Close, but didn't make it

Day 243 - August 31, 2009

Well, maybe I was a big sissy, but after getting stung on Saturday night, and having my ankle turn into a swollen softball, I cut back my mileage to make sure I didn't do more damage. While it didn't really hurt, it looked like I had suffered a major sprain. Yesterday was actually pretty tough to run with all that swelling.

Today was better. I stayed off my feet most of the day and the swelling went down a little. I went out for a nice run this afternoon, in the much more seasonable temperatures, and didn't really notice it. Since it felt better, I stayed out for about 45 minutes and ran just under 6 miles. So I ended the month with 116 miles, 8 shy of where I wanted to be. At least now I have a goal for September.

Today also brings me to the conclusion of my 8th month of running everyday this year. For the year I have completed 945 miles. I've run at least 100 miles every month. Here are the monthly totals:
Jan - 102.2
Feb - 113.8
Mar - 156.2*
Apr - 135.3*
May - 101.2
Jun - 107.6
Jul - 112.8
Aug - 116

* I had lots of time to run in March and April when I was temporarily unemployed.

I hate wasps

Day 241 - August 29, 2009

I had just started out, minding my own business, when out of nowhere a wasp stung me right on the ankle. I hate that. I'll be the first to admit that had I seen the nest, I would have found a super-sized can of spray and let them have it. But this time it was completely unprovoked.

As my ankle continued to swell, I decided to cut the run short. Hopefully a little antihistamine will help.

If the swelling goes down, I may try and go back out later tonight for a couple more miles. Only getting a mile and a half in makes yesterday's challenge even more difficult.

Friday Night Run

Day 240 - August 28, 2009

I'm looking to close out August with a big push in mileage. If I can squeak out another 18 miles in the next three days, I will have 124 miles for the month. That would mean I increased my average to 4 miles per day. The weather here is very iffy for the next three days, but I think I can do it if Danny doesn't turn west. Getting in a 10 miler tomorrow or Sunday would be huge.

As of today, I'm on pace to match my best mileage year ever and I'd really like to break that record. If I can accumulate 1425 miles, that would do it, but I'd really like to get to 1460. I currently am averaging 3.9 miles per day, and to get to 1460, I need to average 4.2 for the last 125 days. How hard can it be to add .3 miles to every run?

A break from the humidity

Day 237 - August 25, 2009

This morning finally felt like fall. I know that summer still has a few weeks left to go, but the humidity of the last two weeks has been miserable. But this morning was awesome. The air was crisp and clean and I ran about 40 sec per mile faster than recent runs. I'm really looking forward to a good fall running season.

900 miles for the year

Day 232 - August 20, 2009

Today I broke the 900 mile mark for total mileage. On to a 1000.

New Shoes and a new running shirt

Day 231 - August 19, 2009

It was like Christmas in July for me today as I decided it was time for new shoes and a new running shirt. The shoes are Asics-2140. They didn't have the red this time, so I went with the electric blue - I know, very fancy. I still think Asics makes the best shoe for my foot and they seem to have rectified the problem with the dead midsoles they were trying to sell a couple years ago.

The shirt I bought was a performance t-shirt by Under Armour. Nothing special as far as running shirts go, but it was comfortable. I have no idea how good it will be at wicking. Tonight's run was the most humid run I've been on this summer. I was drenched within the first mile and I don't think any shirt could have kept up with my sweating under those conditions.

I'm now just a few miles shy of 900 for the year and the streak. That keeps me on pace for 1400+ miles for the year, but I'll need to bump up my average if I'm going to set an all-time high (1424 miles - 2005).

Carl Tribastone 5K

Day 227 - August 15, 2009

This morning was the 5th annual Carl Tribastone 5K, a race to benefit organ and tissue transplantation and donation. Carl was a local runner who developed a benign brain tumor. A sad twist of fate led to some unfortunate complications and Carl passed away leaving behind his four sons (age six and under) and wife, Andrea.

But Carl's passing was just the beginning for four other people. Carl was an organ donor. In his passing, he was able to save the lives of four individuals desperately waiting for a transplant.

Today, over 400 runners and walkers came out to support Carl's legacy and raise money for organ donation. I was fortunate enough to participate and had a pretty good race, finishing in 19:52, good enough for first place in the 30-39 age group.

I learned today that a single person can save the lives of up to 7 people. Seven people! To learn more about how you can become a donor, check out Save7lives.org and learn how you can help up to 50 people with the organs and tissue you won't need any longer. I can't think of a better gift or legacy.

Day 222 - running to beat the heat

August 10, 2009

Man am I glad I got out early to run today. At 8am it was a comfortable 74 and a great morning for a 4 mile run in PA. Had I waited until this evening it would have been miserable. The thermometer reads 99 in the shade - gross. Much better to spend the afternoon in the pool.

A good day to take off

...but I didn't. I woke this morning to a pair of lead weights attached to my hips. After a morning run, lunch-time game of pick-up football, and 4 hours at the county fair last night, my legs were dead this morning. I briefly entertained the idea of waiting to run in the heat tonight, but I already know I need to mow the lawn and do some other things around the house. So, I got myself out the door and put in to painfully slow miles. I bet in another 783 days I'll be glad I did.

Running into August

Day 214 - August 2, 2009

Another month has come to a close and with today's run, I have logged 214 consecutive days of running and 842 miles. Considering all of last year I only logged 880 miles, I am well on my way to surpassing that and I'm even on pace to set a new annual high (in 2005 I logged 1424 miles).

Today's run was a good mix of endurance and speed. I drove over to the Tech school, parked the car, and then ran 2.3 miles to the high school track for a warm-up. For the speed work-out I ran what I call a funnel. It starts with a longer distance, like a 1600m, and then decreases by 400m with each interval. The idea is to run each interval at a slightly faster pace. Today I started with a modest 6:33 1600m, and followed that up with a 4:48 1200m (6:24 pace); 3:03 800m (6:06 pace) and 1:23 400m (5:32 pace). For recovery, I jog a 400m lap in between intervals. I finished the workout with a 2.3 mile recovery run back to the car.

I like this type of speed workout because it gives me a chance to loosen up and get faster with each interval and I also get the endurance benefit of running longer intervals at the beginning. It also teaches you to run faster at the end of a race which can really help with your final kick. I'm hoping to continue running at least one speed workout a week to prepare myself for the fall 10K season. I'll keep you posted.