morning run

Not an easy run today by any means. Although yesterday was a day off, the legs weren't responding at all. Pace felt weak and breathing erratic. I got plenty of sleep last night, about 12 hours, but because I went to sleep earlier I was woken up many times by dad's alarm clock, cats, and other things. I think a lot of the bad run had to do with just running in the morning. I normally don't, and when I do it's after breakfast, which I didn't eat until after I got back. The wind wasn't too bad and it wasn't super cold, but enough to be sniffling and chugging up the rolling hills.

A few more out and backs. As to Ann's comment about areas I run that is easy to answer. I normally stick to an established route. It seems living in a blocked in subdivision causes you to start enjoying the same route, and that is pretty much what I've done here, although it's twice as long as I'm used to. Today's run is great because it's the same one I ran for my long run. It shows I haven't gone farther from 2 miles from my parents house and still managed a 16 mile run. Basically I use the house as a base point that I run by periodically. This helps me keep track of where I've went and if I need water or get hurt the house is never too far away at any time. I hate giving directions with words so I'll make a map.
So this is the normal route that I take starting off to the north. I ended a little early and jogged little over a half mile back home. I haven't ran on any of the other roads due to it either being a main road or fear of dogs. I didn't see the dog a few roads over today so that was nice because I got to run the entire thing. I normally turn around there. There also used to be dogs all over, but apparently they passed away since i last ran *8* years ago. Actually the inclines are nothing compared to the HH in TN. That thing makes these hills feel like I'm going downhill. Honestly they haven't been a challenge at all, but today that didn't hold true. After months of training some runs are difficult. That is a hard thing to swallow, but I'm slowly being reminded that running will never be "easy"; which is fine because although it sucks, I don't ever want it to be.

Tomorrow the long drive home. I may run when I get back, actually I Should run when I get back. Only a few more weeks of base. This is a good week for doubles since no school so I might end up with more mileage than I should, but I think it will be fine. The long run is already coming up again, I'm looking forward to seeing 20 on my ipod... oh yeah, bye bye 2007!

8(8.91)miles. 36 degrees 28 with 12 mph wind. GM 100

Christmas Again

Went to the Wireman's for Christmas. I was going to run today before we left, but after church we went out to eat so there was no time. Not running isn't a bad thing, especially when family is the reason behind it, but still it feels counterproductive. The only person to blame is myself. If I had got to sleep earlier or took my lunch home, etc. etc. I would have gotten it in. Is one run really that big of a deal? No, but I don't like making excuses for lack of training.

It's funny that other people, my wife included, see me wanting to run as some sort of decision over family or relationships. That simply isn't true and no matter how hard I try to justify it to them the reason is never good enough. My goals and aspirations aren't cared about by most others. The facts are to be a good athlete you have to prioritize, you have to work hard, you have to follow through. I am the one with goals and so it is up to me to set those into motion and make sure they happen. Everyone else has other agendas and motives that can interfere with my own. Finding the balance is key; when do I sacrifice something for running, and what could be the consequences. I was very humble after I let the day go and moved on. There is no point in arguing with someone about a run. In fact that's probably the most detrimental thing that could happen for a runner because it associates negative connotations to the run and will probably result in future confrontations with other runs.

So an unscheduled rest day. I'm glad I spent it with my family and it was a good day for recovery and reflection. I would have loved to get a quick run in, but you can't always get what you want.

woops

Day went by so fast I didn't get to blog on time. woops.

Didn't sleep very well last night. Took a nap earlier and couldn't get back to sleep at a normal time. Took another nap after I ate breakfast this morning. Finally got around to running. No double this week, but I figured if I put up a good number today I'd be over the mileage I had planned. A normal cold day of freezing minus a little with some wind here and there. Legs felt good today. There is still a hint of pain in my right toe joint, but I think it's getting better because it isn't as prominent as it once was. Toenails are still pretty jacked, only time will tell with those.

Three out and backs, plus some extra side roads. Still after that I wasn't quite finished and ended up running another out and back down my parents road. Pace felt pretty good and wasn't too fast at any point. I've been tensing up my shoulders and hands a lot. I had to remind myself to let them loose periodically through my run. I like running in Ohio, but the air is cold. I was reading in Runners World magazine today (thank you April) about acclimating yourself to the weather. I think this is a normal thing. If you think about the seasons changing throughout the year it is a natural process for our bodies to grow accustomed to one weather and slowly adapt to the next. A constant process that develops over time. I'm glad I ran in the cold while I was in Tennessee, it prepared me for here.

Legs have felt good and don't seem to be taxed. Runs are pretty easy and I'm trying to go for time instead of miles lately. At an hour I start to feel like I'm working pretty good, so I'm trying to keep the times as long as possible focusing on maximizing aerobics. It seems to be helping although I have to practice breathing. I used to do that a lot back in the day, even practicing quietly in my room. Maybe it's just psychological but it appears to help a lot.

Last run for this year as far as training logs go. Only two real runs left for this year! It has been great so far and I'm sure 08 will be even better.

9(10)miles. 32 degrees 24 with wind. GM 92

run when i can

Looked like rain this morning, but never did. That held true until I decided to get all my gear on and take a step out the door. Not only did it immediately start raining, but it was cold and windy. There was no way I was going to run in that even if it was just sprinkling. So I figured it would be a rest day. Hung out around the house, watched a movie, and did some things on the computer. Then I look outside and the sun is shining. Awesome. I wasted no time in getting out the door.

The sunshine didn't last long, but it never rained either. The roads were still pretty wet in places, but it wasn't anything too much. The Wind was killer though. Coming from the East at least 15 mph. It was pretty tough because of that. Three out and backs were nothing special. I felt like I was crawling when the wind was coming at me though. I really had to work to keep a consistent pace. Because of that it wasn't really an easy run, but as close as it was going to get with the conditions.

7(7.85)miles. 39 degrees, 32 with 16 mph wind. SM 402

9

Good day. Started off foggy in the morning but cleared out later and was overcast. I'd like to get in a double sometime this week, but not at the risk of getting hit by a car. Went to the mall today and returned some stuff with my sister and her fiance. Got out on the road after we got back. A few out and backs today. Legs felt good. It was a little cold out, but I had plenty of gear on so it was finished. Run felt good with nice turnover, but first mile was a little fast. I don't mind running with tired legs so it wasn't that big of a deal.

Toe wasn't bleeding today, but I thought it was at first because there was some red on my sock. Turns out it was from yesterday. Miles are starting to add up for this week and hopefully I'll get over 50. Looks like it may snow/rain tomorrow so I'll just have to play it by ear.

9(9.62)miles. 30 degrees. SM 395

Winding Down

This week has been a lot of fun. Parents computer was making a weird sound so I cleaned it out. Dad helped me and used some kind of canned air on it. The power button no longer responded. I've cleaned computers a lot and that has never happened. We must have fried something somewhere or it may have just died. Either way I wasn't able to blog or anything due to this. I got a journal for Christmas so I've been writing in that and keeping track of my running. I helped Dad find a new computer and got the old hard drive out of the other one. I'm pretty computer savvy when it comes to software and programs, but not so much with building one and replacing stuff. I learned a lot in 2 days. We had to use one of the parts from the old one to get the hard drive connected, but it worked just fine. So I got it installed and now they have two hard drives, which is pretty awesome. I'm also enjoying the screen, 20" wide is much clearer than my antiquated 17" from 3 years ago. Vista is okay, it seems like the same old thing just a different look.

Yesterday was much warmer than it has been around here at about 46-50 degrees. I did a few loops to the end of our road and another one towards 196. I wish I could have gone a little longer, but was already pressing for time. We had to go as soon as dad got home to look for the computer so I only had an hour. Longsleeve and shorts were good, but hands were still a little cold. It's way more windy up here because of the flat land and I know it's more humid, which probably makes it feel a lot colder than 46 in Tennessee. Toe was bleeding again. I could feel it while I was running because it was colder. Not real sure what the deal is, but if it doesn't heal up in January I'll visit the doctor (who will tell me to stop running so much). I'm thankful that's the only problem because it doesn't hurt at all and I'm still able to keep running.

Wednesday Dec. 26
7(8.25)miles. 46 degrees wind from east. SM 386

Merry Christmas

Been pretty busy with Christmas and all, but most everything is logged in my journal. I will have to transfer it to here when I get a chance to.

Sunday December 23
Had Christmas this morning. It was different because we usually have it Christmas day. Stayed up late last night and got up early to open gifts. We went to church afterwards. It was really nice. After that we went out to eat at Cracker Barrel. Food was less than impressive. Had a salad, baked potato, and an 8 oz. "steak".

When we got home we were all tired. A combination of waiting for our food for an hour and lack of sleep. Took a nap at 2:30, didn't get up till after dark. No long run today. It was extremely windy today with about 30 mph winds. Tomorrow is Christmas at the Schneider grandparents. We are going later so I will run in the morning or around noon.
Windy, cold with light snow.

Monday, December 24 Christmas Eve

Headed out the door around noon. It has been cold here and I haven't ran for the past two days, but no complaints. Legs were extremely cold heading out the door. April went out with me. She made it to the end of the road and then headed back. I knew this was going to be a long day. Winds were pounding from the East and my eyes were watering. A turtleneck, undershirt, longsleeve, headband, and gloves were keeping everything warm except for my arms. The wind just whipped right through the sleeves and it was cold. I thought about people who had to live out in the cold and how they didn't have a choice. It is a lot different when it's happening to you. The cold feels like someone taking a frozen icepick and poking you with it. Legs were turning over, but quads were completely numb. It was 24 degrees, but 16 with the wind. It was a cold wind.

Miles after miles. At 6 I was warmed up as much as I was going to be and considered just quitting. This is the idea of the long run. I CAN run that far, but WILL I still do it despite my psychology. I pushed on. At least I could match my last long, that would be acceptable. All the while I'm running on new, but familiar roads. These are the roads of my high school glory. I remember doing the old out and back 1 road out and back, another out and back and I was done. Unfortunately I'd have to do that more than 8 times today. I didn't see any dogs that could cause any harm. All of them were chained up or maybe too cold to come out of hiding.

Heading into the wind was killer, so I tried to stay on North/South roads. I dont' mind running into the wind, but on a day like today when your face is frozen and you don't have a mask, I thought it might be frostbit when I got home. I didn't need to be having Christmas with a bright red wind burn on my face. The mile kept slowly dragging by. Legs were feeling fine and although you can't really get used to that sort of cold, I began to be numb to it. I saw three guys who looked like they were on a training hike for the army. They had their full gear on and I'm running around in shorts. I said hey to them, and one guy said "I think this was a bad idea". I said "Ah, it's not too bad out here, but I don't remember running in any colder windier conditions. It wasn't till a mile later that I thought he could have been referring to joining the army, but by then it didn't matter. A few more out and backs.

I was finally getting somewhere at 16 miles. I envisioned the loop back home around the neighborhood. If I were home I'd be running by this house, or I'd have this much left to go. That helped. Ipod man told me the run was over, but I still had some road left to go to my house. Breathing wise I wasn't winded, but I certainly felt like I was done for the day. Kept a strong stride and finished up. Got inside to do my cooldown on the elliptical. My mom got one this morning and it's pretty nice. I wasn't about to do it in that cold air.

I was mentally and physically prepared for this run. It was certainly not hard from a physical standpoint, but mentally it was a great challenge. I'm glad I stuck it out the whole 2 hours and 15 minutes.

16(18.12)miles. 16 degrees with 20 mph winds. GM 78

Tuesday, December 25 Christmas

A lot warmer today. It was no nice to not be running in cold wind. Just a few out and backs, nothing incredibly special. Saw one dog and I turned around. He seemed friendly, but I didn't want to chance it. Legs were a little tight today, obviously from the long run yesterday, but also from not getting a good stretch in last night. This run felt good since it was warmer. It's also nice knowing you don't have to run forever.

5(6.3)miles. 30 degrees 7mph wind. GM 83

Early Christmas

Christmas with April's Fam tonight. I'm wiped out so this will be short. Got home and realized I forgot my house key (april locks on way out). So I was stuck outside. Went to the gas station to waste some time, but still had to wait a while. Luckily she got off early or I would have been outside for an hour or more. And to think this was the one day I might get ahead since we got out of school 10 minutes early.

So I went out for a run much to the chagrin of April. That means she wasn't very happy since her family was coming tonight. I told it like it was, it's either run or go to sleep on the couch. She conceded and I got my 5 miles in. Legs still not recovered yet. Tonights run was easy and felt like a jog a times, but still was hard b/c of the legs. Right ankle showed a little twinge, but it must have went away since I forgot about it until now. Tomorrow a real easy 4, maybe 8 min miles or less and start watching my meals for Sunday. Since I planned on having more time I got no packing done due to cleaning the house and getting things ready. So now I can start that and get ready to leave at 7 a.m. to beat the holiday traffic, but that doesn't really seem possible at the moment. Oh well.

5(5.6)miles. 55 degrees. GM 57

1 day left

So many things to do tonight. We got a little done last night, but the house still needs some attention. I also have to write Christmas cards and possibly wrap a gift, although I'm sure Kim would let me do that tomorrow at school since there will be nothing to do and that's pretty much what we've done the past two days. No peer tutors tomorrow and we'll only have four students again.

A quick run tonight on the neighborhood loop. It will be nice to find out what the Ohio roads are like again. I remember a few dogs that lived around and that was no fun. The cool thing is the cross country team me and my friend started our senior year is still going at my old high school. My cousin who lives beside my parents is on the girls team, and she's not too bad. I will ask her if there are any dogs to look out for. I only need about a 3 mile stretch and that will do just fine. It shouldn't be too hard since it's all country roads.

I ran down the hallway in my zooms today (I'm breaking them in by wearing to school). They felt awesome, really bouncy. The legs still have some residual tiredness from all the days of running, but the next two days will likely be really easy and not stressful. I need to have plenty of fuel in them if I'm going to get through the long run Sunday. I'm sure it'll be fine. Legs turned over fine tonight and I would say it was a 50-60% effort or so. I have some awesome blisters. Mt. Saint Helens on my right big toe, and the Panama Canal on my left first toe. I might just have to photograph the landscape and put a link on here somewhere, just for nostalgia's sake. Hopefully one day I'll have no problems and look back and be thankful I don't have these problems.

6(6.76)miles. 47 degrees. GM 52

2 seconds

Kind of a boring day at school. Students (not ours) are taking finals and got to leave early. Tomorrow will be the same, and Friday only those who need to make up will be there. We only had four of our eight today, and the next few days probably only three. They are still a handful sometimes though. I miss the other kids, they make the day fun and also it just seems quiet without them all there.

Legs were already tight before the run, I had quite a workout pushing one of the larger students around today. So the run started with tired legs, mostly in the hams, but a little quad action too. The first four miles felt like a struggle, then finally the legs submitted and starting feeling normal. I got out a tiny bit earlier than usual and that really helped with the light and colder air. I didn't notice my breath until the last lap, which is also when my hands started getting cold. Normal gear today plus silver shoes. Last two miles were really good and I was going up the hills in pretty good time. I was thinking during the run about Ohio and how I'd probably fly there due to the lack of hills. Granted there are some where my parents house is, but for the most part its pancake. I wanted to run 1 hour tonight. I never looked at the time, but ended 2 seconds away from exactly an hour. That's pretty good calculating.

This has been a pretty weird week so far. None of the runs have really been what I expected. The legs are still tight though, so it looks like super easy next few days. I would like to have the legs fresh for the 16 miler this weekend. That will be interesting.


7(8.15)miles. 45-40 degrees. SM 379

3 days

Only 3 days of school left. Finally the break is almost here. I am very happy about that, but I'm more happy about staying in shape this winter. Things have been going well and I'm determined to keep the momentum. I've already surpassed most of the ideas I had about what kind of shape I would be in. The miles I had written over two months ago are still seeming right on effort wise. I have another big jump coming up in a few weeks, but I'm sure by then I'll be ready for it. It will be the highest point in my base mileage.

I am still very happy to be running. I can't wait to toe the line in about four months and see all the hard effort and training come to fruition. Just an easy 7 ipod miles through the neighborhood today. It's funny how a 7:30 pace seems slow, but it somehow does. Legs were a little tight today. Obviously thats from the longer run yesterday. Hands were cold, but not enough to waste time getting gloves. Everything else was fine with shorts, undershirt and longsleeve. No dogs today was a nice change. I've actually touched 5 dogs the past 3 days of running. How can people let their dog go when it's on a leash? I do not know. Probably do the same run tomorrow and take it easy for some recovery.

6(7)miles. 42 degrees. GM 46

litte more

It's hard to describe tonight's run. I think of words like amazing, awesome, sweet, but it really just felt good. It started off well enough. My hands got cold right away, so I doubled back for gloves. So already one mile was under my belt. Even that mile was great. I felt my body distributed evenly and everything just felt right. So I ran the normal route on all the roads, running left wherever there was a split. made it to 6 miles which was my plan when I headed out the door, but I still felt like everything was working on all four cylinders so I kept going. Mile 8 still breathing easily, striding easily, nothing hurting. The last 2 were just as smooth and I started jogging. I had to say something out loud, "awesome" was the word that came to mind. It was just an awesome run and felt incredible. I wish I could have kept going but it was dark and this is an easy week.

Not real sure why the run went well, but I have some theories. 1- last 2 days have been easier than a normal weekend 2- found out the track position really is the head coach, and not assistant (it was questionable) 3- after a treadmill and a restricted clothing run shorts and pavement allowed me to move freely 4- weather, With only a slight wind and I'd say 35 degrees outside, it was like someone was feeding me oxygen. 5- silver shoes, what more need be said than that? I'd say a few of those things were large contributing factors to tonight.

Only a few more days till Ohio. I'm excited to see my family, but also nervous. They might mistake my running conistency for madness, but I'm hoping they'll go for admiration instead. We'll see. Four more days and the last three are basically nothing since the students don't go to their worksites since the bus won't be able to take them. I'm looking forward to ending this year, but certainly not as much as the past two. Tuesday looks like another whatever day. I had 9 scheduled, but after today I'll cut that. I'll just go by feel again.

7:24, 28, 10, 22, 22, 19, 23, 25, 28, 13

shorts, tanktop with longsleeve, gloves
9(10)miles. 35 degrees. SM 372

little less

We had some flurries today. It's feeling like winter with lows below 20. Went out around noon. It was fun to get all the gear on and get out in it. I figured I would be cold with a t-shirt and two longsleeves due to the 20 mph winds. The wind slowed me down a bit, but I have been running a lot of miles on easier days. Normally I run 4, but it has been more like 6 lately and not slow enough for a lot of recovery. Legs were a little tired since I did some cardio in the morning didn't really help out. Also I wore some swishy pants, but next time I'll probably opt for shorts because it feels like I'm restricted. I liked running while it was snowing. It's been real easy to get into the Christmas this year. That hasn't really happened for a while.

Had to end the run a tiny bit earlier than I wanted to as I had 8 written. April's dad and sister wanted to meet us to see a movie at the new IMAX that just starting showing. The movie was "I am Legend". I saw one preview and new immediately I wanted to watch this movie in a theater.(i only see movies with nice visuals at theater, everything else is dvd at home) I am all about excellent filmography, and just from the pan that was shown on the preview I knew it would be amazing. I didn't know the story line, something like the end of world I guessed, but I hate knowing everything and seeing all the best parts which ruins it at the theater. I suppose once you've studied how to effectively show what you want a viewer to see and feel using angles, color, depth, and overall feeling, you just know when a good cinematographer has made a piece of artwork for the big screen. Anyway I had to end the run so I could get ready and be at the movies on time. The movie did not disappoint, definitely one of the best I've seen ever storywise and artistically, period. Unfortunately we had to sit pretty much in the front row due to not getting there early. We already had tickets, but April's dad and sister waited for us instead of saving seats. Oh well.

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. Haven't really made much progress. I find so many and don't have hours to wade through the enormous amount of material. There are some good ones out there, and I try to add ones that I enjoy reading. Well I guess that's all for today. I need to do some reading and get ready for the last work week of this year!!! So excited to spend Christmas with my family.

6(6.5)miles. 34 degrees, 24 with the winds. GM 46

shopping done

Went shopping this morning. I have all my present bought except for my dads. I'm still not sure what I'm going to get him. I have some ideas, but he's a hard guy to shop for since he's into hunting and is particular about what he wants. I'm glad to have that done. It looks like we will have Christmas with april's family friday night, then leave for Ohio Saturday morning. April won a contest on a radio show and got tickets to Dollywood!! The bad thing is we would have to go this week. Hmmm, 45 minute drive there, Christmas Traffic!!!, do something there, then 45 back and all this after school Friday night, then get up early and drive 7 hours; yeah not my kind of weekend. Needless to say we'll probably give the tickets away. The one time we win something and we can't even enjoy it...

Started raining after I got home today so I hit the treadmill late around 8. Really boring. Luckily we have the computer in the same room, so I am able to watch movies. Unfortunately I'd have to have the sound maxed to hear it, so it kind of stinks. I can't watch any new movies because I won't know what anyone is saying, so it's reruns. I do have a few seasons of the office, and know most of it by heart; very useful to distance runners with treadmill's I'd assume. Went 2 miles, forgot towel, stopped for a quick second, then back on for 4 more. Not really motivated tonight since it was later and I'm usually winding down. Wanted 7 but just didn't have the drive. The treadmill is difficult to run on, hot, feels different, and just a repetiveness that you don't get out on the roads. In addition the pace feels faster, and the miles feel slower. It seems like it takes a lot longer to run the "same" distance.

All complaining aside it was a good run. Legs felt fine, but the stride always feels funny since you're not really pushing off anything. 6 miles put me up to 47 miles this week. Week of Christmas is 51, and week after New Year's planning 54, with a 40 and 46 inbetween. After that I finally will be getting into hill workouts. I sort of feel like I'm doing them already with the courses here having some elevation. Being in shape is fun, but going faster and getting stronger is the real deal.

6 miles. Treadmill. GM 40

cold again

A nice sunny day today, but the weather is starting to feel like fall again. Well at least fall to me, everyone else save a few seem to think it's freezing. Got out to the complex tonight for a run of 6-8 miles. Wasn't real sure how far I'd go, but figured I would see how I felt. Shorts and longsleeve were fine at first, but after the sun went down and the wind picked up it was pretty cold on one half of the course. Started off feeling okay. I have been running fairly hard lately and no real side effects have shown up other than a few more giant blisters and the toe next to the bad one isn't looking that great either. The ankle is still tender if it's bent the wrong way, but doesn't hurt otherwise. The connection where the achilles and the heel meet is always tight, especially at the beginning of runs. That is normally why my first mile is around 8 minutes. I haven't checked my run, but I figure it'll be the same.

Counted laps tonight. Nobody to compete with, but there were plenty to pass. Worked on form a lot, especially turn over, which really got me through the first 3-4 miles. They were the hard ones, after that I was warmed up and flowing along. I want good form, but I honestly think I'll need a coach to teach it. I've read plenty of books and researched it and they all say the same the thing, but whether or not I'm doing those things I have no idea. I feel like I am running nice a smooth, but I could be wrong. At mile 6 things started to get rough from the cold and I considered just ending it there, but I pressed on and finished up the whole run with 8 laps which is 9 miles. A lot of fun though.

Breathing was hardly noticeable until the end when I picked it up. Hills were fast down, and lots of quick steps up. Probably why my knees were throbbing when I got in the car. I decided to walk on the treadmill when i got home for that reason, as well as it was just too cold to walk into that wind for my cooldown. So a half-mile there and 10 minutes at home. Pace was fine. I am amazed at how well I feel while running. I am trying to read back and see if it felt this "easy" before the summer layoff. Probably another 8 miles or so tomorrow, I'm really getting the miles up this week.

9(9.75)miles. 50-42 degrees chilly and windy. SM 363

Nice One

A lot of rain today. I figured I would be on the treadmill tonight. On the way home though I saw some blue in the distance, and the huge clouds were moving off while I was getting ready to run. I figured I would go for 6 miles. I'm trying to add a mile or two here and there this week since I wanted a pretty high average. The run started off well enough with my normal route around the ENTIRE neighborhood, that is running every road possible about 3 miles. I also normally start an extra stretch to get to 4.5-5. Legs were turning over brilliantly, I attribute it to liking the feel of my shoes as I always seem to go faster with them on.

So the first route was done, I started a second. Usually on this one I'd skip the HH, but I felt ambitious and also felt like I was holding back a lot, so I went ahead and got up it for the second route. Finished that one up about the same pace. Breathing was none and legs were starting to tire from the 2 trips up the mountain. After a mile they recovered and I was starting the 3rd route. Up the HH again!! Quads were really starting to slow me down, but I still felt good. At 7 I was done, but went ahead and ran some extra for an even 8 miles reality, picking it up alot. It was a good run. I can really feel the effects from the long run Sunday. I definitely have more air to burn.

It was wet tonight, but shorts and t-shirt were fine. Should be clear until Sat/Sun, but I have trusty treddy if it does so no worries. I was reading a blog somewhere that was about how much someone hated treadmills. I actually don't mind them, but agree with the poster that they don't simulate actual running. I think a treadmill workout is better than an stupid/dangerous real workout anyday. If it is pouring rain or snowing I won't be slipping and sliding and further hurting my ankle, and that is a refreshing knowledge.

7:52, 20, 31, 34, 23, 22, 28, 30, 09

8(9.25)miles. 52 degrees and wet. SM 354

mixture

Tonight was futile at the start. Got home and couldn't find the connector to my ipod. I hate losing things like that because they are small and I don't like to do anything else until I find it. I looked for over a half hour, wasting a lot of time and getting pretty angry in the process. Finally I ended up finding it where it had dropped somehow under something there's really no physical way it should have. It was rainy today, so I started off on the treadmill. By one mile my legs were already tired. I wanted to run outside.

So I did, it wasn't raining much right then anyway, just a few sprinkles. The bad part was I had to get ready to go eat dinner with April's family as soon as I got back. That left little time for dilly-dallying. The run was nice. Fast-paced and kind of cool since it was later. Also the air was moist and it was dark and now and then I'd run through the larger puddles and feel a few drops fly up off the back of my shoe onto my calves. Everything went well at first. I avoided the HH first time around, but was back at mile 4.

In the cul-de-sac people were walking their dogs. I couldn't see them because it was dark. So about 20 yards out I saw them and turned around. Whoever the people were couldn't have been strong. Their poodleish dog got loose and started to chase me I guess. The funny part is I had no idea because it was dark, and I had turned around. I was already a good 200 yards from them when I heard a little pitter patter that wasn't my own. The dog had finally caught up with me (we were on a relative uphill before the HH). The funny part was he couldn't slow down because it was wet. He was running 10 yards away parallel to me, and then I slowed down, he flew past me. I decided to stop. He had to do a big old loop, the kind you do when you drive a boat-car, and came back towards me. I told it to get out of here and may have taunted it with a few You couldn't catch me anyways. Finally after a few loopty loops he ran back toward his owners into the blackness.

I had just arrived at the base of the HH. I saw two cars coming up towards me. I'm not sure if it was instinct or just feeling good from the day off yesterday, but I decided to make this a full blown hill workout. So up I go, probably faster than what I was running on the flats. The cars lights got closer and halfway up they passed me. I kept on going and sprinted the rest of the way up to the top. I was there before whoever it was got out of their car. That was fun, and the best part is after 4 miles, it felt easy and good. I ran about another mile and had to get back and get ready to leave.

Pretty stressful week due to parties and gifts and dinners. I'm hoping for an easy weekend to recover from it all before christmas break hits.

5(5.5)miles. tread/63 wet with sprinkles. GM 34, SM 346

party

Tonight was the party at school. No running. I spent all last night working on portraits for the kids. Needless to say the house is a wreck. I spent Sunday putting together the treadmill. I also didn't mention that night I had another meeting with the porcelain sink. I decided to have a smoothie after my insane treadmill run. Needless to say I didn't enjoy it as much on the way out. I started feeling sick about a half hour after I drank 2 or 3 small smoothies, then I layed down. The worst part was I had 8 portraits that I had planned to work on at that time. It didn't happen I still felt bad afterward and ended up going to sleep 2 hours early.

I'm not sure, but the last time I ran a long run like that (15.56 this summer) the exact same thing happened. It could be from strawberries, but I think it was a combo of things. 1. an unplanned run later, since I had wanted to get it in the morning. 2. Stress from drawing portraits over my head. 3. Too little time between dinner and running- I usually give three hours at least, this was less than two. 4. Much more sweating than usual since it has been colder. 5. Kept a faster pace than I should have, but really it didn't feel too fast, more just antsy to get off.

All told 5 pretty major things that all attributed to a bad experience. I feel like I'm training my body to do this after a longer run and I don't like that. I will have to make sure the next one is planned better to avoid this at all cost. I really don't want to make my body think it's a routine thing for long runs.

The portraits went over really well. A few parents got really emotional. Everyone was thankful, but also wondering why I was a TA. Not sure how to answer that, but I am here and that's all that really matters. The party was great. It made the day incredibly stressful though and I am so looking forward to a break. Legs were sore today from the long run, but the recovery run from yesterday wasn't slow enough to really be considered a recovery. Plus since I was sick I didn't stretch, and last night was portraits. I'll make sure to get that done tonight.

5 miles

Today was just a good old recovery run around the hood. Nothing special of note. Weather was extremely warm though. 70 degrees and it's December 9th!! I grew up in Ohio and this is just ludicrous. It is supposed to cool down, but not after a record breaking 70+ degrees tomorrow. I am still feeling good about the treadmill decision. I like knowing I don't have to trudge through the rain. I suppose I still could, but I can get just as good of a workout on the tread without the craziness.

Felt nice to have shorts and a t-shirt again, albeit a bit weird sweating so much. The run felt faster than it actually was for once, probably due to the heat. Felt very smooth and consistent strides, but the right toe connection at the ball of my foot is still sore or bruised. I don't think I had enough cushion for my long run. Normally I'd wear different shoes, but it just didn't seem right on the treadmill. I'll remember that for my medium distance runs. I've already made the vow not to ever do a long run, at least no more than 9 miles at the pace I was going. 8 is doable, but any more than that is beyond boring. It truly was a fight to finish that long run yesterday.

5(6.15)miles. 71 degrees. GM 33

tough long run

What a day. It was totally raining this morning with huge thunderstorms and rain. I was very disappointed. Weather guy once again I spite you. It did end up being 65 and sunny, but not till 5 pm, the exact opposite of what it was supposed to be today. At noon the rain was still going. I went online to check treadmills. They lowered the price another 50 dollars. Sold! Here is my reasoning. I hate being a slave to the weather. I don't mind cold, wind, or heat, those things are all well and good. But when it comes to rain it just isn't a possibility and I have heard of plenty of runners cracking their heads on ice or obstacles they couldn't see.

Unfortunately today was a long run and the weather said rain tomorrow, but honestly that could mean bright clear awesome weather. Now I'm not a slave to schedules, but i like to be able to do what I have planned to do. Having a treadmill will allow that to happen despite the conditions. So I now have one. It isn't the nicest one and still wasn't cheap (well maybe some parts) but it will work on those days when I don't have a choice. The worst part was hauling it because the backseat is designed bad so the thing was hanging out. The second worst is putting the thing together. Fortunately the directions were accurate all except for one screw that didn't fit where they had drilled, I had to find my own screw to use instead.

Now for the other half of the day. While building I got incredibly hungry, so we ate lunch at like 2 something which nullified any later long run chances. So I was left with the treadmill. Oh how I did not want to run 14 miles on it. So begins the saga of the 14 mile sweat till you die episode. The treadmill is quite loud. So loud in fact I had to turn my computer all the way to max just to hear the movie I planned to watch. So tv blaring and footsteps trodding I started the run. At 5 miles the sweat started to pour and I honestly wanted to get off that thing ASAP. But I pressed on. Stopped once for a towel/water while jogging, then back on again. The miles crawled by .1..2 .3,.4,.5,.6,.7,.8,.9, whooo 6 miles. Oh crap 10 more. Keep the pace. Still sweating buckets and the towel is already soaked. Window is open, towel falls. Another quick stop and back on, all the while stopping the ipod too.

Towel fell at least 4 or 5 more times. I was getting exhausted. I was drinking water every mile and still thirsty. It was probably 65 degrees or so in the room. This is another factor, I'm used to breathing in cold air. This air was just hot and stuffy. The miles dragged on, I kept pace. The movie went off, I still have 4 miles left. Another stop another movie started and back on. Still sweating, still breathing, still alive. My right toe starts hurting, the bone where the big toe connects to the foot is causing shooting pains. I have noticed this before, but it is usually during the daytime. I keep going. finally hope 2 miles left. I want to quit. It feels like I've been on here forever, and it feels like the half I ran less than a year ago.

So finally I was done. Outside to get fresh cool air. I will never do a long run on the treadmill again.

14(16)miles. treadmill. BF 94

where to go?

Long run coming up tomorrow, today was a rest day. I'm not sure where I'm running at, but it's not going to be at the complex. I'll pass on watching the same things for 2 hours. I'm thinking it's time to check out the Greenways that are on the way to school. The Turkey Trot was partially on one, but there are a few entrances to the loop. I think I'll just drive over and see what I see. There appears to be a 7 mile out and back over there, so running the same roads 4x is better than 14x for sure.

It will be nice to get to a new place though. My next long run will be in Ohio on break. I'm really looking forward to those long mile roads. I ran some by my house quite often in HS. I may even be able to find the notebook I tracked it in if I look through my old stuff there. I've been wondering about things like that for about a month now. When I'm back from break I might visit Oak Ridge for a good long trail run.

I'm wanting to get up early and go in the morning (that whole preparation thing) but if I don't a mid-morning seems like it will work since it is supposed to rain in the afternoon. Looks to be really warm, about 65 degrees warming up all night and well into the morning. Shorts and t-shirt should accomodate. I also need to bring along some kind of snack and some water since it will probably be around a 2 hour run. Have had some stomach problems today so not real sure how good I'll feel. Legs have been worked pretty hard the past few weeks so today's rest should help a lot. I think I'll be ready to go once I get there.

sort of easy

Good day today. Not to stressful at work helped a lot. Got home a little later. We are planning a Christmas party next week, so we stayed after a while and talked. I don't mind that, but in my head I'm just thinking about the daylight we're burning and how long traffic is going to take before I get home. I tried to stay patient though.

Run started off as normal. I always have a little pain at the very base of my heel like the achilles isn't warmed up. I should probably start a little jog routine, but I just run the first mile slower. Right ankle is still a little sore, but definitely doesn't hurt a lot or as often as it was. I'll just keep taking it easy on the sharp turns. I made sure to run them very carefully lately and can definitely tell a difference.

Saw the local kids out playing tonight. They tossed me the football a few times, and tried to race me. It was kind of bad setup. I "raced" one kid, then as soon as that 100 meters was over another one was ready for me and so on. That was like a 400m acceleration. Felt pretty good though, and I made sure to not go very fast and just tire them out. They kept up with me pretty good. After that though the legs were pretty burned out. That was at 1 mile. It took till mile 4 before they got the fresh feeling back, but obviously still not 100%. It was kind of nice to run with tired legs, but also probably not the smartest training move. It's hard to resist a race, even if it is for fun against kids.

Rest of the run went well. At one point a neighbor who was out smoking on his porch saw me and asked "how many miles you run a week?" Without missing a beat I said "About forty" and kept my stride. He nearly swallowed his cigarette and said "no way" and I was already in the other direction.

4(5.25). 48 degrees. GM 28

later

A pretty good day at work. It's nice to see everyone getting in the holiday spirit. This week we have made christmas ornaments and today made snowflakes. Pretty fun just to do holiday stuff. Talked to the other track coach and she said we were going to have a meeting soon. I'm looking forward to that.

The usual Thursday for me, get home, run around, run back out the door. Cold today, should have probably worn my headband went with the usual shorts, longsleeve/undershirt, gloves. It got colder after the sun went down. I ran an extra mile yesterday just so I could run one less today. That sort of worked, but it was still almost completely dark by the time the run was over. Kept good track of miles and did 6.5 laps. There is a kid who normally runs. He is a little bit slower than me but always runs the track clockwise, which is funny because I never do, so I pass him every half mile. Legs didn't ever feel good tonight. Just tired and didn't turn over like I wanted them to. Struggled on the hills.

I'm not sure how I'm going to get 10 miles in on some days in January. I guess I will have to do split runs, but I hate that. I feel like I get more out of going the distance all at once. I guess there's always night running, but that isn't safe, nor very fun in the winter cold. Looked into buying a treadmill, there are some that would work, but I don't really have the money to spend on one right now anyway. If I start missing a lot of runs or something out of my control I may have to end up with one, for now I'm going to stick it out.

7(8)miles. 40-38 degrees. GM 24

easy run, good pace

A nice 5 miles around the neighborhood. Tonight I took it easy. It was surprising to see my time after the run because it felt a lot slower. I kept a pretty easy pace the entire time. I actually was hoping for a slower time, it felt like maybe close to 8 minute miles. The wind didn't help matters a good 15-20 mph coming from the southwest. That made for a little bit more effort on some stretches, but the worst part was it was sprinkling right into my face. I felt a few drops when I went out the door, waited a few minutes and nothing, so then I just went for it. It sprinkled very light off and on, so no problem.

It was around 44 degrees when I got out, and that felt about right. The wind made it a little colder but I felt warm. I've been wearing gloves the past few runs and that has helped. My ankle didn't hurt today, except for the turnarounds. I think that is where I pulled it, on one of my many turns in the cul de sac. I take it really easy now, but before I just had to turn around fairly quickly, which is hard to do at even a medium pace. I hate that we have no sidewalks. In my 3 mile loop I turn around 11 times, with all but one of those being sharp turns. Needless to say that is ample opportunity to overstress something.

I never had that problem before because of all the long sidewalks, and actually no sharp turns that I can ever remember. That is what I miss the most, a place to run that has lots of options and sidewalks that go through endless neighborhoods. I'm pretty much confined here, since the main road out of our subdivision is always busy and barely has ditches on either side. Plus it's curvy and who knows what could happen. When I get up around 16-18 mile runs (very soon) I will have to drive to roads that have sidewalks and run from there. I also have some trips to local areas with trails to check out as well. I will be fine, and am really looking forward to those runs.

The run felt easy today, despite the 7:38 pace. Ankle seems to be on the mend too.

5(6.25)miles. 44-42 degrees windy. GM 17

out of one hole, into another

Good news. The blister toes are still around, but have caliced over. That means no more toe pain (other than the messed up toe). That is so awesome. Unfortunately the climb out of that hole lead me to fall straight into another. The right ankle is still sore. It's like I can't ever have everything working at the same time. It isn't all that bad, but I'm hesitant about even the smallest things that could make a big problem later.

Got out fairly early to the complex tonight. I needed to pick up some stuff from the store so I had to get the run over before it was completely dark. Barely made that happen. Tonight's run felt like I was dragging. My legs are pretty worn out. The first mile was like running through foot deep mud. The second and third pretty much the same, just tired legs. Finally by the fifth mile I got into some kind of groove. The ankle started hurting periodically. I think it may have been me thinking about it instead of focusing on being relaxed--is that even possible? Anyway once that happened the run felt a lot better, still not running on all cylinders, but definitely better than those first miles.

Toward the end there was a string of 3 runners. I was gaining on them pretty good. The faster who happened to be in the back tried to pass the first 2. He got way in the middle of the path going at what I guess he thought was a good pace. I saw him in the distance and gained on him in less than a minute. I figured he would pass them but he never did, so I was stuck being polite and running behind for a good stretch, hence the slower mile toward the end. I also was almost hit by a red truck. The guy driving saw me and purposefully pulled in front of me as I was the crossing the pedestrian lane. I kept running straight at him and nearly clipped his truck bed. Granted not the safest thing I could have done, but the guy came from BEhind me, and I wasn't about to stop. I should have ran him down, but I let it go quickly.

Someone had graffitied the course sometime in the past few days. The worst part wasn't that it happened, the worst part was that it was really bad graffiti. I mean the letters were all jacked up, no style whatsoever, and absolutely no regard for aesthetics. It looked to me like some third graders did it - other than the high school-esque profanity. I hope when they report or publish it they say they suspect primary school kids did it so the "artists" know how terrible they are. Leave it to the real artists guys.

So after running by that 8 times I was finished. Not really a consistent run, but still felt okay. I would like to run above a 7:30 pace tomorrow!! I tried not to run too fast today, but it looks like it didn't happen. It was even faster than the last medium run. I'll have to work on relaxing, because I may be overcompensating for the tiredness in the legs with speed.

7:33, :41, :25, :22, :27, :22, :29, :43, :25, :16

8(9.7)miles. 40-38 degrees. SM 342

monday seemed like tuesday

I'm not sure if it was wishful thinking or what, but for some reason today just felt a lot like Tuesday. I even turned on the tv at 8 to watch the biggest loser. Ha. I guess it was a long day to seem like two had passed already. It was colder today than it has been. The high was in the forties somewhere. When I went out it was 4:30 and not too bad outside. The good part was no clouds. There were already shadows forming. It was cool to run up a hill into the sunset and see really long shadows coming from tiny little pebbles scattered across the road. It was cold running into the wind, which was coming straight from canada. My face about froze off on those stretches. I probably should have wore a headband, but didn't want overkill sweatage going on. Shorts, an undershirt, longsleeve were pretty comfortable other than the frozen face.

I was sniffling a lot on the run. That was kind of a good thing, because I had to keep my head perfectly straight if I didn't want my nose to run. I felt like I went medium pace tonight. Not the 7:50 i was looking for, but my ankle had absolutely no pain at all so it was all good. It is still bruised/tender, but it doesn't hurt to run on, which is kind of nice. I did take it pretty easy though. I didn't bust out any 7:00 miles like yesterday as far as I know. I'm not real sure since my internet is being a pain. It will connect some sites and not others. I have been trying off and on for about an two hours to connect here and finally it went through. (i'll have to save this in case the publish button doesn't work)

I do know the overall pace was 7:30. That seems about right. I was going pretty good, but not too fast. I did get an acceleration in when I raced a kid down the street. I started off slow and gradual increased to about 75% speed. It was good and carried me through the rest of the run. Well not much else to say.

4(5.36)miles. 38 degrees chilly. SM 334

new track

Looked like rain all day today. The weather channel even showed showers for the whole day. I wrote down a zero for the day. This sucks. Went to visit April's grandpa and have lunch. We talked for a while and got back a little after 3. It still hadn't rained. It was cloudy and not too cold, so I started getting ready to go out. As soon as I looked out the door I saw the drops start to appear on my car and the pavement. Grrreat, couldn't have waited a few hours could you. Nope. So I once again wrote it off. I checked some stuff and was totally bored. I kept walking to the door and looking out and pacing around randomly. The rain only had sprinkled. After checking 5 or 6 times I decided forget this junk, I'm running.

So I got changed said bye to April and out the door. I thought I'd try a new track today. It is the opposite direction from the complex, but about the same distance. I saw a soccer game going on there when were coming home. It was still going when I arrived. The course is basically like a track. Two soccer fields are in the middle of the track, and then the course kind of goes all over with crazy tiny little loops up and down and around. It is a thin little paved course, that looks a lot like the kind people use in their driveways. Yes, all cracked and falling apart from not using enough base of small stone underneath. It was scary at times because the cracks were so high I had to be careful not to trip on them. The second bad thing is that the track isn't level. The right side is about a foot lower than the left, causing my ankle to be at an angle the entire time. This especially wasn't good because that just happens to be the ankle that hurts, and it just happens that turning it toward the inside causes the pain.

I started off pretty fast. At least it felt fast cuz my legs were burning a little. I had on my newer moire's and that could have had something to do with it. I had to stop at 1 mile and tighten the laces. After that it was an uphill battle the entire time. I ran a lap around the course, and then started off into the figure 8 madness. There were 3 switchbacks about 20 yards, up the side of hill, with about a 70% incline. NOT fun. I just kept thinking ankle, ankle, ankle. I didn't go up that little trail of love again. I sticked to the open stretches. The course said 1.5 miles, but I think it was possibly a mile even with all the tiny little maze of switchbacks. Legs turned over well, but there were a lot of turns even on the regular part course. I'm used to flat pavement, with some relatively straight stretches, with at least 5 or 6 feet wide pavement. This was totally different and much harder to run on.

I think the course is why I ran so fast. I wanted to get out of there the day before yesterday. That and at one point it started misting. I just said, Lord please let me get this run over and I'll be happy, and he did. I stayed on and got in the next 3.5 miles. Those first miles really pushed the pace, and I kept it. I was actually breathing a little hard today, which was nice. Just trudging along that course with my ankle was horrid. Probably the worst run I've experienced so far, much worse than the dehydration incident, at least that was deserved.

I hate having the ankle hurting, but it's only when I push off at certain angles. If I am running straight, it doesn't hurt at all. The twisting motion hurts it (like a sprained ankle) so it must be some tendon in there. At least it's not some ghost pain that I have no idea where it's coming from. I know exactly where this is- just below the outside of the ankle- and I'll be able to ice it and feel it out for the next few days. Since today was faster, I'm going to try and see if I can keep my pace at 7:40 or above for the next few runs. If the ankle feels better these times should be fine though.

7:24, :06, :12, :23, :27, :25, :27, :23, :24, :07

8(9.5)miles. 54 cloudy with slight winds. GM 12

a little treat

Now I don't support budlight, in fact I don't drink any alcohol, but these commercials are hilarious.

#1 (i watched it without the sound the first time and thought it was funnier)
http://www.megavideo.com/?v=JPVWMZX9

#2
http://www.megavideo.com/?v=YLMCO455

tight right

Today hasn't been very productive. Got up late, which means breakfast is later, and therefore lunch, and therefore everything else. Not very productive day other than cleaning the kitchen. It looks a million times better now. Cleaned the microwave and moved it to a new location, which opened up all this room somehow.

Today was a comfortable 3 miles around the block. I skipped the HH. There is no need to run up hills and tire out the muscles on an easy day. My right calf has been tight for the past few days. I thought it would go away, but it hasn't. It isn't hurt, it just feels like a muscle that has been worked out. That is a good thing though. It means I am using my calves for push off and not just coasting along.

I did get the crap scared out of me by a dog though. It is this white poodle who sports a pink collar and isn't even as big as my small cat. It "barks" at me everyday when I run by. It's kind of between a wimper and a yip. So how did this furry ball scare me you ask? Well I was running by a mini-van who had their door open. As I was about to run past it, out jumps a flying fluffball yipping like a banchee. Because things normally don't just pop out from behind and screech at me during my run, this caused me to jolt and double step. That thing always goes after me, I wish I could stand there one day and let it bark in my face. Maybe then it would realize it's not scaring me off and that I'm running by it whether it barks or not.

A tiny bit warmer today, but a quick glance at the weather for this week makes me angry. Rain starting wednesday and going through Monday. I may have to invest in some rain gear. Treadmill is out of the question since we have such a small house, and I'm not paying 500 dollars a year to drive out of my way to use a gyms. I suppose we could fit it, but those things are just so ugly and it would be right in the middle of our house since the living room is the only place it would "fit". The good ones weigh like 300 pounds too, so I have no idea how it would fit in our car, and no idea how we would get it into the house if we got it here. I would love to have one, but between all those things I guess I'd rather take my chances with the rain. No worries though, some opportunity may show itself soon.

3(3.5)miles. 54 degrees. GM