5.5 Hilly Miles in Lodi, NJ (Sunday, 5/29)

I was having a great run. I found Hasbrouck Heights (which is right next to Lodi NJ where I was staying with Handan's nephew) and ran hills for about 4 miles before I started having pain in my left foot. I think it was a combination of the hills and the slanted grade of the streets (they have a ridge in the middle and slope outwards) that did me in. By mile 5 I was starting to limp so I called it quits at 5.5 miles.

Now my foot hurts when I move it 'just so' and I'm worried about my ability to run this coming weekend's 10K Herndon Festival race. :(

9 Miles in Central Park (Saturday, 5/28)

Nine miles in the best urban park in the world... New York City's Central Park. Once around Central Park Drive is 6 miles, so I did the big loop and then did the shorter loop using the 72nd street bypass. It was hot but a fun run.

This was my first run with my new 4 bottle Nathan hydration belt. It worked well.

3 Miles on the Mall in DC

Wow... what a crappy run!

I was scheduled for 4 miles.  I started my run at 6:00 am before the heat got bad.  The humidity was already up there, but not really too bad.  But something wasn't right today.  Maybe it was the lack of sleep (only 6 hours last night) or my diet (good food, but not enough?)... I don't know.  As I neared the third mile I knew I was out of gas.  My legs were like lead and I felt empty inside.  I stopped after three miles. :(

I'm going to rest tonight and tomorrow and see how I feel on Saturday.  Maybe I'll push back Saturday's run.  We'll see.

7 Miles - Haynes Point and the Tidal Basin

Another 6am run while it's still cool outside.

Once again I went out of the gates too fast.  With this route the first 3/4 of a mile are on DC streets and I think I run it fast to get to the park as soon as possible.  But still... I need to slow it down. :)

I ran fast today and felt good.  The last mile was a bit of a push though.  But I enjoyed pushing myself and this is a great way to start the morning.

4 Miles on the Mall

This morning it was in the low 70s but humid.  I could feel the effect running in humid air has on my body's ability to cool off.  After only one mile (granted, a very fast mile) I was feeling hot and uncomfortable.  I slowed for my second mile, got myself back to feeling good and then ran fast for the last two miles.

My stomach's been bothering me ever since the block party on Sunday night.  I think the pesto pasta that we made for the party (and have been eating since) is not agreeing with me.  Tonight it's meat and potatoes and a salad.  Let's see if this bit of comfort food does the trick.

15 Miles (11.5 running, 3.5 walking)

Once again I tried do run 15 miles and once again I pooped out before I could finish.  I did better this week than last.  This time I was able to run 11.5 miles before I ran out of gas.  And I didn't have to call my wife to come pick me up.  I walked the remaining 3.5 miles home.

So what is the problem?  I was able to do 14 miles a few weeks ago and even felt good doing it.  Was there some difference in the weather?  Was the pork and rice I ate that Saturday so special compared to what I ate last night?  Or maybe it was some other difference I haven't noticed yet.  I'll need to figure this out.

Next week I'll do a step-back program with a reduced long run.  Then the week after that Handan and I are signed up for the Herndon Festival 10K race.  So the next time I'll attempt the 15 mile run will be three weeks from now.

Diet-wise last night was tough.  We had a block-party and there was a lot of good, not-necessarily-healthy food to eat.  And I did eat, though I tried to focus mostly on the carb-heavy and protein-rich choices.  Still, I think I could have done better by eating before the party and then just avoiding the party food.  But that didn't seem like the social, friendly thing to do.  Oh well...

7.2 Miles on the Local Trails

Today I ran my favorite local loop... Folly Lick Trail to Sugarland Run Trail to the W&OD Trail.  The trail goes through the woods and has a handful of stream crossings.  There are a lot of bends and little up-and-down hills along the way.  The start of the loop is at the high point and the lowest part is near the end of mile 3.  Then it's mostly uphill on the back 4 miles.

Today the trail was blocked by a doe and her fawn.  They were running the trail about 50 yards ahead of me (at first I thought it was a jogger and his dog... I need to get my eyes checked!).  After a short time of me running a distance behind them the fawn gave up running and stopped to eat some grass.  The mom stopped too and so did I.  I tried to make some noise to scare them off the trail, but they wouldn't budge.  So I waited about a minute until the baby finally had enough and moved off the trail.  As I passed them they just watched me run by without any fear.  The baby was awfully cute.

(I stopped my Garmin for all of this, so it doesn't show in the charts).

Last night I didn't eat well.  Luckily I was able to do the run with what I did eat... a ClifBar breakfast and a peanut butter bagel last night for dinner (along with cereal for dessert and some of Handan's chocolate mosaic cake).

 

4 Quick Miles on the W&OD Trail

I ran after work today at approx. 3:30.  Today's run was supposed to be a 'slow run' (not my goal pace) but I was feeling really good and energized.  I made a point of focusing on starting slower than I felt I could run and then letting myself get faster with each mile. 

I had a Potbelly turkey and swiss cheese sandwich for lunch, oatmeal for breakfast and an apple and an orange for afternoon snacks.  That fueled my run nicely. :)

7 Miles - Haynes Point and the Tidal Basin

It was a strange morning.  It rained most of the night and was raining when I drove into DC.  But by the time I got outside to run it was clearing.  It was humid for sure, but a nice temperature and no wind. 

However at mile #3 I ran through some standing water and both my feet got soaked!  I had to run the last 4 miles with wet feet and socks.  I'm happy (and amazed) that I didn't get any blisters. 

4.2 Miles on Local Hills

Today I decided to run hills for a change.  I've been doing nothing but (relatively) flat road work so far.  On the MCM First Timers Facebook page we were discussing hills today so I said to myself "why not?".

I'm lucky in that I live next to both the highest and lowest points in Herndon.  There's about 115 feet difference between the two points and about .75 miles.  I looped about three times to make it 4.2 miles total (not exactly following the same path each time).

The chart only shows my split times.  I'm still working on putting together a good elevation chart.  The tool I use (SportTracks) doesn't seem to deal well with Garmin's elevation data.  I'm searching for a way to adjust it. (edit: found the elevation adjustment plug-in... chart below)

Nutritionally I felt great today.  For breakfast I had oatmeal and then I had a good lunch (chicken salad and a Jamaican beef patty my wife made) followed by a banana. 

9.75 Miles on the W&OD Trail

I was supposed to run 15 miles today, but I pooped out during mile 10. What happened???

I probably didn't eat enough last night to fuel me. I had a turkey roll-up for dinner followed by a big bowl of low-fat frozen yogurt for dessert. Then a bowl of bran flakes with fat-free milk and a ClifBar. That wasn't enough??!!??

I started my run too fast.

During the week I ran my short runs too fast.

I don't know... I need to figure it out.

And I need to run this week's training routine again next week. :(

7 Miles on the W&OD Trail

This morning it rained and then stopped at around 8:30.  I went out at 9am and ran 7 miles.  I didn't use the Garmin for measuring my pace.  I just ran what I felt like running.  At the end I pushed a little but not much.  Over all I felt pretty good... and I think I left a bit in the tank for tomorrow's long run.

My weight's dropped a little lately.  Just a couple of pounds off my usual 185.  I think, with the long runs I've been doing, I need to up the calories and the carb/protein ratio.  I'll keep an eye on that.

5 Miles on the Folly Lick Trail

I took off from work today and had a nice leisurely run on the local Folly Lick trail. Because it's a work day the trail was practically empty. Just a few dog walkers. I didn't really worry about my pace.... just enjoyed the run.

7 Miles - Haynes Point and the Tidal Basin

Today's run was supposed to be a slow run, but I was feeling good this morning.  I wanted to run negative splits and produce a nice stepping-down chart.  I tried to start slow and build up my pace but I started too fast, pulled it back for the second mile and then tried to accelerate with each subsequent mile.  I'm happy with the results and my pace too.  Even in the last two miles I was feeling strong.  I like that!

4(ish) Miles on the Mall

I went to work today wearing my running outfit all prepared for another "measured by Garmin" run on the Mall.  But lo-and-behold my crappy Forerunner 405 was frozen.  When I restarted it (hold down both buttons for 10 seconds to reboot) it was out of juice and went into the start-up/beep/shut-down cycle which is (perhaps) the most annoying bug in any product I own.  The damned thing beeped every 5 seconds for the next 40 minutes I was running.  It was like being water-boarded by technology!  I hear by announce to the world that I hate my Forerunner and no longer recommend it (even though I love so many things about it).

Are you listening Garmin?!?!?  Grrrr....

But on a more positive note... I'd like to welcome my new followers who came over from the Facebook First Time MCM Marathoners group.  Welcome aboard!

So... down to brass tacks.  Today I ran around 4 miles (probably a touch more) in around 40 minutes more or less.  I felt really good even if my legs were less-than-springy after my 14 miler on Sunday.

Today did make me thing about what I enjoy about this training program.  I enjoy the fact that I can see and feel the progress I'm making.  My legs simply feel stronger.  I know I'm running stronger than I was just a few weeks ago. And that's why I want to measure every run so I know what my progress is exactly!!!  (%&$@! Garmin).


OK... blogging and venting at the same time is tiring me out.  That's enough for today.  Tomorrow I have a 7 mile run (I'll probably do Haine's Point and the Tidal Basin tomorrow AM) so I'm going to put my feet up now and relax for the evening.

14 Miles on the W&OD Trail

It was two weeks ago that I fell during my 12 mile 'long run' on the W&OD Trail.  After I fell I continued my run but 'bonked' for the last three miles.  I wrote then that perhaps this week I would repeat the exercise routine of that week since I wasn't satisfied with the results of that run.

But this week I started to think that I shouldn't repeat that week.  I did, after all, finish the 12 miles and showed no bad results from it (or the fall).  And all this week I've been feeling strong.  And I really started to believe that my problems two weeks ago were due to the post-fall adrenaline rush and subsequent crash. So today I ran 14 'slow' miles on the trail...

Exercise

I started at 7:30am and it was overcast, cool and drizzled a little. But it really was perfect for a long run. There was hardly any wind either. I focused on my pace using my Garmin. I set my pace at 9:30 miles and tried to stay on pace for the first 7 miles. Then I tried to run a little faster for the second half (reverse splits). I didn't quite do that with consistency, but did manage to have a fast final two miles.

I held my breath when I crossed my old nemesis... the Loudon County Parkway overpass!  I didn't trip this time.  But really... there should be a warning sign about that bump in the middle of the span!!!

By the way, my half-marathon (13.1) time was 2:02 (approx)

Nutrition

Last night we had some grilled pork tenderloin and a nice rice and vegetable dish Handan made.  Handan hasn't blogged it yet, so I can't link to the recipe.  Maybe later.  I also had a bowl of bran flakes with fat free milk for dessert.  This morning I had a ClifBar at 7:00 when I got up.

During the run I had two Gu gels and 20oz of low-cal Gatorade.

All of this made for a good run without digestive or energy issues.  I should make note of this meal.  It worked for me and my running very well.

7 Miles on the W&OD Trail

Today Handan and I are going to the Virginia Gold Cup horse races (her office is having an event), so I had to get up early to run my 7 'pace' miles.  I like these tempo runs.  It gives me an idea how running the real race might feel.  And even though I can tell I'm not close to being able to run the 26.2 miles at pace, I can also tell that I'm getting stronger and faster with each week that passes.  This encourages me.

Nutrition-wise I could have prepared better for today's run.  I didn't wake up early enough to have enough time to digest anything.  Of course I had a late dinner last night so that helped.  I munched a ClifBar at 7:15 and was out the door by 7:45.  I ran 7 miles in one hour almost exactly.  That's a bit faster than my marathon goal pace of 8:45, but I started too fast and slowed towards the end.  I have to work on that (I say this almost every week... someday it'll stick).

4 Miles on the W&OD

Today was a blustery day, but I miss running outside.  Yesterday's treadmill run just wasn't fun.

I headed out with the wind in my face and it was tough going.  I almost lost my hat a few times and had to keep my head down.  Coming back was much better with the wind at my back.

My legs felt a bit tired after yesterday's 7 miler which I ran faster than I should have.  But I kept my pace pretty even and finished strong.

Post run... banana, peanut butter and chocolate milk shake. :-)

7 Miles on the Treadmill

7 treadmill miles at 0 incline and 7 mph.  Felt really good.  Of course treadmill miles are not nearly the same as road miles, but with the high winds and drizzle I couldn't bring myself to run outside today.  It was supposed to be a 'slow run' day, but because I ran on the treadmill I decided to push the speed up a bit.  The pace was 8:34 which is faster than my marathon pace goal.

Nutritionally I think I was well-fueled.  I'd eaten a ClifBar about an hour before the run.  And at work today there was a birthday party where I had pizza and cake for lunch!  Not great nutritionally but loaded with carbs which I think helped me maintain my pace for an hour.

4.5 Miles on the Mall

Yet another 6:00am run on the Mall.  It was a good run at a fast pace.  The only problem... I forgot to pack a shirt for work in my gym bag.  After the run and shower I only had pants, shoes and socks to wear.  I ended up buying a T-shirt at the gym store!

6 (ish) Miles in Central Park

My Garmin died so I don't know the exact time or distance.  I was running with Tolga which was a lot of fun.  My pace was somewhere around 8:45 while the Garmin was recording.

9.5 Miles in Central Park

On Saturday Handan and I drove into New York City and went to run in Central Park.  I ran 9.5 miles.  At mile #6 I ran into an event (the Revlon March for a Cure (or something like that)) and I was delayed and had to re-route my run. 

It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed my run a lot.