sore legs

Wow . . . I thought I was ready to go out and breeze through a recovery run tonight. I guess the 18 miler took a little more than I thought. "BUT IT WAS WORTH IT!!!" the fat man screams.

I thought doing a 45 session on the bike and lifting weights, including leg workout, would work all the soreness out. I thought wrong or the work I did yesterday made me sore. Regardless, I managed a 5 miler tonight. I did it without a watch, again. Good thing . . . I felt sort of slow and sluggish. However, by the 4th mile I was starting to loosen up and as I sit here typing this up, my legs feel okay.

Part of the problem is that I know I am running my long runs a little too fast. But that's okay, if it doesn't kill me it will make me stronger, right?

Off tomorrow and then tempo run on Wednesday and hills on Thursday.

I LOVE the Long Run!

Hey all. For those who are keeping up, today was my 18 miler. First time in a while since I've gone over 16. It always seems like whenever I start getting ready for a marathon, I get injured about this time in my training. NO MORE!!! I have been able to keep the fat man at bay thanks to Weight Watchers, hard work, and a support group that is second to none! That includes my running friends and neighbors-Chip, Animal, Dom, Lisa, Dori. It also includes fellow bloggers like Amy and Shane. Thanks all!

I was a little concerned with today's run since I struggled a little bit with last week's 15.6 miler. Not today. Lisa ran with me for the first 9 miles or so and then Dori joined me for a couple of miles and then Dom (who was already out running with Chip) helped me finish off the last 7 miles. Lisa ended up running 14.5 miles. Chip turned in about a 10 and Dom was somewhere around 14 or 15 miles. THANKS!

Here's the bottom line. 18 miles in 2 hours 38 minutes. That works out to a 8:47 average. MUCHO better than the 9:05s I was wanting to average. The best part is that I am not hardly sore at all and managed to work around in the yard the rest of the day. I'm rewarding myself with Lasagna with some friends.

I just wish Mona were here to help me celebrate :(

hectic Thursday

or at least it seemed hectic to me.

Busy day at work. All kinds of stuff going on. And on top of all the usual BS, my boss calls me in and assigns more to me. EXCUSE ME . . . I'm trying to get over my wife passing away last month. Isn't there anyone else to handle this stuff?

Answer: yes, but I know you'll do it right.

Have you ever really just been fed up to here with it?

Okay, I've vented. Now on to the more important stuff. I ran this afternoon. I had to make it a quick, short run since I was heading over to The Bell Center (www.thebellcenter.org )-an early intervention school. I'm doing a Partners in Training (yes it is similar to Team in Training). That is what I am raising money for . . . read my profile for more info. Tonight was an awards meeting. I didn't win any awards. Didn't raise enough money. I did win a hotel room for the night before the marathon. That was nice considering that you can walk out of the hotel to the start line for the marathon. However, I told them to use the money and put it back into Bell Center. I live close enough that it is not an issue.

I ran about 5 miles. I did hill repeats and just warming up and cooling off.

I ran about 2 1/2 miles to warm up.

4 x 0.2 mile hill repeats (1.6 including the downhills)

1 mile cooldown.

I did notice that I was tired and sore from the hard tempo run that Animal and I ran last night. However, my times are improving and the FATMAN is staying way.

Check back to see how my 18 miler goes this Saturday. I'm shooting for a 9:05 average, but we'll see.

A good tempo

Good evening to all. I hope everyone has had a good day. After a few down days, I’ve broken out of my funk . . . at least for now. I think about Mona more than I thought I would. I always thought that I was a lot tougher, but this is perhaps the toughest thing I’ve ever done physically or emotionally. Training for a marathon is tough but nothing like facing grief. Enough of that!

I had a really good run tonight. Many thanks to Marc “Animal” for helping me to push my tempo run. It is always a good thing to run with someone that is a little bit faster . . . it will definitely challenge you and make you stronger.

It was a very nice evening . . . high 40s, no wind. Perfect!

I did 7.2 miles in 58:14. That works out to 8:05.5 average pace.
However, we steadily picked up steam along the way.
We ran a 1.2 mile loop. Here’s the splits and the pace/mile:

Lap 1 10:33 8:47 pace
Lap 2 9:49 8:11 pace
Lap 3 9:37 8:08 pace
Lap 4 9:27 7:52.5 pace
Lap 5 9:19 7:46 pace
Lap 6 9:28 7:53 pace

Not too bad for the fat man.

Routine Monday

As promised, I am coming back to my blogging. I've missed you more than you've missed me, I'm sure.

It took me at least a full day to recover from my long run on Saturday. Actually longer. Normally, I wake up without an alarm clock. However, this morning I actually hit the snooze a couple of times. It really zonked me out. Anyway . . . .

Decided that I would run without my watch tonight since it was a recovery night. It was a good run and it was refreshing to not be looking at the watch-very freeing. It was in the mid 50s and foggy since it has rained here for the last 24 hours. Not sure what my pace was but I felt very comfortable and light on my feet after the first mile. I ran a nice 5 miler and then lifted weights. Between the run, the cooldown and the workout I spent about 1 1/2 hours just doing my thing. Very nice.

I'm back . . . . sort of

Hello everyone. Thanks for your patience with me. It has been hard to get started back to blogging. I haven't had any problem getting my runs in, just not overly inspired to write about them. However, I've been journaling my emotional journey after Mona's death and I have found it helpful, so I figure getting back to this might be helpful.

I've been sticking to my program for the most part. Understandably, it's been a little tough to stay motivated, but with my half marathon coming up in a few weeks I figure I better get with the program.

Two weeks ago Saturday I ran in a 10 mile race. I didn't run all out, but I did push the pace. I completed it in 1:23. That works out to a 8:18 pace. I was pleased with it. Especially knowing that I still had a little bit left in me.

Last Saturday I did a 13.2 training run. Dom and Lisa (my next door neighbor's sister) ran with me. It was a nice controlled pace that was slightly pushed, but not out of control. Not really a LSD run though. 1:53 for the whole run. that's a 8:33.6 pace.

This past Saturday I ran a 15.6 miler. It was warm (mid 60s) and sprinkling. I deliberately ran a slower pace. Thank goodness I did . . . the run wiped me out. It has been a long time since a had a long run do me that way. Legs felt fine, but my back and chest hurt. I guess from the heavy breathing! ;) anyway, I ran it at a very consistent pace. I didn't vary more than 5 seconds in any mile during the whole run. 2:21. That works out to 9:02.3 per mile pace.

My goal is to break 1:50 for the half marathon. It will be close. I'll be picking it back up over the next couple of weeks and I'm planning an 18 miler next week. I figure if I can hold a 9 minute pace for 18, I should be able to make 8:23s for the half . . . . that would give me 1:50.

Come back and check my progress over the next couple of weeks.

And thanks to everyone for your comments regarding Mona.

A sad new start to the new year

It was 2 weeks ago today that I buried my wife and best friend of 14 years. http://www.mem.com/display/biography.asp?ID=1155253 Mona was the most indescribeable person I have ever met and will probably ever know. Her life is a testament to her faith and her joy for life. She passed away Christmas night due to complications from her Marfan Syndrome www.marfan.org . The ER doctor said that it was probably a catastrophic aneurism or a failed heart valve. She had survived a dissecting aortic aneurism (95% mortality rate) when she was 24 years old. She has had 5 major surgeries since to repair aneurisms along her aorta. She never complained nor did she ever tell folks about her condition unless they were family or close friends. She spent her time helping others . . . working in the NICU while she could work. Afterwards, she volunteered at the hospital one day a week and continued working in NICU. She also worked with our church's respite program. She was always looking for opportunities to serve others. In fact, Christmas Eve evening, the night before she passed away, we went down to the local shelter and helped serve dinner to the homeless. I thank God for having the opportunity to know this wonderful person and I count myself blessed that she loved me and agreed to be my wife. If you care to do anything, please make a memorial donation to the National Marfan Foundation in Mona Hamlin's name. Thank you.

I'll start blogging my running later.

Another long run & merry Christmas

First, let me wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Today was a pretty busy day. I started off with a long run, then helped Mona around the house with cleaining, cooking, etc (family is coming here tomorrow). Then we went to the local mission to help serve dinner. I started out the day firing up the smoker and smoking a turkey breast and a boston butt . . . . they look good and smell good-only tomorrow will tell.

The long run. As we all know, it is very important. I've been continuously increasing my mileage each week and this week was a 15.6 miler. The total mileage for the week was somewhere in the neighborhood of 33 miles. No serious aches or pains. Maybe this year is the year I finally break through.

I was fortunate today in that my buddy Chip ran 10 miles with me. We ran fairly fast. Or at least faster than I had planned. But that's okay. We had fun, good conversation and the time went by quickly. I ran 15.6 in 2 hours, 21 minutes. This works out to a 9:02 pace. While running with Chip, we average more in the 8:50s. I slowed down the last 4 miles or so. However, after running too fast for almost 12 miles, I needed the break.

Chip also convinced me to sit in a tub of cold water after my run. Not sure if he's yanking my chain or not, but I did it. Sat in a tub of cold water for 10 minutes. It's supposed to help eliminate aches and pains. Personally, I'd rather take Tylenol than sit in cold water, but I'll try anything at least once!:) We'll see how I feel tomorrow to determine if I continue the cold water thing.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Thursday Hills

I hope you haven't come here for any exciting news of earth shattering revelations. Basically, all I do is talk about my running. Recently it has been improving and the "FAT MAN" is falling further back!

Hills tonight.

1 1/2 miles warm-up
6 hill repeats (6 x 0.2 miles) worst hill was 1:37 and the best was 1:28.
1 1/2 miles cool down

A good workout. Legs tired but not sore.
Looking forward to Saturday's 15.6 miler.

A very good run

Boy howdy! What a run tonight. Tuesday night . . . as you know, this is the night I do AMP runs. However, it is turning more into tempo runs. Tonight ended up being a very good run. I ran 7.2 miles, just like the last two weeks. However, the last two weeks, I was running in the 61 minute range. Tonight I broke 60 minutes. 59:56 to be precise. That works out to a 8:19 pace. However, I ran a pretty good negative split with the first 3.6 mile was 31:10. The second 3.6 miles was done in 28:46 (8:00 pace).

I started off slowly and kept speeding up. My neighbor and running buddy, Chip, was out and we hooked up for my last 4 miles. He's recovering from the Rocket City marathon two weeks ago. I told Chip that I was wanting to push it a little bit. Boy, did he help. Thanks Chip! We also ran a couple of miles with "Animal" before he took off down the hill for his hill work. Thanks guys!

Surprising Run

Monday night. Nothing too exciting. Scheduled for a 5 mile recovery run. Legs were still a little stiff (I guess from the 14.4 miler). I started a little earlier than normal since we had a church thing this evening. Felt really sluggish and never really seemed to hit a good stride. I was really starting to get down on myself during the what I thought was a 5 mile SLOG. However, after I finished, I checked my overall time and was shocked to see I had run my "recovery" run at slightly less than 8:30 pace. This is normally faster than the FAT MAN runs his recovery runs. Maybe there is something to getting in shape, losing weight, and increased training!

Recovery

I slept like a rock last night. the long run yesterday took it out of me. It's sort of a satisfying feeling, isn't it?

You know what I'm talking about . . . you wake up at 7:00 am and don't even remember turning off the light next to the bed! What a great feeling.

Today was a recovery day. I biked 10 miles right before sundown and then worked out. I was a little stiff and had a few minor pains here and there, but all in all everything is fine.

Another Saturday Long Run

Whew. That's about all I can say about this morning long run. I did 14 1/2 miles this morning. I avetaged 9:14 pace. I really wanted to do a negative split . . . but I didn't. I wanted to run the last 3 miles in 8:30s . . . . but I didn't. However, I am not bummed by this.

I was stiff and sore from either the hill work on Thursday night or the 21 holes of golf I played Friday afternoon. The other thing that could have impacted my run the the late supper last night with our friends Jim and Karen and Randy and Martha. Or it could have been the fact that it was in the upper 30s with 10-15 mph winds out of the north. I don't mind cool weather. I don't mind the wind. However, when you put them together, I tend to let it bother me.

I am still running pretty well and I am still running my long runs faster than I should. I know that I should be running them 30-40 seconds slower than my race pace. Since I am planning to run a 4 hour marathon that means that I have to run 9:09 miles. That is the magic number that I am planning my training around.

Next week's long run is planned 15.6 miler. Nothing like a nice long run on Christmas eve!

Hill run

If you've been following my training regiman, you know that Thursdays are now reserved for speed work, fartleks, hill runs and anything else that I can find to do to hurt myself. I am living proof that pain can be fun!

Another nice evening for a run. It was in the high 30s, no breeze. Ran in long sleeve performance shirt, shorts, coolmax gloves and earband.

1 1/2 mile warm up.
5 hill repeats (2/10 of a mile x 5)
1 1/2 mile cool down.

I have been running fartleks the last few weeks, so I started my hill running easy. I'll start picking up the speed and reps over the next few weeks. I will still throw in some Yasso 800s and fartleks on Thursdays. I am not sure what the most valuable of the three would be. If you have any advice, please let me know.

marathon or bust

Hey all. I recovered from the chili run last night (see last night's posting about the chili). None of the boys were out, so I ran solo. It is tough to push yourself when you don't have help.

Tonight was my scheduled AMP run. Like last week, I thought I would bump it up a little and run somewhere below marathon pace but slower than 10k pace. I'm not sure if this is doing me any good in "feeling" my marathon pace, but I can tell running these a little bit harder are helping. I'll work on settling into my Anticipated Marathon Pace when I get my AMP runs up to 10 milers in a few weeks. My long term plan is to get at least six 10 mile AMP runs in and I'd really like to get more like eight to ten 10 milers in. We'll just see how it goes.

It was a good night for a run- high 40s, no breeze, full moon coming up over the mountain. Ran in coolmax tee shirt with coolmax gloves. Yes, I did have my shorts and shoes on!

I started off feeling tight, slow, sluggish. However, I was surprised when I turned the first mile in 8:40. I fell into a good, steady pace and was very comfortable the first half of the run. When I hit the halfway point I felt so good I decided to pick it up. It feels good knowing that there is always some left when you finish. I actually ran the last mile in 7:50. Pretty good for a fatboy like me. Here's the breakdown for tonight:

7.2 miles in 60:58
1st 3.6 miles @ 8:41 pace
2nd 3.6 miles @ 8:16 pace

better run faster

Normally I'm not a big fan of Mondays. However, today I was really wanting to get outside and get to running. That is until Mona's (she who must be obeyed) chili from last night hit me. Don't get me wrong, Mona is a very good cook and I love her chili. Unfortunately, I also enjoy hot and spicey too much. That is why I'm on two Nexium a day. I don't know if it was the beans, the jalapenos, or the added hot sauce that got me, but something did. Lesson learned, the chili is spicey enough.

Regardless of the stomach discomfort and strange sound emitting from my body, I did manage to get my 5 mile recovery run in tonight. After I got out there, all I could think was run faster! Have to get back to the house. I'm sure you can figure out why I was in such a rush.

No left over chili tonight! I have to do a 7 mile AMP run tomorrow night.

BTW, I did a 10 mile bike ride and worked out Sunday afternoon.

Saturday

Saturdays are normally a long run for me. However, the program I have chosen to run allows me to take every 4th long run and bump it back to rest and recover. That being said, I did an easy 8.5 miler. Ran the first 7 miles at 9:10 pace and pushed the last 1.5 at a 8:05 pace. The 9:10 pace felt slow and the 8:05 pace felt pretty fast . . . somewhere between a 5k and 10k pace for the fat man. That was my rest and recovery day. Next Saturday-14.4 miles!

Thursday . . . whew!

Long day today. I had to go to Vidalia, GA for work. I got up at 5:00 am so that I could get over to my friend's Larry, so we could carpool to the airport. Took the company jet down to Vidalia, had a couple of meetings, walked around in the rain, and came home. After leaving the airport, going by Larry's house, and getting home, it was about 5:45. I was planning on running hill repeats, but I was pretty tired. What to do?

No, I did not wussie out. Even though it was pouring down rain, mid 40's, & the FAT MAN was screaming "NO, NO, NO", I did manage to get out and do 4 miles of fartleks. I opted for the fartleks instead of the hill simply for safety reasons. It was rainy and foggy and the hill we run is totally dark. No street lights and people drive like madmen up and down that section of road. Sometimes you just have to be flexible enough to change your plans.

ADAPT AND CONQUER

Tuesday night AMP run

Hi all . . . just sitting here watching a Charlie Brown Christmas having a glass of vino. You did notice that I was brave enought to say CHRISTMAS! I am not politically correct. If this offends you, tough. Go sit in the hall like the weird kid in elementary school.

Tonight was a good running night. I am starting my training in earnest and I was scheduled for AMP run. Basically, I run half the distance of my previous long run At Marathon Pace. Actually, I did it a little faster than marathon pace, but it felt good and comfortable.

7.2 miles in 61 minutes. This works out to 8:28 pace. Needless to say, I am very happy with this.

Of course I did have some help from my friends. Animal (Mark) ran with me for 2 1/2 miles before he took off down the hill for his hill repeats . . . . never saw him again the rest of the night. Chip ran with me for the last 3 miles or so. He's in his taper for this Saturday's Rocket City Marathon in Huntsville, AL. Good luck, Chip! Dom ran with us for a 1/2 mile or so to cool off . . . he had finished his hillwork and was winding down. Dom ran a 5k in just a little over 20 minutes. Congrats to Dom. Thanks guys for putting peer pressure on me and helping me to do better than I would do by myself.

Recovery night

Nothing too exciting tonight. It was a chilly night: mid-high 30s at 5:00 pm with a windchill around 30. Temperature was dropping when I finished up. Did an easy solo 5 miler to recover from my Saturday long run and my Sunday bike ride/workout session. Quads were a little bit sore, but everything else felt fine.