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.

Opposite Day

Today, I didn't feel like running, so I did.
I did a lot of mental complaining and I forced myself to get ready and get out the door.

It's 35, wet, and cool outside. Because it was cold outside I decided to do half PT before the run to get warmed up.

PT: 2 sets: 30 push, 60 sit, 60 fire-haulers
to keep things from getting boring the second set of push-ups alternated wide to close. Wide, close, wide, close. Boy, it burned real good!
Mentally divided the sit and fire haulers into groups of 15, which made it much easier.
4 mi. run at easy pace. Just above 8:30s
PT: 2 sets: 30 push, 60 sit, 60 fire-haulers
post run pt was done just the same as the fire, but with much more burning, groaning, and weakness leaving the body.

What happened to the milk?

That's the question of the day. First, to get business out of the way. Did a 6.7 mi. medium run today. I would estimate 7:00 to 7:30 pace. Faster first half and a little more relaxed second half. Run felt great. Left hip a little tight. Did to stretching afterwords.

After the great run I headed inside and the stomach informed me that it would like some delicious cereal, so that's what I decided to get. Got the bowl, spoon, cereal, poured it, and was all ready to go. Went to the mini fridge, got out the milk, and poured chunks into the bowl. Sick. It was disgusting. I've had this milk for four days or so and it does not expire until the 16th. I think it's because the fridge gets cool and not cold. It was sad.

That is all for today.

Catch-up

Just like the joke from "Pulp Fiction," I squashed the baby tomato that fell behind and said, "ketchup!"

After that atrocious aerobics workout from Tues. and nothing yesterday I had to revive my spirits with a workout today. Once again, the getting up early plan failed as I slept in.

Now, it's 35, windy, and feels like 28 (I only put the temp because I know both The Duke and Abby are in colder places than I). I wasn't sure what kind of run to do today. 4 miles around campus seemed boring. Running through the ghetto at night seemed too dangerous. Thus, I decided to hit the track.

What kind of workout could I do on the track that would both a) help improve my cardio and b) make me feel less lazy from the past two days? How about a:

SKINNY SUPER MAMMOTH!

If you don't remember what the Mammoth workouts consist of here is a refresher from The Duke's blog:

Mammoth = pullup, situp, pushup
Full Mammoth = pullup, situp, pushup, fire, dip
SUPER MAMMOTH = 200 meter sprint, pullup, situp, pushup, fire, dip
WOOLY MAMMOTH = 200 meter sprint, pushup, situp, pushup, fire, dip, 25 meter swim sprint

I'm calling today's workout a skinny super mammoth because I didn't incorporate pull and dips into the workout until after, and even then I wouldn't include them. Here's how things went down.

Started with a 1/2 mile warm-up and quick stretch
Jumped into PT/run routine with no breaks.
PT included 10x: 12 varied push, 24 varied sit, 30 fire-haulers, and a 200m tempo/medium
The first five sets felt great, and the push-ups were easy with the high heart rate. By the sixth set the heart was playing catch-up and the fire started. Push were the easiest, but the fire-haulers and sit burned like the dickens. Finished with 1/2 mile warm down.

After that, I went to the pull-up tree ready to knock out some stellar pull-ups only to find out that my arms didn't work anymore. After lots of struggling and about 2 1/2 "pull-ups" (if you could even call them that) I went to the dips. Did ten dips and threw in the towel.

I'm pleased with today's workout and plan to do it again.

Happy workouts to all.

Excellent and Awkward

Had an excellent workout yesterday. I started to feel like the old self again.
Was 45 yesterday and felt like 40. Here's the workout:
31:30 4mi
14:20 2mi
240sit
20 min. PT:
30 pull
120push and
30 neck each
50 slow fire-haulers

Today, I am sore from the workout. Excellent.
-------
I had planned on running this morning. Went to bed around 11 and the alarm went off at 7:00. Looked outside, saw that it was raining, stuck my hand out the window, and felt that it was cold (low 30s). This did not help motivate me to run. I chickened out. I slept more then got up.
After work it was still cold and rainy. I decided to do some aerobics. Found some aerobics videos on Hulu and just did whatever the people did. There was one with a woman dancing that didn't work out so well. I'm glad I was alone.
I then looked up some aerobics videos on youtube and found some interesting stuff. There was this thai workout video that made me feel like a drunk chicken with a broken leg. It was terribly awkward. I was walking back and forth, kicking at random times, and spinning around the room. I just couldn't follow.

I plan to run tomorrow, and it must get done in the morning. The weather is supposed to be better, so the only thing stopping me is myself (just like today).

I went grocery shopping yesterday and got some pretzels; however, when looking for a snack last night I realized that they didn't make it home with me. I think they're still at the store. Woops.


Cashews are delicious.

The Second of January

No run today.
Final visits with the fam.
Worked out yesterday.
Included lunges, sit, push, bicep curl, tri, back, shoulder, etc.

The weather was icy today. The interstate was 45-50 mph the whole way. The residential streets were pure sheets of ice. It was wonderful. Starting in the grass, and getting plenty of momentum, I ran into the street and slid like an ice surfer. This continued for 10-15 minutes while I laughed like a little kid and repeatedly yelled "weee!"
The second half of tonight's ice work out consisted to two belly slides on the sidewalk. Both slides were about 7 yards long. I didn't slide as long as I expected too, but I was still satisfied with the ultra slides on the feet.

Back to DC tomorrow.

New Year Day

5 mi. today. On/Offs. The lungs burned and the throat clenched from cold air.

Small quick PT after.
100 push
200 sit

Stretching.
I hope to become more flexible and see if it helps eliminate some of these little annoyances that pop up.