I'm a Runner?

Geez... here I go again...

2011-12-10T23:36:00.002-05:00

Time to set a goal and get moving. Over the last year I lost both my parents and gained a bunch of my weight back.

Not sure how easy it will come off, but 2012 is about getting back in shape and hopefully being able to run a half marathon again...

Much more to come!

Time to get serious....

2010-07-18T22:50:00.002-04:00

I have been letting my weight slide. I am tired of that. My running is pretty much back on schedule, though I still have some PF issues in my left foot.

New running shoes seem to be helping that. I hope to start building my mileage again and adding some cross training.

I am also going to start blogging!

I run downtown a lot and have some thoughts about Swamp Rabbit Trail that I will post soon.

Still running....

2010-04-27T16:47:00.001-04:00

I'm still out there pounding the pavement. I have given up long distances for the short term and am enjoying a lot of 3-4 mile runs. New job downtown allows me the opportunity for a quick lunchtime run since I have a shower at the office and quick access to Greenville's Swamp Rabbit Trail.

Bailed out on the Greer Half last weekend. Shooting for some 5K's between now and fall and I may go for the Spinx half or Kiawah half then....

Lots of thoughts about running downtown that I will share in the near future.

Eating and running....

2010-03-24T17:35:00.002-04:00

I am an elite athlete, as long as eating is a sport!

I am hanging steady with my weight but not losing like I need to. That is all on me, it isn't some mystery just simple math... burn more than you eat and you will lose.

I have had some decent runs lately and I hope to keep this up as I approach the Greer half.

Jelly Beans are my downfall during Easter season... I guess I should have given them up for Lent!

Still going...

2010-03-12T09:20:00.002-05:00

I am starting to feel a little more confident again. Reedy River 10K was a great run. Lee and I ran together the whole way and that was nice. She thought I was holding back but truth be told, I was happy with the pace. This week hasn't gone as planned because of the weather. I am glad I ran Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday I hit the elliptical. I hope to get out today and then get in 8 or so on Sunday.

I have started running some different routes. I don't really think they are better. In fact, they keep me on concrete sidewalks more than my old ones did. For whatever reason, my brain is wanting to run that direction though. Part of it is that my 'normal' route goes by the neighborhood pool and I am in pool avoidance mode right now. I have the pleasure of being president of our neighborhood pool and this is the worst time of year as we are eagerly anticipating dues coming in. I hate interrupting a good run with the stress I feel as I run by the pool!

Anyway, I have been pleasantly surprised with my running of late and I am starting to look forward to the Earth Day half. Not sure what I will race after that. The Sunrise Run is a good one, but the night before the race I always dread getting up that early. Of course, the candlelight run is an option that doesn't affect my sleep but I absolutely cannot stand the course out at iCar. I understand the beauty of having a place that is easy to control traffic, but a straight course that has no flat sections just gets old real fast.

Enough moaning and groaning... It is Friday!

I give in....

2010-02-17T08:18:00.002-05:00

I give in... I realize that I need a target race to get me on the road with a purpose... I have enjoyed my laid back running since the Marine Corps Marathon last year, but I need to get back on the horse before I get as big as a horse!

The races I have run since the marathon have been run/walks with the kids. While I enjoyed those, it has allowed me to not really train very hard. With the Reedy River 10K less than three weeks away, I realized that I need to target something for motivation. I am not looking forward to finishing the 10K at the one hour mark because of my weight and lack of training.

So I have signed up for the Greer Earth Day Half Marathon in April. It will require a lot of training for me to get ready for that. I am allowing myself to shoot for 10 minutes longer than my run last year of 1:57. Even though all three of my half marathons have been under two hours, I want to finish this one around 2:05 and take that into some summer training for the Midnight Flight 10K on Labor Day and the Spinx Half next October. The football schedule was good to us as far as the Spinx goes this year, so I should be able to run it.

As bad of shape as I am in right now, I almost though about gearing up for a return to the Marine Corps Marathon this fall. However, I thought about some of those long runs and decided to postpone the full marathon for at least another year. I may wait three more and run it when I am 45....

So, off to Runners World I go to generate a training schedule!

Slowly moving into the year....

2010-01-25T11:10:00.003-05:00

I have had some good runs lately, but I still need to drop 10 pounds to get down to my preferred running weight. If it doesn't start dropping a little quicker, I will head back to Weight Watchers to get my eating in control.

Greenville News was a great course this year. Lee and I ran with young son, so there was plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. Not sure he really needs to pushing the 5K's right now because he just doesn't get enough work in at the school running club. I think we may limit him to 1 milers for a while and see if he really likes running or not.

Coaching my daughters basketball team may take me out of the Green Valley 10 Miler... I would really be pushing to get ready for it anyway. I still want to get in shape for a decent Reedy River 10K and then the Greer Earth Day half. That race was really brutal with the unexpected heat last year and I want to give it another shot now that I am prepared for the course.

This week should be a good one for running. I think I am going to take today off because of this cold I am fighting and then get back on the horse tomorrow. I guess I need to go ahead and pick a training plan for the Greer Half so I can really get some motivation.

On track so far...

2010-01-06T09:50:00.003-05:00

No long runs yet, but I have done something every day this week so far. Got 2 on Sunday, 3.5 on Monday and an elliptical workout yesterday.

I hope to run today at lunch. I would like to go for 5 or more, but I need to see how warm it is.

When this cold blows out of here, I want to get back to early morning workouts as much as possible. After reading last month's Runners World article about runners getting killed on the road, I am a little hesitant to go back out in the dark. I really like having it done early in the day though. It makes the rest of the day run smoother and I feel great.

One run in...

2010-01-04T10:17:00.002-05:00

Short as it was, I did get 2 miles in yesterday evening. It was already 32 degrees when we started, so it was pretty cold.

Hoping to get in 4 miles or so today. This is going to be a cold week, so I plan on doing some cross training as well.

Bundle up if you are heading out for a run today!

Starting Over....

2010-01-02T09:54:00.002-05:00

I thought this is an appropriate title based on where I am today. I looked back at my goals from 2009 and realized I had a pretty good year. I didn't hit all of them, but I hit some major ones.... Most notably the 26.2 mile threshold was broken. I also completed two other half marathons. I missed my mileage total by 9 miles. Strictly laziness after the marathon.

The one goal I am most disappointed in missing is maintaining my weight watchers goal weight. This is the goal that I am attacking first this year. I am starting today with my diet and exercise ramp up!

If all goes well, I will be back at goal by mid to late February. That should put me in position to really focus on some running for the spring. My other goals for 2010....

1) Complete two half marathons. (Hold off on marathon #2 for a year or so....)
2) Set a PR in the 5K and 10K. (Sounds like last year's missed goals....)
3) Run 1200 miles. This will be difficult for me without a marathon to train for.
4) Work in some strength training once or twice a week.
5) Get back to yoga on a weekly basis.
6) Maintain my Weight Watchers goal weight.
7) Run the following races...
-Reedy River 10K (PR Target)
-Shamrock Fun Run
-Greer Half
-Cooper River
-Midnight Flight
-Spinx Runfest (Half or 5K?)
-Lungs4Life 5K (PR Target)
-Taylors Turkey Trot
-Gettys Christmas Cruise

Well that is a manageable set of goals and I hope to hit them all. I am going to start by heading to the Y today!

I've had time to think about it now....

2009-11-11T22:17:00.003-05:00

Wow. What an experience. Two years ago when I started walking and wandered onto a running thread on a Weight Watchers message board, I never imagined I would complete a marathon. I can still remember being out before dawn with our dog Indy and running for 20 or 30 seconds between long walk breaks. Slowly I pieced it together and got up to a mile without walking. I thought I had arrived when I finished my first 5K. Funny thing, there is always a longer distance out there!

The Marine Corps Marathon is a great event. We went into DC on Saturday afternoon to go to the expo and drop me off at my hotel. We had stayed with my sister-in-law the night before and Lee was going to stay there Saturday night as well. I opted to head to a hotel near the start to make the morning a little easier and take the travel variables out of the equation. I scarfed down a pizza for supper while watching football. Then hit the sack about 10:00.

I could not believe I was standing on the starting line... Well, I guess I was about 1/4 of a mile or so from the starting line, but the feeling was still amazing. I ran into my buddy Allan before the start and that helped calm my nerves. I got there about 40 minutes before the start and was in line for the port-o-johns when I saw everyone else heading for the trees. That seemed like a good idea and without going into more detail, I'll just say it was the first coed outdoor bathroom I have visited. The scene did repeat itself at mile 3 though...

I took a conservative approach and lined up with the 5 hour crowd. It was interesting talking to those around me. Many were multi-marathon finishers and some were first timers like me. I started getting a little concerned because I made a decision to not carry any hydration with me and everyone around me seemed to be carrying some. I hoped I hadn't made a mistake. Of course, I couldn't imagine needing any after all the water I had consumed in the previous 48 hours!

They fired a howitzer to start the race, so I could hear the starting gun even as far back as I was. I was so excited, I almost forgot to start my Garmin as I crossed the line, but seeing everyone else reach for their wrist reminded me. The first mile was surreal with the huge crowds cheering us on. I would consider the course flat, but you have to remember where I live. Most folks thought it was too hilly. The big hill was in Georgetown and it was a big hill. It was pretty early in the race though and didn't bother me. I was grabbing water and Powerade at every stop. Other than that, I plugged along at a steady, if not fast, pace. I really enjoyed the Georgetown band and cheerleaders. There were several bands on the course and all were very much appreciated!

The water stops were extremely long and well organized. It was great to be able to get water and food without having to fight a crowd or wait for it to be poured. The marines and other volunteers were tremendous. The only mistake I made on the food was taking in a mocha clif shot... My stomach cramped up for about a half mile after that. I was pretty concerned but it quickly settled down. That old rule about not trying anything new during the race came to mind.....

Mentally I held up pretty well until the halfway mark. I felt good, but mentally started questioning if I could hold up for another 13 miles. Fortunately we hit some good crowds around that point and it lifted my spirits. The crowds around the mall area were really great. It was so cool to have people truly cheering you on. I am going to make it a point to go out and cheer at some races soon.

There is a bridge at the 20 mile point that takes you back into Virgina (I think). You have to be over it by a certain time or your day is done. I wasn't close to the cutoff, but it was a relief to cross the 20 mile point. Then all the people that always told me "It's only a 10K from there" came into my mind. 10K seems a lot longer after 33K is already in the books!

We hit some cool areas in Crystal City after this, at least I think it was Crystal City. Lots of folks out and they were cheering even if they hadn't planned on seeing a marathon that day. I got a real lift from a crowd handing out pretzels and dixie cups with beer in them. That perked me up again. Then we headed out around the pentagon and onto highway for the lonely final miles. That is when the emotions really started welling up in my eyes. I had moments of smiles and moments of tears. I was really in a zone as we started onto an off ramp that circled down to the final stretch. That is when it happened. My left knee gave out with a pain on the outside... Pretty sure it was my IT band. It was tough to even walk down the ramp. When I hit the straight away, I was slowly able to stand up straight and pick up the pace. As I approached the finish I was back to my normal stride (thank goodness!). The course actually finishes on a very steep, yet short, uphill. You turn the corner and hit the hill. As I was sprinting (yeah, right) up the hill, I heard my name and turned to see Lee and her sister, Cindy, holding up a sign and cheering for me. From there, I crossed the line with emotions boiling over. I never planned on crying in front of a 2nd Lt, but I am sure I wasn't the only one.

I keep getting asked, do you want to run another one? My answer is absolutely, but I don't know if I want to train for it!

Heading to the expo....

2009-10-24T10:20:00.001-04:00

We are getting ready to head to the expo and pick up our packets. Should be a fun day. Need to hydrate.

Countdown...

2009-10-20T08:13:00.002-04:00

Wow, I can't believe that the marathon is less than a week away! I am supposed to run today, Wednesday, Thursday and a 'very easy' 3 miles on Saturday. I am not sure about the Saturday run at this point... I'll probably do a few miles though.

The 12 miler on Sunday was a breeze. Now I am really starting to get nervous though. The thoughts about never having run the distance and such are coming into my head. The three tips I have gleaned from some 'expert' runners for this week are to stay off my legs as much as possible, sleep all I can and hydrate. I am going to try and avoid all carbonated beverages this week and stick with coffee, tea and water.

The Spinx Runfest is the Saturday after the marathon. My son is going to run/walk the 5K I think. I am trying to decide if I am going to attempt the half... Not sure if I will do that or not. Clemson plays at home that day at 1:30, so I would want to finish by 10 and then get a quick shower and head out. That might be cutting it close.

Anyway, I hope my shoes continue to break in and the weather forecast holds for the weekend. It should be an adventure!

Rest day again...

2009-10-15T09:00:00.002-04:00

I am almost looking forward to the 12 miler on Sunday. This is really odd having logged only 9 miles since Sunday. My legs feel good though!

Finally got my new shoes. I hope 30 miles or so will be enough to break them in. If I am not comfortable with them, I will just run in my old ones. They are both the same model, so I hope that makes for an easy transition. Note to self: Order new shoes a month before the next marathon... If there is a next marathon!

Less than two weeks to go...

2009-10-13T09:58:00.002-04:00

Got my bib number... 29666 For those of you not from the Bible Belt, you may not instantly recognize the doom that is spelled out for me with the last three digits. 666 is the mark of the beast, the antichrist... This not good! I am way too superstitious, so I am going to have to do an exorcism over my bib when I pick it up. LOL

Seriously though, its all over but the taper and the race. I am starting to get a little nervous now. Every creak of my body sends fears of injury down my spine. Every sneeze symbolizes an attack of an unknown malady. This is worse than the 22 miler!

I did decide to get a hotel near the start of the race so I could sleep a little later on race day. We will be staying with my sister-in-law about 30 miles away, but that night I am going to get closer to the race and take transportation out of the equation for race day.

I have an easy five miler today, so that should be nice in this weather.

Taper Time!!!

2009-10-05T08:04:00.002-04:00

Well, the hardest physical part of the training is done now that I finished my 22 miler yesterday. The fun of the taper starts now. I understand that it can be mentally challenging to reduce your miles as the race approaches, but I don't think it will bother me.

I am a little worried because I am not sure if I could have gutted out an extra 4.2 miles yesterday if I had to. Hopefully the taper will re-energize my legs some and I will survive the race. I also hope that being in a crowd and not being alone will give me some added adrenalin. Off today and an eight mile recovery run tomorrow. I'll be interested to see how that eight miles feels....

Now I am going to have to make some decisions:

1) Do I want to carry some fluids and snacks with me or rely on the course aid stations?

2) What kind of menu am I going to eat heading into the race.

OK, I'm back.....

2009-09-27T22:19:00.002-04:00

Well, training was going pretty well. I got my first twenty miler in two weeks ago and felt great. Then I did my normal mid-week running and felt great. Then at the end of the week I started really feeling a sinus infection coming on. It hit me hard on the weekend and I bailed on my long run that Sunday. I got two midweek runs in last week while recovering and then got my scheduled 15 miler in today.

The good news is my body felt great on the long run. The bad news is that I was pretty well gassed at the end. I think that running late in the day didn't help, I normally run early. I also think that I still have a little hangover from my sinus infection. I hope to have a good week of running leading up to my 22 miler next Sunday.

I cannot believe that 28 days from now I will be a marathoner. I still question my ability to finish, but if I get through the 22 miler I will feel pretty good about making it after a nice taper in my training.

Now for my current dilemma, my shoes are creeping up on the end of their life cycle. I am sure I could run in them through the marathon, but I really think I need to get a new pair. I guess I should just get the same thing since they have done well during training. Saying that, I am a sucker for new shoes and I have only bought the same pair of shoes I previously had on one occasion.

I guess with the big day looming, I should play it safe and I probably will.

No time to run, so I guess I will blog!

2009-09-09T20:16:00.002-04:00

It has been a while. It isn't intentional, just been very busy with school starting, marathon training and young son's football practice. Oh yeah, I have a job too!

The good news is that I got through my first 18 miler this week. I was scheduled to run it on Sunday, but we didn't get home from the Clemson game (Go Tigers!) until late Saturday night and I decided to use Monday as my long run day.

That was a good plan, I was going to take Tuesday off (short 4 mile recovery run scheduled) and jump back in today... Well, another late night last night and I didn't get up early enough to run. No time and lunch and then no time after work either. So, my new plan is 8 tomorrow and and 10 on Friday. Take Saturday off and go for the big 20 miler on Sunday. That will be a test.

I have been very happy with my training so far. I was struggling early on, but then I just decided to give up any hope of being fast during the summer. Once I let go of that (am I zen runner yet? Nahhhh) I was able to just focus on the distance. Other than my two dog rescues, the runs have been pretty uneventful. That said, I do need to admit that my new nickname might be Linus... You see, I have been carrying a security blanket of sorts with me on my long runs. On my last two long runs, 14 and 18 miles respectively, I have put my new iPod Shuffle on and headed out the door. I have never turned it on though! I don't know why really.... Well, I do like to let my mind wander some early in a run and just see where that goes. I love having it with me, because I always know that if I start focusing on pain or fatigue it is right there to be a distraction. However, I haven't turned it on. Well, I have used it on some short runs where I knew I wasn't going to run into any issues. On the long ones it is kind of like a secret weapon that I am holding onto just in case I start losing the battle. It is my last ditch, nuclear option to pull through to the end. How weird is that? I think Sunday I am going to turn it on from the beginning.... Well, I need to make sure I have four hours worth of music on it first!

Zoe and Leonard save the day....

2009-08-31T10:26:00.002-04:00

I was out on a 14 miler yesterday and doing pretty well... I had decided that I didn't want to double my 7 mile loop, so I stopped off at the neighborhood elementary school and did three miles on their track to add some miles and prevent a double loop. As I came off the track and headed down a side street, I heard the sound of paws coming up behind me. I know most of the dogs on my path and get along with them. Even the little chihuahua that likes to scare the fool out of me by sneaking up on my heel and then barking... I wasn't used to any dogs in this area, so I looked back to see what kind of trouble I was in. Well, I saw a ferocious pekingese coming up behind me.

The first thought I had was that I must really be a sorry runner if a dog with 3 inch legs is going catch up with me. After I got over the deflation of that reality, I started laughing thinking about what would be going through people minds when they saw a 6'3" guy running with a pekingese keeping up stride for stride. After about a 1/4 of a mile I started to get worried that the dog wasn't going to go home. So, I stopped and picked it up and looked at the tag. Fortunately it had an address on it, and a name. I carried my new friend Zoe back to her house and found a crowd of kids out looking for her. All that took my mind off the run and kind of re-energized me.

Well, at about mile 12.5 I came across another runner that I had seen at the beginning of my run. He and I were now going the same direction. He was very encouraging and stayed with me for about 1/2 mile before he turned off towards his house. Leonard left me with some encouraging words and I waddled along until I hit the 14 mile mark. It ended up being a very pleasant run and I hope that next week's 18 miler will be the breakthrough I need for my confidence. Zoe sure seemed to think I was a good runner, now I just need to convince myself!

2009-08-31T10:02:00.001-04:00

Long run tomorrow....

2009-08-22T12:14:00.002-04:00

I have a 16 miler scheduled for tomorrow and a 5 miler today. I'm not sure I will get the 5 miler in because we were at football all morning and now we have stuff to do around the house. I haven't missed any runs so far, so we will see if I squeeze it in or not.

The 16 miler is going to be tough. I still don't have my route down yet, so I need to figure that out. I hope to get up early and run it before church tomorrow. It is hard to believe we under 10 weeks until the marathon. 10 weeks sounds like a long time, but when I realize I have runs of 16, 18, 20, 20 and 22 coming up it seems like time is flying by.

Well, I need to go charge up the iPod... I don't want to run 2.5 hours without music!

The fear sets in....

2009-08-17T10:32:00.002-04:00

This week I top out with a 16 miler and I am already nervous about that distance. I died on an 18 miler on my last marathon training attempt in January. I hope I don't suffer the same fate as I start to extend my runs this time.

The heat and humidity are much worse now than they were the last time, so that gives me extra concern. I am going to carry plenty of fluids with me and carry some cash to buy a refill along the way.

Another issue I have is that I want to go early before it heats up too much, but I hate running at 5:00 in the morning, especially when I am likely to go on a path that takes me a long way from home. I may have to suck it up and just double up on my normal loops and add in some miles on the track at our local elementary school. I can put some gatorade out on the path if I am staying close to home too.

This week is pretty light leading up to the run, so I hope to be fully energized on Sunday. We'll see!

Moving forward... for the most part.

2009-08-13T09:05:00.002-04:00

Running has been going well. I got my 13 miler in on Sunday, but was chaffed badly by my compression shirt and iPod strap. I wasn't expecting that since I have never had a chaffing issue with a compression shirt before.

I see a trip to the store for some Body Glide in my near future. This week brings several moderate runs to the table. I did bail out on my eight miler yesterday after only 4.5 miles. I was pressed for time and just didn't feel very comfortable. I hope to make the mileage up over the weekend.

It figures that today would be my day off and it was 69 degrees at 8:30.... Oh well, I think we have an overall cooling trend coming our way. I am not wishing away summer, but I will take a break for the heat while I run every day!

Robert the Dog Rescuer?

2009-08-07T14:55:00.002-04:00

I was out for my 'easy' four miler today at lunch, kicking myself in the tail for not rolling out of bed and running before daylight, when I come across a pitiful looking old poodle in the middle of the road dragging her leash. She could hardly walk and her tongue was hanging out as she panted. The runner in me said 'Keep going, her owner is around.' The rest of me said 'This could be bad, there may be an old person keeled over somewhere.'

The rest of me won out and I ran over to the dog and picked her up. I read her tag, but didn't recognize the name and I didn't have my cell phone with me to call the number. I did know someone that lived near there and stopped by to find out if they knew the owner. Sure enough they did and I carried my new friend back to her home. It turns out her owner is legally blind and had not noticed the dog wandered off as they were sitting in the carport. I left the dog and went on my way.

It was only later that I realized how funny I probably looked in my running clothes bounding around with an old poodle in my arms, pink leash in tow. I'm sure people driving by thought I was the one that was lost!

Hmmm....

2009-08-05T14:27:00.002-04:00

Ok, now I find out there was a break in going on in the neighborhood I was running through on Sunday morning about the same time I saw I guy running in jeans... Could be a coincidence, but I doubt it.

I got a nice, cool seven miles in today. Well, I was wishing it was cool. I got home and looked up the temp to put it in my log and the heat index was 102... No wonder I ran slow and sweated like a hog on the 4th of July! I've got to force myself to hydrate some on these day runs. I'm glad I have a fuel belt.

It is time for me to start thinking about fueling on long runs as I stretch out to 13 miles this week. I need to research what they provide on the course in the marathon. I also might just carry some fig newtons or jelly beans with me along with my fluids. I still need to find a nice 4 mile route. I haven't really been happy with any I have used as they all tend to really be 5 mile routes, so I end up walking a mile or running over.... Yes, I could run for 2 miles and turn around and run home. That is the logical thing to do. I don't like doing that though and I can't really give you a good reason why either!