Ok, there isn't anything to watch on television and I don't even have anything saved on the dvr worth watching so I decided to ramble for a while.
So who am I. I am 36 and a father of 3, a son 7, another son 5, and my little girl is 2. I've been married for 11 years to my college sweatheart. I live in Yorktown Virginia and have lived here all of my life except when I went out of state to college. I own a contracting business and it is a lot of work.
I started running in 7th grade and have always been pretty good at it. In 8th grade I was fast enough to go up to the high school and run cross country and track. Probably one of the worst things that I ever did. I was talented enough to hang in there and finish all of the workouts but I ended up spending more time in the trainers room than anywhere else. I had stress fractures in both feet, hip flexior problems, IT band issues, and even a broken arm that required surgery and a screw in my wrist. I was tripped while running the freshman mile and broke my wrist. Even then I ran the rest of the season with cast. By the end of my sophmore track season I was done. My coach had completely burned me out. He knew how to get us to peak each season, he just didn't know how to keep us healthly so that we could peak as seniors.
I went to Clemson University and studied Construction Science. I did my share of partying and trashing my aerobic systems. After college I went to work for an industrial construction company. We worked in the areas shipyards and coal plants. Breathing that mess all day on top of the 2 packs of ciggarettes that I smoked for 10 years and I was a walking time bomb. I always kept my weight in check. At my largest I weighed 185 lbs and I am 5'11.
My wife told me one day that she wasn't going to get pregnant if I was still smoking. And she really meant it. We went on a week long cruise that summer and during that week I went "cold turkey." A year later my lungs had cleared and I started running again. It was really tough. I would run 800yds and then walk 200 yards. Soon the miles increased and one cold February day I ran 24 miles in our local park. I was hooked again. I loved how I felt running long. I loved laying in bed a night and my legs felt spent. It's great.
That was three years ago. I ran my first Marathon in March 2007 and then ran 3 more last fall. This year I am going to really work on my training and see how my speed improves.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Got a Call from the Doc
So I have felt like I have been running on fumes for the last month. I mean tired. So tired I can't hardly even get out of bed in the mornings. So tired that I don't think I have the energy to keep my eyes open. Not sleepy muscles nut like I am completely running on empty.
Then I got the flu. I have 3 kids and they just bred disease and sickness. The little suckerbaits are like petri dishes that go to school and coleect every nasty disease culture that they can find nd bring them home. The flu this year was some evil stuff. I ran pretty good on Wednesday night but by Thursday morning I had a fever and a bad case of the chills. I went to work for a few hours and then came home to get in bed. I put on thick socks, sweat pants and a hooded sweat shirt and got under the covers. And shivered for hours.
Anyway, I stayed home Friday and didn't have anything to do so I started looking at my running journals. I track everything I eat, the weather, my runs, how I feel and other stupid stuff. I was trying to figure out why my performance was off and why I felt so bad. I noticed that I was eating a whole lot more during the summer. During the summer I drank a 32 oz Gatorade after every run. During the winter I drink water. I was eating smoothies with protein at night, now I was drinking a cup of hot tea before bed. I was eating a bagel, 2 scrambled eggs, cheese and 2 slices of ham or turkey for breakfast. Now I am eating one package of instant oatmeal. So I came to the grand conclusion that I need to up my calories.
Great News! Eat more! Yea it isn't that easy. I figured I am only eating about 2000 calories and I need between 3500 and 4000 calories a day. So I have started drinking Gatorade after workouts. I started eating big breakfasts again and trying to eat more during the day. After a week or two of this diet I would have thought that my energy levels would perk up. No such luck. In fact I feel even worse. My wife told me that I needed to get a physical and get a full blood work up. I actually listened to her and made an appointement.
So I went to the doc's office and he checked me out. My blood pressure was great. They weighed me with my clothes on and I got a lttle perturbed. I mean I'm a distance runner. Weight is a big deal for us. They just thought I was crazy. I looked at the nurse and told her that I run marathons, of course I'm crazy.
Then the masochist nurse stuck me with a bunch of needles and drew a bunch of blood and I was done. The doc was supposed to call me the next morning. He called and said that everything looked real good except for my hemoglobin count was 13. Ok Doc, what does that mean to me. Well he said that hemoglobin is how the blood carries oxygen to the muscles. If my hemoglobin is low then I can't get as much oxygen to my muscles. My performance will suffer and I would feel tired. I might look pale. Hey Doc that's me! I feel like that. He said that he was going to run a few more tests and call me later. He said not to worry because it is a fairly common occurance in distance runners.
Hopefully this at least explains some things. Now I just gotta fix it.
Then I got the flu. I have 3 kids and they just bred disease and sickness. The little suckerbaits are like petri dishes that go to school and coleect every nasty disease culture that they can find nd bring them home. The flu this year was some evil stuff. I ran pretty good on Wednesday night but by Thursday morning I had a fever and a bad case of the chills. I went to work for a few hours and then came home to get in bed. I put on thick socks, sweat pants and a hooded sweat shirt and got under the covers. And shivered for hours.
Anyway, I stayed home Friday and didn't have anything to do so I started looking at my running journals. I track everything I eat, the weather, my runs, how I feel and other stupid stuff. I was trying to figure out why my performance was off and why I felt so bad. I noticed that I was eating a whole lot more during the summer. During the summer I drank a 32 oz Gatorade after every run. During the winter I drink water. I was eating smoothies with protein at night, now I was drinking a cup of hot tea before bed. I was eating a bagel, 2 scrambled eggs, cheese and 2 slices of ham or turkey for breakfast. Now I am eating one package of instant oatmeal. So I came to the grand conclusion that I need to up my calories.
Great News! Eat more! Yea it isn't that easy. I figured I am only eating about 2000 calories and I need between 3500 and 4000 calories a day. So I have started drinking Gatorade after workouts. I started eating big breakfasts again and trying to eat more during the day. After a week or two of this diet I would have thought that my energy levels would perk up. No such luck. In fact I feel even worse. My wife told me that I needed to get a physical and get a full blood work up. I actually listened to her and made an appointement.
So I went to the doc's office and he checked me out. My blood pressure was great. They weighed me with my clothes on and I got a lttle perturbed. I mean I'm a distance runner. Weight is a big deal for us. They just thought I was crazy. I looked at the nurse and told her that I run marathons, of course I'm crazy.
Then the masochist nurse stuck me with a bunch of needles and drew a bunch of blood and I was done. The doc was supposed to call me the next morning. He called and said that everything looked real good except for my hemoglobin count was 13. Ok Doc, what does that mean to me. Well he said that hemoglobin is how the blood carries oxygen to the muscles. If my hemoglobin is low then I can't get as much oxygen to my muscles. My performance will suffer and I would feel tired. I might look pale. Hey Doc that's me! I feel like that. He said that he was going to run a few more tests and call me later. He said not to worry because it is a fairly common occurance in distance runners.
Hopefully this at least explains some things. Now I just gotta fix it.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
MAN - I'M TIRED
I had a great week, until Saturday. I had been running in th evenings and ran great all week. I had a long 10 miler Friday afternoon and was scheduled to run with my running group on Saturday. My group starts at 6:00am and they meet about 15 minutes from my house. I normally get up at 5:00am to meet my group. The alarm clock went off and I couldn't get up.
My legs just hadn't recovered from my 10 miles that I had run only 12 hours earlier. I layed in bed and heard the cold wind howling. I just felt so tired..............I turned the alarm clock off and went back to bed. I woke up later at around 7:00am with my two boys yelling, "Yea Daddy's here! Get up and make us breakfast!." I spent the rest of the day doing stuff with the boys. It was good having a guy day.
But this meant that I missed my mileage for the week and my 6 day streak. I feel really bad and disappointed in myself for missing this critical workout so early in the training cycle. Sunday afternoon I spent some time thinkng about the week and how I could make next week more successfull. The main thing I decided was that just because a mileage is written down on my weekly plan doesn't mean that I am going to run the plan. I have to schedule the run into my life.
I am a busy businessman and I schedule my entire life. From now on I am going to schedule my runs just like I would a meeting. I am going to think about my next day's workout and I am going to think about recovery time and rest time. Good plan, now I just have to stick with it.
Last week was really warm outside and I took full advantage of the weather and ran outside everyday. This week is really cold and in Virginia the low 30's is really cold. I decided to hit the gym and run on the treadmill's and stay warm. I ran 10 miles yesterday and it wasn't so bad. I ran the first 4 in front of the tv and the last 6 with the ipod. Today I ran a 6 mile tempo run and I really think that the treadmill might be the way for me to get my speed and endurance up. I ran 7:30's tonight and they didn't feel that tough. I ran the last mile in 7:00's and the last 800 in 6:40. The people in the gym thought that I was crazy.
Two days down and four to go. Scheduled for a 20 miler this weekend. Need to start thinking about that run and how I am going to make it a successful run.
My legs just hadn't recovered from my 10 miles that I had run only 12 hours earlier. I layed in bed and heard the cold wind howling. I just felt so tired..............I turned the alarm clock off and went back to bed. I woke up later at around 7:00am with my two boys yelling, "Yea Daddy's here! Get up and make us breakfast!." I spent the rest of the day doing stuff with the boys. It was good having a guy day.
But this meant that I missed my mileage for the week and my 6 day streak. I feel really bad and disappointed in myself for missing this critical workout so early in the training cycle. Sunday afternoon I spent some time thinkng about the week and how I could make next week more successfull. The main thing I decided was that just because a mileage is written down on my weekly plan doesn't mean that I am going to run the plan. I have to schedule the run into my life.
I am a busy businessman and I schedule my entire life. From now on I am going to schedule my runs just like I would a meeting. I am going to think about my next day's workout and I am going to think about recovery time and rest time. Good plan, now I just have to stick with it.
Last week was really warm outside and I took full advantage of the weather and ran outside everyday. This week is really cold and in Virginia the low 30's is really cold. I decided to hit the gym and run on the treadmill's and stay warm. I ran 10 miles yesterday and it wasn't so bad. I ran the first 4 in front of the tv and the last 6 with the ipod. Today I ran a 6 mile tempo run and I really think that the treadmill might be the way for me to get my speed and endurance up. I ran 7:30's tonight and they didn't feel that tough. I ran the last mile in 7:00's and the last 800 in 6:40. The people in the gym thought that I was crazy.
Two days down and four to go. Scheduled for a 20 miler this weekend. Need to start thinking about that run and how I am going to make it a successful run.
Friday, January 11, 2008
ENDURANCE MESOCYCLE
Tomorrow morning is a long run and completes my first week of serious training in 2008. I haven't ran 6 days in row in a long time. I have felt that my legs were a little tired and sore in the mornings but all and all I have felt exceptionally well. My ankle joints have hurt more than anything but no serious problems just soreness. I have had a time getting out of bed a couple of days this week.
My goal is qualifying for the Boston Marathon. When the 2009 race occurs I will be 37. My qualifing time will be 3 hours and 15 minutes. That averages 7:20 for 26.2 miles. My training and goal pace is to break 3:00 hours or a 6:52 pace. I want to train so that I can maintain a 6:50 pace. If something happens during the race and I slow I should still be able to finish in 3:15. At least that's the plan right now.
Sounds simple enough on paper. Last year my PR was a 3:45 at Richmond. It felt painful and I walked an awful lot during the last 8 miles. I know I have an 3:30 in me right now if I can just get it out of me. The Shamrock Marathon is on March 16, 2008. I am training using a short 12 week plan that should get me to the finish line in under 3:30. This will serve as my baseline for the summer training and will help me determine my starting point for a fall sub 3:00 attempt.
My Shamrock training plan will peak at 70 miles per week. That will serve as a good test for what kind of mileage I can handle during the hot summer months. I should have around 40 weeks after Shamrock until a December attempt. Right now I am thinking about spending 20 weeks building up my endurance, strength, and speed while continually keeping my mileage around 70 miles per week. Then I am planning an 18 week training plan that will take me straight to Boston.
Last year I ran one day a week speedwork sessions. I am planning on twice a week speed or hill workouts. The problem is that all of the running clubs do intervals on Wednesday nights, and that just makes scheduling a second hard week difficult. I've got plenty of time to figur that out.
The key to being succesful this year is going to be consistancy and sticking to the plan. No sleeping in, no skipping days. The only way to Boston is with mileage, lots of mileage. I am going to use the hard day easy day technique. And every third week is going to be a fall back week where I cut my mileage back.
My goal is qualifying for the Boston Marathon. When the 2009 race occurs I will be 37. My qualifing time will be 3 hours and 15 minutes. That averages 7:20 for 26.2 miles. My training and goal pace is to break 3:00 hours or a 6:52 pace. I want to train so that I can maintain a 6:50 pace. If something happens during the race and I slow I should still be able to finish in 3:15. At least that's the plan right now.
Sounds simple enough on paper. Last year my PR was a 3:45 at Richmond. It felt painful and I walked an awful lot during the last 8 miles. I know I have an 3:30 in me right now if I can just get it out of me. The Shamrock Marathon is on March 16, 2008. I am training using a short 12 week plan that should get me to the finish line in under 3:30. This will serve as my baseline for the summer training and will help me determine my starting point for a fall sub 3:00 attempt.
My Shamrock training plan will peak at 70 miles per week. That will serve as a good test for what kind of mileage I can handle during the hot summer months. I should have around 40 weeks after Shamrock until a December attempt. Right now I am thinking about spending 20 weeks building up my endurance, strength, and speed while continually keeping my mileage around 70 miles per week. Then I am planning an 18 week training plan that will take me straight to Boston.
Last year I ran one day a week speedwork sessions. I am planning on twice a week speed or hill workouts. The problem is that all of the running clubs do intervals on Wednesday nights, and that just makes scheduling a second hard week difficult. I've got plenty of time to figur that out.
The key to being succesful this year is going to be consistancy and sticking to the plan. No sleeping in, no skipping days. The only way to Boston is with mileage, lots of mileage. I am going to use the hard day easy day technique. And every third week is going to be a fall back week where I cut my mileage back.
Monday, December 31, 2007
New Year - New Goals - Same Older Body
This time of year is always a time of reflection and a time to set new goals for the upcoming year. All runners and endurance athletes are completely obsessed with goal setting so this is a really important time for me. What do I hope to accomplish this year? Let's see:
5k - Break 20:00 minutes. I just want to be in the 19's. I know that I have the speed it's just picking the right race on the right day.
10k - Break 43 minutes. I don't race many 10k's so I don't even know if I will have a race to reach my goal but if I do run one my goal will be to run it in 43.
Half marathon time: 1:35:00. Ok this one is important if I'm going to even have a shot at my next goal.
Mararthon time: 3:15:00. This is my Boston Qualifier time. I know that I have the ability and the talent it is just a question of having the discipline to put the miles in. If I can consistenly run 60 to 70 miles a week for most of the summer then I should be able to BQ. If I don't hit the miles then it just isn't going to happen.
Training - Run every day, at least one mile for all of 2008. My problem with training is that I start missing days and then I keep missing days. If I get a streak going then it will be really hard for me to break that streak. I would also like to work up to 70 miles a week and keep it there. I regularly get 50 mile weeks in so getting up to 50 shouldn't be that big of a deal.
Swim Training - Swim three days a week.
Bike Training - Bike three days a week.
Triathlons - Compete in a sprint, an olympic and a half iron man this year. Not worried about times I just want to experience the sport this week and learn a lot so that I can really focus on the sport next year.
5k - Break 20:00 minutes. I just want to be in the 19's. I know that I have the speed it's just picking the right race on the right day.
10k - Break 43 minutes. I don't race many 10k's so I don't even know if I will have a race to reach my goal but if I do run one my goal will be to run it in 43.
Half marathon time: 1:35:00. Ok this one is important if I'm going to even have a shot at my next goal.
Mararthon time: 3:15:00. This is my Boston Qualifier time. I know that I have the ability and the talent it is just a question of having the discipline to put the miles in. If I can consistenly run 60 to 70 miles a week for most of the summer then I should be able to BQ. If I don't hit the miles then it just isn't going to happen.
Training - Run every day, at least one mile for all of 2008. My problem with training is that I start missing days and then I keep missing days. If I get a streak going then it will be really hard for me to break that streak. I would also like to work up to 70 miles a week and keep it there. I regularly get 50 mile weeks in so getting up to 50 shouldn't be that big of a deal.
Swim Training - Swim three days a week.
Bike Training - Bike three days a week.
Triathlons - Compete in a sprint, an olympic and a half iron man this year. Not worried about times I just want to experience the sport this week and learn a lot so that I can really focus on the sport next year.
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