New Year, New Me?

Ringing in the New Year!

Happy 2013!  I know this posting comes five days after the start of the new year but I think there is a window for still wishing folks well in the new year and for finalizing resolutions (some might say goals).  And if there isn't a window, then I am declaring the entire month of January as open to well wishing and yearly goals.

I don't normally make goals.  I just take one comes at me and look for opportunities to get better or take new challenges.  However, seeing how a lot of the bloggers I follow set goals for the year and then review them at the end of the year and I find those posts to be interesting.  And, given the fact that, according to the thought, you don't know where you are going without goals to see if you get there, I will set some goals for the year. So, here goes, in no particular order:

Goal #1: Improve my brain.  Now that I am done with school for the time being, I want to continue to challenge my brain and learn.  My first step towards this goal is to sign up for lumosity with the the objective of regular training and improvement.

Goal #2: I want to read at least 1 book a month.  I read often from a variety of sources (websites, books, magazines) which distracts me from finishing the books I start.  This goal will encourage me to finish the job.

Goal #3:  Lose weight.  I want to get down to my "playing" weight of 180 this year.  I am considering joining healthywage as a way to put my money where my mouth is and make the goal real.  After changeing my diet in 2011 and losing a bunch of weight, I was pretty stagnet in 2012.  I had no real motivation to lose any more weight and towards the end of the year my diet really went in the toilet.  I need to get back on track.  In order to reach this goal, I will need to focus and do things different.

Goal #4: I need to improve my strength.  In order to take the next step in my running (and just to stay healthier), I need to improve my overall strength.  I am mulling over options (trainer, crossfit, or something else) and recognize I need to do it consitantly to see the results I want.

Dawn of New Day!

Goal #5: Racing.  I start the year with my biggest callenge to date, the Walt Disney World Marathon.  The only other race currently scheduled in the fall Market to Market relay.  In between I would like to run a couple more races of some distance (marathon, half, 10K, 5K?).  This goal depends on schedule and marathon recovery.

That's it!  Too many?  Maybe, although I have already started making concrete plans to move each of these from goals to reality.  2013 will be a great year and will set me up for more success in 2014. 

What are your goals for 2013?

On The Road Again

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us and with the rest of the holidays bearing down, the mileage continues to add up. Add in two business trips and we have tons of fun ahead!


Last week I ran another 30 mile week with a 15 mile long slow distance (LSD), tying my longest run in ten years. This week, on the advice of my body and my PT, I took Monday's 7 miles off and gave into a three day rest -- my longest since September. As the miles pile up, so do the aches and i noticed for the first time last week that my mental endurance was starting to wane. Time for a rest and to remember, all this training will be in vain if I can't make it to the start line of the marathon healthy. The goal is to complete the marathon, not just train for it.

I am still scheduled for nearly 30 miles for the week with an 18 mile LSD Saturday. I may continue to take Monday's off as my long run increases. Only another month and then the race taper begins, so this is still the time to remain mentally strong and vigilant.

These runs, no matter the difference, will be key to remaining sane over the next few weeks. Between the travel, the culmination of a large year-long project, and the holidays these runs may be the right tool to keeping the mounting stress in check.

As they say, keep calm and run on!


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Follow The Motto

The miles continue to pile up as my marathon training reaches the halfway point. No missed workouts or miles (knock on wood) which represents an accomplishment I am proud to announce.

The aches and pains continue to mount as well. All things considered, a little right quad and hamstring pain seem like small potatoes given the amount of miles. What's next?

The long runs get longer starting with 14 miles this week and culminating in not one, but two 20-mile runs. The weekday runs also increase a few more miles and the weekly totals reach 30 miles this week and build to 40.

To keep up with this plan, I need to stick with the mantra -- running till the wheels fall off! The right one might be wobbling, nothing a little duct tape, baling wire, and bubble gum can't fix.

Until we run again ...


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Tomorrow 11 miles

Hello my friend.  Although I may not be as consistent as other posting blog updates, I am still doing it many months after starting.  Accomplishments are baby steps and should be relished, right?  In comparison, I have another blog site with exactly 0 posts.  Zero.  Nada. Not one.

PeaceLoveRun2012

Speaking of zero, Sunday is scheduled to be a rest day and as of right now I am also scheduled to run the Beer and Bagel 4 miler.  Who doesn't like going for a fun run and then drinking beer with fellow runners, all before 11 am on Sunday morning?  I figure I will run my 11 mile long run tomorrow and play Sunday by feel.  If I go, I take it easy and then drop Monday and Tuesday and rest easy.  Or I take Sunday for rest and pick it back up Monday with 6 miles.  No need to rush to make a decision tonight. 

Speaking of rushing, I ran across as cool web page while looking for new songs for my running play list.  Rock My Run sells tokens that can be used to purchase running mixes made by professional DJs for a reasonable amount of coin.  So far I have downloaded two mixes and enjoyed them both as a nice change of pace.  Some of the mixes come with bpm (beats per minute) in case a person wants to use it for cadence speeds, either steady beats or mixes that build.  And they have all kinds of music . . . pop, rock, country, house, and others . . . and from different eras (80s, 90s, and today's hits).  Tonight I am surfing their lists to pick out some new tunes for tomorrow's long run and all the runs still ahead.

The miles keep building and start picking up steam from here.  Tomorrow is a nice and easy 11 mile run and since I have the time I think I will again run the Wabash Trace Trail, a short 30 minute drive from the house.  The views are pretty and the crushed limestone trail nicer to my body.  I need to be nice to my body, because according to the training plan, the last few weeks were merely "foundation" miles and now we start to "build" over the next many weeks, until just before Christmas, where I will complete the second of two 20-mile runs.  Can't wait!

See you on the Road!

Easy Street

After setting a moderately aggressive training schedule since mid July, this week sets up to be a nice break for the legs and the mind prior to a steady build to the January 2013 marathon.  I kept to the schedule nearly perfect on the run portion and 90% on the cross training.

As seen at my local grocery store.

This week I will only run three times with no cross training and low distance (1/2 the amount of last week).  I scheduled this week prior to the start of the 16 week training program to allow for the body to rest and relax before pushing the distance.  I have a couple of nicks, such as a sore hamstring, that hasn't prevented me from putting in the miles or speed, but this week comes at a great time to heal that up.  So far, so good.

The extra rest and the light miles will do the body good.  Next week, the real fun begins!

Run strong my friends . . .

The Training Continues

Can I just admit I really have nothing to write about, I am tired, and my running week is over? Again, so far, so good.  The really training for the marathon starts in a couple of weeks.  In the interim, I continue to build mileage and work to stay healthy and prepare for the upcoming training demands.

Next week will be the high mileage for this training cycle.  The following week my mileage will take a dip as I take a break mentally and physically before the mileage takes off.  My motto continues to be "run to the wheels fall off and make it to the finish line healthy".

Until we run again . . .

Another Week Nearly in the Books

This week flew by like so many before it.  I accomplished many of the goals I set out at the beginning of the week and added a few along the way.

I worked out six of the seven days, with four days running, one crossfit weights, and one biking.  This while working all week which included travel to Atlanta and the normal dad, husband, family-type tasks.  All-in-all a successful week.  Oh, and I signed up for a marathon.

Since last fall, I have been toying with the idea of completing another marathon (my first and last being the 2002 San Diego Rock n' Roll Marathon).  I have a friend who has tried to convince me for a couple of years to join him in doing the Walt Disney World Marathon and after seeing that 2013 was the 20th year for the marathon, I began to have illusions of running it.  I did pause after hurting my ankle last fall, but the feelings returned again in the past few months.

I mentioned this race a couple of times to my wife, who was not keen on my daughter missing school for the trip.  Last week, after mentioning it for the umpteenth time, I must have finally worn her down as she reconsidered and responded affirmatively.

After getting the go ahead, I didn't immediately sign up.  I thought about it some more and talked to a few trusted running friends to see if I was crazy.  Conclusion?  Yes, I am crazy -- just crazy enough to run and complete the race!

So, I signed up today and decided I wanted the extra training support (and VIP experience) that comes with the Runners World Challenge.  The registration is confirmed and now the training fun begins.

See you on the road to Orlando!

Success is Mine!

Family Photo

Well, based on my efforts the past two weeks, I am sticking to my plan.  I wanted to continue to lift weights (check), cross train on the bike or pool (check) and start to increase my mileage (check) all while improving my diet (check).

So now you migh ask, what's next?  A couple of things: 1.  this plan has only been in effect for two weeks, most real change in habits and patterns take at least 6 weeks of constant effort before it gets easier, so I still have at least 4 weeks to go before this turns into a routine; and 2.  starting an effort is often easier, in my experience, than continuing the effort when the newness wears off.  So far, I am still in the honeymoon period, which I hope stays true until the habits are established, but I must be prepared to push though when the difficulty arises.  Just recognizing the feelings and doing the activity will be another step in the path to greater fitness and faster speeds.

As the miles continue to climb and I prepare for the Market to Market, I want to keep in mind the pleasure and joy of moving my body under my own power and running for the sake of running.

Happy running, my friends!

Picking Up Steam, Slowly.

Color Me Rad

Summer training can be tough.  After ramping up the training for the late spring/early summer race, I usually take some time to recover and consider a training schedule for the summer.  Some years, this takes all summer and other years I take a week or two off and jump right back at it.  This year, with the extreme heat and fun vacation, this seems to have taken a little longer than average.

The last seven weeks I spent time focusing on strength training, cross training, health mind and body recovery, and just plain fun.  Just look at the pictures of our Color Me Rad 5K from today for the proof of the fun!

Over the next few weeks it will be game on! I plan to ramp up the mileage smartly, while continuing to incorporate cross training and strength training (thinking about doing some cross fit -- good idea?).  I will try to listen to my body while using Sport tracks to gauge my fitness and recovery.  My last goal is to get my diet back to where I was last summer, lose more than a few pounds, and be ready for the fall races.

My target race is the October Market to Market Relay, my 5th as team captain, which I want to be my strongest.  I am considering running the Omaha 1/2 marathon (would be my 1st) as a training run, but will not make that decision until I see how the training progresses. 

My Team at the Finish!

Time to get on the road!