A great February for running

Day 424 - February 28, 2010

I finished the month of February with 142 miles. That's one of my highest monthly totals and in only 28 days - an average of 5 miles a day. That's much better than I expected. I'm feeling really good heading into March and pleased with my progress extending my long runs. With 4 weeks until the 10 miler and 6 until the half, I feel like I'm right where I should be to have successful races.

Looking forward to the warmer weather that should arrive this month!

14 miles around Charlottesville

Day 423 - February 27, 2010

I felt great today. I met up with a good friend and long time running partner and we set out for a mid-day long run. I had drawn up a long loop that would offer opportunities to break off and cut the run short if either of us just weren't feeling it, but the miles came and went pretty easily, even at a faster than normal pace. Even the hills felt easier today. We finished the first 11 mile loop and I still had 25 minutes before I had to pick up my daughter. Not wanting to just sit around, I said goodbye to my friend and tacked on another 3 miles. Perfect timing.

I'm feeling really good about my endurance, but I still need to get out there and do some speed work. I'll take it a bit easier on Sunday, but I think Monday is going to be a tempo run. 7:25 pace won't get me below 65 minutes in the 10 miler.

Today's run also brought my running streak total to 1700 miles in 423 days and YTD is 239 miles. If you typically read the blog with an aggregator, click on over to the website. I've added some gadgets from Daily Mile that keep track of my daily runs and upcoming races. If you are looking for more flair for your blog, you might want to check it out. Note: I just noticed that the posted workout doesn't match today's post. I've been backloading some runs from January into the Daily Mile and apparently the app is picking up on the posted date, not the date from the run. Oh well, it should be accurate tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a good weekend and was able to log some good runs.

Windy today

Day 421 - February 25, 2010

Thankful the snow that is pounding the Northeast bypassed Virginia this time, I won't complain about the winds today. I just bundled up, put my head down, and logged my 2.7 miles. It was a good day to rest the legs and get ready for Saturday's upcoming long run.

Day 420 on the way to 1000

Day 420 - February 24, 2010

The ice and snow are finally giving way to bare pavement and I was able to run my 5 mile route at work without any slipping and sliding. Other than a couple of deer who gave me a good stare down, and seeing a huge flock of bluebirds, there really wasn't anything remarkable to share from today. But I'm still grateful to have the health and opportunity to get outside everyday. Now that I think about it, having those few minutes out in nature was pretty remarkable.

Inspired by the challenge

Day 418 - February 22, 2010

Over the last several weeks, I've been reading several running blogs and the theme this year seems to be Accept the Challenge. First it was ACE at The Longest Run accepting the challenge and taking on the Leadville 100. For me, that sounded absolutely crazy. A race where they give you a prize just for finishing in under 25 - yes 25 - hours. But I was so impressed that someone would not only dare to run something like that, but also put it out for the whole world to know and hold you accountable. Good luck ACE!

Then I was reading about all the 50k+ races that are being run this year at left-right-repeat, and I thought, wow! That is some serious running. Not just one big race, but one every month.

Then Perry at Just Your Average Joggler not only takes on big running challenges, he does it while juggling. Earlier this year he ran (and juggled) over 32 miles in the Frozen Otter Ultra Trek over snow covered trails. Just over ten hours of juggling in the snow. Crazy, but I'm in awe of the fortitude it takes to accomplish that.

And of course, lest I forget, Mr. Nitmos from Feet Meet Street who declared 2010 to be the Year of the Ass Kicker (Y.A.K.). How can you not be inspired by a man seeking the "Puke Threshold".

All of this had me yearning to do more with my running. I wanted to do more than just run everyday. I needed a goal that would push me to my limits. And then I saw the ad on Facebook. A race that self declares to be the "toughest one day event on the planet". I had to know more.



I quickly googled "Tough Mudder" and was instantly hooked. Seven miles up and down the mountain at Bear Creek Ski Area with 17 ridiculous obstacles, such as crawling through snow, jumping off a 15 foot high plank into freezing cold water, navigating under water tunnels, belly crawling under 8" high barbed wire and running through fire. It sounds awesome. The average finishing time is expected to be two and a half hours. This is not your grandmother's Muddy Buddy.*

It took me a few days to work up the nerve, but last night I hit send on my registration and I am in. It is the first race I will ever participate in that the waiver actually says you have a "better than average chance of dying" in this race. I may be insane, but I am totally jazzed to attempt this.

What better way to make this year a YAK, than to complete the Tough Mudder on May 2. Only 67 more days to prepare. I can't wait.

* - That was a joke...at least until I finish the Tough Mudder.

Charlottesville Half Marathon - Officially Signed up

Day 417 - February 21, 2010

I've made my decision and signed up for the half marathon. I predicted a 1:29:00 finish, but I'm hoping that is a conservative estimate of my time. The race is to weeks after the 10 miler and I'm hoping that race will be a good stepping stone to a solid finish.

For my run today, I squeezed in 5 miles on a very muddy dirt road. The snow is finally melting and we had beautiful blue skies and temperatures in the 50s. It was a great day. I was a little sore from yesterday's long run, but I slowly loosened up and enjoyed the spring-like day.

And if you didn't get a chance to watch the USA vs Canada, you missed the best hockey game since 1980. From the first whistle to the last, both teams played their hearts out. That is what the Olympics should be all about. Most goals wins - no judging how pretty they look doing it!

The Daily Mile

Day 416 - February 20, 2010

I signed up for the Daily Mile today. As best I can tell, the Daily Mile is a social networking site for runners and cyclists where you can log your activity and share it with friends. I'm sure it is more than that, but I'm going to give it try and see how I like it. If you'd like to check out my profile, my user name is CERuns.

Today was a long run and I was joined by a good friend that I have been running with for almost 10 years now. The plan was 13, but unfortunately that wasn't in the cards. I felt great. In fact it was one of the best runs I've been on in a long time. But my friend was recovering from a cold and the pace was a bit too fast for him. I have no doubt that he will bounce back and be ready to put a hurt on me next week. We cut the run a bit short, but still logged 11.4 miles. That was enough to put me at 36 for the week. My confidence for the Charlottesville 10 miler is building and I'm really looking forward to it.

three runnners equals 10 legs?

Day 412 - February 16, 2010

Nothing exciting about my five and half miles tonight. I did have two black labs follow me for over a mile and a half. Other than a friendly ramming in the back of the legs when they came out to greet me, they were pretty good at not interfering. I'm sure the passing cars were cursing me and my two dogs in the road, in the dark, but they weren't mine and I couldn't keep them out of the road. Oh well.

Hope everyone had a good run today.

What I like about running and hate about the Olympics

When you run, you know who wins. There's no judgment call in the clock time. First is first. I hate Olympic sports with judging. How can you fall in figure skating and still get a medal. Bogus. Bodie Miller gets a bronze because of some minor technical error in his run that costs him less than a 10th of a second. But a skater falls and it hardly affects the score and they can still medal. Unbelievable.

I'll stick with running.

Sorry for the rant.

A long run

Day 409 - February 13, 2010

I had an hour an fifty minutes of free time today which was perfect for a long run. I dropped my oldest daughter off at her Saturday enrichment class and I was off. I had a pretty good idea of how I wanted to get around Charlottesville, but I kept my options open and tried to find roads with clear sidewalks - not an easy feet. I also tried to include as much of the 10 miler course and Marth Jefferson 8K course as I could just so I could refresh my memory about the hills and road conditions.

It was great to have that much time. I just had to make sure I was back to pick up the girlie on time. When I realized I was going to finish my run 20 minutes early I tacked on an extra mile. I love having that flexibility and not feeling like I have to rush a 20 minute run.

With today's 12.2 miles, my weekly total was 38. That makes this the highest total of the year and one of the highest of the streak. I hope I can maintain that mileage for the next several weeks as I prepare for the 10 miler.

Run when you can - Run more later if you can

Day 406 - February 10, 2010

That was my mantra today. With the snow overnight, I got up early to shovel out and get ready for work. At 5:30 it was still snowing hard, but I shoveled the drive in about 40 minutes. That left me with a dilemma. There was just enough time to either crawl back into bed and catch a few Z's or change my clothes and head out for a 2 mile run.

Normally on Wednesdays we run as a group after work, but today's forecast was for some more snow followed by gusty winds of 30-50 MPH. My gut feeling was there was a good chance the running group would bail today and I didn't want to be running in the dark with those kinds of winds. So I changed my clothes and got my two miles in. I figured if the running group did go, I could run a short second run and bump my miles up where they should be for a Wednesday, and if they didn't, at least I had another day logged.

I arrived at work, grabbed a quick cup of coffee, turned on my computer and found out that while I was driving in, for the first time in at least five years, corporate decided to close the office. SCORE! I finished my coffee, chatted for a few minutes with the six other people who had managed to get into the office today, and then packed up and was home before lunch. That gave me plenty of time for a second run. It was great. Total mileage for the day was 6.2 - not bad for another snow day. Who says all this snow is bad.

As a bonus, today's mileage put me over 1600 miles for the running streak.

Five and half miles after dinner

Day 405 - February 9, 2009

What a difference a year makes. Last year on this date, it was 65 degrees and gorgeous. Tonight, I ran in the snow - again. If we get the accumulation that is forecast, we will break the all time record for snow accumulation for Central VA. Crazy. Granted, some areas of the country get this much snow in a single event, but 50+ inches is a lot for us.

Running in the snow hasn't been bad and hasn't affected my mileage, but I have been quite a bit slower on my runs. I also haven't done any tempo runs or fartleks on the icy roads. I still have time to get my speed up before the 10 miler, but I need to start soon. So if you don't see any posts about me doing some speed work, drop me a comment and hold me accountable!

Get your run in before the Super Bowl

Day 403 - February 7, 2010

I made sure to get my run in early today so I'd have plenty of time to get ready for the game. Just an easy 4.5 miles on some icy roads. More snow coming Tuesday and Wednesday this week - this is crazy. I may need to invest in some Yaktrax.

Day 2 of the Snowpocalypse

Day 402 - February 6, 2010

Days like today are what make a running streak fun. Yes there is 15" of fresh snow on the ground, and no the roads haven't been plowed, but you still have to run. With a running streak, you find away. Today, I was fortunate that a few brave souls had been out on tractors and in their 4-wheel drive trucks and left me tire tracks to run in. Otherwise, it would have been a very tough run though 10+ inches of powder that has fallen since they gave up plowing last evening.

The traction wasn't too bad today - I only slipped twice when I hit patches of ice from last weekend's storm that were covered in fresh snow. Fortunately I was able to maintain my balance and not fall like yesterday.

The snow was sticking to everything and really made for some nice photos. I'm glad I took the camera with me today. Hope you enjoy a few of the views I had today.

Day 1 of the Snowpocalypse

Day 401 - February 5, 2010

Snow has been coming down steadily all day. The current estimates are 22-28" for this area. I decided to go as far as I could today because I might be stuck on the treadmill tomorrow. The roads were slushy and snow covered but for the most part not as bad as I expected. The down hills were a bit treacherous. I actually fell one time and slid about 20 feet down the road - it was a steep hill. I met up with a friend two miles into the run and we ran together for about 3 miles before I peeled off to head home. All in all I ran almost 6.5 miles @ 8 min/mile pace. not bad considering the footing. I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

400 Days Complete

Day 400 - February 4, 2010

I am 40% of the way to 1000! Nothing special today - just 3 easy miles after work and getting the kids dinner and off to bed. I'm going to try and make the most of the next 100 days and log at least 425 miles. That will put me at 2000 miles for the first 500 days.

So, here are the totals for the first 400 days:

Total Miles: 1575
Total Time: 203:58:34
Average Pace: 7:47

Check back tomorrow and Saturday to see how the running goes with 20-28" of snow in the forecast - should be fun!

Day 399 of my attempt to run 1000 straight days

Day 399 - February 3, 2010

Just a quick run after dinner tonight - 3 miles. I was slow, but I'll blame that on a full stomach and slushy roads. Bring on 400!

More snow

Day 398 - February 2, 2010

I am still in Virginia right? And people are still concerned about global warming? We are getting our 4th storm of the year right now and another major storm is forecast for this coming weekend. In a typical year we might get two snows all winter. I don't know how you cold weather guys do it.

Tonight's run was an eye stinger with snow constantly pinging my eyeballs. It was coming down hard enough to cover my tracks on the way back. Hopefully we will get less than the 4-8" they have predicted for tonight and it will have a chance to melt before we get another 1-2 feet this weekend.

On the bright side I ran 4+ miles tonight and only coughed for a few minutes after I finished. I think I'm finally shaking it.

Felt good tonight

Day 397 - February 1, 2010

I ran with a friend after work tonight and felt comfortable for most of the run. I still have a nagging dry cough when I finish, but today I felt closer to 100% than I have in nearly two weeks. I'm not making any bold predictions on how soon I'll be back to normal mileage - we have more snow forecast for tomorrow and apparently there is a chance of the storm of the century this weekend. Thank goodness the wife decided we needed to replace our dead treadmill.

But, I did sign up for the Charlottesville 10 miler yesterday. The Charlottesville Marathon is probably out since I've lost two long runs, but I think I will run the half. The $70 entry fee makes me want to make sure I'll be in top form before I plop down that much cash. I'll make a decision by the end of the month.