Week 10
Ok, I know it's been a few weeks since last writing, but I was in Vegas last week on a guys trip to bet on the first week of March Madness and now VCU has shocked the world by winning FIVE games to make it to the Final Four! Who woulda thunk it?? Needless to say, my training regimen has taken a back seat to such events, but I gotta say my stomach has gone down and the scale did say I lost ten pounds. Guess it was the HUNDREDS of miles of walking one has to do to get anywhere on The Strip. No matter what shoes I wore, my legs were sore and my feet blistered as if I was walking on hot coals. Even my snazzy running shoes didn't help! I had brought my running clothes with every intention of running the six miles I was missing with the training group, but alas, that didn't happen. I blame Jack Daniels, but don't tell him I said that!
Yesterday I did hit the treadmill for a 2.5 miles before I got a re-blister. That worries me a tad but I think the socks I had on were susceptible to rubbing that already raw area, thanks to my Vegas strolls. Wifey says I'm to get some "mole skin" and wrap it when getting dressed at the crack o' dawn on Saturday morning. The trainers are inundating my email with reminders about getting our packets either today or tomorrow, having our clothes ready, where to park, etc. I think I'll be ok. Yesterday's run was easy and I don't think I suffered much from the layoff. My breathing was still easy and my pace actually was quickening to around a 10 minute mile. I still sweat like a pig in heat but that's to be expected. I would have ran farther if that blister didn't give me a cause for concern. No matter, I think I'm ready.
We're to rest the rest of the week and get plenty of rest before Saturday. Pasta is on the menu for Friday night to load up on carbs. Fine by me! Then the race which you know I will give you a full recount! So then, what have I learned going into the finale just two short days away? Well, I've learned that my body is not what it once was, but whose is? I've learned that exercise does pay off if you stick with it; even when you're tired, not in the mood, the weather stinks, the gym is full, or whatever other excuse fits--you just have to make the time and dividends will begin to show. I've learned that the party cannot last forever. No matter what your mind tells you, your body WILL let you know that you aren't 25 anymore! I suppose the great nine year revelry of getting back with Staci and celebrating every free weekend (then weeknight!) was indeed taking its toll. Young at heart and mind doesn't equate to young in body if you don't take care of it. These past few months have cemented that thought.
My best advice for anyone thinking about scratching off a bucket list item is to DO IT! Every day above ground is a good day and each new morning is one day closer to the end of the line. There really is no time like the present to get out there and try. We ain't getting any younger. The human body is an amazing machine and it reacts to what you do to it as well as for it. I figure this has only helped me keep me above ground for a bit longer at least, not that it was coming anytime soon! Staci is so stoked that she wants to continue entering other races and keeping up our training now that the days are longer and eventually warmer. She even ordered Nutrisystem to slice away even more lbs's before we head to the beach this summer. "We are NOT gonna be the fat people at the beach this year"' she exclaimed as she drove out of sight.
Fine by me baby, fine by me.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Viva Las Vegas, Baby!
Week 8
I was solo this past week while wifey-poo was busy in Atlanta being a SunTrust employee extraordinaire. My intentions to continue the proscribed training regimen were all good but they didn't come to pass. It seem to pay off with the extra rest as my 5 mile run this past Saturday was better than the previous one by seven minutes. Looks like at 45, I need more time to recoup from these long runs since before I was ending up hurting myself without allowing enough time between workouts. Weight lifting might be one thing, since you work out different sets of muscles, but running is running no matter how you slice it. My legs and especially calf just weren't recuperating fast enough following the regular running schedule. Some might think this lazy, I think of it as strategically ensuring I won't be or get hobbled come time for the real race.
Even though I was alone, I woke up Saturday at the normal 6:30 am alarm, had my coffee and made a batch of Xtend to get cold so I could down it upon returning home. The weather was a bit nippy but nothing I wouldn't soon forget since I sweat like a pig anyway. I learned from last week not to wear two pairs of long sleeved shirts (shirt and warm up jacket) since I got WAY hot. This time I just had my VCU football shirt and warm-up over it and a pair of shorts. All were properly soaked through by the time I finished. Our original inspiration for even doing this run, Meagan, decided to run with me even though she's in the advanced runner group that was supposed to do seven mile. She started to run with her group but didn't feel well so she decided to come along for our run once she felt better. I blame the pizza we had for dinner the night before!
Our route had us going out the familiar way on Monument Avenue but then we crossed through the upper Fan over to Floyd Avenue to head back to the Jefferson. My only concern other than the bumpy sidewalk was I started getting a blister on the arch of my left foot about 4 miles in. I fought through this annoyance but I did need to make a couple of repairs to my foot upon further review. Good news was I finished in about 53 minutes which I attributed to not stopping at all this time, except for one water break the trainers had but out at the 2 mile mark. I also have to love that my stamina remained intact despite not running during the week and, in fact, improved. I didn't have any outrageous soreness in my calf, just the normal aching from pounding my legs into concrete for the better part of an hour.
So now comes the true test: I've got a guys trip to Las Vegas this Wednesday through Monday. I'm gonna miss the 6 mile run here but need to duplicate it somewhere out there. Nothing like a little morning jog into the desert to see how much booze I can sweat off, eh? Meanwhile, I think with Daylight Savings Time finally here, I've got more time to do a run after work thereby keeping my stamina going before I fly off early Wednesday morning. At least VCU made the tournament, so I can proudly display my colors out west. If they lose, I can always use it as a sweat rag!
I was solo this past week while wifey-poo was busy in Atlanta being a SunTrust employee extraordinaire. My intentions to continue the proscribed training regimen were all good but they didn't come to pass. It seem to pay off with the extra rest as my 5 mile run this past Saturday was better than the previous one by seven minutes. Looks like at 45, I need more time to recoup from these long runs since before I was ending up hurting myself without allowing enough time between workouts. Weight lifting might be one thing, since you work out different sets of muscles, but running is running no matter how you slice it. My legs and especially calf just weren't recuperating fast enough following the regular running schedule. Some might think this lazy, I think of it as strategically ensuring I won't be or get hobbled come time for the real race.
Even though I was alone, I woke up Saturday at the normal 6:30 am alarm, had my coffee and made a batch of Xtend to get cold so I could down it upon returning home. The weather was a bit nippy but nothing I wouldn't soon forget since I sweat like a pig anyway. I learned from last week not to wear two pairs of long sleeved shirts (shirt and warm up jacket) since I got WAY hot. This time I just had my VCU football shirt and warm-up over it and a pair of shorts. All were properly soaked through by the time I finished. Our original inspiration for even doing this run, Meagan, decided to run with me even though she's in the advanced runner group that was supposed to do seven mile. She started to run with her group but didn't feel well so she decided to come along for our run once she felt better. I blame the pizza we had for dinner the night before!
Our route had us going out the familiar way on Monument Avenue but then we crossed through the upper Fan over to Floyd Avenue to head back to the Jefferson. My only concern other than the bumpy sidewalk was I started getting a blister on the arch of my left foot about 4 miles in. I fought through this annoyance but I did need to make a couple of repairs to my foot upon further review. Good news was I finished in about 53 minutes which I attributed to not stopping at all this time, except for one water break the trainers had but out at the 2 mile mark. I also have to love that my stamina remained intact despite not running during the week and, in fact, improved. I didn't have any outrageous soreness in my calf, just the normal aching from pounding my legs into concrete for the better part of an hour.
So now comes the true test: I've got a guys trip to Las Vegas this Wednesday through Monday. I'm gonna miss the 6 mile run here but need to duplicate it somewhere out there. Nothing like a little morning jog into the desert to see how much booze I can sweat off, eh? Meanwhile, I think with Daylight Savings Time finally here, I've got more time to do a run after work thereby keeping my stamina going before I fly off early Wednesday morning. At least VCU made the tournament, so I can proudly display my colors out west. If they lose, I can always use it as a sweat rag!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
It's MADNESS I tell you!
Week 6-7
Yes, it's been awhile since I last wrote, but only because there was nothing to write about! Last time we were with our superhero, Art had injured himself yet again on the indoor track, duplicating his pulled calf muscle fiasco. That was a week ago last Thursday, so he decided on a self-imposed hiatus of no physical activity until the pain completely vanished. There was no Saturday morning run, no after work gym dates, no cross training of any kind until all hints of muscled twinges ceased and desisted.
No lie, I was limping around through the whole weekend, doing the RICE treatments, drinking Xtend and basically allowing a full recovery before trying to run again. So it was an interesting moment to actually get my million dollar running shoes back on again and attempt the dreaded 5 mile run last Saturday morning. The weather was still cool but sunny and there was a good sized crowd of trainees still in attendence in the Jefferson hotel parking lot at the 8 o'clock hour. After our standard warm-up, we followed in line like sheep to the slaughter and headed out back toward Monument Avenue, only this time no turning around until we had run all the way to Thompson Street which is at the head of Carytown!
Surprisingly, the first couple of miles were the normal breeze. I settled into my comfort zone leaving wifey and the rest of the slower ones behind as I found my space apart from the others. I was very aware of my calf and meticulously monitored any hints of twinging or pain as I stepped gingerly on and off curbs when crossing the streets at each block. I wasn't trying for any land speed records, that's for sure, but I did want to test my stamina since it'd been over a week since I last ran. Funny how you pass landmarks that used to be the turning pints from lesser milage runs from weeks past and remembering how tired I was when I first started on this quest. Now I was zipping by them thinking how completely out of shape I was then, and though I'm no triathelte, I'm better now than then, that's for sure.
Well that thought all changed when I crossed the Boulevard which used to be the three mile turn around point. I got real winded after crossing that street and running into virgin territory I had not yet experienced. We had missed the 4 mile run from the previous week and I had no idea where that turnaround point was but I kept slogging away hoping Thompson Street showed up quickly. I didn't. I was nearing the end of my rope, in deep need of a breather when, out of nowhere, I saw the lead group crossing the street and heading back for home base. Thank GOD! I was just about to hit the breaks and walk for a few, but seeing that re-energized my motivation, plus I didn't want to look like a wimp walking past the trainers helping us with traffic.
It was a good thing I wore running shorts instead of warm-up pants. I had the new matching warm-up jacket on top of a long sleeve lycra workout shirt thingy. No hat, no gloves, just my iPod in my hand since it jiggled around too much in no matter what pocket I tried to put it in. I was definitely burning some ass-fat calories as my soaking shirt atttested, sweat seeping through to discolor my warm-up jacket as well. I tried to look for wifey from across the road but no dice. Monument Avenue is a tree-lined road with a large median between the two-lanes heading in each direction. Large monuments were erected at intersections from long ago espousing heros from the Lost Cause. I have a picture book of Richmond from 1865-1970 that shows the Lee Monument in a great large empty expanse as the Richmond Howiter's fired a volley for some sort of celebration from 1907. What is now full of brick mini-mansions and huge trees was then a great big field with no real visable sight of a Richmond skyline. Kinda weird, but this was what I was thinking about as I tried to focus on anything but the searing fire that was once my legs.
I was definately losing steam on the return trip back to the parking lot. I finally succumbed to the overwelming desire to walk for a bit, letting some ladies pass me by and figuring they didn't have as much weight to haul as me. A guy bigger than me passed me too telling me I'll catch up to him soon enough when he had to take his 'break' and sure enough it wasn't soon after that I did when I resumed my agony. This actually happened a few times on the way back. I'd stop, he'd pass me. He'd stop, I'd pass him. Never did re-pass any ladies but one though....must be an estrogen complex. Eventually I decided that I needed to suck it up and once I got back to the VCU campus I finished out the run without walking again. I was stoked to find out there wasn't THAT many people ahead of me after 5 miles of self-induced torture. What was better though was my calf had not given me any discernable problems. I walked and sipped water so not to give my body any chance to begin a full body cramp if allowed to sit and rest, waiting for wifey.
I waited for a good 10 minutes or so before finally seeing her silhouette emerge from Monroe Park in the distance. She was struggling, but maintaining form as she made the last few hundred yards up the slight incline. It as by far her longest run ever in her life and it showed. Still, she was ever-so proud of the accomplishment regardless of her newly acquired hip, hamstring and achilles pain. After a few cups of water and finding what time it was, we managed to figure out I'd made the run in around an hour and hers around an hour and fifteen perhaps. Good stuff considering if I had a gun put to my head, I'd could have probably squeezed out another mile and thusly successfully finishing a 10K. However, my goal of finishing in less than an hour had me wondering if that was realistic considering how I felt. Then again, it had been nine days since I last did any running/exercise so I'm figuring a recommittment to the training regimine for the rest of this month might actually get me to attaining that goal? So long as I don't walk any part of the course, I might have half a chance.
Well, that being said, wifey is in Atlanta for a week for work so who knows how she'll get in any workouts with daily traffic jams from her parents house where she's staying consumming hours of commute time both to and from. I'm going solo this week and am thinking road work if the weather holds might be a better suit for me. Else the gym again and the dreaded treadmill--no more tracks! Daylight savings time is this weekend so I know the sun won't go down until later in the evening which will make after work runs more viable. We shall see. It's a tough call when I can actually have the remote all week long, too!
Yes, it's been awhile since I last wrote, but only because there was nothing to write about! Last time we were with our superhero, Art had injured himself yet again on the indoor track, duplicating his pulled calf muscle fiasco. That was a week ago last Thursday, so he decided on a self-imposed hiatus of no physical activity until the pain completely vanished. There was no Saturday morning run, no after work gym dates, no cross training of any kind until all hints of muscled twinges ceased and desisted.
No lie, I was limping around through the whole weekend, doing the RICE treatments, drinking Xtend and basically allowing a full recovery before trying to run again. So it was an interesting moment to actually get my million dollar running shoes back on again and attempt the dreaded 5 mile run last Saturday morning. The weather was still cool but sunny and there was a good sized crowd of trainees still in attendence in the Jefferson hotel parking lot at the 8 o'clock hour. After our standard warm-up, we followed in line like sheep to the slaughter and headed out back toward Monument Avenue, only this time no turning around until we had run all the way to Thompson Street which is at the head of Carytown!
Surprisingly, the first couple of miles were the normal breeze. I settled into my comfort zone leaving wifey and the rest of the slower ones behind as I found my space apart from the others. I was very aware of my calf and meticulously monitored any hints of twinging or pain as I stepped gingerly on and off curbs when crossing the streets at each block. I wasn't trying for any land speed records, that's for sure, but I did want to test my stamina since it'd been over a week since I last ran. Funny how you pass landmarks that used to be the turning pints from lesser milage runs from weeks past and remembering how tired I was when I first started on this quest. Now I was zipping by them thinking how completely out of shape I was then, and though I'm no triathelte, I'm better now than then, that's for sure.
Well that thought all changed when I crossed the Boulevard which used to be the three mile turn around point. I got real winded after crossing that street and running into virgin territory I had not yet experienced. We had missed the 4 mile run from the previous week and I had no idea where that turnaround point was but I kept slogging away hoping Thompson Street showed up quickly. I didn't. I was nearing the end of my rope, in deep need of a breather when, out of nowhere, I saw the lead group crossing the street and heading back for home base. Thank GOD! I was just about to hit the breaks and walk for a few, but seeing that re-energized my motivation, plus I didn't want to look like a wimp walking past the trainers helping us with traffic.
It was a good thing I wore running shorts instead of warm-up pants. I had the new matching warm-up jacket on top of a long sleeve lycra workout shirt thingy. No hat, no gloves, just my iPod in my hand since it jiggled around too much in no matter what pocket I tried to put it in. I was definitely burning some ass-fat calories as my soaking shirt atttested, sweat seeping through to discolor my warm-up jacket as well. I tried to look for wifey from across the road but no dice. Monument Avenue is a tree-lined road with a large median between the two-lanes heading in each direction. Large monuments were erected at intersections from long ago espousing heros from the Lost Cause. I have a picture book of Richmond from 1865-1970 that shows the Lee Monument in a great large empty expanse as the Richmond Howiter's fired a volley for some sort of celebration from 1907. What is now full of brick mini-mansions and huge trees was then a great big field with no real visable sight of a Richmond skyline. Kinda weird, but this was what I was thinking about as I tried to focus on anything but the searing fire that was once my legs.
I was definately losing steam on the return trip back to the parking lot. I finally succumbed to the overwelming desire to walk for a bit, letting some ladies pass me by and figuring they didn't have as much weight to haul as me. A guy bigger than me passed me too telling me I'll catch up to him soon enough when he had to take his 'break' and sure enough it wasn't soon after that I did when I resumed my agony. This actually happened a few times on the way back. I'd stop, he'd pass me. He'd stop, I'd pass him. Never did re-pass any ladies but one though....must be an estrogen complex. Eventually I decided that I needed to suck it up and once I got back to the VCU campus I finished out the run without walking again. I was stoked to find out there wasn't THAT many people ahead of me after 5 miles of self-induced torture. What was better though was my calf had not given me any discernable problems. I walked and sipped water so not to give my body any chance to begin a full body cramp if allowed to sit and rest, waiting for wifey.
I waited for a good 10 minutes or so before finally seeing her silhouette emerge from Monroe Park in the distance. She was struggling, but maintaining form as she made the last few hundred yards up the slight incline. It as by far her longest run ever in her life and it showed. Still, she was ever-so proud of the accomplishment regardless of her newly acquired hip, hamstring and achilles pain. After a few cups of water and finding what time it was, we managed to figure out I'd made the run in around an hour and hers around an hour and fifteen perhaps. Good stuff considering if I had a gun put to my head, I'd could have probably squeezed out another mile and thusly successfully finishing a 10K. However, my goal of finishing in less than an hour had me wondering if that was realistic considering how I felt. Then again, it had been nine days since I last did any running/exercise so I'm figuring a recommittment to the training regimine for the rest of this month might actually get me to attaining that goal? So long as I don't walk any part of the course, I might have half a chance.
Well, that being said, wifey is in Atlanta for a week for work so who knows how she'll get in any workouts with daily traffic jams from her parents house where she's staying consumming hours of commute time both to and from. I'm going solo this week and am thinking road work if the weather holds might be a better suit for me. Else the gym again and the dreaded treadmill--no more tracks! Daylight savings time is this weekend so I know the sun won't go down until later in the evening which will make after work runs more viable. We shall see. It's a tough call when I can actually have the remote all week long, too!
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