I wanted to run without boundaries today; no track, no trail. I did map my run before I left the house to make sure I was getting in three miles. It was fun because I didn’t know what to expect and I was unfamiliar with running in this new area, so I wasn’t board. I ran on the street and did not have to worry about much traffic.
In fact, every time I passed a vehicle it felt good. One woman let me pass an intersection and we waved to each other. It put a big smile on my face because I felt I had encouragement. I was extremely surprised and delighted to learn how many people are willing to slow down and venture into another lane to give runners room. Because I ran on a rural road, it was easy for cars to get over.
The run was difficult today because of the temperature. It was about 88 degrees when I ran, and pretty humid. I was covered in sweat. Some even got into my eye and is continuing to sting as I write this post. But overall, it was a good day. Although it felt pretty difficult while I was running, I’m looking back on it thinking it’s no problem to run it again. And I will, tomorrow.
Filed under: hot
I ran another 3 miles today, and this time it was back where I did a lot of my training for the Alaska Marathon in 2005. Forest Park is the largest park in the metro St. Louis area, and lucky for me, it’s a 3-minute walk across an overpass to get there from work. They have mile markers on the trail, and I knew it so well anyway, so I ran 1.5 miles, then turned around and ran back for my 3 total miles. It was hot today, and I felt the heat pretty good. The park was resurfaced since the last time I was there. I pushed myself like I always do at that park, and I remembered the technique of looking more at the pavement when running up hills, that way the top of the hill doesn’t look so far away. All in all, I was exhausted, but glad to be back.
Conditions: 94 degrees, humid.
Results: today: 3 miles; total: 3 miles; time: 34:45; pace: 11:35/mile
Thoughts: Getting out on time to run is going to be hard to do, but I need to do it. Luckily I won’t burn at this time of day.
What I’ll remember the most: The awful smell of the horses from the mounted police station in the park. Blech.
We went to bed early Saturday night and set our alarm for 9 a.m. so we could get up and run early. After a few dozen snoozes, we got out of bed after 1 p.m. As soon as we ventured out to run, it began to pour. After driving all over St. Louis to find a place to run where there was no rain, we ended up back where we began.
About three minutes into it, I remembered how much my shoes hurt me the last time I ran. But this time, there was minimal pain. I was able to keep my mind on track. I thought about running heel to toe, keeping my arms and shoulders relaxed, relaxing my lower jaw, and taking deep breaths with my stomach. I focused in on my running technique, making sure I learned good habits right off the bat.
The three mile run was easy. Besides surviving the humidity, the hardest part was breathing correctly. I didn’t mind that it had rained because it kept the temperature below 80 degrees.
I completed the run in less than 30 minutes, averaging about 9-minute miles after my two-minute walk breaks.
After the run, Patrick and I shared a protein cookie, and then went to Subway where we had a double-meat club sandwich with olives and 100% whole wheat bread. No sauce.
But on Saturday, we splurged. (Patrick and I allow ourselves to splurge on food once a week. That means one meal– not a whole day of splurging. We call it a “Cheat Meal.”) We each ate our own 14″ pizza from Cecil Whittaker’s. I had shrimp and pineapple on mine. I usually only eat about 1,500 calories a day, but on that day, I had more than 3,500. I couldn’t even feel the pizza on Sunday. Because I’ve been eating healthy, the pizza didn’t stick.
The best part about eating healthy all week, and running, is how great I feel afterwards. Sometimes I really want to eat junk food and veg out in front of the TV, but after I run I feel more productive. This week, I am supposed to run 3-miles, three days a week. And next weekend, I run my first six miles. I can’t wait!
The day has come. I wasn’t prepared for today, even though it was planned weeks ago that this would be the first day of training. I thought about–but not really attempted to–get my sleep schedule in order, have my food intake perfect, and have my workouts in full gear at least a week before training. But the reality? Didn’t work out all last week, got very little sleep (as usual), and ate horribly, even dipping into the Taquitos box in the freezer. How sad!But that was then. This is now. Lindsey and I celebrated our first day of training by sleeping in until 1:00 in the afternoon. We sluggishly rolled out of bed, as if we were suffering from major hangovers. After eating our breakfast and catching up on the world via our laptops during our “morning” breakfast at the table, we finally got ready to hit the pavement.
It was an overcast day, and the temperature was around 80, which is nice for July! We planned to run our 3 miles in Fenton, but on the way there, we were stuck in a major downpour out of nowhere. The temps dropped 15 degrees, and even though the attitude should be “rain or shine”, we still hadn’t taken pictures of our new shoes and of each other for the “before” pics. So, we ran some errands for a couple hours, and by the time we drove back to the park, it stopped raining.
We had a great run today. Both of us ran the “10-2″ method, which is to run for 10 minutes, walk for 2. But since it was 3 miles, we only stopped to walk twice. It was very humid, but it never rained on us. Afterwards, we picked up some Subway (with double meat) and went home.
The shoes are broken in. The first 3 miles are behind us. I feel good about the training now. I hope to really work on the sleep and workout schedule this week. I want the training to help me in all areas of my life. Right now at work, I’m just trying to manage e-mail (1000 e-mails sitting in my inbox), plus many other tasks that deal with the stations web site.
Lindsey and I are both following Hal Higdon’s Novice marathon training schedule, but instead of running Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdays during the week, I’ll run Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays.
How does this compare to my training for the Alaska Marathon in 2005? Read Day 1 Training
Conditions: 79 degrees, humid and overcast.
Results: today: 3 miles; total: 3 miles; time: 29:44; pace: 9:54/mile
Thoughts: Even though I wasn’t prepared for this day, I feel confident that I will train successfully.
What I’ll remember the most: The downpour minutes before we were going to run.
I got a new pair of shoes for the marathon. The ones I’ve been wearing are two years old, and my knees started to hurt after runs. I went to Fleet Feet and was fitted. The best part: my new shoes will last me through the marathon. They are able to get about 500 miles on them before wearing out. I’m glad I only have to buy one pair!
But… I wore them today and my legs hurt, my feet hurt, my knees hurt, and my hip was beginning to hurt. It was horrible. I couldn’t run more than a mile and a half. I’m worried about getting shin splints. I told Patrick and he said when he got new tennis shoes (while he was training for his first marathon), the same thing happened to him. And he had bought the exact same shoes!
I’m hoping my legs feel better tomorrow. If not, I may have to find a different pair of shoes. I’m pretty sure after I break them in, I’ll get back on track. Training officially begins next week. I’m hoping to be ready for it!
The park was like a ghost town. There was virtually no one around. It looked strange considering it was a beautiful day, with the sun shining. But what you could only feel was intense heat. Although the temperature read 91 degrees, the heat index was 100. I struggled to get around the park. I left my water bottle on a park bench so I could stay hydrated.
I was happy to complete two, 12-minute miles. I feel bad for anyone else training in weather like this. In fact, I don’t think it would be so bad if it weren’t for the humidity. I felt like I was running with a winter coat on, and I sweat so much more than if I had ran 4 miles on a less humid day.
I’m glad I ran. When I got home, I tried some yoga I found online, and ended up just stretching. I’m starving now. Too bad I can’t live on protein cookies alone.
The phrase of the day is: Air you can wear. Not only do I hate that phrase, but I hate that type of weather. It makes running horrible. And I’m finding motivation very difficult. It’s nasty outside! I don’t want to go!
Yesterday I ran 4.4 miles around Campus Lake at SIUC. It went by fast. I ran 10-minute miles! It felt like a breeze, but I’m a bit nervous about running around that trail because it’s dangerous. Tree roots have grown into the blacktop creating perfect opportunities to trip, fall, and bust out my front teeth. I have to be extremely careful when I run this trail. But because it’s mostly shaded and next to the lake, it feels 10 degrees cooler. Plus, it’s beautiful!
I’ve got to work out today, but I’m not sure what I’ll do. If I wait long enough in the day, I’m hoping I can run outside. I don’t feel like driving to the gym. Plus, I’m really hungry, but I want to wait until I run before I eat dinner. I may cut my run short. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit cooler.
I really felt the diet kicking in today. I tossed and turned a lot during last night’s sleep, even though it was the first time I had gotten to be before midnight in months. I was hyper having my metabolism raised all day, and I even drank my gallon of water before I worked out at 5:00pm!
The gym was better than yesterday, and I’m really enjoying the Cardio Cinema at Gold’s Gym. Today’s movie was “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” again, and I picked up from where I left off yesterday. Kinda cool.
I also saw my cousin Cheryl Salamone, who is very physically fit and has competed and won in bodybuilding competitions. I told her about Lindsey and I running a marathon, and she was supportive. She said she used to run Track & Field in high school, but was only able to run 5 or 6 miles.
I went to the grocery store and bought the right foods for my diet and didn’t cheat at all. I didn’t want to. I’m ready to get this weight down and be ready for my first run at the end of the month.
I’m feeling pretty good about getting back on my fitness track. I stepped on the scale and had lost 3 pounds last week. That’s a good start! I will only weigh myself twice a week, because the daily scale will mess with my psyche. I’m shooting for Monday and Wednesday mornings.
Looks like I got down my gallon of water (which is a first in MONTHS), and as far as the diet goes, I consumed about 1,400 calories, most of it protein and only 15 grams of fat ALL DAY. NICE! It was a great workout at Gold’s Gym, even though I had a couple bad mood people at the gym today (the guy who was washing the front glass door was cranky, and some dude put his weight belt on the weight bar, claiming he was still working out even though he was no where near the weights). I tried out the “Cardio Cinema” and it was kickass! Not only because I can do 30 minutes on the elliptical while watching a big screen movie…but it was a little warmer in the room, so I really sweat a lot! And what better movie to get me in a good mood: “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective”. I was LOL on some parts, then realized people were sweating their butts off all around me. Oh well, I was having a good time.
I came home and almost napped, like I would usually do, but forced myself up to get some stuff done around the house and get tomorrow’s meals/water ready. And even after some laundry folding, I’m still going to get a good night’s sleep.
Filed under: patrick
It’s been tough. Not just in the planning for the marathon, but it’s been tough getting back into the fitness grind. I’ve been away from it for the most part since Lindsey and I moved into our new home in mid-February. I’ve been spending less time at the gym and more time at home either making those necessary home improvements or just getting things in order. Who knew it would take 5 months to do that! Of course my friends in Dallas–Rob and Tracy Osterwise–still have boxes, and they’ve been in their new home for years!
So, here it is two weeks before the official start of training. I’m thinking this is my last “free” day, because starting tomorrow, I’m kicking it into high gear. No more excuses. No more late nights at work. No more projects at home. I filled up my gallon of water and am ready to start getting my body ready for training. Over the weekend, Lindsey and I ran around Fenton Park, and I had to stop running after a 1/2 mile or so, which is NOT GOOD (of course it was over 90 degrees, too). I know I can bounce back into it without a problem, and now is the time for me to get in a solid 30 minutes of non-stop running, so I am prepared come July 29th.
And judging from my past, if I don’t blog about it and get it out there for whoever may read this, it’ll never get done. That’s what got me through my first marathon. So there. I’m saying it now. I have officially started. I have to admit, it probably wasn’t a good idea for Lindsey and me to order chicken wings at TJ Wings the minute we signed up for the Las Vegas Marathon, but it’ll be good to look back on and laugh at. We were so concerned about eating wings! That must be a sign that we are ready to eat healthy, get fit and do this!
Two weeks. What to accomplish in two weeks? A 2000-calorie diet with 50% protein, 25% carbs and 25% fat. A gallon of water a day. Strength training along with 30 minutes of cardio for 5 days each week. I’ll be reporting positive results tomorrow! Of course, the biggest part of proper training is sleep, and that I must get right now. Gnight.
