Finally back on the road....

I got in a nice 7 miles at lunch today. I kept up a respectable 7.47 pace and was happy with that. I was really happy when I found out that runningahead.com (the website I use to log my miles) now offers a direct upload from my Garmin.

The weather was really nice today. It was a little breezy, but not too bad. I considered stretching it out to a 10 miler, but I need to get back to work. I hope to get a long run in sometime this weekend. I want to make sure I stay on track for the Greer 1/2 marathon.

I did have a scary moment where someone was pulling out of their driveway and almost clipped me. They stared right at me and then turned their head to look the other direction. I went out toward the middle of the street just as a precaution and I am glad I did.... This guy just plowed right out of his driveway and only missed me by about a foot. I need to do some speedwork!

Where are the miles?

I haven't hit the road or the gym since Monday.....

Yikes!

Closing in on 100....

I had a short, but relatively hard 3 mile run today. I pushed mile 2 as hard as I could and get about a 7:38 pace in for an uphill mile. It felt good to run hard like that and I hope to get real tempo run in later in the week.

While looking at my stats for the month, I realized I am about to close in on 100 miles for the third straight month and 5 out of the last 6. I probably was higher than that in August and July, but I didn't keep a log for those two months. I need to drag my tail out of bed tomorrow to get a workout in early because it is going to be a busy day. I hope to cross train tomorrow and then get in two good runs on Wednesday and Friday. I may do a short run on Thursday or just cross train.

Lots of good races coming up... I just saw where the GHS 5K is moving to the Swamp Rabbit Trail this year. That should be a good race and it is definitely cheap with a $5 entry fee if you sign up early. Also coming up is the Furman 5K, the Greer Earth Day (half and 5K), Sunrise Run 8K and the Candlelight Run. That's lots of racing between now and the end of June.

Great weekend of running...

We had a good weekend and got two runs in. Lee and I ran together both days. This is the second weekend we have done that and it has been fun. We went over 6 miles both days and I was proud of her. It is interesting running with someone after you have been used to running alone.

We have to work out position and pace. I tend to let her set the pace and I try to stay on the outside and half a step back. Today was a little different because we went on a route that wasn't as well defined so some turns were a little awkward in traffic. It is amazing how much faster the time goes when you are with someone, even if you aren't talking the whole time.

I hope to get some more 6 milers in with her next week and then stretch it out to 7. With any luck, I'll convince her to run the Earth Day Half in Greer....

Gym anyone?

I just didn't feel like running outside today. Not sure if it was the cold or the time or what, but I headed to the gym and hit the elliptical machine. I hope to run tomorrow and Sunday, but we will see. I think the weather is going to be better tomorrow so I'll definitely try to get a run in then.

Running against the wind....

Somehow the wind was blowing in my face for my entire route today, or at least it seemed that way. I definitely felt the effects of the bike workout as well. My quads felt stiff and heavy the entire run. Having said all that, I had a good run getting in 7 miles at about an 8:40 pace.

I have one stretch that is a long uphill and was also into the wind. It really felt like I was almost standing still. It is hard for me to stand up straight when running into the wind, I keep wanting to hunch over. I am trying hard to work on my form and today was a good test. I think I passed. It helps that the streets were pretty busy and I needed to keep my head up to look for traffic!

I also can't believe it is Thursday already. My running week goes Monday - Sunday, so I only have two runs in so far. I hope to get in two more between now and Sunday to keep my miles up. I also just realized that the Reedy River Run is two weeks from Saturday. That will mark a year since my first race.

Indoors again....

Wow, two days in a row at the gym for me. I must admit that I don't mind the cross training and I am sure my legs, knees and feet don't mind it either. I hope I can get out on the pavement tomorrow and Friday so that I can keep my mileage up.

One thing I do enjoy about the gym is people watching. There are all kinds of folks in the gym. Some treat it as a social club and spend as much energy talking as they do working out. Others are very serious and you can tell they get irritated by those that are not as serious. Some are there to pay their 'dues' and get out as soon as possible. Some are there to lose weight and some are their to build muscle. The main thing is, all of us are there and not in the crowd walking by on the way to the restaurant next door and just looking in.....

Goals that I have already missed....

Well, I am off to a banner start in flubbing my goals for the year...

I will miss at least two of the ten for sure (marathon and race every month) and a couple of others are looking shaky.... (5 races of over 10 miles and racing out of state at the top of that list)

The question in my mind is does it really matter? The marathon goal hurt for about a day, but a lot of that was just pain from flubbing my 18 mile training run :) The racing every month is less of an issue for me now too. I was using that to keep my running motivation high, but that seems to be pretty easy to do even without a race staring me in the face each month. My mileage goal is one that I really want to hit and I am in good shape with it so far. I have also been slack in my yoga/cross training goal, but that has been due to work schedules and right now I am happy to have a work schedule!

The biggest goal that I want to hit for sure is partly related to running and that is maintaining my Weight Watchers lifetime status. After Christmas I was right at my goal weight depending on the day and I am still pretty much there. I want to drop 5 to 10 pounds over the next month to get back to my low weight.

The good news is that I have races scheduled for March and April that will keep my training on schedule and with warm weather comes lots of outside work that will burn a few extra calories too. Hopefully when I do my official 'quarterly' review at the end of March I will be on target with the goals that are still in play.

What, you don't get Presiden'ts Day off?

I'm sorry if you don't get President's Day off. I never did until I went to work for my present company. I must admit that I like it! It cuts off the wait for Memorial Day a little bit and this seems like a good time for a holiday as we always have lots of little errands to run this time of year. For example, I'm sitting in the dentist office right now while the kids get their teeth cleaned....

Early on in my career, I got Good Friday off. I liked that a little more than President's Day because it was usually a little warmer then. I never got Memorial day off until the last 6 years or so. We seemed to have inherited that as more refugees from the north have moved in. Thanks for the gift guys. Memorial Day and bagels were two pretty good imports from the north.

I always thought it was funny that in summer school in college we always got the 4th of July off if it was on a weekday. However, we had to go to class the next Saturday to make up for it. I never understood that.

Well, I do plan on spending some of my day off running. We are heading out to see 'The Pink Panther 2' and then I am going to run before supper. I hope to get in 7+ miles to get week off to a good start.

Still on target....

I ran with Lee again today. I think it is pretty fun when we can do it. So far, I am over half way to my monthly goal of eclipsing 100 miles. Obviously February presents the biggest challenge being the shortest month, so if I make it through this one I hope to be OK.

I have no clue as to what the weather is supposed to do this week, but I know tomorrow is a family day so I hope to get a run in but I am not going to push too hard to get it done. I'll probably at least go to the gym if I don't get a run in. Ideally, I would get up in time to run before we get going tomorrow, but I doubt that will happen.

I am starting to get a little paranoid about losing some of my aerobic base since I haven't had a long run since my failed 18 miler. I need to get a 10 miler in this week and start building for my half marathon at the end of April. I want to get at least on 16 miler in before that race.

Nothing really earth shattering today... I got some new compression shirts for V-Day and I am very happy about that.

Hmmmm. Not so good excuses today....

I probably could have squeezed a run in today, but I didn't try hard enough. I'm trying to fight off a mile sinus infection and really didn't feel like pounding the pavement today. I'll definitely go tomorrow since I am only working half a day. I may even shoot for a long run and try to get 10 or more miles in since I won't have any time constraints.

I understand why we have such an obesity problem in this country. We have more holidays/events dedicated to food and beverages than I would have believed before I lost weight. I can't seem to go more than 3 weeks or so without a major eating event...

A quick glance at the calendar covers every month....

January: New Years Day (bowl games plus big meal), Super Bowl Sunday
February: Valentines Day (Yes, I shoveled 4 mini Baby Ruth's tonight)
March: St. Pattys Day (Corned Beef and Beer, yeah throw in some sweets too), NCAA Tourney
April: Lee's Birthday, our Anniversary, Masters weekend
May: Memorial Day cookouts, Mothers Day
June: Swim Meets = Late Night Pizza Binges, The Beach
July: The Beach Continued including July 4th
August: My birthday (just send cash, thanks in advance)
September: Labor Day, Football Tailgating
October: Football tailgating, Julian's Birthday & Halloween
November: Bobby's Birthday, Football Tailgating and of course the big one: Thanksgiving
December: Do I even need to go there... A month of food...

Yes, it is a good thing I took up running. I think if I run to and from all these events I might be able to survive and keep the weight off!

Good excuses for missing a workout...

It takes a lot for me to miss a workout. Usually illness or injury is required for me to skip a workout. Sometimes weather will prevent one, but I'll usually at least go to the gym. Today was one of those days where life just got in the way.

I spent the whole day working on an issue for a client that ended up being tied to the client having the wrong version of Microsoft SQL Server. I was glad to finally figure out that I hadn't done anything wrong but still upset that I had spent the whole day on it. Anyway, I skipped lunch so no workout then and after work I got the kids to church and did my usual stint with the 5th and 6th graders. After we got home, I helped young son with a project and checked young daughters math. All in all it was a nice, yet busy day. However there was no time to work out. :(

Too nice not to run....

I was going to hit the gym today for some cross training, but it was just too nice outside to stay in. I had a great run as my ADD mind was able to jump from idea to idea without interruption for a little over 7 miles. It is amazing how easy a run can be when your mind relaxes and just goes into a zone of brainstorming and free thinking.

When I hit mile 5, I was really kind of sad thinking I only had 2 left. This was the perfect day for a long run and I wish I had time to get one in. One thing I really enjoy is that on my 'normal' route I cross in front of a McDonalds and a Jack In The Box. I really enjoy thinking about how different my life is now versus 16 months ago. I can't remember the last time I ate at McDonalds. I know I ate at Jack In The Box on Thanksgiving day (We had our big meal at night this year). I still crave a few fries now and then, but I really don't miss it. I never thought I could say that!

Get out and enjoy this weather!

Great run today....

I really enjoyed the warm weather today. It felt good to be sweating, I know I will regret saying that in a few months but it did feel good today. I got in 5 miles while running negative splits for the first 4 miles and cooling off for the final mile. My fouth mile was at a 7:40 pace and it felt great. The only problem I had today was the lady that was running over her dust bowl of a front yard with a riding mower while I was going by. Not only did she almost swerve out onto the sidewalk and hit me, I thought I was going to have an allergy attack running through the dust she was kicking up... Thank goodness for antihistamines.

Yesterday I ran another three miles with Lee. We picked up the pace a little over our Saturday run and enjoyed the short run. Lots of folks were out running and walking yesterday and it really felt like spring is around the corner. Something tells me we have an ice or snow storm left before Old Man Winter packs his bags for the summer though....

5 with the wife...

Lee and I ran together today. We rarely do because of different paces, but I thought today would be a great day with the weather being so nice. It was great. We did a nice, easy 5 miles and had a good time.

I hope to get 7-10 miles in tomorrow, but we have a good bit to do so I am not sure when I will run. That will dictate how far I go. One thing is sure, with daylight lasting longer and longer my running opportunities should improve. I hope to be back to running in the morning soon.

The warm weather felt good. I enjoy breaking a sweat, especially when the sweat doesn't immediately freeze! I hope that we don't have too much cold weather, but having lived here all my life I remember getting most of our snow and ice in February and March during my lifetime.

Greenville Track Club...

Even though I've been a member of the GTC for a little over a year, tonight was the first meeting I have been able to attend. It was quite a diverse crowd and that made for a really fun time. Lee recognized one of the older gentlemen as the father of some kids she knew in high school and it was interesting talking to him.

I also got to speak to Flemming and Megan. Congrats to both of them (and Megan's husband too...) on their awards. I understand why I don't ever place now that I got a good luck at those that finish in front of me! We did get to pick up our shirts for earning points in the 'Tri-Running Series'. That was a nice bonus.

One of the highlights of the evening was the presentation of a $10,000 check to Meals on Wheels from the proceeds of the Spinx Runfest this year. In these economic times, I am sure it was sorely needed by that organization that helps care for our elderly. Another highlight was some special awards for some of our older runners, including a gentleman that set a state 5K record at the age of 88. I hope I am still moving like him if I make it to 88.

Flemming had some fun while talking up the Greer Earth Day run that he is heading up. He went ahead and seeded some runners for it and gave them their bibs. He got me ready to sign up.

If you enjoy running at all, you should consder a membership. You get discounts on race entries for a lot of events and get lots of training opportunities too.

Laces and Races.....

I re-laced my Nikes and miraculously I had no pain on yesterday's run. If I get the same results on my next seven miler, I will chalk it all up to having them laced too tight. I really wasn't looking forward to running yesterday, but with all my cold weather gear on it wasn't too bad. Once I got about a half mile in, I felt pretty warm and really didn't notice the cold until I stopped at the end of the run. I am having a hard time deciding whether to run or go to the gym today. I know it warming up tomorrow, so I am tempted to take the easy route and go to the gym.

I am definitely re-stating my race goal for the year. I am not going to focus on running a race every month. Instead, I am going to focuson the GTC Tri-Running series and just take other races as they come along. I think that after the Reedy River and Cooper River, I will train for the Greer Earth Day half marathon. This year I hope to be able to do the Sunrise Run and the Candlelight Run as well.

Well, my main goal is to maintain my fitness and weight and I am doing OK on both of those. I had my physical today and other than waiting on the bloodwork results, the doctor was pretty happy. My weight was down from last year and my blood pressure was great. I used to be uncomfortable getting a hernia check, but after I turned 40 I realized that was no big deal.... Some of you will know what I mean.

It must be a shoe issue....

I ran 7 miles yesterday in my 'backup' running shoes and had none of the foot pain/cramps I was routinely having in my Nikes. I think that I may have an issue with the Nikes being laced too tight in an effort to reduce heel slipping.

I am going to re-lace them and try again. I found some lacing techniques that should allow me to get the shoe sufficiently tight around the heel without being too tight in the mid-foot and forefoot. I hope that works because I would hate to have these shoes reduced to short runs since they are so new.

I meant to run or go to the gym today, but work was too demanding. I will definitely get in a workout tomorrow. Not sure yet if I will run or hit the gym. I guess I will let the weather dictate that decision....

Two good runs this weekend....

I had two good runs this weekend, including a great tempo run on Saturday. That said, I am having a bad case of the 'marathon dropout blues'. Logically I know I made the right decision because my body was just not ready. However, now that I am running shorter distances I feel great and really wish I was going to run in two weeks. I'll be glad when I actually have a race coming up so I can change my focus. Right now, I am not scheduled to run until March 7 at the Reedy River Run. I would like to find a race in February so I can make my 'race in each month' goal, but with the kids playing basketball on Saturday mornings for the next few weeks I may not get a chance.

I am having one problem and I think it might be a shoe issue. My feet are hurting/cramping a lot more than they ever have before and it is especially bad after I crest a hill. I am going to run in an alternate pair of shoes tomorrow and see if it is any different. If it is, I may have to look at lacing issues and hope that can fix the problem.

I am enjoying the fact that days are getting a little longer. I can't wait until the morning light is here early enough for me to get out and run before work.