Race Results.

I ran what will be my last race of 2007 this morning. It was pretty nasty out. About 40F, foggy, misty and drizzling on and off. Really great conditions.

Now I recognize those conditions are not arctic by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not exactly tropical either. I ended up in layered shirts with a jacket, long pants and hat and gloves and was pretty comfortable. However, as you may expect there were numerous people out in t-shirts and shorts and even two women out in jog-bras. Is this supposed to be a sign of toughness? I think it may be a sign of something else.

I've still yet to be as impressed with race organization as I was in London (If you ever find yourself in the UK, the "Great Run" series is just that. They have one in most major cities and the organization is superb. Although the Great North Run has an unfortunate reputation as a killer. Literally.) It seemed to me about half the mile markers missing, and there were definitely not enough pre-race porta-johns. At least this time I was ready for the mile (instead of kilometer) markers, although it still bothers me.

It was a fun race, lots of Santas, reindeer, a snowman and evidently the mayor of Washington, DC. At packet pickup they handed out bells to tie to your shoes so there was a nice jingly sound throughout most of the race. My parents came down to watch which always makes it more fun, especially since I'm leaving the country this week.

I was also very happy with my time. I hit the first mile marker at 8:30 (by my watch). There was a lot of traffic at the start and while the course wasn't excessively narrow, there were 2900 people trying to run down Ohio Ave so there was congestion. (The race organizers also didn't have signs to help runners get to the starting line in roughly the order they thought they'd finish.) I kept trying to keep pushing the pace (as some may remember, I did some extra 'tempo' work this week, but kept the miles down overall). At the 5k point (which was marked, but the 4 mile point wasn't....) my watch showed about 24:30. I had some trouble on the second half. The course was out and back, with the start and finish co-located. And I swear they moved the finish back after the start. I kept thinking it was "just around the corner" and it wasn't. My legs were burning pretty bad, but I crossed the line beating my previous personal best by over 2 minutes! Then we walked back in the rain to the car, so I'm sure I'll be nice and sick for my trip this week.

Treadmills

So the weather today was just like yesterday, only snowing and colder. So I elected to run on a nearby treadmill. It ended up being a good idea as the snow just kept getting stronger.

I don't particularly care for treadmills too much. I just think it's kind of boring. I also have a problem with them. And not just because the one I was on seemed to half-stall every 5 minutes or so, kind of a stutter-step, nothing too terribly serious. My real problem with them is psychological. I always end up running too hard and too long. I went out to do about 30 minutes and just get a little exercise. I ended up with a 45 minute run, doing pyramids at up to a 6 minute mile pace for a couple of minutes here and there.

I think I fall prey to the fact that you can very exactly control your pace, and I just feel I have to. So tomorrow, I'm going to run outside, or I will very seriously, honestly NOT push my self on the treadmill.

Oh. Do you?

This is a response to my favorite blogger (besides Culinary Cowgirl) in the whole wide world. Blunoz recently related how much he loves and misses winter. Having just finished a nice tempo run here in Washington, DC I wanted to make sure Blunoz realized what 'winter' really is. Please note the following facts. The current weather at Blunoz' house is as follows: Mostly Cloudy, 73F (feels like 83F). This is the weather here: Mostly cloudy, 37F (feels like 26F).

So, while Blunoz was probably out today in shorts and a t-shirt, I ran in the following:

• tights
• nylon trousers to block the wind
• a long sleeved shirt
• a second long sleeved shirt
• a warm jacket
• a wind-breaking vest
• a watch cap
• gloves

and it was still a bit chilly. The wind was coming off the starboard quarter on the way back in and it was a bit brisk. But still, it was a nice run and I'm glad I did it.

TAKE THAT BLUNOZ!

WARNING: HIGLY ADDICTING GAME!

This post is in response to Blunoz's. It might be considered off topic, but it's my blog, and it says "whatever's on my mind" so therefore it's on topic.

After much trial and error (mostly error) I finally beat the 'normal' difficulty of the game. (For reference, here's a link to the game. But it is addictive. You've been fairly warned.)

To Update his strategy, I was using the pellet towers and swarm towers exclusively and was able to get to the 50th wave but not through it. So I changed tactics slightly and added some squirt towers. The real trick is realizing a few highly upgraded towers are far superior to many weakly upgraded towers. (Of course, there is a minimum number of weakly upgraded towers you need to control the flow of creeps.) Oh, and if you don't have good air defense, you will quickly die.

Here's a screen shot of my victorious game, in the waning moments of the last creeps lives...

Revenge!

Well, I finally showed them. I managed to out smart them. It's a great victory today for all mankind. We will no longer have to live in fear of small winged insects. I did the same run as that ill fated night. But I really showed them. I waited till way after dark (well after the twilight feeding frenzy), and did the whole run with nary a problem.


The fact that it was on 40 degrees out and the end of November had nothing to do with it.

Turkeys

As Sagey so sagely commented earlier, I ran a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving. Many towns have them, and I think they mainly serve to assuage the guilt of over eating during the holidays. Mine probably worked for Thanksgiving, but did nothing for the gluttony that was Wednesday night, Friday and Saturday.

The race I ran was right in my home town. As expected, the results were not anywhere near my best, but then, that wasn't the point. I ran a respectable time, and had fun. My father ran with me. A former regular runner, he now mostly does other things for exercise, he placed 4th in his age division (no, it was not 4th out of 4). I mange about 16th in mine. My two cousins (aged 30 and 17) opted out. One for a bum knee (legitimate in my book) and one because he couldn't be ar###d to get out of bed the lazy no-goodnick. Can you figure which one was which based on age alone?

The best part about the run was the weather. The forecast was for low 40s with rain. The actual temperature was upper 50s and sunny. Couldn't beat it!

Next race: 9 December, Washington, DC.

Sickness

I've been a bit quiet on the writing front because I've been a bit quiet on the running front. I've had a cold, and I'm not a huge fan of running with a cold. Too much stress on the body as far as I'm concerned.

I managed to get out today for the first time in over a week. It helped that the weather was lovely down here in DC today. About 56 degrees and only a light wind. I kept the pace down and the distance short (under 3.5 miles, about 10:00 minute mile pace) and it felt relatively good. Good enough in fact that I had to hold myself back on the pace during the second half of the run.

I'm happy I felt fine as I'm running a Turkey Trot 5k back home on Thursday. I don't think I'm going to gun for a personal best though. I'll just enjoy the run.

Good Weekend

Well, It was a fine weekend. I got a decent run in on Saturday morning. As one of my classmates following the MCM 10K put it, "the advantage of running a 10k over a marathon is that your body isn't completely wrecked for the next month." I managed over 27 miles last week, so I guess it's a marathon of some sort.
But the big story as I'm sure you'll guess was the end of 43 years of humiliation at the hands of the domers. Some things are worth the wait. I am worried though, b/c I think the old Navy team is setting themselves up for failure with an attitude like the one from a Navy player who said, 'this game was more important than Army' or something along those lines. Only a Navy player who has never lost to Army would make that statement. (The Mids have beaten Hudson High every year since 2001.)

I have to admit, there were more than a few moments when I was sure Navy was going to hand the game to the Irish. Not being able to stop them on 4th and 17 comes to mind. But, surprisingly the defense did manage to come through, not only stopping Notre Dame on Fourth down with the game tied and less than a minute left with the sack pictured below, but also scoring a touchdown. If you had told me Navy's defense would score against Notre Dame I'd have checked you in for psychiatric evaluation.

Can't wait for Christmas(?)

Well, I went out for a run this morning and I can't wait for the lovely wife's next package to get here. It will be like December 25th. (Although I hope it gets here before then!)

Why, because it was in the 40s this morning and that package has my warm running stuff in it. I had a long sleeve shirt and a very nice rain resistant vest on. But no long pants or anything like that. Yes, I have a nice warm hat to wear now (thanks to the nice folks at Pacers). But of course I didn't wear it. Come on US Mail!

MCM 10K

I ran the Marine Corps Marathon 10k yesterday. Just a few quick thoughts.

- To answer the obvious questions: Why run the 10k and not the marathon? (A question I was frequently the pre-race events.) Well, in essence I'm a wimp. Seriously, as I think I've mentioned earlier I'll choose shorter run and happy marriage over the alternate any day.

- "Bundled Races" are interesting (i.e. a marathon bundled with a 10k and a kids race in this case). It really makes you feel like a slacker when there are 25,000+ (or what ever it was) people running the marathon and you're there checking in for the 10k. Oh well. I had fun. (Looking at some of the people running the marathon, I probably could have given it a shot.)

- Our pre-marathon events went pretty well. It was refreshing to see so many people running in support of a cause, or in someone's memory. Being the Marine Corps Marathon, there were many runners out there in memory of a loved one or friend lost in Iraq or Afghanistan. It really brings a bit more of a sober feeling to the race. Not all 'party party party' like some of the other races. It was worth it though, as I was one of those running in honor of a cause. I know it helped me, and I'm sure the marathoners felt it even more, to have some one cheering for you as you ran by, even if they had no idea who you were.

- The course I. The MCM 10k course starts at the Pentagon, joins part of the marathon course, then finishes at the marathon finish line. This is fine, except I was nearly blown off the road by siren blaring motorcycle police escorting the wheelchair athletes as they blew through the 10k field at about mile 2-3.

- The course II. (Maybe this is because I'm used to running in Europe.) I didn't think my time would be that great because of my training gap, but I wanted to break 1hr. Doing the quick mental gym: 1hr = 60min. 10km....okay I need to beat 6min per km to get in under 1hr. So as I hit the first marker: 8:47 (or there abouts). In my head: "Okay, so that means....WHAT! I know I didn't want to start too fast (like I did in London) and end up cramping in the middle of the race again, but 8:47! yougottabekiddingme!" ... ... "Oh, that was 1 mile not 1 km." So I spent the next mile or so doing the mental gym to figure out where I needed to be each mile. Gave me something to think about. But really. It's a 10k, not a 6.2m.

- The course III. I'm sure this isn't news to anyone familiar with the race, but the last 1.25 miles or so of the race (both the 10k and the marathon) are uphill.

Oh, that's right, it's the Marine Corps Marathon. Sadists.

I did manage to pull a personal best out of the race though. Beat the previous one by 1:23. Weather was much more cooperative this time. The London 10k (previous PB) was much warmer. It was only about 61F in DC and while there was wind, it was not too bad. London was also much bigger. As I recall I nearly stopped in one spot because the course was so densely packed with runners.. But I'm still happy. It left me with a desire to run a marathon though. Maybe that's the real reason for the bundling? Anyone have any good marathon training plans?

p.s. Thanks for the pictures Dad.

Added: Our group even made CNN: watch the video here.

No Gutters Please

This is for my wife. No symbology. Keep your minds out of the gutter. She knows what it means.

All (Flying) Creatures Great and Small

So, through a comedy of errors I was forced to run later than usual last night.


ORM: There is a nice footpath that runs along the river, it's relatively well lit. I only need to cross two low-traffic roads that are well illuminated. I need the speed work before next weekend's race and I probably won't run too much this weekend. Call it a taper if you will. Or call it lazy if you won't.


So off I went in the waning day light/dusk/almost dark. No problem. At the outset. Upon arrival on the footpath all continued per the plan. I even manged to pass another runner (something I very, very rarely do). Only one thing. If you had been watching me run, I would excuse you for thinking I have a tick or that I just have to wipe each bead of sweat from my brow as it forms. But no, that wasn't it. It was insects (little green ones, but I'll get to that later). Under every light and near every tree was a swarm of insects.

As the run went progressed I tried several tactics to deal with this airborne menace. I ran on the far edge of the footpath, as near as I dared to the slippery slope into the river. I tried shading my eyes as I passed suspicious trees. I tried turning my head to the side and squinting my lead eye. (I imagine quite an interesting site.) Nothing really worked and I figured I'd just have to deal with it. Towards the turn around point of my out and back run it was really bad. Must have something to do with this areas swampy past.

It got worse.

The little green ones weren't the only ones flying last night. Our friendly neighborhood jarheads decided it was time to go flying. So just after I turned back I was buzzed by a large green one. So as I shielded my ears from the infernal noise - obviously distracted - a little green one decided it was time to strike. Right into my left eye. I was none too pleased. I tried every trick I could think of to get it out, blinking, squinting, you name it. Eventually I just had to stop for a bit and try to get it out. Eventually, all in order, I continued.

As I was stretching in my room post run, my eye started bugging me again. Figuring something was afoot I took a look. What do you know, the little bugger was still in there. Green, winged, certainly dead, but still in there. I think he looked something like this.

I guess I shouldn't complain too much. I seem to recall my Dad catching a bee in the mouth while running one time.

My apologies to James Herriot.

More Reasons to Run

So, I'm back at school for a little while. This is besides the point, except that it explains a couple of things: 1) I'm away from the family for a while, 2) I have to fend for myself for food and my lodging only has a micorwave. Needless to say, I've been eating out a bit for lunch.

How, my dear reader you may ask, does this apply to this blog? This is how. This one location may single-handedly destroy my fitness plans! Why? Because this is the only chain restaurant I have found on the east coast that comes anywhere near In-n-Out for burgers.

I have a a running joke with my Mother and Father-in-law that the only reason I really want to come out to visit is to get an In-n-Out burger. Now, whether that's true or not is irrelevent ;-) But they are great burgers.

The two restaurants have a lot in common. Their menus are very simple: basically, burgers, fries and little else. But, do they ever do it right! They're both pristinely clean and very friendly (not your typical "ya want fries wit dat?" kind of place). What sets them apart? Well aside from a continent you can get a hotdog from 5-Guys and a grilled cheese from In-N-Out. You can eat fresh peanuts in the shell while you wait at 5-Guys and you can order a milk shake at In-N-Out. In-N-Out also has the ultra-cool secret menu.

Today I managed to put away a Bacon double cheese burger and fries, and it was just magnificent.

So, whats the bottom line? I'm pretty sure the fries are better at In-N-Out. But the burgers? It's close. It's really close. But I think the burgers at 5-Guys might be a bit better. (That could of course be because I just ate one.)

Comments please!!! (Especially those who contend that there are other burger places that can compete.)

Goals

This is in partial response to Sagey's comment(s) to my last post. I have been running, just not writing about it every time. Just look to see why. I've taken to tracking my running on line using the on line training log offered by Runner's World.com. I've been doing this for a while, I just haven't been advertising it. The early runs aren't necessarily complete, but they are all I could rescue from my old method of tracking runs.

As you can see if you look, there's a glaring hole from mid-August through mid-September. This is what happens when you move. So I've tried to get back into the running again. I think I've done a reasonably good job over the past week.

There were a couple of things to get over. I forgot my watch (as mentioned in an earlier post). That wasn't too hard to overcome, and the lovely wife has sent ti to me, which I really appreciate. The bigger difference is the weather. Having just moved from England, this has been a huge change. England had a really wet summer this year. The temperature usually averaged at most about 24 of 25 (that's about 75F for those who don't do C) at the time of day I was running. When I got here to DC it was a touch warmer. About 32 (90F) the first day. It took a bit of getting used to to run in that weather. I think I've gotten over it though. I ran last night and it was 30 (87F) and I didn't think it was that hot. I guess that's a good sign.

I've managed to start working some different speeds back into my work 0uts as well. This is a good thing as I do have another goal to look forward to: The Marine Corps Marathon 10k. I had some initial intentions to try the Marathon. If, however, you look at the work I was able to put in during the summer, this would have been a huge mistake. I've never done a marathon before, and I think to try one without a real training plan would have been a bad idea. So I'm going to do the 10k, and for a good cause. The marathon will have to wait.

Much better

I ran again today. This morning actually. Not too early though, left just before 9:30. It was a much better run. Possibly because the temperature was much cooler, about 70F I ran a bit faster (for a slow, get back into shape run) than I managed either of the two previous runs. The run was a bit longer too (5 1/4 miles). Altogether not totally displeased.

So, looking at the comments from Blunoz over my las few posts, I've decided to produce a quick list of gear/kit that I use with any regularity. As a word of caution, I am not a gadget-head, nor do I feel the need to have the top-of-the-line of everything (or anything for that matter). I fall into the 'it works for me' and the 'I don't want to spend too much' categories. So, here goes.


Shoes: Mizuno Wave Rider 10. I have a pretty neutral gait it seems, and these shoes seem to work for me so far. I recently replaced a pair of Wave Rider 9s and these new ones don't have many miles on them (only 25 so far). We'll see how I feel as they age.

Watch: Polar S120. Pretty basic features, but it works for me. I've forgotten it on this trip and am really missing it.

Music: RCA Lyra RD 1028. It took some effort to find this on the web for a link. See the comments about my HRM.

Clothing: I've pretty much got a mish-mosh of different brands and styles. Probably b/c I'm still trying to figure out what I like. I'm not wild on running tights though. I've got a pair of Under Armour shorts that I like a lot (read: no-chaffing) as well as two of their shirts. I'm particular to Adidas running shirts of which I have a few. I'm not too keen on the Nike running shirt that I have. I find it a bit rough and on longer runs painful.

That's about it.

Reports of my demise...

Yes, that's probably a misquote of Mark Twain but I am still alive. Despite the hopes of some (Lovely Wife perhaps?) who believe I may be worth more dead than alive.

I hit a bit of a running low point. It's called a move. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this or not, but moving is a bit unpleasant. I probably could have eeked out a few runs here and there. In fact I did manage two over a period of about a month. But sometimes you have to make a choice: Happy family, well organized, planned and executed move on one hand, continued regular running on the other. I selected the former.

So now I've managed two in the past three days. I am back on the horse, but it hasn't been a painless experience.

I'm now in Washington, DC. I've left lovely England where the temperature was nice and moderate all summer, and arrived here. Where it's been over 90F everyday. I'm not a morning person, I just can't get myself up and run at those hours. So I waited till after the heat of the day to get my run in. Or so I thought. The first day I found an outdoor thermometer that read 94F (34.5C) as I was finishing up. Not very pleasant. But at least it was a humid heat.

I must continue though, because I have a goal! A GOAL! Yes a goal. I found a 10k to run. A few months back I had the 'great idea' that I could run the Marine Corps Marathon this fall. Then the Lovely Wife reminded me of the upcoming move. Yes, she keeps me out of trouble all the time. So I've elected to run the simultaneous 10k. Should be doable I think. With essentially a month to prepare I should be okay. Probably no Personal Best this time though.

Post Script #1: I made two cheap shots at the lovely wife. She doesn't deserve them. Lovely Wife is truly a lovely wife!

Post Script #2: New blog for people to check out: Blunoz' Random Ramblings

Portsmouth 5k

I mentioned in my post from 7 Aug that I had a bit of a worry about the 5k on the 8th. Well the 8th has come and gone and to be honest I'm more pleased than I had thought I would be. It must have been the nice slow run on the 7th that helped loosen the muscles etc, but I ran much better than I thought I would.

The conditions were better this time, which probably contributed to the better time. During the run on July 4th, shortly after the turn around point (the course is essentially an out-and-back) we were greeted with a vicious head-wind. This time the wind was mostly from the side so it probably didn't play a major factor in the times.

I tried to improve on pacing this time as well. I did my best to resist the urge to go out too fast. Basing my pace off my heart rate monitor I tried to maintain an even, slower pace during the first half. It didn't necessarily work as I felt like I couldn't maintain the pace by about the 3.5k mark.

I also tried to run 'with' people during this one. A dangerous tactic I'm sure, but I figured in a 5k I might be able to get away with it. I found a group of people running at about the same pace I was trying for and tried to stick with them. It worked okay until the end, when a gentleman at least 2 age divisions above me that I'd been running near demonstrated significantly more 'kick' than I possess.

It all worked out in the end though. My time (by my watch) was 22:48 (besting my previous time on the course by nearly a minute and a half).

(Oh, and I bought a new pair of shoes the next day.)

Music

I usually don't use an ipod when I run. Firstly, I'm too cheap to buy an ipod. I've just got a generic run-of-the-mill mp3 player. Secondly, I like to listen to what's going on around me, and have a little inner monologue when I run (except when I'm in the gym at work where they play some of the most atrocious music ever made and I feel the need to try to blot out the sonic weapon of mass destruction that surrounds me, but that's a different story).
I ran today for the first time in too long. I'm calling it a 'planned rest'. Actually, it's just difficult to stay motivated during the summer break. I had planned to do some speed sessions over the weekend in preps for a 5k tomorrow. They just never materialized. I did a lot of active things, hiking, walking, gardening, just no running. Which makes me worry a little about the 5k tomorrow (but like music in the gym, that's a different story).

The sad thing is, the entire time I was running I had the same song in my head. Was it something inspiring? Something up-beat to keep me going? No, it was the theme song from Bits and Bobs. Yes, fatherhood is a wonderful thing. (For those of you who aren't familiar with the song, if you click on the 'fun and games' you can get an idea of what this is like going through your head...even if it isn't the theme song itself).

My Other Obsession

I didn't run today. Had an offer from a neighbor to go for a run 'early' which was 6:30. Sorry, just didn't feel like getting up that early today (it's a holiday and all). So we went out for a walk in the Forest of Bere. More than a walk really. The lovely wife had promised a picnic/Geocaching day out for Father's Day back in June. For those of you who don't live in England, I think this was one of the first really 'nice' days since Father's Day. So off we went.

After enjoying a simple but very nice picnic lunch (salami, cheese, bread, fruit). We were off on our walk. The day was absolutely perfect: sun shining, son shining, a gentle breeze, animals about. To top it off, we found the cache we were looking for (only minimal bushwhacking required and very little mud).

I can't really call it exercise. Although we were walking in the woods for a few hours, it was at a 3-year old's pace. (But it was better than sitting on the couch with a beer watching television.)

I Love Hybrids

Being a bit tired of running essentially the same couple of routes from home I decided to hybridize. Combining the outbound leg of one run, inserting a bit of a bridge, then the homeward bound section of another I created a new route. Nothing earth shattering there.

It's strange though, the tricks your mind can play on you. I had it in my mind that it would be a 'long' run. (i.e. a bit longer than either of them on their own.) I didn't measure the new route before I went out. I just went and ran it. I was a bit happy when I got home and the time was relatively 'fast' for the length I thought it was. When I went to my trusty mapping website and measured it, I was very surprised. It was short. Much shorter than I thought. So, my 'fast/tempo' pace that I thought I was running, turned out to be not quite as fast as I'd hoped.

The strange part is, I really had it in my mind it was a 'long' run. Distance completely miscalculated. Run wasn't bad though.

(Sorry if anyone was hoping for a sermon on the virtues of hybrid cars. You won't find that here.)

Still Alive

I've managed to keep up the running (somewhat), just not so much the writing. Some of this is related to our non-functioning paperweight of a computer. I'm working on a back-up for now.

I did manage a run this morning. Not the fastest or the best (may have been the 7 day lay-off).
I only managed 3 runs last week, and one session on the rowing machine, for a grand total of not very impressive 9.1 miles.

Now that the summer break has started, it's going to be even more of a challenge to get out regularly I think. I may have to get up a bit early to do it. That would be unfortunate.

Canines

Right. I like animals. I really do. Wild, farm, pet, dinner...I love them all. Really.

So, why don't people just clean up after them.

Today 3.91mi
This Week 14.04mi

Great Captial Run

I figure the race is worth a post.
This was my first 'big' race in some time. It was much bigger (obviously) than the local 5k from a few weeks ago (155 finishers). It was much more dynamic and therefore had lots more interaction with the 10,000 odd people they announced were starting the race.

I have to say it was great fun! Crowds, music, watching the elite runners screaming by in the other direction past 7k while I was trudging towards 3k (or what ever the exact distance was). OK, so that last bit was more humbling than anything, but I've never had any illusions about my running ability.

I was more than pleased with my time. I bested my 11 year old PB* by 3 minutes which gave immense personal satisfaction. I ran the whole race with one of my running mates from work which was a big morale booster especially when we both got slowed by cramps in the middle of the race. And it was great to have the family there cheering me on at the end.

Can't wait to run another!

Sunday: 6.22 miles
Monday: 3.91 miles (nice slow easy recovery run)
Tuesday: some time on the rowing machine...
This week: 10.13

*Full disclosure: number of 10k run between previous PB and this race: 0.

The End

Although I didn't post yesterday I did run. The run itself was nothing particularly special, just a standard lunchtime stroll through the local housing estates. Not particularly fast. Not particularly long. Not particularly scenic. Just another run in the week before the 10k in London.

What made it different was that yesterday was the last run with my last normal running partner.

Adds a little touch of sadness to it, but I can't complain too much. Having running friends can, as I've learned, be a great thing. Motivation, a little competition and some serious cajoling when required. There were three 'regulars' who ran at least three days a week in almost any weather for the last year. Around this small group were about three or four others who joined on an 'occasional' basis. They became a bit of a marker. When we started, most of the 'occasionals' were a bit faster than I was. Quite a bit. In the 5k last week, I finished about half a minute ahead of one of them. Little things that warm your heart. (Of course, the other member of our regulars who ran beat me by several minutes so I'm not claiming too much of a victory.)

So, it's up to other things to keep me motivated to keep running. I'm moving myself soon (when and where is another story worthy of its own blog). I'll have to work much harder to maintain motivation. Any suggestions?

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Today's run was fine. A short easy run along the waterfront: beautiful weather, not too crowded. If it weren't for the 10k on Sunday it would have been perfect whether for a long run.

Good news is, both feet feel fine.

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By the way, found a lovely feature of Runners World's website. The online training log. This may solve my workout tracking problem. We'll see.

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Kit: New socks. Wore a new pair of Nike FITDry running socks. Honestly didn't care for them too much. (Although it was just one run.) I found that they were too thin and altered the feel of my shoes, almost made them too big. I'll have to try another new pair of something else. (I've been directed to purge socks: holes, worn through, no elastic left...so I needed to replace some.)

Yesterday:3.82mi
Today:2.54mi
This week:16.0mi

The Agony of the Feet

Just a relatively normal lunchtime run today. Did the Lido Alternate return and a relatively leisurely pace (46 min and change).

I'm trying not to over due it this week for two reasons. First I have the 10k this weekend and don't want to over due it this week. Second, neither of my feet is doing particularly well. I strained my left foot about a month and a half ago (either 5-aside football or overuse or some combination). It led to a 2-week complete layoff and 3 weeks of limited running (replaced by time in gym on the cross-trainer, rowing machine and bicycle). And to top things off I stepped on a piece of glass in the kitchen with my right foot two nights ago. The good news is, neither one bothered me today. Hopefully it will stay that way.

I went to the doctor for the glass. He basically said, it probably won't show up on an X-ray if they took one (although he scheduled one for me anyway). The basic plan was just to watch it and make sure it doesn't get worse. There's no indication there's any glass still in there, just some pain if you push on it. In socks and shoes, there wasn't any pain today. We'll keep watching.

As the lovely wife would likely tell you, I missed the running while I couldn't do it. I'm not sure what I missed more the running itself or the camaraderie. I'll (unfortunately) probably find out which it was as the weeks progress. I ended up running alone today as my normal partners are now essentially gone.

Today: 4.90
This week: 9.65

New Website, New Run

In the process of setting up this blog, I've already discovered a couple of things that have helped. As I mentioned in the first post I mostly run at lunch. This is normally fine, but it does lead to running the same routes over and over again (The Dockyard, The Lido...). Last night I 'discovered' a new website www.mapmyrun.com. Not only does it give the ability to measure out runs, you can search for runs in your area that others have saved. We found this run right near work and decided to give it a go: 3-miler. Of course, we don't work on the route, so we had to add a bit of distance onto the front and back so it ended up at 4.75 miles.
The run was interestingly different. Despite both of us working in Portsmouth for at least a year and a half, neither of us had been in this area of the city. The route is also more 'urban' than we're used to. Our normal routes are off of the main streets and on running/cycle paths most of the way. The on-street time is almost entirely residential. This route was different.
I think we timed it perfectly for the lunch hour. The pavements/sidewalks were busy. There was a lot more lateral movement than on our other runs and I managed to successfully test my 'crash-back' maneuver when a parked car door opened immediately in front of me.
There's benefit here too I think. I mentioned in my last post that I had run my first race in a long time last week. The Portsmouth Athletic Club Promenade series 5k. I had forgotten how much running in traffic can affect how you run. I figure this was good practice for the next challenge: The Great Capital Run this Sunday. the 5k had about 150 runners. I suspect the 10k will have a few more.
I thoroughly enjoyed the 5k and have good memories of my last 10k. (Yes if you follow the link it was a long time ago.) I found I had some difficulties managing my pace. I suspect it's pretty common to get carried away with the crowd and start off at a faster pace than you can maintain. I missed all the distance markers before 3 and 4. But overall I had a good time.
My time was nothing that's going to win any awards, just over 24 minutes. Then again, even in the prime of my younger fitter days, I never was particularly fast. Fit, but not fast.
Today: 4.75 miles
This week: 4.75 miles

The Beginning

A little over a year ago I got sick and tired of being out of shape and started running . I found it easiest when I was away on business trips (there are/were lots of them). No worries about balancing family andrunning, always some free time to do it and it's a good way to say 'sorry, not going to the hotel bar immediately after work today and staying until it closes I'm going for a run instead'.
It was easy to stay focused especially on trips alone. I had some 'interesting experiences' (Running on a treadmill at a hotel in Virginia Beach because there was a lightning storm, then having the power surge crash-stop the treadmill under my feet...don't recommend that one) but mostly it's been very enjoyable.
And the results have been good as well. In addition to feeling better about myself, I've probably lost in the neighborhood of 20-25 pounds (10 kg or a stone and a half depending on your units of choice).

Over the past year I've been lucky enough to have some good co-workers. In addition to be good to work with, there has been a small group of us who will run during our lunch breaks. This solved my 'family vs running' problem. Since I haven't started training for any marathons or long runs, I've been satisfied with running during the work week then getting exercise on the weekend through other means (walking, playing with my son...).

I have now reached a difficult spot. Most of the co-workers I run with have left and I'll be following them soon. The trouble will be to maintain momentum and continue to run once the peer pressure of "going running today?" disappears. I've tried the training log and it worked for a while. The problem was updating it from various locations when the log was on a laptop that I use predominantly for travel. I guess I could go for the paper training log option, but that seemed so 20th century. So we'll try this and a few other things:

I ran my first organized road race in 11 years this past week (as evidenced from the picture) The Fourth of July Portsmouth Athletic Club Promenade Series 5K. I'm planning on running in the Great Capital Run (10K) in London next weekend (foot pain allowing). Now, after we move, if I can just keep this up, maybe it will work...