Another Year

Well it's been a few weeks because I have been trying to work through a hard decision to pull the plug on training for Grandma's Marathon this year. I am already registered and have paid for the privilege. However it is just that, a privilege to run and train for a marathon and sometimes you have to make hard decisions.

My training this year has been very good, I haven't missed a workout and have been progressing as planned. However this late summer my wife will be expecting twin girls. As she progresses, I realize that my 16+ mile Saturday morning runs are harder on her then they are on me with having to wake at 6:30am to care for our 20 month old boy. I also know that as we get further into the summer and her pregnancy, she will most likely go on bed rest. I will not have the support needed to run a marathon and she will not have the support that she shouldn't have to ask for.

Being a runner is a wonderful thing. It will be with me through having children, it will be with me while I raise my children and hopefully it will be something I can pass on to my children or at least its principles of patience, consistence, determination, planning, reflecting and freedom.

This will be a year of maintaining, half marathon's and 10K's. I will have to focus on family, work and look to next year for another marathon and someday Boston.

Big Breakfast = Bad Run

Yesterdays seemed very long as I labored through the first 9 miles. I thought mile 10 was going to be better, it wasn't. I know better, however when your looking at the menu everything looks good. I was planning on having a poached egg, toast and fruit. In stead I had a three egg denver omelet, hash browns and toast. Oh yeah and a gallon of coffee. Live and learn.

10.75 miles. 8 min pace.

Hittin' It

The past couple of days have been good runs. Yesterday I did 9 miles on the river roads. A light snow pack covered the asphalt paths providing a good footing that was comfortable under the foot. Often those paths have a thick uncomfortable hard pack that is hard to run on, but the past couple of warm days melted that pack and new snow fell lightly Friday night.

The run yesterday went well with a moderate pace and a time of 1:11:17. I didn't wear my heart rate monitor to focus on my effort verses checking the monitor and not listening to myself. However I did a light treadmill workout this evening and for the first time registered and low heart rate zone which is something I was missing.

5miles @ 9 min pace. 137 HR

Few Days in Review

Saturday long run felt good, moderate pace.

9miles @ 8 min pace. 156HR

Busy with work both Sunday and Monday. Tuesday was also a busy day with work, but I didn't want to miss another day, ecspecially a hard day. Run was after a long day. 8pm, dark, mild temps around 20 degrees.

7miles @ 8 min pace. 156 HR

Light workout today, at least I tried to keep at a recovery pace. My heart rate was in the low to mid 160's the whole time. I think work and excessive coffee are starting to catch up.

4miles @ 9:15 pace. 161 HR

Not Feelin It

Windy day with 25 mph winds, which didn't bother me as much as the packed uneven paths today. I felt unsteady and it sapped all the energy right out of me and I ended up changing my route to hit some hills resulting in 4 miles instead of 6. I'm planning on getting in another 3 miles on the treadmill tonight.

My new year resolution to eat better started out good today with my lunch and dinner packed, however I was very hungery around 3pm and ate my dinner and had a bunch of Oreo cookies as I drove around looking at properties. Already cheating myself.

4 miles @8:30 pace. 156 HR

A Good Group

I got a chance to run this morning with a group out of a White Bear Lake store, Run, Swim, Tri. My past experience with running groups has always been lackluster in terms of experienced runners. This group was all above average to experienced distance runners, so it was nice running with a group where the average distance today was 10miles. I look forward to future Saturday morning runs with them.

10 miles@ 8 min pace. 156HR

My Christmas Gift

A good gift for a runner, and it's the only thing I asked for, a Heart Rate Monitor! So today I took it out on a run for the first time. My high and low limits were set at 124-162, which sounds right for my age. My AVERAGE heart rate was 169 bpm. That's crazy! For how long and the amount of running I do, I hope this is wrong or I need to see the doctor. Last night my resting heart rate was 52 bpm which is pretty low, so there is a wide margin to account for. I will keep playing with it and hopefully be on a better path.


6mi @ 8:07 pace. 169 HR

Fall Update

I've been on hiatus, hopefully I can keep updated with my running a little better. As the fall comes to an end I fell pretty good about my results. The Whistlestop Half Marathon was Oct. 13th, my training consistency was very up and down with no regular schedule. I had a very tough time following my training plan, I was able to follow my schedule in regards to my long runs and my hard and easy days. However I focused more on just getting in distance and running furlaks and tempo verses track workouts.

The race itself when fairly well. The starting temp was a balmy 40 degree. I focused on starting out easy and letting the run come to me. Around mile 3 I let loose and got into a good tempo. It was a fun race, I basically ran 7:30 mile pace. I was in good control of my running, and breathing came very easy. I really didn't feel like I was pushing hard, but I was running fast!

I finished the race with a chip time of 1:42:14, which is a new PR for me! My pace was 7:49 overall which I am happy with the fact that I wasn't very confident in my training.

As for now I have been taking it relatively easy the past few weeks averaging 20-25 miles a week and doing some strength training in the gym. This spring I plan on redeeming myself and running Grandma's Marathon with a stellar result. I will need to get back on the horse here pretty soon and figure out my training schedule and start increasing my mileage. Here's to winter running. Cheers!

Keep On Keeping On

Last week started out brillant and faded to black. I was above my planned milage going into Friday, however I ended up being out late Friday and Saturday evening. I enjoyed a few drinks each evening, which isn't the norm for me and the body doesn't recovery the way it use too.

My good week running really tapered off into the weekend. Saturday morning I ran a 5k with a time of 21:10 and really didn't push to hard. I was a bit tired and just kept a moderate pace with a easy start. Sunday I planned on a morning 13 miles. I got out at 8am on a beautiful morning, so beautiful I thought to myself, I would love to sit on the porch with my family and have breakfast. So that's what I did. After a couple miles I turned back and said to myself that I would do 10 miles in the evening. Breakfast was wonderful, I made blueberry waffles and enjoyed the morning. We had a full day including a birthday party for my 4 yr old niece and by the evening, after being on my legs all day, I was cashed.

I didn't get my miles in and I didn't make them up Monday. I just looked at my schedule today, ran a few extra miles and kept on keeping on.

More Miles the Better

Gettting into week three of my trainging schedule and I already missed a workout. Well I tried to get in my track workout yesterday, however it's football season again and it's hard to find time to get onto the track at the college near my office when it's free. So I ended up doing 8 miles last evening near my house, which I am fine with. My legs were a little stiff, but I put in a moderate effort and I personal would rather be running more miles right now verses speed workouts which my training calls for. If anyone out there has better advise, I am all ears.

Training Started

The first week of training isn't going as planned. For the most part I have had a poor running routine lately. I wanted to get healthy and have a strong second half of the year. However I know I need a lot of work at this point, because I don't feel strong. A light month on running has really effected my fitness level and I should have been doing some light weight training and core workouts. On the bright side I am working hard on getting back in the swing of things, increasing my mileage and I plan to improve my strength.

It is still very hot and humid in St. Paul which hasn't let up for a month. Today's 6 mile run was supposed to be 4 miles at threshold with a easy warm up and cool down mile. It basically turned into a light 6 mile jog in the 93 degree heat. Oh well... hopefully the heat makes me a more efficient runner.