My confession

Please forgive me, it's been ten days since my last run...

"Run 8 miles this morning and all shall be forgiven"

And that's how it went this morning. I spent the last 10 days not really wanting to run, but not wanting to not run. Last weekend I just was not motivated to run. I wanted to do something (other than work) and running was just not it.

And I was okay with that.

Normally, I am in a foul mood because I want to run, but I can't. Last weekend though, I just didn't care. And I really was surprised by that. I thought, no problem - I'll just get in runs during the week to make up for it.

Never happened.

I think there was one half-hearted attempt one morning, but then I just went into work early instead. Work has been consuming my time a lot in the past 2 months. At first I was alright with it. I was feeding off the adrenaline rush of a constant deadline to keep a project moving. Then the inevitable happened. Everything seemed to hit all at once - the perfect storm. I was working on two projects in design (and two under construction) and all of a sudden schedules for both design projects aligned and I found myself needing to be in two places at once and I was at a loss for what to do. I was almost frozen like a deer in headlights.

I've never been one to ask for help. Part of it is I am a control freak (probably the biggest part). I accept this although others may not and I do what it takes to get my work done - but usually at a cost. I spent a lot of long nights and early mornings to keep things moving, skipped runs and certainly anything resembling a good night's sleep. And I think it has finally caught up to me. I've said it all before -- life is all about balance, and my life is far from being in balance right now. This morning's run was a first step towards regaining that balance, but I have a lot to do.

My spring half-mary is a little different this year, but I think it is exactly the kind of race I need. I am going to run the Anti-Mini Marathon on May 7th. It's a little unconventional, but it looks to be a very runner friendly race. My plans to run the spring trail run series is out the window. I've had a conflict on a couple of the races, so it looks like I'll have to wait for the fall series and look for trail runs during the summer. Still deciding on my full marathon for the fall. I am leaning towards the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon this year, but we'll see.

Getting back to my run this morning: I had a pretty good run. I actually wanted to run and felt ready to get back out there. I started early - before the sun was even up and I finished just as the sun came over the horizon. There were birds chirping and flowers blooming. It was great to take it all in. And as I was in the final stretch of my run, "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" came on my iPod -- we had it played at Everett's funeral and it just seemed so fitting for it to play when it did. The sky was lightening up to a beautiful blue, the sun was the orangey-pink color that sunrises often are and birds were flying overhead. It felt like a good morning wish from Everett and just made my run that much better.

Baby It's Freakin' Cold Outside

Just over a week ago, I was running in 80 degree weather while in Florida. Granted, it was not a great run, but it was nice to not be burdened by a bunch of gear. This morning is a polar opposite - figurative and literally.

I began my run with the mercury dipping down to 9 degrees. I didn't confirm anything else - cold it cold, right?

Wrong.

In the short time I was out, it dropped another 2 degrees and I found out the windchill was minus 9 degrees. No wonder my fingers went numb in the 3 seconds that I exposed them to fumble with my ipod.

The good news is I made it through. Now let's try for some consistency in running - I've just proven weather is not a factor.

the run that almost didn't happen

After a week of almost no running, I was determined to start the week (and month) off with a run. It didn't begin well this morning when the alarm went off and I could not get out of bed, but plan 'b' was enacted and I packed my clothes and took them to work with me with plans to run at lunch time.
It was a busy morning - one meeting after another and I had a million things to do today, so I almost caved and didn't go for a run, but at the last minute I got out of my chair and walked out of the office, deciding that my run was every bit as important as work. And you know what? It is. I mean, the week I didn't run I was miserable. I did not sleep well, I was stressed and felt uninspired. So what I really needed was a good, hard run. So I headed to the gym in the office park, got on the "dreadmill" and hammered out almost 4 miles on a hill routine. I ran until I was tired, then ran some more. It felt so good when I was done.

renewal

Perhaps my last entry was too negative. After all, running tends to have it's rough patches. This morning reminded me my running can be reaffirming. I started out at 5am, in the dark, heat and humidity. I didn't run at all this weekend, so I planned for a 7 mile run this morning (I know that's not really much of a long run to some), so I headed out at a comfortable pace. I felt pretty good actually, not tired or run down. I get 3 miles into my run and I see some lighting, hear some thunder, then it began a soft rain. It felt great, but seeing some more lightning kept me focused. I decided to head back home and see if it would pass. The rain kept me cool and just felt so good. I love the smell of a summer rain - it is so fresh. As I rounded the corner into my neighborhood, I could see the sun coming up behind all the clouds - a new day beginning... Just me and my thoughts... pretty cool. As I approached home, the thunder and lighting as well as the rain had passed, but I chose to end the run at 5 miles. I felt good, still could have gone a few more miles easily, but want to focus on running more consistently throughout the week.

What a difference a week makes

Last week it was cold and snow was on the ground. Today it was sunny and in the 50's - simply gorgeous. I got in 8 miles today at a 9:00/mile pace - felt pretty good too - nice and relaxed. Not much more to report on that - just a beautiful day and a good run.

let the taper begin

Wow, what a month it has been. I finished my last 20 mile run in high spirits today. I averaged a 9:00/mile pace and felt great the entire time. I feel ready, so let the taper begin. Unfortunately, the taper is the worst part of the training for me. I always feel like I am losing my ability to run and therefore second guess myself... I just need to remember the great runs I have had and I think I'll be okay. I have not looked at the training schedule for next week, but I am not worried. For now my focus will be on tomorrow only.

Tomorrow is Steph's baby shower. Everything is ready, so now she can relax and enjoy her day. After that, it will be a big focus on work to get a project out the door on time... then it will be time to run 26.2 miles in under 4 hours...

open letter to my body

Dear Body, You let me down on Saturday. Though you did get me through 20 miles, you were still conspiring with my mind to work against me. You have probably noticed that our last two runs were a little more work than usual. This is your pay back. I am upping the pace and proving that we can do this. Every time you let me down, I will come back stronger and harder - this I promise.

Monday you remained strong and averaged an 8:40/mile pace without any problem - even with some slight humidity left in the air, it was nothing compared to Saturday. This morning, even though it began to rain just as we stepped outside, you did not fail me. You started out stronger than I thought you could and you averaged an 8:29/mile pace. You are proving to me that I did not make a mistake by signing up for the marathon. With just under 6 weeks to go, you still have a lot to prove, but we can get through this together.

I hope we have an understanding from this point forward.

Your Truly, Dave

easy 8

I got my 8 miles in this evening. There was a chance of rain, but when I started it only looked a little cloudy, but it was still sunny and humid. At the half way point the dark clouds rolled in and the wind picked up. I seemed to be staying in front of the clouds, but they soon overtook me and my pace picked up trying to beat them home, but honestly was looking forward to running in the rain again. With about a mile left to go, it did start to "try" to rain, but it never amounted to much more than some scattered large drops.

I finished up in a decent time (74 minutes), averaging a 9:16/mile pace... felt good for the run. Things seem to finally be coming together for me.

Tomorrow is a 3 mile recovery run, so I hope to get back on the trails for this one. It has been quite a while since I have had the opportunity to run some trails, so it should be a nice change of pace.

break on through to the other side...

I began my week without any expectations. On the schedule for Monday was a 7 mile LT run with 3 miles at half marathon pace.

When I started out, my pace was 10:18/mile...much slower than I thought and it felt faster than that. The plan was to run the first two miles nice and easy (no problem there), then run the next three at half marathon pace (which I am not sure what that really is, so I guessed at around 8:30/mile). As soon as I hit the beginning of mile 3 I picked up the pace - surprisingly effortlessly. I wasn't sure if I could manage it for all 3 miles, but before I knew it I was there. Then I tried to slow down, but it didn't happen as easily as I thought. my last 2 miles were still sub-9's.

So, a little redemption for me and a nice way to start out the week. A nice recovery run tomorrow morning then 8 miles on Thursday. So far so good...

pre-inaugural geist half marathon

With 13 miles to run I decided to try a new route. It was announced early in the year that there will be a new half marathon with the inaugural race being next May. So I somewhat jokingly suggested it to Brooke, who took a couple of days to look it over and decide to join me.

So, starting out at about 7:30am, we headed on the route to see what it was like. Actually, it was not too bad -- even with some "dicey" moments on the side of the road with no shoulder, but these were few and far between and only for short stretches. We paid careful attention to the cars and most were nice enough to move over for us.

Felt good for most of the run, though there was a time that I was running out of steam, but the last 2.5 miles I was good. Our time wasn't bad - 2:04 with an average pace of 9:32/mile. A beautiful day out there - slightly overcast, slight breeze and low humidity -- it was just about perfect. We had a few rolling hills to deal with, but they weren't too bad. All in all, it was a good run and a good route. I think I'll be trying it again later on.

That's all for now. Happy running.

week one over, 17 to go...

My first week of training went okay. Afterall, I didn't exactly get started out exactly as Pfitz would have had me, but nevertheless it ended on a strong note. Saturday's run was a scheduled 12 miler. The weather finally did something other than be sunny, hot and humid. It was a pleasant overcast, cool and humid.

On my drive over to the Monon Trail I drove though patches of rain. Not what I had hoped for, but better than heat. The plan was to run a few miles and then meet up with my friend Jason for at least 6 miles, then finish up my run by myself. I got there around 6:45am and got right to my run. I decided I could get in 4 miles and then see if I couldn't convince Jason to run more than 6. I finished up four miles and was back at the meeting point right on time. I didn't check my pace during this part of my run, but waited until it was all over to see how I did.

Jason was a good sport and decided he'd give 7 miles a shot, but 8 would be pushing it. So we headed north for 3.5 miles up and then back. On our way back we both felt pretty good, hitting our stride and picking up the pace. Jason picked it up the last 1/4 mile and finished up, I had just 1 mile to go so I headed down for another 1/2 mile then turned around. I met up with Jason at his place for some water and to relax.

I checked on our results and was pleasantly surprised... our splits were good, in fact we got faster towards the end...

1. 9:26/mile (solo)
2. 9:28/mile (solo)
3. 9:40/mile (solo)
4. 9:40/mile (solo)
5. 9:30/mile (started w/ Jason)
6. 9:46/mile
7. 9:37/mile
8. 9:53/mile (includes a water stop)
9. 9:08/mile
10. 9:01/mile
11. 8:59/mile (Jason's last)
12. 8:36/mile (my last)

It was a good run, it felt easy, though I was a little sore when I was done, but I stretched really well when I got home and that made a big difference. So we'll see how this weeks training goes.

This week's schedule:

Monday: 8 miles w 10x100m strides

Tuesday: Cross train

Wednesday: 10 miles

Thursday: rest

Friday: 5 mile recovery

Saturday: 13 miles

a "special" mother's day

It was a beautiful day - simply perfect! It was sunny, a comfortable temperature in the 70's with a slight breeze. If only the weather was like that every day year round...

My parents and Steph's parents and her sister all came over for a big Mother's Day brunch. I had hashbrowns, sausages, bacon and eggs all going at the same time - quite a production if I do say so myself. Steph had also made some incredible coffee cake and had gotten some fresh strawberries. It was a feast for the senses... The rest of the day was spent lounging, or at least most of it, though I started consolidating my running gear to one location and also took apart my treadmill to examine it - just to see if I could figure out what was wrong. I am no treadmill repair guy, but the blackened spot on the motor control card right at the wire connection seemed like it just might be the problem. The next step is to see how much $ it will cost...

My run yesterday was good. I was tired, but determined to run 8 miles. Luckily I had Brooke for company and like clockwork our miles raced by. It is always great to catch up and get a long run in at the same time - very efficient that way.

We had a bit of a surprise on our run as we started to head out the back of the state park and pick up the Fall Creek Trail, but when we got there they were in the middle of ripping up the bridge (and it was about time! There were patches of patches - it was in terrible shape and somewhat dangerous to run on with all of the potholes and uneven surfaces). We even asked if we could run through, but they said there were holes in the deck and it was a liability issue. No problem. We just stayed in the park and made up our mileage that way. We ran a very consistent pace for the first few miles, then we got just a little faster, finishing up our last mile at a 9:03/mile pace. Overall we were at a 9:23/mile pace and this was with hills.

I am shuffling my running schedule around so I can get my long runs into double digits before mid-June. Pfitz has me starting the 18 week training program with an 11 mile long run for the first week. I have some time to get there, but with training starting soon I have some work to do. I had mentioned it before, but this is going to be a busy summer all around. It doesn't look like we will have much of a vacation this year and we had anticipated this last year, so we made sure we enjoyed ourselves out in Cape Cod. My heart longs to be there right now - running along the beach, the sound and the smell of the ocean in the air... someday we'll go back... but for now it is getting my list of "to-do's" together and start checking them off. I have a good start on the mulching and landscaping this year and have a little more to do, but on top of this there is the painting of the exterior trim, some interior renovation of one of out bedrooms and some furniture refinishing... I have until the end of November to get most of this done, but quite a bit of this has to happen this summer while the weather is good. But enough of all that for now. More to follow on this soon...

I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful Mother's Day and I hope everyones run was great. Until then - happy running to all!

where the wild things run

Another week has passed and not much running happened again. It was a busy week at work. I found myself having to do a week's worth of work in the first two days for out of town meetings I had on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The meetings were fine, just made for long days. The first two were both up in Michigan, but I chose to return each day as I had to get a few things done at the office afterwards. By the end of Friday I was spent.

On Saturday I slept in and didn't wake until the starting of the Mini-Marathon. It was a tough time just watching it and the 35,000+ runners and walkers on TV. I wanted to be there running it as I have the past 6 years -- but I know I would not have run my best race. Even if I had trained for it and run it, I was so tired that it would have been painful.

Saturday night, after a little yard work including mowing the yard, I indulge in some margaritas - it was Cinco De Mayo after all! They were a little heavy on the Tequila though, but they were tasty...

On Sunday I did get out for a run. I decided it was time to get back to the trails so I headed over to Fort Harrison State Park to check out the trails. With 7 trails to choose from, there was plenty of distance to run. I started out on the Fall Creek Trail, which runs along the banks of the Fall Creek. It was a nice fairly wide path that I found out the hard way has a set of stairs that are killer. I was breathing heavy by the time I got through those. The trail then curved around, crossing the paved Harrison Trace Trail that I usually run when I am there, and I picked up the Camp Creek Trail which circled back around to the Fall Creek Trailhead. I then ran on part of the paved Harrison Trace Trail to the Lawrence Creek Trail. Wow! This trail seemed like it started going straight up for what seemed like a half mile. It was most likely less, but I did have to stop at the top to catch my breath... the margaritas were catching up with me. I was dehydrated and just felt exhausted. I continued on, circling around back to the trailhead and then hopped back on the paved trail heading back towards my truck.

The times I was out in the sun, I could tell it was getting warm out, but amongst the trees it was cool and just so scenic. I have fallen in love with this park all over again!

I was surprised to see so many people on the trail walking their dogs... I did see one other runner, but she was running with her dog. I got a few weird looks, but people were courteous. The next time I go, I may try to get out a little earlier.

Overall, it was a great run. It certainly kicked my ass. I have a lot of work to do to get back to a decent base before marathon training begins. And my destination marathon is changing for this fall, but more to follow on this at a later date.

Until then, Happy Running to all!

over the river and through the woods...

and don't forget about the hills...

First of all - Happy Easter to all!

Today was the day for my long run. I managed two runs during the week - a 3 mile recovery run on Monday and a 4 mile run on the dreadmill on Wednesday. Both runs were good - I felt good and the knee felt good. (I think I am going to keep commenting on my knee for a little while longer, but it seems that all is well and I am using caution during my runs - honest.)

It was another typical week for me up in Michigan on Wednesday and then up in Lafayette, Indiana on Friday. Didn't leave much time to get work done or any more runs in and it left me tired. I slept in until 10am on Saturday and I felt tired all day. I questioned whether I would feel good enough to run today, but when I woke up I was ready, but I took my time getting ready.

On the schedule was a 5 miler. My last 5 mile run was anything but great. I finished completely drained and thought I had reached my maximum endurance. Today was a new day.

I even decided that I would add some hills to my route, so I headed to Fort Harrison State Park and chose the Delaware Trace Trail Loop where I could run amongst the trees. At first I thought I would do two laps to get my 5 miles in, but after the first lap I didn't want to repeat the hills again - trying to be cautious...

I finished my run strong and felt good. And when I checked my splits I was pleasantly surprised...

• Mile 1: 9:04/mile
• Mile 2: 9:01/mile
• Mile 3: 9:05/mile
• Mile 4: 9:11/mile
• Mile 5: 9:01/mile

Pretty consistent and the pace felt relatively easy - even on the hills.

It was a good run - just what I needed.

The weather looks like it will be warming up during the middle of the week to the low 50's. I can deal with that. Below freezing is just not right for this time of year...

More changes are coming into my life and my fall marathon plans will probably be changing, not to mention my running in general. But it will all be good. I will reveal more later on... until then, Happy running to all!

trail run race report

So the question is: Was it a big mistake to do a trail run with my knee periodically "acting up"?

Answer: NO

In fact, it seems to be just what I needed. My knee did not hurt one bit during the run, not after, and not even the next day! I am not sure why, perhaps the ultra-soft ground on which I ran? Seems somewhat logical, but at any rate, it was a great decision.

The weather had forecasted rain and thunderstorms for most of the day, but when I woke up it had not rained yet and it was a cool, crisp 55 degrees. I got ready and picked up Brooke and we headed up to Mounds State Park in Anderson, IN. We arrived in plenty of time to get registered and still have time to relax, do some light stretching and get ready for the 5k race.

When we lined up for the race, we started in an open field that was an out and back configuration which then went right into the woods and onto a well maintained path. The first mile was not bad, some minor hills, but nothing compared to my first trail run last year. Our pace was a little faster than what I thought it would be, but it seemed okay at the time. It seemed mile 2 took a little longer to get to and our pace settled to a more comfortable pace for the terrain.

We had been warned that at mile 3 there would be a set of stairs to climb to get to the finish and to make sure we had some energy left... at each stair we came across on the course I wondered if they would be worse than these (because they did not seem all that bad).

Well, they didn't disappoint. These stairs took every ounce of strength I had left to get up to the top and be able to run to the finish. I was spent. I was very glad I did not choose to do the 15k run - especially since it began raining just as we started our climb at mile 3. I finished in 26:54 - 55th out of 117 - not bad. Roughly 8:41/mile pace...

This was a great end to my step-back week and I am looking forward to this week where I will start building my mileage again. With a cold spell coming in on Wednesday, I will be sure to get out tonight and/or Tuesday for a run. Hope everyone's weekend was a good one.

Happy running to all!

stretching my legs

So it was decided yesterday to definitely run a trail run on Saturday - rain or shine. It is time to baptize my bright yellow trail shoes into the mud.

So, with the weather being nice yesterday and me feeling sluggish, I headed out before dinner for a quick trip around the neighborhood. I felt the need to push it - no slow and steady today. I wanted to give my legs a little more of a challenge. I didn't break any speed records, but it was still a good pace and fairly consistent.

Mile 1: 8:29/mile

Mile 2: 8:31/mile

Last .5: 8:17/mile

The knee felt a little sore at the beginning of the run, but it loosened up and felt just fine. It is feeling good today too. Funny thing is, it will act up every now and then for no particular reason, mainly noticed when I walk down stairs, but other times it is normal... can't figure it out, but it is not affecting my running like before, so I am moving on.

e-z-4

After a rough week at work (and no running since Sunday) I ventured out into the sunny and slightly chilly morning for a run. It was one of those runs that started out with me somewhat hesitant to even start, but I knew I had to try. I got geared up for the 24 degree temperature and headed over to the park.

What a truly beautiful day -- the sun was nice and bright and I was feeling better about my decision to run. Once I stepped out of my truck, I felt a slight chill, but knew it would be fine once I got started.

I stretched out a little, making sure my knee was feeling okay (and it had felt great all week) and then turned on some tunes and was on my way. My eclectic group of friends Usher, DMB, Eminem, OK Go!, Garbage, Gwen Stefani, Johnny Cash and a few others kept me company and kept me motivated the entire time.

I wasn't sure what my mileage was going to be when I started out -- my first thought was just 3 miles, but I thought I had run 2.5 miles both Friday and Sunday last week, so it was time to take it up a notch. 4 miles seemed about right - a little bit further, but not too much too soon. I so wanted to do 5 or 6, but I am trying to ease into this running routine again. I got to my turn around point and stretched a little more. The knee still feeling good. I thought about going a little further, but kept myself focused and headed back.

I wasn't keeping track of my pace while I ran, it felt pretty good, probably a little faster than I intended to run, but I wasn't tiring out. Towards the end of my run, I picked it up just a little to see how it felt.

Well, it felt pretty good.

When I finished, I was tired. That was it, I was done for the day. I pushed a little bit, but not too hard and felt better for it. I think 5 is doable for next weekend now. I am even contemplating a 5 mile trail run... may not be the best move though, but I will see how I am feeling...

My splits were very surprising to me:

• Mile 1: 8:42
• Mile 2: 9:06
• Mile 3: 8:54
• Mile 4: 8:40

My average HR is still a little high, so I have to try to do better with my running, but everything seems to be coming back together. I am feeling whole again...

Happy Running to all and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

a perfect 10?

It has been a nice long weekend and the weather has been just spectacular! I took the day off yesterday, and no, it wasn't to go marathon shopping. I took it easy and got a few things accomplished at home, such as raking the leaves and mowing for the last time this year. Today I will get the lights out.

I slept in this morning and decided when I woke up to go for a nice easy long run. It was time. I shuffled around slowly, then decided to get ready and get out there. I caught the weather forecast on the TV and it is getting into the upper 50's today. How could I pass this up? Another stellar day! I had in my mind that I wanted a decent long run - not 6 or 7, but perhaps 10? It seemed a bit ambitious, but I thought I would set a route that would allow me to bail out if it got tough out there.

I went to Fort Harrison State Park and ran from there, out the back to my usual Fall Creek Trail route. I went out 3.5 miles and turned around and came back to the truck. I was feeling incredible! I grabbed some water and decided to run the loop trail in the park next (about 2.5+ miles). I put the earbuds back in my ears and took off. I couldn't believe how I was feeling. The plan was to run slow and steady and just enjoy the day and boy did I. I made it up the hills and curved around the top of the loop trail on the flat part and then began a slow decent back down. I got done in 87:46 -- an 8:45/mile average pace!?!? What happened to slow and steady?!? I felt like I could keep going -- and part of me wanted to, but I didn't want to ruin a good thing -- ten miles was awesome.

This was my runner's high for the year, I think. It was just an incredible run. It was the kind of run that I usually only read about, but have experienced it on a few occasions. Here are my splits if interested -- I actually got the steady part right...

• Mile 1: 8:55
• Mile 2: 8:54
• Mile 3: 9:00
• Mile 4: 8:56
• Mile 5: 8:39
• Mile 6: 8:24
• Mile 7: 8:28
• Mile 8: 9:02 (hills)
• Mile 9: 8:52
• Mile 10: 8:16 (easy - mostly down hill)