The Best Things in Life are Free

J's been using Freecycle for a couple months now. It's a good way to get rid of things that are still in good shape that we don't need any more. We've also picked up a few things from other people. It works kind of like eBay, except that everything listed is free and items are given away on a first come first serve basis. Most of the time items are small, but occasionally big ticket items are listed. Today, J called to tell me that she got a free treadmill. I'm happy.

This morning I ran my first workout of marathon training. I intended it to be just a tempo run, but it ended up being a progression run. I ran three miles to warm up, drank some Gatorade, and then started my workout. I ran it on the road by my house. It's a half mile to the end of the road, so to the end and back is a mile. The five miles of the workout went by in 7:35, 7:23, 7:18, 6:56, and 6:36. I started off slow, but finished up well. It would have been interesting to see what happened to my heart rate as the workout progressed; did it go up or did it stay fairly consistent. Unfortunately I don't own a HRM, but I did ask for one for my birthday, which is only about three weeks away. I'm happy with the workout, though I would have liked to be a little more consistent.

Swampy

Days like today remind you that Washington DC was built on a swamp. It was so humid this morning I felt as if I was pushing the air aside as I ran. We finally got some rain yesterday, which was good, but it left a lot of humidity behind.

I ran eight slow miles this morning. Once again, I could have used some more sleep last night and I was pretty tired as I ran.

Weekend Recap

Saturday-Ran six miles pushing the kids in the stroller. This was not very much fun. I wanted to wait until J got back from her run, but we had a birthday party to get to and I couldn't wait.

Sunday-Ran 10 miles, partially on the trails by the marina. I thought about going further, but I just didn't feel too good. I really should have had the Gu and seen if that helped, but I had already convinced myself to head home.

Toughing it Out

The second half of my run this morning was a little tough, but I got through it. The legs felt all right, but I was still kind of tired. It's a good thing the weekend is here and I can get some more sleep.

I ran a little over 10 miles, over two loops with a stop at the house for some water as has been the norm over this past week. It was definitely more humid this morning than it has been lately.

In birthday news, b had a good one. He and his buddies had a good time at the pool and then the in-laws came over for dinner and cake. My parents are coming to visit this weekend.

Happy Birthday!

b turns 2 today. The time just flies by. It seems like only yesterday he was born. Happy birthday b! I'm sure he had a great time at his pool party.

Running today was minimal. I always seem to get to bed later than I'd like on Wednesday nights, and last night was no exception. I hit the snooze button a few times and finally got up about half an hour after my alarm went off. I was still tired, though, so I ran five miles, did some strides, and called it a day.

Still Committed

Despite a later than ideal bedtime last night, I was out there pounding the pavement this morning. I felt tired, but I was focused on getting the run in, as well as the donut holes I was going to eat if I got the run in. It's good to have motivation like that.

I ran another two-loop run today. The first loop was six and a half miles, then I stopped by the house for some water, and I ran the six mile loop to give me twelve and a half for the day. After that, it was a quick breakfast and shower to get off to work and eat my donut holes.

6.25+5.25=11.5

I think my mileage for the day is fairly obvious from the title. I split the run into two loops so I could swing back by the house for some water. It was cool this morning, so I probably didn't have to stop for water, but it does seem to settle my stomach. I've had a few stomach issues this summer that I think have been caused by being dehydrated. Overall this run went well and I even was able to pick up the pace over the second half.

Commit

If I want to be the best I can be, I have to commit to it. There's no way that I can get anywhere near my running potential otherwise.

Saturday I ran five miles with the kids, including a stop at the playground to swing on the swings and feed the geese that live in the pond. That night, J and I went to Richmond to see Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake. It was an early birthday present for me. The show was great, but we didn't get home until almost 1 AM. I didn't get up and run, and I took a nap in the afternoon, so that gave me a big fat zero for the day.

This morning I ran eight miles, out and back along the parkway. I felt OK, but my lower back was a little tight when I woke up and stayed tight as I ran. The pain behind my knee that I mentioned a few days ago has disappeared.

Formal marathon training starts in a week. Commit.

A Little Niggle

After yesterday's 10 miles I could feel some tightness in the back of my left knee. I was surprised when it hung around all day and I could still feel it this morning. Still, I decided to at least run a little bit and see how it felt. I didn't really notice it on flat ground or going uphill, but I could feel it when I ran downhill. I stopped after three miles, iced, and took an Aleve. It feels better, but still a little tight.

To recap the last week of running:
Monday: 6 miles. Legs felt better than I expected after Sunday's 15, but I was tired.
Tuesday: 10 miles
Wednesday: 4 miles. Planned on more, but I was so tired I cut the run short.
Thursday: 10 miles

Ouch the Chafing

This weekend went well, both running and non-running wise. I ran seven miles easily on Saturday. It was starting to get warm, and I was feeling it during the run. I tried to make sure I got enough to drink over the rest of the day. Sunday morning I ran 15 at Burke Lake, which is three loops of the trail. I felt great and probably could have gone a little further, but recently the longest I'd gone before Sunday was 11 miles, and I didn't want to push it too much. The only problem was the chafing. Part of my legs were pretty raw and even bled a little by the end of the run.

Other than the running, I spent the weekend partying and working on the house. Saturday I went to two parties--a birthday party for friends of j and b, and a graduation/new job party for my sister-in-law. Sunday afternoon I put another coat of paint on the front door and helped put in the new doorbell.

The end of last week was OK. Eight miles on Wednesday, nothing Thursday, and ten miles on Friday.

Not Much

I don't have much running to talk about lately. Due to activities we had planned for Saturday, I switched my long run from Saturday to Sunday and just ran an easy four miles pushing the kids. Sunday I woke up and just was not in the mood to run at all. I was tired and had a headache. Yeah, it does sound like a pretty poor excuse. The headache went away, but I was still tired so rather than run I went with J and the kids to the pool. Sunday was a late night, and I slept in instead of run Monday.

This morning I did get up and run. I ran 11 miles, a five mile loop and a six mile loop. I did the two loops so I could come back to the house and get some water in the middle of the run. It's been pretty warm and humid here lately.

A Good Decision

I was so close to just getting back into bed this morning instead of running. But I didn't, and I ended up having a pretty good run. I ran 10 miles through the neighborhoods. As has been the case lately, the first half of the run seemed to drag on, but the second half went by in no time. The legs, especially the hamstrings, were a little tight. Maybe I should be stretching. It's certainly not as hot in VA as it is in AZ, but it's definitely getting warmer again. I knew those days with highs in the low 80's wouldn't last.

On a personal note, J and I were married five years ago today. I couldn't be happier and there's no one I'd rather spend the rest of my life with.

Easy Day

I felt pretty tired and a little sore this morning, so I just ran an easy four miles and called it a day. Yesterday I ran 10 miles, with the middle four up-tempo, and Tuesday I ran 10 miles as well.

I hope everyone had a nice holiday. We took the kids to the parade in the morning, grilled some burgers and dogs, and then went to watch some fireworks at night. We had a great seat for the fireworks--right across the street from the filed where they were launching them--and we got out of the parking lot afterwards in minutes.

The Old College Try

It's been a while since I updated this thing. There's no point in having a blog if I don't keep it updated on a semi-regular basis, so I'm giving myself one more chance. If I can't keep it updated over July, I'm not going to do it any more.

I'm not going to go through all of my running over the last month. It's been OK, but could use some improvement. I'm getting into the groove now and am getting the mileage up so I can get into my actual marathon training.

I had the good fortune to be in Indianapolis for the USATF Outdoor Championships in June. I attended the meet Thursday and Friday and really had a good time. It was great to see people like Matt Tegenkamp, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Deena Kastor up close and personal. I have a few pictures that I may post.