Good run, bad communication

Run: 8 miles
Time: 1:25:57
Temp: 73 and cloudy. Very nice.
Quality: 8/10

First, I'm thinking that my communication skills need some help. Brice and I didn't connect for the run today and I'm 99% certain that it was from me communicating poorly. Brice will soon learn something that my wife has known for years, I'm an idiot.

Bright side is that I hooked up with Matt Teusink, my chiropractor. He's interested in doing the RnR and, judging from how he did today, I'm thinking that he'll be able to tackle it with ease. Just like Brice, Matt has a Garmin. Does everyone but me have one of those things? Needless to say that running along side him and his toy did nothing to quiet the gadget demons in my head. They WANT a Garmin. Will I have to enter some techno 12 step program? Maybe I'll be in the room next to David Duchovny recovering from sex addiction. PS, David, we're guys; sex addiction is part and parcel with being a guy.

Oh, and if you run with a chiropractor in a small town where he's helped people for over 17 years, you better be prepared for a lot of waving hand and quick hellos. He knows EVERYONE.

Anyway, the run went well. Matt was great company and I'm hoping that I can hook him up with Brice next time around. Speaking of next time folks, over the next 4 weeks my blogs will be coming from Laguna, New Jersey, New York, and Chicago. If anything, expect better pictures with my endless ramblings.

Now get back to enjoying your Labor Day weekend!

Steeple Chase

Run: 4.5 miles
Time: didn't turn on the watch. doh
Temp: 77 and humid
Quality: 7/10



In case you didn't hear, we had a storm that knocked over tons of trees (who knew we had trees in the desert?), knocked out power, flooded everything, etc. Anyway, my run this morning evidenced that there had been a lot of moving water over the streets. I ran through mud, streets turned into creeks, I even had to avoid a large group of cacti that had been uprooted. It was not your typical run and it was very fun.

The rack!!!

Run: treadmill-stair-stepper-thingy

Time: 30:00

Temp: I was inside

Quality: 7/10

Every once and a while I can't commit to a full run with warm-up, warm-down, etc. When this happens, I use the machine I call "the rack."

It's an evil device filled with paradox: You work hard, but you don't go anywhere; It's low impact, but your legs are wobbly when you get off; It's cool and indoor, but you sweat profusely.

My biggest issue with it is that I'm forced to watch Mary's Deloitte screen saver flash up over and over and over and over and over with their mission and values. Gag. Which brings up a little sidebar for us: why do all fortune 500 companies have the EXACT SAME mission and values? How can we take them seriously when their Mission is to be the industry standard, and their values are Teamwork, Diversity, Integrity, Excellence. Double gag. Some very intelligent and highly paid people probably did a week long "off-site" meeting to create those. Nice work guys.

Long story short (too late) I did 30 minutes on that rack and it's better than not doing anything at all. I'll try for 5 tomorrow. Until then...Get back to work.

Cold in the Heat

Run: 3 miles
Time: wayyyyy slow
Temp: 74 (we had a big storm last night and it cooled things down)
Quality: 2/10

I currently have a cold and feel all achy and stuffy, etc., but I still pulled myself out of bed after repeated abuse of the snooze button on the alarm. The perils of getting up late usually revolve around waking up the kids. I was just about to make my escape out the door when I heard a faint, "Daaaaaaaaaadddddddddddddddyyyyyyyy." DOH!! It was Reese and, of course, he wanted daddy to take him on the run, which is normally not a big deal, but I felt like crap.

When he goes on runs with me he likes to be a steam engine. Notice the "headlight" that he gets to wear. And he also likes me to tell him homespun stories about "Reese the Cabforward" and his adventures on the Island of Sodor. Yep, creating and then telling a story to a heavy 5 year old as you climb a hill is NOT easy. Anyway, it was fun and I love having him out there...when I feel better.

I'm predicting that I will not run again until Thursday.

Now get back to work.

Long Run Preparation

Run: 8 Miles

Time: 1:24:27

Pace: about 10:28

Quality: 8/10

Another rule not to be broken for long runs is as follows: be conservative with the meal the night before a long run. So let me ask you: Is Paella with Andoullie Sausage, Saffron, Lobster, Mussels, Shrimp, Clams, and hot sauce a conservative meal? I didn't think so either, but it was sooooo good.

By all rights my run should have had an emergency stop at a restroom, but everything went very well. Not only was the run good, but also I must report that the CamelBak is still getting very high marks from me. Go buy one!

Run Preparation Observation:

10 years ago a long run would entail me cruising out of bed sometime in the AM, strapping on shoes, and running. Sure there'd be some electrolytes I'd put together and I'd probably put on some stuff to keep me from Chafing, but not much more. The definately would not be stretching, warm-ups, ice, or any undue prep of any kind.

Now I start the night before and I prep more than I do for a week long business trip. There's the stretching, drinks, the right shirt, shorts, and socks. Then when I get up in the morning there are more stretches and a 0.6 mile walk to warm-up before I run. When the run is over I walk for another 0.8 mile cool down. After I get home I pop some Advil and Glucosamine, and I also wrap the knee with ice to keep it from swelling. The ice is probably the most important part. Icing the joints HELPS!! Try it if you are experiencing any pain. The things we do to keep our tired bodies out on the asphalt. We're idiots.

Now get back to work!

Bad run

Run: 4 miles up Palisades

Time: who knows, but it was slooooowwww

Temp: 77

Quality: 3/10

You know it's going to be a bad run when the alarm goes off and you feel like you only got 2 hours of sleep. I was a bad boy and watched the Olympics late last night, but congrats to the USA Men's Beach Volleyball team. They fought hard with Brazil, and held on to win in 3 sets. Anyway, back to running. From the first step of my run today my legs felt like they were tied to two 90 pound bags of cement. I barely caught an elderly man walking his dog. To my defense, he seemed to be a spry gentleman and he was pushing himself...who am I kidding. I was sucking wind. Oh well, I guess you have to experience the bad runs to know what the good runs feel like. Yes?

Now get back to work! And have a great weekend.

Hydration Belt vs. Camelbak

Run: 5.5
Time: 55:11
Temp: 77
Quality: 7/10
Weight: 191

Yeeeeehaw, I finally started to drop a little weight again. I stepped on the scales a the doctor's office and found the needle to be tickling 191 (just a little under if we want to be more precise...and i do). I'm hoping to be at or below 185 for the marathon.

Anyway, I decided to kick the tires on a new purchase of mine, a Camelbak Hydration Pack. Eric recommended that I use a Camelbak 50 0z. hydration pack over the old hydration belt that I've been using. So I thought I'd give it a try on a 5.5 mile run. A word to the wise, NEVER try new running stuff on your long run. NEVER. All I have to say about the Camelbak is WOW! I'm so used to clipping on a belt that is sooooooo tight that you feel like you took it would be a better fit on a Cabbage Patch Kid. When you put the Camelbak on, it's like nothing is there. It felt great. No rubbing, limited sloshing, and, most importantly, you can breathe when you are wearing this thing. A quick note: you definitely need to burp the air out of it and get the sternum clip to stop it from bouncing all over the place, but that's no big deal. In short, Runners dump your belts and try a pack today!

Morning Constellations

Run: 4 miles
Time: 44:01
Temp: 78 anything with a 7 in the tens digit is welcome
Quality: 8/10

It seems like yesterday the blazing sun was up 24 hours a day and then today it decided to rest. Does summer disappear that quickly? I stepped out for my AM run and was greeted by an old friend, the constellation Orion. In the winter he makes the entire run with me, but he disappeared all summer. Maybe he's smarter than me because he only winters down her in the desert.

Garmin Envy

Run: 7 miles

Time: 74:21

Pace: 10:37 minute mile

Temp: 78 - I'll take anything in the 70's.

Quality 7/10

First, I'd like to congratulate Eric (NOT) on getting a Garmin 405 (I HATE YOU) GPS wristwatch to help him (AAAAAAAHHHHH) get real time (I HOPE THE SATELLITES BLOW UP) running data. Congrats bro (I'M BETTER LOOKING THAN YOU), we're looking forward to (oodles of useless) information on your (copycat) blog.

Brice and I logged 7 miles around the Fountain Lake in the center of town. I got someone to snap a photo of us at the end of our run (we wanted to look our best), but the guy took a picture of 80% sky and 20% people. Nice job... You get what you pay for.

Brice was cool enough to pull the pace back by a full minute per mile, THANK YOU. We started our run with the full moon over our heads. I guess summer will be exiting the valley soon. The run went well, the knee cooperated, and I walked with Brice after the run to warm down. I'm thinking that that will be a part of my routine moving forward. Also, I iced the knee for about 30 minutes right when I got home and everything seems to be moving smoothly. Next week we jump to 8. Keep your fingers crossed.

If you are reading this on Sunday, enjoy the day off. If you are reading this on Monday, then get back to work!

Crazy?

Run: 3.7mi
Time: 41:17
Pace: Just over 11 minute miles.
Temp: 78 it rained last night and the humidity was through the roof
Quality: 7/10

I'm totally slammed right now with work, so this will be a short one. The knee is doing very well right now. I did the shoes, insoles, slowed the pace, and I even had my Chiropractor (Matthew Teusink) do a little acupressure on the bad boy. Net result: I'm pain free for the moment.

I saw Brice doing his morning run and broke the news to him that I'd be backing off the pace. He seemed cool with it, but I'll double check with him later, as I totally respect that he's gunning for 10 minute mile pace.

Finally, I realized today that a couple of weeks ago I woke up one morning and randomly decided that I was going to do the RnR Marathon, and I never thought about asking my wife, Mary, if this commitment was cool with her. So I did that this morning and she replied with, "if you want to go and do something crazy like that, go for it." Thanks honey?.?.?.?

Now get back to work.

Girlfriend Named Katie

Run: 5.04 miles (as calculated by Eric's map suggestion on his blog)

Time: 59:26

Temp: 85 nasty, nasty, nasty.

Quality: 6/10

I'm still in negotiation with my knee, but it seems to be happier when I go slow. I've also promised it that I will shed about 10 more pounds in the near future, which forced me to forgo the mint chocolate chip ice cream that I craved last night while watching Phelps win the 200 Butterfly. Way to go Phelps. Anyway, my run was not as slow as the time above might have led you to believe. I made a stop during my run to visit my girlfriend, Katie. Here's her picture:

She's an 18-month old Bloodhound and I'm in love with her. Her owner is working hard to get her under control, as she regularly hops up on people, especially dog people. I've come home with lots of paw prints on my running shirts on many occaisions. So her owner asked if I'd help with her training. We made a rule that Katie can't get her puppy luvin until she sits like a good girl. This seemed to work for a bit, and her owner was very happy to see the progress. However, Katie gets so excited when I appear that she sits the moment she sees me. It doesen't matter if I'm a quarter of a mile away or ten feet away. If she sees me, her butt is on the sidewalk and she WILL NOT move until I arrive. We solved one problem and created another. Oh well.

Now get back to work!

Green Monkeys

Today's run: 4+ Miles in 47:26
Temp: Comfortable, probably 80
Run Quality: 6 out of 10
Note: Beauty of a sunrise, see above.

If I say to you, "Don't think about Green Monkeys." What do you think about? Yep, Green Monkeys. Why do I bring this up? Because the book, Chi Running, has really helped me in ways that the author might not have predicted. In case you didn't know, my right knee is my nemesis. It's been surgically "repaired" and never quite recovered. It is my companion on many runs and talks, sometimes shouts, at me the entire time. Grrrrrrrrr. Prior to reading Chi Running I'd look for it to talk to me with each step, and when you are taking 3000 to 5000 steps you can create your own self fulfilling prophecy; however, I found that when I concentrated on the principles of Chi Running (form, breathing, cadence, etc) my mind had no time to think about the knee. And when I stopped thinking about the knee, it pretty much stopped talking to me. Bye, bye Green Monkeys. If you've not read Chi Running, pick it up. It's a "must read" for any runner.

With all that said, Chi Running can only do so much. I toinked my knee during my long run on Sunday, which sent me into a panic. I was thinking, "great, started a blog a week ago and now it's over." Not to mention the fact that I REALLY, REALLY wanted to do long runs again. Some of my favorite moments on the planet have happened at mile 10 and beyond. Runner's High, maybe, but it goes beyond that and those of you who have logged some serious miles know what I'm talking about. So in my state of panic I ran out and purchased new shoes and shoe inserts (Superfeet) to help my knee. As well, I dialed back my run today, doing approximately 11 minute miles. Net result of the new shoes, new inserts, slower pace, and thinking about the Chi form as opposed to the knee, the run went reasonably well.

Conclusions:

1. when I have too much coffee, I shouldn't blog.
2. for me to do the RnR marathon in January, I think I'll have to dial back my expectations for the finishing time. I'm looking to break 5 hours instead of 4. I promised my body that I'd be good to it in the hope that it would be good back to me. I will fulfill that promise.

Now I need to talk to Brice (my long run partner) about my new plan for the marathon. I may be going solo on my long runs. Doh!

Now get back to work.

Long Run???

So I did my first legit "long" run. Why is "long" in quotes? Because the run was only 7 miles, which is a distance that I used to laugh at if someone had told me it was "long." But here I am at 39 and I'm very willing to call it long. My text message to Eric went something like this: ran 7 today, felt like 14.

Here are the stats on the run:

81 degrees
7 miles
68:27
quality of run 6/10

I was lucky enough to run it with my new found running partner Brice Moorman. He's looking to do 4:30 at the Rock 'n' Roll and I'm hoping I can keep up with him at this point. He did 9 last weekend while I golfed...bad Mike. We did our run around the fountain (see picture), which is the focal point for our little community of Fountain Hills. Yep, the guys who founded this place sure were original when they named it.

But back to the "long" run. Brice told me that he had taken precautions to ensure that no chaffing occured, to which I laughed a little. Precautions??? For a 7 mile run??? you have to be kidding. Alas, he was correct and now I have painful reminders of my age and shape. I'll be more careful next week.

Soon I'll be posting what my long runs are going to look like for the remaining 23 weeks for the marathon.

Oh, one final note, Shannon officially killed my Timex Ironman watch. I tried to revive it, but it's not firing on all cylinders. Oh, Oh, I also got a new pair of shoes (Saucony Grid Stratos 2) and a hydration pack. Reviews will be forthcoming.

Now get back to work!

Quality Control

Again, it rained last night. Actually, the thunderstorm felt very end-of-the-earth biblical, which explains why this morning the temperature was 78 degrees and felt comfortable for the first time in...months. I love the desert after it rains, and I defy anyone to find a better smell than the desert after a rainstorm. I ran 3 miles today in 29:05 and thought I'd turn it into a Fartlek. I inserted two segments where I upped the tempo for about a half of a mile. This was a very disappointing experience when it became apparent to me that my "up-tempo" pace was about an 8 minute mile pace. LOLOLOLOL.

Quality Control:

I know Timex runs their Ironman watches through some form of quality control, but those little machines can't possibly simulate the torture that Shannon (my 2 1/2 year old daugther) can create. She got her paws on my watch the other morning and, well you can probably guess what happened. Long story short, the next morning I put my watch on my wrist and was greeted by a blank screen. Not good. I changed the battery to see if that helps, but I have a feeling that there are bigger issues that need to be addressed.

Now get back to work

26 Miles or Bust

I'm am going to run the Phoenix Rock 'n' Roll Marathon in January next year. There, I've said it. No going back now. So why write a blog about training for it? A while back I read that creating a Blog would help me to remain motivated on those mornings that I DIDN'T want to get out of bed and train. It sounded good, but what to write??? Did anyone want to hear that it was hot, humid, and dark when I ran today? Did people want to know that I purchased a new pair of shoes? Would anyone care if I lost a toenail (it'll happen)? I was totally at a loss until I shot an email off to my brother, Eric (someone who will be a prominent figure in this blog), today. This blog will be just like the nonsensical, candid, and sometimes overly descriptive emails I send to him on a regular basis.

A little more on what to expect:

Sure the blogs will have the update on training and morning runs. Eric reminded me that posting my training schedule would be smart. Aches, pains, and remedies will have to be a part of this, as they are a part of every other marathon I've tackled. I expect pictures will enter the site soon. There may be the occasional product review. I guess nothing is off limits, as long as it pertains to running.

And here is what I emailed Eric today (expect an ad-lib bio on him to be posted soon):

Ran 5 this morning. Big thunderstorm last night and I thought the temperature would be cool this AM...NOT!!! It was as warm as it always is in Phoenix during August, but now it was humid too. Nice mix. I must have lost 15 pounds in sweat. Used the water bottle today (Ultimate Solo Torsopack - it's about 10 years old and it shows) and it's really annoying at first, but not so bad after you knock out a couple of sips. Final observation: I think I got away with one today. I was feeling a little lazy last night and made, for reasons unknown to me, baked beans with chopped up hot dogs for dinner. And for the piece de resistance, I topped it with cheddar cheese. I'm betting that you'll not find that recipe in any of the "runner's nutrition" cookbooks. I thought for certain I'd be producing a methane plume that would be picked up by NASA satellites, but noooooo. Did the 5 with no lower GI issues.

Now get back to work.