Run #14 - Easy 7 miles - The Pain of the Road

Good evening everyone. Well as excited as I was about my tempo run on Thursday, I am frustrated and disheartened by today's long run.

Since all of my typical routes were snow/ice covered, I laid out a 3.6 mile loop through Bethel to run. When I started out at 11:45am it was a balmy 17 degrees with a windchill of 6 degrees. The first 2 miles went well and then I must have hit a wall. When I finished, I was 15 minutes over my projected time. I was sore, frustrated, winded and disheartened. I had not run that bad since I started training for the Flying Pig Half Marathon a year ago and debated whether or not I should try the full marathon.

After some cool down time and time in my tree stand, I found a little bit of solace in the run. I thought about a few of the differences about my run today. The temperature was the second coldest run to date. The coldest was my first "long" run which was only 4.2 miles and it was not much colder (I believe 16 degrees with a win chill below zero). Today's run included 3 fairly steep graded hills (not long but fairly steep). I have not done any hill training to date. My long run next week includes a 1 mile 25-30 degree hill, a 0.2 mile 30 degree hill and a 0.25 20 degree hill. Yes, I am insane. Also, since i was in a hurry to meet a friend to hunt, I did not do my 0.25 mile cool down walk. Finally, I think I overdressed for the weather. I was hot by mile 2 and had sweat through everything I had on by the end of the run.

So - I officially signed my commitment to run today. I am officially registered for the 2009 Flying Pig Marathon, 2/May/09 (91 days from now). I have put my money where my mouth/shoes are and now cannot back out (or Laurel will have my head for wasting the money to register). So there is no turning back now.

Finally, I am looking for suggestions on how to work on increasing my stride. I am 99% sure that part of my poor time today was a result of not extending on my stride. When I run outside I feel like, and know, I do not get full extension when I run. I am not sure if it is me, the fact that it is cold, or the Under Armor cold gear compression pants. If you have any suggestions/ideas of things I can do work on this, please leave a comment.

Tomorrow is a short (3 mile) easy run and then off to watch Arizona put a smack down on the thugs from Pittsburgh.

Take care, stay warm.

In Him,

Phillippians 4:13

Run #13 - Tempo 4 miles

Good evening everyone. Since we were on a delay at work today and I had a music planning meeting after work, I ran my 4 miles after work and before my meeting. Like I've said in previous blogs, I do my best running in the morning, so I was not real excited about an afternoon run,but figured that it would be good for my training. I started my run at 4:30pm at the YMCA. It was 23 degrees outside and when I came out of after my run - it was snowing again!!!

A tempo run is supposed to be under my target marathon pace. Well I was surprised when I finished my run and found out that I was under my marathon pace by 1 minute!!! That was awesome. Now I did run inside on a track rather than out in the elements so that probably helped out with my pace. Either way, I was happy with my time.

Tomorrow is a rest day. If we are off work, it will most likely be spent in the woods and sledding. So much for rest, but it does not feel like a workout.

Blog at you later - be safe, enjoy life, and check back on Saturday.

Phillippians 4:13

Run #12 - The Run That Wasn't

Hello all. Well I hat eto admit that I missed my first training run. When I got up this morning, it was sleeting and there was over a 1/4" of ice coating everything in sight. THen things wen tfrom bad to worse. We lost power at about 11:00am. I took a walk to the main road to see how bad they were and realized that I Was glad I did not try to run.



I cleaned off the truck and shoveled the driveway of ice and slush and we headed to the parents of friends of ours who had power. There we ate a lunch/dinner and Aaron and I took a walk through the woods to check on his deer stand and the downed trees. That was a little erie as we listened to trees cracking around us. When we got out of the woods, we spent the next 3 sledding, pushing kids, climbing hills, and generally goofing off in the snow. So, I think I got my cross trianing in for the day.



I included a picture of me coming down the hill this afternoon. My hope is to get a run in tomorrow. Ifthe weather is good, I am going to the YMCA to get my run/stairs training in.



Talk at everyone tomorrow,



Phillippians 4:13

Run #11 - Quality 4 miles

Today's run was interesting. I have to give kudos to my friend Rick from high school who runs in this weather on a somewhat regular basis in Iowa.

Since my work was closed and the roads were bad I was not able to go to the YMCA to run this morning. Typically this is a run/stairs day for me. Fortunately, someone who lives on our road has a tractor and a plow and had plowed our road (it looked better than the main roads). So I looked at the weather and decided to run about 11:30m when there would be a break between the snow and the freezing rain.

When I started out it was 22 degrees and snowing. About 1.5 miles into the run it stopped snowing and started sleeting, so much for the break. The next proverbial "kick in the teeth" was that where the road looked like it was plowed was actually covered with a thin layer of ice. The Asics running shoes that I am currently wearing have a deep tread for trail running so that helps, but not on ice. So I found myself running in the slight packed snow along the edge of the road (the packed but not plowed stuff). Running hills in this made up for not running stairs as each step led to a slip. At least I did not have any ice build up today.

I had some extra "cross training" in shovelling our driveway after lunch. Our driveway is about 100 feet long and 12 feet wide. I am glad that I have been running in the cold for the past 3 weeks. It made the shovelling of the driveway a little easier.

Take care everyone.

Stay warm and I will blog at you tomorrow after my "Easy" run (if there is such a thing),

Phillippians 4:13

Run #10 - Easy 3.3 miles "The Iceman Cometh"

I have come to realize that I do not recover from partying like I used too (and I didn't even party that much). We went tot he "travel Sport and Boat Show" in downtown Cincinnati with friends "Mogel Time" and then out to dinner at the Haufbrauer House in northern KY. Great German food and a litre of excellent dark German beer made for a wonderful evening,but as a ran today, I felt the potato pancakes and beer weighing me down.



Today's run was on our road. 2 laps of our road is 3.3 miles, and while there are a few "rolling" hills, you are constantly running up or down some level on incline. When I started out at 1:50pm it was snowing and 22 degrees. We were supposed to just get a dusting, but it snowed during the entire run. My pace for the run was about a 12 minute mile, which is on target for these runs, but it seems like I am hardly moving (especially today).



"The Iceman Cometh" By the time I finished, I felt pretty good. I walked into the garage to be met by my darling wife only to hear, "Hey girls, come look at dad's face." I had ice in my hair, on my forehead/cheeks, and pretty much everywhere. It was not as thick as yesterday, but more widespread. I added the photo that Laurel took. The other comment was that he picture turned out pretty good, but it was hard to tell the ice from the grey hair.



Tomorrow is a "Cross Training" day. Since I took the day off to hunt and work around the house, I may take an afternoon break and go swim or play volleyball at the YMCA.



Talk to you all tomorrow,

Philippians 4:13

Run #9 - Easy 6.5 miles

Hello all well I completed my second "long" run if you want to call it that. At least it was warmer than the run last week. When I got to the track at 8:30am, it was 25 degrees and snow flurries. I did not think much about it as a put on my MP3 player and started running.

Let me rewind a little. My goal is to complete the Flying Pig Marathon in under 5 hours, which means I need to maintain at least a 11:30/mile pace (or in that vicinity). That may not seem very fast to some of you, but for a 40 year old 6'2", 240 pound guy built more like a bouncer than a runner -- well, I'll leave it at that. From my training regiment for the Flying Pig Half Marathon last year, easy runs are to be a your target pace +45 seconds.

Back to today's run. When I passed the 6 mile point in my run, I was at a 11:20/mile pace (my target was about a 12:10/mile pace). I was not pushing myself hard either, so when I saw my time I was very excited. At the ed of the run I felt like I could have run another 2-3 miles, but stopped ad headed to the truck. When i got to the truck I realized that with the flurries and cold air, I had about 3/8" of ice built up on my beard from my ears to my chin. It took the majority of the 1 minute drive home to melt it out.

Anyhow, I will be putting a short version of this on FaceBook.

Peace,
Phillippians 4:13

Run #8 - Easy 3.5 miles + stairs (20 flights)

22/January/09, 11:09pm - Easy 3.5 miles + stairs (20 flights) (reposted from Facebook)

Well, I did not get my note done right after my run, but better late than never. Today was another good workout. All of my splits (both miles and stair sets) were better than Tuesday's. I add a quarter mile to each end of the workout and the difference between the 2 was only 4 seconds.

I am not exactly sure what next weeks runs will bring. Tuesdays are to be "Quality" runs and Thursdays are to be "Tempo" runs. Since I am training for the stair climb, I have been using the stair training intermittently in these runs as a prep. I am thinking about continuing the setup until after the climb on 22/Feb/09 and then start looking at my times. I am open to feedback about this decision.

Thanks for your continued comments and encouragement.

In Him.
Phillippians 4:13

Run #7 - Easy 3 miles

21/January/09, 7:17am - Easy 3 miles (reposted from Facebook)

Good morning again. Today is a great day. I was up and out he door at 4:50am. The temperature could have been a little warmer, it was 7 degrees (thank goodness I have a place inside to run). I ran a little faster than I planned, but it was an easy pace and a solid workout. I got into work at 6:30am and am writing this quick blog/note before I get back to work. Michaela is still sick so I am leaving at 11:30am to get home so that Laurel can go into work for her meetings this afternoon.
Take care all. Only 102 days until the big race.
Pillippians 4:13

Run #6 - Easy 3 miles + stairs (20 flights)

20/January/09, 10:10am - Easy 3 miles + stairs (20 flights) (repost from Facebook)

Good morning world. With a sick kid at home, I left the house at 4:45am for my morning workout at the YMCA. The weather was a balmy 9 degrees with a windchill of 3. At least my workout is inside this morning. The run and stairs went well. Again, I staggered the stairs between each mile, which made starting each mile tough. It should help in the long run with the Flying Pig signature hill up into Walnut Hills. The last mile was tough though after 3 sets of stairs. I can feel the burn in my legs from the stairs and the run. My next goal is to find someplace where I can do multiple flights at a time.

Peace,
Phillippians 4:13

Run #5 - Easy 3.3 miles

18/January/09 - 7:04pm - Easy 3.3 miles (repost from Facebook)

I discovered the paradox of fast food. It is not fast, nor does it make you fast. Today was to be an easy run day. My training plan called for an easy 2-3 miles. We decided after church to take the kids to a McDonalds near our house with a large play land so that they could burn off some energy. I had a Big Mac meal with tea and the kids ate the majority of my fries. Then I came home and ran (about an hour after eating). The Big Mac felt like a Big Brick in my stomach. I have come to the realization that my diet will need to change. I do not eat much fast food, but I need to make improvements in my eating habits. Anyhow, the run went well overall. Our road is not plowed or treated so the uphill portions of the run were a little tricky, but it made for a good workout. I finished the run and immediately came in, showed, changed, and headed out to the woods for a late afternoon hunt - no luck.We are starting a 6 week program at church next week that focuses on a healthy lifestyle (eating, exercise, and faith). A lady in our congregation is a licensed fitness trainer and doing this free of charge for anyone who signs up. Plugging away one day at a time.
The first week is now behind me with 17.5 miles.
Phillippians 4:13

Run #4 - Easy 5.2 miles

17/January/09, 2:05pm - Easy 5.2 miles (repost from Facebook)

I earned a new respect today for anyone who trains in cold climates. I decided that I would do my run today outside. There is a 1.3 mile track near our house so I headed out. The temperature was 16 degrees with a windchill of 5. The run was good, but it felt like my body just wouldn't move like it should. It was like my legs would not fully extend.I felt great after the run and was not cold (thank goodness for under armor cold gear).
Take care everyone.
Phillippians 4:13 - My current mantra

Run #3 - Easy 3 miles + stairs (20 flights)

15/January/09, 8:18am - Easy 3 miles + stairs (20 flights) (repost from Facebook)

Good morning world. I was up at 4:50am this morning and off to the Y to get my run in before work. I took in the warm spring air (compared to the forecast for tomorrow it will feel like spring). I completed the third day of training and am looking forward to the "official" rest day tomorrow. Like I wrote on a friends wall this morning, I feel pretty good about the run today. The time was not what I wanted, but I also added intermittent stair climbs as well. I actually was looking forward to the run and even though I am off tomorrow, I am excited about my long run on Saturday. I get to try out my cold weather running pants.

Peace!!!
Phillippians 4:13 - My current mantra!

Run #2 - Easy 3 miles

14/January/09, 7:56pm - Easy 3 miles (reposted from Facebook)

I ran after work instead of this morning. I expected it to be a rough one since I do my best running in the morning. The run actually went much better than expected. I ran at just below my marathon pace. This run was supposed to be at 40-60 seconds below this pace. I need to learn to slow down my pace. Whenever I run, I tend to compete against the evil clock on my wrist. I try to slow my pace, but feel like I am slacking.Tomorrow is another 3 miles and stairs 20 flights again. I am taking a new outlook with regard to my training thanks to some advice from an old friend. I am going to focus on what the training is for the day rather than the week or all. 78 more runs is REALLY intimidating, especially when I think about the fact that 4 of those runs are over 15 miles and the majority of them are 8-12 miles.Thank you everyone for your early comments and support. I will blog again tomorrow after my run. The weather may delay the time a little. We have snow and really cold temperatures on the way.

God Bless!!!
Phillippians 4:13

Run #1 - Easy 3 miles + stairs (20 flights)

13/January/09, 8:02am - Easy 3 miles + stairs (20 flights) (repost from Facebook)

I discovered that there is no such thing as an "easy" run when you add stairs into the mix. Today's workout was a 1/4 mile jog, then alternating 5 flights of stairs with 1 mile at or below my marathon pace. 20 flights and 3 miles later and I am now at work getting ready to start my day.They say you feel a workout the next day, well tomorrow brings another 3 miles of running. Thank goodness I have an place indoors to run, I have never been able to run on a treadmill.

Accountability Blog

12/January/09, 8:58am - Accountability Blog (reposted from Facebook)

Hello all, I officially start training for the Flying Pig Marathon today. The event is only 111 days away. in that time I have 80 training runs plus cross training to complete. My goal is to blog every day (or every other day) about my training.My hope is that those of you that I have tagged in this note will act as my accountability partners. I know that I can complete this program and run the flying pig, but I also know that I cannot do it alone. Since I presently do not have a fellow runner to keep me on track, I am hoping that you will.Today was cross training. I balanced the training between boxing on Wii Sports for 20 minutes and Wii fit training and Yoga for 20 minutes.Tomorrow is the first of my training runs, but I need to also incorporate stairs in to it as well to get ready for the Carew Tower Climb in 41 days.

Thanks in advance for your encouragement and support.