I was raised by a toothless, bearded hag...

Final Stats...

4.0 miles

39:32

9:53 pace

Pitch Black

17 cars

Darren's 1st run after his 26.2

No rain

No wind

52º

Jumpin' Jack Flash, it's a gas, gas, gas...

I know. It's only rock'n'roll. But I like it.

5 October 2009

Fall weather has set in. 76 this morning. Ran four at an easy pace which turned out to be pretty fast, but it felt easy. Probably do the three on Wed as I'm headed to Miami today.

Anyway, I'm figuring I'll need a snow suit if it's below 60, right? Doesn't flesh freeze in like four seconds at that temperature? Ah, how soon we forget.

Stats:

4.0 miles

35:25

8:52/mile

Mike is gonna rock it 'til it strikes the hour.

Da Do Do Do, Da Da Da Da...luggage combo

Bib #14123

Reminds me of my luggage combination just mixed around and add an extra "1".

Mandy did great on her 1/2 marathon in San Jose...2:23...10:55 pace. U11!

Day off for me.

Weather is cold and yesterday I wore my shorts and a sweatshirt and was fine. Gloves would have been nice and I did have a stocking hat w/ my hood on, too. Real gangsta except it was a bright orange sweatshirt.

Bibs can be worn on the shorts so you can take off the sweatshirts during the race if you need to.

... and that's why we pick up doo.

4 October 2009

Couple of days away from home (again). I was on Marco Island, and ran four miles on the beach. It's been cooler here, but it was still in the mid 80's and the sand was soft in some places, packed in others. I didn't run again until I got home today and did seven at a moderate pace. Again I got a late start (about 9 AM), but it was only 75 degrees. I almost went back to get a sweatshirt. Brrrrrr.

I'm going to run four tomorrow morning and see how much time I have the rest of the week.

I saw the weather forecast. Now I have to figure out what to wear and what pace to set for myself and all that.

Oh, and my bib number for all of you reading this is: 13741. Coincidence? I think not. I mean what are the odds I'd get that number?

Stats:

4.0 miles

37:07

9:17/mile

7.0 miles

1:02:20

8:54/mile

For your information, I do know Mike from Shinola!

...and that's why we do pick-ups!

Started out trying to run a slower pace of 11:25 which would give me a U5hr marathon. Mile 1- 11:15, mile 2 I found myself struggling to get 11:25, then by mile 3 I was almost in panic mode trying to keep it under 11:30...by the 1/2 point I was at 11:10 pace and by mile 4 I had hit 11:03...Mile 5 I was sub-11 and mile 6 I was @ 10:54. Final stats:

7miles

1:15:23

10:46 pace

COLD today 36º start and 38º finish. Forcast for next Sunday was low 33 and high of 55.

Mandy should have good weather today! Good luck MANDOS!

GOOD LUCK MANDOS!

Good luck to Mandy at the San Jose Rock and Roll 1/2 Marathon on SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perfect

The Perfect Run...

What a difference a Friday makes. Last week, Darren & I ran 3 miles in the rain and met over 20 cars. This morning, it was colder, there was a wind on the way out, and it was very dark. But along about mile 3 of my 5 mile journey on the Harper Road I started to noticed something strange about my morning run. It wasn't a feeling of being able to run better or feeling tired or stronger or anything like that, it was a silence. Almost as if something was wrong. NO CARS. I hadn't met a car and no cars had passed me the entire time. As I approached the final mile and the town of Keota I thought there would be no way I could do this in town. I kicked it in a little on the last mile just so I could get done faster. Behind me I heard a car, but it must have turned to go on the Harper Rd...one bullet dodged. I saw a few cars in the distance approached the street I was on, but either went straight or went the other direction. As I approached the 1/2 mile mark I figured someone going to the school or on a paper route would come up behind me or drive at me, but as I picked up the pace again I noticed head lights behind me and thought..."well, one car isn't bad for 5 miles"... then it disappeared (must have turned off). Then two blocks ahead I heard a car start and pull on to the street, but went away from me, but then turned in on my last street. As I approached the last turn and 3 blocks there it was sitting in front of a house waiting...I figured I would really kick it in and they wouldn't pull out and pass me. As I passed the stop sign two blocks away I heard them pull out and figured they'd pass me just before main street....again, the headlights disappeared and they must have turned. As I approached Main Street I didn't even glance to see if a car was coming and just sprinted toward the final block. No cars in sight...crossed the line at my house...walked four blocks for a warm down...still no CARS.

Unbelievable! Last week 20 cars, this week add 2 miles and 0 cars.

Final Stats:

5 .01 miles

47:27

9:29 pace

0 cars

Craig is not a daydream believer or a homecoming queen, but he is in the presence or a most memorable run.

8 days a week -5

I'm down to 3 days a week. I threw in a 4 day week last week, but with 2 weeks to go I remember a very important piece of advice: get to the starting line healthy. Last year I had a bad hip for about a month before the marathon and I stuck to the schedule religiously and I believe I paid for it the day of the race. I also did not eat much food the day before. I think it is more important to have calories and carbs going into the race than to worry about having to make a stop during the race. I will also use gatorade and gummy chomps that seem to have worked on all my longer runs the past 2 months.

No running today, but I'll go 5 or 6 tomorrow and 7 or 8 on Sunday.

We're getting there.

BTW it is storming here right now. Bad weather has been rare this fall. Here we are w/ what looks to be two days in a row.

Insert title here.

29 September 2009

Okay, I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been busy, and I lost the USB device that downloads info from my Garmin to my computer. So I'll have to do it the old fashioned way. After the 20 mile run I was in Cape Coral and Orlando and Jacksonville, so I didn't have tons of time to run. I forgot my watch at home, so I have no idea about my Cape Coral run. I went for about half an hour in the morning. The other runs were in the evening when I got home. The 12 mile run felt really short. I finally did mile repeats this morning. I've been on the road and couldn't get any of the other ones in before work. I did six mile repeats this morning with half a mile in between. Ten miles total. The weather was a little cooler this morning (75 degrees), so it felt good.

Not sure what to aim for as far as pace goes in the race. Any thoughts?

Some stats:

22-sept-09

4.0 miles

35:34

8:54/mile

25-sept-09

7.0 miles

1:02:51

8:59/mile

27-sept-09

12.0 miles

1:46:53

8:54/mile

29-sept-09

10.0 miles

1:25:05

8:31/mile

Mike is wondering if his brother, Mark, is still out there, somewhere.

Slowing Down...

After watching the Davenport Marathon, I've decided trying for the 4:30 is going to be tough, but I still believe it is going to be possible for me.

I watched a few people I know reach that mark on Sunday and watched Darren get through his first marathon in 4:58:43. 1:17 ahead of his goal (now that's just about perfect pacing). He complained there was no water on the course when I saw him at mile 7. Then again, I was the only person standing at the 7 mile sign. People were looking at me like "aren't you going to tell us our time?" or "do you have any water?". There was more water after the 10 mile mark and through to the end of the race, but man that has to be scary...no water.

I ran this morning what I would call the pace I think I can handle for 26.2. Turned out to be a little more than 10:30pace, but that's OK... final stats:

4 miles

42:23

10:35 pace

10:35 = 4:37 marathon and I would be extremely content with that time.

Goodbye RUBY TUESDAY...Mick and Craig are hanging out today.

Keota to Sigourney- Annual Run

Craig's annual KS run was a nice run. The final "long" run before the marathon and very nice weather. Cool, overcast and a little sun at the end.

I started at the Jct. of 92 and the county hwy just outside of Keota and ran to Sigourney HS. The miles were always just a little off of the crossing roads, so as I was shooting for my 10 min miles at the crossroads, I knew I was probably U10. The goal was to finish the 12.27 in under 2:00. Just made it:

Final Stats:

12.27 miles

1:58:00

9:37 pace

Today I felt like Rocky. Not the Rocky that went the distance w/ Apollo Creed, the one that ran through the streets of Philly, grabbed an apple running through the market, ran with some kids and climbed the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Go ahead and TRY to run an 11 min mile...

Todays goal: Run, even if it is dark and raining.

Only 3 miles since I was running a longer run on Sat and Darren is running the Davenport Marathon on Sunday.

Rain, 63º- 6am. 1st mile 10:45 and then I think we just got distracted. 3 miles and we must have seen 15-20 cars and that doesn't sit well when the shoulder is full of water and you insist on staying on the pavement.

Final Stats:

3.0 miles

31:31

10:30/mile

Keota to Sigourney 12 mile run tomorrow.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays Craig from the swift completion of his appointed runs.

4 miles, 4 cars, 4:44/half mile?s

Not quite. Eeeerrrriieee morning...cloudy and very dark. High humidity and 66º which is about as warm as it has been at 6am for a long time. Very dead out with hardly any traffic.

This is actually an "extra" run I wasn't planning on this week, but my heel feels good so I thought I'd throw it in at a pace my body would tell me to run. Comfortable. Turns out comfortable is about a 10min pace for me. 10:08 on the first mile, 20:04 2nd mile, 30:05 on the 3rd mile and final stats:

4.0 miles

39:22

9:50/mile

ya, Craig was just smokin' that last mile...9:45 woooo...

Back in the US of A.

21 September 2009

So I'm back from a week in St. Kitts. It was a good trip, but not relaxing as I was there for work. You know you travel a lot when you travel to St. Kitts, and instead of staying through the weekend, you go, "Hmmm. I'd really rather just be home."

While there I ran 5 on the treadmill on Tuesday, 3 on the treadmill on Thursday morning and then 4.5 outside on Thursday afternoon. I didn't run on Friday or Saturday, and then I did 20 on Sunday morning.

The 20 felt good for the first half. The next 5 were okay, but at 15-16 I hit the wall. Just like the last 20 I slowed and slowed and slowed. I managed to finish 1 minute under the last 20 miler, but it didn't feel any better. I did better with eating this time, and I looked at what was different between my good 18 and the 2 crappy feeling 20's. The only two things I could see were the amount of sleep and the temperature. The 18 was run in the low 70's. The first 20 was in the upper 70's, and this one? I checked it when I got home: 81 degrees (87 heat index). Maybe that's why I ran out of gas.

I'm thinking I'll pace myself a little more at the marathon. Maybe not try to hit the 9 min/mile so hard in the first half.

Anyway.

Stats:

Treadmill: who knows

4.5 miles

39:40

8:49/mile

20.02 miles

3:04:57

9:14/mile

The sound of one hand clapping is Mike.

PB PR PBR?4

20.08 miles

3:21:29

10:02/mile

IF I kept this pace up, I would have placed 1257th out of 2767 in my age group in last year's Chicago Marathon.

Overall, I would have been 10,953 out of 31, 344.

In both cases, I would meet a goal I have been striving for which is the "in the top half". Even at a 10:30 pace I will accomplish this "in the top half". I'm feeling confident I can do this.

Looking back at last year, I didn't even come close to 10:00 pace on any 19 or 20 mile runs. 10:56 was the closest.

Today I ran the first 10 miles with Darren and Jill Baetsle following me in their car and handing me gatorade and chomps. Darren (who'll run next week at Davenport) ran the last 10 miles with me...tough to keep up with at times.

My heel feels incredibly well.

Craig over. Craig out. Craig over and out!

Friday, Sept 18

Final Stats

6.03 miles

55:45

9:14 pace

Easy running...

The New Bib Numbers Are Here! I'm Somebody!

Participant guide came in the mail yesterday.

I am #14123.

Those last three digits are going to be hard to remember. Luckily they are the same digits on my briefcase lock.

Heel is healing and the 3 day run week is doing fine. I run 6 tomorrow w/ Darren...in fact, ALL my runs have been with Darren lately. Tues/Fri/Sun.

20 miles this weekend. Strict 10:30/mile start and go from there. 7 or 7:30 start to get used to the time on Sunday morning.

Craig over like a 2TD lead w/ 10 seconds left in the game and out like a Hwt contender in the 70s fighting Ali.

6

Heel felt much better this morning. Ran easy for 6 miles and finished U9:30.

Heel bothered me a little more the rest of the day, but nothing like it had. I still believe I'll shoot for Tues/Friday/Sunday for the next few weeks.

FINAL STATS

6.03 miles

56:17

9:20 pace

Craig has all the right moves...

10 miles

I ran my ten miles yesterday morning. It was nice and cool. :-) There was actually some lightning while I was running.

Now, to the run. I was so slow, I am not even going to tell you my pace. The first five miles I felt like I was running through molasses, like I had weights around my ankles, like I was wading through pudding. It was a really, really tough five miles. Then I hit five miles and the flip switched and I made up some time. I felt pretty good afterward, but was a bit horrified by my time. At the eight mile mark this week, I was ten full minutes slower than I was last week. Ugh.

But, I did it, and I chalk it up to just one of those days.

Next Sunday I'll go for 12!

"10" with no Bolero

Another day in Paradise, Iowa. 61º @ 6am and no wind or rain.

Started out with a 10 min pace in mind trying to see what it would feel like @ 10 miles, but quickly found ourselves running U10 and just going faster. Conversational Runs usually not 10 milers, but this one was. A lot to talk about w/ Darren's marathon coming up on the 27th.

It was a good run, my heel is sore, but not bad. Again I'll look at taking Mon, Wed, & Thurs off from here on out unless it gets better somehow.

Final Stats:

10.04

1:35:30

9:31 pace

...and so it goes, and so it goes...

Dedication.

13 September 2009

Pretty good couple of runs. I did 4.5 (not 5) in KC on Thursday morning. Hills. Big hills. But the weather was cool. I ran out from the hotel into a neighborhood that quickly ended at the top of a big hill. I looked around and saw that it was a big down and up again or out on a little road into the country. I took the little road. No shoulder, but little traffic. It was a good run. I tried to extend it into five, but figured a half mile probably wouldn't make that much difference.

I skipped the cardio workout. Actually, I've skipped most of them. I surfed, but that isn't really a a cardio workout.

On Saturday I went out in the afternoon. It had been raining most of the day, and there was no lightning. I took off in a break, but it started sprinkling at 1.5 miles. Then at 2 miles it poured on me until mile 6. I ran through, at times, six inches of water. It was awesome. The rain kept me cool, and there wasn't much wind. Felt pretty good.

Stats:

4.5 miles

41:24

9:12/mile

8.0 miles

1:07:40

8:27/mile

Mike out.

Patterns

Day off today (Saturday). Took Wed and Thurs off last week. There's a pattern developing here where I believe I'll be lucky to run 3 times a week from here on out unless my heel just "gets better". It's possible, but I was really hoping to get those 8-10 milers in with the pickups, but instead it seems I get a 6 miler and another 6 miler and then a long run.

Frustrating, but hey...if I can finish and I'm under 5 hours. Then so be it.

On my 6 mile runs I have noticed my pace starts out a lot faster than when I was running 5-6 days a week. I just hope I don't lose anything in the process. Maybe this is the key. The last month...rest more.

I guess when you look at the training schedule, besides the pick-up runs, I'm really not missing anything except cross training and cardio. I know it says 8 miles, but I'm going 10 tomorrow since I didn't go all 20 last weekend. I can go 20 next week.

Craig over...

6 or 1/2 dozen

6 miles in the Fog was absolutely crazy. Darren had a light on his head and we ran pretty hard, especially the 2nd half. Started out around 9:30/mile and kept that up until it was 9:20 at the 3 mile mark...28:0??? I was thinking...close to the 9/mile, but don't push it, just finish.

37:04 and then 46:00...Had to have an 8 min mile to close under 9/mile.

30 seconds to do what looks like a 100 yd dash...final stats:

6.03 miles

53:51

8:55 pace

Craig is feeling the pain...

2 days off

I feel like a spectator, but I would rather heal up my heel than run 13 min/pace or end up walking, so I'm resting it.

Hoping I feel good enough to run Friday.

0 miles

0:00

0:00 pace

Craig

Going nowhere fast.

Six and Ten

9 September 2009

Ran six easy on Monday. Didn't feel too bad, and the weather has been better here. High's 85-90 instead of 95-100. Lows around 70. I waited to run until the evening just to give myself some extra off time.

On Tuesday I did the 6 x 1200m (0.75 miles) pick-ups. I did the pick-ups at 7:30 to 8:00. It was hard, but even though I wonder why the hell I'm doing this while I'm doing it. I love having done it.

Only 31 more days!

Stats:

Monday:

6.02 miles

55:21

9:12/ mile

Tuesday:

10.0 miles

1:26:05

8:37/mile

Stay tuned for more Mike, next on MTV! All Mike. All Night.

6 Miles

6 easy miles   

in the dark.   5am.

56:51

9:28 pace

Heel bothered me a little today.  May take a day off tomorrow and Thursday, we'll see how I feel. 

This last month gets tough when you are feeling any kind of pain and you have a busy schedule. 

...

And I'm not missing a thing...

Watchin' the full moon crossing the range...

Ridin' the storm out

20 miles -5+1 +.25

So I ran 5 miles at 10:20-10:30 pace, we kept the pace through 10 miles, then at 15 miles with a 10:27 pace...I had to call it quits for the day and let Darren head in on the last 5 miles by himself. As I told Mike in a text: disappointing, but not devastating. I was not exhausted, didn't hit a wall, but I could feel myself favoring my right side to the point where I realized I should stop.

A few more days rest and I think my heel will be back. Funny how you look at it...15 miles and I didn't really get my workout in. How crazy is that?

Final Stats:

15 miles

2:36:55

10:27 pace

The +1 mile was the mile I walked before getting picked up and the .25 was the last quarter mile I ran with Darren for support.

Fall Down 7 times, get up 8.

20 miles

5 September 2009

So this run didn't feel nearly as good as the 18 miles. I started out about the same, but within a few miles was having mild abdominal cramps. Those cleared around mile 8, and I felt pretty good. At mile 13 I started to feel some pain in my joints, especially my left knee. I kept looking for landmarks, but it took forever to get to where I thought I should be. With four miles left I could tell I was slowing down. I'd kept my pace between 9:00-9:15 most of the way, but I really hit a wall. Okay, maybe not a wall, but a fence. One of those old rusty fences that wobbles when you try to climb over it. You know you can do it, but it won't be pretty. I finished without even trying a kick and figured I probably could have kept going, but it wouldn't have been fun.

So what was different? I didn't eat as well as usual yesterday. I had light pasta for lunch, but then got talked into going out for dinner. Burger. Bleh. I think that had to do with cramps the next day. Also, I didn't get as much sleep this time either. Then, because of the cramps, I didn't eat any energy gels until after half-way. I did drink 24 oz. of Gatorade and water (48 oz total). What else? It was 2 degrees warmer? 76, I think. Oh, and no glasses! That was cool.

I'm thinking I'll go to my new shoes. I'm only at 300 miles on these, but that seems to be where I really start to feel it.

I feel pretty good about the run. Not a great time, but I made it through several things that worry me. Cramps, pain, just not feeling good. I know I can hit a wall and keep going.

By the way, what kind of response do you get when you tell people, "I ran 20 miles this morning?" I mostly get, "That's crazy." or "Why." I think I get more of that or even, "That's stupid," than I do. "Wow. That's awesome." Just wondering.

Stats:

20.02 miles (wasn't looking at my watch and went over a bit)

3:05:52

9:17/mile

Mike didn't draw first blood. They did.

A couple Days off

After my 8 miles on Wed, I could hardly walk on Thursday, so I decided to take off 3 days and run my 20 on Sunday.

Felt pretty good on Friday and even better on Saturday. Will do a lot of stretching today and I should be good to go for tomorrow!

Eight Miles

Am I the only one running?!

I did my eight miles this morning. It was my usual pace and felt very good. At the end of this run and last week's I have had some pain in my right knee, but it is just at the end. Other than that, I'm feeling good!

Eight Miles

10:39 pace

1:25:00

It was a dark and stormy night...

3 September 2009

Six miles: easy. Twenty mile per hour wind: hard. (then: easy). 79 degrees: meh.

Stats:

6.06 miles

54:37

9:01/mile

Yes...

OK...shoot for the stars and end up on top of the barn.

70º, no hills, no wind, no sun in your eyes, no cars. All I needed was to have someone run it for me and it would have been perfect.

Good run. Much better than I'd anticipated. My Plantar Fasciitis (left heel) has been bothering me since I started back to work. I need to try something different for work or get some insoles.

I went about 6:15pm and went out on the ke-Wash trail. Since it was supposed to be more than 8 miles I decided to start running from home and from there to the trail and back might be about 3/4 mile.

Without any GPS I decided to start at the first mile marker and if my pace was around 9:30 I would run 2:22 and then do the pick up until the next mile marker. I got to a point where I knew I was right around the 9:00 pace as I hit the last 2 miles. I was definitely U9 during the pickups.

When I finished, I check it out on Favorite Run and it turned out to be 8.70. I plugged it in and it turned out to be the following stats:

8.70 miles

1:18:14

8:59.54/mile

Every 1/2 second really does count in the end.

Craig just said, "yesssssssssssss."

Cool "3"

Day behind Mike with 3 miles today.   The weather continues to throw me for a loop.   Darren and I ran 3 miles today and he was moving so I just went along for the ride and we ended up with the following stats:

3 miles

25:01

8:20/mile

It was 46º when I started out.   Makes me realize how cold Minneapolis was last  year (RAIN and 48º).  We both ran w/ additional tops (sweatshirt or jacket).

Left heel is feeling sore, but not when I run.   I will try and do the 8 miles tomorrow as Mike did today, but sans hot/humid weather and sans the 8min/mile pickups.  Mine will be more like 8:30 and the rest will be around 9min/mile...shooting for 8:45/mile in the end.  

Craig is in the ZONE...the Twilight Zone...

Happy September Day!

1 September 2009

Skipped the 3 miles yesterday as work was coming down on me hard. Plus I did 4 on Sunday. Did my 8.75 today with 5 x 1200m (0.75 mile) pick ups. I tried to keep the pick-ups around 8 min/mile and that was pretty tough. The temperature was 79 degrees with 90% humidity. So, still really hot here.

Overall the run didn't feel too bad. My legs felt good, it was just the heat getting to me. I'm off to Orlando for the day and a dinner meeting there tonight.

Stats:

8.75 miles

1:15:42

8:39/mile

Mike is Audi (5000) here.

Six Mile(s)

I was going to run yesterday evening, but it was SOOO hot here.  So I got up early this morning and went for it.  I woke up a little after 5am, and was wide awake so I got ready, ate a banana and put on all my gear.

Last week I didn't like my fuel belt water bottles.  Just didn't feel right.  So I bought a new CamelBack.  It was ok.  I didn't love it.  The tubing was a little funny... so a bit after I got going I had to stop to get all that figured out.  I think my time would have been just a teensy bit better if I had figured all that out before I got going.

That being said, this six miles felt MUCH better than last week's four.  I did a little more warm-up as suggested by Mike and maybe that helped.  All I know is that everything went better than last week.  The pace was similar to last week and coincidentally, the pace at which I did most of my marathon training.

Six Miles

1:04:09

10:42 pace

These eyes.

30 August 2009

Thanks for all the well wishes on FB, etc! My eyes are doing great. A little halo and starburst at night, but the doctor said my flap was healing well (and so were my eyes- ba-dump!). I can run all I want, and sweat in my eyes will burn, but won't damage them unless I rub them. So no rubbing (that's what she said!).

I stopped by the running store and picked up another pair of the same shoes I have now to start in a few weeks. I'm pushing 250-300 on these, and my knees are feeling it. I try to support local stores if the price is close to online pricing, and this place was actually better than online. Then when I asked about the Power Bar Gels I like they were out. But they did have half a box that were expired by a month. Did I want some? Sure! How many? How many can I have? Just take them all! Score!!!!!

Got up late and ran an easy 4 miles today. Hot!!! Felt okay after two days of nothing at all. I plan on getting right back on it tomorrow morning. Laundry's done, and now I'm off to finish a screen play.

Stats:

4.0 miles

35:51

8:58/mile

Gentlemen, we can rebuild Mike. We have the technology. We can make him better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster.

Any cooler and it would be cold

50º and a light breeze.

I decided when I woke up Saturday morning I had this feeling like a train had run me over, so I decided to see how I felt on Sunday. My left heel was really bothering me all day on Saturday. I think this first week of work in something other than tennis shoes took its toll on me.

This morning I took to the trail and felt OK on the first mile, but nothing great...about a 9:40 mile. I passed Leo Sieren who was walking toward me on the trail, big smile on his face "Beautiful morning, Craig, isn't it?!" He was obviously in heaven walking on this trail, I gave a "yep, Leo, great morning" as I passed by him. That comment must have really played on my mind because I just kept getting faster. The sun came out the 2nd half and I was at the 28:22 mark at the half way point. I figured it was about 3.1 (I decided for more accurate mapping I would go all the way to the road). So I shot for 56:00 on the way back. Felt good, kicked in the last mile as I hit the 47:06 mark at the last gravel road and my last mile was 7:48. When I mapped it at home, I realized it was little more than a 10K (6.25 total)... http://www.favoriterun.com/288459

Final Stats:

6.25 miles

54:54

8:47 pace

Stretch, stretch, stretch...there's an old commercial: "practice, practice, practice"

Just wanted to tell you...

Good luck and we're all counting on you, Mike.

"Recovery" weeks as they call them are never easy and heck, we're still putting in some good long miles. over 20 miles.

Ran early this morning (5:15) to try and beat the sun and heat (hahaha...). It has been raining cats and dogs the past few days. In fact, I stepped in a puddle this morning (hahahahahha)...I mean Poodle (hahahhahaha, now it's funny, because I said Poodle...).

60º and wet. Darren and I ran 4 miles at a pretty fast pace. It was obvious we were both struggling to keep conversations going, but a little faster on the way back than on the way out.

17:29 on the way out and final stats:

4 miles

33:24

8:21 pace

Tomorrow is another day...I'm running my 6 on Saturday so I can have two days off before the big week next week with the 20 miler. Mike, good luck on your surgery, we're all counting on you.

Trip Six!

27 August 2009

Going under the knife tomorrow. Well the "laser." I'm having LASIK done in the morning, so I won't be running for at least a few days. They say that most people can start running again in a few days, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Ran six miles three times this week. Easy on Monday. With pick-ups on Tuesday, and then second half faster tonight. Worked/drove 'til late on Wednesday. I'm starting to get how I feel on the "short" weeks after the long runs. Tired, sluggish, hungry. None of the runs felt great, but I was able to do them in a reasonable time without feeling like I was killing myself. Next week will feel great, I hope, with the extra rest days. We'll see. And I'LL see.

Stats:

Monday:

6.0 miles

53:37

8:55/mile

Tuesday:

6.0 miles

51:53

8:39/mile

Thursday:

6.o miles

54:42

9:07/mile

Mike: I wanted to be a tree surgeon, but I couldn't stand the sight of sap.

day off and 6 more w/ pick ups

Wed was a blob of rain for about 24 hours straight. no chance to run outside so I decided it was a good chance to take a day off.

Back at it this morning @ 5am (marching band season...early mornings). My pickups I did after 2 min after the 1/2 mile marks. So I figured I had 2:30 to make up anything over 9m/mile pace. Worked out just about to the 9min mark on each mile. Kicked in the last 1/2 mile or so a little more and ended up with:

6.01 miles

53:15

8:51 pace

Craig is craving sleep, but wearing his sunglasses at night.

6 easy miles

Nice day AGAIN...unbelievable weather today.

Ran 6 miles. Started out thinking "hey this is a pretty good pace"...got to my 1/2 mile and saw 5:04...crap! I was just under 10 after 1 mile, 19:40 @2, 29:30 @ 3...OK...so basically I'm at 9:50/mile...I turn around and kick up heartbeat hill and get to the 3.5 mark 34:00...4 mile mark I'm sitting at 39:15...hmmmm...at 5 miles I am at 49:00... kicked it in the last mile and by the 1/2 mile mark I was @ 44:15 and then picked it up again @ the 1/4 mile mark to finish with:

6.01 miles

57:27

9:32/mile

Ya...6 "easy" miles...stretched and feel very good about this...have a great Tuesday...

18.04

So what's with this .04? Well the actual distance to the 9 mile road sign is .02 after 9 miles and it's too hard to figure out exactly where it was so we just ran it and added the .04 at the end. It's a matter of 2 sec per mile faster!

Perfect 53º weather and clear skies.

We started out with 10:30-11:00 miles and settled in just under 11/mile at 5 miles. As we crossed into the 8-10 mile mark it was obvious we were comfortable enough to make it under 10:45/mile...by the time we got to the 2 mile mark we were feeling very good and by the last mile had decided a goal of 3:11 was realistic...w/ a half mile to go we kicked it in and crossed at 3:10:18.

Final Stats

18.04 miles

3:10:18

10:32/mile

This may seem like...well, Craig, that's OK, but Mike did it under 9:00 miles... I checked on last year's chart and other than a great 15 mile run, none of my other longer runs were under 10:56/mile. In fact all of them over 20 miles were over 11:00/mile.

So I owe a lot to you guys for pushing me! TANKS!

All of my runs this year have been U11 and I would like to keep it that way.

I used a bottle of gatorade and one bag of GU chomps (orange). Darren's wife, Jill, biked it with us and there were some tough hills, especially for a bike. She hadn't been on a bike in over 18 years. She was feeling it by the end and actually couldn't catch us the last mile.

(cue the music)It's 70º and clear in downtown Keota, the forecast calling for blue skies and a high of 76, tonight some clouds move in and cooler with a low down to 58...I'm outta here and Brother Mark Lee is going to keep you company the rest of the day, so keep it right here at KRAG FM, here's the BOS...

Baby this town rips the bones from your back
Its a death trap, its a suicide rap
We gotta get out while were young
`cause tramps like us,

baby we were born to run

No time like No Time

Well, I also did 4 miles today, but no time recorded on this one. I'm guessing 10-10:30 pace, but I have no idea. To me it was like a warm-up for tomorrow's 18 miler to get the feel of the pace I want to take.

The route we are taking is 5 miles on Harper Rd and then north toward Hwy 22 for 4.02 miles. 6am-9am is what I'm planning on.

Final Stats

4miles

in good time

@ an easy pace

Four MIles

Well, I did it.  It wasn't pretty, but I did it.  I remember now, so clearly, how much I hate the first few miles of a run.  Right around 2.5 miles things started to feel better.

So... 4 miles at a 10:37 pace.  I was shooting for 10:00, but oh well.

Next week will be six!

-Mandos

Half Training Begins

Hey Guys,

Well, I'm officially starting my half-marathon training today.  I will be running four miles this evening.  I'm shooting for 10 minute miles, since that is the pace I currently do my 2 - 3 mile runs.  We shall see. 

I'm excited to do some more long distance running again.  The most I have done since Foster was born is four miles, and that was pushing his stroller.  Tonight will be fun.  I can't wait until next week to do six.

Will I be thinking that next week?

I will post again after my run with my stats.

Bermuda Bill

22 August 2009

I decided to change my long run to Saturdays.  It just works better for me, but that meant that, especially with the travel this week, that I had to cut out a run.  I cut the 6 mile run, and did 4 on Friday, then my 18 this morning.  The biggest swell of the year is hitting right now, and that did have some bearing on my activities.

I ran my 4 early on Friday morning, and by the time I finished my friend, Andrew, was waiting for me.  The swell from Bill hadn't quite kicked up yet, but we surfed for about 45 minutes in waist high waves.  I worked the rest of the day, and went out again in the early evening.  The waves were easily overhead by this time, and I got worked pretty hard.  I came in for coffee, and then got talked into going out again.  The waves weren't quite so big, and I got a few really good rides.  Then on my way in I got put through the washing machine again, and I was done for.  I thought for sure I'd hurt this morning, but I really felt good.

I got up at 3AM.  I stretched and stashed extra drink at the half-way point (with a secret stash at 3 miles to go).  I hit the road around 4-4:15.  The temp was only 74, and the humidity felt low (it was only 94%).  After a mile or two I started to feel really good, but around mile 6 or so the path goes inland and passes under over-hanging trees.  Did I mention it was a new moon?  So at 5 AM it was dark enough to choke a frog.  When cars would come by, their high beams on, it would blind me so that I couldn't see the trail at all.  I resorted to slowing and running by braille. Oops, that's a tree.  Veer off.  Now I'm in the grass.  And when there weren't cars, I could see maybe 30 feet ahead.  Animals rustled in the brush, and occasionally I'd run into a low hanging branch.  It was awesome.  By the time I got out of the woods (literally) the sky was lighter, and I felt good enough to run the last 5-6 miles a little harder.  I skipped my secret stash as I had plenty of drink left.  The sun was just peeking over the horizon when I finished, and the temp had risen only one degree.  My feet hurt, my ankles hurt, my shins hurt, my knees hurt, my thighs hurt, my hips hurt and my back was tense.  But I felt strong enough at the end to give a little kick the last quarter mile.    It was a very good run for me.

The waves were even bigger, and I've stayed in today.  They were easily double overhead, and though I saw a lot of guys out I didn't see one person catch a wave in the half hour I watched.  The waves were just too big for our sand bars.  I have some mildly sore muscles, but feel good after a meal and a nap. 

Oh, my tibialis muscle (the one on the front of my shin) on my right leg is sore.  That's new.  What's that all about?

Stats:

Friday

4.06 miles

36:00

8:51/mile

Saturday

18.0 miles

2:41:40

8:58/mile

It's a way of looking at the Mike and saying, "Hey, Bud!  Let's party!"  Where'd you get that jacket?

6 @ 5am

With a 7:30 breakfast in Washington...I had to get going by about 5:00-5:10am to get my run in...6 miles...easy to moderate pace? 

Wind in face going out...and coming back...obviously faster.

Very tired, I thought I was doing OK when I noticed my first 1/2 mile at 4:48...OK, so that's very close to 10/mile...1st mile was 9:48...so I reached the 1/2 way point at pretty much 30:00.   On the way back it was silent due to the wind at my back and it pushed me from a 10/mile pace to a 9/mile pace...

Final stats

6 miles

57:09

9:31/mile

Slow and steady wins the race...but not always...just sometimes when the faster paced person or rabbit decides to take a nap or a break during the race so the slow and steady person or turtle can pass them without waking them up...I'm outta here...it's really really freakin' late.

Good pace on your 7 miler, Mike...everytime I think I've had a good run I just look at your pace and shake my head and say...I wanna be like Mike...unless I'm looking at Mark's pace and then I say "I wanna be like Mark or Mike...whoever's faster and if someone's faster than they are I guess I wanna be like them, too."

It's really really late...

7 not 7.75

20 August 2009

Tuesday ended up just being a loooonnggg day.  I got home well after midnight, and then worked, then drove to Palm Beach.  I felt wrecked on Tuesday, and didn't worry about taking a rest day instead of cardio.  When I got to Palm Beach it was getting to sundown, and I realized I forgot my fuel belt.  So I grabbed a water from the front desk and headed out to do 7.75 with 4x 1200m pick-ups.  This is where my Garmin really shines, sort of.  I love that it tells me pace and how far I've gone without me mapping something out.  The only problem I had was after dark, I had to activate the light by touching the bezel with 2 fingers at the same time.  Since I was all sweaty, it wouldn't respond every time, and I had to wait until I got to a street light.  That was the first real problem I've had with it.

The run wasn't too bad.  I did the pick-ups between 7:30 and 8:30 per mile.  I decided to cut the run a bit short because it was getting late.  It was dark.  It was humid, and I kept getting mouthfuls of bugs.

Oh, and the weather.  84 degrees with 92 heat index.  I know it sounds crazy, but I see people around here running at all times of the day.  Seriously, I saw several people out for runs at lunchtime today.  It was 94 with a heat index over 100.  Crazy.

Stats:

7.0 miles

1:00:51

8:41/mile

Mike: Awww, c'mon!  I was talking about her CAT!

Wed becomes Thurs...It's a Bowie day...

This work crap is for the birds.    8 to 8 days for marching band and  a 7am start to open up a new wal-mart this week.   So Wed...I had to say "can't do it when you start your day leaving at 6:20am and get home at 9pm.    Woke up this morning, splashed some water on my face...

60º weather with increasing temps and humidity as I went  to end up at 70º and humidity I could feel...still, I really didn't feel it like I did last week when it was in the upper 70s/lower 80s and 90% humidity.   

So I wasn't sure exactly what the specs were for Wed run I did this morning, but I knew it was 7.75 w/ pick ups.  I knew I didn't have time to do it and couldn't measure it, so I cut it to 7 and did 800 and 800 pick ups.  Goals:   9:30 pace w/ 8-8:30 pickups.  I knew that would be 4:45 each 800 and then 4:00-4:15 on the pickup 800s.  

My 800s were between 9:00 & 9:40,  my pick-ups were between 7:20 (last one)& most of them were around 8:00-8:40.   Felt incredibly good compared to what  I felt like yesterday and last night.

Final stats:

7 miles

1:02:09

8:52/mile

Craig is driving down hwy 92 singing..."all the young dudes..."

Are you Kiddin' ME?

So, my final stats for Tuesday:

7 miles

1:04:30

9:12/mile

Not a bad run, but much better than Sunday.   So here we are with Craig and Darren running in 65º little humidity weather and Mike is in 81º (89º heat index) weather and we only ran 3 seconds faster...Are you kiddin' me?!   

Tough conditions, Mike.   You are going to be prepared and you will FLY in Chicago in October.   

Before I ran this morning, I was getting concerned I had "lost it"...that ability to do any kind of distance with any kind of drive at all.   We were at about 9:30 through about 3.5 miles and then just kicked it in a little higher gear from there to the end.   Nice weather helps.

Mark, I can't imagine doing 25 or 26 right now.   Good job getting through it.   That wall hits and it's tough, huh?

Craig... over and out...

25, not 26

Well, I did (I'm not sure there's an appropriate verb) 25 miles yesterday.  The first 18 or so were fine, but the last 7 sucked.  I didn't have any electrolytes or goo and absolutely bonked.  The pace was 10:40.  Lesson learned . . . water is not enough.  I ran in Orange County from San Juan Capistrano to the Ocean and then South on the Pacific Coast Highway through San Clemente.  The course was flat until I got to San Clemente and then way too hilly.   Today, I feel a lot better and the muscles and joints are not too sore.   This week will be easier.  Let's see how it goes.  

Are you kidding me?

17 August 2009

Six AM.  81 degrees.  81 degrees and the sun isn't even up yet.  The schedule said to do 7 easy miles, but there's nothing easy about 7 miles when the heat index is 89.  Heat index is supposed to be for the middle of the day, not for before sunrise.  Uhhggg.  There was a bit of a breeze along the ocean, and that helped.  I felt sluggish, but was still starting out at a pretty good pace.  In the interest of trying to keep it easy, I kept my pace between 9-9:30/mile.  By the end of the run I could tell that with that much heat, I'd probably have to go even slower if the run were much longer.  I've got to go to Jax tomorrow, so I may have to do the pick-ups on Wednesday.  We'll see.

Stats:

7.01 miles

1:04:33

9:13/mile

Mike: You know how sometimes you lean back too far in your chair, but at just the last second you catch yourself?  I feel like that all the time.

Not easy, not like Sunday morning

Final Stats  10.01 miles   1:45:09   10:30pace

I sucked today.   From the get-go I felt awful, ran 10:10 my first mile, was at 30:30 by my 3rd mile and never looked after that until the end.   My fourth mile felt like my slowest...until the last mile and a half.   

Weather didn't seem too bad.  72 w/ relative humidity of about 90%.

Note:  I took a swig of gatorade to begin the run and didn't take any water or gatorade.   I did sweat a lot...like a lot a lot.  I guess I was asking for it, huh?

Craig is off and running, but he has left the race track in search of a better time...next time.

Happy Birthday Mark!!!!

15 August 2009

Even when it's cool, it's still really hot.  

I moved my runs up a day to put the long runs back on a Saturday.  Mondays are often office days for me, and it's easier to get that first run of the week in on that day.  So I skipped a cardio and ran 6 on Friday night and 10 tonight.  Both nights were relatively cool, but still in that mid-70's range with high humidity.  Friday was the coolest with temps dipping below 75 for the first time in a while.

I think the key to running the second half faster is to run the first half slower.  

I find that these second half faster runs do make me reign it in a bit at the beginning and watch my pace.  The ten mile run was a bit boring, and I did run the second half slower by 30-60 sec.  I think a lot of that had to do with just not paying attention to what I was doing.  I may try some new routes.  I run one of three routes every time, but I run north probably 90% of the  time.  I know about where the miles and half-miles are, and even though I have the Garmin (which I love) it helps to have the visual cues as well.

All in all both runs felt okay.  Not great, but not bad, either.

Stats:

Friday:

6.0 miles

53:32

8:55/mile

Saturday:

10.0 miles

1:30:31

9:03/mile

Happy Birthday, Big Brother!

Mike: Like Steve McQueen, I've left the scene.

5:08 per mile...

Final Stats:   

11.11 miles

57:09

5:08/mile

OK, on a bike.   Nice day to ride, so I went to the Great White tank near West Chester.

On the way back, a black lab decided I was a car and ran with me for about a mile until I looked back and saw a truck honking down the trail after us.   Crazy.   

Felt good to bike...different muscles...you go faster.

Happy Birthday to Mark today!

Craig...well, let's just put it like this... "I'm @!*&$!%&#!   Craig".

Something strange happened around miles 3.5-5

OK, so I did it backward today...26:59 on the way out and 28:40 on the way back for stats below:

6.2 miles

55:39

8:58/mile

My 14th 6 mile run this year.

Today it started out at 75 and when I finished it was around 79.   Tough...the heat index was only about 86, but I could tell I needed water about mile 4.   Somewhere between mile 3.5 and 5 I almost felt like I needed to quit, but something strange happened...my arms and legs took over and I kept it going.   I was prepared to quit at mile 4, but I kept going.   I sometimes feel it is a safety mechanism our body has telling us we need to stop or slow down or we'll be sorry.  

Went to the Dr. today and something clicked when he was looking at my chart.  Turns out on part of my blood pressure medication can trigger this cough I have had for 5+ weeks and had for about 4-6 weeks back in Feb/Mar.   With my BP at 106/68 this morning, he has given me a new prescription without the "cough triggering" ingredient and feels that will take care of it.   Just in case, he gave me an X-ray order I can use within the next two weeks if it doesn't get any better.   

I told him I have coughed up every color between clear and neon green, but nothing red and so I wasn't too concerned.   Hopefully this will take care of it.  

Craig is outta here like the Dallas Cowboys leaving Oakland after a big Ass Whoopin!

Cross Training...

This blog and the training schedule we're using has done great things for me this year.   I'm running more 5-8 mile runs and doing them around the 8:45-9:15/mile mark.   Last year's log shoes only three 6 mile runs, two 7 mile runs and four 8 mile runs.    I had a three 8 mile runs between 8:45 and 9:15, but most of the runs I did were @ a 10+/mile.   

While I may not get the 8:15/mile or the 6-6:15 pick-ups, I have definitely stepped it up compared to last year.   

Mark, are you running 26 miles on Sunday?   Impressive.   Equally impressive is Mike's pace on the 5 and 6 mile runs.   

Tomorrow I run another 6 miler w/ Darren.   I hope we can finish around 9/mile.

All this being said... I did my cardio on the elliptical and lifted (2 sets) of weights.   In all honesty, I haven't lifted much and I'm getting weak (or I'm just sick).   

I go to the Dr. again tomorrow to try and figure out this stuff with my lungs.   I am now thinking it might be slowing me down a little.   Let's face it, if you can't breathe... you go slower.

Have good runs this week, guys!   10 on Sunday for me.

Craig has hit the high road and hit the low road and he likes the high road  a little more...so he's taking that into the sunset...

Two Morning Runs

OK, again, reading your times is pushing me.  I ran 3 miles at 5 AM on Tuesday at 9:29 pace, which is good for me at this time in the morning.  I did the run in the morning  because I went to the Giants game to watch them get beat on by the Dodgers 9-1.  

This morning, I didn't get out until 5:45, and what a difference 45 minutes makes.  My watch stopped inexplicably during the run, but I ran 4.5 miles at at least an 8:46 pace.  I felt great and think the overall pace was better than 8:46.  I feel like I'm running with you guys and don't think I would run as hard without this blog.  

I've got another 4.5 miles tomorrow and will try to do 26 miles probably on Sunday.  We're flying tomorrow to Laguna Hills for a tournament for Mari.  So, I may not be able to report back until Monday/Tuesday.  Happy running!  

Storms a-brewin'

12 August 2009

Ran 5 on Tuesday morning, and then drove to Boca Raton that night.  I worked this morning, drove back and did my six this evening.  The 5 on Tuesday didn't feel too bad.  My knees hurt some, but my muscles felt okay.  Tonight I did the 6 with the 6 x 200m pick-ups.  There was a storm headed in, and the clouds and breeze made it feel cool (weather.com said 76 degrees- break out the sweaters!).  After the day of driving I didn't feel great, but managed to run the 200's around 6:00-6:30 per mile.

I'm thinking tomorrow may be a rest day.  The knees are complaining a bit, but if there's surf, I'll be in the water!  I'm thinking of moving my long run days back to Saturday.  Not sure, yet.

Stats:

Tuesday

5.0 miles

43:25

8:41/mile

Wednesday

6.0 miles

50:17

8:22/mile

Mike: What's this I hear about you having trouble with your TPS reports?  Yeah, didn't you get the memo?

Rocky

...the raccoon.  That thing was huge, but I was much luckier than Mike.   He saw me and dashed back into the woods.   And no, Mark, it wasn't the shorts...I was wearing my "boxer" shorts...you know, the kind you can put up past your belly button and they still hang below your knees.

  Ran the Ke-Wash Trail with 6x200 pick-ups.    Went the 6 miles plus .2 to make it an even 10K and finished in the following...

6.2 miles

54:01 (I was so mad when I saw this!  I didn't check my time at all during the last mile)

8:42  pace

Back into a "routine" (more than 1 day w/out a break) of running.   

Good amount of stretching afterward.   

Craig is going ...going... to work...it's over...summer, that is.

It says "5", but you do 6...

Actually, it wasn't the macho man mentality, it was more the fact that according to the training I missed 18 miles last week.   The past 4 days, I ran 3 miles total.   So I thought it would be best to run 6 this morning. 

Darren ran with me and we started at a comfortable 9:30 pace.   Figured it would be hot today, but it is just now reaching 70º at 9am.   Ran faster back than out.   Sun was heating it up on the way back and it was very humid.

Finished strong and felt very good.   final stats:

6miles

56:26

9:24 pace

tomorrow...we run harder, faster, stronger...we can rebuild him...

Good news:   No coughing this morning until I finished running.    

Craig is, has been and always will be...gone.

Ready to get back at it again

Fri- Day of rest, but did some core work at the hotel.

Sat- Day of rest, but did some more core work at the hotel.

Sun- Thought about running in the morning, but too tired and not knowing where I was going and no internet kept me in bed, but after driving the 6 hrs from INDY, I got home and ran 3 miles in the 90º heat w/ high humidity.   I haven't run in that hot, humid weather in a long time.   I could not cool down afterward and I dripped even after a cool shower.   These were the first miles after 16.  I did not time myself, but felt they were between 9:30-10/mile.

Monday I intended to run 5 miles, but took another day of rest due to a busy schedule of getting things done before going back to work pretty much full time starting this week. 

Mike...damn good pace.   You floor me with your great paces in the heat of FL.   

Mark sounds like you are ready to hit it hard again and I definitely hear you on the "creaky" body syndrome in the mornings.   

It was good to see you two posting and doing something while I basically did nothing for 4 days.   I hate to take more than 2 days in a row off, so it was very important to me to get those 3 miles in on Sunday even though I was tired from the long trip.  

My health is still a little bit of an issue with my lung and sinuses.   Lungs are entering their 4th week and today I got done with my antibiotic so hopefully it did the trick.   Neither seems to be affecting my running believe it or not, I just want to be done with the illness and feel good and healthy again. 

Mike says the thought of 26.2 is daunting.   It is, but you have to remember you may not do an 8:55 pace on such a long race.    5 easy miles tomorrow w/ Darren.   Tired tonight, but ready to run early in the AM to beat the weather .   

Craig's feeling it and I mean "ready to get back" one more time.  

Rest day.

10 August 2009

Rest day.

Working from home.

Knees are sore.

Muscles not too bad.

Stats:

2.0 Dogs

2.0 Cats

1 Dog/Cat

Mike: Keepin' on the sunny side.

New socks are always nice.

9 August 2009

For Friday, Saturday and Sunday  I ran 4 miles, 6 miles and 16 miles, respectively. 

On Friday I was supposed to run 6, but my friends wanted to go to the BBQ competition down at the pier.  I'd waited to run in the evening, and I didn't have much time.  The four was pretty easy, but by the time I finished and showered, the judging was over and the food was gone.  Oh, well.  I went down anyway.  They had a country band playing, and this little kid, like 5 or so, was up there with his boots on and a little guitar rockin' out with the band.  Very cute!

I then got up on Sat. morning and ran 6 miles.  Again, felt pretty good, but it was hot.  There was a mist in the air, but it was between 75 and 80 so it felt more like a steam than a mist.  After I ran, I picked up the dogs and then surfed for an hour or so.  It was the first decent swell we've had in a while.  Fun. Fun.

This morning I got up very early knowing that if I had to run any significant time with the sun up I was dead.  I'd hoped to finish before sunrise, but I neglected to figure in time to stash extra water/Gatorade.  It still wasn't too bad.  I finished about 30-45 min after sun-up.  I used Craig/Carol's ninth hole trick.  I froze my extra drink, and when I got to it, it was a delightful slush.  Yum.  

I've been using water in one bottle and Gatorade Endurance in the other.  I've been eating energy chews at the half-hours, but sometimes skip it, too.  

The weather wasn't too bad this morning.  Steamy as on Sat. morning.  When the path I was on would dip below the road or under over-hanging trees, I could feel a drop of 5 degrees or more.  Sometimes I'd feel my legs much cooler than my arms and head.  That was weird.

The run felt good until the last 1.5 miles again.  That's when the path is closer to the beach without any houses to shade the sun.  I can feel the temperature really soar then.  It was probably 75 (with 99% humidity) when I left, and 80 (with 85 heat index) when I finished.   I felt like I could have gone farther, but not much.  I'm glad I have more time to train. 

I definitely felt it in my knees and such.  I stretched as usual, but also took a cool/cold bath (just my legs under) for 10-15 minutes.  Not an ice bath, but it might help with some of the inflammation.  We'll see.  I'm also finding a few spots that get rubbed a bit (and not in a good way).  One on my foot, which may be the new socks (other than that I like them) and one on my back where the Fuel Belt rubs.  I ate a bit and napped for an hour.  The rest of the day is chores and recovery.  

I feel good so far, but the thought of 26.2 is still daunting.

Stats:

Friday

4 miles

33:23

8:21/mile

Saturday

6 miles

52:43

8:47/mile

Sunday

16 miles

2:22:45

8:55/mile

Mike: Drink coffee!  Do stupid things faster and with more energy!

Back on Track

I ran 3 miles yesterday at an 8:58 pace.  I found a trail in Danville and ran before T's first game.  It was an easy run, and I felt pretty good.  Earlier in the morning, I lifted weights and did leg work for the first time in a month.  So, I was happy that I wasn't fatigued.   

This morning, no soreness from the weights.  I ran 1.5 miles to the track slow (around 10 minute pace), walked and stretched for 5 minutes, ran 1 mile hard (6:41 pace), walked 5 minutes and finished with a 3.5 mile slow jog (again 10 minute pace).  So, 6 miles total.  The mile felt very good considering that I lifted with legs and ran yesterday.  I was very loose and didn't feel like I was killing myself, which has been the case in prior instances where I run the mile as hard as I can.  

This week, I'll return to the Galloway training schedule.  I'm not sure what it entails right now, but I'm feeling ready to up the training.  I'm very happy with how I feel two weeks after running San Francisco.

On T's tournament, they won their group going 2-0-1 and lost in the semi-finals in a very frustrating loss.  They went to double-overtime with the score 0-0 and lost in PKs.  It was frustrating because they totally dominated the match.  The other team did not have a shot on goal in regulation, and they're only shot in the entire match was in the first overtime.  T's team just couldn't put the ball in the net despite having what seemed like a gazillion chances . . . tough way to lose,  but they had a great first tournament.

5 AM . . . Ouch

I ran 4.5 miles yesterday at 5 AM at 9:58 pace.  As I get older, I feel the age in the morning.  The body is creaky.  Anyway, after a slow start, I felt better as the run progressed.  I couldn't see my pace over the last mile or so because it was dark, but it definitely felt easier.  I had to get the run in because Tierney's new team is playing in a tournament in Danville (had two games -- beat the 44th ranked team in the nation 1-0, and tied in the afternoon 1-1), and then went to some friends for dinner last night.  

Today, I'm heading to the gym to lift and will run an easy 3 miles later today.  We're back to Danville.  If Tierney's team ties or wins this morning, they'll be in the semi-finals tonight.  So, I'm hoping that's the case, and I'll run either between games or while she's warming up.  

Craig, if you're running 10:13 on the long runs now, I think you'll definitely be able to maintain that pace during the marathon.  I'd guess that you pick up 1  to 1:30 per mile during the race.  

Mike, you're pace is awesome!  8:19 for 8.5 miles . . . very strong!

Picked up

7 August 2009

Took a rest day yesterday instead of cardio.  Left the house before 6 AM and didn't get back until around 5 PM.  Long day.  

Wednesday I did 8.5 with 6 x 800m (I did 0.5 miles) pick-ups.  It was evening when I started.  Temp was only 82 or so, and a storm had just gone through, so it was cooling some.  I ran the pick-ups at 7-7:30/mile, and that felt about right.  Hard, but not killer.  

At the end I felt like I could have kept going (except I had to go... if you know what I mean... and no cornfields to dash into).   Shaping up to be a much better week.  6 today.  4 tomorrow.  16 on Sunday.

That's it.  Pretty boring.  Which is nice.

Stats:

8.5 miles

1:10:40

8:19/mile

Mike: Got beats so big I'm steppin' on leprechauns. 

16 By the Light...of the Silvery Moon

Mark-good to hear you are back at it and very impressive times as you make your way back into training.   

I also echo your thoughts on the blog...keeps me motivated, but also realistic.   I knew tonight we could not do 9 min. miles, so we started at a 10/mile pace.   Anything over 13 is what I call "really, really hard to do".  We really did a good job of staying right in there and very even.

I decided on Wed to take a day off with having to do my long run on Thursday evening (tonight).   I ran w/ Darren and we did this run at 7:20, knowing we would be running in the dark by the end. 

We made it and had friend of ours (Rob Frank, Mike would know him) bike support for us.   This was 4 miles longer than Darren had ever run and he had worked all day and then we went to a training demonstration in Sigourney for our sons' SK football team.    It was great having Rob bike and give us our drink.   I'm sold on Gatorade.   I drank one and a half 16 ounce bottles the entire time. 

We ran 2 miles in town and then 14 on the trail, basically to West Chester and back.   Time was our enemy, but we had a bright moon helping us see the trail.    Darren was having trouble keeping anything down by mile 12-13.  He had tried powerade.   He hit the wall at about mile 13 and we stayed together until mile 15-16 when he said he had to walk a little.  Must have not been long because he was only about 1 minute behind me at the end.

I am feeling it in my knees and my left heel.   ICE.   I soaked in the tub for 20 minutes, too.  

Tonight I kinda felt like "why am I doing this to myself AGAIN?"...that's quickly answered when you think about what you just did...We stuck w/ around 10-10:15/mile and our final stats were:

16miles

2:43:29

10:13 pace

Not sure if I can keep even that up for 26.2, but I felt tonight like it was possible with more training.   Despite a little pain in the knees and heel...I felt great.

I'm taking at least 2 days off, unless I'm feeling good on Saturday.

Craig has left the state, but he will be back...oh, yes, he will be back...

Back at it and feeling surprisingly good

Mike, that dog bite was nasty.   I hope you're feeling better.  

Craig, please don't include a picture of your shorts.

I ran 3 miles last Wednesday at 9:42 pace.  The run was a bit of a struggle.  Thursday I ran 3 miles at 8:52 pace and felt a lot better.  I lifted Friday, ran 3 miles on Saturday at 8:13 pace around a track.  On Sunday, I ran 4 miles at 9:24 pace around the neighborhood.  Last night, Wednesday, I ran 4.5 miles at 8:55 pace from our house to Mari's high school to watch Tierney's team play a scrimmage.  I felt great last night and was running into the wind.  So, I was very happy with the time.  Every day,  I'm feeling stronger.  

This last week has been a bit of a struggle to get runs in because Lisa's brother, Jer, got married, and we had the bachelor's party, rehearsal dinner and wedding.  In addition, we had Mari's birthday party.  So, I'll be running the next three days straight (4.5, 3 and 6 miles with a magic mile (run a mile as fast as I can)).  It'll be interesting to see how it goes.

I don't know if it helps you guys, but knowing that I have to report on the blog appears to make me run harder than I would otherwise.  

Feeling much better, but why am I drooling so much?

4 August 2009

Got going well before sunrise today.  Still hot, but not the 82 (88 heat index) of Sunday.  The bite is doing fine.  It only hurts when I laugh.

Ran 6.2 today, and felt good the whole way.  The sun was up by the time I finished, and I could feel that it could cause some problems for me.  Still, better than Sunday.  I'm on the road the next two days, but can probably run in the evening if the storms aren't too bad.  I'll keep you posted.

I was thinking that it makes sense that I'd get bit on the road, but not while working.  At work I pay a lot more attention to what animals are doing.  On the road I wasn't really thinking about it.

You know, if it's cool at the race I'm going to be loving it.  Like training at altitude!

Stats:

6.2 miles

53:44

8:40/mile

Mike will not go into the light.  NO WAY!  (Stupid Indian Burial Ground)

6 with the new duds

So I got my new Nike shirt, my Brooks shorts (and they are called shorts for a reason) and new socks.   Everything felt good.  Ran 6 with Darren this morning.  Started with a 9:30 pace and ended with the following:

6 miles

56:05

9:20/mile

Weather was humid, but in the upper 60s, so still not bad.  Right now it's close to 85º.   Leaving on Friday-Sunday for Indianapolis w/ the band, so I'm going to run either Thursday night or Friday early early for my 16 mile run.  Figured it was better to do then than on Sunday night or Monday morning.  

We need to call Mike and see how he's doing...damn dog.

What can you say...

3 August 2009

I was in KC all last week for work.  I actually got up on Tuesday with plenty of time to run, but was chased back to the hotel by lightening streaking down around me.  I ended up with about 2.5 miles for that day.  I slept in the next day as we were starting earlier, and not finishing until after dinner.  I hoped I might be able to get in an hour run between meetings and dinner, and as the day wound down it looked promising.  Then one of the students said, "I'd love to go for a run."  I've had great experiences, so far, running with others, and I said, "Meet you in the lobby."  As we started our run I said, "So how far do you want to go?"  He said, "I don't care.  I run almost every day.  About a mile."  A mile.  Singular.  Okay...  We ended up running 2.5 miles which, I later learned, almost killed him.  

I got home late on Thursday and missed my chance to run on Friday morning.  Friday evening was thunderstorms again, so I set my sights on 6 for Saturday and 10 for Sunday.

Saturday:  Got going quite late.  Figured i

t would give me a chance to see what it would be like if I run the Tour de Pain next weekend.  The Tour is three races in 24 hrs. in Jax.  The first is a 4 mile beach run on Friday at 7:30 PM.  The next morning at 7:30 AM is a 5 K, followed by a one mile run at 4:30 the same afternoon.  The 6 miles I did at 7:30 AM about killed me.  Ran out of water, ran out of steam.  But I finished.  I've become worried about what will happen if I run into this kind of weather in Chicago.  What if it's hot, and at mile 5 I'm about dead?  I've never done the stop and walk thing to get a boost.  I've always just finished.  Could I walk and recover enough to keep going?  Interestingly enough I found out.

Sunday morning:  I got an earlier start, but not much.  It was 78 when I started.  I felt good for the first few miles, but the heat was building quickly.  I detoured away from the beach.  There was less of a breeze, but the houses still

 created some shade.  That helped a lot.  At just over three miles, I passed a woman walking five dogs.  They all seemed happy to be out on their morning walk, but I moved to the middle of the road anyway.  As I passed, one of the dogs lunged and bit me on my left thigh.  I stopped and looked.  It was already swelling, and blood was dripping out of it.

Great.

The woman was mortified.  The dog was the youngest, and had never done anything like that before. (of course)  I got her name and confirmed that the dog had its rabies vaccination, and told her I'd contact her if I needed to go to the hospital. 

I thought about going home.  That would have been wise. You know, wash out the bite, apply antibiotic ointment.  The thought of how m

uch I'd already skipped that week turned me around, and I plodded on.  The wound wasn't too bad, but within a quarter mile I had to return to the beachside path.  The heat was on.  I tried to ration my water, and I did okay until about 6.5 miles.  I really hit the wall then.  I slowed to 10+ min/mile, but was breathing hard.  I cut back into the shade of the houses as soon as I could, but by then the sun was pushing over the low brush and only the tops of the houses provided any shade at all.  No breeze.  Still going.  Now at 11 min/mile.  My leg began to throb.  And finally, I walked.

This was the easy part.  It felt great to slow down.  My breathing evened, and my head cleared within a few hundred yards.  Now for the hard part.  Start running again.  This is where I find out if I can make it.  Start running.  Run. Now.

I started going again, and it hurt worse than I thought it would.  Then, after only a hundred yards or so it got a little easier.  I ran, not fast, but I ran another half mile.  Then I walked again.  Then I ran again.  I finished the last mile at a jog.  Slowest time ever, but I made it.  I finished the run, and felt like I could handle another of the possible pitfalls waiting for me in Chicago.  Now I know how it feels to hit the wall, regroup and keep going.  And keep

 going.

Turned out the dog bite was pretty deep, but it's doing okay now.  Not too much swelli

ng and doesn't look like it will get infected.  11 years as a vet and the worst bite I get is running on a Sunday morning.

Oh, yeah.  Stats:

6.2 miles

57:09

9:13/mile

10.0 miles

1:39:59

10:00/mile

Mike runnin' on empty, but runnin' on.

Mark's Pace

Took to the Ke-Wash Trail and kept a good pace the entire time.   I had marked the trail on Friday (every 1/4 mile).   It's flat and the the temperatures have stayed in the 50s and 60s in the mornings so it was just about perfect for a good run.   

I'm still fighting a terrible cold and coughing up a lot of stuff, but the good news is my left heel is feeling better.   I've been using a gel heel in my everyday shoes to cushion it during the day.   That has made a big difference + a lot of stretching and some icing of it.   

Darren ran with me today and we once again pushed each other.   We were at 1:13:0something w/ 2 miles to go and put in a couple U9's to finish with the following:

10 miles

1:30:46

9:04 pace (Mark's marathon pace)

Craig is gonna make like a tree and head out...you know, like a baby, yeah, and leaf!

Comfortably Numb

Almost surreal this morning with the run.   I must still be feeling sick or something.   My pace started at about 9:45 and it seemed to be a struggle to keep it there.   1/2 point was 9:45/mile and finished with 

6 miles

57:56

9:39/mile

My last mile was 8:49

Not feeling the best, but much better than yesterday...out...cold.

BTW- anticipating 70-80º...I ran into a 55º temp with no humidity.  Man I hate wasting great weather on a crappy run.

Not good...but smart, VERY smart

So, Wed I started out doing build ups and had a good 9:00/mile pace going when it hit me on the 2nd build up (about 2.5 miles)...CRASH...WALL... I hadn't been feeling well and still fighting a cough...I took it as a sign and walked back to the 2 mile mark and jogged in.   Slept most of the day and night.   Still got in 4.5 miles.    No time on that one except I was at 9:00/mile at 2 miles.

So today, Thursday I decided it was time to take a complete day off.   Tanner had his wisdom teeth out and again... I took it as a sign...wisdom=rest=what I should do.

Tomorrow I gear up for  a 6 mile run.  No Darren, but it will be a typical Friday except the weather is supposed to get back to normal, so get used to hearing me say 80s and 90s with high humidity for a while.   

Craig is taking it easy and feeling pretty darn smart about it.

On the Road Again

Thanks Mark.   The Minneapolis start had several pacing runners with signs and balloons with finishing times.   So you could find your place in the starting corral, but something tells me it's a little different with 45,000 vs. 10,000 runners.    There were only 2 main corrals.   

Today, I ran with Darren on the Harper Rd...5 miles.   Good run w/ once again...great weather.  62º, but humid.    

My cough seems to be getting worse and reminds me of a cough I had in Jan, Feb and March.   It was just a nagging cough that wouldn't go away.   No sore throat, just the cough and drainage.

final stats today:

46:43

5.02 miles

9:18/mile

 

Craig has taken Mr. Nelson's guitar and hit the road.

One More Thing

Regarding the starting corral, you can submit a marathon time as well.

Ran 3, felt pretty good, but the legs are tired.  29:06, 9:42 miles.  Oddly enough,  I'm able to stretch pretty well and actually feel more flexible -- doesn't make any sense.  Anyway, I didn't think I'd be ready to run; after the last marathon, I had trouble walking for several days.  So, this is a big improvement.

Feeling Pretty Good!

So, it's the second day after the marathon, and surprisingly I feel great.  I'm going to try 3 miles tonight.  I'm going to go light this week with 3 3 mile runs and do 4 miles this weekend.  Then, next week go back to an easy "normal" week.  By the third week, I expect to jump back into the marathon training schedule for Chicago.  

BTW, thanks for your thoughts and support during the marathon.  I really appreciate that you followed my progress.  One other key learning point from the run:  give yourself enough time to hit the porta-potty before the run.  I didn't and cost myself a minute or two at mile 15 or 16. 

Guys, I don't know if you have half marathon times, but if you do, I'd suggest signing up for a starting corral, as opposed to the open start.  Doing so, puts you with better runners and eliminates some of the weaving that you have to do to avoid slower runners.  I did a similar thing for San Francisco, but still found some idiots who must have lied about their target times and were walking by mile 3.  I don't know why it bothers me so much, but I wish people would just be honest about where they line up for a race.  It's tremendously inconsiderate.  Enough whining . . . I'm off to do the run.

Day off and Congrats to Mark!

Changed the pic from yesterday to show you the "GREAT WHITE" from the trail...

Day off here.   I feel even better than I did after 12 miles, but I think it is because I ran 9:30/mile instead of 9:08/mile.   I probably could have gone faster, but didn't want to hit the wall due to starting too fast...so I kept the pace and felt good the entire time.  The weather has been incredible the past few weeks except for one day.   

Congrats to Mark who finished under 4 hours in the SF Marathon!   By the looks of his stats, he was very consistent with his pace.   Not sure I want to try going that fast, but it is tempting.

The Craigor is out.

2 days in the South

25, 26 July 2009

Ran 3 yesterday, and got a late start as usual.  My friend Andrew called and said it was going off on the outside, and he'd meet me at my house to go surf after my run.  When I got to the beach I saw he was right.  Beautiful lines on the outside sand bar.  My eyes were still a bit dilated from the previous day's eye exam (they said this would happen), and it hurt to look at the water.  I didn't go back to get my shades, anyway.  I was still stuffy, but I hurried anyway.  The waves here can be fickle.  

I got back, stretched and we hit the water.  The light really hurt out there, but not as much as the fact that I caught 2 waves and realized we'd missed our window.  That's life, I guess.  The early bird gets the worm.

But the second mouse gets the cheese.

Stats:

3.1 miles

24:58

8:03/mile

26 July 2009

Fourteen miles!  The farthest I've ever run at one time!  Yeah, it hurt.

Actually, it didn't hurt until the last 2.5 miles when the sun was up, and I was out of Gatorade.  I really felt it then.  I took 16 oz of Gatorade Endurance.  This is the formula they'll be using at the marathon, and I found some individual packets at the local running store.  It's got extra electrolytes, and it tastes like it.  I also used cola gel blasts and tried some GU Chomps.  I ate a few before I left and about every 30 min.  I've been trying to make my long runs as much like the marathon will be as possible. 

I felt really good at the start, and through most of the run.  It was the sun up and the humidity that made me feel really crappy.  I slowed my pace from about 8:45 to closer to 9:10.  Every time I hurt or want to quit, I think, "What if this is how I feel in Chicago?  How will I respond then?  Will I quit?"  So I just slow down and keep going.  I have faith in the training and in myself.

Worked well today.  I'm not even sore this evening as I write this.  Tired, but not in pain.

Stats:

14.0 miles

2:04:59

8:55/mile

Mike: Blinded by the light. Revved up like a deuce...

Good Luck to Mark in the SF Marathon!

Good Luck, Mark!   You are doing great so far (1/2 way done!).

Have you seen the great White?

So I'm running down this trail, minding my own business when this huge white nitrogen fertilizer storage tank is to my right...   I've seen this from the road probably 1000 times and it always looked big, but man this thing was a monster and it hummed loudly as I ran past it.

I ran the Ke-Wash trail and felt very good the whole time, but unsure of my times until I saw MILE 7 in West Chester on a post.  On the way back I found Mile 6 and Mile 5 and even Mile 3.   Crazy I hadn't seen mile 3 before.  What I liked most about the trail?   NO HILLS.   I got to the 7 mile mark around 1:06:30 and as soon as I turned around I felt tired and I think I had a 9:45 on that next mile.   I had figured I was right around 9:30 the entire time I was running.   As I got closer coming back I felt stronger.   I took gatorade with me and drank a little every 15-20 minutes.   I finished in an unusual time, but I'll take it:

Final stats:

14 miles

2:13:01

9:30 pace

Craig is stretching and shouting "Call Me Ishmael"!

High Noon and 3

Didn't get going until almost 12noon today for a run  of 3 miles with no time.

I did not expect the wind to be a factor, but it was.   From the west, steady at 10mph and gusts as high as 21mph were recorded around that time.    Temperature and humidity not bad...77-80º and about 55% humidity.

My left heel is bothering me a little, but I just need to rest it a day and it usually comes back.   So I'll do just that after 14 tomorrow.   For my 14 I am looking at going on the Ke-Wash trail from Keota to West Chester.   The miles aren't marked very well, but the turn around works for me and I know where it is.   

Final stats:

3 miles

good time

good pace

windy