Day #17: Best Month of the Year

I'm not sure if I should be proud of this or not, but I hit my highest monthly mileage total of 2010 today. That number is 41.9 miles. That's not so much. Yes, better than nothing but nothing to get all that excited about. Meh.

Distance: 2.7 miles

Time: 22:12

Pace: 8:14

Weight: 204.5 (I located the scale again)

Day #16: Somebody Stole My Scale!

Well, actually they borrowed it. Plus it's not really my scale. The scale that is usually in the men's locker room at my office's gym has been "borrowed" for a Biggest Loser contest and moved into the staff's office until the first week of January. So, either i'll have to wait until then to weigh myself, transition over to another scale or try to get access to the old scale from time-to-time. None of those options is ideal. Grrrr....

On the positive side, today's run went well. For the first time in a long time neither my legs, nor my lungs were suffering at all during the run. Usually it's one or the other - sometimes both.

Distance: 2.7 miles

Time: 22:30

Pace: 8:20

Weight: 204.5 (?)

Day #15: Back With The Coyotes

OK, I didn't actually see any coyotes. It was really cold outside - I need to remember how to dress for run. 37 degrees and I was wearing shorts, short sleeved tech shirt and a long sleeved cotton shirt over that. I was very cold for the first mile, but warmed up some. I think a hot, gloves and windproof briefs might be in order the next time the temperature dips that low.

Distance: 4.08 miles (weekly total = 19 miles)

Time: 34:28

Pace: 8:27

Weight: 204.5 (weekly loss = 2 pounds)

Day #14: First Struggle

Today was tough. I ran at the local YMCA and it is always incredibly hot there and I really struggle in the heat - even when I'm in good shape.

Distance: 2.7 miles

Time: 22:30

Pace: 8:20

Weight: 204.5

Day #13: Almost An Afterthought

Hopped on the treadmill around 3:30 this afternoon. A good way to close out the work week. Looking forward to a Thanksgiving next week.

Distance: 2.3 miles

Time: 18:24

Pace: 8:01

Weight: 204.5

Day #12: Still Going Strong

I'm actually surprised a how good I feel given the shape that I'm in and the fact that I'm not taking any rest days.

Speaking of not taking any rest days, I started wondering whether this was a good idea or not while on the treadmill yesterday (it was either this or watching Oprah on the television). So, I decided to take a look back over the last 5+ years of my training logs to see what kind of running streaks that I've put together to determine whether my body might be able to hold up under the stress of no rest days. In compiling this list I have arbitrarily defined a running streak as 10 or more consecutive days of running. What I found was actually pretty interesting and leads me to believe that I just might be able to do stick with my plan for a whole year. Mt longest streaks are:

1. 135 days (12/17/06-4/30/07)

2. 56 days (5/9/05-7/3/05)

3. 52 days (10/2/05-11/22/05)

4. 42 days (12/25/05 -2/4/06)

5. 40 days (3/29/05-5/7/05)

6. 27 days (4/4/06-4/30/06)

7. 24 days (7/12/05-8/4/05)

8. 20 days (achieved 2x)

10. 19 days (7/31/06-8/18/06)

11. 18 days (achieved 2x)

13. 16 days (1/28/08-2/12/08)

14. 15 days (6/12/07-6/26/07)

15. 14 days (8/9/07-8/22/07)

16. 13 days (achieved 3x)

19. 12 days (achieved 5x - including this current streak)

23. 11 days (achieved 4x)

27. 10 days (achieved 3x)

So, in the overall context of my running career (I never had any notable running streaks while in high school or college), my current streak is currently in a five way tie for my19th longest running streak ever. So, not really a big deal yet, BUT in another week it'll enter the top five.

Distance: 2.3 miles

Time: 18:40

Pace: 8:07

Weight: 204.5

Day #11: Return of the Longer Mid-Week Run

Distance: 3.0 miles

Time: 25:22

Pace: 8:28

Weight: 205.5

Day #10: Back to the Back

Yep, it hurts again - same thing as a few days ago. I really don't get it because I'm positive that I didn't strain it. The only explanation that I can come up with is that the stresses of daily running are compressing my back somehow. In any event, it's more of a minor irritation than anything else so I'll just live with it.

The legs are still holding up pretty well as the only soreness that I'm experiencing is in my arches and ankles. I'm still constantly tired too. I expect that all of these issues will pass once I'm in better shape.

Distance: 2.3 miles

Time: 18:55

Pace: 8:15

Weight: 206

Day #9: Back to the Treadmill

Distance: 2.3 miles
Time: 19:10
Pace: 8:20
Weight: 206.5

Day #8: Week One Complete

Well, I made it through my first week with any serious issues. Today was a long run (if you can call 3.4 miles a long run). Overall, I ran (over 8 days) 17.1 miles and lost 5.5 pounds. I'd consider both of those victories.

So far, no noticeable injuries have cropped up. I had some sort of phantom back injury on Friday night but it resolved itself by Saturday afternoon. In addition, every so often I have some slight hip pain and my ankles and arches are always somewhat tender post-run, but those are things that a good icing can cure.

Overall, I'd call the first week a success.

Distance: 3.4 miles (weekly total = 15.1 miles)
Time: 28:18
Pace: 8:20
Weight 206.5 (weekly loss = 5.5 pounds)

Day #7: Coyotes

I've lived at my current home for three years, so I know that they're there. I've heard their howling countless times, so I also know that there are several of them roaming my neighborhood. However, I never actually saw them - until my run today, that is.

I walk my dog every night around 7pm. Ever since the time change, however, things have been a little, well, odd. He keeps seeing things out in the blackness that I can't and tries to pull me off the road toward the woods. Last night, as I was finishing up my walk, I heard a very menacing growl directed toward the dog but, as usual, I couldn't see anything.

So, I decided to wear my headlamp on my run tonight - which was three loops around my neighborhood. I saw nothing on the first two loops, but as I was heading toward the site of the previous night's growling I saw the first coyote - which immediately ran into the back yard of the house whose yard it had been standing in. Then, as I reached the spot where I saw the first coyote, I saw another under the next streetlight. It also ran away into the woods separating my development from the next one over. Of course, where there are two coyotes, there are likely more - probably several more.

I was still about a third of a mile away from my house and, to make it even more interesting, I had to turn my back to both coyotes to get home. Let's just say that was the fastest part of my run...

Distance: 2.04 miles

Time: 16:25

Pace: 8:03

Weight: 207

Day #6: I Did Run

Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 16:40
Pace: 8:20
Weight: 207

Day #5: Only Results Again

Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 16:54
Pace: 8:27
Weight: 207.5

Day #4: Baby Steps

Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 17:09
Pace: 8:35
Weight: 208

Day #3: Random Thoughts

In case it wasn't clear yesterday, another goal of mine is to lose 52 pounds over the next year - I assumed that the title of the post made that clear but wanted to mention it just in case.

I can't find any of my running gear. In fact, I'm not even sure what I have at this point. The most depressing thing is that most of the things that I can find don't fit. That includes all of the winter gear that I've found so far. So, that means that I'll be spending some quality time on the treadmill.

I noticed that the batteries to my Polar HRM are dead. I also think that a packet of GU may have exploded all over my Garmin. At least I hope that's what it is.

My after-run appetite is out of control. I really need to focus on healthy snacks because, other than that, my diet isn't all that bad.

Distance: 2.0 miles

Time: 17:24

Pace: 8:42

Weight: 209

Day #2: Losing 52 To Run 26

Not an enviable position to be in but, let's be honest, I'm solely responsible for my current situation. Even when taking the staggering number of injuries I've suffered into account, I chose not to cross-train, I chose to sit on my ass every night and watch television and I chose to eat like I was running 80 miles per week even though I wasn't. All that being said, I'm done feeling sorry for myself and I'm looking forward to fixing all of the mistakes I've made over the last three years.

Which leads me to my goals...

Admittedly, these plans will be a little rough at first, but I'll fill them in with more detail as I go. Another thing that I'll mention up front is that I have no idea what my long term goals (i.e. 3-5 years out) will be. I think those will ultimately be derived based upon the success or failure of the more immediate goals.

Right now, the intermediate goal is a return to my former level of racing fitness - a 1:28 half and a 3:11 marathon. I'm giving myself one year to achieve this with my tentative goal race being the 2011 Harrisburg Marathon. Initially, I thought that Steamtown might be the right race, but I'd prefer to save that one for when I know that I have a fast time in me. I also like the fact that Harrisburg is a smaller race (no crowds) that's a bit later in the racing season (more time to train). So, yes, Harrisburg it is.

How will I get there? Again, I'm still fleshing it out a bit. I don't have a training plan, nor a strength/core training plan. Diet plan? Nope, not yet. I do know this, however.

The core of my plan is this - to run at least two miles every day between now and my goal race. That's it. It's deceptively simple yet incredibly difficult to implement. Yes, I'll incorporate a nutrition plan and some strength, core and even cross-training into the overall plan but those will all come later as I sort through all of the books, running magazines, DVDs, internet articles and whatever else that I've collected over the years. I'll eventually pick up a formal training plan as well - most likely another round of Daniels training, but I'm open to suggestions there.

Well, I think I've rambled on enough for today so here are today's stats:

Distance: 2.0 miles

Time: 17:39

Pace: 8:50

Weight: 209 (must be that I've lost some water weight)

Day #1: They Say The Third Time's The Charm

That's right. I'm back for the third time. Not only with respect to this blog, but I'm embarking the third iteration of my running life.

I don't have a lot to say tonight but suffice it to say that I've got some big plans that I'll get into in more detail in the days and weeks ahead.

One thing that I've decided, however, is that I'm going to use this quasi-public forum to insert some accountability into my training (read: public humiliation works wonders).

So, to that end here are the vital statistics for today's run:

Distance: 2.04 miles
Time: 17:55
Pace: 8:47
Weight: 212

More tomorrow.