Morning run

I'm starting to come around on these morning runs...during the summer, anyway. Woke up at 5:30, drank some water, ate a couple of strawberries and hit the road a little after 6. Ran 4.5 miles at a comfortable 8:19 pace. The legs felt pretty good for my first post-race run (and yesterday's bike ride). Had a little discomfort in my right hip near the end, but I stretched and used the foam roller afterwards.
Now it's time for the nature portion of the blog. Part of one of my running courses goes around a local pond. During my morning runs, there is usually a great blue heron standing near the edge of the pond. I'll run by it and off it flies to the other side of the pond. Then I'd get to that side and it would fly back across...and so on repeatedly. I found myself apologizing to it aloud after awhile (the nature-lover that I am). My family often takes walks in the area and we've been watching a duck family. The babies are a few weeks old now. This morning, in addition to this family, I saw a brand new family of little yellow peeps. My kids will be excited to see them. So, between the glimpses of nature, the robins singing out, and the sun rising, it was a perfect way to start the day. Well, with one exception. I haven't had my coffee yet. That'll be taken care of in a few minutes. Have a great day & thanks for stopping by!

Easing back into the saddle

I rode a non-eventful 25 miles today on the bike. It was my first ride in 2 weeks. It was a great post-race recovery workout. I'm planning on taking it pretty easy this week, with a couple of rides and a couple of runs. Next week, I'll up the intensity on the bike, including some hills. Time to take a ride on the "pain train". Woo woo! Okay, I stole that from the "Terry Tate - Office Linebacker" videos (look them up, they're hilarious).

I want to share a little more about my re-entry into running and what things seem to be helping to hold my body together in this whole process. Back in 1997, I had an MRI on my right knee. The results showed a partially-torn meniscus and degenerative cartilage. But that's not when I gave up running (which the obviously non-running doctor suggested). I added another couple thousand miles to that damaged knee. I did take certain years off between then and now (doing a lot of mountain bike riding, at one point), but what really put the kibosh on my running was - I think, anyway - my right IT band (the knee issues probably played a role, too, since that knee would completely lock up after a run). I say all this to touch on something you're probably well aware of, and may be taking yourself...and that's glucosamine. I've been taking it for about ten years now and, outside of my IT band flareups, I have not had ANY knee-related pain since I started running again in January '09. I swear by it, and will likely take it the rest of my life. I don't know if there's one "blend" or brand that's better than all the others, but I take a Costco brand that contains MSM. Recommended dosage is two per day, but I've been taking just one a day for the last 3 years or so. I'm certainly not qualified to dish out medical advice, but I HIGHLY recommend taking it - especially if you're a masters runner.

First race since 2003 this morning!

Well, where to start? I've been anticipating this little 5k for months now. I'll give you the short story first: I finished in 22:20 (7:12 pace) and finished second place OVERALL! Okay, so there were only about 40 runners in the 5k, but I didn't expect to place at all! What was even better was that the guy who beat me was 44, so us old guys held off all the young'uns. MASTERS POWER! WOOHOO! My goal was 23:00, so I'm happy there (not a PR, but for not racing for so long, I can't complain). The course was hilly, and I could definitely tell that the hills I've been running REALLY paid off! The longest hill was on the way out, starting probably around the half mile mark. At that point, I was probably in 5th or 6th place. That's where I passed everyone except the leader and held on. There were no mile markers, so I had to just go by perceived exertion. I wanted to go out slow, and felt like I held back some, but I have no idea how fast it was.
So, if you can't tell, I'm JACKED about getting back out there and running more races! I'm not really suited for 5k's, so I'll be looking for longer races. I'm planning on a fall half-marathon (not sure which one yet), with maybe a 10k leading up to it. Next up is the bike leg of the Whisky Dick Triathlon on Aug. 9th. Talk about hills...the bike leg starts with 12 uphill miles. Time to hop back on the bike (while still running a little...'cause I gotta!) starting next week.
Hope everyone enjoyed their races this weekend!

Doo dee dooo (twiddling thumbs...)

Been getting antsy. I suppose a true taper may not be all that necessary for a 5k in which I don't expect to get anywhere close to a PR, but I want to feel fresh for tomorrow's race. Yesterday, I did three sets of decline (feet on a chair) pushups. Today, I'll mess around with some dumbbells (Yikes. I guess that could be interpreted in a couple of ways) and maybe take a walk. It's been 5 years since I've run a road race. Shortly after that, I became chronically injured and figured that my running career was over for good. Tomorrow's race is pretty special to me just for that reason. I'd love to run well, but (as hokey as this sounds) just running it is a victory. I've learned to not take the ability to run for granted. Even though it could all come crashing down eventually, I'm loving every minute of every run this year! Good luck to everyone running a race this weekend!

Last Run Before 5k

Went out at 6:15am for one final (and SLOOOOW) run before my 5k on Saturday. I ran 3.5 miles at a pace of 8:39/mile (avg HR of 138). It didn't feel quite as easy as it should have, but I'm not yet a morning runner. I'm trying, though. I'd love to keep it up all summer. It's excruciating to do morning runs during the "dark months" here in the Pacific NW, so I may not continue these beyond September or so.
Yesterday, I did a quick resistance workout:
Pullups (3 sets), Decline (feet raised) Pushups (3 sets), DB shrugs (2 sets), Situps (3 sets), Hanging dips (3 sets), DB curls (2 sets).
I'll do a little workout tomorrow similar to yesterdays, take Friday off, then see what I can muster for the 5k on Saturday.
Thanks for stopping by!

Last "hard" run before the 5k

This morning, I ran a 5-miler on my new course. I alternated easy miles with hard miles (3 easy, two hard total). Total time was 40:39 (8:08/mi pace). The hard laps were pretty tough (7:44 and 7:36). I wasn't feeling particularly peppy this morning. The plan for the rest of the week is an easy bike ride tomorrow, a short and easy run on Wednesday. I'll rest on Thursday and Friday, then run the 5k race Saturday morning.

Swim

My family and I went to "family swim" time at a local community pool. Every few minutes, I'd sneak over to the lap lane and do a few laps. Managed to get in 400 yds total. Not much, but enough to get my heart rate up & work the shoulders & back a little. I used to swim quite a bit back in '97-98 (one period when I was too injured to run), but the last few years I haven't done much swimming at all. My current decent level of fitness from running and cycling doesn't necessarily carry over to the swim. I couldn't go more than two full laps before stopping to rest. I remember when I started back in '97 that it took a couple of weeks to adjust and get to where I could do my full workout without stopping. I don't plan on swimming regularly right now, but if (God forbid) I get too injured to run again, I'll be back in the pool, along with the cycling.

Back to running!

Before today, my last run was Monday of this week. It seems like WEEKS ago! It was great to get back out there. I ran the same 1-mile trail as Monday, five laps, with almost the identical time (40:33; 8:07 pace), but with a slightly different format. I ran the first three miles slowly (8:22/8:18/8:18), then a hard fourth lap (7:17), then finished with an easy lap (8:17). For the hard mile, I wanted to see if I could run a 7:30 & ended up going a good deal faster. It wasn't easy, and I probably couldn't have held that pace for even another mile, but it was reassuring to be able to go faster than I thought I could (it's a hilly loop, so I likely would have been a bit faster on a flat course). Thus, I'm sticking with my 7:30/mile pace goal for my 5k a week from tomorrow. I followed the run with a bit of stretching and an ice bath. My right IT band and hip were bothering me just a little during and after the run.

It's been a rough week. Not to get too personal, but my business is really struggling right now in this economy. Plus, I had the intestinal virus issue a couple of days ago, followed by having my email account accidentally shut down by Verizon (still is). Then yesterday, my wife and kids got rear-ended while driving our relatively new (and not cheap) Odyssey minivan. They're fine, and unlike most stories you hear, the driver at fault IS insured and very cooperative. I say all this to make a point about running. I'll start by saying that I do have a strong faith & beliefs (which I won't get into on this blog) that give comfort and solace...but, to a lesser yet very significant degree, running provides me with something much more valuable than I had ever really understood. I don't know if I'd call it an "escape" from reality, but it really clears my head and relieves stress. It calms my nerves. It provides an energy outlet (which I DEFINITELY need, since I'm antsy and restless by nature). I've run a (to some runners, measly) 8000+ miles in my "running life", yet the psychological benefits of running are so much more apparent and valuable to me know than ever before. When I finished today's run, I felt elated. Yes, it was probably the endorphin release, but the feeling of well-being blotted out the worries (at least temporarily) that rattle around in my noggin. Although I love the increased fitness, trim waistline and more abundant energy that running provides, I'd keep running just for the mental benefits alone!
Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Intestinal problems, email problems, oh my!

Yesterday was rather interesting. I woke up with apparently some sort of intestinal virus. Made several frantic trips to the bathroom before things settled down by around noon. Thus, I had to bail on my planned bike ride. It was also a day of Verizon-filled fun. We just switched to the "Triple Play" plan (or whatever it's called), and also switched my business phone line to a cell phone. Well, all of our email addresses (including my business) were associated with that line. Somehow our email account was shut down (we still have internet access, obviously). I had just sent out a promotional emailing for my business the day before, so perfect timing on that front. Well, after nearly 2 hours on the phone with two different tech guys, I still have no email (except for a temporary account). It's supposed to be back online within "24 to 48 hours". Who knows if emails sent to me/us while things are down will eventually show up. Nice job, Verizon. Thanks.
Sorry for the digression. It was a really frustrating day. My inability to train has added to my grumpiness, too. I did manage to do some strength training today:

1 set of 8 pullups
DB overhead presses: 25lbs x 10, 10, 10
supersetted with:
DB lateral raises: 12lbs x 10, 10, 10
DB bent rows: 35lbs x 10, 10, 10 (per arm)
DB overhead tricep extensions: 35lbs x 10, 10, 10
DB curls: 25lbs x 10, 10 (per arm)

I did a different strength routine back on Tuesday of this week.

I'll be doing a 5-6 mile run tomorrow morning on my newly-found trail. Will probably keep it pretty laid back, but may throw in one hard mile in the middle.

I do my weigh-in and measurements on Thursday mornings, so here are those stats:
Wt: 152 (down 2.2 lbs from last week, possibly from the virus thingy)
Waist: 31.5" (down almost an inch)
Bodyfat %: 11.6 (same as last week)
Resting Heart Rate: 50 (up 5 from last week...maybe from stress)

When I put away my running book library, I found one more book that I somehow missed. I started reading it yesterday. It's...

The Long Run Solution
by Joe Henderson
World Publications, 1976, 182 pgs.

I'm positive it's no longer in print, but it has a very Zen-like message about running long distances for fun, enjoyment and mental escape rather than always trying to run faster & race the clock and yourself. I'll add it to my original post.

Morning run...on a trail!

For the first time this year, I did a trail run. A hilly trail run. The trail is a 1-mile loop around a local park. I ran five loops, alternating easy/hard laps. I pushed the uphills on the hard ones. Overall time was 40:31 (8:06 pace) with a finishing heart rate at 146. It was a tough but enjoyable run. I was surprised I ran as well as I did, given the fact that I woke up just after 3am and hardly slept from then until I got up at 5:50am. A nap will be in order today.
This week and next week I'm cutting down on my mileage but increasing intensity. In fact, this week I'm only doing today's run, a hard bike ride on Wednesday, and another hard run on Friday. Next week, one run and one ride, then my 5k race that Saturday. It's going to be hard to train so little - especially with the weather we're having in the Northwest! But I want to be rested & ready for the race.