Pausing Workout

I got up at 5:45 am with no assistance, nor any intentions of doing so. I figured since I was up, I might as well get my 8 mile run out of the way. So I did, and it was ok. I don't know if I didn't eat enough carrots growing up, or if it was just really dark out this morning, but I could not see a thing when I started. The park I go to isn't very well lit to begin with, but it was a little spooky.

By now, we all know what happens to me when I run in the morning, and like clockwork, I had to make a pit stop. Actually 2 pit stops this morning. Talk about annoying. Soon, my Ipod is going to start talking crap to me like this guy's does:



I can thank YouTube for this theft. Don't get me wrong, I love my Ipod and the fact that it keeps track of everything for me, it's awesome. I recommend the Nike+ system to anyone who is interested in giving it a try. And I am not being paid by them. Seriously.

Back to the Afternoon--For now....

Well, I woke up today at 6 am, fully intending on running 4 miles. 10 minutes later, I was back in bed. I just didn't feel like running at all, at least in the morning. I didn't want to deal with making my bathroom pit stop, which could come at any point in my run. That has been really, really annoying for me. The bathroom issue makes me not want to run in the morning.

So, I will return to running after work for now. It's not as hot outside this week and I am 'only' running 4 miles today. It's funny how 3 months ago running 4 miles seemed really far. Today I am hoping to run 4 miles in under 30 minutes. I ran 4 on Monday in 30:13. I don't know if I should care about my times, but I do, especially on the 'shorter' runs. I am marathon training right now, but secretly (well I guess NOT so secretly anymore....) I want my 5K time under 20 minutes as well. So, I went from one goal (be able to run a marathon in under 4 hrs....which I have yet to accomplish--my first attempt is on 10/21) to adding another goal (5K under 20 minutes) over the course of 3 months. I feel like I am close on both, but don't want to overdo anything and get injured. That would totally suck.

I am still upset about my cotton tank top from last weekends 10K, and I am mulling over the idea of adding a 2nd Marathon to my schedule at the end of March, 2008. I live in Knoxville, and I want to run the Knoxville marathon I think. I think I am going to do it.

Racoon Mountain 10K--Chattanooga, TN

This past Saturday I, along with my wife, her sister and her sister's husband ran in the Raccoon Mountain 5K/10K in Chattanooga, TN. We woke up at 4 a.m. in Knoxville and drove the 1.45 hrs to Chattanooga in order to make it to the race that started at 7:30 a.m. Waking up at 4 a.m. is early, and not exactly "my idea of a good time" in case anyone was wondering how that was.

I figured that since I was up 3.5 hrs before the race, I would have enough time to take care of my bathroom issues before the race. I chugged an iced tea at about 4:30 am to 'get the bowels moving', so I wouldn't have any issues during the race and I could focus on running....and it WORKED!! The strange thing was that the bathroom line for the dudes was a lot longer and slower moving before the race than the Women's bathroom line was. About 75% of the guys in line were going #2 also, and there was only one toilet in this park's bathroom. So, you were putting on a show in a way for the guys in line, who also had to do what you were doing. It was a little weird.

The race went really well. This was my first 10K, and I really liked it. I really liked this distance, and there was one massive hill. I mean massive (I should have known, since it was at Raccoon MOUNTAIN.....) I felt a little bad at the end of the race because I had been running with this guy "Robert" and we were chatting during the race and he noticed that the 2,3, and 4 mile markers were off. He had a Garmin watch and I didn't have any watch/timing device and Robert would let me know the times as we passed the mile markers. He was my 'race friend', until after the mile 5 marker when I LEFT HIM IN THE DUST AND SMOKED HIM!!!!!!! I thought about it for a second, like 'should I stay with him and finish the race together, or pick it up and hope he comes along...' I picked it up, and he didn't. Sorry, Robert.

Thanks to Robert (and his Garmin) I kept an 8:00/mile pace from miles 1-5, then the last 1.2 miles I finished in 8:26, giving me a 48:26 final time, and again THIRD place in my age group! I am 2 for 2 in getting prizes at races!



As wonderfully modeled by my wife and her sister above, the shirts were cotton tank tops. By far, the worst shirt I've ever received at a race. I will never wear this, not even to paint.



We ran around this reservoir for most of the race. It was an awesome course. Thanks to Sonya for taking these pictures!

Pretty Boring Week

Last Sunday, I ran a Half-Marathon by myself. It was tiring. This Saturday, I am running a 10K. So, this week has been pretty pathetic as far as running goes. I'm 'resting' and 'recovering'.

I ran, just not as far as my workout sheet was telling me. I am my own man.

I'll let you know how this 10K goes on Saturday. I am shooting for an injury-free, somewhere between 47 and 50 minute race. Wish me luck!

For dinner last night I had 8 oreos and a bowl of popcorn

You know why? Because I ran 13.1 freaking miles Sunday morning and felt like I could eat whatever I wanted throughout the day. I didn't really pig out Sunday however, I had a soda(shh...the iced tea machine was broken....) and a slice of pizza for lunch, followed by some tempeh (sp?), rice and zucchini between lunch and dinner, then dinner was oreos and popcorn.

I had to run an errand or two after my 13.1 mile run on Sunday, and after than I laid on the couch for the rest of the day. My knees were sore and aching a little bit and I just didn't feel like moving. So I didn't. It was actually pretty awesome to be able to flip back and forth between NCAA '08, the Milwaukee Brewers lose to the Cincinnati Reds, then I watched a movie (Spy Game) with Amber and I didn't have to move. To top it off, Amber gave me a massage on both of my IT bands, then iced and heated them. If felt really good.

Do you want to see a picture of a band who calls themselves Slow Runner??? Whether you want to or not, here:



Band pictures always make me laugh. What's the point? I am not going to buy your CD if you look good and the music is garbage. (see: NSYNC) Personally, what a band looks like doesn't affect me, so I guess I don't see the relevance of a band photo.

I've gotten into a bad, bad habit

WARNING: If you don't like talking about poop, or if you don't poop, stop reading right now. You have been warned.

OK, this last week has been very annoying/frustrating. Here's why:

I like everything about running in the morning, and I like doing other things in the evenings. My runs have been faster/easier as well (I don't think that's because of the morning running, just training.) From a strict running standpoint, this week has been awesome. However, I am pretty 'regular'. Meaning, every morning, about 10-11 am, I go #2. This hasn't been a problem until I started running BEFORE 10-11 am.

Running makes me poop. But only if there is poop to be pooped.

On all 4 of my morning runs this week, about 1-2 miles into the run, part of the run is 'running to the toilet'. It really sucks. And today, a day where I haven't ran, I haven't pooped (it's about 3pm). It's like my body is waiting for me to start running to poop. I really, really don't want to get into that cycle. What am I supposed to do?

I am running the equivalent of a 1/2 marathon on Sunday, and I don't want to be interrupted by bathroom issues. For that matter, I don't want any of my runs to be interrupted by bathroom issues. This entire week, I have been worrying about this before I start my run, and like clockwork, I've had the serious need to go #2 about a mile into the run.

I don't know if anyone has had this issue before, but I am clueless as to how to change this cycle. I really want to keep running in the mornings if possible. HELP!

Why is this so funny?

I don't know how I came to this video on YouTube, but it made me laugh real hard when I saw it. It might be because he is yelping while on there, and his buddy is just making it go faster and faster, with no reaction at all. Then he just walks away.

If you have never seen these two newscast clips from YouTube, you've been missing out.



WooWOOOO



Notice how when they 'demonstrate' the car whistle, they almost sideswipe parked cars, run a stop sign and speed in a matter of 5 seconds.

To change subjects, I have been morning running all week and I really like it. The running hasn't been perfect, but it has been good. I feel really good the rest of the day after I run.

I am running the equivalent of a 1/2 marathon Sunday, and a 10k next Sunday in Chattanooga, TN. I like running.

Slowly descending the Mountain of Dew.......

I am officially done drinking soda. Mt. Dew, Vault, Coke, Pepsi, Diet Coke, Vault Zero.....I'm done with it all. I have been drinking at least one a day for about 10 years now, and I am over it. I have gone 3 days (which is HUGE for me) without soda and I don't foresee a slide back into my soda routine.

Now, it's not like I am kicking out caffeine cold turkey. I drink a vitamin water (the yellow one, that has caffeine, but not nearly as much as Mt Dew) in the morning and I have had tea in the afternoon (only once the headache sets in). The 2 of those drinks combined don't come close in equaling the damage one soda does. I am pumped about this. People who know me know I like my soda. Not anymore.

I am curious to know what other runners drink throughout the day (from wake to sleep). I am also curious to know what others think about soda, and the damage it does to your body.

Today is an off-day for me. I might go swimming tonight. I might go take care of my xbox 360 problems and buy the new Madden '08 football game. I'm tempted by both. Decisions, decisions........

In an effort to stay as far away from the treadmill as possible.....

.....I am going against what Half-Fast has to say and I am going to become a morning runner. This started with my 12 miler Sunday, and continued with my 4 miler Monday. Living in Tennessee, I physically can not run at 5 pm, when I get out of work. You could equate that (running at 5pm in August in Tennessee) to running in a furnace, which I've never tried, but I am guessing it's not very 'cool' (you like that double meaning there?????)

The benefits of running in the morning:
--You're done with your run by 8 am
--You don't have to worry all day about your run
--You can actually do something besides run after work (Like relax at the pool, go to the electronics store, eat dinner, watch a baseball game, etc...)
--It's not 95F at 6:30am
--It is about 70F at 6:30 am (at least around here)

So, begrudgingly I am a morning runner, at least for a few weeks. Yes, waking up at 6 am isn't my idea of a good time, but it is necessary if I want to run (and live) in Tennessee.


My last 3 runs have been good. Last Thursday, I ended up running at Dawn, and I didn't have a whistle with me. I didn't need it, as Finished my 7 miles before the sun totally went down. (I live in a 'nicer' part of Knoxville, it's not like I was running through the streets of Detroit with $100's falling out of my pockets.....so even if I was running at 1 am, I don't think I'd really get assaulted)

Sunday was a 12 miler, and it was the 2nd Sunday in a row that I ran 12. I ran this 12 in 1:45:05, which was 7 minutes faster than my 1:52 last Sunday. I don't know if I ran last Sunday's too slow, or this Sunday's too fast, but I felt pretty good throughout the day after this Sunday's 12 mile morning run. Nothing too eventful about this run, except I had a bathroom experience that you could expect while camping, out in the middle of nowhere.....luckily it was 7:45 am on Sunday morning and nobody was around......you can connect the dots......

Monday's 4 miler was good, started at 6:30 am, nothing exceptional about the run. I was a little sore from Sunday's 12, mostly my left IT-Band, but nothing I am really worried about. I have good shoes and they have really helped me make it through these runs.

This is week 11 of my training, and I could easily go out and finish a half-marathon tomorrow. That's a good feeling for me, and now I can see in my training that these next 10 weeks are getting me to the 'next step' for the marathon. I have really been impressed with my progress due to this program I found through the Free Press Marathon website. The man who came up with this program is Doug Kurtis, and he seems to know what he is doing. You could click here for a copy of a program based on your experience.

Music: I have been really liking the album 'St. Anger' by Metallica lately. Die Hard Metallica fans hate this album, but I think it's pretty good for me while I run. Sometimes I will listen to stand-up from Dave Chapelle or David Cross, but that's risky because I don't want to laugh while I run. It's not cool.

What am I supposed to do about this heat?

It's seriously a thick, disgusting 100F outside today. I need to run 7 miles. I hate the treadmill. I didn't run this morning, and I don't really want to run when it's dark outside. That's a lot of whining for one sentence, but I guess I am a little frustrated with what I am going to do.

I really did get a good laugh when the local Knoxville weather guy said that a 'cold-front' was coming in for Friday and the high is going to be 93F. I am sorry, but 'cold-front' to me means 'drop in temperature of at least 10 degrees'. You suck, local Knoxville weather guy.

I am leaning towards running tonight, beginning at dusk, outside, and armed with a lot of water and a rape-whistle.

RIP Grand-MAW

Yesterday, Aug 8, my wife's Grandma passed away. She was 83, and definitely lived a good life. She died peacefully, and not suddenly, so we all got to spend her last days on Earth with her. It's been a tough past 12 days, and the funeral is tomorrow (Friday) night.

There are a few things I will remember about Grand-MAW. First and foremost, she always thought positively. She never got down about being bed-ridden, or having a feeding tube, and I really admired that about her. She also loved football. She knew more about the NFL than some guys, and when we'd go visit her on Sunday she'd already have Football on TV when we got there. She was a caring, loving lady, that we all loved and will be missed.

I say Grand-MAW because that's how my wife would always say it. Like "let's go see grand-MAW", I dunno, I always thought that my wife said the word "Grandma" improperly, emphasizing the MAW part. And she claims to be from the north.......

How have you been harrassed when running?

Sunday was the first time I was harassed while I was running, and it was by a member of the United States Army to boot. I was running at my normal spot, a 2.5 mile loop through a park in Knoxville. I run here 4 times a week, and this run was no different on my end. I was running 12 miles, at about 9 am on a Sunday. No big deal, right?

Well, this Sunday was a little different, because the Knoxville Army Reserves were doing their 'PT'-Physical Training-testing at the park as well. The reserves are the guys who are only committed to the Army one weekend a month and 2 weeks during the summer. When they get together, it's very basic training and conditioning type things (From what I know through people in the reserves).

So anyways, the reserves were all gathered together at one end of a straightaway in the park I run at. They were at the far end of the straightaway, so I was running towards them. They were getting ready to start running towards me for their out-and-back mile run. Luckily for me, they didn't start running while I was 'In their way'. I was able to run through the straightaway, and the group with no issues, not even any dirty looks. I respected them, they respected me.

At the part of the park with the reserves, is also the part of the park where I turn around. So, I ran through the group, turned around and ended up running back through the group going the same way that they were. Right before they started their timed mile. So, long story short, with a choppy explanation, I ended up in front a bunch of Army reserves on a timed mile. When they sounded their gun, I was about 75 feet in front of them, running the same direction on the same course. And that was when the harassment started. From the Drill Sergeants:

"ARE YOU GONNA LET SKINNY LITTLE RUNNER BOY BEAT YOU?!?!?"
"ARE YOU A MAN?!?" "GO GET THAT CIVILIAN!!!" "ARE YOU TIRED ALREADY??!?"
"SKINNY LITTLE RUNNER BOY ISN'T EVEN BREATHING HARD!!! AND HE'S NOT IN THE ARMY!!!!"

These Drill Sergeants were going nuts on these guys. I totally felt like a rabbit pace setter for these guys, and I sped up just to make sure that none of them would catch me. Like I said before, I was about 75 feet ahead of these guys when they started, and they were running 1/2 mile out and then turning back and going to where they started. For that 1/2 mile, I was cruising pretty good, it was nice to have a little unexpected competition to make my run a little more interesting. One guy almost did catch me, but it was right at his turnaround point, so as soon as we were basically shoulder-to-shoulder, he had to turn around. I just kept going and proceeded on with my 12 mile run.

The run itself was good. I paused briefly at mile 5 for a quick drink and half an energy bar, and kept a 9:22 pace throughout. My breathing never got heavy, but my legs felt tired through miles 9-12. All in all I was happy about the run, and this is for a couple of reasons. First, I have never run 12 miles at once before, so to be able to survive that is an accomplishment by itself. Second, I was able to run at a slower, more deliberate pace. I've said before that I tend to push myself to my limits when running, and run as fast as my body allows rather than run at a pace that I want to. When I felt myself creeping into my usual 8:30/mile pace, I consciously pulled back and got back to 9:15 pace. This is a big step for me.

What do the Elderly listen to on their Ipods?

During my 6-mile run yesterday, I passed by not one, but TWO men in their 60's with Ipods. These guys were not together either, they were both minding their own business about a mile apart from each other.

It got me wondering: What DO old people listen to on their Ipods??? Are they "file-sharing" just like me and my college buddies did (and still do, ssshhhhh.......)???

My guess would be that they just buy songs from Itunes, and they have less than 10 GB of music on their Ipods. I also would guess that they don't have the latest from Korn, T.I., Britney Spears, or the Beastie Boys on their Ipods either (however, it would be pretty sweet if they did). I don't know if it's PC to make these judgments, but I was a little fascinated to see 60 year old men with Ipods.

My last two runs were total opposites of one another. On Wednesday it was 90F, and very muggy. Besides that, I ate chinese food about 2 hours before my 3 mile run. I thought that since it was only 3 miles, I should be OK even though I ate only 2 hours before. Boy, was I wrong. When my run was over, I felt like someone kicked me in the stomach. I was able to drive home (a little doubled over) and sat on the toilet for about 20 minutes once I got home. I didn't feel any better, so I went and laid down for another 30 mins. My wife got me a cold rag and I put that on my forehead and I ate some ice cream and I felt a lot better. I don't know if it was the heat or the food that made me feel so bad. I hurt from my throat down to my intestines, kinda like if you swallowed a dorito too fast and one of the corners is scratching your throat all the way to your stomach. It sucked.

Thursday I ran 6 miles, and it was a little cloudy. The clouds and wind made what was a 95F day about an 85F day, which was a lot nicer to run in. I ran my 6 miles in like 53 min. or something close to that and I felt fine afterwards. It was a good run, except that I am running too fast. I have a bad habit of running as fast as my body will let me, and that is going to destroy me in the marathon. I need to start out running these 6+ milers at 9:00/mile+ pace, so I know what do do at the beginning of the marathon. I would rather pick up the pace at the end of a race, then basically walk at the finish because I am spent. I am running 12 miles Sunday and I am going to try this slower pacing. Hopefully I can figure it out.

World, I am still alive.

Coming off of my 3rd place finish in a 6 person race (there were 118 in the race, 6 of which were my gender and age bracket....), I am ready to take on anyone.

After last week, where I packed up my old place, and moved on Saturday, I am ready to pick back up where I left off with my training. My body feels good and rested. I have only ran 6 miles in the last 7 days, so I should feel good and rested.

Now that I am moved into my new place, and closer to the park I run at, I should be able to get back to my schedule. I am also adding leg weight training, these long runs are killing me!

Don't you worry, I'll be back to writing once I get off my butt and start actually doing something worth writing about. I could go on and on about my job, which entails yours truly sitting behind a computer screen that's slowly making him blind little by little each day, and when yours truly is 65 years old and wearing a pair of these:


I can look back to this very job and this very desk to blame. The guy in the cube next to me insists that blue eyes are more light sensitive than any other color, and I am skeptical. I have blue eyes, and I am going to blame this computer screen when I can't see anymore. Not my blue eyes.

Music: Mos Def--Black on Both Sides. A great hip-hop album. Even if all the hip-hop you know is the beastie boys, you should like this album. It's just good.