Marathon After Fifty

February 2012 in the Rearview Mirror

2012-03-01T06:55:00.001-08:00

February was a REALLY good month, with really nice weather, relatively free from injury (only a minor instep issue), and the marathon at the end of the month. With my first marathon now behind me, I'm looking forward to easing back into my running, and selecting my next race.

Here is what the month looked like...

Activity	Time Total	Distance Total (in miles)
Running	16:58:21	114.08
Walking	3:39:43	15.48
Cycling	2:29:21	37.12
Elliptical	2:00:00	9.57
Overall Total	25:07:25	176.25

For the 100x challenge (400 pushups in February), I completed the month with 650 pushups, and an every other day habit that is forming. In the middle of the month, I put together my power rack and added some pull-ups on the alternate days. I don't know where I'll go with this, but it does provide some good additional upper body work. The monthly challenge for March is supposed to be 100 minutes of planks, so adding this to the pushup / pullup mix should be interesting.

As a part of the New 2 You Cross-Training Challenge, I tried Yoga classes for the first time, and unfortunately I'm sort of hooked (at least for now). What I thought might end up having me attend one or two classes, had me attending six classes. Now that the lower cost trial period is over, I'll have to fork over some bucks to continue. Oh well, I wasn't that addicted to eating anyway (just kidding).

For the second month in a row, I also reached a new high monthly running mileage total since I started running last summer, at 114.08 miles!

Happy Running Everyone !!!

Week in the Rearview Mirror: February 19 - Februrary 25, 2012

2012-03-01T06:28:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late posting this one, but with the marathon on Sunday and just wanting to leave that post up for a day or so, I just didn't get to it. The taper week up to the marathon went pretty much as I had planned it, and in the end it worked out wonderfully. I'm now thinking that the right instep issue was more of a strain than a bruise, but it is super hard to tell. It could have been caused by a strenuous bike ride, or even an elliptical session. It could have been from a run. It could have even been from the shoes (New Balance 880s) that have a bit less support...but I'll probably never really know, as there were simply too many variables in the mix. I took an Advil the night before the race and rubbed tiger balm into the instep because it was aching then, but it hasn't hurt me since the marathon (in the last 4 days).

Here is what last week looked like...

Day	Activity	Distance (in miles)
Sunday	Elliptical	1.62
	Running	6.05
Monday	Walking	3.80
Tuesday	Elliptical	0.77
	Running	6.06
Wednesday	Walking	1.03
	Running	6.05
Thursday	Rest Day
Friday	Walking	4.01
Saturday	Rest Day

These are my time and distance totals for the week:

Activity	Time Total	Distance Total (in miles)
Running	2:39:45	18.16
Walking	1:59:25	8.84
Elliptical	0:30:00	2.39
Overall Total	5:09:10	29.39

I was up to 600 pushups for the month on the February pushup challenge (400 in the month of February), and the last day I did those was Wednesday so I wouldn't be sore for the race. I stopped the pullups on Tuesday, and I'm up to 5 sets of 4 pullups with a 45 second recovery on those days.

I really like the Yoga, and went Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday evening. I skipped Saturday morning because of the race the next day.

Happy Running Everyone !!!

Cowtown Marathon 2012 - My First Marathon Done !

2012-02-27T08:23:00.004-08:00

Well, to say I'm totally THRILLED with my experience and the result (which I'm still more than a bit shocked by) would be a serious understatement. But I won't get ahead of myself, and just tell you how it went down. (WARNING: This is a LONG recap....so skip to the bottom if you just want the "bottom line").

At the urging of my wife, so that I wouldn't have to make the little over an hour drive to Fort Worth that morning, I got a room at the Sheraton in downtown Fort Worth and checked in about 4:45 on Saturday afternoon. It was a nice room, and gave me space to get everything laid out and prepped for the next day. I had a nice chicken and pasta dinner at Shula's grill, which is a part of the hotel, and turned in about 7:45. I can't say I went right to sleep, since I found myself going over the course in my head and all kinds of other things. About 8:30 my right instep (and right knee of all things) started hurting so I got up and put some tiger balm on them and after a while that seemed to soothe them. I was probably asleep around 10:00.

I had the alarms set for 3:00 (I know, too early probably but that is just me). I got everything together, checked out of the hotel, and drove down the mostly deserted streets to the race location just easing down the road looking around. Instead of parking where I had planned to park just past the final turn to the finish line, I parked in a covered and lighted parking lot right at the start line, and got there about 4:00. I ate some yogurt, blueberries, and a Cliff bar for breakfast, and over the course of the next hour or so drank about 20 ounces of Gatorade. I had the van with me, with lots of room to spread out in the back (the middle seats were down), and it was windy and pretty cool out, so I just chilled out there, taking a very short nap and listening to the radio.

The day started out about 48 degrees, with a south wind at about 10 mph and a clear sky. As the race went on, it eventually got up to the upper 50's (at least around the time I got done), and at times the wind was blowing at about 20 mph, which made some parts nice a cool, and others a bit "interesting" (a challenge even).

About 6:45 I put on my fuel belt and an old hooded sweatshirt (that I ditched just prior to my corral starting) and headed out to the starting line. I lined up in Corral 3, which was the 9:21 - 10:00 min per mile group. The way they released us, this was the fourth group to leave. The elites started right at 7:00, and they had Army National Guard troops at the head of each corral, holding them in place. Once a corral would depart, they would let the next group come up to the line, wait about a minute or two making some announcements and giving out thank yous, then blow the starting air horn for that group, releasing them. This put some space between each corral start, and was very well done.

I have done all my long runs (and the two half-marathons I've run) with a fanny pack that holds my phone and keys, GU, S!Caps, and a couple of Advil. This time I also had my sun glasses in a case with me. I had three 10 ounce water bottles filled with Gatorade clipped to the belt, and an extra one in the fanny pack (the pack part is in the front). All this may sound more like an Everest expedition than a race, but it is the way I trained, so it is the way I run. :-) I had probably only gone about 1/10th of a mile when someone caught up to me and handed me one of the bottles that had somehow popped off and fell (I didn't even feel it)...that was so nice of him. He just laughed, and said that he didn't want to chase me for the next 26 miles with it. If they aren't really "snapped" in, they will hold for a while and then fall off. A bit annoying, but things like that happen (and it will happen later as well).

Even with the large crowd, it was easy to move through people when necessary, and the first mile was right at 9:33, so my pace was right where I wanted it to be. My first mile is normally a bit slower than that, but everything felt good. The running felt easy, and since there aren't many long or really steep hills on the front part (with the exception of one right after the 4 mile mark), I just got into a flow. My breathing felt "right" and so did the overall effort. At mile 2 I was under 9:00, and commented to myself that I was going a bit too fast (it was the same pace I've been doing daily runs at for about the last month), but I thought it would settle. When the next 3 miles were also under 9:00, I was a bit concerned...but instead of slowing down, I resolved to just keep running in a "feel good" zone, adjusting as I needed to, and take the "crash / wall" when it happened.

Click the image for some history on "Zombie Land" as I called it. (Actually, click this text)

Mile 6 took us down the brick streets of the Fort Worth Stock Yards area, and past what I call Zombie Land (which is a group of post-apocalyptic looking buildings in an overgrown field just a bit before the 7 mile mark that are abandoned meat packing plants). I found myself being VERY glad that the whole run wasn't on brick roads...I'm not a fan of that. It was also at this point that I noticed that I really needed a "nature break"...how incredibly inconvenient. I saw one guy head off into some bushes at one point to take one, and thought that beat waiting in a line for a port-a-potty, but didn't want to stop.

From the Mile 7 marker to just after the Mile 9 marker is a long, straight stretch down Main street, which is by and large downhill (especially Mile 8 to Mile 9). At that point, there is about a 1/2 mile hill up over a bridge and into downtown. I shifted down into a hill climbing gear (:-)), and kept motoring. That mile ended up being 9:13, so I thought that this is where I would begin to slow down. But that wasn't case.

At the beginning of Mile 11, you have just climbed a good sized hill and are at it's crest. The first half of that mile is downhill, and I apparently really picked up speed at that point. I fell in with a very small group of Ultra runners here and I must have started pacing with them. At bottom of the hill there was a water stop, and they all stopped to drink, so I turned the corner to climb the hill (about a half mile) up Magnolia street to Mile 12. I remember thinking "lets knock this hill out" (I hadn't really been "powering" up the hills at that point, and this is the only hill I did that way). This ended up being my fastest mile split of the race at 8:15. When I saw that, I thought that they must have just had the mile markers wrong. I didn't pull out my phone and check it, I was just going by my watch (not a GPS watch) and their mile markers...which were placed prominently at every mile (I only missed seeing two of them...at Mile 5, and Mile 22).

At about the 12.3 mile point, there was a small group of little kids with their hands out looking for a high five. I had just taken a drink from one of my bottles, and I veered over and gave them a high five...and dropped my water bottle. I stopped and ran back to get it, snapped it in good, and took off again. Thankfully, that was the last time I lost a bottle.

At about 14.5 miles I came upon a pacer holding a sign, and providing non-stop banter, encouragement, and instructions...not to mention tooting a harmonica as he went of all things. He was the 4:05 pacer and I was frankly stunned to think I had caught him this far in. I was just sure at this point that there was no way I could keep up with him, but he was interesting so I hung with him for about a mile. It seemed to me that he was slowing (although he probably wasn't), so I started a conversation with another runner and hung with him for a bit, leaving the pacer (although I could still hear his harmonica).

At nearly every other water stop there were several port-a-potties, but there was always a short line. Although it wasn't a drop-everything emergency, I was starting to lightly cramp in my lower abdomen, so at about 16.8 when I saw an opportunity to duck between two closely spaced garages and take a nature break, I did so. Sometimes, it is great to be a guy. :-). When I got back on the street, the 4:05 pacer with his harmonica was right there. Feeling much better already, I caught up, then slowly passed him.

It started to feel a little hard for me at about the 18 mile mark. I remembered reading that when running in the sunshine, having sunglasses on to cut the glare can help you relax, so I switched from my normal glassed to my sunglasses at this point...and it is probably just mental (it all is after 10 or 12 miles for me most of the time), but I DID start to feel more relaxed. At about 18.8 miles you reach the southern most point, and start heading back to the finish. I remember looking at my watch and thinking "I just MIGHT be able to break 4 hours if I can just not fall apart". Almost immediately (as fate would have it) I started feeling a blister forming on my right foot...not good. I knew there wasn't a lot I'd be able to do about it if I stopped, so I just took an Advil and kept going.

I was able to push the pace a bit on miles 21 & 23...and ease a bit on 22 & 24. By this time, a look at my watch confirmed that unless I fell apart, I could probably break 4 hours, so I really pushed at this point. Mile 25 was 8:22, and I was passing quite a few people in this area. At the Mile 25 marker, I started to climb the hill to the finish. In this last 1.2 miles, there is about a 50 foot elevation climb. It isn't a lot really, but after that far you tend to feel it. I passed one guy who was in real agony with a diaphragm cramp and had to walk (to say he was bummed that he would probably not break 4 hours was an understatement). This mile was slower at 8:44, but the very last part (the .2) only rises 10 feet so I was able to pick up speed, and really cruise into the finish.

I went from the finish line (where they called me out by name, and commented on my time as a first timer over the loud speaker...too cool), to get a quick picture taken. Then a quick left to pick up a banana and my finisher T-Shirt (no waiting for either..very well laid out). From there, it was only a short walk back to the van, a quick change, and I was on the road towards home.

Throughout the run, I followed my normal nutrition and hydration plan.

GU at 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 23.
One S!Cap (electrolyte capsule) at 6, 12, 18, and 22.
and between 4 and 6 ounces of Gatorade about every two miles starting at mile 4 (the last drink was at about 23 miles)

As far as the goals went, I did manage to run every step of the way, and even beat my A level goal..which is still hard to believe, as is my final time...what a wonderful experience. Once I got home and rested for a while, the lower part of my left leg (below the calf muscle and above the ankle) got really tight and sore. Putting my full weight on it was painful, and it was more than a bit of a challenge to walk yesterday (which I didn't do much of). This morning, it is a good bit better, although I won't be walking far today either (I planned today off from work thank goodness). I also have a pretty challenged toenail, but other than that, I'm just tired and sore.

And very happy.

The official results (the Pace is based on 26.2...not the 26.47 my GPS listed for me)

I placed 335th out of 1421 total finishers.
Out of 922 male marathoner finishers, I came in at 279.
There were 114 men in the 50-54 age group that finished, and I placed 30th there.
The average finishing time for men overall was 4:03:00 according to the website.

A chart of my mile splits, with the average for each six mile increment.

Happy Running Everyone !

Cowtown - The Day Before

2012-02-25T08:54:00.000-08:00

The Big Day will be here in less than 24 hours now. I'm all confirmed, have my race bib and packet, and the only thing to do now is just wait for the starting gun to go off.

According to the confirmation below (and my bib), they have me set to line up in Corral #4, which is the 10:00 + minute per mile group. I plan on at least starting the first several miles a bit quicker than that, and hopefully holding that pace as well, so I'll probably line up in Corral #3 tomorrow unless there is a "Corral Nazi". I can run around those in front of me in the early miles (and I probably will have to anyway almost no matter where I line up), and more than a couple of runners will probably be passing me who lined up further back as well...but there will be quite a few half-marathon runners lined up as well, so the fewer I have to dodge early on the better.

I've got a few "levels" for my goals for this event.

As far as goals for the race goes, I feel like I've already achieved my E-level goal, and that is to be able to show up at the starting line free from injury, not over-trained, and mentally ready to tackle the course. My right instep (that I strained / bruised about 10 days ago), is all but gone (the pain that is...although I can feel it a bit). I don't expect that will cause any trouble though.

My D-Level goal is to be able to finish the race of course, regardless of time or how I'm able to get it done. If this is anything like most of my longer long runs (and there haven't really been all that many), this one will just be a matter of not thinking too far ahead, and staying in the moment. Focusing on my breathing and my form, and keeping up with my hydration and nutrition.

My C-Level goal is to be able to finish the race without walking ANY of the distance. There are no doubt many people who will take walk breaks at various points throughout the race and still cross the finish line significantly ahead of me. However, at least for my first marathon I want to actually RUN the entire distance. Not to take anything away from those who intersperse walk breaks, it is just not one of my personal goals. We'll see how that goes.

My B-Level goal is to finish in under 4 hours and 30 minutes, and unless the hills on the course (or some other unforeseen circumstance) gets in the way, that is a distinct possibility (although not "in the bag" for sure). I drove the back half of the course yesterday, and noted the speed humps (there are probably somewhere between 10 and 20 of them on the back half, which "could" be a tripping hazard), and there are some uneven road surfaces in some areas, so I'll just need to be careful there.

My A-Level (I have a dream) goal would be to finish in under 4 hours and 15 minutes. Given that there is very little chance that I'll properly run all the tangents, that I will not be alone so I'll need to dodge other runners and walkers at times, and that there are few more hills on this course (and they are longer) than those in the area in which I typically trained, this is probably not reasonable (not to mention that this is my first time and 10 months ago I couldn't run more than 2 miles at one time without gasping for breath and was 30+ pounds heavier). But every goal doesn't have to be reasonable, so this is my unreasonable one. :-)

For whatever reason, I'm not really nervous or really that excited about it all...not yet anyway. I'm just ready to get started. The day I've waited for and trained for is here...now it is just time to relax and get into a flow on that day. One thing is certain...regardless of which "goal level" I may or may not achieve, it will be an experience. And I'll be sharing that with all of you afterwards.

Happy Running and Racing Everyone !!!

Week in the Rearview Mirror: February 12 - February 18, 2012

2012-02-19T11:09:00.000-08:00

This last week went very well, and the nice, relaxed runs are quite pleasant. My bruised right instep is almost completely healed now, with just some very minor tenderness. For the most part the weather has been quite agreeable, with only Saturday morning being cool and rainy. On that day, I did a bit of treadmill running at the gym, and even had fun doing that.

Here is what last week looked like...

Day	Activity	Distance (in miles)
Sunday	Elliptical	1.60
	Running	5.01
Monday	Rest Day
Tuesday	Elliptical	0.79
	Running	6.14
Wednesday	Running	6.04
Thursday	Running	5.38
	Walking	1.10
Friday	Rest Day
Saturday	Walking	1.00
	Running	6.00

These are my time and distance totals for the week:

Activity	Time Total	Distance Total (in miles)
Running	4:14:52	28.57
Walking	0:30:50	2.11
Elliptical	0:30:00	2.39
Overall Total	5:15:42	33.07

Only 6 days till the Cowtown Marathon...it is nearly upon me now. This week will be mostly a taper week, with the big day on Sunday. I've been really feeling good in the last several weeks, so the only issue "should" be keeping the week in 'taper mode'. I did somehow pickup a minor allergy issue in the last couple of days, but it doesn't appear to affect my breathing in general...just makes me a bit lethargic, especially towards the end of the day. The energy during my workouts doesn't seem to be affected at all.

The February pushup challenge (400 in the month of February) continues to go well. I started with a set of 20 each day, and I've progressed through 3 sets of 10 with a 45 second recovery to doing 4 sets of 10 with a 45 second recovery. I've met the goal of the challenge for the month at this point, but I'll see how it feels to keep some momentum going on this. I've modified the pushups and pullups this week so I'm doing pushups one day, and pullups the next (not both in one day), and I'm up to 5 sets of 4 pullups with a 45 second recovery on those days. I do plan to stop this on either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week, so I won't be sore in any way from that on marathon day.

I may have missed a day of stretching on my own at home, but I did attend an hour long Yoga class on Tuesday evening, Thursday evening, and Saturday morning (with another one scheduled for Sunday evening). I'm really liking the Yoga classes...I find that they are not only good for stretching and strengthening, but I'm learning quite a bit about the background and other aspects of Yoga from one of the instructors (Bill). I've been the only guy in the class for each of these sessions, but for some reason it doesn't "feel weird", and I just feel like one of the learners (and not the odd man out).

Happy Running Everyone !!!

New 2 You Cross-Training Challenge for February

2012-02-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

The idea of trying something "new to me" 12 times in 2012 originated with Kim over at (Just) Trying is for Little Girls, and I "signed up" for the challenge she got started with this post.

This is my second "new to me" thing, and it went very well. Last night I went to the first Yoga class I've ever tried, and I have to admit that I had a good time with it. The instructor has been teaching in my area for the last eight years, and was very knowledgeable and talented while at the same time being very low-key and laid back. The studio is in an outdoor mall type area, and is very nice on the inside with a minimalistic decor. It is literally on my way home, so it was convenient, and called Yoga Synergy Spa.

The class was a Yoga 101 Beginner class that lasted about an hour, and the hour really went by very quickly. In addition to the instructor, there were four other students in the class and they were very nice. The lesson started promptly at six, and we began with some New Age music playing in the background (the entire class on a low volume) with just some seated relaxation and breathing. According to the instructor, this class was primarily a Vinyasa type of Yoga at a very elementary level.

The instructor made it clear to everyone in the class that while she was there for guidance and information, that they were to listen primarily to their own bodies and not strain or stretch painfully. For each of the poses through which we progressed, she explained where it "should" feel a bit uncomfortable, and where it should not (in other words, if it hurts here, don't do it). She modified poses for some in the class that found the pose as demonstrated uncomfortable, and was just very pleasant.

I would definitely be at a complete loss to communicate a pose-by-pose description of the class, but we went through various standing and seated stretches, some core work where we started on all fours and lifted one arm forward and opposing leg backward -- alternating that extended position with a "curled" position where the knee was touching our chin/forehead (which really worked the abs), a Tree pose to work on balance, the Pigeon pose to stretch out the hips (with a variation I had yet to try that was interesting), a short circuit where we transitioned between Downward Dog and Cobra, and a circuit that had us in a lunge-type position.

All in all, I had a nice time, and it was fun. I'm on a $15 for 15 calendar days promotion, so I'll for sure go back over the course of that time to see what else I can pick up on. I definitely learned something last night...some things I was doing right on my own ("I learned it from a booook"), some modifications to try, and some things I still need a LOT of work on.

There is definitely a whole world of things to learn and experience in the world of Yoga, and I just barely scratched on the surface of one facet of it....but had a good time doing so. What I did last night was not an overly taxing physical workout, but I can see the potential for that type of Yoga workout if I tried one of the more challenging classes.

Happy running everyone !!!

Week in the Rearview Mirror: February 5 - February 11, 2012

2012-02-13T07:11:00.000-08:00

I've got to admit, I could really get used to a long string of good weeks...it just makes it that much more fun to be active. On the first of February I did something to sort of "bruise" my right instep, and it has slowly gotten better since then. I'm stretching the calf a good bit which seems to help, and sticking to the shoes that have more cushioning which also seems to help. I realize that isn't very scientific since I'm changing two variables at once, but I want to ensure that this is resolved before the marathon on the 26th. The runs themselves have been pain-free, and the weather has been nice for running, so no complaints there.

Here is what last week looked like...

Day	Activity	Distance (in miles)
Sunday	Elliptical	1.59
	Running	4.31
Monday	Rest Day
Tuesday	Walking	1.02
	Running	6.35
	Walking	0.41
Wednesday	Elliptical	1.58
	Running	4.41
Thursday	Rest Day
Friday	Walking	1.02
	Running	4.40
Saturday	Elliptical	1.62
	Running	4.63

These are my time and distance totals for the week:

Activity	Time Total	Distance Total (in miles)
Running	3:36:13	24.10
Walking	0:34:13	2.45
Elliptical	1:00:00	4.79
Overall Total	5:10:26	31.34

Only 12 days till the Cowtown Marathon, and other than the (now very minor) instep discomfort, I'm feeling healthy and ready.

On Saturday afternoon, my wife and I took a course map of the marathon and did the drive over to Fort Worth to see what it looked like in person. There is a portion of the run that occurs on a biking / running trail starting at about mile 18.5, so we didn't get to drive all of it. However, what we did see was "interesting" and not exactly what I had pictured in my mind. The elevation profile looks something like this (from the marathon's website)...

You can tell that there are quite a few rolling hills throughout the course, but I didn't realize just how "rolling" it really was. With few exceptions (at least in the first 18+ miles), if one isn't climbing a hill, one is coming down one, so this will be a run that will have more than a few gear changes in it. In some respects this should break up the effort somewhat so that it isn't just an extended pounding so that is good. In other respects, some of these hills go up for anywhere from 1/10th of a mile to nearly 3/4 of a mile.

Knowing how the course goes won't necessarily make it any easier physically, but I believe it will help me mentally since I won't be constantly surprised (dismayed) when I round another corner to face yet another significant uphill section. The key for me will be to switch gears effectively, and NOT try to power up the hills. My goal is to attempt to maintain my cadence (or get close), while shortening and lengthening my stride as the topography allows.

The February pushup challenge (400 in the month of February) continues to go well. I started with a set of 20 each day, and I've progressed through 3 sets of 10 with a 45 second recovery to starting 4 sets of 10 with a 45 second recovery this morning (Monday). I've also been doing 2 sets of 5 pullups with a 45 second recovery every other day. Those are significantly tougher for me, so I'll have to bring those numbers up much more slowly.

Although I missed a couple of days during the week last week, in general the stretching and strengthening exercises continue to go well. I'm slowing gaining increased flexibility, and it is keeping the stiffness and pain away on the runs so it is well worth the 30 minutes or so of effort.

I think I'm going to try out my first Yoga class this week, so that should be interesting. I have no idea what to wear or how it will go, but I plan on that being my "thing" for the New 2 U Cross Training Challenge for this month. I plan to call today and see what to expect, and will post about it once I do it. Wish me luck...with my flexibility and coordination, it should be entertaining for everyone (but me of course ;-).

Happy Running Everyone !!!

Large Races: Pros, Cons, and Planning Ahead

2012-02-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

I noticed this morning that the 2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon just sold out, closing registration 25 days faster than last year. The registration STARTED on the 1st of February! Over 45,000 people will be lining up in Grant Park at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 7th to run in the Windy City. This will be the race's 35th anniversary, and it doesn't even start for 241 days !

I like to think I plan ahead, but this is just amazing to me. I suppose that since this is one of the premier marathons in the country that still doesn't have a restricted entry system in place (think New York City / Boston Marathon), that it is a highly sought after run, and I do have to admit that I might like to run it myself one day.

But that IS a lot of people though. My first (Cowtown) currently has a little over 19,000 people signed up at this point, and the Ft. Worth Marathon isn't anywhere near as prestigious as Chicago. I suppose that "big city" marathons just attract very large crowds these days.

I have kind of mixed feelings about races this big to be honest.

Participating in a larger marathon certainly has name recognition, so people will know what you're talking about. And at this point in my running, making a goal race something "name worthy" (so to speak) is a nice touch.

Another kind of nice thing about a larger event is just the opportunity to run with and test yourself against a large group of like-minded people. I tend to do the overwhelming majority of my running alone, so it is interesting and a bit invigorating to be around THAT many people doing what I love to do.

On race day, I'm primarily out there to compete against all the men in their early 50's who were complete couch potatoes less than a year ago, unable to string 2 miles together at a time without nearly killing themselves, and 30+ pounds overweight. In other words, myself. Because even though I'll be around a lot of people, it will still be myself that I have to deal with most of the time.

Yet I do also get a lot of enjoyment out of passing other runners on the course, especially in the latter half to quarter of the distance...and especially in the last couple of tenths of a mile at the end to cross the finish line. Even though I won't be setting any record of note, and the odds of me either knowing the people I'm passing or every recognizing them if I see them again will be slim, I still get a "rush" out of pushing myself hard at the end and blowing past a few of my fellow runners.

Of course there ARE downsides to that many people, including taking a while to cross the start line, and erratic runners who dart in front of you or slow down (A LOT) all at once for no apparent reason. Then there are the small groups of those using the Run/Walk method, which just add to the clutter early in the race before people are settled into their pace.

The water stops can also be a bit of a "cluster" at times, with all the people who (at least sometimes) seem almost desperate to "get that cup", and they all have to funnel into one relatively small area where they will at times slam on the brakes to take the drink. I have to admit that I'll be carrying some water bottles on my belt just so I can avoid that hassle (at least in the early miles).

But even those things are minor things in the minds of a great many people apparently (as they are to me)...I can think of at least 45,000 people right off the top of my head (and 19,000 more a bit closer to home).

So what do you think...especially those of you who have done a few marathons..?

Do you like the large crowds or find them frustrating..?

Do you enjoy large spectator crowds, or could you care less about them..?

Week in the Rearview Mirror: January 29 - February 4, 2012

2012-02-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

Had another good week this week, with a very pleasant middle-distance run on Saturday.

I noticed during the day on Thursday that my right instep felt sort of "bruised", and over the remainder of the week it got better, then came back up. I believe this is either a down-line effect of overly tight calf muscles (since stretching of those muscles seemed to help a bit), and/or the difference between the two shoes I am alternating between. I have both New Balance 880s and New Balance 1080s, and I noticed the return of the tenderness after the use of the 880s, while the longer run with the 1080s didn't produce this. I'm really leaning more towards this being the overly tight calf muscles though, since both pair of shoes have roughly the same mileage on them (142 vs. 150), and I hadn't had this issue previously. I'll just have to see where this goes.

Here is what last week looked like...

Day	Activity	Distance (in miles)
Sunday	Rest Day
Monday	Elliptical	1.59
	Running	4.33
Tuesday	Walking	1.03
	Running	4.06
	Walking	1.04
Wednesday	Cycling	22.98
Thursday	Walking	1.02
	Running	6.13
Friday	Rest Day
Saturday	Running	10.65

These are my time and distance totals for the week:

Activity	Time Total	Distance Total (in miles)
Running	3:47:20	25.17
Walking	0:43:38	3.09
Cycling	1:26:34	22.98
Elliptical	0:20:00	1.59
Overall Total	6:17:32	52.83

Only 19 days till the Cowtown Marathon, and other than the minor instep discomfort, I'm feeling healthy and ready. My next door neighbor is also going to be running Cowtown, and last week she completed a pretty long run as well...24.5 miles in 5 hours. That is just a long time to be motoring on your feet, but was no doubt a confidence builder for her (this is her first marathon as well). Hopefully that type of effort three weeks and a day or two out won't prove to be a negative.

The February pushup challenge (400 in the month of February) is going well. I started with a set of 20 each day, but starting yesterday I've moved to 3 sets of 10 with a 30 second recovery. I also re-assembled my weight rack yesterday (Sunday), so I now also have a pullup bar, and I'm considering throwing in a few pullups each day as well (although it will be VERY few). We'll see how that goes.

The core work and stretching is also continuing, and I'm seeing improvements in my ROM, and increases (although minor) in my abdominal strength. More importantly though, I believe it is helping to keep me from being injured. In the evenings sometimes I can feel twinges of older issues, and once I've completed the stretching and strengthening it resolves. Apparently, against my will, I'm a believer.

Happy Running Everyone !!!

January 2012 in the Rearview Mirror

2012-01-31T12:45:00.000-08:00

January ended up being a pretty good month all things considered, and I'm looking forward to the coming month with great anticipation.

Here is what the month looked like...

Activity	Time Total	Distance Total (in miles)
Running	15:40:21	101.72
Walking	7:50:09	30.38
Cycling	0:42:20	10.69
Swimming	0:20:09	0.50
Elliptical	3:50:00	18.48
Overall Total	28:22:59	161.77

This month's mileage is the most I've logged since I started running last summer, so that is a major accomplishment considering that I was somewhat hobbled and in pain at the beginning of this month.

I'll be counting this accomplishment as my contribution to Operation Hardcore Fit as well, since I certainly would not have thought that I could pull off that type of distance earlier in the month.

I'm also a part of the 100x Challenge, and as a consequence of this month's running mileage I met the goal for January which was 100k (62.13 miles) !! Now we move on to the next month's challenge, which I believe is going to be 100 push-ups a week.

Happy Running Everyone !!!

Week in the Rearview Mirror: January 22 - January 28, 2012

2012-01-29T08:46:00.000-08:00

This was a good solid week, and another one where it just good doing it (at least for the most part). I had planned on doing an 18- 20 mile long run on Saturday, but opted to do it in three parts within 24 hours instead. Just judging by the way I'm feeling this morning (Sunday), I would say that things worked pretty well. While I'm a bit stiff, it is nothing like it was with a single run of that length, and I actually feel pretty good.

I have more than just a feeling that my friend Paul is right in that one of the reasons these long runs are "knocking the snot out of me" is that I'm just not running them slowly enough. I would personally be THRILLED with a first marathon time between 4:00 and 4:15, and that would be roughly a 9:43 pace or better. I just noted that my last three long runs were at an average pace of 9:24, 9:22, and 9:36 respectively. In other words, I'm not doing them right... I'm essentially "racing" them.

Going forward, I'm going to HAVE to slow down on these, even if that means inserting some walk breaks for no other reason than to just slow me down. I'm NOT a fan of inserting walk breaks, since I personally find it harder to start running again than to just keep running. But I DO have to slow down on these. Thanks for pointing out where I might have been going wrong Paul...odds are you were spot-on.

The good news though is that as a consequence of having this type of week, I've not only set a personal record for the number of training miles run in a week, but I've already put more training miles in for January than any month to date since I started back to running last summer !

Here is what last week looked like...

Day	Activity	Distance (in miles)
Sunday	Walking	5.02
	Cycling	10.69
Monday	Rest Day
Tuesday	Elliptical	0.77
	Running	10.26
	Walking	1.06
Wednesday	Rest Day
Thursday	Walking	0.64
	Running	4.09
Friday	Running	6.02
Saturday	Elliptical	0.81
	Running	8.05
	Running	6.15

These are my time and distance totals for the week:

Activity	Time Total	Distance Total (in miles)
Running	5:14:12	34.57
Walking	1:38:03	5.66
Cycling	0:42:20	10.69
Elliptical	0:20:00	1.58
Overall Total	7:54:35	52.50

Only 27 days till the Cowtown Marathon...I'm am SO looking forward to it. No more really long runs or days are planned, with just some solid 3 to 7 mile runs planned as I'm able to throughout the weeks. That should provide a nice taper as long as I don't press the speed on the running days, and then take it a bit easier the week of the marathon. .

Happy Running Everyone !!!

Second Annual Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K

2012-01-28T11:54:00.000-08:00

This was my first participation in a "Virtual" race, and I think that all things considered, I had the most fun customizing my bib for the race.

The run itself was a part of an 8 mile training run in my neighborhood, and since I started this run a bit later than I normally do, I got to witness a beautiful sunrise. The temp was 39 degrees at the start, with a NW wind at 15 mph. This made it a bit cool when running against the wind, but not overly so. All in all it was a great run ! Looking at my splits, it looks like I did it in 28:41...certainly not Adam-fast by any means, but I did "Get R' Done".

But this wasn't my "original" plan for today.

I was scheduled for the last long run prior to my first marathon in four weeks today, and doing somewhere between 18 & 20. But all week long, I just had this little nagging feeling that doing another 3+ hour run at this point (which is easily what it would have been for me) just wasn't what was best for me at this time. It made sense on nearly all of the "plans" out there, but for a whole slew of reasons I decided to put in those miles a bit differently.

If I had to nail it down to one overriding reason, my main concern was the possibility of re-injuring myself with that type of extended effort, and the time I would need to take off afterwards to ensure that an injury didn't appear/happen even if the run itself didn't do it by starting back too quickly. I've only been running pain-free for a little over 10 days now, and my last long effort (and how quickly I went back to running after that) definitely contributed to ongoing injuries I had been dealing with since October. I'm just tired of running injured. If actual DOING my first marathon is what sets up a re-injury, I'm actually good with that...I just don't want it to happen on a training run four weeks out.

So, right or wrong I chose to run those same 18 to 20 miles inside a 24 hour period instead of all at once. I've covered 14 miles so far (6 last night about 9 p.m., and 8 this morning about 7 a.m.). I'll do the next run about 4 p.m. today, and see how things go. I'm hopeful that while the miles covered will be about the same, that breaking it up will reduce the opportunity for the run(s) itself/themselves to produce an injury, and that it will allow me to recover much more quickly. Its not the same in every way, but it will have to do this time. I'll know in 29 days the ramifications of this decision, so I won't have to wait long to find out.

Happy Running Everyone...and thanks Adam, for setting up the Second Annual Freeze Your Thorns Off 5K Virtual Race !

Versatile Blogger Award

2012-01-25T07:43:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by Darlene at My First 5K and More... with The Versatile Blogger Award. The rules are to share 7 things about yourself. Then to tag 15 people. This will be by first one of these, so we'll just have to see where it goes from here...

(1) I first started running in 1985, and have participated in several races from 2 miles to 15K. I was never really fast (more of a middle of the pack type), but enjoyed running and participating in the races. I was on a marathon build-up for the Dallas White Rock Marathon in 1986, when I was hit by a car about a month before the race while on an evening training run. It broke my fibula, and sidelined that effort. I did manage to build back up to running again, but could never stay on the run longer than 8 to 10 miles before the leg would start to ache...which led to the "vacation".

(2) I started running again in June of 2011 after taking a 20 year vacation from it back in the spring of 1990. I was embarrassingly out of shape when I restarted, and had to slowly work my way back into running while mixing in quite a bit of walking and a WHOLE lot of cycling over the summer and early fall. I've run two races since then... the 13.1 Dallas, and the half-marathon at the Dallas White Rock marathon.

(3) I lost about 35 pounds and 7 1/2 inches off my waist between the end of April and the end of September 2011, and have managed to keep my weight stable (within a 5 pound range) since then. I even made it past the holiday season without gaining any back, so I'm pretty pumped about that.

(4) When the weather permits and I'm not running, I love to ride the bike I bought last spring. It is nothing really fancy, but I enjoy getting out on it and cruising around my neighborhood and the part of town and surrounding countryside relatively close to me. Some of my favorite rides have been seeing the sun come up over the lake that is three or four miles from my home.

(5) I've been married to a wonderful woman and my best friend Bertie for 27 years at the end of March this year. She has been and continues to be a very patient and ardent supporter of every little "hobby" in which I immerse myself, which has been a few over the years.

We also have a little boy (Aiden) who turned six in October, and is enjoying his first year of Kindergarten.

(6) Although it has been a day or two since I've "gone under", I'm a certified PADI Divemaster, and my wife and I have been to several dive destinations such as Grand Cayman, Key West, Honduras, Cozumel (our favorite location for this), and a couple of live-aboard dive vessels in Belize and the Bahamas. I also got to do some diving off the coast of Sydney, Australia while there on business years ago, and went through Cave Diving instruction through the Apprentice level.

(7) I'm a Project Manager at a home and business automation company in the Dallas area, and have been with the company for a little over 14 years now. Although my first love is programming, I've also done a 5 year stint as the Director of Software Engineering, and have been in project management for the last 5 years.

If you're wondering what it's like... many times it is similar to doing the following for a living...

...except I don't work for EDS ;-)

I'm pretty new to the blogging world, and don't know a lot of people, so 15 "tags" might be a bit of a stretch, so I'll just tag a few of you with whom I'm not as familiar to play along if you like. Consider yourself "tagged"...

Michael at It's All About Pace
Joshua at Clippin' Along
Christine at Traditional Life on Hold
Trent at Running from Mediocrity ... and
Bonnie at 26.2 to Go

Happy Running Everyone !!!

Week In Review: January 15 - January 21, 2012

2012-01-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

This week was a very nice week. I felt MUCH better, and was able to really string some days together with good runs. Nothing epic or unusual, just good solid runs with no pain. Here is what last week looked like...

Day	Activity	Distance (in miles)
Sunday	Walking	1.10
	Running	4.15
	Walking	1.01
Monday	Rest Day
Tuesday	Walking	1.13
	Running	4.20
	Walking	1.06
Wednesday	Elliptical	1.63
	Running	4.55
Thursday	Walking	1.10
	Running	4.13
	Walking	1.00
Friday	Walking	1.08
	Running	4.61
	Walking	1.05
Saturday	Elliptical	1.60
	Running	4.23

Just a quick note on the above. Since I tend to be a bit on the "stiff" side when I start out, and to prevent injury to "cold" muscles, tendons, and ligaments, I try to warm-up with some activity for about 15 to 20 minutes prior to each run. I don't usually skip this unless I'm already warmed up...like later in the day. If it isn't too cool out, I usually walk about a mile at a brisk pace first. If it IS cool out, I use the elliptical for about 20 minutes. Since I was holding the run distances to about 4 miles each, I would walk back to the house, which accounts for the walks after the runs (I take different routes, so don't always end up at home...I let RunKeeper tell me how far I've gone, and just take a wandering course through the neighborhood at times).

These are my time and distance totals for the week:

Activity	Time Total	Distance Total (in miles)
Running	3:54:18	25.87
Walking	2:03:26	8.53
Elliptical	0:40:00	3.23
Overall Total	6:37:44	37.63

Only 34 days till the Cowtown Marathon...its getting closer all the time. I plan to do my last long run before the race on Saturday of this week, and it will be in the 18 to 20 range. I'll give myself at least a day off prior to the long run, and at least one day off afterwards to ensure proper recovery. It looks like the weather is really going to be ugly (rainy and cool) on Wednesday of this week, so I may be hitting the treadmill. I'll just play it by ear and see how things go.

Happy Running Everyone !!!

On a roll and loving it

2012-01-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

This last week has been pretty amazing for me compared to the last six or eight weeks, and I really feel like I'm on a roll now.

No, not that kind of roll (although I have spent quite a bit of time on these during that time, and do still use them occasionally). This is actually the kind of roll I've been on...

Yes...the PAIN FREE kind of roll! I think (at least for now, and I certainly don't want to jinx it) that I've finally got past the various pain issues I've been dealing with, and am rolling along pain free. I'm at the point now that I can do a little nearly each day, and that is so liberating. I was also able to dispense with the daily Advil dose(s) on Tuesday of this week, and I'm "running clean" !

While every bit of every run hasn't been free from all discomfort, no run has had issues beyond the first 1/4 mile or so. Even better though is that I have managed to run for 9 of the last 11 days, which is nothing short of amazing for me. And several of those days were completely pain free. None of them have been far, but I've averaged about 4.3 miles per day for every day run. And all of this is better than being hurt so bad that I'm forced to cross train or take days off.

I'd like to say (and think) that I'm over that bout of discomfort and can just get out and run exclusively (I even like to "type" that :-)), but I honestly believe that a big part of my recovery (and what will keep me "in the game") is the stretching and strengthening I've been doing. True, I started these as a reaction to my injuries (TFL on left hip, ITB on right from knee to hip, strained back muscles, etc.), but I think going forward I'll need to be more diligent and intelligent in my approach if I want to minimize these issues in the future.

I'm thinking that I won't need to be quite so Reactive, if I will just be a bit more Proactive. At least with the body I've been issued (in its current condition), I need to ensure that I maintain a good range of motion, a solid and strong core, and even flexibility and strength from side to side. Since I tend to be "right dominant" from a strength perspective, I need to ensure that an inflexible or restricted quad or hamstring on one side doesn't torque my form and start another cascade of issues. I've started to get much better about working this in every day, so I'll just need to build from there and make sure that it continues to be a daily part of my routine.

I've been keeping each run distance pretty low, but I do need to do one more long run before the upcoming marathon, so I tentatively plan on doing that next Saturday, and doing something between 18 and 20. Given that I know I can cover the full distance now, I think this will suffice...the key for me is to ensure that the run doesn't set me up for re-injury.

Here's to everyone running well and pain-free in the coming days.....

Happy Running Everybody !!!

Week In Review: January 8 - January 14, 2012

2012-01-15T13:32:00.000-08:00

A much better week this week just going by feel, with some nice runs and a lot less pain. Also spent some time experimenting with core work (stretching / strengthening), and dialing that in. Here is what last week looked like...

Day	Activity	Distance (in miles)
Sunday	Running	4.07
	Walking	1.24
Monday	Stationary Bike	33.57
Tuesday	Running	4.00
	Walking	1.00
Wednesday	Elliptical	1.62
	Running	4.37
	Walking	3.06
Thursday	Walking	2.00
Friday	Elliptical	1.62
	Running	4.53
Saturday	Elliptical	1.62
	Running	4.11
	Walking	0.92
	Swimming	0.50

Making my time and distance totals:

Activity	Time Total	Distance Total (in miles)
Running	3:20:53	21.08
Walking	2:06:11	8.22
Elliptical	1:00:00	4.85
Stationary Bike	1:05:00	33.57
Swimming	0:20:09	0.50
Overall Total	7:52:13	68.22

On 41 days till the Cowtown Marathon, and it looks like things are coming together nicely. I just need to remember that for any long runs I do between now and then (including that day), if my weekly mileage is as low as it has been, I'll need to give myself extra time to recover and be gentle with my body.

On a more serious note...please, please, please be careful out on the roads everyone.

Be aware of what's going on around you (keep at least one ear open)
Run against traffic so you can see what's coming at you
If something looks threatening or just doesn't feel right, turn back or take another route
Be sure you can easily be seen (don't go out in all black with no lights or reflective gear)
Have a phone with you if possible, or at least ensure someone knows where you went and when you expect to be back
I would also recommend a small canister (4 inches long, 1 inch in diameter) of pepper spray where you can get to it quickly (for dogs..both the 4-legged and the 2-legged kind).

I'm not trying to be your Mom, or scare anyone...but like it or not, the world is just not a safe place. You can ignore all of this and nothing may ever happen to you (I sincerely hope that's true). But you "may" not be that lucky. Twenty five years ago I personally went out for an after-work run in the rain in a black track suit and running WITH the traffic, and a car ended my running for quite a while (for years).

And not everyone on the roads is a good person, as many of us learned in this last week.

Just be safe.

Happy Running Everyone !!!

Am I 'addicted' to running...?

2012-01-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

I often joke about my "running addiction", and others all too often will accuse me of it.

Who knows, perhaps they are right.

I try to engage in a fair bit of other forms of exercise, and I found over the summer that I really liked riding my bicycle. But there is just something about running that calls out to me.

It is certainly the most stressful thing I put my body through, and often times seems to require the most physical exertion. But I really enjoy my times out on the run (at least most of the time). Running through pain is no fun, but it is often the choice that I make over doing nothing (or even sometimes over doing something else). Ahhh, but the good runs are truly special.

As much as I like cycling, I'm apparently a fair-weather cyclist and anything below about 60 degrees means I'm not going to be saddling up. Which leaves mostly indoor activities (since there isn't a lot of cross-country skiing in North Texas)...and I really prefer to be outdoors when possible unless it is absolutely miserable outside.

It's bad enough that I am willing to admit a mild addiction (it is mild...right?), but when organizations I'm not even familiar with recognize it, it is a bit "odd". Case in point: I got this notification in my email the other day.

Apparently Kairos Healthcare is now ~~stalking~~ following me. They are just here to "...lend support for those who are in need of addiction treatment....". Hmm, I knew I was bad off, but I didn't think it was quite that bad. Maybe I am though.

Almost no matter how much running I get to do, it always just seems to inflame my addiction and not really "satisfy" it. A great 5 mile run, makes me want a repeat, or maybe even an 8 or 10 miler tomorrow.

I used ta do a little but a little wouldn't do
So the little got more and more
I just keep tryin' ta get a little better
Said a little better than before

I do tend to hear these words rattling around in my head a lot. Maybe I should just reach out for some help.

No, I can quit whenever I want to...really.

And if my body really needs to rest, I can take a day (or two or three or four) off with no problem...

Running "easy" is really 'active rest', which is the same thing as rest...right?

OK, well maybe I'm a "bit" addicted.

That's enough banter for today though...I hear my running shoes calling me......

Happy Running Everyone !

Finally a nice run & Setting up a new routine

2012-01-13T11:19:00.000-08:00

Well, after having issues with my hip and back for a couple of weeks, I finally managed to have a pleasant run this morning, and I couldn't be happier. It wasn't that it was epic or anything (just a simple 4.5 mile run), and it wasn't even particularly fast (actually, about 20 seconds per mile slower than a "normal" run), but it was still wonderful.

After a twenty minute warm-up on the elliptical, I was out the door and hit the start button just shy of 4:40 this morning. No wind to speak of, almost completely dry pavement (just some patches of wet), and 29 degrees. Although I still started a bit slow, it was faster than before because there was no pain and/or stiffness in my leg and back (or very, very little at any rate). Strangely, not a lot of people out exercising or walking dogs in the dark when it is below 30 [wink, wink], and the traffic was even light so it was really quite peaceful. I am SO VERY HAPPY that things went well...I really needed a nice run !

In order to make all that possible on an ongoing basis of course, there is the stretching and core work. I'm experimenting with what "works for me" so that I can get this in. If I can find a way to sort of flow from one thing to another, I think it will go better and I'll be more likely to do it regularly. The last couple of times I went through the routine (I took last night off and went out with the family for my birthday dinner...let's just say it was wonderful), I started on my back and did it like this:

Bent Leg "Leg Ups" (10)
Windshield Wipers (10, with 5 second pause at the low point for each side)
Hamstring Stretch with band (10 seconds per leg)
Cross-legged Stretch (I'm using the band to increase the stretch, 10 seconds per leg)
Bent Leg Situps (10)

I then flip over into an all fours position:

Rear Leg Raises (10 each leg)
Fire Hydrants (10 each leg)
Cat and Camel (5 cycles)
Psoas Stretch (10 seconds each leg)
Piriformis Stretch (Pigeon pose) (5 slow breaths in and out on this one)
Cobra pose (5 slow breaths in and out)
Bow pose (5 slow breaths in and out)

This leaves me lying face down and stretched out on the floor, where I can either end (which is what I have been doing), or flip over, bend the knees and start the rotation again. It is taking me somewhere between 10 and 12 minutes to complete a rotation, so one time isn't bad. It's just that I WILL need to get up to at least two and maybe three rotations at least occasionally (every other day would be a nice start). We'll have to see how that goes. Please see my last post if you want to know how to do some of these that don't have links.

I just know that things are slowly getting better, and I would really like for them to stay that way.

Only 43 days to the Ft. Worth Cowtown Marathon, and they recently put up a picture of the "bling" they will be handing out to the finishers. I definitely want to see this on my wall at the end of February.

Happy Running to everyone...hope your weekend ROCKS !!!

Stretches and Strengthening Moves

2012-01-09T17:37:00.000-08:00

I can't honestly say I'm a big fan of doing these moves, since I would much rather just get out and run or bike, but if I'm going to continue to be able to run injury free (or relatively so), it appears that I'm going to have to ensure that my body is not thrown out of alignment due to me ignoring the "not fun for me" areas which also demand improvement.

I know I was a bit vague on what the Chiropractor talked to me about the other day, so I thought I would share the general routine he asked me to follow (or ignore if I feel lucky...well, do I..?

[answer would be NO] :-)

Admittedly, many of these are both strength and flexibility moves in one.

Windshield wipers As they do in the video, keep the legs bent (not straight). Start by going to the left, then the right, which makes a single repetition. He told me to start with 10.

Hamstring stretchwith band With this one, he told me that keeping my leg straight is good up to a point, but there is a point where the gastrocnemius (one of the calf muscles) is the limiting factor. To move further into the stretch, unlock the knee and allow a small amount of flex in it to further stretch the hamstring (she does it towards the end in the video).

Cross legged stretch This is another one of those that is both a strengthening exercise, and a stretch.

Cat and Camel This is a nice easy one. The stretch isn't pronounced, but it does the job and works some of the core muscles as well.

Piriformis Stretch (AKA The One Legged King Pigeon pose in Yoga). I didn't think I'd be able to do this when I first saw it, but it really isn't overly difficult.

Psoas Stretch Be sure to remain facing forward...don't twist the upper body to the right or left. I personally find this to be a strengthening move as well, since I don't hold the pose effortlessly.

Cobra pose As she says here, lead with the chest, not the head by tilting back the neck.

Bent leg sit-ups With your legs bent and the feet NOT anchored in any way, place your hands beside and touching your ears (but not behind the head), and slowly sit up and then slowly return to the floor. I usually do two or three sets of 10.

Bent leg "leg ups" Lie on your back, with your knees bent and your thighs perpendicular to the floor (the same starting position as the Windshield Wipers above). Cross your ankles, then slowly bring the knees up to the chest / head, then return back to the starting position. Once again, usually two or three sets of 10.

Rear Leg Raises I normally do a couple of sets of 10 at this point.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Throughout all of these, my biggest problems doing these (aside from getting me off the couch) are not what you might expect.

Regardless of his location and /or disposition just prior to me beginning, my six year old son will appear "needing" something (juice, chips, gummies, to tell me something (usually about a video game), needing me to read something to him (once again, usually in the video game), or to ask me to play with him because he is lonely.

Rio, our 11 year old Golden Retriever, will get as close to me as possible then lay down. If I need to move to a different position, it is my job to navigate around him. If happy, he will roll around on his back and flop against or on top of me (because obviously I'm in the floor to play with him). And since I'm obviously playing with the dog, why won't I stop and play with the boy (see above).

Oscar, our other 11 year old Golden Retriever, will drop a tennis ball next to me, back up a couple of steps and stare at me till I throw the ball for him. This will go on until he tires of the game (a LOT of throwing), or until I lose my mind and tell him NO...not now. He will then lay down and stare soulfully at me, heartbroken and hurt. Why won't Dad play with me (once again, because obviously I'm in the floor to play with someone, and it really should be him).

Cinder (short for Cinderella), our 2 year old black Lab. Will occasionally stop by and stare in my face (her face approximately 1/2 inch from my eyes) to make sure I'm alright. Then give me a big wet kiss and move on. Repeating as necessary (If Dad really was alright, why would he flop around on the floor like that).

The exercises and stretches themselves, aren't difficult at all...just takes a bit of time. Somewhere between 15 and 25 minutes (depending upon what happens concerning items 1 through 4 above).

By the way...I wouldn't have my workout routine "interruptions" any other way. :-)

Happy Running Everyone !

Week In Review: January 1 - January 7, 2012

2012-01-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

This was sort of a weird week, since I had the pinched nerve issue, (which thankfully the Chiropractor was able to address, and give me some advice on the issue going forward), as well as just coming off the long run and having some pain in my left knee on the inside (which has also resolved itself with the rest). Here is what last week looked like...

Sunday: Elliptical 2.37 miles; Walking 4.82 miles
Monday: Elliptical 1.63 miles; Running 4.17 miles
Tuesday: Elliptical 1.60 miles; Running 4.05 miles; Walking 0.31 miles
Wednesday: Rest Day
Thursday: Rest Day
Friday: Elliptical 1.63 miles; Running 3.59 miles; Walking 0.77 miles
Saturday: Recumbent Elliptical 12.60 miles

Not a lot of running, but I did manage to keep up the cardio somewhat, with time totals of:

Running: 1:55:03
Walking: 1:32:44
Elliptical: 1:30:00
Recumbent Elliptical: 1:00:00

Overall Total Time: 5:57:47

I mentioned this in a comment, but after spending a little over an hour at the Chiropractor's office yesterday, and them doing some manipulation, a bit of ART, and some acupuncture with mild electric shocks, I'm feeling a lot better. It seems that I'm not as balanced as I need to be concerning how tight/loose my muscles and ligaments are from one side to the other (especially in the hamstring, glute, and low back area). He gave me some specific stretches I'm supposed to do at least twice a day (more often if possible) to finish bringing myself into alignment and keep it that way. Some strengthening exercises were also discussed. Apparently, if I ignore these stretching and strengthening exercises, it will be at my own peril.

Up till November of last year, I never really noticed the negative issues that can occur when one has these imbalances. I suppose I wasn't running often or far enough to have those imbalances affect me before, but now that the mileage is up, I'm going to have to get my act straightened out (so to speak).

So onward to hopefully a more settled and steady week this week.

Happy Running everyone !

Something New, and something scarey

2012-01-07T06:45:00.000-08:00

This morning, in the name of trying new things and getting out of the ruts I tend to travel in, I went to the gym to do a bit of cross-training on a piece of equipment I've never tried. The idea of trying something "new to me" 12 times in 2012 originated with Kim over at (Just) Trying is for Little Girls, and I "signed up" for the challenge she got started with this post.

It was a beautiful morning (for January at any rate) this morning, with little wind, no rain, and temps in the low 50's...perfect running weather. The problem with that for me is that I had a bit of a "scarey experience" yesterday so I won't be running until I can see my sports chiropractor about it (a little later this morning as it turns out...he had a cancellation :-)). But more about that a little later.

My first "new to me" challenge involved this piece of equipment...

This is a recumbent elliptical, made by Octane Fitness, and is their xR6000 model.At first I thought that since this is a seated elliptical, that it would essentially be just an easier version of a standing elliptical. It is marketed (in part) to those individuals who have lower back issues, or cannot otherwise stand for a workout.

Ah, but I was wrong.

There is a 5 position lever that allows you to set the recline level of the seat, along with a lever under the seat itself that allows it to slide up and down (which allows you to adjust the distance from your seat to the pedals). The readout expresses the pedal and/or pole rate as speed in cycles per minute.

Although there are many programs from which to choose, I set it to Manual, Level 8, for an hour. While I suppose one "could" use both the pedals and the arms at the same time, I found this to be a bit uncomfortable (or at least not what I was in the mood for), so I setup an alternating pattern and tried to hold the speed between 80 and 85. For the first 10 minutes I used legs only, and when holding on, held onto the handles next to the seat. From the 10 minute mark to 12 I put my feet on the foot rests just above the pedal pads, and kept up the same pace with just the arms (that was a challenge). From there and for the remainder of the time, I would use legs from the 2 min. mark to the 10 min. mark (12:00 - 20:00, 22:00 - 30:00, etc.), then switch to arms from the 10 min mark to the 2 min. mark (20:00 - 22:00, 30:00 - 32:00, etc.).

This worked my quads and glutes a fair bit more than either my real bike or the stationary ones at the gym, since on both of them the angle from the seat to the pedals is more vertical. That allows you to "get over" (or on top of) the pedaling action when difficult, and this just doesn't allow for that. And of course the arm work was all different.

I've got to admit that I enjoyed it, and will probably do it again. My final readout looked a bit like this (excuse the "flash")...

So it was a decent workout from both the calorie's expended perspective, as well as the other elements mentioned above.

Now, for the scarey part...

OK...well, maybe not that scarey, but it was disconcerting to say the least. I was out on a four mile run on Thursday morning, and at a hair over 3 miles into the run, my right knee just sort of gave way (no pain, and only for a fraction of a second). I didn't fall, so I kept running although a bit shaken. I was more or less fine up to the 3.5 mile mark, where it happened again, but this time several times in rapid succession about 2 to 4 seconds apart. Once again….no pain, just like a signal sent to my right leg and knee to just stop working and relax for a second. I stopped at that point and just walked it back home.

After thinking about it for a bit, I'm thinking I must have pinched a nerve in my back or something, since I did have sort of a "hitch in my get-along" right about where the arrow is pointing...

It was scarey and a bit weird though. It wasn't that it was painful (because it wasn't at all), but if my leg gave out for just a bit longer, I might have fallen (or tried to catch myself mid-fall, which is usually worse). I'll see my chiropractor today since it is still sore there, and see if I need an adjustment, manipulation, or just a bit of time. This is quite different from anything I've dealt with thus far, and I have to say that I'm not a fan of parts just deciding to take a mini-vacation mid-stride. I might have strained my back a bit (although I didn't feel it at the time) by putting the Christmas decorations in the attic, but we'll see.

What a drag it is getting old.. :-)

Happy running everyone !!!

Well, every run can't be great...

2012-01-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

...and this morning's run certainly wasn't.

It isn't that anything terrible happened.

I wasn't attacked either physically or verbally by man, woman, child, or beast.
I didn't injure myself in a new and exciting way (or even an old and/or dull one).
The wind was mild, and the temperature was brisk but not all that bad (35 degrees).
And my normal 20 minute pre-run warm-up on my elliptical even felt OK (not great, and I WAS wishing it to be over already about 10 minutes in, but I've had worse on it).

Maybe it was the fact that this was to be my first day back to work since the Friday before Christmas, which meant that the 3:50 a.m. alarm was required.

Maybe it was because the inside of my left knee is still a little sore from my long run last Thursday, and I was a bit worried that it would keep me from running this morning since it sent me a couple of rather jolting reminders that it didn't feel well during my first few steps on the elliptical . I started yesterday's run VERY easy and slow, but my pace still settled to something "normal" for me now (10:09 - 9:23 - 9:19 - 9:19 - 8:51 for a 4.17 mile run).

Whatever it was, I most definitely did NOT resemble this during this morning's run

No sir.

I started slow like I did yesterday, and the tenderness in the knee eased after about an 1/8 of a mile or so, but the whole thing felt like a slog, and every quarter mile was an effort. I came a lot closer to resembling this...

Only just between you and me, he seems a bit happier about his outing than I was feeling in the dark this morning. It still wasn't all that bad (10:37 - 10:10 - 9:59 - 10:03 - 10:08 for a 4.05 mile run)....but it just wasn't one of those "in the zone and loving it" runs like my friend at Impossible Is Nothing wrote about on Monday.

Oh well, to be honest I very rarely feel like a thoroughbred galloping on the beach on my runs anyway, and probably all too often look like my relaxed-faced basset hound friend above regardless of how I feel. At least I was healthy enough to run, and tomorrow is another day. I'm still less than a week out from my 26+ mile long run, so perhaps my hopes are a bit high on the recovery timing.

I'll take the slow ones over the days when I'm just not physically capable anyway, and I do want to give my old body time to recover...sort of ease into it gently. Maybe I need to be a bit MORE gentle for a day or so.

I hope everyone's day has been super (or at least acceptable) today (first day back to work for quite a few of us), and that your running is enjoyable.

No matter how you might look while you're doing it. :-)

Welcoming 2012 and reflecting on 2011

2012-01-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

As I stand on the doorstep of a new year, I'm both excited about the possibilities, and terrified by the prospects. Excited about everything that can go right, terrified by the things that can go wrong (like being "downsized" or injured), and yet ready to start on the 2012 journey.

When I started 2011, I was scheduled for a second surgery to remove a very large squamous cell carcinoma from my right side about half-way between my armpit and my waist. In early December of 2010, they had attempted to excise it by cutting about a 5 inch wide patch of the skin cancer out with a somewhat elliptical incision. Just before Christmas, I was told that they failed to get clean margins, and were going to have to try again. In late January, they made the same type of cut, literally "cutting out the scar" along with some extra tissue around it, about 7 inches wide. This time they were successful, but I've proven that I'm now at risk for that type of thing, so will need to see them once a year....and I have a nifty scar that looks like I was in a sword fight (a conversation piece).

In late April it seems that I really noticed the shape I was in, and determined to do something about it, so I started walking and eating right to get back in shape...the rest you can find in my initial post if you're interested.

I feel like I accomplished quite a bit in 2011, by losing over 30 pounds and 7 inches off my waist, running two half-marathons (a distance I had never accomplished before) in under 2 hours each, and even completing a 26.3 mile training run (a non-race marathon) in 4:12:46. My numbers for 2011 from a workout perspective look like this...

So what about 2012..? Well first, I'm really excited even more now about running my first "official" marathon race at the end of February. Now that I have slayed the mental dragon of "can you really run that far without walking", I'm more pumped than ever to complete a marathon race distance. In many ways I feel like that successful training run has freed me from placing quite so much focus on increasing long runs, and will allow me to focus more on trying to just get in some good solid runs much more frequently.

Previously, I was trying to run at least 6 miles at a time, and that seemed to prevent me from running every day (I would have to put a cross-training day between run days). I could sometimes do two in a row, but not often, and have been battling issues with my right IT band for over a month (and before that, an issue with my TFL on my left side). However, I think if I can dial back that distance to 4 miles for most days, that will allow me to string together many more days, get more running in (which I love), and increase my mileage as well probably.

It's not that I intend to avoid long runs between now and the marathon in late February (or even after that...I really like the longer runs even if the really long ones are a bit intimidating), but I feel like they don't need to be my primary focus. At my current age and fitness level, it takes a day or two (sometimes more) to recover from the longer runs, and rushing that recovery just sets me up for injury.

My plan this year is to really focus a lot more on proper stretching, core work (abdominal, and glute work especially), and finding a balance that allows me to run more frequently without injury. The last time I "got into shape" about six years ago (please God..help me to STAY in shape going forward...getting back into shape is just too freaking hard), I pushed too hard, got injured, worked through injury for a while, and then just got tired of always being in pain so I eventually quit working out. I want to be certain that this time, I find a better balance..especially since I'm not getting any younger and I don't bounce back like I used to.

Beyond the marathon in February, I believe I would like to run some other race distances for some variety, and perhaps try a triathlon (or maybe even an ultra like a 50K...but that even sounds a bit crazy to write, much less plan for at this point). Mainly though my sights are on the marathon at this point. That distance has always held a certain mystique with me for some reason, and I want to "own" it...or at least occupy it for a while.

Happy Running Everyone, and bring on 2012.....

Last Long Run of 2011

2011-12-30T04:17:00.000-08:00

Even writing this 20 hours after the fact, it is hard for me to get my brain around...but I actually did it ! I ran my first marathon distance with no walking, Of course, I'm paying a bit for it still, but I knew it wouldn't be a cake walk, and it wasn't.

I got up yesterday morning at 3:00 to let the dogs out, and ate one of those Oikos yogurt single serving cups. I then went back to bed until the alarm went off at 3:50, and got around slowly and did a bit of stretching. I then went to our spare room where all my "stuff" is, and poured 4, 10 ounce bottles with Gatorade, and started getting dressed. The dogs had woke my wife up for some reason, so everyone piled in for a morning visit and she wished me luck. I drank a total of about 8 ounces of Gatorade prior to leaving.

Yesterday was my weight-check morning as well, and for some reason (I've never done it before) I weight myself once I was all "kitted up". It appears that "fully loaded" with 40 ounces of liquid, six gels, pepper spray, keys, headlamp, pouch, and clothes, it adds almost 9 pounds total. <--- [Interesting, but largely irrelevant fact :-)]

Once fully dressed and ready with headlamp and all, I went in to say goodbye...all the while really not even wanting to head out the door. I just didn't want to do it. Like I said, the longer distances at this point are still just intimidating to me (and I knew it was going to hurt a bit). As I walked out the door, I just had to resolve to myself that since I had been sick for the last few days, if this was nothing more than a four mile run, then I would just reset and do it some other time.

I had setup a roughly 9 mile loop, and the weather conditions were perfect [39 degrees, west wind @ 4-6, low humidity]...perfect for shorts and a sleeveless shirt as long as you're moving along. I got started at 4:50.

I'd only been running a little over 30 minutes before I had to make a "nature stop". It didn't seem as if I had drank all that much before starting, and I only tend to drink 2 to 3 ounces every two miles (one 10 ounce container per six miles), but in these conditions (on this day anyway), that would prove to be a bit too much. I suppose it is better to be over-hydrated than under, but it was still annoying to have to make the brief stops (probably about 20 seconds each) at miles 4.5, 7.75, 10.0, 12.75, and 18.0. I'll have to dial in my hydration a bit better though, because stopping like this won't be as easy or quick on a race course...not to mention just the hassle of having to break stride and get started again.

Although RunKeeper has a pause button, I didn't dig out the phone and pause it for these...I just let it run. I'm pretty lucky that my neighbor still has some home construction, so there are actually port-a-johns here and there, and it was dark until almost 7:00.

The only other stop I had to make was just after 15.0 miles, I had begun to notice that my right shoe seemed tight, and was starting to really hurt the top of my foot near the ankle (yesterday there was a bruise afterwards about the size of a dime, but it looks better today). I didn't "stop the clock" for this one either, but it was more of a challenge to be sure. My hands were a bit swollen, and since I knot my shoe laces (I may have to rethink that and go with one of those lace-locking systems) I like to never got it undone and retied. Probably took me a minute or maybe a bit more. What a pain.

Throughout the run, at least from about the 8 mile mark on, I found myself just aiming to complete the next couple of miles. I recalled all my long runs, and then aimed at over-taking that distance one-by-one. Once I passed my longest since I started working out again, I set my sights on just getting to 24 miles. By that point, I had willed myself past 5 or 6 different 2 mile chunks, so I just did it one more time. This was one of those times when I was really glad that I have RunKeeper set to give me feedback every quarter mile.

I had considered running with music, or at least taking earplugs with me for later in the run to do so, but in the end I'm glad I didn't. It allowed me to really focus on my form and concentrate on the upcoming mile goals. I also like to be pretty aware of what is around me, so I don't have a car back out of a driveway into me (nearly happened twice), or a dog run out at me without me hearing it coming.

I also had various pains come up throughout the run. For a couple of miles, it was the inside of my left knee on every step. Not excruciating, but noticeable. Then it was the outside of my right knee where the IT band connects. Then my lower back on first one side, and later the other...with each step. After a while, it got to where I knew that whatever the current pain was, that it too would pass. The only kind of scary one was when my right thigh started to cramp at 23.75...that one felt bad, but it never progressed then went away, to be followed by the feeling that my left glute was imminently going to cramp up till the 25.75 mile mark. I suppose this is just normal stuff, but I had never had this happen to me on a long run before.

Below is a couple of graphics from RunKeeper with my distance, time, pace, and the elevation...

... and my split times.

Now I know for sure that I can make this type of distance (although the weather may not always cooperate like it did, each course is different, and I didn't have to dodge a single person on my run :-)). For me, that takes an area of psychological concern off the table. Thanks for reading along (if you made it through all that) to my ramblings, and Happy Running everyone !!!!

Shaking the sinus cold and favorite app

2011-12-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the sinus cold that I picked up over Christmas was really kicking me, and a four mile walk pretty much took it out of me. Felt pretty rotten last night, but got to bed by 9:00 and slept straight through until almost 7:00 this morning...I almost NEVER do that. It seems that I'm almost always up to answer a nature call, or let one of the dogs out to do the same, but for some reason the dogs left me alone and I slept straight through. My head feels quite a bit better this morning (not perfect, but much better), although I do seem to have picked up a bit of a dry cough. Hopefully this will all subside so I can still do the long run tomorrow...if not I'll postpone a day or so, since I don't want this to be an epic fail due to any lingering weakness from the sinus thing.

I think I mentioned previously that I'm a RunKeeper fan. I found this application at the end of May, and since I was primarily walking right at first (and then cycling), it was easy to carry my phone with me. I just put it in a fanny pack along with a copy of my drivers license and insurance card. The application is very good with it's accuracy...probably about 96% to 98% accurate. It can be a bit weird on corners sometimes, but with the various twists and turns I typically do on routes, it all evens out. I've checked the reported distances with the car odometer several times, and it is always spot-on. After the workout, I just hit the Done button, then Save and it saves it on the phone and uploads the data to the cloud / website for further review. It reports mile splits, and elevation which is kind of cool. Of course it also reports an overall total elevation climbed, calories expended (based upon weight that you enter on the website), MPH, pace, distance, and overall time.

After the workout, you can access three screens of information on the phone. The first is sort of a summary page. The screen shots are from my walk yesterday...

The second gives you mile splits:

And the third provides a map of your route:

In years past I was never a fan of running with anything, but I found that when I added running to my workouts this summer that if I simply put a wadded up plastic Wal-Mart bag in the pouch and then put the phone in, it didn't bounce around, and I've been doing it that way ever since. I also added a flashing red clip-on bicycle light to the back strap (so I can be seen from behind), and due to some dog / people issues, started carrying a small pepper spray canister (about 4 inches tall, and an inch around).

Another "toy site" I also use (it's free to do so) is the Earndit site, which is kind of interesting. This company has several partners that offer discounts that you can "purchase" with points you earn from workouts. It interfaces with RunKeeper (as well as Garmin Connect, Nike+, FitBit, BodyMedia Fit, and check-ins at Fitness Centers via Foursquare), and will give you 10 points per mile for walking or running (as long as there is map data, which means it can't be on a treadmill), and 3 points per mile for cycling. There is also 15 to 20 points given per day for a check-in at a gym (20 points if you are a mayor). There is a maximum of 60 points per day, and virtual trophies for various accomplishments. That would certainly not appeal to everyone, but it is kind of cool and the price was right.

Till tomorrow...happy running everyone !

Last Long Run of the year coming up...and the longest yet.

2011-12-26T12:36:00.000-08:00

Last night I noticed that I was coming down with a mild (at least at this point) sinus cold, and I woke up with it this morning as well. Nothing serious at this point, but I'm just feeling a bit on the "blah" side with a runny nose. I went ahead and slept in since this week is a holiday for me, then got started on the workout about 7:30.

As I typically do when it is on the cold side outside, I started by spending 20 minutes on the Elliptical machine on Level 8 / Incline 1 for my pre-run warmup, then went out and had a nice run of 4.06 miles @ a 9:05 average pace. I'll have to be sure that when I do my next planned long run that I dial that back to the 9:30 area (or slower).

I didn't really notice any weakness during the run, but more than my normal level of "snot rockets" to keep things cleared out. I'm hopeful that this will pass quickly, since the long run is planned for Thursday morning early. The weather should be perfect for it (predicting low 40's with no rain and very light wind), so I hope this cold doesn't stand in my way.

I do find that the runs longer than 13 miles or so tend to seem intimidating to me leading up to the runs, and this one is no exception. Every time I've attempted on longer, I've just had to stop thinking about it that morning and start out on auto-pilot. I've mapped out a nearly 9 mile loop through my sub-division, and my plan is to "go the distance" for the first time in my life...three loops up to 26.3 miles (26.21875 is "officially the marathon distance, so I plan to just tack on a bit to have it covered).

Although this will be a physical challenge for me, I think it will be a lot more mental. Since I'll be right by the house at or just slightly after 18 miles, and my longest continuous run ever was 21 miles back in the middle of November, I'll be sorely tempted to just "call it good"...I can see that coming. The last time I did a long run it was roughly a 7 mile loop, and every time I passed the house I had to just sort of "zone out" and keep going. I find that if I DON'T think about quitting, that is what has got me through in the past. We'll see how this one works out.

It would actually be a success to cover 24 miles, and I wouldn't be completely bummed out if that is what I'm able to achieve. That being said, I would be really close to a full marathon distance (even if it is in training and not an official race), and it would be cool to be able to complete that distance in 2011. Maybe I'll try this....

I'll do a very light cycling workout tomorrow (probably on a stationary bike at the gym since it isn't going to be overly warm outside), then nothing on Wednesday.

I've got to say that I really like the challenge of these longer efforts, even if they are sort of intimidating to me at my present level of fitness. I'll do this like the last one, with no support crew or outside aid, carrying my fluids, GU, and electrolyte capsules with me in my running pouch. I'll have 4-10 oz. bottles of Gatordade, six GUs, and 4 electrolyte capsules. I have RunKeeper call out time, distance, and average pace every 1/4 mile (I like the feedback), and I drink about 3 to 4 ounces at every 2 mile mark, take a GU at every 4 mile mark, and an electrolyte capsule at every 6 mile mark. That should exhaust my fluids and everything else at around the 24 mile mark.

Success or not, my plan is to post an update of the effort on Thursday sometime. Until then, happy running everyone !

How it began...

2011-12-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my initial post...I've wanted to get started for a while now, but had just been putting it off, so no time like the present to get started.

At 52 years of age, I found that I had really let myself go and wasn't happy with what I saw. I had a 40 inch waist (at 5 foot 8), weighed 186.2 pounds, and had a body fat percentage of 26.9%. I had lost a good bit of weight five or six years earlier, but had managed to simply gain it all back.

Of course, at the level of fitness I found myself, I couldn't just "hit the gym" as I had previously (I've had a love for the sport of running for nearly all my life, and although I was never really good at it, had enjoyed running 25 years ago). So at the end of April, 2011, I started just by walking the dogs around the neighborhood, taking progressively longer and longer walks. Let's just say it wasn't pretty.

This quote is just SO true..."If you're sick of starting over, you have to stop quitting". Let's just say that I hope this is the last time I quit being healthy.
I also ditched the "See Food" diet I was on. I started eating breakfast, and stopped eating all sweets. I also ate ONE plate of food for the evening meal, and tried to make it primarily protein-based, with good carbohydrates and low in fat.

So that was how I got started chipping away at all the fat to see what I could find underneath (although I didn't look anywhere near this good from the waist up :-)

At the end of May, I bought a bicycle (a hybrid between a road bike and a mountain bike) and started riding it regularly around my neighborhood. It was at that time that I also started using an app called RunKeeper on my iPhone to track distance, pace, calories, etc. My first attempt at running again was not pretty. I made it about a mile and half before I was walking back home.

I very gradually started to introduce running into the mix during June and July (I was still walking, and cycling regularly), and had managed to build up to running 7 miles (@ a 9:56 pace, 1:09:41) by the end of July...before I severely twisted my right ankle on a morning run about a mile and 3/4's into the run. I hobbled the 1.2 miles home in the pre-dawn darkness.

For the next 4+ weeks I cycled (I could ride "carefully" in a couple of days), and swam in the pool at the gym. After about a week I found that I could add back some walking, and did my first run after the injury about a month to the day afterwards. Just a couple of miles, but I could do it.

During this time, I had also picked up a pretty decent (very bright) headlamp that I was using for cycling and walking since most of my workouts were accomplished in the pre-dawn hours. Part of the reason I twisted the ankle was because I didn't see the uneven pavement ahead of me in the dark. So from that point forward, all my "darkness" runs would be with the headlamp, which was surprisingly easy to get used to. I tried it on my waist, but the light bounced around too much, so around the headband was the best place.

With an initial target of 155 lbs. (and size 32 jeans), I reached that goal at the end of September and have managed to maintain my weight between 150 and 155 since then. Currently (from the starting point), I've lost nearly 34 pounds, dropped 7.25 inches from my waistline, and my body fat is at 16.1%. Over the course of the year thus far, I've cycled 1548 miles, walked 267 miles, swam 24 miles, and run 338 miles.

I've also run two half-marathons, and I'm signed up for the Cowtown Marathon on February 26th. I've started this blog to log my continuing journey to complete a marathon, and just maintain my weight and health. I've certainly learned that getting in shape (both losing weight and building mileage) is a tight-rope balancing act at my age and ability, between slow progress and injury.

Thanks for stopping by, and please feel free to stop by and check on my journey whenever you like. Also, please feel free to share any wisdom, comments, or suggestions you might have...I can use all the help I can get.

Michael