365

It's been one year since I reintroduced myself to running. Here's my brief summary:

The good:

• Lost 30 lbs
• Feel a hell of lot better
• Can actually see my toes

The bad:

• Bone spur persists.
• Still not where I'd like to be pace wise.

The Facts:

• 286 mi
• 91 runs
• 9:20 Avg. pace

Hopefully now that I'm a bit wiser and realistic about what I can do, the injuries will be fewer and less severe. I'm still enjoying the early morning runs and have a variety of goals to achieve in the near and long term.

Today's run felt like a swim. Humidity was crazy. Hadn't made it out for a week so took it kind of easy. Still ran under 9 per mile which is my new ceiling for pace. Also made it out for 25 mile ride on Sunday with Mrs. BR.

Good to see the activity pick up on the board. It still helps with the motivation.

Jungle Running

I got in a swim over the weekend. It was thundered out about 80% of the way into it. I was swimming in board shorts which felt like I was pulling a huge weight and made the swim quite a bit more challenging. I blogged about board shorts last year, I think. Never again for a workout! I think it's good to challenge oneself, but board shorts are miserable for any sort of extended swimming. Didn't get the runs in that I wanted to. Oh well.

I got out Tuesday and today, Wednesday. Both runs were struggles. The humidity has been outrageously high the past couple of days and I could feel my strength ebbing with each step as I fought for air. It was like running in a jungle. Admittedly, I'm not where I'd like to be but the past two days have been much harder than expected and I do think it's the humidity (85% today according to my hygrometer). I'm considering going again tomorrow, but we'll see -- the humidity is to persist as well. I went on Tuesday at 10:30 AM to get a feel for potential conditions at Falmouth and it was less than fun. I hit the road today around 6:30 AM and it still was misery inducing.

I've noticed that I'm lacking a certain toughness in my workouts that I used to have. It could be fatigue, it could be lack of interest in my local routes, it could be that my energy is elsewhere these days. I'll work through it, and at least I'm getting more consistent.

Runs 3, and 3 1/2

I got out on Monday night and ran pretty hard for 30 minutes. I ran the top loop of the park, backwards, 2x. So that's down 110th Street to the Pool, up the road behind the Pool, across the 102nd Street transverse, uptown against traffic, down the Great Hill, and then again. I wanted to run hills, so I ran hills.

I got out tonight with a similar route in mind and was having a good, relaxed run when a heavy storm rolled right over me. The rain didn't bother me much but I became afraid of getting fried by lightning, which was quite close. So I let the weather chase me indoors, and I live to run again. Good while it lasted, I ran for around 21 minutes.

Peace, fellas.

Run No 3, Riverside

I headed out this morning with a goal to stay in enthusiastic motion for one hour. I ran up from the apartment to Riverside Park and down along the Hudson until 52nd Street, where I started to poop out. So I headed up to 8th Ave and grabbed a gatorade and the subway home. Total time in motion, 45 minutes .

It's hot and sunny today and there are lots of people out running and cycling, laying in the sun, walking dogs. I saw some of the set-up in Riverside Park for tomorrow's NYC Triathalon, the swim is in the Hudson R. Last year it was plagued with jellyfish, so I'm wondering what this year's story will be. The tide must have been up this morning. I hit the river around 100th Street and could smell salt water.

The ADK 1/2 Marathon is within two months from now, on September 20, and while this was only my third training run (training only began in earnest last Tuesday), I'm not anxious about it, and a little excited.

Peace, fellas.

OK, Let's GO

OK, let's go. Once I bailed from the VCM I took about 5 weeks off, running once in that span. I let myself go because I rationalized that I was working really hard and not sleeping and too stressed and only had so much emotional bandwidth and wanted to see my kids in the time I wasn't glued to the laptop and blah blah blah blah. Couple that with copious beer consumption and a fair to poor diet and I was really sliding into oblivion.

Last summer was a poor running summer for me, and this one was shaping up to be the same. So, about the last week of June I decided to stop sucking and decided to start running again. I started going to bed earlier, I started rationing my beer and eating better and stopped looking for excuses.

I banged out 4 runs, most of them on Cape Cod. I felt good, I limited myself to 5Ks.

I felt like I was on track. Then it rained, hard, for a week, and I didn't run until July 4 when I ran my town's 5K. I went out too fast and flagged near the end -- it was a warning sign and a lesson. I ran a decent time, 23:24, but a poor race. We spent the next week on the Cape and I ran about 4 times, all about 5K to just about 5 miles. For some reason I had a block on the 5 miler . . . silly at this point in my running, even when not in great shape. After returning I ran a few times at home -- sort of uneventful, but the flat of the Cape hurt me on the little hills around here. Weird.

Last week I ran twice and swam twice becuse I signed up for the off-road tri I did last year. I would have liked to run one more time, but it wasn't to be and 4 workouts felt good even if my runs were weird funky affairs in which I felt lousy over the 3.3 and 5 miles respectively. Monday of this week I was ready to hit the road and was felled by some weird stomach bug which basically knocked me out Monday and much of Tuesday. I let Wednesday get away from me and ran a 5 mile race in Weston, MA last night (Thursday).

It was a big test for me and I had no idea how I'd do or what I expected. Like all runs (except 5Ks) my goal was to do at least 9s. My target was 41-42, and my reach was 40. It was raining. It was 7 PM. It was a big field for around here, at least 1,200 people. The race started on grass then hit the streets of Weston and then finished on grass onto the high school track. The rain was fun. The surface variation was fun and I love finishing races on tracks -- I just feel like I'm gliding. I can recall pretty much all of my splits, but am foggy on my finishing time:

• Mile 1, 7:49
• Mile 2, 15:23
• Mile 3, 23:06
• Mile 4, 30:51
• Finish, 38:24

If I calculate right, that's sub 7:50/mile and I was pretty pumped. I have work to do before Falmouth on August 9 but yesteday was a huge confidence builder. I fell good today, and I'm looking forward to my next run, probably tomorrow, and probably a trail run if I'm lucky, with a swim. Glad to see that you guys are keeping up the blog, I think I'm back and will be more active. Talk to you soon.

Quiet

on the board. My fault as much as anyone else's. Been running 2-3 times a week in the morning between 3-5 miles. Pace is starting to get better, upper 8's. Avg HR coming down, 160ish. Feeling much better with only a slight ache in the chronic ankle. Mixing in a 25 mile ride on the weekends as well. Will probably keep the same schedule for the rest of the summer and pick it up a notch in the fall. Anyone else out there?

Half Marathon Training - The Beginning

Gents, so I registered for the Adirondack 1/2 Marathon, then told the world about it via Facebook and Twitter, a sort of crossing-the-Rubicon thing. So the running starts again.

Run 1: Friday, July 3, three miles, from my in-laws home to the entrance to their subdivision and back again. Some walking. First run in more than 6 weeks. Not easy. Didn't measure the time.

Run 2: Saturday, July 4, Mrs. FA and I power-walked the same route. This was more about spending time together, alone, out of the house. Mrs. FA introduced me to "plank position," side and front, to strengthen my core. In this position, you make your body stiff as a plank, touching ground with your toes and elbows. She's been doing this with great results for about 8 months. I did it the one time on Friday, post-run, and can still feel it this morning. Aiming to make it part of my routine.

The 1/2 is on September 20, so I have a decent amount of time and I'm looking forward to a summer of running and other activities in preparation. Will post progress here.

Peace, fellas.

Starting Over

My first run was one year ago today. Getting ready to start again.

Keeping at it.

Another easy 3 miles this morning. Keeping it easy. Learned my lesson these past 11 months on pushing too hard too fast. One more short run this week is planned. Next week, may lengthen one of the runs. Need to cross train, too. Any idea when summer is too arrive?

Cross training

Quiet on the blogger front. Not sure about you guys, but I'm switching gears a bit, spending time on family stuff, and seeing where the exercise bug bites me next. For Sunday, at least, I was bitten by mountain biking. The intense running crew that I've written about here (the guys who go out at 6AM on Sundays) really only uses running in the off-season to train for their fun stuff -- mountain biking, some road biking and cross country skiing. I've been thinking about riding with them for probably two years now, but always had some excuse that made my slight fear of riding with them more palatable. Last weekend, with excuses diminished, curiosity peaked (and intimidation still intact), I finally joined the crew.

I met up with four guys promptly at 6AM for a grueling-but-fun, technical, slippery/wet ride in the wooded hills of Waterbury. We did equal shares climbing, switchbacks, and straight downhills over the course of just over two hours. I went over the handlebars (think full-on superman launch) once, walked a couple of times and slid out a few more, but had a blast the whole time. (Full disclosure, the end, which was a full mile uphill on my road home, sucked, but at least it was the end.) I was completely spent, covered in mud, achey and psyched for having done something new in my own backyard.

I was struck by how different mountain biking is from running. On a run, I use the steady rhythm to zone out and go to another place. The mind is left to wander and randomly check back in, while the body runs mostly on cruise control. On the trails on a mountain bike, I have to pay attention to every detail of the terrain, including mud, roots, trees, fall line angles, and who knows what else. It's a technical experience in which I get lost in the details of all that's going on around me. And conquering those details, no matter how small, provides lots of little "wins" over the course of the ride.

It was a great ride, and I'm looking forward to the next one. Oh, and I have run a couple of times here and there. I went out last week for a couple of three milers, which felt good. Not ready to sign on for another race yet, but not burnt out either. Just taking things as they come for a bit.

Hope all's well with this crew.

That's Better.

Three runs in the last 5 days. All 3 mile runs to ease back into it. Re calibrated my watch/footpod on Saturday which was sorely needed. Pace showed a huge improvement today, mostly due to the watch, but also due to shaking off the rust. While the pace/distance may be suspect, the HR is not. Sometimes this is more telling than how you feel or how fast you ran.

Back in the saddle...again.

Work, life, colds, vacations have all provided excuses to not run over the past 6 weeks. Finally pushed them all aside and made it out this morning for 3 miles. The good news is that all previous injuries have healed. The bad news is the ankle is now officially a chronic injury as I could tell over the past few weeks, while at rest, it just wasn't right. I'll just need to manage it. Hopefully the additional 13 pound drop (25 since I started last August) will help reduce the chance of more injuries, especially those impact related.

Big Plans

I have not run since the almost-back-to-back races last week, but am better for the time off and looking forward to getting back on the road. I'll be in SF next week and will hit my usual route along the Bay. I am thinking VERY carefully about making a run at the Adirondack 1/2 Marathon in September. So the strategy would be, start training after Scout Camp in late June, run a shorter race around mid-way, in August, and then focus hard on the 1/2. Maybe. I'll certainly run either the 5k or 10k option, so if anyone wants to make a weekend in the ADKs, let us know. The race is not far from our place.

Vermont City Marathon (aka Tour de Port-o-let)

I ran the Vermont City Marathon yesterday. Completed the race in about 4:05 (haven't checked the official results), but the time for this run was inconsequential. It was all about finishing, mainly because of my limited training. As I wrote of here, I pulled my calf on March 15, and I've been working my way back ever since. My recovery included a bunch of small relapses for a few weeks, no running for about 3 weeks, and then, finally, a conservative, rebuilding schedule that topped out at a two hour run two weeks ago. There was no risk of being overtrained on race day, that was for sure.

My goals for the marathon were 1. Don't re-injure myself, 2. Finish, 3. Experiment with pace by going out slowly and trying to finish strong. I'm glad to report that I didn't suffer any injuries, I finished and I went out relatively slowly and finished with a couple of 9:30-ish miles. I was happy with that... especially given my gastro-intestinal situation for the race. I'll skip the details and leave it at this: Over the course of 26.2 miles, I urinated in a field on the side of a road and visited three pot-o-potties and a gas station. My stomach was not right throughout.

My big story for this race, though, was the feeling I had afterwards. Unlike past marathons where I felt like I left something on the table and had to try again, I finished yesterday feeling that I was done with this distance for a while. It wasn't a negative feeling, like I was defeated or had a negative experience, I just don't have a reason to go back right now. I'm ready to move on to things like biking, maybe some tri's and definitely some half marathons. The marathon provides anyone who finishes with a huge sense of accomplishment. That is worthwhile. But it also hurts. It's a painful race, and without a real reason to run -- a reason that drives you to push through the pain -- it's not happening. After four marathons in two years, I don't have a compelling need or reason to do another.

I'm very excited by this new development. A new phase of long distance training begins for me today...ok, maybe tomorrow. Today, I rest.

Two Races

I ran the NYRR Healthy Kidney 10k on Saturday. It was great. I went alone, and ran alone, ignored the crowds and the fanfare, talked to myself the whole way, controlled my pace through the hills, and ran a surprisingly consistent race. I hit the mile markers at precise 10 minute intervals. When I reached the five mile mark in exactly 50 minutes I thought, I've done it, the race is over. So I put the pedal down and ran my fastest split in the last mile. I did not run that much the four weeks leading to this race and didn't think I was in great shape for it, and I am now utterly convinced that the right mental approach to a race has a material impact on performance. My time was 1.01.29; the first half time was 31.14.

Last night was the American Heart Assoc Wall Street 5k run, and I ran with a colleague. Due to construction on a portion of the course the distance was actually 3 miles, even. The race started at the World Trade Center site and did a clockwise loop around lower Manhattan, finishing at the World Financial Center. The last mile was beautiful, 65 degrees, along the Hudson, The Statue of Liberty on my right. I ran it in 28.33. I felt that I could have run it faster, and blame the narrow streets downtown and SUPER crowded field. The first mile was wicked slow.

My colleague is a former big-time collegiate track and field athlete. She ran the three mile course in 21.08, and was disapointed.

So, lots of running this last few days. Planning to head out tomorrow and maybe this weekend, but hoping to get some cycling in soon, as a change of pace.

Peace, fellas.

Deferred

I deferred the marathon last week. I ran 16 miles last Wednesday and felt lousy near the end. If I'd had like 4 more weeks I'd have been OK but my training has suffered as a result of working so much. Here I am posting at 12:45 AM . . . this is the story of my life. I'm bummed, kind of, but I'm at peace with it -- it's one less source of stress for me. I'm targeting some shorter distances and will get out sometime tomorrow, hopefully. I might even run a fall one, I've got a decent base, I just lacked the emotional and mental room to start a company and train for a marathon. Keep up the good work, I'll be back soon. Good luck this week VTR, see you Saturday.

Run 28

I got in my planned run last Wednesday, May 13. The route was a variation on Run 27, cutting across the Park at 102nd Street and then taking the Great Hill in reverse instead of head-on. I don't know the distance traveled on Runs 27 and 28 but I ran for 30+ minutes each night.

One hour

Ran one hour this morning. No issues. Saw some fresh moose tracks, a pair, heading towards the beaver pond, but no moose. Beautiful day.

Off to the Outer Banks tomorrow for the week.

Run 27

Ran for 30 minutes tonight. It's a great evening for in NYC. Temps in the hig 60s, I think. Clear. Light breeze. LOTS of very fit women on bikes buzzing past. Interesting.

Took a slightly different loop, leaving the Reservoir path on the East Side at 95th Street, up the Park Road on the East Side, down the hill behind Lasker Pool and then partway up the Great Hill until my exit near home.

I'm working on having a positive outlook about the Healthy Kidney 10k, sponsored by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates. (Weird.) So far, so good. I'll run Wednesday evening, then knock off until the race on Saturday.

Catching up

Ran for 40 minutes on Monday, 30 minutes on Thursday, and 2 hours today. No issues to report. The marathon is still in sights although I will pull the chute at any sign of issues with the calf. So far, no issues, so on I go.

Enjoy Mom's day.