Run 44

So I was excited all day today for the CCMR. Then I went running. I did my predictable resevoir loop at a predictable, for me, pace. My calves hurt a bit, and I asked myself what I ask myself on nearly every run. Why Exactly Am I Running? And so I thought awhile about that. Here are my answers.

I am running because Agricola waved his arms and gave a big smile at mile 24 of the VCM, and that couldn't have been easy.

I am running because it was obvious how badly VTR wanted to run the course, calf injury be damned.

I am running because it is something new I am sharing with my beautiful wife.

Because I've talked with Bennu and Phat maybe 2x in the last 15 years, and now we talk everyday.

Because every day I stop work to read new posts and comments on the blog, and stop work to read them again later.

Because whenever she sees me with sneakers, my smallest freeartist says, "Ya goin' runnin' daddy? [Long pause] "Can I come, too?"

Because I didn't think I could run three miles without stoppoing until the day I did it, and because now I think I can run six.

Because when I'm not running, I'm more relaxed and energetic. Sleep and sex are better, too. And post-run meals. And seltzer. I am drinking alot of seltzer. And fewer martinis and beer.

Because I've seen some beautiful new places on foot -- in Banff and Jasper, and San Francisco and Seattle -- and found interesting new places near home, too.

Because I want to be better, and better still.

CCMR will be run 45. Run 1 was on June 29. Thanks to the blog for carrying me along. See you all tomorrow.

Peace,

40 minute mind meld

Ran for 40 minutes at lunch today. This was less about physical training and more for the mental part. Gearing up, visualizing, taking stock with the running as almost an aside.

The plan is for a 30 minute on Friday and a 2 miler right around mile 20 on the course on Saturday morning.

Run 43, Payday

I ran a PR on my 5k Resevoir loop, 29.23. It is my first sub-30 minute 5k distance, I am fairly sure, and I am pleased. It felt good the whole way, almost. It was cold and windy, but I was sporting new running shorts and windbreaker, purchased for the blustery downs of the Cape. Must have felt handsome.

The well assembled woman from run 42 made a point...I can turn it up and dial it back during the run, so long as I am in charge. That may be overly apparent to more experienced legs, but to now I've only set my route and then run to get through it, slow and steady. I've hit a milestone here and am thinking through the CCM to the next event.

I feel ready and excited to see everyone on Saturday night. I aim to get in a run Friday evening, nothing too strenuous. Then I'll be making meatballs for the pasta feed.

Later, boys.

Still chugging along

Hi all,

A couple of updates:

Last Wednesday - 4.4 miler in roughly 37 minutes
Last Friday - 4.4 miler in roughly 37 minutes
Last Saturday - 5.5 miler in roughly 46 minutes (this one done at 6:30 AM and I just don't feel as good at running as I do in the afternoon when the body is completely warm).

Monday - 3.7 miles on the treadmill at an 8:00 minute pace, went stretching and had a slight pull on my right hamstring as I did some split stretching (my foot slipped and I went a little too far).

Yesterday - 1 hour on a stationary bike and had the HR in the 140 to 160 range the entire way. Good way to keep the conditioning going without putting any more tension on a delicate hamstring. I am hoping to get out today and the next couple with a short one on Saturday in preparation for the CCM.

Looking forward to race day and everyone looks geared up for the event due to all the blog entries.

Hockey night

Played hockey with my normal Monday night men's league crew last night. We convinced a buddy to join us, and it was his first time on the ice in any kind of organized way in 23 years. He had fun, and we were glad to have another guy join the team. Another example of bonding/community through sport.

Three short runs on tap for me this week. Got a pre-race massage today. One hour of work mainly on my legs. Felt great.

Run # 42

Nothing remarkable about it. 5k resevoir loop, 31 minutes. I sped up to stay with a very fit, well assembled woman for about 150 yards, but went to far, too fast and gave up up whatever time I gained when I slowed to a walk for about 50 yards a few minutes later. Slow and steady will mean a strong finish for me on this one, boys.

A Great Adirondack Run, #41

It was a hard week and a late Friday and I had to prepare for an afternoon meeting and cook dinner and otherwise be ready for 10 overnight dinner guests so THE LAST THING I wanted to do on Saturday morning was get up and run. So I asked Ms. FA drop me off four miles away from the house at 7:45am. There was nowhere to go but home. And it was a beautiful fall day, crisp and breezy and the foliage was breathtaking and I was charged by a couple of dogs, which was a little scary but funny, too. I absolutely love the Adirondacks. I covered the 4 miles (mostly gradual downhill, with some rollers) in 37 minutes flat, and I felt great about that.

WIndy Sunday

Well, at least on thing that I said I wanted to do, I did: 10 K on Sunday. IT was windy and cool and a gorgeous fall day in that unsettled, variable weather way that only come in the fall. The sky was overcast, and sometimes hazy with an interesting, cold light and at times the sky was blue. The foliage is beautiful. I covered the distance in 48:06 and I felt good. I started reeling a guy in about four miles out and caught him around mile five out -- he'd been about a quarter to half mile ahead of me and just as I pulled up to him he started his homestretch kick. I was avoiding passing him outright because I wasn't sure how much I had in the tank and still had three hills to go. He out-kicked me but stopped at his house right at the base of my penultimate and largest hill. I told him "good run" and he said "Thanks buddy" and I think he said something else about next time we'll go together . . . I wasn't sure but it was a good running moment. Thia was one of those runs where I am so happy that I went and I feel great. I'm psyched, I feel fairly ready and I'm looking forward to next weekend, it should be a blast.

All over the place

I ran for 1:37 today. Not sure on the distance, but I figure it's somewhere around 11 miles. I was completely all over the place on the run. Felt at times tight, loose, distracted, locked in, ready, then fighting to get in the right state of mind. By the end, I was very tight, which reinforced the importance of staying hydrated and trying to stretch this week.

Run 40

I got out this morning along a track beside the Puget Sound, a bit less than 3 miles out and back from my hotel. It was 46 degrees, and I was NOT prepared. All I had was a pair of shorts and a technical short-sleeve, so I threw on an extra t-shirt I picked up at a client's office yesterday and wore a baseball cap, which for me is atypical. In fact, the cold wasn't so bad once I got going. My hands stayed cold throughout the run, but the rest of me warmed up with the activity. Lesson learned: wear gloves. I have a thin pair of polypro glove liners that will likely do the job.

I wish I could say that it was a great experiential run, with the natural beauty of the harbor, etc. In fact it was a tough run. I didn't feel good doing it. And the weather was kinda nasty as well as cold. It was very cloudy, which obscured the view. All well. Check the box. The CCMR is in 11 days.

Peace,

Hockey lessons

I skated today for the second week in a row with a lunch time adult hockey league. After sucking wind in week 1, I paced myself with very short shifts through the first have of the hour session. By the end, I was tired, but had way more energy than the prior week. I could actually compete on my last shift. Yet another lesson that it's all about pacing. So important for running and, as it turns out, hockey. I wish I would've figured that out two years ago! Would have saved me a lot of exhaustion on the ice over the past couple of seasons.

Oh, and I scored two goals. Can't beat that feeling.

Run 39

It was a bike ride, not a run. It was my second workout of the weekend. It was blissfully easy. I had practically no muscle fatique in the legs, even after a few climbs up the Great Hill. This is a powerful endorsement for running.

If you care about distance and speed, don't ride in the Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon. The top half of the loop is manageable, lots of cyclists and runners, serious about what they are doing. The bottom half is a disaster of tourists and pedestrians. It's inhospitable for the cyclist. But I've complained about this before.

The result was 13.3 miles in 55 minutes. My average speed was 14.4 mph.

Run 38

I was totally out of gas yesterday afternoon, after a hard work week and an afternoon of chasing kids around the Botanical Gardens. I settled onto the couch around 5:00pm, but Ms. FreeArtist became super obnoxious about my slothfulness and drove me out onto the road. God bless her.

I extended my resevoir loop by a bit less than a mile for a 4 mile total. I stopped 2x, to stretch my hip. The piriformis pain is troubling me. It is moderate, but persistant, and has migrated from occurring only when I sit for a long time to mild occurences while I run. I've done some reading and this isn't a big deal, so I'm aiming to get through the CCM and then address it.

If you have been following my count, (this is run no. 38) I was hoping to make the CCM #50, but I can't get 11 runs in before then. I have a bike ride planned for this afternoon, and will be in Seattle Tuesday and Wednesday, where I am planning to run along the Puget Sound. More later.

Friday Morning

I got out before work on Friday and did a 30 minute out and back. Simply getting this one in the books.

20 miler tomorrow. Meeting a friend at 8:00AM. Should be a beaut.

Runs 36 and 37

Just checking the boxes so far this week. Ran an abridged resevoir loop on Monday night, not sure of the distance or the time, but I needed to get it in between a late arrival home and a still later conference call. Ran on the treadmil for 30 minutes tonight and put in a few sprints, which was new for me but good. Planning to run again after work Friday, with a long one on Sunday, hoping to get 5+ miles.

Here's a new one for the blog. I spent about 90 minutes on Sunday splitting logs. With a sledgehammer and wedges. I am sure it did nothing for the running, but afterwards, I felt like a Super Hero.

Later, boys.

Leaf Peeper

I ran the Leaf Peeper half marathon on Sunday, and it was a beautiful day for a race. It was peak season for the leaves, blue sky and temps in the high-50s/low-60's. Perfect for running. It must've been because I ran faster for a longer distance than I ever have.

Here are the splits:
Mile 1 6:54
Mile 2 7:03
Mile 3 7:20
Mile 4 7:20
Mile 5 7:18
Mile 6 7:25
Mile 7 7:13
Mile 8 7:14
Mile 9 7:33
Mile 10 7:24
Mile 11 7:20
Mile 12 7:18
Mile 13.1 7:13
Total 1:35:27, 7:17 pace

I was fortunate in that I fell in behind three strong women separately at various points in the race. Two of them pulled me for parts of the first half, and one warrior pulled me in over the last 6 miles. This chick was strong. I never caught her, but also would not have performed as well without her consistent pace. Linking up with someone with a similar stride and pace worked well for me in the CCM last year, too. I guess there's something about slogging through it together with another runner that keeps me going.

My training schedule called for a 20 miler on Sunday, but I'll take my race experience workout as a step in the right direction. I have my second 20 miler scheduled for the weekend and a friend lined up to share most of the distance.

Between the race and today, I played hockey on Tuesday at lunch. (BTW, running does not get one in shape for hockey. Almost puked.) I got in a quick run of around 25 minutes at lunch today. I'm finding it harder to motivate to run with the darker mornings. As much as I am enjoying the training, I'm looking forward to a change of pace after CCM.

30 minutes

Got in a quick run on Friday. 30 minutes during lunch. Nothing more on that front.

Congrat's Agricola's!

Run 35

Ran the ususal 5k route in 33:06 last night. Weird night. It was the coolest evening so far this year, and it was late (I didn't get out until 8:10pm) and it was the big debate night, so maybe these factors conspired to keep my fellow runners at home. The Park was empty. I encountered only four runners on the whole loop, which was slightly unsettling, especially around the Resevoir. I had my antannae up more so than usual. I think my four fellow runners felt similarly, because I exchanged nods and waves with each one of them, and that is better than usual NYC running etiquette, in my experience. I think we were all comforted by each other's appearance.

Everyone who stayed in missed a beautiful night for running. Cool, breezy, and clear. I picked up the pace a bit in the second half, inspired by the downtown skyline that comes into view as you round the top of the Resevoir track. I've mentioned the view from there before. It's become my favorite in the City.

Only 3 1/2 weeks until CCM weekend. Thinking about making slight improvements in speed, experiementing with stride, etc. Trying to have fun. Looking forward to running with all of you.

34:34 for #35

I got out for about 34 minutes today after work. I ran on the route of the Leaf Peeper Half Marathon, which I'll be running on Sunday. It's very nearly peak leaf season, so the mountains are gorgeous -- they remind me of a painters pallet. Beautiful.

Anyway, I also want to take this spot to congratulate FA on his CCM training. I'm running the whole marathon, and I've only run 35 times for training, which puts me neck and neck with FA, who is running his second race ever. Way to stick with it, man. Congrat's! Can't wait for that weekend!

A Slow #34

I rushed out to run my 5k out-and-around the resevoir loop loop loop last night; did it in 35 minutes. I had a fair bit of pain and fatigue in my right shin and ankle by the time I hit the mid-point. So I slowed to a walk for about 1/4 mile and then stretched it out for a good while, worried about splints. I need to treat myself delicately. Be more delliberate about stretching. Whenever I dash out, feeling confident and don't prepare, something bites me in the end. Hubris. We've discussed it on this blog. Be wary.