Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Running Towards Empty

I hope to keep all my running related stuff here. Half Marthons, new shoes, excuses why I'm not running, etc.

Afternoon Delight

I haven't run in the afternoon is a LONG time. The South Florida sun isn't anything to mess with.

However, I'm currently getting some physical therapy for a minor shoulder issue and realized that since they're working out my upper body, I really should get my lower body moving as well.

Once around our block is 2.05 miles, it appears. I think I'll be running that for a couple weeks to get acclimated to the sun and heat then go longer and/or faster as the training schedule dictates.

Oh, training schedule. I think I'll do something like this in a few weeks.

If a day isn't listed, it's an Off day (to become crosstrain/gym days after my round of physical therapy).

Mon - Easy run (2 mi, no specific pace)
Wed - Tempo run (5 mi: 1 mi Easy, 3 mi Race pace, 1 mi Easy)
Fri - Fast Friday (3 mi, 30 sec faster than Race pace)
Sun - Revolving Long runs. Some straight LSD, some Long Tempo, some Fartleks, etc.

All mileage will slowly increase but no reason to overdo it.

Well, we'll see how that goes.  :) 

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I'm feeling it...

It's been three weeks since I ran last.

These poor shoes only got taken out once.

Photo2
I think that's about to change, though. I've starting feeling that need to run.  Spring arrived and I sat, much like I'm doing now.  Is it a form of Spring Fever? Who knows?

All I do know is that running is on my mind. There's a new path they're building next to the canal that runs next to our complex. I want to go and check it out. I want to get my body moving.

It's not just the body either. My brain feels tired like it's been thinking and processing too much. Stress? [shrug] Maybe.

I had said I wasn't going to run again until I felt the need. I'm very close.

Soon...I will run again.

Motivation/Dedication and other lacking things

This Sunday is the Miami Beach 13.1 Half Marathon.  I had registered back in July of last year with the expectation that once committed financially, I'd be motivated to train (or at least run).

That is/was not the case.

I thought it would prompt me to drink more water, eat better foods (and reasonable portions thereof) and finally help turn my weight gain around.

Nope.  That didn't happen either.

I'm a bit flummoxed on why it didn't happen.  Back in 2008/2009, I was very good about training and all that preparing for my first Half Marathon in March of 2009.  I even ran and worked out well while in Afghanistan (although it was actually "easier" to find time to do so).

Commitment.  I think I'm lacking it regardless of investment.  And of course, the question is "Why?".

I could say that I never saw the improvement I hoped for, speed- and distance-wise.  However, I was the culprit there since I got in cycles of planning my exercise schedules more than actually doing them.

I could say that I felt I'd never be as good as some of the people I see online.  Easy 7 minute miles?  I nearly die getting down to 8 minutes for short distances.  However, I don't think I ever really did it for the speed.

I could say that the weight went on instead of coming off.  Again, I'm the one who ate those desserts and overly large portions.  Also, unlike Afghanistan, I just ran.  And that's not the right way to do it.

Ultimately, I gave up somewhere.  I stopped caring about it. It became a job, a routine.  It stopped being an escape, a stress relief.

Where did that good feeling go?

After Sunday, I'm taking some time off from running.  I will be back but not until I *must* run.

A running week complete

Today ends a complete week of running.  Well, that's misleading.  I completed my weekly schedule which includes a rest day on Saturday.

I'm currently cooling down from my long run of 6 miles and enjoying that I'm getting my distance back.  However, I'm still wistfully thinking of the longer distances I once accomplished with less effort.

That's okay, though.  I already *know* I can do it. There's no question about.  (Not even why.  :P)

Now comes the hard part.  Patience.  Making this a habit again.

I'm almost there.  It's close to second nature to get up in the morning, throw on my gear and head out the door.  Heck, I even partied a little too much on a "school night" and still got up and ran.

I do enjoy running.  I enjoyed it more when it seemed less like work, of course.

For now I just have to stay the course and it'll all come back to me.  Patience, he said impatiently.

Run, don't think.

Okay, so I've now finally run two days in a row again.  I'm not claiming "Mission Complete" just yet but I'm heading the right direction.

I did a long run yesterday which was surprisingly hard most of the way, especially after the halfway point.  Since I had done an out and back route I knew exactly how far it was going to be.  I'm pretty sure I psyched myself out for bit.

Then I got "clever".  I'll run hard for a bit and recover in between, I told myself.  While that did distract me by making me keep track of the time, I think it was too much too late.  My wife was a litte concerned after I got back since I was huffing and puffing much more than usual.  I did shorten my cool-down and stretch but that doesn't seem to cover it.  I guess I need to listen to my body.  I've run farther and faster so I have a feel on what's normal and what isn't.  And I knew I was probably overdoing it at the time but just wanted to be done with the run.

Cut to this morning.  I actually forgot to turn on my alarm and luckily woke up just a little bit past alarm time. Mental stings from yesterday's run were with me and I wasn't sure how far I'd get before giving up.  Whether it was cooler temps, a good dinner, better sleeping, whatever...this run went much smoother. Even changing up my route to miss some sprinklers didn't bug me.  I did try to take it slow as this was supposed to be an easy recovery kind of run.  However, somewhere after the first mile, my body was enjoying the run (while my mind wandered about work, etc.) because I picked up my pace by 30 seconds.

Maybe that's not significant but it did make me realize that while running, I shouldn't think about running.  I should just run.  That first mile I was still thinking of running and yesterday and how I'd do today, etc.  I started thinking about anything else after the first mile.  I think it shows.

Run, don't think.  If you must think, don't do it about the run you're on.  :) 

Here we go...again.

In yet another attempt to inspire myself to running, I've created a secondary Posterous site just for it.

Now don't get me wrong.  I like running.  If there's one thing I might identify myself as in this world, it's that.  Unfortuantely, my motivation wans more than it waxes and so I try to kick my own butt back into things.

I actually used to run practically every day.  It was just part of my routine and something I enjoyed.  Somewhere I lost the habit...or gave myself excuses.

Ah well, welcome to being human

I have a Half Marathon coming up on March 6th: http://www.131marathon.com/13_1_Miami_Beach.htm. ; I ran the Inaugural one in 2009 but missed 2010 while I was in Afghanistan.  So I'm back, Miami Beach.  Let's see if I can beat my time from 2009 (2 hours 29 minute and some odd seconds).

Yay, me!

Click here to download:
13.1_Marathon_-_Miami_Beach_2011.pdf (85 KB)
(download)

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