Hope To Run Again Before End Of The Year

Well ran out of time to ride my bike. After the Sun went down just did not want to ride in the dark on a Saturday night. So I ran again. Most of the soreness is gone now. I ran 2 miles at what I would call a conversational pace. Legs hurt a little on the downhill. I still do not think I can feel anything with my stress fracture. But before I knew what it was I thought something was wrong with my quad. Maybe I will run 2 miles twice a week for awhile to see for sure. I will just take my running week by week.

2 miles - 8:48/8:24 - 17:12 (8:36 avg.)

Got in a bike ride after work today and before going to a cookout at the in-laws. I ate too many hamburgers and too much blueberry bread. They were good though.

Bike - 12.73 - 42:01

am - Went to the pool in the morning and got in 2000 yards. Things are not looking well for a PM workout. Maybe I might get something in after it gets dark and the kids have gone to bed.

Swim - 2000 yards - 37:59.31 - felt sluggish.

pm - Hooray, I was able to get a ride in just as it was getting dark. I do not like riding in the dark though. Cannot see potholes, loose gravel, roadkill, etc. But at least there were not a lot of cars on the road.

Bike - 12.13 - 39:26 - rode hard in the dark

pm - Went to the pool swam 2000 yards. Swam 1000 of it hard. Mix of breast and free

later in the pm - Ran 3.1 miles. Felt ok. Cardio is better than my legs. Calves got tight about 15 minutes after the run. I am pleased with how good my cardio feels after 4 months of no running. The swimming and biking really helped keep it up during my time of no running.

Swim - 2000 yards - 37:00.66

Run - 3.1 - 8:35, 8:25, 8:02, :46 - 25:49 (8:19 avg.)

Had very little time for a workout today. Got to the pool jumped in and started right away. Decided to swim a mile freestyle. Once done I was almost running to get to the locker room and change. Felt like a transition in a triathlon. Got on the AirDyne next. Knew I only had 20 minutes. Afterwards I felt so rushed I did not get to enjoy the workout as much. I ended up getting to my son's preschool 10 minutes early anyway.

Swim - 1800 - 30:37.49

AirDyne - 6 miles - 20:10

Got home from work a little later than I had expected, so going to the pool was out. Decided to run. Went 4 miles. The heat (93°f) and lack of running caught up with me in the end. I was just drained of energy when I was done. No pain in the leg. But feel something in the area of the stress fracture. If I did not know I had ever had an injury I probably would not even notice it. I hope it is nothing, but will pay attention to it regardless.

4 miles - 8:36, 8:31, 8:13, 8:10 - 33:30 (8:22 avg.)

Went swimming this morning after dropping my daughter off at school. I am just not a morning workout person. Everything seems harder. But I got in 2500 yards and was happy about that. Came home and waited about an hour then went for a run. It was only 85°f outside. Still hot but 8°f less than yesterday. My first mile split was faster than I felt it was. I just tried to maintain an even pace for the run and stay comfortable. But I kept having negative splits. About the last 1/4 mile or so I could tell I had been running faster and started to tire a little. Unfortunately that little feeling in my leg is still there. When walking it feels more like a sore muscle than the stress fracture. No run planned for tomorrow, so I will judge on Sunday if I should run anymore or not.

Swim - 2500 yards - 47:43.59 - mix of free & breast

Run - 3.1 miles - 8:14, 7:58, 7:51, :46 - 24:50 (8:01 avg.)

No workout today.  But I did get to go to my first NASCAR race today in Richmond, Virginia.  I went with my brother, sister, and brother-in-law.   We had a good time and ate some good food.  It was much louder than I expected.   And the 2 1/2 hour delay getting out of the parking area even more so.

The NFL season is now upon us. Amen.

Managed to get a ride in this evening.   A little windy in spots.  Also was dark the second half of my ride.  

12.66 miles - 42:00

Started off the morning with a swim after taking both kids to school.  It really took awhile to get going.  I just do not seem to be able to do a morning workout as well as one in the evening.  I swam 2200 yards with about a 1000 of them with a strong effort.  After going home I waited 90 minutes and went for a run.  I was trying to go about 8:30 per mile for the run.  The first two were faster than I had planned.  So I slowed for the last mile.  But it did not take long for me to realize I was getting tired fast and it was a struggle on the last mile not to start walking.  Later on I went for a bike ride.  I had wanted to ride for and hour at an easy to medium pace.  But my legs were trashed after only 5 miles.  So I decided to coast through the rest of the ride.  Unfortunately my chain came of with about .6 to go.  It hung on my pedal in such a way I could not move them forward or backward.  I coasted to the bottom of the hill I was on and walked the rest of the way home.  I did not stop the watch.  I figured I would just include the walk as part of my workout.

Swim - 2200 - 39:59

Run - 3.1 - 25:19 (8:09 avg)

Bike - 12.53 - 45:38

1hr 51 min of total workout time.  I am happy with that.

Swam 2200 yards today.  Felt ok.

Ran 4 miles this evening.  It was 82 and a lot cooler than it was earlier today.  I made sure I kept the pace slower and more comfortable than I did the last couple of runs.  This was my 7th run since I started to run again.  Both yesterday and today I can say with much happiness that I felt absolutely nothing in the area of my stress fracture.  I hope this continues.  I will keep the pace slow and the distance about the same for awhile still.  I will also schedule rest days to help keep things in check.

Swim - 2200 yards - 41:22

Run - 4 miles - 8:37, 8:50, 8:41, 8:18 - 34:28 (8:37 avg.)

Here are the reasons I did not do a workout today.

Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

It really does not matter why.  I guess I could have just picked some of the excuses Sasha listed for skipping.  Maybe I can get a walk in at work tonight.  Walked about 25 minutes last night checking buildings and making sure they were all safe and secure.  It helped me stretch the legs a little and stay awake.  I have to be careful though.  Laziness on one day makes it easier to spread to others.  I will have to make sure that does not happen tomorrow.

Went swimming after waking up this afternoon.  Of biking, running, and swimming I find the latter to be the hardest for me to do just after getting out of bed.  Something about jumping in a cool pool of water just does not make me want to wake up to that.  I find biking to be the easiest of the three though.  Swam 2000 yards with a mix of free and breast.  Threw in 200 yards of backstroke in the end.  I really have bad form in the back and swim it slower than breast.

Got out for a run about 9:40pm.  There was a time I always waited until dark so no one would see how slowly I ran.  But those days are gone.  I much prefer to run in the daytime now.  I kept looking over my shoulder as the wind skidded the dead dry leaves across the road.  It sounded like a dog running up behind me.  I had a good run.  Ran a little faster just to get it done quicker.  I handled the pace fine and only noticed some fatigue the last 1/4 mile or so.  Well including tonight only 4 more Midnight Shifts to go.

I noticed I had about 14 more unique hits to my blog in the last 24 hours.  I wonder what brought that on?

Swim - 2000 yards - 35:36

Run - 4 miles - 31:36 - 8:11, 7:51, 7:56, 7:36 (7:54 avg.)

Went to the pool this afternoon and was sorry to see that the green algae problem had literally grown.  They had been doing well lately and it just sort of bloomed overnight.  It was so cloudy I barely could see the bottom of the deep end.  So no swim today. 

The best weather for working out we have had since Summer began and how did I make use of it?  I did it inside.  My leg was a little achy while working last night so I thought the elliptical would be better for it than running on the roads.  I used it for 30 minutes.  Then I rode the AirDyne for 30 minutes.  My wife also joined me there.  I got to watch Notre Dame get creamed by Michigan while she listened to her i-pod and sang out loud and sometimes out of tune.

Elliptical - 30:00

AirDyne - 30:00 - 8.8 miles

Went out for a 5 mile run today.  After I started I decided I would run 2 miles comfortably, 1 mile fast, then the last 2 easy.  I just wanted to see what kind of pace I could run when I pushed it.  It felt good to open up my stride and get my legs moving a little faster.  But I could tell towards the end of it I could not have held the pace for much longer.  I used the 4th mile to recover.

The leg is aching a little.  It is something I would not have given any thought too usually if it was not for the earlier injury.

Run - 5 miles - 8:35, 8:17, 7:23, 8:34, 8:11 - 41:01 (8:12 avg.)

My daughter just started riding her bike without training wheels last weekend.  She is 7 and started to learn a little later than some, but she has progressed rapidly in the last 8 days.  Tonight she rode along with me for about .8 miles.  She was nervous on her first downhill and put her feet down a couple of times.  Struggled up her first hill a little also.  But on the way home she handled those hills hills perfectly.  She even got to show off a little by pulling away from me to a boy in the neighborhood who is in her class.

And finally for anyone who is interested or may not know the animated dvd movie release of Superman v. Doomsday hits store shelves on 9/18.  This is a movie based on the book, "The Death Of Superman" which was published in the 1990's.  I hope it is as good as the book was.

61°f woo hoo !

I got out the house about 9:15pm and it was great weather.  Coolest temps I had run in since the Spring.  It felt good.  The sky was clear and starry with a bright crescent moon.

I really did not feel like doing any type of workout tonight.  I finally got to sleep at 12pm.  I had been awake for 20 1/2 hours.  I slept for 5, then went to my brother-in-law's for a birthday party/cookout.  After the kids were asleep I decided to just run very relaxed and in the end I knew I would be glad I ran as opposed to not.  The first mile I could feel the ice cream cake I had had earlier churning in my stomach.  It tasted great by the way.  The Garmin showed I picked up the pace the last three miles without even realizing it.  At 4.5 miles I decided instead of the 5 miles I planned to run I would extend it a little.  In the end I had 6.2 miles. 

The "feeling" in the leg was more prominent last night while working.  It is still not a "pain" and I do not ever want it to be again.  I was already planning on more swimming and biking this week, so I will not have to run as much.  Tomorrow I will use the elliptical.  Looks like a few days running then a few days of something else is what is best for the leg right now.

Run - 6.2 - 8:43, 8:41, 8:34, 8:19, 8:09, 8:14, 1:36 - 52:19 (8:26 avg.)

So far the Redskins are winning the game.  I hope they don't find a way to screw it up.

As usual  did not adjust well to switching from Midnight Shift back to regular life.  So no workout today.

Went to pool this morning and got in a mile.  About an hour or so later I went for a run.  It was about 65ºf out and a slight breeze.  I wanted to go at least 5 and thought if I could get 8 it would would outstanding.  Ended up with 7.  I was happy with miles 3, 4, & 5 being the same pace.  Overall this is a good pace for me up to 5 miles.  Then I start getting tired.  My quads are sore as well.  I am really drained of energy right now from the run.  But it should get better as my sleep gets back to normal.  Purposely did not take the nap my body was begging me for.  I would like to go to bed within an hour of getting of from work at Midnight tonight.  I already look forward to it.

Swim - 1.02 miles - 32:12

Run - 7 miles - 8:15, 8:18, 8:06, 8:09, 8:07, 8:13, 8:22 - 57:33 (8:13 avg.)

Went to the pool this afternoon.  Swam 1 mile with a mix of free and breast.  Waited about 40 minutes then went for a run.  My quads are sore.  And as I got going I could feel them.  Usually I welcome a downhill, but today they were hard on my legs.  Tomorrow will probably be an elliptical run.  I just want to make sure the muscle soreness is not masking any pains in my femur.

I wanted to run my first mile around 8:30.  My next two at 7:45.  Then cool down on the last one.  First mile was on target at 8:26.  But I was not doing a good job of pacing the next mile, 7:31.  So I decided to try to do another at 7:30 pace.  Got a 7:21.  Last mile in 8:04.  I was suprised with the two middle miles.  Last week on a five mile run I decided to push the third mile just to see what I could do and it was a 7:23.  I was happy today with averaging a 7:26 for two miles. 

Swim - 1.02 mile - 32:26

Run - 4 miles - 8:26, 7:31, 7:21, 8:04 (7:51 avg.) 

Swim - 1.02 miles - 31:53

Elliptical - 30 minutes

Took it easy on my legs today.  They were not very sore this morning, but I still wanted to give them a day without pounding on the roads.  So I ellipticized for 30 minutes.  Really worked up a big sweat.  Felt like a steady stream of water running off my head and down my neck towards the end.

Leg still feels good.  I think it is only muscle soreness and not the bone.  Should get a run on the road in tomorrow.

Got off at Midnight Friday night/Saturday morning.  Then had to be back at work at 9:15am for a Farmer's Day Parade featuring antique tractors.  The parade only lasted 15 minutes.  My son rode on his grandfather's lap in the parade and they enjoyed it very much.  Afterwards we milled around the various booths and the kids got to pet some farm animals.  Justin (4) entered the farm animal contest.  He did a pretty good pig imitation..oink oink.  Then he entered the seed spitting contest.  His first try netted him 2ft. 11in.  But in his next try he got 8 ft.  And finally both Emily and Justin participated in the toilet seat toss contest.  It was actually a game of horsehoes, but using the toilet seat instead.  She beat him in the first round and she lost in the second round.  Overall the whole family had a lot of fun.

I had to be back for work at 4pm, so no workout today.  This was my second missed day this week.  But I am still happy with my running for the week.  Leg held up well despite some soreness.

Today Justin had his 5th birthday party.  Tomorrow will actually be his birthday though.  He had a pool party and several family members and friends of his were able to attend.  Even though it was kinda hectic to get it all setup I think it went great.  Though I need to give my wife credit for doing all the pre-party arrangements.  All the kids had fun I hope.

Left the house about 7:30pm for a run.  I really wanted to go at least 8.  Ended up with 8.24.  This officially becomes my longest run since high school.  I hope there are many more of these and even longer runs in my future.

First half mile had a dog come out of its yard and into the road barking at me.  But it stopped after a few steps.  At 4 miles I could hear a dog at a house I was coming up on barking.  I thought oh great.  Then suddenly five deer in single file bolted across the street less than 10 yards away from me.  I did not even hear them unitl they hit the street.  At 7 miles I startled two dogs laying next to the road in the edge of a yard.  They jumped up and barked.  Only one came towards me and into the road.  I yelled a lot at the dogs and at the house where they came from.  I know one of the dogs lives there.  I had complained just last week to the animal control officer it had been loose and going through other people's trash.  This time I will call them personally.  If their attitude is good I will let it go, if not they I will get a warrant.  Finally three more deer crossed in front of me in the last half mile.  They were about 30 yards away this time.

I felt pretty good running.  But after six miles my legs were getting tired.  I really want to make an effort to get in more running miles this week.  If the legs can take it then I will do it.  I also want to get some pool time in as well.

Run - 8.24 miles

Mile 1 - 8:22	Mile 6 - 8:26
Mile 2 - 8:29	Mile 7 - 8:21
Mile 3 - 8:25	Mile 8 - 8:00
Mile 4 - 8:17	.24 - 1:52
Mile 5 - 8:20	Total - 1:08:36   (8:19 avg.)

The weatherman said it was going to be around 88ºf this afternoon.  I had hoped I would run then.  But decided to go in the cooler morning temperatures instead.  My legs were sore and tired from last night.  Ran the first two comforatably.  Tried to pick it up on the next two.  Then was in recovery/survival mode the last mile.  It probably would have helped if I had gotten to bed earlier last night.  Also the leg is achy today.  I hoped it is just muscle soreness.

Run - 5 miles - 8:31, 8:14, 7:47, 7:36, 8:25, 1:08 - 41:44 (8:06 avg.)

afternoon - I only had 30 minutes to do a workout.  Would have taken to long to drive to and from the pool.  I would have had to stop just after I started.  So I got the bike out.  The weatherman was wrong by the way...it's 93ºf out, not 88ºf.  It was also a little breezy.  I just rode several circuits around the streets in my neighborhood.  My legs were really tired from the get go.  Quads burned and had little power.  Not that they had much to begin with.   Also noticed left knee was hurting about an hour after this morning's run.  Feels like tendonitis.  I took ibuprofen and will not have time to ice it until after work tonight.

Bike - 9.26 miles - 30:55

Heat Miser

He got me today !  I left the house to run to the pool.  It was 89ºf  and I figured if I ran slow it would not be too bad.  But my quads are so sore and painful.  I think it is from the run on Sunday.  Every step on a downhill grade is bad.  Uphill is not as bad.  Once at the pool I kept it short and easy.  On the run home I had planned to go a little further.  But the heat hit hard.  So I just came straight home.  Checked the thermometer when done and it was up to 95ºf.  I feel lousy now. 

I am not sure if I should rest a day or two to relieve the soreness or just run through it.

Run - 2.11 miles - 8:24, 7:55, :50 - 17:09 (8:08 avg.)

Swim - 1000 yards - 19:28 - alternate free and breast evry 100 yards

Run - 2.18 miles - 8:06, 7:44, 1:27 - 17:19 (7:55 avg.)

Went swimming around lunchtime.  Felt good, but noticed the times are slower by a few seconds over where they were a month ago.  More running has equaled less swimming.  Therefore lower performance.  I am ok with that as long as the running keeps getting better.  But I do not want to let it go completely.  I worked hard the last four months to let all that pool time go to waste.

Waited until dark to run so I could have lower temperatures.  And I was hoping moving around all day would help loosen up those sore muscles.   It worked for the most part.  Legs only hurt on the steeper downhill grades.  Not that we have any hills that would compare to what the bloggers out West have.  Ours out here would be looked at as speedbumps I imagine.

I could tell I was running faster on my first mile than my other runs this week.  First split was 8 minutes flat.  I decided to see if I could run the next 4 miles at 8 or under.  But I was willing to listen to my body and not press anything just to whoop up on the 8:00 guy.  In the end I got him with 34 seconds to spare. 

While I was running a little harder than I have been it did not feel too bad.  When I was done I felt tired, but good. Not beat up and dead tired like I have on some other runs.

Swim - 2000 yards - 34:55

Run - 5.15 miles - 8:00, 7:57, 7:46, 7:54, 7:48, 1:08 - 40:35 (7:52 avg.)

Logo Idea:  I am just putting something out there.  I purposely left out colors and fancy fonts.  I am hoping someone more creative and artsy than me can make something out of this.  I was thinking about the circle with the arrows pointing in the direction of the slogan.  Anything or nothing could go in the middle.  My apologies to Sasha, but I could not think of anything else for the center part right now.  Feel free to laugh, cry, clap, or boo when you see this.  I will not be offended.  Anything anyone wants to add to, remove, or modify is ok with me.  This is just a rough "sketch" of an idea.

I had planned all day to run in the evening when the temperatures were a little cooler.  But once it was time to go, I had lost all desire.  I almost skipped but remembered  excuse #2 on Sasha's Top Ten Excuse List For Missing A Run.  So I ran slower.  I figured I would run slower and shorter than planned.  But after 3 miles I felt ok and decided to go a little more.  Funny how running slower can make it better in the end after all.

And honey, I know you will read this later.  You mentioned it would be ok to take a break tonight since I did not feel like running.  But sometimes I need a little push to get out the door.  So every once in awhile remind me of that.  Unless I really need a break, then I will let you know.  love you.

Run - 5.78 - 9:00, 8:53, 8:45, 8:31, 8:14, 6:03 - 49:29 (8:33 avg.)

Got off from work and ran 2.11 miles to the pool.  Swam  1000 yards.  Then ran 5 miles.

Legs got a little sore over last 1.5 miles or so.  I think I may have to admit to myself I am feeling a little more than just muscle soreness in my left leg.  This is my 6th running day in a row.  I will not run tomorrow and see how things feels.  Of course it will take a lot longer than just one day to heal any damage.  Took 4 months last time and that may prove not to have been enough.

Run - 2.11 - 7:59, 7:51, :53 - 16:43 (7:55 avg.)

Swim - 1000 - 17:46

Run - 5 - 7:56, 7:48, 7:52, 7:43, 7:48 - 39:07 (7:49 avg.)

Woke up and went out for an easy 4.06 miles.

In the evening ran another 4.06 miles.  Tried to push the middle 2 miles.

am - Run - 4.06 - 8:31, 8:17, 8:13, 8:01, :29 - 33:31 (8:15 avg.)

pm - Run - 4.06 - 8:31, 7:21, 7:16, 8:32, :28 - 32:11 (7:55 avg.)