Consistency Needed

I've been in a funk since Christmas.

With the exception of not running while in Colorado, I've maintained a respectable amount of running. Unfortunately my cycling, strength training, and dieting have been "On & Off" at best. I'm in dire need of some consistency.

After a glutenous, albeit fun weekend, I'm trying to get back to my strict, consistent regimen of fitness and dieting.

Even though I'm at work, the day has gone as planned. Work days are often the most challenging.

Strength Training:
Engine 2 basic workout

Weight:
205.75

Push-ups:
45

Pull-ups:
3 (assisted)

Ran around the station with part-time employee Calvin. Earlier in the day he told me, "I can't imagine running six miles". Calvin has been consistently running three milers and has never run more than five. Today he ran with me for a mind-numbing 20-laps around the Fire Station complex. I talked the entire time and ran Calvin straight to a distance PR of six miles. He was really excited when I told him how far we had run. Admittedly, I was excited for him as well.

Great little run for me. My legs were sore in the beginning, but quickly settled into a nice mid-ten minute pace. We ran the entire distance without any stops or changes in pace.

Run:
6.04 miles
1:03:07
10:27 pace

Long Run in the Dark

Training for RR50 continues. With a projected finish time of 14-15 hours, the last few hours running will be in the dark.

Andrea and I just finished our third night time run. Eleven miles on the trails, with nothing more than a small LED light clipped to our hats.

Finally.... a nice slow pace. Lately I've been pushing my long run pace with exhausting results. Tonight's run was AWESOME!!!

Andreas right knee is bothering her. I hope she heeds my advice and learns from the mistakes I made. My stubbornness resulted in knee surgery as a result of an overuse injury.
Stretch often
Rest
Ice
Compression
Elevation
Stop wearing HIGH HEELS to work

Run:
10.0 miles
2:08:14
12:49 pace

Walk:
1.2 miles
19:22
16:08 pace

Back on the bike

Andrea and I rode our trail bikes to the back of Kingwood. While in the area we stopped by Shaina's house for a quick visit. From there we returned home for a total of thirteen miles.

The ride was tougher than it should have been. I've lost a bit of cycling fitness. The fitness loss is the direct result of not riding since December 27, 2009. This time last year I had already rode 121 miles. I need to get on the bike and start logging some miles!

Trail Bike:
13.2 miles
1:13:25
10.79 mph

20 miles in Kingwood

If I were to follow my schedule, I should have run long Tuesday, but I worked. Without hesitation I moved the run to Wednesday. Unfortunately, we had a small automotive emergency Wednesday morning and the run was pushed back to this morning. THANKFULLY, Bob was gracious enough to join me and I finally got it over with.

For some reason I thought we were meeting at my house at 8am, but I actually had told Bob 7am. I was awake, albeit barely, when Bob showed up. Within a few minutes I was dressed and ready to run, but I skipped breakfast.

From my house we ran to East End Park. After two laps in the park, we made our way back home for an even 20-miles.

The first 10-12 miles were smooth and went by fast. After those first twelve "easy miles" I hit a rough spot. I had lots of energy, yet every inch of my legs was aching. It's the same achenes I get on distances over 20-miles and it is the same issue that slowed me down last Sunday. I need to learn to run through this discomfort, but today was not the day. In the last five days I've logged 54 miles, so my legs have a legitimate reason for being sore.

I didn't actually run 20 miles today. Per the training strategy from Rick Cook, I'm trying to concentrate on spending "time on my feet". We ran intervals, which consisted of; one-mile run followed by quarter-mile walks. We did this for the first 15 miles, then we reversed the order because my legs were trashed.

Once I reviewed all the data from my garmin, I see we held decent paces for both the walk and the run. I'm always looking for the good in every run. And as I often say, I learned a lot from this run.

It's unseasonable warm this week. Our 7am departure and route kept us in the shade. The entire run was nice and cool even though the temperature was near 70 when we finished. I always enjoy cooler running weather, but the heat was not a negative factor.

I really appreciate Bob running with me. Not only did his attendance help get me out the door, but he kept me from walking more than I did. Bob is an incredible athlete. At the end he told me he only planned to run three miles, yet he ended up running the entire distance with me. If that's not awesome enough, he did it without a single drink of water. He's a machine!

Run:
13.27 miles
2:30:21
11:19 pace

Walk:
6.74 miles
1:52:18
16:39 pace

Still in a diet funk and the scale is showing it. I'm on and off right now. Not sure what the deal is. I'm always hungry and nothing seems to satisfy my urges. I need to find a way back to managed weight loss and soon!

Shaina's Running

This evening I started training Shaina for her first 5k. She's super excited, which is contagious . I can honestly say that helping new runners gets me all pumped up as well. I'm coaching her under the Power in Motion training schedule. I also asked her to make a commitment by registering for the Bellaire Trolley 5k on April 10, 2010. An hour after the run she called and said she was officially registered.

Tonight she ran 8 x 1 minute run followed by 2 minute walk. She did a lot better than I expected. She's off to a good start.

Run:
0.66 mile
8:00
12:08 pace

Walk:
1.28 mile
21:20
16:40 pace

The Day After

Who knew a five-mile run the day after a road marathon would be the best run of 2010!?!?

Like everyone else who ran yesterday, I'm sore and achy all over. For me, it is a result of all the concrete. I've said it a hundred times before, Concrete Will Rattle Your Bones!!!

My "big" race is in a mere three weeks, so I don't have a lot of time to sit around and wait for my body to stop aching before I start running again. Today's schedule called for a 4-6 mile walk. The wooded trails of Lake Houston Park released something inside me. I ran half-mile intervals followed by quarter-mile recovery walks.

Trail running has found a special spot in my life. Trails are where I truly feel like I belong.

On today's run the single track trails were muddy, the blisters from yesterdays race were screaming at me, and it was warm enough that I was drenched in sweat. But even with those factors, I was at total peace on the trails.

Andrea joined me, but we parted ways within the first quarter-mile. She chose to walk leisurely around the front of the park, while I took off towards the hiking trails. I love Andreas company, but I'm glad today's run was a solo jaunt. There's something about trails that I can't explain in words. It's something magical that needs to be experienced, because it can never be expressed in words or photographs.

Run:
5.3 miles
57:04
10:46 pace

Walk:
2.63 miles
45:21
17:14 pace

Weight:
202.0 lbs

Even though my weight is over 200, I'm at peace with it. My clothes still fit the same and I feel healthy. I'm going to shift the weight loss goals to something less aggressive. It's hard to be a serious "dieter" and a serious runner. Trust me, its not easy.

I think it's best to limit the number of road races I run per year. On February 28th Andrea and I are running a marathon in New Orleans, but that will probably be the last long road race this season. This is probably a wise decision for me, especially since I'm eager to pursue my new love for trails and the idea of ultras.

I found a new iPhone app, which is from a web site I've known about for awhile. It's called 100 push-ups (.com). The app makes it easier to record, time, and track progress. I've attempted this a couple times prior, but I've never made it past a couple weeks. Maybe this time!?!?

Push Ups: 60

I'll start my Houston Marathon recap tomorrow. This weekend has been busy and blogging wasn't at the top of my list.

I bought a new pair of shoes today. I'm returning to regular running shoes and sticking with Asics. I'm tired of all the blisters.

Pre-race excitement

Fun, yet busy day.

I had plans to sleep late, but my cell phone started ringing before 8am. By 9:30 I had already picked up Wyatt. Earlier in the week I talked Wyatt into going to the Houston Boat and RV show. Part of my New Year's resolution is to start engaging in more family activities, so I'm looking for a small bumper tow RV.

Unknown by us until we arrived at Reliant Stadium, but the expo didn't open till 1:00pm. Both of us had a full schedule and couldn't wait around that long. Since we were in the South part of Houston we met Shaina and had lunch at Cafe Express.

Today was the first of my "Vegan Friday's". Even though Cafe Express is a healthier restaurant, I found it a challenge to find full "vegan" options. It would have been easy to order a vegetarian meal. Eating only vegan foods left me with two side dishes; roasted artichoke hearts & tomatoes and sweet potato fries. My selections we delicious, but left me hungry.

On the way back home we stopped at a couple RV stores. I found the particular RV I've been looking for and it's actually cheaper than I expected. Now that I know the available options and prices, I'll start a hunt for a used unit.

Once I finally got back home I ran three miles. It was amazing how strong my legs felt. I honestly thought I was running a ~12:00 pace, but it was actually in the low ten minute range. Those three glorious miles will be the last till Sunday's marathon.

Run:
3.01 miles
30:05
10:00 pace

Weight:
199.25

I had just enough time to get a haircut and shower before Tom and Andrea made it to the house. From here we headed to the GRB to pick up our race packets at the Houston Marathon Expo. This years expo was by far the best I've been too. Lots of useful booth's and it wasn't too crowded. I would have liked to look around longer, but they closed at 6pm.

The energy of the expo has me fired up for the marathon. It's also a great feeling to be around Tom and Andrea as they prepare for their first marathon. Their pre-race nervousness is sandwiched by the excitement of the "unknown" and it is contagious! I'm so proud of these two. They've both worked hard day-in and day-out and deserve this monumental achievement. Their first marathon is something they will never forget and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to be a part of it.

As for me, I'm ready and a PR seems within reach. I'm lighter than I was in 2006 (199.25 versus 218.5lbs) and I'm in better shape. The only difference is, I was "faster" back then. As I look through my training log I clearly see a significant difference in my training paces. In the months leading up to the 2007 marathon, most of my runs were in the low 9:00 range. Currently I train at a leisure 11:00 pace. There's one big difference I'm counting on; in 2006-2007 I was always hurting and today I'm happy and healthy.

My race strategy is to run a safe, consistent pace. My ultimate goal is run sub 4:30:00. If that doesn't happen I'll be content with a new marathon PR (sub 4:39:01), but I really need to focus on getting Andrea and Tom through THEIR run. I've run hundreds of miles with these two athletes and I don't want to abandon them now. On the other hand, if one drops we have already agreed I will stay with the front runner. Our plan is to run together and finish together. I truly believe we've trained smart enough to cross the finish line together.

After the Expo, we found a great Vegan restaurant in uptown called, The Pepper Tree. Great food and reasonable prices. I only wish it was closer to home!

Even though I should be in bed, I'm still busy. I work tomorrow till 8pm, so I'm getting all my race stuff together tonight. I've already programmed my garmin, selected my clothes, pinned my bib, attached my chip, gathered my GU/S-caps, and even packed my drop bag.

All I have left to do is wait for the start gun to go off. I'm keeping my fingers crossed my shift at work is easy. I have the night part off, but that won't matter if we make a house fire or something even bigger.

The run that kept growing....

Tom and I started the morning with a run once we got off duty. We choose Schott Park because we are trying to avoid concrete and this park has a forgiving crushed concrete surface. Plus this park is only a couple miles from the station, which was very convenient.

Schott park is a hidden gem I often forget about.

We started the session with an extended warm-up with stretches and maintained a leisure 11:30 pace. I started with a slight tightness in my legs, but they feel a lot better now that I've run.

The schedule called for two miles. Earlier in the week, Tom and I decided to run three miles. Once we completed three miles we elected to run one more mile. At the four mile mark Tom departed, but I kept running to complete an even five miles. Then finally, at five miles I convinced myself to run the seven miler I skipped yesterday.

Run:
7.0 miles
1:20:13
11:28 pace

Weight:
199.5 lbs

The diet is on track and my weight is back under 200. I've maintained my pre-scheduled caloric intake since Monday. I'm VERY excited to be back on the wagon. The combination of Christmas, New Years Eve, and the wedding-honeymoon played havoc on my diet. I don't have any regrets. I'll make a conscious attempt to learn from those behaviors and move forward.

Post Tempo Run Soreness

I'm paying the price for unscheduled tempo runs. The majority of my lower body is sore... in a good way!

Tom and I met at East End Park for a sloooow three-mile run. Toms knee is bothering him, so we spent an extended amount of time warming up and stretching. The late morning run was as enjoyable as it was peaceful.

Just minutes upon completion of our run, we saw Steve entering the park. Steve was in the middle of a nine mile run. It would have been fun for all of us to run together, had we known he was running in the same area. Running socially in a group is as beneficial as any training program I've ever seen.

Run:
3.0 miles
36:07 miles
12:02 pace

Walk:
0.20 mile
3:38
18:10 pace

Weight:
201.25 lbs

ON FIRE!!!

Although it's only been one day, I'm back on track.

The OCD inside me considered being extreme in an attempt to make up lost ground, but I decided to simply start back on my pre-scheduled diet & running plan. The transition back to weight loss and running should be easy. This week's caloric intake is equal to my RMR + 200, which is a generous amount of calories.

Not sure why, but I felt like running near the top of my ability. Andrea matched me stride for stride while Taylor followed closely on her bicycle. Nice little family outing. I felt selfish, but I wore my ipod. While I was running hard I cranked up the tones and "went to work".

Run:
4.0 miles
35:22
8:50 pace

Walk:
1.25 miles
20:01
16:01 pace

Bill the Runner

At work today.

I wasn't in the mood to run and had to force myself to exercise. Looking back now, I'm really glad I made myself lace'em up!

I started running solo. My plan was to run 5 x 1-mile intervals followed by 0.15 mile recoveries. Shortly after completing the first interval Steve joined me. The original plan was altered upon Steve's arrival. I ran through the remaining recoveries and improved the pace to an impressive 9:30 pace.

For the first time in a couple weeks I felt good while I was running.

The area surrounding the blister on my right foot is bright red. I tended to the issue after running. Hopefully there's still enough time to heal before the marathon.

Run:
6.16 miles
1:00:01
9:45 pace

Final Long Run with KWFIT

Final long run with KW FIT. My personal schedule called for ten miles, but Tom and I were content to run six miles with the half marathoners. I'm still in a post-holiday running and dieting slump.

The temperature at the start of our run was 20 degrees. As usual I quickly warmed up and within two miles I had removed my hat. For the first time this winter I wore tights. It was nice at first, but I didn't feel the need for them once I started running.

Ran the entire route without any stops and we held a consistent pace. At no time did I see more than an eight second swing, which I found impressive.

Unfortunately I developed a blister on the arch of my right foot during this mornings run. I'll pop it at work tomorrow, using sterile equipment. Not sure why this happened!?!?!

Still not monitoring my diet. I'm looking for motivation to restart my regimen. I'm desperately looking for that "one thing" that stokes my fire. Any suggestions?

My nervousness about the 50-miler is growing at an alarming pace. I have convinced myself I am not ready.

Run:
6.37 miles
1:12:10
11:20 pace

Wedding Day

In an attempt to settle my nerves I hiked up to Gem Lake. It was a beautiful 1.7 mile hike to the lake with 1,096 feet of elevation gain. Three-quarters of the way into the hike the weather changed. We had a panoramic view that went for miles and within minutes it started snowing and turned dark.

With the wedding a mere three always, I was nervous about getting lost on the mountain. Luckily, the weather improved, which enabled us to speed up to our destination. The rock formations were striking. Wish I was a better photographer and could capture what my eyes witnessed.

I don’t have the words to describe the wedding ceremony. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been a part of. The scenery was breathing taking, but it didn’t stand a chance when compared to Andrea in her wedding gown. She was so beautiful I had to pinch myself to determine if it was reality or a dream.

For the first time since October I ate meat. Andrea and I’ve been craving chicken, so we figured there wasn’t a better reason than our wedding reception dinner. The scenery at Twin Oaks Restaurant was picturesque, but in my honest opinion, the food was subpar. Eating meat felt heavy. At least it didn’t upset our stomachs as EVERYONE predicted.

End of Year 2009 recap

I didn’t have time to do an “End of Year” recap, so I’m doing it now (January 11th) and dating it back to January 1st.

2009 started a bit rocky, but in the end it turned out to be a good year. I spent a blissful year with the woman I would marry the second day of 2010. And while I had two major knee surgeries, I bounced right back into running and cycling. Below are some tidbits about my 2009:

*Ran my first ultra marathon (Rocky Raccoon 50k) in Huntsville State Park
*My only “PR” of the year was also my second ultra; Texas Trails Endurance Run 50k in Huntsville State Park
*Coached Kingwood FIT this year with mixed emotions whether to do it again
*Coached Power in Motion in both the Spring and Fall sessions. I really enjoy this, but it’s a burden for me to take off work and drive all the way to Memorial Park every week.
*Set the foundation for my own running club, but there hasn’t been any consistent interest.
*Erin and the kids moved to Trinity TX, which was emotionally tough for me.
*I learned who my real friends are and that I need to be more like them.
*Near the end of the year my weight was at a 15-year low of 194
*Ran 697 miles
*Walked 646 miles
*Cycled 1817 miles
*Average body weight: 228 lbs

Goals for 2010:
*Build a closer relationship with my kids and wife, utilizing outdoor activities as the foundation.
*Volunteer at an endurance race
*Attempt my first Triathlon
*Run 1500 miles
>>Every month over 100 miles
*Cycle 2500 miles
*FINALLY reach my goal weight of 175 lbs
*Fridays will be completely Vegan. No meat, egg, or milk products at all.

Stressed

Running with the weight of the world on my shoulders is always evident in my pace.

I felt smooth and efficient till a young boy passed me like I was standing still. The boy and his blazing pace didn't bother me much. My pace dropped significantly lower at every mile split.

Run:
4.0 miles
37:02
9:15 pace

Walk:
1.26 miles
19:47
15:42 pace

Body Weight:
195.25 lbs

Bike

Body Weight:
196.0 lbs

Andrea and I biked to and from lunch. Andrea hasn't been on her bike in a couple months and struggled today. I hope this is a wake up call for her to spend some time in the saddle.

Trail Bike:
11.35 miles
1:02:10
10.95 mph

Video of Kingwood Lake

Long Run at Marathon Pace

After two days of eating crap I'm ready to get back to a normal routine. The nutritional value of my diet has been so bad I'm craving fresh fruit and veggies. I felt ill last night due to all the sweets.

This morning I barely squeezed under 200 lbs, which was a HUGE wake up call.

Body Weight:
199.25 lbs

Tom, Andrea, and I ran with KWFIT this morning. KWFIT had a visitor from Austin, who is visiting family in the Kingwood area while on school break. It was nice to have another runner match us step for step and contribute to the effort. The visiting runner (I forgot her name) ran the first nine miles with us. Once she left we ran another six miles for a total of 15 miles.

Our average pace was within 15-seconds of marathon pace. Whats even more important, the run felt good. My last couple long runs have been less than stellar. Today's run was a reminder that a 4:30 marathon is still within reach.

Run:
15.03 miles
2:28:51
10:34 pace

Walk:
1.0 mile
17:01
17:01 pace

Running with a Stick

Nice little run with Tom and Andrea. We started at Town Center and ran to East End Loop. Once we arrived at the park we ran the outer loop and returned back. Nice run.

I've finally found a way to enjoy East End Park. Once I enter the park I find a two-foot stick and run with it. It's a shame it has come to that, but I'm reclaiming my park. The unleashed dogs will not stop me anymore. Interesting how the dogs stay away from a runner with a large stick. The friendly curious dogs aren't too worried about me and my stick, but I'm still forced to give them a gentle nudge with the stick so that they don't interfere with my running. I've actually been tripped several times by dogs wanting attention.

East End Park is mine again!

Run:
8.1 miles
1:29:45
11:04 pace

Walk:
1.0 mile
16:39
16:39 pace

Rain on Last Mile

At work.

First three miles were nice and dry, then out of no where the skies opened up on me. No worries, I've grown to like rainy runs.

Run:
4.0 miles
45:27
11:21 pace

Walk:
0.95 mile
15:26
16:14 pace

Body Weight:
196.5