Back from my travels

Well it's been two long weeks and I'm finally back from my travels abroad. Spent some time in beautiful eastern Europe. My flight over there landed me with a 6 hour layover in Berlin due to my flight being delayed out of Newark from the latrine on the airplane not being serviced. That was the first time I had to deplane because it literally smelled like crap. I didn't know that made an aircraft unserviceable. Either way that is not how I'd want to spend an 8 hour flight across the big pond. I did take advantage of my layover and went and saw some of the sights in Berlin. I was a little disappointed I didn't get a chance to run there... but that would have meant a little longer of a layover.

Once we were done with our little site seeing excursion it was back to business. The biggest difference I noticed between eastern Europe and east coast of the US... the weather. It was beautiful, sunny, 70 degree weather almost the whole two weeks I was there. Did I also mention there was no humidity? NONE!! So needless to say I was not only able to get my planned runs in... but I also was able to do most of them along a beautiful brick path that paralleled the Baltic Sea coast.

  My travel arrangements on that first day luckily was in the afternoon allowing me to get in my five miles that morning. Then a day to travel and knock out a three mile run once I arrived. Good thing I got some naps in on the plane. I did notice a big difference in my performance not having to deal with the heat and humidity. I was able to hold a sub 9 minute mile for 14 miles on my LSD run and a sub 8 minute mile on one of my seven mile runs. Now that I'm back to 80 to 90 degree days with 80 to 100 percent humidity we will see how my performance changes. Either way I tried to make the most of my time away. I am so glad to be back in the good ol' USA and back with my training partner!!!

We are now nine days away from the Harrisburg Half Marathon. This weekend our mileage will be the highest so far during this train up. We run seven miles on Saturday and then 15 miles on Sunday. Next week we taper down just prior to the race. This next week will also be our time to make sure we have all of our last minute race day/weekend preparations made. We are going to make a mini vacation of the race so we've made reservations for the Dogs to go to their resort and reservations at the Harrisburg Hilton for us. It works out good because the hotel is two blocks from the Start/Finish line of the run. There will be a riverboat murder mystery dinner and a day trip to Hersey Pennsylvania thrown in with all the other race weekend activities. But first we have a week of training to do!  

This doesn't feel like hump day

Why is it impossible to pack for a trip and not feel like your forgetting something? Even times I've made a list (and checked it twice), I always have that daunting feeling like I'm forgetting something. I'm not personally a fan of living out of a suitcase... but trying to train while living out of a suitcase has to be another level. Just knowing that if I don't pack it I go without it always drives me to over pack. Even when we go back country camping, I'll hump 75lbs of stuff on my back just to make sure I have EVERYTHING I could possible need. One would think that 18 years in the Army would have made me a minimalist... nope I end up going by the motto "Two is one and one is none". So lets see, running shoes... Check! Running shorts, shirts, and socks... Check! Garmin watch... Check! Hydration pack and GUs... Check! Normal people clothes... Check! I think I've got it all... who am I trying to fool. I'm sure I'm missing something! On a good note I was able to fit the 18 inch foam roller we have into my suitcase.

I will admit that one little thing that helped me pack so much is a nifty little contraption called the "Flip Fold". I have always been a little OCD when it came to folding my T-Shirts so I ordered a couple so me and Kelly could enjoy folding T-Shirts together. After trying it out I'm in love with it.

Since I seem to have a plethora of running shirts it helps me fit them and my "normal people" T-Shirts in my drawer. Even my Team RWB shirt fell in love with the Flip-Fold! I wonder if Flip-Fold wants to sponsor a fledgling athlete?

Packing for training while traveling

So we just got done with our three mile run for the night. We ran a little later than we had planned due to attending the monthly meeting of Fayetteville Running Club. Our one time we get together and manage to not run. Today Suzy Goodwin gave a great presentation on preventing injury and effective running. It was a very informative class that any runner could take something away to improve their personal training program. This has been a topic I have spent the majority of the last 8 months studying and researching so it was really good to hear some additional information from a knowledgeable source. Then it was straight home to change and hit the road. I could definitely feel this weekends miles as I ran. I didn't so much feel it in my leg muscles but in my feet. I might have over done it just a tad. I can tell I'm not as much of a mid foot striker as I need to be. Nothing an ice bath won't help solve... or make you forget for a bit while your body parts are slowly freezing. I guess no more bonus miles for me for awhile. I need to learn to stick to the "plan".

What I should be doing now instead of sitting here typing away at this old computer is packing. Tomorrow after my morning run I have to head off on a trip for work. That will put me living out of a suitcase and a hotel room for the next two weeks. Now I'm sure that doesn't sound all that bad to the average Joe... but first off I can't take my running partner with me, and two it adds some challenges to our Marathon training. So now I have to figure out what all I'll need to take with me that I can shove in a suitcase to cover my running needs for two weeks and still have room for things like normal clothes. I guess I should leave the foam roller at the house for Kelly. I will be able to take some things with me like Physical Therapy bands and ball, GPS watch, IPod, headphones, hydration pack, body glide, GU packs, and at least two pairs of running shoes. Luckily for me my running clothes don't take up much room. One of the many perks of short shorts! I have found some limited information on the Internet about running in the areas I will be staying. Hopefully the Hotel staff will be able to give me some advice to safe areas to run. Hopefully I won't forget something I need... toothbrushes are easy to replace... finding a running shoe in a size 15 isn't.

Four weeks to Harrisburg!!!

So yesterday marked the completion of the fifth week of training. That means there is only four weeks left till the Harrisburg Half Marathon and 13 weeks till OBX. I am feeling a little more comfortable about the Half Marathon. Yesterday morning I ran 13.1 just to try it out. I about killed myself just to get it in two hours. Hopefully I can shave some  more time off before the race. Right now other than sore ankles, I'm feeling pretty good. The additional five miles I ran yesterday evening probably didn't help much with that. But, you know me... never claimed to be the smartest guy out there. I did however catch up with where I needed to be for my goal of 1000 miles in 2013. Last week I ran 37 miles which put me at 615 miles for the year.

Last nights extra free miles were actually part of a little birthday party. The Fayetteville Running Club turned five years old. So in celebration we ran... I know imagine that. We had a route for our Couch to 5K members, a 5K route, and a 5 miles route. Of course I picked the 5 mile route because it wasn't like I had run 13.1 miles earlier. The routes wove all through downtown Fayetteville. Our event hosts, Teri and Zef, do an awesome job setting up a run. Prior to the run they go out and chalk arrows along each route so runners don't get lost. We had a pretty good showing so there were runners all over the place last night. After the run we all met up at Huske Hardware House for some appetizers and beer (Carbs)...  and cake. But, I'd rather get my carbs from beer over cake. If your reading this and thinking to yourself.... "Self, I should really join a running club", then what are you waiting for? If you want a little extra motivation to whip your butt into shape, or just want to log in a few miles, or just want to meet strange and wonderful people who REALLY enjoy a lot of running, then FRC or your local running club is the place to go. I know FRC has helped a lot in me getting where I am now. Running Clubs provide motivation, accountability, friendship, and good times.

Now on to the start of week six. The "plan" calls for 26 miles this week with the LSD run being 9 miles. My body is ready for a bit of a break at this point. The part that sucks is that I have to leave Wednesday on a trip for work and will be gone for about two weeks. I now get to face the challenge of keeping up with a rigorous training schedule while traveling. Hopefully I will have more options that the treadmill at a hotel. I know some of the guys I work with think my running is a bit extreme so I'm sure I'll be getting after it alone. Not to worry, I'm won't let something like that slow me down. 

It's finally Friday!!!

Today is a great day for a few reasons. First, it's Kelly and my sixth wedding anniversary! I've got to say I love that woman. It also happens to be a off day from running. Now you might be wondering why someone that loves running would also be excited about taking a day off... well I'll tell you. I need it! Between work, life, and running... I'm smoked. I really need to rest up for the weekend long runs. It's been a few days since I've been on here so let's first catch up.

So we left off after last Sundays LSD run. Monday of course was another well needed day off. On Tuesday we ran our 3 miles around our neighborhood. Wednesday was the famous FRC Rite Aid run. We had to add a little to our normal route out there again to make it 6 miles. If you are sitting there reading this and telling yourself "Self, I really should go out and try this Rite Aid run I always hear so much about", then I suggest you do it. You can run any distance you are comfortable with, the people are great, and it's a great way to celebrate that halfway point of the work week. Now back to the story.

We finally catch back up to last night. After work Kelly met me up at Hendrick Stadium on Fort Bragg. Kelly did the track workout with FRC while I ran the stairs. I will admit that running the stairs is one of my favorite track workouts. I start off with a one mile warm up around the track. Then the fun begins. For ever following lap around the track I hit the stairs. That's three flights up and three flights down. I do this for two miles and then an additional mile around just the track as a cool down. My cool down mile never ends up being much of a cool down as I always seem to try and push it out that last bit. Did I mention it was 90 degrees? Oh I left that out you said... sorry. There is nothing like conducting a great workout... want to make it even  more challenging? Do it in an oven!

Today we rest and prepare for 6 miles tomorrow and 12 miles on Sunday. The temperatures are supposed to be around 90 for both days. As of right now the plan is to do Saturdays run at night... and then wake up early and knock out the 12 miles on Sunday. I guess we will have to wait and see how the plan goes. I've replaced the bladder in my Nathan hydration vest with a Camelback bladder. I will have extra water, some pedialyte, and some snacks in the truck for post run. Hopefully I've learned something since last LSD run.

Can you say it's a bit warm out there

There we were on a Saturday night getting ready for bed and trying to plan out the next day. We had both ran the 10K that day and were a bit tired. We knew we had an 11 mile run ahead of us the next day... So me being the brilliant man that I am, I suggested just waking up without an alarm clock, eat some breakfast, and then worry about getting out on the road for our run. Fast forward a bit and now its 10am, already over 80 degrees out and the sun is just laughing at us. So off we go... well I also decided to try out one of my new Nathan Hydration Race Vest. About 2 miles into the run I tried to drink... and imagine that... there was some kind of leak in the mouth piece that let more air in than water out. Every time I tried to take a drink I got mostly air with a little water. What was I thinking trying to try out a new piece of equipment on an 11 mile run. Needless to say that at the completion of our run I was pretty dehydrated and a pissed at myself. Now that I'm home... been drowning myself with water and had a couple turkey sandwiches, I am feeling a lot better. It's funny no matter how together you think you've got it, you show yourself you've got a long ways to go. I do like the Race Vest by Nathan. Before this all the packs I've used on runs were camelbacks. This pack has pockets on the font which are accessible while running and a clip on the chest strap to keep your drinking hose from flopping about as you go.

I really like everything about this Race Vest except the drinking hose and bladder issues I had. I will be switching out the bladder and drinking hose with a Camelback one. Sometimes some companies are just better at what they do than others. But as far as the design and fit of the pack I think it is better suited for runners an any Camelbacks I've owned. The pockets sit up higher which allows clearance for your natural arm swing as you run. I will definitely be more prepared for next weeks 12 mile LSD run. I don't foresee the weather cooling down much anytime soon. So we will be starting off way earlier. Sleeping in is sooooo over rated (well Kelly would disagree with me).

 

American Red Cross Run for the Red 10K

Today we ran the American Red Cross Run for the Red 10K. They had a 10K, 5K, and 1 mile walk/run for the kids. All the proceeds of the race went to our local Red Cross chapter. There were 168 runners that ran for the 10K and 180 for the 5K. At 7am it was 75 degrees and 100% humidity. Not to shabby for the first week of August. It only got up to a low 90 degrees today. But the bonus today was not the wonderful North Carolina weather, but the challenging course. You might not think of downtown Fayetteville as "hilly", well let me tell you they found the terrain and made good use of it. Below is the elevation profile of the USATF certified 6.2 mile course.

I was a great course, a great cause, and there were some great runners out there. It maybe wasn't the largest event around, but I was glad we were able to work it into the "plan". I think it's good to break away from a normal training plan and participate in a run like this. It encouraging to see people finish their first 5K or 10K and seeing the finishing times of the winners helps stoke the inner fires.

Well even if your not into stoking inner flames I was glad to get out with Kelly and log in some miles. Of course the new groovy running attire helped.



Tomorrow is another day and another run. The "plan" calls for 11 miles and its almost 9pm and we have yet to figure out our route for tomorrow. I guess we better go figure that out.

 

Another run, another day in the bag!

Today we ran another 3 miles. I attempted to concentrate on my foot placement but don't think I was a successful as I would have liked. I think for the most part I was just tired. Kelly on the other hand, wanted to get some speed work in so she incorporated some fartlek's into her 3 miles. Even with feeling tired I was glad I got out there and got my miles in. I hear it's all about the miles... but who knows. After we got back to the house I tried to video record myself running on the treadmill to check my foot strike and gait. That also didn't quite work like I thought it would. There wasn't enough light in the room so even when I slowed the video down I really couldn't tell exactly where I was striking. I could tell I wasn't doing a severe heal strike so that's a plus. I know I've come a long way... exactly 556 miles since the first of the year. But I know I have a long way to go... hopefully at least another 444 miles. Not only the distance... but the improvements in my form and gait. But I can't stop here. I've got to be constantly working towards becoming a stronger and better runner. So what kinds of specialty runs do you do? So there was another thing that crossed my mind as I was finishing up my run. We were actually walking back to the house when we passed another couple out running. We had crossed paths with them earlier when we were running. This time as we crossed paths the lady mentioned how we were walking faster than she was running. Part of me wanted to tell her that at least she was out there moving. But I didn't want to get in the way of their run so I just kept it to myself. I'll admit I love to see people out moving. It doesn't matter how fast or how slow, whether its on two wheels or two feet. We have become the leading nation in obesity. We as individuals might not be able to fix that problem. But we can get out there and move... and with it improve our own lives... maybe even extend it. So take every day and every run and make the most of it.