goofy training week 12

recap of training week 12 (11/24-11/30):[day - mileage, time, avg hr]mon - 3 easy, 26:50, 145tue - 3.1 easy, 27:45, 163wed - off (skipped the 2 easy)thu - 26.2 race, 3:39:24, 169fri - off (but went hiking)sat - 3.8 easy, 47:16, 129sun - off (yoga & abs, skipped the 5 easy)mileage total - 36.10it was a bad week mileage wise but i was intentionally pulling back for the atlanta marathon. i haven't...

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atlanta marathon photos

the weather channel atlanta marathonnovember 27, 2008[photos by my #1 spectator]arriving to the start/finish with 10 minutes to sparethe start of the racearound mile 6 (i think)around mile 16(#34 is the dude i hung with for the rest of the race)finishing at lastmy legs were hurting a littlebut i earned...

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atlanta marathon recovery

after thursday's race and tons of eating, i woke up friday morning with some pretty stiff legs. i wasn't in pain, my legs were just sore and stiff.the fam, jess, j and i went hiking at table rock friday. nothing like hauling yourself up a 1,000ft ascent (we only made it halfway) the day after a marathon....

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the weather channel atlanta marathon race recap

the oldest marathon in the southeast and one of the ten oldest in the country, the weather channel atlanta marathon on thanksgiving day is also the only u.s. marathon run on an olympic course - approximately 90% of the course is the same as that run by the world's best at the atlanta games in 1996. runners pass under the olympic rings on their way to the finish line, an exhilarating end to a challenging...

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boston bound

i survived, pr'd, and qualified for boston!3:39:24happy thanksgiving a...

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challenging my limits

racing is pain, and that's why you do it, to challenge the limits of your physical and mental barriers. you don't experience that in an armchair watching television.- mark alleni got a bad foot cramp in my right foot in the middle of the night last night, so when my alarm went off at 6am for my grueling...

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summary of training - atlanta marathon

i was never training specifically for the atlanta marathon, but decided to throw it in my training plan to "ensure i got in another 20+ mile run for the goofy challenge" (jan '09). although it is just supposed to be a training run, i'm still aiming to run at goal pace. (plus i have to run fast in order to make it home in time for thanksgiving dinner!)this is a summary of my training from august up...

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mid-day three

since my mileage is so low for part of this week i can treat myself to running during lunch. today was another short and easy 3 miles, and i was definitely hungry by the time i got back home!nothing special about the run although my hr was unusually high. it certainly didn't feel like i was exerting that much effort but it kept reading 174 or so. i drink any water all morning (i know, a running cardinal...

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big, cold raindrops

i'm in my offical 3-day taper for the atlanta marathon, woo hoo. while i miss running "real" miles, it's kind of nice to have some very short and very easy days. until thursday of course.today's big mileage = 3 easy. i didn't get up this morning to run and i didn't run at lunch, and of course, it starts raining around 1:00pm. go figure. when i left work at 5:30 it wasn't really raining at all, but...

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goofy training week 11

recap of training week 11 (11/17-11/23):[day - mileage, time, avg hr]mon - 5.3 easy, 52:09, 137tue - 6 tempo, 47:25, 167wed - 7.1 easy, 1:03:29, 145thu - 8 easy, 1:12:47, 145fri - offsat - 7 (4 @ pace), 59:09, 174sun - 8 easy, 1:15:08, 151mileage total - 41.40yeah this 41 mile week was a "cutback"/"taper" week for the atlanta marathon next thursday (thanksgiving). not much of a taper but a cutback...

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leaves - 2, me - 0

after yesterday's run i tackled the fallen leaves again, and of course i am once again so sore the morning after. i know i really need to hit the gym and do some upper body exercises to balance out all my running and help make me a stronger runner... but i just haven't.my back (mostly upper) was sore this morning when i woke up and made for a less-than-pleasant 8 mile run. lucky for me j had 8 miles...

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rubbernecking

i woke up this morning with a bit of a headache that just wouldn't go away until i was about 6 miles into my 7 mile run. go figure.my run today was alright, a little chilly (35 deg) which made it hard to breathe for awhile until my body warmed up, but i was pleased with my time and effort. my long runs this weekend are not really long at all since i am saving up for thursday and the atlanta marathon....

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every day and every night

for me, winning isn't something that happens suddenly on the field when the whistle blows and the crowds roar. winning is something that builds physically and mentally every day that you train and every night that you dream.- emmitt sm...

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going the extra mile

once i got over an initial blah and blubbery feeling, i had a great little easy run tonight - felt like i could go forever. i changed my 7 mile run into an 8 mile run and wanted to do at least 9, but i'm only a week away from atlanta and i figured i should conserve a little energy.we had our thanksgiving lunch today at work and while i didn't eat nearly as much as everyone else (2 heaping platefuls...

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time to get serious

gibtown runner had a great point today about getting serious about his workouts (particular working the abs) if he was really going to shave 18 minutes off his half-marathon time. i, too, have some pr goals in mind as well as a goal to do ab work more consistently. as all runners know, a strong core leads to a stronger body, better running form, and faster splits.it really is (beyond) time for me...

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breaking down and breaking out

the under armor!i watched the temperature all day at work. it rose slightly around noon and then went right on back down soon thereafter. i don't think it ever broke 40... oh goody. i know last year my tight-donning threshold was 40 degrees and i just did not want to admit it was time to pull them out again. at a balmy 37 degrees i knew it was time. i am really not a fan of the cold, so i broke out...

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slow and steady

...is not going to win me any races.luckily today was my short and slow day, so it didn't matter. i was definitely slow tonight but i was purposely trying to hold a lower-than-normal heartrate for an easy day, and i successfully did that at least. normally i aim for around a 150 hr, but with my recent inability to sleep through the night and overall feeling of exhaustion i didn't think it'd hurt to...

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goofy training week 10

recap of training week 10 (11/10-11/16):[day - mileage, time, avg hr]mon - 5.2 easy, 47:55, 139tue - 7.25 tempo, 56:47, 172wed - 8.15 easy, 1:12:03, 150thu - offfri - 7.25 (8x800), 57:17, 174sat - 9 easy, 1:19:27, 170sun - 13 easy, 2:00:06, 154mileage total - 49.85i even did 1 day of abs (300 crunches/45 back extensions) this week and am planning/aiming to get back on track with the ol' ab work 3x/week...

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leaves - 1, me - 0

i raked leaves yesterday afternoon for maybe 1.5 hours, and a few hours later i could tell i was already starting to get a little sore. i woke up this morning and my back was definitely sore. from raking leaves... how sad.i'm sure it didn't help that i went out on the town last night and set myself up for dehydration, but come on i can run 20+ miles i'm not supposed to get sore from raking leaves....

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knowing when to listen to your body

the plan for today was a 9mile run at goal marathon pace. i headed out the door late this morning, and as soon as i hit the first hill i knew i was tired from yesterday's speedwork. i hunkered down, allowing the first mile to be a little over goal pace and figured after that i'd chug out the rest at pace. mile two was within pace but did not feel great, and when i struggled in mile three (and ran...

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foggy bottom

so it was a beautiful day here today...just kidding. it rained all day but thankfully stopped shortly before i got out of work and left me with no excuses. i got to the track a little before 5 and visibility was about 100m. at least the rain/fog kept the lane hogs away.the ever accurate weather people...

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a few abs

i felt guilty for sabotaging my own run today and taking the day off so i actually did some abs. my core has definitely been feeling weak lately in my runs and i haven't done any sort of core work in over a month, so it was tough to crank out 300 various crunches and 45 back extensions. but, i made it.i know i really need to get back in a routine with core work... i've said this before of course,...

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winners

winners are the people who when the odds are stacked against them, and those around them have fallen, will have the courage to look within themselves and make the unbelievable believable, and the impossible possible.-unkn...

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(no) sleep

didn't sleep well (or much at all) last night so i didn't get up to run this morning. call me a wimp but i'm trading my off day and gonna take today off altogether. the plan is to do my 800's tomorrow instead, since i'll be able to go to the track and do them while there's still some daylight. sounds like a good enough excuse to me anyway...i'm more than exhausted and now i gotta endure a 10 hour...

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my fellow runners

i admit, i follow hundreds of random runners from all parts of the planet via google reader. while i would love to keep a complete list directly on the main page, i'm not so sure your internet provider would love trying to load my page for you (nor do i think you'd want to wait that long).below is a complete list of the running-related blogs i follow (in alphabetical order). here you will find runners...

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cereal diet

can i get one run in without having to take an emergency pit stop to drop it like it's hot? seems like lately it either hits me mid-run or right when i still have a quarter-mile to go before i am back at my front door. what great timing you have dear digestive system of mine.so if you've assumed that i had to stop in the "wooded" area again today, well you'd be right. but other than that the run was...

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on a roll

that 20 mile run must've been good luck or something. yesterday's recovery run was nice and comfortable, and today's tempo run was smooth, fast and painless. i am certainly not complaining.i woke up to my beloved alarm at 5am today, and although i was fairly awake i just did not want to get out of bed. i've been a little wimpy lately at confronting the sub-40 degree weather in the early morning and...

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cruise control

much to my surprise i woke up this morning with hardly any aches, pains and soreness from yesterday's 20 mile run. my left "inner thigh" muscle is a little achey, but i really think that was more from squatting to scoop up leaves when i raked a little on friday. i had a little stiffness throughout the day at work when i stood up after sitting down for awhile but it wasn't bad at all.i headed out after...

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goofy training week 9

recap of training week 9 (11/03-11/09):[day - mileage, time, avg hr]mon - 5 easy, 49:00, 144tue - 8 (4x1mile), 1:07:40, 163wed - 7 easy, 1:07:05, 148thu - 8 (5 tempo), 1:08:51, 163fri - offsat - 10 pace, 1:21:15, 173sun - 20 (last 5 @ pace), 3:06:32, 153mileage total - 58.00 *another record, hopefully broken soonmonday was hard, still tired from sunday's 18. tuesday was still kinda hard too, the mile...

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first 20 miler

i can't believe i've actually stuck with my training for so long (14 weeks and counting). in the past i come up with these great training plans that will help me succeed at my race goals and then i slack off, cutting midweek runs short and skipping long runs altogether, and succeed marvelously at not reaching my goals. so today's accomplishment feels pretty darn good.i had 3 goals for today's scheduled...

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that's more like it

i woke up earlier than normal for a saturday to get my run in before heading down to columbia for the state xc meet. it was quite the accomplishment to a) get up early, b) actually run all 10 miles on schedule at marathon goal pace, and c) do all of that alone 'cause j didn't get up to bike with me. (although, i told him not to since i'd be starting my run before the sun came up). feels good to have...

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possible/impossible

the difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination.- tommy laso...

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still struggling

...but feeling 2% better about it.opted to once again not do a hill workout this morning and stayed with the planned tempo. i know i should really throw in some hill workouts but i've been mentally wussing out. next week, perhaps? if i can recover from the 20miler on sunday anyway.i decided to do a 2 mile warm up, 4 mile tempo run, and 2 mile cool down to get in my 8 miles for the day. in the midst...

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dear right arm

to my right arm/shoulder/left half of my heart/whatever,whatever body part or nerve or vein you are, please fix yourself. it is not very comfortable nor comforting to run with a numb right hand, and i know it's not because of the temperature because it was in the 50s today and i, the left hand, was not going numb. i also can't seem to think of why it would be good to go numb so please get your act...

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still recovering

i'm feeling rather disappointed lately with these easy "recovery" runs. after taking all of last week easy except for sunday's long run, i expect myself to not be sucking so bad. alas, i am still running quite slowly. at this point i think it's lame to still blame it on my legs still recovering from sunday, but i suppose it could be a valid point. i definitely can't blame it on my lungs anymore because...

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do you deserve credit?

the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that...

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"speed"work

i use that term quite loosely today.my legs are still tired from sunday's 18 and did not want to move. after only a few hours of sleep i got up early to log my miles and then vote. (i don't want to die)in the past i've done my mile repeats at the track, aiming for a 6:55 pace (successfully i guess as that is about the average of all the repeats i've done, some faster, some slower). today i ran...

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running in the dark - just can't avoid it

blah blah blah daylight savings is so great. sure it gives me an extra hour of sleep technically, but now it also ensures that i run in the dark whether it's before or after work. boo winter.i got in my 5 recovery/shake out run today after work, the sun set in the first mile leaving me for 4 dark miles. i am definitely feeling yesterday's 18-miler. i guess it's not as bad as it could be because i...

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