Today we logged 9.4 miles and it went quite well. The run started at 7 AM and it was nice and cool. The trail ran between Hopkins and Minnetonka. It was really flat and shaded most of the way. Kelly and I ran together for the full run and it went better than we both expected. Kelly was feeling really good and pushed us hard at the end. It was awesome to have the run done so early as we were home by 9:30.
We have been trying things out to find a feel and a comfort for different gear. Today we both ran for the first time without cotton socks (ground breaking, I know..) and I ran with new shorts that have compression shorts built in. Both the socks and shorts are going to take some getting used to...chafing may be an issue.
We also tried a new type of goo, Lemon flavored and it was tolerable. We have come to the conclusion that for training runs we are going to have to break down and buy some kind of water/fuel belt. I made fun of people last year that would use them in 5k and 10k runs. Turns out the joke was on me. I am sure they were getting used to wearing them for a marathon. Now I am going to be that guy and I am not too excited about it.
Today's run was pretty uneventful in terms of pain and issues, which is a good thing. I can't tell you how good it feels to have burned over 1700 calories and still have the full day in front of you. Wednesday's training run will included hill training and I have a feeling that it will not be too much fun. I guess it will be one of those necessary evils. I haven't run hills since high school football so I hope the temperature stays above 90 degrees to really walk down memory lane.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Running on the Road
This morning I woke up at 6:15 PDT for a nice leasiurely jog. It is no small feat to this guy to get up while traveling for work and running. Usually I eat way too much, have a few beers, and never have the energy to wake up and work out. I always bring work out gear with me, but is usually stays at the bottom of my American Tourister.
Today was different. Last night I checked in early and was in my hotel room by 10 PM. I got a good night's sleep and woke up on time. I found a trail along a creek pretty close to the hotel here in Santa Clara which was pretty cool. My precious Garmin Forerunner shut down on me at mile 1, so I didn't have a real good idea of my pace, time, or distance. Turns out you have to recharge battery operated electronics....whoops. The only thing I had this morning to judge was that I returned to my room about an hour after I left so I figured I ran about 5.5-6 miles based on my average pace of 9:30/mile.
There is always one danger of running in the morning and lets just say that I was praying/begging for a port-o-john for the last 20+ minutes of the run. I made it back without embarrassment but there were times of serious concern....
There were no random thought during this run. The only thought going through my head was find a spot in the weeds or risk a jaunt back to the lobby.
Today was different. Last night I checked in early and was in my hotel room by 10 PM. I got a good night's sleep and woke up on time. I found a trail along a creek pretty close to the hotel here in Santa Clara which was pretty cool. My precious Garmin Forerunner shut down on me at mile 1, so I didn't have a real good idea of my pace, time, or distance. Turns out you have to recharge battery operated electronics....whoops. The only thing I had this morning to judge was that I returned to my room about an hour after I left so I figured I ran about 5.5-6 miles based on my average pace of 9:30/mile.
There is always one danger of running in the morning and lets just say that I was praying/begging for a port-o-john for the last 20+ minutes of the run. I made it back without embarrassment but there were times of serious concern....
There were no random thought during this run. The only thought going through my head was find a spot in the weeds or risk a jaunt back to the lobby.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
8 Mile, not quite like B-Rabbit
Mission accomplished, 8 miles down on a cloudy, muggy Saturday morning. Our training group met just south of Lake Harriet and we ran along Minnehaha Creek toward Lake Nokomis. Four miles out and four miles back. There were a lot of other groups out running as well and I can't say enough about being in a group for training. Everyone in our group is really nice and supportive. They all have either done this before and offer great tips or are doing this as their first marathon, so you have others to go through the ropes with.
I ran today sans the iPod and it was tough. Usually when the body is telling the head that it sucks, I can flip to a Metallica song or Eminem and lose myself in it. My brain then ignores the body and I keep chugging along. Not today, no iPod, no Metallica, and it went better than expected. I was able to chat with another guy in our class for a good portion of the run and that made the time move quicker. I am sure I did most of the talking and I am sure nothing intelligent came out, but hey, it made my run more enjoyable!
Kelly is on a boondoggle to Chicago with the girls but I got the report this morning that she woke up and ran on the tread mill. That takes dedication to get up and run on a girls' weekend vacation. That puts the pressure on me this week while I am in California for work to get some runs in. Damn her.
A couple things I learned today.
1) Drink a lot of water the day before long training runs, it really helped.
2) I guess you need to learn to like the carbo-loaded gels and eat them every 4 miles.
3) Carbo-loaded gels are disgusting. Not only did it taste horrible, the consistency is that of cake frosting. Baby food has to taste better.
I ran today sans the iPod and it was tough. Usually when the body is telling the head that it sucks, I can flip to a Metallica song or Eminem and lose myself in it. My brain then ignores the body and I keep chugging along. Not today, no iPod, no Metallica, and it went better than expected. I was able to chat with another guy in our class for a good portion of the run and that made the time move quicker. I am sure I did most of the talking and I am sure nothing intelligent came out, but hey, it made my run more enjoyable!
Kelly is on a boondoggle to Chicago with the girls but I got the report this morning that she woke up and ran on the tread mill. That takes dedication to get up and run on a girls' weekend vacation. That puts the pressure on me this week while I am in California for work to get some runs in. Damn her.
A couple things I learned today.
1) Drink a lot of water the day before long training runs, it really helped.
2) I guess you need to learn to like the carbo-loaded gels and eat them every 4 miles.
3) Carbo-loaded gels are disgusting. Not only did it taste horrible, the consistency is that of cake frosting. Baby food has to taste better.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Club Marathon
Kelly and I attended our first marathon training "class" last night. We quickly found out we are a little behind in our training, but nothing we cannot overcome. They handed out running schedules and it was eye opening to see what was in front of us. The nice part is, we now have a plan to follow. The trick will be following the plan.
Last night's class consisted of a 5.5 mile run in the sweltering heat and humidity followed up by critiquing running forms of the people who were at last week's class. The run was pretty difficult for a number of reasons, but mainly becasuse of the heat and because of our lapse in training. This coming Saturday our group is running 8 miles and we start at 6:45 in the AM. All of our long weekend training runs that are coming up are early on Saturdays. This is going to cause a drastic Friday night lifestyle change for the next 3 months, which I am more than a little nervous about. As it turns out, I really like beer which isn't condusive for training.
The great part about the group is that there is more support than doing it on your own or even with one other person. It also forces us to train by going to class. The class also will have different people talk each week and they will cover different topics from nutrition to they type of gear you need. Another great part about the class is that there doesn't seem to by any psycho runners in the group. Everyone seems pretty normal and the pace last night was very managable.
Saturday will mark the longest training run of the summer and I will check in after that if my body allows it.
Last night's class consisted of a 5.5 mile run in the sweltering heat and humidity followed up by critiquing running forms of the people who were at last week's class. The run was pretty difficult for a number of reasons, but mainly becasuse of the heat and because of our lapse in training. This coming Saturday our group is running 8 miles and we start at 6:45 in the AM. All of our long weekend training runs that are coming up are early on Saturdays. This is going to cause a drastic Friday night lifestyle change for the next 3 months, which I am more than a little nervous about. As it turns out, I really like beer which isn't condusive for training.
The great part about the group is that there is more support than doing it on your own or even with one other person. It also forces us to train by going to class. The class also will have different people talk each week and they will cover different topics from nutrition to they type of gear you need. Another great part about the class is that there doesn't seem to by any psycho runners in the group. Everyone seems pretty normal and the pace last night was very managable.
Saturday will mark the longest training run of the summer and I will check in after that if my body allows it.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Back from the Boondoggle
The two week trip to Europe was one of a lifetime. It was simply awesome and I had a great travel partner in Kelly. We were constantly on the move, saw a lot of places from London, Paris, Nice, Cinque Terre, to Rome. During our trip we saw historic churches, museums, monuments, and beautiful landscapes. Kelly and I did quite a bit of walking, but the running took a back seat, although we packed our running gear it never made it out of the bag.
After the two week hiatus, Kelly and I ventured to the Shakopee Community Center for our first run post excursion. We weren't sure how far we had regressed, but we were less than excited to start back up. It was a jolt of reality today. It was too warm out in our minds to try running outside, so we headed for the comfy confines of the air controlled gym. I dread running inside, it gets boring quickly. Forgetting my iPod was pretty cool, so instead, I got to read a closed captioned version of Entertainment Tonight......riveting.....Brangelina had twins.......Lindsay Lohan may have a secret sister....you get the point.
Our pregame plan was to run a 5k, but half way through it Kelly suggested we run 4 miles. The first few miles were good, but then around mile 2.5, the knees started to go the way of jell-o, next the hips, and finally the quads. We both made it through all 4 miles with out pushing the lungs, but I have a sneaky feeling we will be sore tomorrow.
We start a marathon class and running club this Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how much further ahead of us most people are, but we still have a solid 2 and a half months to train for this beast. I will give an update after Wednesday's class.
After the two week hiatus, Kelly and I ventured to the Shakopee Community Center for our first run post excursion. We weren't sure how far we had regressed, but we were less than excited to start back up. It was a jolt of reality today. It was too warm out in our minds to try running outside, so we headed for the comfy confines of the air controlled gym. I dread running inside, it gets boring quickly. Forgetting my iPod was pretty cool, so instead, I got to read a closed captioned version of Entertainment Tonight......riveting.....Brangelina had twins.......Lindsay Lohan may have a secret sister....you get the point.
Our pregame plan was to run a 5k, but half way through it Kelly suggested we run 4 miles. The first few miles were good, but then around mile 2.5, the knees started to go the way of jell-o, next the hips, and finally the quads. We both made it through all 4 miles with out pushing the lungs, but I have a sneaky feeling we will be sore tomorrow.
We start a marathon class and running club this Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how much further ahead of us most people are, but we still have a solid 2 and a half months to train for this beast. I will give an update after Wednesday's class.
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