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.

Out of the Way

Repairs on the car are going to be done. It didn't end up exactly the way I would have liked, but at least now all that's left is to drop the car off at the body shop. That will happen a week from today, the day before we go out of town for 10 days.

Training has been going well. I'm still just running easily for the most part, getting the mileage back up.

Monday-I ran six miles, out and back along the Parkway.

Tuesday-I ran eight miles over the neighborhood loop.

Wednesday-I ran eight miles again, out and back along the Parkway.

I've been feeling kind of tired lately during my runs. Some more sleep would help me feel a little better and also probably bring the pace down a bit.

Weekend Recap

Saturday: Getting up early to run before J left for lacrosse didn't happen and I ran an easy four miles after the kids had lunch.

Sunday: Got up early and ran eight miles. I really felt pretty awful and was glad when this run was over. My legs just felt really, really heavy.

Congratulations are due for J, as her girls won their lacrosse division championship. Even though they lost the championship game to the winner of the other division, it's still quite the turnaround from the team that didn't make the playoffs three years ago.

Now, unfortunately, for some bad news. On her way to the championship game today, J got in a car accident. She was turning as she went around a ramp, and the car slid on the wet pavement into the guardrail. J's OK, but the car isn't. It is still driveable, and I'm going to get an estimate to fix the damage tomorrow.

And for some even worse bad news, Beth was hit by a truck on her ride Friday. Amazingly, nothing was broken. Here's wishing her a quick recovery.

Finally, here's something that just pissed me off. There's a new section within the Metro section of the Sunday Post called Commuter. It highlights road construction, answers questions about commuting, and has other little features. There was a little story today about a Metro (the DC subway/buses) employee whose van was blocking the path of an ambulance that had its lights flashing and sirens wailing. He only had to move the van a few feet to let the ambulance get by, but his stance was, "I was here first." If I were his boss, I'd fire him in no time. What part of the lights/sirens did he not understand? Did he think the ambulance was out for a Sunday drive? I've never met Beth, but I've followed her blog for a while, and I'd be mad if she were more seriously injured because some idiot didn't let the ambulance by because he was there first. Moron.

A Kick in the Butt

After a decent start to my running at the end of lacrosse, I slacked off a little. I allowed one day off last week to snowball into five. The family and I did go camping over Memorial Day weekend, but I still could have fit my runs in. I gave myself a little motivational speech about my goals, a kick in the butt to get me back out the door. Richmond is not tomorrow, but I don't have that much time. Thus far this week I've run five miles Tuesday and seven yesterday and today.

Quick question about marathon training plans: I've looked at Pfitz's 70 mpw plan, and while it maxes out at 70, it does start at less than that. If I'm averaging mileage over what the plan starts out with (still iffy at this point) should I drop back down or pick up the plan at the week where the mileage matches up with mine and maybe repeat weeks?

Back to It

I've finally found some consistency with my running. I'm working on getting the mileage back up and building a base before I get to the specific marathon training. At J's urging, I'm going to find a plan to follow, likely from Advanced Marathoning or a similar book. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I'm looking for something with mileage in the 70-80 range.

Thursday: 4 miles, last day I had to drive in early for lacrosse
Friday: 5 miles
Saturday: 7 miles
Sunday: 6 miles
Monday: 7 miles
Tuesday: 7 miles

Fitness Day

Today was my agency's annual Fitness Day, which takes place at the track of the high school I work next to. There are walking and running events, as well as some kind of aerobics. I ran in the two-mile run and the one-mile relay, and also participated in the two-mile walk since one of my co-workers asked.

Last year I won the two-mile in something like 12:40. Since last year, though, the two other runners who finished close to me have left the agency for other jobs. This year I ran solo to victory in 13:24. After the two-mile was the one mile relay. Because of the space the track is in, it's 1/5 of a mile instead of 1/4. Each member of the relay team runs one lap. I led of and split :58, which works out to between and 72 and 73 second quarter.

Tuesday I ran a little less than three miles pushing the kids. I got a little frustrated with the canopy of the stroller because it wasn't staying in place and cut the run a little short.

If You Learn One Thing from Adam Goucher...

While Adam Goucher was still training in Colorado under Mark Wetmore, there were rumors that he hurt his back moving rocks in Wetmore's yard. Both of them were chastised for it, in typical letsrun.com fashion. Last night, I found myself in a similar situation.

Our backyard had a little fenced-off section for the air conditioner. There were some little decorative rocks put in too. The weekend before last, I took out the fence and rocks so I could have a little area for gardening. j has been interested in it lately, so we got some seeds to plant. We advertised the rocks on freecycle, and someone actually wants them. Last night I was moving them from the backyard to the front so she could pick them up, and I tweaked something in my lower back, right in the middle above my butt. It's not too bad, but I can feel it when I bend over. Walking around doesn't bother it, so I'm going to try running this afternoon.

Yesterday I ran four miles at the park pushing the kids, and Sunday I ran five miles. I'm getting back to normal and will be increasing the miles over the next few weeks.

Speaking of Adam Goucher, there's some interesting info about he and his wife Kara at Nike Running.

A Hiatus

I've been gone for a little while. There just wasn't much to write about. I wasn't running very much, I was pretty tired all the time, and at times bitter about the whole situation. I had volunteered to go to work early so I would be home early and J could coach lacrosse. I underestimated how tired it would make me as well as my resolve to get my running in, and I wasn't a happy camper. Now lacrosse is winding down--one team is already done, one team has one more week, and the last team that still has a few weeks left mainly plays on the weekend--and I'm feeling better and beginning to run more. This morning I ran six miles along the parkway. It definitely feeling like summer's right around the corner.

I'm already registered for Richmond in November, and that's the goal. Chances are good too that I'll be running a half in Baltimore in October.

The Weather's Terrible; You'll Wish you Weren't Here

Yesterday's weather was just awful. A cold rain lasted almost all day until six or seven in the evening, when it started to snow. I didn't run yesterday; besides the weather I was so tired when I got home from work that if not for the kids I might have gone right to sleep for the night. There's a dusting of snow on the ground this morning that shouldn't stay around long.

Thursday I ran on the in-laws' treadmill. One of the benefits of living close to them is that I can go over and use the treadmill if I want. The sky was cloudy and there was some lightning and thunder around, so I wasn't going to take the kids out in the stroller.

Wednesday I got out for only three miles in the evening. I hadn't eaten anything all morning, and I was questioning if I wanted to run or eat after that. J suggested that I eat and work on painting the trim outside, so I ate and did that. I didn't get a chance to paint much before J had to leave for lacrosse. I was kind of cranky from being hungry and I had a headache from my lack of caffeine and just did not get out the door until I had to or not run at all.

Don't Drink the Brown Gatorade

b's getting over his stomach bug, but we're still being cautious about his dairy intake. Instead of milk, he had gatorade to drink with dinner. I drank the gatorade that b left over, and j pointed out that it was yellow. I told j that sometimes it's red too, since we have red gatorade as well. Then j proceeded through the litany of gatorade colors: blue, orange, pink, purple,... until he got to brown. I told him I don't think they make brown gatorade. I also told him they don't make black or silver gatorade.

Today and yesterday I ran six miles pushing the kids in the stroller. It's been warm enough the last two days to run in a t-shirt and shorts and sweat. Pushing them isn't too bad, until you get to a hill. I'm off work tomorrow because J thought it would be a good idea for us to get physicals, so I'll have the chance to run without the kids.

Ixnay on the Aceray

I didn't end up running the race this morning, or running at all today. b's been a little sick with some kind of stomach bug and this morning he wasn't keeping anything down. Even though J probably would not have asked me to stay home, I did anyway. Hopefully b will be over this soon.

Goose Egg

I didn't run yesterday. I got home late, and I had told J that I would go to the running store and pick up some Shot Blocks for her long run this morning. By the time I went to the running store and got back home, my motivation was waning. I'm more motivated right when I get home. Plus I needed to make dinner for the kids soon, and I was tired, so I just took the day off.

This morning I went to Burke Lake and ran seven miles. J was there doing her long run, so the plan was I would feed the kids breakfast, bring them to the park, run one loop around the lake pushing them in the stroller, and meet J back at the parking lot because by that time she should be done. She'll take the kids home and then I'll run a little more without them. The plan actually worked--I ran 4.5 miles with the kids, and then another 2.5 without. I might have done a little more, but I wasn't feeling too great--my stomach was a little off and even though I got more sleep last night I still felt kind of tired.

I think I'm going to run a race tomorrow. It's 12k that happens to be at Burke Lake Park. I'm planning on running it as a workout, running hard but in control for the first half and then hammering the second half.

Tired Run

About halfway through my run yesterday I just wanted to lay down and go to sleep. I continued on though, and made it back home awake. I had entertained thoughts about a hill workout, but in my tired state I scrapped that idea and just ran six miles and did some uphill strides after the run. This driving myself into work early in the morning is leaving me more tired than I thought it would.

Still Winter

Winter made a comeback in Northern Virginia yesterday. After a few days of warm temperatures, Mother Nature gave us about two inches of snow. It was the good snow, the light fluffy kind that's easy to clear. I was going to take the kids to the in-laws and borrow the treadmill, but lacrosse practice was canceled so J stayed home and I ran outside. I ran eight miles along the Parkway in the snow. I was tired, but the legs felt pretty good and I was done before I knew it.

Evaluation

I really haven't done anything fast since the marathon, so Monday I went to the track for a tempo run. The plan was to run hard but in control and let the pace fall where it may. I took the day off Monday due to b having a fever Sunday night, but by 11 am he was feeling better so I headed over to the track. I figured that since school was in session the high school track would be open, and it was. After my two mile warmup, I ran 5000 meters on the track in 19:26. I went out a little fast (6:04 first 1600) and then settled down (the next two 1600s were 6:20 and 6:18, with the last 200 in 44). Overall I'm pleased with the effort.

Today's run was six miles. I would have done a little more if I had more time.

I've had to rethink my goals for the spring. J is coaching not one, not two, but three lacrosse teams. Because of that, I'm going into work very early so I can come home early and watch the kids while she's at practice. I should be able to get out and run every day since I can push the kids in the stroller, but I don't see myself getting many quality workouts pushing 50 lbs. worth of children. I'm simply going to try and run on a consistent basis and stay as fit as possible for when things get back to normal at the end of May.

Getting out of the Slump

I've been in a slump the past two weeks with my running. I've been sleeping in, and the snow and ice we got this week didn't help. For whatever reason, I feel like I'm coming out of it, and I made it out both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday I ran eight miles through the neighborhoods. They don't do a very good job plowing the roads around here let alone shoveling the sidewalks, so I need to stay off the main roads as much as possible. Sunday I planned on twelve or thirteen miles, but called it quits after seven. I was more tired than I expected, and my legs especially my left calf, were pretty tight. I stretched out well and hopefully will feel better tomorrow.

Goals

J and I had a discussion Monday night about exactly what my running goals are. Her concern is that I'm aimlessly running, without any purpose. Also, since I've known her, I've pretty much been steadily running more and more. She doesn't always see me increasing my mileage as a positive.

In the near future, my goals are identifiable: break 17:30 in the 5k and 37:00 in the 10k and then break 3 hours at Richmond in the fall. Further out, it's harder to identify goals because new goals depend on breaking old ones. My ultimate running goal, however unrealistic it may be, is to qualify for the Olympic Trials in the marathon.

Reaching my goals will take hard work and dedication. In addition to running, though, I have other commitments--family, work, etc. How do I reconcile my goals with those commitments? Why am I having such a hard time accepting that those other commitments could prevent me from reaching a goal?

Used to It

I wanted to go back to sleep when the alarm went off this morning, but after I was up and moving around for a few minutes I was awake enough to get out the door. I guess my body is used to getting up again. It was about 30 degrees this morning, a little warmer than the low 20s of the past few days. I ran 10 miles, including eight laps at the middle school track. I added on the miles there rather than looping past the house, since I was pretty tired and I was worried about the temptation to just stop at home. For being tired, it was a solid run. I average just over 8 minutes a mile.

Wednesday I was pretty tired too, and in an effort to help with my motivation, I put on my headphones. Unfortunately, the music only lasted a mile since the batteries died. At that point, though, I was feeling better and ended up with six miles. Tuesday was another ten mile day.

Some Good Running

My last few runs have gone quite well. I've been running a strong aerobic pace, and the distance is coming back up. Now if I could just sleep a little bit more, I'd be a really happy camper.

This morning I ran eight miles along the Parkway. It was cold and a little windy, but nothing too bad. Yesterday I ran about nine and a half miles with one of J's friends. She's training for the Shamrock Marathon in VA Beach. While I finished with nine point five miles, she continued on and ran twenty. My other days since I last posted were nine, ten, eight, and seven miles. I'm glad to see the consistently and to have the desire to get out the door every morning.

Snow Day

Mike is not the only one who's had snow lately. We got a little less than two inches Sunday afternoon, and let the kids go outside and play in it. j loved it, but b didn't think it was so much fun.

I ran Sunday morning before the snow started, one lap (5 miles) at Burke Lake pushing b in the stroller. I wanted to do two laps, but since I was late getting out the door in only did one.

Saturday was cold and blustery, with 20 to 30 mile per hour winds. I ran seven miles in the morning, and then the kids and J and I headed off to Warrenton so J could run a race. She's training for the National Half Marathon and her training schedule called for a 5k. The race was only three miles, but that's close enough. Despite the wind, she ran a great race and finished in 22:36. Adding about a minute or so to estimate her 5k time, she broke her PR by almost three minutes!

Monday morning I ran eight miles in conditions that could be described as a skating rink. We got some sleet or freezing rain overnight and there was a layer of ice on the snow. I was cautious and only really slipped one, but being cautious made the run take about 10 minutes longer than it should. This morning I ran just under nine miles. I was going to run a little extra around the house so I got up to nine, but the stomach issues I was having towards the end of the run caused me just to stop as soon as I got back home.

One thing I've noticed since I've begun consistently running after my post-marathon layoff is that I often feel hungry while I'm running. I get up, get dressed, and head out the door, so I don't eat before I run. This has been my routine for a while, and I don't remember feeling like my stomach is so empty in the past.

Chance

I took a chance this morning and ran out and back along the Parkway. The last time I ran there in the dark, I tripped and fell while I was running through the portion that is under construction. Nothing like that happened this time, because while they've still not finished redoing the path, they have added a third lane to the road that is not yet open to traffic. I ran in that lane and avoided and the ruts from the construction vehicles.

I ran eight miles, the longest I've run since the marathon. I'm working on getting the mileage up and maybe running some 5k and 10k races in late spring.

Winter is Here

It's January and winter has finally arrived. This morning it was in the mid 20s with a slight breeze as I headed out the door. I ran seven miles, and about halfway through I really just wanted to be done. It wasn't due to the weather, I was just tired. I was running a loop though, so there was nothing to do at that point but soldier on home.

Last night I had the chance to watch the brief documentary about Craig Mottram, The Big Mazungo. I got the DVD from David Monti, but if I remember correctly you can find it on Youtube. It's well worth your time.

Spoke too Soon

When I last wrote, I thought b was getting better, but boy was I wrong. He seemed OK last Tuesday so on Wednesday he ate normally, but Wednesday night it was all coming back up again. And to make things even better, J wasn't feeling very well either and j was throwing up as well. I finally caught whatever was going around and was feeling a little queasy Friday afternoon. By the weekend, though, things had settled down and everyone was back to normal.

With the sickness going around, I didn't run much at the end of last week; in fact I didn't run from Thursday through Sunday. Yesterday I ran six miles and this morning seven. Until this afternoon it's been unseasonably warm--I ran yesterday morning and this morning in shorts and a t-shirt. But the front's come through, and tomorrow morning the temperature will be in the 20s

Recap

First, a little synopsis of my last three days of running:

M: 7 miles
T: 4 miles
W: 7 miles

I don't have anything terribly exciting to report about the runs. I'm just trying to work on getting the mileage up and am keeping the runs easy. The hip flexor was pretty tight Monday, not quite so bad Tuesday, and best of all today. Winter weather has finally arrived, at least for a few days.

I was hoping that Tuesday's run would have been a little longer, but Monday night b picked up some kind of stomach bug--there's been one going around his playgroup buddies, although it might have been something he ate--and got sick three times. Remarkably, he slept through all of them. The first time he made a little noise, but the second and third times he got sick J and I only found out because we went into his room to check on him. Thankfully it seems it was only a 12-hour or so bug, and he's feeling much better now.

Easy Day

After not running yesterday, I got out for an easy six miles this morning. I was close to talking myself out of getting up early, but after I made my list of things I'd like to get done this afternoon, I knew I had to get up and run or I wouldn't run at all--like yesterday.

The hip flexor was pretty tight this morning. I wonder if the day off yesterday had something to do with it.

Tired

I don't like Grey's Anatomy that much, so why was I awake last night watching it? Because J was watching it. Staying up until 11 last night made for an early morning, but I got out for six miles. One of my resolutions for the new year is to not let being a little tired deter me from getting up and running. I figure the worst thing that could happen would be for me to run a mile or two, feel terrible, and come back home. Even that would be better than not running at all. The hip flexor felt ok today.

A New Direction

I didn't want to run the same loop three days in a row, so I turned left instead of right this morning and ran seven miles on a loop I haven't run for a little while. Around this time of year, this loop takes me past a house that puts out one of the largest display of Christmas decorations around, but to my disappointment they had taken it down. The hip flexor felt ok until I started up the big hill. Still, it's not having a big effect on my running.

Same Old, Same Old

I ran six miles again today, on the same loop as yesterday. The hip flexor felt good until about halfway, when it began to act up a little. I made sure to stretch when I got back, and I also used The Stick for a brief massage. The plan is just to stick with easy running until the leg feels better.

Easy Day

Today's run was just an easy six miles. It was breezy but not too cold this morning. Despite having the day off due to the Federal Government being closed, I got up early and got my run done before everyone was awake.

After some stretching this morning, I figured out that the tightness really is in my hip flexor and not my groin. I'm not altering my stride at all, so I'm going to continue to massage the muscle and take some drugs before I take any time off.

A Good Start

Happy New Year!

Today was the second (I'm pretty sure) annual See Mommy Run New Year's Day run. See Mommy Run is the group J does most of her running with. This year and last year they had a little get-together at Burke Lake Park to celebrate the new year. Everyone runs a couple miles and then comes back to eat and drink whatever everyone brought. Usually we'd run around the lake, but the rain kept us off that, so we ran five miles along the path that follows the road the park is off. It was a good start to the year.

I have some goals for 2007 that I'll cover in a day or two.

Still Here

I'm still around, I just haven't had much of any motivation to blog recently. After my run on December 4th, I took some more time off. I didn't run for close to two weeks. When I resumed running, the pain in my groin was gone, but now the front of my hip is tight. I've been wondering if it has anything to do with starting back up after a layoff.

This morning's four miles were eventful. I ran out along the parkway, and where they've been doing construction they've begun to repave the path. However, they have not repaved it entirely, and there are still some sections where there is still dirt, which is rough from all of the tire tracks of the construction vehicles. This morning I was running on the dirt, and about to jump up to the pavement, when BAM! I tripped and went down. I was able to get my hands down, so nothing was hurt, I just got a little dirty. I was very careful the rest of the time I was running through the construction zone.

Christmas preparations are going well. j still does not quite understand Santa. If I ask him what he wants Santa to bring him, he'll answer "Trucks!" but he doesn't seem to think about it unless he's asked. Neither he nor b wanted to sit on Santa's lap when they came to visit me at work today.

Stubborn

I ran on my sore leg again this morning. It felt a little different, more soreness on the outside of my hip but still some soreness on the inside as well. Today, and Saturday as well, I can still feel something there on the inside hours after my run. I need to take some time off. That was cemented when I was searching for some stretches and exercises I could do and one website mentioned, "You have to stop doing what makes it hurt."

It's just so frustrating to me. I don't feel like I did anything to cause this. It started after time off, not after I rapidly increased mileage. It's a few weeks after the marathon and I'm itching to start running again. Still, a little time now is better than a lot later.

Still There

I ran six miles this morning and the soreness in my groin was still there. It's strange, I don't feel anything for a little while, then I feel a little soreness, and then it gets worse pretty quickly. I use the term worse loosely, though; it doesn't feel that bad and it's not stopping me from running nor does it seem to be altering anything. I know in my last post I said I'd give it maybe two days, but I might try to go a little longer than that before I take any more time off.

The Return

I'm trying to get back to running on a consistent basis after the marathon. Originally, that was going to happen last week. A week ago Sunday, J and I went to Burke Lake Park and I finally met one of her friends' husbands, who I am hoping becomes at least a infrequent training partner. However, after that Sunday run things were a little hectic at work and at home since we were going out of town for Thanksgiving, and I didn't run the rest of last week.

We came back home from Thanksgiving on Monday. I ran four miles Tuesday and Wednesday, though about halfway into the run each day I felt a soreness in my groin muscle. I took the day off Thursday, both because I was tired and to hopefully let the muscle get better. This morning I ran five miles, and the soreness was still there, though not as much. I'm stretching the muscle and am going to give it a go for two to three days before I take any more time off. If it doesn't get better by then, I'll rest until it does heal.

Richmond, the Long Version

Ed. Note: I know this is late, but I've been out of town for business and traveled for Thanksgiving, and when I've been home haven't had much time to write.

Pre-Race: J and I drove down to Richmond Friday afternoon. It was nice that I had the day off for Veteran's Day and I didn't have to take any time off work for the race. Shortly after getting on I-95 we passed the new Marine Corps Museum, which is quite impressive. When we arrived in Richmond, we went to the expo first. It wasn't too big or too impressive, but we did find a couple shirts for the kids. One says "My Daddy Wears a Bib Too" and the other says "Mommy's Favorite Training Tag-Along." After the expo we ate at the Olive Garden, checked into our hotel, and went to sleep a little after 10 pm.

Race: The alarm woke me up at 5:15 on race morning. I was surprised at how well I had slept. I took a shower to help me wake up and made a little pot of coffee with the coffee pot in the room. I didn't check what hours breakfast was served, and I just assumed that it would start at six. It actually didn't start until seven, so I headed out to find a convenience store to get something to eat. I returned with a pack of two pop-tarts for me, and a muffin bar and some kind off coffee bar for J. The pop-tarts go back to reading Running With the Buffaloes and discovering that it was Adam Goucher's pre-race meal. I tried it at a 8k I ran a few years ago and PR'd, so I figured I'd try it again. J and I left a little after seven for the 5-mile trek to the starting line. It only took a few minutes to get to the starting area. I had time to hit the porta-potties and run maybe a half mile to warm up. I wanted to visit the porta-potties one more time before the start, but by that time the line was too long to wait. I wormed my way closer to the starting line, up to the three-hour pace leader.

The gun went off and the race started. I was telling myself be conservative; if you run 7:xx you're just saving energy for later. I hit mile 1 in 6:43, a little faster than planned, but not devastatingly so. Mile 2 also passed in 6:43, and then miles 3, 4, and 5 were 6:40, 6:48, and 6:51 respectively. During those three miles I ran with the three-hour pace group. I made it to mile 6 with the pace group, but then got a little ahead of them. During the race I thought they had slowed down, but looking at my split of 13:15 for miles 6 and 7 tells me I sped up. The seventh mile also had a downhill section and the first "Party Zone" was at mile 7. These factors may have contributed to my speed. After the "Party Zone," we went uphill and over a bridge, and then followed a road that went by an area I can only describe as swampy. I ran miles 8, 9, and 10 in 6:44, 6:46, and 6:52. After that we came out to a more residential area that was flat at first and then followed a slightly uphill grade to about 14 miles. My split for mile 11 was 6:55, mile 12 was 6:58, and mile 13 was 6:50. I reached halfway in 1:28:55, which seemed good to me. My split for mile 14 was 6:43.

After 14 miles, we were still in a residential section of Richmond, and we turned on to a street where some people had placed quite a few signs in support of some specific runners and the field overall. Reading the signs helped take my mind off the fact that I still had 11 miles to go, and I ran mile 15 in 6:41. Next we crossed another bridge into more downtown Richmond. At this point the sun and the pace started to take a toll. It was warm, but a lot of the course had been shaded until now. Coming over the bridge was the first time I felt warm. I ran the 16th mile in 7:06. My next two miles were buoyed by the fact that I would see J at about 19 miles, and that helped to keep me going, though I was still warm and getting more and more tired. My split for miles 17 and 18 was 14:06.

At 19 miles I passed J. She was cheering for me, and I guess some other people heard her because I heard some other voices yelling "Go Brian!" as well. This pick-me-up propelled me to a 6:53 19th mile. After that, though, I really started to hurt. Mile 20 went by in 7:20, and then miles 21 and 22 went by in 14:54. At the aid station at 22 miles I walked through, getting water and powerade. I still had the gel I picked up at the 20th mile, but my stomach did not feel like taking it, so I got rid of it. The next three miles were quite slow--8:40, 8:47, and 8:40. I think the little bit of walking I did caused my legs to lock up a little and I was reduced to shuffling. Midway through mile 24 I started walking again, until a guy with quite a few tattoos passed me, saying, "Come on! I'm as dead as you!" I started running with him and did run the rest of the way, actually beating him to the finish. The fact that I was so close to the finish must have given me a boost, because I ran the 26th mile in 7:43 and the last .2 miles in 1:26 to finish in 3:07:05. My last post did say 3:07:07, which is what the results said when I first looked them up, but they now say 3:07:05, which was the time on my watch when I finished. I finished 49th overall and second in my age group.

Post-Race: I was sore when I finished, though I was still easily able to walk around. For some reason, before the race I had visions of falling over as soon as I crossed the line. I'm sure it was at least in part due to the emails I got in the days preceding the race about why marathoners fall over at the finish. I met J at the end of the finish chute and had a little to eat, even though my stomach still didn't feel much like it. We sat around for a few minutes, and then walked to the car (which was about a mile or so away) and drove home to rescue J's mother from the kids.

For a few days after the race, I was sore, especially going down stairs. By about Wednesday I was feeling better. I didn't run at all until eight days after the race, though I might have run before that had I not had to go out of town for work.

I'm happy with my result, though I certainly want to do better. Next year is the 30th anniversary of the Richmond Marathon, and if you signed up by midnight the day after this year's race, the entry fee was only $30, versus the $75 I paid this year. I was so close to breaking three hours that I went ahead and signed up for next year.

If there's one thing that I think will help me break three hours, it's more miles, both a longer long run and a higher weekly total. I only ran up to 19 miles in training, and that definitely needs to go up. I also need to be more consistent with the long run as well as overall. A second thing that I want to work on is having a more structured training plan. There was definitely little structure this time around. That said, I'm not running a marathon until Richmond next November. Any one that I'd want to run in the spring I think is too early to get the training in I'd like to. I'm slowly getting back to running, and I'd like to concentrate on the shorter distances in the spring and run some 5k's and maybe a 10k as well.

Richmond, the Short Version

3:07:07. Not quite as fast as I hoped, but under my secondary goal of 3:10. More later. Right now I need a nap.

Marathon Checklist

Clothing: singlet, shorts, socks, shoes

Accessories: sunglasses, watch

Paperwork: race/hotel confirmation, course map for J

Fuel: Gu

Am I forgetting anything?

What Month is it Again?

As most runners do, I've been checking the weather forecasts for the marathon. It's supposed to be 74 degrees on Saturday. This is November, right? Oh well, it is out of my control.

This morning I ran three miles in the rain. I need to remember to wear a hat when it rains so the raindrops don't sting my face so much. Other than that, not too much is going on. I'm looking forward to Saturday; I'm anxious to see what I can do.

Not so Fast

I didn't end up meeting any new training partners Sunday morning. His wife called Saturday night to let us know they wouldn't be able to make it. The kids and I still went to Burke and ran one loop around the lake for five miles, and then they got to play on the playground.

Monday morning I ran an easy five miles, and this morning I ran a brief marathon pace workout. Or at least I tried. The plan was to run two miles at about 6:50/mile. I ran over to the track to run the workout there so I had an accurate distance. I ended up about 15 seconds per mile slower than marathon pace. If anything I was trying a little too hard to stay relaxed and that kept me off pace. I know I can't expect miracles on Saturday, hopefully being awake for a few hours before the race starts and being a little more warmed up will help.

Coming Out of the Woodwork

I've wanted some training partner(s) for a while now. About two weeks ago, J met a another mom whose husband was looking for the same thing. I'm meeting him tomorrow morning, although we won't actually do much running because he just ran Marine Corps and I'm running Richmond. But after we've recovered, it will be nice to have someone to run with occasionally.

Yesterday I got an email from J about another training partner. The brother of one of her friends is also looking for a training partner. Apparently he finished pretty close to me at the Thursday night race I ran at Burke Lake.

This morning I ran six miles along the Parkway, pushing the kids in the stroller. The first three miles didn't feel too great, but I felt much better after I turned around and was making my way back home.

In other news, this is quite the eventful weekend for me. Last night, I went to the Washington Capitals game thanks to a free ticket a friend of mine had, and tonight J and I are going to see the Barenaked Ladies!

Taper, cont.

I'm definitely tapering, though I'm not sure I'm doing it quite right. I ended up only running five days last week and took Monday off this week. I'm not taking the days off on purpose, I'm just not putting in the effort to get out the door. All of my running has been easy, except for the 5k I ran last weekend. I ran 18:45 for 13th overall, and won a $15 Starbucks gift card for my third-place age group finish. I went out in 5:47, then ran 6:17 for the second mile and 6:41 for the last one-point-one miles. The first mile had some downhill and the second mile had an uphill portion and was much more into the wind. In the third mile I caught and passed the second place woman. I was pleased that I was able to pick it up in the last mile, but I wanted to run faster overall.

I'm getting anxious for the marathon. The closer it gets the more nervous I get about it. Of course, I have to make it through this weekend, which includes teaching a religious ed class to a group of 7th grade boys by myself. I think that scares me more than the marathon.

The Taper Has Begun

This past weekend was my last long run before the marathon. I ran 18 miles, the first six pushing the kids with J and the last twelve solo. The run went well, I even managed to pick up the pace at the end, but if I end up shuffling in the last few miles in Richmond I can likely blame it on the long runs. I've gone up to 19 miles, but I definitely could/should have run that far more consistently.

The rest of last week was pretty uneventful. I had one marathon pace workout that didn't go as planned since I was pretty tired. This morning I ran 10 miles with a little more than four at marathon pace. It's amazing how much better I feel when I get a good night's sleep. Speaking of which, I should be getting to bed.

Close Encounters of the Dog Kind

Let me share what happened on my run this morning. I was about a mile and a half in, running on a sidewalk along a four lane road separated by a median strip. It's about five am and dark. Out of the corner of my eye, I see this dog sprinting across all four lanes toward me. I'm startled, and I ended up down in the grass next to the sidewalk. I didn't know this dog, but I had visions in my head of the dog in my neighborhood growing up that bit everyone. I calmed down and let the dog sniff me, and then got up slowly. The dog waited a few seconds before he decided he'd had enough of me, and then trotted back across the road the way he came. As he was trotting away, I started walking, and then when I thought he was far enough away I started running again.

Even disregarding the dog incident, today's run wasn't my best. I wanted to run 10 miles with a few pickups, but the stomach issues I had prevented me from feeling like running any faster paces. Yesterday's run was 10 miles as well, Wednesday was a day off, and Tuesday was 11 miles, picking up the pace for the last mile.

I'm a Wimp

A summary of my last few days of running:
TH-0 miles
F-10 miles
SA-0 Miles
SU-6 miles
M-7 miles

As you can see from the numbers, my training is not going the way I planned, though it's no one's fault other than my own. Thursday my lack of sleep caught up with me, and I slept in rather than run. Friday's run was fine, other than the rain and wind. Saturday was disappointing. I wanted to run long, but just felt groggy all day and never made it out the door. Sunday I watched J run the Army 10-miler with 23,999 other people and then ran six in the afternoon. I took advantage of my day off today and took the kids to Burke Lake, where we ran seven miles on the trails. While I'm not worried about finishing my marathon, I know there are many things I can improve for my next one.

Wednesday Workout

As has been the case the past few Wednesdays, this Wednesday I ran, or at least tried to run, another marathon pace workout. The workout was 12 miles with six at marathon pace. I actually got up to do this in the morning, instead of sleeping in and running at night. I didn't get much sleep, though, so I didn't have great expectations.

I ran out the parkway with my GU and water bottle, which I brought with me because I thought the extra energy might help. After about three miles, I took the GU and set the water bottle down and started the marathon pace segment. I was worried that this part would feel like it took forever, but I reached the turnaround before I knew it. Actually, I went a little past the turnaround, because the actual turnaround mark is hard to see in the dark. The mark that I did see is past where I intended to turn around. Coming back is more difficult than going out because there are more uphills, but I did run back in about the same time. I picked up the GU wrapper and water bottle, and cooled down three miles back to the house.

This workout did not really go as planned. I wasn't able to get down to marathon pace. I'm pleased that I ran the second half at the same pace as the first, but it just wasn't as fast as I had hoped. It's likely due to the 19 on Sunday, eight on Monday, and 11 on Tuesday, coupled with less than optimal sleep.

Finally, this isn't related to the workout but if you're interested: pictures of my ugly mug from the Parks half Marathon.

My Aching Leg

I can't wait until my leg gets better. I didn't hurt it running, though. I tore it up sliding into third base at my softball game Saturday night. It's not keeping me from running, but the scrape is pretty good sized and still tender to the touch.

Last week became an unintentional cutback week. I didn't run Wednesday or Thursday. Friday I ran 10, and Saturday only three. Sunday morning, though I ran 19 miles, my longest run to date. I thought I'd be running in the rain, but luckily the rain stopped about five minutes into the run. I ran 15 miles before I took a GU, and I do think it helped me maintain my pace for those last four miles. So far this week I've run eight and 11 miles.

My plan is for this week and next week to be high-mileage (70-75), take a cutback week, and then run one more high-mileage week before I start the taper.

Post Race

After the race Sunday, I feel like I've recovered pretty quickly. The plan is to keep the mileage up this week and then cut back next week. My legs weren't too sore Monday morning, but I was pretty tired as I covered seven miles. Tuesday I ran ten, but my right Achilles felt a little tight. I iced it and took some drugs when I got back. This morning I was lazy and slept in, but I plan on getting out for at least a short run tonight. The last two weeks I've run workouts on Wednesday, but this week I'm giving myself an extra day and I'll run the workout Thursday.

1:28:01

I've made a bad habit out of showing up late to races lately, and the Parks Half Marathon was no exception. I'm a terrible estimator of time and it took a little longer to get there than I thought it would, plus I left late and still had to pick up my number. I arrived about a half hour before the race, picked up my number, and dropped off my bag. Then I headed over to the porta-potties and the start. By this time it was about 15 minutes before the start.

I waited in line for the porta-potties for a few minutes before it became obvious that I wasn't going to make it before the race began, so I just sucked it up and headed to the start. I had visions of PRing, but my late arrival and short warm up caused me to decide to run the race as a marathon pace effort.

The race started, and despite feeling like I went out controlled, I passed two miles in 12:38, about 20-25 seconds per mile faster than I wanted to be running. To be fair, though, the first two miles were so downhill it was like falling off a cliff. After about two miles, the race turned onto the path it would follow to the finish. I settled in as best I could given my inability to use the porta-potty before the race, and began to run 6:4X and 6:5X miles, which was more like it. About eight miles into the race, I was going to stop at a porta-potty on the course, but as I came up to it I saw it was occupied, so I pressed on. At 12 miles the course turned on to an unpaved section of the path, and I ran my slowest mile of the race, 7:00. I regained my focus and ran mile 13 in 6:44 and then the last .1 mile in 35 seconds to finish in 1:28:01.

Overall, I'm pleased with the race. Even after the fast start, I was able to settle into marathon pace and stay there for the entire race, with the slight lapse in the 12th mile. When I finished, I didn't feel too spent, and coming into the race I hadn't tapered and the week before and week of the race were two higher mileage weeks. The race bodes well for Richmond, which last week I registered for last week.

The Big Race

Tomorrow I'm running the Parks Half Marathon. I won't lie; I'm disappointed that it's going to be in the seventies and breezy when just two days prior the temperature was in the upper forties. But, there's still no reason I can't have a good race.

Training has gone well over the past few days. I ran on the track again on Wednesday night, five miles at marathon pace. I even started about 45 meters back from the starting line so I would actually run five miles. The track was a popular place to be that night. Not only were there people running and walking, there was a couple taking up the inside three lanes walking their dog. The dog was in lane one. I must have gone around them six or seven times. You'd think they might move after I passed them once or twice. Of course, as soon as I was finished and was leaving the track for my cool down home they left too. The workout ended as five (plus whatever extra distance I ran going around the dog walkers) miles in 34:46.

Thursday morning I ran an easy six miles and yesterday an easy ten. I'm not really tapering for the half. This morning I ran an easy six pushing the kids, with a quick stop at Starbucks for some coffee.

Recap

Sun: 16 miles
Mon: 8 miles
Tue: 10 miles

Sunday's long run went OK. I was hoping for maybe 17 or 18 miles, but because of how I was feeling towards the end of the run I stopped at 16. I should have eaten a little more before I ran since I didn't get out until 12:30, and I should not have forgone the water and Gu I had planned on having. I thought I'd feel a lot worse than I did Monday and it was a pleasant surprise that I wasn't as sore as I thought I would be. I stayed up last night to watch most of the Steelers game, and expected to be exhausted this morning. Even though I ran a few minutes slower than I usually do, the 10 miles went by pretty quickly, and I never did feel too bad. I've got a workout scheduled for tomorrow, and then a few easy days before the half-marathon Sunday.

Keep it Up

I did run my workout Wednesday night and managed 5 x 2k at a little faster than marathon pace. I warmed up 2.5 miles, and then ran the workout, with a lap of rest in between the repeats. I was consistent, running 8:04, 8:06, 8:06, 7:59, and 8:05. I had some stomach discomfort towards the end, which surprised me since pace-wise this is not a terribly hard workout.

After the workout Wednesday night, I didn't get to bed until midnight, so I ran Thursday evening. I ran an easy six miles. Friday morning I ran nine miles, and this morning I ran seven miles pushing the kids in the stroller. We ran a new loop, all on streets I've run before but never in this order. They're certainly heavy, especially going uphill.

Frustrated

I tend to be a little bitter when I don't run in the morning. After a late night last night, I reset my alarm when it went off. I'm going to run tonight, either when I get home or after the kids go to bed, because I promised myself that I'd be consistent in these last two months before the marathon.

Yesterday I ran 10 miles. I might have done another mile or two, but as I was getting close to home, the stomach issues intensified so I just finished with 10. The big news of yesterday was that it was Puff's (who will now be referred to as j, because we don't call him Puff anymore and really haven't for a while) first day of preschool. He had a great time and had no trouble as his mommy, daddy, and little brother left.

On the schedule tonight is some track work, 4 or 5 by 2k at marathon pace.

Vacation

It's hard to be back at work. I spent the last week in Hilton Head, SC, with the wife, kids, and my parents. The week of Labor Day is a great week to go on vacation. You get the beach and the golf course almost to yourself. Everyone had a great time.

I did run while on vacation, all of it with J. It was nice to be able to leave the kids with their grandparents and go run. I didn't run Saturday or Sunday, though. We left Hilton Head after dinner Friday night and didn't get home until almost 4 am, which was the plan since it meant the kids slept almost the whole way home, but it only left me with three hours of sleep that night. I took a nap Saturday afternoon and was able to play softball Saturday night, though. J was exhausted Saturday as well as a little bitter since I took a nap and played softball Saturday night, so I decided I take Sunday off too unless I had a really good opportunity to run. Between the kids' naps and taking them to a local park for the "Touch-A-Truck" event, the opportunity never came.

This morning I ran nine miles; eight miles out and back on the Parkway and the I added a mile around the house. After a slow start the pace came down and I had a good run.

Parks Half Marathon

Today I registered for the Parks Half Marathon. The race is on September 24, and I plan to use it as a gauge of my fitness before the marathon. After registering and perusing the web site, I started to wonder about all of the amenities. I don't care about a special shirt, I don't care about a party afterwards, and I don't care about themed water stops. It's a race. All I want to do is get from the start to the finish as fast as I can. None of the so-called amenities I listed above will help me do that. If I could find another half-marathon to run, I'd do it. Baltimore has one in mid-October, but I'd rather run one a little further out, and not only would running in Baltimore likely require a night in a hotel, the race is also $30 more expensive than the Parks. Two years ago I ran a great half marathon at the end of September in Fredericksburg, but that race has since moved to December.

My training over the last week has been so-so. I've felt really tired, which is especially odd considering my mileage has not been particularly high. Part of me wants to see if I can run through it and come out the other side in one piece, but part of my also wants to take two easy days and see if that helps, and that side of me won. So this morning I ran seven miles with some strides afterwards, and tomorrow the plan is six followed by some strides.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I'm 26 years young. I say young because of all the audible sighs from everyone at work when I mentioned my age. I don't have any big plans for tonight, just a nice evening with J and the kids.

I've have better weeks of running. To end last week, I met some friends at Burke Lake Park on Sunday morning for a run. Most of the group just did one lap, but Jimmy and I tacked on a second, giving me nine miles for the day and 60 for the week. Monday morning I ran ten miles. I think there were some effects from giving blood; I didn't feel bad, but once I checked my watch I discovered I was running slower than I thought my effort level indicated. The last two nights have been nights of little sleep, and thus I didn't run yesterday morning or this morning. Yesterday I didn't even get out of bed before resetting my alarm, but today I got as far a getting dressed to run and making my way to the stairs before the tiredness got the best of me and I went back to bed.

Not Feeling So Good

Yesterday morning's long run did not go well at all. I felt sore and stiff and considered postponing it until later, but I was giving blood at 12:30 and needed to be done in time to shower and make it there. Plus, I'm sure running an hour or two after you give blood is not recommended. So I ended up running/walking 12 miles, not running 17 like I had planned. Oh well, I know one bad run does not a training program break.

I was probably so sore and tired from my running on Friday. I ran five miles in the morning, and then since I was feeling compulsive, I ran another six in the evening. I took a nap on the bus on the way hone, and if I had been going straight home, probably would not have run. But I had to go to the grocery store to get dinner, so I had time to wake back up and decide to run.

Thursday's race went pretty well, though it became more of a tempo run than a race. J and I were late leaving because we were leaving the kids with her sister and she wanted to give them a bath before we left so all her sister would have to do was put them to bed. I very briefly warmed up, and then the race went off. Though a lap around the lake is 4.5 miles and the race distance was 4.5 miles, the race was not exactly one lap around. It was most of one lap, and a little bit of running on the park roads. I have no idea where the mile marks were, but I finished in 29:13, barely under 6:30 pace, in 19th overall. This race featured some family competitions, father/son, husband/wife etc., and I'm pleased to report than J and I were the winning husband and wife team. Of course she told me, "Now we have to run this race gain next year and defend our title."

Let's Go to the Punk Rock Show!

I didn't run yesterday. After a fitful night of sleep, I slept in rather than get up in the morning. I left work early because I was going to a concert and needed to go home first, but I didn't get to leave early enough to have time to fit in a run.

Last night two friends and I went to see the Ducky Boys, H2O, and Rancid at the Black Cat. It was a great show. I mainly went to see Rancid, and they definitely did not disappoint.

Tonight J and I are running a 4.5 mile race at Burke Lake Park. It's an odd distance because it's one lap around the lake, which is 4.5 miles. Since I've never raced the distance before, if nothing else it's a guaranteed PR.

Tired Legs

I took the day off work yesterday to watch the kids while J went to help her sister move. That gave me the opportunity to take the kids and run at Burke Lake Park. The park has a nice shaded trail that runs around the lake, and J usually runs there with the kids twice a week. I was going to run two laps (nine miles), but then B lost his shoes. They're slip-ons that he has figured out he can slip off. I never would have even known they were off except Puff started making noise and I stopped to see what he was fussing about. Then I turned around and ran back the other way to look for the shoes. I found the first one quickly enough, but the second was pretty far back. I went all the way back to where I started, and then a little further down the trail in the opposite direction before turning around and coming back. I ended up with eight miles. In the afternoon, I felt like running a little more, so the kids and I went out on the path for another five miles. The diggers were out working, so that made the kids happy.

This morning I went to the track for some mile repeats. I knew my legs would be tired, but that was kind of the point of running twice yesterday. I did 4 x 1 mile, with each one faster than the previous. The first one was slow, as usual, but after that one I got down a little below marathon pace. With the warmup and cooldown I ran nine miles.

Stroller Ride

I ran six miles with Puff in the running stroller today, ending up with 61 for the week. Now that there's some construction going on next to the path, it's easy to get him to go with me. I just have to ask, "Do you want to go on a stroller ride and see some diggers?"

Hiatus

As anyone who has actually checked in the last month or so knows, my blog has been on hiatus. Basically, life, especially work, has been stressful, and the blog fell by the wayside. Things really haven't calmed down much, but I've gotten used to it, so I'll try to actually write.

So far this week I've run 55 miles in six days. Eleven Monday, nine Tuesday, none Wednesday, ten Thursday and Friday, and fifteen today. I didn't have any real workouts this week; Friday I tried running a local 5k course at marathon pace to get my legs moving a little, but that didn't turn out well. Today I had planned on running a little more than fifteen, but after two hours I was pretty spent, and with this being one of the few runs I've done lately over ten miles it wasn't worth killing myself for an extra mile or two.

Feeling Good

I didn't sleep too well last night, so when I woke up this morning I didn't know quite how my run would feel. It turns out that I felt pretty good, other than some tight calves for the last two or three miles.

I ran 10 miles on the Parkway. Since everyone else seems to be talking about the weather, it was warm and humid as usual in July in Virginia. I definitely felt the need for some water over the last few miles. Tomorrow I'm planning on another fartlek workout.

I'm going to need new shoes soon and am really leaning toward trying training in flats. I'm light (140 lbs) and consider myself efficient. My big concern is switching from the Brooks Glycerin, my current training shoe, to something lighter, would be too big of a shock. Maybe I need to switch more gradually, go to a lightweight trainer first?

Wanted: Recovery

I don't know exactly what the deal is, but the day after both my workout and race this week I've felt terrible and because of that not run very much. Friday night I ran the Bastille Day 4-Miler in 26:10. It wasn't quite what I was hoping for, but all in all not a bad effort in temperatures and humidity near 90. As you can see from the splits--6:21, 6:25, 6:45, and 6:36--I definitely faded at the end. Overall, I was 29th out of I don't know how many since the results haven't been posted yet.

Saturday morning I went out to run a little after 10. I was just so tired that I only ended up running three miles. I got about eight hours sleep, so I don't think my problem is sleep related. If anything, I think it's food related. The race started at seven and afterwards I didn't eat anything until I got home about nine. I wonder if that gap has something to do with my tiredness. I've also had this nagging sensation in my stomach that hasn't gone away for a few days. I wouldn't call it pain, but I don't know what it is.

Epiphany

Last night I had a revelation regarding the construction that is going on around the crosswalk. I was so locked in to my normal route that I completely forgot I could cross at the prior light, where there is also a crosswalk.

This morning's run was eight miles on the path. As if it's not humid enough, the rain that fell last night made it even more humid. I felt a few drops while I was running, but nothing more fell. The legs were a little tired, but not too bad. I worked my calves and hamstrings last night with the foam roller, which seems to have helped. Tomorrow night I'm racing four miles; hopefully the heat and humidity won't be too oppressive.

Bad Run

Today's run was memorable for all of the wrong reasons. I was tired, sore, and just didn't plain feel good. I wanted to run eight to ten miles, but ended up with just five. When I woke up five minutes before my alarm went off this morning, I thought about going back to sleep and running in the evening. But with J's lacrosse game tonight, that wasn't a good option. So I got up and ran.

I ran on the bike path along the parkway, which isn't quite as nice as it usually is since there is some construction going on along the road it parallels. The worst part is that there is a jersey wall blocking the crosswalk, so I actually have to go down the road away from the path to cross and cross a six-lane road in the middle of the road. Luckily, there's not much traffic at 5 am. I felt bad the whole run, especially my stomach, and actually ended up walking a little. I think I'm coming down with a cold too. I'm going to try to get a good night's sleep tonight and I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning.

Speed Play

This morning I ran the fartlek workout that I mentioned yesterday. I warmed up just over two miles, and then ran 2 min on/2 min off until I had run seven miles total, and then cooled down a mile. I ended up running 9 repeats over the five miles. The plan for today was just to get the legs used to running a faster pace again.

The workout went all right. I think the biggest problem was that I ran the recoveries too slow. I was a little tired to begin with, but sometimes I felt like I was going so slow I might as well be walking during the recoveries. The other problem is that my watch no longer beeps. I set the timer to count down and repeat every two minutes, but instead of beeping the Indigo flashes when the timer gets to zero. I had to constantly look at my watch to see how much time I had left. The battery was recently replaced. Any suggestions?

Still Recovering

I definitely feel better than I did Saturday, but still not completely over my sickness. Saturday morning I woke up with a throbbing headache, my stomach didn't feel too good, and I was achy. I was going to run, but had changed my mind once J got back from her run. It's probably a good thing I changed my mind, since later in the day my temperature was up to 101. Sunday I felt better, but still took the day off. I did, however, cut the grass and do some weeding without any ill effects.

This morning I ran a little over seven miles in a just over an hour. It averages to more or less 8:30 pace overall, but I know I started out slow and picked up the pace as I went on because my last mile was about 7:30. While my fever is gone, my stomach still doesn't feel 100%. We'll see how it feels during the little fartlek workout I have planned for tomorrow.

What Not to Do

So usually I run a race on the Fourth of July. What else are holidays for, right? But not this year, and let me tell you this morning I was pretty bitter about it.

Last night I was cleaning up and getting ready to go up to bed when J's sister called and said she and a friend wanted to come over and borrow a movie. Despite the fact that I said I didn't care if they came over, I did care, and I ended up staying up late and skipping the race. I ran a little bit pushing B in the stroller this morning, but I was not into it at all, so I turned back early. Oh, and I may have been so mad at myself that I may not have only kicked myself but kicked a door frame and bruised my toe.

On one hand, I know I completely overreacted. But on the other hand if I could channel the energy from getting mad into my training, it would be great.

I've been getting back into training over the past few days, just doing a little easy mileage. Friday I ran four miles after the kids went to bed, Saturday I ran six miles, Sunday I ran a little under three, and Monday I ran five miles including a few strides over the last mile and a half.

Starting Over

Last night I ran three miles, and then this morning I ran four miles. For about the last month, my training has been very poor. I've been tired, and taken quite a few days off. Last week, which I spent in Houston, visiting some of my wife's family, was particularly bad. Despite the fact that I got in a 10 mile run the first full day I was there, every time I ran it was a struggle to keep going.

J and I discussed the problem and decided that a little break, followed by a week or two of easy running would likely help. That idea was confirmed when I read a few pages in Run Strong about overreaching. Basically overreaching is a precursor to overtraining. It's trying to do too much, but not to the point of needing an extended break. I'm pretty sure that's what happened to me. The running itself was not necessarily too much, but when combined with work, family, lack of sleep, etc. it was too much. I took the last few days in Texas off as well as my first day back at home, and had a good run last night. I only ran three miles, but when I stopped I felt like I could have kept going for a few more miles.

Excuse Me

I got kicked off the high school track this morning. Well, not really kicked off, but asked to leave. I didn't think there was a problem and didn't really want to leave, but did any as to avoid any complications that would lead to me never being able to run on the track again.

The plan for this morning was 3.5 miles to warm up, 3-4 miles at more or less marathon pace (6:45-7:00) and then cool down. When I got to the high school, I passed a security guard in his car and then went down the hill to the track. I just knew he saw me, so I wasn't surprised when he got out of his car and asked me why I was running on the track. So I know exactly how far I've run, I said. The field is set up for graduation, he said, so you shouldn't be down there. OK, I understand, I told him as I ran up the hill off the track. Have a good day, he said as I ran by.

I ran over to the middle school track to do the workout. I really had wanted to run at the high school, which has real track, as opposed to the middle school's asphalt track. I ran 5000 meters in 20:57, with splits of 6:56 at 1600 meters and 13:42 at 3200 meters. I'm happy with the time overall, as the average pace works out to 6:45, but I would have liked to run more even splits. After the cool down I had 10 miles for the day.

What am I Doing?

The last few weeks my log seems to be more full of holes than swiss cheese. I've probably recorded zeros for half of the days. Of all the distances I could race, the marathon is not one I want to run woefully undertrained. So I've got to get in gear, stop thinking I'm too tired, I can't/shouldn't run.

Thanks to Duncan for this link. Dave's blog is inspiring and here's hoping he makes the trials.

Priorities

I haven't slept as much as I'd like the past few nights, so as I was cleaning up after dinner last night I was thinking, when I'm done, I'm going to bed. J was sitting at the table, reading the paper and doing a Sudoku puzzle. I finished cleaning, and told J I was going upstairs. She seemed a little upset about something. I came back downstairs, and we started talking, and the point was she was feeling ignored because after the kids were in bed, all I was concerned with was cleaning up and going to bed myself. She's spends all day with the kids, which while enjoyable is devoid of adult conversation, and then I just want to go to bed so I can get up and run. I felt pretty stupid. Certainly spending some time with my wife is more important than my running.

After last night's late night, I didn't run this morning. Monday and Tuesday were eight and ten miles respectively.

Finally, two random questions:
1. Has anyone ever ordered sunglasses from one of those magazine ads like the one that's in the current issue of Running Times? You only pay postage and handling. I've seen the ads before, but they always struck me as too good to be true. But on the other hand, I think if it was some kind of scam Running Times wouldn't be including them.
2. We've started potty-training Puff. Does anyone have any tips/suggestions to make it go faster/more smoothly? If you don't feel like discussing in the comments, email me. The address is in my profile.

Chasing Women

Yesterday I ran the Run After the Women 5k. It's called Run After the Women because it follows the Women's Distance Festival 5k. The short story is that I ran 19:05 and finished third overall.

Checking the results of last year's race gave me the idea that I could do pretty well. I knew who the winner of last year's race was, and when I saw he was running this year I figured I'd try to stick with him, since his winning time from last year was only a few seconds faster than my PR. When the race started, I was able to hang on for the first kilometer, and then he started to pull away. We went through the k in 3:38, and then I hit the the mile in 5:55. The winner continued to pull away, and I was passed by second place just after halfway, which I reached in 9:30. I struggled during the third and fourth kilometers, but was able to pick it up and run the last k in 3:40 to finish in 19:05. And unbeknownst to me before I finished the race and had a volunteer tell me "Stick around, we have some nice awards," this race actually had awards, and I won a $10 gift certificate to RNJ Sports.

I was really hoping to run about a minute faster yesterday. I wonder if the late nights and lack of running in the days leading up to the race took their toll and left me more tired than I thought. On the plus side, yesterday's mediocre result has given me even more motivation to get out and train hard.

Time Flies

Time certainly flies when you're busy. Work's been hectic, and home has been hectic as well. We really need some more employees at work, especially since one recently left, but that's not going to happen anytime soon. We could use some more people at home as well, to help with the house and kids. Things will be getting easier at home, luckily, since this is the last week of  coaching lacrosse for J and school's almost out so she won't be tutoring much longer either.

I've been running, though not as much as I'd like. There have been too many nights where I've gone to bed too late and just decided to sleep in--like last night. I may be racing a 5k this weekend, depending on how the rest of the weekend goes. I haven't run a 5k for a few months, and would like to see where my fitness is. In other running news, I may have found an occasional training partner, but I'll elaborate on that once I have some more details.

The Good, The Bad, and a Realization

I won my race yesterday. One of them anyway. Despite only signing up for the 2-mile, I also participated in the relay, where my team lost. We had the lead going into the last leg, but their anchor was much faster than ours. I lead the 2-mile from start to finish, fending off a challenge over the last laps. I'm not sure exactly how close second place was to me, but I heard people yelling for him to pass me. I unleashed my barbarian kick and held him off to finish first.

This morning I only managed two miles. I felt a little sick last night before I went to bed, but felt OK this morning when my alarm went off, so I went for my run. My stomach started to bother me, and while I didn't feel like I was immediately going to be sick I felt like if I kept running I'd get sick. I stopped at the two mile point of my run, which because I loop around is only about a half mile from my house, and I walked home.

I think I may be trying to run a little too much right now, and it's not leaving me feeling very good. I'm going to back off a little on the mileage, aiming for 60 instead of 70 mpw. I need to be training consitently, and I think backing off a bit will help me be more consistent and lessen the peaks and valleys I'm going through now.

A Kick in the Butt

Every once in a while I need a swift kick in the butt to keep me on track, to keep me moving toward my goal. I need someone to drag me out the door, to say "Come on, we're going running."

After a good M-F's worth of running, where I did get my 50 miles in, I fell apart over the weekend. Saturday I ran six miles pushing the kids, and then Sunday I didn't run. Both days I chose sleeping in instead of running. I probably could have gotten a run in Sunday, but with the changing Mother's Day plans I didn't know exactly what we were doing until it was too late.

Monday morning came too early, and while I did get up and start my run, I didn't make it very far before deciding to bag it and head back home. I was still tired, and my legs felt heavy and stiff. I got back into bed and slept for another hour.

Today I ran 10 miles that went pretty well. Tomorrow's the big day, Fitness Day, where the agency I work for holds running/walking events on the track of the school that's next to our building. Two years ago I won the two-mile, and last year I came in third. This year I hope to reclaim my title.

What Are You Doing There?

This morning was pretty warm, and I had a decent sweat going when I got back from my run. I stood outside for a minute or two and then turned around to go in, and who do I see standing at the door? Puff. It was only a little after six, so he was up early. Normally when he gets up early he goes to find mommy, but today he came downstairs. He must have wanted to find his book, because that's what he wanted after I got inside. He wanted to read Richard Scary's Funniest Storybook Ever. Luckily he cooperated and came back upstairs with me and got back in his bed to read his book and play with the matchbox car and wooden train cars I gave him. Mommy had been out late last night and was still sleeping.

I ran the same loop as yesterday, except today I added a mile at the end to give me 11 for the day. I felt a little sore, but not too bad.

4:24

It sucks when you wake up a few minutes before your alarm is going to go off. You can't go back to sleep because of the anxiety of the impending alarm, but you don't want to get up just yet either.

Despite the alarm problem, I had a good run this morning. I ran ten miles, in a combination of two loops. I had one of those runs where it just flew by. So far this week I've run ten miles three days in a row, putting me right on schedule for my goal of 50 miles from Mon-Fri. A long run Saturday and then whatever I feel like Sunday should give me a good total for the week.

A question: if you wanted to ask someone if the Metro train you were on went to a certain stop, and there were a bunch of people around you, why would you ask the guy wearing headphones, who probably can't hear you anyway? I was on my way home from work, listening to my iPod, when I was asked the question. I think she asked twice before I could stop the music and could hear what she was saying, but then I could understand her because of her heavy accent. Eventually, she appeared to get frustrated and turned away.

Change in Plans

Today was supposed to be my long run, about 15 miles. About two miles in, I realized it wasn't a good day. I was tired, and my stomach didn't feel too great. The first part of the run is a five-mile loop that ends with me coming back to the house, taking a Gu and some water, and heading out for another ten miles. Today when I got back to the house I ran up to the end of the street and back for another mile, and then called it a day. I just wasn't feeling up to the long run, so I cut it off at six miles. Hope evryone else had a better run than me.

Wednesdays and Fridays

I'm not sure what the deal is, but the last two weeks I have not been able to get myself out of bed to run on Wednesday or Friday morning. I know that going to bed late the nights before doesn't help, but I'm still disappointed in myself for missing the runs.

Yesterday I ran the first double in a long time, eight miles in the am and then four more with the kids in the stroller in the pm. I didn't do anything wild with the kids in the stroller the most exciting part of the run (for the kids anyway) was seeing the trucks that were working in one of the driveways of the houses we ran past.

So far this week I've run 34 miles, over the three days that I've actually run. I'm getting solid mileage in when I run; I just need to be consistent, in both my running and my recovery.

Tired

I haven't updated for a while, but rather than write an extended entry about my absence, I'll just summarize. Last week I ended up with 52 miles and the week before that 70. The first two days this week were 10 and 12 miles.

This morning when I got up I had that I'm so tired I feel like I'm going to fall over feeling, so I went back to sleep. I guess the 12 miles combined with only about five hours sleep didn't leave me in good shape. I may run tonight; we'll see how the evening goes.

Mid-Week Recap

The past three days' training has gone pretty well. Wednesday's run was 12 miles, my first weekday run over 10 miles in quite a while. I definitely want to emphasize the long run and second-longest run in my training, and want to eventually be running parts at tempo/marathon pace. The 12 miles included 18 laps of the track, and idea I got from reading some of Duncan's old blog entries. The hope is that it will build up my mental toughness and help me get through the middle miles of the marathon without losing focus.

Thursday I ran ten miles and this morning eight. I wasn't feeling especially good this morning, so I stopped after eight. So far, running without eating first is going fine. My stomach felt a little funny for a while this morning, but it went away. I haven't really noticed and kind of decrease in my performance, although at this point all I'm doing is base mileage.

I think there's going to be a change in plans of what marathon I'm going to run. J ran this morning with some of her friends, and one of her friend's husbands, along with the husband of another friend who wasn't there this morning, are running Baltimore in October. J mentioned training with them for the marathon. I haven't finalized any kind of training plan yet, and October is still far enough away that I have time to prepare, so I'm pretty sure I'll be running Baltimore.

Listening to my Body

I cut my run short this morning. I was going for ten miles, but turned right to go home instead of left for two more miles, so I ran eight. My legs were rather sore, and I felt my pace slowing, so I decided it was better to head home and stretch out. Yesterday's ten miles didn't feel too good either, but it wasn't like today when I felt like I needed to stop.

I wonder if I'm still recovering from Saturday's 15 miles. I ran two five-mile loops, then took a break for about an hour, and then ran five more miles pushing the kids in the stroller. Saturday morning is Starbuck's morning, and I wanted to try and kill two birds with one stone by running with the kids over to Starbuck's and back. I hoped they would be almost ready to go when I got back from the first ten miles, but they got up later than I expected. Pushing about 40 lbs. worth of kids can be hard work, especially uphill. I'm going to try this again this weekend, but I'm going to run a little more before I get the kids and we'll take the direct route to Starbuck's.

Wanted: One Treadmill

I know that it's spring and the weather's getting nice, but if there's one thing that I think would help my running, it's a treadmill. If nothing else, it would allow me to be home and available if needed, but still run. I think it would be especially useful in the evenings to get in some doubles or on the weekends so I could run while the kids nap. I prefer running outside, but I'd run on the treadmill instead of not run at all.

My running has been inconsistent this week. Monday, B was up as I was getting ready to run. He had a cold and was having some trouble breathing through his nose while he slept. J had already been up with him, so I rocked him and put him back to sleep. I was tired to begin with, and I guess all the rocking made me more tired, so I went back to bed. Tuesday and Wednesday were my standard-of-late 10 mile days, and then this morning was another day off. I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I get up at 4:30 to run so I don't leave too late for work. This morning I got up, got dressed, checked on the kids, and then decided to sleep. I haven't been sleeping as much as I'd like lately, and as I was walking around this morning I was tired enough that I felt like I was going to fall over asleep. So I decided that sleep was the better option this morning. Maybe I'll get out this evening.

An Experiment

I was thinking about some comments Evan had made on Mike's blog about fueling before running in the morning. Evan's idea was that not eating before running is a good way to teach your body to conserve glycogen and become more efficient.

I used to not eat before I ran and never had any problems because of it. I'm not sure exactly what changed (that probably means there wasn't a compelling reason) but not long ago I started having half a glass of Carnation Instant Breakfast. The last two days I've had nothing but water. I wanted to see if it made a difference in how I felt, and also if by not ingesting anything besides water I could avoid any pit stops during the run.

So far it's been good. I've felt fine and haven't had to stop once. Wednesday I ran seven and a half miles, and yesterday and this morning ten. I wanted to do more Wednesday, but I was just so tired that I called it a day after seven and a half.

Worst Run Ever

Saturday was supposed to be my long run. What should have been a good 14-16 miles turned into a complete debacle.

I got up early and had some cereal (generic crunchberries that aren't as good as the real thing) and downed a Gu. About a half hour after I got up, I was out the door. From the beginning, I didn't feel good. I had this dull ache in my stomach. About five miles into the run, I had to stop and walk because the pain was getting worse. I walked a little, turned around at the five-mile point, and started to run again. I made it a little more than a mile, and then stopped to walk again. When I started to run again, I didn't make it very far before the stabbing pain stopped me. At this point I was about two miles from home, and I just walked the rest of the way. There were some points that the pain was so bad I just wanted to lay down on the side of the road. When I got home, I lay down on the floor and had some water and graham crackers. I felt better after a few minutes.

While I was running, I thought it was the cereal/Gu combination that made my stomach act up, but when I got home I remembered that the kids had some kind of stomach bug recently, so maybe I caught it. J's been feeling a little nauseous herself lately. The rest of the day I felt fine.

I didn't run Sunday, unless you count the 100 meters I ran to try out the half-dozen pairs of running shoes I tried on. I needed some shoes and had a gift certificate to use, so I made a trip to Metro Run & Walk. I bought a pair of Brooks Glycerins, which of course were the first ones I tried on.

I ran for the first time in my new shoes this morning. They feel good, but are different from the Brooks Axiom, the previous shoe I was wearing. I pieced together two routes and ran nine and a half miles.

Stop, Geese!

Last night as I was driving home from the commuter parking lot, I had to stop to avoid hitting geese that were trying to cross the road. The geese turned around and went back to the grass, safe and sound. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for two cars in the lane next to me. One car had slowed down almost to a complete stop and was rear-ended by another car whose driver must not have been paying enough attention. No one was hurt.

This morning's run was 10 miles. Other than Monday, every run this week has been 10 miles, giving me 48 for the week so far. I was thinking that since my goal race is months away, it would be a good idea to have some shorter term goals as well, kind of a way to measure my progress. The goal for this week is 70 miles.

Crazy Weekend

I still haven't figured out that if I want to run on Saturday, I have to get up and do it before everyone else gets up. If I sleep in, there's just too much going on during the rest of the day and it's hard to coordinate two small children's eating and sleeping schedules. So Saturday's running was a big fat zero. Saturday wasn't all bad, though. It was J's birthday, and we did go out and have a nice dinner sans children at Landini Brothers in Old Town Alexandria.

Sunday was spent taking care of the kids. I think they both have some kind of stomach bug. When Puff woke up and got out of bed, he was very lethargic, when usually he's going a hundred miles an hour. He ate a little breakfast and then got sick. B, who is now eight months old, is spitting up at times too. J coaches lacrosse and her team had a game, so she was gone from morning to mid-afternoon. Sunday was another big fat zero.

I did run this morning, eight miles out and back along the parkway. I'm sad that we have to set the clocks ahead this coming weekend. It's nice to see the sun coming up while I run, and I would gladly give up an hour of light in the evening for an hour in the morning while I'm running.

Seven More Miles

This morning was another seven mile run; actually it was the same loop I ran yesterday. I don't know what happened to spring, but when I got up this morning there was a dusting of snow on the groud and a strong wind was blowing. The wind didn't turn out to be too bad. It was only blowing hard in my face for a small part of my run. I picked up the pace for the last two miles so I was running a strong aerbic pace. That's something I need to do as much of as possible. The more I'm able to do that, the more productive my base building will be.

Ft. Hunt 10k--Race Report

The events prior to the race did not go as planned. I was late leaving the house because J was sick and I took some time to make sure she didn't need me to stay. I had to stop for gas, and then I had a directional problem. I knew where I was going, but when I got off 495 I thought Route 1 intersected the road I needed to turn on to, but it actually ran parallel. I didn't get too far before I realized my mistake.

I got to the race about 15 minutes before the start. I just had time to register, use the facilities, and get changed. The course was 5+ laps around the perimeter road of a park. It sounds like it might be boring, but that wasn't the case. The lack of a warmup made me decide to make my race plan run 6:30s and try to pick up the pace for the last mile or two.

I was able to execute my plan quite well. My splits for the first four miles were 6:33, 6:37, 6:32, and 6:32. I was feeling strong and in control. During the fifth mile, I made a move. Picking up my pace, I caught up to two runners who had been ahead of me for most of the race and passed them. My split for the fifth mile was 6:29. During the sixth mile I continued to press and open up more of a gap. I ran the sixth mile in 6:18, and then ran the last .2 miles in 69 seconds to finish in 40:13 (watch time). I know my splits don't add up right; I truncated the decimal points.

Overall, I'm very pleased with this race. I felt very strong aerobically and only felt like I was breathing hard as I kicked in the last .2 miles. I want to continue to increase my mileage and be as strong as possible for the marathon.

This week is a cutback week. I had planned on higher mileage before the race last week, and even though that didn't work out I'm still taking this week easy. Both Monday and Tuesday were seven mile days.

Ft. Hunt 10k

I ran 40:13 according to my watch, 40:15 according to the results, and finished in 13th place. I was hoping to break 40, but was pleased with how the race went. More details to come.

After It's Done

I really need to refrain from using the word should in my blog. It seems that every time I say that I should be doing something, it never works out. So, since I stated "I should be in the mid to upper 60s this week..." in my last post, it should be no surprise that it won't happen. I haven't run the past two days. Family issues came up that prevented me from getting very much sleep, and I just wasn't strong enough to will myself out the door. So from now on, I'm only going to mention things after they're done.

Resurfacing

Even though I haven't said anything about it for the last two weeks, training has been going well. I've become so set in my routine that it's almost automatic. Mileage-wise, my last three weeks have been 66, 53, and 63. I should be in the mid to upper 60s again this week, since I've started this week with three ten mile days. I'm planning on racing a 10k this weekend, if for no other reason than I haven't raced since December and would like to see how I'll do. The main goal for the year is my marathon debut in Richmond, so everything is going toward that.

Grrrrr...

My alarm didn't go off this morning. I thought it was all set, but when I did wake up about 40 minutes after the alarm should have gone off I found I hadn't turned it on last night. That's odd, since I'm compulsive and usually check it twice before I fall asleep.

Because I got up later than I wanted, I only ran five miles this morning. As I was in the median, crossing the road to head back to my house, one of my friends pulled up in the left turn lane. We talked for a minute while I waited for the road to clear, then I crossed and headed home.

Yesterday, since it was Ash Wednesday and I was fasting, I only ran four miles. Tuesday was a ten mile day. At the beginning I didn't feel too great, but once I was about halfway I felt better and when I was done I was thinking that wasn't bad.

I've been thinking a lot recently about a quote from Pattisue Plummer I read on Zeke's blog--"Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I donÂ’t think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made." I have a good streak going, and I feel like I'm just getting up and going in the morning--there's no question about it.