6 tough miles

Make that 5.8. :) It's been a long, long, long time since I actually ran the distance I set out to run. Well, is 7 weeks really that long a time? Seems like FOREVER to me. It wasn't pretty but I got 'er done and had fun doing it.

The crowds were thick at Memorial Park and so was the air. The breeze couldn't quite decide which way to blow. At times it was right in my face and man, did that feel good!!! Other times it was still. I plodded along at >14 min pace but kept fairly consistent through mile 4. I took a couple of walk breaks and finished the last .5 at a bit faster clip. I don't have any splits as the Garmin was powerless. Total time from the watch was 1:26. I'm like SteveB. I wish the Garmin had an auto-off. But I guess that wouldn't make sense. It would be powering down in the middle of a run.

So, I'm on plan through Monday (Day 1). Starting the week off on plan is a good start. hmmm...don't know if that makes sense. Here's what the rest of the week looks like.

More pondering the previous post...

From re-reading the previous post, I don't think I did a very good job conveying the point of my previous post. The point was not about why running is NOT important enough to commit a lot of time to. The point was why, for me, running IS an important part of my life and why I think it is important enough to commit much time and energy to. You see, for me, running for the sake of running frankly does nothing for me. I guess you would say in that respect, I'm not a purist. It's how running affects other aspects of my life, my "real" priorities if you will, that motivates me to put in the time and effort it takes to improve.

For a time, in my younger years, basketball was my priority. I was a purist when it came to basketball. I played every day. I watched as many baskeetball games as I possibly could. And I was good. I could play pretty much with the best of 'em. One time, the Celtics were in town and a few of the players came over to my church to practice. Scott Wedman, Rick Carlisle, and Greg Kite were at the gym and needed one more for a game of 2-on-2. Now, I'm not saying I was NBA material but I actually held my own and had a couple of nice assists to Greg who slammed it home. I could just hear Johnny Most..."Kaiser comes down the court, between the legs, fake. He threads the needle passing to Kite...SLAM!!!!" I got started with basketball a little (the middle of my sophomore year) or I would have definitely played college ball. Basketball was plainly and simply a priority in my life. Maybe #1 or #2.

Then, when I joined the Navy and started working nights at the Naval Hospital in Groton, CT, golf became my "thing." I'd work nights, play golf during the day. In between, I'd sleep a little. I even practiced putting in the lab at work when things were slow during the wee hours. Golf was my #1 priority, I must admit. Really, nothing else mattered to me.

So, my point is that I spent a lot of time playing basketball. I spent a lot of time at golf in the past as well. But the reason I spent that time is that those things were priorities in my life. They were tops. With running, though it's different. No, I'm not saying I spend any less time running. I'm not saying I'm not committed to the sport. I'm not saying I don't want to take the time to do the hard work that it takes to get better. I'm not saying it's not important to me. Quite the opposite. I will put in the time. I will push myself. I will study the sport. I will invest in good equipment. I will get up early or stay late or whatever it takes to get better but not because running in and of itself is a priority in my life. Not because it's #1 or #2 like basketball and golf were. It's because I believe running makes me a better father, a better husband, a better employee, a better friend, and a better disciple of Christ. I make running "a priority" because of how it enhances my "real" priorities.

I hope that explains the previous post. It wasn't a "I'm not running much lately because I'm busy and have other priorities and my kids come first and my job comes first and God comes first" kind of post. I was trying to convey my thoughts on how running fits into MY life and why I think it's important enough to spend Saturday mornings doing long runs, to get up at the butt-crack of dawn for an easy 3 miler before work, to race and try to PR every time, to set goals, to take time off from work the Monday after a long, long training run, to spend money on good equipment, to put in 10 to sometimes 15 hours a week driving to the park, stretching, doing a training run, stretching some more, driving back home. Running is a thread that weaves through so many aspects of my life and improves my relationships and my work. That's why I do it. That's what motivates me. Now, I'm all fired up and may just go out in the hall and do a few laps aroun the 10th floor here.

Later!

Pondering

Saturday night on the way home from my 3 miler, I was thinking about how people find time to run and train. I thought about Christy and Barbara who don't just juggle career, family, school, church, and fitness but excel at them. How do these superwomen do it?

I guess it really comes down to setting priorities. For some, its God, family, career, then running. For others, it's career, education, family, then running. For others, it's running, running, running, and then more running. What a life!!!

For me, I look at running a little differently. I think it goes back to my mantra, a kind of mission statement if you will where running is concerned. I'm most successful when running is woven through ALL my priorities as part of "a healthy lifestyle with running as a key component." Where my spiritual life is concerned, running equips me for His service. Also, I see caring for my body as an act of thanksgiving for the gift that God has given me. Running makes me a better employee. I have more energy and think more clearly. It affects my family as I have more energy when we are together and am setting a good example for my kids. Not to mention the fact that I'll probably live a lot longer as my health improves and running is key there. Socailly, I have created and developed many real and lasting relationships through running and have so many fond memories and shared experiences with friends. Running makes me more patient, more calm, more thoughtful.

This framework seems to work well for me. I'm afraid that if running was an item on a list of priorities, I would end up at one of two extremes. I'd either be obsessed with running or I wouldn't run at all. It's just how I'm wired. Looking at running and a healthy lifestyle as a consistent thread that affects all my priorities works well for me. Now, that's not to say that I'm not goal oriented. I have lofty goals when it comes to running and on any given day, to be able to reach those goals, I'll certainly have to prioritize. But by keeping my eye on the bigger picture, it's been easier for me to find that balance.

Ok, on to business. This last week didn't turn out like I had planned.

I'm not making excuses but I was single parenting last week (wifey was working out of town) and for Thurdsay and Friday was fighting the crud.

.

This week looks good. I'm going to tackle a 6 miler this evening after work. I'm going to have to slow down and get 'er done. It's hard to run >14 min pace. It feels like such a regression but I've got to start back somewhere. Maybe a manly sub-13, back-to-the-barn mile 6 will make me feel better after 5 at 14:30 or so. Anyway, we'll see. For now, I'm just planning on pulling out the old slow and steady for tonight's run.

Here's what the rest of the week looks like.

Later!

Kick in the Butt!!!

I was laid back in the recliner this afternoon reading the new issue of Runners World that's been sitting on my dresser for about a week. Lo and Behold, the cover told the story and was just what I needed. "101 Kicks in the Butt" was right there on the cover. After skimming through 38, when I got to 39, I immediately got my shoes on and took off out the door. :) Well, not quite. I still had some "chores" to do but ended up doing an easy 3 miles late this evening.

I've been sick the last couple of days. GI issues. I actually had to go home from work on Friday because I felt so bad. On the way home, I happened to catch Spiderman 3 on IMAX. :) So, I guess the day was half sick day and half playing hookie. I think God punished me for the hookie part 'cause I spent much of the remainder of the day in the bathroom. I felt better this morning but not well enough to make the planned long run with June. Of course, I really wasn't going to run WITH June but you know what I mean. We were both going to be out there and meet up for breakfast. I was really looking forward to that. Sorry, June!!! Another time, k?

So, I did 3 miles this evening. The main goal tonight was to just not mess my pants. LOL!!! It had been about 12 hours since the last "episode" but I wasn't completely confident that once I got running, my "issue" would rear it's ugly head making for a very uncomfortable and embarassing trip home. So, no problems though as I made my way around. I felt relaxed. It was hot and humid. Wonder how many times in the next few months we'll all be saying that.

I felt good. I've definitely lost some fitness and strength but that's to be expected. I actually felt like a long(er) run tonight but didn't want my first in a week to be a long run so I settled for 3. I think after 3 or 4 good runs during this coming week, I'll be ready for an easy, slow 7 or 8 miler on Saturday.

25 by end of May

Here's my plan to get back to 25 miles per week by the end of May.

Sound reasonable? At that point, with a decent base, I'll probably add one quality workout into my week, mixing it up with tempo runs, maybe some hill work. That should keep me soaked in sweat through the summer months and in good shape to start marathon training in August.

Striders Strutters Strut at BIG BAYOU BASH!!!

The Strider Strutters relay team composed of yours truly, Dusty, George, and Bill didn't set any course records this morning but I for one had an awesome time. Around 100 Striders were treated to beautiful Spring racing weather this morning for the Bayou Bash Relay, put on by Al Lawrence Running Club.

This was a new venue for the Bayou Bash. It was my first go at the race and I had a lot of fun. I ran the C leg of the race and handed off to Bill, our anchor man and keeper of the speed for our team. Acutally, Dusty is running really well of late and probably would give Mister Bill a run for his money in a head-to-head race. George and I brought in the B and C legs respecively giving up a little ground but running well nonetheless. When Bill asked me how long I was going to be, I took a stab in the dark and replied, "Oh, around 12 minute pace." The course was about 2.1 miles so Bill said he'd be looking for the handoff after around 24 minutes. When I told him that, I really wasn't serious and thought I was waaaaaay underestimating my pace, but a guy has to dream every once in a while.

I stretched for a good 20 minutes before heading over to the transition area. Even though I didn't do a warmup, I still felt good and loose when I started. I looked down at the Garmin through the first .1 or .25 and I was around 10 minute/mile pace. I didn't worry too much about going out that fast. I figured I would settle down as I got further along. Besides, in a 2-mile race, you don't really have to worry too much about going out too fast and bonking. At least that's the way I approached it. Kind of like a mile time trial.

I ended up Finishing the 2.1 in 24:50. Depending on the acutal distance (2.07 - 2.1), That was an average 11:50 - 12:00 pace. I'm please with that. Certainly, the nice weather had a lot to do with my running well. It sure hasn't been my "training."

Notables included July's first ever sub-9 minute mile and two speedy sub-6:30 miles by SteveB. Oh, and it was great to meet fellow blogger and Strider, Red Daisy. Very cool to meet you finally and I look forward to seeing you out out on the circuit this year. Lotsa good running this morning by all. Congratulations to ALRC for a great event.

Longest Long Run...

... in about 5 weeks. Also, it was the hottest, muggiest long run in about 6 months. Still, I'm not complaining at all. The mission tonight was to sweep out the cobwebs, loosen things up and do a nice, easy run to get the juices flowing. Mission accomplished!!!

I did a lot of stretching pre-run. I'm really in knots from not running much. I stopped a few times along the way to make sure to stay loose and I took 5 or so minutes post-run to stretch it out as well.

Even though I logged a dismal 2.5 miles this past weekend, it wasn't a total bust. I actually sustained good nutrition and moderate calories through the entire weekend. I only ran a little but stayed active, working in the yard, playing with the kids and working in the house...and the scale showed it. A good moderate weight loss through Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. About a pound or so.

I was going to start this past weekend with a 10 miler on Saturday but thought that may not be the smartest "first" run in over a week. So, I did that short run and am going to get in a full week of training this week starting with tonight's 4.25 miles. I'll get a couple more of those in, throw in the Bayou Bash Relay and possibly the FOS 5K for a ~18-20 mile week. That'll be a good jumping on point to really get my base back to where I want it to be through the summer. I gotta let the runner out!!!

A unique event and good times with friends

Even though this was my first LP Run, the night felt like old times visiting with Striders and friends I haven't seen in way too long.

The LP run is definitely unlike any other race I've ever run or even heard of. My final result wasn't a time. In fact, I finished the race in the same time as John Yoder and David Minken. How's that for good company? I'm telling all my friends at work, "Yeah, me and John Yoder both ran a 33:20." Ok, so what's the deal? Well, what makes this even unique is that my result was not a time, it was a distance. Yes, ALL participants run for 33 minutes and 20 seconds, the winner is the one who runs the farthest. Lap counters in the stands count the laps for each runner and the one who runs the most laps wins. When the gun sounds at 33:20, everyone stops where they are, bends over desperately gasping for air, and waits while the race officials come around with a measuring wheel, measuring the distance of the last partial lap to be added later to the # of complete laps recorded by the lap counters. Make sense? It still blows my mind. All I can say is congratulations to Terlingua Running Club for pulling off this unique event

It was great to see fellow Clydesdale Joe Carey who took 3rd place in our division. Talking to old friends and just being around the running scene really got me motivated. Looking at Bill's pictures of me running did a lot to motivate me as well. I'm really not wearing those extra lbs. very well. :) Still, I'm staring out my office door at my "About Vic" profile hanging in the hallway with all my other team members'. It has my picture on it and a little blurb about me and "What I enjoy..." I don't even recognize the person in that picture. Oh, and I need to make a correction in my bio where it says, "I'd like to run a marathon someday."

While I'm at this post, let me get to some congratulations that I've been meaning to hand out. First of all, congratulations to Sarah for kicking butt at her first Half Ironman. What an accomplishment!!! I'm so proud of you, Sarah. Also, great job Dusty on the incredible weight loss since I've seen January. You're looking good buddy. Congratulations and best of luck to all of you running Boston this weekend. I know I'm forgetting many so forgive me but I wish Matt, Barbara, SteveS, and my cousin, Robert a safe and fun race in Boston. SteveB, the race will be televised on Versus (formerly OLN). I only tell you this because this will be your last year to watch it on TV. Next year, I'll be watching YOU!!!

edited: OMG!!! I'm really stupid. I just visited the website to look for results and figured out where they got 33:20 from. The name of the race is the LP run. As in Long Play(ing). As in a old record album. As in 33 1/3 RPM. As in record speed on an old turntable. Ok, now I get it. DUH!!!

Behind!

No this post is not about my behind, although that would be a HUGE topic!!! I'm talking about how far behind I am with my 2007 weight loss and running goals. Not to worry, though. I'm not so far behind that my goals are out of reach. So, where am I?

Well, regarding my goal to lose 75 lbs. by the end of 2007, I'm WAAAAAY behind on that one. To achieve that goal, that would have been a reasonable 1.4 lbs. per week. I'm currently 9 lbs. over where I started the year so now, I'm looking at losing 84 lbs. by Dec. 31st. Now, with 39 weeks left in the year, I'm staring at a little over 2 lbs. per weeks weight loss. That's basically just a ~1,000 calorie per day deficit so that is still highly achieveable.

My running has not been consistent and I haven't been in "training mode" for over a month now. The week beginning March 5 was my last 20+ mile week. Since then, my weekly totals have been 15, 5, 8, and 3 this week, definitely not the log any distance runner would be proud of. I'm currently a little less than 40 miles off pace of my 2007 goal of 1008 miles for the year. I came up with the 1008 number, twice my 2006 miles, as a conservative but reasonable goal. All things considered, I'm not that far off of this goal and still have plenty of time to make it. One thing I must not do though is to get back out there too quickly and think I can start cranking out 25, 30+ mile weeks after being on the couch so much the last month or so. No, I haven't lost ALL my fitness and strength but I most certainly have lost some and I need to ease back into things.

I'm tring to get positive here. Happy thoughts! Happy thoughts! I've slipped a bit since January but I haven't fallen completely into the abyss. It's time to regroup, refocus, and get to work.

I did an easy 3 miles around the neighborhood yesterday. My time was a little over 42 minutes with an average pace of ~14:00 minutes/mile. I took it real easy, just wanting to remind my legs how it feels. Legs said it felt good. I hate to use (abuse) cliche's but looks like I'M BAAAACK!, at least I feel like I am. See y'all at the LP run on Wednesday.

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!!!

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.

"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!!!

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!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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).