BQ by 40

Marathon Training plan and Pushups Plan #twit2fit

2009-01-05T18:18:00.000-08:00

Smart Coach Plan Created on 1/5/2009 - loose guide for mileage ramp-up and interval/tempo pacing. I plan on slowing down easy days as much as necessary to complete them. The plan says 8'56" miles, but Daniels' 2nd edition has as slow as 9'14" based on a 21'54" 5k time.

Start mileage: 51 miles, starting last Monday.
Peak mileage: 74 miles.
Marathon date: 4/19/2009.

Pushups Plan - 2,090 pushups in 10 consecutive days so far. I'm planning on +1% every day until I can't continue the pattern. No time limit on sets, except for available free time. I've been completing the sets within 30 minutes to an hour each day. Hopefully, the workload is light enough to allow consecutive days. The way I've done the breakdown, I won't reach 100 consecutive pushups until June.

Shorter plans:
100 pushups in six "weeks"
200 situps in six "weeks"

Recovery Run on the Grassy Knoll #twit2fit

2009-01-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

10.44 miles in 1:38:48 (9'28"/mile pace)--38'F to start, and a bit windy.

This is quite a bit slower than I usually allow myself to go, but still probably a little too fast for the day after a race. Today I did a few more sidewalk-less connections along Billtown and Bardstown Roads, running in the grass. While I'm still uneasy about the unevenness of some grassy areas (especially along Billtown), the grass provides a little bit of relief from the hard surfaces, especially the concrete sidewalks.

I pulled down the ear warmers about halfway, but when I turned up Michael Edward Drive, I turned headlong into a wind tunnel and put the (now wet and cold) ear warmers on for protection.

I had some concern about my SI joint injury and left shin pain, but both were manageable with the slower tempo.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ky/louisville/607160143727"&amp;gt;01/02/2009 Route&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/ky/louisville"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Louisville, Kentucky&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

2009 Goals/Resolutions #twit2fit

2009-01-01T13:22:00.000-08:00

1. Take care of family
2. Stay employed
3. Spring Marathon <3:30
4. 5k PR -- sub 21 min 5k
5. Add 2 new marathon states to my list
6. Learn to recover from marathons properly
7. Monkey IV, November 2009 ~~<4:00~~ <3:45
8. >2000 miles for 2009
9. Drop below 160 #.

First race of the year: Hangover Classic #twit2fit

2009-01-01T10:55:00.001-08:00

I raced the 10 mile Hangover Classic in (East of) Downtown Louisville this morning. The forecasts were saying start temperature would be low 30s, but reality was that my warm-up at 9:15 was at about 19°F, and start was probably low 20s still. The course is amazing flat, with an average grade of about 1.6%. With the air temperature generally very cold, the race is about as fast as you can get.

Summary Data
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:15:39	7:30 pace
Distance (mi )	10.08
Moving Speed (mph)	8.0 avg.	11.8 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+412 / -422

Temperature (°F)	28.4°F avg.	32°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	SE 8.8 avg.	SE 9.2 max.

I set my Garmin to pace me for a 7'15" pace, trying to beat my Papa John's 10 miler PR (which is a little warmer and a little bit hillier with Iroquois Park in the middle). I struggled to hit 7'15" pace even once, but stayed below 7'30" pace until the wheels came off in the 8th mile. My legs had no kick left, and I had some major side stitches creeping in. I also managed to run the course inefficiently, adding about 0.05 from running wide on several turns.

Warm up:1.6 miles in 14:28 for a 9'01" pace.
Recovery: 2.51 miles in 26:28 for a 10'31" pace

I started the morning with a bit of a cold and my mileage has dropped off of late. Looks like I'll be looking at the Papa John's 10 miler this year to break the 75 minute mark.

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
1	7:16	1.00
2	7:15	1.00
3	7:24	1.00
4	7:28	1.00
5	7:21	1.00
6	7:22	1.00
7	7:29	1.00
8	7:44	1.00
9	7:44	1.00
10	7:52	1.00
11	0:37	0.08

Elevation Chart:

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ky/louisville/487533428198"&amp;gt;01/01/2009 Route&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/ky/louisville"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Louisville, Kentucky&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

10 miles in 24°F / 12°F Windchill #twit2fit

2008-12-23T06:06:00.001-08:00

10.05 miles in 1:29:04 for 8'52" pace, with one lap right at 9'00"--not too bad.

Wind really picked up towards the end of the run.

Wore long sleeve Under Armour Cold Gear shirt, Under Armour compression shorts, Under Armour Cold Gear gloves, Fitness Gear (Dick's Sporting Goods) nylon pants, OBX Marathon cap, and St. Jude ear warmers. Can't feel my face, and I could've used a pair of cotton gloves at the beginning.

McMillan Speed Workouts based on 21:41 5k

2008-12-18T06:29:00.001-08:00

From McMillan Running Calculator:

Speed Workouts
	Long Distance Runners
400m	1:35.2 to 1:40.7 - 9.44 mph to 8.93 mph
800m	3:18.9 to 3:28.2 - 9.04 mph to 8.64 mph
1200m	5:05.8 to 5:21.3 - 8.64 mph to 8.33 mph
1600m	6:56.4 to 7:11.7 - 8.64 mph to 8.33 mph

I'm going to be working with intervals at the 400/800/1200/1600m distances, just to motivate me to do something different.

Two inspirational stories/links.

2008-12-17T11:27:00.001-08:00

http://runningmandave.blogspot.com/2008/12/do-not-give-me-excuses.html

Sportcenter story on Ben Comen

3rd place in AG Santa Sprint 5k #twit2fit

2008-12-06T09:06:00.001-08:00

It's been since spring since I raced a 5k. I had forgotten how intense the burn is compared to even a slightly longer race, like a 5 miler. My target was 21:30, but lost a little bit of the mental will to complete the challenge mid-race, especially after going out a little too hard in the 1st 1/4 mile. Still, I was able to lock onto someone ahead of me the whole race for pacing and finally pass him just past the 3 mile mark.

The race course had +/- 100 ft of elvation change, which worked out to about 1.3% average incline. The course also had 2 turnarounds, which I think I managed to pick up some speed on.

My previous 5k PR, set at the Anthem 5k this year, was 21:54. I beat that mark by 13 seconds @ 21:41. Given that I've battled a couple injuries this year, and ran a marathon 2 weeks ago, I'm happy. For the record, that's 9 PRs this year, and my first race at a sub-7 pace.

I also took 3rd place in the 25-34 age group:

9 PRs this year, including 2 10 milers and 2 5ks.

Hangover Classic 10-miler PR -- 1:23:06
Anthem 5k PR -- 21:54
Rodes City Run 10k PR -- 46:26
Papa John's 10-miler PR -- 1:15:20
KDF mini-marathon PR -- 1:46:12
Flying Pig marathon PR -- 3:39:44
Hunger Relief Relay (9.2) PR -- 1:12:34
Home Run 5 miler PR -- 37:03
Santa Sprint and Stroll -- 21:41

1/4 mile splits:

Distance	Time	Total Time	Pace
0.25 Mi	1:33	1:33	6:12
0.25 Mi	1:40	3:13	6:40
0.25 Mi	1:45	4:58	7:00
0.25 Mi	1:46	6:44	7:04
0.25 Mi	1:40	8:24	6:40
0.25 Mi	1:45	10:09	7:00
0.25 Mi	1:45	11:54	7:00
0.25 Mi	1:46	13:40	7:04
0.25 Mi	1:47	15:27	7:08
0.25 Mi	1:44	17:11	6:56
0.25 Mi	1:47	18:58	7:08
0.25 Mi	1:40	20:38	6:40
0.15 Mi	0:58	21:36	6:27

Elevation: (flat like a treadmill)

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ky/louisville/328089559819"&amp;gt;Santa Sprint and Stroll 5k&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/ky/louisville"&amp;gt;Find more Runs in Louisville, Kentucky&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Post- fall marathon & turkey training run #twit2fit

2008-12-02T06:15:00.001-08:00

7.1 miles in 65 minutes... that's good for 9'10" per mile.

Training Begins Again
I ran a day after Thanksgiving Day run last week downtown, but this is the second day of the start of my recovery and build-up to the next marathon, some time in the spring. Goal time: sub-3:30. That will require a peak mileage of at least 60, and an 12-week average mileage of at least 50 miles. That program will start in earnest around January 1st with the Hangover Classic, putting in about 50 miles the first week on the new year. I plan to follow a similar build-up to last year:

In the meantime, I'll do a quick ramp-up in December including this weekend's Santa Sprint and Stroll 5k and probably next weekend's Reindeer Romp 4k (if I can PR in the 5k, then an easy 4k PR will bring me to 10 PRs this year.)

Turkey Day / Marathon Taper and Recovery Bloat
I went from 166 pounds on 11/18/2008 to 172 pounds yesterday, after Flying Monkey Marathon recovery (and eating) and Thanksgiving Day/weekend eating. Dropped down to 170 pounds this morning, so maybe I'll be in the mid-160s by the end of the year. To help facilitate this progress, I'm back on the wagon tracking calories--it works for me.

Exit the monkey

2008-11-23T18:19:00.001-08:00

It's been a roller coaster year for my running. 8 PRs this year, including back-to-back 10 miler PRs (-10 minutes each time) and a PR by 55 minutes (3:39) at Flying Pig. Then came a rough showing (4:42) at the Hatfield-McCoy Marathon, followed by tendonitis and an SI joint injury. My physical therapy ended September 25th, so the Flying Monkey marathon came just 8 weeks + 3 days after physical therapy ended. I made it up to 50 miles for one week prior to tapering (40, 30 and 14 miles for the 21 days prior to Monkey).

We had a send-off for a co-worker (beer involved) on Friday, and then wine Saturday, so hydration wasn't optimal.

On to the report:
It seemed to take forever to get to Mile 2. This was no trick by the Monkey RD; my Garmin 305 confirmed that I was only at mile 2. There's nothing like wishing a MARATHON was over at mile 2. This feeling continued through mile 6. I managed to get a little benefit on the first couple downhills, but my joints paid a heavy price for the extra speed I gained. The downhills also caused so much friction that a large, heart shaped blister formed in the front arch area of my right foot. (The good news is, my forefoot actually went numb from the pain).

It was at this point that I resigned myself to slower marathon than I had hoped for that I started enjoying the scenery. The trees provided a nice autumn picture, the sun highlighting the trees at times. At each water stop I paused, mostly to rest.

By the second half, I couldn't control my stride enough on the downhills to get much benefit from them, and had some pain reminiscent of SI joint pain at mile 18, and had to walk the downhill. ...I had several miles in which I had to break stride and walk, principally miles 19-20, where the full elevation was scaled in two miles, mostly in 19. Amazingly, I had something in the tank left for the last two miles, and managed to get my second best marathon time (4:30:30) on minimal time to train after recovering froom injuries.

Due to the cool conditions, I held things together here better than my Hatfield-McCoy performance. I'm certain that a summer Harpeth Hills course would have been far more brutal than H-M. H-M has one huge hill and some relentless small hills. Flying Monkey has several relentless large hills:

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	4:30:30	10:21 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	4:30:16	10:21 pace
Distance (mi )	26.10
Elevation Gain (ft)	+3,850 / -3,849

Temperature (°F)	46.4°F avg.	51.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	S 6.0 avg.	S 6.9 max.

Elevation Data

Elevation Change	Total (ft)
Total Elevation	7,699
Elevation Gain	3,850
Elevation Loss	3,849
Net Elevation Change	1

Vertical Speed	Average ( ft/min)	Maximum (ft/min)
Ascent	14.2	288.1
Descent	-14.2	-219.0

Grade	Average (%)	Maximum (%)
Overall Grade	0.0	--
Ascent Grade	5.7	22.5
Descent Grade	-5.5	-23.3

Splits

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)
1	9:16
2	8:16
3	8:24
4	9:10
5	9:02
6	9:11
7	8:47
8	10:07
9	9:20
10	9:49
11	10:09
12	9:54
13	10:39
14	9:42
15	11:26
16	10:02
17	11:04
18	9:56
19	15:01
20	12:36
21	10:15
22	13:33
23	11:32
24	12:48
25	10:10
26	10:09

"Ready" to "run" the Flying Monkey Marathon

2008-11-22T14:02:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm present for the Flying Monkey Marathon, at least.

Met fellow RunningAhead.com members at the packet pickup... One of them asked me if me if I had driven the course yet. I said that I hadn't, to which he responded that I probably shouldn't.

I then remarked about my shins hurting a little. The response... "It won't matter, because your legs will be numb after the second mile anyway."

Nice.

All for this little finishers... umm.... medal?

Less than 16 hours to go.

Taper madness - Enter the Monkey

2008-11-20T18:52:00.001-08:00

After quickly building up to 50 miles per week (+5 miles per week) for one week, I had an 80% and 60% week the last two weeks, and 14 miles this week on Monday and Tuesday.

The goal? The Flying Monkey Marathon. After finally pondering the elevation chart of this nutcase runner's marathon through Percy Warner Park, I can only conclude that it is a fortunate time to have a gut-busting gorge-fest four days later (that would be U.S. Thanksgiving for the international folks). I certainly won't be interested in running, after all.

Flying Monkey Elevation

I ran the Hatfield-McCoy marathon earlier this year, and I'm well aware of how trashed your quads fear after such steep downhills. Unfortunately, while the Hatfield-McCoy had one steep downhill, the Flying Monkey has 9-10 steep downhills of 1/3 to 1/2 the elevation drop.

Hatfield-McCoy Marathon

Less than 60 hours to go.

Training paces based on 5 miler time

2008-11-05T11:05:00.000-08:00

It's likely that many of my runs need to be slower.

McMillan Running Calculator paces for a 37:05 5 mile race.

Daniels 2nd edition training paces based on 37:05 for a 5-mile race:

A better 20 miler than last time

2008-11-01T11:13:00.001-07:00

Elevation chart:

Got about a 10 am start, and temps today ended up warming up quite a bit faster than the last few days--no risk of frost this morning either. Still, the temperature was in the low 50s and sunny to start--a little chilly for a sleeveless running shirt. By mile 15, I was happy to have the warmer weather gear on. Did a lot of out and backs, and found a new connection between streets.

11/01/2008 Route
Find more Runs in Fern Creek, Kentucky

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	3:00:08	8:59 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	2:59:47	8:58 pace
Distance (mi )	20.02
Moving Speed (mph)	6.7 avg.	9.8 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+1,229 / -1,230

Temperature (°F)	62°F avg.	66.2°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	SE 2.3 avg.	SE 3.5 max.

Laps (goal pace was 9'00", so only missed the mark on the last three miles, and held the average pace below 9s).

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
1	8:44	1.00
2	8:22	1.00
3	8:59	1.00
4	8:51	1.00
5	8:53	1.00
6	8:46	1.00
7	8:55	1.00
8	8:38	1.00
9	8:33	1.00
10	8:58	1.00
11	8:58	1.00
12	8:51	1.00
13	8:57	1.00
14	8:48	1.00
15	8:59	1.00
16	8:57	1.00
17	9:00	1.00
18	9:14	1.00
19	10:05	1.00
20	9:53	1.00
21	0:18	0.03

I won my age group at the Home Run

2008-10-25T10:30:00.001-07:00

I ran the Home Run 5 miler in Bernheim Forest this morning.

I'm pretty sure that I was first Yum team runner in. Couldn't quite
catch a female runner with a Swags sport shoes shirt on.

My time was 37:03 (7'25" pace). The race was a nice hilly course,
with very chilly air. I left my cotton running team shirt on over my
technical shirt the whole race.

My first two miles were run in the sub 7:10 range. Mile 4 had an
steady hill leading to the final turnaround.

The turnaround was 3/4 miles out, just below the crest of the hill. I
made the turnaround at a dead stop and wanted to curse the slight
uphill before the long gradual downhill towards the finish.

In the final stretch, 0.2 miles out, I passed the lead teammate and
pushed ahead, lungs burning, legs numb... and then it was over.

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	0:37:04	7:22 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	0:37:02	7:22 pace
Distance (mi )	5.03
Moving Speed (mph)	8.1 avg.	13.5 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+416 / -397

Temperature (°F)	48.2°F avg.	48.2°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	W 6.3 avg.	W 6.9 max.

Elevation chart (pretty flat in comparison my usual routes):

The award/bib:

Started off late for my 20 miler yesterday

2008-10-19T11:57:00.001-07:00

Elevation map:

Usually, I'm able to pad 6 extra miles by running down the sidewalk on Bardstown Rd early (before each business' driveway has cars going in and out). Not this morning. Summary Stats:

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	3:13:33	9:40 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	3:12:34	9:37 pace
Distance (mi )	20.01
Moving Speed (mph)	6.2 avg.	11.6 max.
Elevation Gain (ft)	+1,123 / -1,123

Temperature (°F)	60.8°F avg.	60.8°F high
Wind Speed ( mph)	NNE 9.2 avg.	NNE 10.4 max.

...It seemed a little breezy out there.

I started having trouble around mile 15 of my run, but I managed to not walk even when it didn't feel like I was running anymore.

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
1	8:29	1.00
2	8:36	1.00
3	8:44	1.00
4	8:36	1.00
5	8:50	1.00
6	8:40	1.00
7	8:40	1.00
8	8:46	1.00
9	9:08	1.00
10	8:59	1.00
11	8:55	1.00
12	9:08	1.00
13	9:37	1.00
14	9:34	1.00
15	10:36	1.00
16	11:02	1.00
17	11:14	1.00
18	10:58	1.00
19	11:54	1.00
20	11:46	1.00
21	0:13	0.01

The 'X' near the top of the map is where I got confused (at around mile 15) and missed my turn. I've been through this neighborhood for every 20 miler I've run. Obviously, my brain was overloaded at this point.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/ky/louisville/379217398319"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;10/18/2008 Mixed up 20 miler &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/find-run/united-states/ky/louisville"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Runs in Louisville, Kentucky&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Racing in the Home Run (5 Miler) for the Home of the Innocents

2008-10-17T13:57:00.001-07:00

I'm running in the Home Run for the Home of the Innocents next Saturday (October 25, 2008). This will be my first 5 mile race, ever. (Hey... automatic PR).

My donation page

Not the Monkey -- Ran "hills" on the treadmill

2008-10-17T05:58:00.001-07:00

4.37 miles in 40 minutes (9'10")

2.64 % incline average (611 ft over 4.37 miles) Ok. Flying Monkey preparedness this is not. That elevation gain is the equivalent of at most two of the hills to be faced in the Monkey, and without the steep, quad-trashing, downhills of Monkey.

6.6 mph constant speed, except for emergency stop to tie shoelaces.

1% for the first 10 minutes
2% for the second 10 minutes
3% for the third 10 minutes
4%-6% varied for the last 10 minutes

5 minutes of 6+% very slow cool down at 2.0-4.0 mph (not recorded)

Holy cow, that was hard

2008-10-15T08:40:00.001-07:00

Actually, the hard part was not giving up by the second interval.

Ran 3 x 1-mile intervals for a total of 7 miles. 1% treadmill incline.

1 mile warm-up @ 6.5 mph (9'14")
1 mile interval @ 8.5 mph (7'04") - tough, but manageable
0.5 mile recovery @ 6.5 mph
1 mile interval @ 8.5 mph - exhausting, but made it.
0.5 mile recovery @ 6.5 mph
1 mile interval @ 8.5 mph - like the push at the end of a 5k race. For a full mile.
0.5 mile cool down @ 6.5 mph
0.5 mile cool down @ 6.6 mph
0.5 mile cool down @ 6.7 mph
0.5 mile cool down @ 6.8 mph

Gee, that wasn't so bad after all. My body just doesn't have much will to run hard these days.

Ran 19 miles in two segments today

2008-10-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

Ran with a group today for the first part of my long run with Trent from RunningAhead and a co-worker. Co-worker has a natural 3:30 marathon pace, with a BQ under his belt. Trent led the way, and we managed to keep exactly on my "target" LR/ER pace of 9'18".

Total Time (h:m:s) 1:33:05 (9:18 pace)
Distance (mi )   10.01
Elevation Gain (ft) +489 / -505

Cox Senca 10 miler
Find more Runs in Louisville, Kentucky

Elevation Chart:

Then we proceeded to stand around for 18 minutes of blabbing/recovery... then I finished my "18 miler" by getting lost on the way back from downtown:

Total Time (h:m:s) 1:29:33 (9:48 pace)
Distance (mi )        9.12
Elevation Gain (ft) +402 / -399

Reservoir to Ballpark out and back
Find more Runs in Louisville, Kentucky

Elevation Chart:

Feeling pretty peppy the day after the relay

2008-10-08T10:44:00.001-07:00

Course: 1% Treadmill
Distance:4.56 miles
Duration: 40:00
Pace: 8:47 / mile

I started this workout at 6.5 mph (9'13" pace) and tried to speed up every 4 minutes. My last minute I ran at 9.4 mph (6'23" pace)

My blister is actually feeling pretty good as well (used two Band Aid advanced healing blister bandages last night and through the run today).

I'm still targeting 40 miles for the week, with an 18 mile long run on Saturday.

Risking personal injury for World Hunger!

2008-10-07T07:26:00.001-07:00

I'm running a 9.2 mile leg of a relay race between our office buildings today.

I am one of 24 runners and 6 walkers participating in a relay between two of our office buildings (9.2 miles) today to raise money for World Hunger. This relay takes us:
- South on Poplar Level Rd
- Crossing at Jefferson Ave
- Crossing Fern Valley Rd
- Crossing Outer Loop
- Down Preston Hwy
- Across the Gene Snyder interchange and down the I-265 Northbound exit ramp area to South Preston Hwy.

I've run some crazy routes in my marathon training, but the shoulder between the exit ramp and Preston Hwy is pretty dicey. Help me make this risk worthwhile.

Update:
We won our relay (4 x 9.2 miles) by two minutes.

8.2 Easy Run w/ Strides 8x20sec

2008-10-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

Elevation Chart:

Summary Data
Total Time (h:m:s)	1:11:01	8:40 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s)	1:10:07	8:33 pace
Distance (mi )	8.18
Elevation Gain (ft)	+535 / -536

Lap Breakdown (mile 7 had 8x20 sec strides)

Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
Lap (#)	Time (m:s)	Distance (mi )
1	8:39	1.00
2	8:34	1.00
3	8:45	1.00
4	8:42	1.00
5	8:52	1.00
6	8:38	1.00
7	7:54	1.00
8	8:52	1.00
9	1:08	0.18

Mid-week update

2008-10-01T10:07:00.001-07:00

The first two days' runs this week were tedious, easy runs, in which I was recovering from the crash-and-burn 16 miler on Saturday, plus the nickel-sized blister which I acquired during that run.
9/29/2008 Easy 7.21 Miles in 1:05:00 (9'01" pace) - had blister band-aid, blister formed around it. Nice.

9/30/2008 Easy 7.56 Miles in 1:08:00 (9'00" pace) - The whole blister popped here... I had taped, retaped, gauzed, etc...

10/1/2008 Tempo 7.14 Miles in 1:00:00 (8'25" pace):
Ok, I was awakened at 4am to take care of my fussy baby boy. I got a few nods in, but ended up craving some of the Blue Bell Ice Cream -- Banana Pudding flavor, so I had some of that. I got to work, and I was craving salt... so I got food from the breakfast bar at work... eggs, tater tots, and a biscuit with sausage gravy.

My run:
1 mile warm up @ 9'13"
2 miles @ 8'00"
1 mile @ 7'54"
1 mile @ 7'48"
2 miles cool down @ 8'57" w/ a pick-up at end at 6'08" pace.

Then lunch... Taco Bell Nachos Supreme (Express)

Races I've Run

2008-09-30T18:12:00.001-07:00

From: http://monarch.tamu.edu/~maps2/us.htm

Blistered.

2008-09-28T07:27:00.001-07:00

I have a nickel-sized blister on my foot this morning that is still
soft. It developed at mile 9 of my 16 miler yesterday.

I also have mostly bruising-type pain on my right hip, probably from
the Camelbak, and some ankle soreness from awkardly walking/running on
the blister.

The good news is that usual injury suspects are not bothering me
today--although hip flexors were really tight and sore for my last six
miles yesterday.

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

Tough long run today.

2008-09-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

This one really hurt. Blisters, exhaustion, back, ankle, hip, the works. Total breakdown.

Total Time (h:m:s) 2:45:42 10:19 pace
Moving Time (h:m:s) 2:36:06 9:43 pace
Distance (mi ) 16.04
Elevation Gain (ft) +1,077 / -1,084

I think from 1 and 2, it's obvious what happened. I'm not used to pacing myself.

Lap Time Distance
1 7:51 1.00
2 8:07 1.00
3 8:42 1.00
4 8:58 1.00
5 9:03 1.00
6 8:48 1.00
7 9:12 1.00
8 9:15 1.00
9 8:53 1.00
10 9:55 1.00
11 9:58 1.00
12 10:20 1.00
13 10:11 1.00
14 11:52 1.00
15 12:52 1.00
16 12:00 1.00
17 0:11 0.02

09/27/2008 Route
Find more Runs in Louisville, Kentucky

Elevation:

Last day of physical therapy today

2008-09-25T13:11:00.001-07:00

Roughly a month after starting physical therapy, I'm done.

I have a nice little set of exercises and stretches...
3x10 reps q day on the exercises (4 seconds between reps, 1 minute rest between sets)
1x3 reps on the stretches, twice per day (20 sec hold, 30 sec rest)
AROM hip/knee flx supine
AROM lumbar alt arm/leg (hip bird dog) w/ ball
AROM lumbar alt leg supine on Ball
Stretch hip/knee figure 4
Stretch Piriformis 4 point kneel
Stretch Piriformis supine crossed leg
AROM lumbar ext prone (uni press ups)
AROM lumbar rotn sidelying knee bent uni
AROM lumbar rotn supine
AROM lumbar arm walk prone w/ ball
AROM lumbar bridging w/ alt leg
Stretch hamstring uni longsitting
AROM ankle static neutral w/wobble bard
AROM hip/knee stance uni (clock reach)
AROM knee stance uni catch w/ball
Resist hip 4 way w/elastic
Resist stance uni w/crosspull w/elastic
Diagonal kicks
Free squats
BOSU lunges

Update: Found an exercise ball for what looks like fairly cheap:

However, the Bosu seems pricey... (I've seen some of them for as much as $150)

Avoid injury by working harder

2008-09-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

First tempo run in 2 months! 3 miles in 22:51 (7'37" miles)

I started this morning thinking that my back was locked up. As the day went on, things loosened up. I think the tempo run helped instead of hurt.

I think I have an inkling of why I got hurt (twice). I was too conservative. Not with my easy run pace, or my mileage, but just scared of doing anything more than easy runs. I would chicken out of tempos/intervals and blame it on time.

I was building up mileage without the cardio/muscle strengthening that comes with the other paces. I was just wearing myself down.

Last week was my first interval set (2x1600) in 3 1/2 months. Names for each type of run aside, I guess eventually easy pace becomes hard pace if its the fastest pace you do.

This running stuff hurts?

2008-09-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

I ran my first long run in 7 weeks today. 13 miles, out of 25 for the week. Probably a little too much, too soon.

Fastest "long run" in over two months and first long run in 7 weeks.

Hip soreness, slightly sore back, and right ankle is bothering me. However, I feel pretty good about my run.

12 miles so far this week

2008-09-19T10:21:00.001-07:00

I had upper back pain on the second interval of my 2x1600 intervals. Came out of nowhere. After pausing, everything seemed fine. I will be shooting for my first long run in quite a while tomorrow.

Unfamiliar pain

2008-09-12T06:18:00.000-07:00

SIDE STITCHES. That is sad. It's been 2 years since an "easy run" gave me side stitches.

Yesterday's run, 5 miles in 45:28 (9'06" pace) -- side stitches for last 1.5 miles.
This morning's run, 6 miles in 54:21 (9'04" pace) -- side stitches for over half of the run.

Legs felt fine, knees and ankles need a break at this point.

20 mile week. Maybe next week I will shift to 3 or 4 workouts with a long run on Saturday.

It's been a good couple of days

2008-09-10T10:14:00.000-07:00

7 miles in 2 days.

3 miles in 27:22 yesterday (9'07" pace) at a 2% incline
4 miles in 36:27 today (9'07" pace) at a 2% incline

I'm feeling a little sore, but nothing too noticeable. I definitely wasn't slowed down by any pain today. The one thing that I *am* having trouble with? Running for such a *long time*.

*sigh*

Starting to build a little momentum

2008-09-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm probably a couple of weeks away from being able to run any kind of long run outside--in part from recovery, but mostly from happily being blind-sided by the responsibilities of having a second child at home.

I'm glad I never thought about the implications of having a new baby in the house; the initial stress on the body is much like the first few miles I ran two years ago... except for the fact that the baby doesn't always stop crying within 30 minutes, and the fact that running does not involve much responsibility, etc...

Running:

2 miles in 18:19 @ 2% incline (9'10" pace)

Biking:

11.27 miles in 30 minutes @ level 20 on StairMaster/Speed Intervals

Runner's high threshold

2008-09-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

4 miles. That's it--that's where the warm-up part ends and the running begins. Feels good to finally get past that point.

Recent Monthly and Weekly Distances

2008-09-05T05:55:00.001-07:00

52 mile week at the end of July.

July was a 155 mile month.

Where can I go from here? Cardio isn't completely gone... I've been cross-training a decent amount...

Ok... that doesn't say much. 2-3x per week for 30-45 minutes each time for cross-training.

Flying Monkey is November 23rd.

Slowly building

2008-09-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

SI joint seems to be more in-line now than before. Got some ITB and hip flexor stretches in.

Ran 3 miles in 27:41 (9'14"). A little hip flexor soreness. A few kinks otherwise.

30 minutes on the StairMaster bike afterwards, speed interval program, 20 resistance, 10.81 miles (21.6 mph).

Running is enjoyable

2008-09-03T09:36:00.000-07:00

Despite the fact that my post Pig self would scoff at my workout today, I found my RUN enjoyable.

I ran 2 miles in 18:27. (9'14" pace)

To complete the workout, I biked 10.88 miles in 30 minutes at level 20 resistance on the StairMaster bike downstairs. Until at full strength (and maybe even afterwards), I will try supplementing my runs with bike activity.

I'm not so sure about the elliptical anymore. It's a tougher workout, but it seems to be causing more stress than the bike or even the running. From now on, I'll bike afterward as a "cool down" and see how that goes.

Solid Mix

2008-09-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

29:45 minutes on the Elliptical @ 12/13 resistance on the weight loss setting--4 miles.

1% Treadmill for 1 mile in 8'46"

Reluctantly Biking today

2008-08-28T09:14:00.001-07:00

Legs were very tired today. I didn't do any cardio or leg strengthening yesterday, so the soreness must be from Tuesday. Amazingly, biking was my choice for a cardio workout.

Equipment: Stairmaster Bike
Resistance: 20
Distance: 11.20 miles
Time: 30 minutes
Program: Intervals

Courtesy of Let's Run

2008-08-26T09:56:00.000-07:00

You might be a runner if...
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&id=9545&thread=9545

…your toenails are black.
…your shoes have more miles on them than your car does.
…you need a magnifying glass to see your name in the paper.
…you have chafing in strange places.
…people say, “You run three miles…at once?”
…all your socks are either stained or torn.
…your underwear covers more than your uniform shorts.
…you run farther in a week than your bus travels for meets.
…the dogs have to hurry to keep up.
…you find yourself running between classes just because.
…the most enjoyable time you’ve had all month is a day off from practice.
…your coach won’t give you a ride home.
…the first day of practice you run 5 miles but your coach says you only ran 2.
…you can spit while running.
…you go to a golf course to run.
…your friends go on the elevator and you beat them on the stairs.
…you finish the race looking like you wrestled a bear and you don’t care.
…your temper is shorter that the distance that you ran.
…you’d rather run to school than drive.
…you combine phrases like “10 mile run” and “Easy Run” in the same breath.
…you can eat your weight in spaghetti.
…your highest heels are your training shoes.
…you debate the advantages of anti-perspirent vs. deoderant.
…the paint from the bathroom walls peels when you leave.
…you start the race in shorts and finish in a G-string.
…your spit strings from you chin and you don’t even care.
…a meal involves more than 3 servings!
…if you schedule dates around meets.
…you spend more on training clothes than school clothes.
…you wear those same training clothes to school regularly.
…your christmas list includes more than one pair of running shoes.
…you’ve been to a golf course in every city but not to play golf.
…your entire family goes to X-C meets because they have been or will be on the team.
…your chest is as flat as your back.
…you feel lost without your water-bottle.
…you have running withdrawl if you don’t run everyday.
…you eat spaghetti three times a day.
…the mile in P.E. becomes your warm-up.
…you wake up every morning in pain.
…gatorade is your drug of choice.
…you give up homecoming to go to a Meet.
…your Saturdays for the next 4 years are ruined.
…you can see your ribs thru your shirt.
…you have to run around in the shower to get wet.
…you were asked to be an extra for Schindler’s List II.
…you enjoy running hills.
…you start to crave Power Bars.
…your favorite food group is carbohydrates.
…your women’s team has leg hair longer than the grass they ran on.
…you can strip and change in a bus seat in less than 2 minutes.
…you don’t puke your first day of basketball practice.
…there are no flies by your gym locker.
…people think it’s a winter sport.
…you have trouble benching the bar.
…when you do bad you get to play longer.
…you find yourself in the middle of a football player’s joke.
…your dessert is brussel sprouts.
…you foam at the mouth.
…you are always hungry.
…your running in your dreams.
…you have no life besides running.
…your weekends are shot.
…you wake up with cotton mouth.
…your are as skinny as a twig and have a stupid knit cap for the head.
…you can sharpen an axe blade on your calves.
…the cafeteria ladies look good in the morning.
…you can maintain a 5:30 pace uphill while throwing up.
…you think track is for wussies.
…you try to impress girls by saying you’re a fast finisher.
…you consider school as just a break between runs.
…you always stretch while waiting in the lunch line.
…your room smells like Icy-Hot and New-Skin.
…you are bankrolling your physical therapist’s next vacation.
…your girlfriend can bench more than you.
…you can count all your ribs.
…you own spandex in more than 1 color.
…track is the other “sport”.
…you foam at the mouth everytime you see a big hill.
…”Chariots of Fire” is actually entertaining to you.
…a 12 mile run is an easy day.
…pizza, pasta, pizza, & pasta are your four food groups.
…your watch is more expensive and complicated than your car.
…even your dress shoes have spikes.
…Runner’s World provides more pin-ups than Playboy (YEAH SUZY HAMILTON!!!)
…Steve Prefontaine’s Birthday is more important than yours.
…you aspire to pain.
…you know as many kinds of pain as eskimos have words for snow.
…you think spandex is a winter’s passion statement.
…you never look behind you.
…you don’t know what an “off-season” means.
…you have stress fractures.
…you find yourself saying, “it’s not really a hill…”
…you hit targets with your snot rocket.
…your feet are comparable to rawhide.
…you’re running and you don’t know why.
…you see a hill on a putting green.
…your friends refer to you as “the masochist”.
…your spit hits everything but the ground.
…you drink more water than Free Willy
…you can’t get the “All you can eat” at spaghetti restaurants
…you get pulled over after practice, and can’t walk straight because you’re so tired
…you ran sub 5 on the P.E. mile run
…you wore spikes on the P.E. mile run
…you did a 30 minute warm up for the P.E. mile run
…you did all of the above for the P.E. mile run
…you routinely race dogs down the street…and win.
…dogs follow you everywhere you go
…you rabbit for the rabbit
…you have 3% or less body fat
…you laugh at sprinters while they run
…theres nothing like intervals to start the week off fresh!!
…you talk to your coaches more than your parents
…you’d rather run than watch T.V.
…watching the New York Marathon on T.V. made you get up and go for a run
…you can say “I like to run” in over five different languages
…more than half the people you know don’t know what X-C is
…you run the day after State
…off-season training starts a week after State
…you haven’t had a pop in 6 months
…your calves are bigger than your biceps
…your cookie jar is filled with bagels
…there are more miles on your running shoes than the odeometer of your car
…you try to pick up a girl by telling her how fast your first mile is
…you’re toe nails are fallen off
…a fatman with a gun says alright gentlemen take em off
…you can’t go a day without some little brat saying run forest run
…some little kid wants to know why you’re running in your underwear
…you can pronounce those funny Kenyan names
…you’re proud that another team has quadrupled you’re score
…the seniors assist the freshman into the lake
…you wear skimpier clothes than Madonna
…you refer to puke as a normal bodily function
…people always ask you what events you are running
…you can hallucinate and get high at the same time without taking anything
…you can say more names of your runs than names of your friends
…you spend more time thinking about the scoring system than you do about scoring with the opposite sex
…you always win in your sleep but never in a real race
…you traded in your Gremlin
…you think Lisa Aguilera is hotter than Christina Aguilera.
…you wake up in the morning and find that you’re already running.
…the Ritz is your idol, and not a hotel in New York.

I laugh so that I don't cry

2008-08-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Actually, the drama is diminished for me today. I believe I have found a mostly acceptable workout routine while recovering:

30 minutes of hard biking on the StairMaster bike downstairs twice per week.
45 minutes of 180 cadence elliptical work twice per week.

Maybe I can work in 2 hours on Saturday morning as well. I really need the long, moderate paced workout.

Today's workout:
Elliptical Interval Program at 11 low and 12 high resistance for 45 minutes.
5.9 "miles"

I'm down to 167 pounds now.

Hard day of nothing

2008-08-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

At 7 am, I got on the elliptical @ 13 and 15 resistance on the "weight loss" program on the elliptical. 1.88 miles in 20:02 minutes.

Then, at 7:30 am, I got on the treadmill for 2 miles, starting at 3.8 mph... 22:55 (11'28" miles). Back jacked up all morning from the workout.

This afternoon at 4:45 pm, I had to work out some frustration. 11.25 miles in 30 minutes at level 20 resistance on the "aerobic" program on the Stairmaster bike downstairs.

Physical Therapy is Okay, But...

2008-08-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

I would much rather be running, and now that I have a "conscience" to guide me away from stupidity, the return to running may be slow.

Learned some valuable strengthening exercises, though. Hopefully these will keep me running for longer than without.

I still almost broke out a 6:30 mile.

2008-08-20T11:56:00.000-07:00

Given today's diagnosis and advice from the doctor's office, I biked on the blasted stationary bike.

StairMaster bike @ 20 resistance, 11.33 miles in 30 minutes (aerobic program)... last attempt was 10.88 miles, but I didn't run before this attempt.

Pull-ups:

4 sets of 10 @ 100 lbs assist

Seated Press:

10x175 lbs
10x160 lbs
10x145 lbs
10x130 lbs
10x115 lbs
15x100 lbs

I was so geared up by the end of the workout that I was ready to break out a 6'30" mile, despite knowing that that would probably finish me off.

SI joint injury

2008-08-20T09:33:00.000-07:00

Here I go again. Don't run until cleared by PT. SI joint out of whack. Ouch. It looks like the Louisville marathon is out at this point. Note to self: next time be a big baby about the pain. This is incident #2 in two months.

Sacroiliac joint inflammation

First successful attempt at a full running workout

2008-08-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

It's been 14 days since my last sustained running workout (over 1.25 miles). Since then, I'm weighing in at 167.5 pounds to start (5 lbs below last gym weigh-in for a longer run) and 166 pounds to finish.

Today's workout was 7 miles in 1:04:14 (9'11" pace). Constant level 4 pain, aching, but no sharp pain. My back is a little tight now, and I have a slight limp going. No medication during the run, though, and things feel significantly better than from my 1.25 mile attempt last week.

Was able to pick up tempo to 8'00" miles with ease at end--actually felt easier than the slower pace.

Daniels 2nd Ed Training Paces based on BQ.

2008-08-17T17:38:00.000-07:00

Added August 26, 2008: This was posted for amusement more than for actual training purposes. However, I've kept this as a "reference" or "benchmark" for other PRs. As Jeff added in the comments... don't try this at home, kids.

From Daniel's running formula 2nd ed based on a marathon time of 3:10:59 at attackpoint.

Abdirahman Runs in Memory of Ryan Shay

2008-08-17T13:26:00.000-07:00

Abdirahman Runs in Memory of His Best Friend

The black rubber wristband hangs loosely on Abdi Abdirahman. “Ryan Shay,” it reads. “Believe in yourself.” Abdirahman says he never takes it off.

Laying off all workouts for the weekend

2008-08-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

In an effort to avoid any further injury, I'm laying off all workouts this weekend.

I had some concern that my pushups routine was causing strain on already weakened joints, tendons, and muscles. So far, this action has seemed to help more clearly identify where the pain is.

I have some light pain sensations at night on the outside area of my hip. This is a little bit different from the groin pull and piriformis muscle pain that I seemed to have before. I'll give things another 24 hours before calling the doctor about it, especially considering that today is Sunday and I've waited almost two weeks so far.

Far more Conservative plan

2008-08-16T09:21:00.000-07:00

Your current race time is: 3:39:00 for a Marathon
Your distance training goal is: Marathon
You currently train: 31-35 miles/week
How hard you want to train: Very Hard
Your long-run day: Saturday
Your training program Starts: Monday, 8/18/2008 and Ends: Sunday, 10/19/2008
Length of your training schedule: 9 weeks

Training Plan

Mixed Bandolier of Carrots

2008-08-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, I stole that one from the Woot.com message boards.

Run:

1.25 miles (11:33) 9'15"

Massage yesterday and stretching beforehand really helped, but I tightened up too much by 1.25 miles. Couldn't restart after stopping. Main stretching was for piriformis muscle, some hamstring, quad, ITB stretches also. This may just be a slow ramp up back to 8 miles and beyond.

Bike:

StairMaster bike @ 20 resistance, 10.88 miles in 30 min, aerobic program

I hate cycling. Such a painful waste of non-productive exercise time.

Weights:
Pull Ups:

2 sets of 10 reps @ 100 lbs assist
1 set  of 10 reps @ 115 lbs assist

Shoulder Press:

10 reps @ 175 lbs
10 reps @ 160 lbs
10 reps @ 145 lbs
10 reps @ 130 lbs
10 reps @ 115 lbs
15 reps @ 100 lbs

Day 1, Week 6: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-08-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

First day of week 6 of the hundred pushup program:

This was like doing a series of 4 exhaustion tests, minus the mental resolve to push to collapse, followed by one last full out exhaustion test. I think that there were quite a few exhaustion collapses.

Pushups: 56-45-42-40-[56], 239 total.

Week 5 Exhaustion Test results

2008-08-11T18:15:00.000-07:00

Got to about 40 or 45 pushups before I had to start breaking up the set by pausing at the top. Probably could have squeezed out more than 61, but lacked the resolve.

Day 3, Week 5: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-08-10T14:31:00.001-07:00

Third day of week 5 of the hundred pushup program:

Felt completely like crap to start out with.

Set tally, "-"=30-second recovery period. "[#]"=max

Pushups:  18-18-16-16-14-14-12-[55], 163 total.

Life is Short - David Albright

2008-08-10T05:54:00.000-07:00

David (on the far right in TCU Purple) and the SUS Team from spring 2007

David (second from the right in TCU Purple) and the SUS Team

My co-worker and friend, David Albright, passed away yesterday. His life and his struggle with cancer are the ultimate reminders that although you may have goals in life, you have to make the most of the journey itself. Life is short. David always had good perspective on this, nurturing family and friends while always being a strong team member at work.

David took it upon himself to remember team member's birthdays, pick up a birthday card, and make sure everyone signed the card. It's amazing what that does when your day/week/year has made you feel like just another number.

David took on difficult personalities and situations with ease and a good sense of humor. He had the ability to call out something he didn't have a good gut feel about, without really being confrontational. He had the ability to be strong and gentle at the same time. If someone can be at peace in this world, David was.

The saying goes that funerals are not for the dead, but for the living. This is especially true in David's case. Clearly his closest friends and family have experienced the greatest loss, but all who knew him have lost a solid anchor for their world.

On a much more personal note: This update about David's situation appeared on my birthday. It was a very personal reminder to me of the person we were at risk of losing. In spite of all of David's personal struggles, he did not fail to remember me or my family this past year.

In memory of David:
Lux Aeterna, from the Rutter Requiem

I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me:
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord,
for they rest from their labours.
Even so saith the Spirit.

Lux aeterna luceat eis Domine:
Let eternal light shine upon them, O Lord:

Cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es.
with Thy saints for ever, for art merciful.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,

et lux perpetua luceat eis.
and may light perpetual shine on them.

Day 2, Week 5: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-08-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

Second day of week 5 of the hundred pushup program:

Two days late because of baby duties and recovery from the strength training 8/4/08.

Set tally, "-"=45-second recovery period. "[#]"=max

Pushups:  20-20-18-18-15-15-14-[42], 162 total.

Still battling back pain. Walking across a parking lot is an occasional struggle.

32 years old today

2008-08-05T06:48:00.000-07:00

I'm 32 years old today.

It's fitting that most of my body hurts today, mostly from all the workouts yesterday.

However...

I'm healthier now than at 30, 25, or 15.

I'm stronger compared to every other birthday I've had.

I have more blessings, friends and family than at any other time in my life.

Day 1, Week 5: Hundred Pushup Program and Stength Exercises Earlier

2008-08-04T18:50:00.001-07:00

First day of week 5 of the hundred pushup program:

Recovery period was extended by dog duties. I tried yesterday, but didn't have the energy to get past the first 40 pushups.1

Set tally, "-"=60-second recovery period. "[#]"=max

Pushups:  40-32-30-25-[44], 171 total.

Had planned on running 6 miles at lunch, but hip/back pain was bothering me, so I did some strength exercises instead.


Seated Press Reps
25 130.0 lb 
17 115.0 lb 
20 100.0 lb 
15 85.0 lb 
13 85.0 lb 
25 70.0 lb 

Dips (minus weight)
10 25.0 lb 
20 40.0 lb 
15 55.0 lb 
15 70.0 lb 
15 85.0 lb 
20 100.0 lb 

Chin Ups (minus weight)
10 70.0 lb 
10 85.0 lb 
10 100.0 lb 
10 115.0 lb 
25 130.0 lb 

Pull Ups (minus weight)
10 100.0 lb 
10 115.0 lb

Hip flexors?

2008-08-04T06:13:00.000-07:00

Usual morning workout, plus a little extra. 8.66 miles in 1:19:48 (9'13" pace).

Dealt with hip/glut/back pain for last 2 miles of the run.

Week 4 Exhaustion Test results

2008-08-03T11:37:00.000-07:00

Tried it this morning... 41 pushups this morning, exhausted and on a slippery surface.

Started over this afternoon... 53 this time. Going to attempt the start of week 5 tonight.

Defeated by technology.

2008-08-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

All kinds of things went wrong here. This was a better run than last weekend, but I was planning on 22 miles (adding Vettiner Park to the run).

Defeated by technology. Garmin battery had discharged most of the way, so I allowed it to charge for ~ 45 minutes via AC prior to running. Low battery warning at 16.5 miles, so I headed back instead of running without constant feedback. Weak.

Did some demoralizing neighborhood looping rather than risk "untracked" miles. Sad. Now I'm pondering 8 tomorrow as punishment for my patheticness.

Elevation Gain (ft) +1,015 / -1,018

08/02/2008 Route
Find more Runs in Louisville, Kentucky

Day 3, Week 4: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

Third day of week 4 of the hundred pushup program:

Exhausted to start out with. 6 miles running today, mowed the lawn tonight. Probably had nearly 4 minutes before the max set.

Set tally, "-"=2-minute recovery period. "[#]"=max

Pushups:  30-22-22-20-[40], 134 total.

As for me, I plead insanity.

2008-07-31T09:32:00.000-07:00

I'm shooting for 60 miles this week all of a sudden, after 42 last week. My legs/brain may change my mind later.

Lunch workout: 6 miles in 55'09" at a 1% incline on the treadmill (Precor 966i).

Ran to the Rutter Requiem...

It's not nearly long enough for 6 miles at my pace (under 40 minutes), plus I need some noise-blocking headphones to hear 50% of the work. Crazy that I even attempted to listen to it, but it came up while I was shuffling through the music library.

Queen's "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" and Hurd/Canedo "Mass of Glory" rounded out the listening selections. Church music geekdom on this run.

Modified 8/1/2008:
I slept in and missed my 6 miler. No 60 mile week for me this week.

Okay, maybe treadmill running would be beneficial

2008-07-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

I broke myself of the treadmill habit after

new treadmills were installed in the gym (with a more honest speed and incline calibration)
beginning carpooling (arriving @ 5:30 to 6:00am is not feasible for everyone)

With the new treadmills on 1%, I built some solid strength. Other benefits that I missed:

Softer landing surface
Consistent pacing -- easier at beginning, but harder at end.
Controlled pacing -- I was running 30-60 seconds too fast, and then trying to maintain. I probably killed the tendon around my ankle this way and some knee.

I still went too fast: 5.68 Miles in 50:00... 8'49" pace. I tried starting at 6.4 mph, but my entertainment options on the TV were limited. Also, someone asked to "borrow" the remote for the TV. I did not see it return, so I was stuck on the current channel unless I wanted to break stride. Because of this, I sped up to wrap up. Such are the perils of a treadmill in a gym.

I love the smell of garbage in the morning.

2008-07-30T05:24:00.000-07:00

I love the smell of garbage in the morning. Passed two garbage trucks in the neighborhood at the end of my out and back, along with several freshly emptied cans along the way. Yuck. Not exactly a motivating smell in the morning when the air is already thick from humidity.

Supposedly, all of this humidity was supposed to be in the form of fog, and probably would have had the temperature gotten closer to the dew point. Instead, I experienced a warm morning run at 80-90% humidity.

Devil dog appeared over the privacy fence (via high jump) in the same neighborhood. I've heard the doberman before, but saw her head today. Twice.

Slight variation of my normal morning run.

Distance:8.24 miles in 1:15:01
Pace: 9'07" / mile
Weather:76° F, Overcast, Humid

Day 2, Week 4: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

Second day of week 4 of the hundred pushup program:

Exhausted to start out with.

Set tally, "-"=90-second recovery period. "[#]"=max

Pushups:  27-21-21-18-[28], 125 total.

A bit warm for the work out and back

2008-07-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

The parking lot was hot and windless, but most of the run had a little bit of breeze.

Even better... I came back to my desk to the following KAIRE e-mail. Considering half of my run is in an industrial park, I should probably take more notice of these.

An Air Quality Alert has been declared for the Louisville Metro area for Tuesday, July 29. Fine particles (PM2.5) are expected to reach an AQI of 106. The area has experienced unexpected high levels of fine particles this morning. Levels are increasing as we head into the afternoon and are expected to peak in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range.

Pollen forecast... allergies not really bothering me today.

Today's allergy levels:
Tuesday - 6/Medium

Today's predominant pollen:
Grass, Nettle and Plantain.

Total Time 0:55:40 (9:04 pace)
Distance 6.13 miles
Temperature 84.2°F avg temp

Elevation Gain (ft) +270 / -275

07/29/2008 Route
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Morning Run Elevation Profile

2008-07-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

Ran this 8.2 miles in 1:12:35 (8'50" pace) this morning, slight muggy, 72'F. Ran last 2/10ths of a mile in 1:15 (6'04" pace). Legs weren't too sluggish this morning. Not peppy either, though.

Elevation Gain (ft) +415 / -418

Day 1, Week 4: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-27T20:22:00.000-07:00

First day of week 4 of the hundred pushup program:

Today was a bit of a rush, trying to get sets in in between everything going on in the household.

Set tally, "-"=60-second recovery period. "[#]"=max

Pushups:  27-20-20-17-[41], 125 total.

Hatfield-McCoy vs Flying Monkey

2008-07-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

What do these have in common?

Hatfield-McCoy

Flying Monkey

This weekend's long run in which I bonked from mile 12 on.

It's been a year and a half since 18 miles hurt so much.

2008-07-26T08:38:00.000-07:00

I seem to be making a habit out of faltering on my long runs. I got started late--7 am. My hips and abdominal muscles were already sore. My right ankle was stiff. Mile 16 was an 11:29 mile, despite running for 95% of it.

Conditions were 75.6°F average temp and 79% humidity with virtually no wind, mostly cloudy during the run.

Total time, 2:49:53 for 18.00 miles (9'26" mile pace). Target pace was 9'18". It hurts to move anything from my waist down at the moment, and the inflamed tendon is letting me know how ticked off it is. On the positive side, this is my first 40 mile week in a while.

Elevation Gain (ft) +1,086 / -1,089

I bonked on the NE side.
18 Mile Fern Creek/J-Town
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Day 3, Week 3: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

Third day of week 3 of the hundred pushup program:

Set tally, "-"=2-minute recovery period. "[#]"=max

Pushups:  30-22-22-20-[32], 126 total.

Tabata Intervals

2008-07-24T04:17:00.000-07:00

No run today.

Reading about Tabata Intervals. 20 seconds x 8 intervals plus 10 sec x 8 rest. Basically, 4 minutes of high intensity. Something to look more into... probably more for just strength training instead of running for me.

Lean & Hungry Fitness Article on Tabata Intervals

Trying to actually run easy.

2008-07-23T06:30:00.000-07:00

Very nice weather this morning. 65'F outside, partly cloudy, and not too humid. Rain came in about an hour before my run.

I tried to run "easy" based on my 5k time. According to Vdot Calculator and Training Paces based on a 21:54 5k (using Daniels' Running Formula, 2nd edition), that should be 9'18" per mile. Today's workout was 11.31 miles in 1:43:33 (9'10" pace). Amazingly, 9'15" was a bit of a challenge for most of the run.

Day 2, Week 3: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Second day of week 3 of the hundred pushup program:

Set tally, "-"=90-second recovery period. "[#]"=max

Pushups:  27-19-19-15-[30], 120 total.

What a difference 20'F in heat index makes

2008-07-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my "easy" pace was difficult outside. 90'F and 100'F heat index.

This afternoon, 80'F and 81'F heat index. Ran ~tempo pace this time. 8 minute miles for about 5.73 miles. Ran the McCrea loop again. The breeze had a slight coolness to it today--occasionally.

My right posterior tibial tendon, right knee, and possibly left posterior tibial tendon are all less than thrilled about today's run. However, I've been off the NSAIDs for two days.

UPDATE: I've finally increased monthly mileage for the first time since January of this year:

Hotter than advertised.

2008-07-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

My last check on the weather prior to heading outside today in the office park said that it was 86'F outside. I didn't really pay close attention to the heat index.

Big mistake.

Heat index ~ 100'F. 5.69 miles in 48:20. 8'30" average. First mile first okay, second mile was a little warm, but the office park winds were decent. I lost the wind after going into the neighborhood at mile 2, and it never came back.

By mile 4, I was feeling a little bit light-headed. Tendonitis was a little irritated afterwards, but feels okay now.

Day 1, Week 3: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

First day of week 3 of the hundred pushup program:

Set tally, "-"=60-second recovery period. "[#]"=max

Abdominal muscles still sore from yesterday's 16 mile run. That's pretty atypical.

Did the week 2 end-of-week test earlier in the day. Had to reset after 10 pushups because of my daughter trying to jump on my back to "assist." Test was 47 pushups.

Pushups:  25-17-17-15-[29], 113 total.
2 additional 10 pushup sets after.

Nice little "rural" Fern Creek run.

2008-07-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

Crossed paths of cyclists on Seatonville Rd five times this morning. Most of them were pleasant, one of them was a bit anti-social.

I've decided that my favorite drivers are in the 60+ age group and drive 10+ year old pickup trucks in very good condition. Generally, these drivers pass carefully with a decent amount of room, and always wave when I acknowledge their courtesy.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are people with brand new trucks, especially those that are not being used as work trucks. They seem intent on creating as much wake as possible when they drive by.

I ran my 16 in 75'F weather, without Camelbak, hat, or cell phone. Pretty liberating, really. Didn't feel any ill-effects from a lack of water. I hit my target of 8'45" miles with 2 seconds per mile to spare. Elevation Gain (ft) +903 / -899

07/19/2008 Route
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Day 3, Week 2: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-17T17:33:00.001-07:00

Third day of week 2 of the hundred pushup program:

Set tally, "-"=2-minute recovery period. "[#]"=max

Dropped the lifts. Too much overlap & hard on the back.

Pushups:  15-15-12-12-[23], 77 total.
Situps :  15-15-12-12-[25], 79 total.
Curls  :  15-15-12-12-[20], 74 total.

Hard to get going this morning

2008-07-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

Slow start. Sore knee, ankle felt iffy to start. Had trouble breaking 9:30 pace for first 1/2 mile.

Decent run after that... stayed along Bardstown Road for 3 miles of the run. Even at < 6 am, that's pretty annoying--but I didn't want to do the hill in Vettiner Park this morning, or do multiple loops in the neighborhood.

5.21 Miles in 44:18. 8'31" pace.

Nice warm lunch time run

2008-07-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

5.7 miles in 48:51--8'35" miles, around 11am. Didn't do anything crazy on this run. No sprinting at the end, no fast miles. I was just trying to keep a steady run going the whole time.

I mostly accomplished this.

85'F, sunny, and not too humid. Knees were a little unhappy, but this was also my first time for running three days in a row in over a month. Ankle hurt a little later in the day.

Easy, but hilly 5 miler

2008-07-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

I ran my morning run at an easy tempo, except for pushing up hills. A little bit of knee pain this time... Probably to be expected, since my legs are still returning to previous strength. Heel and ankle coming along fairly well.

Day 2, Week 2: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-15T18:09:00.000-07:00

Second day of week 2 of the hundred pushup program:

Set tally, "-"=90-second recovery period. "[#]"=max

I felt pretty worn out after this set, more so than at any time during week 1.

Pushups:  16-13-11-11-[23], 74 total.
Situps :  16-13-11-11-[24], 74 total.
Curls  :  16-13-11-11-[16], 66 total.
Lifts  :  16-13-11-11-[16], 66 total.

Slightly up tempo 4 miler

2008-07-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

I had a slightly up tempo 4+ mile run today: 4.27 miles in 34:55, or 8'11" pace

My "sluggish" first mile ended being 8:16. I decided to try and kick it up tempo for the next mile, finishing in 8 minutes even. I took it easier the 3rd and 4th miles, although still well under my target of 8'45" pace. At the 4-mile mark, I decided to run with everything I had... 0.27 miles at 6'07" pace.

Not as much kick as I'd like to have, but still good to have that back.

Day 1, Week 2: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-13T18:31:00.000-07:00

First day of week 2 of the hundred pushup program:

Set tally, "-"=60-second recovery period. "[#]"=max

I felt pretty worn out after this set, more so than at any time during week 1.

Pushups:  12-12-9-7-[22], 60 total.
Situps :  12-12-9-7-[22], 60 total.
Curls  :  12-12-9-7-[20], 58 total.
Lifts  :  12-12-9-7-[13], 51 total.

First long run in a while

2008-07-12T07:48:00.000-07:00

I barely consider 14 a long run anymore, but consider it's 6 miles longer than my longest run in 3 weeks, it was a long run.

My goal was to hit 8'51"/mile for every mile. I averaged it, but went over on three different miles.

My tendon next to my ankle hurts quite a bit now.

Mile # Dist Time
1 1 Mi 08:45
2 1 Mi 08:46
3 1 Mi 08:46
4 1 Mi 08:45
5 1 Mi 08:52
6 1 Mi 08:44
7 1 Mi 08:42
8 1 Mi 08:49
9 1 Mi 08:45
10 1 Mi 08:35
11 1 Mi 09:15
12 1 Mi 09:01
13 1 Mi 08:48
14 1 Mi 08:37
 88 Yd 00:30

Elevation Gain (ft) +713 / -719:

How much does a pushup weigh?

2008-07-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

http://www.fit36.com/archives/how-much-does-a-pushup-weigh/

Given that I'm doing the 100 Pushups Challenge, this is an interesting question. The answer in the article is 65-75%.

Interestingly enough, the Flying Pig in Cincinnati has an associated event (for the 5k, 10, half and full) Pump and Run. The benchmark weight for a 19-39 year old male is 75% of body weight.

Day 3, Week 1: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

Third day of week 1 of the hundred pushup program:

Tried to do round robin instead of all sets for each exercise. Not enough rest.

Set tally, "-"=2-minute recovery period. "[#]"=max


Pushups:  15-13-10-10-[20], 68 total.
Situps :  15-13-10-10-[32], 80 total.
Curls  :  15-13-10-10-[20], 68 total.
Lifts  :  15-13-10-10-[15], 63 total.

Second day after doctor's appointment

2008-07-10T04:12:00.000-07:00

The NSAID regimen is doing wonders for recovery. Similar to last week, the second day in a row of running was considerably easier than the first. It was almost like my muscles woke up today.

Ran 8.1 miles in 1:09:54. Weather was 67° F, humid, and partly cloudy. Started my run before 6am, and got to see the sunrise peek through the clouds on the horizon for about half of my run. I had a little sprint of 6'16" pace for 0.10 mile at the end of the run. Couldn't break 6 minute pace this morning, but I still feel pretty good.

These runs are on the 18th hour of a 24-hour dose... listed half-life is 15-20 hours, so I'm at least not running completely numb to pain... I do feel some, but it's pretty manageable. I keep working icing into the routine as well.

First day back since the doctor's appointment

2008-07-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

...and since the 10k race in Lexington

6am this morning. 8.02 miles in 1:10:21... that's 8'47" miles. Relatively tough for an easy run. 73° F, Overcast, Humid, 83% humidity.

Leg muscles, heart, and lungs were not happy. I felt okay afterwards. Did a little icing (frozen bottle rolls). The NSAID dose today helped calm pain down more today than yesterday. I'm walking pretty normally tonight, but I'm stepping on an ice pack at the moment.

I'm glad that I'm no longer a complete n00b.

2008-07-08T14:19:00.000-07:00

Be careful not to take things too seriously in a race... and never, ever, try something new on race day.
Vaseline or gel?

Posterior Tibial Tendonitis

2008-07-08T10:24:00.000-07:00

No major damage detected.

--NSAIDs for 10 days
--Don't try to double my mileage by next week.
--Stretch calves.

Day 2, Week 1: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

Second day of week 1 of the hundred pushup program:

Sunday's workout was 9pm, today's workout was at 4am, so less than 36 hours of recovery involved.

Set tally, "-"=90-second recovery period. "[#]"=max


Pushups:  12-12-10-10-[26], 70 total.
Situps :  12-10-10-10-[20], 64 total.
Curls  :  12-12-10-10-[14], 58 total.
Lifts  :  12-12-10-10-[17], 63 total.

I don't like it.

2008-07-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

I sweated it out on the exercise bike because my foot could not take the treadmill today. 40 minutes at about 28 mph? I set it for 500 calories burned.

Exercise bikes are annoying. I'm just hoping that I got a decent workout.

Day 1, Week 1: Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-06T19:14:00.000-07:00

I've decided to use the hundred pushups program to structure my strength exercises in general: pushups, situps, bicep curls (30 lbs, each arm), and dumbbell lifts (30 lbs, each arm).

My max reps at the end were the absolute limit. On the situps, I slowed down, but kept going for 51 reps. Ouch that hurt.

Set tally, "-"=1-minute recovery period. "[#]"=max


Pushups:  10-10-8-6-[25], 59 total.
Situps :  10-10-8-6-[51], 85 total.
Curls  :  10-10-8-6-[ 9], 43 total.
Lifts  :  10-10-8-6-[10], 44 total.

Bluegrass 10000 Race Report

2008-07-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

I noticed something this morning preparing for the race: I had received what appeared to be a seeded bib despite last year's 57:27 time in this event.

In registering, I'm sure I might have had some lofty goal such as 45 minutes... about 1:26 off my 10k PR... but nothing seed-worthy. I'm sure it was a mix-up involving people wanting to give out pretty red bibs with double digit numbers on them.

Of course, I didn't remotely think about lining up in the seeded area, but perhaps I should have lined up in the area right behind it--with 3,000+ registrants, there are a lot of downsides to being modest about your abilities when lining up.

Weather was periodic drizzle and mild.

I lined up in about in an area where most people appeared capable of a 7-8 minute pace, and set my Garmin 305 to pace a 7'25" pace for 10 miles (46 minute 10k). By the first 1/4 mile, I had fallen 150 ft off that pace, and rapidly lost ground until about 300 ft. I slammed my tender right foot into the ground stopping for a wall of walkers, and limped for a few paces until the adrenaline overcame the soreness.

I managed to hit 7:45 pace for the first mile, despite the crowd. The second mile, I went on a passing frenzy. By the third mile, I had very little left. I managed to push it the 6th mile to salvage a respectable time--47:47--1 minute and 20 seconds off my PR from the 2008 Rodes City Run. I should have lined up better, but given my ankle issues and lack of conditioning recently, a decent performance.

Splits from my Garmin (6.25 miles. That's either a very efficient run or a short course.)


1 Mi 7:45 7:45 7:45      
1 Mi 7:06 14:51 7:06      
1 Mi 7:55 22:46 7:55      
1 Mi 7:52 30:38 7:52      
1 Mi 8:05 38:43 8:05      
1 Mi 7:16 45:59 7:16      
0.25 Mi 1:45 47:44 7:00

Elevation Chart:

Hundred Pushup Program

2008-07-03T16:06:00.000-07:00

Need to start somewhere with maintaining a good burn rate outside of running, especially in lieu of my reduced mileage because of minor injury.

I've decided to incorporate the Hundred Pushup Program into my routine.

Stupid? Maybe.

2008-07-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

I made an appointment for Tuesday @ 9:30 am with the doctor. Really hoping that there's nothing to see him about by then, but it has been two weeks and pain still causes limping occasionally. I start feeling better then get worse, although the general trend seems to be in the getting better direction.

Doing frozen water bottle rolls and ice on the ankle. When my heel is thoroughly frozen, I'll switch back over to heat.

Oh, yes... I'm supposedly racing tomorrow.