Pain Delay

Got 5 miles in last Saturday.

I was all proud of myself for not needing an Advil after.

Then I woke up the next day and felt it all at once.

Late Fall

Trying to stay healthy.

Picking it back up again before the bad weather gets here.

Feels good.

Mid-September Heat Wave

I had a crappy crappy run today.  No pace.  No tempo.  No intensity.

I lost most of August with vacation / urinary tract / sinus issues.  I still haven't gotten back to where I was before that.

The good news is that I've already run more miles in 2013 than all of 2012.

3 Miles a Day - Day 10

I kept the streak alive to double digits... But now my legs are toast.

I thought it would get a little easier at some point, but it never did.

I think I need a few days of rest.

3 Miles a Day - Days 8 and 9

I have a thing for old mill buildings.

I had to run through the rain yesterday, but I kept the streak alive.

Light rain is OK. It's better than 90 with the sun beating down on my head.  But I'm not a fan of running in anything more than light rain.

The weather was better today, but my legs are just about done.  I think I've got one more day of this in me, then I'll need a break.

I also brought the dog with me for the last mile today.  That made her happy.

3 Miles a Day - Days 5, 6 and 7

the light first thing it the morning is pretty darn good

Still at it.  Kept it up through the weekend.  The heat wave has broken.  We're back into the low 80s for highs today.  Which meant my 6:00 AM run was upper 60s.  VERY NICE.

My per mile times are gradually dropping, but I expected that.  Rest is a big part of performance.

It'll be interesting to see if I've gained weight or lost weight this week.  I'm guessing I've gained.  It's tough to lay off the late night snacks when you're STARVING all the time.

Plus ice cream tastes really good after a run.

3 Miles a Day - Day 4

Running this morning after lifting last night wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  The legs are holding up pretty well.  The back feels stiff.  The knees feel fine.  The blister on the arch of my left foot feels like stepping on a bouncy ball each time I hit the ground.

But the heat... The heat is brutal.  It was probably already in the 80s at 6:00 AM.  And humid.  Bluh.

Trying to mix in a little more protein at each meal for sore muscles.

I'm glad I didn't make this a "How many days in a row can I run 4 miles?" challenge.

3 Miles a Day - Day 3

well that ain't too bad...

I *DID NOT* make my goal time for my 10K earlier this month.  They changed the layout of the course (too much up).  It was 87 degrees.  My first mile was at my goal pace... Then I just fell right off the map.

It was the first race all year I didn't set a new personal best.  Somewhat of a bummer, but I'm moving on.

Now, for the first time in quite a while, I don't have any races scheduled.  No spreadsheets to work from.  No race date countdown calendars.  No plans.  Nothing.

I'm just running for fun.

To make things interesting, I'm trying to see how many consecutive days I can run 3 miles.  I've never done anything like this.  I usually just run 3 days a week, with lots of rest in between.  I'm guessing this will get harder and harder for a few more days.  Then it will start to get easier again.

It's been super hot here lately (90 degrees plus), so running mid-day hasn't really been an option.  I've been getting up at 5:55 and doing my 3 miles.  I love getting the run in first thing in the morning.

Right now I'm on day 3.  I was probably a little slower today than yesterday.  The back and knees were feeling pretty stiff first thing this morning.  But I'm pretty sure I can keep going with this.  I'm hoping to get to at least 10 days of this.

Also... HUNGRY.

The big question is how will I feel tomorrow morning if I lift weights tonight?  Might as well find out.

10K

I've got the Harvard Pilgrim / Patriot Place 10K coming up shortly.  One more long run this weekend, then I'll be tapering off.

Last year I did a 56:29 (9:02 per mile).  The year before that I did a 1:01:27 (9:54 per mile).

I'd like to get another 5 minutes faster, but I'm not sure that's going to happen.

Given my current fitness level, training load and owie-ness level*, I'll be happy with anything under 54:00.

Hopefully the helicopters following white SUVs will be done circling the Foxboro / North Attleboro area by then.







*"Owie-ness Level" and "Owie-ness Index" are trademarks of STG Fitness Enterprises LLC.  Copyright 2013.

Year Over Year

I'm doing some planning for my races.  And I'm looking at last year's numbers.

"Why did I slack so much in May?"

"OH RIGHT!  They cut a big hole in my leg."

No minor surgery planned for this year!

So... I've got that going for me.  Which is nice.

from my 5K number pickup email...

Your race number is:  XXXX

First name:Contact First Name
Last Name:Contact Last Name
Age: 37
Gender: male


From now on, please refer to me as "Contact First Name".

Results

I've been running for 5 years.

I've been lifting weights for 15 months.

I've lost 23 pounds.

And I almost look like I might kinda work out now.  Maybe.  Slightly.

(I promise I won't let this go to my head...)