Month: April 2013

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The heat returns and running gets harder

The heat is back.  I realized last week that the heat was an issue and now this week I can see it is going to be a long summer of running.

Yesterday went well.  I ran the paired back 5 miles I budgeted after the pain of running too much without a break last week.  I thought of running further and might have, but kept getting a pain in my hip and down my leg every quarter mile or so.  It would last only about one or two strides, but it was consistent for the first 3 miles.  I figured that since I am to hill run workouts today, I should keep to my original plan and only run 5 miles.

Oh and did I mention the heat?

It was only 81 officially, but the heat index was 85 and I imagine when you add the radiation from the pavement it must have been close to 90.  This might have been easier if we had slowly gone into this situation, but 2 weeks ago I was running with a jacket and now I am so hot that my shirt is soaked after my run.

The good news is that tomorrow the rain comes back and the temp won’t even reach 60.  Then low 70’s and sunny through the weekend.  So, I look forward to at least a few more days of cool weather in which to run.

This does make me wonder about this summer.  Last summer I remember running in the upper 90’s and even in the 100’s, but I was also only running 2 miles a day, not 7 or 8.  I guess I’ll have to get used to it and take it slow.  TJ told me that running in the heat has a similar effect to running in high altitude.  So, if I can get used to running well this summer, it should bode well for the Fall marathon season.

BTW, Jeff sent me a Facebook pic that simply said,

“If you’re trying to defeat the
human spirit, marathoners
are the wrong group to target.”

Great post.  There is so much going on in the world right now.  I am thankful I took up running when I did.  I can put up with a little heat.  Running is worth it!

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Life goes on – Tempo run Tuesday

Yesterday, with the Boston tragedy fresh on my mind, I got on my running shoes and did my tempo run.  My ultimate goal stands.  I want to qualify for the Boston Marathon in September in Pennsylvania.  If I don’t make it then, I will try in December in Jacksonville.  Either way, I have my eyes set on a goal and as long as I can physically make it, I will make it.  What happened Monday makes me more determined.  I continue to feel sadness, anger, confusion over it all.  I honestly don’t understand.  But as I said, it just makes me more determined to make it this year and if not, next!

My run yesterday went really well. Actually if it was a cool winter day in the South, I would say it was just average, but being a humid, hot day in the South it went great. Here are my splits for the tempo part of my run:

Mile 1 – 7:17
Mile 2 – 7:13
Mile 3 – 7:50

All in all it was a good run. Overall my pace was 8:14 for 6 miles.  I really want my tempo splits to get into the 6:30 range if at all possible by May so I can reasonably be assured of a 20:00 5K.  I averaged 6:54 for 5K once before, so I know it is a possibility.

I must say that running has altered many aspects of my life.  I understand setting goals and then working hard to achieve them in a way I have never understood before.  I used to be very undisciplined in my life and am much better at that now.  Not perfect.  But I am able to set a goal and work toward that goal and not drop it after a week or two.

Today is a regular run and then Thursday is my hill run.  I may push the hill run to Friday as we are to get cooler weather again by then, but eventually the hot Southern summer will set in and no amount of pushing will help.  I might as well get used to it sooner rather than later.

Praying for Boston.

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After the tragedy, we pray and then we run

I am a runner.  I think I can make that declaration now.  I have been running over a year.  I run between 40 – 45 miles a week on average.  I have run over 1,200 miles in the past year.

Why do we as runners run?  Why run 5, 10, 13.1, 26.2 miles.  Why do people put their body, mind and spirit into running?

I run because of the challenge.  It is about the goals.  It is about the ups and the downs.  It is making my body do what I never thought it could.  It is about doing what no one thought I could ever do.  Like most runners, I am determined.  It is a part of my life now.  My off day form running is misery, not the days I run.

I have a goal.  I put that goal in the url of my blog so that I would keep it before my eyes.  In some ways, in just a short period of time, it has become part of my identity.

Boston

Yesterday was beyond belief.  I really have no words to express my shock and sadness that something like that could happen.  When tragedies that that occur, it seems to take away something from us as people, as a nation and now, as runners.

Life is about the finish.  When we run a race, we run for the finish.  When we see that line in front of us and we are exhausted and tired, wether a 5K or a marathon, we push harder.  The finish is the goal for the race.  What happened yesterday at the finish line  turns everything on its head.  The finish of the Boston Marathon went from victory to tragedy in a split moment.  Lives where changed forever, not in the way people had thought earlier that day, the way of victory and joy, but in the tragedy of those blasts.

I am praying for those who were hurt, those who lost loved ones.  Those whose lives will never be the same.

We are runners whether we run 1 mile a day or 10 miles a day.  We will continue.  We will persevere.

We will pray for everyone affected and then…

We will put on our shoes and run.

 

 

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Prayers for those at the Boston Marathon

More tomorrow, but for today, I wanted to post that I’m praying for those at the Boston Marathon.  May God be with you all!

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Today is the Boston Marathon 2013… My thoughts on my goal

Well I made 13.1 miles yesterday.  It wasn’t too bad either.  It rained the entire time, to the point my clothes and shoes were beyond soaking.  In a way it was nice as it was cool, but the wet clothes weighed me down a bit.  In the end, I ran at an 8:37 pace which was the same time as last week’s 12 miles but still 40 seconds slower than my half marathon.

I couldn’t stop thinking as I ran yesterday about the Boston Marathon which happens today.  It is neat to read people’s stories about going and running and how it feels for the first, fifth or fifteenth time.  For me, it would be a time full of excitement and emotions.  I have been thinking why I am working so hard to try to qualify for Boston.  At my age I would have to finish a qualifying marathon at 3:30 minimum.  When I run my long runs or workouts or just easy runs, I think about my goal.  It isn’t just that it is Boston, it is the fact that I would be able to go from not being able to run a quarter mile to running in the oldest marathon in America.  It is the journey.  It is, as much of my life has been, going from nowhere to somewhere.

I don’t have anything to prove.  I simply have set a goal and now am working meticulously to achieve that goal.  Each run I go on, each article I read, every trial, every error, every blog or Twitter post is me working to an end.  I want to be able to say that I went, by the grace of God, from obesity to qualifying to running the Boston Marathon.  If I can do that, anyone can.

Much of my life I have felt as if I am behind and trying to catch up.  I think that is a good thing.  I don’t want to live a normal life. I want to be an unexceptional person doing exceptional things.  I want to inspire others to do the same.  Wether at home, work, Church, or where ever I am, I want people to know that what brings out exceptionalism in them isn’t the talent that they were born with.  It is the talent that they developed with perseverance, determination and endurance.

Here is to the Boston Marathon!  Here is to the 27,000 runners.  Hopefully I’ll join you one year.  If I do, I’ll post about it on my blog the next day, you can be sure of that. 🙂

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Day off yesterday, long run in the rain today

I took yesterday off for obvious reasons if you read any of my posts this week (other than Friday).  It has been a difficult week running and I figured that since I only planned 4 miles yesterday, it would be good just to give my body a break.

Today is my long run day.  I planned 12, I hope to make 13.  It is going to be raining pretty consistently the entire run.  I never look forward to running when it is raining, however I usually run better in the rain for some reason.  Well I run better until my shoes get wet and heavy, but you can’t have everything.

I’ve had my water, eggs and banana, so I am good to go.

Here’s to a great run today (he says as he heads out the door)…  I hope.

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The best run

Wow, what a Friday run. All week my runs have been horrid. They were slow and painful. What I mean by painful is that my legs felt tight and heavy. Not yesterday.

It was awesome. I ran faster yesterday for my 7 mile run than I have ever run in my neighborhood. The only faster time I had was during my half marathon. I ended up with an 8:02 pace and a 49:45 10K which is a personal best for me (outside of the half marathon). I felt like I was a runner during the run. I know that sounds crazy, but my legs were relaxed and my stride felt perfect. My cadence for each mile was between 89 – 90; perfect!

I think the difference yesterday had a lot to do with the weather. It was a perfect day. It was 70 degrees, sunny, low humidity and a nice cool breeze. We had storms the night before and got rid of a lot of the pollen that was in the air.

To be honest, I was getting a bit worried about my running. I know I over did it this week, but things were so bad that I was beginning to not look forward to going out. One good run wiped that feeling away!!!

I am taking today off to get an off day since I didn’t get one on Monday as I planned. Tomorrow is my long run (12 miles). I am now looking forward to it!!!

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Sometimes the hard runs are the most important – Never give up!

Wow, yesterday’s post was the most popular ever on this blog!  It is so funny, as I had originally written about my horrible run and then decided to delete the post and write something positive.  There is a lot of good in running and it doesn’t depend on how you feel.  In fact, I would say that most of the time I don’t feel great while running.  Weeks like this week make me wonder why I run.  But I must say, even though this week has been a rough run week, I still went out and ran.  Even though I felt like my legs are full of concrete, I still did my 7 miles a day.  That is why running is so important to me.  It builds endurance, perseverance, patience and determination.  These are qualities I didn’t have a year ago when I started.  But now I look at my world through these qualities.

Yesterday was another “ugh” run.  I decided early on that I would mute my iSmoothRun app and just run at whatever pace I wanted to run.  In fact, in the beginning I told myself that I would run the slowest run I have ever run, just to take the pressure out of it.  It didn’t help much.  By mile 3 I was ready to head home and cut my losses.  Then I thought that I could just run one more mile.  Then I ran another.  By that time I was far enough away from home that I ran home and hit my goal of 7 miles at my driveway.

Here are my thoughts on why this has been a difficult week for me.  Yes it has been hot.  Yes it has been humid.  Those things will make a huge difference, but I don’t think that is why my running has been off.  The reason I think it has been a rough week running is because I am not 30 anymore.  What I mean by that is, a 30 year old can run 14 days in a row and not feel it as much.  A 50 year old, not so much.  As you may recall, on my Monday off day, TJ and I went for a 4 mile run.  Not only that, but we ran 2 miles in a hilly neighborhood.  Not only that, but I went for a 2 mile walk that afternoon.  That was my off day.  Now I am paying for it.

Going back to the beginning of this post.  Even though my legs hurt, my knees hurt, my hips hurt and each step is difficult, I still go out each afternoon and run.  I have to.  It is engrained into me now.  Tomorrow is only a 4 mile day, so I have decided ahead of time to take it off so that I will feel better by my long run day on Sunday.  Looking back, 2 years ago I couldn’t even get out of a chair to take a walk.  A year ago, I was running 2 miles in 24 minutes.  Yesterday I was disappointed at running 7 miles in 1:03.

Yes, I am thankful for all I’ve learned over the past year.  I am thankful for each of the 1,300 miles I’ve run since a year ago last March.  Everything has changed and most of it is good.  Not many people can say that they feel the best, are in the best shape and are the healthiest when they turn 50.

I just hope it continues.

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Keeping a positive attitude after a negative run

Yesterday was another rough run!

It was hot, humid and I was tired.  But rather than going on and on about how difficult my run was, I decided to look to the positive and think of why I am thankful.  I learned from my mom over the years that being positive is always better than being negative.

So here I go…

  • I am thankful that I am able to run.
  • I am thankful that even on hot days, I can come home from work, put on my running shoes and head out the door.
  • I am thankful that my lovely wife and kids encourage me on this journey, even though it takes up more and more time.
  • I am thankful for my mother and brothers and friends who are excited to see my progress with my running and weight loss.
  • I am thankful that I have kids who also run and are excited about it with me.
  • I am thankful for TJ running who runs with me at times.  Without him today, I would have given up much earlier.
  • I am thankful that I have been running for over a year and never gotten hurt.
  • I am thankful that I have gotten a lot of people from work (with family and friends) to run the 5K with me in May.
  • I am thankful that I have lost 100 lbs since the height of my weight gain (and kept it off).
  • I am thankful that I am alive and healthier than I’ve been for most of my life.
  • I am thankful that I have gone from obese to (soon) running marathons in just a couple of years.

Yesterday’s run was hard.  In fact this week has been one hard run after another.  But looking beyond a difficult week,  I am thankful that I can run.  It has been a dream since I was 18 and now 32 years later it is a reality.  I am also thankful for this blog and the people who read it each day.  It has been so rewarding and has helped inspire me to run harder and work to excel in this sport.  I may or may not ever be known to the running community as anyone, but for now, I am thankful that I am a part of this community and for the support of my family, friends, and fellow bloggers and Tweeters.

What are you thankful for?

Think about it the next time you have a rough day at the very thing to which you look forward.  Running has taught me that every up hill I face, there is a down hill coming soon.  Don’t give up.  Just be thankful.

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Rough interval run yesterday.

Some runs are like hills, you have up runs and you have down runs.  Yesterday was a bit of both.  During my run, I thought, “what have I done”, “this is the worst run ever”, “what was I thinking running on my day off yesterday?”.  You know… the thoughts that go through your head as you are just trying to get your next breath.

Drama aside, it was a difficult run.  Since I like to analyze my runs, I would say it was from several factors:

  1. I ran on my day off.  Not only ran, but ran a hilly neighborhood.
  2. I eat more than usual at lunch.  I got to catch up with a good friend, but also eat more than I should have.
  3. It was 82 degrees outside (27.7 celsius).  The hottest day in 6 months.
  4. I ran a new type of run.  I ran half mile repeats with 1 minute recovery in between.

Okay, it wasn’t fun.  I’ve established that.  I learn from my mistakes.  The good news is that I ran 5 miles in 7:57, but the bad news is I wanted to run 7 miles.  I figured I should cut it short when I started noticing tingling in my hands and fingers.  I figured that was a pretty strong clue that I needed to stop my run early.

I was encouraged by the pace of my half mile intervals though.

  1.  6:30
  2. 7:02
  3. 6:58
  4. 7:48
  5. 8:14

So, I did run pretty well.  It was tough though.  I mean REALLY tough.  So tough that I wondered why I do this to myself.  In the end, it will pay dividends.  To be honest, if I run my 5K in May at a 20 minute pace I’ll be grateful.  If I qualify for Boston in September, I’ll be beyond grateful.  We aren’t guaranteed anything in this life and I am honestly grateful to just be able to run.  Many people would like to and can’t for some reason or another.  I am a 50 year old man who 2 years ago weighed 278 lbs and couldn’t run 1/4 mile and now I hope to run a 5K in 20 minutes.  I love that about running.  It is what you make it.  It is up to you and the grace of God as to where you go and how far you take it.

Okay.  That is enough for today.  As I stated in the beginning, running is like a hill day.  Ups and downs.  The nice thing is that even when you are going up the biggest hill, you know that there is a down hill on the other side.

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Running hills on my running off day…

How do you run hills on your running off day?  Well I did it.  Okay, not the wisest choice I know, but it started off with an easy run with TJ.

We both had the day off from work, so we thought we would go explore a nearby neighborhood.  We are always looking for new areas to run in since running the same places day after day can get a little boring.

So off we went.  I knew getting to the neighborhood was going to be a little uphill since I have been in that area before.  Unfortunately it was uphill for a lot of the way once we got out of our neighborhood.  We finally got there and decided to run around a bit.  Now these hills aren’t as steep or as long as the hill we run on our hill day, but there were nonstop hills from the moment we entered the neighborhood until the moment we left, 2 miles later.  The hills weren’t small by any means either.  In fact, one of them we decided to walk up since it was so big and it was our day of after all!

It was a lot of fun running with TJ.  We don’t run together much, so when we do it is always a fun.  Also we did run slowly, even compared to my normal pace.  We ended up with a 9:11 pace, which is down from 8:30 for me and down much more for TJ, so it was a good run on our off day.

Ultimately this will help me get to my goal of 48 miles this week.  I believe that will be record mileage for me if I stick to my plan.  Then next week I’ll back off my mileage a bit in order to not overdue it.

All in all it was a great day.  Run early, doctor appointments in the afternoon and then I walked a couple of miles in the evening.  I love the Spring!!!