Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Week 8 - Day 2: Tired and Sleepy

Oh man...I was so tired last night and this morning I couldn't move. I fell asleep on the couch last night at 8:30 pm and could barely crawl to bed...so when the alarm went off at 4:44 am, I immediately turned it off and slept until 7:00 a.m. I think I needed that, because I felt better later on. So I went to rec center tonight at 7:00 pm and ran 7 in 1:04:53. And I'm meeting Michele and maybe Tracy in the morning at 5:00 a.m. to run 7 more outside. That will take care of the 7's for this week...and I'll just have a 5, a 4, and a 9 to finish it out.

Week 8 - Day 1: Intervals

Let me start by saying that week 7 ended up with a total of 39 miles. That's probably a record for me. The bad news is that Tracy's back is hurting her following the 16 miles. Let's hope it's not something that lasts. Week 8 - Day 1 was Monday, Jan 30th. Michele and I met at the WJHS track at 5:15 to run our scheduled 6 x 880s. It was dark and a little creepy, but not too terribly bad. I had forgotten to charge my gps, and it went dead after the first 3 intervals. But here's the times(the first 3 according to my gps, the last 3 according to Michele's):

1. 3:46
2. 3:40
3. 3:42
4. 3:50
5. 3:49
6. 3:33

My gps says that during my first 3 880s, my average heart rate was 158 bpm and my max heart rate was 204 bpm. It seems like I get up over 200 every time...I'm gonna do some research and see if that's possible. And, I really need to get my resting heart rate one day this week too. Anyways, it also says that the average pace was 7:10/mi.
I have to say that I am extremely happy with these times. They may not sound great to someone who runs a 20 minute 5k, but for me - they are pretty good.

Sunday, January 29, 2006

Week 7 - Day 6: The Long Run

This week's long run was 16 miles. Me, Tracy and Michele met at CCHS around 8:00 a.m. This time we decided to pack some water and some "Sport Beans" for the run. Tracy and I had camelbaks, and Michele had her brand new fuel belt. The fuel belt turned out to be the best idea, because Tracy and I hate our camelbaks. Mine was so uncomfortable I poured some water out after a couple miles...then realized after about 6 miles that I barely had any water left at all..so then I had to bum the rest of the way. We all had Jelly Belly "sport beans" in our pocket, and they turned out to be great. I'll definitely be taking those with me from now on. They are just like Jelly Belly jelly beans, but they have electrolytes and other things in them to help replenish what you are losing while running for so long. Anyways, about this 16 mile run...I didn't feel well at all. I was tired after 2 miles, and very tired at the half way point (the Hands on Science Center in Tullahoma). Tracy didn't feel well either. I think around mile 10 I got to feeling a little better, finally. But I never really felt good. None the less, we all toughed it out and finished in 2:39:18. Just a hair under 10 min/mile.
Things I learned on this run:
- Eat better. I don't know if it contributed to the way I felt, but I haven't been eating very healthy lately. I need to change that immediately.
- Get new shoes. I have done about all I can do with the Asics Gel Kayano. After about 7 miles I started feeling the pad of my left foot bruising again. My cool running log says I have 407 miles on them, and they even gave me a an "alert" that said they were approaching retirement age. Now I just have to find time to get to Fleet Feet before the 18 miles in 2 more weeks.
- Go buy a fuel belt. Michele had no problem with hers, so Tracy and I are definitely getting one. Which ever one of us makes it to Academy Sports first is making the purchase.
- "Sport Beans Rock!" Loved those jelly beans...from now on they are a staple for anything over 12 miles.
- Don't start the sprint farther than a quarter of a mile out. Michele and I started sprinting too soon, and we weren't able to hold it until the end.

Week 7 - Day 5: Easy Day

Week 7 Day 5 was Friday Jan 27th. It was an easy day, since it directly precedes the big 16 miler. So anyways, I went to the rec center and ran the scheduled 3 miles on the treadmill in 27:29, and then went to the pool for a little swimming. Not much...just worked on some drills and such...and I have decided that I am going to try ear plugs again. I am going to try the "plugs" instead of the moldable sillacone ones this time. I despise that water in my ears. It really distracts me and ruins my swim.

Week 7 - Day 4: 7 more miles

I'm playing "catch up" on the blog again. Week 7 Day 4 was Thursday, Jan 26, and I got to the rec center around 5:30 a.m. Briar went with me again and played basketball with John Phillip while I ran my 7 on the track. It went pretty smoothly, and I finished in 1:06:08.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Week 7 - Day 3: Briar joined me!!!

My little buddy joined me this morning for a good workout. :) Briar said last night that he wanted to go this morning, so I woke him up at 4:55 a.m. and he hopped right out of bed and got dressed. He even took Wrigley outside and filled up his bowl with dog food. So we got there and he ran a mile with me with no problem...and sprinted the last lap...then sprinted another one for good measure. Then Andrew arrived, and he ran another mile with him and Brett. He had lots of energy. Then him and Andrew worked out on the machines with Brett while I finished running and swimming. I ran 3 miles on the track in 29:55 (slow, I know), then I did some drills in the pool, and swam 2 sets of 10 laps each. Not much but I was out of time. Swimming didn't feel as good today as it did the last time.

Week 7 - Day 2: 7 miles

Tuesday, Jan 24th - I was supposed to run 4 miles this day according to the schedule, but I didn't get out of bed in time this morning. I was just plain lazy. So I went on to the rec center that night and instead of running 4 and swimming, which was the plan - I ran 7 because swim team was going on in the pool. I figured if I went ahead and did my 7, I could save my 4 until Wednesday morning, and I would be able to swim as well.
So I ran 7 on the track, and it wasn't bad at all. I think it has something to do with the time of day....my body just performs better when it fully awake. haha. Anyways, I ran the first couple of miles with Jay (he was there running to get into shape for hiking in Africa), then I saw Kim during my last few miles and talked to her some. That always helps the time pass faster. I ran the 7 miles in 1:04:58.

Week 7 - Day 1: 3 x mile Invtervals

I am way behind. Week 7/Day 1 was Monday, Jan 23rd and the schedule said 3 x mile intervals. Tracy and I arrived at the rec center at the same time, so we did them together on the track. Here's the breakdown:

1st Mile: 7:46
2nd Mile: 7:54
3rd Mile: 8:01

We walked a lap and rested some between each.

Sunday, January 22, 2006

Week 6 - Day 6: 4 miles

Saturday, Jan 21st made Week 6/Day 6. I finished up the week with 4 miles from my house to the intersection and back in 35:35. I overdressed and was pretty warm, and am happy to finally get a day off. This week totaled 30.9 miles. Next week is going to include the 16 miler. I believe the plan is to run from the Coffee County High School to the Hands On Science Center in Tullahoma and back.

Week 6 - Day 5: 8 Miles in the Dark

This was a nice run. I throroughly enjoyed it. It was Friday, Jan 20th, and Michele and I met at the rec center at 5:00 a.m. (although I was late...my Garmin says we started at 5:11). It was dark and pretty chilli, but not too bad. Anyways, we ran 2 different routes around town, and then a piece up the greenway before Michele finished 7 (she only needed 7). Then I did an out and back up the green way to get another mile (I needed 8). I finished in 1:19:35. That's a pace of 9:56/mile. It was a pretty pleasant run, and it not been so cloudy out, we could have watched the sun rise.

Week 6 - Day 4: Short Run and Swim

I am really late posting this. On Thursday, Jan 19th, I was supposed to do 4 miles, but instead I did 3 miles and got in some swimming drills in the pool. I worked on my balance...and didn't really do that many laps (I didn't even keep up), but by the time I finished I felt pretty good about it. The pool was crowded, and I ended up offering to share my lane with a man who was waiting. I know how frustrating it can be to be standing there wasting good time in the morning waiting on someone to finish swimming.

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

Week 6 - Day 3: Jail Hill

I finally got up the courage to go run jail hill at 5:30 a.m. this morning. I have been a little afraid of the dark and even the cold that early in the morning. But today, I faced the fear. Hooray! It snowed last night just enough to make the roads icy, but the sidewalks were okay. I parked at the rec center, ran over to Rayfield's and started the hills. I had on my UA Cold Gear with a fleece jacket on top and never got cold, even though it was 30 degrees. The bad part is that I am totally disappointed in my time. The total mileage was 2.88 miles and my time was 29 minutes. Good grief. I was supposed to be running up that hill at 5k - 10k pace...I used the lap timer on my GPS and found that I ran the hills in between 9:00 and 9:30 minutes/mile. That is way off pace. And I coasted back down so slowly that it was over 11:00 minutes/mile! The last time I really think I did much better than that, but I wasn't using the lap counter so I am not sure. It was dark this morning while running, so I couldn't really keep a good watch on my time. I don't know if it has to do with the fact that I had just rolled out of bed, or the weather, or if I was just lazy. I forgot to wear my heart monitor, so I'm not sure what level of exertion I was at - although I was very winded by the top of each hill repeat. I guess my question is: When coolrunning says run hills at 5k-10k pace...do they mean your 5k-10k pace on flat ground, or your 5k-10k pace while on a hill??? Because I figure my 5k-10k pace is pretty close to 8 min/mile...but that will be different on a hill. If it's supposed to be your 5k-10k pace while on a hill then maybe I didn't do that bad...but I'm not sure that is the case.

In other news, I have to mention this - Tracy went ahead and ran her hills YESTERDAY - IN THE RAIN! Now how about that?!?! She said she deserves the dedication award, and I'll have to agree...man I wish I had a picture of that to post for motivation!

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Week 6 - Day 2: 7 Miles on Treadmill

I wanted to do my hill workout today, but it was pouring down rain. So instead I ran on the treadmill. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to do 4 or 7, so I did 7, and it was pretty boring. I was on the treadmill for 1 hour 6 minutes and 20 seconds. Ugh. I looked at my schedule this morning and found that I should have done 4 today, but that's okay. The good news is that the 2 mid distance runs are over with for this week. Tommorrow I will do the hills, weather permitting. And then I'll 4 miles Thursday, 8 miles Friday, and 4 miles Saturday. And I'll rest on Sunday. That's not so bad.
I guess since the hills are supposed to be long hills I'll do jail hill. As I was driving into the rec center this morning, I looked up at jail hill and it looked pretty well lit with the street lights, so I think I'll be okay at 5:30...but I am going to call Tracey and see if she wants to do it with me tommorrow if she hasn't already done her hills.
I checked the mileage on my Asics Gel Kayano's today, and it's only 367.9 miles. I don't understand why they would already need to be replaced. But that joint bothered me again this morning. I really don't want to buy another pair yet, but it looks like I may have to.

Monday, January 16, 2006

If You Could Extend Your Life By 6 - 9 Years...

If you could extend your life by 6 - 9 years, wouldn't you want to do so? 6 - 9 YEARS!?! And all the while the quality is improved.....check this out:

http://www.halhigdon.com/Articles/longevity.htm

Week 6 - Day 1: 6 miles after 3 days rest

Ok...first off, the boys and I spent the weekend in Atlanta with Holly...we had so much fun...we shopped and shopped, went to the new Georgia Aquariam, then shopped and shopped some more. Briar climbed the rock wall at the 3 story Dick's Sporting Goods. That place was awesome. I could have spent 3 days in there alone. Anyways, all that being said, there was no running or cardiovascular activity at all, except for the fast walk while trying to cover all the stores before the malls closed. So this is the first time since training started that I have gone 3 days with nothing.
On top of that, I didn't look at my training schedule last night, so I didn't realize that the 6 milers have now turned into 7 milers..haha. I didn't want to run my hills today, so I ran 6 on the treadmill in 55:11. I guess I should have run 7, but oh well. If it's not raining in the morning, I may do my hills. If it is raining, I'll probably run 7 indoors.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

Week 5 - Day 3: The Very Long Run

I did some major changing stuff around for this one. I am taking the boys to Atlanta this weekend, and I felt it might not be wise, nor would I have the time to run 14 miles through Atlanta. Holly is down there for work, and we are going to go stay with her and to the new aquariam, ice skating, and shopping. I am hoping to find some good deals on ski apparel, because we're going skiing in February. So anyways, since I have to work on Thursdays, Tracy and Michele agreed to come to Tullahoma and run with me. We started at the mall, and ran down to through the country club, The Fairways and King's Ridge...then headed back towards the mall...we got back to the mall a little over 10 miles and then ran out towards the airport, and looped back around to the mall around mile 12. We got a quick drink of water from our cars, and proceeded to make another lap around the mall parking and up around KMart parking lot, then ANOTHER lap around the mall before finishing our longest run ever. The time was 2hrs 22 min. Atleast that's what it was on my gps...somehow mine and Michele's got out of synch, and hers was .13 of a mile ahead of me. (Michele - feel free to post your time according to your own GPS.) So anyways...the route was horrible. The best part of it was running through the country club and that wasn't even very nice because we kept running into the cul-de-sacs. We decided that before we run in Tullahoma again we need consult with Neiderhauser as to the best places to run in T-Town. The route was horrible, but physically I felt suprisingly well. Other than the bruised pad and the inflamed joint in my left foot, I felt good for 14 miles. I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet and buy yet another new pair of running shoes. I have around 500 miles on these, and all the sudden I'm having foot trouble. We also decided that the fuel belt is not such a bad idea after all. Being hungry and running long distances just aren't a good combination. I still don't know if I want to wear that big belt though...I may just stick a little snack in a pocket the next time. I have to admit that I think that's kinda cool...to run so long that you get hungry and need some extra fuel! haha! I know, I am cheesy. I'm not sure what tommorrow's training holds...I'll have to look at the schedule and see.

Week 5 - Day 2: 4 miles

Ok, I'm posting this a day late. I have rearranged the schedule a bit...and I ran 4 yesterday morning on the treadmill. Time was 36:40. I was exhausted. And soaked in sweat. The schedule has been rearranged so that I can run 14 miles next - this week's long run on Thursday instead of Saturday.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Week 4 - Day 6 & Week 5 Day 1

Ok, I have some catching up to do. I haven't felt very well lately, so I've been slacking. But, to end Week 4, I was suppose to run 6 miles. Instead, I ran 5, and it was in two segments because I ran down to the ballpark where JT and the boys were playing baseball...and I played with Bo on the playground for a while, then ran back home when they were leaving. It was close to 5, and I don't even remember my time. I wasn't real concerned about it. I have been needing to be not so strict with the schedule lately...it was starting to wear on me a little bit that I had to do exactly as it said...so I have decided to relax some with it, within reason ofcourse. Anyways, I have had problems with Wrigley, and wasn't able to run on Monday. So I did Monday's run today (Tuesday). It was intervals - 6 x 440s. I did it on the treadmill, with the following breakdown:

1 x mile warmup @6 mph
6 x 440 @ 8 mph
6 x 220 @ 6 mph in between each 440

My final time was 27:41

Poor Wrigley. He has tapeworms of all things. AND he has an issue with his anal glands. That issue is that they were causing a terrible odor coming from his rear end. So I took him to the vet, and got a pill for the tapeworms, and Jeff expressed his anal glands. And I really think he felt better. Then today marked something of a milestone: Wrigley actually went to the backdoor, put both paws up on it and scratched. So I let him out and he went straight to the grass and urinated!!! HOORAY! You don't know how much I loved that. I have him 3 milkbone puppy biscuits for that. Ofcourse, later he proceeded to have 2 accidents in the house, which sorta ruined it....but for the first time I think we are making a little progress. I guess that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? I will definitely be stronger for this puppy thing. I am going to come through this and be more able to deal with worms, poop, odors and secretions from the anal area than I ever would have been before. I guess that is the bright side. I guess that will bump my mental fortitude up a little, and that's always good! One of these days I am going to dedicate an entire post to that which is my favorite subject - Mental Fortitude. It is the root of my training, and the first big reason I decided to do triathlons. I won't go into it now, though. I think I'm gonna run 4 miles tommorrow morning, then 14 Thursday, since I will be out of town this weekend. More on that later...

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Week 4 - Day 5: 3 miles

Haven't posted in a couple days, but Friday I did my 3 miles on the treadmill in 25:17. Boring, but got it done.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Week 4 - Day 4: 6 Miles on the Track

Whew...this week's hard part is over! 6 miles yesterday at 3:00 pm and then 6 more this morning at 5:30 am - less than 15 hours of rest, but atleast tommorrow is just 3 miles. I will definitely get some swimming done tommorrow. The long run this weekend isn't really a long run - just 6 miles. This is a recovery week, so I sure hope I get recovered nicely.
I got to the rec center at 5:30 a.m. and ran my 6 miles on the track while listening to my MP3 player. I have really got to replace the music on that thing...I've been listening to the same songs for over a year. I used my Garmin to keep up with my laps and boy did that help. I didn't have to constantly be questioning myself as to whether I was counting my laps right or not. 6 miles is 72 laps around that little track, so it's pretty easy to lose count. I love that Garmin. It was a birthday present from J.T., and I have enjoyed it so much.
So, the end of week 4 is nearing the end. It's been almost a month since I started this - How do I feel? I'm gonna have to say I feel pretty good about it. Granted, I am a little tired. My legs feel somewhat fatigued here and there, but they are actually looking alot better so I can't complain about that. My legs are the #1 thing I despise about my appearance. So any improvement on them is a nice extra that I'll gladly accept. And I'm also encouraged by the fact that the holidays didn't slow me down. On the onset of the training, I was a little worried about how I would get all the runs in with so much going on, but somehow I did. J.T. has been very supportive so far, which helps alot. And knowing that Michele and Tracy are doing this as well helps too. Tracy didn't make the long run last Friday with us - but she went to the rec center that night and ran it (12 miles!!) on the treadmill because that was the only way she could get it in!!!! I was amazed...can you imagine 12 miles on the treadmill??? Now there's some encouragement. So mentally, I feel really good. I am still pretty pumped and have a positive attitude. Physically, I feel pretty good, considering I have increased my weekly mileage by over 10 miles. Like I said, I'm a little tired, but I'm alright. And I'm hoping this recovery week will help that too. Next week - I will run farther than I have ever run in my life - 14 miles. So lets see how I feel after that.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Week 4 - Day 3: 6 miles in 60 degrees

6 Miles in 60 Degrees! On Jan 4th! Wow! I ran outside from my house and down through the greenway and back for a time of 56:29...I was able to wear shorts and long sleeve tech t-shirt...but coulda gotten away with short sleeves. Unbelievable for January. I think it's suppose to be cold again tommorrow though...and I have another 6 miler. That one will be done at the rec center early in the morning.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Week 4 - Day 2: More Fartlek

Well, I did a little better this morning...I got to the rec center by 5:30, but that wasn't early enough. That meant I still left no time for swimming. I did my fartlek run on the treadmill, with the following breakdown:

1 x mile @ 6.0 mph (warmup)
1 x 800 m @ 8.0 mph
1 x 400 m @ 6.0 mph
1 x 400 m @ 8.0 mph
1 x 400 m @ 6.0 mph
1 x 400 m @8.0 mph
1 x 400 m @ 6.0 mph
1 x 800 m @ 8.0 mph
1 x 400 m @ 6.0 mph
1 x 400 m @ 8.0 mph
1 x 200 m @ 6.0 mph
1 x 200 m @ 8.0 mph
1 x mile @ 6.0 (cooldown)
Total: 5 miles in 45:20

And I'll be honest...it kicked my butt. I didn't feel good running right off the bat this morning. I'm not sure what the problem is...it could be the mass amounts of caramel pie I have consumed over the past 2 weeks. Or it could be a lack of water, since I don't drink as much water around the house as I do while at work. Or it could be that I'm not a natural morning person, and I'm trying to get used to the wee hours again. Even if I had time, I'm not sure I woulda felt like laps in the pool. Oh yeah - it could also be a lack of sleep...4 - 5 hours isn't going to cut it, I don't think. I have to constantly remind myself that self discipline doesn't start at 4:50 a.m. when the alarm goes off...it starts the night before when I don't want to go to bed until 11:30 p.m. Or better yet, after dinner when I want dessert. Although I have eaten like a horse through the hoildays, I have managed to drop about 3 lbs. So that's good news. After my 12 mile run the other day, my Garmin said I burned 1258 calories. That's always good.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Week 4 - Day 1: 3 miles and some swimming

I got mixed up today. For some reason I was thinking that the schedule said to run 3 miles...but when I got to the rec center I found out (from Tracy and Michele) that it was suppose to be 5 miles of fartlek...so I just went ahead and did my 3 miles, and I plan to do the fartlek tommorrow. I also got into the pool, but just for a little bit. I swam 500 meters and ran out of time. I ran out of time because I was lazy this morning and didn't make to the treadmill till 6 A.M. I am disappointed in myself for that, and I have got to do better. If plan to do any kind of brick training I have got to be at the rec center by 5 A.M. to give myself enough time. Hopefully I'll have a better report tommorrow...as I plan to run the 5 miles of fartlek and then try the swimming again with hopefully more time.

Christmas Pictures


Here are Briar and Bo as they were walking in to see what Santa brought. If you you'll notice the larger white thing in the center of the tree - that was a package that said "To Briar and Bo, From Santa. Open Last." It was a puppy toy with a note telling them to go to the kitchen, where they found a stocking full of pet toys and a note telling them to go to the garage. In the garage was the Puppy!!




Sunday, January 01, 2006

Week 3 - Day 5: Long Run and Happy New Year!!

Ok - I'm a little late posting this again. But Friday, Dec 30th was the long run of 12 miles. Tracy wasn't able to make it, so Michele and I ran around Maple Springs, Baker Heights, Danbury, and down through Fredonia and back to her house. 12 miles in 1hr and 58min. Average pace of 9:50/mile. I was a little more tired than I was last week...I am thinking it may be because yesterday I ran 6 instead of the recommended 3. And my plan was to run 3 on Saturday, as a recovery run. But that didn't happen, as the rec center was closed. So I went to the tanning bed instead. Anyways, this time my Garmin logged my max heart rate as 224!!!! There's no way. My average heart rate was 159 bmp...which is probably real close. I still haven't calculated my training zones yet, because I haven't recorded my resting heart rate. I am going to do that by leaving my heart monitor beside my bed when I go to sleep, and then when I wake up in the morning I am going to put it on and see what it is before I ever get out of bed. I read somewhere that that is the best way to do it. My legs now have 2 days of rest on them...so I should be able come back and battle Week 4 without any excuses. It doesn't have a long run this weekend - just 6 miles.
Anyways, today is the first day of 2006. My, how time flies flies. J.T. and I will be married 10 years this year...Briar will turn 10 and Bo will turn 5. It seems unreal. God continues to bless us beyond belief.
I am going to post some pictures from Christmas now.