This wasn't, exactly, the post I had hoped to write after the Marine Corps Marathon. I thought it would go something along the lines of my finishing time, the experience around the event itself, maybe include a couple of pictures I had taken along the route. Perhaps include a list of damaged body parts that every long distance runner at times has to contend with. (Let's just say that Vaseline and/or bandaids are a handy tool to have.)
Instead, my line of thinking lately has been taking one of two paths: either "Making progress! Last year I signed up, this year I signed up and trained, next year I'm gonna sign up, train, AND run it!" or "maybe the half-marathon is more my speed." It can vary from hour-to-hour.
Among other things, it came down to $10. I'm not kidding. After getting back from vacation in the Outer Banks at the end of September, I had one shift at one of the side jobs, and the take-home (after taxes and paying a pension loan) was a little over $10. Like everybody else, I've got certain bills that have to be paid, and a $200-400 weekend in Washington, DC, wasn't going to improve that balance sheet, and in fact, exacerbate it. And that's after figuring in that we weren't staying in a hotel, but rather with friends from my wife's high school days, and whom I worked with way back in the day. The hotel would have been another $350.
One of the ironies of training for a marathon is that you really need to have time to devote to proper training for the race, which doesn't leave you a lot of time to work to pay your bills. In the latter half of the schedule, when long runs were in the 14-18 mile range, that's 3 to 4 hours of running. Unless I really wanted to get up at 1 in the morning before work, or be out til 1 in the morning after work (and after sitting in a car for an hour or so each way, and 12 hour shifts in between), I made sure to take at least one day off each weekend for those runs. Unfortunately, the way EMS schedules work, folks like to be off on the weekends to spend with their families, so per-diems work a lot of weekend shifts.
Cutting out 50% of your potential opportunities to work is no way to make sure those bills are paid.
I'd be lying if I said that the training didn't start to suffer long before the marathon, though. Something was always getting in the way. Soccer, school events, work. In my increasingly undisciplined mind, it was getting easier and easier to justify cutting short a long run here, or skipping a short run there. The end result was that I had run just 15 miles in October, and none after the second week.
A couple other small issues popped up that had to be taken care of which, if they had happened without the other stuff, would not have been a problem, but in the end just made the decision to skip the MCM that much easier.
There have been upsides to the training, which a couple of people, including one of the Marathon Jims, had pointed out, and is that the training is never "for nothing". I'm down to a couple pounds over what has been my lowest weight in probably 25 years, and I now know that I can run at least three miles non-stop, at a pace of around 8 minutes and change per mile, without killing myself (well, maybe not in the last month, but I did, and can get back there again). I've learned to run without music in my ears, since over those longer runs the battery on my (former) iPhone 4 didn't hold up to simultaneous use of the GPS and iPod functions for more than two or three hours. (Though I do wonder how much better those longer long runs would have been, since running for that long is dreadfully boring.) And without music, you are left to your own thoughts, which admittedly I can't say that I have much opportunity otherwise to just think.
And perhaps the most heartening of all is that my nine-year-old asked my wife the other day how old you had to be to run in a marathon. Maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all, and I have a future running partner in the family.
So, what to do now? Well, the other day, a colleague of mine from UH-EMS had told me that several members of NorthSTAR were planning a group entry in to the New Jersey Half Marathon in Long Branch, NJ in April 2014, and would I like to join them. Having actually completed the Historic Half this year, and the training for a half marathon is much simpler than for the full, I'm inclined to say yes.
As to a full marathon, like I mentioned before, I'm of two minds. Lately, it's been all half-marathon, all the time...but then I was watching coverage of the NYC Marathon this morning and started to think, "well...." If I do register for the marathon, it'd likely be for the fall (since I have to work - a lot - over the next few months to pay some bills, and we know where that leads), and I'd like another shot at the MCM. Given the popularity of the MCM, I'd have to run in the Spring race, the 17.75K, in mid-April to get an automatic qualifier. On the other hand, that's a lot of running in a month and a half, between the 17.75K, the Long Branch Half, and the Historic Half, which I'm likely going to do again.
Decisions, decisions....
Finally, thanks to all who have offered words of support, encouragement, or just plan "just do it." They were all appreciated, and in each way helped me a little farther along. I'm going to keep contributing to this blog, posting updates on what I'm doing, and how I'm doing it, if for no other reason than to get the jumble of thoughts in my head out in the open, so everybody can see just how disorganized my brain is at times.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Days, and Weeks, Lost
I was hoping to get through this training program with little or no hitches in getting out there in doing the actual runs. Naive, perhaps, but it still is an improvement over last year, when signing up for the Marine Marathon itself ran headlong into the fact that I was utterly unprepared for sixteen weeks or thereabouts of running. At least this year, I knew there was going to be a lot of mileage put on my increasingly well-worn pair of New Balance shoes.
This year's problem isn't so much the running. I am - or I was - getting out there, four (or at least three) times a week, following the short-medium-short-long plan of training. At the beginning of the sixteen weeks, a run of three miles, even at 11 minutes per mile, meant I was done in a half hour. The long run could still be done in under an hour.
No, this year, the problem is everything else. As John Lennon said, life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. There had already been one lost day out of four, due to the way my fire department schedule worked. Last week, though, everything went completely awry. It all started with buying a car on Monday, from Auto Lenders in Lakewood. But we couldn't get there before 5PM-ish, and didn't get out until close to 8PM. So there went that day. The next day was the firehouse on limited sleep, and then Newark the next day, which killed the first half of the week. After than, in my undisciplined mind, what was the point?
I had asked that of one of the Marathon Jims, who said, "it happens. Pick up where you left off." So initially, the entire program got shifted forward one week, which meant that I would be short either a sixteen mile run or an eighteen mile run, since it's important to taper properly before the Marathon itself. Now, after reviewing the schedule in the The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer again, I may have miscalculated the start date of the program by a week, or just simply didn't enter it into my calendar as accurately as I thought I had: according to the plan, I'm supposed to have three weeks of 16-mile long runs and two of 18-miles, and my schedule as I originally had constructed it only has me doing two 16s. So, do I drop a 16 and an 18, or two of three 16s?
One of the factors I want to avoid is overtraining. "Ha!", you say, "you're already undertraining, how much do you have to do to overtrain?" Well, it's not so simple. Conventional wisdom has it that one should not increase one's mileage by more than 10% over the previous week. If I calculate wrong (why wouldn't I?) by dropping a week I shouldn't, I could well be adding more than 10% from one week to the next. And that can lead to injury.
On a programming note, Regular readers of this blog - if I might be so presumptuous as to believe that I have regular readers - will note missing entries, especially if you've been following my Twitter feed. I will be correcting that soon enough by adding the entries over the past week or so that I have completed, but not yet documented. To avoid any confusion, the posts themselves will have the date that they should have been written, in addition to the dates that the runs actually occurred. Got that?
This year's problem isn't so much the running. I am - or I was - getting out there, four (or at least three) times a week, following the short-medium-short-long plan of training. At the beginning of the sixteen weeks, a run of three miles, even at 11 minutes per mile, meant I was done in a half hour. The long run could still be done in under an hour.
No, this year, the problem is everything else. As John Lennon said, life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. There had already been one lost day out of four, due to the way my fire department schedule worked. Last week, though, everything went completely awry. It all started with buying a car on Monday, from Auto Lenders in Lakewood. But we couldn't get there before 5PM-ish, and didn't get out until close to 8PM. So there went that day. The next day was the firehouse on limited sleep, and then Newark the next day, which killed the first half of the week. After than, in my undisciplined mind, what was the point?
I had asked that of one of the Marathon Jims, who said, "it happens. Pick up where you left off." So initially, the entire program got shifted forward one week, which meant that I would be short either a sixteen mile run or an eighteen mile run, since it's important to taper properly before the Marathon itself. Now, after reviewing the schedule in the The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer again, I may have miscalculated the start date of the program by a week, or just simply didn't enter it into my calendar as accurately as I thought I had: according to the plan, I'm supposed to have three weeks of 16-mile long runs and two of 18-miles, and my schedule as I originally had constructed it only has me doing two 16s. So, do I drop a 16 and an 18, or two of three 16s?
One of the factors I want to avoid is overtraining. "Ha!", you say, "you're already undertraining, how much do you have to do to overtrain?" Well, it's not so simple. Conventional wisdom has it that one should not increase one's mileage by more than 10% over the previous week. If I calculate wrong (why wouldn't I?) by dropping a week I shouldn't, I could well be adding more than 10% from one week to the next. And that can lead to injury.
On a programming note, Regular readers of this blog - if I might be so presumptuous as to believe that I have regular readers - will note missing entries, especially if you've been following my Twitter feed. I will be correcting that soon enough by adding the entries over the past week or so that I have completed, but not yet documented. To avoid any confusion, the posts themselves will have the date that they should have been written, in addition to the dates that the runs actually occurred. Got that?
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Week Six - Day Four, Saturday, August 24th
A scheduled 11-mile run, and a decent evening to run it. Reasonably low temperatures, and fairly low humidity. Because of the length, I decided to largely follow the first part of last weeks run, and eliminated the second half, due to construction and a lack of illumination along Whitty Road and North Bay Avenue.
This route took me up OFR to Todd Road, and I traveled the entire length of Todd, instead of turning onto Church. (The upper part of Todd Road is littered with some really spectacular properties, including, presumably, the one I couldn't see, because it was hidden behind stone walls and an imposing iron gate, complete with one of those remote call boxes so the dark-suited, sunglassed security could scrutinize you via CCTV before they permitted you entry.) Then I hung a left onto Silverton over to New Hampshire to White Oak Bottom (where do they get these names?), left onto OFR, and back down past the Parkway. Once past Whitty Road, made a left onto Vincenzo, where I gawked at even more impressive homes (think Italian Villa on 1/100th the land) - one of whom was reportedly owned at one time by Michael Ritacco, the recently (ahem) retired superintendent of the Toms River Regional Schools. Then I looped around on Vincenzo, and continued onto OFR back home.
Once again, I went out with water and nourishment handy, which helped in the later stages. I am finding that being hydrated prior to running is important, but it's a bit of a delicate balance, since options to use a bathroom are somewhat limited. At the same time, one can't depend on just the water brought for the run itself, because that's not enough on these longer runs. Runners World suggests a solution in breaking up the route into, say, five mile loops, starting and ending in a familiar place, like your house, thereby providing a handy place to get water and take advantage of the facilities. Sounds nice, but gets boring after awhile.
Speaking of boring, the playlist really needs updating. I'm just skipping the Nickleback songs entirely - way too angry - and the rest of the selections get played completely almost twice. On these long runs, I can probably add a couple of mellower songs, since I'm just trying to maintain a decent pace, without going all-out. It is a marathon, after all.
I managed to keep most of my breaks to less than two minutes, but now that I'm drinking and eating, which takes a few extra seconds to accomplish, two minutes seems to be the new normal. Until the last mile, I had virtually no complaints, and actually felt pretty strong around mile 7. This is encouraging.
The next two weeks look a bit more problematic. I'm working the overnight on Sunday, which eliminates an early Monday run, since I will not run when I'm tired. A scheduled obligation on Monday evening rules out a run then that day, altogether. Early Tuesday, I'm giving a lift to a friend from the firehouse to work, so I have to leave earlier, then it's straight to Newark on Wednesday. At this point, running looks like it will be confined to Thursday and Friday, since Saturday is a firehouse day. Sunday next week will be this week's long run, to allow for the days off before and after and another missed run.
I'm not terribly worried, though, as long as I continue to get in these longer ones. I just want to finish the marathon, I'm not looking to break any records. At least, not this time.
Ellie Goulding was back as the Nike Pep-talker, recycling the you-did-more-miles-than-last-week bit.
The run.
This route took me up OFR to Todd Road, and I traveled the entire length of Todd, instead of turning onto Church. (The upper part of Todd Road is littered with some really spectacular properties, including, presumably, the one I couldn't see, because it was hidden behind stone walls and an imposing iron gate, complete with one of those remote call boxes so the dark-suited, sunglassed security could scrutinize you via CCTV before they permitted you entry.) Then I hung a left onto Silverton over to New Hampshire to White Oak Bottom (where do they get these names?), left onto OFR, and back down past the Parkway. Once past Whitty Road, made a left onto Vincenzo, where I gawked at even more impressive homes (think Italian Villa on 1/100th the land) - one of whom was reportedly owned at one time by Michael Ritacco, the recently (ahem) retired superintendent of the Toms River Regional Schools. Then I looped around on Vincenzo, and continued onto OFR back home.
Once again, I went out with water and nourishment handy, which helped in the later stages. I am finding that being hydrated prior to running is important, but it's a bit of a delicate balance, since options to use a bathroom are somewhat limited. At the same time, one can't depend on just the water brought for the run itself, because that's not enough on these longer runs. Runners World suggests a solution in breaking up the route into, say, five mile loops, starting and ending in a familiar place, like your house, thereby providing a handy place to get water and take advantage of the facilities. Sounds nice, but gets boring after awhile.
Speaking of boring, the playlist really needs updating. I'm just skipping the Nickleback songs entirely - way too angry - and the rest of the selections get played completely almost twice. On these long runs, I can probably add a couple of mellower songs, since I'm just trying to maintain a decent pace, without going all-out. It is a marathon, after all.
I managed to keep most of my breaks to less than two minutes, but now that I'm drinking and eating, which takes a few extra seconds to accomplish, two minutes seems to be the new normal. Until the last mile, I had virtually no complaints, and actually felt pretty strong around mile 7. This is encouraging.
The next two weeks look a bit more problematic. I'm working the overnight on Sunday, which eliminates an early Monday run, since I will not run when I'm tired. A scheduled obligation on Monday evening rules out a run then that day, altogether. Early Tuesday, I'm giving a lift to a friend from the firehouse to work, so I have to leave earlier, then it's straight to Newark on Wednesday. At this point, running looks like it will be confined to Thursday and Friday, since Saturday is a firehouse day. Sunday next week will be this week's long run, to allow for the days off before and after and another missed run.
I'm not terribly worried, though, as long as I continue to get in these longer ones. I just want to finish the marathon, I'm not looking to break any records. At least, not this time.
Ellie Goulding was back as the Nike Pep-talker, recycling the you-did-more-miles-than-last-week bit.
The run.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Week Six - Day Three, Thursday, August 22nd
Much better today than Tuesday. Instead of doing the scheduled short run, I did the medium 5-mile run I was supposed to complete on Tuesday, which didn't work out so well. If total mileage is an important consideration, by swapping the two runs, I figure my total deficit is a manageable two miles.
Today's run was straight up OFR to just below Whitty Road, made a U-turn, and then went down Lilac back up to Mapletree. Nice and simple. Had two forced breaks, less than a minute each, at OFR and Bey Lea, which was a better idea than playing Frogger. Just about made the whole way, a first at that distance, and pushed it a little bit to get up the hill on Lilac to Mapletree.
Some observations on the non-running public:
Tonight's run. And again, no Pep-talker.
Today's run was straight up OFR to just below Whitty Road, made a U-turn, and then went down Lilac back up to Mapletree. Nice and simple. Had two forced breaks, less than a minute each, at OFR and Bey Lea, which was a better idea than playing Frogger. Just about made the whole way, a first at that distance, and pushed it a little bit to get up the hill on Lilac to Mapletree.
Some observations on the non-running public:
- Folks making right turns onto major roads invariably do not look to their right, either for pedestrians on sidewalks or people like me running against traffic on the shoulder. My second interesting action with a motorist in two weeks.
- People making left turns turn into the far lane of traffic of the road they are entering, then have to over correct to stay in the lane that they're going into.
- Saw more than one person on a bicycle reading their email or something on their cell phone.
Tonight's run. And again, no Pep-talker.
Week Six - Day Two, Tuesday, August 20th
I've come to the inescapable conclusion that if the sun is more than 10 degrees above the horizon and the humidity is more than 80%…I shouldn't be running.
Got out from the firehouse and headed to Gregg Park for my scheduled five-mile medium run. Right from the start, it was apparent that this was going to take an extraordinary effort just to make one loop of about a mile and a half. This was clearly my worst run, and my breathing was getting worse, not better, as I have been finding is usually the case in the middle of a workout. (Why that is, I don't know. It seems that it takes a mile or so for my lungs to realize they're going to be doing some work, after which the breathing is usually far ahead the legs.)
So I shut it down. Instead if doing four miles Thursday, perhaps I'll do the five then, and my overall deficit for the week will be just a couple miles.
Very disappointed, considering that yesterday's four-mile was comparatively a great run, considering my lack of sleep.
The debacle by the Bay.
The debacle by the Bay.
Week Six - Day One, Monday, August 19th
First four-mile short run, again in the neighborhood, but to liven it up a little bit (if you could say such a thing at 0430 in the morning), I went all the way down Walnut to the last left on Vauxhall, then made my way back, before heading up to Chestnut. On the final leg, I cut through the Walnut School yard on a sprint. A little humid, but temperatures were nice and cool, so I have no complaints.
Lately, I've been purposely taking it easy in the early stages of a run, and increasing the effort towards the end, which seems to allow me to finish runs a little easier.
No Pep-talker, as usual. Today's run.
Lately, I've been purposely taking it easy in the early stages of a run, and increasing the effort towards the end, which seems to allow me to finish runs a little easier.
No Pep-talker, as usual. Today's run.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Playing Catch-up
If you notice, the last four posts all have the same published date. That's because I've been playing catch-up, trying to get these out. They were all in draft form for awhile, but trying to tweak them here and there made them all delayed. I'll try to get back to getting them out in a timely fashion again.
Week Five - Day Three, Saturday, August 17th
I woke up on Thursday morning, the 15th and my left hip flexor - actually, my whole left leg - was absolutely killing me. Didn't see much point in going out for the short run and putting it completely out of its misery, and me out of the Marathon. Two days and a significant amount of ibuprofen later, and it felt much better that I decided to tackle my next long run of 10 miles. Good decision on my part, if I do say so myself.
Changed up the course quite a bit. Instead of doing the serpentine course through local streets, which was getting pretty boring (and increasingly difficult to remember where I had to turn at what time), my wife suggested a longer, straighter run, one that she had done while getting ready for the Jersey Girl Triathlon. This one took my straight up OFR past the split with New Hampshire, to Church Road, then over to Todd Road, which brought me back to OFR. Down to Whitty Road, then North Bay to Bey Lea, through the campus of High School North, and back on OFR again. Took a side trip down Lilac, which is familiar territory, to Mapletree, then OFR to home. Nice and simple.
I must say, it has it all: wide shoulders in most places, narrow shoulders in a few areas, no shoulder at all in a couple of spots, which made for a couple of death-defying interactions with the motoring public. Passed lots of houses of worship, which you don't really notice all the time when you're in a car, starting with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, right across Intermediate North Way from the Ocean County Baptist Church. Then right before you get to the Parkway overpass, is Congregation B'Nai Israel, a Conservative congregation. Across the street is, I believe, their former temple, now occupied by Messiah Bible Church at the corner of Whitty Road.
On the other side of the Parkway is the Church of Grace and Peace, one of the larger churches in Toms River. (If you need a cop outside to direct traffic when services get out, you have a large church.) Up a little farther, after the split with New Hampshire, is St. Luke's Roman Catholic Church, which is the parish we thought we were going to attend when we moved to Toms River. (But no! Did you know that you are supposed to go to the parish in your specific geographic area? Neither did we. Instead we go to St. Joe's across town. But that's another hyperlink altogether.)
Making the turn onto Church Road (appropriately named for all the houses of worship that are located along it), I crossed New Hampshire, and passed St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, then hung the right onto Todd Road, with it's impressive selection of McMansions. Back down OFR, passing Grace and Peace again, to Whitty Road. That was not a good idea, since it was getting dark, and the construction made for some interesting moments with cars. Getting to the corner of North Bay, across from the Toms River Veterans Recreation Complex (built on the site of what was the last poultry farm in Toms River) is Trinity Fellowship Church.
What struck me about almost all of these houses of worship is that they all look like they went to the same architect when designing their buildings...very modern, with soaring roofs differing only in where they placed the cross, except the Mormons, who don't put crosses on their buildings. The only exceptions were St. Andrew's, which is a bit older, and Congregation B'Nai Israel, which looks a lot like other temples of their size: brick building, very simple.
For this run, I borrowed the belt that Kim bought before the Historic Half last year. Had space for two small water bottles, and a small pouch, into which I put a copy of my license and a small packet of "Extreme Sport Beans", made by Jelly Belly, which promises "quick energy for sports performance", and contains "carbs, electrolytes, and vitamins B & C." All I know is that they tasted good and seemed to work. During almost all my breaks, except for the first one, I made sure to have a couple of sips of water, and I had a portion of the beans every half hour.
Except for the hip flexor, which actually didn't bother me til about mile four or five, this was a pretty good run, much better than last week. Low humidity, and a slight breeze. I hope next week's run of 11 miles is just as good. But it's still August.
Today's Nike Pep-talker was Ellie Goulding, who congratulated me on doing more miles this week than last.
Changed up the course quite a bit. Instead of doing the serpentine course through local streets, which was getting pretty boring (and increasingly difficult to remember where I had to turn at what time), my wife suggested a longer, straighter run, one that she had done while getting ready for the Jersey Girl Triathlon. This one took my straight up OFR past the split with New Hampshire, to Church Road, then over to Todd Road, which brought me back to OFR. Down to Whitty Road, then North Bay to Bey Lea, through the campus of High School North, and back on OFR again. Took a side trip down Lilac, which is familiar territory, to Mapletree, then OFR to home. Nice and simple.
I must say, it has it all: wide shoulders in most places, narrow shoulders in a few areas, no shoulder at all in a couple of spots, which made for a couple of death-defying interactions with the motoring public. Passed lots of houses of worship, which you don't really notice all the time when you're in a car, starting with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, right across Intermediate North Way from the Ocean County Baptist Church. Then right before you get to the Parkway overpass, is Congregation B'Nai Israel, a Conservative congregation. Across the street is, I believe, their former temple, now occupied by Messiah Bible Church at the corner of Whitty Road.
On the other side of the Parkway is the Church of Grace and Peace, one of the larger churches in Toms River. (If you need a cop outside to direct traffic when services get out, you have a large church.) Up a little farther, after the split with New Hampshire, is St. Luke's Roman Catholic Church, which is the parish we thought we were going to attend when we moved to Toms River. (But no! Did you know that you are supposed to go to the parish in your specific geographic area? Neither did we. Instead we go to St. Joe's across town. But that's another hyperlink altogether.)
Making the turn onto Church Road (appropriately named for all the houses of worship that are located along it), I crossed New Hampshire, and passed St. Andrew's United Methodist Church, then hung the right onto Todd Road, with it's impressive selection of McMansions. Back down OFR, passing Grace and Peace again, to Whitty Road. That was not a good idea, since it was getting dark, and the construction made for some interesting moments with cars. Getting to the corner of North Bay, across from the Toms River Veterans Recreation Complex (built on the site of what was the last poultry farm in Toms River) is Trinity Fellowship Church.
What struck me about almost all of these houses of worship is that they all look like they went to the same architect when designing their buildings...very modern, with soaring roofs differing only in where they placed the cross, except the Mormons, who don't put crosses on their buildings. The only exceptions were St. Andrew's, which is a bit older, and Congregation B'Nai Israel, which looks a lot like other temples of their size: brick building, very simple.
For this run, I borrowed the belt that Kim bought before the Historic Half last year. Had space for two small water bottles, and a small pouch, into which I put a copy of my license and a small packet of "Extreme Sport Beans", made by Jelly Belly, which promises "quick energy for sports performance", and contains "carbs, electrolytes, and vitamins B & C." All I know is that they tasted good and seemed to work. During almost all my breaks, except for the first one, I made sure to have a couple of sips of water, and I had a portion of the beans every half hour.
Except for the hip flexor, which actually didn't bother me til about mile four or five, this was a pretty good run, much better than last week. Low humidity, and a slight breeze. I hope next week's run of 11 miles is just as good. But it's still August.
Today's Nike Pep-talker was Ellie Goulding, who congratulated me on doing more miles this week than last.
Week Five - Day Two, Wednesday, August 14th
Today was, as a captain I once worked for would say, "a BEEEYOOUUTiful day" for running. Relatively low humidity - in the 50s - and temperatures in the upper 60s. A bit windy though, and it always seemed (as I'm sure is the case with most runners when they're working at it) to be blowing in my face, no matter the direction I was running.
I got outside later than I had planned, which wasn't altogether a bad thing, since intellicast.com says the humidity was steadily falling during the day today. My original thought was to be out around six or seven this morning. Sleep seemed like a much better idea, considering I got home last night from Newark around 10 after working a 24-hour shift, and then picking up my son at the in-laws.
Today's route incorporated the first part of this past Saturday's long run, down and around Walnut Street, then up OFR to Chestnut, and off into side streets there, then back home. I took one break, about two minutes, at the forty-minute mark. I have to keep reminding myself that short breaks are not bad, but it's hard when you look at your mileage and see that you had a little more than three-quarters of a mile to go. Still, it allowed me to finish strong.
The Nike Pep-talker is back, though I was a little disappointed in that it was Tim Tebow, who was impressed with the way I got out there to grind it, and because of that, might let me hold his Heisman Trophy. I'm not sure that I would want to.
Today's run.
I got outside later than I had planned, which wasn't altogether a bad thing, since intellicast.com says the humidity was steadily falling during the day today. My original thought was to be out around six or seven this morning. Sleep seemed like a much better idea, considering I got home last night from Newark around 10 after working a 24-hour shift, and then picking up my son at the in-laws.
Today's route incorporated the first part of this past Saturday's long run, down and around Walnut Street, then up OFR to Chestnut, and off into side streets there, then back home. I took one break, about two minutes, at the forty-minute mark. I have to keep reminding myself that short breaks are not bad, but it's hard when you look at your mileage and see that you had a little more than three-quarters of a mile to go. Still, it allowed me to finish strong.
The Nike Pep-talker is back, though I was a little disappointed in that it was Tim Tebow, who was impressed with the way I got out there to grind it, and because of that, might let me hold his Heisman Trophy. I'm not sure that I would want to.
Today's run.
Week Five - Day One, Monday, August 12th
Officially past the one-quarter mark. Four weeks down, 12 to go to the Marathon.
Short run of three miles, coming out of the firehouse. And yet another humid day, although I am catching on to the fact that when I run down in Gregg Park, it's just that way, since it is hard alongside Newark Bay. Nice breezes off the water, but not enough to counteract the humidity, and sometimes makes it worse, if it's blowing hard enough.
Took it relatively slow, since the left hip flexor is giving me problems again. I am trying to manage it with a bit of stretching, though not nearly enough, and ibuprofen, which does help, but that is also something that I don't take as consistently as a I should. And like all such medications, you can't just take one dose and be done with it. You have to build it up to keep the inflammation at bay and make it work over time.
This is the last week of the three-mile short run. Starting next week, the short runs are four minutes, which was the medium run a few weeks ago.
No Nike Pep-talker again.
The run.
Short run of three miles, coming out of the firehouse. And yet another humid day, although I am catching on to the fact that when I run down in Gregg Park, it's just that way, since it is hard alongside Newark Bay. Nice breezes off the water, but not enough to counteract the humidity, and sometimes makes it worse, if it's blowing hard enough.
Took it relatively slow, since the left hip flexor is giving me problems again. I am trying to manage it with a bit of stretching, though not nearly enough, and ibuprofen, which does help, but that is also something that I don't take as consistently as a I should. And like all such medications, you can't just take one dose and be done with it. You have to build it up to keep the inflammation at bay and make it work over time.
This is the last week of the three-mile short run. Starting next week, the short runs are four minutes, which was the medium run a few weeks ago.
No Nike Pep-talker again.
The run.
Week Four - Day Three, Saturday, August 10th
Well, that sucked.
I know I complain about the humidity a wee bit (okay, a little more than that), but this was just ridiculous. Got out a little after 0700, and already that was too late. The sun was already out and wreaking havoc on my effort. Of course, had I actually hydrated myself properly beforehand, and brought along some water, maybe the result would have been slightly different.
Anyway, today's course took me in a slightly different direction at first. Instead of making my usual right hand turn on to OFR, I went left, to go down Walnut Street, looping around the school, then through the streets on the left side, before coming back down to OFR. Added about two miles, and changed the scenery a little bit. From there, I went to my usual segments on Chestnut and Mapletree.
Regular readers will know that I insert a one-minute walk break for every 10 of running. I'm not looking to set any speed records here, nor am I looking to prove something by running constantly on the longer trips. I'm simply trying to build endurance as economically as possible while avoiding over-use injury.
Today was one of those days where one-minute breaks - which I held to until about mile four - deteriorate into two-, then three-, then four-minutes sabbaticals. It was either that or drop from exhaustion. Maybe that's hyperbole, but it was that bad out.
Again, I fault myself for this. Hydration goes a long way, and I didn't this time.
This was actually the fourth day of the week I got out, but I only consider it the third run. Last Sunday's run was put off a day to allow for a day off before, and because it was a Sunday, I was looking at three runs in a row this week before today. Something had to go. One of the Marathon Jim's said it's best to get rid of a short day.
No Nike Pep-talker today, but the way I did it, I don't think I deserved one.
Today's tortured effort.
I know I complain about the humidity a wee bit (okay, a little more than that), but this was just ridiculous. Got out a little after 0700, and already that was too late. The sun was already out and wreaking havoc on my effort. Of course, had I actually hydrated myself properly beforehand, and brought along some water, maybe the result would have been slightly different.
Anyway, today's course took me in a slightly different direction at first. Instead of making my usual right hand turn on to OFR, I went left, to go down Walnut Street, looping around the school, then through the streets on the left side, before coming back down to OFR. Added about two miles, and changed the scenery a little bit. From there, I went to my usual segments on Chestnut and Mapletree.
Regular readers will know that I insert a one-minute walk break for every 10 of running. I'm not looking to set any speed records here, nor am I looking to prove something by running constantly on the longer trips. I'm simply trying to build endurance as economically as possible while avoiding over-use injury.
Today was one of those days where one-minute breaks - which I held to until about mile four - deteriorate into two-, then three-, then four-minutes sabbaticals. It was either that or drop from exhaustion. Maybe that's hyperbole, but it was that bad out.
Again, I fault myself for this. Hydration goes a long way, and I didn't this time.
This was actually the fourth day of the week I got out, but I only consider it the third run. Last Sunday's run was put off a day to allow for a day off before, and because it was a Sunday, I was looking at three runs in a row this week before today. Something had to go. One of the Marathon Jim's said it's best to get rid of a short day.
No Nike Pep-talker today, but the way I did it, I don't think I deserved one.
Today's tortured effort.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Week Four - Day Two, Thursday, August 8th
Since I had cancelled my first short run this week, because I was looking at three consecutive days of running, this was actually the middle run of this week, only three miles. For this run, for whatever reason, I decided to push the envelope a bit, and give it 80% or more of maximum exertion for better than half the course, including close to 100% for the last mile.
The result? My best mile time of 8:48 (on the last mile!) and my best overall time of less than 28 minutes for the whole three.
The course was in and around Chestnut Street, with some detours into side street, and two trips past the Ocean County vehicle maintenance yard, where 16 employees split a share of the most recent lottery winnings from the Powerball. Good for them.
Again, no Nike Pep-talker.
The run.
The result? My best mile time of 8:48 (on the last mile!) and my best overall time of less than 28 minutes for the whole three.
The course was in and around Chestnut Street, with some detours into side street, and two trips past the Ocean County vehicle maintenance yard, where 16 employees split a share of the most recent lottery winnings from the Powerball. Good for them.
Again, no Nike Pep-talker.
The run.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Week Four - Day One, Wednesday, August 7th
A medium run today of five miles, after skipping the first short three-miler. After moving last week's long run to this past Sunday, I was looking at three consecutive days of running this week, allowing for a day off after the seven miles of Sunday, and a day off before the eight miles on Saturday. Since I am most definitely NOT an elite runner, and my body is still getting used to all this distance running, 11 miles in three days seemed a bit much.
Another local trip around the neighborhood, effectively doing loops in some developments, to make up the five miles without having to actually travel that far. Got out around 0415, so traffic wasn't much of an issue, though I much prefer to run in daylight. I can't wait for the days when running in daylight is more comfortable, in terms of temperature and humidity, than running in the dark.
Because of the hip-flexor pain, I took a two-minute break around the four-mile mark, and that seemed to help. Finished the last mile in good shape, with a pretty quick pace, though the data says it was the slowest mile, but only because the break came after mile four.
No Nike Pep-Talker again, and strangely, that's starting to irritate me.
The run.
Another local trip around the neighborhood, effectively doing loops in some developments, to make up the five miles without having to actually travel that far. Got out around 0415, so traffic wasn't much of an issue, though I much prefer to run in daylight. I can't wait for the days when running in daylight is more comfortable, in terms of temperature and humidity, than running in the dark.
Because of the hip-flexor pain, I took a two-minute break around the four-mile mark, and that seemed to help. Finished the last mile in good shape, with a pretty quick pace, though the data says it was the slowest mile, but only because the break came after mile four.
No Nike Pep-Talker again, and strangely, that's starting to irritate me.
The run.
Week Three - Day Four, Sunday, August 4th
Because the training program calls for a day off before and after my long runs, and my last run was Friday, I had to move the long run for the third week to Sunday from Saturday. And fortuitous timing it was: Temperatures in the sixties, and low humidity. Perfect.
As has been the case with long previous runs, and in keeping with my intended strategy for the marathon, I inserted a one-minute break after every 10 minutes of running, even when I knew I could go past the ten minutes without stopping. My course stayed very local, no more than a mile or so at any time between any two points, but because the folks who laid out the neighborhood seemed to be allergic to straight lines, by taking several streets within a given development, I was able to reach the goal with ease.
The two straight roads I used, Chestnut and Mapletree, are almost a mile in length each, and the far ends of both have smaller streets off them, so I could avoid Hooper Avenue, and then return. I took a turn into Lilac, then a couple streets off Lilac. Crossing OFR, I went into a much older section, probably built in the Sixties or Seventies, and took a tour through there, then ended by where I started.
Conditioning must be getting better. Just a few months or even weeks ago, a break after running for ten minutes would have been something closer to ten more minutes, for it would have taken that long for my breathing to return to normal. Now, I wasn't even winded, and my legs felt great, at least in first half. After my last break, I felt good enough that I gave extra effort for the final mile or so, and cut off more than a minute in time from the previous mile.
I am noticing that my breathing is still much better than the fatigue in my legs. I'm not sure if this is something that will correct itself, but in time, the legs did seem to relax, though the left hip flexor seems to get irritated pretty quickly. I haven't been stretching, though I know I should.
One of the Marathon Jims I work with lent me a book of Yoga for runners. I had been considering taking a yoga, but my schedule is tight enough to fit in some runs, I'm not sure how I'm going to get yoga classes in.
For the upcoming week, I had to drop one of the scheduled short runs of three miles, because of Sunday's long run, and getting the long run back to Saturday for the next week, I'm looking at three consecutive days of running. So, on the advice of the other Marathon Jim, I felt it better to cut out a short run.
No Nike Pep-Talker today, and no records broken. Humbug
As has been the case with long previous runs, and in keeping with my intended strategy for the marathon, I inserted a one-minute break after every 10 minutes of running, even when I knew I could go past the ten minutes without stopping. My course stayed very local, no more than a mile or so at any time between any two points, but because the folks who laid out the neighborhood seemed to be allergic to straight lines, by taking several streets within a given development, I was able to reach the goal with ease.
The two straight roads I used, Chestnut and Mapletree, are almost a mile in length each, and the far ends of both have smaller streets off them, so I could avoid Hooper Avenue, and then return. I took a turn into Lilac, then a couple streets off Lilac. Crossing OFR, I went into a much older section, probably built in the Sixties or Seventies, and took a tour through there, then ended by where I started.
Conditioning must be getting better. Just a few months or even weeks ago, a break after running for ten minutes would have been something closer to ten more minutes, for it would have taken that long for my breathing to return to normal. Now, I wasn't even winded, and my legs felt great, at least in first half. After my last break, I felt good enough that I gave extra effort for the final mile or so, and cut off more than a minute in time from the previous mile.
I am noticing that my breathing is still much better than the fatigue in my legs. I'm not sure if this is something that will correct itself, but in time, the legs did seem to relax, though the left hip flexor seems to get irritated pretty quickly. I haven't been stretching, though I know I should.
One of the Marathon Jims I work with lent me a book of Yoga for runners. I had been considering taking a yoga, but my schedule is tight enough to fit in some runs, I'm not sure how I'm going to get yoga classes in.
For the upcoming week, I had to drop one of the scheduled short runs of three miles, because of Sunday's long run, and getting the long run back to Saturday for the next week, I'm looking at three consecutive days of running. So, on the advice of the other Marathon Jim, I felt it better to cut out a short run.
No Nike Pep-Talker today, and no records broken. Humbug
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Week Three - Day Three, Friday, August 2nd.
Two days in a row, this time a short run following a long run. And it felt worse. The weather was quite a bit warmer - I was off for the day, so I allowed myself to sleep in a little later, which means I went out when the sun was already up. And, as I mentioned in a previous post, so was the traffic, so I had to confine myself to the sidewalk for a good portion of the run. I took one of my usual routes into one of the local developments, and on the return leg I decided to take another detour to a different section of my neighborhood. This section had more shade, but also gave me a monster hill at the end, which I wasn't unhappy to climb...gotta get used to them. At the end of my scheduled three miles, there was absolutely nothing left.
Tomorrow is a scheduled seven miles, which - again - will have some breaks worked into it. I did find some validation in Runner's World, which said breaks are NOT cheating, and still allows one to build endurance.
Sanya Richards-Ross was the Nike Pep-Talker, who congratulated me on my effort.
Tomorrow is a scheduled seven miles, which - again - will have some breaks worked into it. I did find some validation in Runner's World, which said breaks are NOT cheating, and still allows one to build endurance.
Sanya Richards-Ross was the Nike Pep-Talker, who congratulated me on my effort.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Week Three - Day Two, Thursday, August 1st.
Under threatening skies, I headed out not long after seven AM for today's four-miler. I'm not a fan of getting out after six in the morning, since the streets around here get busy early on weekdays. It's either take your chances on the shoulder of the road with some knucklehead who isn't paying attention or run on the concrete sidewalk, which is sometimes uneven, and in many cases non-existent altogether, depending on where I'm running.
On these shorter routes, I don't plan out where I'm going, so much as I make corrections as I go along. Do I go this way, and run a couple of hills? Or that way with less traffic, where I can run towards the middle of the road? The Nike app has a feature that if you set a distance, or a time, it will tell you the halfway point, so sometimes I just find a place to turn around and head back the way I came, or I'll keep going a little farther, maybe an additional half mile before making a turn back in the other direction, so I have a chance to walk and cool down before I get home. If I'm really pressed for time, I'll just retrace my route, with a reasonable expectation that I will make it home around the time I need to be there.
Today was a make-it-up-as-I-go-along kind of day. I headed up OFR to Chestnut, the next traffic light up, then down that toward Hooper. There's a small development on the left that I ran into, since it was off the busier Chestnut, and offered me a way to get out without having to make a U-turn in a cul-de-sac. Back down Chestnut to OFR, then up to Mapletree, where I made a turn into a condo complex to avoid the steep hill before Hooper.
About halfway back along Mapletree, I came to the realization that my breathing wasn't all that difficult, that my legs were more fatigued than my lungs were. So, I figured that if I pushed a little faster, I could probably make the last mile in pretty good time, and my legs wouldn't be all that worse, which did turn out to be the case. Have to remember that for tomorrow's three-mile short run. Still strategizing Sunday's upcoming seven miles.
And finally, just when I was beginning to despair, the Nike Pep-talkers are back. Today was decathlete Ashton Eaton, who told me that "yesterday was good, but today is great".
Got in just before the rain, I did.
On these shorter routes, I don't plan out where I'm going, so much as I make corrections as I go along. Do I go this way, and run a couple of hills? Or that way with less traffic, where I can run towards the middle of the road? The Nike app has a feature that if you set a distance, or a time, it will tell you the halfway point, so sometimes I just find a place to turn around and head back the way I came, or I'll keep going a little farther, maybe an additional half mile before making a turn back in the other direction, so I have a chance to walk and cool down before I get home. If I'm really pressed for time, I'll just retrace my route, with a reasonable expectation that I will make it home around the time I need to be there.
Today was a make-it-up-as-I-go-along kind of day. I headed up OFR to Chestnut, the next traffic light up, then down that toward Hooper. There's a small development on the left that I ran into, since it was off the busier Chestnut, and offered me a way to get out without having to make a U-turn in a cul-de-sac. Back down Chestnut to OFR, then up to Mapletree, where I made a turn into a condo complex to avoid the steep hill before Hooper.
About halfway back along Mapletree, I came to the realization that my breathing wasn't all that difficult, that my legs were more fatigued than my lungs were. So, I figured that if I pushed a little faster, I could probably make the last mile in pretty good time, and my legs wouldn't be all that worse, which did turn out to be the case. Have to remember that for tomorrow's three-mile short run. Still strategizing Sunday's upcoming seven miles.
And finally, just when I was beginning to despair, the Nike Pep-talkers are back. Today was decathlete Ashton Eaton, who told me that "yesterday was good, but today is great".
Got in just before the rain, I did.
Week Three - Day One, Tuesday, July 30th
Shockingly, it's a lot easier to run in 58 degree weather, than it is in 78 degree weather. Whouda thunk it?
Owing to the fact that I had to be in the firehouse at 6:30 on Tuesday, it was out the door around 4AM again, a nice three-mile jaunt around the neighborhood. Nothing spectacular, just the regular first short run of the week. I was quite happy with my third mile being faster than my first one. At the end, I intentionally went a wee bit farther, in order to make it a 5K (3.1 miles), just to see if I could beat my fastest time at that distance, and I did.
I am getting a little concerned that the Nike Pep-talkers haven't been showing up lately, except for Kara Goucher or Sanya Richards-Ross telling me to "tap now for a power song" (which is "Danger Zone", by Kenny Loggins) when I'm about a tenth of a mile from my intended goal. I wonder if they think I'm slacking?
The run.
Owing to the fact that I had to be in the firehouse at 6:30 on Tuesday, it was out the door around 4AM again, a nice three-mile jaunt around the neighborhood. Nothing spectacular, just the regular first short run of the week. I was quite happy with my third mile being faster than my first one. At the end, I intentionally went a wee bit farther, in order to make it a 5K (3.1 miles), just to see if I could beat my fastest time at that distance, and I did.
I am getting a little concerned that the Nike Pep-talkers haven't been showing up lately, except for Kara Goucher or Sanya Richards-Ross telling me to "tap now for a power song" (which is "Danger Zone", by Kenny Loggins) when I'm about a tenth of a mile from my intended goal. I wonder if they think I'm slacking?
The run.
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Week Two - Day Four, Saturday, July 27th
Author's Note: This dispatch from the front line is a couple days late because, frankly, sleep was more important before two night shifts in a row.
The second "long run" of the program, six mile jaunt, and it got started an hour later than I wanted. My intent was to get outside to run after the firehouse as soon as possible after my shift, before the temperature and humidity really started to climb. Unfortunately, my relief was almost an hour late, and then he had to be brought up to speed on what was required during the day. So 0645 turned into 0800.
When I finally did get out, I took a liter of water with me to drink, figuring with the rapidly-increasing humidity that water might be a good idea...and it was, except for the fact that carrying it loose in your hand is never as smooth as you'd think. Another firefighter-marathoner (they're all over the place!) I work with has graciously lent me a couple of his belts that he used, those specialty-kind that is designed to carry small containers of water as well as a couple of energy bars and the like. I'll be testing those in the next couple of weeks.
As with last week's long run, I built some breaks into it, but even those breaks became longer as the run went on. I'd like to run consistently without stopping, but it seems to be taking me awhile to get there on these longer runs. But then, as some of my more experienced colleagues have said, this humidity is brutal, and getting past it will make me a better runner. I hope.
After I finished the run, I took a moment to realize why I really hate the sound of the Dog-day Cicada , which is that annoying buzz you hear on hot days. That sound to me represents feeling plenty hot and tired.
My Herculean (so far) Effort
The second "long run" of the program, six mile jaunt, and it got started an hour later than I wanted. My intent was to get outside to run after the firehouse as soon as possible after my shift, before the temperature and humidity really started to climb. Unfortunately, my relief was almost an hour late, and then he had to be brought up to speed on what was required during the day. So 0645 turned into 0800.
When I finally did get out, I took a liter of water with me to drink, figuring with the rapidly-increasing humidity that water might be a good idea...and it was, except for the fact that carrying it loose in your hand is never as smooth as you'd think. Another firefighter-marathoner (they're all over the place!) I work with has graciously lent me a couple of his belts that he used, those specialty-kind that is designed to carry small containers of water as well as a couple of energy bars and the like. I'll be testing those in the next couple of weeks.
As with last week's long run, I built some breaks into it, but even those breaks became longer as the run went on. I'd like to run consistently without stopping, but it seems to be taking me awhile to get there on these longer runs. But then, as some of my more experienced colleagues have said, this humidity is brutal, and getting past it will make me a better runner. I hope.
After I finished the run, I took a moment to realize why I really hate the sound of the Dog-day Cicada , which is that annoying buzz you hear on hot days. That sound to me represents feeling plenty hot and tired.
My Herculean (so far) Effort
Friday, July 26, 2013
Week Two - Day Three
It's amazing how much a 20-degree-plus drop in temperature makes one run a little faster.
Went out yesterday evening around 8:30 for a three-mile run, one of the short ones. Still a bit humid, but after the first mile and I was chugging along at 9:23 per mile, I thought to myself, "Self...I feel pretty good!" And when the last mile was even faster, I thought, "My, there is something to this cooler weather thing." Even the hills were not a problem.
I'm starting to develop some soreness in the left leg, with a little bit of pain around the knee. I'm reasonably sure that this is because I'm not stretching, so I think I'm going to have to incorporate some of that into the post run workout, which will probably mean getting out even earlier on those early days. I don't really want to short-circuit this marathon training because of something entirely preventable.
One of the recruits, before he got on the job, worked as a personal trainer, and pointed out that running, especially distance running, leads to not only fat loss, but muscle as well. Once I get back to my regular spot at the firehouse - I'm the support guy at the moment, which means I have to be in at 6:30 AM, with lots of running around all day - I'm planning on getting back to the weights. Not that I want to be huge, but I don't want to be concave, either. Still, being down three-plus pounds does worlds for encouragement.
In other news, Jay passed on to me a couple of sites where I can earn stuff or donate to those less fortunate, simply by getting out there to run. If anyone is interested, inbox me. (This way I can earn some points!)
Yesterday's run, which included my fastest mile to date.
Went out yesterday evening around 8:30 for a three-mile run, one of the short ones. Still a bit humid, but after the first mile and I was chugging along at 9:23 per mile, I thought to myself, "Self...I feel pretty good!" And when the last mile was even faster, I thought, "My, there is something to this cooler weather thing." Even the hills were not a problem.
I'm starting to develop some soreness in the left leg, with a little bit of pain around the knee. I'm reasonably sure that this is because I'm not stretching, so I think I'm going to have to incorporate some of that into the post run workout, which will probably mean getting out even earlier on those early days. I don't really want to short-circuit this marathon training because of something entirely preventable.
One of the recruits, before he got on the job, worked as a personal trainer, and pointed out that running, especially distance running, leads to not only fat loss, but muscle as well. Once I get back to my regular spot at the firehouse - I'm the support guy at the moment, which means I have to be in at 6:30 AM, with lots of running around all day - I'm planning on getting back to the weights. Not that I want to be huge, but I don't want to be concave, either. Still, being down three-plus pounds does worlds for encouragement.
In other news, Jay passed on to me a couple of sites where I can earn stuff or donate to those less fortunate, simply by getting out there to run. If anyone is interested, inbox me. (This way I can earn some points!)
Yesterday's run, which included my fastest mile to date.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Week Two - Day Two
Went out the morning after the firehouse. Mostly cloudy skies, reasonable temperatures, looked good.
Except for the humidity. Positively deadly.
Made about two miles in Gregg Park before I had to work a two-minute break into it. Also, since the first loop took me north-to-south along the water right into the wind, which was pretty stiff, I decided to run the reverse for the second loop. A great idea until the sun came out, which was a little warm in the front, while I was getting a good tailwind. I also found out that the hill on the 48th Street side is steeper than the 37th Street end. I was taking another short break at the top of the hill when I ran into my FD colleague Jimmy the Red Sox Fan/eight-time marathoner, who was taking a nice easy run around the park while waiting for a local repair shop to open so he could retrieve his car. He turned around and ran with me the rest of my fourth mile. His presence definitely made it easier to finish what was becoming a really slow run.
Walked around a bit after the run, and encountered another fellow runner who was training for a marathon in November. Called herself a Jeff Galloway girl.
The run details.
Except for the humidity. Positively deadly.
Made about two miles in Gregg Park before I had to work a two-minute break into it. Also, since the first loop took me north-to-south along the water right into the wind, which was pretty stiff, I decided to run the reverse for the second loop. A great idea until the sun came out, which was a little warm in the front, while I was getting a good tailwind. I also found out that the hill on the 48th Street side is steeper than the 37th Street end. I was taking another short break at the top of the hill when I ran into my FD colleague Jimmy the Red Sox Fan/eight-time marathoner, who was taking a nice easy run around the park while waiting for a local repair shop to open so he could retrieve his car. He turned around and ran with me the rest of my fourth mile. His presence definitely made it easier to finish what was becoming a really slow run.
Walked around a bit after the run, and encountered another fellow runner who was training for a marathon in November. Called herself a Jeff Galloway girl.
The run details.
Monday, July 22, 2013
Week Two - Day One
One week down, 15 weeks to go.
Continuing the plan of short-medium-short-long, this morning was a short run of three miles. Since I had to be in work at 0630, I was out the door by around 0410, and again it was h-u-m-i-d, but the temperature was a little better, about 73 Fahrenheit. The original plan was a new route off OFR, with some hills thrown in. One wrong turn later, and I wound up just reversing the route. Still got a couple of hills in though.
Pacing is getting a little better. According to the Nike app, my pace for the second mile was actually two seconds faster than the first, under 10 minutes per mile.
Going to have to work on leaving a little bit of time at the end of the run to allow for cool down, since it seems that the body keeps working for a bit after the run stops. A little like food that keeps cooking for a while even after you remove it from the heat.
This morning's run.
Continuing the plan of short-medium-short-long, this morning was a short run of three miles. Since I had to be in work at 0630, I was out the door by around 0410, and again it was h-u-m-i-d, but the temperature was a little better, about 73 Fahrenheit. The original plan was a new route off OFR, with some hills thrown in. One wrong turn later, and I wound up just reversing the route. Still got a couple of hills in though.
Pacing is getting a little better. According to the Nike app, my pace for the second mile was actually two seconds faster than the first, under 10 minutes per mile.
Going to have to work on leaving a little bit of time at the end of the run to allow for cool down, since it seems that the body keeps working for a bit after the run stops. A little like food that keeps cooking for a while even after you remove it from the heat.
This morning's run.
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Week One - Day Four
Yesterday was the first "long run" of the program, a distance of five miles (which, by the twelfth week, will be a "short run"). Because of the temperature and humidity (81 degrees Fahrenheit and 88%) at four in the morning, I decided to modify the run a little bit. I wouldn't call it cheating, since this will be my strategy for the marathon anyway, but I didn't want to kill myself for a mere-five miler. For every ten minutes of running, I did one minute of walking, the idea being that I'd still have some gas in the tank at the end.
It actually worked out. I started out faster than I wanted to, about 9'20" and change, but slowed down to just above my so-far-normal pace at around 9'40". Hit my first walking part at almost 1.1 miles, then kept that up for the next four. Still a little tough at the end, but I gave it a little extra boost knowing the finish was in sight. Of course, realizing that I would be late for work if I didn't was also a great motivator.
The end result was that my average pace was 10'12" with the walks included, which I am quite happy with, given the conditions. If I hadn't included those little breaks, I'm sure that the pace would have been much slower.
At the end, Shalane Flanagan says I ran my fastest 5K to date, second time this week that happened. I guess I'm doing something right.
This time the run was straight up OFR to the Parkway overpass by Whitty Road, then back.
Tomorrow is another short run, a three mile course through the neighborhood. I plan on running that one without breaks, so the pace might be a little slower, but the temperature is supposed to be around 70 F at four in the morning, so it hopefully will even out.
It actually worked out. I started out faster than I wanted to, about 9'20" and change, but slowed down to just above my so-far-normal pace at around 9'40". Hit my first walking part at almost 1.1 miles, then kept that up for the next four. Still a little tough at the end, but I gave it a little extra boost knowing the finish was in sight. Of course, realizing that I would be late for work if I didn't was also a great motivator.
The end result was that my average pace was 10'12" with the walks included, which I am quite happy with, given the conditions. If I hadn't included those little breaks, I'm sure that the pace would have been much slower.
At the end, Shalane Flanagan says I ran my fastest 5K to date, second time this week that happened. I guess I'm doing something right.
This time the run was straight up OFR to the Parkway overpass by Whitty Road, then back.
Tomorrow is another short run, a three mile course through the neighborhood. I plan on running that one without breaks, so the pace might be a little slower, but the temperature is supposed to be around 70 F at four in the morning, so it hopefully will even out.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Week One - Day Three
Today was a bit of a group effort. Met at Stephen R. Gregg Hudson County Park - "Bayonne Park" to those who grew up around here - with fellow firefighters from my tour, who gather every morning before work at about 0630. Jimmy is an eight-time marathoner who has done Boston twice, and with me running next to him gives the appearance he is out for a stroll, even in this weather, though he graciously denies it. Also joining us this morning were probies Scott and Jon, and in the second loop, another marathoner named Jim, who has done the MCM twice, among others. Illustrating just how out of their league I am, during the entire second trip around the park, the two Jims (who are both Red Sox fans) kept up a running dialogue about the Sox, the All-Star Game, and a host of other topics, when I could only make sure that I was actually breathing the right way. Talking would have been completely out of the question.
Speaking of the weather, Day 5 of the heat wave, and today was a little tougher than in the past. Of course, two cups of coffee plus almost a full liter of water before going out to run might have had something to do with it. Right now, they're saying this weather is here til Saturday or Sunday, when the temperatures drop into the mid-to-high 80s.
Today's route was again the upper and lower portions of the County Park, this time sticking to the roads, which seems to cut about a tenth of a mile off the total if you run on the paths.
Again lauding me on my effort was Sanya Richards-Ross.
Twice around the park and then home, gents.
Speaking of the weather, Day 5 of the heat wave, and today was a little tougher than in the past. Of course, two cups of coffee plus almost a full liter of water before going out to run might have had something to do with it. Right now, they're saying this weather is here til Saturday or Sunday, when the temperatures drop into the mid-to-high 80s.
Today's route was again the upper and lower portions of the County Park, this time sticking to the roads, which seems to cut about a tenth of a mile off the total if you run on the paths.
Again lauding me on my effort was Sanya Richards-Ross.
Twice around the park and then home, gents.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Week One - Day Two
Have I mentioned that I'm starting this training program in the middle of a heat wave? 79 degrees at 0645.
Today was a scheduled run of four miles, and I wanted to get out early because of the heat. By "early", I was thinking somewhere around 0530, but my brain said getting up then on a day I don't have to be in work was not what it had in mind.
The route was up Old Freehold past High School North, with the original intent of just going til the app told me I'd hit two miles, then turn around. Around a mile and three-quarters, I made the impromptu decision to detour into a local development, and ran around that for about a half mile, then back down OFR. When I got to Lilac, I hung a left, and used the decline to rest up, hoping (and failing) to finish the run before I got to the corresponding hill at the other end of Lilac towards Mapletree. (Of course not.) Not til I got to OFR and Mapletree did I reach the end. I walked the rest of the way home, another 15 minutes, to cool down. Heart rate immediately post-run was 172, then 132 at about five minutes.
Today's pep talker was American marathoner Kara Goucher. British marathoner Paula Radcliffe told me I ran my fastest 5K to date.
Making progress.
Today's run.
Today was a scheduled run of four miles, and I wanted to get out early because of the heat. By "early", I was thinking somewhere around 0530, but my brain said getting up then on a day I don't have to be in work was not what it had in mind.
The route was up Old Freehold past High School North, with the original intent of just going til the app told me I'd hit two miles, then turn around. Around a mile and three-quarters, I made the impromptu decision to detour into a local development, and ran around that for about a half mile, then back down OFR. When I got to Lilac, I hung a left, and used the decline to rest up, hoping (and failing) to finish the run before I got to the corresponding hill at the other end of Lilac towards Mapletree. (Of course not.) Not til I got to OFR and Mapletree did I reach the end. I walked the rest of the way home, another 15 minutes, to cool down. Heart rate immediately post-run was 172, then 132 at about five minutes.
Today's pep talker was American marathoner Kara Goucher. British marathoner Paula Radcliffe told me I ran my fastest 5K to date.
Making progress.
Today's run.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Week One - Day One
This morning was my first scheduled run of the sixteen week program. A short run, it was "only" three miles. It seemed much longer. Not because I couldn't do three miles - I just did that the other day, and could have gone more than that had time considerations not been a factor.
No, today was more difficult because of the weather - which, admittedly, I am going to have to get used to, as I've said before - with a heat index approaching 90 at a little after 0800, and because I screwed up on the way I went.
Today was a new route, right in the neighborhood of my firehouse. I chose this area since it would mean I could immediately go out after getting relief this morning, as well as a place to shower and change when I returned. My other option in Bayonne was to go to Stephen R. Gregg Hudson County Park, but that meant a delay in getting out on the road, and the way the day was heating up, I didn't want to wait.
Using the mapping option on Nike+, I figured from the firehouse, if I ran to Broadway, turned right and headed to 1st Street, made another right, taking me to John F. Kennedy Boulevard, then up to West 4th Street and back to the firehouse would be about 1.6 miles. I set the app on my phone to a distance of 3 miles and out I went. The plan was to go the way I did, since the decline (or going the other way, the incline) on Broadway from around 2nd Street to 1st Street would be and the gradual incline from 1st Street to the 4th Street on the Boulevard would be easier than the incline going up Broadway in the opposite direction.
Ah, no.
Not only was the climb about as tough going up the Boulevard as it would have been going north on Broadway, but it was longer. And being that it was just paved, I felt like I was baking on the fresh asphalt. And there was less shade, which I am finding out on days like today is a precious commodity. I find myself altering which side of the street I'm on, just to take advantage of the trees. To somebody who may be following me, I'm sure I looked quite confused.
Towards the end, right on the incline on the Boulevard, I got one of those meant-to-be-inspirational "go get 'em!" statements from one of Nike's sponsored athletes, this time from Sanya Richards-Ross, who implored me to give it a little extra over that last tenth of a mile, while simultaneously getting pumped by "Danger Zone", by Kenny Loggins. Maybe it helped, I don't know. I just wanted it to end, period.
Run completed, I got an attaboy from Tim Tebow...*sniff*
The details on today's run.
No, today was more difficult because of the weather - which, admittedly, I am going to have to get used to, as I've said before - with a heat index approaching 90 at a little after 0800, and because I screwed up on the way I went.
Today was a new route, right in the neighborhood of my firehouse. I chose this area since it would mean I could immediately go out after getting relief this morning, as well as a place to shower and change when I returned. My other option in Bayonne was to go to Stephen R. Gregg Hudson County Park, but that meant a delay in getting out on the road, and the way the day was heating up, I didn't want to wait.
Using the mapping option on Nike+, I figured from the firehouse, if I ran to Broadway, turned right and headed to 1st Street, made another right, taking me to John F. Kennedy Boulevard, then up to West 4th Street and back to the firehouse would be about 1.6 miles. I set the app on my phone to a distance of 3 miles and out I went. The plan was to go the way I did, since the decline (or going the other way, the incline) on Broadway from around 2nd Street to 1st Street would be and the gradual incline from 1st Street to the 4th Street on the Boulevard would be easier than the incline going up Broadway in the opposite direction.
Ah, no.
Not only was the climb about as tough going up the Boulevard as it would have been going north on Broadway, but it was longer. And being that it was just paved, I felt like I was baking on the fresh asphalt. And there was less shade, which I am finding out on days like today is a precious commodity. I find myself altering which side of the street I'm on, just to take advantage of the trees. To somebody who may be following me, I'm sure I looked quite confused.
Towards the end, right on the incline on the Boulevard, I got one of those meant-to-be-inspirational "go get 'em!" statements from one of Nike's sponsored athletes, this time from Sanya Richards-Ross, who implored me to give it a little extra over that last tenth of a mile, while simultaneously getting pumped by "Danger Zone", by Kenny Loggins. Maybe it helped, I don't know. I just wanted it to end, period.
Run completed, I got an attaboy from Tim Tebow...*sniff*
The details on today's run.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
What Training App to Use?
In yesterday's post, I displayed some of the stats from my run last night. I'd like to display an actual map of the course, as well as more comprehensive numbers, but unless the reader is a subscriber to Nike+, and also a "friend" of mine on there, they aren't going to be able to see it for themselves. It does display to Facebook, which I could probably link to from here, since most people who'd read this here are going to be my friends there, anyway. That would take care of the map, but not much in the way of stats.
Several of my friends are using MapMyFitness, and still others are on RunKeeper. I'd like to pick one app that would work well, instead of spending the first minute of any run starting three different timers, which will skew the numbers (four if you include the Garmin watch Kim gave me for Christmas).
My cousin Rose's husband Jay pointed me in the direction of linking the MapMyFitness app to the Nike+ one, but if you click on an individual run on the MMF site, it doesn't seem to load the individual run's information correctly. Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong.
Also, does any one app seem to work better than another, as far as accuracy? So far, Nike and the Garmin watch can have as much as half a mile and 30 seconds in pace difference over the three, though both use GPS technology. Nike also said I did 14.1 miles in the Marine Corps' Historic Half Marathon, which would probably be news to the race organizers, I would think.
Suggestions are welcome.
Update, July 17th: I've found that if I go to my Twitter feed, where I also share my runs, I can find the link to a specific run there. So for now, the plan is to copy-and-paste the link and repost it here.
Several of my friends are using MapMyFitness, and still others are on RunKeeper. I'd like to pick one app that would work well, instead of spending the first minute of any run starting three different timers, which will skew the numbers (four if you include the Garmin watch Kim gave me for Christmas).
My cousin Rose's husband Jay pointed me in the direction of linking the MapMyFitness app to the Nike+ one, but if you click on an individual run on the MMF site, it doesn't seem to load the individual run's information correctly. Or maybe I'm just doing it wrong.
Also, does any one app seem to work better than another, as far as accuracy? So far, Nike and the Garmin watch can have as much as half a mile and 30 seconds in pace difference over the three, though both use GPS technology. Nike also said I did 14.1 miles in the Marine Corps' Historic Half Marathon, which would probably be news to the race organizers, I would think.
Suggestions are welcome.
Update, July 17th: I've found that if I go to my Twitter feed, where I also share my runs, I can find the link to a specific run there. So for now, the plan is to copy-and-paste the link and repost it here.
Sixteen Weeks
Yesterday was my last pre-training run, a total of 30 minutes, plus ten or so for cooldown. The Non-Runners Marathon Trainer says I should have had two weeks of four thirty-minute runs each to this point, but...that didn't happen.
On to the training plan. Tomorrow is the start of the sixteen week plan, which will take me to the Marine Marathon on October 27th. Four times a week I'll be getting out there, for two short runs, a medium run and a long one. The longest runs are scheduled for the last Saturday in September, and the first Saturday in October, 18 miles apiece. Of course, it would be the weekend we leave and the weekend we return from the Outer Banks. Why wouldn't it?
Tomorrow is a short run for three miles, which I'm planning to do as soon as I get out of work, right in the area of the firehouse. Early in the day, when it's still (somewhat) cool. The humidity is still going to be high, but that looks to be the case for the summer. Might as well get used to it.
On to the training plan. Tomorrow is the start of the sixteen week plan, which will take me to the Marine Marathon on October 27th. Four times a week I'll be getting out there, for two short runs, a medium run and a long one. The longest runs are scheduled for the last Saturday in September, and the first Saturday in October, 18 miles apiece. Of course, it would be the weekend we leave and the weekend we return from the Outer Banks. Why wouldn't it?
Tomorrow is a short run for three miles, which I'm planning to do as soon as I get out of work, right in the area of the firehouse. Early in the day, when it's still (somewhat) cool. The humidity is still going to be high, but that looks to be the case for the summer. Might as well get used to it.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Last "Pre Training Run"
Went out this evening about 1830 for a scheduled 30 minutes of running, going up to High School North, short turn onto Bey Lea and a u-turn in the parking lot of the OCVTS, then back down Old Freehold Road to home. Hit the 30-minute mark just at the corner of my street, so I walked the rest of the distance to my house, while waiting for "Danger Zone" by Kenny Loggins to finish playing, having selected that as my "power song". Have to see if I can adjust when I can play that to the last five minutes of a run, as opposed to the last minute of a run. Might work a little better.
While on the subject of music, some work is needed on the playlist, since I have been using the same one now for at least four months or so. It's getting a little old. The first nine songs of the playlist, which is about where I am at thirty minutes:
This evening's stats, according to Nike+:
While on the subject of music, some work is needed on the playlist, since I have been using the same one now for at least four months or so. It's getting a little old. The first nine songs of the playlist, which is about where I am at thirty minutes:
- "Armageddon It" - Def Leppard
- "Already Gone" - The Eagles
- "Land of Confusion" - Genesis
- "I Want It All" - Queen
- "She's A Rebel" - Green Day
- "Back in the Saddle" - Aerosmith
- "Side of a Bullet" - Nickleback
- "Bicycle Race" - Queen
- "Invisible Touch" - Genesis
This evening's stats, according to Nike+:
- Total time: 33:56 (includes almost four minutes of cooldown)
- Distance: 3.1 miles
- Average Pace: 10'44" per mile (though I was averaging around 10 per mile, if you exclude the cool down walk).
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