Day Off

When my alarm went off this morning, I felt really tired. It was likely due to the workout yesterday coupled with staying up later than I would have like last night. I hit the snooze button a few times and still felt tired, so I reset my alarm and went back to sleep.

Yesterday's workout went well. I couldn't have asked for better conditions. It was in the upper 30s and since it didn't get below freezing overnight I didn't have to worry much about ice. The workout was simple: run one particular loop, pushing the pace on the hills. There are two hills on this loop, one that is shorter and steeper and one that is more gradual but longer, that made the loop good for this workout. I was happy with the how the workout went. I was able to pick up the pace on the hills without feeling too bad.

Monday's run was easy, tomorrow's will be easy, and maybe a tempo on Friday.

The Great Snow Melt

The temperature got into the 40s this weekend, and some the couple feet of snow on the ground started to melt. You can actually see grass in some places already.

Last week was one of the better weeks of training I've had this year. I'm not quite up to the mileage I'd like yet, but I'm moving in the right direction. I took Wednesday off as a result of fasting for Ash Wednesday and Friday was a very easy day because I was feeling tired. The other days were solid.

I was searching and found another possible goal race in my time frame: The Parks Half Marathon. I ran it a few years ago, and other than the fact that I got there a little late and had to hustle to pick up my number and get to the start, it was a good race.

Getting Back to Normal

Now that the snow has stopped, it's time to get back to my regular training schedule. Between the storms and sickness and general laziness, I didn't run much last week. The roads have been plowed and there's enough space to run that I don't feel like I'm going to be hit by a car every time one drives by. Plus I've been using a headlamp my wife gave me to both help cars see me as well as see any icy patches. I had a great run Monday, really feeling like I was rolling on the second half.

I'm looking at running either the new Woodrow Wilson half marathon or the Army 10-miler this fall. I've run the Army race in the past and like it, but I'm always concerned about the size of the field. The half marathon is smaller, but $70 seems a little steep. Maybe there's another race around that time I'm just not aware of yet.

Snow!

We had quite the storm this past weekend. This was the view from my window Saturday morning.

I spent a few hours Saturday afternoon shoveling. Sunday was sunny and the boys had fun outside.

Good thing we had the big trucks to clear the snow.


I didn't get any running in over the weekend. Between the snow shoveling and a sick wife, there wasn't time. Monday morning I ran, and then I got sick Monday night. I'm feeling better now but completely over it. Good thing work has been cancelled the past two days. And we're supposed to get more snow tonight! I may get the whole week off the way things are going.

Sick

I've had a little cold for a few weeks now. First it was a cough, and then that got better and I thought I was over it. Now it's become a stuffy nose. It's not severe at all, it's just dragged on for quite a while. I hasn't hurt my running and in fact the last few days I've run a little longer. My wife has questioned on a couple occasions why I don't just take a few days off and sleep in and see if that helps. I'm hesitant to do that because first, it's not that bad, and second, because I've got myself into a nice routine and I don't want to take time off for fear that I'll mess it up. So unless it gets worse, I don't want to stop the good thing I've finally got going.

We got a few more inches of snow last night. With the snow in the trees this morning's run was beautiful. There's a chance of another big storm this weekend. Partially I look forward to it and partially I know it will be so disruptive I hope we don't get too much. All I can do is wait and see.

A Little Workout

I've been a little antsy to run fast lately, so this morning I ran a "workout." I ran over to the middle school and ran a brief fartlek workout on the soccer field. I alternated a lap hard with a lap easy for eight laps. It was not hard at all, but it felt good to get the legs moving a little.

Why did I run the workout on the soccer field? I watched a video last week on Flotrack that featured some athletes in the Nike Oregon program doing a workout on grass. It seemed like a good idea, so I tried it. You get the benefits of running fast without the pounding you'd take on the road.

Update

This weekend has gone by way too fast. Is it too much to ask for another Saturday and Sunday? I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow--I know this week is going to be hectic.

Training went well this week. Having a tired wife who wanted to go to bed early helped. I'm running about 45 minutes a day now, and I want to add in an extra 15 minutes per day over the next week or two.

I still don't have any definite racing plans. I'm thinking about the Army 10 Miler as a goal race, though.

Three-Day Weekend

I finally took my first day off in 2010 this weekend. I was out late Friday with friends, and slept in Saturday morning. I was just unable to get myself out of bed before my wife left, and then with the kids and a house there's just too much else to do on a Saturday to run any other time than the first thing in the morning.

Sunday and Monday's runs were good. I want to get up to running an hour a day and then begin some tempo and fartlek work. After running Monday morning, the kids and wife and I went to IHOP for breakfast. It's become something of a tradition to go out for breakfast on federal holidays. Plus, we had some gift cards from Christmas we hadn't used yet.

Update

There's not too much going on with my running at the moment. I'm getting out the door each morning, getting consistent as I think about building up the daily mileage. I'm working on putting together a plan for the year. I don't think I want to run a marathon, so I'm going to try and find some shorter distance races and maybe a half-marathon this fall.

I'm sure everyone's seen the destruction in Haiti by now. I have a friend who has some family there. They're ok, but can't get out of the country. I was also glad to hear that the kids at an orphanage run by two women from Pittsburgh will be able to come to the US.

Hunger

One way that I know I've been running is my appetite. I certainly feel more hungry and am eating more than I was a month ago when I wasn't running much.

The weekend was pretty good. I had a good run Saturday morning, and just a short run Sunday morning. I was up late Sunday night, so I just ran for half an hour this morning. It's amazing how much different it feels without the wind. This morning was probably the coldest temperature-wise, but without the wind it was much more bearable.

We took the Christmas tree and decorations down this weekend too. Our living room and front yard are so empty.

New Snow

Last night we received a dusting of snow. I've always loved running in the snow, and had a great time this morning as I made footprints on the sidewalks.

Thus far I've run every day in 2010. I don't expect to run every day this year, but a week and a day of consistency is nice since I don't think I had that for the majority of last year.

I've been slacking off on my core exercises this week. Last week I did well, but this week I've been lazy.

Winter Weather

I've lived in Virginia for seven-and-a-half years now, and this is the longest stretch of cold weather I can remember. It's been colder before, it just hasn't remained cold for this long before. It reminds me a lot of winter in Pittsburgh.

In addition to the cold, this weekend featured 30 to 40 mile per hour winds as well. Running into the wind felt like standing still at times. Saturday and Sunday I ran for about 40 minutes.

This morning was cold, but at least the wind had died down. Like the past two days, I ran for 40 minutes. Now it's time to finish up work, and since the wind has lessened when I get home I can fix the Christmas decorations that were blown out of place.

New Year

I'm not a big fan of new year's resolutions. It's not because I don't like resolutions, but rather I think the new year is an arbitrary date and could just as easily be replaced by July 24. That being said, it's the first day of 2010 and I'm writing in my blog again. This year, I resolve to write on a regular basis. We'll see how long that lasts.

I started of my new year with an easy half hour run. I'm still trying to get consistency back into my running. I don't have any concrete plans for 2010 yet, but I'm fairly certain I won't be running a marathon this year.

I hope everyone has a happy new year!

My Aching Back

I don't know how I did it, but I strained my lower back Wednesday night sitting on a couch. It felt fine when I sat down, but it was sore when I got up.

I didn't run Wednesday or Thursday but got out for an hour this morning. It was only supposed to be 40-45 minutes, but I was feeling good and took advantage of it. It's finally hot and humid here, so I was quite soaked when I was done. Jenny gave my back a massage last night, and I really didn't feel anything other than a little stiffness when I was running uphill.

This weekend I'm going to a baptism and working around the house. Since we won't be moving anytime soon, we might as well improve the house we have.

Motivation

Why is it that I can feel so enthusiastic about my run the next morning the night before, but when my alarm goes off all I want to do is stay in bed? Ideally, I'd love to have a schedule that allows me to run in the afternoon when I get home from work, but with three small children that want/need my attention, it's just not possible. Overall, I think it's just getting in the frame of mind that when my alarm goes off, it's time to get up and do work.

I didn't run at all over the weekend, but other than that it was good. I weeded the garden and cut the grass, we had a party for my and my in-laws anniversary, and I started a project with the kids. Monday and Tuesday I ran, but this morning I couldn't drag myself out of bed.

Slacker

While I had planned this week to get back on track with my running after vacation, it didn't quite work out. I ran Monday, Wednesday, and today, but was off Tuesday and Thursday. This morning was the steamiest it's been all summer. Usually by now it's hot and humid all the time, but it's been cool so far this summer. The traditional DC summer weather is only supposed to last a day or so, though, since it gong to cool down this weekend.

In between work this afternoon, I watched some of the Paris Golden League meet. Anna Willard's kick to win the 800 was impressive!

Vacation

I didn't get in the running I planned on during vacation, but at least I had a good time. We spent the first couple days in Pittsburgh seeing some sights with my mother-in-law, who had never been there before. After that, we headed to Indianapolis to visit some of my wife's family. The highlight of Indy was the zoo. It's not too big, but they had a lot of interaction with the animals and the kids had a good time.

I ran when I had the chance. The few days I did run I ran for about a half hour except for July 4, when I ran for a whole hour.

Now it's back to work for about a month until the family and I head off to Hilton Head for a week at the beach.

More Travels

It's been very nice to be back in Pittsburgh for the fourth. The weather's been great, cool even, especially for July. It's a welcome change from the 90s and the humidity we usually have on the fourth.

I ran for just over an hour yesterday. It was one of the longer runs I've done for a little while. I could definitely feel some tightness in my hamstrings and butt, so I need to make sure I stretch those out better. This morning I ran for 20 minutes, just about all I had time for before church. I just ran for a little while to try and loosen up so I could come back and stretch.

Tomorrow morning we're headed for Indianapolis to see some of Jenny's family. I was disappointed to see a little while ago that IUPUI was demolishing their track. I watched the 2007 US championships there.

Communication

One benefit to blogs, facebook, twitter, etc is that they allow the user to communicate with others anywhere in the world who share interests. It's for that reason that I'm attempting to actually write this blog again.

As far as my training goes, it's been aimless lately. Due to work and home responsibilities, I haven't been running as much as I'd like. Things seem to be settling down, and I'm trying to get to a consistent schedule so I feel like I can pick a goal to start training for.

Consistent

I've been nothing if not consistent this week. I haven't quite been running the miles I'd like to, but at least for the time being I'm getting out the door. Really, as I've mentioned a million times before, I need more sleep. I'm continually hitting the snooze two or three times before I get out of bed, cutting out some of my running time.