Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Back to the intervals, ouch, so yeah my legs hurt a little. They will hurt more tomorrow when I do a back to back. I am changing up my schedule because we are going camping this weekend. Don't want to skip my runs and also don't really want to put up with the hassle of trying to find a route on the fly. So I will have a couple of back to back days (although I might skip Tuesday after doing my long run on Monday.)
Anyway, I was talking to someone the other day and they asked, 'so how often do you run?'
And when I said 4 days a week, her eyes kind of opened up wider, and when I mentioned I was training for a marathon she was really impressed. You know that just never gets old. The reaction when you mention how much you run, or how long you ran that day or that week, it's just great. One of the many side benefits of doing all this work.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Another week, another PR distance record #Running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
That's right, broke past the Half marathon distance for the first time! And even better, none of the knee pain that has bothered my 2 half marathons. I am getting stronger!
This one felt really good (despite the need for a rest stop about halfway through, glad for public restrooms.) I took the same route I did 2 weeks ago, except just added to the end, and I was just about dead right on my mileage estimate.
The only negative was my children calling me 3 times to find out when I was going to be home so they could turn on the computer. Which means I have to do 2 things: stress to only call if it really important, and get an earlier start on the long runs.
Also that was a high for weekly mileage as well, blowing past the previous high by a mile. The miles are really building up lately. That is 5 weeks now of 20+ miles, and I am threatening to exceed 30 miles in a week. But not this week, at least technically, because I am moving my long run from Sunday to Monday because we will be on a family camp out with the Scouts.
I was a little unsure how this one would go. One of my calves was bothering me yesterday, and when I first got up, but it eased up and loosened up. Enough that I was able to cruise to a real good training pace. Yet another sign that I am really getting stronger.
Also, glad that the weather has finally reached a point where I can settle into just shorts on a regular basis and forego the long sweats, which is always nice.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Kinda rocked that tempo run today! And an Anniversary thanks for my wife. #Running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
I was a little concerned about how I would do on this run, considering how my legs felt Tuesday. Plus, in the kind of masochism that runners seem to develop, I altered my route to include a few more hills at the beginning.
But I rocked it! I could have easily managed a sub 60 minute 10K had my workout called for that distance. It felt really good to do that, to run that well for that long.
My eating habits have kind of degenerated the last couple of weeks, no excuses, I could have done a better job of fighting through the disruptions in my life, but I didn't. Again, that's on me, I need to get a little tougher mentally on that.
But so long as I am running that well I just can't get that down on myself, because in the end that is my primary goal: to be the best runner I can be.
On a side note I want to take a moment to wish my wife Happy Anniversary! Without her support and inspiration a lot of this wouldn't be happening. So thank you Kim for all you do and for all of your support!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
All those miles give and they take #Running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
I couldn't have reached this point, where I ran 13 miles (well mostly ran, there was some walking) without pain during, and then still had the energy to go on a 4 mile hike later on that day without having done all the training I have done. This is really the point of running all of these training runs. You run them to build.
All that hard work, the hills, the snow, the rain, the falls, the bruises all give me the strength to do runs like that. That is the longest training run I have ever had, and basically tied my 2 longest runs, actual Half marathon races. And, unlike my races, I was able to complete this without any of the knee pain that I encountered during my races. That is what the training has given me: the strength and wind to keep running longer distances.
Of course today's run was an example of what all those miles can take away: 2 days after that long run and then hike my legs were definitely not happy with the idea of running again. But I know that this is part of the building process. In order to gain sometimes I have to absorb some losses like this, runs where it is a real effort just to keep moving and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
I couldn't have reached this point, where I ran 13 miles (well mostly ran, there was some walking) without pain during, and then still had the energy to go on a 4 mile hike later on that day without having done all the training I have done. This is really the point of running all of these training runs. You run them to build.
All that hard work, the hills, the snow, the rain, the falls, the bruises all give me the strength to do runs like that. That is the longest training run I have ever had, and basically tied my 2 longest runs, actual Half marathon races. And, unlike my races, I was able to complete this without any of the knee pain that I encountered during my races. That is what the training has given me: the strength and wind to keep running longer distances.
Of course today's run was an example of what all those miles can take away: 2 days after that long run and then hike my legs were definitely not happy with the idea of running again. But I know that this is part of the building process. In order to gain sometimes I have to absorb some losses like this, runs where it is a real effort just to keep moving and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Pushed myself today & it felt great #Running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily,
I normally don't post on the weekend, but today's run was just great & I had to share. First, the route, this was a new route. With a chunk of it running through the middle of town along a wonderful trail called Middle Shooks Run. This was a fun route, seeing a part of town that often goes unexplored.
Second, the mileage. Last week I was happy to do 10 running miles. But today I was able to push it out to 12+ miles, and went over a half marathon if you included the walking! And it all felt natural and organic, not pushing it too far.
Third, the weather was just perfect. Not too warm, not too chilly. All I needed was shorts and a long sleeve shirt, no jacket or long pants needed.
It all added up to a great run and really complimented what has been a great weekend.
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Another good training run, and thoughts on living with diverticular disease #running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Felt really good for a speed workout. Pressing a little more on these weekday workouts is really starting to payoff. Glad I made that change. And like I said the other day I am feeling more confident about my ability to complete the marathon in 3-4 months.
Well it has been mostly good for the last couple of weeks. I've gradually gotten better at meeting my calorie goals since the blockage issues a couple of weeks ago. And I have settled back into my required high fiber diet.
Which is the biggest thing about living with Diverticular disease. Gotta have that fiber! And not eat too big of meals. And I had let the fiber slide some, slipping into a bad habit of eating sweets that had no real good content.
My diet is a mix of things: I need that fiber (which does meet the Skinny Rules diet as well.) And I try to mix in some variety in my breakfasts, making sure I get in the extra protein on my running days. But I also consume higher and higher calories on my running days as my miles increase. Which is an almost unconscious thing that I really need to resist if at all possible.
It really is all the same thing really. The only difference is that I need to be sure that when I eat things like toast or a bagel before a run that I try to stick to the whole wheat and whole grain options.
Felt really good for a speed workout. Pressing a little more on these weekday workouts is really starting to payoff. Glad I made that change. And like I said the other day I am feeling more confident about my ability to complete the marathon in 3-4 months.
Diet & living with Diverticular disease
Well it has been mostly good for the last couple of weeks. I've gradually gotten better at meeting my calorie goals since the blockage issues a couple of weeks ago. And I have settled back into my required high fiber diet.
Which is the biggest thing about living with Diverticular disease. Gotta have that fiber! And not eat too big of meals. And I had let the fiber slide some, slipping into a bad habit of eating sweets that had no real good content.
My diet is a mix of things: I need that fiber (which does meet the Skinny Rules diet as well.) And I try to mix in some variety in my breakfasts, making sure I get in the extra protein on my running days. But I also consume higher and higher calories on my running days as my miles increase. Which is an almost unconscious thing that I really need to resist if at all possible.
It really is all the same thing really. The only difference is that I need to be sure that when I eat things like toast or a bagel before a run that I try to stick to the whole wheat and whole grain options.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Starting to really feel & see the benefits of all those miles #Running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
11.6 miles, to be honest only ran the first 10, and then walked home after that. But if I had to I could probably have ran out that last piece if the trail stayed flat. I felt really good about this one. Not just the distance, but also the route. I took a bit of a risk and ventured out a lot farther than I normally have. And it was well worth it, if only for the feeling that once I reached a certain part, I had to just keep on going in order to complete the run, sometimes giving yourself no choice is helpful.
Anyway, this run also gave the me the confidence that I am on the right path and target for my goal. Because I figure I should be doing a minimum 13 mile training run on Memorial Day weekend. And since my goal Marathon is Labor Day than I am pretty much right on pace for meeting that goal.
I had a realization last week. That maybe I need to start pushing it a little more on my Tuesday runs. That my Thursday runs are speed/tempo runs. And Saturday is a restful 3 miles, since I don't want to kill my ability to make that long Sunday run. So Tuesday has to be a little harder workout.
Today I consciously tried to push it a little more. And I did well. One nice thing is that with school ending I will have a little more flexibility on my timing, as I won't have to wrangle kids to school. Which is good since these weekday runs are starting to get longer.
11.6 miles, to be honest only ran the first 10, and then walked home after that. But if I had to I could probably have ran out that last piece if the trail stayed flat. I felt really good about this one. Not just the distance, but also the route. I took a bit of a risk and ventured out a lot farther than I normally have. And it was well worth it, if only for the feeling that once I reached a certain part, I had to just keep on going in order to complete the run, sometimes giving yourself no choice is helpful.
Anyway, this run also gave the me the confidence that I am on the right path and target for my goal. Because I figure I should be doing a minimum 13 mile training run on Memorial Day weekend. And since my goal Marathon is Labor Day than I am pretty much right on pace for meeting that goal.
I had a realization last week. That maybe I need to start pushing it a little more on my Tuesday runs. That my Thursday runs are speed/tempo runs. And Saturday is a restful 3 miles, since I don't want to kill my ability to make that long Sunday run. So Tuesday has to be a little harder workout.
Today I consciously tried to push it a little more. And I did well. One nice thing is that with school ending I will have a little more flexibility on my timing, as I won't have to wrangle kids to school. Which is good since these weekday runs are starting to get longer.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Pouring rain, rising creeks, not enough to stop my run this morning #Running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Today's Run
I got soaked more less head to toe, all the way to the skin. But after running a race with a stomach problem a little rain wasn't about to keep me from running. In fact it was kind of fun. Having to avoid at least the deeper, bigger puddles kept me on my toes.
And I rocked the tempo run if I do say so myself! I don't know what it is about these lately, I struggle a little on the shorter easier run, but I can crush the longer tempo runs. Maybe it is my route, I do intentionally pick the flattest, slightly downhill route for these runs. Either way, I feel pretty damn good about myself and where I stand on my training program.
I have been having fun tinkering with the maps, planning out routes for when my long runs start to get really serious. And I am starting to look forward to doing these routes, it should be fun!
Because nothing beats that feeling of accomplishment I get when I finish a good run! It's just great!
(I was going to write about living with Diverticulosis today, but I decided to put that off for another day, something to look forward to.)
Today's Run
I got soaked more less head to toe, all the way to the skin. But after running a race with a stomach problem a little rain wasn't about to keep me from running. In fact it was kind of fun. Having to avoid at least the deeper, bigger puddles kept me on my toes.
And I rocked the tempo run if I do say so myself! I don't know what it is about these lately, I struggle a little on the shorter easier run, but I can crush the longer tempo runs. Maybe it is my route, I do intentionally pick the flattest, slightly downhill route for these runs. Either way, I feel pretty damn good about myself and where I stand on my training program.
I have been having fun tinkering with the maps, planning out routes for when my long runs start to get really serious. And I am starting to look forward to doing these routes, it should be fun!
Because nothing beats that feeling of accomplishment I get when I finish a good run! It's just great!
(I was going to write about living with Diverticulosis today, but I decided to put that off for another day, something to look forward to.)
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
I wasn't going to let some intestinal problem keep from running that race again #Running
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
First, some background. 2 years ago I had signed up for the Colorado Springs Grand Prix running series. I was really looking forward to it. Then the week before the second race in the series, the Take 5 in the Garden, I was hit with the worst intestinal blockage of my life. This is the worst side effect of my Diverticulosis Occasionally something will get stuck and that can cause anything from minor discomfort to intense pain (and if I am not careful than potentially worse.) Well that time I was in the hospital for 4 nights, and wasn't released until the day of the race. And needless to say, after eating nothing solid for 5 days I was in no condition to run the race.
Last year I didn't sign up for the full series as we already had some conflicting vacation plans. No big deal.
Fast forward to last Thursday night. When a fever hit, and then I spent the night barely sleeping and feeling multiple muscle cramps. By Friday morning I was exhausted, and not really sure what sickness had hit me, so I stayed home and rested. After a while it became clear I had another blockage, not on the level of the one from 2 years ago, but still annoying. So I kept myself hydrated, ate very light and pushed lots of fiber.
By Saturday morning I felt good enough to run. And dammit there was no way I was going to miss the race again! I got up, ate a light granola bar, and went to the race. This is a really tough race, it is very hilly. I was basically okay with the first big climb, but about halfway through the first long downhill the pain started. And it was with me off and on the rest of the race. It wasn't terrible, but it was enough to slow me down (which was a feat considering how slow I normally run.) But I finished the race, and with a respectable time of under 53 minutes and a 10:41 mile pace.
And eventually the blockage worked itself later that day on Saturday. Which is what it normally does if I am careful. Which meant that I was ready to do my weekly long slow run:
Not my best effort by a long shot I will admit. But my legs were shot by the time I hit 7 miles. I did as best I could but they just couldn't get moving any more. Which is okay, because in the long run I still broke 20 miles for the week. And I am sure my legs were still feeling it from the race the day before. But I am sticking to my schedule.
Legs were still a little slow and dead today. Guess I need to be careful about how much I push at the moment. Stick to the training program and not get carried away.
I will get into diet issues and dealing with the Diverticulosis another day. For now, I will just say that it is one of the reasons I need to run, even when it tries to keep me from doing so. And sometimes you just need to suck it up and run through the pain.
First, some background. 2 years ago I had signed up for the Colorado Springs Grand Prix running series. I was really looking forward to it. Then the week before the second race in the series, the Take 5 in the Garden, I was hit with the worst intestinal blockage of my life. This is the worst side effect of my Diverticulosis Occasionally something will get stuck and that can cause anything from minor discomfort to intense pain (and if I am not careful than potentially worse.) Well that time I was in the hospital for 4 nights, and wasn't released until the day of the race. And needless to say, after eating nothing solid for 5 days I was in no condition to run the race.
Last year I didn't sign up for the full series as we already had some conflicting vacation plans. No big deal.
Fast forward to last Thursday night. When a fever hit, and then I spent the night barely sleeping and feeling multiple muscle cramps. By Friday morning I was exhausted, and not really sure what sickness had hit me, so I stayed home and rested. After a while it became clear I had another blockage, not on the level of the one from 2 years ago, but still annoying. So I kept myself hydrated, ate very light and pushed lots of fiber.
By Saturday morning I felt good enough to run. And dammit there was no way I was going to miss the race again! I got up, ate a light granola bar, and went to the race. This is a really tough race, it is very hilly. I was basically okay with the first big climb, but about halfway through the first long downhill the pain started. And it was with me off and on the rest of the race. It wasn't terrible, but it was enough to slow me down (which was a feat considering how slow I normally run
And eventually the blockage worked itself later that day on Saturday. Which is what it normally does if I am careful. Which meant that I was ready to do my weekly long slow run:
Not my best effort by a long shot I will admit. But my legs were shot by the time I hit 7 miles. I did as best I could but they just couldn't get moving any more. Which is okay, because in the long run I still broke 20 miles for the week. And I am sure my legs were still feeling it from the race the day before. But I am sticking to my schedule.
Legs were still a little slow and dead today. Guess I need to be careful about how much I push at the moment. Stick to the training program and not get carried away.
I will get into diet issues and dealing with the Diverticulosis another day. For now, I will just say that it is one of the reasons I need to run, even when it tries to keep me from doing so. And sometimes you just need to suck it up and run through the pain.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Working to emphasize the positive, ignore the negative #Running #Diet
Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Well a run like that couldn't have come at a better time! It has been a tough couple of weeks from a mental stand point. I have done all of my scheduled training, and then some. But I have been having a real hard time with my eating discipline. Culminating in a binge yesterday when we had pizza at the office for lunch. I know that I have not been eating very well for the last week and a half. Schedule disruptions, distractions etc. have all worn away a lot of my discipline.
The most positive thing is that I haven't stopped recording all of my meals, even when I blow it out like yesterday. Which is a really good thing, because I can use the information to find out what I have been doing wrong, what I have been doing right, and what I need to change.
Plus the end of the school year is really excruciating for the kids. Their morale is low. Every day lately has been a never ending tale of woe. "My Head hurts, my tummy hurts, I'm tired, etc." It just doesn't end. And that really wears away at me.
Plus Kim has been sick, her cold has lasted longer than usual, likely because she went on the school trip last week. Which has also had its mental wear and tear. And last, the Colorado weather is just flat screwing with us: 70's sunny and shorts weather one day, cold and snow the next.
So I needed a real solid run today, to get myself mentally back on the right track. And to feel good about where I am on my training track for the big prize. And to feel confident going into the race on Saturday.
Now I just need to get myself right with my food discipline.
I just need to turn my thinking around to get back on track.
Today's Run
(It was a really good run, but the link isn't working so here are the details:
workout - 100% score / 4.62 miles / 00:10:57 pace / 50:37 min / 692 cal.)
Well a run like that couldn't have come at a better time! It has been a tough couple of weeks from a mental stand point. I have done all of my scheduled training, and then some. But I have been having a real hard time with my eating discipline. Culminating in a binge yesterday when we had pizza at the office for lunch. I know that I have not been eating very well for the last week and a half. Schedule disruptions, distractions etc. have all worn away a lot of my discipline.
The most positive thing is that I haven't stopped recording all of my meals, even when I blow it out like yesterday. Which is a really good thing, because I can use the information to find out what I have been doing wrong, what I have been doing right, and what I need to change.
Plus the end of the school year is really excruciating for the kids. Their morale is low. Every day lately has been a never ending tale of woe. "My Head hurts, my tummy hurts, I'm tired, etc." It just doesn't end. And that really wears away at me.
Plus Kim has been sick, her cold has lasted longer than usual, likely because she went on the school trip last week. Which has also had its mental wear and tear. And last, the Colorado weather is just flat screwing with us: 70's sunny and shorts weather one day, cold and snow the next.
So I needed a real solid run today, to get myself mentally back on the right track. And to feel good about where I am on my training track for the big prize. And to feel confident going into the race on Saturday.
Now I just need to get myself right with my food discipline.
I can do it.
I can set a menu, accumulate a stack of leftovers.
I can keep myself to just eating what I bring to work.
I just need to turn my thinking around to get back on track.
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