Reliable?

I ended my last post by saying I'd try to be more reliable about posting, and that was two and a half weeks ago! Oops! Still, this is my 50th post in this blog, so that has to count for something... Right? Ok, it probably doesn't. Maybe when I get to 100 we can all have a little party or something.

I've logged 30 miles on the treadmill since then, and today I finished week 3 of my 27 week training plan for the Madison Marathon. Only 24 more weeks to go, and I'm still feeling GREAT, even after logging 7 miles on the treadmill today. I thought I'd die of boredom, but somehow I've been able to stay focused and the runs have been enjoyable. Ask me again in February, when my long runs will be up to 12 miles, which means I'll be on the treadmill for over two hours! I'm really not looking forward to that, especially since I always have to stop after an hour and reset the thing, because I can't program it for more than an hour. Grrrrrrr...

I have yet to get in the pool or on the bike, so I really need to find some time and motivation to add those to my training plan. I think I'm going to order a fluid trainer for my road bike, and I still want to find a swim coach to help with my technique. Hopefully the new year will motivate me a little more, because all I seem to have the time and energy for right now is my 2 runs per week.

I also noticed that I have 313 miles on my current pair of shoes. Since all my miles will be on the treadmill through the winter, which is padded and doesn't wear the shoes as much as the pavement, I'm thinking I may just keep running in them until I get back outside - unless I start having a lot of pain or an injury.

Oh, and just to keep myself honest, I registered for the Madison Marathon today!

Good Day for an Update

Today is the perfect day for an update. For those of you who check for updates frequently, I apologize for the lack of activity in this blog. I think my silence is due to many things, mostly the transition to cold weather and my lack of a specific race to train for. So, I've decided to take a 16 week marathon training plan and stretch it out to 27 weeks. Yes, starting today I'm officially training for my first full marathon! I'm doing the Madison Marathon on Sunday, May 25, 2008.

I started my "treadmill season" on 11/7, and prior to today I had logged a disappointing 25 miles this month after logging 46 in October. The 16 week plan I'm following is from Runners World, but I've customized it by choosing 11 weeks in the plan and doubling them so I can stretch it to 27 weeks. I think it will work, and if things continue as they've been going, I'm hopeful that I wont have so many injuries to deal with this time. I feel great now every time I run!

Today's plan called for a Tempo Run - Dist: 5mi. inc Warm; 3mi@10:14; Cool, and that's EXACTLY what I did to kick things off. Overall, I completed the 5 miles in 53:11, so I averaged about 11:10/mile for the warm-up and cool-down miles.

Today was also a special day, because this run put me at exactly 500 miles since I started running on June 14, 2006! It also put me up to 380 miles in 2007. My goal was 450 for the year, and it's looking like I'll probably come up around 15 miles short but I'm still happy with all that I accomplished this year.

I'll be focusing on 3 things in 2008:

1. The Madison Marathon on May 25th.
2. The Ragnar Great River Relay on August 22-23. Me and 11 others will be competing in a 200 mile relay from LaCrosse, WI to Minneapolis, MN over the course of about 35-37 hours!
3. Sprint Triathlons - I hope to compete in 3-4 of them.

The best part of all of this is that my wife will be on the relay team for Ragnar, and she's also hoping to do her first sprint tri! How awesome is that?

That's all for now. I'll try to be a more reliable poster. Thanks for your patience and for coming back to check on me. I appreciate all the support all of you give me in your own unique ways.

It's November Already

Sorry again for the lack of updates. It's just not very exciting now that I'm not racing and not really training for anything specific in the very near future.

I did manage to log 46 miles of running last month, which was my 2nd biggest month of the year. I haven't put in a lot of miles the last couple of weeks though, and with the time change and my dislike of running in the dark, it looks like I'll either have to start running in the morning or on the treadmill, and I'm not sure which of those I hate worse. Maybe I'll try something different and get on the elliptical machine at the Y and see how that feels. My wife loves it, so it's worth checking it out.

Speaking of the Y, the pool is open now, but I've been so busy that I've only been there once and only swam about 250 yards. I REALLY need to find a swim coach to help get me ready for the tri season next summer. I also need to get some miles in on the bike, and with the cold and dark moving in it looks like those miles will be on the trainer or the stationary bike.

I should note that I feel great. I did 5 miles on Sunday, and it was probably the best I've felt at that distance all summer. I didn't break any speed records, but I wasn't trying to do anything but a nice easy run, so I was very happy with the results. Ideally, I'll be able to average 10-15 miles/week of running through the winter. I'm not sure on my biking and swimming goals yet, so that will give me something to talk about in a future post.

Weekly Update

Just a quick update. I logged 15 miles of running this past week, ending the week today with an 8 miler with the temperature in the high 80s. It was brutal, but I did it. My pace was really slow, but all I cared about today was getting in the miles. I could have used twice as much fluid with the heat, so as I ramp up my miles next year getting ready for my first marathon, I may need to switch to the 4 bottle Fuel Belt.

I still haven't been on the bike or in the water since the tri. Hopefully the YMCA pool will open within the next 3-4 weeks...

Not Much Going On

Ok, so I haven't posted anything in over 2 weeks. Sorry. There just hasn't been much to report.

I didn't run the half marathon this past weekend as I had planned. I was nowhere near ready for another one of those. Next year I'll get back into the long distance races and hope to do a full marathon at some point in 2008.

I haven't been on the bike or in the water since the day of the tri (9/15), but I've kept with the running. Of course, I've only logged 20 miles in the last 2 weeks, so I don't have much to brag about. I did get a 7 miler in this past Sunday, though, and I ran the entire time and felt great, so that's good I guess. With the cold weather coming, I'm trying to decide what I'm going to do. I'm not a big fan of the cold, but I don't really care for the treadmill either, so I have some decisions to make regarding my running this winter. I'll figure something out. I plan to use my stationary bike and my trainer, and the pool at the new YMCA should be open by the end of the month, so hopefully I can find a good swim coach and get better in the water. I have the most work to do in that area. I will admit that I miss my new wetsuit. I only got to wear it once, and I see it in my closet every day and dream about getting out in the open water again.

Next year.

I am a Triathlete!

It's official! I finished my first triathlon! This one was a sprint with a .25 mile swim, 15 mile bike, and 3 mile run. My time was 1:58:18 - just under my goal of 2:00, so I guess you could call it a success.

I got out of bed at 5:30 am and wondered why it's so much easier to get out of bed for a race than it is for work??? I had packed most everything the night before, so all I really needed to do was brush my teeth, get dressed, and go over the checklist one last time. I had everything I could think of that I would need, so I hit the road at about 5:50 and arrived at Devils Lake State Park at 7:00. The temperature was hovering around 32°F the whole time I was driving, and was 34°F when I arrived at the park. Can you say "shrinkage"?

I found Cristen and Jon (my sister and her husband) on my way to the check-in area, so I was already off to a good start. Check-in was a breeze, and we were off to set up our transition areas. Jon and I were in the same wave (6), so we set up right next to one another. I didn't really have any trouble getting my wetsuit on since I'd practiced several times at home, and it was nice and warm inside. Unfortunately, though, I didn't have anything warm to wear on my bare feet, so they got really cold walking in the wet grass.

Once we got down to the swim start area, I started to get really excited. We looked over the course, and the .25 mile didn't really look too intimidating. As the first 5 waves went out before me, my excitement grew and I started to feel a little nervous too. They called wave 6 to the beach, and then we were off. I started to the outside and in the back in order to be as clear of other swimmers as possible. It was about a 50 yards to the first buoy, and we were able to walk about the first 30 yards or so. Once I started swimming, I realized I wasn't comfortable putting my face in the water for some reason, so I just swam freestyle with my head up, sighting the buoy the entire time. Once we got around the buoy, I was in the back of the wave with about 5-6 other guys. I swam about 25 yards past the buoy and realized I was exhausted! This was MUCH harder than I had expected. I could NOT touch bottom at this point, so I switched over to side stroke, and then breast stroke until I just had to flip over on my back and rest. I was no more the 50 yards past the buoy (about 100 yards into the race), and I was already wondering how in the hell I was ever going to finish the swim. Thank God I had the new wetsuit, because I can guarantee that if I didn't I would NOT have finished the swim. I have a LOT of work to do in this area. Anyway, I continued to alternate between freestyle, side stroke, breast stroke and back float until I was about 30-40 yards from the 2nd buoy (about 350 yards from the starting line), and then I saw Jon to my left, and he informed me I could touch bottom here! AMEN BROTHER (IN LAW)! I promptly put my feet on the bottom, walked a while, talked to a couple of other guys around me (mostly from wave 7 who had caught me), and then decided to swim another 25 yards or so to get around the last buoy. Once I rounded that buoy, I stood up and headed for shore, stripping my wetsuit down to my waist.

Total swim time: 11:41

Jon and I were in T1 at the same time and he got out about a minute before I did. I was just happy to be alive and probably celebrated a little too much with some of the other guys in my wave who got there about the same time as we did. I also struggled getting the wetsuit off, which I'll need to work on more before the next tri. I was trying to use my thumb to pull it over my left foot, and after about 3 unsuccessful tries I discovered that I was pulling on the strap for the timing chip! Oops! Anyway, I finally got the suit off, threw on my Under Armour long sleeve compression shirt, my biking jersey, my socks, and my running shoes (you guessed it - I don't have fancy clipless pedals yet). Last, I put on my sunglasses and my helmet, grabbed my bike, and I was OFF like a prom dress. I ran my bike out of T1 to the mounting area and the bike segment had begun.

T1 time: 4:54

The bike was TOUGH! I knew there were some hills, but I was not prepared for these hills. According to the Garmin, we climbed 2219 feet over the course of the 15.3 mile bike course. My bike is not a triple, so I was VERY glad I had bought a 12/27 cassette to replace the 11/23 that came on the bike. There's NO WAY I would have made it up some of those hills with the original cassette. This was the first and only time I really felt like a triple would have come in handy, but I made it up every hill without getting off the bike, and I only got out of the saddle once. (The Garmin says this one had a 30% grade, but that seems a little outrageous. Some of you biker types can tell me if that's even possible, because I'm no expert on grade.) Sure, nearly everyone who passed me did so on the climbs, but I wasn't there to win any awards, so I just said some words of encouragement to each of them and kept pumping. The descents were fun. My max speed was 39MPH, which I'm sure is the fastest I've ever gone on a bike. I was pretty comfortable on the descents, but not in the aero bars. Going that fast, I really only felt comfortable on the hoods, so that's where I stayed. I was probably only in the aero bars about 25% of the ride, mostly on the flats or the small grade rolling hills. My bike felt fast and I really held my own everywhere but the climbs. I passed a TON of wave 3 people during the last 5 miles of the bike. Wave 3 was novice women I believe, and they went off 18 minutes before I did. I drank about 24 ounces of fluids and ate 6 shot blocks while I was on the bike.

Total bike time: 1:09:06 (a whopping average of 13.3 MPH)

T2 was much quicker. After dismounting in front of a huge crowd, I ran the bike to my rack, hung it up, threw my helmet on the ground and put on my running hat, took the Garmin off the bike and put it on my wrist, put on my race number belt and ran out of T2.

T2 time: 2:06

The run was an easy distance for me under normal circumstances, but these weren't normal circumstances. The bricks I did during my training really prepared me for the feeling coming out of T2. That wasn't the problem. I was just exhausted from the bike, which was much more difficult than my 15 mile training rides. My legs were just spent. I ended up walking at a brisk pace up most of the bigger hills, probably a total of 3 times or so. When I set out on the run, my total time was just under 1:28, and the way I felt I was pretty sure I couldn't run 3 miles in under 32 minutes, so I started talking myself out of my 2 hour goal. Well, the angel one shoulder was more convincing than the devil on the other this time, and she convinced me to keep pushing right to the finish. I saw both Jon & Cristen on the run, which was a very nice motivator! I pushed as hard as I could to the finish and got in almost 2 minutes under my goal of 2 hours!

Total run time: 30:33

Overall total: 1:58:18

I did it! I finished my first triathlon! I learned a lot, and I had a GREAT time. I'm hooked, and now I know what I need to work on this winter and next spring.

Thanks to everyone who believed in me and supported me. I couldn't have done it without all the extra motivation.

Now I just need to decide if I can actually run a half marathon in 2 weeks when I really haven't trained for it.

Hmmm...

Edited to add the elevation profile for the bike from my Garmin for Big Mike.

Tomorrow

The Devil's Challenge Triathlon is tomorrow morning, and since we'll be having our first frost tonight and the forecast for 8am tomorrow is sunny and a balmy 38 degrees, plus the water is up on Devil's Lake so you can't touch bottom the whole way this year, I went out today and bought my first wetsuit! It's a Quintana Roo Ultrafull and it's FAST! Of course, in my hands it's not so fast. It took me about 10-15 minutes to get it on in the store, and I lost about 2 pounds of sweat in the process. Then it took me another 10-15 minutes to get it off. My T1 time could be HUGE tomorrow. I practiced with the suit a few times when I got it home, so hopefully I can pull off a miracle tomorrow. At least now I have some confidence that I won't sink during the swim.

I'm as ready as I can be. I'm shooting for under 2 hours, which, from talking to my sister, sounds like it would be a VERY GOOD TIME for me in my first tri on this course. She did her first on this course in around 1:58, so realistically, I'm hoping to cross the finish line by Monday.

Slight Improvement on my 10K Time

On Saturday morning I ran the Cow Chip Classic 10K. This was an anniversary of sorts for me, as the Cow Chip Classic 5K was my very first race after I started running last summer. I decided to graduate to the 10K and take on "Heartbreak Hill" this year.

It didn't go great, but I did improve since my last 10K and set a new PR of 1:05:48. I was shooting for 1 hour, but after trudging up that 2/3 mile long hill right away after an easy first mile, the rest of the race was a bit of a struggle.

I finished 165/177 overall, 100/103 for the men, and 17/17 in my age group (last again). I tried to keep up with Mike, but just watched him pull away once we got up the big hill. He finished 3:29 ahead of me. J-Wim was less than 6 minutes behind me, so I guess I was kind of like the meat in a Wimmer sandwich!

Less than 2 weeks to the Devil's Challenge tri, so I'll be trying to put in some significant time in all 3 disciplines over the course of the next 10 days or so. I'm also very excited about spending next Sunday chasing Slade around as he competes in his first Ironman here in Madison. GO SLADE!

It's Official!

I did it! I actually registered for the Devil's Challenge Triathlon on September 15th! This will be my first, and it is a 1/4 mile swim, 15 mile bike, and 3 mile run. This will either be my last tri, or the first of many. We'll just have to see how it goes and how much I like it. Chances are good that it will be my first open water swim, so hopefully they haven't changed the swim course and I'll be able touch bottom the whole way as people have told me was the case last year.

I had a choice to register as "age group" or "novice" and I decided to go with "age group". I hope I didn't screw that up. It probably just means I'll get the shit beat out of me in the water, but I'm ready for a fight so it's all good. ;)

Now I need to make another tough decision. Do I REALLY want to run another half marathon on September 29th, or should I settle for running the 5 mile race like I did last year???

Short and Sweet?

I read every blog linked on the right side of this page on a regular basis, and I've noticed something. My posts are much shorter than theirs. I'm pretty sure nobody's reading this thing other than my mother and my sister (and maybe Mike and J-Wim on occasion, since they leave comments for me), so I try to keep my posts short and sweet because they've heard me babble enough over the course of the last 39 years. Seriously, though. I wish I was a great storyteller like everyone else who posts about their training and their races. Heck, Erin even posted a recipe that I'm going to cook for my family tomorrow night! Anyway, sorry I'm not more interesting. I'll have to work on that.

Here's something interesting, though. I didn't run all of my planned miles last week (no surprise there), but I did do a real brick on Saturday, biking 15 miles on my road bike and then running 5K immediately afterward. I survived, and not counting my "transition" I did it in about 1:30, so as long as I don't die in the water or on the first hill of the bike of the Devil's Challenge Triathlon, I should be able to finish the race in under 2 hours. Ideally I'd like to do it in under 1:45, but that may be a little too ambitious. We'll see.

I went for a swim tonight. I still can't do very many consecutive laps, but I did force myself to do enough laps to equal a half mile, so that's an accomplishment. I did more side stroke laps than usual (maybe 20-25%), but that's OK since I'm sure I'll be doing all kinds of different strokes during the race. I think I'm getting better at freestyle too.

Those of you who know me know that I have a pretty good sized schnoz, so I picked up a nose plug and it is helping tremendously... So much that I can no longer swim freestyle without it. I'm amazed there was any water left in the pool after I sucked it all up through my nose for the last couple of months! I still don't have one of those corny little swim caps and I believe they are part of the required uniform for a tri, so I'm gonna need to find a place to pick up one of those. Anybody wanna donate one for a little free advertising? Think about it before you say yes, because you may not want to sponsor one of the slowest humans on the planet!

Just under 3 weeks to the tri. I'm excited and a little nervous. I suppose I should register one of these days...

Delay of Game

Sorry for the lack of updates in the last 2 weeks. I'm still alive and still training, but it's been a struggle. The week of August 6th, my 6 year old son had surgery to have his tonsils and adenoids removed, so I only got in 2 runs (2 and 6 miles), 1 bike (a quick ride on the stationary bike before a run), and 1 swim. This week I got in all 3 runs (2, 5, and 7 miles), another quick bike ride before one of my runs, and 1 swim.

Mentally, I'm losing the battle right now. It's taking a tremendous amount of mental coaxing to get out the door and do my training. With only 4 weeks to my first tri and 6 weeks to my 2nd half marathon my body feels great but my mind is weak. I'm having a hell of a time trying not to talk myself out of doing both of them. The running is going great, but my desire to swim and bike just isn't there right now. It's still a time thing for me.

Life and Time

Life always has a way of getting in the way of training when you have a wife and two young kids.

Last week I only ran twice - 2 miles on Tuesday and 6 miles on Sunday. Running on fresh legs was a treat, though, and I've really been feeling great while running. Hopefully I can run this half marathon on 9/29 without hurting myself between now and then. It would be nice to get through it relatively pain free. I'm thinking about shooting for a time of 2:11:00 or better, which would be 10 minute miles.

The swimming is improving. I'm up to doing 26 lengths of the pool (25 yards each), but still can't seem to do more than 3 lengths without feeling like I'm going to die! Last week I swam a total of 1,100 yards, which is 1,100 more than I swam 3 weeks earlier. I think I have 6 weeks until the Devil's Challenge tri, and I'm sure I'll continue to improve. I still need to figure out a way to fit in some time on the bike, though. I've heard that first hill is a KILLER!

Everyone else who swims laps at the pool where I've been going is training for Ironman, so I'm learning a little just by watching them. I'm also thinking very seriously about taking Erin's advice and getting a couple of lessons from a swim coach. Of course, I'll need to find some time first!

Quick Update

Another quick update because I'm tired as hell after being at the beach all day with the kids and then running 6 miles.

Another awesome week of running is in the books. I squeezed in 3 runs (2, 4 and 6 miles), and today's run was just as great as last week's 6 miler! I felt like I could have gone 8-9 miles tonight, but stuck to the plan because the plan seems to be working.

My sister posted a comment on my last blog entry that she's going to run another half marathon on September 29th, so I decided I want to run that one with her too! I'm right on target with my training right now, so I really won't have to change anything. I'll be following THIS 9 WEEK PLAN which "officially" starts tomorrow. Thanks for the motivation Sis!

I am also happy to report that I made it to the pool twice last week. Of course, I'd be embarrassed for any of you to see me swim, because I'm like a rock with arms and legs, but this too shall be easier as time goes on. It will, right?

And with 3 runs and 2 swims last week, when the hell was I supposed to bike? I don't know how you triathletes do it. I can't even find the time to train properly for a sprint. I'll figure something out, though, because the Devil's challenge is only about 7 weeks away.

Running is NOT a Pain!

Just a quick update on my running. I'm ecstatic to report that I am now running without any pain whatsoever. I ran 3 times this past week, with an easy 2 miler on Monday, intervals (5X400 plus warm up, cool down, and recoveries) on Wednesday, and a 6 mile "long" run yesterday which was really amazing as the only problem I had was with my heart rate getting too high and causing me to suck wind. When I hit 4 miles and realized that I was feeling absolutely no pain in my knees, hips, groin, ankles, shins, etc, a HUGE SMILE came across my face and I became hopeful that my days of having so many aches and pains before, during and after my runs may be behind me. I've been steadily increasing my mileage by about 1 mile/week ever since recovering from the half marathon at the end of May, and this may be the best I've ever felt!

I only had time for one swim workout last week. I'm hoping to get in the pool at least 2 times this week, and I really need to start finding some time for the bike too. I think I have 8 weeks until my first sprint tri, so there's plenty of work to be done.

Anchors Aweigh

I did it! I actually got in the pool and swam. It wasn't pretty, but it was better than staying home and thinking about how much I need to do some swim training.

I went to the DeForest High School for their open swim, which runs from 7-9 every night. I spent about a half hour "warming up" by swimming around in the deep end, treading water, back floating, etc, waiting for a lane to open up. Once I got in a lane, I managed to swim 14 lengths (25 yards each), for a total of about .2 miles. Of course, I couldn't swim more than 2-3 lengths without stopping and I have a LOT to learn before I'll be comfortable swimming .25 mile in open water. Most of my laps were either freestyle or side stroke, and I think I did one lap of breast stroke in there too. I have NO IDEA how to do any of these strokes properly since I haven't had any instruction since I was a child, so I'm going to need to start hunting on the internet, reading books, and/or watching videos. I'm most comfortable and efficient with the side stroke right now, and next time I may just test myself to see how many lengths I can go without stopping so I have a baseline to work from. Then I can start working on my freestyle with the idea that if I get in "trouble" during the swim I can always resort to the side stroke.

I'm glad I got started. Now I just need to keep going there 2-3 times/week for the next 9 weeks. I'm thinking I'll try some open water swimming in Lake Wingra in about 6 weeks or so. Right now I'm not convinced I need a wetsuit for my first tri, but I'll start watching Ebay in case I can find a great deal.

Amy Trades in the Couch

I posted my slowest 5K time ever today! My excuse is that I ran with my wife for the first 1.3 miles (which really didn't affect my time - it just sounds good). This was her first race ever. She started the Couch to 5K program about 6 weeks ago, and seeing her finish was more important than anything else for me. Even better was that she was less than 3 minutes behind me, which is awesome considering she's had ACL reconstruction done on both knees. I'm very proud of her today. She says she hates running, but she still gets out there and does it, which says a lot about her determination.

This week I need to start getting serious, because I have my first tri coming up in mid September and haven't been in the water yet this summer!

A Good Week

I met my goal of running 10 miles this week after finishing my 5 mile "long" run yesterday. The best part is that my knees and groin were completely pain free the entire time. As a matter of fact, the only problem I had was numbness in my right foot from about 2.5-4.5. I still have no idea what causes that, but since it doesn't hurt it's really only a nuisance.

I went with the family to the Aquatic center today, and boy do I have some work to do on my swimming if I want to do the Devils Challenge sprint tri on 9/15. I've always had shoulder problems since my younger days when I lifted a lot of weights, and they let me know it today! I was a little too self conscious about my awkwardness in the pool, so I avoided the two lap lanes (though they were occupied most of the time anyway), and just did a little swimming in the deep end. I'm still very comfortable with the side stroke, and have a lot of work to do if I want to do freestyle or the breast stroke. I'm really going to have to make some significant time for swimming at the DeForest High School pool during the next two months if I'm going to pull this off. I should also pick up some decent goggles because the cheapies my wife lent me today really sucked! What else do swimmers need besides a banana hammock? I do have a pair of tri shorts I should probably get used to wearing in the pool, on the bike and on my runs.

Intervals

I'm still learning how to do my interval training, so here's my report for today. First, I've been reading and hearing a lot about not "cold stretching" before a run, so I'm going to try that for a while and I started tonight. Instead, I used The Stick® to roll out my muscles and started with my usual .5 mile warm-up. This will take some getting used to because I felt pretty stiff and sore all through the run, but half of it was probably in my head.

Anyway, I did my usual 5 quarter mile intervals, but tonight I decided to run them harder and walk during my quarter mile recoveries. My other focus was on getting my HR up to or over 168 (my threshold floor) as quickly and as long as possible during the intervals. After looking over the data from my Garmin, my HR was at 168+ for a total of 7:47 which isn't bad. I also looked at my recovery time, and it looks like it takes me about 1:30-2:00 to get my HR down into my recovery zone (133) if I walk following a hard interval. I should be able to use that information if I ever do a long run using the run/walk method, incorporating walks of about 1:30 into each mile or so.

After the run, I didn't stretch right away. Rather, I walked about .5 mile and shot some hoops in the driveway. After that, I did my usual set of push-ups and crunches, and then stretched about 45 minutes after completing my run. Now I'm sitting here with ice packs on my shins because they are very sore tonight. On a positive note, my knees still feel great and my right groin is nearly pain free, so I'm very hopeful that my injuries will be 100% resolved soon. Of course, I did feel some numbness in my right foot after about 2.5 miles tonight, so I'll have to keep an eye on that again.

Improving

Not much to report this week. I'm slowly increasing my mileage as planned, and I logged 9 miles this week (2, 3, 4). My knees feel great, but my right groin is still bothering me quite a bit after my runs. During my Monday run, I focused on making it an "easy" run by trying to keep my heart rate under 147. I did some interval training again on Wednesday, starting with a .5 mile warm-up and then 5 quarter mile intervals with quarter mile recoveries in between. I really like the interval training, and I really noticed the benefits yesterday when I went out to run 4 miles trying to keep my HR under 161. My times for the two HR focused runs were nothing special, but that wasn't my focus so that's OK. Right now, without a specific training plan to follow, I'll stick to the pattern of an easy run on Monday, intervals on Wednesday, and a long run on Saturday, hoping to keep seeing improvements in my speed.

It looks like my wife Amy will be running her first 5K on Saturday, July 14th! I'm really excited about that, and I'll be joining her at the starting line and maybe trying to beat my PR of 27:42. Seems like a reasonable goal. I'd love to see her finish in under 40:00, but just getting out there and trying is a hell of an accomplishment for her, so finishing is her primary goal.

As far as a longer term goal for me, I'm pretty sure I'll be registering for the Devil's Challenge Triathlon (1/4 mile swim, 15 mile bike, 3 mile run), which is on Saturday, September 15, 2007 @8:00 am @ Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin. I suppose I should start swimming one of these days, and putting in some miles on the bike probably wouldn't hurt either. Time to start looking for a training plan on the internet, because planning and structure help me stay focused.

Please post a comment if you know of any good training plans for sprint triathlons, especially for a guy who's strength is running and who also has a wife, a 6 year old, an 8 year old, and a full time job!

Raced Today

On a whim, I decided to run a 5K race today - the Rock & Roll Rookie Run in Middleton. I registered on site, so this was the first time I didn't get a t-shirt. Not to worry, though. I can pick it up at Fleet Feet anytime after the 30th. I doubt I'll get the nice technical tee that everyone else got, but that's my fault I guess. I was surprised to get a book in my race packet, and it's actually one that I've been meaning to buy! The book is called Swim, Bike, Run, Laugh by Dan Madson, who I believe is a local author.

Before the race, I finally ran into fellow bloggers Mike & J-Wim for the first time! They were there to run the 10K, so it was fun to finish my race and then cheer them on out on the 10K course about .5 mile from the finish. We chatted for a while after the race, and they're a hoot! I'm glad we finally bumped into each other. Hopefully I'll see them again at a future race, because familiar faces are always a nice surprise. Nice job with your races, Mike & J-Wim!!! I hope you didn't spend too much money at the Endurance House, and I hope you had a nice bike ride around the Madison area.

I was shooting for a sub 30 minute time and came close, finishing in 30:31. I can't complain, though, because that's my fastest race pace so far this season (9:49). My groin problem is still lingering, and in the 5 hours since the race ended, my right knee has stiffened up and gotten pretty sore. It's the usual pain, on the outside of the knee (IT band?).

I'm not sure what to make of my heart rate information from the race. Up until now, I've had a maximum HR of 186, but at one point during the race today I hit 189, so I guess 186 wasn't accurate! Seriously, though... What the hell am I doing hitting my MAX HR in the 3rd mile of a 3 mile race? My average HR was even high at 174, so I don't know what to make of it. As you can see if you click on the graph below, my HR was reasonable and under control until about 9:35 into the race, which was just before I crossed the 1 mile mark. I've been taking an energy supplement before my runs called N.O.Xplode, and I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it. It makes you feel like Superman about 30 minutes after you drink it, but the energy boost may be jacking up my heart rate too much to be of any use. I'll have to keep monitoring it in my training runs.

UPDATE: The results have been posted, and here's the important stuff:

overall place:	66 out of 99
division place:	15 out of 16
gender place:	37 out of 41
time:	30:31

I WASN'T LAST IN MY DIVISION!

One Year Anniversary!

Thursday was my one year anniversary! I took my first steps on 6/14/06, and here's what my log said: "First run! Walked most of the way. Ran 6 mins." I went 1.9 miles that day in 27:00. I alternated walking and running, and I walked about 3.5 minutes for every 1 minute I ran.

This week I started feeling better after recovering from the half marathon for 2 weeks. I logged a measly total of 8 miles for the week and will be increasing it gradually. Today was not a good run day for me, though. It took me 4 minutes longer to run the exact same 3 mile route I ran on Wednesday. I'm not sure if it was the heat, my nasty headache, the time of day, or what, but I was miserable the entire time. I usually enjoy my runs, but I hated this one. It was frustrating both during and after the run, and I'm not used to that feeling. I just felt like I had no endurance. I kept asking myself how I ever ran 13.1 miles when I can't even run 3 anymore.

I'm trying to chalk it up to a rare bad running day, and hopefully I'll rebound next week. At least most of my aches and pains are gone. The only thing lingering is the right groin pain, and I'm not sure what I can do about that when taking more time off just doesn't feel like a good option. The knees seem to be holding up much better, which is encouraging.

Two Weeks Later

It's been two weeks since the half marathon, and whoever told me it takes about 1 day per mile to recover was right! I finally feel like I'm back to 100% (including a little nagging pain in my right knee, but that was there before the half marathon).

Here's what's been going on the last 2 weeks. I ran 4 times for a total of 8.8 miles. I've been progressively improving my pace up to tonight, when I ran 2 miles at a 9:26 pace - my fastest so far this season. I'd say I'm ready to get back into a training plan. The only problem is that I haven't figured out what my next race or my next major accomplishment will be, so for now I'll be running 3X/week and trying to work in more intervals since I really didn't do many last time and I really need to work on my speed. Tonight I decided to throw in 3 fast quarters and felt pretty good about them.

After running 2 miles tonight, I'd like to get at least 7 more miles in this week, so that's what I'll be shooting for. I'll probably increase my mileage by about 10%/week and see how that goes for a while.

Oh, and I should also mention that my wife, Amy, decided to start running, which is amazing because she's had both knees reconstructed due to blown ACLs. She's following the Couch to 5K program and is really liking it so far. She's even got her eye on a 5K race in mid-July! Good for her!

Back on the Roads

Just a quick update to note that I ran for the first time today, one week after my half marathon. I did an easy two miles in just under 20:00, and all the same stuff still hurt, just not as bad. My left calf and my right knee both hurt while I was running, and my right groin hurt after I stopped.

I'm sure I'll be fine, and I'll be trying to get about 9-10 miles in this week, and I should probably log some miles on the bike too.

Still no decisions on my next accomplishment. I'll come up with something. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions you've made so far.

Feeling Better

After 3+ days of pain and agony I'm finally starting to feel human again. I'd say I'm feeling about 90% recovered right now. The groin and knee have actually recovered very well, and the stiffness and soreness in my quads and calves is nearly gone. I'm almost feeling good enough to get out for a run, which is great.

Feeling good has made me realize that I need to start planning for my next accomplishment. Here's what I'm considering right now, with the most serious considerations first:

1) sprint triathlon
2) duathlon
3) another half marathon
4) a full marathon
5) Ironman (yeah, right!)

I haven't included 5K and 10K races on the list, because I'll certainly be throwing some of those into the plan and working on improving my times. I just don't know which item on the list I want to tackle next and how long I want to train before the event. I just know that I need to get started on another training plan soon.

This is what I'll ponder until I get out and run to see how I'm REALLY feeling. I'll wait until at least Friday to lace up the running shoes.

I DID IT!

Today was the big day! We got up at 5 am and we were out the door by 5:30 so we could drive to the finishing area and catch a bus to the starting line. It was COLD while we waited for the race to start, but once we got moving the temperature was absolutely perfect all morning.

I set out with a primary goal to finish the half marathon, and if I could do it in 2:30 or less that would be a nice bonus. The first two miles were perfect, then I started feeling some pain in my right knee. It subsided after about a mile, and I ran the first 7 miles in 71 minutes, way better than I ever expected. I saw my parents at 6.5 miles and told them I might be able to finish in 2:10-2:15!

Mile 8 is when I entered the depths of knee pain hell, and my pace for that mile dropped to 11:25 with a significant amount of walking. I ran the last 6.1 miles in approximately 68 minutes, in pain the entire time, and finished with an official chip time of 2:18:46. I was very surprised and very happy!

My pains today: right knee, right hip (new), left calf (new), and a huge blood blister on the tip of the toe next to my right big toe (no pain, but something new).

My sister, Cristen, whose goal was 2:15, finished in 2:08, and my brother-in-law, Jon, whose goal for the full marathon was 4:30-5:00, finished in 4:17! They got me into running last June, and I'm extremely proud of them.

Now I just need to figure out how to get up and down the steps. My wife suggested laying a blanket down and just sliding, which works great, but now I am stuck downstairs...

Speaking of my wife, a HUGE THANKS goes out to her for being so patient with me and all the time I have spent training. She made it pretty painless, and I really appreciate that.

Here are the official numbers:

bib number:	3941
age:	39
gender:	M
location:	Sun Prairie, WI
overall place:	1807 out of 2153
division place:	141 out of 153
gender place:	864 out of 943
time:	2:20:35
pace:	10:36
chip time:	2:18:46

Here's a photo of Cristen and me after the finish.

I Hate My Knees!

I was supposed to run 7 miles tonight. The first 2 miles went well, and after that my right knee pain became a significant problem. I cut off the run at 6 miles, and only ran on and off for about half of the last 4 miles because I could not run through the pain. It was so bad that I almost fell down a couple of times. Walking helped, but as soon as I started running again the pain came back, so I couldn't run more than about .2 miles at a time.

I don't know what to do with the half marathon only 10 days away. I'm scheduled to run 10 miles on Sunday, but I'm seriously considering just doing a few 2 mile runs from now until the race and just hoping I can finish without collapsing.

It's very frustrating to train for 15 weeks and have this happen a week before the event I've trained so hard for.

Rainy Mother's Day

I hoped to get up early and do my 9 mile run before all the neighbors started mowing their lawns, etc, but it was 47 degrees (feelt like 44) and raining when I got up.

The rain left town a little early, so I was on the road by 2:00 for my 9 mile run. I lived through it, and managed to cut 2:18 off of my time from the same run last Sunday. However, I did try something different. Last Sunday I ran the entire time, and this week I decided to simulate what it would be like if I ran just a little faster between the water stations along the marathon route and then walked for 1 minute at each water station (6 breaks today should be close to the 9 breaks I will have for the half marathon). I also took 14 oz of Gatorade Endurance on my Fuel Belt today, which I didn't have last Sunday, and took a drink at each walk break.

I only had one really bad mile, and that was the 5th mile (11:39). My left knee was nearly perfect today, but my right knee took over where that one left off, and the pain during the 5th mile was excruciating. I had thoughts of calling it a day, but pressed on, remembering that I lived through the same pain last weekend in the other knee and was able to finish without stopping. After about a mile of pain I was feeling much better and the pain was reduced to annoying, which I could live with. My fastest mile of the last 7 miles was actually mile 6, so once the knee pain subsides I'm pretty much good to go.

I'm still slow, but my only goals are to start and finish the half marathon on the 27th, so I really don't care.

Next week my schedule calls for 2, 7, 2 and 10. I'm so close I can taste it!

My First 10K

I ran in my first ever 10K race tonight - the Meriter Hospital Nurse's Run. I may be fat and slow, but I finished and I only walked briefly through the 2 water stations.

Here's the summary from the online results:

age: 39
gender: M
overall place: 278 out of 294
division place: 40 out of 40
gender place: 139 out of 142
time: 1:06:27
pace: 10:42

So, once again I was last in my division. The same thing happened when I ran my first 5K last summer. It's a good thing I have no pride!

I was shooting for about 60 minutes, so I'm a little disappointed in my time, but I really did take it easy because with less than 3 weeks until my first half marathon I just don't want to get injured and my knees are finally starting to come around.

After this half marathon is over, I may need to start working on my speed - unless I get crazy and start training for a full marathon.

9 Miles Today!

With only 3 weeks until race day, I ran 9 miles today in 1:39:38 and never stopped until it was over! This was a huge confidence booster for me going into my final 3 weeks of training.

I felt pretty good for the first 3 miles. Then my left knee started hurting and my right foot went numb. I dealt with both of these problems for about 2 miles, and then ran the 6th mile landing only on my forefoot. It took less than a half mile to get the feeling back in my right foot and my left knee felt perfect! This was actually a refreshing change and contributed to my fastest mile of the day (10:06). I actually felt pretty fresh from miles 6-8. Mile 9 was tough, but there was no quitting at that point, so I ran that one in 10:23 and finished with an average pace of 11:08 for the day, which is right around my target pace for the half marathon in 3 weeks.

I focused on keeping my heart rate between 149-166 again today, and was able to keep it in that zone for all but 10 minutes of the run. I only went above 166 for a total of 2:40, which happened during miles 7 and 9. This will certainly be my target zone for the race on the 27th.

Next weeks plan calls for 2 miles on Tuesday, 8 on Thursday, 2 on Friday, and another 9 on Sunday for a total of 21 miles. My knees were pretty sore after today's run, so hopefully I'll be able to do all those miles.

A Good Night

I ran 7 miles tonight in just over 74 minutes, for an average of 10:40/mile, which is excellent. I really focused on keeping my heart rate between 149-166, and was able to keep it there for a total of 59 minutes! That's a good zone for me to run in.

The first two miles went great. I took it easy running an average of an 11:14 pace for those two miles, and I was relatively pain free. My left knee really started hurting after about 2.5 miles, but I was able to run through it. I focused on my form and trying to shorten my stride and land on my mid-foot rather than my heels and it really helped. I was pain free again for most of the 5th mile, and as I began to tire for the last two miles the pain came back as a dull ache, but by that point most everything was hurting just from the long distance.

I ran the first 3 miles at an 11:15 pace, and I ran the last 4 miles at a 10:08 pace, which I think is incredible and very encouraging. It just helps me prove to myself that I can't start so fast like I did in Crazylegs.

The new Brooks shoes felt great. Obviously they aren't helping much with the knee pain yet, but I can certainly tell that they have more cushion and stability, which is exactly what I need right now. I should also note that my right foot hasn't gone numb either time that I've worn them, so they may be helping with that problem. I think I'll just retire the Asics rather than alternating between the shoes.

I'm scheduled for 2 miles tomorrow, which I'll run easy just to shake out the pain and stiffness, then I have 8 miles on Sunday which I feel much better about after tonight.

Oh, and I should also mention that it's official - I registered for the Madison Half Marathon today!

New Shoes

I decided to visit a local running store today since I have over 200 miles on my Asics GT-2100 shoes. They inspected my feet, my pronation/supination, watched me walk and watched me run, and I ended up buying the shoes they recommended - Brooks Adrenaline GTS 7. They really think these will help with my knee problems. I ran an easy 2.5 in them tonight and once I adjust to the different feel I really think they will help.

I took it easy tonight and really didn't have any problems with my knee. Unfortunately, though, I'm starting to feel a little of the shin splint pain I had when I started running last June. As usual, though, the pain subsided after about 1.5 miles so it shouldn't cause me any problems for the Madison Half Marathon on the 27th.

Crazylegs Classic Results

I survived the 8K Crazylegs Classic on Saturday morning, but my time was a little disappointing - 52:07 for an average of 10:29/mile. I walked a lot. My left knee didn't bother me during the race, but I wore a brace and I'm sure it helped, because later Saturday night and yesterday I could hardly walk because of pain in that knee. My right foot went numb again after about 3 miles, so I'm going to need to get that figured out before the half mary on May 27th.

It was a fun experience, though. Unlimited free beer - two at a time - for all participants after the race at Camp Randall. On the positive side, I did beat beat the head coach of the Badger football team by 1:27! I guess I also beat about 2000 other runners, so finishing in 7057th place isn't so bad, right?

4 more weeks until the Madison Half Marathon, and I've got a LOT of work to do. I went to the track last night and ran some intervals - first to try shake some of the pain from my legs and second to try to calibrate the footpod for my HRM because is was over .5 miles off on Saturday. My knee was hurting at the track but the pain subsided quickly after I finished running. Tonight I went just under 6 miles on the bike, hoping to get some momentum going into week 13 of my training plan.

Good, but not Great

I did 4 miles tonight and had some discomfort in my left knee but not the serious pain I've had before. It didn't start until about mile 3, and I just ran through it. I found that tightening my knee strap helped a little, so I'll have to be sure to wear it for the Crazylegs run on Saturday. I'm considering taking the rest of the week off, but we'll see how I feel on Thursday before I make any final decisions.

I'm Back!

Tonight was pretty amazing. I went out for an EASY 3 mile run, and after the first 2.8 miles of focusing on my HR again, trying to keep it under 150, my stopwatch was at 32:04, so I was averaging 11:27/mile, which was close to my Thursday night run. Very slow, but I was walking every time the HR monitor said 151 or more in order to bring it under 150. My average HR for the first 2.8 miles was 148 so I was right on target.

The difference tonight was that I was 100% pain free and I felt like I wanted to keep running. So, I did another 2.2 miles in 22:34 which is a 10:15 pace, bringing my total time for the 5 miles to 54:38, and I was still 100% pain free after the last 2 fast miles. I haven't really kept records, but I'm guessing this was one of the first times I've truly run a negative split.

This was a big boost for me going into week 12 of my training plan, because this was the first time I've run without any pain since March 25th, which was 4 weeks ago. It looks like taking some time off may have paid off for me. We'll see how this week goes with two 4 mile runs scheduled and the Crazy Legs 5 mile race on Saturday.

All I know is that I feel great right now, and I have missed this feeling.

LIAR!

Ok, so I lied. It was beautiful outside when I got home from work tonight and I was feeling great, so I decided to do a short and easy run focusing on keeping my heart rate as close to 146 BPM as possible (my recovery ceiling). You'd be surprised how difficult it is to run at 70% or less of your heart rate reserve. I had to slow to a walk several times when it went over 150 BPM just to bring it back down!

I went 2.5 miles in 28:25 (pretty slow, but remember that I walked several times), and my average HR was 147 - almost perfect! My knee felt pretty good, though there were some occasional twinges of pain. If I focused on my form I was able to run mostly pain free, so I'm pretty sure the problem is being caused either by my running form, my shoes, my weight (185), or some combination of the three. I really need to get a new pair of shoes and start rotating them in. I'll try to do so within the next week or so. I'm also working on losing some more weight. I'd love to be down to 175 by the date of the Madison Half Marathon, which is only 5.5 weeks away. That's just under 2 lbs/week, which is very do-able at least for the first 5-6 lbs.

We'll see how I feel tomorrow and Saturday. Perhaps I'll just do another easy run but add a couple more miles to it if I'm feeling good on Saturday or Sunday. I could really stand to get on the bike a few times in the next week as well, so I'm really hoping I wake up without any knee pain tomorrow.

Still on a Break

I haven't run since last Tuesday, and I'm going to continue my break. I have only felt a few twinges of pain in my knee in the last 4 days, and usually after 6-8 hours with no Ibuprofen, so I'm going to continue my hiatus and get back to the training plan next week.

Time Off

My left knee hurt so badly during my easy 2 mile run on Tuesday that I've decided to skip my 7 mile intervals tonight and probably my 8 mile long run on Sunday so I can give it some rest before going into the final 6 weeks of my training. Also, since week 12 is an easy week with only three 4 mile runs scheduled, I may take next week off too (week 11), only cross training on the bike, and then I'll have 5 solid weeks to get ready for race day plus Crazylegs on Saturday 4/28 (in place of my Sunday 4 miler).

I suppose I should see a doctor too. I've been trying so hard to avoid that...

Week 9

On Monday I did 30 minutes on the stationary bike because it was just too cold to ride outside. I'm saving the new bike for the warmer weather.

On Tuesday I did a 2.5 mile easy run. (See blog post from 4/3/07.)

On Wednesday I did 30 minutes on the stationary bike again, focusing on keeping my HR between 134-146 BPM, which is my "easy" range. It was actually hard to get it that high and keep it there without having it feel like I was doing more than an "easy" workout! My average HR for both rides this week was 126 BPM.

My Thursday run was a 4 mile tempo run plus a 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down. It was friggin' cold outside - only about 34, but with the wind it felt like 24. I wasn't happy about it at all as I'm a big puss when it comes to cold weather, but I refuse to run on the treadmill anymore. I lived, but my left knee was killing me after about 2.5 miles. I learned something, though - if I pick up the pace and lean forward a bit it's less painful. I actually ran the 5th mile at an 8:00 pace, which is very fast for me, especially this late in a difficult run. Of course, I had a 20 mph wind at my back and I was going downhill, but considering the pain I was in the mile before that I was very pleased.

I skipped my Friday bike ride and rested for two days. Today I had a 7 mile long run scheduled at a 10:55 pace. I decided to try something different, and I planned to run the first 3/4 of each mile at a 9:53 pace and then walk the last 1/4 of each mile at a 15:00 pace for an average of 10:55/mile. It actually worked quite well, and I went 7.4 miles in 1:19:37, which is an average pace of 10:47.

My knee hurt pretty bad starting at about 4.25 miles, and like Thursday my right foot started going numb again. I stretched out after 4.75 miles and continued my run. I decided to try picking up the pace, still maintaining my cadence, and somehow miles 6 and 7 were my fastest miles of the day (10:34 and 10:22). The feeling came back in my right foot after stretching, and the left knee still hurt, but it was more of a nagging pain than the usual sharp pain I get when it first comes on.

So, this week was a success as I ran my longest training run ever (7.4 miles), and ran a weekly high 16 miles. Next week I have 18 miles scheduled, so there's no time to rest.

Knee Update

I did a 2.5 mile easy run tonight (11:00 pace) to start the second half of my 16 week training plan, and my left knee was completely pain free. It felt a little heavy or tight for the last half mile or so, but nothing to be concerned about. I am convinced it has to do with the treadmill. Tonight was only my 2nd run outside this season. I will be forcing myself to run outside from this point forward no matter what the temperature is. I just run so much better and more naturally outside that it's foolish for me to even step on the treadmill.

My Thursday run is a 4 mile tempo run plus a 1 mile warm up and 1 mile cool down, so that will be the next hurdle. I'm very hopeful after today, so we'll see what happens.

Oh, I've also done some more research and it actually sounds more like Chondromalacia Patella (Runner's Knee) than ITBS, because when I do have pain it's usually after sitting for a long period of time or when going up and down stairs. I picked up a Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplement that is supposed to help with joint lubrication. We'll see in a month or so if it's making a difference, because it takes a while to actually realize the benefits.

Knee Problems

Well, all I had to do was run 3 miles tonight and I couldn't do it. When I got to 1.75 my left knee hurt so bad I had to stop. I iced it down for about an hour afterward but it still hurts pretty bad. This could be a nasty setback. Since this is an "easy" week I'll have to see how it goes on Thursday and then again on Sunday, planning to stop early again if it's still hurting. Hopefully it will be better by the time I pick up the miles again next week.

The pain is in the area of my patellar tendon and on the outside of the knee. From what I've read, it still sounds like an IT band problem and I'll be keeping an eye on it and working on some IT stretches for the next week or more.

Whew! What a Week!

I just finished my long run for Week 7, which was a 7 mile run. I actually warmed up by walking 1/4 mile, then ran 6 miles straight at a 11:40 pace (a little over my 11:02 target), and then cooled down with a 3/4 mile walk. This one was both a physical and mental challenge. I was really hurting at times and really had to challenge myself mentally to keep running, but knowing that I only have to run a total of 10 miles in Week 8 kept me going. After the run, however, I had some pretty severe pain in my left knee. It felt like IT band syndrome, so I'll need to keep an eye on that and possibly learn some stretches for the IT band.

My total mileage for my runs this week was 14.5, which was right on plan. I only biked one day this week though, as I have been feeling pretty ill with another cold and sinus problems. It's really pretty amazing that I was able to complete all the runs, so I'm pretty proud of that accomplishment.

The weather is getting nice, so I hope to get outside and run more this week, which will surely be tougher than running on the treadmill. I also bought a road bike today, so I hope to do some biking outside as well which will be a nice change. I'm pretty excited about the bike. Now I just need to find a buyer for my virtually unused 2003 Specialized Stumpjumper Comp!

Six Down Ten To Go

I've officially completed 6 weeks of my 16 week training program for the Madison Half Marathon on May 27th! I was determined to put in the planned miles this week and I DID IT! My totals for the week were 13 miles of running and 24 miles of cross training on the bike.

My run pace is just a little slower than I'd like, so I'll continue to work on that. Still, I was very happy to complete 6 miles today. I walked briskly for the first and last half mile to warm up and cool down, and I ran the other 5 miles without stopping at an average pace of 11:24, which was a little above my target of 11:02. I was less than two minutes over my planned pace for those 5 miles though, so I'm very close and I'm still VERY happy with my progress.

I'm also very pleased that I was able to run 5 miles straight tonight just over my target pace without getting my heart rate over 165 BPM. That's my lowest max HR in the 6 runs since I bought the monitor, so I'm making great progress on my overall level of fitness.

Team Hoyt Video

This video is sure to inspire you whether you're a runner or a couch potato.

Prison Break

I broke out of the prison tonight and ran outside for the first time this season. It was almost 70 degrees when I got home from work, so I just couldn't resist.

I did my usual 2 mile Tuesday run with a short warm-up and cool-down, and it went well. I ran the 2 miles in about 19 minutes, which was better than the 22 minute target I had tonight. Of course, my average heart rate for the run was 156 BPM, which is a little higher than I wanted, but I survived. My max HR was 180 which is also pretty high for an "easy" run. I'll need to work on that. I ran at my fastest pace this year, so I was very happy with that.

Last week I found out that sometimes life gets in the way of training. I biked on Monday and ran on Tuesday. Then I didn't work out the next 3 days because I worked late Wednesday night, and then my parents were in town on Thursday and Friday and I went to the high school girls state basketball tournament games with them. I really need to figure out a way to work out in the morning so this doesn't happen every time I have something do do in the evening. That's two weeks in a row that I missed workouts and I can't keep doing that if I'm going to run 13.1 miles in late May.

My Week as a Single Parent

I gained a lot of respect this week for single parents who find time to exercise. My wife was out of town all week for work and I wasn't able to find time to exercise on Wednesday or Thursday. She got home on Friday night shortly after my parents arrived for a weekend visit, so I didn't work out on Friday either. I don't know how single parents do it, but those who do are amazing.

The exercise I did do this week went great though. I biked just over 23 miles and ran just over 7 miles. Today's run was 5 miles on the treadmill and it went very well. With about 9 minutes of walking I ran for the other 50 minutes and finished in 59:09, just a few minutes over my goal of 55:45. I'm officially back to the condition I was in back in September, so the improvements are coming quickly. Now I'll be moving into uncharted territory with long runs of over 5 miles on the training schedule.

The fun part of today's run had to do with the heart rate monitor I bought on Friday. Yes, I did it! I took the plunge and bought a Polar RS200sd at the local REI co-op. I like the little bit of HR information the indoor bike and treadmill give me so I figured it will be nice to have HR information when I start doing my workouts outside.

During my run today, I found that I felt best right around 160 BPM which I was at for most of the 2nd mile. Once I got over 170 I really started feeling fatigued. My average HR for today's run was 158 which was a little higher than I wanted. I would prefer to have my average between 145-155 for my runs right now, and will be working on that. My "max" HR is 182, and in the 4th mile I ran for about 2 minutes at 186 which felt great but exhausted me quickly. This heart rate analysis stuff is very new to me, so I'll be spending some time over the next few weeks learning how to use the information I'm collecting with the HRM.

My wife's back now, so I should be able to get all my workouts in this week. I'll be running 13 miles and biking about 43 miles this week. There's a little change in the training plan for the 2nd run this week too, as it is listed as a "tempo run". It says I'll be running 5 miles with a 1 mile warmup, 3 miles at 9:26, and a 1 mile cool down. That could be a tough run since I've been running around an 11:00 pace so far whenever I'm not walking.

First Registration of the Season

I just registered for my first race of the season - the Crazylegs Classic here in Madison on April 28th. This is an 8K run (4.97 miles), which shouldn't be a problem as I'll be up to 8 miles for my weekly long run by that time. This will be my first time running this race, but I'll be with my friends Jeremy and Rich who are Crazylegs veterans.

This should be fun a fun day because it's a huge race (over 7900 runners finished last year) and there's a great party afterward at Camp Randall after crossing the finish line, which is at the 50 yard line.

Now We're Cookin'

In a word, week 3 was AWESOME! I had planned to run a total of 9 miles and bike 33, but I ended up getting ambitious on the bike yesterday and went an extra 15 minutes, bringing my total miles on the bike for the week up to 38.

After that, I wasn't sure I'd be able to run 4 miles tonight, but I pulled that off as well. I even went 26 minutes straight at an 11:06 pace (2.3 miles), so I'm pleased with my progress on my pace and my endurance so far. Of course, the plan says I was supposed to go 4 miles at an 11:09 pace, so I still have some work to do, but I feel like I'm gaining on the plan quickly now. I ran 3.5 of the 4 miles tonight and it won't be long before I can run the whole distance on my long day.

My total time exercising this week was 4:20, which is more than half of the 8 hours I've exercised in the last 3 weeks! Next week the plan is nearly identical except I have to add a mile to my long run on Sunday and go 5 miles. I'm 100% convinced that riding the bike on my cross-training days is making the running easier, so I'm sure I will be able to pull it off if I add a few extra miles on the bike again this week. I'm shooting for running 10 miles and biking 43 this week.

Being Sick Sucks!

Week 2 is in the books. On Monday I biked 10 miles on the trainer, and on Tuesday I ran 2 miles on the treadmill. I did both at my fastest pace to date, which is amazing because I was pretty ill with a cold and what turned out to be a sinus infection. By Wednesday I felt like crap, so that was it for the week. I went to the doctor on Friday since I had the day off at work. As expected, he diagnosed a sinus infection, prescribed an antibiotic, and yesterday was the first day I really started to feel human again.

Now I'm two days into Week 3, still improving my pace and adding more miles to both the bike and the run. If I hit my targets this week, I'll run 9 miles and bike about 33 miles. So far, since I started training in January on the bike, I've logged a total of 121 miles, and other than getting sick last week I'm very pleased with my progress and have no doubt that I'll be able to start and finish the half marathon in May.

Congrats to my sister, Cristen, whose training is going great! By now, she should have finished the indoor IronMan Triathlon that she started on February 1st! THAT'S impressive! Guess I'll need to build a pool in the back yard to keep up with her. Of course, right now that would only be good for ice skating so maybe I'd be better off looking into a health club or YMCA membership.

Off to the Races!

Well, my first week of training for the Madison Half Marathon on May 27th is officially over.

I spent the month of January riding the stationary bike as planned, and I logged 71 miles with a total of 4:50 on the bike trying to get my legs ready to start running.

I'm following a training plan that my sister told me about from Runner's World online. I started on Monday, 2/5 and the plan only called for three 2-mile runs the first week. I came close and ran a total of 5 miles, but I was much slower than I should have been. I've got a lot of work to do before I "catch up" to the training plan, but I'm sure I'll get there eventually.

On my "off" days I rode the bike, putting on another 20 miles, and I took Saturday off.

This week's plan is the same as last week's except that I'm supposed to run 3 miles on Sunday. I'm going to focus on meeting the mileage goals this week although I am certain I won't meet the time goals. That's fairly consistent with my race plan anyway since I am focused on running the miles in whatever time it takes to finish.

New Year Thoughts

I'm planning to run the Madison Half Marathon in May and will try to track my progress here. I haven't put the running shoes on since October, shortly after the Maple Leaf 5 mile run I did in LaCrosse, so the plan is to spend this month on the bike getting my legs and lungs ready to run starting in February.

I hope to get a few 5K races in before the marathon as well, but haven't looked at the local race schedule for this spring yet. I'm also considering trying some sprint triathlons this summer, but before I can even consider that I need to find a place to swim and I need to actually get on my bike and ride it. (I'll be using the stationary bike this month due to the winter weather in Wisconsin.)

10k 5k asics bicycle bicycles bicycling bike bikes biking brooks cannondale felt garmin ironman marathon marathons nike polar race racing REI run runner runners running schwinn shimano specialized sprint swim swimmer swimmers swimming trek triathlete triathlon underarmor