Still Recovering

The worst part about my current sickness is the fact that I almost never get sick. J joked about wanting to say "Ha ha!" when she found out I wasn't feeling well. This cold has dragged on for a week now, and given my current state I don't see an end very soon.

Sunday I ran six miles. My legs were sore from the long run Saturday, but didn't feel too bad. After a late Sunday night, I took Monday off. This morning I ran five miserable miles. I didn't feel good at all and just wanted to be done. I'm going to take some time off until my cold gets better. I chastised myself for not running Friday, but my condition hasn't improved and if anything it's gotten a little worse. I'm hoping a few good-night's-sleeps will have me feeling better.

Sniffles

My little sore throat has become a full blown cold. I took yesterday off and slept in, hoping that would help. It did help a little, but not as much as I had hoped.

After thinking about it last night, I decided I wasn't sick enough to require any more time off. Actually, I was a little upset for using my cold as sort of an excuse to take yesterday off. This morning was my long run for the week. I ran a little over 14 miles, 14.4 according to gmap-pedometer.com. The first few miles had me wondering what I was doing out there, but that feeling passed and the rest of the run went well. As Evan suggested, I didn't consume anything during the run in an attempt to convince my body to use fat as fuel. My long runs are not quite as long as his yet, but in the past I would usually take some water/Gatorade and a gel with me for a 14-mile run. I did feel as if I was running on fumes for those last few miles.

Eight is Great!

Today is the third day in a row that I've run eight miles. I've run out and back along the parkway and two different eight mile loops. I'm not sure what my seeming fascination with the eight-mile distance is. When I was living in Alexandria, I had an eight-mile loop I ran often and when I ran in the park I often ended at eight miles. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that it's about an hour's worth of running for me. I hope, though, that eight miles won't be a hard hump to get over in the coming weeks as I increase my mileage. I want ten and twelve to become the new eight.

B has a new schedule. He used to go to bed between ten and eleven, but now he's going to bed between eight and nine. This means more sleep for me, which is good, because I'm sick. It's really just a sore throat, but it's pretty annoying. Thankfully I don't notice it while I run.

Getting Back on the Wagon

I'm exhausted today. It must be because I actually ran eight miles this morning. Sunday and Monday I didn't run at all. Sunday because I was lazy and didn't get up early and then the Steeler game was on, and Monday because B decided he wanted to party all night long instead of sleep. B didn't sleep very well last night either. I was up two or three times and so was J. He's sick though, so I can't really blame him.

This morning I ran out and back along the parkway. I actually saw three people who were out running in the early morning darkness, more than I usually see. What's really amazing to me, though, is the number of cars on the road at 5 am. There are quite a few people who I imagine are heading to work to beat the traffic. If I drove to work myself I'd seriously consider it.

Speaking of traffic, that 's probably another reason I'm tired. I commute to work by slugging. Usually I sleep on the way in, since I'm not driving. But today, the combination of backed up traffic in the HOV lanes and a chatty driver, I didn't get my nap.

Pulling Teeth

Both of the past two days I've been to the dentist. Yesterday was the first day I had gone to this dentist, having recently switched from my old one. I had x-rays and an oral evaluation done yesterday, and then finally had my teeth cleaned and polished today. I don't hate going to the dentist, but I can think of a long list of other things that I'd rather be doing. Growing up, the worst feeling in the world was the feeling of clean teeth after visiting the dentist. I could always hardly wait to eat and drink afterwards.

I've run easily the past two days; nine miles on Thursday and then eight miles this morning. I've been pretty tired, to the point of almost falling asleep in the dentist's chair if not for the bright light shining in my face. My legs were sore this morning so I made sure to stretch in hopes that it would help. Usually I don't stretch because I'm trying to get out the door to work, but I had time this morning since I was going to the dentist first.

In the course of perusing Kevin Beck's website, I found a good article he wrote for Florida Running and Triathalon. The point that got to me the most was the question regarding mileage: "Okay, why did you stop "there" instead of at "there plus ten?" I don't have a good answer for the question. Getting to a good mileage level and maintaining it is something to work on during this training cycle.

Sicko

I'm not sick, but B is. Last night he had a slight fever and cough. Today the fever's gone, but he still has the cough. Both Puff and J have been sick lately too; I'm surprised I haven't caught it. I was up late last night with B, so I slept in this morning and didn't run. Yesterday I ran eight miles. I was pretty tired, and actually chose the loop I ran because I knew that about two miles in I could turn left and head back to home if I really felt badly. Luckily I was OK, so I ran the whole loop.

Today's weather was crazy. It was warm and raining this morning when I left for work, and then the temperature just dropped all day. When I went home it was cold and windy. Looks like winter's back for at least one night.

Holiday

I don't have work today, so I took the opportunity to run 10 miles this morning, rather than the 7-8 I have been running on weekday mornings. I ran out and back along the parkway, on a nice 30 degree morning. Except for a few days, this winter has been very mild. During the second half of the run my left IT band got a little tight, but I don't think it's anything to worry about. I made sure to stretch it out when I got home.

I finished last week with 48 miles in six days, and this week I'd like to get up to 60 miles in seven days. The 10 miles this morning was a good start to it. Since I haven't updated for a few days, here's how the training went:
Wed.-8 miles
Thu.-7 miles
Fri.-8 miles
Sat.-10 miles
Sun.-off

Go Steelers!

Back to Normal

Since I've gone back to running in the morning, I've felt much better. It feels good to get the run done first thing in the morning and not to have it hanging over my head all day. I'm not big on making New Year's resolutions, but this year I've resolved to be consistent with my running and since I've switched back to the morning I've done so.

Friday I ran eight miles, and followed that with ten on Saturday. Sunday I took both kids running in the double stroller for six miles. Getting two small children ready to go out when the temperature is near freezing is quite a production. Monday I did eight miles and this morning I ran seven. My run took just under an hour today but it only felt like I was gone for a minute. Runs like that are great.

Out of my Comfort Zone

After not running on Tuesday, I realized that if I want to reach my goals, it's not going to be easy. I can't expect everything to fall into place exactly as I would like. I'm going to have to make the most of my situation as is. I think too often in the past I used the lack of optimal conditions as an excuse. With two kids, a wife, and a job, I'm never going to have optimal conditions. But that doesn't mean that I can't reach my goals.

Wednesday morning I ran seven miles. I was tired as I started, but as usual I woke up as the run went on. About lunchtime Wednesday, J called to tell me she didn't feel well. When I got home, she was lying on the couch and didn't want to move. She rested, and I took care of the kids. Luckily, both were very good. I didn't run this morning and went in late to work to make sure J was OK this morning. I didn't think it would be a good idea for me to be gone running and Puff in our bedroom telling J, "Mommy wake up now" and climbing on her when she felt terrible. She is feeling much better today, thankfully.

Make Up Your Mind

I don't like running at night as much as I thought I would. When I get home from work, I just want to stay home and relax, at least relax as much as I can with two kids. I'm going back to running in the morning. I'm going to get up a little earlier than I have been so I don't get to work much later than I have been for the last week. Despite getting up earlier, I'm hoping to get the same amount of sleep I have been, just with a slightly earlier schedule.

Friday I didn't run. See the paragraph above about just wanting to stay home. Saturday I did seven miles. This was the best run I've had for a little while. I felt good, and maintained a strong aerobic pace for the run. Sunday I got together with some friends of J.'s, their husbands, and kids for a run at Burke Lake Park. All of her friends attending are members of See Mommy Run, and the woman who started it was having a get-the-new-year-started-off-right run. We did one loop of the park, which is five miles. This morning I did seven miles out and back along the Parkway.

Famous

Last night on my short drive home from the commuter lot, I passed Dawn Cromer (nee Cleary) as she was running. Dawn is likely the most successful runner from Woodbridge, and being the running geek that I am it was neat to see her.

J was a little stressed last night about the whole running-in-the-evening situation. If it's going to work well, I need to do a little more when I get home from work. I was a little late getting out, and also ran a little less than I was originally planning so I wouldn't be gone too long. I ran six miles again, this time over one of my loops instead of on the Parkway. My legs felt good, and the run was good except when the wind picked up and I was running into it.

I'm sure part of the reason I felt pretty good was the unintentional extra sleep I got. I remember checking my alarm to make sure it was set for five a.m., but must not have turned it on. I woke up a little before five and went back to sleep, and then when I woke up again the clock said 5:57. I rushed to get ready and actually didn't make it to work much later than I have the rest of the week.

You Can't Trust the Weather Channel

The Weather Channel said the temperature was 41 degrees when I was ready to run last night. I figured that the actual temperature in Woodbridge was about 45, because the temperature the Weather Channel shows is from Manassas, which is just west of Woodbridge but usually a few degrees colder. Once I went outside it felt even warmer than 45, and when I ran by the stadium the clock said it was 51 degrees. I was dressed in a long sleeve shirt and shorts, and it was a good thing I only did six miles, because I was sweating pretty well when I was finished. I peeled the long sleeve shirt right off as soon as I got inside.

I was tired when I headed out last night, and close to just saying forget it and not running. I figured, though, that I'd feel better if I started to run, felt terrible, and turned around than not running at all. About a mile in, I was cursing my decision to run. Not long after that, though, I started feeling better, and when I finished I felt like I could easily run more.

Back on Schedule

Last night after Puff went to bed I went out for my run. I ran one of my eight mile loops. I haven't run this loop in a little while; lately it seem like all my running's been done on the path along the Parkway. It was nice to run somewhere else for a change.

The run went pretty well. I haven't yet figured out what and when to eat before I run at night, though. Last night I had some goldfish crackers a little more than an hour before I ran, but then for most of the run I had a dull ache in my intestines. I made a brief pit stop about five miles into the run and then felt a little better after that.

After I got home, J and I had dinner, cleaned up, got everything ready for today, and then went to bed. I was concerned that I might have some trouble falling asleep if I ran at night, but I was out seconds after my head hiot the pillow.

Catching Up

I haven't run very much lately, but now that the holidays are mostly over things are settling down and I should be able to get back to my normal schedule. After my night run last week, I didn't run again until Christmas Eve. The rest of the week was just too hectic and tiring. I took Puff with me and we did six miles Christmas Eve. It was warm--mid 50s--and it felt strange to be running in a t-shirt and shorts at the end of December. Christmas was spent with family, and during the break that I had I actually napped. Monday I was off, and took Puff for seven miles. I got a decent night's sleep Sunday night and felt pretty good Monday. It was not quite as warm as Saturday, but when the sun came out from behind the clouds I started to sweat. Then the sun went behind the clouds and the wind chilled me on the second half of the run. This week I'm going back to my night running schedule. Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Night Run

Last night I did my first run after Puff went to bed. Other than having to deal with increased traffic, it went pretty well. I ran six miles, out and back along the parkway. I had to stop and wait a couple times to cross roads. When I run in the morning, I can usually cross when there's a break in the traffic, but last night there were no breaks so I had to wait for the light. After I got back, I had dinner and then once it was finally time to go to bed, I didn't have any problems falling asleep.

While I'm glad that running at night worked out well for me, it's even better that it worked out well for J. Both kids slept while I ran, giving her some much-needed quiet time.

Who Needs a Car?

Last night when I got home from work, both of my sisters-in-law were there. They're both at college; one is a freshman at Virginia Tech and the other a grad student at James Madison. Since they had been gone for a little while, they both wanted to play with the kids. I found out we were invited over to the in-laws for dinner. I wanted to run first, so everyone else left and I was going to come over after my run. Once I started running, I had an idea. Why not just run over? It's about seven miles, which is about what I wanted to run anyway, and it would save me some time and trouble. I didn't have any real trouble running over; just a few icy spots where I had to be careful and slow down. Everyone was surprised to see me when I got there.

This morning I took Puff with me in the stroller for my run. I planned on going eight miles or so, but I felt terrible, so I cut it to six. I think the past two nights caught up with me. Both nights I was up with the kids and didn't sleep as much or as soundly as I would have liked.

I ended up with 43 miles for the week on six days of running. It's a start. Monday I'm going to start running at night. I'll come home from work, help out with the kids, eat a snack, and then go out for my run when Puff goes to bed, about 8. I'm interested to see how it goes.

Welcome Home!

Wednesday was my first day of going to work early, getting home early. I planned on running when I got home, but plans change. One of J's best friends had just returned home from her stint in Lesotho with the Peace Corps and was coming over for dinner. She was bringing someone with her, and they were going to arrive around 7:30, which would have given me enough time to run. But the plans changed, and they were able to come earlier. I had just enough time to go pick up dinner from Take-N-Bake and get home and put it in the oven. So no running Wednesday.

Thursday I took the day off from work to try to take care of some Christmas stuff as well as go to B's doctor's appointment. I didn't get all the Christmas stuff I wanted to do done, but did get Puff and B's picture with Santa. Puff was kind of apprehensive, but was OK when mommy sat with him. The doctor's appointment went well; B's weight and height have risen to where they should be for his age and he doesn't have to go back to the gastrointerologist. He's so chubby now.

After I got home from the doctor's I went out for my run. I ran seven miles along the Parkway in a cold light rain. We had a winter storm yesterday that went from snow to a cold rain. In a way, I was glad that it rained because it helped get rid of a lot of the icy patches on the path. J and I took the kids for a walk in the morning before the storm started and were slipping and sliding all over the place. I had a good run, once I was far enough along that my stomach felt better. One benefit to running in the afternoon is that I'm loosened up and run the route a few minutes faster than I would in the morning.

Jingle Bell Jog 8k

Sunday I ran the Jingle Bell Jog 8k. Given the state of my recent training I wasn't in the best shape, but if I finished first or second in my age group I would win a $50 or $60 gift certificate to Metro Run and Walk. My primary age-group competition finished a few minutes behind me at the one race that both of us ran, so I figured my chances of finishing first or second were pretty good.

The course for the 8k went along a bike path, through a parking lot, along a narrow path, and then out on to the roads for the finish. The course was mostly clear, but parts had the remnants of the snow and ice we got Friday. I started pretty well, and went through the mile in 6:21. During the second mile, I caught up to a few people who had passed me in the first mile. As I passed the second mile marker, I looked down at my watch and saw 12:05 as I hit the split button again. However, that 12:05 was not my two-mile split. The battery on my watch is almost dead, and a few times I've hit a button and had it go blank and then reset itself, which is what had happened. So I pressed on into the third mile with no idea what my splits were and passed a handful of people. One of them stayed on my shoulder and then went by me, building a lead he would hold until the finish. I ran by myself until just after the four-mile mark, when the pack of people I had passed caught back up to me. I stayed with them and we pressed on toward the finish. One runner surged a few steps ahead. I thought If I want to catch him, I've got to go. I went, getting a few steps on the pack but not quite catching up to the runner ahead. As we approached the finish, I was thinking about Mike's finish in his recent half-marathon, how he picked up the pace and passed someone near the finish. We turned the last corner, and the finish was up a small hill. I kicked hard, passing the runner ahead and finishing in 31:35.

I did finish first in my age group and won the gift certificate, although I won't actually receive it for a few weeks. I like the fact that I'm fast enough to win stuff from my club, but I won't be back next year. Not only do I have to drive further than I'd like to run the races, I never felt like I made any connections with anyone in the club. There's another club I'm planning on joining for this next year, and hopefully they'll be a better fit.

Update

I've been running lately (lately being the last four days), but just been too busy to post. I'm not sure exactly why it happened, but on Friday I just started to feel more relaxed about the whole holiday situation. It's only around for a little while longer and then things will return to normal.

Saturday I ran five easy miles, slipping and sliding through the ice and snow that remained from Friday. Sunday I ran an 8k race in 31:35. I'll write a race report soon. Monday I ran six miles and this morning I ran eight. I planned on running on a local golf course this morning, but the combination of the darkness and the fact that I didn't know exactly where I was going made me change my mind. Instead, I turned around and just made up my run as I went along, finishing after eight miles.

I'm not sure how permanent it will be, but I'll be switching to afternoon running for the near future. J wants me to go into work earlier in order to come home earlier. When I get home, I'll take Puff and go for a run. After the holidays, or maybe not until late spring when B is a little older, I'll go back to running in the morning. I like running in the morning better; I can run first thing and not worry about something coming up later. I'd rather only be running in the afternoon when I'm doubling.

Holidays

I'm happy that it's the holiday season, but I also can't wait until they're over. There's just too much stress trying to get everything done as well as take care of two small children. And it just adds to the stress when J's mom asks her to do things when J has her own things to do.

Amid the holiday stress, I'm still trying to run. I didn't make it out Saturday or Monday, but ran 5 miles Sunday and 6 miles this morning. We got 3-4 inches of snow yesterday, so this morning's run was a little slower than normal.