Saturday, March 31, 2007

Extra Baggage

I just walked in the door after a week in Kansas City for some work-related training. My first stop after getting hugs and kisses a-plenty was the bathroom scale. It looks like I brought home some extra baggage, about 10 lbs. worth. Could that be right? I think it actually IS right. I joked around with my classmates this week that I was consuming TWICE the calories I normally consume at home. Well, today's results now show that it wasn't a joke at all. If fact, it was more likely a very conservative estimate.

I HATE TRAVELING!!!

Back to work!!!

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Burnin' Rubber in KC

Well, maybe "Burnin' Quads in KC" would be a more a propos title. I set out from the Hyatt last night for an easy 3-5 miles, just wanting to take it easy and explore a bit. Instead of running into the heart of downtown towards the Missouri River, I decided to stay to the south, near the hotel.

Through a quarter mile, I was feeling my oats, not having run since Saturday. Turning south onto Main St., a foreboding hill appeared suddenly before me. Part of me really wanted to just keep heading west and skip the hill but I was sort of trapped by the tangle of intersecting freeways and underpasses in that direction. So, my choice was to backtrack or take the hill. I took the hill.

Obviously, I slowed to a crawl as I trudged up the hill. Still, not an "old Vic" crawl but rather a steady, strong 14 minute/mile push. I looked for relief at each intersection, hoping that the sidestreets would provide a recovery, but at every light, the climb continued. It was like Main street was in the trough of a big drainage pipe.

I finally came to the crest of the hill and turned to the left, onto rolling neighborhood streets. It was a beautiful evening. The neighborhoods were decorated with a variety of flowering trees. Pink, white, even purple. In total, I think I climbed steadily for about 1 mile. My thighs definitely were spent. Still, I kept thinking that what comes up must come down. The route back to the hotel took me down a very short stretch of steep, steep downhill. Then, the rest of the trip back to the hotel was a lot more gentle of a slope than the uphill portions that had just torn my thighs up. I was glad because I didn't really feel like pounding down a long stretch of extreme downhill.

Total miles were just under 3 but it was a good workout. This evening, I think I'll do 3 or 4 easy on the treadmill at the hotel. There's really not any place to run around town that isn't very hilly and I need a recovery day.

Can't wait to get back to the flatlands of Houston.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

"20 miles and I feel and look AWESOME!!!"

Before my readers jump for joy for me, you should know that the title of this post didn't come from me. They're from my good friend and inspiration, Reuben, who I ran into (not literally) this morning during my FUN 3 miler. Yes, that's right, 3 miles. Got a problem with that? :o)

Well, let me just get this out of the way because frankly, it's a relief to announce it to the world. The Pig is dead!!! I surrender. I'm not enjoying training for this marathon and I refuse to let my running become a chore. Plus, I don't want to be so wiped out when I return in May that I'm not ready and PUMPED to start training for the BIG SHOW next January. So, lesson learned. I seriously doubt I'll ever opt for a Spring marathon again. I have really missed racing and running with my friends this Spring. Hopefully, there's still time left to have some fun and enjoy getting back to basics. I still may travel to Cinci and do the half. I've already registered and bought my plane ticket. We'll see. I'd like to take hotel and food money and get me one of these:

Like I said, I had a lot of fun this morning. I only did 3 miles but it was a brisk 3. One loop plus change in 37:45, an average 12:35 pace. I pushed it a little but wasn't gasping so I'm qualifying this as an easy run. Well, maybe it was somewhere between easy and tempo. Either way, it was fun to see all the hot and sweaty peeps out there gettin' fit. Looking forward to running in KC this week. I'll be there for work. Later!!!

Monday, March 19, 2007

A Real Recovery Run

Easy 2 miles this morning at about 13:30 pace. The goal this morning was just to get some blood flowing to the legs and to get ready for some good training this week. The aches and pains leftover from Saturday are all but gone. It was a beautiful morning. Good to see Erin out there. Have a great day everyone!!!

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Recovering nicely!!!

The nagging pain across my foot that brought me to a slow stroll yesterday at mile 16 seems to have subsided. Just the regular "day after" pain now. The whole family went out for a lovely stroll this evening which served as a nice recovery cross-training session for me. We walked about 1.5 miles in about 25 minutes. Just what the doctor ordered.

I ate well today. No overdoing it. Rang up about 2200 calories. One day at a time, right? So, same thing tomorrow. I hate the ups and downs but I'm really feeling motivated going into this week. The doubts from yesterday seem to have faded a little bit and I'm feeling that there still may be hope for the Pig. I just need to get my expectations for training under control. I need to understand that this isn't November in Houston, TX and the pre-marathon buzz that was so much fun is just not going to be there. I need to just enjoy this weather and figure out how to get through these last few solo long runs before May comes. Fortunately, this is a good week to regroup as it's a cutback week. So, basically, it 3 easy days, a semi-long run, and a 13-miler on Saturday. I can do this.

Thanks coach and Bessie for the encouragement today. And others, too. See you out there.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

16 miles. Let HIM out!!!

My goal this morning for my 16 mile run was to work on managing my run. By that, I mean I wanted to plan and manage my breaks and account for them in my splits and work to keep the pace after the breaks while not worrying about "catching up." I wanted to keep my pace between 14:15 and 14:30.

I think I did a pretty good job and I'm pleased with the run overall. Towards the end, I got a severe pain across the top of my foot. I wonder if my shoe was too tight or something. It still hurts tonight. I'm hoping it will go away tonight while I sleep. Here are the splits. As you can see, except for the breaks and the last mile and a half where I had to walk to get to the car, I kept a pretty consistent pace.

Splits - 14:04 / 14:18 / 14:28 / 16:21(extended bathroom break at Post Oak Starbucks) / 15:21(water, stretching at Pilgrim's on San Felipe / 14:20 / 14:22 / 14:25 / 14:30 / 14:23 / 14:45(water) / 14:13 / 15:48(water, bathroom break at Starbuck's on Memorial) / 14:14 / 18:50 / 23:32

I'm really in a funk lately with the running. Actually, it's not the running, it's really just the marathon training. I'm just not excited about this one and frankly tired of worrying about it. Unfortunately and strangely, I didn't enjoy myself this morning at all. I don't know what it is. I'm just not into training for this race. I'm afraid that this is not a good attitude to have just 50 days out from a marathon but I'm just tired.

One of my new goals this year is to "let the runner out." I'm talking about the runner that I know is in me somewhere. I don't know how I'm going to tell when the runner comes out but I know one thing. I'll never see him while I still weigh 295 lbs. And I'm not going to be able to take off this weight if I don't have a positive attitude about my running or if it becomes a chore. Frankly, I'd like to forget about the Pig and just get back to enjoying running, doing some cross training, concentrating on my nutrition, and enjoying my Saturday's again, not spending the whole day in bed after hammering a long, long run.

I know I may feel differently in the morning but right not, I feel like getting back to basics. AND...I miss running and racing with my friends. I'm definitely more motivated when I'm running with friends. Guess I'm a social runner. :o) But these long solo runs and not training with anyone is bumming me out.

I hope this isn't too much of downer post. I'm really ok. I just have some things to think about.

Monday, March 12, 2007

A bad one

Some days you've got it. Some days you don't. I'm not going to sweat it. My 17-miler yesterday was not a good run. Don't know why. I felt good through about 12 miles but fell apart running back along Allen Parkway. I think I need to get reacclimated to the heat and the sun beating down on my head and shoulders.

One thing good that came out of the post 13 mile crash is I practiced a new strategy. Last January, when the urge to quit came, I stopped a lot. Yesterday, I decided when the going got tough to at least do 5/1's a la JulyBug. Rather than just stopping completely and bending over with my hands on my knees, like I wanted to do, I kept putting one foot in front of the other. And even though I was reduced to a jog, I didn't waste any time at a dead standstill.

Frankly, I wish I was in Cincinatti, training in 30 degree temps on the hills and the course that I'm going to be doing the marathon on, getting familiar with the terrain and feeling a little more comfortable about the course. We are planning a tour of the course on Saturday. A driving tour of course. :o)

I'm not real confident in my fitness right now and have a lot of doubts about the marathon. Only this time, I know that's normal. I think my one shot at a stellar race is to be about 12-15 lbs lighter by the time the gun sounds. So, I'm really goign to be concentrating on my calories and nutrition between now and May 6. Hopefully, that will give me the edge I need to PR.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

LET HIM OUT!!!

Working on one of my 2007 goals, I carved another notch in my spring volunteer schedule providing CPR/AED support for this morning's Bayou City Classic. The great thing about working these races is that is doesn't seem like work at all. If fact, it's a blast!!!

I got up in the wee hours and made my way downtown, WAY ahead of schedule. I had time to stop for a coffee and made it downtown to our meeting place just in time to see the sun rise on the foggy Houston skyline. It was a beautiful morning. After Dr. Bob issued our gear, I made it over to the start to talk trash with the Striders and check out the way cool centipede costumes. I'm still trying to figure out what Steeeve, Steve, James, Lou, John, Chris, and some others were supposed to be. They were painted head to toe with non-sweat-proof body paint. Some were blue. Some were red. Some were yellow (I think). I think they were supposed to be some kind of candy. Looked like Dots to me. Pony and Barb and company put together a dog sled centipede and were making the most interesting noises. The all looked cute. My favorite (sorry guys) was the snakes on planes centipede featuring Lee, Andrea, and Dusty among others. Oh, and I got to bring 2 of the snakes home for the kids to play with.

On the course, I had a blast, oh, I mean I worked hard. I was so glad to see my running buddy, Jo, making her spring debut after taking a break from the cold weather. She sure hasn't lost a step and ran a great race. Steve Schroeder looked shockingly fast!!! It looked like there was some serious talent out for this one with the winner coming in 31:21. It looks like everyone had a great day, and smiles, trash talking, food, and fun were in no short supply at the post-race festivities.

I had a chance to talk some to David and Jenny who were out riding and taking pictures. We were talking about running and David said something that I've really been thinking about. We were talking about improving as a runner and I was dreaming out loud about a sub-4 hour marathon one day many years from now. We mentioned what incredible progress SteveB had made and I wondered if I would ever reach the kind of potential that SteveB has reached and is still surpassing. David said something that I've really been thinking about. He said, "Vic, there's a runner in there and all you need to do is LET HIM OUT!!!" I think David's just come up with my theme for 2008. If there is a runner in here somewhere, I want to do whatever I can to LET HIM OUT!!! So, look out 2008, I'm coming out!!! Woah, hope no one takes that wrong.

LET HIM OUT!!!

Working on one of my 2007 goals, I carved another notch in my spring volunteer schedule providing CPR/AED support for this morning's Bayou City Classic. The great thing about working these races is that is doesn't seem like work at all. If fact, it's a blast!!!

I got up in the wee hours and made my way downtown, WAY ahead of schedule. I had time to stop for a coffee and made it downtown to our meeting place just in time to see the sun rise on the foggy Houston skyline. It was a beautiful morning. After Dr. Bob issued our gear, I made it over to the start to talk trash with the Striders and check out the way cool centipede costumes. I'm still trying to figure out what Steeeve, Steve, James, Lou, John, Chris, and some others were supposed to be. They were painted head to toe with non-sweat-proof body paint. Some were blue. Some were red. Some were yellow (I think). I think they were supposed to be some kind of candy. Looked like Dots to me. Pony and Barb and company put together a dog sled centipede and were making the most interesting noises. The all looked cute. My favorite (sorry guys) was the snakes on planes centipede featuring Lee, Andrea, and Dusty among others. Oh, and I got to bring 2 of the snakes home for the kids to play with.

On the course, I had a blast, oh, I mean I worked hard. I was so glad to see my running buddy, Jo, making her spring debut after taking a break from the cold weather. She sure hasn't lost a step and ran a great race. Steve Schroeder looked shockingly fast!!! It looked like there was some serious talent out for this one with the winner coming in 31:21. It looks like everyone had a great day, and smiles, trash talking, food, and fun were in no short supply at the post-race festivities.

I had a chance to talk some to David and Jenny who were out riding and taking pictures. We were talking about running and David said something that I've really been thinking about. We were talking about improving as a runner and I was dreaming out loud about a sub-4 hour marathon one day many years from now. We mentioned what incredible progress SteveB had made and I wondered if I would ever reach the kind of potential that SteveB has reached and is still surpassing. David said something that I've really been thinking about. He said, "Vic, there's a runner in there and all you need to do is LET HIM OUT!!!" I think David's just come up with my theme for 2008. If there is a runner in here somewhere, I want to do whatever I can to LET HIM OUT!!! So, look out 2008, I'm coming out!!! Woah, hope no one takes that wrong.

Tuesday, March 06, 2007

What's going on with ME?

This morning's 8-miler left me dumbfounded. I don't quite know what to think. What's gotten into me? I just don't know.

First of all let me clarify the graphic from yesterday's post. It may look hilly but it was by no means hilly in the tru sense of the word. Be sure to look at the scale on the side. Also, realize the the whole 3 miles was compressed to fit the X-axis so it looks more drastic than it really was. Plus, the accuracy of the Garmin on such a gentle slope is questionable. The only meaningful part of that graphic is that it sort of shows where the incline starts and how far it lasts until it levels off. That's all.

Now, on to this morning's run. Well, for the first time in a long time, I awoke with some motivation. No snooze. Up on the first alarm. I had a quick breakfast and headed out. I had 8 miles on the schedule for this morning and the weather was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. I figured since I ran pretty hard last night that this would just be an easy, mid-long run at my LSD effort. After stretching, I took off and felt pretty good, pretty strong. I had an awesome run! Not a lot to say so I'll let the stats speak for themselves.

Total distance - 8.0 miles
Total time - 1:42:01
Splits - 13:47 / 13:22 / 12:48 / 12:34 / 12:33 / 12:25 / 12:37 / 11:52
Avg. pace - 12:45

That last mile was for you, coach. Very manly, huh?

So, this run has me perplexed. I just wonder why, after several weeks of slacking, lack of motivation, sore ankles, not feeling like getting up in the morning, putting on a few extra pounds, do I all of a sudden feel like a million bucks? It's like I'M BACK!!! What made the difference?

Is it possible that I'm just NOW starting to feel my oats after the marathon? Could it really take 7 weeks to recover from that beating? I wonder. Regardless, I'm feeling good and back it full training mode. No more hard running this week until Saturday's 17-miler. I'll sneak in an easy 4 miler tomorrow and maybe a 60-90 minute run on Thursday.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Piddly little 3 miles and a new fun route

The times I've run in my neighborhood, I've usually made things a little more complicated than they needed to be. I'm always making a turn and then doubling back or tacking on a loop around one of the lakes. That's fine and dandy if I'm out on an adventure and not really concerned with getting back home to wash clothes, eat supper, help the kids with homework, visit with DW, etc. Tonight, I needed something straightforward. Just a simple, Memorial Park-like loop that I could run and just get 'er done.

I think in running this route tonight that I may have stumbled on a pretty good workout and that I'll be running this a lot. The "fun" part of the loop comes at about the 1.75 mile point, just as I'm getting warmed up. The street starts this gentle incline that continues for a little under half a mile. It's nothing drastic but right at the end, maybe the last 300 yards or so, the grade increases just a bit and then levels off at the cul-de-sac. Makes for a nice little mini-tempo/hill leg and makes for a well-deserved cooldown that last mile. Here's a graphic of the elevation.

So, here are the stats
Total distance - 3.0 miles
Total time - 39:11 Splits - 13:17 / 12:35 / 13:17
Average pace - 13:04

I'm feeling pretty good, especially considering the ~16 miler on Saturday. Actually, I FEEL GREAT!!! I only did 3 tonight because I'm planning on 8 in the morning. Which brings me to goodnight!!!

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Oh, now I remember...

It's all coming back to me now. Spending Saturday afternoon in bed because I can't walk. Being so hungry I could eat a horse. Cramps. Aches. Pains. It's the Saturday long run, now showing at a theater near you.

I finally got that 15 miler in that I was supposed to do last weekend. Actually, it was 15.75 which comes awful close to 16 in some people's log books. I got a very civilized start at around 8 am. I wanted to start a lot earlier but for some reason my alarm clock was on PM and not AM. At least I was rested.

All went well. I did a modified River Oaks plus GRB route, then back the long way to the tennis center. The modification to the River Oaks leg took me down a couple of wrong turns. It was nice though. What a beautiful part of Houston. The lawns and flowers were in peak shape and the homes are so beautiful. I'm kind of glad I got lost a bit. I saw some areas I'd never seen before. The deeper you get into River Oaks, the more beautiful and BIG the homes seem to get. Oh, and the GRB leg wasnt' quite to GRB. I turned around at the Sabine bridge after a drink and a Gu.

I made it to Shepard and Kirby feeling GREAT!!! I decided on the out that I would take a little different approach to the hills than I usually do. I'm usually shuffling up even the slightest incline, maintaining my effort to the top. Today, I attacked those hills. No, not a sprint but just a strong push up, maintaining my pace all the way. It really felt good but I ended up paying for it during miles 14-15.

Another familiar feeling that I havent' experienced since January 14th was the urge to just quit. I was really feeling it by the time I got to the Memorial loop. I resisted the urge to run the short leg back to the tennis center and headed on around the long way, sticking to the plan. I'm glad I did. I've cut too many runs short since January and it was a good feeling to finish one.

Here are the stats:
Total distance - 15.75 miles
Total time - 3:47:52
Splits - 14:26 / 14:06 / 13:47 / 14:37 / 14:24 / 14:22 / 14:25 / 14:23 / 13:56 / 14:17 / 13:43 / 15:20 / 15:04 / 14:50 / 15:12 / 10:52 (15:00 pace)
Average pace - 14:29

I also did something different on my splits and recording my time. I usually stop my Garmin when I stop for water or stop for a stretch or to use the bathroom. Today, I just let it run. I think that's more in line with an actual race and also keeps things real. I know coach bragged in a comment a couple of weeks ago about my sub-14 average pace for 14 miles but that actually was a bit misleading since I stopped the Garmin at every break. I need to keep it more real so that I know what to expect come race day (if that makes sense).