Hello, boys and girls. I know its been a while, but this Spring is shaping up to be quite a busy season for me.
For starters, I've got the Mini coming up in just under 2 weeks. I can't say I've really done a good job preparing for the race. I don't anticipate having a problem covering the distance, but I am pretty sure I will not be finishing in under 2 hours (that was my goal for last year, and I did), but that's okay, because of another reason for my busy Spring: Running With the Locals.
As I've mentioned a few times on this blog, I recently started a vlog called Running With the Locals. There is also a Facebook page where I share the videos and other running-related thoughts and opinions. And it has started to gain a little traction.
Thanks to a local shoe store, Swag's, who posted a link to my facebook page, the following has more than doubled this weekend! Along with that, I'm appearing on LIVE tv tomorrow afternoon, as a guest announcer on Live from 725, and I'm hoping to get in a few good words for RWtL. Lump in the continued support and encouragement of The Local Guys, and that adds up to a lot of time shooting, editing and posting videos.
Also this Spring, my girls are doing Spring sports. One is playing soccer, the other is working out with her school's track team. Between games and practices, most every weekday afternoon has a practice or a game. Ugh. Oh yeah, I'm helping coach the soccer team too. Almost forgot that little tidbit.
So I'm probably not going to match the nearly-46 miles I've run so far this month during the month of May. I'm not sure how the next two weeks will shake out. The only thing I know for sure is that I'm running 13.1 miles on the 30th.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Not so fast, Spring!
The weather around here has been, for lack of a better word, insane. However, that is also just plain typical for this area. I suppose that makes me a little insane for thinking that it should be normal. You know, Spring follows Winter, Winter follows Fall, etc.
With the seasons flip-flopping between Winter and Spring (and back again!), its no wonder I ended up with some kind of respiratory infection or allergy. Sometimes I can't tell the difference. My brother (an RT) suggested it was allergies brought on by the higher-than-usual mold growth (brought on by the wetter-than-usual month of March). Sometimes it feels like a cold, other times it just feels like allergy-induced misery. Regardless, I have been coughing, hacking, sneezing and dripping for going on three weeks.
I tried to trudge through, telling myself that as long as I wasn't feverish, I was fine to run. But I never got to feeling better. That is, until I took a little break from running. Did I mention that I didn't run a step last week? Well, I didn't. And my head started feeling a whole lot better. Not 100% just yet, but better. So I feel okay with the brief hiatus.
Along with the ick I was under, I have been working on Running With the Locals. Either shooting, editing or brainstorming ideas for the videos, or just trying to come up with what to do next, and figuring out where it may go. Its pretty exciting. My pal Lincoln has been keeping me on this, which is a good thing. If he weren't, I'm pretty sure I would have dropped it by now. I'm not real big on following through with ideas, so me actually working to make this into something is kind of a big deal.
So, to recap, no miles last week. I intend to pick it up this week (the mini is less than 5 weeks away, yikes!), and also continue to work on making RWtL into something worth watching(as well as something being watched by more than a handful of friends and family).
If you get a chance, check out my vids. There should be a link in my last post. Hit me with some feedback too.
With the seasons flip-flopping between Winter and Spring (and back again!), its no wonder I ended up with some kind of respiratory infection or allergy. Sometimes I can't tell the difference. My brother (an RT) suggested it was allergies brought on by the higher-than-usual mold growth (brought on by the wetter-than-usual month of March). Sometimes it feels like a cold, other times it just feels like allergy-induced misery. Regardless, I have been coughing, hacking, sneezing and dripping for going on three weeks.
I tried to trudge through, telling myself that as long as I wasn't feverish, I was fine to run. But I never got to feeling better. That is, until I took a little break from running. Did I mention that I didn't run a step last week? Well, I didn't. And my head started feeling a whole lot better. Not 100% just yet, but better. So I feel okay with the brief hiatus.
Along with the ick I was under, I have been working on Running With the Locals. Either shooting, editing or brainstorming ideas for the videos, or just trying to come up with what to do next, and figuring out where it may go. Its pretty exciting. My pal Lincoln has been keeping me on this, which is a good thing. If he weren't, I'm pretty sure I would have dropped it by now. I'm not real big on following through with ideas, so me actually working to make this into something is kind of a big deal.
So, to recap, no miles last week. I intend to pick it up this week (the mini is less than 5 weeks away, yikes!), and also continue to work on making RWtL into something worth watching(as well as something being watched by more than a handful of friends and family).
If you get a chance, check out my vids. There should be a link in my last post. Hit me with some feedback too.
Monday, March 21, 2011
A little bit farther
Ladies and gentlemen, in addition to being a sporadic blogger, I am now a novice vlogger. The theme of my vlog is road races in and around Louisville, KY, and is called Running With The Locals. I have a YouTube channel, and a Facebook fan page, which you should check out immediately!
I got this whole vlog-thing going a few weeks ago, as a way to motivate me to get running again. Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to get out the door, and this was it for me.
I contacted my buddy Lincoln, and he offered to help me out, whether it be technical advice, ideas to expand on my original idea for the show (which began as a monthly list of 3 or 4 races that I found interesting), or just to bounce thoughts and ideas off of. I knew that just having this idea wouldn't be enough to keep it going. I needed to find someone who would nudge me every now and then and make sure I didn't let it fizzle out. Lincoln, whether he wanted to or not, has become that guy for me.
How about I get this post back on track?
I ran 4 times this past week. Once was a 2-mile race (The Shamrock, one of my favorites!), and the other three were runs of 5.3, 7.5 and 4.6 miles. I just passed the previous week's totals, but with one more run. Granted that first run of the week was a 2-miler, but still. Guess those motivational issues are already popping up.
The last 2 runs were on Saturday and Sunday, and I hope its a while before I decide to do that again. My Sunday run was painful. I think my body had already decided that Sunday was a rest day, but when Brain said, "hey, let's run!" Body said, "nah."
That is how my running week went, a couple of highs and lows. At least it looks like Spring is going to stick around for a few weeks, before giving way to Summer!
I got this whole vlog-thing going a few weeks ago, as a way to motivate me to get running again. Sometimes you need a kick in the pants to get out the door, and this was it for me.
I contacted my buddy Lincoln, and he offered to help me out, whether it be technical advice, ideas to expand on my original idea for the show (which began as a monthly list of 3 or 4 races that I found interesting), or just to bounce thoughts and ideas off of. I knew that just having this idea wouldn't be enough to keep it going. I needed to find someone who would nudge me every now and then and make sure I didn't let it fizzle out. Lincoln, whether he wanted to or not, has become that guy for me.
How about I get this post back on track?
I ran 4 times this past week. Once was a 2-mile race (The Shamrock, one of my favorites!), and the other three were runs of 5.3, 7.5 and 4.6 miles. I just passed the previous week's totals, but with one more run. Granted that first run of the week was a 2-miler, but still. Guess those motivational issues are already popping up.
The last 2 runs were on Saturday and Sunday, and I hope its a while before I decide to do that again. My Sunday run was painful. I think my body had already decided that Sunday was a rest day, but when Brain said, "hey, let's run!" Body said, "nah."
That is how my running week went, a couple of highs and lows. At least it looks like Spring is going to stick around for a few weeks, before giving way to Summer!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Three runs, nearly 19 miles
I am really glad to see Spring make it's return. But, then again, it has come and gone a few times already these last few weeks. I think it may finally be here to stay.
Temps for this week's runs were 57, 37(BRRRR!), and 68(YESSS!!). Mother Nature is a bipolar wench.
Distances for the runs were 6.83, 3.35, and 8.56. That middle run was the coldest, and not coincidentally, the shortest.
The half-marathon I am running is still seven weeks away, so now I'm starting to wonder if I'm gonna peak too early. Probably not a serious threat, though. I may just be eating up bigger runs by the time the mini rolls around. That would be fine by me!
Temps for this week's runs were 57, 37(BRRRR!), and 68(YESSS!!). Mother Nature is a bipolar wench.
Distances for the runs were 6.83, 3.35, and 8.56. That middle run was the coldest, and not coincidentally, the shortest.
The half-marathon I am running is still seven weeks away, so now I'm starting to wonder if I'm gonna peak too early. Probably not a serious threat, though. I may just be eating up bigger runs by the time the mini rolls around. That would be fine by me!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Adding 'em up
Since I have committed to running the mini again this year, I figured I had probably start stepping up the mileage and frequency of my runs. I've been averaging about 10 miles a week over the last month or so, and yesterday I knocked out a near-7-mile run (and felt no worse for wear).
Long story short, once again, I am feeling good about running. Part of it has to do with a little side-project I've got going. A few weeks ago, I started a vlog about the local running/racing scene. It is called Running With The Locals, and I'm excited about what it is, and what it could become.
My buddy Lincoln, who pretty much paved the local-video-shoutout path that I am on, gave me the blessing to use the name (it is a flat-out ripoff of his and Squire's excellent webshow,Living With The Locals), and, along with his fellow Local Guy, sat down with me to listen to my ideas for the project. They gave me some great advice, some of which I have already put to use, and some of which is still a little further down the road, but all of which I am supremely grateful for.
Anyway, that's why I am psyched. I have set up a blog just for RWTL, but there's nothing there yet. Once I get that rolling, I'll post a link so you can check it out.
That's all for now.
Long story short, once again, I am feeling good about running. Part of it has to do with a little side-project I've got going. A few weeks ago, I started a vlog about the local running/racing scene. It is called Running With The Locals, and I'm excited about what it is, and what it could become.
My buddy Lincoln, who pretty much paved the local-video-shoutout path that I am on, gave me the blessing to use the name (it is a flat-out ripoff of his and Squire's excellent webshow,Living With The Locals), and, along with his fellow Local Guy, sat down with me to listen to my ideas for the project. They gave me some great advice, some of which I have already put to use, and some of which is still a little further down the road, but all of which I am supremely grateful for.
Anyway, that's why I am psyched. I have set up a blog just for RWTL, but there's nothing there yet. Once I get that rolling, I'll post a link so you can check it out.
That's all for now.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Getting back on the horse
Well folks (is it presumptuous to assume more than one person reads this blog?), I have finally made a commitment to running again. It looked a little iffy for a while, but I have a few races on the horizon that I've signed up for, and I would rather not struggle or hobble across the finish lines, so some preparation is in order.
This week brought some surprises. First was the weather: it looked and felt like Spring! I could not have been happier. The long, cold, gray days were really getting me down. It was great to run outside in shorts!
My second surprise was when my 10-year-old asked to run with me. Guess she got a bit of Spring Fever too. We took it easy, running around a 1-mile track at a local park. There was some walking, but also plenty of encouragement and praise. I love the fact that she wants to run with me! Hopefully the good times will continue.
Even though this weeks totals are a far cry from what I was running a few months ago, I feel great about them. Its the start of a new chapter. Not sure where its going, but I'm excited to find out.
Totals for the week ending 2/19/11
8.41 miles
approx 1 hr 20 mins
This week brought some surprises. First was the weather: it looked and felt like Spring! I could not have been happier. The long, cold, gray days were really getting me down. It was great to run outside in shorts!
My second surprise was when my 10-year-old asked to run with me. Guess she got a bit of Spring Fever too. We took it easy, running around a 1-mile track at a local park. There was some walking, but also plenty of encouragement and praise. I love the fact that she wants to run with me! Hopefully the good times will continue.
Even though this weeks totals are a far cry from what I was running a few months ago, I feel great about them. Its the start of a new chapter. Not sure where its going, but I'm excited to find out.
Totals for the week ending 2/19/11
8.41 miles
approx 1 hr 20 mins
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Four weeks later...
In a way, it is hard to believe that I haven't run in the last 28 days. Not at all. I haven't had this much of a layoff since I broke my foot back in '09. Back then, I had a doctor's note. This time around, I just wasn't feeling it.
Without going into specifics, I will just say that I am parting company with the crazies, including Brian. People's lives take some crazy paths, and I simply won't be accompanying them down this one.
Moving on!
After a less than stellar attempt at getting some shuteye, I woke up late in the 3 0'clock hour. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get back to sleep. Fast forward to an hour later, and there I was, at the computer, catching up on tweets, FB, etc. Joy.
Soon after, I decided that once the sun rose, I would get out for a run. I checked my routes, trying to find something close, and still around 3 miles. I settled on a 1 and 2/3 mile loop, and ran it twice, which worked out fine.
I had a little bit of an issue with my left knee, which I expected. Nothing serious, just a little "hey, how ya doin?". By the time that happened, I was almost done, so no big deal.
I know, that to comfortably run anything farther than a 5k, I am going to have to ease up on the reckless eating that started around Thanksgiving. I think my metabolism has been in a coma since then, and I'm going to need to shock it back to life.
So, there it is, my latest beginning.
Totals
3.34 miles
30:52.85 (9:15/mile)
Without going into specifics, I will just say that I am parting company with the crazies, including Brian. People's lives take some crazy paths, and I simply won't be accompanying them down this one.
Moving on!
After a less than stellar attempt at getting some shuteye, I woke up late in the 3 0'clock hour. I tried, unsuccessfully, to get back to sleep. Fast forward to an hour later, and there I was, at the computer, catching up on tweets, FB, etc. Joy.
Soon after, I decided that once the sun rose, I would get out for a run. I checked my routes, trying to find something close, and still around 3 miles. I settled on a 1 and 2/3 mile loop, and ran it twice, which worked out fine.
I had a little bit of an issue with my left knee, which I expected. Nothing serious, just a little "hey, how ya doin?". By the time that happened, I was almost done, so no big deal.
I know, that to comfortably run anything farther than a 5k, I am going to have to ease up on the reckless eating that started around Thanksgiving. I think my metabolism has been in a coma since then, and I'm going to need to shock it back to life.
So, there it is, my latest beginning.
Totals
3.34 miles
30:52.85 (9:15/mile)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)