halloween

Today started off with a bang. Actually it started off with a clink. My car didn't start this morning. I tried about 10 or 15 times and nothing but the clink. It wasn't even that cold. I either have a loose cable or dying battery. It starts fine normally, but I guess the cold just got to it. Anyway that started off the day on the wrong foot, and the whole day was mediocre.

I got to run tonight, but all the trick-or-treaters were out and so I ran around them. April's shoes came today and she was soooo happy. I'm glad she liked them. Nothing else noteworthy other than we had fun passing out candy. God willing tommorow my car will start.

calves and quads were very tight tonight, so i took some time to stretch out while watching life.

4 miles. cool 65 degrees. silver.

the track

Today was a much better day than yesterday. School was fine and i remembered all my gear to go running. There is always a ton of traffic afterschool and usually I'm just sitting there waiting around til after 4. So I decided that would be a good time to check out the track and go for a run. So I changed in the bathroom (we have our own for our students with benches and other things) and headed out when everyone left. I think I surprised them a little because they hadn't seen me wear shorts before.

So I ran off toward the stadium and found the track is usually open in one section. The run started off bad. Today at work we have a kid named Cody who pretty much has to be in a wheelchair all the time. It is a pain to move him out of it because he doesn't stand on his own so we all have to get around him and lift him in and out of his seat. Me and Mike did that twice and then a third time later on. That pretty much was a leg workout in itself, especially the last time because we lifted him from the floor and he was just limp. I'd say he weighs a good 160 lbs. so that's 80 each that we were squatting.

Anyway so that took all the power out of my legs before the run even started. I managed to start off well enough and get the first mile in, then stopped for a few seconds to calibrate my sensor. That went over fine with just a natural lap around the track. So I still had 5 more miles and decided I would go the rest of the way. The sensor was still off. I'd say it's 20-25 meters off each lap, so for a mile you'd have to make up at least 100m, 4 miles, 1 lap, and 8 miles would be two. Not really bad, but I know now that it is off for sure. In some of my older posts I mentioned this, but today proved it.

I'm trying to decide if I should change up my longer mileage to account for the discrepancy, but I think I will just run a little extra each time I mean for 16 miles I'd only have to run 1 extra mile. That's not a problem for me. I won't be messing around with calbration any becaus the default was off too. The first lap I ran was .38 mile when it should have been .25 (which is about the same as after i calibrated so i'm not sure if that did anything at all)

The run ended great with some 50 yard sprints coming around each lap, but it was boring. Also my knees and toes hurt. My knees hurt from the angle you end up running on the curves, and my toes must have just hurt from the track itself. It is a nice track, but I'm used to running on pavement which gives less cushion and probably makes me run differently, possibly more efficiently too?

6 miles. 65 degrees Sunny. silver

no run

I started off the day with great plans, but they all went down the drain from the start. First my windows were iced over and that took a while longer than expected to get out onto the main road. So that was bad. I also was planning on running at the track. That didn't happen due to not bringing the right clothes to run. I thought it would be cold, but it ended up being warmer later in the day. So that idea fell through too. When April got home I forgot about running because I was hungry and upon asking "what are we having for dinner" put the nail in the coffin.

By the time we ate it was already 7, which means pitch black is 15 minutes away. So needless to say no run today. But it wasn't so bad. I only missed 3 miles. I'm not sure If I will make it up later this week or not. Tommorow is 6 and I can't skip that, but i could probably add an extra mile if I'm feeling good about it. So far my legs have responded well, and again today there is no soreness whatsover. Could it be I'm returning for my former athletic self? Time will tell.

Back to the old grind. Hopefully tommorow will fare better in the running department.

"Long" Run

A beautiful day today. It was a little cooler than usual, but the sun was out and shining on it all. I was able to wear my normal shorts and tank gear. The only times I felt cold was running into the wind. Today it was coming from the northwest and made a few stretches a little harder than normal. The run felt good. I have been holding my pace back a little. The wierd part is I barely feel like I'm searching for air. The only thing holding me back is my knees. I feel them around 5-6 miles starting to get worn. It's not a hurting a feeling, but I think my body is trying to warn me not to push things just yet.

There were soccer games today, so that made it 100 times more interesting than usual. There were people to look at and actually quite a few walkers out too. I felt consistent, but haven't looked at my graph yet. I know that on the last 1/4 of the course there is a moderate incline so I always slow down there and shorten my strides. Since I wasn't breathing hard the entire time I picked it up slightly the last mile, but nothing too crazy. It felt good. April also got out there and put in 4 miles! She is really working hard. I'm glad she is running, but it may be a while before she's a fanatic. Not that I want her to be, but that is the progression that all runners make eventually.

I am hungry now. There were some leftover potato wedges that I've been snacking on, but I'm trying to conserve it cause April's dad is cooking for us tonight. We got some meat on sale and said if he cooked it we'd share it. That is normally how it goes.

when i finished my run I was halfway up a hill. I decided to go some extra cause it just didn't feel right stopping there. So I did. The funny part is when I checked my ipod it said 1:05 something and I was like "dang it" because it was slower than the 8 mile I did earlier this week. DUH i forgot i ran the extra part. I guess the blood still hadn't reached my brain yet. So really it was Much faster than the last one and when I remembered that I was happy again.

8.29 miles, 64 degrees sunny. silver

kinda bored

Not much happened today. I did get April the gift and she liked it. We went to watch a movie tonight. Stardust. It's a fantasy movie and was actually pretty good. Not like a lord of the rings good, but a movie that you could watch every now and then. It had Michelle Pfifer and Rober DeNiro had a funny role as well. It was interesting.

So we got home and I went out for a quick 2 miler. The weather has cooled down a lot and so I actually had to get my swishy pants and longsleeve shirts out. It was nearly dark when I got outside and by halfway into the run it was pretty much black. The run tonight felt restricted, probably due to the fact that I had the extra clothes on, but I was also trying to "get it done". I don't really like doing that, but sometimes you just have to do it I guess.

April passed out after we ate, so I watched Munich. It was good, but also depressing. I'm very tired now and am considering just going to sleep, but I may be able to find something to do when this blog is done. yeah, pretty awesome weekend just looking for things to do huh? Well anyway the run was fine and tomorrow is the long run and I'm looking forward to it.

2 miles, 50 degrees sunset. silver

self reflection

Well tonight I decided to log into my nike account to see what was going on. I still can't remember the password, actually I'm not sure I ever knew it... luckily it was saved and all i had to do was connect. So i log in and surf around, not much has changed, but there was a nice huge blank spot for july and august. Man the summer didn't go at all how I expected. That's just how things go i guess.

Looking back my running times aren't all that different from what I'm doing now. That is odd considering I just now am getting back into it all. I also read back through my old blogs because I wanted to see what my mindset was. I think I was too focused on getting the miles in and not on the ultimate goal. Well that seems to have changed. Who cares If I'm running sub 7 miles it makes no matter if you don't enjoy it. I did like what I was doing, but obviously not enough to continue it when things changed. I feel better about running now than ever before. It's exciting just to think about it.

So as I sit here at the old computer I also realize that my job has changed, and really that has affected everything for me. I liked teaching art, but it was way too stressful of a job. It was always go go go, running was my only hope. Now running is a conscious choice that I make instead of an escape from the irritating day I had. I'm absolutely loving it too.

Have I mentioned my job? Well I currently am a high school teacher's assistant working with very mentally challenged students, some can't even talk or understand anything. I get paid literally less than half what I was making before. It has it's challenges, but I've never been put down by a student, never heard backtalk, never seen a fight, never been threatened, never witnessed a single argument, and I feel like I'm able to affect their lives positively. I remember every single day was a battle just to get a student to pay attention or be respectful in ANY way to ANY one. I wanted to teach, but they did everything in their power to disrupt me, the class, and even themselves. It is the same here, but the students have no control over it if happens, whereas before they had total control and did it on purpose. But let me add that I enjoyed teaching my class, and that it was just a tough school to teach at, lots of discipline problems that really were brought from home. It was just sad that the few students who did all the things I mentioned, ruined it for all the great and wonderful brilliant students. So those were the students I loved and cherished, I just wish that I could have taught them in a better environment.

I also have less students, no lesson plans to obsess over, and no crazy schedule of 5 hours of straight teaching. Heck thinking back I also did extra stuff before, after, and during school in addition to all that madness. No wonder I wanted to run out of there screaming. I really enjoy what I do now, I just wish I could be teaching the art class across the hall everytime we walk by.

So that is that. I thought I would add some personal stuff to the blog and now seemed like a good time. (today) i'll be running just two miles, then another 6-8 miler sunday. Should be a great weekend. I never did get the sensor, but tommorow while april is babysitting I'm going to pick it up and make a nice little gift for her. It's late and time to rest so g'night readers.

smooth

Another awesome day to run today. A little cloudy, but mostly sunny and cool. There is the smell of leaves in the crisp fall air. The breeze was from the south and a little difficult to run into, especially on the hill, but was nice and cool. I worked up a good sweat today and by halfway through the run I was wiping away sweat from my forehead. Today was much like yesterday, nice clean running without overexerting myself.

My strides seem to be better than they used to be somehow. I feel lighter and the steps just come off the ground naturally. Before it always seemed like somewhat of a fight to get them to "feel" right while running. My quads weren't shot today which was surprising. I figured I would be sore, especially since I forgot to stretch last night. But nothing happened and the run went well today. Not the most exciting, but it was good.

Tommorow is a recovery day, and sunday is my long run, which for now is 8 miles. So shouldn't be any problems there. I am looking forward to Monday for once. Not for work but using the track afterward. If I remember I'd like to calibrate my ipod. Yeah, i never got around to that before. But now that I have an actual track which should be correct, I think I'll try it out. If it doesn't work I can always reset it.

Tonight we are going out to get groceries and stuff. I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully I can sneak into Dick's and get the ipod sensor. But it's a secret, so shush.

am hb 56
4 miles, party cloudy and a little windy 70 degrees. silver

there is hope

Well the schedule is formed. I tried to balance between the marathon and 10k schedules in Galloway's book. Basically it looks like two and a half months of base, a month and a half of hills, and a month of speed. Throw in a few races into the mix and things should come together fine.

I had planned 10 miles for today, but it was just too much. I don't mean I couldn't have, but I felt I shouldn't. The outer parts of my knees started tightening up at 5 miles (the farthest I've gone for a while) and so I knew 10 was out of the question even though I felt like I was at a crawling pace. I thought as I was running that I could at least put up 6, then a 10k, then might as well hit 7, and finally once I got around to 8 I hung it up for the day.

The awesome part was my breathing was so steady. I could have ran a lot farther because i felt like I was just jogging. That just proves that my conditioning level is already high, and I still have some left over from my workouts earlier in the summer. I stopped at 5 to get some water for about 10-15 seconds. I still managed to average 8 minute miles ending at 1:04. I haven't checked my ipod stuff online for a while, but after today's run I think it's time to start keeping track of time again, just for the sake of curiosity.

some pics i took of the complex today

am heart rate 60
8 miles, sunny 68. silver

back in the groove

A great run today without my ipod. I like running without it. Normally I have it so I can keep track of my miles, but since I've ran so many 5k's in my hood' it's been easy to know how far I'm going. I did the normal loop, every road which is almost a 5k, then I ran a few extra roads. That should put me somewhere at or over 4 miles for todays run.

It was a rainy day, but luckily in the afternoon it cleared up with heavy clouds and sunshine coming through. Everyone was out too, I saw a lot of runners and walkers. We all wanted to get out while we could. The chances of rain are supposed to diminish for the next few days and it looks to be a great weekend. I haven't quite got my schedule formed, but I remade the layout again to make it look more like a calendar. I added spaces for upperbody workout too, so three times a week I'll add that into my running. I think it is important to keep my whole body healthy and not just the legs.

It was a very nice run. I stayed steady, had my chest out and the arms felt really natural. It feels good to get back into the groove of daily running. Staying on track is the tough part, but I've got races coming up, so it should be relatively easy to keep being motivated apart from the intrinsic value I get from running.

My mom called yesterday and told me my grandma has cancer. I know how April felt now and feel wierd about it. It's sad news, but there is some hope. The doctors say that it is treatable. She should start chemo and have her first surgery to remove it before thanksgiving.

We are going to run some more races together soon. April wants to do the race for the cure, but it is the week before the turkey trot and I really want to do that one. I've pretty much made up my mind, and told April she could do the other if she wanted but I didn't want to. I am trying to surprise her. She got another ipod and wants the sensor for it. I put a bid on ebay for her some nice shoes, and I also want to get her sensor. She talks about it alot, but I haven't found the time to buy it yet. Hopefully I can get it this weekend, and the shoes later.

well enough about stuff
4+ miles, 65 and cool. grey

blah

A boring rainy day again. It's funny that i have this week off and now all the weather goes to crap, but all the other days i have to work it's a beautiful 70 degrees without a cloud in sight. This should last through the week, yep everyday i have off. At least i got Monday though.

I have almost turned April into a runner. Last night she told me that she would run today in the rain. Well if was a light rain, I don't think anyone needs to be running in a thunderstorm :) I might stop by the school today and see if anything is open. If it is we might be able to run in the gym or something.

My chart is up, but it's not pretty. The printer wasn't recognizing one of the cartridges so it printed this beautiful gradation of black to red. Moral of that story is don't take your ink to a refill place, just buy the new 50 dollar cartridge and be done with it.

The marathon is less than 5 months away now. I should be able to shave some minutes off my time, I'll be able to figure out how much when the race gets a little closer. I am really looking forward to it though. Last year was the hardest race I've ever run, so hopefully after this year's that statement still holds true.

sundays run 5k-

I'm always a day behind. At least I'm writing something though. So yeah another 5k run. This time I picked up the pace and managed around a 24 minute 5k. Not bad considering I once again am starting to run. I think eventually my body will take over and just say pick one way or the other cuz not running then running again is too crazy. But yeah it was a very nice run. I kept a good pace and worked on my form which helped. Breathing was consistent and my legs didn't really feel much of a burn at all.

It is so great to run without pain. When I was running a lot (man i miss sidewalks) my knees or my ankle or toes or blisters or something was always causing me pain. For once there is none and it feels amazing- like in high school. I miss the high school days. I was in much better shape back then, but I also was in a lot of sports all year round. Tommorow I will work on my schedule for the wall, which is really getting me pumped up. I am looking forward to running faster than my high school times in the near future.

okay well it's late but i had a great run so i needed to get it down.

sunday 5k, 60 degrees dusk. silver

Susan Komen Race for the Cure

Yep, finally got a race in again. This one was just a 5k and for fun. I was hoping to get a really good time, but after waiting 15 minutes for the fourth or so start I got to go. April and her friend went with us, so it was our first race together. At the start we were all together and probably 100 yards from the line. We got there a little late, so had to park a ways off and walk there. I tried to get to the front, but there were too many people and only 5 minutes. I didn't feel like pushing my way all the way up there.

I haven't been running as much as I should, I ran on wednesday and before that was at least two weeks. It has been hectic since I started a new job, but things are coming back into motion for me. I also applied for a track coaching postition, so that will be nice if I end up getting it.

anyway the race went fine. It was downtown again and there are all sorts of hills to run up. since I started in the fourth or fifth pack I was passing all kinds of people and that was fun, but also made the course harder. At some points I was just slowly jogging because there were too many people taking up the road. There was a guy in front of me who looked like he may have been in the military. He was ahead of me for the first half of the race, then my endurance started to kick in and I passed him and left him way behind. At the end of the course was a huge downhill, so that made it so easy to get to the line. I practically just strided in. I finished around 45 minutes so I think that was like a 28 or 29 minute 5k which is pretty pathetic. But considering the course and the amount of time I was just stuck walking at the start, it was a good run.

Another race is coming up soon, so I'll be looking forward to that at the end of November. Plus now that I'm at a new school, I should be able to use the track afterschool. My ultimate goal is the half-marathon. I think after four or five I'll go for the marathon, but I'm content with the half for now. okay more to come later on.

wednesday 70 degrees sunny, 5k. silver
saturday 50 degrees sunny, 5k. grey