Month: January 2014

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Running up a mountain

Top of the mountain

Top of the mountain

We ran… Up and up and up.  Where was this road going?

TJ and I decided to run at the state park.  We took a beginning route like @bigbiggeek and I ran the day before.  But as we got to the end of the road, we decided to take the narrow “road” to the left rather than turn around.

It was nice.  Running in the shadow of a mountain up and down and around.

But then the downs went away and it was just up.  We ran up one hill that immediately turned into another hill and then up another.  It went around curves and then continued upward.  I looked to my right and the small drop off became a steep fall.

We reached about 2.5 miles of running and so far this one “hill” was 1 mile long.  I had to stop and take a breath.  Then back to running up the hill.  1 mile up became 1.5 miles and then 2 miles.  I had never run up hill for two miles straight.  It became obvious that we weren’t running in the shadow of the mountain, we were running UP the mountain.

Finally the ups became more flat.  We were at 3.5 miles out and I wanted to get to 4 miles so that I would have an 8 mile day.

The picture above was one taken at the top.  We still had to run about a 10th of a mile to get in 4, so we continued on and then turned around to head back.

Cool trees

Cool trees

As we began to head back, I saw these cool trees overlooking Birmingham.  What a great view.

Heading back down the mountain

Heading back down the mountain

Finally we began our decent.  On our way up we saw no one.  No cars, no bikes and no runners.  On our way down we saw several cars going up and a few bikers heading up the mountain.  We flew down the road and around all the curves and to the bottom of the mountain in record time.  My legs felt like mile 20 of my marathon.  Shot.

We finally ended at the bottom of the mountain and got back on the road that would lead us to our car.  I hadn’t realized how many hills we ran down in the beginning of our journey.  So we had a mile and a half to go and it seem to be mostly uphill!  I told TJ, my legs were shot.  But then I thought of my marathon and that I needed to make my legs run, even with nothing left.  So we pushed on.  In fact that last mile we ran near my marathon pace.

Back to the main road

Back to the main road

Finally back to civilization.  TJ told me that we had just .5 miles to go.  I was never so happy to see the road and the park.

So I had a couple of unexpected firsts in the run yesterday with TJ.  First we ran up a mountain which I never thought I would do, but it was an amazing experience.  What a feeling of accomplishment for me to look out over the city while realizing I just ran 2 miles up hill.  Second, I got in 8 miles which is the most since my marathon last fall.  My hip wasn’t perfect, but it made it through and I feel fine today.

So the rest of the day was filled with football and burgers.

What a great day for a run.

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Run in the park

I had a great time with Neill @bigbiggeek running in the mountain state park yesterday.  It was 25 degrees when we started and in the low 30’s by the time we finished.  I was thinking to myself, who would run in a mountain park in this cold weather?  Evidently a few other runners.  On top of that there was a polar bear swim at the beach we ran by.  A swim.  Not me.  It was for charity though, but that takes guts.

Today TJ and return to the same park for a run.  I am looking forward to it.  I run 90% of my runs by myself, so when I get a chance to run with a friend or a child, it is always a great thing.

Off to start my day.

Enjoy yours!!!

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189.9

Yes!

I made it back down to the 180’s. Okay, the upper 180’s but it still counts!

After my marathon and my injury and Thanksgiving and Christmas… well let’s just say I was pushing 200 lbs.  I think I got up as high as 197.5.  So for me to weigh myself this morning and see the second number of my weight be an 8 was a wonderful thing!

For me… this is how I lose weight.  This is what works for me..

I eat anything I want before I run and nothing after.

Now that isn’t exactly true.  Essentially my basic diet consists of eggs for breakfast, almonds for a snack, Stouffer’s macaroni and cheese for lunch and about 64 oz of water.  Then I go home and run at least 4 miles in the afternoon.  It has to be 4 and not 3 miles.  I will lose weight at 4 miles and I won’t at 3.

So I might snack after I run, but mainly I drink 32 oz of Gatorade and try not to eat much.

If I eat a regular dinner, I usually gain weight.  However I can eat almost anything (within reason) in the morning (Krispy Kreme 5K is looking tempting).

My eating isn’t complicated.  I do know that if I run at least 4 miles and don’t eat much for dinner I’ll lose weight.

Tonight for dinner… Pizza.  Oh well, I’ll have the rest of the weekend to get back down to the 180’s.

I love pizza.

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One year of writing a running blog

Today is my 1 year anniversary of writing this blog.

Okay, that deserves a picture!

Happy Anniversary To Me

Happy Anniversary To Me

It has been a crazy year.  When I started this blog, I had only run 5Ks and was preparing for my first half marathon.  I also had lost about 85 lbs and would loose another 15 (10 of which I gained back over Christmas.)

Since then, I ran my half marathon in 1:44, my marathon in 4:15 and PRed a 5K in 21:48.

I got hurt.  I thought I hurt my achilles, but actually it ended up being a heel spur.  I also jammed my hip during my marathon training and am still getting past it all.

I trained for my marathon in the hot Alabama Summer.  Nothing like getting up at 4:00 AM, working until 2:00, going to the Chiropractor till 4:00 and then trying to run in 100+ degree heat.

I missed qualifying for Boston by 45 minutes.  Still not a bad first marathon.  I had wonderful participation on my blog during my marathon as I ran and my brother kept people up on my progress.  TJ missed qualifying for Boston my 3 minutes – I was very proud of him.

Also a year of my Lovely Wife supporting me and putting up with me being out running 1-3 hours a day!!!  Thank you Lovely Wife! I honestly couldn’t do this without you!

So here I am.  One year to the day of starting my blog.  This is my 322nd entry.

Thank you to all of you who follow and encourage me on my journey.  It has been a heck of a ride so far.  I am not giving up on my goal of Boston.  I am going to do it.  I will continue until I make it and then… maybe start ultras?

One year down, another on the way.

God bless you all.

Tom

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No pain Monday

4.21 mile run yesterday…

Nothing unusual…

Except…

No PAIN…

For those of you who may not have read, I have issues with my hip/bursitis/SI Joint.  Needless to say, on a good day it can be hard to run and on a bad day…  I walk.

Yesterday was a rainy day which usually will make my bursitis act up.  It was cool out, in the low 50’s.  I wasn’t looking forward to running in cool rain.  I did anyway.

On top of everything else, I had just run a 5K on Saturday.  After my last 5K I had to take a month off because of my hip.

So I went out yesterday and got through the first mile and realized I didn’t hurt.  By the second mile I may have had a moment of discomfort.  Third mile… Nothing.  Forth mile I was worried when I felt a twinge, but still nothing.

This is the first run since my marathon on September 8th that I had no pain and it was also after a 5K that I ran at a 7:50 pace.

So I am excited.  I hope I am moving on and can actually start training again.  It may be too late for the Mercedes half marathon in February (which was my favorite race of all last year), but TJ and I will look around and come up with another one.  I would like to beat my half PR of 1:44.  That will take some training.

Just to be clear.  I know I need to be careful with my hip.  I imagine another week or two of running my 4 mile route will get me where I want to be.  Also as of yesterday, I am 1 mile behind my total mileage of December.

Now if I can lose that extra 10 lbs, I’ll be ready for anything!

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Red Shoe Run – More fun than a PR

It really was a good race.

The Red Shoe Run.

There was a 5K that I ran and a 10 miler (that was almost cancelled).  As I mentioned Saturday, we had storms and flooding all night.  Right before the race, a water main broke on the 10 mile course.  I joked with the guy who I was asking about it that they could turn it into a biathlon.

Water main break

Water main break

(Side note: Since I wrote that I don’t put pictures in my blog much, I have had one everyday.  Hmmm.)

Okay, why was my race a good race?

I ran the way I wanted.  I knew I didn’t want to hurt my hip, but I did want to do as well as I could.  So I went at it with 2 goals in mind.  The first was that I wanted to keep at least an 8:00 pace.  This is my half marathon pace and I felt that I could do that and not get hurt.  The second was that I wanted to run to feel.  I didn’t want to push so hard that I felt like I was dying, but I did want to do well.

I accomplished both goals.  I ended at a 7:50 pace and I only felt winded twice.  Once was when I had to run hard to get past a 7 year old boy. 🙂  This was about a half mile into the race.  Every time I started to catch him, he would speed up.  In the beginning I was impressed, but after a while he really kept getting in my way.  So I ran hard around him and moved on.

Actually at the 2.5 mile point, my hip started hurting me and I just made myself relax.  I have found if I consciously tell my self to relax, it usually gets better and it did.

The last time I pushed to hard was at the very end.  I had just passed a 28 year old on the last hill.  He didn’t like that very much.  As I rounded the corner to go to the finish, he went flying past me.  Not to be outdone by a young wiper snapper, I ran as hard as I could to catch up.  I got close and then…  my hip… stupid…  what was I doing!  I was running at a 6:00 pace in a race that I was so careful in not to get hurt.  So I pulled back, let him beat me and feel better about himself by beating a 51 year old man and finished at my 8:00 pace a few seconds behind him.

This was the first 5K that I actually enjoyed.  I usually feel dread hitting me because of pushing too hard on the 1st mile and push through anyway.  This time I just set my goal and kept it.

I finished in 24:17 (about 2.5 minutes slower than my PR).  I finished 1st in my age group and 2nd in the 40 and up category.  26th out of 238.

TJ finished 2nd in his age group and 9th overall!

So, it was a good race.  One that I will think back on and smile.  I honestly didn’t think I even placed, I just wanted to have fun.

I had fun.

It was a good race

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Thunderstorms, flooding, water main break – All that and it still went off only 30 minutes late!

I finished 26th overall and 1st in my age group. TJ finished 9th overall and 2nd in his age group.

Best thing is I think my hip survived.

More later!!!

Tom

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No pictures.. No excuses.. (and a 5K)

I don’t do pictures on my blog.

I should.  I know people would probably read it more.

I just don’t want to spend the time looking for pictures.  I want to write and have the content of my writing be what makes people interested.  I’m not sure I’ve accomplished that or not, but that is my goal.

So here is another picture. 🙂

photo

My daughter showed me her favorite shirt and I took a picture.

Yesterday’s post and today’s both have pictures in them.  I guess I don’t mind putting pictures in my blog if I see them first and they inspire me.  Just not as an afterthought.

Not that I mind reading blogs with pictures.  I am Jealous of you bloggers that can put the right image in at the right place and it really sets the tone.  I just haven’t been able to accomplish that.

Not that I am making excuses!

I don’t know why I just wrote all that.  I guess it was just on my mind.

I’ll try to add pictures in the future.  No guarantees though. 🙂

Tomorrow is my 5K with TJ.  The Red Shoe Run.  Used to be called the Red Nose Run.  I understand the reason for the change of the name.  It benefits the Ronald McDonald House and I guess both red shoe and red nose go with the famous clown.  Shoes might go better with running a 5K, but red nose goes well for the winter.

Last weekend it was 12 degrees in the morning.  Tomorrow it is going to be mid 50’s and raining.  Could be worse.  Could be 12.

So don’t look for any PRs from me.  My goal is to run a slow race.  Not hurt myself.  Enjoy the atmosphere and watch TJ win another medal.

Have a great weekend and I hope to catch up with my blog reading at some point… But… No Excuses!

 

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Excuses?

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My Lovely Wife saw this shirt in the store and had me take a picture.  The saying isn’t new, but I like the “perspective” that the picture gives.  Look at the NO!

In my life I am trying to make excuses rare, especially where running is concerned.

  • I am not giving into weather.
  • I’m not giving into pain (normal pain).
  • I’m not giving into my head telling me to stop.
  • I’m not giving into a difficult day.

I know that there are people “out there” that have a much harder life, more pain, harsher weather, overall difficulties that I am blessed at the moment not to have.  I am healthy. I am running. I am eating. I am sleeping inside.  I have a home, a family, a car, a Lovely Wife and great kids.

NO.  I am going to make excuses a thing of the past.  I may run till I drop, but I will make my goal.  If I have to crawl, I will make my goal.

Running is cheap.  It is simple.  My time outside isn’t that much fun, but I have to do it and I have to run and I have to run outside.  This is my life.

I honestly don’t know if I will make it to Boston or not.  Sometimes I wish I didn’t create the URL 278toBoston.com.  It seems to mock me sometimes.  I run 4 miles at a 10:00 pace?  That isn’t getting me anywhere.

But no excuses.  I will get there, I will keep going.  I will put on my running shoes everyday.  I will go out of the house and RUN.

Boston or Bama.  Whatever.

NO EXCUSES

JUST DO IT

 

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Running miles finally increasing

Another coooold run yesterday.  Not as bad as the day before.  I guess it was about 25 with a wind chill of about 17. The heat wave is coming though.  Saturday will be a high of 62!!!  Maybe the 5K Saturday morning will actually be fun!  I got in almost 4 miles yesterday which brings me up to 26 miles for the month at a 10:00 pace.  It is somewhat sad to me that I can’t run faster, but I am afraid my hip isn’t quite there yet.  Better slow and steady than walking!

I’m about through with my Nike app.  It isn’t recording my mileage correctly.  I have been at 2104 miles total for about 2 weeks. I tried to write support and they sent me to twitter.  I will keep using it because I enjoy my friends that are on it, but it needs some serious help

Have an awesome day and stay warm!

Tom

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9 degree run – So that is how it feels!

Yesterday

2:30 PM

Going running

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Seriously?

I know most of the country is cold and y’all in the North are frozen, but let me explain…

I run in the South.  All Summer I run in the afternoon and with heat indexes above 100 degrees.  I seriously think to myself, at least in the Winter I’ll be able to run in mild weather.

9 degrees “feels like” is not mild!

The run itself wasn’t bad.  I admit as I ran into the wind, my face froze a bit, but running with the wind was not bad.  I am from the North originally and I can still remember standing at the bus stop for school in sub zero weather, so this isn’t something I am unfamiliar with.  Still, yesterday was the coldest run I’ve ever had.  4 miles.  4 frozen miles.

As I ran I asked myself, would I rather run in 9 degree wind chill or in 110 degree heat index???

All in all, I choose the cold.  Fortunately we don’t have ice or snow to deal with, so just a 20 mph wind in 20 degree weather won’t kill me; and you know what they say, “what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger”.  Dumb saying.

I confess, I am glad to run in 9 degrees or 110 degrees.  It is supposed to be 40 for our 5K on Saturday.  Fortunately it is going to be that warm as it starts at 7:30 AM.

Keep warm, if you can.  Or if you are on the other side of the world, keep cool.  Either way…

ENJOY LIFE!