Monthly Recap

Here's what I did in February:

208.6 miles
22 Running Days
26 Total Runs
6 Non-Running Days
No Races or anything exciting

After three non-running days by February 9, I was fairly consistent the rest of the month, taking only one rest day a week. I have some modest mileage goals for March, but the number one thing I need to do is be more consistent. If I get out for a run at least six days a week, the rest will fall into place.

As far as this week goes, I've run 34 miles so far. With three miles to go, I should be able to get into the 60s.

Weekly Recap

Sunday - 0 (slacker)
Monday - 15
Tuesday - 6.2 (cut short due to bathroom needs)
Wednesday - 5.3 at lunch and 7.5 after work
Thursday - 10
Friday - 10
Saturday - 6.3
TOTAL: 60.3

For what it's worth, if you count yesterday's 15.5 miles, I totaled over 75 for the preceding seven days. I'm off to a good start this week and should get between 65 and 70 miles for the week. The last seven days I've run a lot of miles compared to what I had been running lately, but my legs still feel pretty good.

I think the key is that I've run without a watch a couple of times and tried not to worry about what pace I'm running. I need to do this more often. Whenever I run with a watch, I always end up racing to stay ahead of 8:00/mile pace, even when the purpose of the run is just to run easy or if I'm on a recovery run.

With the purpose these days to just log miles and with nothing scheduled other than a rough guideline for weekly mileage, there's not much to Blog about. As you can see although I took last Sunday off, I've been pretty consistent. I had hoped to run all seven days this week, but I ended up taking today (Monday) off. My wife was sick, and I started getting a sore throat. I'm hoping that by resting today, I'll prove the ounce of prevention theory.

The only real goal I have now is at least one 80-mile week by March 17. The week of 18 March, I'll be in Topeka. With a travel day there and back, I'll use that week to cutback and will start Rock 'n Roll Marathon training on March 26 (my 42nd birthday).

Another Crappy Week

I had another week below 60 miles(if memory serves my total was 56.) I'm not sure what the problem is, but I just can't seem to get motivated to build my mileage any higher. I'm not exactly lighting things up this week, either. I took a zero on Sunday. I didn't sleep well Saturday night and just didn't feel like running all day. I made up a little ground by running 15 miles today. After basically resting all day on Sunday, I felt great today. I averaged 7:42/mile today and felt like I easily could have run a few more miles. If it weren't for an errand the family was running this afternoon, I probably would have jumped up to 18 miles today. Even with a zero on Sunday, I'm going to shoot for 60 this week and then jump up to 70 the week after. I need to start building. I want to get in at least a couple of 80 mile weeks before I begin an organized race buildup in March.

On another note, we went up to the exchange at Travis AFB today, and I bought a bike. The plan is for me to use it for my daily commute. It's only five miles each way, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Finally, A Longer Run

After a rest day on Friday and an easy run on Saturday, I guess my body was ready to run. On Sunday I finally got in a 15-miler. The pace naturally fell to around 7:40 mile, and I went with it. The only downside was that I lost the anti-chafing tape off my left nipple. I tried to fix it by tearing the tape from the right side in half so that both would be covered. The result was that I ended up with two bloody nipples. I'm typing this on Tuesday evening, and they're still tender.

On Monday I ran five easy miles in a steady rain. The temps were only in the mid-50s, but with a long-sleeve shirt and shorts, I was comfortable. The only thing that was cold was my hands. I donated blood today, so I took an off day. I should be able to get in ten miles on Wednesday and Thursday, including a double on one day and a ten miler the other. I'm not sure what I'll do on Friday and Saturday, but I hope to log at least 60 miles for the week.

Back From Topeka

I just got back from a wonderful four-day work trip to Topeka, Kansas. Okay, wonderful may be overstating things a bit, but I had a good time. The Coast Guard's Personnel Service Center is located there, and I was stationed there from 1990-92. I got to see a few old friends who retired and stayed there, transferred and came back, or are civilians who simply never left the place. I was able to run a couple of times while I was there. On Tuesday, the temps jumped up to almost 60 degrees. By the time I got out for a run, it was still in the mid-50s. On Wednesday the high temps were back down to the 20s. I was going to run, but I just don't own the right gear for that kind of cold. I could have kept my body warm, but my hands, face, and feet would have been freezing (maybe literally!). I ended up running ten miles in Gage Park on Tuesday, and I ran 5 miles on the treadmill before work Thursday morning. This was the first time I've run on a treadmill in over a year and a half. I remember the treadmill being easier than running on the roads, but it sure seemed tougher on Thursday.

Here are some pictures of my trip:

This is a lake in Gage Park.

An ice skater on a smaller lake in Gage Park

A pool with water slides that weren't there when I lived in Topeka

This is the house my wife and I lived in during our time in Topeka.

It became our daughter's first house

Catching Up and Weekly Totals

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, but there's really not much happening, which is good. Over the week 28 Jan - 3 Feb, I ran my second consecutive 60-mile week. I started the week off with a crappy run that lasted less than 1.5 miles. It was the same old GI issues. (Caution: too much info coming). I went to the bathroom 3 times in the 30 minutes before running. Still the call of nature reduced me to a walk after running only 1.35 miles. I walked down a side street to the closest port-o-let only to find that it had been moved. From this point, I was relatively close to home, so I walked home and called it a day.

Since that day, however, I've run well. Here's how my week ended up:

Sunday: 1.35 miles
Monday: 5.4 miles at lunch; 5 miles after work
Tuesday: 5.4 miles at lunch
Wednesday: 5.5 miles at lunch; 10 miles after work, including 5 at goal MP pace (6:50/mile)
Thursday: 10 miles at recovery effort
Friday: 7.75 miles (cut short 10-miler due to bathroom needs)
Saturday: 5.7 miles in a.m.; 5.3 miles in p.m.

I’m traveling to Topeka, Kansas, this week. I leave on the Monday and return Thursday night. I won’t be able to run either of these two days because I’m basically working and/or traveling all day, but I’ll bring running clothes and hope to get in a few miles on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Monthly Recap

January Totals

Miles: 225.75
Total Runs: 30
Days Run: 26
Rest Days: 5
Doubles: 4
Average Pace: 7.52
Races: None (probably won't run any until March)

Despite a slow start (4 off days by the 9th) January was a good month for me. My mileage is climbing after knee pain kept me from running from mid-November almost until the end of December. I’ve entered February feeling healthy and motivated to run.