Finally a break!

From the heat! But not yesterday...

Staurday's long run was a short run - relatively speaking. We ran 8 miles in the oppressive Kentucky heat and humidity. It's really bad when at 5 in the morning, one is sweating before even starting to run. Overall it was a fast 8. We had a few slow miles but the last we ran at and 8:11 pace (this is faster than a 10k pace for me)! This marked the end of an easy week. Now onto more mileage and of course, speedwork.

I have a dilemma facing me next Saturday. There is a 5k that some of the people in my running group are planning on doing. Now I personally hate 5ks. It is and all out sprint for 3.1 miles. I usually don't feel good in a run until after 3 miles. However, I do enjoy running in a race - no matter the distance. This is not my dilemma however. The issue at hand is that Saturday I am scheduled for a 10 mile run. I feel it is more important to do the distance rather than a race. I have two options...1) Run the 10 miles and forget about the race all together or 2) Run 7 miles early and get my last 3 in the race. I am not sure what I'll do. My running partners who are racing have said they have no intention of running 7 then racing. So I'll be on my own there. I would imagine there will be others who would be willing to run the 10 with me if I went that route. So I have 5 days to make up my mind!

Now, the weather. The heat is still here, but the humidity seems to have left us for now. I've seen where it may even get down to the lower 60s at night! I'm sure it won't last long, but I will enjoy it while I've got it!

Thursday report

I'm sorry to report that nothing truly interesting has happened over the past two days of training. Wednesday's run was five miles. It was a tad cooler that morning, but the humidity was off the charts! Today was an easy four mile run. It was a little warmer today, but the humidity was still incredibly high. In fact, the humidity is still so bad around here, that I was just outside and could actually see the haze in the air - at 9:15 at night!

Uhg, I sure hope this breaks soon. It would be nice to actually stay cool on a run and not finish with a layer of sweat coating me. I think I'll suggest putting squeegees out with our water stops!

Next week the fun begins. Speed work! I really don't look forward to speed runs - nothing like going all out for a pre-determined distance. (For those who don't know why speed work is important, it teaches the body to deal with the stress of running a long distance. The more uncomfortable I can make myself in a controlled way, the better my body will respond to being uncomfortable during a long race. At least that's the theory behind it...) I am nervous because speed work is where injuries can develop. So it will be very important to do it correctly and listen to what my body is telling me during those runs.

Hopefully the blog will be a little more entertaining next week. Then again, a boring blog means I'm doing everything right and not getting hurt!

Heat Lightning

4:30 am came very fast this morning. I heard my alarm, turned it off and wanted to go back to sleep. But that darn commitment to training got me out of bed eventually. When I went downstairs, I looked outside and saw lightning. I looked closer and saw that everything was dry. So I decided I would head out and see if anyone else showed up. At the very least I could go to the gym and do something.

When I got to the high school (our Monday meeting place) there were already three people there. Then more showed up. I guess we were running!

We were treated to a light show as we went out. The "heat lightning" was incredible this morning. Bolts of lightning snaking their way through the clouds giving the illusion of clouds on fire. It was an amazing site. One I would have missed if I had slept through this run or decided to not venture out.

Good five miles this morning. Fast, yet fun. Summer has definitely set in. All I keep thinking is that Columbus in October can't be this bad...at least I am praying it's not this bad!

By the way, I was never nervous about running outside this morning. I run with runners who have years of experience. If they're not worried about the weather, then I don't worry about the weather.

Father's Day Reflection

First, report from yesterday. Twelve miles again, very hot, very humid, very glad when it was over. I had dead bugs all over me by the time I finished. It was a pure, nasty, Kentucky summer morning...oh wait, technically yesterday was still spring. Meaning, the next three months could be extremely brutal when it comes to the long runs. However, we did see a deer run out in front of us around mile five. It ran across the street, stopped, looked at us - as if to say - "You people are crazy to be running this morning!" and ran off. Yes, yes we are!

On to Father's Day. Happy Father's Day to all who are reading! What a great day! I got to relax and mow my yard today! For those who don't know - I have an acre to mow. Yes I have a riding mower, but it's still an acre and it's still over 90° outside!

But I digress...

While I was mowing it occurred to me how significant Father's Day is to my running. It's because I'm a father that I run. Without meeting a certain beautiful little girl almost four and a half years ago, I would never have imagined myself being a runner. I used to sleep a lot, eat a lot, and do nothing - a lot!

Oh sure I wanted to exercise, but it always seemed like something better would get in the way - again, like sleep, food, tv, etc...There was never any motivation - even at the time Sarah and I talked each other out of doing exercise on a daily basis. I remember I used to watch the start of the Derby Mini Marathon and think, I could do that - but I don't really want to.

Then, I met Emma. My how she changed everything. Although, it did still take me another year before I really found the motivation. I also found Sarah could be very influential when it came to taking care of myself. She pointed out that at the rate I was going (with my lazy lifestyle) I would be lucky if I ever saw Emma graduate high school, college, get married, have kids, etc. - you get the point. So did I.

I've always had this fascination with running. Mostly up until that point I was fascinated with how much I hated it. But there was something about it that drew me to it. Something that said, "Hey, I can do this." So, I decided to start running - for Emma. I started by doing a lot of walking and a little running. That led to a few 5Ks. Which led to a few more, and a few more. Then, the idea of being on blood pressure medication at 32 and having sleep apnea led to more changes in my health.

Three and half years, 14 races (including two half marathons), and 60 pounds lost has led me to this path to run and complete a full marathon. Because I am a father to a precious four and half year old (had to get that last part in) I run. I run because I want to see her grow up. I run because I want to see her graduate high school and college. I run because I want to see her get married (at age 37 of course). I run because I want Emma to see that being healthy is important and no matter what is going on in your life, there is always time to exercise!

Thank you Emma for a great Father's Day!

I was attacked by...

...CARBS! Yes, that's right, carbs. And I didn't even see it coming! (More on this later.)

Today's run - easy, easy, easy 4 miler. We took our time and just enjoyed sweating like it was going out of style! It was nice just to go out and relax on this run. I went into the run pretty nervous because of my knees from Monday. Side note: on Monday, I iced my left knee and stretched it out. This morning, I spent extra time stretching to make sure I was loose before the run. I believe this helped because my knees felt just fine. I purposely took it easy, didn't push it, didn't run any more than I needed to, just ran. What a relief! And the best news is, my knees haven't been bothering me at all today!

Now, back to the carb attack...

I had not planned on eating out today for lunch, but for whatever reason, I ended up riding along to the J-Mall. (A mall close to work that has choices for everyone when no one can agree on where to eat.) When I got there, I knew I was going to have pizza from Sbarros. While I was in line, I decided the bread sticks looked good, ordered two and made it a combo. When I sat down to eat, this hunger beast inside me took over and I tore into the pizza and bread sticks like they were the last scraps of food on Earth! This stuff never tasted so good!

After I had my fill (which by the way, there was a fair amount of a bread stick left) I realized that I had some kind of carbohydrate craving! Apparently the increase in running has set my body into carb deficiency mode. I certainly hope this does not become a daily occurrence as my weekly mileage increases, but it was a lot of fun!

The lesson I learned from this: Running is good!

Pains are starting...

I'm a little nervous. Actually, I am scared out of my mind. I've been sitting at work today with one thing on my mind. My left knee is bothering me a little. Uhg, not again! I'm really hoping that it's just from the mileage I've run in the past three days and nothing more. Fortunately, tomorrow is a rest day. Here's hoping all will be well by Wednesday morning.

Now for today's report. Another very humid morning in the city of Elizabethtown - close to 100%. So bad, that it was extremely foggy this morning. But, oh well! Today's run was fast, mostly because I wanted to challenge myself. The group split about two miles into the run and I was initially in between. I made the choice to keep up (as best I could) with the faster group. We were moving at a fast pace, but I was holding my own. I got a little break when we stopped for water around mile four. Then it was off to the races to finish strong and it was mostly uphill. But I did it!

I've earned my day off tomorrow!

Let the long runs begin

12 miles. Yes, 12 miles this morning! This is longest I've run since the mini marathon in April. And it felt like it!

(A note of warning: I am planning on being very frank about what happens to me out on these runs. Lots of "fun" things happen to runners when the distance gets longer...You have been warned. OK, it's really not that bad...)

Overall, the run was really good. We took our time and made it through the 12 miles. A few water stops and a few walk breaks along the way makes for a good time. It was also pretty warm and really humid this morning. Needless to say I was soaking wet by the end. As we were walking to the gym after we finished, one of my fellow runners looked at me and said "You're bleeding." The first thing I did is feel my face. Then, it dawned on me what was bleeding. That's right, my nipple. Ouch! A wet shirt rubbing for 12 miles will cause a lot of pain! I actually had a feeling that this was going to happen today. The distance and the humidity made for the "perfect storm." However, if this was the only issue I had with this run (which it was) I'll take it - there are far worse things, believe me!

Now it's onto another easy week - no speedwork yet and then capped off by another 12 miler. This time I will be prepared for the rubbing!

Washed out!

What a night here in Kentucky (at least Etown)! Lightning and thunder woke me up around 2 am. Pretty strong stuff as I usually sleep right through storms. The rain started falling harder and all of a sudden, it sounded like rocks hitting the windows...that's right, hail! It was pea sized, but enough to get me out of bed to check the weather alerts. Nothing severe, but we were under a tornado watch until 6 am. I crawled back into bed and had a restless sleep after all the while hoping the storms would pass before 5 am so I could get my run in.

No such luck.

I was startled out of bed by thunder and lightning around 4:30 - right before my alarm was about to go off. I wearily worked my way down to the computer hoping still, that the radar was going to indicate this round was about over. It was not to be. The rain was coming down in sheets and the lightning was "cloud to ground" as all the weather alerts stated. So, I worked my way back upstairs to bed. I decided to watch the show mother nature was putting on for a little while. It really was beautiful - continuous lightning and rolling thunder. Finally, back to sleep for another few hours.

When I woke up at 6:30, I looked out and it was still raining. I realized I made the right choice by not running and I hope everyone else who was meeting this morning did as well. I still feel a little regret and a lot of guilt for missing the run. But I know I have my 12 miler to look forward to on Saturday and I'll still get over 20 miles for the week.

Plus, the whole not being struck by lightning or not being hit by a car who couldn't see me in the driving rain is a positive!

On a side note: When Emma woke up this morning and came into our room, I asked her if she heard the storm last night. Her response was, "It stormed last night?" At least one of us in the house got a full, restful night's sleep!

I was wrong!

Really!

My mistake!

(Somewhere Sarah is hitting the floor...)

I'm actually running 12 miles THIS Saturday!

I know - what a teaser title. You're thinking: "So what?" "Why are you so excited about 12 miles?" "No normal person would want to run that!"

Well, I'm ready to start putting some long mileage back into my training. There is such a feeling of accomplishment to run a long distance. Of course, I had to break it to my running group this morning that I was wrong about the 10 they were expecting on Saturday. No worries for them though, the 12 mile loop I'm planning to run has plenty of opportunities for them to head back to the gym and not go the full distance. This will really come in handy for them as my mileage increases!

Nothing crazy to report about today's run. Easy four miles at a slow pace. It was hot, humid and miserable. I was sweating before we even started running and the air was as thick as pea soup. (Full disclosure, I've never had pea soup, so I'm not really sure how thick it actually is! But it sounds good...) Speedwork starts in the next few weeks, so Wednesday's reports will hopefully be more interesting. Although, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing...

What a difference...

...two days makes! Ahh, Kentucky. The weather never ceases to amaze me, especially how quickly it can (and does) change. I've heard that if you don't like the weather in Kentucky, stick around for a half hour!

Two days removed from the perfect running weather and the temperature at 5 AM is 20 degrees warmer and the humidity is about 75%! And it's only June!

Other than the heat, this morning's run was an easy 5 miles. Surprisingly, I felt pretty good. After the workout I got on Saturday moving boxes/building shelves/unpacking boxes for 8 hours at Sarah's brother's new house, I wasn't as exhausted as I expected. I did choose not to go too fast today (a 9:18 pace) and four of my fellow runners were all too happy to run at that pace as well.

Tomorrow is a day off and then back at it on Wednesday and Thursday. I've got a 10 miler this Saturday, but I'm really looking forward to the following weekend when the mileage starts increasing!

For some reason I just love long runs!

Saturday report (on Sunday)

Yesterday I ended up running 9-1/2 miles. A good long run. The best part was how perfect the weather was for running. When we started, it was 50º. (In June!) By the time we made it to our water stop 50 minutes later, it had cooled off to 48º! When we finished, it was around 50º again.

Let me repeat myself, this was perfect running weather! I ended up wearing a short sleeve shirt and shorts - the right amount of clothing (not too many layers and not dying of sweat/heat exhaustion). It was nice and cool - almost cold - when I started and I warmed up fast. The further along I went, the better the chill in the air felt. By the time I finished, I was still sweating, but cooled down very quickly. I actually got a little cold after and had the heat on as I drove home!

Some additional news...

I may have found a few others to train with me here in Etown. There has been some expressed interest in the Columbus Marathon and even the Half-Marathon by some of the people I run with. This would be great to have a few additional fools to train with! Plus, my long runs are going to start increasing soon and it would be nice to have company as that mileage starts to build - right now, my longest training run before the race is scheduled for 22 miles!

Thursday's Run = Wet Run

When I woke up this morning and looked outside, I saw a good amount of rain coming down. You see, I was expecting to see the rain, but hoping against hope my expectations would be wrong. I looked at the radar and it showed a big green blob over where we live, but not at the gym. Yes!

Wrong.

As I drove to the gym, the rain never let up. It wasn't heavy, but it was enough to make me wonder if anyone was going to show up to run. Well, they did. There were four of us this morning that chose to brave the rain (and cooler temps, I might add). Sure, it was cold at first and uncomfortable. But as we went, the rain seemed to let up. I'm sure it was drizzling on us throughout, but the more I ran, the hotter I got and the better the rain felt. By the end, I was thankful for the rain. I actually enjoyed it!

I'm writing about this because in the past, I have done everything I could to avoid running in the rain - "sleeping through my alarm," "forgetting to set my alarm," "not feeling good," etc. I might have taken a step in the right direction to get past my "fear" of running in the rain. Running in the rain really should be easy - hell (funny choice of a word), with as hot as it can get here in Kentucky, by the time I finish a summer run, it's like I've been out in the rain anyway. (All together now, "Ewww, gross!")

Lesson hopefully learned. Running in the rain is enjoyable (down to a certain temperature - that is a line I'm not sure I'll ever be able to cross!)

On a side note, I am starting to get very excited about the marathon in October. I know this is the right decision and I really look forward to the training as much as the race itself.

What's done is done...

Well, it's official. I have signed up to run 26.2 miles in Columbus, OH on October 18th of this year.

Wow...

I'm not sure if it's relief, excitement or absolute terror that I'm experiencing right now. Everything feels numb. Now that I am registered, I can start to focus on my training and really dig in to meet my goal of finishing a marathon this year.

Wow...

Monday, Monday...

...So good to me.

This morning's run was truly an exciting run. The group I usually run with meets at the local high school track with another running group every Monday. There were 11 of us out there this morning, getting up at 4:30 am to meet a 5. (Are we nuts or what?) The other group has VERY strong runners and as usual, we went out fast. (Fast for me is anything consistently under 8:45 minutes per mile.) We got to the three mile mark of what is usually a 5 mile run and I look at my watch and it says we are moving at 7:30 mpm! Now, according to the Garmin this was only at that moment, but what I want to emphasize is that we were moving. At that point, the people I normally run with decided to break off from the speed demons and head back to the track at a more comfortable pace.

As we were nearing the high school I looked to see we were only at the 4.2 mile mark and we really wanted end up running the 5. So we decided to turn left and go "around the block" to our cars. Well, that ended up adding another 1.7 miles to our run! So, we start out thinking we were only going 5 and end up coming in just shy of 6! And I ended up feeling so good, I could have done 6 more!

This is why I really love running - there are so many unknowns every time I lace up my shoes and hit the streets.