Training Widget

Monday, March 31, 2008

Better than nothing

Day 207 - March 31, 2008

I really hate the treadmill but it was all I could work in with the weather today. At least I have it as an option. I really wanted to get 3-4 miles in today but I can't take the monotony.

Day: 207 Time/Date: 8:15 PM 3/31/2008 Weather: Indoors, 64F
Run: Treadmill Miles: 2.0 Time: 13:49 Pace: 6:55 min/mile
Miles to Date: 719.2 Total Running Time: 88:08:56

Sunday, March 30, 2008

SIUCB*

Day 206 - March 30, 2008

Yeah, I'm sore today and it seems to be getting worse as the day goes on. The 2 mile run today didn't really help loosen me up at all either. But, I knew this was coming. Running 10 miles with no distance base has to lead to aches and pains. But, it was worth it. Even though yesterday's race was my slowest 10 miler ever, it was probably the most fun.

* - For those that don't know SIUCB - that's my shorthand for SUCK IT UP CRYBABY!

Day: 206 Time/Date: 6:00 PM 3/11/2008 Weather: Cloudy, 46F
Run: E Daff Dam Loop Miles: 2.0 Time: 15:52 Pace: 7:56 min/mile
Miles to Date: 717.2 Total Running Time: 87:55:07

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Charlottesville 10 Miler

Day 205 - March 29, 2008

The 33rd annual Charlottesville 10 miler went off without a hitch this chilly morning. I decided to join the 2000+ crowd and put my endurance to the test against a good assortment of Charlottesville's toughest hills. As my regular readers know (yep - both of you) my expectations for the race were pretty low. In fact, 3 days ago I was still not going to run the race. But then I got an email from an out of town friend who was driving 3 plus hours to run the race and wanted to know if I would meet him at the race packet pick-up. I initially told him I wasn't going to run it, but didn't have the heart let him run alone.

The plan was I would just run the race as a training run and try and pace him along to his goal time of 75 minutes. I figured this would go one of three ways: either I would completely die at this pace and he would leave me crumpled on side of Maple St., or we'd run stride for stride and I'd have to cut him off at the finish line, or 7:30 pace would feel too slow, my competitive side would come roaring back and I'd take off and hurt myself. It started off well...slow. We went through the first half mile in 4:12 - that's 8:24 pace - yikes. My initial reaction was to take off, but I forced myself to hang back. Fortunately my friend suggested that we pass a few people and we picked it up a little. We started the back and forth weave to work our way through the crowd and hit the mile mark in 7:50. not bad considering how slow we started, but well below the 7:30's we needed to average to hit 75.

So I asked him how he was feeling and suggested we pick it up a little so we could get back on pace. And that my friends is when it began. At first I justified it as actually helping my friend. pulling ahead little by little to force him to pick it up on the downhills. Then I justified it as maintaining my stride on the uphills and not letting the faders break my rhythm. Next thing I know, we're hitting the 2 mile mark in 15:00 flat. Cool, we're right back on pace and he's just a few strides behind. Problem is, I never back the pace back down.

I cruised down McCormack just letting my stride go and found a comfortable pace. In my own little world, I assumed I was running 7:15-7:30. When I hit the three mile mark in 21:40, I was so confused I forgot to hit my split button. How could I have just run a 6:40 without even knowing it? Oh well, I just kept going and figured I'd enjoy to good pace and be prepared for my pace to come crashing back to reality.

Mile 4 came in 28:20 (another 6:40) and I started seeing runners I knew. Runners I expected to be much faster than me today. One by one I started passing them and my confidence began to soar - 75 minutes was going to be much easier than I expected. But there still were a lot of hills to climb that could crush me at any time.

I pressed on through the downtown mall and more and more runners were coming back to me. I was starting to feed on it. The more I passed, the more I wanted to pass. The 5 mile mark came in another 6:40 and that was mostly uphill. So here I am, halfway done and my time is 35 minutes. Yep, you guessed it, I immediately started thinking about finishing in 70 minutes.

What kind of a fool pushes his goal time up 5 minutes in the middle of a race? See, once I started passing people, I kind of, well, you know, liked it! Yep, all those competitive juices flooded my veins and it was on.

Getting through the next few miles is pretty tough. Miles 5 and 6 are probably the two toughest overall with several short steep climbs. Mile 5 passed in 6:33 (41:33) and mile 6 was 6:42 (48:16). I was now 45 seconds ahead of breaking 70 minutes with only 3 to go. Mile 7 was a little slower due to long boring stretch up Main St. It also was the first point in the race where I started to notice some fatigue. But covering that mile in 6:50 was plenty fast enough for me, especially knowing that he hardest mile of the race was up next. Mile 8 is just brutal due to the nasty hill on the corner - its just really long and takes a steady stride to not fall off pace. The 6:53 it took to make it to mile 9 was probably the fastest I have ever covered that mile. In years past, I would hit the wall hard on that hill - falling back to 7:20 or 7:30 has been quite common for me. But this year, I reached the final mile in less than 7 minutes.

So here I am - one mile to go and at an even 62 minutes - A full minute ahead of 70 minute pace. So of course, I immediately drop my goal time to 69 minutes - what a jackass I am. I just can't be happy with a good race. With two people a few yards ahead I dropped the hammer and tried to pass them. Up and down the hills on Alderman I closed the gap and finally got by them with 400 meters to go. I managed to keep pushing all the way to the finish. Even the race commentator from the radio station commented over the PA at how strong my finish was.

So, did I break 69? Yes in deed. Problem is I forgot to stop my watch until I came out of the shoot - I must have missed the button. Even still, my watch time was 68:50 but I had to be close to 68:30. I'll update later with the official time. Official time was 68:36 (6:35 for the last mile), but my chip time was 68:25.

Today was a huge success for me. I'm really glad that the training everyday is paying off even when I get frustrated with my lack of distance. I'll definitely use this run as a catapult to keep the momentum up for the streak. Hopefully I won't be whining about how sore I am tomorrow. If I do - make sure you comment back with the official suck it up crybaby mantra.

Day: 205 Time/Date: 7:45 AM 3/29/2008 Weather: Cloudy, 43F
Run: Cville Ten Miler Miles: 10.0 Time: 1:08:25 Pace: 6:50 min/mile
Miles to Date: 715.2 Total Running Time: 87:39:15

Friday, March 28, 2008

It's on

Day 204 - March 28, 2008

Just an easy 2 miles today to loosen up before I hurt myself tomorrow - 10 miles - who can't do that after 204 days of running. I'm so gonna pay for this.

Day: 204 Time/Date: 8:00 AM 3/28/2008 Weather: Clear, 50F
Run: Amicus 2 mile Miles: 2.0 Time: 14:32 Pace: 7:16 min/mile
Miles to Date: 705.2 Total Running Time: 86:30:50

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Decisions, decisions

Day 203 - March 27, 2008

Nothing special about this morning's run. I'm still debating what I will do on Saturday. I had such high expectations for this year's 10 miler, but the training just hasn't been there. Maybe I'll run it just for fun, but that goes against every competitive bone in my body. We'll see.

Day: 203 Time/Date: 6:30 AM 3/27/2008 Weather: Cloudy, 46F
Run: N Carnation-Davis Miles: 3.6 Time: 27:12 Pace: 7:33 min/mile
Miles to Date: 703.2 Total Running Time: 86:16:18

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Just shy of 700 miles

Day 202 - March 26, 2008

Today was one of those days where it all came together the way it was intended. I didn't want to get out of bed and chose for an extra hour of sleep with the intention of squeezing the run into the one hour break between meetings. Well, for once it worked. The weather was incredible - low 70's with a cool breeze. I was able to run for more than two miles and not have to rush back - it was almost like I had an hour to myself. I need to free up more time in my schedule so I can have more runs like this.

Day: 202 Time/Date: 6:30 PM 3/26/2008 Weather: Clear, 70F
Run: Frays Mill Miles: 4.6 Time: 32:44 Pace: 7:07 min/mile
Miles to Date: 699.6 Total Running Time: 85:49:06

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The cold returns

Day 201 - March 25, 2008

No, I'm not sick again. It is just plain cold. It was good to get back out to a normal pace running by myself. No more 9 minute miles for me - at least until the Father-in-Law comes back to visit. He may be slower than he used to be, but he hasn't missed a day of running in over 6 years. Now that is a streak.

Day: 201 Time/Date: 6:15 AM 3/18/2008 Weather: Clear, 41F
Run: Amicus 2 mile Miles: 2.0 Time: 14:32 Pace: 7:16 min/mile
Miles to Date: 695 Total Running Time: 85:16:22

Monday, March 24, 2008

800 to go!

Day 200 - March 24, 2008

Well, I never claimed it would be 1000 days of posting. The father-in-law was in town for the weekend and gave me someone to run with. While it wasn't fast, it was three more days of running.

Today was a big milestone towards 1000. While I am well behind in my total mileage, I'm still pleased with the overall progress. The way my work schedule has been the last 6 months, I'd have been lucky to have run 100 days. After 200 days I am surprised that I am actually running less miles per week than I was when I was only running 4-5 days a week. I'm hoping that has more to do with the work schedule than the change in training philosophy.

So, 20% of the way to 1000 for a total of 85 hours of running and 693 miles.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Happy Spring

Day 196 - March 20, 2008

I finally finished up all my work at 10:30 and got out for a run. Big surprise I didn't run very far, but at least I got out. At 8:30 I wasn't sure if I was going to make it in time. I really need to get back to regular morning running to avoid this. OR work less...hmmm!

It was a pretty nice evening even with the winds. Clear skies with a nearly full moon made the flashlight completely unnecessary. I'll post the details of the run later...it's time to get some sleep and be ready for tomorrow.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

For MML

Day 195 - March 19, 2008

Yup.

Day: 195 Time/Date: 8:00 PM 3/19/2008 Weather: Cloudy, 61F
Run: Dahlia Miles: 2.0 Time: 15:24 Pace: 7:42 min/mile
Miles to Date: 680.4 Total Running Time: 83:18:37

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Lack of training

Day 194 - March 18, 2008

Another quick run this morning and I felt pretty good. I thought I was running faster but the watch doesn't lie. I'm probably just not getting enough miles in these days and need to build back some endurance.

Day: 194 Time/Date: 6:15 AM 3/18/2008 Weather: Clear, 41F
Run: Amicus 2 mile Miles: 2.0 Time: 14:38 Pace: 7:19 min/mile
Miles to Date: 678.4 Total Running Time: 83:03:13

Monday, March 17, 2008

And I forgot my green

Day 193 - March 17th, 2008

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Have a green one for me.

Day: 193 Time/Date: 6:45 AM 3/17/2008 Weather: Clear, 28F
Run: Amicus 2 mile Miles: 2.0 Time: 14:54 Pace: 7:27 min/mile
Miles to Date: 676.4 Total Running Time: 82:48:35

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Another benefit of Spring

Day 192 - March 16, 2008

Last week's switch to daylight savings time is feeling pretty cool now that I can still run in the light. It makes it a bit easier to squeeze in that two mile run without getting run down by the cars in the neighborhood.

Day: 192 Time/Date: 7:00 PM 3/16/2008 Weather: Clear, Windy, 48F
Run: Dahlia Miles: 2.0 Time: 15:44 Pace: 7:52 min/mile
Miles to Date: 674.4 Total Running Time: 82:33:41

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Spring has Flung

Day 191 - March 15, 2008

Another spring like day that was great for running. Same run as yesterday, almost the exact same time.

Day: 191 Time/Date: 4:00 PM 3/15/2008 Weather: Clear, 65F
Run: N Carnation-Davis Miles: 3.6 Time: 26:31 Pace: 7:22 min/mile
Miles to Date: 672.4 Total Running Time: 82:17:57

Friday, March 14, 2008

If only work didn't have to get in the way

Day 190 - March 14, 2008

Took the day off from work today and was blessed with incredible weather. I took full advantage by waiting until the middle of the afternoon to run and it was worth it. I enjoyed every step of it.

Day: 190 Time/Date: 3:30 PM 3/14/2008 Weather: Clear, Windy, 72F
Run: N Carnation-Davis Miles: 3.6 Time: 26:13 Pace: 7:17 min/mile
Miles to Date: 668.8 Total Running Time: 81:51:26

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Who needs more than 8 hours of rest?

Day 189 - March 13, 2008

It's daughter #1's Birthday today so as you can imagine there is lots going on today. So guess what - I only ran 2 miles today. I know, I know, hard to believe.

On a side note, I found an error in my total times from a copying error a few days ago. I have adjusted all the times for the last 5 days to fix that.


Day: 189 Time/Date: 6:45 AM 3/13/2008 Weather: Clear, 30F
Run: Amicus 2 mile Miles: 2.0 Time: 15:04 Pace: 7:32 min/mile
Miles to Date: 665.2 Total Running Time: 81:25:13

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

I was close to bagging it tonight.

Day 188 - March 12, 2008

I swear there is a vast non-running conspiracy out to get me. The number of unexpected things that have come up this week in unbelievable. This morning, I was so tired i came up with every excuse I could imagine to stay in bed another 15 minutes. Yeah I know, that makes all this my fault, but I really was tired. I finally convinced myself that I had enough time to get a run in between meetings from 6:30 to 7:30 pm and that it might actually be nice to run as the sun was going down and enjoy the evening. Now for the last month, that hour has been a complete waste of time for me with nothing to do, so I thought I was being quite clever in choosing to utilize that time with a 3-4 mile run. Well, wouldn't you know, I got absolutely bombarded with things that needed to be done right then and no one else available to help out. Go Figure!! Anyway, I will eventually be able to run for more than 15 minutes at a time, I just don't know when that will be. I'm not even going to try and predict it.

I think at this point it would be the understatement of the year to say that my training for the 10 miler is officially in the toilet. Ugh!

Day: 188 Time/Date: 10:00 PM 3/12/2008 Weather: Indoors, 67F
Run: Treadmill Miles: 2.0 Time: 13:40 Pace: 6:50 min/mile
Miles to Date: 663.2 Total Running Time: 81:10:09

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Maybe I should change my goal to 2000 miles

Day 187 - March 11, 2008

Took the dog out tonight and I guess the warmer temperatures were too much for her. I ended up practically dragging her home. Oh well, I didn't plan to do much with running right after dinner anyway.

Day: 187 Time/Date: 6:00 PM 3/11/2008 Weather: Cloudy, 55F
Run: E Daff Dam Loop Miles: 2.0 Time: 14:47 Pace: 7:23 min/mile
Miles to Date: 661.2 Total Running Time: 80:56:29

Monday, March 10, 2008

Hi Ho, Hi Ho

Day 186 - March 10, 2008

Another 12 hour day to screw with any chance of a normal run - then again I guess the 2 mile run is pretty normal these days.


Day: 186 Time/Date: 8:00 PM 3/10/2008 Weather: Cloudy, 53F
Run: Dahlia Miles: 2.0 Time: 15:20 Pace: 7:40 min/mile
Miles to Date: 659.2 Total Running Time: 80:41:42

Sunday, March 9, 2008

15 days to 200

Day 185 - March 9, 2008

Another day with no time to run.

Day: 185 Time/Date: 1:00 PM 3/9/2008 Weather: Windy, 53F
Run: Amicus 2 mile Miles: 2.0 Time: 14:50 Pace: 7:31 min/mile
Miles to Date: 657.2 Total Running Time: 80:26:22

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Day 184 - March 8, 2008

Who knew the trip back from Tampa would be so exciting. I went to the airport last night and after 4 hours of waiting for storms to clear learned that I was not going to get home after all. This had me concerned - not for staying another day in Tampa, but for the lack of running clothes. The clothes I had run in on Friday morning were neatly packed away in a plastic bag in the bottom of my carry on case. With the humidity in Tampa yesterday, they were pretty ripe and I really didn't want to have to pull them out.

Fortunately, I did finally make it back to VA by early afternoon and was able to get out for a short run. Being cramped in a plane all day and airport last night was not exactly conducive to a long run. I barely had the energy to finish the two miles I tried. But, I'm glad to b e back and getting out today should make tomorrow that much easier.


Day: 184 Time/Date: 4:15 PM 3/8/2008 Weather: Windy, 48F
Run: Amicus 2 mile Miles: 2.0 Time: 15:02 Pace: 7:31 min/mile
Miles to Date: 655.2 Total Running Time: 80:11:32

Friday, March 7, 2008

750 miles from home

Day 183 - March 7, 2008

Amazing what 750 miles will do for the weather. Yesterday in VA was cold and below freezing. Today, in Florida, it was 70 went I woke up and already 90% humidity. Add in a 20 mph wind and it was interesting running weather. One thing I like about running in Florida is the lack of hills. It is pretty easy to lock in a pace and just maintain.

These quick trips make it pretty tough to schedule a run. With the airlines needing you at the airport 2 hours ahead of time so that you can spend the day with them when your flight is 2 hours late really takes a chunk out of the day. But I worked them in and another hurdle down on the quest for 1000 days.

Day: 183 Time/Date: 7:20 AM 3/7/2008 Weather: Cloudy, Windy, 70F
Run: Wesley Chapel Miles: 4.8 Time: 34:33 Pace: 7:12 min/mile
Miles to Date: 653.2 Total Running Time: 79:56:30

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Not much rest between runs

Day 182 - March 6, 2008

ZZZZZZZZZZZ - not sure I even woke up for this run. I was pretty slow today and never really loosened up from last night's run. The colder temperature sure didn't help after the nice days on Monday and Tuesday.

Tomorrow's run has some potential to be great - we'll see how today's travel affects me.

Day: 182 Time/Date: 7:00 AM 3/6/2008 Weather: Clear, 27F
Run: N Carnation-Davis Miles: 3.6 Time: 27:50 Pace: 7:44 min/mile
Miles to Date: 648.4 Total Running Time: 79:21:57

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Like the Red Carpet on Oscars Night

Day 181 - March 5, 2008

With no moon and crystal clear skies, the stars were out by the thousands tonight. It was a nice calming run to end a day of chaos. Wasn't it just yesterday that I was saying I needed to run at least 4 miles a day - guess I'm two in the hole already and tomorrow isn't looking promising.

Day: 181 Time/Date: 9:45 PM 3/5/2008 Weather: Clear, 40F
Run: Dahlia Miles: 2.0 Time: 14:37 Pace: 7:18 min/mile
Miles to Date: 644.8 Total Running Time: 78:54:07

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Chorus of Love

Day 180 - March 4, 2008

Yesterday's warm temperatures and today's rain washed away the last remains of winter and allowed spring to take its place. The daffodils are bursting out everywhere, the pear trees are ready to pop, and the spring peepers were almost deafening as I ran around the lake tonight. I found that last bit especially cool because I intentionally went out to listen for them last night and they were not out.

I knew this morning when I couldn't drag my butt out of bed that I would pay for it tonight. I was right. The rain was relentless as I plodded along. By the time I reached home, I was soaked. But runs like tonight are good for building character. I knew when I started this streak there would be runs like this and that I would have to endure them to keep the streak going. I'm pleased that I didn't bag it and take the 2 mile shortcut just to get the run in. If you remember back a few weeks, I set a goal of getting to 725 miles by day 200. To do that I pretty much have to average 4 miles a day for the next 3 weeks. So that means I can't bail out too many more times.

Day: 180 Time/Date: 6:45 PM 3/4/2008 Weather: Rain, 63F
Run: 5 Hill 4.4 Miles: 4.4 Time: 33:40 Pace: 7:39 min/mile
Miles to Date: 642.8 Total Running Time: 78:39:30

Monday, March 3, 2008

Preview of Spring.

Day 179 - March 3, 2008

The weather was perfect this afternoon. The temperature was around 70 and there was a cool breeze. I couldn't wait for work to end so I could get out on the roads - haven't said that in a while!

It was a great run and my pace was smooth and fast today. It almost felt like old times. Here's to Spring!!!!


Day: 179 Time/Date: 4:45 PM 3/3/2008 Weather: Sunny, windy, 67F
Run: 4 Seasons Loop Miles: 4.0 Time: 27:39 Pace: 6:55 min/mile
Miles to Date: 638.4 Total Running Time: 78:05:50

Another busy weekend

Day 178 - March 2, 2008

Another busy day with daughter #2's birthday bash - squeezed in another 2 mile quickie. Look for more later today after I actually run today's run.


Day: 178 Time/Date: 4:45 PM 3/2/2008 Weather: Clear, 56F
Run: Amicus 2 mile Miles: 2.0 Time: 14:08 Pace: 7:04 min/mile
Miles to Date: 634.4 Total Running Time: 77:38:11

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Another busy Saturday

Day 177 - March 1, 2008

One day closer to spring and another run down. Family responsibilities stole most of my free time today so I was lucky to get in 2 miles and a quick post.

Day: 177 Time/Date: 4:30 PM 3/1/2008 Weather: Clear, Windy, 51F
Run: Dahlia Miles: 2.0 Time: 15:03 Pace: 7:31 min/mile
Miles to Date: 632.4 Total Running Time: 77:24:03