It’s been a slow recovery from this infection (strep/sinus/other?). Last weekend we had a blast at BC and Hope’s place in Louisville. Spent the night Friday, and Saturday took all the kids to the Louisville Science Center. I was feeling better by Friday, headaches and body aches had subsided. I still had a little throat pain and congestion, but didn’t let that keep me from the rare opportunity to run with a buddy.
I love that BC is running now. I came to his house and HE asked ME if we were going to run after putting the kids to bed. Of course I was prepared with my shoes and gear. He was due for a two miler that day on his 10k training schedule (Bowling Green Classic). An easy two miler was a great way to get back out during my recovery. We took it really easy on the out and picked up the pace by a minute on the way back.
BC doesn’t know it now, but one day we’ll be taking some long runs together. He’s making good progress, but he’s not interested in any distance longer than a 10k for now. That will change. I envision us going for 10 mile runs in the next year or so; in a couple years we’ll be running a ½ marathon together.
As my second step in recovery, I planned to run the 5k at Bob Roncker’s in Loveland Wednesday night. It’s a free 5k held every Weds night between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It’s an out and back on flat bike trail; about 100-150 people show up every week. They give out door prizes every week as well. Free race + prizes = win/win. Unfortunately I haven’t taken full advantage of it this year… last night was only my third race with only one more remaining this year.
The first two were in really hot weather (90+) and I finished in just over 24 mins for both. Although the weather wasn’t such a factor last night, I didn’t expect a good time since I’m still recovering with some chest and nasal congestion. All I wanted to do was have a good tempo out and have enough left to run the back half faster. Accomplished. I hit the turnaround at 12’35”… nothing to be excited about but I felt pretty good. I wasn’t hacking up a lung like I’d imagined. So I tried to hold the pace until I thought I was about a ½ mile from the finish. Then I was able to kick it up a notch by picking out a guy about 30 yards ahead of me. I gradually gained on him and we finished side by side in 24’46”. I was pretty happy with my finishing kick. I typically can only kick the last 20 yards or so, but I conserved more last night and was able to kick the final tenth.
A 24’46” time for a 5k is not very competitive, but I know I will get better. As the weather cools off and I get back to normal training, I will shoot for sub 23 before the year ends. I’m targeting the Apple Fest 5k in Lebanon on September 25th for my 5k PR.
So what’s worse than getting “Dust in the Wind” stuck in your head during a run? How about a radio jingle? “We can go to King’s Island, the aquarium too, there’re so many fun things to do. Let’s book a trip today, to Cincinnati USA!”
As I’m trying to channel my inner Pre last night, that was replaying in my head the entire final mile. It didn’t help. Thinking about tourism in Cincinnati doesn’t motivate me to run harder, it makes me want to eat a brat at a Reds game.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
This microphone smells like pastrami.
This blog is not as glamorous as I’d imagined.
I thought I’d be quitting my job by now and becoming a full time blogger. Runner’s World still hasn’t called to offer me a spot on their staff. As far as I know, the movie about my journey to blog superstardom isn’t in the works yet. Maybe the movie producers are just waiting for some more material. I can swing that.
If you’re listening producers, let’s talk about who will play me. I’d love to get Matt Damon. He’s intense, yet soft and sensitive all at once. But if we’re talking looks, I’m obviously more of a Ben Afflek. And I’ve been told I look like James Van Der Beek, so he’s a possibility as well, if he’s available.
Anywho… let’s talk running.
As if I needed another off week, I’m sick again. I had what I thought was a sinus infection or strep throat a week and a half ago. Regrettably I didn’t finish off the antibiotics, and I think whatever it was came back with a vengeance. Fever of 101-102 Monday night, headaches, body aches, weakness, congestion, and sore throat. I’ve gone back to the antibiotics and I plan to take them until they run out this time. With frequent Tylenol and Nyquil last night, I’m at 65-70% right now.
My next big race is the Columbus ½ Marathon on October 17th. That’s plenty of time to go out and run a ½ marathon; I’ve already got the endurance to run the distance. But to get myself prepped for a PR, I’ve got some work to do.
I haven’t been doing much speed work this summer and my only races have been a couple 5k’s in Loveland. My times for those were 24:13 and 24:10; they were at 6:30 in the evening and both in 90+ temps and lots of humidity. Very tough conditions so I’m okay with those times. But I haven’t run any longer races. All my long runs have been at a very easy pace, so I’m not sure what to expect as I approach my next ½ marathon.
Due to all the traveling and being sick twice now, I’ve got to really focus during September if I want to finish in under 1:50. (My first and only ½ marathon so far was the Cincinnati Flying Pig; finished in 1:53:05)
My goal of 1:50 is very attainable, considering the Columbus race is a much faster course than the Pig, and I should be more experienced by then. But I trained so much better during the winter than I have during this summer. I find it so much easier to run longer, faster, and more frequently in the winter. That is why I am tentatively planning to attempt my first full marathon in the spring.
To wrap things up here, I’ll put a question out to my millions and millions of readers: Who could play me (besides Damon, Afflek, or Van Der Beek) in “Imma Go Run” the movie?
I thought I’d be quitting my job by now and becoming a full time blogger. Runner’s World still hasn’t called to offer me a spot on their staff. As far as I know, the movie about my journey to blog superstardom isn’t in the works yet. Maybe the movie producers are just waiting for some more material. I can swing that.
If you’re listening producers, let’s talk about who will play me. I’d love to get Matt Damon. He’s intense, yet soft and sensitive all at once. But if we’re talking looks, I’m obviously more of a Ben Afflek. And I’ve been told I look like James Van Der Beek, so he’s a possibility as well, if he’s available.
Anywho… let’s talk running.
As if I needed another off week, I’m sick again. I had what I thought was a sinus infection or strep throat a week and a half ago. Regrettably I didn’t finish off the antibiotics, and I think whatever it was came back with a vengeance. Fever of 101-102 Monday night, headaches, body aches, weakness, congestion, and sore throat. I’ve gone back to the antibiotics and I plan to take them until they run out this time. With frequent Tylenol and Nyquil last night, I’m at 65-70% right now.
My next big race is the Columbus ½ Marathon on October 17th. That’s plenty of time to go out and run a ½ marathon; I’ve already got the endurance to run the distance. But to get myself prepped for a PR, I’ve got some work to do.
I haven’t been doing much speed work this summer and my only races have been a couple 5k’s in Loveland. My times for those were 24:13 and 24:10; they were at 6:30 in the evening and both in 90+ temps and lots of humidity. Very tough conditions so I’m okay with those times. But I haven’t run any longer races. All my long runs have been at a very easy pace, so I’m not sure what to expect as I approach my next ½ marathon.
Due to all the traveling and being sick twice now, I’ve got to really focus during September if I want to finish in under 1:50. (My first and only ½ marathon so far was the Cincinnati Flying Pig; finished in 1:53:05)
My goal of 1:50 is very attainable, considering the Columbus race is a much faster course than the Pig, and I should be more experienced by then. But I trained so much better during the winter than I have during this summer. I find it so much easier to run longer, faster, and more frequently in the winter. That is why I am tentatively planning to attempt my first full marathon in the spring.
To wrap things up here, I’ll put a question out to my millions and millions of readers: Who could play me (besides Damon, Afflek, or Van Der Beek) in “Imma Go Run” the movie?
Monday, August 16, 2010
“Them chickens jackin’ my style”
I read in a Runner’s World once that you’re not a true runner until you’ve gone two-sies during a run. Saturday night I became a true runner, x3.
My Dad gave me a couple of tips years ago:
1) Take TP on every long run.
2) If you don’t take TP with you, keep an eye out during the run for anything that you can use as TP.
This is one gem I never took to heart, but I do remain aware of the possibility. I can usually tell early in a run if I may need to make a pit stop, and if so I plan my route accordingly. I happen to know where a couple of port-o-lets have been strategically placed, close to downtown. This has been a handy piece of information to have, all three times. Does the fact that I haven’t had to go in the woods, or worse, make me less of a true runner? Or a smarter runner? I’d love some feedback on this one.
I ran eight miles Saturday night, with a 0.2 mile detour. I kept the pace pretty easy, in the upper nine minute range. My legs felt fatigued the entire time so I didn't push the pace. Hopefully two days of recovery will do some good and they’ll feel better in the morning.
It was a nice night for a run; scattered t-storms earlier in the day had cooled it off slightly. I love running in the rain when it's warm outside, but the next best thing is running after a rain on a warm day. Reason: wet leaves that overhang sidewalks. Instead of ducking under leaves and branches, just run your head through them and let the water cool you off. I take full advantage of wet trees during my post-rain runs; heck, I'll even smack a branch once in a while and give it a good shaking. But that really isn't worth the effort. The water just falls behind you unless you stop.
This does get dangerous at night, through. If you can't see the tree well you may get more contact with the branches than desired. So far I've been very fortunate.
10pts to the first to recognize the title! That’s the song I had in my head during Saturday night’s run.
My Dad gave me a couple of tips years ago:
1) Take TP on every long run.
2) If you don’t take TP with you, keep an eye out during the run for anything that you can use as TP.
This is one gem I never took to heart, but I do remain aware of the possibility. I can usually tell early in a run if I may need to make a pit stop, and if so I plan my route accordingly. I happen to know where a couple of port-o-lets have been strategically placed, close to downtown. This has been a handy piece of information to have, all three times. Does the fact that I haven’t had to go in the woods, or worse, make me less of a true runner? Or a smarter runner? I’d love some feedback on this one.
I ran eight miles Saturday night, with a 0.2 mile detour. I kept the pace pretty easy, in the upper nine minute range. My legs felt fatigued the entire time so I didn't push the pace. Hopefully two days of recovery will do some good and they’ll feel better in the morning.
It was a nice night for a run; scattered t-storms earlier in the day had cooled it off slightly. I love running in the rain when it's warm outside, but the next best thing is running after a rain on a warm day. Reason: wet leaves that overhang sidewalks. Instead of ducking under leaves and branches, just run your head through them and let the water cool you off. I take full advantage of wet trees during my post-rain runs; heck, I'll even smack a branch once in a while and give it a good shaking. But that really isn't worth the effort. The water just falls behind you unless you stop.
This does get dangerous at night, through. If you can't see the tree well you may get more contact with the branches than desired. So far I've been very fortunate.
10pts to the first to recognize the title! That’s the song I had in my head during Saturday night’s run.
Friday, August 13, 2010
"All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity..."
Name that song...
That's right! "Dust in the Wind" by the progressive rock band Kansas (I assume 90% of you knew that). Even my generation should know this 1977 classic. Even if you're not a classic rock listener you probably heard it sung by Will Ferrell in "Old School", at Blue's funeral. It's also been played in a Suburu commercial and episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy (Peter takes a conteplative walk around Quahog to consider if he should play a round of golf with OJ Simpson or not). It was referenced in "Cowboy" by Kid Rock, one of my personal favorites in high school. And who could forget when it was quoted in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (Ted speaking with Socrates)?
So I took a late run last night; left the house at 10:30 for a five miler. I couldn't believe how hot and humid it still felt. I'm not much of a sweater (maybe perspirer works better?), but last night I really did some serious sweating. My training has been really light lately, so I wanted to make sure I pushed the tempo a little and finished at a faster pace than I started. Running the second half at a faster pace is something I rarely do outside of a race situation, but I did it last night.
Running in that kind of heat and pushing myself that much, despite having eaten 1.5 hamburgers and 3 servings of pasta salad just a few hours before, called for a good fight song. I always have a song in my head while I run. I don't choose it; it comes to me. You'd think a good running song would be "Let's get it Started" by the Black Eyed Peas or "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. But no, for some reason "Dust in the Wind" was my companion for 5.3 miles last night. Not exactly motivating.
But as I ran through downtown Lebanon at 11 at night, down quiet, dimly lit streets and past creepy old houses, it began to feel oddly appropriate.
I didn't intend for this blog to get cheesy like that. I'm just always surprised at the weird songs that pop into my head during my runs.
My pace last night was about 8:45 out, and 8:35 back. Not too bad. I felt like I was working pretty hard; crazy to think that I ran a half marathon at that pace just a couple months back. The heat slows me down quite a bit. I love summer, but I am definitely looking forward to cool weather running. Back in the spring I could have comfortably run that 5.3 mile route at 8: 10 pace. That's not crazy fast, but it's pretty good for a newbie like me.
That's right! "Dust in the Wind" by the progressive rock band Kansas (I assume 90% of you knew that). Even my generation should know this 1977 classic. Even if you're not a classic rock listener you probably heard it sung by Will Ferrell in "Old School", at Blue's funeral. It's also been played in a Suburu commercial and episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy (Peter takes a conteplative walk around Quahog to consider if he should play a round of golf with OJ Simpson or not). It was referenced in "Cowboy" by Kid Rock, one of my personal favorites in high school. And who could forget when it was quoted in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (Ted speaking with Socrates)?
So I took a late run last night; left the house at 10:30 for a five miler. I couldn't believe how hot and humid it still felt. I'm not much of a sweater (maybe perspirer works better?), but last night I really did some serious sweating. My training has been really light lately, so I wanted to make sure I pushed the tempo a little and finished at a faster pace than I started. Running the second half at a faster pace is something I rarely do outside of a race situation, but I did it last night.
Running in that kind of heat and pushing myself that much, despite having eaten 1.5 hamburgers and 3 servings of pasta salad just a few hours before, called for a good fight song. I always have a song in my head while I run. I don't choose it; it comes to me. You'd think a good running song would be "Let's get it Started" by the Black Eyed Peas or "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor. But no, for some reason "Dust in the Wind" was my companion for 5.3 miles last night. Not exactly motivating.
But as I ran through downtown Lebanon at 11 at night, down quiet, dimly lit streets and past creepy old houses, it began to feel oddly appropriate.
I didn't intend for this blog to get cheesy like that. I'm just always surprised at the weird songs that pop into my head during my runs.
My pace last night was about 8:45 out, and 8:35 back. Not too bad. I felt like I was working pretty hard; crazy to think that I ran a half marathon at that pace just a couple months back. The heat slows me down quite a bit. I love summer, but I am definitely looking forward to cool weather running. Back in the spring I could have comfortably run that 5.3 mile route at 8: 10 pace. That's not crazy fast, but it's pretty good for a newbie like me.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
"Here we go..."
The title of this post is the most common phrase that passes through my mind as I take the first steps of a run, typically as I hit the start button on my watch, and step over the seam that runs down the middle of our driveway. Where my mind goes after that is different every day.
And so here I go, starting my first blog, a running journal. Since starting running in May of 2009, I haven’t had a real running journal. I did make a calendar for my first 10k training plan and jotted down notes on it, but that’s not the same. I tried keeping track in an old Runner’s World log my Mom found, but that wasn’t much fun. The only real documentation I have for the hundreds of miles I’ve put in so far (about 704 to date, booyah!) is an excel spreadsheet I’ve always kept on my computer at work.
Side note: I genuinely enjoy excel. I’m not the most knowledgeable excel user, but I get a lot of satisfaction out of it. There something gratifying about designing a useful spreadsheet or pivot table. In my new job I get to use it very frequently, and I’m learning lots of new tricks.
Back to running: so my running spreadsheet is simple. I keep a log of each run’s date/mileage/pace. I track miles per week, miles per month, and miles per pair of shoes. That way I know when I can justify getting my next pair! Only 175 miles until I lace up my new green Lunarglides, which I already bought since they were on clearance. They’re so bright; they remind me of little green space aliens. Hang on little buddies! I’ll get to ya!
So this is it, my running blog. I know it’s going to be a difficult read for 99.9% of the people that come across it. They’ll probably scroll down this long, dry post and decide to check out something more entertaining like my lovely wife’s blog (chillsfam.blogspot.com). I understand. My feelings won’t be hurt if none of my friends or family reads this. Truth is, this blog is mostly for my own benefit. If someone out there likes reading it, bonus, and let me know about it.
And so here I go, starting my first blog, a running journal. Since starting running in May of 2009, I haven’t had a real running journal. I did make a calendar for my first 10k training plan and jotted down notes on it, but that’s not the same. I tried keeping track in an old Runner’s World log my Mom found, but that wasn’t much fun. The only real documentation I have for the hundreds of miles I’ve put in so far (about 704 to date, booyah!) is an excel spreadsheet I’ve always kept on my computer at work.
Side note: I genuinely enjoy excel. I’m not the most knowledgeable excel user, but I get a lot of satisfaction out of it. There something gratifying about designing a useful spreadsheet or pivot table. In my new job I get to use it very frequently, and I’m learning lots of new tricks.
Back to running: so my running spreadsheet is simple. I keep a log of each run’s date/mileage/pace. I track miles per week, miles per month, and miles per pair of shoes. That way I know when I can justify getting my next pair! Only 175 miles until I lace up my new green Lunarglides, which I already bought since they were on clearance. They’re so bright; they remind me of little green space aliens. Hang on little buddies! I’ll get to ya!
So this is it, my running blog. I know it’s going to be a difficult read for 99.9% of the people that come across it. They’ll probably scroll down this long, dry post and decide to check out something more entertaining like my lovely wife’s blog (chillsfam.blogspot.com). I understand. My feelings won’t be hurt if none of my friends or family reads this. Truth is, this blog is mostly for my own benefit. If someone out there likes reading it, bonus, and let me know about it.
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