Run to Lose

Good Intentions and all that...

2009-01-31T18:02:00.003-05:00

I had intended to update a lot sooner than twelve days but you know how things can go. I am a new job, it is a temporary thing but the hours are demanding right now. I am singing to the tune of 65 hours a week right now. The good news is that I can put together a bank roll while I try to find something permanent.

I have been trying to keep up on my exercise, the point of this blog after all. I managed three runs and 3 martial arts workouts last week and and 2 runs and two martial arts workouts so far this week. As this is the last day of the month I will be going out to do at least enough to get me to 50 for the month or 4.08 miles. I think 4.12 sounds good.

It is cold out there and I have been retreating to the gym in the cold but it is closed. So I have no choice tonight. There is always an excuse if you look for one, always. I say don't give in. It is always easy to seek comfort and difficult to force yourself to choose pain. That is in fact what we all do us "exercise people" as one coworker labeled us. We choose pain over comfort. It is the right choice. Here is my nugget of wisdom of the day. We are all choosing pain all the time those who do and those who don't. If you choose the couch over the road, you will pay for it. It won't be today or even tomorrow but it will catch you and the payment when it does will have a good deal of accumulated interest to deal with. So I say run and exercise now the payment plan is much more reasonable today.

Blog Transfer

2008-01-31T22:32:00.001-05:00

Over the last month I have gone from 248 to 242. That is only 6 pounds but it really is more than that. I was sick near the turn of the year and when I got better I put that weight back on. I jumped back to about 252 and then I started this new diet and dropped 10 pounds in two weeks. I think I have this figured out. I will see as time goes on. But I am feeling normal again and I have to think what comes next. What does come next? I want to keep this fitness journal up so I have changed my site to:

New Site Address: I Dare

I will be posting all new posts to this site. In this way I can transition from a weight loss focus to more fitness related. There is nothing preventing me from doing that here, but I feel like I have turned a page and that it is important to change my focus to go along with that.

My goals are getting bigger and I feel that my site should reflect that. I hope you will all join me over at my new diggs.

I Hate Injuries

2008-01-31T09:30:00.000-05:00

Last night I was at mile 2.8 of my 5 mile run when I stepped on a tree branch on the sidewalk that I did not see and twisted my ankle. Of course I cried like a school girl. Well I really winced in pain and hobbled around for a couple of minutes before calling it quits for the night. I did a hobble run back home to R.I.C.E it up. On the way back I think my running looked similar to Cornelius in Planet of the Apes. I would have made a good extra with that funky gait.

I treated myself at home during the night and the ice seemed to help (last night and again this morning). I believe this is a minor thing and will not affect my half marathon coming up. Just a twist that will probably take 2 to 3 days to remedy itself. Injuries are a part of sport, it is true and there is no getting around it. If you exercise you will get hurt as some point. But I will take this little twist over the plantar injury that hounded me for 6 months any day of the week.

Oh well I get two to three days of rest. Things could be a lot worse. Everyone put in an extra mile for me.

In other news, I love this story from Muncie

http://www.theindychannel.com/news/15181455/detail.html

I love this story.

First Race of the Year

2008-01-30T09:12:00.000-05:00

I have registered for my first race of the year. I have been looking high and low for something close enough and long enough to peak my interest. I have found...

Citizens Bank Caesar Rodney Half Marathon in Wilmington Delaware.

***

This fits both criteria, 1) close as it is only an hour from home and 2) far enough - since a half marathon is my longest race to date I think this qualifies. I am very pleased with the find and am looking forward to the race. I have been training hard but I didn't have anything to really get up for per se. So now I have something to train for besides the beloved Broad Street Run, a great race through the heart of Philadelphia.

As to the Ceasar Rodney Half Marathon, I will be increasing my mileage to get up for it. Well, I can run the thing today but I want to have steady energy so here is the plan for my long runs.

This week 2/2 : 10 miles

Next week 2/9: 11 miles

Third week 2/16: 12 miles

Forth week 2/23: 13.1 miles

Fifth week 3/1: 6 miles

Race week: Race

I will not scale back for a month on this plan. But I think that will be ok, I will keep everyone updated.

Jogging or Running?

2008-01-28T21:26:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that I needed something to post about. So when Scott accused me of jogging on his blog, I felt that I had to post about that. I won't say I am offended at the characterization but I will say that I feel it is incorrect. From a gut perspective I know that I work to hard out there for it to considered simply jogging. I may be a recreational runner but I am still an endurance athlete. But being a law school graduate and an officer of the court within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (just a fancy way of saying lawyer) I do want to thoughtfully evaluate the situation. I would not want to dismiss it out of hand as much as that appeals to me.

What guidance can the dictionary give me in determining if I am a jogger, heaven forbid, or a runner. (definitions taken from dictionary.com)

Jog: to run at a leisurely, slow pace, esp. as an outdoor exercise

Run: to go quickly by moving the legs more rapidly than at a walk and in such a manner that for an instant in each step all or both feet are off the ground.

The definition of jog seems to indicate a reduced effort as I thought was the case.

Leisurely run
Slow Pace

The slow pace might be accusation that might be leveled against me but not for lack of trying. However, slow is a relative and subjective term much as leisurely. However, leisurely seems to be something that is best left to self definition rather than external definition. Whereas, it would seem that the exerciser is the only one in the position to determine if the effort is leisurely. As each persons level of fitness is different leisurely for one is not leisurely for another. For me leisurely these days might be a 13:30 minute pace. However, leisurely for Ryan Hall, U.S. half marathon record holder, I believe his leisurely pace would simply put me in the ground and would embarrass most recreational athletes. I think I can lay to rest, from a legal analysis, that I am not a jogger. As I have turned the definition into a test, I can see that the leisurely criteria fails as this is a self defined criteria where slow may or may not be externally evaluated.

Am I a runner? This is a good question. My gut reaction is yes. Also, if I am not a jogger than wouldn't I necessarily become a runner? Perhaps. What does the definition require:

quick movement faster than a walk
for an instant both feet off the ground

As to the firs criteria, I think this would apply to what I do out there. I move faster than a walk. My fast walk is about a 15:00 mile and I run between 10:30 and 11:45 mile. I think this is not world record worthy, but I still think it is running by terms of the definition. The second part of the test I also satisfy, during my runs I do have both feet off the ground for an instant during my run. I do not think this should actually be required at all times and may actually be impossible during some hill work. But needless to say, over even or downhill slopes, I do in fact become airborne (for an instant).

May it please the Court, defense counsel respectfully submits that the definition of jogger does not apply as the leisurely component is necessarily self defined. Additionally, the slow portion of the definition is vague as to the definer of the slow component. Does it mean slow for me or objectively slow. This is unclear. As such, the jogger definition does not apply.

Rather, the definition of the term run is more applicable to the instant situation. Please refer to the above definition for your ready reference. Run requires speed in excess of a walk. This requirement is satisfied with the current pace of this practitioner. Finally, the movement taken place does leave the practitioner suspended in mid air for an instant. In short, this definition more closely defines the practitioner.

-- Just as I thought, I am a Runner!

Week of Running in Review

2008-01-26T17:52:00.000-05:00

Here are my results for the week:

Week in Review 1/21/08 to 1/27/08
Date..... Time .....Miles .....Pace .....Calories
1/22/08 ..44:31 ......3.85 .........11:34 ......757
1/23/08 ..56:05..... 5.06......... 11:06...... 1005
1/24/08 ..44:03...... 3.75......... 11:45....... 718
1/26/08 ..59:19...... 5:06 .........11:44 ......970

Totals Days ...Time..... Miles ....Pace .....Calories
..............4 days ....3:23:59.. 17:71 ......11:31....... 3334

This was the scale back week. A couple of small notes about each run:

1/22 - runners trots - well enough said really. We all know what that means. I had to cut the run a little short.
1/23 - 3 miles at a sub-11:00 pace (10:58, 10:55, and 10:58). This was fast - well for me.
1/24 - I did this one at 6:00 am -- I haven't done mornings in a while and I was tired.
1/26 - This was the usual hill route with the exception that it was condensed in that I had to do each hill twice in a short period. It was tough, but I did it.

New Diet - How goes it?

2008-01-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

When I started running back in March of last year I was tipping the scales at 293, today it is 245. I knew back then that I had to do this in a two part process. Trying to diet and exercise at the same time back then, when I had done neither was going to be too much for me, I knew that. So I took last year to make exercise a priority and this year diet. For the past week, I have been really watching and regulating what I have been eating.

This is the challenge for me. I have never really thought much about my diet until now. I always just grabbed something or cooked but didn't really think about it much. Just eat it and forget about it. Portions were what I felt like there really were no limits. Now I think about it, a lot. Here is the typical day now:

Breakfast: Yogurt, oatmeal, banana
Snack: carrots or broccoli - I tried the broc raw today, I won't do that again.
Lunch: half sandwich, cup of soup, celery, apple
Snack: pretzel or orange or other fruit
dinner: fruit, vegetables, small portioned meat
Snack: piece of fruit

I mix some things in and out but you get the general idea. On top of this I drink the recommended 8 glasses of water per day. If I run it is more like 10 or 11 glasses of water. I have noticed that I never feel over stuffed on this new system. I think that will take getting used to. I know portion control is my biggest challenge. The good news is that the reduced caloric intake has not affected my running at all.

On Wednesday, I did a 5 miler where I had three miles sub-11:00. I think the diet is helping. I also have been supplementing with vitamins. I will let everyone know how it is going on this. I will say that I am not miserable eating celery and I don't feel hungry.

A Guest Post: Weight Lifting with Scott

2008-01-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

With my scale back week, I thought it was a good opportunity to invite a guest poster to share some time. This is part of my mix it up format. As Lisa commented on one of my posts, we running bloggers have a tendency to report a bunch of facts. With that said, I have invited Scott from Forging Ironman to do a little bit over here. Scott has an interesting background and truthfully I made the suggestion as to a weight lifting post. My thinking at the time being that this is pretty much a fitness blog. Scott is not a runner but I think you might like what he has to say. Thanks for stopping by Scott.
***

Hi. This is Scott from Forging Iron Man. Rob asked me to write a post on weight lifting for him since I was a bodybuilder before I got cancer. So think what I will do is describe what I did to build a lot of mass. And with the mass came strength. Now that I have been out of treatment for cancer for a year (getting fat), I think it is time for me to go back to the gym, and I will ease myself into this plan. If you are interested in building size and strength, try something like this plan, and let me know what you think of it after three months or so.

Experts recommend you change your plan every few months or so, because your body might get used to it and stop growing. However, after several years of lifting, I came up with this plan and did it with very little modification for eight months straight and I got in great shape. It didn't seem to be losing it's potency for me.

Day One: Chest
Day Two: Back and Shoulders
Day Three: Legs
Day Four: Arms
Day Five: REST

You want to be sure to ease into the plan, because if you haven't been lifting, you will be in lactic acid hell for a couple weeks if you try to just start this full blast. In fact, it might be a good idea to take a couple weeks and lift very light weight and low repetitions for your whole body to get used to work before you dive into the above plan.

My general rule was 4 sets of 10 reps for each lift. Sometimes I pyramided up and sometimes down with my weights. Sometimes I would want to go heavier than I could handle for 10 reps, so I'd end up with a set of only 4 or 6 reps. Conversely, sometimes I would lift lighter than my potential and I would make my last set hit 12, 15, or 20 reps—almost to failure. Between sets, a 1 to 2 minute break is best.

Now each day you should attack each muscle group from all of its ranges of motion and at many different angles. Chest day is a good example. You might think the chest has one exercise—the bench press. Well there are lots of ways to do this. Using a barbell you can bench incline, decline, or flat, and you can also do the same movements with dumbbells. Right there are six different exercises! Then you can get creative and throw in some cable benching. And you don't want to forget the other movement the chest makes, which is pulling your arms in. For this you can do the standard flyes with dumbbells, a pec deck machine, or you can use a cable machine to hit that movement at three different angles—up, horizontal, and down. There are a couple other ways you can nail the chest for mass, but they are hard to describe.

Using this plan, a typical chest day for me would use four of those exercises. I might start with 4x10 of flat barbell bench presses and then go to 4x10 of incline dumbbell presses. By now my chest would be feeling full and I would maybe do 4x10 of flat dumbbell presses, probably lighter weights now because your dumbbell work should always be lighter than your barbell work because dumbbells focus on symmetry and secondary stabilizing muscles like the triceps for bench pressing, and barbell work focuses on brute strength. By now I would feel a great pump in my chest and most likely would feel that I had done all the necessary pressing motions for the day. I would probably finish with a fly motion using a two sided cable machine and lifting my arms up and in to finish the pump. If you add it up, in this sample workout, you've just done 160 repetitions. If you collapse before you can finish that, you should probably focus on lifting lighter for the time being. If you do that and don't feel in the least bit fatigued, you are lifting way too light, and I suspect weight lifting isn't your gift—you should look into running marathons!

Also, I recommend after your workout, get on one of the cardio machines and do only 10 minutes of cardio. Then get home and eat a meal high in carbs and protein (a balanced meal or a protein shake with a fruit blended in) in the "golden hour," which is anytime in the hour after exercise when your muscles need replenishment the most.

I've focused on the chest, but with the other muscle groups, follow a similar plan. With back and shoulders, I focused on the shoulders because they have the most complex range of motion. But don't forget to do some exercises to hit the major muscles of the upper back, which are the trapezius and the latisimus dorsi.

Leg day should be the most grueling, as squats, leg presses, and weighted lunges are brutal, draining lifts. But don't forget to do plenty of quad extensions and ham curls. Then I always loved trying to get a bunch of sets on a calf machine before I puked. The calves are the only muscle group that I recommend breaking the 4 sets of 10 guideline. Those muscles—the gastrocnemius and soleus—need both heavy weights and high reps. I usually sat in a calf extension machine and did 20 reps with my feet straight, immediately went to 20 reps with my feet facing out, and then immediately 20 reps with them facing in. If you can do that, you will Charlie horse up. Once the pain goes away, smile . . . you're growing!

Arm day is always my favorite. Concentrate on doing four different exercises at 4x10 for your biceps, then four different exercises at 4x10 for your triceps. I know, that adds up to 320 repetitions on this day. It is hard but it should give you an insane pump. Try to put a coat on before you leave the gym. If you can't get it on, that means you had a good workout. The biceps exercises will hit the forearms, but if after all that, you want to attack your forearms, you can do a few forearm rolls or something. But don't overdo it!

Having the one day of rest is a minimum. If you are beat at anytime in this training split, don't feel bad to take an extra day off at any time! There is a lot more to bodybuilding, but this is just a basic plan that I found worked wonders for me. If you have any questions for me, go to Forging Iron Man and leave me a comment or email me. I will respond!

Advice for New Runners: No Excuses!

2008-01-24T11:02:00.000-05:00

Amy at Runners Lounge has come up with Run With It Thursdays. This week's topic what advice would you give to new runners? Here is my take:

Rob, what advice do you really think that new runners might need. My answer, leave your excuses at the door. When I began running about a year ago the hardest thing to do was to get out there. There is always an excuse lurking out there - I am too tired, I am too busy, I have a full schedule today. Leave all of that at the door. As my former martial arts instructor told me one time that if you look for an excuse long enough you will find one you like. Meaning in short that if want to find an excuse you will. It is hard to make a healthy habit. They say it takes 6 weeks to make or break a habit. I found with running it was considerably longer.

In short, if you decide you want to run three days a week, you just have to do it. Make running a priority not a if I have time sort of thing. Running cannot interfere with American Idol, it has to be the other way around. We also know which one should win right, (go get your shoes). To build the habit takes commitment and that is the hard part. You will always feel better after you run. It does not matter how far you run, what matters when you start is getting out there

How do you find motivation?

2008-01-22T11:26:00.000-05:00

When I began running last year, I really needed to motivate myself to get out there. I was really out of shape, obese to be frank, and running hurt. My ankles, knees, and hips squealed on a regular basis. I really needed to mentally push myself to get out there. It wasn't easy. These days, I don't have to look for motivation on getting out there but rather on the finer points.

Back in November, I felt like I was stagnating a bit. I think I had crossed a threshold in my running and I needed to do more but I hadn't realized it. The injuries didn't really help much. When I pushed my base run from 3 to 4 miles I noticed big changes in my abilities. So how do I get motivated these days now that I have increased my work load?

Well it seems that I have been employing a tried and tested motivational method used for centuries. This technique originates in Ireland. Ireland you say, exactly I say. You see what I do is tie an angry Leprechaun on my shoulder before I set out on my run. The Leprechaun, or Mr. O'Toole, will berate me with profanities while hitting me with a stick (or shillelagh) when I don't run fast enough. This is quite similar to Luke Skywalker lugging around Yoda in the Empire Strikes Back (well without the sentence confusion). -- Run you will-- This seems to do the trick without much in the way of added weight.

No really that is how I do it, well not really these are my tried and trued motivational tricks.

Right now Dean Karnazes is in the middle of a 50 mile run, I can do 4 right?
the Mantra - small hill, small hill or I don't know how to quit, I don't know how to quit -- Well you get the idea.
I always feel better after a run than before no matter how bad I am feeling.
Set small and consistent goals: At the start of the week I try to set some goals for the week. This is beyond just 4 miles on Monday and 9 on Saturday. Rather, I like to set some time goals for certain runs. I don't always get there but pushing myself to get better keeps me at it.
Set big goals: for me this year the big one is the Philadelphia Marathon, 26.2. It is a big goal and I know I have to be very consistent to get there. This makes skipping on runs and giving in to fatigue during a run less likely. Rob if you are going to run 26 you need to be able to do 10 with no trouble, for example
Gifting: I am a big kid in many ways. I like a new toy and I usually make this result related. If can do x then I will get a new running top, pair of shoes, etc. This along with the angry leprechaun are usually enough motivation to meet my goals.
Responsibility - I will tell you folks the brutal truth of what I am doing. If I slack then I have to admit that. This keeps me going. Oh my what would ... Jason, Nancy, Dave and others think if I gave in now. I don't have much quit in me, but this keeps me more honest.
My Scale - I remind myself of my weight when I get out the door. Then I remind myself of how far I am away from my goal weight. Where am I am now -- where is my goal - one angry leprechaun saying things I can't repeat and this gets me running surer than anything.

So if you can't find an angry leprechaun or a sasquatch to help motivate you then these 8 things might help, or not. Maybe you have your own list.

The coming week

2008-01-21T11:37:00.000-05:00

This week is a scale back week. I am pushing 40 and have only been running for about a year so I am a bit concerned about how many miles I have logged over the past couple of weeks. That being said. I have decided to do one scale back week for every two long weeks, at least for a while. With a solid 24 mile week last week, I am following this schedule this week:

M: 4-5 miles
T: rest
W: 4-5 miles
Th: 4-5 miles
F: rest
Sa: 4-5 miles
Su: rest

I think this will give my body a chance to recover and keep me fresh. I also believe this will reduce my chance for injury.

What will happen here on my beloved blog during this week? Rob, come on 4 recovery runs do not have the same sort of built in suspense as your other posts. This may be true. What I have come up with is this:

I have a guest poster, Scott from Forging Iron Man. Scott has made a lifestyle out of overcoming adversity. Although not a runner, his blog is really worth looking at.
I will post some non-running stuff a couple of times this week. I may do something on motivation. I seem to find it in ample quantities these days without the need to psyche myself up as I did last year (especially in the summer). However, I think I will rethink some motivation stuff and how it applies now. It is different.
I will also do a post on nutrition. This is my weakness. I will do fine for a few days and then binge. I will make progress but it will be slower than I would like it to be.
On the weekend, I will post the week in review on the training runs rather than looking at the same thing. I will admit that the winter is a less interesting time to run. It is dark and I run the streets so there is less wildlife to see, beyond the Philadelphia crack head, Philadelphia drunk, or the less interesting Philadelphia pedestrian. So I will give a nitty gritty next weekend.
In sum, 4 posts scheduled. 1) guest post, 2) motivation post, 3) nutrition post, and 4) week summary.

I will probably keep this type of schedule through the winter. That is 2 weeks of pushing the mileage and talking mainly about that and one week of scale back where I will look at doing some different things.

A Sort of Long One...

2008-01-19T16:48:00.000-05:00

I hit the roads this morning as promised. I hit my normal weekend hills and suffered as usual.

1:40:53, 8.30 miles, 12:10 pace, 1580 calories

Mile 1) 11:40
Mile 2) 12:29
Mile 3) 12:16
Mile 4) 12:05
Mile 5) 12:01
Mile 6) 12:02
Mile 7) 12:40
Mile 8) 12:15
last .3 ) 11:39 pace

I think it is fairly obvious where the hills where the really big hills were (miles 2 and 7). Beyond these two miles, I think I was pretty consistent. Given that I was running up a slope that I would be afraid to ride a skateboard down, I think I did ok.

I would have gone farther but I was a bit late for getting my daughter to her Saturday classes. So I had to wrap it up.

In terms of Energy - I started a little low but snapped out of it quickly. I got into a pace I could sustain at the end of mile 1 and worked through mile 2. Then I hit a stride at mile 3 and the hills didn't seem to bother me. Compared to last week I cut some serious time off my run time. Good news.

Make-up Run

2008-01-18T23:44:00.000-05:00

I was not able to run last night due to the freezing rain. I like to think of myself as being pretty resiliant but freezing rain is just plain uncomfortable. It is my limit. So I had a make up to do on a Friday night, I have no life so I did it.

4.37 miles, 50:08 minutes, 11:28 pace, 858 calories

Mile 1) 11:35
Mile 2) 11:30
Mile 3) 11:12
Mile 4) 11:36
last .37 - 11:31 pace

I started at 10:30 pm so I was a bit fatigued when I hit the road, I didn't want to be out there and it was tough to get going. To make matters worse, Jupiter is not the only gas giant around this evening. I think my nickname tonight should have been Broccoli Rob - well you get the idea. Thankfully the streets were empty.

Long run tomorrow, yikes.

Getting back at it

2008-01-16T20:07:00.000-05:00

Tonight the Captain (my Garmin) and I hit the roads for a little more distance on this up effort week. Next week being a cut back week, I am trying to push it this week. Here is what happened:

1:15:01, 6.60 miles, 11:22 pace, 1310 calories

Mile 1: 11:11
Mile 2: 11:03
Mile 3: 11:16
Mile 4: 11:21
Mile 5: 11:53
Mile 6: 11:30
Last .6 - 11:22 pace

My legs were a bit rubbery from Monday, but I pushed through it. The Captain will not tolerate any slacking off. So even though I wanted to stop early for a cocktail, I pushed through to the end. I would not want to see the Captain when he is angry. I will admit that mile 5 was a tough one, there were some ups as they say. I had to push through the mile to get to some level ground. I have to say that I am happy with this. I do feel like I am becoming a better runner. I can remember a time not to long ago that I strived for a 13:30 mile. Now, I get upset if a post a 12:00 on any run that is not long or hilly.

Good and unusual news: I am not injured in any way. Most people take this for granted. However, I have been a member of the walking wounded for so long that I forgot what is was like to not be hurt in some way. I just figured that exercise meant some injuries. But today, I can now say that my right foot is 100%, my shoulder that I dinged falling is 100%, my chest congestion is gone, hamstring injury is gone, back twinge and hip twinge on long runs also gone, basically I am in the pink for a change. The only thing I have to deal with is a couple of old injuries, the nerve damage in the left elbow I received when I elbowed someone in the fist when I was 20 (it creaks and pops ... could be worse) and a broken right wrist from the military (it sounds like rice crispies on occasion).

Up and coming: I have contacted a couple of folks to guest post. I am not going on vacation or anything. But I thought it might be nice to mix things up.

Monday again?

2008-01-14T19:53:00.000-05:00

Today my Brooks top came in. I don't know how it keeps you warm and wicks the moisture away but it does. I like the brooks stuff, because I enjoy day glow yellow. Well, not really but it will cut down on my chances of being hit by a car. I won't say it won't happen, as the sales lady said she was almost hit by a car while riding a bike while wearing this top. So people don't pay attention, ok I knew that. I see stupid things everyday in my work as a lawyer, no stupidity would mean no need for lawyers. All that said I like the top.

The Captain (my Garmin) and I went out for a little jaunt this evening. This run kicked by back side for reasons unknown. I feel more tired than I did after my 9 on Saturday. This may be due to it being Monday and after a full day of work, here are the results:

59:07 minutes, 5:12 miles, 1000 calories, 11:33 pace

Mile 1: 11:30

Mile 2: 11:27

Mile 3: 11:32

Mile 4: 11:45

Mile 5: 11:30

Last .12 - 11:32 pace

I have no excuse for mile 4. I thought I was maintaining throughout but I fell off in mile 4, can't say why?? I was a slacking I think. I am getting generally faster.

The Master Plan

2008-01-14T11:23:00.000-05:00

I can be a bit unreliable when it comes to my running schedule. I usually get in the miles I want but the days can vary. That being said I want to lay out my week schedule and beat my chest a little bit.

Monday: 4 - 6

Tuesday: rest

Wednesday: 6 - 8

Thursday: 4 - 6

Friday: rest

Saturday: 8 - 10

Sunday: rest

Total: 22 to 30 miles (well that is the plan, I will see what the Captain says when it is all done).

In other news, anyone who may have seen any football this weekend may have noticed that the New England Patriots won this weekend. This was their 17th straight victory this season. It was a sexy pick to say that the Jaguars would beat the Pats. The Jags gave them a good game but since 2001 they have never beaten the Pats. Tom Brady had only two incomplete passes all day (92% completion percentage ... sick). Now I get to see San Diego try to make a go at my team this weekend. They have less of a chance, we pounded them early in the year. This is clearly not the same team, but they killed themselves beating the Colts. I just don't see them giving as much as the Jags did. Could this be a 19-0 season, could be.

Over Hill, Over Hill

2008-01-12T15:28:00.000-05:00

I decided to up the difficulty factor this morning on my long run by running the dreaded hill variant of Pennypack Park. It is just one long stretch of hill after hill. I was hard pressed to ever be able to run them. I think today was the first time I ran every hill without some sort of walk break. I ran from my home so that added some mileage.

9.1 miles, 12:29 pace, 1699 calories, 1:53:38 total time

Mile 1: 12:10
Mile 2: 11:44
Mile 3: 12:26
Mile 4: 12:04
Mile 5: 12:56
Mile 6: 12:31
Mile 7: 12:29
Mile 8: 13:22
Mile 9: 12:39
last .1 : 12:51 pace

This is what the Captain (my Garmin GPS) has reported on my run. But I did notice a lot of variance in the run times today and I additionally noticed that the Captain had a hard time catching up to speed increases today. I will take the Captain's word for it but I know I felt faster on quite a few miles than what was reported. I feel good about today as this was the first time that I did not have to walk this course. It is a hard one. Usually my difficulty factor for a run is about a 3.5 to 4, today I give it a solid 8.

I am tired but satisfied. The 1699 calories is a nice number to look at as well. The other good news is that I am not wrecked. Usually after a long run I need a few hours to recover, not so today. 9 miles no problem.

Have fun out there.

7 Miles Tonight.

2008-01-09T20:44:00.000-05:00

I am still getting back into the swing of things from the flu. So I took my congestion and hit the bricks tonight. I will share a little story that illustrates my insanity to a certain degree. Let's see if you can follow my logic. I run with a Garmin 205 gps, I love it as it keeps me from having to keep track of things the old fashion way. When I was in the Army during basic training one of the drill sergeants encouraged us to name our rifles as we would be closer to the rifle than any woman. With this in mind, I have nicknamed by Garmin, "Captain." Why, well here it goes.

a. Garmin rhymes with Gavin (for Gavin Mac Leod)

b. Gavin Mac Leod was the captain of the Love Boat (Captain Stubing)

c. Hence, my Garmin is called Captain

d. It fits as the Garmin is in charge of my run much like a naval captain would be.

I also have little Star Trek moments about not having enough power to get up this hill or that hill. I have also told myself that the toilets have backed up into the warp drive when I feel like I am going to just fall apart. But this is all part of my inner geek.

So there is a glimpse into my insanity. So tonight the Captain and I went for a little run with a new pair of shoes. I said I wasn't going to use them on a long run, but I lied I guess. I had to try them out. I am glad I did. These are the best shoes I have used to date. They really picked up the impact of the run and I felt very comfortable throughout the run. Great stuff.

7.15 miles, 1:22:05 time, 11:29 pace, 1381 calories

Mile 1: 11:21
Mile 2: 11:17
Mile 3: 11:25
Mile 4: 11:16
Mile 5: 11:27
Mile 6: 11:52
Mile 7: 11:47
last .15: 11:24 pace

Mile 6 and 7 I had a few issues. First I picked up a pretty strong head wind which really slowed me down. Then I tripped. A little unusual for me I don't usually fall. But I lost a half minute dusting myself off. I am fine, just bruised ego.

The Shoes... they're new

2008-01-09T13:22:00.001-05:00

I was thinking about my mileage for last year today and I realized that I am due for some shoes. That made me happy. New shoes ... ahhhh. The simple pleasures of life are quite varied at times.

I was not 100% pleased with the last pair of Saucony's that I bought. The first pair were fine and I had no complaints at all. But when they revamped the design they made the shoe a little narrower. I believe the thinking was to make the shoe a little snugger. What happened for me was that it increased the frequency of blisters when I wore the shoe, especially on long runs. If I ran more than 7 miles I was assured a blister. This was a bummer. During the beginning of last Summer I started to do some trail running and bought a pair of Brooks for the trails. I purchased the Cascadia model and I was very happy with everything about the fit of the Brooks model. In a vague explanation, it was just enough shoe for me. Not too snug, just enough cushion but so much that it felt like I was running on sponges. There was enough stability for my over-pronation but not so much that I felt like I was wearing a boot. It was a good shoe.

So when time came to buy a new shoe, I went to Brooks based on my happiness with their trail shoe and my concerns over the Saucony that I have been running in. So I went to the Philadelphia Runner at lunch and had one of their awesome sales people give me a hand. If I haven't mentioned it before I love this store. The staff is the best, they all know running (well they should I guess given their business) inside and out. They know the gear, know what you need and never sell you more than what you need. I respect the way they approach their business and as such I always shop here for shoes and anything else I need running related. It is the best store and it is one block from my office (and a half a block from the Pita Pit, one of my favorite lunch spots).

Today, I picked up a pair of Brooks Adrenaline 7's. I looked at the Axiom's and another higher end pair as well. The higher end pair was too much shoe for me and felt like it had too much cushion and was a bit tight through the instep. The Axiom's were at the not quite enough phase. So I guess I chose Mama Bear, right in the middle. I like the feel of the Adrenaline and I will give a full report on how they are holding up. I have high hopes based on my previous Brooks experience. Also, they look fast so that has to be true. I am sure I will be running faster than anyone in my neighborhood soon. Well that is probably already true as I have never seen anyone running in my neighborhood besides me. I won't breaking in the Brooks tonight as I have a longer run planned and I don't like to plan on 7 miles with a new pair of shoes right out of the box. New gear gives you a great feeling though.

Speeding Up... Sort of

2008-01-07T20:27:00.000-05:00

I am trying to get back into the swing of things after my flu. I am still not 100%, maybe 85% is the best I can say. I am still a bit weak and my lungs complain a bit on the run. But tonight was a bit better than Saturday.

4.35 miles, 49:22 minutes, 11:21 pace, 846 calories

Mile 1: 11:00
Mile 2: 11:05
Mile 3: 11:39
Mile 4: 11:28
.35: 11:54 pace

I had to stop after mile 2 to walk a .2 and clear out my lungs, well you get the idea. When I started again I was a bit slower pace wise. I have to say I am happy with the run. Things are getting better.

Back in the Saddle

2008-01-05T11:25:00.000-05:00

I am still not 100% over my flu but I was tired of being at home and resting. So today I went out and ran a little bit. I ran for 4 miles at scenic Pennypack Park. I did not run 4 miles in a row though. I ran a mile than walked a quarter then ran a mile walked a quarter and so on. Without being too graphic, I am surprised at the amount of mucus that the human body can create in such a short time.

Results:

4 miles, 12:13 average pace, 753 calories, 48:51 total time
Mile 1: 11:51
Mile 2: 12:24
Mile 3: 12:13
Mile 4: 12:22

I do feel much better post run and hope that I feel even better later. I just hope that the mucus calms down over the coming days. Keep running.

Happy New Year

2008-01-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

It has been a rough couple of weeks for me. I had only planned on taking a couple of days off for the Christmas holiday; however, I caught a nice/ nasty flu that had other ideas. So now it has been two weeks, my word. The good news is that the congestion has finally taken leave of my lungs. So that is good news. Now I can get out and do some running. I am quite pleased about this. Being laid up in bed every other day was not much fun. I can make some very good home made soup, so I was able to speed my recovery with my own soup. Mom was too far away to be of much help this time. Oh, well.

The election season is on us again. I admit I am a bit of a junkie on this stuff. I stayed up late last night to watch the results in Iowa. A caucus seems like an interesting thing, perhaps a bit old school but interesting. I was glad to see Obama lead the dems, I am not much of a Hilary Clinton fan. As for the Repubs, I like McCain and would like to see him emerge on that side of the aisle. But we will see what happens in New Hampshire. I know I will be looking forward to it.

I have reset my Garmin for the new year and I will keep everyone posted on the results.

The Last Day of the Year

2007-12-31T11:56:00.000-05:00

I have been a little under the weather since Christmas and haven't run in a week. Sometimes your body needs a week off even if you don't think it does. So this was a nice break to spend time with family and just relax a bit. I was sick with fever, chills and a head cold. I am glad that the sick is over (mostly over).

2007 was a good year for running. I started running back in March and struggled to get going but I have really made a lot of progress. My times were 14 to 15 minute miles early in the year and now in late December my pace is generally down to 11:00 to 11:30 ish. So that is nice progress. I ran my first half marathon (well I ran my first races ever really) and finished, I did a few 5k's, a ten miler, a few 5 milers, an 8.4 miler and a 15k. I did a lot of racing mostly because it was fun once I got into it. I never won, big surprise but I did come in 3rd in my age group for one race. I think there were 4 men in my age group for that race. I like the medal so I am happy about my 3rd place win. Overall it was a good time on the roads.

2007 was a good year for losing weight - This year I lost 45 pounds. That is not a huge number but I started in earnest in March so it is really 9 months of work and for a few months I stagnated due to injury. I made life changing adjustments to my diet. I did this a little at at time and then added on to it slowly. Now I am eating well and I feel so much better than I did in January of 2007. I will still have junk food now and again but it is now the exception instead of the rule. So this is good progress. I hope to lose another 45 in 2008.

2007 was a bad year for injuries - I had some problems in 2007 with injuries. Mostly this was one bad plantar injury. It has nagged me for months and months. It just wouldn't heal. Mostly it was that I didn't want to back off the running. It wasn't until late November that I really felt better and I was injured back in June/ July. Besides this I have pulled some muscles in my calves in the cold weather and a couple of spills on uneven ground. But the plantar was my problem for the year. I feel much stronger now and I feel like I know how to avoid some of these injuries. Also being lighter will help me avoid injury.

2007 was a good year for martial arts training. I started training in martial arts again this year and I am glad that I did. As one of my co-workers would say, "I got my mind right." The exercise is excellent and I like the atmosphere in the training hall. The learning atmosphere is great.

2007 was a good year professionally- Not that this journal has anything to do with my work. But I made good advancement in my career this year as well. I was able to exceed a couple of milestones and I am quite happy with how my work has gone this year.

Weight Check: December

2007-12-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my official weight check day, but as you may be able to tell by the calender that tomorrow is Christmas and I may be doing other things besides posting on my blog. That being said I will use the weight from this morning. Today I weighed in at 251, this is a 6 pound difference from last month. That is not too bad, especially given that it is goodie season. I don't know about everyone else but when someone offers me a cookie I have to have one. I mean its a cookie at Christmas time. I am weak on that sort of thing this time of year. So I have had my snack on for the past month and even with that I am down 6 pounds. I suppose that would be like 10 during a normal month. So here I am 42 pounds lighter than last January, not a bad year.

Weekend Run

2007-12-22T23:42:00.000-05:00

With Christmas coming it has been a crazy time for trying to keep consistent with my running. I think we can all say that the holiday season can create a lot of stress on both your weight and exercise routines. So on a Saturday night I was out running at 10:00 p.m. (What kind of nut job am I???). But that being said I did crack the 20 mile barrier I have been struggling with through this winter running series.

Here is how tonight went down:

7 miles, 1:22:32 time, 11:48 pace, 1337 calories

Mile 1: 11:52
Mile 2: 11:34
Mile 3: 11:33
Mile 4: 11:39
Mile 5: 12:02
Mile 6: 11:52
Mile 7: 12:00

I have run during the evenings during the week when things are crazy with my schedule but during the weekend I try to avoid that crazy behavior. I couldn't get around it tonight. But I am really glad that I did run tonight. It was a great overall time for me. I feel like I am really recovering from this plantar injury. I am getting a good deal more speed and my endurance has never been better. I could have gone another 3 miles with no difficulty. The average time was less than 12:00 for 7 miles, this is the best I have run since the half marathon I ran in September. It is nice when things come together.

Here is the week so far:
22.5 miles, 12:02 average pace, 4:30:50 time running, 3271 calories burned.

This is my best week in a long time. To top it off the usual sore feet and ankles are subdued this week. So it is all good, everything is coming up Rob this week. Merry Christmas All.

Running Therapy

2007-12-20T23:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight was a bit crazy between laundry, cooking dinner, washing dishes and cooking brownies for my daughter's holiday party tomorrow... all after putting in a 10 hour day. I was a bit tired and it would have been very easy to just blow it all off and go to bed. But I didn't. I went out and ran and I am glad I did. Each mile felt better as I went on and the stress of the day went with each mile. Sometimes I get caught up in the numbers of running that I forget the benefits of what I am doing. For an hour of so I can forget the rest of my life and just concentrate on running. There is something magical about that escape and the value can't be calculated.

Here are the results:

1:02:20, 5:15 miles, 950 calories, 12:06 pace

Mile 1: 12:21
Mile 2: 12:17
Mile 3: 12:13
Mile 4: 11:50
Mile 5: 11:51
.15 mile: 12:04 pace

I just felt better each mile and by the end of it I had left all my stress behind. The therapy of running, it cannot be overstated.

2008 Goals

2007-12-20T21:18:00.000-05:00

The past two years I have picked one big New Year's resolution and done great with it. Two years ago, I decided that I wanted to read more than just work related stuff. After a year of dedicated reading I had put away 98 books. It was a resolution so I kept a running total. Last year I kept it up and logged somewhere near 40 or so. But I didn't keep as accurate a count so it is more of a guess. Last year I decided that I really wanted to transform my life in terms of health and exercise. I have done a lot of good work but there is still more to do so I will be continuing on the previous resolution as one year was not enough to get it done. To be truthful two years may not be enough.

Here are the results since March. I have lost 41 pounds, I have reduced my running times from a walk run walk run to steady running an 11:30 to 12:00 pace generally speaking. I had a 3 mile time of less than 11:00 for each mile. I have made good progress but there is lots of room to go. Here is the list for 2008.

Duplicate the weight loss efforts of 2007, 41 pounds
Run 1000 miles or more for the year
Run a marathon, I plan to run the Philadelphia Marathon next November
Consistently average 25+ miles per week (life happens and there will be hiccups but I want this to be the rule not the exception)
Incorporate fartleks, tempo running and interval running into my running.
Improve my martial arts throughout the year including more knife and boxing training.

I do not know where I will be at the end of the year for weight but if I stay where I am I will have a goal of 41 pounds for 2008 or few more depending upon how the year ends. Well there are my early New Year's goals.

Is it Tuesday Already

2007-12-18T23:50:00.000-05:00

Usually on Tuesday, I do my 10k Tuesday run but I did that last night. So what to do today? I did a little recovery run. Yesterday was a great time on the 10k so I backed off on the pace and distance.

4.15 miles, 12:31 pace, 726 Calories, 51:52

Mile 1: 12:19
Mile 2: 12:34
Mile 3: 12:36
Mile 4: 12:33
Last .15: 12:31 pace

So this wasn't a stand up and cheer run. This was just a keep things going sort of run. It was a bit chilly out there and I had some, dare I say, nipple chaffing. (I am sure I will come on some strange web searches with that one I am sure). This stings a bit after a long run as you might imagine. Usually, I use some band-aids before a run in the cold due to this "injury", but it looks like I might have to invest in some body glide to be on the safe side. The odd injuries of the winter runner, mmmm. I wonder what else I have to look forward to as I enter my first winter running season. So far I have encountered:

More frequent small muscle pulls in the lower legs
the aforementioned nipple chaffing
Red Belly
Excessive Mucus
Wind Sheer

That is all I can think of right now, but it is a good start. Tonight I had some red belly in addition to the other injury. After a warm shower I was fine.

Everyone have fun out there, weather permitting.

10k Monday?

2007-12-17T20:43:00.000-05:00

Last Friday I had my office Christmas party. Now I don't drink very often, about two to three times a year. But when I do decide to drink I have more than a couple. I don't fall over or anything but I usually have more than 2 or 3 or 5. Add that to the open bar at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia and I was having a good time for about 6 hours. Did I mention that I love my job, I do. Well that being said I was a bit tired after getting home at 2:30 am on Friday night/ Saturday morning. Sunday was also a bust for running due to the Nor'easter. So where did that leave me, well today.

I usually do 10k on Tuesday due to the catchy rhyming, but I did 10k today or 6.21 mile Monday. Its all I have, shoot me.

6.21 miles, 1:14:05, 11:56 pace, 1165 calories

Mile 1: 11:39

Mile 2: 11:53

Mile 3: 12:21

Mile 4: 12:08

Mile 5: 11:54

Mile 6: 11:48

Last .21: 11:27 pace

This is my fastest 10k to date, fastest to date. I like saying that. It is nice as I was a bit tired before I hit the roads and on my new 10k route there is a big ass hill right at mile 2.3 to mile 3.5. It just keeps going up and up. I need to work on hills so this is why I have been doing this route. But until tonight I have not been doing it without much success. I did not want to take 3 days off but it seems to have helped me out in terms of my running success.

In other news I am in a bit of geek happiness right now. I ordered and received my Miskatonic University Antarctic Expedition hoodie. I am a H.P. Lovecraft fan and this hoodie celebrates his famous At the Mountains of Madness. Anyone else interested can find such Lovecraft goodies at Cthulu Lives . But really I hope that Cthulu doesn't really live.

Thursday Night Run

2007-12-13T23:42:00.000-05:00

After a successful Monday and Tuesday, tonight seemed to be a good night to sneak in a quick run. It rained all day and the roads were still wet but the storm was gone and the temps were fine. So at 10:30 I went out for a quick run.

4.2 miles, 802 calories, 11:51 average pace
Mile 1: 11:54
Mile 2: 11:44
Mile 3: 11:59
Mile 4: 11:44
.2: 11:51 pace

This is was a fast run for me as of late. I have been running steadily in the 12:00 range but this was under the whole way, this is getting back on track for me.

This is my best week in a long time, I am at 14.71 miles with the weekend still to come. This is a low mile week in terms of long run so I think I am planning 6 miles on one day and maybe another 4 on the other. This will put me at a minimum of 20.71 miles for the week. That is a great week for me. With all the injuries I have been fighting I am very happy with this result.

Happy Running.

Eating Challenges

2007-12-13T20:55:00.000-05:00

My job can be very challenging in terms of eating. I sit in an office all day and work behind a computer. This can lead to boredom and as a result boredom eating. I have experienced the result of this around my waist first hand. Knowing what I do I am now more careful about what I eat. Here is a painful admission:

Eating before I went on my new health outlook in March of this year:
Breakfast: Pastry, toast with butter, egg sandwich (usually with butter and bacon)
Snack: candy bar, soda or both
Lunch: Fast Food (MacDonald's, Chik Fil-a, Burger King, Pizza, etc.)
Afternoon: soda and chips
Dinner: Heavy and fatty - Hot dogs, burgers, foot long hoagies and so on. You get the point if it was bad for me then I ate it.

I didn't drink much water but did drink a lot of soft drinks.

The truth of this is that I just did not think about what I was eating. I just ate what I wanted. I didn't think about my exercise level or my caloric intake. The results were telling.

Eating Now:
(3 to 4 half liter bottles of water per day)

Breakfast: Yogurt and a banana
Snack: Carrots
Lunch: Sandwich (homemade) or Soup (homemade).. or something else about 400 calories (pork slices baked in cream of mushroom soup with rice, chicken and pasta or some other such meal made at home and reheated at work)
Afternoon Snack: Apple or Orange or other fruit
Dinner: Something reasonable -usually in the 600 to 700 calorie range

I may add an extra apple, celery with peanut butter, a cookie here or there and other small binges from time to time. But this is the usual.

In March of this year, I made some life changing decisions. First I started to run but I didn't mess with the diet until later. It was a little at a time. First, I cut out the fast food gradually. Initially, down to once a day and then over time once a week and now not at all. There is something addictive about the fat in fast food. I really believe that. Now if I don't have any I am fine. But if I have it once I want more and more of it. I don't like it any longer and that is for the best.

Now my problem is soft drinks. I do crave them. However, the same has been true with the soft drinks as was true with the fast food. If I have one I want more and more. Over the last month or so, I have been able to limit my consumption gradually. First, down to 2 to 3 per week and now down to one every 2 to 3 weeks. I find that I don't really need the caffeine. I will admit that I had caffeine withdrawals at first. I had headaches the first 3 weeks I was off that junk.

So now, I can look the other way with most things. Not always, but mostly. It is ok to cheat on a diet every now and then. But I used to make cheating my diet. Burgers, hoagies, cookies, soft drinks, pizza this was all normal fare for me. I can say that this is no longer the case. It is nice to know that once you start eating right that bad food no longer tastes good. This is a general statement, soft drinks still lure me. But I can still say no most times. I now think before I grab for something; this is probably the main reason I have dropped weight as the injuries this year have prevented running from being as big an impact as it would have otherwise been. I am sure my commitment to exercise will pay more dividends next year but this year I think my diet reformation was more important. Perhaps 2/3 to 1/3 is the correct ratio of impact.

Well that is my eating confession.

You Know What Day It Is...

2007-12-11T23:51:00.000-05:00

Today is that special time of week in my training routine .... it is 10k Tuesday. My run could not have come soon enough. I have been eating far less snacks and sweets as of late; however, today I caved in and then that led to a nutritional disaster. The extra junk calories were legion it seemed to me: the damage 1 mountain dew (12 oz), 1 small bag of chips, 1 payday candy bar and 1 cup cake. I don't know exactly how many extra calories it was but it felt like a lot. So tonight I was looking forward to the 10k just to feel normal after the massive sugar crash I experienced this afternoon. Wow, what an experience that was. I feel much better munching on carrots these days, because the sugar crash I get off of what I used to eat is enough to keep me off the junk. Plus, once I start it seems that I am in for more than I bargained for.

Well on to the results of tonight's jaunt:

6.36 miles, 1:20:32, 12:40 pace, 1057 calories

(10k portion was at 1:18 total time)

Mile1: 12:28
Mile 2: 12:47
Mile 3: 12:48
Mile 4: 12:35
Mile 5: 12:41
Mile 6: 12:30
Last .36 : 13:11 pace

Conditions: It was windy tonight and that really seemed to throw my pace off. I took a new path tonight and that took me up a pretty good incline early on. I felt I did better with the hills tonight that I normally do. So that is improvement. The pace wasn't exactly what I wanted but it will do for now. The miles are what count for me right now.

As an aside, as I write this the new Dawn of the Dead is on cable. Although, this is not as good as the 28 Days movies, funny the English do make a superior Zombie movie (Shaun of the Dead, 28 DaysLater, 28 Weeks Later). But this version is still prettygood. The Romero cameo is a nice touch. The tension in the survior group is really good. I am a fan of the genre.

Quick Out and Back

2007-12-10T21:22:00.000-05:00

I gave myself a serious muscle pull on Saturday during my 9 mile jaunt. As a result, the rest of Saturday it hurt to walk and up down stairs. When Sunday came around I felt a bit better, today a bit better again. So when work ended tonight I decided that 4 miles was in my future. Well it turned into 4.15 miles.

4.15 miles, 769 calories, 12:14 average pace

Mile 1: 12:29
Mile 2: 12:12
Mile 3: 12:12
Mile 4: 11:57
Last .15 12:48 pace

Weather: nice temp. with some light rain. It really did feel good. I also did something I liked I put two miles back to back at the exact same pace. That was great. Huzzah. I have also learned that on these training runs that I can't really run three miles any longer the least I can do these days is 4 miles. I am sure I will do shorter distances when I get back to more dedicated speed training in the spring when the roads are less... treacherous. But for now I am going to just focus on base miles for the winter.

Good news: Down 5 pounds since Thanksgiving. Very nice! I was getting a bit frustrated with the weight loss thing. Tough to be the run to lose guy when you aren't really doing any losing. But I have gotten over the hump. So as you can see I am all smiles.

8 on the 8th

2007-12-08T12:51:00.000-05:00

Today was Nancy's virtual race of 8 on the 8th. The idea was for all of us blogger types to do our bit and report the results. My run was a bit tough on me. I have been fighting a cold but have still run as this seems to break up the congestion a bit. Then this morning I hyper extended my right calf about 500 meters (I slipped on some leaves) into the thing but I finished it and here are the results:

Mile 1: 12:02

Mile 2: 12:37

Mile 3: 12:39

Mile 4: 12:56

Mile 5: 12:53

Mile 6: 12:20

Mile 7: 12:59

Mile 8: 13:15

Total Time: 1:41:41 or a 12:42 pace.

It was not a good run for me. But we all have those. I ran an extra mile at the end at a 13:21 pace. Then I walked the last mile home, I could hardly walk but I made it home where I am now icing my calf. Owwww.

The end result was a 1532 calorie effort, not including the last mile walking. I hope I can stretch my calf out and get back on my feet. Congrats to Nancy on putting this together.

I hope everyone had fun out there.

The Night of No Excuses

2007-12-06T00:10:00.000-05:00

I had intended to come home and go for a run while my daughter was at her swim class. I thought that would be a great use of time. But alas when I came home my daughter did not feel up to class so I did not get to run at that time. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed. But things like this can happen.

Bear in mind that reasons for not doing something is merely an excuse in another wrapper. It is the same. We make time for the things that are important, period. This may sound harsh but a man of my ... expansive girth ... does not get that way in one day. That being said, I know what an excuse is because I have used plenty in my life.

Fast forward to 10 pm. I head out for the run (wearing my trail shoes for the heavier shoe, plus they are like 4 wheel drive so I figured they are better for the snow - who said I always had great logic anyway). I wanted to do this run yesterday but felt too sick and fatigued to do so. To make matters worse, it snowed today. Not much but enough to make the roads and sidewalks a bit crunchy. (frozen snow) This is not too bad in terms of footing but I had to be a little careful so I had to slow down.

Here is how it all played out:

10k, 1006 calories, 12:48 pace

Mile 1: 11:34

Mile 2: 12:27

Mile 3: 12:38

Mile 4: 13:07

Mile 5: 13:15

Mile 6: 13:33

.2 - 13:20 pace

The last few miles were a bit more icy than the first three. I felt I had to slow down to make sure that I had good footing. This was a tough run. The frozen snow really put an extra strain on my ankles and feet. When I got home I had a case of red belly and as I said already some sore ankles and feet. But it was worth it.

Rob's first rule of running: you will always feel better after a run than before. For me this is always true.

10k Tuesday ... well not so much

2007-12-05T11:57:00.001-05:00

I am sorry to say that I was not able to run last night as I usually do on Tuesday. I will have to make it up today. Last night other things took over my life.

1. I felt a little sick and had a small fever

2. It was really cold with the gusting wind

3. My daughter has some nightmares and was awake at the time that I usually run. So I had some parental duties to attend to. When she gets upset about scary things, she is usually easier to calm down when I talk to her.

4. #3 didn't end until 1am. So I went to bed instead.

Oh well there is today. I will cut out of work early to run while my daughter is at her swim class. It should all work out ... swimmingly. Sorry I could not help myself.

So lets hear it for 10k Wednesday. It doesn't seem to have the same ring. Oh well, its all I have.

Nice Night for a Run

2007-11-30T00:05:00.000-05:00

The runs later in the week have a tendency to get pushed aside due to life demands. I have a billable hour requirement and that forces me to pay very close attention to what I am doing in terms of work each week. As the week wears on I get more conscious of where I am in terms of hours and I tend to push near the end of the week (Thursday and Friday have a tendency to be 10 to 12 hour days sometimes more- the down side to the legal profession). But today I started work very early so I was able to put things to bed early, which meant that I got to go running. Huzzah (I think huzzah is starting to rub off on me, has more to than yeah).

4 miles: my goal was really just to get out there and do it. I did not have a time goal, just run. (I should do this more often)

4miles, 11:55 pace, 762 calories

Mile 1: 11:47

Mile 2: 12:08

Mile 3: 12:00

Mile 4: 11:45

I think this worked out. I just want to get my endurance back up again. I really fell off the wagon after the half marathon. I think I am getting into the swing of things now. Injuries can really suck.

Tonight was nice, not really cold just a bit crisp. Roads were clear and everyone gave me the same look as usual when I run late at night. What is this idiot up to. I have only ever run into another runner once in all the time that I run at night.

I've Been Tagged

2007-11-28T11:21:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged, it is a sad time. But what to do. Well I guess I will play along. David at Toronto Runner has punched my number and here are the rules:

The Rules of the game:
Link to your tagger, and post these rules on your blog.
Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
Tag 5 people at the end of your post by their names and links to their blogs.
Let them know they are TAGGED by leaving a comment on their blog.

I am well travelled: (for an American) I have lived in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Louisiana, Texas, Nevada and Pennsylvania in the States, I spent a summer in Tokyo and almost a year in the Middle East during the Persian Gulf War (Saudi Arabia and Iraq). I have visited or lived in 42 out of 50 states and visited 14 countries, one of which doesn't exist any longer (East Germany).
I am of Scottish and Norwegian ancestry but I think of myself as an American. Strangely, most Americans I have met don't, they think of themselves as Italians, Irish and so forth.
I am an education junkie. I like to learn something everyday. I read constantly and I do that to expand my knowledge even if it is only of myself.
I am published. I was given the privilege to be listed as a co-author on a peer reviewed journal article on Japanese War Crimes during World War II. I worked with a professor in undergraduate who I helped put together the research on the article and she honored me greatly by listing me as a co-author. I also gained a lot of knowledge about some very disturbing events.
I have been training in martial arts since I was 16, off and on. I have trained in the following arts Chinese Kenpo (I ran a school for a while in this art), Tae Kwon Do, Danzan Ryu Ju Jitsu, Tang Soo Do, Wah Lum Praying Mantis Kung Fu, Bok Fu White Tiger Kung Fu, Choy Li Fut Kung Fu and currently American Kenpo. I enjoy it quite a lot, I never feel better than when I am training.

I know I am supposed to tag 5 people but I will leave it up to those who want to. If you want to do this put a comment to this post that you are participating.

10k Tuesday, part the second

2007-11-28T11:08:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned last week I was starting a tradition of 10k on Tuesday for the winter. So today I did a bit better than last week's version:

Ran 10k, time 1:15:27, calories 1161

Mile 1: 11:32
Mile 2: 12:01
Mile 3: 12:17
Mile 4: 11:58
Mile 5: 11:55
Mile 6: 13:00
last.21: 13:03

I am pretty happy with this. The last mile would have been a lot faster but I ran into a strong head wind. I really did not realize how much a head wind can slow you down. But I was putting out the same effort as before but I was being held back. Interesting stuff.

Good news: My heel which had been giving me soooo much trouble over the summer seems to be for the most part resolved. I can remember times this summer when I had to crawl up the stairs first thing in the morning. Now the most I get is a little nudge of pain. I am pleased with the progress. I don't even wince when walking stairs any more, it is just the odd step now and then that will give me a dull pain.

This was also run #2 with music. I think I like it. It is a nice change for now. I may get bored with it eventually, but during the winter this may be a necessity as it is hard to enjoy nature with the cold beating down on you.

Monday 4 miler

2007-11-26T23:37:00.000-05:00

Today I broke in my new MP3 player. I have been running for a year but this is the first time I went with music. I am of mixed review. So I loaded up some stuff to keep me upbeat while I ran, Linkin Park, Fuel, Matchbox 20, Shakira (because her hips don't lie, what more can you ask) and some Fergie. It did keep me up and going, I will give it that. I think that it would have really canned any intent on my part to want to quit. I will say that I did not really run any faster than usual, but the roads were a bit slick so I was trying to be careful, so I will hold off judgement until I have had it about a week or so.

Mile 1: 11:38

Mile 2: 12:20

Mile 3: 12:50 (I was not getting tired but rather there was a big hill in the middle of this course)

Mile 4: 12:05 (not really speeding up rather a big downhill for the first .3 of the mile)

Over all good, I finished and I got some music to listen to on the way. I will do some exploration of music over the next few weeks to see what works for me.

Have fun out there.

2007 Book List

2007-11-26T15:41:00.000-05:00

This is a non-running post about my reading so far for the year. There is only a month left so I thought I would put down what I have done so far and then update it on January 1st with the full totals. I have two hours a day to read on my communte to work and here is what I have looked at.

30 Days of Night (Novelization)- Tim Lebbon
-- this is just a novel based on the movie. It is what you might call a popcorn read. There is nothing difficult about this. The down side is that like the movie, it is not very scary. It is more of an action movie with super-powered villians. Too bad really, there is promise in the concept. I am a fan of the genre but this missed the mark.

Angry White Pyjamas - Robert Twigger
-- I really liked this one. This is a travelogue about an Englishman living in Tokyo who decides, mostly on a lark, to study a year long intensive Aikido program. It is really good. I am sure Twigger took some liberties but it is an entertaining read.

Blood Curdling Tales of Horror and the Macabre- H.P. Lovecraft
-- I do like good horror and there is none better than Lovecraft. Lovecraft knows something that most seem to forget, it is not what you see that is frightening it is what you cannot see. Creepy and frightening, as is all his stuff. But it doesn't really translate well to screen.

Children of Hurin - J.R.R. Tolkien
-- Not the Tolkien people think of from the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. This is a dark and grim tale. Based on some of Tolkien's notes, this book is dark and distrubing. As a teen I caught the fantasy bug and I still like the genre.

Cold Mountain - Charles Frazier
-- Civil War tale on which the movie is based. It is a two part tale, part one is sort of Gone with the Wind-ish in how the farm is held together while the wounded soldier protagonist makes his way back home. It is good.

The DaVinci Code - Brown
-- I came to this late, I know. I don't usually like to get sucked into hype. But I read this and I have to say it was good, but annoying. The story is good, his writing style is annoying. If one more character was going to have a sudden recollection to move the plot I was going to pull my hair out. How does everyone suddenly remember something, that was annoying. I know everyone loved this book, and it had its good points, but didn't this writing style get on your nerves?

Empire Falls - Richard Russo
-- Story of a small town and what lies beneth the quaint surface. I think this is one of the top two or three I read this year. Russo is just a great writer. You don't realize how fast you are flying through the story and then you are done and sad it is over. A couple of parts seem a bit forced but really great.

The Farthest Shore- Ursula LeGuin
-- Part of LeGuin's Earth Sea Cycle. It is very well written and has a nice flow. This is well done fantasy.

The Fight - Norman Mailer
-- This is Mailer's account of the Rumble in the Jungle between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali. This is a great story and is a must read for any boxing fan. Top notch.

Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk
-- I can't really talk about it. Well fight club is a story about one man's disillusionment with material society and his reaction to it. A good read, just like the movie (mostly) only deeper.

Gates of Fire - Steven Pressfield

-- This is novelization of the Batle of Thermopylae. It is a decent read but really a popcorn novel. I read it before 300 came out. It was fine.

H.M.S. Suprise - Patrick O'Brian

-- 3rd book in the Aubrey/ Mauratin Series. This is a series of books focusing on the lives of a Naval Officer and his spy/ doctor friend during the Napoleanic era. Lots of high seas action with some humorous dialogue. They are good but not over taxing.

I Am Legend - Richard Matheson

-- With the Will Smith movie coming out later in the year, I thought I would look at this. I was not really familiar with Matheson before. This will be the third movie made of this book. He also wrote for the Twilight Zone, Terror at 20,000 feet a great episode with William Shatner is also one of his. He has also had Stir of Echoes and What Dreams May Come turned into films. I liked this short book, it will take all of a couple of sittings to get through this.

Illiad - Homer
-- The sack of Troy, the transgressions of Achilles, the Greek Warrior tradition in full view. It is great. I am a geek, who reads Homer for fun.

In the Name of Rome - Adrian Goldsworthy
-- History on the some of the more famous Roman generals and their particular achievements and flaws. It is very interesting to see how the politics of Rome hamstrung their own military. Interesting.

Kokoro - Natsume Soseki
-- The classic Japanese novel of a young man and his teacher. It is really good. I read this book every 4 years or so.

Living the Martial Way- Morgan Forrestt
-- I read this book every year. It is a sort of blue print for living your life as a Martial Artist. For me it is important. It is about integrity and honor. For me it is always worth my time.

Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
-- the classic tome of fantasy fiction. Outstanding in every sense. Very flowerly language, high action and characters that you like and respect. What is not to like.

Master and Commander - Patrick O'Brien

-- 1st book in the Aubrey/ Mauratin Series. This is a series of books focusing on the lives of a Naval Officer and his spy/ doctor friend during the Napoleanic era. Lots of high seas action with some humorous dialogue. They are good but not over taxing.

Odyessy - Homer

-- Reading Homer for fun, still a geek. The Fagles translation is really good.

The Painted Veil - W. Sommersett Maugham

-- Maugham doesn't get enough play today. He is really great. This is the story of a doctor who takes his unfaithful wife to an infected area of China in the 1920's. It is really a story of personal growth with a disturbing back drop. Disease is scary.

Phoenix Guards - Stephen Brust

-- this is a Three Musketeers rip off. It is a well done rip off set in more of a fantasy setting but still a rip off. All that said, it is really good and if you like that type of swashbuckling story then give it a try.

Post Captain - Patrick O'Brien
--2rd book in the Aubrey/ Mauratin Series. This is a series of books focusing on the lives of a Naval Officer and his spy/ doctor friend during the Napoleanic era. Lots of high seas action with some humorous dialogue. They are good but not over taxing.

The Razor's Edge - W. Sommersett Maugham
-- This is the story of a man looking for what is meaningful in post World War I Europe. It is a moving story and a bit on the philosophical bent. I don't think you can read this without examining your own beliefs. I really enjoyed it. This was in the top two or three for the year.

The Shipping News- Annie Proulx

-- Story of man who tries to find himself in NewFoundland after an abusive marriage. I liked this book a lot. A friend of mine read this at the same time but was not nearly as impressed as I was. Perhaps, I am bit off on this one. But I found it to be excellent.

Snow - Orhan Pamuk

-- The author won the Nobel Prize for literature, so I thought I would give him a try. The story is interesting but it is a hard read. This was just tough to get through, there is no flow. This may be due to translation but I would say I didn't like this one.

The Spartans - Paul Cartledge

-- A dry history of the Spartans. You can't get the time back once you invest it, don't do it.

Vampire Hunter D - Hideyuki Kikuchi

-- Entertaining quick read but the story is a bit like a comic book.

A War Like No Other- Victor David Hansen

-- An excellent and readable history of the Peloponesian War. This was a really well done history. The information is organized well and for a history it is very engaging. It is quite good.

So here is what I think this year:

Best books: Razor's Edge, Empire Falls, Shipping News, Angry White Pyjamas

Worst: Snow, The Spartans

What we have learned: Rob is a geek and reads Homer for fun, there is a lot of good work out there that most people (myself included) never hear about.

The eat-athon is now at a close

2007-11-26T11:09:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving seems to be a time of endless food. The good news is that it tastes really good, the bad news is that eating that much is not really good for you. My view point on this is that it is only one day. I don't eat that way normally only one day a year.

My preparations this year were as follows (I cook the thanksgiving feast at my house, I am pretty good at it).

1. modest turkey (12 pounds)
2. Stuffing - with raisins, apples, onions, celery (I like it a lot)
3. Sweet potatoes
4. string beans
5. cranberry sauce
6. snacking food before the 6pm dinner of cheese and chips with some apple cider (very nice)
7. Desert - blueberry pie (my daughter likes the blueberry pie) and chocolate pudding pie served with whipped cream.

It was all very good and I am glad I made the dinner, but I am equally glad it is over. So now back to the roads. I gained 1 pound over this food free for all. Not bad.

This week.
Monday: 4 miles
Tuesday: 10k Tuesday
Wednesday: 5 miles
Thursday: Rest
Friday: 4 miles
Saturday: Long - maybe 8 to 10 miles
Sunday - Rest

I think my 1 pound is history. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving with friends and family.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

2007-11-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great turkey day. I know that I did. I did a lot of cooking. I made a good turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, green beans with a couple of pies. It was all very good, but I ate too much. That is ok as I did a little Turkey Trot in the morning. Here are the results.

Mile 1: 10:43

Mile 2: 11:59

Mile 3: 12:20

Mile 4: 12:15

Mile 5: 12:21

Total 59:38 = 11:55 pace.

It was a good time. I will do one again next year, it is nice to front load some calories so that I can feel free to eat a lot on Thanksgiving, it is a good plan. I ate a good bit but as I was down 3 pounds from the race it was fine. Have a good holiday everyone.

Hopefully the first of many...

2007-11-21T00:07:00.000-05:00

What is this a new tradition in my running schedule. I hope to introduce on a regular basis....

10 K Tuesday

I have been a bit down on myself for not running as much as I want to. Well this is not exactly it. I have been running on a treadmill which is incredibly boring. This was not always true, I used to be able to do the treadmill no trouble, until I started running that is. After running streets and trails nothing else comes is as fulfilling. I found last night that my legs were actually sore after 4 miles. I mean come on. The treadmill caused my legs to fall a bit out of shape. Why, I think because there is no impact on the treadmill, well there is some but it is not the same. So I have gone back to what makes me happy.

Tonight was my first, I hope of many 10k Tuesdays.

How did things go, great thanks for asking. You see, I left the jacket at home and just went out with long sleeve top, pants and gloves (well shoes too). Here the results so that I might build upon them.

10 kilometers (6.2 miles) - 1:15:58 (1143 calories) - Pace Average 12:15

Mile 1: 12:00

Mile 2: 12:10

Mile 3: 11:56

Mile 4: 12:31

Mile 5: 12:30

Mile 6: 12:28

.2 : 11:52 pace

So in the end, I felt so much better tonight than I did last night. It was a nice night for a run. But I did notice as I have in the past that I was the only one running. Now Philadelphia is not the safest place in the world, but my neighborhood does not usually hit the headlines. But it was a nice quite evening for a run, not too cold, traffic was light ... it was good. As you can tell though the course goes down hill about mid way through mile 2 through mile 3 and then up mile 4 and mile 5. So I had to work the hills a bit. Over all a good pace.

The first 10k Tuesday is a success. (Very nice!!!)

Head Scratching Moments

2007-11-20T14:46:00.000-05:00

I went to the GNC on the ground floor of my building, I work on the 50th floor, for some energy gels and had a strange encounter with the merchant.

Me: I see you have some lose energy gels but do you have any boxes?

Merchant: No

Me: There aren't that many loose ones, when do you expect more in?

Merchant: They sell very fast, but we should get a box in sometime next week.

(me thinking, one box but he said they sell fast ... I am confused)

Me: Did you say that you will only get in one box next week.

Merchant: That is right, sir

See if I was a nutrition store, I would keep more of items that sold quickly on hand. Also, I know I am a rebel on this one, but I would order more than one box for something that I had very little of. Just me, I know I live on the edge but what can one do.

Well I bought 10 leaving 2 in the store, which were both vanilla with zero mg of caffeine; I need the caffeine. I think I am learning that for running supplies the Internet is my friend. I will order online for my future energy gel needs. Sigh, it would have been much better to be able to just pop down at lunch to get what I needed.

Cold Weather Running.

2007-11-19T19:46:00.000-05:00

Tonight I went out running in the cold after work. I am not nearly as cold resistant as Bigfoot; however, I do have some cold weather running gear. That being said, I did not expect to overheat, but this is exactly what happened. The jacket was just too much. I think I have a lot to learn about winter running. There was a small drizzle tonight and it was pretty cool. So I took a running jacket, with pants, gloves and long sleeve top and hit the road. However, I could not get into a groove, I felt like I was fighting myself so after a mile and a half I took off the jacket. I felt much more comfortable and got through my 4 miles. It went something like this:

Mile 1: 12:25
Mile 2: 12:20
Mile 3: 12:22
Mile 4: 12:33

After a was done I hit the showers and the water was so cold, but that was from my body. I noticed I had a bad case of red belly. The cold from the elements really gave me what looked like a sun burn on my belly and chest. It took me about 15 minutes before I was normal. I have a lot to learn. I will get the hang of this stuff.

Issues:

overheating
cold weather injury

I am sure I will find out other things to really keep an eye on as time goes on. But this is a learning experience so tonight will go up with them. In the end I felt good. A good 4 miles.

Philadelphia Marathon Thoughts

2007-11-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

This weekend I watched the Philadelphia Marathon on television while I was doing some law-type work. You can tell that you are hooked on running when you will watch it on television. But there I was at 7:30 in the morning watching other people run. I still can't watch golf on television, feels like torture and I did golf regularly at one point in time, not well but I golfed.

Kenya's Timothy Psitet won the marathon with a time of 2:25:01. Pretty good I think. I am looking forward to my marathon experience next year. I was looking at the finish leg and was thinking of my time at the half marathon in September. I really wanted to be there. I am really excited about running next November. Congratulations to everyone who ran.

Thinking about Charities?

2007-11-17T22:41:00.000-05:00

As everyone knows, I am a veteran of the United States Army. As such, military matters mean a good deal to me. Everyone of them matters. Tonight on the news there was a story about a soldier running in the Philadelphia Marathon to raise money for charity.

His website: http://www.takepride.com/home.php

His Blog: http://takepride.tumblr.com/

Story in Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/23/AR2006072300630.html

The name of the movement is called Take Pride, the mission is to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project and other military related charities. These soldiers are stationed in Afghanistan and have a lot to worry about in their day to day lives. However, these men have taken the time to worry about other soldiers who have been seriously wounded. I can't say enough about how moved I am.

It is easy to forget that Americans are in harms way every day; they are. The wars we fight overseas these days are done in such a way so that they do not interfere with everyday life here in the States. But we are at war. The soldiers fighting these wars do so without asking for anything in return. I know I care and I know a lot of other people out there care as well. So I am taking the money I would have spent on a registration fee for out virtual blogging run on the 8th of December and spending it on a T-shirt to help this project. I would urge everyone to do the same. We all give money to causes every year. I give money to various charities throughout the year, this will now be another.

So please buy a t-shirt for a very good cause, the good news is that it won't go to your butt or gut like chocolate for school fund raisers. These men and women may have been doing their duty; the least we can do is let them know we as Americans care and appreciate it. Check it out, please.

I have added links for your convenience.

On the Treadmill ... again

2007-11-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

I mentioned before that I really do not like running on the treadmill. But with my heel being an issue that I want to resolve, I have to limit my days outside. So today, I went to the gym in the morning to do my 5 mile run on the hamster wheel. Well I don't have much to say beyond the fact that I did it. I hour = 5 miles = 12:00 pace. As others have noted my Garmin does not work so well on the treadmill. My actual pace being zero as I was in the same spot the entire time. I am being a grumpy gus about the the treadmill thing, I am sure I will be better about it as time goes on.

Tomorrow I will run on actual roads that will life my spirits about running. My goal for tomorrow is 7 miles. That will put me in good stead for the 5 miler on Thanksgiving and good training for the 8 on the 8th. Tomorrow is the Philadelphia Marathon that means I have exactly one year to get ready for the 2008 Philadelphia Marathon. I will get a training plan together shortly and let everyone know what my plans are.

Ready for Winter?

2007-11-15T14:13:00.000-05:00

Today at lunch I decided to gear up for winter. I purchased a pair of thermal running pants and gloves. I can make do with the rest of what I already have but the gloves and pants were a necessity.

I like Brooks running gear a little more than most. So I picked up some very yellow gloves, good for the night time running and some running pants that don't quite qualify as running tights. For a man of my size tights are not something for outside wear. Running tights should be for those with the body for it (a license should be required).

I would like to run through the winter to have enough of a base to run a marathon at the end of next year. This is a big goal but not something that is unachievable. I started running in March of this year and by next November that will make 21 months. I don't think that is pushing it. This year I have run a half marathon, a ten miler, an 8.4 miler and a 15k so I have experienced some longer runs. I think with good preparation I should be ready for next November. But first I will need to do some winter running. I will keep everyone updated on the progress through the cold weather running.

I will also be taking place in the 8 on 8th organized by Nancy

and also pimped by Vanilla. So for all the bloggers out there I will also be pimping the virtual run. I hope you will all do your 8 miles on the 8th. If I can do it than so can almost anyone. Lets get out there and make it a great race (well on our own courses by ourselves, hmmm). Well I am still going to do it. Look forward to hearing everyone's results on December 8.

*****

Road Test:

3 miles

Mile 1: 12:35

Mile 2: 12:42

Mile 3: 12:40

This was a slow run for me, but I just wanted to see what I thought about the cold weather gear. There was a cold wind tonight and that made it feel colder than it was. But I felt that the pants were great at holding the heat in and I didn't feel cold in my legs at all. The gloves on the other hand were a little less efficient. At the end of the run my finger tips were a little cold. Nothing serious but just a bit chilled. End result: Pants: A; Gloves B+ -- still good.

Sick ... well almost

2007-11-13T15:58:00.000-05:00

Over the past three days I have been fighting getting sick. Like most sane people, I don't really like being sick. It interferes with my schedule and my running, Nancy knows how that can happen. Yesterday at work I started to spike a small fever along with some chills for good measure. I have a system that will work overtime on this sort of thing so I had some fatigue as well. A nice combination really. So last night I laid about like a common ne'er do well. I like the word and don't get to use it as often as I like, mostly because it makes me sound like Dickens.

ne'er-do-well - n. an idle, worthless person; a person who is ineffectual
unsuccessful, or completely lacking in merit; good-for-nothing.

These are strong words to use against a sick person. So I tried to think of other words that might be more fitting, perhaps I was a miscreant. Another word with a bit of a Dickensian flair.

miscreant - n./ adj. - scoundrel, depraved, behaving badly, an evil doer, a villain

Sounds pretty harsh. I am sure that laying about on the couch is behaving badly in some circles but it does not seem to be villainous or smack of depravity. Maybe I went to far, was I flagitious. Another word not often used.

Flagitious - shamefully wicked, vile, scandalous,

I have been shamefully wicked before and perhaps scandalous depending upon who one speaks with. But I dare say that being a lay about does not quite rise to this level. I think I am looking for something else entirely. I believe what I was looking for was wastrel.

Wastrel: n. 1. a wasteful person; spendthrift.
2. Chiefly British.
a. refuse; waste.
b. a waif; abandoned child.
c. an idler or good-for-nothing

I was idling so 2(c) seems to fit splendidly. I was absolutely a good for nothing last night. I simply came home and laid about all night. Well I had muscle aches, a head ache, chills and fever so perhaps most will understand my slovenly behavior. In short I didn't run so I had to make up some sort of post. Well here it is I hope it entertained in some small way. Sorry if I made anyone's head hurt.

Happy Veteran's Day

2007-11-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

I don't usually give too many details about my life beyond running and exercise efforts on this blog. Today, I am going to break that trend. Today is Veteran's Day and as a Veteran I take this day pretty seriously. Additionally it is not just me.

My father was in the 5th Special Forces Group in Vietnam in the early 1960's

My step father served in the Korean War

My Uncle served on the Nimitz during the Vietnam War

Two other uncles served in the post Vietnam era in the Army

My Grandfather served in Alaska during World War II, he was one of seven brothers 6 served during World War II (3 died one at Normandy, one in Submarine service and one in the European theatre)

I come from a military family, it means something. I don't take things for granted in my life. During my service I served in Saudi Arabia and Iraq as a Scout in the 2nd Armored Division. It is not my part to talk about the nobility of war or the honor of service. There may some truth to the second but not the first. In war there is only death and destruction, there is nothing else to read into it. Soldiers serve where ordered, it is no different today. However, today I want to talk about my friends. When I served I had the good fortune to be stationed with Sam and Steve. Although I am not related to these two men, they are my brothers. We served on Bradley Fighting Vehicles (pictured to the left). I was promoted to Sergeant during the War and Sam and Steve were Specialists.

During our time in Saudi Arabia and Iraq, we lived on these Bradleys for months. Not exactly plush accommodations. The best sleeping spot was on stacked boxes of 25 mm ammunition. The best food was luke warm soup sent my our friends at the Campbell's Soup Company. I don't know why they send all that soup to us, but I was grateful. Today, I still eat it even though it is not the healthiest you can find on the market. The desert was filled with nasties even when there was no combat (i.e. desert vipers and scorpions). Sometimes we would play volleyball, but this was before we were on the line. After that we would spend our time watching and feeling the payloads of B-52's carpet bombing miles away, the ground would shake. Sometimes British Tornados would whip over our position at incredibly low levels heading to drop some unpleasantness. In short we lived in some strange circumstances that at times were intense. This may have had something to do with the depth of the friendships we formed.

We were friends before we went to war and after we were friends for life. I can say that I feel fortunate to have such good friends. In life you are mainly on your own. We don't want to think this is true but it is a lot. Friends that last a life time are a rare thing in this world of diminishing relation to community. I feel fortunate to have friends like Sam and Steve. I know that no matter what happens I can depend on these guys. I know this because when it really mattered they were there for me. They have been there since and I hope that I have as well. We have become a family of sorts. The bonds that we made during this time, now more than 15 years ago, mean more to me than almost anything.

Sam and I talk almost every week, Steve less frequently. On Veteran's Day I call them both. It is special. I don't know if it was that we were friends and then shared a few near death experiences. I am not sure. But I know that they are my best friends and that will always be true. Sam and Steve, here is to you, take care my good friends. Also, here is to the guys who have served there since and to those that are still there. Take care.

Respectfully,

Rob - formerly Sergeant Rob

---- Also, today I ran 5.5 miles on the treadmill at the gym. I didn't like it but I did it.

Did I mention...

2007-11-10T22:27:00.000-05:00

... that I really hate treadmills. That being said I went to the gym today rather than running the streets. It was raining today, I don't mind running in the rain but when it is freezing rain I am given pause. So I went to the gym and ran on the treadmill. I started lifting some weights so that I felt that I really did something. When I was done with the weights, I put in 5 miles on the treadmill. Or so it says. I guess the problem is that I am still standing in the same place at every point on whatever distance I ran. So in the end I got to sweat a lot and didn't really go anywhere or see a thing beyond Sports Center.

Tomorrow, roads (I hope)

Managing Pain

2007-11-08T20:09:00.000-05:00

I have been running in pain since early summer. I hurt my foot in martial arts class by coming down hard on my heel and then I ran a lot. This created a nice plantar faciitis injury that I have sported for about 6 months. It just hasn't healed the way it should have. But that is my own fault. I have not given it a chance to get better. It has not bothered me to run at all so I have run. It is getting up in the morning and early day walking that is the trouble. I have on occasion had to crawl or hop up stairs to the bathroom in the morning. I have silently screamed as I first stepped out of bed in the morning. Although this is good for waking up, I can think of better ways.

Ouch!!!

Over the last month I have not run that much. It is really been one race and one training day per week. I have been a little under the weather so I have been taking it easy. At the same time I am a lawyer with a billable hour requirement. My monthly numbers are fine but for the year I want to get to a fairly good number. To do that I have to put in some hours. So for the past month I have been working a good deal. Now the interesting thing is that my ankle/ heel is finally healing. I should have known that extended rest was the key. I just wasn't letting myself do it. My ego was getting in the way. I wanted to run and compete with myself. I still do. You see last year I missed alot of time due to a runner's knee injury and I didn't want to go down again. So I ended up with a nagging injury that was manageable.

However today my foot feels better than it has in months. I know that is because I have been mostly off it for the past month. I think I need to do more of the same to get better. So I will follow what has been better - only two days a week on the roads. That is too bad for me because I would like to get out more. But I also need to heal so that I don't have to crawl up the stairs or wake up in pain from turning wrong.

Time to do the right thing.

2008 Race Schedule

2007-11-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

This is my intended race schedule for next year. I will add a few shorter races through the year and maybe a couple of trail runs in the spring. I hope to do a Marathon at the end of next year in the Philadelphia Marathon. Here is the list:

March 9, 2008 - Citizen's Bank Ceaser Rodney Half Marathon - Wilmington, DE (registered)

May 4, 2008 - Broad Street Run (10 Miler)

July, 2008 - Marsh Creek Raptor Run (5 Mile Trail Run)

October 5, 2008 - Army 10 Miler (register in April)

October 11, 2008 - Baltimore Marathon (Half Marathon) - registered

November 2008, Schuylkill River Loop Run (8.4 Miles)

November, 2008, Philadelphia Marathon

Schuylkill River Loop Run - Post Race

2007-11-04T19:52:00.000-05:00

Today, I ran the Schuylkill River Loop Run. (skoo kill) I didn't come up with the spelling so don't blame me. This is an 8.4 mile race around some of the nicest parts of Philadelphia for running. The start is at the Art Museum then run up 4 miles to the Falls Bridge and back down Kelly Drive past Boathouse Row to the finish.

Art Museum

Falls Bridge

Rower Statute

Kelly Drive

It is a nice course. This was part of the Philadelphia Distance Run and I liked that part of the course so much that when I found out about this race, I wanted to do it. There is lots of tree cover and on the back half there are lots of statues and family oriented space set aside. Additionally, there are usually rowers on the river. It is just a nice place to run. On to the nitty gritty.

Mile 1: 10:43

Mile 2: 11:02

Mile 3: 11:32

Mile 4: 12:02

Mile 5: 12:19

Mile 6: 12:18

Mile 7: 13:10

Mile 8: 13:44

Last .4: 13:28 pace

Total Time: 1:42:52

I think you can see a trend. I started well but then I dropped off. I hit a groove from miles 3 through 6 but miles 7 to the end was just tough on my body. I did not train as well as I should have but I made it to the end with a 12:20 pace. Good for me and below my expectations by a little bit. The other good news, I placed 3rd in my age group so I got a performance based medal. Huzzah!!! I am tired, I will take a nap now.

Nancy, I received the Viagra based pens and stuff. Thanks. I will use them with pride at my office. I am sure people will notice. Nancy sent me a couple of Viagra pens a mini mouse and $5 as I won our little bet on the first to break the 11:00 mark on three consecutive miles. Happy running everyone.

Sneaking out for a Quick 4

2007-11-03T23:07:00.000-04:00

With the Schuylkill Loop tomorrow, I thought a little tune up would be in order. I had a busy day on tap but was out the door this morning for a quick 4 miler. I haven't been running as much as I would like as of late. Life has its demands as we all know. But this morning here is how it went.

Mile 1: 12:30

Mile 2: 12:01

Mile 3: 12:07

Mile 4: 12:08

I was not looking for speed, I was only looking to find a groove and stick with it. The first mile was shaking cobwebs out of my system. Then after that I was looking for something I could sustain for 8.4 miles. That is the distance of the race tomorrow. For the half marathon I ran at a 12:40 pace. I would like to do better for this run. I have run a 5k at less than an 11:00 pace for the 3 miles. I think I would like to average between 12:15 and 12:30 for the race. I will set the pace at about 12:00 and see where that goes. I am still in awe over the fact that I can discuss these speeds. It may not sound like much to the average runner but for me it is fast. I started running back in March at 15:00 to 16:00 pace. However, over the last few weeks I have not been as diligent as usual in my running. I think it was my body telling me I needed a rest.

Tomorrow will be 8.4 miles around some of the prettiest running territory in Philadelphia. Wish me luck.

World Series... over?

2007-10-29T09:21:00.000-04:00

It seems odd that the World Series is over. I am glad that my team put together a great 4 game outing but it seems odd for it to be over so quick. The final two games were as follows:

Game 3: Red Sox 10, Rockies 5

Game 4: Red Sox 4, Rockies 3

I will give the Rockies credit, they never gave up and gave it everything they had. However, in the end their pitching wasn't up to the task. I never really expected a sweep. But I am happy that my team is World Series Champs again. Well it is only 4 months until pitchers and catchers report to winter camp.

Near Death Experience

2007-10-28T22:31:00.000-04:00

Friday night was wet, really wet. I was meeting the family at a local Sears before going out to dinner. The rain just kept coming down and it was dark early from the weather. I took the bus from the train station to Sears. I got off the Bus and crossed the street. It was wet and dark but not crazily so.

As I walked into the Sears parking lot, I looked for the traffic coming in and out of the parking lot. It was generally clear. I saw a mini van a bit off from where I was, about 200 yards. I moved off to the left to be out of its path. It approached and swerved toward me. I RAN to the left. It kept turning toward me. I was being chased by a mini-van, What the Hell!!!! I was trying to keep clear of both the front end and the front left tire as the thing kept pacing me as Ibacked up and to the left. I slapped the front and side of the mini van with a good deal of force while continuing to back pedal to the left and out of the way of the driver. She finally stopped.

My heart was racing. It was raining and dark but not so hard or heavy as to miss a person under full street lights in the middle of parking lot. The woman said, "You shouldn't have been walking in the middle of parking lot."

????, I guess walking in a parking lot is an offense that carries a sentence of being struck with a 2000 pound vehicle.

It takes a minute for me to process this

I say, "you are the dumbest person on the face of the planet, as well as being the worst driver I have ever seen"

She puzzles over this, before realizing that she should have just apologized. To her credit she didn't pursue it any further, she just drove off. But she never asked if I was ok. Society seems to have lost some of its concern for others. Where this woman should have been trying to find out if someone was hurt as a result of her actions instead she blamed me for walking in a parking lot. I suppose it is surprising to see people walk in parking lots, I mean of all the parking lots I have ever been in only every person who goes there walks into the store.

She actually tried to convince me that I was at fault for her almost hitting me with her car. She was going too fast and quite simply not paying attention. I spotted a cell phone in her hand as she rolled down the window of her mini-van.

I am not dead but it is not for lack of effort on the part of the mini-van driver. I was a little shaken for the remainder of the night. So how was everyone else's night?

Race Report, Lupus Loop 5k

2007-10-28T20:27:00.000-04:00

Today, I ran the Lupus Loop 5k here is grand old Philadelphia. Last week the 5k I ran wan't the best organized event I had ever been to and I was starting to rethink the wisdom of the 5k in my training schedule. But I saw that the Lupus Loop 5k had over 800 finishers last year. I thought that a 5k that big has to be well organized and of course the cause is good. To be truthful I was a bit hearbroken at the race. There were more than one t-shirt from people in memory of deceased children, just sad.

The run organizers were great. This was nice. Lots of post race refreshments, efficient people helping out at registration, local radio station on hand to keep people pumped up and as I said before a good cause. I had a great time and was lucky not to park in the mud that others were stuck in post race.

As Nancy and I had a competition as to the 11:00 mile. The competition is to be the first to complete 3 miles where each mile is 11:00 or faster for each mile. The last 5k I ran I ran an exact 11:00 pace for the three miles. But I ran a very good mile 1 and a slightly less impressive mile 2 and 3. Today, I tried to really manage my pace.

The Miles

Mile 1: 11:00 exactly - I don't think I could have done this any better. I started fast and then backed off to conserve some energy for the remaining two miles. I did well kicking it up for the first .6 and then backing off for the next .25 before kicking up again.

Mile 2: 10:53 - This was a good mile we climbed the first .3 and then came down for most of the remaining mile. I was able to conserve some energy and rest while going faster than I usually do. I covered a stretch of about .35 where I was going about 9:40 pace.

Mile 3: 10:52 - This was the hardest part of the run. I usually run an 11:10 to 11:40 pace. So running at a pace that was 20 to 40 seconds faster was taking its toll on me. I started to slow and had to really concentrate on kicking it up to keep pace. This was hard as there was a hill near the half way mark that really was killing me. But I hung in there and finished at my goal. I then stopped to tie a shoe that came undone with .2 to go. I then walked the remaining .1.

What an adventure. I have to say thanks to Nancy, without out little deal I would not have taken the training as seriously. Thanks for pushing me over the top. Although it was fun to win, I really don't want anything, the satisfaction of breaking the 11:00 barrier was joy enough. One more goal achieved, running is great.

World Series, Game 2

2007-10-26T09:25:00.000-04:00

Last night's game was a great one. This is what I think about when I think about October baseball. Two teams throwing great stuff and batting orders grinding out a few runs. A mistake here or there breaks the game. Last night was all about pitching which for two teams that score runs in bunches in unusual. Matt Holliday for Colorado is a machine, 4-4 when only one other person on the whole team got a hit, he is great. J.D. (formerly Nancy) Drew has been hot as anyone can be as of late was key in the win for the Red Sox. In short a great game that really could have gone either way. Good base running was the difference.

Final Score: Red Sox 2, Colorado 1
Series: Boston 2, Colorado 0

I expect the Rockies to win the next two games and the Red Sox to win Game 5 with Beckett on the mound. That is how I see the series playing out in Colorado.

Nothing to worry about, Nancy

2007-10-25T20:46:00.000-04:00

Nancy , also known as the cave girl, I have placed a picture of her for everyone's enjoyment, and I have a $5 wager on the first person to break the 11:00 barrier for three consecutive miles. We have lofty goals that is for sure. Tonight Nancy has nothing to worry about. I ran immediately after work tonight. Now I don't have a physically demanding job as a lawyer but I am usually intellectually spent at the end of each day. It will take me a couple of hours to get right after work. But tonight I set out for a run. That is how I roll.

The results are not outstanding, I have placed a small picture of how I felt below, Dohhh:

Mile 1: 12:10

Mile 2: 11:35

Mile 3: 11:45

Mile 4: 11:27

I was a bit tired and even though I got into a groove I felt like I needed a nap the whole time. Well the game is still on, Nancy. I saw by your latest post that you are still working on it as well.

World Series, game 1

2007-10-24T22:58:00.000-04:00

I don't pretend to be an expert on baseball. But I did grow up outside of Boston, so I am a fan. I have watched my team come back from some deep holes so I know it is possible to do. But, I am watching the game tonight thinking these teams are on two different levels. The Rockies simply look out classed. Their pitching is simply not good. It is a long series but if they are going to compete they are going to have to do better. The Red Sox batters are simply too good and patient. I have seen three straight bases loaded walks in the bottom of the 5th inning. A 34 minute inning for 7 runs, ugly.

Josh Beckett can't pitch every night so the one run performances will not be an every night occurrence. With that in mind I think this series will be done in 5 or 6 games at the longest. Sorry, Colorado this team is too much for your Rockies. It's midnight Cinderella, the ball is over. Colorado is a fun team with a lot of heart, but they are out classed in this series. Better luck next year.

Game 1: Boston 13 Colorado 1
Series: Boston 1, Colorado 0

Evening Run

2007-10-24T09:19:00.000-04:00

I dislike running in complete darkness. I don't mind starting or finishing in it, I actually like dawn and dusk. But to know that I will see no sun on any part of my run gets me down. I think I would make for a bad Alaskan or at least the type that lives above the Arctic Circle. So I have not been too motivated for my morning runs as the sun hasn't been coming up until almost 7:00 am. So last night I began the nightly circuit. I got in to the office early then bolted at 4:00 to get home for a 5:15 run. Good plan, in the end I got out at 5:30, not bad.

Nuts and Bolts:

3 mile run

Mile 1: 11:10
Mile 2: 11:35
Mile 3: 11:45

I think I was hungry when I started the run and my energy was not what I would have liked. I got in a decent groove but I felt a bit off. It was nice to run in the sun again. But there were a couple of problems.

There were 2 dogs off their leashes running around with no owners in sight. They were in the woods calling the dogs on occasion. The dogs were chasing deer in the park. This created a real situation. Excited dogs can be problematic especially with no owners around. I was tensed up as I ran by the scene trying to remember by dog defense training I received a number of years ago when training for my black belt. Snarling dogs make me a bit uneasy. When I passed by I slowed a couple of times to warn folks walking in the opposite direction of the situation. So this may be why I didn't get my run in order.

Problem 2 was more of an environmental problem. I kept running into swarms of gnats. It would only be for a couple of seconds and then I would be past it. But I think I swallowed about 20. I can think of better (and I mean more enjoyable) ways to get my protein. Disgusting. This will go under problems with being a runner, swallowing bugs.

Hey 11:00 how you doing?

2007-10-23T10:44:00.000-04:00

I have been flirting with a long term goal as of late. This is to run 3 miles where each mile is sub 11:00. The other day I finished my three miles at 11:00 pace combined. So I am close. But one mile was 10:15 and the others were over 11:00. But I am on the right track. I think that if I can keep up my training I should be able to get to that pace by the end of November.

Running goals:

3 miles 11:00 or less for each mile
5 miles 12:00 or less for each mile (did this one at the Philly Distance Run)
5 miles 11:00 or less for each mile
10 miles 12:00 or less for each mile
1 mile 9:00 pace
2 miles 9:45 pace or less for each mile
Run a marathon - any pace will be fine

That is what I am shooting for. I am close on the first one and the 10 mile one as well. I have broken the 13:00 and 12:00 thresholds and now I am flirting with 11:00, how you doin', it feels good.

Race Results 2007

2007-10-22T12:04:00.000-04:00

May 6, 2007, Broad Street Run (10 miles) -2:26 COMPLETE (14:36 pace)
-- had a sprained ankle for this race, happened two days prior to the race.

June 24, 2007, Double Trouble 15 K Trail Run - 2:48, COMPLETE (18:02 minute pace)

July 22, 2007, Marsh Creek Raptor Run 5 Mile Trail Run -1:17, COMPLETE (15:24 pace)

September 16, 2007, Philadelphia Distance Run (13.1 miles) - 2:45, COMPLETE (12:36 pace)

October 14, 2007 - North East Philly 5 Mile Run -57:10 COMPLETE (11:26 pace)

October 21, 2007, Run for Life 5k - 34:56 COMPLETE (11:15 pace)

October 28, 2007, Lupus Loop 5k, 34:58 COMPLETE (11:15 pace)

November 4, 2007, Schuylkill River Loop Run (8.4 miles) -1:42:52 Complete (12:15 pace)

November 22, 2007, Fairmount Park 5 Mile Turkey Trot -59:38 (11:55 pace)

I finally ran a 5k

2007-10-21T18:59:00.000-04:00

When I started this great running adventure, I really intended to do long distances and the 5k never really entered by thoughts. However, after I finished the half marathon in September, I don't really have the desire to go that far again this year but I still want to race. So I have been entering shorter races. Today, I entered the Run for Life 5k, it supports a pregnancy counseling center. The focus of the organization is to help people through faith based counseling. This is the right choice for some, so I don't mind helping them out with an entry fee. I will say that I also wouldn't mind helping out the other side as well, that is if someone chose to get an abortion. We all make choices in our life, even if I wouldn't make the same choices, we all have the right to choose (at least that is what the law provides).

So I ran my 5k, it was not bad really. I set out with a goal of 36 minutes. I can't be sure what the official time is but I think it was about 34:45. That is not too bad, it works out to about 11:11 pace. I think that is rough and I wouldn't bet my house on my math. But I will say that I was running hard for me. I am getting quicker. My first mile was about 10:20 and the remaining two about 11:20 or so. It worked pretty well. If I had been a little smarter on the last part of mile 2 I think I could have come in about 20 to 30 seconds sooner. But I didn't manage the hills as well as I could have. I am still learning this running stuff. It is a lot more complicated than just put on some shoes and run fast.

That is all I have for today. Have fun out there.

Finding Speed

2007-10-19T10:53:00.000-04:00

I noticed during the Philadelphia Distance Run, that I can run faster than I had been. I believe that I just didn't think that I could run fast so I ran slow. I was running and exerting myself so this is not a big deal. But I was generally running between 12:30 and 13:30 pace before the run. Sometimes I would get about 12:20 but that was it. Since my sub 12:00 for the first 7 miles of the half marathon, I have been trying to recapture that speed. I have not been disappointed. Last week, I put in two miles sub 11:00 and 3 miles of sub 12:00 on my 5 mile race. I have generally been running about 11:30 since the race. Not bad.

Today's training run was still good, even though it was humid. I think that slowed me up a bit but I am happy.

Mile 1: 11:12
Mile 2: 12:01
Mile 3: 12:07
Total: 35:20

There were hills on the course I took today and I worked on grinding out the hills by shortening steps and essentially shifting down a gear like I would in a car. I think that worked. I was not over tired at the top. I am still learning about running and hills are where I need work, but I am getting better. I have a 5k this weekend so wish me luck, I am looking for under 36 minutes.

Site Updated - New Links

2007-10-16T11:33:00.000-04:00

I have added a couple of sites to my Links section that I have found helpful in finding local races. I never would have found the NorthEast Philadelphia 5 miler but for Fast Cat Productions. Additionally, Active.com helped me find some of the other local 5k's and the Schuylkill Loop run. These sites along with the Lin Mark Computer Sports site have helped me to scout out local races. I have added them for those in the area and Active is not local so it will be useful to everyone.

I need running

2007-10-16T09:20:00.000-04:00

I have been going through some trying times as of late, I will term it as "family related stress" or FRS. Nothing like putting three letters together to make something sound very bad - oh he has FRS, so sad. I am trying to stay up beat about this and many will note that my posts are less frequent and much shorter as of late. But I felt the need today to do a bit of running affirmation. I am inspired by Non-Runner Nancy's latest post on her running efforts. To that end I thought I would do a little running affirmation time here.

1. Since I started running March it has become part of my life. It is something I schedule and something I look forward too. It is not I have to run tomorrow, it is I get to run tomorrow. I am not much of a jump up and down type, or I might be but my deluded serious self image prevents it. I jump up and down on the inside.

2. When I run a race, I get new clothes. I can always use a new t-shirt, excellent. Then I get to exercise with some great people. Because all runners are great people, everyone of us. For all the cyclist observations on runners being grim, I don't see it. Every time I talk to a runner they are approachable, engaging and helpful. In short runners are good people, which means that I am a good person too. See how I did that, I complimented a group and then added myself to the group, thereby complimenting myself. Neat huh?

3. In my life I collect a lot of stress. I have the aforementioned FRS and I also have "work related stress" also known as WRS. Now I will admit that I have far less WRS than FRS because I have an awesome job with great co-workers and partners with realistic world views. So I have less WRS as a result. However, I do collect some and that is added to the FRS. When I run, I can decompress that stress and just concentrate on running. Much like a Calgon commercial, my troubles are gone when I run, it is just me and the road/ trail. It is my zen moment as it were. I can forget about it all for as long as I go that day.

4. Tracking progress is key in all this. I know that when I ran my first race back in May I was really, really slow. I mean I was trucking along at my slow pace during the race and a bike medic pedaled next to me to see if I was o.k. I mean I weighed 280 so he probably had reason to keep an eye on me. I was pushing a 15:00 pace back then. This last weekend I did 11:26 pace over 5 miles. That is great for me. I can see the progress and I like that. It is not as easy in my martial arts practice to see as there is so much more to evaluate to see if you are making progress. Both are challenging just in different ways. I will never be fast but I will get faster. I would like to eventually do a half marathon at a 10:00 pace throughout, not too lofty.

5. As I said before, I run because I can. I almost hit 300 pounds, a scary thought really. I was almost at the point where I could not run, I mean really. So now when I get out there I think of that almost 300 pound guy. He chases me every day, I know he is out there waiting for me if I fail in my diligence. I can run so I do, to avoid my unhealthy self.

I still won't be as regular posting as I would like to be but I will be out there taking in the fall. The best time of the year for everything, especially running. There are lots of great local races coming up and I will do my best to be at as many as I can. Keep running, it makes you a great person.

NorthEast Philadelphia 5 miler

2007-10-14T14:11:00.000-04:00

I ran this little run today. It was a great day for a run being cool and dry. I ran much faster than I usually do.

5 miles = 57 minutes 10 seconds - That is really quite good for me. That is a pace of 11:26 over the course of the race. The first and last miles were under 11:00 and no mile was over 12:00. It was good. I like the small local runs, they really give off a family feeling. Everyone is so nice and happy. Plus the proceeds go to local charaties, which I like. Today was for local youth athletics, nice.

Up and Coming

2007-10-11T11:24:00.000-04:00

I have recently registered for the NorthEast Philly 5 Mile Run. This will be a simple 5 mile trot but it does keep me going and gives me something to do. I will also run the Bobtober Fest 5 mile trail run on October 27th. I have put a couple more tenative things but aside from the two 5 milers I put above I am not committing to much right now. Thanks for all for your support.

A Break for a while

2007-10-08T16:24:00.000-04:00

I am sorry to say that I will be taking a blogging break for a time. I have recently separted from my wife and I find that my personal life is too overwhelming at the current time. I will be back as soon as I can.

Sincerely,

Rob

I'll take the .50 cal

2007-10-03T00:16:00.000-04:00

When I was in the army, I was a scout. That is exactly what you think it is: sneak up ahead of everyone else spot the enemy and report back. Sometimes shoot at them and sometimes call for artillery or air support. The first unit I was in was at Fort Polk, Louisiana. This is not a pleasant place. No offence to folks who live in Louisiana, I did like the state. But the post was awful, infested with bugs, humid all the time, mud up to your knees and more than its fair share of snakes.

But it was here that I learned to be a soldier and that means pulling your weight and not giving up. The vehicles we used for our craft, it feels cool to call soldiering a craft so I'll do it here, were M113's. Most folks have never heard of them as they were obsolete 10 years before I ever joined the army. They are big aluminum boxes on tracks, kind of like an armored bull dozer with a big machine gun. Well after we would get back from the field, i.e. playing in the woods with automatic weapons, we would need to carry the equipment back from the motor pool to the armory. Sometimes there was a Jeep and sometimes not. If not you would need to lug the .50 cal a half mile to the armory (read 84 pounds - 60 pound gun and 24 pound barrel). I would volunteer for the gun. Mostly I did this for selfish reasons, first it was like earning good will to get out of more unpleasant stuff, second I could do it). So I take the .50 cal because I can and because I don't quit. I carried that hunk of metal over my back for half a mile. Quitting is for others, not this kid.

So tonight, I ran 4 miles beginning at 11 pm.

Mile 1: 11:58
Mile 2: 11: 37
Mile 3: 11:50
Mile 4: 11: 45

I could have gone to bed, I was tired after putting in a long day today. Nobody would have said I word if I did. But I didn't. Just like when I was 18, I can carry the .50 cal so I do. I don't give in, I don't break. I may back off for a little bit, like the last 2 weeks. But I don't quit, that is for others. I'll never be the fastest guy out there but I won't quit. I have some bend but no break.

Whipping My Horse

2007-10-02T22:07:00.000-04:00

It has been a couple of weeks since the Philly Distance Run, my first half marathon. I think I finally feel right in my head. I was so pumped up for the run that I did not expect the emotional let down that followed the race. I had put everything I had in preparing for this race since late March. So when it was over, I was left with a feeling of what now. It was similar to my feelings after my black belt test so many years ago. What now? It was hard to get back on track. After investing so much of myself into the race, I should have realized that I would have an emotional lag after the fact. Well the good news is that I think I am over my lull.

I have let my horse graze in pasture after a hard race. But now it is time to get it out on the track again and get it up to speed. By horse I mean me. I finally have the bug back in my blood to get out and run, to test and push myself beyond where I went last time. I suppose I needed a little down time. But now I have to go whip my horse and put him through his paces.

I feel like I have been lazy this week

2007-09-30T13:07:00.000-04:00

Before today, my last run was on Tuesday. That was a while ago. Usually I run 4 days a week. So being at 2 days is a bit unusual for me. Today I did 3.5 miles.

Mile 1: 12:09
Mile 2: 11:31
Mile 3: 11:25
Last half: 11:15 pace.

Its not bad really. I have been feeling like I have had the beginnings of a cold this week so I slept a little more than usual (read increase of 5 to 6 hours a night to about 7.5 hours). When the weather snaps, I usually pick up a small amount of congestion. I have to be careful that it doesn't explode on me into something more serious. But I have been exercising at night but I just haven't been running much. I will try to do more next week. Since the distance run I have had a bit of an emotional let down, I think that is normal and I also think I am over it. Next week, I will try to go with 3 to 4 days a week. Perhaps 2 to 3 days at 3 to 5 miles and one day at 6 to 9 miles. I don't think I will be doing much racing for the rest of year and I have to get motivated to run for its own sake. Amy over at Runners Lounge talked about this before. I am having a hard time making the transition. I think I will register for the 10k in November just to have something on the schedule to motivate me. When I don't see goals and benchmarks to shoot for it can be hard for me to get my motivation up. I am realizing this about myself.

Today, I also lifted some weights and that was a nice addition. Strength training can be a bit boring but the results can't be argued with. I will have to add more to my schedule as well. Especially not that it is cooling off and the rush of activity associated with Summer is coming to an end. Time to redouble my efforts as the coming winter makes me nervous in terms of my weight. This is the time of year I usually increase in weight. I have to go into January on a good program or I could gain 20 pounds from January to April.

2007-09-25T09:16:00.000-04:00

A little run today. I was just looking for a groove today and not so worried about time. Tomorrow I will do a few miles on the hills to work on speed. But today, not so much.

Mile 1: 12:42
Mile 2: 12:31
Mile 3: 12:34
Mile 3.5: 12:01 pace

Not bad just putting in paces today.

Weight check today was 255. Not too bad but not great. I am at the point where exercise is not enough. I will be working on a more comprehensive diet plan over the next couple of weeks. Everyone have fun out there.

Goals and Saturday times

2007-09-22T15:48:00.000-04:00

I have decided to focus on some personal running goals until I figure out if I want to run another race this year. I wrote some goals around mid June as it relates to my running. Here is the list:

Run sub 12 minute pace for 5 minutes (each mile below 12 minutes) - Completed this one. I ran a sub 12 for the first 6 miles of the Philly Distance Run.
Run sub 11 minute pace for 5 miles
Run sub 10 minute pace for 3 miles

These are the goals I am working on. I will try to work these out over the next 6 weeks while I figure out what I want to do in terms of racing for the rest of the year. Today I did this:

Mile 1: 12:07
Mile 2: 11:23
Mile 3: 11:31

Not bad, I am getting there. I am getting faster and as long as I can concentrate on the speed I don't see any reason why I can't do this.

It was all I could take

2007-09-21T09:21:00.000-04:00

I wanted to run last night, but I did some cross training instead. I am not a 100% recovered yet. The wear and tear I put on my body was a little more than usual, the race pumped me up to times I don't usually do on 4 miles runs never mind 13.1. But I am a running junkie, and my junk is running. (Please see Half- Fast's recent post on his new morning running addiction, funny stuff). So I woke up (crawled out of bed) at 5:30 and stumbled around for 15 to twenty minutes before getting out the door. I had not worn any running shoes since Sunday. Strange feeling (I cross train barefoot if you must know) to be wearing them again.

It felt like I was in Munch's the Scream. It was a surreal feeling just being out there. I had run the streets before but it felt weird being out there again. Just feeling a bit misplaced this morning. I am not registered for any races, maybe that is part of it. I had postponed the Baltimore half to get my heel and ankle a chance to recover a bit. So as it stands now, the only reason to run is simply to run. I never quite got into a groove today but over all I am happy just to get back on track.

3 miles

Mile 1: 12:43
Mile 2: 12:18
Mile 3: 12:22

I wasn't trying to ease up but this was the best I could do today. My pace was a bit herky jerky .. up down up down. Like I said the groove was elusive today. But that is fine. I will do a longer run this weekend and see how it goes. Overall I am happy to be back on the junk.

Recovery Guilt

2007-09-20T10:26:00.000-04:00

I usually do something everyday. It is either running, martial arts, cross training ... well something. But this run wore me so far out that I have only gone to one martial arts class since and nothing else. I feel very guilty. The guilt is good because I know that it will get me back on track. It has just taken me three days to get over the bone in tired that 13 miles did to me. I was simply worn out and I suppose my body was letting me know that I needed a rest. Last night I slept for 10 hours something I never do. Usually 6 to 7 is where I come down in terms of sleep.

Today I feel better and hope to put some miles and/ or cross training back under my belt tonight. I have felt the need to post pone my Baltimore half marathon until next year. I am carrying too many nagging injuries. I think I will need through October to get back to normal. Maybe I will sign up for a turkey trot or some such thing in late November to get me back on track going into next year. However, I keep learning a golden rule of running ... respect the recovery time, it is necessary. I know this is true yet somehow I am surprised every time. Maybe next time I will learn. Nahhh.

A little recovery time ...

2007-09-18T11:47:00.000-04:00

Please enjoy this easy listening music while I recover.... Oh no music well pick your own tune.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all my well wishers. It really is appreciated. Currently I am recovering from the half marathon. I had some ankle issues since the end of race. Mostly, I have stiffness and my right hamstring is doing a bit of barking at me. (ruff, ruff). I have a case of right as it were. What is a case of right, well in short my right side is giving me problems. Right heel, right ankle, right hamstring and now right thigh (the left thigh has joined to avoid loneliness). So I think it may be a couple of extra days recovery.

Future running plans don't include a full marathon for another year or so. If I had to run another 13.1 after completing 13.1 I think I would have died right there. But who knows with the proper training. But not until the Philadelphia Marathon November 2008 at the earliest. Right now, I may push off the Baltimore half until next year so I can properly recover, which I had not really done. I have been carrying around some naggers for a few months and should take care of my injuries. But I may pick up the half marathon for the Philly marathon in Mid November. I will think about that.

Thanks to all those who wished me well:

Tracey Mom - http://xman07.blogspot.com/

Laura - http://www.itstimetorun.blogspot.com/

Elkerette- http://wwhinings.blogspot.com/

Jason - http://jasonsrunningdiary.blogspot.com/

Black belt mama - http://www.blackbeltmama.com/

Runner gal Leana http://cdnrunnergal.blogspot.com/

Some more I forgot:

Amy - http://blog.runnerslounge.com/

IM Able - http://im-able.blogspot.com/

Non Runner Nancy - http://www.nancy262.com/index.htm

livelaughlove32 - http://hatedrunning.blogspot.com/

Dave Fleet - http://torontorunner.com/

Mike - http://thesearemyfeet.blogspot.com/

There are others and I hope they know, I appreciate the well wishing such as my Mom, Brother, my Army buddies Sam and David, and Kenpo Sensei. To anyone I forgot to mention here I do appreciate it but I forgot just now, I will remember later I am sure, what was I talking about?

Philadelphia Distance Run

2007-09-16T20:36:00.000-04:00

This is my post race report. I completed the 13.1 miles of the Philadelphia Distance Run. My pace was about 12:40, for a 2 hour 45 minute total time. When you consider that I finished the Broad Street Run in 2 hours and 26 minutes for 10 miles this is good, damn good. I have to say that I am quite happy with the result. Based on my performance in May in the Broad Street Run (I did about a 14:30 pace over the 10 miles) I had wanted to do about a 13:30 pace for the race. But I started out pretty well for myself. The first 7 miles were at a sub12:00 minute pace and then I just was fighting fatigue for the last 4 miles. It really was a good time. The bands were playing and I was able to run some real estate that you just don't get to on an average day. The course ran past the Liberty Bell, the Constitution Center, Independence Hall, the Art Museum (see Rocky) and up and around Kelly drive some of the prettiest running routes in the city.

My Garmin recorded things slightly differently than the course chip. Here is what my watch said.
Mile 1: 11:36
Mile 2: 11: 31
Mile 3: 11:26
Mile 4: 11:40
Mile 5: 11:53
Mile 6: 11:41
Mile 7: 12:22 (hills)
Mile 8: 12:43
Mile 9: 12:58
Mile 10: 12:16
Mile 11: 14:01 (fatigue + hills)
Mile 12: 13:51 (fatigue)
Mile 13: 13:20
Last tenth: 12:42 pace

My watch recorded a 12:25 pace. Who knows why this type of difference occurs. It probably has to do with the watch following just me and depending on how I take my turns can make the course different. It seemed that when I hit 13.1 I still had .2 to go. I will put a variance into the gps next time out.

I have a medal, yeah!

Another Blog

2007-09-15T20:29:00.000-04:00

I have started my martial arts blog at About the Journey. If anyone is interested I will continue my martial arts musings there. This way I can dedicate this blog to running as it was originally intended for.

I love the pre race expos

2007-09-14T12:36:00.000-04:00

Today I went down to the convention center to pick up my race packet for Sunday. At the same time I registered my daughter for a fun run. I am sure she will have a great time. The race coordinators do a good job of getting the whole family involved. She gets a T-Shirt, race number and at the race she will get a medal, I am sure she will be thrilled.

After I make it through the lines to get my goodie bag and t-shirt are the expo vendors. I get a little jazzed for this. I am not much of a shopper but I like these. I try to bring about $50 to blow on running stuff. Usually the prices on running gear sometimes will make me cringe. So when I go to the expo and see shorts and tops for $10 to $15 a pop, my eyes open. For me it is like a kid in a candy store. Today, I picked up a pair of shorts, top and socks for about $30. I was very happy. I never seem to have enough shorts and anti-wicking tops. I tried about a week ago in a regular t-shirt, I won't do that again. So I am glad to find a bargain on apparel.

Last year, I had runner's knee and couldn't run more than 200 yards before I was in agony from the pain. I had registered for the distance run but just couldn't do it. I was quite disappointed. This year after a year's wait I will be part of the run, I am quite pleased to say. Everyone wish me luck, I am sure to finish. At what time is any one's guess. But I would like to be finished before my daughter runs her race at 10:30. I will do my best.

An evening run...

2007-09-13T23:02:00.000-04:00

I usually run in the morning and I usually run in the park. Today, I ran at night and I ran on the streets. I thought I change might be nice on my easy week before the half marathon on Sunday. I think the change agreed with me. I am a slow runner on a good day and a down right plodder on a bad day. Today, was different for me.

Mile 1: 11:55
Mile 2: 11:42
Mile 3: 11:40
Mile 4: 11:36

I believe these are the best times I have posted since my return to running in March. Now I was once fast. When I graduated from basic training my 2 mile exit test was 12:20 total or 6:10 per mile. But that was a long time ago. The fact that I still had more in the tank at the end is a good sign as well. The nice thing was that there is a large hill in the middle of the route I took and it didn't slow me down either coming or going. It was a good feeling to post this time right before the race.

Sunday is the big day.... Philadelphia Distance Run... I am a ready as I am going to be. My legs are strong and fresh, my weight is down, lungs are fine, motivation good as long as I eat and hydrate correctly I should be fine. Thumbs up.

Other Notes:
As I have mentioned many times in the past I practice martial arts as part of my overall health program. I have been in and out of training for the past 22 years. Depending upon where I have lived has determined what I have studied; however, it has always been a grounding force in my life and I always feel better when I am training. To separate my thoughts on martial arts from the more running related thoughts, I have decided to create a second blog dedicated to my martial arts journey. This is part of the same journey that brings me to running but I don't want to bore folks who are just not interested in my martial arts thoughts. For those that are a link will be provided. Life is a journey not a destination, this is my journey.

A lazy morning

2007-09-11T09:28:00.000-04:00

Last night I had intended on going out for 4 miles but my daughter was in a mood and did not get to bed until late. The trials and tribulations of the 4 year old mind, hmmm. So I went out this morning and didn't have the time for 4 so I did a three. The goal is just to keep my legs fresh so not a big deal.

The results:

Mile 1: 12:50
Mile 2: 11:30
Mile 3: 11:34

By doing the nasty hills recently I have really kicked up my times on the straight aways. I started out in March running 15 to 16 minute miles. So on these short runs I have made some progress.

Cross Training
Last night I did a bunch of push-ups, sit-ups, dips along with an obnoxious amount of punches and kicks. By the time it was over an hour and a half had passed and it was 12:00. Midnight, good god what was I thinking. Well you work when you can, I didn't make an excuse so that is best. As my favorite quote goes "If you look for an excuse long enough, you will find one you like". So I got off the couch.

... 5 days to go... gulp

Strange Diet Notes
My biggest problem when I started this adventure back in March was fast food. I really was hooked on the grease and I never thought twice about what I was eating or drinking (a large soft drink and a refill was part of the process). I did not even think whether or not I was hungry or not. It was a comfort and habit sort of thing. Now, I have to say that for the most part fast food now makes me sick to even smell never mind eat. It took me a while to back off from it but now I don't go to a fast food restaurant except with my daughter once a month. I will eat something there and it is not good for me but it is only once a month. Everything in moderation.

These days my snacks are fruit and vegetables instead of cookies or other sorts of baked goods. And I look at serving sizes now. I will chug water but nothing else. So this is equally as important as the exercise. I never would have thought I would have preferred an apple to some peanut butter cookies. Strange.

10 is better than nothing

2007-09-09T21:50:00.000-04:00

I had intended to do 12 miles on Saturday, but that did not exactly work out. However, I did log 10 miles and that is not bad. You see I made a big boo boo in terms of my course planning. I went the hilly way instead of the pretty flat way. Well I had never done the hilly way for long distances before usually only a mile or 3. Well I determined that the hilly way is actually 6.5 to 7 miles long. Up and down ....uuuup and down .... uuuuup and downnnnn. The altitude changes alone are enough to make one's stomach do flips. Well, once I made my round tripper over the hills I was at 6.9 miles and then I hit the streets for the remainder of my run. But I was spent. I am not a good hill runner and I broke myself on the rocks as it were. I am pleased as the half miler on Sunday will be a pancake so I won't have to worry about the ups and down. In the end here are the times:

Mile 1: 14:12
Mile 2: 13:45
Mile 3: 14:15
Mile 4: 14:54 (I start to suffer right about here, my tongue is dragging and it is everything I can do to keep any kind of pace over the next 4 miles)
Mile 5: 15:07 - I find a water fountain about mile 5.5 and this saves my bacon as I can hit on the way back as well. Phew, I was getting pretty dehydrated. The 70+ percent humidity didn't help things any as I chewed my air along the way.
Mile 6: 15:52
Mile 7: 14:35
Mile 8: 14:25
Mile 9: 14:39
Mile 10: 14:50

I was trying to pace myself and I think I did a good job overall. The hills just sapped by strength and when I came out the other side there wasn't much left of me. I got through the last three miles on pure will. There was no juice in the tank only a little bit of experience and some kokoro (heart of all things- Japanese). It was all I could do to get to 10 miles. Sorry to report a relative failure on the 12, but I am happy with this hard 10. The difficulty factor was probably a 7 for me compared to the 2 to 4 of my normal run.

Cross Training
I have been working hard outside of running on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday was an hour and a half of martial arts practice with some standard pushup, crunches and dips type exercises thrown in for good measure. Saturday was an hour of kicks and punches with some differing combinations and Sunday I pumped some iron. I mentioned before that cross training has been the holy grail of my running confidence and performance.

7 days to go
The remainder of the week is pretty lax in terms of my preparation. Just make sure my legs don't get weaker or my cardio. Monday - 4 miles, Tuesday - off, Wednesday - 3 miles, Thursday- off, Friday - 2 miles, Saturday - off, Sunday -Race. Well it is set now, lets see how it all turns out.

100 posts
I thought I might want to do something special for post 100. But instead I just wanted to end this post by saying thanks for reading along through my own personal struggle.

Not what I intended but still pretty good

2007-09-07T09:21:00.000-04:00

I had intended to to 6 to 8 last night; however, being a lawyer sometimes unexpected work related things come up that blow my plans out of the water. So I am saying that I did not run last night, I wanted to and that should count for something I don't what but something. So I went out this morning but after a late work night (read 1 am), I was not really that motivated this morning. But I got up and went out to my favorite course and did what time allowed, which was 4 miles. But I did them right in a row so that was fine. It was an uneventful run beyond my pet peeve of people walking dogs without leashes that want to run up to you while you are running. I like dogs but I get a bit nervous during these encounters, because I don't know the dog's intent.

In the end all was well:

Mile 1: 13:15
Mile 2: 12:24
Mile 3: 13:01
Mile 4: 13:05

I was trying not to push on the last couple of miles but rather I wanted to find out what my natural groove was where the running isn't exactly effortless but comfortable. The answer is about 13:00. Not bad for me. The next post is 100 and it will also be the post pre half marathon prep run. I plan to do 12 miles tomorrow. We will see but that is the intent.

Getting hurt was the best thing for me

2007-09-06T09:50:00.000-04:00

I was running almost exclusively until I came up lame with a plantar injury. When that happened I needed to find another way to exercise while I healed, as it turned out I didn't heal completely. I turned to swimming, weight lifting and at home martial arts/ body weight exercises. I returned to running recently to excellent gains in strength and endurance. At the same time I have continued doing my nightly ritual of push ups, crunches, leg raises, calf raises, squats, lunges, tricep dips, and punches and kicks ad nausea. The benefits have been excellent, not just in terms of what I can accomplish now compared to when I started but how I feel. My muscular strength has really rebounded and I can see the reduced fat deposits on my arms legs and abdomen. It's great and I am really pleased. I have an injury to really thank for it, because if I hadn't hurt myself I don't think I would have pushed myself to do these nightly exercises when most normal people are resting for the next day.

My heel has been feeling better and maybe in a couple of months I will be back to normal. Tonight I hit the streets for another run, I hope to put in 6 to 8. Which really means I intend to do 8 and will do everything in my power to do 8 but I will settle for 6 if time constraints intervene.

10 days until the race. Yikes!!! (I use exclamation points very conservatively)

Ups and downs

2007-09-04T09:19:00.000-04:00

Today I ran a part of the park trail that I have not really been on before. It is not hidden really just that everyone goes the other way so I followed them and never really thought about the other way. Well this morning I went the other way. It is pretty hilly and as such little used. Hills are rough for me, I just kill myself on them. Today was no different.

3 miles

Mile 1: 13:55
Mile 2: 13:50
Mile 3: 13:15

It was like torture for me but I did make it through it. Other point of reference, I always under estimate how I will feel the day after a long run. I was not capable of running on Sunday. I was torn up from my 9 miles on Saturday. So I took Sunday off completely. Monday, I did two martial arts workouts - one in the morning and one in the evening. Felt fine.

12 days until the Philly Distance Run ... tick tock, tick tock.

A brilliant run

2007-09-01T17:32:00.000-04:00

This morning I went out for a long run in preparation for the half marathon Sept 16. The end result was quite good in my opinion. I intended 9 miles and I did 9 miles. That is great in my mind. Recently I have been out trying to do long runs but have ended up with not as much distance or with poor times when it was all done. I had intended to average about 14:00 miles over 9 miles. Not too lofty, but with my plantar pull and a hamstring pull to contend with, I was looking for steady eddie not Carl Lewis.

Mile 1: 14:12
Mile 2: 13:42
Mile 3: 13:55
Mile 4: 14:01
Mile 5: 13:47
Mile 6: 14:10
Mile 7: 14:01
Mile 8: 14:07
Mile 9: 13:47

I know it doesn't look like much but I averaged just under 14:00 a mile which is exactly what I set out to do. I am not looking at setting any land speed records only to get through 13.1 miles in one piece. I will gladly accept blisters and exhaustion as part and parcel of the process. At the end of the run I still had a few more miles in me which was nice. So I think I will be able to get through this half marathon. Which is a nice feeling. I did have to push myself to keep the pace in the troublesome 5, 6, and 7 mile marks. It seems my body wants to slow down after I hit 5 miles. I think I have conditioned this response. But as long as I keep watch on my performance is should not be much of a problem. My only concern is slowing down my neighbor Jack on the run.

Cross training Notes
Today was my belt test as well. I went from 9 miles on the roads to the belt test not a swift move on my part. However, I did pass so that was nice. It seems that I am making progress on this front as well. I just have to keep at it. The thing about working on it every day is that you can never say I will do it tomorrow. That excuse just evaporates.

Up next.... Sunday 5 miles

Back on the Run

2007-08-31T09:19:00.000-04:00

I woke up today at 5:00 am and thought what am I doing getting up after 5 hours sleep. Well I didn't think much of anything really, I just grunted a lot. But I rolled out of bed threw on my running stuff, iced my hamstring for 15 minutes, warmed up and got out the door. Then off to the park, which was dark (I am going to have to re-think my morning route with less sunlight available in the mornings) but I ran anyway, the false dawn was enough.

I was nervous about my hamstring so I took it easy the first couple of miles. End result:

Mile 1: 13:45
Mile 2: 13:22
Mile 3: 12:55
Mile 4: 12:38

I felt pretty good, I could have done another 3 to 4 or more. I don't know exactly but 4 miles wasn't the bottom of the tank. But I was tired this morning. I worked out last night with some cross training. I have a martial arts test on Saturday so practice makes perfect. So I did an hour and a half. I won't bore you all with details. But I did find that by doing squats where you lift your heels off the floor you can get a deeper squat that works more of your total leg. I read it in a book, it is a nice tip, plus it reduces the strain on your knee. A nice bonus. I don't have knee problems but I don't want them either. Also, by doing push-ups where you only have a 3 inch movement is pretty intense. You can do a lot but you burn yourself out pretty fast.

The good news is that by regular icing my hamstring is behaving and I am running, with a little discomfort, but running. Next up, wait for it, wait for it, .....

9 Miles Tomorrow

It's Time to Run

2007-08-30T08:49:00.000-04:00

My good friend Laura from my High School days in New Hampshire has started a running blog, It's Time to Run I would recommend people to stop by and say hello and give her some encouragement. Starting is the hardest part and just by getting out the door you are doing more than most. Good luck, I will be checking in on you to see if you are staying honest. :)

The things we do to ourselves

2007-08-30T08:34:00.001-04:00

I practice American Kenpo as well as run. It is a practical art focusing mostly on quick hand techniques and foot movement. But before class I was working on some kicks and got motivated to do some jump kicks. Jump kicks are never done in practical formats but they can be fun. On Tuesday they were not. I pulled my hamstring. It hurt like the dickens, not sure if I ever said like the dickens before. But I have been R.I.C.E. ing for a couple of days (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) and now I feel right as rain. (hmmm, perhaps it is cliche day). So tonight at long last I will be running again.

I have been injuring myself for pretty consistently for the past month. When they talk about August injuries (whoever they are and what gives them the right to talk anyway), they are serious. This month I have suffered:

continuing heel injury
shoulder pull
back strain
hamstring pull
ankle strain
and someone hurt my feelings once

It has been a tough one for the old robster that is for sure. I look forward to the fall. It is my favorite time of year, cooler weather comes in and now it is officially race season. I have been struggling through the summer to make it to now. Two half marathons on the horizon. I am ready. I will finish, it won't be pretty but I will finish. My neighbor Jack will give me the extra motivation to keep it up. To be truthful, the last few days have been awful. I have become a bit addicted to the exercise, which is better than being addicted to a lot of other things or so I am told, so I am missing the endorphin euphoria of the exercise. I will post again tonight after my run. Wish me luck. Dealing with injuries is part of the game but I don't like that part.

Hell with the cover off

2007-08-26T18:18:00.000-04:00

Pittsburgh was once described as Hell with the cover off. I think I know what that means after my run on Saturday. It was a miserable mess, the heat and humdity mix was intense to say the least. The heat started at about 77 with 91% humidity by the end of the run the heat was up to 80 with 81% humidity. It was a nasty mix. I fought through 6 miles before I realized that this was requiring too much fight. I was getting too dehydrated and I didn't have enough fluids. When I took on the gel packs I felt like I was going to vomit. There is a difference between toughing it out and being stupid. I was verging on stupid with the humidity level. I did do 6 miles at about a 12:45 pace. Not too terrible. But my fears were confirmed when I arrived at home. I had lost 6.5 pounds between morning weigh in and the end of the run. Not good. That was too much. I had been hydrating but it wasn't enough.

Weight Check

This is for my pre run weight on Saturday rather than the abnormal post run weight. So that puts me at 259. It is only 2 pounds difference but it is 2 pounds less. I can rationalize the small drop. I hadn't run for 3 of the 4 weeks of the month and I had done my strength exercises which probably added muscle. But the bottom line is that I feel better today than I did 30 days ago. That is what this is all about. So I am fine with a two pound drop. I will shoot for 4 for next month.

Right around the corner

2007-08-24T11:25:00.000-04:00

The Philly Distance Run is right around the corner, I know because they sent me the final race information in the mail yesterday. I know I can do the distance but with my heel injury, I have scaled back any time considerations. Instead, I have looked at it and thought I will need to run about 3 hours to finish. O.k. how do I do that, seems daunting at first glance. Well here is the formula:

This weekend: 2 Hours and 30 minutes on Saturday. I will not look so much at distance as time. 150 minutes of running -- seems like a lot. So my plan is to stash gels and water in my car. Then run out 38 minutes and run back 38 minutes, then reload with gels and water and do a slightly shorter distance. It will be boring the second time but I need to get up to distance for the race.

Then over the next two weekends I will push the long runs to 2 hours and 45 minutes and then 3 hours. This should put me at the correct endurance level. The only problem with running 13.1 miles is you have to do it in a row, I mean it would be easier if you could say run 3 miles one day then come back and do some more the next.

Things I think:
I think cross training is the holy grail for my running. The gains I have made in speed and endurance I attribute to cross training. It really is unbelievable. I have shaved a minute off my average times during my time off from running. Some probably can be attributed to fatigue but I think most of the gains are cross training related.

I think a half marathon is pretty far. I keep thinking 13.1, 13.1 and get a little nervous. I have the ability to do it, but I have never done it before. Uncertainty is the problem. I think I will be fine but I am gearing it up for the next few weeks. Wish me luck.

I know I have exercised everyday but one for the past 30 days. I think that is pretty good.

It took a long time to build up this exercise habit, but I don't think I could ever go back to not exercising.

I think that my weight check is tomorrow, check out tomorrow's post run post (someone should report me to the Department of Redundancy Department).

I am all jacked up today

2007-08-23T09:27:00.000-04:00

The day started out well enough, I got up at 6:00 am and went out for a run. Things are looking up on this front.

Mile 1. 13:22
Mile 2. 12:22
Mile 3. 12:40
Mile 4. 12:32

This is two good ones in a row. I had only really looked at getting at 13:30 a mile for this upcoming half marathon. It seems I am out pacing my expectations. I am really doing well with the run since my return. I was a little tired from my cross training last night but overall I am happy.

Cross Training Notes:
Last night I was watching Human Weapon on the History Channel. It is a good show, there are some problems with some of the facts, but it is overall a good show. But it got me into the old school training methods I had done in my youth. So last night I did an hour and half of cross training after my daughter went to bed. I worked on a horse stance for a long time. A horse stance is simply a stance where the feet are a little wider than shoulder width apart, feet pointed forward, legs bent and knees out. This really puts a lot of stress on your thighs. If you can do it for five minutes you are doing well. But while I do this I also work on blocks and strikes. After twenty minutes my legs were toast. Additionally, my squats and other exercises are really getting high in terms of repetitions. Last night squats 45/ 40/ 50, calf raises 35/ 45, single leg squats 20/ 20. So that is going well

All Jacked Up
This morning after my shower, everything fell apart. First the trash truck was an hour early, so I had to run out and get all the trash to the curb. At least I didn't have to chase it. Then I forget to shave before I leave, so I have to pick up razors and shaving cream at the local Rite Aid before work and shave at my office rest room. The good news was no one saw me before I was able to shave. Which is fortunate as we have a group of attorneys from our U.K. offices here for the week. I could imagine, "Hey Nigel, check out this bloke." to which the partner I work for would promptly throw me from the 50th floor of our building. Well at least I wouldn't have been embarrassed anymore. The bad news is that I bought disposable razors and cut myself up a bit. I hate nicks. So now I look like I washed my face with glass chips. Who ever thought that scraping a razor sharp knife across your throat every day is a good idea is beyond me. Oh, well at least the running is good.

It's always sunny in Philadelphia ... oh really

2007-08-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

It is a wet morning here in the city of brotherly love, but I went out running anyway. It was cool and crisp. It is amazing how things improve with the removal of an obstacle, in this case heat. But I also like to think that my weeks of cross training have paid dividends. So here is the result of my morning excursion.

Mile 1: 13:45
Mile 2: 12:30
Mile 3: 12:22
Mile 4: 12:08

Now for me this is an exciting total. I have usually been a 13 minute runner and more often than not I have been happy to turn in times of 13:30 to 13:45 per mile. But today, I did not feel like I was pushing any harder but the speed was better, this is even on rain soaked trails. The last mile I was pushing to the finish for the last .5 miles. This was not because I was tired but because I wanted to see how I could do. To dig in for a little extra and see how I felt. The answer, I felt fine. I bought some plantar inserts for my shoes, its adds some extra cushion and my heel felt fine. If it is going to bother me for a while I can at least minimize it. cheers.

Weird Running Stuff today:

A storm knocked over a tree at the entrance to the park I run in. So I:

a. went home

b. found an alternate way in the park

c. climbed over the tree

Answer: C

2. There are wild turkeys in Pennypack park, I did not know this. But there was a group (not sure the term for turkeys: gaggle, school, murder) of about 6 turkeys. It really is a park full of life that is for sure.

Cross Training Notes:
I have been logging my cross training since the beginning of August (July 30th really) and the results are:

Since I began tracking I have taken only August 10th off, I do something everyday.
I do two a days fairly frequently. Workouts per week are 9, 8, and 9 for the corresponding week.
the cross training has really helped me to improve in all aspects of my fitness: leg strength, stamina, power and so on.
I have more energy over all as I stagger the types of things I do each day. Swimming one day, running the next, crunches most days, push-ups most days, strength training one day, endurance the next and so on. This keeps it varied as well.

Something legal

2007-08-20T15:59:00.000-04:00

People don't like lawyers. It's true and I am usually ok with that because I understand why that is. Most people don't like the fact that lawyers have the keys to the court house. People know that they can go it alone but it is an ill advised trip. All the procedure and forms are daunting for lawyers on any given day and we spend all of our time with it. For a lay person it can be nothing short of overwhelming. Sometimes even the best legal counsel can't save people from themselves. I was reminded today of something that happened in my first year of practice. Even though this is not a law blog, I thought I would share this law story. Heck people watch Law and Order every day.

I had been assigned to defend a homeowner in a suit where the Plaintiff alleged that he had fallen on the home owner's property and broken his elbow. So he wanted some money damages for his injuries and inconvenience. This is all well and good, Philadelphia gives out more in jury awards than the state of California. In Philadelphia, lawyers like to say this to each other. (California and other states have limits on jury awards, Pennsylvania does not- it is a distorted fact, but we still like to say it).

So I prepare to defend the case and do all the things that lawyers do to help their clients. This includes taking the deposition of the Plaintiff. A deposition, for those not familiar, is a statement under oath recorded by a court reporter. A lawyer, usually not your lawyer, will ask questions and the deponent (person being asked the questions) will answer and the court reporter will write it all down. Very efficient. The lawyer will ask all kinds of questions which seem irrelevant to the case; things about education, family, job and and so on. Then they will ask some things about the case.

As it turned out this started as a normal deposition. The plaintiff showed up with this lawyer and I asked a bunch of questions. How did you get hurt? blah, blah, blah. I will paraphrase some relevant parts:

Me: Did you go to the hospital?

P: Yes

Me: What if any treatment did you receive?

P: I had x-rays and a cast was put on.

(later on)

Me: Earlier you said you had an appointment to have you cast removed, did you make that appointment?

P: No

Me: Did you see a family physician to remove your cast?

P: No

Me: I see you are not wearing a cast today, how was it removed?

P: I took it off myself.

[I do a complete head spin here and my jaw probably bounced off the floor]

Me: You took off your own cast?

P: Yes

Me: Are you a doctor?

P: No

Me: How did you remove the cast, with a saw?

P: I don't remember

Well you get the idea, it went on much further inquiring into the type of tool used to remove the cast to the extent of medical training of the plaintiff. As a contractor he had a lot tools but no medical training or memory of how the cast was removed. I suppose the quick moral of the story is don't conduct medical treatment on yourself and then sue someone for it. He may have been entitled to a recovery of some sort but he sunk his own case by not thinking through his actions before hand.

Weekend Work

2007-08-19T21:09:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, I ran on actual roads again. It was nice to be back, my heel pain looks like it will be with me for a while. It is not bad just irksome. I decided when I went out on Saturday that I wanted to run for an hour. No expectations on time, pace or anything else. Just run an hour. I hit the trail at 7:30 and ran 30 minutes out and then it took 32 minutes to get back. Well not bad. I had no problems with wind or muscle fatigue. To be truthful, all the cross training in the past few weeks has paid off in terms of muscular strength. In the past, I might get some fatigue in my legs at the end of a long run. But after weeks of cross training and swimming, I felt great. I did not bring a watch on the run, mostly because I am an idiot. I forgot to bring it.

In the end I ran 62 minutes and ran about 4.5 miles. Not terrible. It feels great to be back on track. It is nice to feel the breeze on a nice run when the weather was not too hot. Everything was right and it was a good day to get back on the trails.

Friday: Martial arts work out

Sunday: 4 miles/ 50 minutes elliptical and strength training.