I decided to break in a new pair of shoes today since my current shoes have about 500 miles on them, and my knees were starting to hurt during the runs with them. A few months ago, I bought a couple more pair of my current shoe when they went on clearance, and they've been sitting on the shelf in storage. Today was the day to break out a new pair.
The shoes are Wave Rider 12s. This will be 4th pair of this same model of shoe, so in theory, there shouldn't have been a problem. Same shoe, and it should have worked out perfectly. But, after a 16 mile run today in the new shoes, I've got huge blisters on both feet on my arch. So, was it the shoes, or was it the combination of running on a snow/ice covered trail which changed my running gait, and also that my feet got soaked since I stepped in some fairly deep puddles toward the end of the run when I was tired and making stupid mistakes. I'm not sure, but they're fairly painful. This should be fun.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Streaking
Ok, I'm not talking about taking your clothes off and running through the neighborhood. I'm talking about consecutive days of running at least 1 mile or more. Up to this point, I never really considered streaking as I like my rest days. Typically, I run 5 days a week, and would take a full day of rest on the off days, possibly with some cross training thrown in. After the recommendation of an online running friend, I decided to give streaking a try, running just a couple of very easy miles on my off days. These very easy runs are run at recovery pace (or slower), and primarily just flush your legs with a healthy supply of blood, and provide no other real benefits as far as I know.
I have to say, I'm on day 18 of my running streak, and everything is feeling great. My legs are feeling strong, my knees don't hurt, and overall, I'm excited about the next run. My friend has been streaking since the beginning of the year. To become officially recognized, you have to streak for an entire year. Wow, that seems like a long time. I envision at some point, life will get in the way, and I may not have the time or the desire to continue the streak. But surely, I can find 10 minutes each day to get er done. I don't have a treadmill at home, so it could prove to be a challenge on some days where I truly don't have the time. Hmm, maybe that's my excuse to get a treadmill afterall. Ha.
I have to say, I'm on day 18 of my running streak, and everything is feeling great. My legs are feeling strong, my knees don't hurt, and overall, I'm excited about the next run. My friend has been streaking since the beginning of the year. To become officially recognized, you have to streak for an entire year. Wow, that seems like a long time. I envision at some point, life will get in the way, and I may not have the time or the desire to continue the streak. But surely, I can find 10 minutes each day to get er done. I don't have a treadmill at home, so it could prove to be a challenge on some days where I truly don't have the time. Hmm, maybe that's my excuse to get a treadmill afterall. Ha.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Two Banner Weeks
I feel like my running has really moved to the next level over the last couple of weeks, and it's a good feeling. Two weeks ago, I managed to run 39 miles, which was a huge personal achievement for me, considering my injury back in December, and especially since it was the week after my hard half at Surf City. That was a huge momentum shift for me, and I carried it through this week and managed to run 45 miles. This week has been my second best week ever for running, and I'm feeling great. I've done a couple of doubles this week, a couple of medium long runs, and a good long run that was hard, but a good morale booster for me.
Do I have a new personal mileage record in my legs for this coming week? We'll see. 48 miles in early September of last year is my PR, and I think I've got a legitimate shot at meeting or exceeding that this week.
Running is hard, and finding the time to run this many miles is sometimes harder. But it's so worth it. I love running, and the more I run, the more I want to run. I've joked that running for me is quite possibly an obsession, and literally a borderline addiction. My speeds are improving now that I'm healthy, and it's a good feeling, so I see no reason to hold back now. Distance is king dong, and as long as I can continue to put up good numbers and remain injury free, life is good.
Do I have a new personal mileage record in my legs for this coming week? We'll see. 48 miles in early September of last year is my PR, and I think I've got a legitimate shot at meeting or exceeding that this week.
Running is hard, and finding the time to run this many miles is sometimes harder. But it's so worth it. I love running, and the more I run, the more I want to run. I've joked that running for me is quite possibly an obsession, and literally a borderline addiction. My speeds are improving now that I'm healthy, and it's a good feeling, so I see no reason to hold back now. Distance is king dong, and as long as I can continue to put up good numbers and remain injury free, life is good.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Did a New Type of Run Today, and a Double
After the half marathon race on Sunday, I've felt strong. I did an easy 2 mile recovery run on Monday, and a nice 4 mile tempo run yesterday, and everything is feeling good. Today, I did a progression run, where I gradually increase my pace during the run. I started at a pace around 9:05, and ended 6 miles later around 8:05. It was a fairly hard run for me, but in the end, I felt terrific. And tonight, I opted to do an easy run with my local running club for the weekly Wednesday night run, making this my first double day since last September. Total for the day was 10.6, and again, I feel great. Hopefully, I'll get many more days like this in, which should help me to get closer to a 1:50 half. 1:50 is the time I need to get into a seeded corral at the Chicago marathon this fall, so I'm going to try as hard as I can to make it. Ahh, I love running. I absolutely love it.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
2010 Surf City Half Marathon
I ran the Surf City Half Marathon today in Huntington Beach, CA, with my old college roommate from 20 years ago. I ran a strong race (for me, considering my weak knee), with a chip time of 1:56:40, which is just 5 seconds away from a PR. 5 seconds!! Ahh, so close, yet so far. Still I'm super happy with that though.
Simply put, It was an awesome run. The scenery along the pacific coast was amazing, probably the most scenic race I've ever done. The rolling ocean waves were on one side, snow capped mountains on the other, under a clear blue sky, with a light breeze, and temps in the 50s, running amidst palm trees. Perfect! After 10 miles, I was getting a little tired though, but also was able to find a second wind. At mile 11, I decided to take a gamble and opened up the throttle full tilt to see what I had left in the tank. I found out that I had a lot to give, and found myself consistently lengthening my stride, steadily increasing pace, and reached a flat out sprint the last 1/3 mile. (check my splits below). I felt like a thoroughbred, passing other runners left and right. In fact, the faster I ran, the better my knee felt. I think it could be related to the increased stride length. If only I had let the reins loose 5 seconds sooner, I could have bagged that PR!! Ahh, that will have to wait for another day.
Even though I was 5 seconds off my PR (which was a downer at first knowing that I barely missed it), this race has given me so much confidence and makes me want to run even harder and faster. And I know Ive definitely got more to give. I finished the race strong, and wanted to keep going, and now have a large source of pride to build on from here. It was an awesome day and a spectacular run for me!
Now, the only problem, I had to face going back to cold and snowy Nebraska running when I've been spoiled by sunny and warm California running. Yeah, it's going to suck.
Splits/Pace:
1 9:02
2 8:56
3 8:59
4 9:07
5 8:58
6 8:38
7 8:56
8 8:55
9 9:00
10 9:09
11 9:14 - getting tired, but found a second wind.
12 8:22 - holy moly this almost feels good.
13 8:15 - oh my god, what am I doing?!?
.1 6:38 - OK, this is very hard. I've never run this fast. Ever.
My college roommate Matt (on the left) and I after the race. Note the palm trees. It was a beautiful day for running. Couldn't have asked for better weather.
The race bling (shirt and medal, on the left). I have to say, this is one of the coolest medals I've ever received. Very unique, a signature item.
As a side bonus, apparently, while I was traveling in beautiful CA, somehow my CC number was lifted, and several bogus charges made it through. Thankfully, my CC company puts a hold on my account because I've had this happen in the past, but the account has now been closed down. Oh well. Se la vi, I know the routine, I think this is about the 4th time this has happened to us in the last 3 years.
That's 4 states completed and 46 to go...
Simply put, It was an awesome run. The scenery along the pacific coast was amazing, probably the most scenic race I've ever done. The rolling ocean waves were on one side, snow capped mountains on the other, under a clear blue sky, with a light breeze, and temps in the 50s, running amidst palm trees. Perfect! After 10 miles, I was getting a little tired though, but also was able to find a second wind. At mile 11, I decided to take a gamble and opened up the throttle full tilt to see what I had left in the tank. I found out that I had a lot to give, and found myself consistently lengthening my stride, steadily increasing pace, and reached a flat out sprint the last 1/3 mile. (check my splits below). I felt like a thoroughbred, passing other runners left and right. In fact, the faster I ran, the better my knee felt. I think it could be related to the increased stride length. If only I had let the reins loose 5 seconds sooner, I could have bagged that PR!! Ahh, that will have to wait for another day.
Even though I was 5 seconds off my PR (which was a downer at first knowing that I barely missed it), this race has given me so much confidence and makes me want to run even harder and faster. And I know Ive definitely got more to give. I finished the race strong, and wanted to keep going, and now have a large source of pride to build on from here. It was an awesome day and a spectacular run for me!
Now, the only problem, I had to face going back to cold and snowy Nebraska running when I've been spoiled by sunny and warm California running. Yeah, it's going to suck.
Splits/Pace:
1 9:02
2 8:56
3 8:59
4 9:07
5 8:58
6 8:38
7 8:56
8 8:55
9 9:00
10 9:09
11 9:14 - getting tired, but found a second wind.
12 8:22 - holy moly this almost feels good.
13 8:15 - oh my god, what am I doing?!?
.1 6:38 - OK, this is very hard. I've never run this fast. Ever.
My college roommate Matt (on the left) and I after the race. Note the palm trees. It was a beautiful day for running. Couldn't have asked for better weather.
The race bling (shirt and medal, on the left). I have to say, this is one of the coolest medals I've ever received. Very unique, a signature item. As a side bonus, apparently, while I was traveling in beautiful CA, somehow my CC number was lifted, and several bogus charges made it through. Thankfully, my CC company puts a hold on my account because I've had this happen in the past, but the account has now been closed down. Oh well. Se la vi, I know the routine, I think this is about the 4th time this has happened to us in the last 3 years.
That's 4 states completed and 46 to go...
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
OMG, I've Lost It
Well, I've committed myself to running a few more races this year. I've been thinking about these for awhile, and after looking at the calendar, decided to stop hemming and hawing and just signed up. Yes, I may have lost it, but what else is new?
So, for right now, I signed up for the Eisenhower Half Marathon in early April. This fits into my training schedule quite nicely, and fits into my personal schedule even better. This will also help check off another state, and will give me a good tune up race before my Marathon in early May. Plus, they have a free pancake feed after the race, so how could I pass that up? :))
The next race that I signed up for is the Swan Lake Christian Camp Half Marathon in Viborg, SD. Again, this fits nicely into my personal schedule, and should be a good stepping stone for starting my formal training for the Chicago Marathon later this year. And, it checks off another state! Do you see a pattern.
Regarding Marathon, Yes, I did officially register for the Chicago Marathon, on 10/10/10. While that's still many, many months away, I didn't want to pass up this opportunity. I'm in!
Other races that I'm thinking about include the San Francisco Half Marathon in late July. I'm trying to convince my wife to run this with me, as it would be her first race back after having Haglund's surgery on both feet last year. Plus, how could we pass up the chance to run on the Golden Gate Bridge. Hmm, could be an expensive weekend, but it's only money, right? Ha.
And finally, if I do run the San Francisco half, I'd be a fool to not run the Long Beach half marathon in mid October, to complete the California Dreamin Race series. While it's only 1 week after Chicago, I'd love the chance to earn a free jacket and a cool limited edition medal, just to say why not.
That should about cover it. I don't think I'd have any money to do any more running the rest of the year. Oops.
So, for right now, I signed up for the Eisenhower Half Marathon in early April. This fits into my training schedule quite nicely, and fits into my personal schedule even better. This will also help check off another state, and will give me a good tune up race before my Marathon in early May. Plus, they have a free pancake feed after the race, so how could I pass that up? :))
The next race that I signed up for is the Swan Lake Christian Camp Half Marathon in Viborg, SD. Again, this fits nicely into my personal schedule, and should be a good stepping stone for starting my formal training for the Chicago Marathon later this year. And, it checks off another state! Do you see a pattern.
Regarding Marathon, Yes, I did officially register for the Chicago Marathon, on 10/10/10. While that's still many, many months away, I didn't want to pass up this opportunity. I'm in!
Other races that I'm thinking about include the San Francisco Half Marathon in late July. I'm trying to convince my wife to run this with me, as it would be her first race back after having Haglund's surgery on both feet last year. Plus, how could we pass up the chance to run on the Golden Gate Bridge. Hmm, could be an expensive weekend, but it's only money, right? Ha.
And finally, if I do run the San Francisco half, I'd be a fool to not run the Long Beach half marathon in mid October, to complete the California Dreamin Race series. While it's only 1 week after Chicago, I'd love the chance to earn a free jacket and a cool limited edition medal, just to say why not.
That should about cover it. I don't think I'd have any money to do any more running the rest of the year. Oops.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Overnight Heart Rate Monitoring
As a fun experiment, I decided to use my Garmin heart rate strap to monitor my heart rate while I slept. Mainly, I just wanted to get a more-accurate read on what my resting heart rate might be. I originally thought it might be about 59, after taking some measurements. But, by using the heart rate monitor while sitting on the couch doing nothing, I thought it might be about 52. To get a longer read, I used the monitor while I slept through the night.
Below is about a 6-hour period from last night. I believe I can draw an imaginary "rolling" trend line in the lower/mid 50s, maybe around 53 or 54. It's also interesting to see the highs/lows of my heart rate, likely responding to various dream states, REM sleep, etc.
Below is about a 6-hour period from last night. I believe I can draw an imaginary "rolling" trend line in the lower/mid 50s, maybe around 53 or 54. It's also interesting to see the highs/lows of my heart rate, likely responding to various dream states, REM sleep, etc.
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