34 and snowing

Nothing like giant snowflakes melting when they land in your eye.

12 easy with Kayla.

Northface Endurance 50

http://www.sportstats.ca/display-results.php?racecode=45523&first=BEN&last=HARDEN&city=WASHINGTON

#60

Update

Since the foot injury I went through a down-and-out phase. There was an oppressing feeling that because of those 10 days off my fitness level would not be good enough to be able to safely finish the race. The start of cross country season and having the opportunity to run with people revived the spirits a bit. This previous Saturday I set out to do 40 miles. When the day arrived a few complications arose. One, I was packing and preparing to move, and because of this food supplies were low. Second, I had to finish by 6:30pm to work at 7pm. Saturday morning came around and with four peanut butter sandwiches, four peaches, and a bunch of water the running began. Here are the results.

9am 10 mi. 1:28:00 Arlington 8:48pace
11:30am 10 mi. 1:45:00 Arboretum 10:30 pace
1:30pm 10 mi. 1:49:00 Natl. Mall 10:54 pace
4:00pm 5 mi. 53:30 Campus 10:42 pace

Five miles short of the original plan did not leave an unsatisfactory feeling. In fact, this was a very motivating run that helped build confidence for race day. Lots of water and peaches seems to help delay soreness and cramping. The peanut butter sandwiches provided a satiated stomach without digestive complications (hurling it back up). The last five miles were hot, which kept me mentally alert for sign of overheating.

After work the day capped off with two hours of ultimate frisbee and a late night off FOOD! Two bags of chips, 1/2 gallon of juice, a pint of blue berries, and four soy burgers vanished by the next morning. Mmm, food.

With school during the week and cross country meets on the weekends it will have to be early morning runs until race day. I hope to get in at least one more 20 miler on Sunday. Until then, it will be 10 to 15s.
------------------
Mon. Aug. 31st
8am 10 mi.
1:25:30
Hips were tight.

Lastly, does anyone know why feet would be swollen in the morning? The past three weeks I will walk like an old man because my feet are swollen and stiff. Am I an old man? Will I need a cane soon?
---------------
Tues. Sept. 1st
4pm 8 mi.
Speed work on track
Speed work.
2 mile wu
4x400 with 400 recoveries
80,78,76,74
2x800 with 800 recoveries
3:12,3:02
1 mile pacer
1 mile cd

Back at It

Monday: 5:30am
6 mi. ~53min
Foot feels much better but is not yet ready for high miles.
The new shoes are meh. Iffy at best.
--------
PM
Hit the weight room for a I've-been-piggin'-out-on-food-for-the-last-five-days overhaul.
Also threw in a half-Charles (320 sit)

Blessings in Disguise

Well, it's now exactly 1:45am on Wednesday morning. My foot it taped and my face cools as the sweat trails evaporate. No, the this late night "tape-and-sweat" is not the result of a midnight running extravaganza. Rather, the consequence of what I hope to be a blessing in disguise.

As you all have been following this blog lately you know that this week has been a high mileage week, which results in those late night snack attacks. As I removed two steaming hot soy burgers from the microwave my elbow accidentally bumped a glass from the edge of the counter. Down it went. SMASH! The classic sound glass shattering like ice crystals cracking on the cement. "Shit." I thought to myself. Without taking a step (because we all know the only place where there isn't glass on the floor is right under your feet) I awkwardly reach out and scoot the trash barrel a bit closer. For those of you readers that enjoy imagery it might be best to describe this uncomfortable stance as an "ass-out-hug." Shoulders forward, butt out. Yeah...that.
As usual, the largest pieces were collected first, and with a hand-full I slowly rose to discard of these sharp little pieces of shrapnel. Just like in a car wreck, time slowed down as a piece of glass slipped and floated towards the floor. Don't worry though, the glass was alright. My foot was there to stop it.

It took a second to realize what had actually happened. A line of blood spray, as one might imagine in a CSI scene, now coated the cabinets below the sink, and a pool of rich, dark liquid started to pool at the lowest point of the kitchen floor. "Did this just happen? Am I bleeding?" How sad, a boy able enough to blog about his poe wittle owie didn't realize that this Rhode Island shaped piece of glass just sliced deep into his flesh, which allowed blood to escape captivity from it's native veins.

"Elevate!" My first thought. I swung my leg onto the edge of the counter with blood, not dripping nor pouring, but evenly flowing down the foot to paint the sink red. Napkins near by are the only things to help coagulate this mess of a foot. As I stand there, knees slightly bent, my face becomes flush and beads of sweat slowly form. Nerves build as I become more and more anxious watching the white napkin bleed red and become soggy. "At what point does this become serious enough for me not to be able to handle on my own? Should I get the attention of one of the three house guests that are sleeping the the living room 10 feet away? Do I hobble upstairs holding one foot like an acrobat?" Yes, hobble. That is the best option.

The very helpful roommate quickly find out the severity of the situation as he's abruplty awaken from REM. Still sweating, the bleeding slows as I sit on the toilet, leg raised, and the new mouth on my foot has its lips clamped shut. After a call to a dear friend seeking advice the battle scar speaks no more as it has become silenced with layers of tape. Thank you Shane. Thank you Leah. You have helped prevent the loss of a runner's foot and perhaps even a cup or two more of blood.

I had high hopes for running this week. New goals and new personal bests to concuer. However, blessing have been said to come in disguises, or perhaps in this case, a foot wraped in half a roll or athletic tape.

9.10.09-9.15.09

Sunday:
AM 10 mi. 1:30:00
PM 12 mi. 1:39:00
First 3 21:00, last 2 on track 8x200m repeats with 200m jog recovery

Monday:
PM 10 mi. 1:30:00
Ran inside on a crazy treadmill considering the temps were at 96 degrees and I didn't get up early enough. The treadmill had a mind of its own. At random times it would rise up to maximum incline no matter how much I pushed the down-incline button. This happened several times. It even did it after I was finished.
PM 5 mi. 46:30
It was still 94 degrees. A very sweaty run it was. Stayed on campus and ran some hills.

Tuesday:
Am 15 mi. 2:47
88 degrees, sunny, and hot.
PM 8 mi. 1:08

Heat Week

The forecast predicts some hot hot temps for this week. In preparation for this I ran earlier than normal.
Headed out the door at 9:30am with temps at 79 degrees. Not too shabby. Overcast, a slight breeze, very nice. However, the clouds broke, the sun came out, and the run back was with the wind. by 11:30 it was already 89 degrees. It's supposed to get up to 96 today, 98 tomorrow, and 94 for Tuesday. Three good reasons to stay indoors during the afternoon and get up earlier in the morning.

10 mi.
1:30
-------------------
Yesterday a small group of us headed out to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Very beautiful. We went from 100' elevation to just shy of 3000' (that was the drive of course). Lots of rocks to walk over and beautiful scenery.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1209/1489788609_ad33704253.jpg

End of July, Start of August

July 26th: 12 mi.
Got overheated. 90 degrees. Had to walk a bit. Quads and calf cramped.
PT: "Half-Charles" 320 sit
Ultimate Frisbee
July 27th: 10.5 mi.
Legs heavy. Could not keep water down. Throwing up.
1.5hr swim
.5 hr bike
Ultimate Frisbee
July 28th: off
Ultimate Frisbee
July 29th:
AM PT: 30 pull, 100 push, 75 arm haulers, 200 sit
PM: Swim
July 30th:
Swim, Ultimate Frisbee
July 31st: 6 mi. 49:22
PT
Aug 1st-6th:
20 mi. 3:49 PHT
10 mi. 1:18 ARB
15.5 mi. DCA
Swim, UF, Feet hurt
4 mi., 1.5 hr. swim
20 mi. 3:20 PHT

The Past Two Weeks

Last week I was at camp, which made for a very low mileage week.
Tues. July 14th: 4mi. 30:44
Sat. July 18th: 3 mi. 24 min.
This week included traveling back to DC and a decent week of running.
Sun. July 19th: 8mi 1:07:00
Mon. 12mi 1:48:00
Tues. Travel Day. Ultimate Frisbee in evening.
Wed. AM 4mi 32 min
AM 10 mi 1:45:00
PM ultimate frisbee
Thurs. PM: PT 15 sets 10x push 20x sit 30x arm haulers
1.5 hr. swim
30 min. bike, and 45 min. weights
Fri. ~25 mi. 4:34:00 Ran part of the race course along the Potomac, which includes hiking and a decent amount of rock hopping. Got a little overheated at the end. Played ultimate frisbee right after.

New goals have included waking up earlier and running in the mornings to prepare for race day.

Post update

Have not posted for a while. I'm back in Neb. visiting family; however, that does not mean that running has stopped.

This has ended up being a great week of running while getting in lots of hill running at a little higher altitude compared to DC.

July 5-11
Sunday: 10 miles 1:28
Monday: AM 5 mi
PM 10 mi
Tues: 15 mi 2:08 Blisters are no fun.
Wed: ~18-19 mi 2:46
Thur: 11 mi 1:44 Did not feel good on this run.
Fri: Off
Sat: 20 mi. 2:50 Felt absolutely wonderful!
90 miles for the week. Almost 600 miles on the shoes.
I am pleased with the effort this week and am glad I took Friday off.

Will be without internet access for the next week, so in the meantime happy running.

Omaha

Back in Omaha.
Easy ~10 miles this morning.
Left knee flaring up a little bit.
Threw in 10x hill repeats to work the lungs.

Took this past Saturday and Sunday off.

Wed. and Thurs.

Wednesday
AM
3.5 mi. on the track with a Sis, Leah, and Katie.
7 mi. right after at 8:00 min. pace down at the mall.
Felt good.
Left knee still causing some annoyances.
Was a little warm by the end, but I won't say anything about the heat considering I've heard it's been nearly 100 degrees with a 100+ heat index in Neb.
PM
1 mi. in the afternoon with Ingrid
Biked 20 min. and some shoulder work.
----------------------------
Thursday
7:30 AM
Showed up at the track hoping someone else would show; however, I guess without without a plan the others lack motivation.
Decided to do 10 mi. at "cruise-control" pace. Felt good. Not too much effort and kept the mind from getting bored.
----------
4:30 PM
90 degrees, humid, and static air
It was warm enough today that water droplets sizzled on the sidewalk.
2 mi. warm up (16:36)
12x800 repeats:
3:31, 3:29, 3:24, 3:29, 3:30, 3:28, 3:28, 3:28, 3:29, 3:27, 3:20, 3:10
1 mile cd

Went through nearly a gallon of water during this workout. The first 5 felt good. At 6 the effort had to increase in order to maintain the same time. I'm pleased with today's workout.
I'm not sure if it was the heat, less sleep last night, the workout, or a combination of them all, but I was tired after this workout. Typically, after a solid run I feel worked but not like this. After stretching and eating I passed out. Hmm......

That is all.

Tues

AM
3 this morning with Abe then Ingrid.
Barefoot
Was quite stiff this morning and it took a while to loosen up.
The new plan this week is to run solid one day then take the next day easy. Today would be the easy day.

PM
2.5 with Rachel, Sis, Ingrid, and Gustavo
We did some group PT. Some push and sit here and there.
75 lunges each leg.

Workout

Running - Easy Run Track 7:30am Weather: 75 Edit Workout!	3 miles 00:00:00
Running - Easy Run Track 4:45pm Weather: 85, Sunny Edit Workout!	2.25 miles 00:00:00	Shoe: Saucony Omni 6 (VI) WARNING!471.35 miles on shoe
Two easy on the track with Gustavo and Ingrid.
Running - Tempo Regan Airport Park 5:15pm Weather: 85, Sunny, warm Edit Workout!	13.5 miles 01:39:54 (7:24 min/mile)	Shoe: Saucony Omni 6 (VI) WARNING!471.35 miles on shoe
Tempo run with Rachel on the bike. She was a wonderful supporter. 7:05 pace up to the turn-around (6.7mi.) Slowed a bit second half. Was quite thirsty. Am satisfied with the effort today. Rachel's presence helped pick up the pace.

brief summary

Friday
2 easy with Leah
Saturday
6 easy
Spirits were good but after 3 miles weird swelling and pain in left knee.
Stopped, stretched, it felt better. Ran again and it came back.
Sunday
Out at 5am
Ran to go watch the international triathlon championships down by the mall.
Left knee did its swelling thing again. Left hamstring tight and tender. It must be related.

Officially signed up for the Northface Endurance 50 yesterday.
No backing out now I guess.
Time to get serious.

hmmm....

I have completely forgotten what I did yesterday, but whatever it was I didn't write it down. So, it will forever remain a mystery.

Today however, just 3 miles in the afternoon with 2x1000m.
I hope tomorrow goes better.

Back

The legs are feeling better but the body has been stuck by the sickness.
Did not sleep well last night. Pretty sure I had a fever.
Although, some sudafed helps.

AM: 8:30
2.25 mi. barefoot on track
With Abe, Leah, and Rose
Legs felt nice and springy.

PM: 3:30
11 mi. to PHT (Potomac Heritage Trail)
Walked for a bit around the mall to take in the sites.
The running really helps drain the sinuses.

Back

2 miles this morning.
4x800 around 7:30 pace.
Also did The Charles PT sit-up workout.
Have not done abs in a long time. Could really feel it. As if Charles was right there kickin' me in the estomico!

Saturday Downfall

Probably the second lowest point I have ever reached during a run yesterday. After three miles I took a short break to think if I should turn around or not. The body just wasn't feeling it, but the Dean (Karnazes) and (David) Goggins in my mind said," this is the time when people find out who they really are. Keep going." Turns out, I should have turned around. At mile five I was so blue, down, and depressed that I sat down just off the side of the trail. I sat there for 15 minutes trying to find the motivation to get home.
At mile 6 I stopped, took another break, and then walked 4 miles home. It was depressing. The legs were heavy as lead. I tried to jog, but it felt like I had just run 50 miles, not 6. The only other time I can remember struggling this much was during the 75 miler when I crashed.
I'm not sure what was going on today, but I definitely bonked at the end. It seems odd because of such low mileage. However, I took today off, and I'm only doing 2 tomorrow.
I hope to look back on this run one day and laugh at the low and high points of running.

Friday, better

Legs felt better today.
Lately I've found myself questioning which race I should sign up for.
There is the ragnar relay in sept. 183 miles with up to 11 team members.
There is also the North Face Endurance run that hosts a 50k and 50 miler, also in sept.
Lastly, the Marine Corps marathon, but it's in oct.
Thoughts?

Today
~18 miles
~2:40:00

Shake Out

Easy AM run with Ingrid, Rose, and Rachel.
~2 miles.
--------------------
PM

The legs were still a bit sluggish walking up stairs, so I decided to take the day off running and walk around town for a bit. Picked up some apple juice. Mmmm.

Wednesday

Running - Hill Run
Arboretum
2:00pm
Weather: 84, Humid
10.8 miles
01:32:00
(8:31 min/mile)
Saucony Omni 6 (VI)
406.6 miles on shoe


Even though it was cloudy today I was soaked with sweat by time I finished. It was a sweaty run for sure.
The legs felt sluggish today and a little heavy.
Must mean time to ease up a bit.
------------------------
Running - Easy Run
Track
4:30pm
Weather: same
2 miles

Easy run and PT with Sis, Ingrid, Rachel, and Gustavo.
Was fun.

Changes

Headed out at 3pm for an easy 10 before meeting up with some folks to run on the track; however, it was terribly warm outside and the stomach didn't seem to agree. After a few "hurlings" and "heave-hos" of the stomach I turned around at three to make it 6 total.
When I arrived Gustavo so kindly informed me that his stomach did not agree with the dairy he had earlier that resulted in "the runs". Unfortunately, "the runs" don't necessarily go with running.
After chatting with another track coach for a little bit I started to noticed someone was turning the lights out in the sky. As I turned around a wall of black, ominous, swirling clouds were welcoming themselves to the neighborhood. Only a few minutes later did the wind, rain, lightning, and thunder say hello. In less than one hour the temperature dropped from 84 to 66 degrees. It was pleasant to have the cooler temperatures around.
The new plan is to finish off an easy four this evening as soon as those pesky positive and negative charges settling their little debate.
--------------------------
PM PM run
8pm, Medium/Easy
10 miles
1:20:45

A much better run this evening. The stomach was settled, the temperatures were much cooler, and I had plenty of hydration. The post rain skies allowed for some beautiful pink and orange rays to settle down on DC. It was a beautiful picture. As soon as the sun set I was reminded of those late night runs with Charles. Good times.
First 3 miles 21:43
4 miles, 30:08
5 miles, 37:43
Took it faster this evening to get the legs moving faster than slug pace.
Something magical happened just after the turn around. Right in front of Arlington I turned around to head back. As I was trotting along I noticed something to my left. There, next to a fence-line of bushes stood three deer. At first, I thought, "why would they put three fake deer right there. Who is hunting out here?" I stood there confused until one of them decided to take off, and soon after the other two fell in line and headed out as well.
As Dean says, "adventure starts as soon as you step out the front door." It must be true. Well, some of the time it is.

Sunday and Monday

Sunday
Barefoot on the track.
Easy two with Abe.
Small sit and push PT.
2,4,6,8,10,10,8,6,4,2 push
double the sit
Total: 60 push, 120 sit.
-----------------------
Today, Monday, AM
The sun was a'blazin' today.
First three barefoot on the track with Leah and Abe.
Small PT:
30 sit
3x10- "Blurpies"
1 min. rest
Three sets
The rest of the run was easy paced. The body didn't like the morning running. Also, didn't eat enough before heading out. Took a break at the turn around to watch the planes land.

~18 miles
~2:55:00

PS: Great news!
Had 5 runners initiate a wave today! They occurred around the same are within 15 minutes of each other. I wonder if it's late morning runner on that part of the trail that are friendly. Hmm?
--------------------
PM
Easy barefoot two and a quarter with Gustavo, Sis, and Ingrid.
Felt good.


Walked back home to find 8 fire trucks and a whole battalion of fire fighters putting out a very smokey house fire just two houses down. With houses setup as row houses it was a good thing the fire was put out quick. Our whole place smells like camp fire now. No one was hurt.

Long Run

To the river where the water spirits run strong.
A good run today. The legs didn't complain until hour 4.
The trail by the river was very muddy and lots of new debris.
Run, hike, walk, and climb on the trail.
Got a small headache around hour 4 as well. Think is was because of water.
Tried to filter some of the stream water, but instinct said it was bad.
The legs felt great when I got back so did 2 more barefoot on the track with Leah. Lots of stretching.
Feel great now.
Very content with how today's run went. Was not worried about pace. Am pleased with getting time on the legs. It was also fun to explore new parts of the trail. Lots of rock climbing in some parts.
Turned around today when I ran out of trail. Must have taken a wrong turn somewhere.
Quite content.

~25 miles
~4:41:00

The Tradition Continues

It is now the third celebration of the "end of school" run, which as you might remember ends with a run in the rain. Well, today was no exception. Today consisted of a 15 mile soak and slosh fest that left the spirit riveted. Either it was a the rain, the day off yesterday, or a combination of the two but today's run definitely ranks among top-ten best runs. 15 miles with a strong pace the entire time. Breathing was very relaxed and the legs felt surprisingly good.
Very pleased with today's run.

15 mi.
1:54:14
7:36 min/mi.

Guilt

Anyone else feel guilt when missing a run?
I must justify, today is the last day before finals, so inevitably the day is filled with some aspect of study. Because the day is spent studying running gets put on the back-burner. Well, this evening, when studies were complete, thunderstorms had rolled in and decided to dump gobs of rain accompanied by lightning and mucho gust-o-s (get it? mucho gusto, like many "gusts". HA). With all of these factors I've decided not to run; however, there is an associated guilt with missing a day. There is an feeling of success when training goes as planned and progress is positive. Although, remembering last summer, the guilt ends up forcing training that leads to burnout.
In a sense, it is a good reminder that it's ok to miss a day. I don't want to end up running from a sense of obligation.
I must tell myself, it's okay not to run, it's ok to miss a day, and I will not spend the rest of the week making up missed miles.

Anyone else experience anything like this?

Questions...

Felt slow, ran slow.
The legs were tight today.
Perhaps fatigue? Not enough water? Need more protein? Not enough recovery from long run? Need more stretching? Stop complaining and run faster?
Who knows...

First 8 down at The Mall. I stopped at the turn around to stretch the hip when I saw a pretty girl. I decided to run farther. Is it wrong to chase pretty girls?
Any ways, I guess it doesn't matter considering she turned off in another direction, which left me no time to grunt and flex my muscles (I've been told that's how to catch a pretty lady).

Finished with two on the track with Gustavo.
Light PT:
90 sit, 30 push, 2x1min. ab planks each side.
Gustavo is just getting back into shape and wants to do more running and PT. I just hope I can be as good of a teacher/mentor/motivator as Charles and Anton were to me. They have set the bar high.

10 mi. easy pace
1:29:50
Light PT:
90 sit, 30 push, 50 arm haulers, and some weird yoga moves.

Heavy Legs

Easy 10 today with some unscheduled pick-ups.
Felt good to go faster, but the legs were heavy for the first time since training started.
I attribute it to low amounts of water.
Feeling better about overall conditioning, but need much more work on speed work.

Arlington
Easy 10 mi.
1:18:22

Long/Shake Out

Saturday, 5 pm, mid 70s and sunny
22 miles
~3:37:00
Potomac Heritage Trail, Arlington, Airport

Saw many trees down on the trail today, but whoever maintains the trail did a fantastic job cleaning it up.
Only a few patches of mud. Not bad.
First 48 min. went by quick.
Ran out of water relatively early today.
Found a comfortable pace just after 2:30.
Cold soak afterwords.
Cereal with blueberries, strawberries, banana, and soy milk.
-------------------------
Sunday
9:30 am
Shake out run with Gus and Abe
1 mi wu, small PT 75 push and sit, 1 mi cd
------------------------
5:30 pm
Dos mas with Kari and Sis
Barefoot on the track.
The legs feel very good. Neither stiff nor sore.
I bet the combination of much more stretching and brief cold soaks after runs that hurt have been helping recovery.
This is the last week of summer school. The goal is to maintain mileage, but I suspect studies might once again steal the spotlight.

Rain

Ran faster than planned today.
It was pouring rain and it was just refreshing and motivational. Splashing through the puddles like a little kid.
Newspapers say more than 7 inches of rain have fallen in the past 5 days.
.7 inches just this afternoon.
As a result, trees are falling over. Tomorrow's long run might take place on a different route depending on how muddy and how much debris is in the way on the trail.
Needless to say, today was a wet and fun run.
~10 mi.
~1:23:00

More running

Hill work yesterday at the arboretum.
Went strong up the hills and relaxed for the rest.
A better overall time for running at the Arboretum.
At one point, with no one around, I heard a large cracking and snapping. As I looked to the side I saw a huge, old, dead tree take its final bow. It was a good thing no one was around, or at least good that no one was underneath it. This reminded me of the long run this past weekend. Running on the Potomac the trail was clear going out, but on the way back there was a tree stretched across the entire path. Good thing no one got hurt because getting hit by that could have killed someone.
Any who, during the middle of the run yesterday I had to make a quick pit stop to take care of some sort of stomach bug. Good thing there were bathrooms close by.
Finished last three barefoot on the track with the second to last mile at 7 min. pace. Thought it would be faster than that but wasn't.
The new track is oh so nice.
Finished the day off with alternating lunges down the football field, and back with side lunges.
100 each leg.

10.5 mi.
~1:23:00
~8:00 min. pace

Yesterday and Today

Yesterday

First 2.8 mi. in 20:19 (7:00/mi.)
Total 10.4 in 1:19:30 (7:38/mi.)
cool down
11.1 mi. total
stretch
for dinner, I ate a bunch of whole wheat noodle. Mmmm....
-------------------------
Today

Very easy, relaxed, no pressure type of run today.
Maintenance miles.
Giving the legs a bit of recovery from yesterday and tomorrow's planned workout.
The new track is open and is fantastic. It's very bouncy. Just wonderful.
Ran one mile barefoot on the new track with Gus and Rachel.
Small PT with them.
3x1 min. ab planks
50 sit and 50 push
A great way to end the run.

12 miles
1:53:00
9:25/mi. pace

Deceptive Humidity

Underestimated the weather today. Sunny, 82, with humidity at 89%.
The temperature was not bad but the humidity was. Had to stop a few times to rehydrate. Was soaked by the end of the run.
It rained this evening so things cooled off.

Small PT:
4x5 pull
3 sets of 3x20 sit
3x20 push
10x hill climb lunges
The hill-climb-lunges are just lunges done up the steepest hill I could find on campus. This is in attempt to develop more leg muscle.

Sat in the grass while doing stretches and watched the thunderous and lightning-ous clouds do their thing off in the distance. It was relaxing. Feeling more flexible bit by bit.

11.2 mi.
~1:38:00
Arboretum
Hill work

Friday/Saturday

Yesterday, Friday, did 8 at an easy pace in the morning. Planned on 4 more in the evening but it had to be scratched.

Today was the first long run that I've done in a good while. 18 today in 2:46:00.
Headed to the Potomac trail and planned on turning around at Baby Bear (the first waterfall on the trail). However, things were going well so I kept going. It's nice to run on the trail because it's very easy to forget about pace and any fatigue. It's an enjoyable run. However, on the way back a well hidden tree root popped out of no where, grabbed my foot, and threw me to the ground. The right leg, arm, and hip took the hit. Some nice little battle wounds to remind me that I got up and kept going while that stupid tree root is stuck there. Ha, take that tree root.

There are many tourists in town with Memorial Day coming up. I didn't plan accordingly and ran through hoards of people and hundreds, maybe thousands, of hard-core bikers. Oh well.

Stretched a bunch after. Got to sit in the shade under a tree and enjoy the beautiful weather, which is getting warmer and warmer. 87 and sunny today according to the little weather icon, which would explain why I ran out of water and had to go into conservation mode on the way back. Anyways, did some stretching and drank some delicious protein drinks. That's something I have been trying to increase is protein intake. It must have done something because the post-run legs feel good. Better than expected.

Almost 67 miles for the first week back into consecutive running days.
A satisfactory start.

Ok, that is all for today.

Ciao

Hill work and Hernia/Groin

Good hill work today.
Was warmer outside.
The salt burns the eyes!
Had a few pick-ups on up and down hills while recovering on the flats.
Short PT after. 100 sit, 50 push, 10 pullPlayed some Frisbee after.

Have been doing mucho (more now in comparison to none) stretching after runs and in the evening before bed. The hips have loosened up but the hernia/groin thing still lingers. It's not impacting running. It's just irritating. Charles told me that he experienced pain similar to this. He suspects it is related to tight hips. That very well could be the case. Hence, mucho mucho hip stretches.

10.7 miles
1:28:03
8:13 pace

Easy

Legs were a little tight so planned and easy run today. Felt good.
Felt better than yesterday by having more fluids. The weather is being quite coorperative, beautiful, and predictable, which makes it easier to prepare.
Breathing slowed the pace today, which was good because it was supposed to be an easy day. Groin/Hernia thing still being a nuisance.
Did light shoulder and leg lifting after.

8.1 miles
63 min.
7:46 pace

Base work

Faster pace running on flat course.
Run felt good. Breathing was steady the entire time.
Legs and body got tired about a mile from home. It was warm and I was a little hungry. Plus, the legs are getting back into running.
Need to get in more fluids with the rising temps.
Overall, a good run to set base training.

11.5 mi.
1:29:53
7:48 pace

Also, got to talk on the phone with Charles tonight. It was good to hear from him. He is doing well.

Faster pace running on flat course.
Run felt good. Breathing was steady the entire time.
Legs and body got tired about a mile from home. It was warm and I was a little hungry. Plus, the legs are getting back into running.
Need to get in more fluids with the rising temps.
Overall, a good run.

11.5 mi.
1:29:53
7:48 pace

Also, got to talk on the phone with Charles tonight. It was good to hear from him. He is doing well.

Leg Work

Got in a steady hill run today at the Arboretum. This place is good for constant up and down hill work. The pace felt great. Didn't push it but kept it steady. 10.7 mi. in 1:32:06
Attempted to do some PT after but bailed due to an unusual lower stomach/upper right bladder area/front hip discomfort. Never had a feeling like this. It's in a very specific spot and yells at me when doing ab work. In turn, I scratched the PT and did lunges instead. I think developing more leg muscles would help with the long runs.

With summer classes starting again there might be some days that running is put on the back burner. I really hope this doesn't happen as training become more consistent once again.

Got an awesome text from Charles today. He had a stellar PT testing today. Hope he posts soon so we can read all about it.

Yes-ter-day

10.7 around the lake and back.
Felt good except the groin/inner thigh muscles were tight.
Found some new pull-up bars in the park and did 4x5.

That is all.

Slow and Easy

Same route today but in the opposite direction.
7.7mi. in 65 min. Took the pace much easier.
The legs were quite tight from the two-touch football yesterday.
Good to know those muscles are working again.
The run went by very fast today.

Right now I'm reading a book by Haruki Murakami entitled, “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”. It's a good read so far. A different approach to writing about running.
On the plane there was a part in the book the Haruki was writing about running a marathon from Marathon. He said it was so hot that he was mad at everything. He was even mad at the cows for chewing grass they way they did. When I read this I laughed out loud on the plane.
Any who, the point is, in his book he says that the best way to stay motivated is to stop running (or writing for him) when you still feel like you want to run more. I did that today. Now, I'm excited to run again tomorrow.
The glorious weather has helped a great deal.

Back Home

Last time I ran at home was over winter break and it was a struggle.
Yesterday was much different. A great run it was. The legs felt good, the lungs felts good, everything felt good.
Pace went a little faster than planned. Perhaps the excitement of being back and being able to run in a place without having to worry about being shot or mugged helped out.
7.7 in all in 58:30 (7:35 pace).
The goal for the next two weeks is to get in 50 miles a weeks at a easy and comfortable pace. Shake out all the cob-webs and avoid any kinds of -itis that wants to pop up.

Begining a tradition

Perhaps some of you may recall at the end of last semester, on the day of the very last final, I went for a run. It was a joyous run seeing that a) I was able to run again, and b) it was a fast paced rain-run. This must be something of a tradition because this past Thursday was the last of the semester finals, and once again, a) it was a joyous run, and b) it rained.

It felt good to get back out there. To run again is a good thing. For the next two weeks I plan to run as much as my heart desires, and it's also planned to make these runs enjoyable. Seeing that I'm currently back home it is a nice change of scenery from the big city. It will also be nice to run some good courses.

I hope everyone is well.

Plans

Not sure where I will be this summer. The job I had has been eliminated. My skills are no longer needed. Even if the economy sucks there is still running.

A beautiful day to run.
Mixed it up. Started at medium/tempo, then took it easy. From then I ran fast whenever, hit the hills strong, and had easy recovery jogs in between. Focused on form today. I guess it pays off.
Felt good. Workin' the heart. Averaged 7:15 miles in just over an hour of running. Just shy of 9 for today.

I plan to gear up the mileage this summer in preparation for http://www.ragnarrelay.com/dc/index.php

I was thinking that just a few of us could run it since there is an ultra category. Perhaps it could be a new record day. Have high hopes. Also, Northface has an endurance 50 ultra a month after the ragnar relay. If training goes well perhaps both can be ran. Having goals helps motivate.

Rain

Light rain today. 60s.
Ran 6 mi at 7:20 pace.
Felt good. Felt real good.

Salt anybody?

First run in a week and first warm day. Temps peaked around mid 90s today. Got in a good sweat with hill work. The face burned with salt.
Did the same workout at last week.
Time to start ingesting more water.

Hills felt good. It's that time of year where sleep comes less and studying occupies life. I hope to get in some running.
Have high hopes for summer training.

Hill work

To the arboretum for some hills.
5 miles total. No watch today.
There was a nice refreshing rain/sprinkle today.
3x4 min. incline with increasing speed each rep.
3x30 incline with increasing speed each rep.
Back home
3x150 sit

That is all.

The Days Just Float By

Didn't realize that I had not run in three days. Woops. Things must be getting busy.

Gorgeous weather today. 74 degrees. Got in some easy running. About 6 miles all together.
Championships tomorrow. Out steeple chase girl is only one second behind the leading time. She has a real chance to win tomorrow and has an excellent taper week. Let's hope she finds a groove tomorrow.

Ran around barefoot for about an hour on the track and football field. Tossed the frisbee and such. Was a very enjoyable afternoon.

Misunderstand

def: fail to interpret or understand (something) correctly.

Today it rained.
Practice was scheduled at 4.
I gather my gear to prepare for the rain.
Showed up to practice and the long distance crew didn't want to run outside.
So what did they do? Got in the pool.
I just don't understand.
Avoid running in the rain just to run in the pool? Hmm.

I did a little bit of ab and shoulder work. Ran on the DREADMILL for 20 minutes. It said 1.8 miles. It must be wrong. Sat on a bike and moved the legs in circular motions. Some people call it "biking." I'm unfamiliar with this concept, and I also don't understand the purpose of having a seat jammed right in one's....well, sensitive place.

It seems like a lot of complaining, but it's not.
The weather says 74 and 75 for Friday and Saturday. Although, as we have all learned from Charles's blog the weather channel lies.

No title

Couldn't think of a title for today. No theme really. Was just good to get a break and run for a bit.

First mile around 7 min. pace.
3.2 easy with the team in the hoods. Almost got ran over by a car.
1.8 mi. in 11:28 to finish. Felt good to maintain a faster pace.

Ab planks after. 2 sets R,L,Center @ 30 sec each.
Then 3 minutes center ab plank.
Headed inside for 5x5 pull, some shoulder work with weights,
and some legs extensions.

Had hummus tonight with some chips. It's delicious.

Reminded Lesson #2

Don't shave before running. Only after.
Shave before run=burning face.

The head coach decided to cancel practice one hour before it was scheduled to begin, so no one showed up. Damn.
Did 3.1 mile med. in 22:09
An Awesome Pyramid PT that consisted of:
5,10,15,20,25, 25,20,15,10,5 varied push
double amount arm haulers
and 40 sit varied each set

Total:
150 push
300 arm haulers
400 sit
It was enjoyable to change things up a bit rather than doing the standard 10x10. It also seems mentally easier, which is always a nice bonus.

Finished with easy 2 mile barefoot run on the nice-n-cushy field turf.
I might try to include more barefoot running with the nice weather out (74 degrees today).

Warmth

Beautiful weather today. Just around 65 degrees. The warmth reminded me of two things: 1) drink more water and 2) drink more water.

2 mile wu at steady pace
3x 800 with 400 jog in between
2:53, 2:55, 3:04
1 mile cool down
stretch and soak up some sun

Running plans include faster work and less distance because speed work tends to take less time.

Easy Seazy

6 easy. Was happy to squeeze in some running. Not much, but better than nothing.
Back to the books.

Morning Run

Easy four this morning with half the team.

Getting out there this morning reminded me of those early morning summer runs with Blue. Good times.

Mun Dee

5.25 mi. today.
Not very much but it was nice to get back out there. Warmed up with the team and while they stretched I threw in a 5:50 mile. I was pleased with the time. Focused on technique and form instead of speed. It seems to have paid off since it felt less strenuous than those other miles repeats at slower times.

PT:
10 sets: 15 varied push and 25 varied sit.
Have not done PT in a while and the muscles sure felt it.

Brain workout/ Body vacation

Headed to Dallas, TX last Wednesday for a four day convention. The days were filled with 8am to 6pm lectures and massive amounts of drinking in the evening. Since I don't drink I got to watch professionals lecture during the day and act like goofballs in the evening. The nights went late and typically got to bed around 1am. Every morning I arose anywhere from 5:30 to 6am to get in a short workout and shower. Needless to say, it was nice to get a full night of sleep last night on a bed rather than a floor.

The brain has been filled with a great deal of information and not it's time to get back into running.

On/Offs

Was the workout for today.

Started with 2 min on and 1 min off, but the guy I was running with threatened to hurl and pass-out several times. We decided to cut it down to 1x1 min.

2x200 m sprints to feel fast. 29 and 32 sec.

2 sets: 8x10 varied sit. A smaller version of the Bear workout.

Back at it

To the mall today. Felt good to get back out there. Feel out of shape.
First 2 miles at 6:46 pace. Felt good.
The rest was more for enjoyment.
Stopped a few times to enjoy the Cherry Blossom Trees.
Finished at the track with 6 strides and stretching.

It absolutely beautiful outside. 74, sunny, and a bit breezy. Finally got to run without worrying about getting cold.

In da Mornin'

PT this morning before the track meet.

4x5 pull (the hardest of the set)
4x25 push
4x50 sit
+100 sit

Felt good to get in some exercise considering I had 4 plates of pasta last night. That's what Charles should be eating, not me.

edentulous • \ee-DEN-chuh-luss\

meaning: having no teeth.

Time to educate with the word of the day provided by
http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwwod.pl

Got outside today. 6.7 mi. averaged 8:03 pace. Nothing like what the Duke is knocking out, but it was good to get back out there. The sickness is starting to dissolve. Ran with the team. There were five of us all together. It was fun.
Got the mile time down to 3:09 for a short sprint downhill.
Threw is some strides and 3x 1min. ab planks.

Back to work

Back to school and getting back to work.
Went to doctor today and got some drugs to help rid of the sickness.

Didn't run much today. Probably a little over one mile all together.
Did get in PT with some of the runners.
5 sets of 10 push and 20 sit
then ran few hills and worked on technique
10x 10 push and 25 sit
25, 50, and 75 arm haulers
50 more sit

Totals:
150 push
150 haulers
400 sit

Ben=1:Sickness=1

The congestion has gotten a little out of control. I am not dealing with constant pain behind my right eye. If I could only get the knife out of there it would feel much better. I'm going to give into medication and take some. Hopefully it will work.

Did PT yesterday morning with Melissa.
4x25 push
4x50 varied sit

Pines

Run through the neighborhood. It's a beautiful neighborhood without sidewalks and nice wide roads. The route is hilly and provides a lot of variation.

Had breathing issues this morning and am still dealing with the sickness. The head is terribly congested.

Stopped and did PT every mile. 20 sit and 20 push a total of 5 times.
PT was very easy today.
6.5 miles total at 8:45 pace.

Sick/Central Park/NC

Well, the sickness lingers. The head is congested and the sinuses are filled. Gross.

Yesterday, ran 5 medium in Central Park. It wasn't as great as I thought it would be. Just past the turn around I was in desperate need for a bathroom. Couldn't find one. It made for an unpleasant second half.

Now, I'm in North Carolina and plan to run tomorrow. I'm excited.

Ben-1 Sickness-0

I woke up this morning feeling much better, and to celebrate, I watched movies and did PT.

Movies watched:
Iron Man
Fantastic 4
National Treasure
Sicko

PT:
Push: 125, including 10 dive-bombers. Ouch!
Sit: 6x50
Arm-Haulers: 2x75, +50
Lunges: 165

Take that sickness!

The Sickness

I had a feeling this would happen. With little sleep and mucho work my body has finally given in to the sickness; however, the sickness will not win. The sickness will die.

Two Down, One to go

One more midterm.

Today, did 6 miles with the team (three of us).
2 mile wu
2 mile tempo 6:00-7:00 min. pace
2 mi cd

It was in the mid 60s. Wonderful weather. Overcast, slight breeze, and a warm sprinkle. I like this temperature.
We also had team pictures today. Does anyone else ever feel like a dork when smiling for pictures?

zoom, outta here

midterms week=little sleep, lots of study, lots of tired, lots of test, test the brain.

lots of study=stay in school=replace running with study.

back to study.

Ben+Speed Work=Not very fast

2 mi. wu 13:33 (6:46/mi)
1 mi. 6:03
1 mi. 6:02
2 mi. 14:00

PT:
5x 15 push
5x 25 sit
25 push

15

It was 75 degrees today. The weather was absolutely perfect. Could not have asked for a better day. Thank you weather man or woman. Thank you for finally giving us a nice day.

Did a 15 mile run/walk. I've noticed that a slow jog makes the muscles very tight, so instead of doing that I decided to walk.

About 6 miles out I found a tree with a nice looking pull-up branch on it and did 6x5 varied pull.
Then, stopped at the turn around, which is the park next to the airport. One can sit and watch the planes land. I sat and watched the planes fly over for 15 minutes or so. It was very relaxing.

A wonderful day for running!

Threezy

Three easy miles today.
Studies have been keeping me busy. Three midterms next week.
Hence, the reason for staying in tonight and working hard.
Track meet tomorrow. It's supposed to be 70 degrees! Woo!




Woo!

Workout

Didn't run today even though the weather was wonderful. This week I have replaced running with school work, so it's not the worst reason not to run.

Hit the gym tonight. Oh the legs are going to be sore tomorrow. I can already feel it.

10x10 push and sit, quick draw
8x40 varied sit, half-bear
2x5 pull
Lunges and a bunch of other random weight stuff to work the shoulders, quads, calves, back, and abs.

I hope to feel sore again tomorrow.
Warm weather is upon us.

Bah

Practice was postponed today and when I showed up none of the long distance runners were there. Oh well. Ended up doing 3x600 with 400m jog in between. They felt pretty good. The air was frigid cold and made the throat hurt. However, when that subsided the lungs felt great. I was please with the times.
Goal times were 2:00 and these were actual times:
2:06
2:03
2:02

Not a lot of running today, but I'm not worried about it.
Still sore from Monday's PT. Woo. I'm pleased with the soreness.

Nebraska has passed the torch (of ice)

4ish inches of snow last night. It's a nice light snow. Not very good for snowballs. Now, there is a winter weather advisory saying that wind chills might dip below zero. I wonder what the leaves for tomorrow.

The team stayed inside today because sprinters don't run in the snow and none of the long distance people showed up today (they were all sick/studying/class). Instead, I lead them in a super-set. Those who could handle it did 10 sets of 3x10 varied push and sit. The rest did 3x5 with 10 sets. After that we did two sets of fire haulers. There was lots of weakness leaving their bodies and I smiled with joy knowing all to well their pain.

In all my workout looked like this:
half bear: 8x40 varied sit
180 varied sit
100 varied push
5x5 pull
3x1 min ab planks
2x75 fire haulers
3x20 leg (to help with the patella)

A half hour after the workout my arms were still shaking. I hope that means it was a good workout. Have not done PT in a while and it felt good to finally get in a solid set.

Yesterdy=Success

Out the door at 7am yesterday to finish off mileage for the week.
Ran an easy two and added one more with Leah.
Finished off the week with ~93 miles. There are a few decimal points in there somewhere.

Turns out to have been a good week to get in more miles because a) it's now snowing here and have an expected 6-10 inches by tomorrow, and b) a midterm this week that will be a doozy.

Walking around today the legs feel great. Hoping to get in some quality speed work tomorrow, but who knows, it might just turn out to be several miles of playing in the snow.

Long Run Combination

AM: 12, 1:44

Headed out this morning only to run into fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars. Not sure what happened but they were in a rush somewhere.
By time I got back from the run a bunch of fire fighters were playing football on the field. Now I understand why they rushed here so quick.
Legs a bit sore. Slow pace. Wonderful weather.
Even though it was really windy the temperature was great.

-----------
PM: 11.5, 1:43

Overdressed a bit tonight. Felt good to sweat again.
Legs were tired.
Only have 3 or so miles to go tomorrow morning to reach the goal of 92.
Been a good week of running. Had to really squeeze the schedule tight to fit everything in.
First track meet tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

Legs are sore. Good feeling after increasing the miles. Let's me know they are still there and alive!

Mollusks

Slept in this morning and ran this afternoon.
Felt good to sleep in.

It was perfect weather outside. 50 degrees and no wind.
Ran down by the Potomac river and discovered thousands of open mollusk shells. Not sure if there were clams or oysters, but Melissa thinks mollusks is a better term to use. Picked some up and put them in my pocket.
Ran with music today which I rarely do. It was quite enjoyable and helped me push the pace.

After, went to the athletic trainers to check out what the numbness might be coming from. He said the right patella was off tract a little bit and should work on strengthening the "inner" quad muscle (not sure of the anatomical name. I bet Anton would know). I think it's just because the outer quad is very tight that it's pulling the patella off tract. Bad news, the neuroma on the left foot was quite irritated today and at one point thought I would have to cut it short. Hope that the new shoes will resolve this issue.

Overall, a good day of running.

Double Dip

Woke up a little late this morning. Was still tired this morning. The weather was much nicer.
Headed out at 7. Easy 5 in 43 min. or so.
Back early enough to get in some breakfast.
Headed to class, ate lunch, went back to class in the afternoon, then ran again.
Another easy 5 this afternoon with the team. They did on/offs while I ran around and "judged" their technique.
First meet is this Saturday. A little nervous. Don't feel like I've pushed them enough. Although, one of the sprinters puked up blue Powerade. There was a lot. I bet he won't be chugging Powerade before practice next time.

Good news. The legs felt much more looses today and only felt heavy when I joined in a few of the "on"s.

Still on track to reach the goal, but will have to get in more miles before Saturday since we will be at the meet all day.

Full Day

Here's the run down for what happened today:
woke up 6am
out door by 6:30
ran 5 mi. in 44:32. legs still heavy and tight.
numbness is back
ASL proficiency interview
quick breakfast and chatted with Melissa
clinic
back home to change
out again for 5 more in 41:29
it was hard to keep the pace around 8 min. miles
quick shower, sandwich, and change
clinic again,
dinner. had delicious fish. mmmmmmm
class
class
home.
peanuts, talk, post, peanuts, SLEEP!

Happy to get in the miles today. Yesterday I really doubted that I would follow through with the morning run, but I did it! After getting up every though I had searched for an excuse to get back into bed. I ate a PB sandwich with my eyes half-open.

Tomorrow will be a little less busy with class. Hope to get in a few miles in the morning the some sort of afternoon workout as well.

Good news, it's supposed to be warmer tomorrow!

Busy as a Bee

Going to be a busy busy week trying to squeeze in more miles. Tomorrow's plan is to rise early, get in an easy 4 or 5 then get in another 4 or 5 during lunch.
Tomorrow is the busiest day class wise. Let's hope I make it through without falling asleep.

Today, woke up at 6 a.m. and hit the alarm until 7. Got out the door at 7:30 and did an easy 10 in 1:27:00. The legs felt very heavy today. Does not seem like a good sign when it's Monday and the legs already feel heavy. I was hoping the afternoon run would loosen up the legs and feel better. That didn't work. Managed to get in 7.25 miles while the team did mile repeats. I just ran the warm-ups, cool-downs, and in-betweens with different people. Was in the lower 30s today and felt like 17. Wind 16 to 25 mph. The wind is quite annoying and forecast says it's going to be just as windy and even colder tomorrow.

The legs are still very heavy. They feel tired going up stairs and are very tight. I did some stretching today as well hoping that would help. Let's hope the legs adjust and improve throughout the week rather than decline.

Am satisfied with mileage for today. On the right pace to reach the goal.

Total:
17.25 mi.

Long

Inspired by The Duke I decided to go long today.
Went to Regan Airport. Looked at the Garmin at the turn around and thought it said 9.99 miles. Really, it must have said 7.99 mile and my math was off. I just figured I had some stellar mile times in there. Turns out I was just slow.
Total:
17 mi. in 2:32
First half in 72 min.
After, did very short PT because I ended up getting bored and cold.
It was 28, windy, overcast, and drizzly for a little bit.
10 pull, 50 push, 100 sit, 50 fire
Stretch!

I think Abby was right with the cold weather/tight muscle hypothesis. After yesterday's stretching and the short pre-run stretch today there was no numbness in the leg. Hoo-ray!

Numbness and Tingling

The wind is not enjoyable.
A little over 10 mi. total in 1:23. Just over 8 min. average.
Threw in a down hill sprint to see how low the Garmin would read. Got it down to 3:31. Now if I could only hold that pace for a mile or so I would be a much faster runner.

The past two days, just after two miles or so, the right knee goes numb, and if I continue the numbness spreads up into the quad. It is a weird feeling. After stopping for a bit the tingling starts just like when one's foot or limb falls asleep. After a the feeling returns my stride is off and the is an extra bump when I plant on the right. Biofeedback from the right leg has stopped and it takes a mile or so to get back into a rhythm that feels somewhat normal again.
Not sure what this is, but I sure hope it goes away.

Wonder if it has any connection to the legs feeling tight. Did lots of stretching afterwords.

AM Swim

With the team this morning.
Today we had five long distance runners. Woo!
Did some form drills in the water then aqua-jogged for a half-hour.

That is all.

Squeeze

This weeks mileage did not go as planned.
Looks like it's going to be much less.
6.6 mi in 57:37 on full stomach.
Right after lunch, in between classes.
It was 28 and ridiculously windy today. The wind really killed the mojo.
Wind wind go away.

Speed Work

2 mi wu (7:20s)
stretch
1.5 mi repeated wu
4x400m with 2 min. rest in between
4x300m with 2 min. rest, 100m jog
1 mi cd (10:00)

400s right around 80 sec. Legs were tight. Have not done speed work in a while.
Was hoping to feel fast with the 400s but did not. Focused on form. Legs died before breathing (although it quickly caught up).

NC Weekend/Awkward Lungs&Heart/New Shoes

Took the weekend off and escaped from the city. Went to North Carolina. Absolutely beautiful area. Tall pine trees all over the place. Would have been the perfect place to run. Hope to go back and get in some very enjoyable miles there.

Here's today's run info:

Monday February 16, 2009 Add Workout!	Running - Medium Run Jefferson Memorial 9:00am Edit Workout!	11 miles 00:00:00	Shoe: Saucony Omni 6 (V) 388.7 miles on shoe
	2.2 wu 17:01 3.14 medium 24:08 3.24 medium 24:01 2.43 cd 22:01 Lungs felt closed and struggled for air. Heart was beating much harder, not faster, but harder than normal. Abnormal feelings this morning. The effort for the two medium runs did not reflect time. Something was off today.
	Running - Hills Campus 4:00pm Weather: 32 Edit Workout!	3.7 miles 00:00:00	Shoe: Saucony Omni 6 (V) 388.7 miles on shoe
	.5 wu stretch 1.5 mile easy 10x hill repeats 1.7 mi cd breathing felt better today. PT after. 10x10 quick draw push/sit 2x80 varied sit "baby mammoth" 75 fire haulers 4x max pull: 8,5,5,4

Aimed to get in more miles this afternoon, but the PT made up for it. Pull-ups were difficult today.

After this morning's run the second toe on the right foot felt a little funny. After some investigation a small blister was discovered. With 380 miles on the shoes and a big hole in the toe of the right sock I figure it's almost time to get some new shoes, and maybe some socks also.

Beginners Mistake

Woops. Made a mistake and ran right after lunch.
The GI tract was not please with this decision.
The first half was slow so things would stay down.
The second half had to stop and walk for half-mile to keep things...well. Let's just say I could have used a bathroom.

The run left the stomach feeling disgusted the rest of the day.

This leaves me with a question. Would you rather run hungry or full (considering just right is not an option)?

-----------
Went to a restaurant and hung out with some school mates. They decided to take a cab home. I decided to run. Who would arrive first? I would always choose the runner.

1.5 miles in 9:51. Not the fastest time but not too shabby for street clothes with my phone, keys, and other junk.

Ended up arriving at the front door 15 seconds before they did. I waited there counting my cash. Suckers. Guess who just saved $3? That's right!

Tuesday and Wednesday

Late run last night so not posting until today.
I decided to stop counting how many people say hi because the numbers were too depressing. Today absolutely 0% of the runners acknowledged back. That's too depressing for a run.
However, last night I saw two hardcore runners. They had packs on their backs and were working their asses off. I actually had to catch up to one of the runners and say, "hey man, you dropped your ass back there. You must be working it off."
Here are the stats from yesterday and today. Too lazy to write it again. Thanks copy and paste.

Tuesday February 10, 2009 Add Workout!	Running - Easy Run Arlington 8:15pm Weather: mid 50s Edit Workout!	14 miles 01:56:00 (8:17 min/mile)	Shoe: Saucony Omni 6 (V) 349 miles on shoe
	Beautiful outside. Wonderful night for a run. Legs and breathing felt great. Everything matched. Wonderful fun.
Wednesday February 11, 2009 Add Workout!	Running - On-Offs Track & Mall 4:15pm Weather: 72 Breezy Edit Workout!	11 miles 01:26:00 (7:49 min/mile)	Shoe: Saucony Omni 6 (V) 360 miles on shoe
	The weather was even more beautiful today. Actually got a little warm during the run. The shirt almost came off, but then again, I don't want to get shot. Finished with 80 sit-ups. 3x 5 min on 4 min. off with the mid-distance runners. Hit a 5:39 pace during one of them. Finished off with 7.5 mile easy run. Threw in some more short bursts just to test out the Garmin. It tells the fastest pace that one has ran. Going full-out down hill and got the pace down to 4:39. Felt good to float; however, I could only hold it for 20 seconds or so. The legs were a little tired today after the speed work-out. Otherwise another great run today. Almost time to order new shoes.

Running can=Happy

Absolutely perfect weather for running. Sunny and beautiful.

Medium run today. Felt the work in the lungs.
Focused on efficient form and breathing.

Slightly euphoric after today's run. Heart beat slowed, the sun warmed my face and the breeze cooled the body. A+

Splits:
3.21 mi., 23:11, 7:13/mi. pace
3.21 mi., 23:00, 7:09/mi. pace

---------------
Afternoon. Planned on 4 but as usual plans changed.
.5 mi wu
2x800 repeats. Right at 3:00.
Only one runner finished four sets. The other died.

DON'T GO EAST!

Did a run'about today. Headed East.
What did I learn from today's run? Do Not Head East!

Had my pack on full of supplies and it was hot so the shirt was off.
I started getting weird looks from everybody. Some guy started yelling at me from across the street. I thought, "what the hell is going on?" Another guy by the bus stop warned me and said, "hey champ, you're going to want to put a shirt on," in sort of a tone that implied a "do you know where you are?" Apparently I was in the wrong neighborhood to be running through.
Ended up hopping on the metro because I didn't feel comfortable with all those looks and I was lost. Took the metro to an area that I knew and headed to the mall. There were many people out and the weather was gorgeous!
Ended up cutting the run short because I got bored. Didn't want to keep going and fry myself.
Next time I'll try heading South.

Total run: 14.65 mi. (yes, .65 because that's what the garmin said)
Did a short PT after because I hadn't done it in a while.
Rotated between pull, push, and sit.
pull: 7 regular, 5 wide, 7 and 7 mountain climbers, 7 reverse
push: 5x25 varied
sit: 5x25 varied
3x1 min. ab planks

Push-ups were the most difficult today. Should have done more abs. Pull felt great.
Shoulders little sore from yesterday. Must have been from carrying around the bag.

Next time I'm heading South!

Top Ten Run

Very enjoyable and adventurous city run today. Felt terrific after today's run. One of best runs in a long time. Champ it was. Champ.

Here's a quick run down of what I saw today:
A Russian guy with a hat
Hundreds of girls wearing boots (seems to be the trend)
I accidentally scared the crap out of one girl. She screamed and froze in place. I think she thought I was going to rob her. Her friend just laughed.
Saw Ted Kennedy being interviewed by a whole bunch of suites outside the white house.
Saw the DC Fire Dept. find a dead guy in the middle of a small park who turned out not to be dead. Just passed out.
A bus driver eating Chinese food.
Girls in bikinis. They were inside some sort of store something or other. Perhaps a tanning salon or something.
And little sonny williams who had better get his ass back home because mom was yelling for him.

A fantastic run!

Hills

Today, 10 total.

Had team practice at 2:30 so I set out early to get in some good 'ol runnin'!
2 mi wu
2 mi tempo hills
2 mi cd

I can't figure out how to use all the settings on the Garmin that Leah has let me use, so I can't check my splits for the tempo. I'm going to guess 6:30 average. The two miles was shorter than I expected. Apparently all the arboretum runs have been short changed for miles. The turn-around for what I thought 2 miles was is probably the 4 mile turn-around.

Met the two other long distance runners at 2:30 and headed out for an easy 4. Stopped after one mile to do something foreign. Stretch. I'm not sure of this concept they called "stretching" and what it's purpose was. All I know is it hurt.

Finished off with 8x barefoot strides on the football field. There is a nice astro-type-turf that is soft and cushy on the feet. However, with the cold temperatures the feet were numb by the end. This actually might have been beneficial because the neuroma in the left foot is starting to become noticeable on the runs. Damn damn damn. Going to have to start icing or something. Damn.

Overall, a good running day.

Easy 10/Pool

Jo had her long run planned for today (18ish) so I joined her for a bit.
Headed out 5 at 10:30 pace or so then peeled off. It was cool and a little breezy today.
Headed back faster and finished at 1:37 total time. Feel like the second half was sub-8.

Went to the cafe real quick to scarf some food and headed off to the pool.
Had a team work out in the pool for an hour. Did 20 min. of aqua jog in there.

The left foot neuroma is starting to "click" more often and I feel like I'm compensating by rolling on the outside of the foot. Maybe more bike/pool time would help. Probably just going to ignore it until it becomes a problem.

1 mile/12 mile

Yesterday I planned on running 4-8 with the team. Well, that didn't happen. Two of the runners are brand new and were huffin' and puffin. The other kid had to go work on javelin stuff, so we only ran one mile.

Today, Leah let me borrow her Garmin. Did a 2 mi. wu, 8 mile medium, and 2 mi. cd to Arlington Cemetery and back.
Was a bit chilly tonight with the wind.

Finished with 1 min. ab planks. Sides and middle.
Max pull.
Regular (palms out) 11x, wide 6x, cliffs (forgot the name) 8x, reverse (palms out) 4x.

That is all for today.

Potomac Ice and Mud Adventure Run

Total of 18.2 today in 3:07:19. That averages out to 10+ min. per mile, but one must account for today's conditions.

Today's wave count, 14 out of 34. Still below 50%.

First 6 miles to trail head in 51:00 min.

Headed down to Mama Bear, which is the second water crossing on the trail. As the titles suggests, the trail consisted of either sloppy mud of single-track ice, which provided the adventure for today's run.

Depending on what part of the trail one is at there is a cliff/steep slope that falls into the river. Two times during the run I slipped and had to grab onto tree branches in order to keep from becoming the worlds lowest cliff diver. The first slip was near a 10-15 foot drop and the second was an estimated 50 foot drop.

Many times I had to walk and climb over the large rocks that cross the trail. Other times I just slid down the trail as if I was some sort of surfer dude. I reached Mama Bear (the turn-around) and was going to take a picture of the partially frozen waterfall; however, plans and priorities quickly changed when I slipped in a rock covered in ice. Both feet and lower parts of the legs ended up being submerged in the ice water. Immediately I started moving again because I fear that if I didn't my feet would become numb, which would make navigating the ice terrain even more treacherous.

With this quick change of events I felt hurried to prevent my body temperature from dropping. On the way back was when the second tree-grabbing fall occurred. Soon after the fall I came back across Baby Bear (the first water crossing). With fallen trees there as not a common path to indicate what route other people had taken. I ended up climbing higher than the trail, and at the top I realized there were no other options other than to climb back down another way. During my decent I stepped on what I thought was something solid with my right foot. It turned out to be ice, covered with snow, that had frozen in between rocks. The ice gave way and my shin grinded against the rocks below, which added to the series of gashes I received when tripping over that chain fence.

A few more close calls and slips I ended up making it back to the trail-head with no serious injuries. However, when it rains it pours. With 3 to 4 miles left I crashed/bonked/hit-the-wall. I had not eaten enough before starting the run and was hungry throughout its entirety. Also, climbing the rocks and running the trail had consumed more energy than I had anticipated. As a result, my pace slowed and a trickle effect occurred. Because my pace had slowed the cold wind had more of an impact on my saturated body. By time I had gotten back I was cold to the core.

Quickly, I got inside, showered, got some food in me, bundled up in extra clothes, turned on the heat, and wrapped up in blankets. I ended up passing out for an hour and woke up feeling warm and relaxed.

Overall, it was an excellent adventure.

Friday Jan. 30th, LD runner

The plan for today was to get in 6 mi. before meeting for team practice at 3:30.
Left at 2:30, medium 6, and got back to meet the team.
Problem. No one showed up.
Finally, I found some of the sprinters and they had already run. Ended up finding the coach and he said practice had been moved up to 2:30 and forgot to e-mail me until noon.

There was one long distance (LD) runner that was there. She's training for the Deaf Olympics and already has a coach and training plan. She should be good to work with.
We ran an easy ~2 mi. around campus and chatted it up.
After that, I did another ~2 mi. to make today's run just above 10 mi.

Did a Quick Draw PT set.
The last time I timed myself it took around 8 min. to do a 10x10 push/sit workout.
Today's time was 5:06. A big improvement in speed.

Hoo-cha!

Good run/ Bad run

Planned on 10 but mapped the route wrong. Ended up going 9.5. Will have to find a new 10 mile route.

First half of today's run went well. Easy pace and controlled.
Second half I aimed to make it a negative split. That is, until the stomach decided to take a turn for the worst. Wave a nausea took over and dry heaving followed. I think it was undigested pineapple from earlier this afternoon.

Other than that, I saw many many runners out tonight. None of which said hi. I figure it was because it was dark and my hands had black gloves. I don't think I've seen that many runners down there. Many of them were wearing reflective gear and had on tight pants.

That is all for today.

Banana and Pretzels/ Ice=no run

Referring to yesterday's post. Grapes and pretzels are delicious. They go well together. Pretzels create the thirst and the grapes quench the thirst.

Tonight's theme is banana and pretzels. Soft and mushy with Hard and crunchy.

No run today. Planned on running this evening but ended up taking pictures for swimming and basketball. By time that was finished it was 9. 9=dark. ice+dark=scared. scared=no run.
That was my logic for not running tonight.

I'm meeting with the long distance runners tomorrow to discuss eating smart, staying hydrated, sleep, and what kind of running they have been doing up to this point.
Then, Friday I plan to run with them. Where will we go? I don't know. How far will we go? Probably only four. Any suggestions for what kind of first run we should do with people of a variety of fitness levels? Should we do a fun running game so people can get to know each other? Should I run them hard and make them vomit? Should I take it easy so they don't run away?

Thoughts, ideas, comments welcome.

Grapes and Pretzels/ Snow and Sleet

Woke up this morning seeing nothing but overcast skies. As I sat up and glanced out the window it was apparent that it had been snowing during the night. Everything was covered with a uniform layer of white powder. Well, not necessarily powder. More like a heavy, wet snow.

Yesterday I had planned on taking today off of running, but a few factors played small parts to change that. First, class was scheduled until 8:20, we got out at 5:30. Second, I had already eaten, and now that class was out early I wasn't hungry nor full. Just right. Lastly, the snow motivated me a little to run. I figured it would be a nice change of pace.

Did 2 mi. easy around campus. It was fun.
Headed inside and did some PT.
Having read The Duke's blog I decided to copy him and do 6 sets.
Here's how it went down:
6 sets of 6x pull, 25x push, 50x sit, and 50x arm haulers.
Was happy to be done with this workout.

Back in my room I reached for my water bottle. It's interesting how the mind automatically predicts things. For example, putting the bottle to my lips I just assumed it would be water; however, having forgotten that early I had filled it with orange juice I cringed as I began to drink. "What the heck is this?"
I find it interesting how it tasted different because I was expecting water and not orange juice, but if I had expected orange juice it would have tasted more like orange juice rather than drink-surprise!

Good luck to those battling the ~10 degree temps. Stay warm!

Yes! 62.5%

11 mi. today. Changed up the route just a little and ran to the entrance of Arlington Cemetery.

Easy pace to start. After 5 or 6 warm-up felt good and picked up the pace. Assume 7:45 to 8:00 pace.

The best part of the day was that 5 out of 8 people waved! That's 62.5%!

Two of the people that didn't wave stared right at me and didn't acknowledge. Although, one guy was working hard and looked like he was about to heave up a lung, so I'll let that one slide.
A few pretty ladies said hello, and most rewarding was this couple (guy and girl) jogging in the opposite direction that waved hello to me first! Whew! I think my pace quickened after that.

I'm wondering if the people who waved more did so because they were more hardcore (because it was darker and colder outside), so they tend to seek out those connections more aggressively.

I had a snot rag/bandanna to cover my face/mouth today. There was a lot of snot on my face. It was pretty gross. At least it was covered up. Also, it wasn't as though I was posing for a picture or making out with anyone, so it doesn't really matter that I had snot running down my face.

Overall, a great run today. Very satisfied.

Important Numbers

10.5 easy today.

Forgot to post the most important information from yesterday's run. I counted how many runners gave acknowledgments (wave, hello, finger wave, head nod) during the run. Grand total: 5 out of 12. Not bad. Better than zero. Two of the five were pedestrians walking.

Today one woman (we passed each other multiple times) waved two out of three times, another couple with a child said hello, and two other runners were in their own little world.

I am not discouraged. This is progress. Perhaps this week the waves-hello will just have to be exaggerated to rule out any possibility of not seeing the wave.

Progress. Progress.

short and sweet

Slept in/woke up late this morning, jumped straight into studies and getting work done, called the mother, ran an easy 2 mi. and did half a bear pt set.

Total:
8x40: 320 varied sit
5x5 pull
4x25 push

Must get ready now.
Got a hot date.

Oh Happy Day

A gorgeous day outside it was. Low 50s. I would like to thank Abby for sending the warmer temps this way.
10 easy today. Felt like 7:40s pace. Decided to hold off on PT.
Found out that I will be assistant coach for the track team. Long distance will be my "specialty." Apparently there is one guy doing 18 mile long runs. I have a feeling I will like working with him. The rest of the team consists mostly of sprinters, 800, and a few milers. I am excited for it.

The weather made me happy today. A few points in the run the breeze died down and the warmth from the sun shined upon my face as if it were spring. It was a wonderful and comforting feeling.

Have been hanging out with Jo a lot lately. She makes me happy.
Sadly, it won't last forever, so one must play the cards that are dealt. Sometimes, the cards come in nice packages with a bow on top.

A good day today.

...

4.2 easy today.

Squeezed them in this morning.
Trying to maintain some miles. As many as I can get without putting all my spare time into running. Meeting tomorrow with the track coach about assisting.

That is all.
Time to get back to Blue's recommendation letter.

First Day of School/ Late night workout

First day back.
Classes went well.
Scheduled was a little mixed up and was late for one of them.

Ran a little late today. Headed out at 10pm, easy 4, then straight into PT.
The run went by quick mentally.

The past few days my legs, abs, shoulders, and upper body have been sore as if I had just done a big PT set the day before. I'm not sure I have allowed enough days in between PT sets to fully recover. Today's PT showed evidence of that.

Did a quick draw.
10x10 sets varied push and sit.
Started struggling at set 6 and struggled even more to finish.

While doing sit-ups I noticed the sky was clear and the starts were out, so when PT was finished I went to the middle of the soccer field and laid down. It was calming.
I lie there, steam coming off my body, with the arms and legs stretched out on the ground. It was nice to see the stars.

The day before

Tomorrow is inauguration. It's going to be mad. Predictions of 3 to 5 million people. I don't think people will be able to move.

Ran today, easy 4.2 to Arboretum.
Finished run and did quick PT.
Alternated fire-haulers and max pull.
100,75,50,25 and max pull was 11,6,6,4

I was all pumped up for the last set of pull-ups except the arms just didn't go. I was happy to fail yet a little disappointed I didn't pass 6. Oh well, a good workout.

The cafeteria opened today and I am low on peanut butter, so I thought to myself I'll just snag some peanut butter for tomorrow. Put the peanut butter in a paper cup and then made a terrible terrible mistake. I put popcorn over the peanut butter to disguise the heap of peanut butter I was sneaking out. Popcorn+peanut butter= peanut buttered popcorn. I guess there is just going to have to be stale popcorn in the sandwiches tomorrow.

Inauguration Celebration

Went to the "We Are One" concert today. Lots of famous people there. Lots.

There were also more people there than I have ever seen in my entire life. CNN said over 750,000. It was madness how many people were there. I was happy I had my camera, but very depressed that it didn't have batteries. DAAAAAAMN!

Walked home, stopped in a park, and started eating some peanuts.
What did I learn from this experience? Park+Peanuts+Squirrels=squirrel peanut attack!
A squirrel ran right up to me and snagged a peanut right out of my hand. It was amazing. At one point there were five squirrels being fed. I'm glad I have three pairs of gloves because some of them weren't friendly with the teeth.

The dominant and most friendly squirrel, which I named squirrel face, chased off all the other squirrels. It got closer and closer. In the end, I was feeding it peanuts off of my shoulder. It was magical. However, squirrel face did not return after several rounds. It was nearing dark and he/she must have has his/her fill.

What a glorious day.

Pain Pain Go Away

The run today was a little delayed. Headed out around 8:30pm. Dressed in layers tonight and it worked out wonderfully. I decided that some speed work might be beneficial, so I incorporated several sets on on/offs. The focus was on form, keeping the body relaxed, controlling breathing, and maximizing an efficient stride. By the fifth set efforts become more tedious and the work was noticeable.

I ran down to the mall again for a little motivation and entertainment. Figuring I would see plenty of exciting commotion. There were even more fences and barricades erected. The police were out in full force. Constant patrols in cars, police on 4-wheelers, k-9 units, and foot patrol. In fact, a police car follow me along the mall strip. I was wondering if it followed me because I was running through all the commotion or if he/she was just having fun driving around. There was so much stuff set-up I would describe tonight's run as a maze in a construction zone.

With all of those barricades and police vehicles roaming around I had to take several alternate and spontaneous changes to the typical route. More than once I ended up trapped inside the very places that the fences were intended to keep out. It was a little annoying.

Running past the white house I have never seen so many secret service and police vehicles around. Not wanting to seem suspect of something I didn't hang around there long.

There is a short path that runs along the reflection pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Lincoln Monument, and at this point I was feeling very good. It was one of those runs where things just fall into place. Dean would call this "Flow". Little did I know that very soon this was to change.

Heading down the path I had passed a 4-wheeler doing it's patrolling duties, which kept me to the left of the trail. Soon after, a squad car was driving right down the middle of the path. Not even intended nor wide enough for a car I changed course and headed through the grass. Being that it was dark, it was hard to see the black chain link fence that would cause me to do a bail-out dive and try to save my face from the pavement as my right leg became entangled in the chain. Landing on my hands, and abruptly getting to my feet, the unmistakable warmth began to rise up the entire front of my shin. It's the feeling associated with injury that one knows will soon be followed by a more intense, and less soothing, feeling. As expected, the warmth turned to a burning and tight cramping.

At this point I was only 100 yards from the furthest point from home. As I jogged along I debated whether or not I should look. I imagined a long gaping wound with blood running out and though, "what would I do if this was the case?". Or, I could not look and ignore it as though nothing happened, but then again, it might be bad. I ended up looking. There was no gushing blood and it didn't as bad as it felt. I figured that the pain would go away if I did a few more on/offs and moved the burning up north a little to the legs and lungs.

I made it home and the leg was not nearly as bad as the story implies. Overall, it was an effective workout. On/offs tend to leave me sufficiently drained and the feeling of being well-worked. 9.2 miles altogether. From there I went into PT.

PT today was also an intense affair. In all, 25 pull, 125 push, 240 sit, and dips (discussed below). This PT workout left me intensely wondering why this body, this mind, that I belong to decides to take the hard road whenever there are easier ways to go. Thoughts go through the head such as, "what could I do to make this set harder? What can I do get get the most pain from this workout?" These are disturbing thoughts and I don't like them. Not at all.

After PT I was quite tired and irritable. There was a great deal of burning and weakness leaving the body. I didn't like how hard it was. Why did I do atomic sit-ups at the end? This terrible and awful person the dwells within makes life terrible for me, and it once again, it poked it's evil little head out as I was headed inside. This being from within thought, "hey, why not throw in some dips? How about doing the 15-10-5 set the Charles and Anton did?"
By dip number 7 I wanted to cry. I had to ask myself what kind of person I was and and forced myself to get it done no matter what. From that point I could only force out one dip at a time, and it involved a great amount of groaning and yelling.

I finished. At that time I hated working out so much that I didn't ever want to do it again. I thought to myself when I would write this blog I would end it by saying,
"I hate it. I hate it. But I do it."

In hindsight, the workout couldn't have been that bad because I was strong enough to move.
An intense workout it was today, and a long long story to go with it.

It is time to rest and eat until tomorrow when the pain and suffering continues.



Why do I run. I run so that hopefully in 10 days I might be able to run three seconds faster.

Day off

Decided to take the day off of running and PT.
Also went into work for an hour and there was nothing to do, so I came back early.

I have decided to go tour the Mall area and snag some pictures. I will get plenty of walking in.

A flight path cuts right over campus, so quite frequently we will see all sorts of helicopters flying over. Police, emergency, military, and even the presidents helicopters. This morning, I was awoken several times to witness the president's helicopter fly low over the university. It has gone back and forth at least four times. The last time there were two Air Force One helicopters. I'm not sure if they are called Air Force One helicopters or not. I suspect that they are hauling out all of the Bush family's personal belonging. That would be quite the moving service to have.

Happy day to all.

Yes!

Was much better today even thought the temperature was much colder. I'm very pleased I didn't under dress today. It was one of those days that the air is so cold the body goes into hyper mucus production and it's a choice of spitting or not being able to breath. Currently, it's 26, feels like 9, and a NW wind at 32 gusting up to 39 mph. Although, keep in mind that weather.com=tricksters!

The wind seemed just as bad as yesterday although I ran a different route today. Not as exposed to the wind.

An easy 4.2 today and 6.7 yesterday (realized I forgot to put that in there).

No runners to wave hello to today.

It's supposed to be even colder tomorrow.

Happy running.

----------

It is evening. Finished 40 min. of PT.

push: 2x 60
sit: 2x 120
neck: 3x (front, back, side-side) 30
dip: (chair dips) 2x 30
fire: 2x 75 (first set slow=lots of fire, second set fast=not a lot of fire)

I have recently been informed that this morning in Nebraska is was -15 without windchill factor. That is beyond cold. My empathy. Stay warm you Arctic creatures. Do not freeze.

Deceptively Cold/Following Wind/Disconnected Runners

My bed is lined up right next to the window, and with the shades open the sunrise beams into the room and slowly cooks my unconscious body, until I awake in a boil. This was deception number one. The second deception was the clear blue skies and glorious sunshine. These two misleading occurrences led to a bitterly numb run.

Consequently, I under-dressed today. With shorts, gloves, a headband for the ears, and a regular long sleeve t-shirt I was put through much more discomfort than needed. Currently it's 29 degrees, feels like 18, and a wind of 12 mph. However, it was one of those days where the wind direction is based only on the direction that you are currently running. It was a cold headwind nearly the entire time. Next time I will be sure to overdress and sweat my butt off rather than freeze. By the end of the run, my hands were as red and numb as the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

I was reminded of the sad interaction between runners here compared to those in the midwest. Back home, when runners would pass each other there would quite regularly be some sort of gesture or hello. It was more common and a little inconsiderate if a runner were to not give such a quick greeting. Here, this does not happen. For two days now I have noted the number of runners that respond to my hand/finger wave as we pass one another. There have been no replies. It seems as though not only the temperature is cold but also the hearts and souls of these local runners. Depressing it may be I am determined not to give up and to continue giving these bonding gestures to fellow runners. I just might have to change the attitude to runners here one head nod at a time.

Food/Smell/PT

I like the way The Duke titles his blogs. Short, concise, and sometimes intriguing.

The legs felt a little tired today. Sort of like the day after lifting weights or having ran a race. Hence, it was concluded that today would be an easy day, and considering I killed the cereal and chips last night today's place was an easy decision. The store.

Headed out without long pants today and it was quite refreshing. Actually got a little warm but I was happy to have a hat and gloves. I realized that running through DC is like a constant game of "What's that Smell?" Typically, if one was to guess garbage or natural gas one would be correct.

Once again, I was feeling good when I returned so there was an impulsive decision to do PT. Today's PT consisted of 5 sets of 25 push and fire-haulers. The burning was magnificent and in great quantities. If anyone had needed to roast marshmallows or light a cigarette they could have off my shoulders. That's how much burning there was. Although, the intense quick-set-fire-pt immediately rewarded a cool display of steam coming off my head and body. In some ways it was all worth it just to see that.

On another note, I'm in the middle of reading Dean Karnazes's book "50/50" and I'm at the part where he ran the Lincoln marathon. In my opinion, his first book was better. This one seems to be geared more towards beginning runners with more ads for running gear and stuff in it. He has still accomplished amazing trials of endurance but he's also using it to make $$$. If you read it please tell me what you think.

I'm off to watch some movies and eat.

Happy running.

No Title

Planned on easy run today, but I have realized something. Easy runs turn out to be too easy and boring, so I pick up the pace. Then, when I pick up the pace I am no longer taking it easy like I should. In the end, did an "easy" 4.2 mi. run. I used Leah's watch today, which I still can't figure out how to use. The watch can record splits, but when I tried to go back and find out what they were I accidentally erased them all. These splits will be from memory: 7:30, 8:15 long, 9:15 long, 7:01.

Had planned on doing a solid PT set until I started. The abs were weak. I figure they are still recovering from the last set, so I went slow and reduced the numbers.
5x5 pull
5x25 sit

Food Run

Decided to head to the grocery store today. Found a Giants food store to go to.
Put on the running gear, strapped on the back pack, and headed out.
Arriving at the store I loaded up with the essentials. Organic milk, orange juice, organic cereal, organic apples, bananas, and salted peanuts. It was perfect, just the right amount of stuff to fit into the bag. It's different running with 15-20 lbs of weight on the back. It pushes out the elbows a little bit and the stride shortened. It was a glorious way to go shopping.

Came back home, unloaded, and headed back out because I was feeling good. Headed down to the mall area. With everyone getting set-up for inauguration there is more and more stuff to dodge. My typical route was interrupted by those big cement barriers, hundreds of *Dr. Johns port-o-potties, and hundreds of weird floor panels.

*I found it interesting that a portable sanitation service was called DOCTOR Johns. What is this person exactly a doctor of? It's also a little ironic because in Nebraska there is a chain of adult novelty shops called Dr. Johns. Could this in fact be the same doctor? Does this person own a portable sanitation company AND a chain of adult stores? What an interesting person.

Ended up going 12 miles today with just over 1.5 with weight on the back. Overall, a good day.

Running didn't change my life, it changed my life style.