forecast calls for 1-3" of snow overnight tonight and in to tomorrow probably preventing the baseball games from being played) might be able to get my long run in tomorrow.

Really Living Life

Here's my spectacular Friday night plans:

Fix appropriate pre-long run dinner - check
Struggle to stay awake to watch the basketball games - check
Get everything ready for long run (17 miles) tomorrow - check

Fun times, eh?

Jealous

I dropped T off at the airport early this morning. She is traveling to speak at a conference. The Northwest Athletic Trainers' Association meeting.

In Seaside, OR.

Damn baseball home games preventing me from going.

Morning

I'm happy to report that I was able to watch the sun peek over the rooftops of the houses on my run this morning. That means that I was out the door on my run around 8:00-8:15 this morning. I've always enjoyed running in the morning. It's too easy for me to come up with excuses to not run at the end of my day, so my goal this week is to get all of my runs done before I have to be at work.

So one day down.

Now, keep in mind that today I don't have to be at work until noon, so getting up and being out there at 8 is pretty good. Not as early as Maria, but still an accomplishment.

Time Flies

Didn't realize it had been almost two weeks since I posted anything on here, but now that spring sports are in full swing (even if the weather is very un-spring sport-like, an aside: the baseball team (my primary responsibility in the spring) played a game on Thursday and the thermometer never got above 38F. Those are great conditions to spend 4.5 hours outside.) my free time is a bit less free and greatly reduced.

The only thing I really have to report is that my spring marathon is now only 5 weeks away. The good news is that my 21.28, and just ask someone else who has run more than 20 miles just how much that 0.28 matters, went great. Yes I had to take a couple of walk breaks, but I'll probably do that in the race itself, but I felt pretty good in the last couple of miles - no drop off in pace - and with 5 weeks left I can still make some much needed gains in fitness. The not so good news is that my schedule is all jacked up from here on to race day with games, etc - I'm keeping my fingers that dry weather prevails over the coming weeks so the schedule will stay what it is and not be completely rearranged - so my training schedule will need to be in pencil, not ink.

Oh, and Saturday is a big day. Adding the color to the latest addition.

Who Watches...

Disclaimer: First and foremost, I am an avowed comic book nerd/geek/aficionado so please keep that in mind as you read this post. I make this disclosure to make you aware of any bias you might infer.

T and I did something unusual for us last night. We went to the movies. On a week night. After the matinee prices expired. Oh, and we paid full price to see the movie in IMAX. I'm glad we did. We saw, what I consider one of the best films I've seen in a long time and that has nothing to do with its subject matter or source material.

What did we see? Watchmen.

Now, go back and read the disclaimer again just for shits and giggles before you proceed.

I've never read the comic series/graphic novel (but I will shortly!) so my opinion isn't based on how well the story mirrored the comic, but I've been looking forward to this movie ever since we saw the trailer with The Dark Knight, and I wasn't disappointed. It is about much, much more than superheroes...in fact I think it's a stinging commentary on humanity in general. The characters are a real as they can be - yeah, they dress up in costumes to fight villains but when was the last time you saw a superhero unable to get it up unless they were in costume? - and have problems and inner demons and agendas to deal with. Yes, there are some very gory, graphic scenes that at times can be disturbing but it also peels back the veneer of the characters to show us those psychological scars that result from their time in costume and what the world has done to them.

It's a dark movie, but at the same time it draws you in and doesn't let you go. It keeps you riveted to your seat wondering what will happen next and at no point do you feel like "come on pick up the pace, get to the end".

The only bad thing about this movie? The chances of it seeing the award recognition that it deserves (I truly think it would deserve consideration for things like best picture, best director, best adapted screen play) is nil.

Bottom line if you're hesitating seeing this movie because you've had your fill of campy-men-in-costume-superhero-films put that notion out of your head. This movie is not that. It's more of traditional film noir, than it is a superhero movie.

Put it this way - over dinner last night after the movie, I looked at T and our friend who went with us and said "I'd pay to see that on the big screen again," and seriously is there a bigger endorsement than that?

As Requested

Sorry it took me so long to get this posted Lori...

Clarification

Since my post "Maybe..." I've had a discussion or two about places we want to live with people, and I've had a few questions concerning why I consider Oregon home, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to explain.

I have been a gypsy, for the most part, my entire adult life. Even if you factor in the four years in Oxford, Ohio, for undergrad the most time I've ever spent in one location is four years. That's right, since the age of 18 (that's 18 years if you do the math) I've lived in Ohio (4 years), Alabama (2 years), Tennessee (5 years - but 2 years in Pulaski and 3 years in Murfreesboro), Oregon (4 years), and now Michigan (3/4 of the way through year 3) and I've held 5 jobs not counting undergrad and grad school. I truly am a product of where I grew up. T gives me shit on a regular basis about the blue-collar-work-ethic that prevents me from calling in sick and taking mental health days from work, and she's right. It's a product of where I grew up and the example of going to work every day to provide for your family that I saw that instilled that in me. Mea culpa.

But, of all those places I've lived the only place I've felt like I've belonged has been Oregon. Way back in July of 2001 T and I took our only vacation to date. That summer we went to see her mother in Seattle, rented a car and travelled to Eugene. The week we spent there was amazing. I can still, to this day, remember at one point her mother looking at me - she probably noticed the goofy grin on my face - and saying "Kevin, you're a Pacific Northwesterner at heart...you just weren't born here." Two years later we moved there and my life really hasn't been the same since. Last summer when we were in Seattle for a quick visit it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders the minute we stepped off the airplane.

Friends came easier there...the things T and I enjoy doing in our free time flourish there...there are remote mountains, urban city life, an ocean and everything between in the borders of that state. There's really, really good beer. Professionally I hit my stride.

Those of you reading this in Michigan (or anywhere else for that matter) please don't think I'm disparaging your beloved mitten. I'm not. It too is a beautiful place with its own unique appeal. To you it is home, but for me it's just another place I've lived. A place that at some point I'll leave, hopefully to head back home.

Yep, you heard me. We've (okay I'm the one who suggested putting a timeline on it) got a 9 year plan. That amount of time will put me at 45 years old and I'm going on the record here and now: by age 45 our goal is to be living back in the pacific northwest, and ideally Oregon.

A guy has to have dreams, right?

That Time Again...

This is the next addition.  Halfway finished.

Maybe...

Today has been a good day.  Hell, this week has been a good week!

• Had a friend, V over for dinner last night.  Good company, good conversation, great food.  She brought her chocolate lab with her.  Everyone, including the pooch had a fabulous time.
• T and I have decided to take a vacation.  An actual vacation where we go somewhere and do something fun.  No continuing education meeting.  No races to run.  Idea for this was planted Friday night at dinner with a bigger group of friends.
• Looks like we'll have company on said vacation.  V, at least, is joining us.
• I had a great run today.  More on that later.

So, this vacation (as you can see the counter over on the right) has gotten T and I really excited.  It truly has become the light at the end of the tunnel for me since we decided to do it Monday night.  Where might we be going you ask?

Home.  

Yep, you heard me correctly, home.  We're going back to the PNW for just over a week.  Enough time to see T's Mom in Seattle for a few days and to spend some time back in Oregon.

Today's run was just what I've been needing.  As each mile ticked off it seemed as if a little bit more of the emotional baggage life has added to me lately just started falling by the wayside and it became easier and easier to run.  Maybe, just maybe, my running mojo (which just so happens to be a huge source for all of my mojo) might be returning.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

For The Record

I hate Wednesdays in January and February. Loathe them.

Why?

Well, I'm not a fan of 12 hour days. Wednesdays in January and February mean 8:30 a.m. - noon baseball practice, followed by the middle distance runners workout (usually around 2 p.m.), followed by track practice at 3:15 p.m. The really fun part is Wednesday happens to be basketball game day as well.

Now I only have to be here for the home games, but it seems like every Wednesday we've played at home. I cover the women's games that start at 6 p.m. if there is a double header or 7:30 p.m. if it's just them. Usually takes about 1:45-2 hours to play the game.

Makes for long days. But, at least basketball season is almost finished. Just need to make it to spring break in 3 weeks.

Could It Be That Simple?

First of all, to answer your question Cindi:

I'm still using Pfitzinger's 55 mile per week, 18 week plan (from the first edition of Advanced Marathoning) with some modifications.  My previous post showed how I'm switching the days of the week around and I've also switched some of the quality works based on this article.  I've taken the lactate threshold work and moved it into the last phase/mesocyle and moved the VO2 max-interval work into this phase/mesocycle.  Keep checking here for how it is going.

So how is it going you're probably asking?  Great.  Today's run was supposed to be 10 miles with 5x1000m at 5k pace with 2 minutes recovery.  I only managed 7.5 miles and the 5x1000m.  I was running on the indoor track at school.  1 mile = 9 laps.  Yep, I ran 68 laps around that damn thing today.  Hit my time on every one of those 1000m segments and got all 5 of 'em in a total time of 24:35.  Which just happens to be 48 seconds faster than my 5k PR time (long story:  my 5k PR is soft.)

But the question I really want to answer is the one in the title to this post:

I got to work early to get my run done.  I had to take stuff to shower and clothes for the day.  I didn't have time to take a lunch so I had to make a trip during the day.  I had the normal number of athletes needing to see me (with some new ones thrown in for good measure).  Work has been stressful here lately.  But today?  Not so much.  Mood was better.  Attitude was better.  Why?  My conclusion?

Because I ran.  Could it be that simple?  I think it might just be.

Change of Schedule

After much contemplation (or wasting time) I've decided to change up my running plan/schedule.  I know, I know, I'm 6 weeks into the training plan for Toledo and only have 12 weeks until race day but I'm not having a lot of success with the current schedule because it conflicts mightily with my work schedule.  It's too late (and too much food and beer yesterday) to make the change this week so I sat down and plotted out the next four weeks.  It now looks like this:

Monday - easy/recovery run

Tuesday - quality workout (intervals/tempo run)

Wednesday - OFF

Thursday - easy

Friday - OFF

Saturday - easy

Sunday - long run

Wednesday and Friday were the problems because I have to be at work earlier on those days - 8 am on Wednesday and 10:30 am on Friday so it leaves me less time to get my run in.  Wednesday it was damn near impossible and I always felt rushed on Friday (no comments from you people with regular jobs okay?  'cause this time of the year my Wednesday goes from 8 am until around 9 pm).

With these changes, and the fact that the weather is actually supposed to warm up this week I think I'll stand a better chance of success.  I'd better be successful because 12 weeks ain't that long.

Not As Bad As I Thought

I was pleasantly surprised to see my mileage numbers for January.  116.  While I was slogging through the month I felt very much like Sisyphus.  Missed a few runs (okay, more than a few) but at the end of the month things started to come together.  I had a great run outside on Wednesday, yes outside, and the sun was even shining.  Then being the geek at heart that I am, I looked at January 2008's total.  122.  Only six fewer miles.  Not too shabby...as long as the boulder doesn't kill me the next time it rolls down hill.

Obstacles and Excuses

I just want to state for the record:  I f*cking hate snow.  Snow is wonderful in the mountains where you can ski, snowboard, or snowshoe.  Snow is beautiful if the amount of snow pack determines how much water, and maybe even electricity your co-op can produce in the spring/summer when it melts.  It's perfect for getting kids out of school occasionally for that wonderful experience of sledding if you have a hill big enough.  I love that kind of snow.

The kind that currently blankets the area, that's the kind I hate.  We've had snow on the ground since the first part of December.  Luckily it hasn't snowed in the last 10-14 days substantially, however the daytime high temp hasn't even approached the thawing point so none of the snow on the ground has melted.  Running outside in the cold I can handle, slipping and falling on my ass not so much.

I'm tired of running on the TM.  Really, really freakin' tired of running on the TM.  I even enjoyed the run I did last week on the indoor track (9 laps = 1 mile and I ran a total of 5 miles) going around in circles more than I have running on the TM lately.

Combine all of the above I-hate-the-current-conditions-funk with real life getting in my way it would be an understatement of epic proportions to say I've had a craptastic week of running.

What do I mean by real life getting in the way?

• crappy days at work, be it you or your spouse or your friends that require company to commiserate with and beers
• said beers leading to horrible nights of sleep - or if you want to be technical you might be able to call it passing out
• having to work all day after the aforementioned crappy night of sleep, and being hungover
• deciding to consume approximately three days worth of crappy food in one day

Some of those were bad decisions on my part and some were things beyond my control, but they all converged to throw a giant monkey-wrench into my plans.

I just need to learn to make better decisions at certain times and to stop sabotaging myself.  'Cause Toledo is only 13 weeks away.

Inspiration

It's that time of year again folks. Every 24 Hour Fitness, Gold's Gym, and YMCA is filled to the brim with people chasing after that elusive creature that appears when the calendar flips over from December to January. You know what I'm talking about, New Year's Resolutions.

What does that have to do with inspiration you ask? Here's what...

People resolve to change their habits or lives and they choose January 1, as the day to start. Be it dire warnings from a health care provider or and example set by someone close to them that they want to emulate, that is inspiration and it comes in many, many forms.

Now, I'd like to state for the record that I'm not a fan of the whole resolution thing, but I do start each year with goals: run 1500 miles this year, get my weight down before the marathon in April, exercise better fiscal responsibility, etc, but I don't view those as resolutions.

However, I am taking some inspiration from some people. The last few months of 2008 I felt like I had no control over my schedule. I felt a day late and a dollar short all the time. I struggled to get my runs in, and in general felt over-freakin'-whelmed a lot of the time. So to take a quote from T, I'm taking action steps dammit!

I'm not making excuses anymore about not being able to get my runs in, 'cause we have a treadmill in the basement and if some friends of mine can do it, so can I. What is it (yeah, sometimes I ramble, but then I'm composing this at work and I keep getting interrupted) you ask?

I'm taking some of my inspiration from this friend. See the first line of the fourth paragraph about getting up at 4:30 a.m.? I'm not getting up that early, but a goal this year is to get all of my runs done before I go to work, even if I have to get up at 5:30, like today, in order to accomplish it. If she can do it, I can to...

So the whole point of this is that inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes. It could be the friend who gives up a successful career as an athletic trainer to go back to school because they feel that's where they can make the most difference. It could be the family member battling against that fucking disease cancer and trying to make the most of the life they have left. It could be the school teacher trying to reach the kids in their classroom. Hell, as far as I know I might even be the inspiration for someone.

The key thing though? It's not recognizing that inspiration is there, it's acting on it. So I am. Up early. Trying to learn new things that will allow me to make a bigger impact at work. Trying to just be a better version of me.

Memo

To:  All of the people who gave me crazy looks on my run today

From:  KP

I know, I know...I was a huge inconvenience to you by running in the street next to the curb in all of the space that is reserved for parked cars.  I know, if somehow you'd lost control of your car while you were a) lighting a cigarette, 2) talking on your cell phone, or III) eating and swerved 15 feet to the right you would have hit me.  Maybe.

I would love to run on the sidewalk, however until all of the goddamn lazy citizens of this fair West Michigan city see fit to clear the 3"+ of snow we got in the last 18 hours off their walks I'm going to take my chances with the cars that are 15 feet to my right and that I can see in order to avoid the ice that is lurking under the snow.

So there.  All I need now is the smiley giving the finger.

2008 Recap

Time for a little looking back on the year 2008 in running.  I know, I know exciting stuff.

For the year I ran 1344 miles which means I almost ran the equivalent of Grand Rapids to Salt Lake City, UT.  I was  just 10 miles short.

I averaged 25.7 miles per week.

My lightest week was 4 miles (Oct 27-Nov 4).

My highest week was 52 miles (April 28-May 4).

I averaged 112 miles per month.

My lightest month was 42 miles, November.

My highest month was 173 miles, April.

I increased my mileage by 19.7% over 2007 (you can see how my monthly totals look over the last few years in the chart up top) and I still managed to miss my goal of 1500 miles.  October and November killed me.

I ran the following races:

one 5k

one 10k - set a whopping new PR

one 8k

one 4 miler

one half marathon

and two marathons

...all in all a pretty damn good year running-wise.

A Little Background...

I often get quizzical looks when I tell people I went to college on a full scholarship. The looks are even more quizzical when I tell them I'm an Evans Scholar Alumni.

This article pretty much sums up what I went through in December of 1990***.

***edited to the correct year, 1990...simple typo.  It was December 1990.

A 26.2 Mile Journey Begins With a Single Step

Health Update:

Left hammie/glute are feeling much better after the second ART treatment.  Now that things are working like they are supposed to, the left leg is telling me I really need to strengthen it just a bit.  So I am trying.

Official Announcement

Training for the Glass City Marathon (Toledo, OH, 4/26/2009) began today.  Well, it officially kicked off yesterday but since that was a scheduled off day I thought I would announce it today.  I'm again venturing into this marathon training following the Pfitzinger 18 week, 55 mile plan.  So while the plan called for a week that looked like this:

Monday - Off

Tuesday - 7 miles with 10 strides

Wednesday - Off or cross training

Thursday - 9 miles

Friday - Off

Saturday - 4 miles

Sunday - 12 miles

I thought that easing back into it might be a bit more reasonable so I'm going with this:

Monday - Off

Tuesday - 5 miles (no strides, not sure how to do those on the TM)

Wednesday - 6 miles

Thursday - 5 miles

Friday - Off

Saturday - 4 miles

Sunday - 12 miles

And according to all available weather information it looks like I'll be running inside until maybe March.  There is currently approximately 18-20" of snow on the ground (so far Grand Rapids in just December has received over 40" of snow) and a nice mix of sleet/rain/ice coming Christmas eve.  Yay.

So wish me luck over the next 18 weeks and keep checking in to see how things progress.

But It's A Good Hurt

Remember this post?

Well off/on since then I've been having some left hip/glute/hamstring issues.  Finally broke down and decided to see someone about it, because it had gotten to the point that I was having to stop 5-6 times every run to stretch and then after the run I would have a lot of achy pain in that leg.

Had my first session of ART yesterday.  I did my research and it's legit.  Hell, if I could figure out a way for my employer to pay for the cost of the lower extremity course ($2190.00) I would attend one and acquire the certification/skill myself!

It took about 30 minutes for him to work on my glutes, adductors, and IT band and at one point I thought I offended him with my colorful language as he was digging into my glute/piriformis and asking me to move my leg.  But, the relief was almost immediate.  Driving home no discomfort that I normally get.  Sitting around the house last night no discomfort that I normally get.  My leg feels better today and I'm actually looking forward to my next appointment because I really think this is going to work and get me back running like I was last spring.

Yet Another One Has Past...

I started year #37 at 2:41 a.m. EST this morning. I actually looked that up too.

What a year #36 was...

I learned a lot about what truly makes up friendship.

I made some new friends, and there were some friendships that didn't make it.

I realized that none of us is getting any younger, and that scares me a bit.

I realized I need to work on making relationships better - including the relationships (or lack of one) with my siblings.

We bought our first house.

I ran two marathons.

I'm in a much better place starting this revolution around the sun than I was when I started the last one 366 days ago.

I've got good things on the horizon and I'm really looking forward to what year #37 holds for me, and the people I care about.

Speaking of people I care about - be you friend or family: Thank you for helping me be the best person I can. Without your presence and help, this journey wouldn't be possible, or nearly as much fun.

Breaking Tradition

I normally don't discuss things of a Christmas theme until later this week, but thought what the hell this would be fun to post.

From Kris's blog...also saw it on Maria's:

Holiday Meme

If you want to play along copy the questions on to your blog, post the answers, and then leave a comment here so I can go read yours.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper all the way.
   
2. Real tree or Artificial? I'm a purist.  Real trees and only real trees in this house.
   
3. When do you put up the tree? No earlier than December 11.
   
4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime before January 1.
   
5. Do you like eggnog? Not really - but like Maria, I think the taste improves tremendously when you add a bit of whiskey.
   
6. Favorite gift received as a child?  The ones that stand out are group gifts to all of us, like the Atari 2600.
   
7. Hardest person to buy for? Easy...Mom and Dad.
   
8. Easiest person to buy for? Tonya.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes.  It doesn't get displayed often, but we have one.
   
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Snail Mail.
    
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?  A leather wallet.
    
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Around November 1.
    
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Buckeyes.
16. Lights on the tree? Of course!
    
17. Favorite Christmas song?  Blues Traveler's Christmas...It is on A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 3
    
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay at home this year, but usually travel.
    
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Not sure if I could or not...haven't tried.
    
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Growing up, Angel...now?  Not sure.
    
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Again, purist/traditionalist here, Christmas morning.
    
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The blatant commercialization and the people who won't even acknowledge that Christmas is celebrated when it is might have something to do with a pagan holiday.
    
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Actually a light - Mom has some antique bubble lights she puts on their tree that are my favorite
    
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? If it's Christmas with my family - anything Mom makes.  If it's with Tonya's family - her mom's fudge.
    
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? To have friends and family around us to celebrate with.

Success!

Four run scheduled last week for a total of 16 miles.

Four runs completed last week for a total of 16 miles.

One day, one week at a time.

Only 20 weeks until the next big race.

It Only Took 865 Days

An interesting thing happened last night.  Something that happens with regularity for most people.

T and I had dinner with friends.  That's right, you heard me correctly, I said we had dinner with friends.  Plural.  More than one.  People that actually live in the same city that we can see/hang out with on a regular basis.

Finally after struggling to connect with people here in the mitten (you can page back through previous posts for the specific details) I think we've finally turned a corner.  In the last two months we've met people that are really fun, and evidently either the deal with the devil is working or they genuinely think we're fun as well.

Maybe there's hope for us yet?

Safe Haven

I had some time to kill today...see, I had to be at work from 10:30 until around 12:30-1, but then I had a break until 5 pm when I needed to be here for the game tonight. So I had lunch with a friend. Great conversation. I had an errand to run, but that would only occupy about 15 minutes tops. So I needed some place to kill about an hour or so...

I chose to go to a place I always feel at home in, and killing an hour isn't the problem - the problem is being able to pull myself out of there in just an hour. Where is this magical place?

A bookstore.

Just roaming the aisles, pulling the occassional book off the shelf and reading a few pages before moving on to the next item that caught my attention. Not feeling any pressure to buy - not that I'm allowed to buy anything for myself, house rule: no buying anything for yourself before you birthday - but just browsing, losing myself in the myriad options and escapes that are before me.

Okay....

Just finished 3 miles on the treadmill this morning and the amazing thing is that it didn't suck and I didn't feel like I was going to die.  Slowed the speed down and watched part of "Spirit of The Marathon" for inspiration and the amazing thing?  I ran those 3 miles continuously, which hasn't happened on the treadmill for me in a long time.

A word about my last post:

I was only lamenting the number of miles I ran in November because that was the fewest miles in a month I've had since July 2006 when we moved across the country and I couldn't run for two weeks, and because the only limiting factor last month was the lack of motivation, not injury.

And We're Finished With That

Last day of November today...not sure where the month went but it's on to December tomorrow.

Oh, and I'm hopeful that whatever robbed me of my motivation in November stays in November.

42...that's right, 42 miles.   What an impressive grand total of mileage for November.

I really, really hope December is better.

Worth A Thousand Words?

T and I before the Gobble Wobble Fun Run Thursday morning, and yes the hat got quite a few comments.

We Have A Winner...

nice job EC.

7 Weeks Will Do That To You...

Just looked at the calendar:  this is the 7th week since Chicago.  The 7th week that I've pretty much done nothing.  The last 7 weeks has seen all of that fitness I had over the summer vanish like a virgin on prom night (bonus points to anyone who recognizes the movie).

I ran 4.2 miles with T on Thursday in the Gobble Wobble fun run (no numbers, no timing) and it about freakin' killed me.  We ran with some new friends and I felt really bad because I know that T and I were the anchor that slowed them down.  Then today we went out for an easy 4 mile run - intentionally chose the flattest route we could and we still only managed 3.6 before we were both ready to throw in the towel.  Did I mention that my heart rate was over 160 at one point during today's run?  I haven't felt this out of shape or struggled this much running in awhile...

so long in fact that when I got home I pulled up my running log from 2007 to check something.  Yep, I haven't felt like this sine June of 2007 after running the HM at the Flying Pig and struggling in a 5k here.  I didn't start making progress that summer until I slowed down and actually built some aerobic base - running easy paced runs between 11:00-11:30 per mile.  Runs that felt like a complete and utter struggle.

Well, guess what?  I'm back there so I'm going to try the same strategy, because I need to do something different to try and get back into the swing of things.  Training for Toledo/Glass City (still not sure if it will be a full or a half) starts on 12/22.  Need to get my ass in gear.

Winter Wonderland

The first significant snowfall of the year hit yesterday.  Nothing more than 1.5" but it made for interesting driving conditions in the morning.  I just hope it melts and we can see what little greenery there is left before the true winter hits.

More importantly that 1.5" of snow on the ground meant that in the short term running, for me at least, was forced in doors due to the fact that not everyone is as diligent as we are about shoveling/clearing the sidewalk.

Three ugly miles on the treadmill.  Not that I'm surprised they were ugly - I've run a whopping 8 times for a grand total of 34 miles so far in the month of November - but it always takes me a few runs to get used to running on the treadmill again.  No matter how ugly the miles were, or how hard they felt (I'm not even thinking of posting my pace) the important thing was I wanted to run this morning which felt really good.

Long Day

The desire to run has resurfaced.

I finally completed all of my scheduled runs for the week, after many, many, many weeks of trying. I only ran 20 miles this week, but every one of those 20 miles felt good.

I ran today with T...and no matter what the pace may be when we run together, I love running with her. It gives us the chance to talk...or not talk and just be...together.

My mood has improved (even T commented on that today while we were running) and I'm finally starting to feel like myself again after Chicago. It's only taken a month.

Another good one

6.27 miles this morning.  Luckily the crappy weather hasn't hit yet so it was only cool and windy instead of snowy.  Felt good running...feels like I'm rounding back into form a bit more with each run.

Did my exercises as well so I'm good for the rest of the day - and thankful that I don't have to stand outside at a soccer game!

Rant

*****Warning, the following post is rated R due to explicit language*****

When I ask a goddamn "Yes"/"No" question do not answer: not really, sometimes, maybe, sort of, kind of, etc. I want you to say "Yes" or "No". I will then ask more questions.

Trend?

Easy workout this morning...just did my hip exercises and stretched.  No run.  Unfortunately today maybe the last decent day to run for awhile.  Forecast for the weekend and much of next week:  highs in the 30s and maybe an inch of snow before tomorrow.

Love the midwest weather.

Finally!

6.3 miles this morning, and finally a run that felt good.

Leg circuits and everything else after work and before the cleaning of the house begins tonight.  T's father and his wife are coming for a visit this weekend.

Next

Now that T is done with her latest addition I need to find the time to go see Jay about my next project.

I don't want to reveal too much, but this one will be a more traditional style pin-up. Hopefully I can have it done over Christmas when my work schedule isn't as hectic.

Oh, and the next time I decide to drink that much on a Tuesday night would someone please slap me.

Whoaaaa....

Too many beers last night to run this morning...

I did, however, do all the other things on my workout schedule, I just pushed the run back to tomorrow.

Don't Want To Jinx it...

Two days in a row.

4 easy miles which felt much easier than the run on Sunday.  My leg didn't bother me hardly at all and even the strengthening stuff afterwards felt easier.

Wow...imagine that, things actually paying off?

Workout? Check

Saw the Mrs. off to work and then got my workout done.  That fifth time through the leg circuits wasn't fun, but I did it.

Oh, and it snowed last night.  At least it's only on the grass and cars, but still...fucking hate snow.

Accountability

Ok...I know people read this (or at least they point Firefox/Safari/IE7 towards this, if they actually read it or not who knows) so I'm enlisting y'all to hold me accountable, because it's become evident that holding my own feet to the fire hasn't really worked out all that well the last 2-3 months.

So, here is my workout schedule for the coming week.  My plan is to do as much of it as possible in the morning before I go to work (that way it limits the amount of procrastination) and post on here that the day's workout has been completed.  It shouldn't take me more than 20-30 minutes to do everything besides the runs.  If you don't see something by noon, feel free to fire away with the comments indicating I'm a slacker.

Monday

Mini-band hip routine

Leg circuits - week #2 of the cycle.  5 circuits.

Core

Foam roll and flexibility

Tuesday

Hip exercises

Mini-band hip routine

Foam roll and flexibility

Running - 4 miles

Wednesday

Hip exercises

Mini-band hip routine

Foam roll and flexibility

Running - 6 miles

Thursday

Mini-band hip routine

Leg circuits

Core

Foam roll and flexibility

Friday

Hip exercises

Foam roll and flexibility

Saturday

Mini-band hip routine

Hip exercises

Core

Foam roll and flexibility

Running - 4 miles

Sunday

Mini-band hip routine

Foam roll and flexibility

Running - 6 miles

Total planned miles for the week = 20

Maybe?

I think I've found one of the things contributing to my crappy mood lately, my feeling of stress lately...

I haven't been running.

Viscious cycle: no motivation so I don't run, I don't run so it kills my mood/energy level, I'm in a crappy mood so I don't have any motivation to run.

Plus, by not running I'm missing my favorite time of the year...the cool-almost-cold, grey sky fall days.

Must do better this week. MUST.

Unbelievable

I am pleasantly shocked by three results from election day yesterday:

- the state of Michigan voted to approve the medical use of marijuana.

- then the state of Michigan also voted to allow stem cell research.

These decisions by the people of this state gives me hope for the mitten.

The big shocker to me though, and an action by voters that just reinforces that the people of the Pacific Northwest might actually be more with it than the rest of the nation...the state of Washington approved a death with dignity initiative  becoming the second state to allow terminally ill people to control the end of their days.

Okay...enough election stuff.

Three Words For You

Dear State of Michigan,

After waiting in line, filling out the appropriate paperwork, having to tell the lovely older lady volunteer that the address on my voter card did indeed match my drivers license (the state issued sticker was placed on the back per the instructions), then waiting to use one of the four voting machines - which I ponder, is it really a voting machine when all it is is privacy screen with a Bic ballpoint pen for me to use?  I actually got a giggle out of the sign in the voting booth "Only used provided special pen"  - I would like to suggest you take a cue from 33rd state to enter the Union and allow us to vote by mail.

Send me my ballot in the middle of October, I'll fill it out, put it in a sealed envelope and return it no later than election Tuesday.  No line.  No confusion.

Clean Slate

What a difference 48 hours makes...

Friday:  I got to experience Halloween in our neighborhood.  Probably 125-150 kids/teenagers/adults at the door.  Enough people that we ran out of candy (6 bags T bought) and had to resort to handing out individual bags of fruit pieces we got at Costco, and then ran out of them!  Best costume?  Kid who was maybe 8-10 years old dressed as skunk.  Hilarious.

Saturday:  a lovely day of no responsibility.  Spent the day with T - had a leisurely breakfast, went to the mall, browsed a book store for a good hour, had lunch and then just relaxed around the house.

Sunday:  repeat of Saturday except after reading the Sunday NY Times/coffee we went for a run.  Felt great even though T ran me into the ground.  Followed that up with some simple stuff around the house, grocery shopping, and a nice quiet dinner here at home.

We may not have accomplished much (I know I didn't touch the grading I've got to get done by tomorrow) but I don't really care.  It was probably the best weekend I've had in a long time simply because I got to spend it with T.

UPDATE

the most recent addition...for Chicago.

and a phenomenal t-shirt that T bought for me:

That's right...Save Second Base.  It's a breast cancer awareness t-shirt.  On the back it says "If You Love Them, Check Them".  A great cause to support. 

Under the weather...

Okay...it's the last day of October and wow, do I hope that November is better!

Running update:  uh, there really isn't one.  Ran a whopping 55 miles in October (and 26.2 of those were in Chicago) and I'm now 25 miles behind my goal of 1500 for the year.  Not sure if I can make that up or not, but we'll see.

Personal update:  wouldn't you know it but T brought home some sort of virus and now we're both feeling less than 100% - yet another reason I'm hoping November is better.

Lastly...Here is a link to one particular post of a blog I read (feel free to poke around and read her other stuff, it's quite entertaining!) that I think makes a pretty damn good point.

Not The Best Start

Tuesdays aren't a favorite here...T has an 8 am class which means a 5:30-5:45 am wake-up.  Normally I get up with her, but for some reason I stayed in bed this morning and forgot to set an alarm for me...

I'm not going to be late for work or anything but I didn't get my arse out of bed with enough time to run this morning.

Great way to start that new training plan.

If things go well today though I might make it home early enough to get the run in on the treadmill before dinner.  Maybe.

Forward

Regrouping is done.  Toledo, here I come.

I've got a plan in place and part of that plan is to address some holes in previous half marathon/marathon preparation attempts.

The real question is will it be like previous attempts or will this one truly be successful?

I'm hoping for the latter.

Closure

I've taken this past week off from running completely.  Zero miles.  Helped some people have a great weekend/race here in Grand Rapids, but besides that I have pretty much been a lazy slug since Chicago.

And it's what I needed.

I looked at my training log and I think I can safely say that a fall marathon was probably not my smartest move.  My training seemed off after Grandma's and I struggled to hit the same paces that I was cruising at before June.  Then I got sick which took another chunk out of my training.  I struggled all fall to get my feet back under me, plus I still haven't addressed some areas that will show dividends in if I improve in:  such as flexibility, core strength, etc, etc.

So I'm closing the books on a less than stellar few months and putting it behind me.  Time to look forward and build a solid foundation so I can get myself ready for the next big race.  What will that be?  I'm pretty sure I know when it will be, but not what distance yet.

A warm one...

The weekend started out great thanks to Oache’s hospitality – nice dinner once we got to the Chicago area and great beer, always great beer. 

Headed into downtown on Saturday to hit the expo and meet up with everyone else.  We managed to see our friend Jessica who was running her first marathon with Team In Training at the expo, snap a few quick pictures and then headed in to get my packet/goodie bag.  Holy big crowds in the Nike portion. 

Biggest challenge at the expo was figuring out how to get to the restaurant where we were meeting the rest of the 30s gang for dinner.  Managed to make it almost on time…fabulous food and great company.  We personally got to see Voodoo try and regain his Clydesdale status with one meal.  Said our good-byes and headed back to the train station to make our way back to the ‘burbs, only we had to wait for an hour for the next train.  Finally made it back to Casa Oache with enough time to get my stuff together and get some sleep. 

The train ride in to the city was uneventful and provided quite the opportunity for people watching.  We walked over to the hotel where the rest of the crew were staying and then headed over to the start area…Holy mass of humanity. 

It was interesting to see people next to us in the open corral with bib’s that indicated they were supposed to be way up ahead with the rest of the speedy folks.  It was also interesting to see the jackass sitting down in the middle of thousands of people – I know he was trying to stay off his feet, but how he didn’t get trampled as people tried to move forward is beyond me. 

Last words of encouragement were exchanged between Maria, her brother and sister, and I and then we were off… 

I missed the first mile marker but I felt pretty good.  Made sure not to go out too fast.  I followed the advice of Baggs and took a bottle of Gatorade with me and I’m really glad I did.  The first two water stops were a madhouse of people, plus the race was still congested from the start but I was able to somewhat navigate my way through – one guy cut in front of me so hard I actually stepped on the back of his leg and almost went down…about five strides later another person did the same thing but I was able to miss them.  I blurted out pretty loudly “SERIOUSLY?!?!” and a woman moving past me on the right looked around.  I said “not you” to her and her reply?  “I know, I saw the other guy as well!”  The one thing both of those asshats had in common?  Wearin’ their iPods. 

I was still making good progress through about mile 9-10.  I was starting to feel the heat though, and made the mistake of not drinking enough water at mile 10 when I took my second three shot blocks – all the Gatorade and the blocks, and the heat made my stomach less than 100%. 

I saw T, Brandy, and Maria’s family at mile 12-ish, stopped for a few minutes and then pushed on.  I crossed the halfway point in 2:18:56, well off the pace I’d hoped.  It was about this point that the sun really started bearing down on us.  I was doing the best I could but could tell that I’d need to slow down a bit more to make sure the wheels didn’t completely fall off. 

Around mile 16 I noticed that the “Moderate” warning level had been changed to “High”.  I walked a good portion of mile 17 then tried to push on from mile 18-20.  From there I pretty much alternated running a mile and walking a mile and I was trying to figure out in my head which miles to run/walk so that I’d run the last one in to the finish. 

As I approached mile 26 I got ready to push to the end.  See I wasn’t going to walk any of mile 26 for one reason:  the name on my bib.  As a tribute to duckgeek’s nephew who tragically lost his life last week I inscribed “Mitch #10” on my bib, and since the race didn’t put the runner’s name on it I only had “Mitch #10” on there…every time someone from the crowd or aid station would look at me and say “doing great Mitch!”, “going strong Mitch”, or “Almost there Mitch” it would push me on a bit more so there was no way I wasn’t going to finish simply because I wasn’t just running for me, but I was running for Mitch as well. 

About a half mile from the finish I saw T and Brandy again and they gave me the update on Baggs and Maria and then I pushed on to the finish. 

It wasn’t the day I’d hoped for, but the fact that I was able to persevere and finish is a big accomplishment. 

Thanks to everyone for the texts/emails/phone calls checking in…it meant a lot.

I'm planning on taking the next day or three and breaking down yesterday and my training leading up to it so expect to be bored with all of that.

Our tribute to Mitch...

2...

2 Days, 11 hours...

I've been trying to do this post for the last two days, but due to internet issue (damn Team in Training website) I wasn't able to get the link until now.

This webpage is for a friend of mine.  She's running Chicago this weekend and it will be her first marathon.  In and of itself that is a big deal...but what she is trying to accomplish is an even bigger deal.

I know times are tough but if you're reading this and your life has been touched by that goddamn scourge of cancer do what you're capable of...

it's touched us all in one way, shape, or form.  I'm really looking forward to watching her cross the finish line and join the club.

4...

Days to race day (well 4 days + 23 hours according to the website) and 4 miles this morning.

Perfect conditions this morning...great temp, nice sunrise, all in all a good run.

More incessant weather checking:

now the forecast is calling for a low of 60F overnight and a high of 77F on race day.  Uh, forecast people?  I liked yesterday's better.

5...

And it begins.  Just checked the weather for Chicago on Sunday.  Guarantee it won't be the last.

Currently www.accuweather.com says:

Saturday overnight low of 46F with a late shower possible.

Sunday high of 60F, rather cloudy with a bit of rain.

We'll see what it says tomorrow.

Time to make the lists.

6...

Things are steadily moving towards race day...was supposed to run my last double-digit run before the event today, but as for most of the week that uhm, didn't go according to plan.

I did run though, and like I told someone a few days ago, the hay is in the barn now.  I can only take away from my preparation in the last week, not really add to it, because as an astute Kickrunner friend mentioned not too long ago - there is no cramming in running.

I did get the chance to put the shirt I'm wearing on Sunday through a practice run and it is going to work perfectly.

Oh, and to those of you who struggled through the Twin Cities Marathon today (Brandy, Dom, and Cindi especially) great job...oh, and Cindi?  Welcome to the club.

8...

8 days and 15 hours as of right now (according to the Chicago Marathon website) until the race, and let me tell ya it's been a stellar week in KP-land.

Between real life getting in the way and a dark cloud of lethargy settling in over me it's really put a crimp in my running plans.

Look over to the right there...see that running log? Anything stand out? That's right! Even if I had gotten around to log the run I did on Wednesday then it would list one run this week. That's a taper alright.

The only positive thing right now is the shirt that I ordered arrived yesterday, so I'll be able to give it a test run on Sunday when I get my last double digit run in before the big day.

This weekend has to be better.