Mach Tenn 2009

Overall this race went pretty well. I started things off taking a short bike ride to warm up there after getting my transition area set up. Then i got in the water to warm up there. Swam probably 200 yards to get good and warm. While standing in line, probably about 30 people left to wait on the girl behind me tells me that my swim cap is on inside out. So i decided i had enough time to fix it. When i got things situated my goggles didn't feel like they were on my face well and i couldn't get them right. I didn't know that the seal had started to tare away from the right eye at the time, but that was the issue and it was time to go. So swimming with one eye i took off, not knowing really what to expect.

I don't think there is much to prepare you for swimming in mob of people. With in the first 5 strokes, i made a point to myself to relax and to pace myself because i knew i was already going out too hard. I think i held good composure for the remainder of the swim. I got off course once while rounding the second buoy. Don't really know what happened, all i knew was a guy in a boat was yelling at me about it getting back on course and i held my pace.

I need to work on sighting. I was looking up every 4 strokes or so. I also think if i could at some point after i get winded to not breath every 2 strokes but 3, i think my speed and effort would be greatly improved.

Things got a little rough in the water rounding the last buoy. I had to swim over people and really hold my ground. I had hands and legs in my face and was being shoved around. The only solution i saw to the problem was to swim faster and just shove back. Nothing too bad in the water though.

I got out and looked at my watch and was impressed and surprised to see i was under 17 min in the swim. Swim time: 16:56 (1000 yards).

Running up the hill to the transition area, Shawn handed me a cup of water, i probably needed it. I tried to drink it, but really just couldn't get it down. I was too busy trying to breath. I chucked it towards the trash can where i missed and almost in slow motion watched the bottom of the cup hit the pavement and the stream of water come up and all over a lady standing in the transition area. whoops...

I felt like i had a slow transition. Looking at my time, it wasn't' too bad 1:57.

On the bike... Time to hydrate. The first mile or two on the bike was rough, i was still hurting from the swim. I choked down half a gel pack on the start. I felt it in my best interest to quit when i did. After i recovered from that though i got on it. I started passing people which should make anyone happy. I sluffed it off when the people with just over the top bikes, disk wheels etc, blew past me. The one thing about the swim and the run (more so on the run due to wetsuits) a guy passes you you don't' have the excuse, "well if i had his shoes i could run faster".

Anyway, the bike went well, the hill going up towards UTSI didn't even really slow me down as much as it had before in my training. I passed quite a few on that hill alone. I finished the last of my gel pack going around UTSI. All and all i had a time i was happy with if i didn't slack in the first few min, it might have been a tad better, meh. I started to really like the aero bars and feel comfortable when i was on them. Bike time: 48:55 (16 miles).

T2 went pretty smooth. Again i felt that i was slacking in the transition area but the time said otherwise 0:56. Forgot to grab my gel pack for the run though. Don't think it mattered really.

The run was slower than i had really hoped for. I was hoping for around a 8:30 pace. I ran at a pace i was comfortable with. I got passed by a lot of people... I think i only passed 3-4 people, and well they were walking. I saw Coach Lester, Joe and Lisa at the turn around cheering me on with her cowbell. Good to see them, i laughed a little just at the fact that they were there which let me kinda get my mind on something else other than the run. When i crossed the finish line, i was glad to be done. Jessie was waiting on me at the finish line. Talked to Shawn briefly as i recovered. Run time: 36:02 (4 miles).

Finish time: 1:44:45.

The race was a lot of fun. Especially considering that less than a year ago i never saw myself really doing this. I've came a long way but there is definitely room for improvement. I'm sold on the triathlons though. The foot races are fun, but i definitely like getting a little more of a break in the monotony in just the running part.

I saw quite a few people that i hadn't seen for a while volunteering. My old boy scout troop and my scoutmaster. As well as the HAM radio guys. Thanks to all.

I've been toying with signing up for the Music City Triathlon that team magic is putting on. Its of the Olympic distance. So it will be quite a bit more challenging than this one. I think its well within my abilities to finish it. I think I've about got myself talked into it.

As far as training this week. I'm skipping the running and just swimming. I went to spin class on Tuesday for the first time in a while. Chad puts on a mean class. Sunday I'm going to pick it back up with the training. With a middle distance run through Bonnaroo on Sunday morning with Jessie. This week is Bonnaroo time. Looking forward to a few bands however I'm skipping the headliners this year... probably take a nap so i can be awake for MGMT and Girl Talk who both have late night shows.

First Tri - GJCC

This is a couple of weeks late, but better late than never.

I had planned on my first Triathlon to be the Mach Tenn. A goal i set back for myself around Nov, Dec when i realized i could run a few miles and didn't hate it. I haven't really been in great shape since well high school and after that college was kinda on and off. After college, it was pretty much off. Anyway, for a long time, I've kinda thought a triathlon would be a fun thing to try. I really had no motivation or desire to peruse that thought though. I've never been able to run and most of all didn't want to put myself through the pain and agony that is running.

I started getting in to shape, started to like running. My friend, Lisa, that i used to work with at the theater in high school challenged me to sign up for the CMM half. After i did the math in my head about pace to finish etc... i was out of excuses. I signed up. And in the next few months i got comfortable with the skill i thought I'd never had.

So after that things started to fall in line... I was going to spin class and trying to swim in the pool for cross training. Then probably the best motivator was the onset of a master's swim program at the rec center in Manchester. After this, i really had no excuse... Mach Tenn here i come.

In talking to Don Rogers he actually mentioned the GJCC as a great beginners tri to make my first one. I took his advice, and signed up for it.

So on to the race:

I was lucky enough that my brothers girlfriend lives about a mile from the bike course. So when i had planned on driving up that morning, i was able to stay over there and get a little more rest. I went up the night before for the beginners briefings. Some helpful information was said. A lot of stuff was just review, as I've spent a good bit of time researching how to take this on.

It was a great day for it in the morning, overcast looking like it was going to rain really and not really hot either. The swim was technically wet suit legal. That morning i warmed up with a 200 meter swim in the pool nice and slow and smooth. Its been my experience that my first 200 or so is always rough in swim class.

I got to the front of the line, GO... the race was on. I hopped in the pool (i was expecting to be able to start in a swimming start fashion, however, 5 min before race time i was informed that would get me DQ'ed.) So i jumped in and started swimming. The swim felt smooth and at the 100m turn i had passed the guy in front of me. I got out and was kinda happy with the swim especially with the unexpected things that came about on race day... ie, not being able to dive in, and having to swim across 3 lanes and a swim well to exit the swim. Swim time 3:38 (200m).

T1 went pretty smooth: 1:52.

On to the bike. Not knowing what to expect and wondering how easy/hard it is to get a drafting/passing violation, i kinda started off a bit timid. After i saw what other people were doing on the bike, i picked it up. I passed quite a few people and pushed it hard. Hard up the hills. The downhills weren't as friendly as I'd had wished pretty much any downhill we had, there was a turn in it with people yelling to slow down. Going into the last turn, the girl in front of me, lost control of her bike and hit the gate and rolled. It didn't look pretty. I finished the bike strong. 28:51 (8.5 mi + T2).

The run was the first mile of the bike course, out and back. I took off, trying to run my own race. Didn't want to pace anyone and wear myself out. I know I'm slow, I've got a lot of work to do on the run. around the turn around the girl that wiped out on the fence came trotting past me. Glad she was OK, however a tad depressing that she could take a spill like that and still catch me. I might have had a little left at the end of the run, but i was definitely ready to be finished. I ran at an 8:22 pace which is respectable for me. 16:43 (2 miles). Total 51:03.

I recovered, and got some snacks and stuck around for the results to be posted. I was very surprised to find out that I took first in the beginner class age group. So i can't complain about much there. Team-Magic did a great job organizing the race. It was a great experience and a confidence builder for the Mach Tenn coming up in a couple of weeks.

Busy Weekend

I decided to hit it hard this weekend. Most of it came from wanting to get a long run in as well as run a dry run through the mach tenn course.

Nearing the end of a rainy Friday at work i decided to leave a little early to both try to avoid the post work traffic on TN-127 and i had a small window where it wasn't raining. So i headed out to the recreation center on woods and knocked out the course. I hopped on the bike and road out, it was pretty humid as the sun was out and it just finished raining. Road the loop, nothing special, i got it done in 51 min. Got back and put the bike up and started running... This running with tired legs is rough, much like last time, it took me about a mile for me to tell my legs that they were running come hell or high water... The rolling hills aren't really so bad. It was my longest run since the CMM as well. I've been concentrating on running the trail at work with some people that are faster than me and they only run 3.5 miles at lunch. The 4 mile run on the course took me 37 min. The sun was beating down on me the whole time. There was really no shade the whole time.

So on to Saturday... I got up early and road in the dogwood ride. 62 miles through Franklin county. I got rained on pretty good right before climbing up the hill at alto. I'd never been up that route before. It was challenging and pretty good scenery as well. Overall the ride went well. Took my time, and stopped at the aid stations for some snacks. I was supposed to head out to Fayetteville for a BBQ with Jessie later that afternoon but it was canceled due to the forecast of rain. So exhausted i went home and slept for a few hours then i was off to Jessie's for dinner.

Sunday again i got up good and early for a 10 mile run. I ran a route i ran before which included 3 laps of the 3 mile loop out of the rec center with one of the laps taking a spur over I-24 before heading back towards the rec center. I was pretty impressed with my performance after the first lap. I guess it took me a little while to get loosened up, etc. It was a nice and cool morning for the run, it was around 60 degrees. I wasn't complaining.

After the running, Jessie and I headed up to the resonance fair. It was a good time. Threw some axes, and ate food that should kill a man... i don't think anyone was ever supposed to fry a milky way bar. :S

I'll take it easy this week and I'm looking forward to testing myself on memorial day.

Weekly totals:
Swim: 4650 yrds
Bike: 88.1 mi
Run: 21 mi

Tri Training

Well after the CMM I've shifted my training to get ready for these tris.

I've been busy and with the rain and all my training has been struggling anyway... I have yet to do a long run since the half.

I've been running at lunch with some people from the design group at work. They are fast. I can hold my ground with them on their first lap. After that i make it about half way until i start to drop back and then shortly after that want to die. I've ran with them 4 times. I've managed to pull a negative split each time and almost every time i wonder how the hell.... Its a 1.75 mile trail and we run 2 laps. Best time so far is 30:20. I'm hoping that running with them will make me faster and in a few weeks I'll be able to hold my ground to them.

I've also been doing some short bike rides. 10-12 miles. So far in all of my training i am probably going to be the least prepared for the bike ride. Probably because of the 3 its the one I'm the most comfortable with.

Swimming is still going alright. We did a T-30 the other day. I improved by 25 yrds. I was kinda hoping for better as the first one i really paced myself as i wasn't really even sure if i could swim for 30 minutes non stop haha. So naturally i was more comfortable with my second one. I need to get to where I'm comfortable with doing the flip turns during it and I'll knock it out. I've been trying to do them more and more. I need to find a way to get in an open water swim. The water is probably still pretty chilly.

Today i also did my first brick training. I did 11.5 miles on the bike and then turned around and did a 2.2 mile run. The expectation was upheld, my legs didn't like me for the first half mile or so but they loosened up after and i did alright. It also felt like i was running really slow however i managed to crank out a 8:48 pace. I also got a pretty bad cramp in my chest toward the end of my run, maybe the worst one I've had.

So on to next week. Hopefully i can hit it hard. Memorial day is fast approaching.

CMM 2009 Half

This blogging thing is sometimes a chore haha...

Anyway, Leading up to the CMM i had a pretty huge taper, as with all the rain i had quite a few baseball games. Almost every night. So needless to say i didn't get as much running or cross training in as I'd have liked to. I had a 12 mile run on Easter that left me feeling pretty good about the race. In the next two weeks i ran a total of 9 miles (one 6 and one 3 miles). That's less than half of what i hoped...

Anyway, the race was supposed to be hot. It was hot, not as hot as Hawaii running but the combination between the hills and the heat took its toll on me. I started running with chad. We both had pretty much the same goal. Goal being that we felt that we might be able to get a 2:00 time. We started in corral 12 with the 2 hour pacer from the striders. The first 5k of the race was strong. Somewhere after mile 4 we started dropping off... before we got to mile 5 the 2 hour guy was out of reach for us. Somewhere around that time i also got bottle necked at an aid station and lost chad. I was hurting but maintaining a reasonable pace. I managed to catch up to chad by mile 7. Just after i caught him, i was able to spot Jessie in the crowd of people running the opposite way, she was around mile 5.

After that i was still hurting but still pushing. My 10k split was still decent. Shortly before the 10 mile mark, chad told me he'd see me at the finish line and he dropped back. At the 10 mile split i was still on track for my declared finishing time of 2:05. Another mile down the road, everything fell apart. My lower back started aching. I told myself i was too close to the end to let that bother me. Right at the split off of the half marathon i couldn't take the pain anymore. By now it was shooting down my legs and just a tight aching pain to lift my legs followed.

I had to pull over and stretch... I'm sure i looked miserable. One of the running coaches approached me to make sure i was OK even. I stretched my back, and walked a little hoping that it would loosen me up. I started to jog slowly again, to what was seemly worse pain, plus my legs felt like anchors.

I ran walked through mile 11... and tried to run again at 12... same but i was a little more motivated. I stopped to walk one last time, for a little bit... Then i made it to the bridge over the river, at this point, i sucked it up and ran. 2:11 was still seemly in sight (i started my watch a little late so i really only had an estimate). I ran down the hill... around the bend, and to the finish line. I finished up with a 2:13:18.

I'll take it. I'd had really hoped for a tad better, but hey its my first one. Gives me something to improve on.

I recovered in the finisher's area with some fruit, drinks, etc... then i made my way to try to cheer Jessie on as she crossed the finish line. I waited and watched a few people go by and Jessie rounded the bend i was a little late seeing her and tried to yell for her... she was in the zone and just ran right past haha. She did well especially given the heat and that there were 3 consecutive aid stations that were bone dry for her. Her finishing time didn't publish however. She is in the 2:30 range however. Hopefully they will get that straightened out soon.

On to the triathlons. GJCC and Mach Tenn are on my list. I am also considering running the middle half in the fall, and maybe hoping to complete a full marathon by the end of the year.

Foot issues

Since march 30^th I’ve been having a slight pain in my foot as previously mentioned here…

 

Thursday I went out for my 6 mile run after lunch at work since I didn’t really have any time to work it in.  I tried to eat a little bit of a lighter lunch (no cheeseburger, etc…) however apparently subway isn’t a good alternative.  I think I was a little dehydrated from swim the night before as well as spin class.  I hadn’t drank too much water that morning (aside from a couple of cups of coffee).  Anyway, I started my run and it was going good.  The first mile was under 9:00.  After that I was looking for the water coolers on the trail at the base… for some reason they decided not to put them out.   Next my sandwich was disagreeing with me.  However despite my pains there, I was determined I was either throwing up or finishing… possibly both :P…  All this while my foot was being a trooper… nothing from it.  Probably about 3 miles into the run, it kind of ached a little…  quarter mile later… shooting pains forced me to quit.  I limped and walked for a little bit in pretty decent pain.  After walking for a min or two the pain seemed to subside.  I jogged a little bit, no pain, so I picked it up to a pretty quick run.  I did quit at the entrance to the trail. 

 

So with that, I was going to the Doctors to get my shots and decided to let him take a look at it.  I got an x-ray and some poking around.  He said that it looked like it was an inflamed tendon and give me some anti-inflammatory drugs as well as some topical cream.  Hopefully that will do the trick.  I’m looking forward to the half marathon in just a couple of weeks.  I feel prepared and don’t want something to crush my hard work. 

 

I’m going to try to get a long run in this weekend pending my foot.  It will be my last until the race.  I’ll start tapering and just sticking to shorter runs. 

ok... lets do this.

I've been running around like crazy the last few weeks so the blog took most of the hit. was kinda waiting to try to get some pictures on here, but I'm giving up on that goal.

Anyway, Hawaii was good. I got 3 runs out there 6, 10, then 6. All 3 runs were tough. The heat and the humidity took its toll on me. I was not ready for that. I found it hard to stay hydrated and I've said i felt like i was going to throw up but Hawaii was the first time i was actually coughing and gaging thinking i was going to toss my lunch. We also got some weights in. If hot tubbing counts as swimming then i got plenty of that too :P

We got back Friday evening from Hawaii. We flew in on the red eye. I've never been able to sleep on the plane... especially when I'm expected to. Exhausted i think i made it until about 8:00 and i was out cold. I got up nice and early to run in the St. Patrick's Day 10k here in Manchester. It was pretty cold up until start time. It started warming up and becoming a nice day as we were running. My goal time was 55 min however i exceeded that buy over a min and ended up with 53:41 (unofficial as by my watch, I've yet to actually see the official results). It was a pretty good run. I paced chad for probably half the distance then pulled away after we ran up the jail hill.

The next week went well training wise. I had some really strong runs. My time off from swimming caused me to fall back to some old habits. Actually on Monday i managed to rub my shoulder raw with the stubble from my face not good. We did a 30 min time trial in the pool Wednesday. I was concerned about being able to swim for 30 min. After the fact it wasn't bad at all and i could have pushed myself a little more. I ended up with 1625 yards. Comments from some of the other swimmers confirmed my thoughts of my stroke being off.

On that Saturday, i went out for a very windy but long bike ride. I took my bike over to Winchester to see Jessie at hammers and then came home through Tullahoma. I ended up with 58 miles. I lost my temper around mile 50 when a car with the whole other lane (4 lane road) decided he was going to come with in about a foot of me going 50mph or so in extremely light traffic. So... he got the finger. Which is something that doesn't come out much, even when driving :P Anyway, it took me 3:30 to get 58 miles in. It was my longest ride to date and i was really out of condition for it as my neck and butt were killing me after the fact.

No time for my long run on Sunday, so i got up at 4:00 am to turn out my 12 mile run. I ran 4 laps around the rec center in Manchester including 4 trips up the hill. My ipod was dead so i was a little disappointed at the start, but it turned out to not be so bad. It was 28 degrees so i had my tights on. The run was really strong. I was pleased with myself and nothing really to complain about (pain, stitches, etc). Time: 1:59:30. I stretched and left feeling accomplished and ready to tackle the half marathon in a few weeks.

I had ball games Monday through Wednesday. So no swimming. Tuesday is where things started going down hill. At work wearing some very old new balance tennis shoes, my foot started hurting. Its been worrying me. I decided to skip my run as not to irritate it. Wednesday it wasn't any better, nor Thursday... (skipped another run). Through advice of Jessie, Lisa and a few others i went up to fleet feet on Friday to look into some new shoes. Friday the pain was better and Saturday it was feeling pretty good as well. I did get some new shoes on Friday so hopefully they will help out.

Saturday i also did a 3000yrd swim work out. I asked Shawn for a workout since i missed all week and i don't think i can afford another week out of the pool. Not sure how my stroke worked, but hopefully I'm getting the kinks out. I'm sure I'll get some constructive criticism in the pool Monday, which will be very welcomed.

Sunday with no foot pain, i went out to try my new shoes. I hadn't ran for a while and didn't want to irritate my foot anymore than necessary. I was hoping for 6 miles, but only got 3. Hard to explain why i quit. I wouldn't really call it pain (at least not like before) but my foot felt uncomfortable, so i called it quits when i got back to my car at 3 miles. I'm going to do a 6 mile run on Tuesday either on the track or the trail at the base so I'm not running on pavement. Hopefully that will go well for me.

I managed to finally fix my garage door today, through some structural reinforcement. Its not too pretty but it works. I'm happy. I also got my oil changed and a few other odd jobs around the house done. Now I'm hoping for an early bedtime.

Anyway, that's a quick rundown of about my last months of training. Hopefully i can keep this updated in the future.

Getting caught up...

I’ve done quite a bit since I posted last.  I ran a 5k for the kick off to the Health and Fitness Fair for ATA last Tuesday.  I didn’t beat my last 5k time and I was surprised because this one seemed to have a lot less elevation change in it.  After the fact according to my GPSr and another guys GPSr (we agreed with in a 1/100^th of a mile) it looked like the course might have been a tad too long, which wouldn’t really surprise me haha.  Google agrees with our GPSrs as well… moving on. 

At the fair I got my Cholesterol and Blood sugar checked and I’m in good shape there.  I’m a tad over the mark in lung capacity.  However this is where I fail… My sit & reach… well it was off the charts.  More accurately said “I didn’t make it to the chart.”  So going on what I’ve known my whole life, and said my whole life, I need to work on my flexibility. 

After work I ran another 3 miles indoors to get me over my 5.5 for the day. That night after Don’s spin class I went to Cindy’s stretch class.  It went alright.  I really dislike yoga though.  It’s not that it hurts, or is weird, I just have a hard time seeing its benefits to the goals I want to ultimately achieve.  Anyway, I managed to hit up yoga at the base with Cassie Grow on Monday and again left with the same feelings toward it.  I’m going to keep going and maybe I’ll start to see results and start to enjoy it more.  I need to get a benefit out of my 10 dollar tjmax yoga mat :P

Onto the snow.  Sunday night we got 4 inches of snow or so in the Manchester area.  Jessie and I went out to jaunt around in the snow.  I got pelted with some snowballs… as did she.  One o’clock came around and Jessie had actually talked me into running on the treadmill.  The treadmill is uncharted territory for me.  I had a 9 mile run scheduled.  Well the Rec Center was closed for the snow… Which is really a lame excuse, I was pretty irritated I got ready to head up there and went up there to a sign on the door.  No running on Sunday.  I ended up only running 11.6 miles  last week. 

 

Monday I got up early to make up for Sunday.  I chugged around the track for 108 laps.  I managed to get this in 1:18:25 which is about 2 min faster than last week.  So I was happy with that.  I really wanted to get one of my 9 mile runs outside but that didn’t happen.   Lunch was the yoga mentioned earlier. 

 

After work, I went home and challenged and beat bowser  in super Mario sunshine just in time for swim class.  I have to say swim class had me ready to die.  I think some of it had to do with the running and yoga earlier in the day.  We swam 3x200, 2x200, 1x200 descending sets.  First couple of two hundreds not too bad.  The last 200 though, it felt like I finished that one with an anchor tied around me. 

 

Tuesday was my normal run of 6 miles.  I like the loop I ran however next time I’ll be running it in the opposite direction.  It’s a 3 mile loop around the rec center which I did twice.  I finished off with spin class which Jessie joined me for.  I think she liked it mostly due to the better music.  However, Nickelback is bad enough, there is  no reason to play it twice (as if there was even a reason to play it once).   Streach class was canceled so no luck there.

Wednesday was a much stronger swim class for me.  I felt like I had improved and felt quite a bit more comfortable with my turns.   With my turns its one of two things that normally get me.  1) if there is someone behind me, I don’t have a lot of control in my flip so I often end up on the wall just wherever, and sometimes that’s right in the face of the person trailing me.  2) I can’t get my breath when I need to and my timing is off.  To say the least I was happy with my performance in the pool.

 

I inhabitants of hell got to try out their ice-skates this morning…  I actually made it to a 530 spin class.  And the best part of my day: I found a 10 dollar bill in my jean pocket when I was getting dressed in the locker room.   Later today I’ll be running my 6 miles and meeting Jessie for dinner.  She is going to the LRCP meeting in Fayetteville and since I don’t have a baseball game, I’m going to tag along.

 

I umpire Friday night it will be my first game of the season (due to the other two being canceled).  Saturday I’m going to wake up and get my 10 mile run done then off to umpire again. 

 

 

 

 

 

Weekly roundup

I'd like to write on this 2-3 times a week... Things get rusty after a few days. My memory really lacks sometimes. Ask anyone :P

Anyway... Here is my weekly working out:

Monday: Early morning 1.75 mile light run. I didn't time myself. Just jogged a lap on the trail on base. After work I met up with Jessie after work to talk to her about her new job that she started. Ended up walking around Hastings and picked up a "new" Mitch Hedburg CD. Then off to the pool for masters swim. We did a 2000 yd work out including some sprints. The sprints were actually pretty fun. After swim i went up for a quick abdominal workout.

Tuesday: 5.5 mile run in Tullahoma 51 min. Started at east, ran to the end of the bike trail and back through Macon Manor. I didn't plan on going to Don's spin class in the beginning. On the drive home i figured I'd drive by and see if there were any open bike. I got in surprisingly and was just a min or two late. I think since Don's class is from 530-630 I'm going to give the "flexibility challenge" class a try this coming Tuesday. I greatly need to work on my flexibility.

Wednesday: Swim class. We ended up getting in 2400 yrs. 600 of them were spent on the kick board so don't get too excited. After swim i went up stairs for some weights since i skipped out on Monday. Arms, chest and abs. I'm not working out my legs right now as I'm kinda assuming that my running schedule is making up for any lost ground. After the gym I ran over to wingers for dinner with some of the others from swimming. A couple of cold ones then home for bed.

Thursday: I spent the day up in Cookeville talking to students about ATA's coop/intern program. It was engineers week and they always have a engineering career fair. After i got back from that it was getting late so i opted to run on the rec center track. 5.5 miles (66 laps :S) i ran a pretty good pace 46:47 for a 8:30 mile. That was it for Thursday.

Friday: Rest day.

Saturday: Brad and his girlfriend, Michelle, were at my house. They went to Joyce's spin class. I was supposed to meet them after class for swimming however he forgot his suit. So we went and got lunch, and went to the pool a little later. I think we got in about 750yrs. I lost count and the lap timer wasn't working. We were in the pool for 20-25 min.

Sunday: 9 mile run. It was snowing in the AM. I had plans to run outside. It didn't' take too much to talk me into running inside. I was debating between the treadmill and the indoor track. I've never ran on a treadmill and that is still a true statement. So 108 laps... It really wasn't too bad. I tried out Cytomax as well. It was alright but its going to take some getting used to. 9 miles in 1:20:17. I was pretty happy with that time. I scared some lady on the track... on my long runs i always cough and hack upon finishing... she asked if i was alright, i think she was scared i was going to vomit on her actually :P I walked a couple of laps with some water to recover and then stretched out.

I got home and noticed i had a sharp toenail that cut into my other toe. Lesson learned: keep toenails trimmed better :P It wasn't bothering me during my run, but its quite painful now.

I ran 21.75 miles this week. That's a new threshold for me. I've got 20 miles planned for next week. I'm pretty happy with my performance this week... It seems like I'm finally getting a little faster. I feel confident I'll be ready for my half marathon. I went ahead and signed up for the GJCC triathlon this week. 200m swim, 8.5 mi bike and 2 mile run. It should be a good introduction and get me prepared for running the Mach Tenn the next week. Something else for me to look forward to.

First Race

This is a little behind as its already Tuesday. Anyway....

I ran in the Nashville Predators "FANGtastic" 5k this weekend. It was a new experience. I posted a time of 26:41. I was pretty happy with this. The course was a bit hilly. I think i could have pushed it a little more however i really didn't know what to expect at all. I didn't train for it specifically and the distance is short compared to my training runs for my half marathon these days. I guess my unofficial goal was made by Don asking me in the locker room what time i was shooting for. I was hit cold by this question as i hadn't thought of it before and my reply after a second or two of thought was "I guess i'd be happy with anything under 27" so goal met haha.

I didn't wear a watch so i had no idea on what time i was makeing. I have yet to decide if wearing one would have helped me or hurt me. I'm leaning more toward that it would have hurt me as i would have had some goal in my head and ran just that fast. I doubt i would have finished in a shorter time had i had one.

After the race we ran over to the sports plex to shower up and blow some time til the hockey game. We ran over to the mall as jessie has been on a mission for a few weeks now of going to sophoria. After that we went to mellow mushroom for some lunch and beers... we then continued the beering at the flying saucer. I forgot to use my free pint coupon for my birthday err. i guess it means i just have to go back. Jessie joined the beer club for the quest of getting ones name on the wall (and you get a free tshirt and other free stuff as you progress).

We put a half attempt into finding a geocache. That didn't happen. haha. On to more beer and then the game.

It was my first pred's game to attend that they actually won. I went to my first one last year followed by a few more. I think that was probably my 6th or 7th game. I'm not running a good streak. Anyway they won in overtime in the shootout. I guess we got our money's worth. It was also jessies day for tshirt collection. She got 2 at the race, one at the flying saucer, and i managed to catch one thrown at the hockey game which i gave to her (it was valentines day, haha)

Its looking like i'll get to run in the rec centers 10k in march. I was supposed to be out of town, but we may be getting back early. So i'll be looking forward to that.

Resting a little...

It was a pretty nice day on Saturday and I had planned on riding my bike
in Fayetteville with Jessie. She ended up having a little bit of a cold
so she decided to skip out. I ended up just riding out from my house.
I went through Hillsboro and back thru the base. It ended up being a 26
mile ride. The wind was a little much though. I didn't have anything
in particular in mind on my destination or distance when I got on my
bike. I had kind of thought about riding out to Estill Springs and back
through Tullahoma. But since I didn't have a plan and the wind was
rather discouraging, I made it short.

I bailed out on my long run on Sunday. Mostly because it was nice out
and I didn't really think about what time it was and darkness snuck up
on me. I wanted to go run at Tims Ford state park. To make up for it I
got up at 430am on Monday morning for an 8 mile run. I ran at the trail
on base. I was a little slow at first and almost made up for it in the
end (my first lap was 18:40 for 1.75miles). I think my over all time
for the 8 miles was 1:20:45 or so. Running in the morning isn't really
my thing.

My plan for this week is to be an easy week. I've been working decently
hard for about 2 months to get my running distance up, etc. I think a
small break will do me some good. I figured it'd be a good week for it
as I am running in the Pred's 5K this weekend. It will be my first
running race. I haven't been able to really decide on a good goal
finishing time. I guess I don't' know what to expect.

I was worn out by the time swim class came around. I think I did a
decent job in the pool however. The drills are getting more and more
challenging. After swimming I expected to come home and pass out...
Nope, I was wide awake and ended up taking some Tylenol PM around
midnight.

I was awoken by work calling me at 5:45 Tuesday morning. Not really a
big deal, I should have been awake anyway. I ended up rushing to get
ready and going into work a little early. I skipped packing my lunch
and packing a bag to run after work. I ended up skipping my run on
Tuesday and opted for a 30 min nap instead. Then I went off to Don's
spin class. When I was driving home from the gym, I got called into
work again.. blah. It was for something different than in the morning
at least.

Wednesday was an interesting day. I started it off with Traffic
Court... which really just managed to piss me off for the day. I really
got screwed there and from what I could tell, was because apparently not
wanting to give the officer your SSN and Phone number when he told me I
may refuse to is interpreted as Rude to the Manchester City Police.
Long story short... I have Traffic School coming my direction next
month. After court I ran to Winchester for my dentist appointment and
stopped by Jessie's work to say hi.

Wednesdays swimming was pretty good. I'm trying hard to get myself out
of bad habits. Most of which seem to be in my stroke timing. And I
wish I could get that damn flip turn down. I need to just practice
them where I can do them without being tired from swimming already.

Today I went to the eye doctor for a follow up. She wanted to get some
baseline tests to keep watch for me developing glaucoma. According to
her I'm at a little bit of a higher risk to develop it.

I'm debating on if and how much I want to run today after work. I'm
looking forward to my race followed by some flying saucer and a hockey
game. Weather dependant I'm going to try to do a decent bike ride
Sunday.

3rd shift

Due to some problems at work with some of my systems, I get to sit in and observe for this week out in the wind tunnel from 8pm to 8am.  At least there is only 3 days of shift work for me.   Makes for a almost welcomed shift in my schedule.  I enjoyed being able to wake up whenever over Christmas break then going to run before breakfast.  Its kind of similar with this. 

I left work yesterday early with hope to get a nap in before swim class.  That, as you probably guessed, didn’t happen.  I loafed around the house, played some Dr. Mario with my brother on the original NES.   We are pretty evenly matched.  I definitely recommend  the game for some competition in a quick thinking game.  I’ve been playing it for a while since my brother has been staying with me after he graduated.  He has a job interview with ATA on Wednesday.  Hopefully that goes well for him.   When the time came I headed to swim class.  

We are getting a better work out now that we are moving on to harder drills.  Our coach had us doing 8x75’s on the 1:50 50yds of which was underwater kicking drills, I have to say that was a little rough.  After swim class, I showered got some dinner and headed into work. 

I got off early last night about 3:30 am.  I went to bed and got up around 11:00 or so.  Loafed around a little bit and then went for my 5m run.  It was a little chilly and there were some pretty large wind guests as well.   Overall, it seemed less windy than it did Sunday.  I ran out of the rec center.  It seems like its not hard to find a hill around there.  I ran the 5 miles in 48 min.   I’m happy with that.   I’ve been thinking I need a little motivation to get faster.  I know I can run 9 min miles outside in the terrain and weather, but just don’t have the motivation to do so.  Reading Lana’s latest blog kind of got me thinking about that.   I’m running against the clock for my arbitrary goal.  I try to go faster, it hurts so I back off a little.  I think I was doing a little better with the pace but I’ve been battling side stitches toward the end of my shorter runs in the cold.  Still haven’t found a good solution to that.  Ones they set in it seems like they are there to stay and just get worse every step.   Right after I stop, get a drink and start to stretch it seems to go away. 

Went home and rested up for don’s spin class.  The music was a little different in today’s class.  It wasn’t quite as heavy as it’s been in the past.  All and all it was a good class.  I sat in the back so I feel like I might have cheated myself a little.  Its not as motivating when no one can see how hard you are going.  We did some new things in class too… single leg and pedaling backwards for example.  The pedaling backwards was a little tricky because the bike would only take so much torque before it slipped in the reverse direction.  It was almost like a resting set due to not being able to push it really hard.    After spin, I went home and got ready for work and grabbed some dinner and coffee. 

And here I am midnight at work… only 8 hours left.   So far so good, smooth operation. 

I plan on going home and sleeping as long as I possibly can, going to my swim class, then repeat.  Depending on when testing stops I am kind of hoping I might even be able to make it to a 530am spin class Thursday morning.  I’ll be returning to first shift Friday. 

 

 

Super Bowl...

Well the Steelers won the Superbowl... 6 of them too. It was actually a competitive game all the way to the end which is something not seen in most of the Superbowls (no actual data just going on what i can remember).

I got called into work on Saturday morning which by the time i got there, i pretty much told them to proceed and probably could have just avoided going in if i putzed around a little bit. After work Jessie, Lisa and I did a chilly bike ride. I think we got in about 17 miles. Just slow and easy to get on the bike. Its been a little while since I've been out on the bike. Now if i could just find some time and a nice day to get on the motorcycle.
















Sunday was an interesting run. Chad and I ran from his house to the 55 flea market and back for an eight mile endeavor. The weather was pretty good for the run except for the wind being in our faces for the first 8 miles. After we'd turned around, Brian decided he was going to bother us by driving by honking and shouting. I was kinda hoping for him to offer us a ride. Then on to the creepy guy.

I've been stopped and asked if i knew were someones house is or how to get from here to there, out of the 2 or so times that I've actually stopped running so far I'm batting a .000 on knowing what the hell they are talking about. So I've pretty much decided to just keep running when people slow down (they probably think I'm an ass, i really don't care). Anyway, this guy in a car that was barely running pulled off onto the shoulder and opened his door while we were running up to him (I'm under the assumption his window didn't roll down). Beckoning us to come over to his driver door he had a plastic shopping bag on his lap that i really didn't want to find out what was in it. Chad and I ran past the car on the passenger side to where he starts backing up down the shoulder. At this point we are both wondering at what point to we turn around and confront him and if we are going to actually going to have to defend ourselves. He backed up to the next block and turned off down the road. Creepy. Between that and having to plot to dive in the ditch as a car was acting strangely and almost merging onto the shoulder, i think my next run will be away from the highway.

In a related rant... I know when I'm biking/running down 55 or any 4 lane highway for that matter there is a shoulder, but would it kill people just to change lanes if possible. I think that we had 7 people actively change lanes because we were running down the shoulder.

Overall, i think I'm doing pretty well with the training though. I ran the 8 mile run in 1:20. I have to work 8pm to 8am through Thursday this week. I don't think that will affect my training too too much. I should be able to get my swimming and running in no problem. I'll just sleep when I'm normally at work.

This weeks training plan:

Monday: Swimming and Weights
Tuesday 5 mile run and Don's spin class
Wednesday: Swimming
Thursday: 5 mile run (i would do weights however the rec center will be closed, err)
Friday: Off
Sat: bike or spin (weather dependant)
Sun: 8 mile run

finishing out the week.

Well, i had a pretty busy day Wednesday with not much working out other than swimming. I had an eye doctor appointment, then my allergy shots, almost rear ended some girl and a haircut too. We actually got a decent workout (by my standards for swimming). Looks like we are going to start some new strokes too. Again its been a while... and I've never really mastered the butterfly at any point in my life. Maybe this time around.

Thursday i ran at lunch again. It was a little chilly. I wore the tights and a pull over. I guess the mid 30 degrees days are tough to judge. I was pretty cold starting off, hands numb etc. By the end i was dripping sweat and wanting to shed a layer. Little better time than last time too. Last time was 48:30 instead of the 47:30 i quoted in my last post. I got this run done in 47:50. For the last 1.5 miles i had a horrible stitch in my side. I experimented with how to nurse it. I couldn't make it go away and it progressively got worse, but shallow breathing seemed to make it manageable.

I finished up my day at work and went to the pool place in Manchester to buy some hand paddles for swimming. I picked up a kick board while i was there because i figured it wouldn't be long before she wanted us to get one of those guys.

Spin class was pretty good thursday as well. She does different drills than the other instructors so its a nice change. Some of the music is we'll just say marginal however. After swimming i decided i'd swim a little. Which after getting in the pool i was really too warn out to have a good swim. I swam 8x50. I want to really concentrate on form and i can't do that if i'm warn out so i just quit while i was ahead :P...

Get to be lazy with Jessie tonight. We really don't have any plans as of yet so maybe we'll just sit around the house. She is bringing her bike over though. Tomorrow we are going to ride with Lisa out at the base for a couple of hours.

I am trying to think of a good route for my 8 mile run on super bowl sunday. Go Pittsburgh!

Running for Lunch

Well, I just finished my 5 mile run today… and yep… I still hate it :P  Biking is fun, Swimming is getting to be more fun (more on that later)… running is still very much a chore.  I’m still surprised at the motivation I have to train for this race.  I don’t think I’d be running even weekly if I didn’t have a goal in mind.   I have been running fairly consistently since September and its gotten easier, I can run oh 20x farther, maybe even a little faster too. However,  I think I might be at a plateau as I’ve noticed myself struggling for the short runs and getting about the same time if not worse.  Maybe a rest week will do me good.  I’m running in the preds ”fangtastic” 5k on 2/14, so I might cut back that week and only run 8 miles + the race on Saturday.   I will try to concentrate more on my swimming and biking (weather permitting, sorry I’m not doing a 25 degree bike ride).

 

All and all my run wasn’t too bad today.  I ran the gravel 1.75 mile loop trail at AEDC.  It was sunny and fairly warm.  I ran in shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt and I should have opted for the short sleeve shirt.  So after 2 and 6/7 of a lap in 47:39.  My GPS was a half a mile off.  I was surprised, I’d have never guessed the thing to be 10% off on a fairly clear day.   There are a few trees, but I’ve had better luck that that with my hand held GPS on backpacking trips when there is actual canopy.   According to the GPS I was booking it haha (I’d be very happy with a 8.66 pace).

 

Ok, back to the swimming.  After our warm up in class yesterday there wasn’t much swimming to be done.  We worked on turns, which will be nice once I get them down.  I made myself a little ill in the pool trying to practice the flip turn.  After about 4 flips in the deep end, I came up dizzy and just never recovered… I kept with practicing just spaced them out.  I still felt pretty ill for the rest of the night.  I think a little had to do with the fact that I didn’t take my antihistamine/decongestant   Monday and the with water in my ears and occasionally my nose… I could see where I’d be feeling ill.   Wednesday should be better as I’ve learned my lesson.  Hopefully we’ll get more of a workout too. 

 

It’s looking like the weather might cooperate with a weekend bike ride this weekend.  I’ll be looking forward to that (until the forecast changes).  I haven’t been out on the bike since I was in New Orleans for Christmas.   

 

 

Weekend activites

Well, Friday I left work and headed to Tullahoma for my long run.  I ran in the subdivisions around east middle school.  Carried water for my first time.  It was a little awkward but I guess I got used to it.  The water kept me from holding the timer so I just ran and tried to pace myself out which led to me being very slow.  But I could have probably pushed out another few miles.  I was actually interrupted by Lisa when I was about to start a loop thru Tara.  I was almost at 7 miles.  She was giving me a bike trainer to take a look at.  It took me 1:22 to run 7.25 miles.

 

After my run, it was Casa Mexico with Jessie, the parents and brothers.  Then I got conned into replacing brake pads on my brothers car at like 1030 at night.  Oh well, I like working on cars.     

 

Saturday, Jessie and my mother were planning on doing Zoomba and meeting me in spin class.  Jessie had to run off to work (she was supposed to have the day off, but had to go fill in for a lady that had a kidney infection).  I went to Joyce’s boot camp with Chad (Brian bailed out) which ran over.  It was interesting to say the least and challenging.   Did a lot of drills in there that I hadn’t done since high school.  They were easier in high school as well :P…  Got a good ab workout at the end as well.  After that I was 20 min late for spin class. 

 

The rest of Saturday was spent doing odd jobs around the house.  I finally got around to installing the bike racks I bought for my garage so I don’t have to have my bikes propped up against the wall anymore.    Also tried out the trainer.  It used a squirrel cage for resistance which made it loud and was kind of a pain to get it set up.  It’s not something I’d see myself doing in my spare time.  Lisa ended up buying a new trainer over the weekend and offered me that one.  I honestly don’t think it would be something I’ll ever use. 

 

Sunday was the rest day this week.  So it was off to the Aquarium in Chattanooga to check out the otters and penguins.  Jessie and I had a good time.    I could really feel the boot camp soreness kicking in while stumbling around Chattanooga.   I didn’t think It’d make me sore, I was wrong haha. 

 

So here we are on yet another Monday.  An interesting one so far, apparently there was a police chase on the interstate that ended with the suspect in a body bag.  I came to work the back way so I missed it all… boo.   My running mileage goes up this week, I’m up to 5, 5 and 8.  I’m still sore from boot camp as well.

 

Swimming tonight.  Should be a fun workout  and loosen me up as well.

 

Congratulations to Chad and Brian for their 5k in the cold on Sunday.  I signed up for the Preds 5k today which will be my first race. 

Recovery Run

I took some advice from Lisa and took it really easy on my run today. Still under a 10 min pace, i wasn't really keeping up with it while i was running. I looked at the clock about halfway and noticed i was pretty much dead on 10min. I ran the loop from the rec center via interstate drive. It took me over the construction, so i had to be on my guard there. Getting hit by a car wouldn't be fun.

I'm skipping spin class tonight though. Its my mother's birthday, so I'll do dinner and cake with her and my dad and brothers.

Yesterday, i did the masters swim class again. I was pretty congested at the start of the class but cleared up after warm up. I feel that I'm really improving. And the people I've been paired with push my abilities, which is good due to the fact that when i go to the pool alone, i tend to be lazy, and take short cuts. I'm looking forward to Monday's class really.

stitches

Apparently the pool place in Manchester doesn't abide by their hours. Showed up at 10 til there published winter hour closing time and the place was abandoned.

Anyway, i went to run leaving from the fitness center... still a little sick, but i wasn't going to let that or the snow/wind bother me. It was 25 degrees when i set out for my run and i had confidence that i was going to get it done in 40:30. First mile good... up the hill by the jail house. Felt great, running into the wind and my face was getting chapped but still i was kicking. About a half a mile later, i fell off the cliff with probably the worst stitch that I've ever gotten in my side. I tried to regulate my breathing and slowing down, and it just kept getting worse. Finally i talked myself into walking for a min, surely it would go away then. Nope... After a min, i tried running again to find no improvement (i should add here, that pretty much when i stop running, that's the end of my motivation). After a few rounds of running/walking, i decided to head in so i turned down Waite street to return to my car.

I ran the trail back to the fitness center and about the time i reached the babe ruth field, i told myself to quit being a wuss and finish out by running back to my car. Still in pain, i ran. Somehow despite my walking i managed to get a 3 mile loop done in 33 min. I was going home... skipping spin too.

Back at my car, and stretching, the pain finally went away. It was snowing pretty heavily at this point, and starting to cover the parking lot. I convinced myself that i was going to run out the rest of my distance and i did. I ran 1.5 miles in 13 min to finish off my run. The 1.5 felt great, no stitches, no knee/shin/leg pain, etc.... I could have probably got it done in 12 if i would have started with the same motivation as i finished with.

Went and cooled down and stretched in the gym and got ready for spin class. Which i was really able to push it and turned out to be an excellent workout.

Experimenting with an Email Posting

This post is mostly just to see if this works. Ie, so I don't post
something that I'd really like on the blog and have it get lost in the
network of firewalls, switches, routers, etc...

Anyway, I feel much better this morning, still got a little congestion,
but that should lessen up as my medicine kicks in. Recommended by my
doctor, I'm supposed to take a prescription antihistamine/decongestant
daily. I normally get away with not taking them unless I'm pretty
congested or am getting my shots that day. Not really a fan of having
to take daily medicine.

I got up this morning on my own will about 4am, and almost talked myself
into doing the morning spin class... then my real brain woke up, so I
was sleeping again in 30 min. I actually managed to get myself into
bed before 10pm last night. As much as I'd like to make that a habit, I
know there is no way that will happen. I'm lucky to be in bed before
midnight.

Sick

Saturday I got up early and after coffee with Jessie, I had good intentions of a good easy swim, working on some of the issues pointed out to me on my swimming before heading to spin. Apparently lap swim doesn't start until 9am on Saturday. So after wearing myself out in spin, even though it seemed to be an easy class, i hopped in the pool. I was really too worn out to concentrate on my form, so after some sloppy sets, i got out after about 600yds.

Jessie and I bailed on a concert on Saturday night in Shelbyville, we were both too tired. I don't remember who was playing. We headed down to Huntsville from her house instead and walked around some stores. I had good intentions of getting a cheepy pair of bike shorts for spin class, since I've been wearing some and decided I like it. No dice on the shorts. I'll have to wear my good ones again tomorrow (if i go, more later)...

Sunday Chad and I went out for our 7 mile run. We decided to run from the fitness center up 41 north bound and turn around at the 3.5 mile mark, ended up being right around Blanton Chapel road. The north bound run had a tough head wind and the route was pretty hilly (elevation profile from my garmin)... I got it done with a pace of 9:58. I'm pretty happy with this but will be happier with some improvement. I still don't know what to expect with the long runs so I'm pacing myself pretty hard (however that run was still very challenging on my limits).

After my run... FOOTBALL and yes the Steelers are heading to the Superbowl once again :D...





My muscle in my upper leg wasn't bothering me Monday morning as it had been acting up with past runs, so hopefully that small injury is gone for good. I guess more running will tell.

I woke up sick Monday morning. Sore throat from sinus drainage, and felt pretty miserable. I didn't want the sickness to discourage me, so i went ahead and made a doctors appointment for the day. In the past, I'd wait a few days with it getting worse. Anyway, i have a sinus infection (as expected, i get them frequently due to my allergies) so with a shot in the butt and some antibiotics, i was feeling well enough for my Monday workout.

Swimming went well again. I'm still iffy on some of the drills. They feel kinda strange doing them, but I'm not getting any negative feedback from our coach, so i assume I'm doing alright. It felt more of a work out today than in the past. And we are supposed to get a workout in Wednesday in the pool. So that's something I'm looking forward to.

Anyway, its now bedtime, and hopefully I'll be feeling good in the morning, as I'd like to run (4.5 miles, hoping for a sub 9 pace and outdoors) then hit up Don's Spin class a some heavy metal workout.

Oh, and i should add... Tomorrow is a scary day in American history. I'm not going to get into it really though.

Missing title :P

Well, i achieved my goal and then some. 4.5 miles 38 min. Which is better than a couple of my 4 mile runs. Albeit it was indoors and level, its nice to see some improvement. My motivation for this half marathon is very high. I've been training for it for about a month and a half, and the more i improve the harder i work.

Loafed around the gym and watched some racquetball until spin. More spin drama today too... oh how fun. Spin was pretty good... 80's montage :P I worked up a pretty good sweat. Seems like the rush might be winding down as there were 3-4 unused bikes. More rumors of new bikes soon. I'll believe it when i see it. This might be a bit of the engineer speaking, but a little preventive maintenance would go a long way, those bikes rot away getting beat up 2-3 times a day.

I've been thinking about doing the stretch class (i may have mentioned this before) i need to work on my flexibility in the worst way. Wonder if I'll be the only male in the class :P i haven't heard anything about it other than it exists.

Now to prepare for the bitter cold night. I still think its a bit much to cancel school due to cold. Short day at work tomorrow followed by my allergy shots and going to a party with Jessie. I don't get to see her much now that she's a working girl.

I'm running outside Sunday come hell or high water. 7 miles, the longest I've ever ran.

Swiming

Well, swimming hasn't been as dreaded as i had in mind. I'm actually in the middle ground in ability for the class which is good because we can move slow and i can really break the bad habits that i'm sure i have. I actually found myself looking forward to getting in the pool while i was at work. Class is very full though, i think we had 22 people there today, maybe even big enough to split us into two groups especially since monday we have to compete for lanes.

As far as the running, i ran in the bitter cold yesterday (1/13), it wasn't my coldest run that i've done but its by far the longest run i've done in the cold and wind. I found my feet getting cold and cramping up which was causing form problems and my shin bothering me a little. I got 4.5 miles done in 42:56 so i was pretty happy. Since its suppposed to be colder on thursday and wanting to do a soft run, i think i'll just sweat out the 54 laps on the 1/12 mile indoor track. I'll shoot for a faster pace, and maybe even push myself to try to get it in 40 min. we'll see.

The cold weather has led me to breaking down and getting a new battery for my car with fear of it not starting... it was really struggling today. Now if i can just get my garage door opener unit fixed, i'll be in good shape.

Tomoorow its 4.5 mile run (indoor) and an hour spin class.

Pittsburgh is the only home team to go on this week. Someone showed me this and i figured this was a good place to put it.

a cold 6 miles

Ran my long run of 6 miles today. Ran it in 58 min. I've been shooting for keeping my pace below a 10 min mile throughout my training. So far so go. Chad and I ran a course approximately equal to the St. Patrick's day 10k. We turned around at exit 111 though as we didn't want to fair the traffic at the bridge construction. It was cold and had more terrain than most of my other runs. Comparing it to my 6 mile run last week which was on the THS track, they both took about the same time. Given the elevation change and the fact it was about 20 degrees colder I'm pretty happy with my performance.

Time to watch the rest of the Steelers payoff game. I was disappointed in Tennessee yesterday, they really blew it. I was hoping to see another PIT vs. TN matchup.

Congratulations.... now you owe us $140.

I had a tough Thursday working out. I ran 4 miles through Manchester on what i thought was a quick pace for me.... It was pretty chilly outside however i was over dressed for the run. I was slightly disappointing to find out that i was only 2 min under 40 when i finished. Oh well, the runs are seeming to get easier.

After following my run i spend 30 min stretching out before spin. I've learned my lesson from last time of running then going to spin with barely stretching. Spin class was challenging and i liked the new instructor. We did some new things in the class and the explanation was much better as well. I'm going to try to keep this on my normal routine as my normal spin days will become swimming days since I've signed up for the instruction. After some quick weights i went home to wacth the National Championship game.

Friday was a rest day. I left work early to take the GRE test which i did fair on it. My verbal skills are apparantly terrible :P... So after that i meet up with jessie and we did some shopping and got some dinner. I did get some good information when i got home in finding out that i've passed the PE exam which i took back in october.

Saturday morning i did spin again. It was a good class but seemed a little easy maybe?? Anyway, i'm relaxing the rest of the day. 6 miles tomorrow.

First Blog

This is my first entry in my first blog. I decided to push forth and lose some weight with the help of a weight loss competoin back in August. After losing over 30 lbs, the training schedule i developed was actually something i "enjoyed". So in trying to keep the fitness i have decided to try a half marathon. So far so good with the training. I'm going to try to keep up with my future training for this and possibly other races/events in the future.