Adam's Training Log

A few pics

2009-04-19T08:20:00.006-05:00

Still going at it. I have scheduled another 4.5 miles this afternoon along with a go at it on the stair machine. I'm itching to get the veg garden going but it seems like the weather is in a cycle of raining every weekend so I have not been able to get the tractor out and till.

My wife has reminded me that we will NOT have 60 tomatoe plants as we did last year. It was a pain in the arse to can all the results but the salsa and canned tomatoes are great.

I'm also finally getting around to post a few picts.

Here are some of a snow we had the end of feb, we had about 8 inces but a few miles south of here at my work....there was 16 inches. The most in about 40 years.

The picture below shows our chicken pen. The wire on the room was sagging down so bad from the weight I had to lean down real low to feed them.

Out yellow lab, Missy, enjoyed the snow.

My kids enjoyed it also.

2009-04-14T06:58:00.002-05:00

Still plugging along. I'm still trying to add some work on the stair machine after my runs to burn a few more calories and some variety. After 4.5 miles yesterday afternoon I was able to log in 11 minutes on the stair machine. I'm going to try to build up to 15 or 20 minutes.

I'm using what I would call an old school stair machine, not an eliptical. I seem to feel like I get a much better work out on the old school type.

Treadmill and the stairs

2009-04-08T20:02:00.002-05:00

I really hate going to the gym this time of year, but I have been really lazy about getting up early and running on the road. This time of the year when it is about 75 they don't run the AC, so its about 78 degrees in there and like a sauna.

I did 4 miles on the treadmill and then got on the stair machine and did another 8 minutes. I was going to first only do 7 mins but pushed myself for one more minute. At the end I almost puked, so it must have been a good workout.

2009-04-08T07:49:00.002-05:00

I've been a little lazy posting the past few days, but I'm still plodding along. I'm gradaully building my mileage back up to about 20 miles a week along with that I am going to start adding some stair machine and/or elliptical stuff to add some variety.

I may take the plunge and try this spin class stuff I keep reading about.

2009-04-02T19:24:00.001-05:00

3 Miles this pm on the treadmill

2009-04-01T12:57:00.001-05:00

4 Miles yesterday on the treadmill and then 7 minutes on the stair machine. I'm trying to change up my workouts in order for better results.

Getting back into it

2009-03-29T14:55:00.003-05:00

3 Miles Monday.

Wednesday I had planned another 3 miler on the treadmill, but I had the wierdest experience. I drank a bottle of lipton green tea at 4:00 and got on the treadmill about 5:00pm. At about mile 2 I started feeling weak,not tired but all of the sudden drained. I could barely make it to 2.5 miles and had to stop. I don't know if it was something in the green tea but by the time I got to my truck I was almost to the point of shaking I was so weak. I stopped at a gas station and got me a drink and some peanuts and that seemed to make me feel better.

The last time I felt like this was the one and only time I drank a Red Bull last summer. After about a half an hour I was feeling weak and started to sweat so bad my T shirt was soaked. No more energy drinks for me thank you.

Went for a 3 miler again on the treadmill Friday and did just fine. I'm going to try 4 miles this afternoon.

A little lazy

2009-03-23T12:44:00.001-05:00

I have been a little lazy the past 2 weeks and have not ran more than a couple of times, just 2 miles each. I got in a little bit of a rut, probably a little from my frustration from injuries. It is also very easy after missing a few days, just to say....well I will get back into it tomorrow. Tomorrow I say the same thing.

So this afternoon I will go out for a 3 miler.

2009-03-16T07:05:00.003-05:00

Out for an easy 3 miler yesterday and all body parts appear to be in working order.

I'll try a couple of more 4 milers, and then Friday or Saturday go for 5. Went a podiatrist and I explained the problems with my toe. Seems like the issue is that the last joint in the toe is stiff and when my foot hits the ground it does not straighten out fully so the tip of my toe is hitting the ground. Kind of like hammer toe, but not as severe. He gave me this support to wear under my toes while I run.

2009-03-08T08:40:00.004-05:00

Tried to go for a 3 miler yesterday, but now my ankle has started to be a real pain. Right where my leg meets the top of my food. Not sure what it is,but I had to take walking breaks to ease the pain. So I'm going to lay off again for awhile, the idea of a half marathon in April is Kaputz

I'm pretty fortunate as I really have not had a running injury in like forever, but I also have not tried to push myself as much in the last 18 months. So I will take it easy for while and reboot. I also need to step back and try to determine a training plan that has more than running.

2009-03-03T19:36:00.001-06:00

5 Miles this evening. Much better weather than Sunday. About 39 degrees and no wind. Legs still feeling ok, 6 miles on the schedule for Thursday.

2009-03-02T07:26:00.002-06:00

4 Miles Saturday and 7 Sunday. My leg feels pretty good, however I could tell I have lost some conditioning laying off the previous week. Weird weather here as it was 65 degrees last Monday and we had up to 15" of snow in some places this last Saturday night. Part of the storm that is blowing up to the northeast.

2009-02-26T13:16:00.002-06:00

5 Miles yesterday. Legs still ok last night and feel good today. I will try 6 miles tomorrow.

On the Road Again

2009-02-24T07:20:00.001-06:00

Out for a 4 miler last night. No problems to speak of with my calf. It seemed to get a little tight later on after I was back at the house after an hour, but a little stretching fixed that.

5 Miles tomorrow.

Well......crap

2009-02-19T18:46:00.002-06:00

Ran 7 miles last Thursday and 9 Sunday. I was supposed to run 4 miles this last Tuesday but only went 3 since my left calf muscle was really sore. It still feels sore today so I'm laying off for now.

I may try to go 4 miles tomorrow. I've been pretty lucky for about a year going injury free...maybe I'm just due. I still have 2-1/2 months until the County Music Half, so I'm not too concerned about a small set back.

2009-02-10T19:39:00.003-06:00

4 miles this pm. My legs are really sore after my 9 miler Sunday. Probably should have only gone 3, impact will be discovered Thursday when I have a 7 miler on the plate

I hardly ever post pictures and thought I would give it a shot. Here is a picture of my 9 year old at his basketball game last Saturday.

Here is another one taken last summer while we were in Northeast Arkansas, I tried to get all artsy and take a photo of the sunset you cant tell, but the crops here as far as the eye can see are rice fields

2009-02-09T06:44:00.000-06:00

4 Miles Sat and another 9 miles Sunday afternoon. Temps are up significantly from the past 2 weeks and it was 65 degrees when I headed out yesterday. Time was not as good as I had hoped for.

Legs are pretty sore this morning, but walking around has seemed to work that out.

2009-02-05T19:08:00.002-06:00

6 miles this evening at a pretty good pace for me. Core training started about 3 weeks lated than I wanted, but its a start...more details later.

5.0

2009-02-03T20:18:00.003-06:00

Last week was a dissapoint as far as my running goes. I ran Tues and Thursday and was scheduled for 4 miles Sat and 5 Miles Sunday. I spoke to my parents Satuday and they were looking for an new generator. If you live in the U.S. and have heard of the ice storm that went through portions of the South, you know several hundred thousand folks are stil without power.

I found a generator at a town near me and drove it over to their place Saturday night, so no run on that day. Then spent about 5 hours with a chainsaw cutting all the limbs that fell in their yard on Sunday. No run, but I guess the cutting could be considered weight training. I had some illusion that when I got home at about 5:00 I would be able to run, but my back was really sore and I was exhausted. My drive home took about 2 hours and I saw hundreds of power poles that were either broke off halfway down the pole, or just leaning at about 45 degrees. I heard in my parents county there were approximately 3000 poles needing replacing. The ice storm came through last Wednesday night and my folks and alot of others still do not have power. They had 1-1/2 inches of ice on everything.

5 miles today and hopefully can get back into a groove as far as training goes.

4.0/5.0

2009-01-30T07:24:00.001-06:00

Its cold and icy here so the past 2 workouts of 4 and 5 miles have been on the treadmill. The treadmill is a nice change of pace from time to time. What I really like about it is that unless I slow the pace down on the machine, I have to keep up and cant slack off.

Brrr II

2009-01-26T07:23:00.002-06:00

I was supposed to run 5 miles Saturday but I took the advise from my calves and laid off. They have been sore the past couple of weeks off and on and since 9 miles was scheduled for Sunday.....I felt an extra rest day was in order.

Out at 4:30 PM. I started to go at 5:00 AM, but it was 17 degrees with the wind gusty, no thank you. I wore some under armor(UA) leggings with a pair of UA warmups over those. 2 tops with my Steelers cap and gloves. It was about 28 degrees with the wind blowing, but I got a little sweaty the first 4 miles. After I swung around and headed toward my house the wind was in my face and my run really turned into a suck fest. I was wearing a hoody so I pulled the hood over my head and pulled the strings where the only thing you could see was my glasses.

The last 3 miles it had to be 25 degrees with the wind gusting about 10-15 MPH. I ended up at a 11:40 pace which I know can mainly be attributed to the weather. I kept on thinking that in August I will be looking back on this run with envy.

Brrrr

2009-01-21T07:03:00.006-06:00

I realize people north of my location have it alot colder than I do, but my run this morning at 4:30 was on of my coldest ever at 17 degrees. On days like this I usually change my schedule to run after work, but I have plans tonight and I am bound and determined not to miss a day on my schedule. I probably wore too much on my upper body so now I know what is the right combination for todays conditions. The good thing about it was that there was no wind at all.

Even though it was cold I am very satisfied with myself for dragging out of bed and running. I feel great right now.

2009-01-19T07:13:00.002-06:00

4 Miles Saturday and another 8 Sunday afternoon.

Sundays run was a little strange. My usual path is gradually downhill for 4 miles and then I turnaround. I really seemed to be dragging on the way out but back I started feeling better and seemed to be at a higher energy level going back up. My pace was not faster since I was going up some long hills, but I had alot more energy. Even though I was a little slower overall yesterday, it was a good run.

2009-01-16T12:09:00.003-06:00

5 miles both Tuesday and Thursday. It has gotten bitter cold here for this area. 9 degrees this morning. My next run is tomorrow and the hight is supposed to be around 35 degrees so I will postpone my usual early morning run to an afternoon run.

I'm going to try this year to post more random pictures as I blog. Unforunatley I'm at work and dont have many pics on my laptop. Here's one taken on my bus ride from Downtown Tokyo back to Narita airport, this is Tokyo Harbor.

2009-01-11T08:26:00.003-06:00

Up this morning for my first offical long run of my training schedule. Went 8 miles just under 1:30, which is ok for me for now. I just took it nice and easy and felt great at the end of the run.

I have many more miles to go and don't feel like pushing myself too hard. I' m going to start my core training today too.

I'm pretty good at excel, powerpoint, and acess at work but don't know much about web pages. Can anyone give me a tip as to how I can make my blog margins wider?

Thanks,

Experiment

2009-01-10T13:55:00.001-06:00

I have never messed around with any art software but downloaded "GIMP" for free and am trying to develop my own header. This is my first shot after a couple of hours of work.

2nd Run

2009-01-09T06:59:00.003-06:00

Up again this morning for the second day of training for the Counrty Music Half Marathon. I have dedicated myself to really try to focus on my speed work this time around since I continue to read in every book and article around that to get faster you cant just run long, but run fast....and I guess the people that right this stuff kind of know alot more about running than me.

I have also come to the realization that I must do some type of core work. Because:

Many of the same articles I read say that core work is important for running efficiency
My mid section is terrible.
I don't like wearing a t shirt to the water park when I go with my kids

In this months copy of Runners World there is a good section on Core workouts and I am going to give it a shot.

2009-01-08T05:54:00.002-06:00

Out this morning at 4:45 for a a 5 miler. 39 degrees is warm for this time of year, but it really felt good. Trying to get back to make my runs early and not late. I'm usually burned out by the time I get home.

2009-01-06T21:09:00.002-06:00

4 Miles this evening on the treadmill. I am not sure why but I felt that I had shin splints which is the first time in like forever I had experienced this. I figured out it was because I was on one of the lower quality machines at the gym and there was not much cusion under the belt.

The reason I was on one of the lesser machines is because there is the usual wave of new faces at the gym that have turned over a new leaf and want to start exercising. God love em, they are trying, but unfortunately for them about 90 percent wont make it 2 months and I wont see them again.

2009-01-04T08:45:00.002-06:00

7 miles this morning. It is unusually warm at 60 degrees. Shorts and a sleeveless short was all I needed. Looks like the cold temps are back in a few days though.

2009-01-03T12:45:00.003-06:00

3 Miles Thursday and 4 This morning.

I have been trying the past few weeks to run 6 days a week, but my legs cant really take it. I guess I need the 2 days of rest from running each week. I have spent an untold amount of time looking for a training program that meets my needs and will assist me in improving over my last time at the half of 2:25.

I found on the runnersworld page a program that fits me pretty well. I start it on Monday. It consists of 5 runs per week. This one is 16 weeks and looks to me that it will give me more stamina since there are more runs of 12 miles or more at the end.

Lets keep our fingers crossed.

A good year

2008-12-31T07:48:00.004-06:00

Below are my results for this year. I certainly was a little lazy in mid december after my half marathon, but I am back at it and ran 3 miles yesterday and 5 this morning. I am going to register for the County Music Half Marathon that is on April 24th. I want to enter a few 5K's this spring too. We'll see what happens.

I'm going to spend a good part of the afternoon today shopping on ebay for a new sports watch. My fricking new Nike broke after about 3 runs. Maybe it is just a fluke, but sorry Nike...no second chances. I'm going to get another G-Shock. The one I had before lasted about 3 years.

Happy New Year to everyone!!!!!

3/5/7

2008-12-28T09:49:00.001-06:00

3 Miles Thurs,5 Friday, and 7 this morning.

I'm over in Arkansas where it is mostly flat. The 7 miler this morning really took a toll on my ankles. I can tell the difference than when I run up and down alot of hills. Flat the whole 7 miles was a big difference.

5.0/3.0

2008-12-25T10:40:00.004-06:00

3 Miles Tuesday and 5 Miles Wednesday. I'm starting a schedule where I run 6 days per week.

Mon -Off
Tues-3
Wed-5
Thur-3
Friday-5
Sat-3
Sun-7

Merry Christmas to everyone.

5.0

2008-12-20T09:31:00.002-06:00

5 Miles this morning. Still feeling pretty good. Out for a 7 miler tomorrow. I'm pretty sure that I am going to enter the County Music Half Marathon April. I'll start a more difficult program next month. Maybe I can cut 10 minutes off my time.

Cold tomorrow night is in the forecast, 12 degrees!!!

4.0

2008-12-18T20:32:00.002-06:00

4 Miles this evening. I have not gotten back into the groove as soon as I would have liked. Long meetings that past 6 days have really taken a toll on me. I am more tired when I sit all day than when I ran the half marathon!!!!

I have to admit I really missed running the past few days. I did not feel right not getting back out and pounding the pavement. So I will try 5 saturday and 7 Sunday and see how that goes.

Back at it

2008-12-16T07:13:00.003-06:00

Hit the treadmill last night for 3 miles. First run since Dec 6th. Really felt good. I'm going to try 5 tomorrow am and see how that goes.

Its interesting that since I don't have a race planned it seems difficult to get motivated. I'm going to have to do some seaching on the web for a half that is in Jan or Feb somewhere near me. I really need a target to be shooting for to keep my motiviation.

Race Report

2008-12-07T16:16:00.003-06:00

We arrived in Memphis too late to pick up my packet for the half and my wife's for the 5K.

We both got up around 5:30 and picked up our stuff very early. The Half started at 8:00 and 5K at 7:00. I always error on the side of being early and it was probably a good thing since it appeared to start getting crowded as I left the packet pick up area. We were staying at the Westin on Beale street so both race starts were within walking distance.

I left the hotel and got at the starting area at about 7:30. Probably too early but that's ok. The temp at race start was about 30 with a breeze. I chose to wear gloves, shorts(kind of long though, not real short), and a t-shirt under a long sleeve under armour shirt. I froze my arse off before the race started, but knew it would get warm at 8:00. I did not wear my knit cap.

The race started in waves and I have to admit it was very well organized. I decided to hang in with a pace group that was running at an 5 hour marathon pace. My target was to beat a 2:30 half marathon.

There were lots of people with what I thought was way to much clothes, gloves, scarfs, sweats, etc. It was quite evident at mile 2 those folks thought so also since the road became littered with sweats, gloves, scarfs etc. There was a tree along riverside drive(running along side of the Mississippi river...great view) where people starting throwing their stuff in the limbs. It was started to look like a cross between a Christmas tree and clothes hamper by the time I went by it.

I continued at every mile to get a drink of powerade that was supplied at the stations. I did not wear my IPOD since it was forbidden by the race. There were still some idiots that decided the rules did not apply to them and wore them anyway. The announcer must have reminded everyone about 20 times before the race. I don't like the rules, but at least I did abide by them.

At mile 6 I realized that I was feeling pretty good. Legs weren't getting tired, breathing pretty easy. I decided that sometime I am going to pick up my pace, I did that at mile 8. I passed the pacers I had been following and lengthened my stride a little. The last 3 miles are very hilly, kind of like a giant roller coaster. The wind picked up the last few miles and was gusting at a pretty good clip.

I am happy to say that I finished officially at 2:25:37, a 11:07 pace!!! This is much better than last years showing of 2:45, and alot faster than I had anticipated. The following are the reasons I think that I did better:

I watched what a ate alot better this year. I still ate some junk from time to time, but not as much as last year. I made a point to eat fruit and veggies as often as possible.
I stayed hydrated
I brought along some clifs shot bloks and ate a packet each 45 minutes.
Last year I caught a bad cold and did not run much the last 10 days before the race.
Most importantly I really think that running where I live really improved my time. I had not run any of my long runs the past few weeks at anything less than 11:20 but as I have mentioned several times, I live in a very hilly area. The race I ran yesterday had hills, but nothing like home. So yes I will admit, hills are my friend now.

The folks that organize the St. Jude Marathon/half Marathon do a very good job. Everything went very smooth. I would recommend it to anyone.

Thanks to everyone that checks up on me and passes on words of wisdom and encouragement. I'm going to lay off until Wed or Thursday and then go for an easy run. I would like to run in another half marathon soon, just not sure where.

3.0/8.0

2008-12-04T09:39:00.002-06:00

3 Miles last night and 8 Miles this morning. All that is left is 13.1 on Saturday morning.

Temp was 61 degrees last night but 28 this morning and breezy, ouch!!!

5.0

2008-12-02T07:36:00.003-06:00

5 Miles this morning. Pretty cold for me(24 degrees). I bought some Under Armour pants that other day for mornings like this. These are the kind that are tight, I certainly wont be wearing these around the general population and/or without a pair of shorts over them. Seeing yourself in these kind of puts things in ........shall we say a different perspective? However they really did make a difference today so I may get another pair so I wont be rushing to wash them each time I go out for a run.

I have a question. I have Nike shoes and gloves, and coat. Under armour shirts, pull down knit cap, socks and sweats. If you wear different brands of shoes and clothes at the same time does it somehow throw the cosmic balance out of whack. Does the "Just Do It" some how conflict with "Protect This House" I may have stumbled upon another factor of performance.

8.0

2008-11-30T07:17:00.004-06:00

8 Miles early this morning. Temps are pretty good for the end of Nov, 39 degrees with a slight wind. My time was not too bad for me, but the important thing was that I still had alot of energy when I got done. I did not push myself too hard since my legs were pretty sore Thursday morning, but they felt pretty good today. Next week my schedule is

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 5 Miles
Wednesday - 5 miles
Thursday - 8 Miles
Saturday - RACE DAY

I put in 115 miles this month, probably the most I ever have in one month.

7.0

2008-11-28T08:46:00.001-06:00

7 miles yesterday. My calf muscles were really sore for most of the run. I may skip my 3 miler Saturday just to give my legs a rest and not miss my 8 miler on Sunday.

6.0

2008-11-26T07:32:00.003-06:00

Up this morning for a 6 miler. My calf muscles seemed pretty sore from last night, so I took it pretty easy. An 8 miler is scheduled for Turkey day, probably a good thing:)

Off to Arkansas this afternoon and visiting 3 different places from Today all the way thru Saturday. I will still run while traveling, the good thing is that all of my family live in area's that are relatively flat. My legs will be thankful.

5.0

2008-11-25T19:53:00.001-06:00

Out for a 5 miler this evening. Sunday my legs did not feel too sore after my 12 miler, but yesterday they were really talking to me. I was worried that I would not be able to run today, but after an inital soreness....I did fine. Pretty good pace for me too.

12.0 and Brrrrr

2008-11-23T09:29:00.003-06:00

Last long run before Memphis was this morning at 5:00AM

I usually drop off some Powerade along the route the night before, but since it was supposed to get below freezing I waited until this morning. As I went down my route the temp got down to 20 degrees at some points!!

I finished at a respectful time for me, but probably could have done a little better but I just ran it nice and slow. I picked up my pace a little at the 7 mile mark since I felt pretty good. I took some Clif Shot Blocks with me and believe it made the difference. These are orange flavored and went down pretty well. They are a little like gummy bears, it was kind of wierd chewing on the things while I was trying to run.

For the next 2 weeks its taper time baby!!!

7.0

2008-11-21T06:05:00.003-06:00

7 Miles last night and crap was it cold. I wore a T shirt under a pullover Brooks running top I got a couple a years ago on sale since it is some wierd brown orange color. I still wore some long shorts since my legs really don't feel cold after the first mile. It was about 37 degrees when I got back to the house, but the wind was whipping up to around 10 mph some times.

The best part of my day yesterday was standing in the hot shower for about 10 minutes just soaking up the hot water.

My time really sucked based on my 10 minute pace Wednesday. I felt really run down the last 3 miles. I may have not took in enough carbs. My calf muscles are sore this morning, but thank goodness its a rest day for me.

26 degrees this morning here and forecasted to get down to 20 tonight. I will have to load up the wood stove in my living room this evening.

6.0

2008-11-20T06:50:00.007-06:00

6 miles last night on the backroads.

I don't know how I did it, but I ran at a pace just a few seconds shy of 10 min miles. Its very hilly here and I focused on keepinig a real good pace down hill and a steady one up.

Who would have figured all this training actually works?

I'm starting to get a big head now and was searching the internet for a half marathon in January. I could not find any near me except for a trail run the "Swamp Stopper 25k/50K". 25K is a little longer than a half and this one is on January 18th. It does not seem too soon after the one I am running on Dec 6th.

I have never run a trail race, but it seems real interesting and a nice change. Comments are appreciated.

2008-11-18T19:25:00.001-06:00

4 Miles this afternoon. Not a bad pace either. This is the tough week for me and then its taper time for 2 weeks. 12 miler this Sunday.

8.0

2008-11-16T07:21:00.004-06:00

Up at 4:30 for an 8 miler. Temp was just around 30 degrees, not real cold. I am not going to complain after the hot summer I had to deal with.

With the full moon out it is almost like running at daybreak. I had one of those moments that I have always read about at about mile 7 where I kind of zoned out and seemed not to notice I was tired and/or sore. I picked up my pace and it felt great.

I really enjoy the early morning runs, the hardest part is from my bed to the front door.

2008-11-15T08:19:00.001-06:00

Out this morning for a quick 3 miler. Weather here is cloudy, 43 degrees and windy, and spitting a little wind. A typical November day.

Yeah Baby!!!

2008-11-13T20:14:00.004-06:00

Out for a 7 miler this pm. I must say that I was quite happy with my 10:32/minute pace. For me that is blazing, like jet wash speed.

I may have to change my shoes since the bottoms must be worn out.

I have cut back on my food intake lately since it seems like my stomach is not emptying very quickly. I read that this was a condition that some people can get, if it keeps up I may go to the doc and see what he says. Right now I really don't get real hungy, but know I need to eat a little.

2008-11-12T19:21:00.002-06:00

Out again the pm for a 4 miler. Legs feel pretty good. It is pouring rain here so I went to the gym to do the treadmill.

2008-11-11T19:40:00.001-06:00

Out for a quick 3 miler this evening after work. Legs felt pretty good after my disastrous Sunday long run.

6 and 10

2008-11-09T20:45:00.003-06:00

6 Miles on Friday. I was supposed to run Thursday also but I was really having some stomach issues and missed that one. I don't feel too guilty since it is the first scheduled run I have missed in probably 3 months. Actually the missed day helped me legs recover a little.

10 miles today but not the results I had hoped for. First I overslept and did not get to run in the early hours(5 AM) I went out about 1:00, the weather was pretty nice...45 degrees). I had laid out a water bottle at about mile 3.5 last night that I could grab during my run but someone had run over it sometime after I left it out. WTF? I left it in the grass on the side so somone must of really not been paying attention. So no hydration for me until on my way back at mile 6 I saw a couple of guys outside a house and asked them if they would let me get a drink from their hydrant. They were nice enough to allow me.

I still did not get the water I needed and I started to feel it at mile 8. After that I took about 5 walk breaks for about 50 feet and then would run for about a quarter mile and walk again. My ending time was an 11:06 pace but if I did not have the water problem I am sure I could have gone maybe 10:45.

I also think my pace was a little fast early on. My first 3 miles were at about a 10:15 pace. Oh well, Tuesday will be another day for some speed work and I'll put today behind me.

Less than 1 month to the Memphis Half.

2008-11-05T06:52:00.001-06:00

Up early this morning for 5 miles. I've been noticing my pace picking up the past few weeks.
This week is gonna be a killer. 5 Miles today, 6 tomorrow, 5 Friday and 10 Sunday
Thanks to my wife for a great dinner last night. Here is the menu:

Brown Beans
Turnup Greens
Corn on the cobb
Round steak
Mashed Potatoes(I skipped those, except for one bite)
Mexican Corn Bread

It doesn't get much better than that.

2008-11-02T19:46:00.003-06:00

7 miles this afternoon. Funny thing, it was 20 secs per minute quicker than I could run my 3 miles Saturday morning.

I think it has taken me longer physically to get over my trip to Japan than I first believed. It was also my first long run I have done in the late afternoon. It was a nice change of pace from the wee hours of the morning.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T12:01:00.003-05:00

October has been a pretty good month. I ran almost 20 miles more than in September. I have not weighed myself in awhile, but I am sure I have not lost much weight. On of my goals the next 6-8 months is to lose some weight. My biggest weakness is portions and sometimes just eating some really stupid stuff like Nachos, fries, pizza. I've been pretty good about staying away from the sweet stuff, but its the greasy/salty things that I really crave. Its seems crazy, but all this running makes me eat more.

I also eat fruit and veg's each day, I just pile on other crap that is totally unacceptable.

Prayers are appreciated and welcome.

9.0

2008-10-26T07:56:00.002-05:00

9 Miles Sunday morning. Not the pace I wished I had, but I think I'm still dragging a little from the jet lag.

Back in the states

2008-10-25T11:32:00.003-05:00

After being up for about 24 hours with 3 hours of sleep I made it back Thursday night. Certainly good to be home. I still enjoy going to Tokyo. It is a great town and I had some world class sushi and Sake.

5 Miles this morning.

2008-10-22T21:48:00.003-05:00

6 miles this morning. I was just getting over my jet lag and now I am heading back home. I'm at the Northwest club right now prepping for my long flight home.

2008-10-20T17:15:00.002-05:00

4 Miles yesterday and 3 miles this morning in Tokyo. Weather is pretty well the same as home so it is cool and breezy, probably 60 degrees at night.

I forgot my camera, but will try to take some photos with my cell phone and post them there. Also forgot my watch so I am guessing at my times and mileage.

2008-10-17T07:19:00.004-05:00

3 Miles yesterday afternoon and 7 this morning.

I shaved almost 2 minutes off of my last 7 miler 3 weeks ago...woo hoooo. Problably due to the cooler weather this morning. 40 degress and it felt great. These new shoes may work out, my toe did not start giving me trouble until the last few feet of my run.

My next run will be a 4 miler in downtown tokyo on Monday morning(Sunday night central standard time)

2008-10-15T06:49:00.004-05:00

3 Miles this morning. New shoes felt pretty good, but darn they are big. I took them off this morning and they were next to my wife's shoes and hers looked liked toddlers shoes compared to my 15's.

2008-10-14T18:56:00.002-05:00

Hill work was on the schedule today. I went to the gym and used the treadmill which I think is the best for something like this. I dont have to estimate the distance and cant slow down unless I crank the speed back.

Also got my Air Pegas's in today. They are a size 15 width D, and there is a significant difference in the amount of room the shoes have. I went for a quick jog and they feel pretty good. The proof will be in my 7 miler I will hae to run Friday. Then the next day its off to the Friendly skies toward the land of the rising sun. I have not owned Nike's in like forever, I have either wore new balance or Asics the past 4 or 5 years.

2008-10-12T08:32:00.002-05:00

3.5 Miles Saturday and 8 this morning. My toe really starting killing me at 6 miles. No one around here has 15's in the shoe I want so I'm ordering today on the internet and having them shipped next day air.

3.0 and ouch

2008-10-09T19:44:00.002-05:00

3 miles this afternoon should have been 4 but my toe really started killing me. It seems on long runs or runs I try to speed up, my toe next to my big one starts burning on the end. Not the joint, just the tip.

Since I have a slight callus(SP?) on the end of this toe all I can figure out is that the shoe is too small. If you read this blog about 2 months a go you will note that I now wear a size 14.....as in after 13 and before 15. I am only 6 ft. tall, but my feet are really large. I will not mention that old addage about feet and other body parts.

I am going shopping for some 15;s tomorrow, if I can find them. I may have to buy them on the internet.

2008-10-08T19:17:00.002-05:00

3 miles this PM. Worked a little on my speed and completed at a pretty good pace.

Check this video out, happened on it by accident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvZcrlj7OzM

2008-10-08T07:13:00.004-05:00

Hill work yesterday afternoon was on the schedule. 4 runs about .2mile each(5K pace)and a cool down between them. Went pretty good and my legs aren't too sore this morning.

Rained here yesterday about 3 inches and was badly needed. My okra and tomatoes are still producing. Turnip greens planted about a month ago are doing well. Good eating here in a few weeks.

I've been looking at my schedule next week and I leave for Tokyo next Saturday. My long runs for training are scheduled on Sunday but I'm thinking of doing my long run Friday(9 miles). After flying and bus riding for about 16 hours I wont fell much like running in Tokyo that night or the next morning. It will mess up my regular schedule, but I believe getting the long run in each week is priority 1.

2008-10-06T07:25:00.002-05:00

6.0 miles on the treadmill yesterday. I have to admit that for the first time ever, I fell on the treadmill. I had stepped off for a real quick drink and thought I had slowed it down to get back on but did not. If I had been taped it would have probably been a hit on Youtube. Lucky for me it was early Sunday PM and there was hardly anyone around and those that were were pumping iron. No injuries, except for my pride.

I have probably run a couple hundred miles on a treadmill and never fell before...geeez.

I also spent quality time yesterday evening with my 14 yearold daughter building a DNA model for school. We always get caught in a pinch and end up working on the crap the last minute. This one is still not due until Wednesday so I think we will be ok. You have to build it from scratch so this thing is getting expensive after we keep changing our mind as to what to make it out of.

2008-10-04T10:12:00.003-05:00

3 miles this morning. I did not get up early so I ran about 8:00. It still was 55 degrees and felt great.

After my run I was walking for a few minutes and and older guy stopped his car and started to talke to m..(I live out in the sticks so I rarely see anyone on my runs). He was about 80 and we talked for a few minutes. Seemed like a real nice guy and he told me he was out for his morning ride and also going out to his church to turn on the water heater for his churches Baptistry.

Nice run and nice meet with a guy to start the day off.

3.0

2008-10-02T19:08:00.001-05:00

3 Miles this afternoon on the treadmill. After a long day at work yesterday and a long night at home, there was no way I was draggin my butt up at 4:30 to run. The treadmill was a nice reprieve from my very hilly area.

5.0

2008-10-01T07:29:00.003-05:00

5 Miles this morning. It is about 48 degrees here, great temps for running.

Best 5 mile pace for me in a long time.

I made my hotel arrangements for the weekend of the half mrathong(Dec 6th). It starts in downtown Memphis. Even though it is 2 months away I still had problems getting a hotel room downtown. I had to finally decide to splurge and book the Westin. Its expensive, but me and my wife will be able to enjoy ourselves on Beale St. and other stuff downtown. We have not done anything like that in forever.

2008-09-30T07:00:00.004-05:00

3 miles this morning. My workout included a warmup and 6 hill climbs at a 5k-10k pace and then a cool down. I'm still trying to get the hang of figuring out my pace. I am really going to try my best to mix up speed work this go around. Last year I thought it would be good enough just to plod along and not really trying to improve my speed.

Below are my results as of the end of Sept. I ran a few miles less this month due to being sick for a week. Probably not a bad idea to ease off a little bit before I start my training for the half Marathon in December.

3.0/7.0

2008-09-28T08:41:00.002-05:00

3 Miles Saturday at a very slow pace due to my dumb decision to drink way too much Friday night.

7 Miles this morning at a pretty good pace. A deer crossed just in front of me near my house.

3.0

2008-09-26T07:03:00.002-05:00

3 Miles this morning.

Hats off to Oregon State for upsetting USC last night. Well played game.

5.0

2008-09-24T06:15:00.002-05:00

5 Miles this morning. Felt pretty good. Saw a falling star, I hope that is a good omen for the rest of the day. Temp 61 degrees.

2008-09-23T07:02:00.000-05:00

4 Miles this morning. Weather is great here, around 60 degrees at 4:30AM.

Found out I have to go to Tokyo again the middle of next month. It will be interesting to see how well I run with jet lag. It should not be too bad since I am only there for about 4 days.

4.0/6.0

2008-09-21T07:48:00.002-05:00

4 miles Friday morning and a 6 miler this morning. This is my first long run in my training schdule. I still have not been able to shake off this cold, my legs seem to be short on energy.

4.0

2008-09-18T20:26:00.002-05:00

Felt a bit better this afternoon and did a 4 miler. I'm going to try another one tomorrow morning and then my first long run of my training schedule starts on Sunday. 6 Miles.

Back At It

2008-09-17T19:07:00.003-05:00

Until this afternoon I had not ran since Friday. I came down with some type of cold and was really dragging Sunday thru Tuesday. I felt a bit better today and did 3 miles. Still a little weak, but I really needed a run.

The bad news is that I start my training for the Half Marathon this week, the good news is that my illness with only put me off just a few days.

2008-09-15T06:52:00.003-05:00

I skipped my usual long run on Sunday(5 Miles) since I really felt like crap that morning. I spent the day Saturday mowing and weed eating and I think the grass and dust really gave me an allergic reaction. I have never really experienced this before so now I guess I can empathise with folks I have seen with this problem.

I feel at about 90% this morning so I can start my training for the St. Jude/Memphis Half Marathon this week. The race is Dec 6th.

Oh yeah, I checked my weight the Friday and was at 213, which means I have loast about 12 pounds the last couple of months. I have not been on a diet per se, but have cut out eating out for lunch to only 1 time per week and have just really cut out doing really dumb things like eating 2 pop tarts and a bowl of ice cream as a snack at 9:00 PM.

I have also really been trying to eat as much fruit and vegtables as possible.

I also harvested our sweet potatoes Saturday. I filled up the front bucket of my tractor, I'm guessing it was about 150LBs of sweet potatoes. It will last us for a whole year. I keep reading it will be good to add it to my diet as a runner, but sweet potatoes are one of the few things I really cant stand.

Lazy 3

2008-09-12T07:12:00.000-05:00

Drug my arse out of this morning and did 3 miles. I took it very slow since my legs seem sore and tired. Also because the humidity is really cranking up. Looks like we may get some rain after Ike makes landfall in Texas.

2008-09-11T19:51:00.001-05:00

4 Miles this afternoon on the treadmill.

4.0/Headbanger

2008-09-10T07:27:00.004-05:00

Up early for a 4 Miler this morning. Much cooler today and my time reflects it.

Put together a new playlist last night. Not many folks know this, but I'm a headbanger at heart. Here I am smack middle of the beltway 46 years old and enjoy music that would melt most of my coworkers ears off. Don't know why, but I have always loved this stuff. Here's the list

Madhouse-Anthrax
Bring the Noise - Anthrax and Public Enemy
I'm the man-Anthrax
Die MF Die-Dope
Motivation-Dope
Bodies-Drowning Pool
Take your best shot-Dope
Welcome to the Jungle-Guns N Roses
Paradise City-Guns N Roses
Live and Let Die-Guns N Roses
Coming Undone-Korn
Powertrip-Monster Magnet
Space Lord-Monster Magnet
Duality- Slipnot

2008-09-09T07:04:00.001-05:00

3 Miles this morning. Humidity is back up again, but fall is just around the corner.

2008-09-07T15:12:00.001-05:00

5 Miles this afternoon.

2008-09-06T07:56:00.001-05:00

3 Miles this morning. Temps are cool for here right now, maybe we are clear of the heat.

2008-09-05T06:49:00.003-05:00

4 miles last night again.

I have really been trying to watch what I eat the last 2 months. Not so much go on a diet but just eating more fruits and vegtables. I also have stopped going out to eat for lunch during the work week except for maybe 1 time per week. I have also basically cut my intake of sweets by 90%.

I am beginning to really tell the difference.

Have you ever noticed that all of the wieght reduction drugs and programs they sell on TV always have the disclaimer "including regular exercise"?

2008-09-03T19:08:00.001-05:00

4 Miles again on the treadmill this pm. Pretty good pace.

2008-09-03T06:52:00.000-05:00

3 Miles on the treadmill yesterday evening.

2008-08-31T08:48:00.003-05:00

5.5 Miles this morning on the flats in Arkansas.

Below is my running the past 12 months. Much better the last 4. Next month I start training for my half marathon in Memphis Dec 6th.

Oops

2008-08-30T19:51:00.001-05:00

I was thinking the other day that I have not seen many comments on my blog. I realized that I may have had a setting that would not allow most folks to post comments.

It is fixed now for those of you that would like to comment.

2008-08-29T10:19:00.002-05:00

3 miles today on the treadmill. My legs were really sore all day yesterday after my run on the hilly course, so I stuck with the treadmill. The one feature I like about treadmills is that you can't slow down unless you turn down the speed. No loosing focus and slow your pace down.

I cranked up the speed(by my standards) and ran one of my best 3 milers in many moons.

Off to Arkansas this weekend and my long run will be in an area that is really flat.

2008-08-28T07:16:00.001-05:00

4 Miles this morning. My legs are a little sore, but I only have 3 miles tomorrow.

2008-08-27T07:06:00.000-05:00

Up and at it early again this morning for a 4 Miler. Time was much better today than last weeks 4 milers. Not sure why, I just tried to pace myself better.

My training the St. Jude Memphis Half Marathon starts in a couple of weeks.

2008-08-26T08:36:00.003-05:00

An easy 3 miles this morning. Temps a little lower and a nice breeze from the Northwest.

Core training scheduled tonight and also 25 minutes on the Nordic Track.

Has anyone read Dean Karnazes book "Ultra Marathon Man"? Good stuff. I'm now reading his other book "50/50"

2008-08-24T07:08:00.002-05:00

5 Miles this morning. My time really sucked, humidity is back.

Addendum:

I drug my Nordic Track out of the closet. I'm going to try to add that to my workouts for some good low impact Cardio. 20 Minutes this afternoon after my core workout.

2008-08-23T07:39:00.014-05:00

3 Miles yesterday PM on the treadmill for a change. I did not get enough sleep Thursday night and just could not drag my arse out of bed.

I thought I would post about my garden today. I have not wrote about it much but I love to grow a vegtable garden every year. Its a good thing my wife likes to can foods because our garden has really produced this year. I planted about 55 tomatoe plants since last year our tomatoes did not do well at all.

Here is a list of what I can remember we planted.

Corn- We got about 400 ears off of them. They are done
Tomatoes
Bell Peppers

Jalepeno Peppers
Tobasco Peppers(I planted them just to see what it would be like)
Chile Peppers
Egg Plant
Sweet Potatoes
Cucumbers

Peas-Purple Hull and Speckled

Green Beans
Squash
Watermelon
Cantelope
Okra

Here are some pics

41 pound watermelon

Our pantry loaded up

Some peppers and cucumbers. 2 of the biggest bell peppers I have ever grown

2008-08-21T07:06:00.001-05:00

4 Miles again this morning. The temps are higher along with the humidity and it added about 30 seconds to my run compared to Wednesday.

The humidity really drained me this morning. Its almost 2 hours since I finished my run and I am still drained. The fact that I ran a very hilly course has not helped matters.

2008-08-20T07:09:00.001-05:00

4 miles this morning. Its a little more humid now so I was really dead when I finished.