Hurt :(

Not much more to say, but it looks like Gasparilla will be a no go for me. I'll focus on recovery and see how I can train better in the future.

Hot Outside

I didn't feel like running today for some reason, but I went out anyway. To my surprise, it was uncomfortably hot out today. Before my lunch break I spoke with someone in Atlanta that told me they were experiencing freezing rain and temps below 32 degrees. When I went for my run, it was muggy and in the mid 70's. The weather didn't help motivate my running and I cut my 5 mile loop short and ran 4 instead.

The training program mileage is really starting to increase and I'm having problems keeping a positive attitude when I run. I keep focusing on my toe that still bothers me, rather than how consistently I've been able to maintain a sub 8 minute pace, even for my long runs.

I hope this is just a phase I will come out of soon. Tomorrow is an off day and I hope to be rejuvenate for Saturday's 13 mile run.

Current December Stats:

Activities: 11
Mileage: 67
Pace: 7:45

Ho Hum Monday

The good news is that my toe felt better today. I ran my 5 mile loop at work and the weather was great. Cooled down to the high 50's today, huge cold front pushing through :)

With Christmas just around the bend, I find myself looking forward to the start of our vacation. I've been feeling the pains of running 30 miles per week, mostly in my toes and it makes getting motivated harder. I know I won't be taking time off from my training while on vacation, but I look forward to some relaxation anyway.

Today I averaged 7:50/mile with a stop I had not planned for. Fortunately the park has facilities. Tomorrow I'll run the same route per my usual plan. I think the weather will be mild again. Gotta love Florida in the winter.

Ouch my toe

I've logged 108 miles over the last four weeks, including 11 this morning with the Blue Sharks running club. Overall, I feel that I am improving a great deal each week. The mileage is just starting to increase as well. Next weekend is a 13 mile run followed by 11 on Christmas Eve. I can't believe Christmas is already here.

Somehow I've managed to bruise my big toe. I'm not sure what happened, but I began to notice a problem earlier this week. Today, my toe felt like someone was yanking my nail off while I was running. I'm not sure what I can do to resolve this problem. Hopefully some rest tomorrow will help. I guess it could be my shoes. I've run in Asics GEL-1100's regularly, but this is my first pair of 2100's. They feel like they fit the same as my 1100's, but perhaps there is something different.

The run this morning was nice and easy despite my discomfort. I can't complain about the weather here in Tampa (55F this morning), especially after seeing the national forecast. I'll get a taste soon enough when we travel to Denver.

Feeling Slow

I ran 5 miles yesterday at 7:46 pace and yet I felt slow. In early October, my average pace was over 9 minute/mile. My running has improved so much, since I started training for the Gasparilla Marathon and I find myself pushing to run faster each week.

On Wednesday, my training teammates took off like a rocket, running the entire 6 miles under 7 minute miles. I didn't feel I could keep up with them and completed my run at 7:34/mile. I knew I ran well, but I couldn't help feeling that I failed to keep up with my group. I've been training as hard as these guys, but somehow they have the will to push harder than I've been able to do. I keep hearing that voice saying, "don't push too hard, or you won't finish". I need that voice to go away. I have not failed to finish any run I've started during my training.

My teammates tell me, that they feel the "pain" when they run that fast, but run through it. I need to push through and put the voices to bed.

Time for Firm Goals

I've read that the best goal for a first time marathoner is to finish the race. In fact, I've read it many times and I began my training for the Gasparilla Marathon with finishing as my goal. With twelve weeks remaining before the race, I feel more confident than ever that I am capable of finishing the race. This weekend's Half Marathon told me that my body was ready to continue when I crossed the tape.

My trainer feels that our group is capable of pushing out a 3:30. My half (1:43:29) was probably slightly slower than the pace I'll need to reach this goal, considering I did not stop running at any point. While reading "The Great Boston Marathon Qualifier", I noted that Vince stopped during each water stop and even squeezed in 4 potty breaks as he qualified for Boston with a sub 3:30 run. This tells me that I'll need to improve my running pace over the next 81 days if I hope to fulfill my trainers ambitious goal. I don't know how many first time marathoners run 3:30's, but the goal seems lofty.

Of course, if anyone told me I could run a 1:45 half a few months ago, I would also think the goal was lofty. I've trained religiously, and focused on improving my stamina and pace and I have time to improve. I improved my pace by more than 1 minute/mile since starting this training program. Another 20 - 30 seconds per mile and the stamina to keep the pace for 26.2 will get me to a 3:30 run.

I feel confident that my training team will do everything possible to prepare for a 3:30 marathon and therefore I am modifying my goal for Gasparilla from simply finishing to finishing in 3:30. I believe that setting this goal will help design a race strategy and give me something lofty to shoot for.

Results are in

I checked the results from the Brandon Half Marathon today. To my surprise, I finished third in my division (30-34). There were only nine runners in my class, but I feel pretty good anyway. I don't think I can say I finished in the top three in my division before today.

I went to the gym today at lunch a bit sore and stiff, so I took an easy 3 mile run. By the end of mile 1, I felt good. After my run, I made sure to spend some time stretching, something I'm not always good about. Tonight I feel good. Fortunately, this weekend will include less mileage and a chance for my body to recover even more. We'll be back up to 13 miles on the 17th, less than 2 weeks away.

Half Way There

Today, I completed my first Half Marathon in Brandon, FL. My goal was 1:45 and I completed the run in 1:43:26, so I was pleased with my results. My training group and I ran a consistent pace together for the first 8 miles. At that marker, one of my colleagues went out on his own. He finished at about 1:40. At mile 11, I lost the other member of my group, but only gave up about a minute to him in the last two miles.

Happily my laps did not fall off badly throughout the run, as happened to me in the Turkey Trot. I actually felt very good as I made the final turn towards the finish line. I believe I could have stayed with my teammates for the entire run, but this race served a greater purpose to me. My focus is on the Gasparilla Marathon and I need to prove that I can run consistent mile after mile. Today, I felt I proved I can be consistent and this will go a long way to help me prepare to run the Marathon.

This afternoon, I'm feeling a bit sore, but I plan to take it easy tomorrow. I definitely do not feel as bad as my first mile of running after taking nearly a year off to be lazy. Today's run was an accomplishment, I'm proud of.

Ready to Go

The Brandon Half Marathon is tomorrow morning and my training group will be running the race as a training run. The group plan is to run a conservative first mile, gradually picking up the pace to 3:30 Marathon. The weather will actually be a bit warm tomorrow, and I kind of wish we ran this race today instead. This afternoon I ran 2 miles to get loose for tomorrow morning. I took Thursday and Friday off.

I expect that Davo will keep us from getting too excited during the first mile. The Turkey Trot 10K showed me that letting yourself get caught up in the excitement can ruin a run. Tomorrow will be my first Half Marathon and I would be very happy if I can finish around 1:45. I believe I've trained well enough to accomplish that goal.

No Search Party Required

I finally made it through a Wednesday night run with TBR without getting lost. woot woot. Actually this was by far my best effort so far. Five weeks ago there was no way I could keep up with my groups low 7 minute pace. Tonight we clocked 6.33 miles in 46:06 (7:16 pace). I ran a 10K on Thanksgiving 4 minutes slower than our run tonight. I never lost my group either, which has been a problem of mine. I fell back about 50 feet near the end, but still managed a 7:04 pace for the last quarter mile.

The course for the Carrollwood run is extremely dark and one runner stepped in a pothole tonight and twisted and ankle. Not a fun site. For three weeks in a row, I tried to find my way through the suburban forest and failed. Tonight I succeeded and I am very happy with my success.

Subtle Changes

Earlier tonight I watched the live final episode of The Biggest Loser. The changes were dramatic, in fact one of the final three wound up weighing about the same as me. My wife was quick to point out that he has a six pack. I don't watch much TV, but I really enjoyed this show. It was amazing to see the transformation during the 3 months on the ranch. Each week, the participants made gains that may not have seemed significant, but in the end, the results were amazing.

I just finished uploading my run from today to motionbased and decided to take a look at a monthly report. Since I started using my Forerunner 201 in April, I've been able to keep an accurate log of my progress. My average pace for 101 miles in May was 9:16, and my average pace for 104 miles in October was 9:12. In November, since joining the Gasparilla Marathon training program, I've run 107 miles at 8:02 pace.

I had my doubts about running with a group before I started, because I've almost always run alone. I can see from my logs that on my own, I was logging miles but not really making progress to improve myself as a runner. When I look back at November I don't remember the point that I improved my pace by a minute per mile. Subtle changes over time add up to make dramatic differences. I'm very proud of my progress and I feel I will continue to get stronger. Tomorrow night we tackle the suburban wilderness of Carollwood at the TBR Wednesday run. Hopefully we won't get lost - again :( This Sunday, my group and I will be running the Brandon Half Marathon to practice running at race pace for the marathon. Davo feels our group could push to a 3:30 marathon. I doubted him a month ago, but we still have 88 days until the race.

Always in Search of Motivation

In my never-ending search for motivation, I stumbled across the Running Blog Family Directory the other day. It turns out that the group has more than 500 runners, that train and post in their blogs. When I started running again this spring, I found that I ran better when I kept track of my progress. My Forerunner 201, Motionbased.com, and this blog have served me well so far. When I joined the Gasparilla Marathon training program, I was worried about running with a group of people. However, I see how much I've improved in just over a month of training with the group.

At RBF, I found so many blogs from runners a lot like me. Sure, some are much better runners, but everyone is tracking progress, celebrating success, and fighting the urge to fail. Today I ran 5 miles at 7:40 pace, 5 weeks ago, I ran at 8:30 pace on a good day.

I was reading a post by Dallen from RBF entitled "Here They Are: 26.2 Reasons Why I Run", and noticed something on his list that also came up in conversation with Davo during last weeks 12 mile run, (No. 21, I Can Eat All I Want). Everyone laughed when Davo said that last week, really lightened the mood and motivated me to push forward even though the doubter in me wanted to peek out.

New Shoes - Good Run

My Mizuno's started bothering my feet this weekend during the 12-mile run with the Blue Sharks, so I decided it was time to bring out a new pair of shoes. I didn't quite get 300 miles out of the Mizuno's, but they served me well while I had them. I switched to the 2004 version of the Asics GT-2100 this time around. In the past, I've had good luck with the GEL-1100's so I bought the 2100's when they were on sale a month or so ago. I also knabbed a pair of 1100's for $39 last week at Sports Authority. My comfort and health are most important when I buy new shoes, but I'm always looking for a good deal as well.

Today I ran the 5-mile loop at Lettuce Lake. When I left the gym, the sky was getting pretty dark and it felt quite muggy out. Fortunately the temps were down, probably low 70's I would guess. I felt very good today, running each of the 5 miles under 8 minutes/mi. I was worried yesterday that I might have some trouble today because my foot was bothering me. I feel some discomfort now that I'm back into some dress shoes, but my foot felt fine while I was running.

By the time I got back to my desk, I noticed that the rain was coming down. Looks like I timed my run just right today.

Post Turkey Day Run

This morning, I ran with the Blue Sharks again from the YMCA downtown through Davis Island. This week we ran the 11 mile loop, which was actually about 12 miles. Davo was back in town and shared some motivational thoughts along the way. I feel very lucky to be involved in the Gasparilla Marathon training program. Even 13 weeks from the marathon, I feel that I've improved immensely thanks to this program. When I finished the run this morning, I felt very good and ready to start my day.

Instead of running with the Blue Sharks next weekend, we will be running in the Brandon Half Marathon. The race is Sunday December 4th and starts at the Sports Authority at Lumsden & Providence Rd. The goal for the half is to run the event at marathon pace. I hope to finish at slightly better than 8 minute pace. Davo will help keep our group under control out of the gate, something we learned would not help us from the experience at the Turkey Trot.

I finished this week up with 30 miles, putting me over 100 miles for the month. Since September, I've average about 100 miles per month. Tomorrow I will rest well, and I plan to take off next Thursday and Friday as well. My body is beginning to feel the impact of the mileage, and I want to avoid unnecessary injury.

Turkey Trot

My training buddies and I decided to run the Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot at Clearwater High School. Our decision came Wednesday before we took off for a 5 mile run with the Tampa Bay Runners.

This week at TBR, we did not have Dave to lead us through the course, and given my experience last week, I did not feel comfortable leading the way in the dark. Once again, we lost the course, and wound up running a modified 6 mile track. I understand there are supposed to me markings on the ground to lead the way, but I still haven't been able to locate then. The good news is that we are now a month into the training program and I was able to keep pace with my group, running about 7:25/mile for the six mile loop.

Thursday morning started out as a cool morning, but by the time the race started, it felt quite warm. Despite my best efforts to control my pace for the event, my group and I sprinted off the line to the tune of 6:40. That mile destroyed my plans to maintain a good steady pace. By the end of mile two, I felt terrible and slowed drastically. It took me about 3 miles to begin to feel better and by the end of the run I felt good again, ready to go further. I finished the race in 50:40. I was disappointed by my run, because I failed to follow my plan. This was not a race I planned to run, so I will take this as a learning experience. It is so easy to get caught up in the excitement of a race. I'm confident that I could have run much better if I had stuck with my planned 7:30 pace.

After the run, I enjoyed a nice day with my family. We cooked a non-traditional meal (ribs) and watched football. Unfortunately, the Bronco's made my wife's day and ruined mine. I'll bet that Billy Cundiff is on the Tuna's short list today. He's got no room for a kicker that misses a chip-shot and neither do I. 55 yarders are nice, but you've got to put the easy one's in.

No Sleep Run

We spent the night at the emergency room with our son last night. He was absolutely miserable with an ear infection and bronchitis. We also found out that the medication made him hyper. I managed to catch an hour of sleep or so before heading out to work today. My wife was not as lucky as me.

When I got to work, the weather was in the 60's with pretty strong winds. Since I did not run yesterday, I decided I really needed to run today regardless of my lack of sleep. I felt very good today. I think the drop in temperature made the biggest difference and I actually felt awake while I was running. I ran five miles today around Lettuce Lake Park at 7:40 pace. I never felt like I was running hard. Tomorrow night is the TBR group run. That is the run that I typically have problems with. The jump from 7:40 miles to 7:10 miles has zapped me for the past three weeks in a row. I'll just do my best and try not to get frustrated. I don't think that helps me keep pace.

My Gasparillia trainer David sent this quote out today:

"I know of no single factor that more greatly affects our ability to performthan the image we have of ourselves." -Tim Gallwey, from The Inner Game of Tennis

I look back at this week and I can see that I was getting down on myself. I didn't like the way I was feeling when I got home Wednesday night and even as I started to run on Thursday. However I had a nice run of 5 miles on Thursday. I understand that endurance will not come overnight and I resign myself not to get too down on myself. Afterall, I run because I enjoy running.

Tomorrow morning is the 8 mile run with the Blue Sharks. After the run, I'm off to Homestead for the final race of the NASCAR season, weather permitting. I'm excited about the trip. This will be my forth race of the season. Something tells me that I won't be attending as many next year, so I'll make sure to soak it all in this weekend.

Lost in the Dark

Tonight was a miserable run for me. I failed to keep up with my training group again, this time feeling lousy just two miles into our run. I fell far behind around mile 3 of 5 and somewhere between there and the turn home, I made a wrong turn. I found myself running aimlessly through Carrolwood, frustrated and upset. I've focused on my training, however the group I run with seems fresh when running low 7 minute miles but I do not.

After running several extra miles, I refereed to my Forerunner and used the navigation feature for the first time. I must say that although the feature is primitive, I did find my way back. Apparently there are marks on the road to guide runners, but I never saw them. It is extremely dark at 7pm these days.

My weeks have been up and down so far, usually the group run on Wednesday being my low point. I feel very comfortable on Saturday's but the quicker pace tonight really got me again. I'm not sure how to fix the problem, but I'm going to try. I really feel that I should be able to keep pace.

Stroll through the hood

My son and I went for a run this afternoon, through Tampa Heights and into downtown. The weather was very nice, but there was a slight breeze. On the way downtown, which is also slightly downhill, the wind was at our backs. When I turned around and headed home up the slight incline, I felt the load of the jogging stroller.

My first two miles were 8:43 and 8:39, which is pretty good for me with the stroller. Going back up the incline into the wind, my speed dropped to 8:58 and 9:00 for the 4 mile loop. When I run with my son, I don't normally try to run paces I shoot for alone, so I was happy with the run. My son had a good time too. He enjoys looking around while we run. Today he was pointing out a bridge to me. He's 15 months old, so I was impressed.

Tomorrow night is another workout with Tampa Bay Runners for the Gasparilla training program. It is also the night of the U2 concert in Tampa. As my wife reminded me, we could have gone to the concert, if we hadn't been in Las Vegas in March when the tickets went on sale. I'm sure U2 will be back again, and I had a great time in Las Vegas.

Consistent

I ran my usual 4 mile loop through Lettuce Lake park today, paying attention to my pace. I was quite happy to rattle off 3 miles of 7:50, 7:58, and 7:56. The pace felt extremely comfortable and I never felt as though I was struggling. During the last mile, I tried my best to sustain the pace. As I pulled up to the gym, I stopped the clock at the end of mile 4 (7:50).

After my run, I browsed through my Forerunner history and was surprised to see the changes in both pace and consistency in the last month. I attribute most of my improvements to the Gasparilla training program. On a side note, I also put down my audio book about a month ago. I doubt it has anything to do with my improvements, but I was getting a little burned out of the Dark Tower series. I'm about 8 hours into book IV and I'm sure I'll pick it up again soon.

Week 3 with the Sharks

This morning was the third long run with the Tampa Bay Sharks. The weather was very nice, and getting up for the 5:30 run was a little easier than previous weeks. We set out for a 6 mile run to the second water stop and back on the Davis Island path. The run turned out to be just about 8 miles, since we decided to run around the corner to the water stop from the 3 mile mark.

The pace was just under 8 minutes which was very comfortable for me. David continued to share words of wisdom and answered our questions along the way. I imagine that people pay good money for the kind of training we are getting from the Gasparilla group, especially David. I never thought this training experience would be as nice as it has been so far.

I also ran into a neighbor this morning at the run. Her group runs in Tampa Heights on weekdays at 4:30am. Just a bit early for me. She informed me that she just ran her first marathon in Chicago in 3:50. I was very impressed and I will keep her time in mind as I set my goals beyond finishing in February.

Virtual Partner

I ran with the virtual partner feature turned on today. This feature requires that you look at your forerunner while you run. Unfortunately I run with my forerunner on my upper arm for better reception through the thick trees in Lettuce Lake. Needless to say, I can't easily look at the device and run at the same time. I will not be using the virtual partner in the future.

My run did not feel very good today. I started out way too fast and zapped all of my energy, leaving nothing for the return trip to the office. My run with TBR last night really took a lot out of me. As I stated before, my short term goal is to gain the endurance to keep pace with my running group on Wednesday's. I'll keep working.

TBR Group

I ran with Tampa Bay Runners again last night. For the second week in a row, David pushed the pace and I struggled to keep up with my group. I held out for 4 miles, three of which we ran at better than 7:25. I lost the group in the final mile. My short term goal is to improve my stamina so I can keep up with the group for the entire 5 mile run.

Dave gave some good pointers about controller your breathing, basically fooling your body into thinking that you are more relaxed that you really are. I'm also going to work to improve my pace as I run by myself. I'm going to use the virtual partner feature on my forerunner today. This is a feature I've never used before, so I'll be sure to post my results.

After last nights run, I joined the TBR group for dinner and a beer. It was nice to talk to some of the members of the group. Everyone has been very helpful to our marathon training group.

8 Miles with the Sharks

Saturday I ran with the Blue Sharks again. We set off to run a 7 mile loop through Davis Island. The weather was mild and I had a decent nights sleep the night before. My hydration level was good, and I felt comfortable as we run the distance at 8 minute mile pace.

By the time we returned to the YMCA, my Forerunner registered just over 8 miles. This was a nice surprise. I felt good enough not to be concerned that we weren't back when 7 miles clipped by. For the third group run in a row, I ran with David, Manny, and Rick. It's nice to have a group of trainee's (Manny, Rick, and myself) that can run together for the most part.

I'll probably take the day off today, since it is a day off according to my schedule. Normally I run every Sunday, but I worked late last night and have a lot to do today. The first thing I'll be doing today is purchasing a frame for my diploma from the MBA program at Saint Leo University. My diploma arrived yesterday, and I cannot express the sense of accomplishment I have. The program included 2 years of intense coursework in addition to my roles at work and home. I believe I will have the same feeling of accomplishment when I cross the finish line at the Gasparilla Marathon.

TBR Wednesday Run

I made the trek up to Carrolwood for the Tampa Bay Runners Wednesday run this evening. The group has been meeting at Publix since 1982, according to the web site. Manny and Rick were back from the Saturday run. We again ran with David, this time running the 5 mile loop. David pretty much let the group set the pace, and Manny set a pace that was quite a bit faster than I normally run. In addition to the quick pace, this was my first evening run I can remember for a long time. I kept up with the group for the first four miles, but fell off the pace. I felt I ran strong even though I wasn't able to keep up with the sub 8 minute pace that last mile.


I finished the 5.35 mile loop in 41:53, definitely much faster than I normally run. I think running with the group will help me become a better runner, since I feel motivated to elevate my effort. My goal is to improve without pushing myself into an injury. So far, I feel good and have not pushed too hard.

This Saturday we will meet again for an 8 mile run. I expect the pace to be a bit slower than tonight, which will be good for me. My goal for the marathon is to finish and I understand that running sub 8 minute miles out of the gate will not get me to the tape. However, runs like tonight serve a purpose to improve speed, something I have not focused on.

So far, this experience has been enjoyable. The Tampa Bay Runners and YMCA Blue Sharks have gone above and beyond to help our group of first time marathoners out.

Blue Sharks Run

This morning, bright and early (5:30am), I ran my first Gasparilla Marathon training run with the YMCA Blue Sharks. David, an experienced runner, ran with our group of mostly new marathoners. The regulars where running a longer loop than the special group for first timers. We ran a six mile loop from the YMCA through west Davis Island.

The pace of our run was consistently about 8 minute miles. I felt good at this pace, although it is a bit faster than I normally push myself. I enjoyed the company and conversation along the way. David answered questions from the group and about half of the small group stuck together for the entire 6 miles.

The next group run is on Wednesday in Carrollwood with Tampa Bay Runners. I'm going to make a commitment to try to make both runs each week. I feel I will be able to push myself better with the group than alone.

Pace

I've been playing around with Dot Racing at motion based. The feature allows you to compare multiple runs on a single map. The runs are synchronized to start at the same time. I find that my pace is far from consistent and I need to focus more on a smooth consistent pace. This will be important for my training effort for the Gaparilla Marathon.

I attended the Tampa Bay Runner/YMCA Blue Sharks training kickoff meeting last night. The group runs in downtown Tampa on Saturday's and in Carrolwood on Wednesday evenings. I spend most of my time running alone, so I'm not sure how I'll feel about running with a group. I hope to find other runners that run about the same pace as me. Hopefully some of these runners will be better than me at maintaining a consistent pace. In the meantime, I'll keep dot racing as well.

18 weeks until the Marathon...

Adobe SVG Veiwer Required to veiw Dot Race

11 Mile training Run

Here is a viewport of an 11 mile run through downtown Tampa and Bayshore on Sunday. I didn't feel especially good during the run. I don't think I got enough sleep Saturday night. The weather was only in the low 80's, but the humidity was thick. I felt much better on a short jog with my son in his stroller today. Hopefully I've endured all of the heat the summer/fall has to offer.

Gasparilla Marathon

I've been very busy at work over the last few months, traveling from coast to coast several times during the span. I logged miles in Seattle, San Francisco, Mason, OH, Atlanta, and Boston, in addition to my normal runs in Tampa. Travel for work will settle down as the year end approaches.

I decided that the 2006 Gasparilla Marathon will be my first marathon. I will use a training plan from Hal Higdon, as I've done for other training this year. I'm very excited about this challenge.

I continue to run with my Garmin Forerunner 201 religiously. My favorite feature is the ability to log my historic mileage with very little effort. I use Motion Based free service, although I have considered upgrading to the paid service level for additional reporting features.

Starting a new Book

My running has almost become an obsession, since I started to listen to audio books. Today I started listening to Michael Crichton's State of Fear. I saw an interview with Mr Crichton on Dateline recently and thought the book sounded interesting. The beginning sounded quite eiry after the psunami last December. The books keep my attention and I tend to run longer distances so I can listen longer. Listening gives me a break I need from my everyday job.

The weather outside has been miserable hot and humid, but I'm sticking to my running anyway. Some of my coworkers think I'm insane to run in the heat, but I just make sure I'm well hydrated. Besides, I really don't like to run on a treadmill, and I'm certainly not going to wake up earlier than I have too.

I can't wait to get 45 minutes or so more of my new book tomorrow. This book is about 18 1/2 hours, so it will tide me over for a few weeks.

Running Naked

For the first time since April, I ran today without my Forerunner 201. I almost packed up my bag an waited to run at home, when I realized my favorite gadget was no in my gym bag. How could I run without my "Big Brother" to track my every move. My Forerunner is almost like my TiVo. I'm not sure how I existed before I had one.

My wife laughs at me, as I analyze my pace, map runs on Google Earth, and create graph reports at motionbased. Sure, I'm obsessed, but I've also been more serious about my running. I've always enjoyed running, but never kept up with a log, never closely tracked my pace, and never seriously followed a training plan.

This year, thanks to a new found motivation, partially due to my beloved gadget, I'm more serious than ever about my running and I'm loving it. I'll make sure to double check my back in the morning, I can't go without my Forerunner two days in a row.

15K Down

I completed the 15K run to conclude my 8 week Hal Higdon training program on Saturday. My pace was good until I hit mile 8. At that point, I felt like I hadn't hydrated enough and slowed to a walk for most of the mile. I picked up the pace again for the last mile and finished at 1:33. I started the run at 7am to avoid the heat of the day, but the humidity was thick in the air. The MacDill weather station reported 84 degrees, with 89% humidity during my run.

Although I failed to carry my pace through the entire run, I'm very happy with my results and will continue to train. I beleive I will run through the same program again over the next eight weeks to see how much I can improve.

On a side note, I attended the rain-delayed Pepsi 400 in Daytona last night/this morning. For the second year in a row, I didn't get home until 6am, after the race. At this point, I feel like a jynx for Mark Martin. I've attended two races this year, Las Vegas (Mark dropped a cylander) and the July Daytona race. Dispite being wrecked earyly, Pat Tryson and the crew did a great job to put that busted car back together. Mark drove the repaired car well, and finished the race, giving thanks to his crew for working so hard. These are traits of a champion, never giving up, and valuing your friends and team. I hope not to jynx Mark when I attend the final race in Homestead.

Salute To You

I'm finishing up the Hal Higdon 15K training plan this week, just in time to head out to Daytona for the Pepsi 400. I've been an avid race fan since the late 80's when Dale Earnhardt dominated, and a young Mark Martin was on the rise. Since that time, I've seen my first racing hero pass before my eyes from my seats in the superstretch, at my first every NASCAR race.

Mark Martin has always been one of my favorites to watch, even when Sr was still around. I always felt that he had the right stuff to win, even though his crew often let him down. I see Mark's commitment and determination and try to emulate. Three months ago, when I decided to get off my duff and go back to my running, I could barely finish a 3 mile run. Today, I ran 5K in 24:18. This isn't fast, but it's my PR. I wasn't even running hard, just trotting along, getting ready for my 15K challenge.

Saturday morning, I'll wake up and head down to Bayshore for a 15K run. I don't have a race, so I'll cover the distance alone, with my audiobook for company. When I'm done, I'm off to Daytona, to watch Mark Martin challenge the track that has never been good to him. I'll have one more opportunity to see Mark race in the Cup series in Homestead. I know Mark Martin's goal is to run this last season for his fans. Well, Mark, here's a salute to you. Thanks for being the dedicated man you are, thanks for racing hard and clean, thanks for the memories. Now lets go racing!

I've been running steadily, and sticking to the Hal Higdon training plan for a 15K race. Today, I took my 10 month-old son out in his stroller. We picked up the Expedition LX Jogging Stroller last week and finally put it to the test today. Of course things didn't start out smooth. The jogger didn't fit in the car, fully assembled, so I had to take of the front tire, front footrest, and the rear drink holder.

Once we made our way to Bayshore, the jogger pushed fairly easily, although I could tell I was working much harder than I do running solo. My son enjoyed the run, since there were tons of people out with their dogs. He loves dogs.

My Forerunner 201 has impressed me, keeping my log up to date and my motivation level high. I believe it was well worth the $120 price I paid back in April. They've dropped in price since then. I'm waiting for a version to come out with a built in mp3 player. I hate carrying a bunch of gadgets when I run. Fortunately, my Samsung YP-MT6Z mp3 player is tiny and fits in my pocket.

Running has also given me the opportunity to catch on the many books I don't have time to read. I recently purchased the first 3 audio books in the Steven King Dark Tower series. The books are enjoyable and I often get caught up in the books and forget about the distance I'm running.

It's getting hot outside

Man, I love the winter and spring in Florida, but summer time is almost here. Yesterday, I ran 4 miles in what felt like 100% humidity. The dampness in the air seems to zap my energy, however I've vowed to stick to my training plan. Today was a 5 mile jaunt around Lettuce Lake park. The humidity was slightly lower, but for some reason I still felt tired.

I'm in the third week of an eight week program. This week is a down week, running less miles. Right now, my body is glad this is a down week. I'll continue to pace myself and reserve some energy for next week when the pace picks back up.

Lettuce Lake 5 Miler

I ran the 5 mile loop around Lettuce Lake today, putting me at 25 miles since Sunday. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's off day and NASCAR Day. It also looks like I will be taking my runs on the road in June on a trip that will take me from Tampa - Atlanta - Phoenix - Seattle - Home. It should make for some interesting Keyhole images.

Training Away

I completed my first week of training today with a 6 mile run down Bayshore. This week I ran 25 miles, taking Friday off and running easy on Monday. Tomorrow will be another light day and the week will end with a 7 mile run. I'm using a mixture of training plans from Hal Higdon. I'm certainly not an advanced runner, but I prefer to run more than the is planned in his "Run at the Gate" intermediate training plan. I think I'll actually be running a 10K race on July 4 instead of a 15K, but I'm not really into running for the racing.

May Classic 5K

I ran in the May Classic 5K this morning in Hyde Park. The weather was nice and there were quite a few runners out. I felt like I ran well for me (25:18). I did however get passed by an 8 year old. Anyway it was a good time.

Under the weather

I've been feeling bad for about a week and haven't been up to much, running only a few days this week. Today I took a short jog at lunch. The 2.6 mile loop was pretty nice and I think I'll be feeling good for Saturday's May Classic 5k.

Cool Sunday in Tampa Heights

It was nice and cool today and I will be on the road tomorrow, so I decided to take a little run through the neighborhood. I ran 2 2 mile laps today, up to MLK and and back. Motionbased says the temp was 69 degrees. Sure felt nice. I'm feel more comfortable everytime I go out now. I also signed up for the May Day run on May 7. It's the first organized run I've participated in in two years. I plan to run a few more this year and gear up for something bigger in January.

Forerunner Fun

I've been having a good time running and added a Garmin Forerunner 201 to help keep me on track. The GPS works well, even in the trees at Lettuce Lake park. I like the fact that my runs are all accounted for in a log, which is something I've always been bad about doing. I can now look back and see my progress. Here is a 5K route I ran from my house last weekend.

Lettuce Lake Run

Stiff and tight

As expected, I felt pretty stiff today when I started my 2mile jog at lunch. My first few steps felt very tight, but I soon forgot about my condition as I watched the po po's busting a mobile car detail operation in the office parking lot. The security guards, armed with a golf cart arrived just in time to see the guy finishing up his third or fourth car.

The weather was very nice today, with temps near 80 and low humidity. I recall the misery of those high humidity days and hope to be in decent shape before they get here. As I reached the turnaround point on the 2 mile path, I felt like continuing on across the street into the park. Although my mind said yes, my legs said not yet. Maybe tomorrow. Crossing the street means at least an additional mile, and two or more if you want. Last year I was running 2 miles around the park plus the 2 miles on the office side. I'll be there soon, I hope.

Just got word about a cross country trip for work today. In the past, I've had a hard time keeping with my program on the road. I'll work over the next few weeks to find a way to stick to it on the road.

Off and Running, again;)

I enjoy running and have gone through stinks up to several years at a time that I have constantly kept to my routine. It's been about seven months since the last time I ran at least a month straight and I'm feeling the effects of my lethargic nature.

Starting this week, I've decided to put on my running shoes and work harder to stick with my plan. My first jog, yesterday felt miserable. The entire time, I wondered why I quit running last year. It's really simple, I was lazy and going to lunch with the gang was simple. Still, I try to convince myself I was too busy, traveled to much, the weather was too hot. Man, I can come up with some good ones.

Today during my lunch time run, which consisted of 2 miles in mild Florida weather, I felt better than yesterday. I almost feel like I've become a pro at getting back into the routine. My goal this time is to stick with the routine once I've got my grove.

Hopefully, this blog will give me some level of accountability.