This ended up being a late run that was quite nice for ending a full day. The mother deer and her two fawn ate nuts just a few feet off of the cemetary trail for most of the run, only glancing up occasionally as I passed by.
4.09 miles.
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Run for October 20th Reaches 1,000
Here I am just after running mile number 1,000 for the year.
ONE THOUSAND MILES..........I reached this plateau for the year in my first mile of tonight's run. This was quicker than last year, when I reached 1,000 miles on Christmas Day.
Of course one thousand miles was my original goal for the year, but I left myself with the option of increasing the amount if I ran well. Now my focus is on 2,000 KM for the year.
I did this run in the cemetary and two deer were my only witnesses to the 1,000 mile feat. They waved their white flags as they ran away.
4.30 miles.
ONE THOUSAND MILES..........I reached this plateau for the year in my first mile of tonight's run. This was quicker than last year, when I reached 1,000 miles on Christmas Day.
Of course one thousand miles was my original goal for the year, but I left myself with the option of increasing the amount if I ran well. Now my focus is on 2,000 KM for the year.
I did this run in the cemetary and two deer were my only witnesses to the 1,000 mile feat. They waved their white flags as they ran away.
4.30 miles.
Run for October 19th
Todays run was on the Blackwater Creek Trail. There was a special ceremony going on at the Awareness Garden Trail entrance. I stopped and observed this for a while.
The run was nice and lasted 6.48 miles.
The run was nice and lasted 6.48 miles.
Run for Occtober 18th
I ran out to McConville Road on a sunny but cool Saturday morning.
This was 6.55 miles.
This was 6.55 miles.
Run for October 17th
A rainy evening run that was hampered by two elements. I ate supper JUST before going on my run and then there were 10 deer in the cemetary. I slowed down to walk by them so that they wouldn't get scared and run away. While the gesture was noble, it really slowed my time. This was not a problem though. It was fun to see how comfortable they were with me.
4.48 miles.
4.48 miles.
Run for October 16th
Night before last was a nice evening to run. There were nine deer feeding in the cemetary. They were fun to watch as they bounded off in every direction to get away from me. The run was fine, even though it was a tough one from the start.
Tonight's run was a little slow because I stopped twice to watch the deer. Tonight it was 6 deer that I saw.
I ran 5.06 miles.
Tonight's run was a little slow because I stopped twice to watch the deer. Tonight it was 6 deer that I saw.
I ran 5.06 miles.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Deer, Deer, Deer
Many of my runs at this time of the year is done in a cemetary that is located only 3/10ths of a mile away from my house. It has several paved roads that I use to get in my mileage. Not only is it a nice tranquil setting but running there allows me to stay off the busy streets at this time of day when many people are heading home from work.
The cemetary has several large trees that produce some nice acorns and as a result they attract both the squirrels and the deer. I have been able to identify that there are at least 12 deer that are living in the woods around the cemetary. This includes at least one buck (possibly two), four doe and about seven fawn.
The size of these deer are considerably smaller than the ones that I have been used to seeing when living in the North. Even the largest of these would only be 100 pounds. The fawns are several months old but still only about 30 pounds. They easily can be hidden in the cemetary behind a small grave marker; they are that small.
Being regular in my running there each evening, combined with the attraction of this ample supply of nuts, the deer have become more and more familiar with me and are not as quick to run away. Within the last week, a mother and two fawn have started to stay close to my path and only look up as I pass by them with each loop of the course. Every night I run and every night this family is there. Probably because of the fact I do keep passing them several times during the same run, their confidence in feeling safe with me has increased. I have mixed emotions about this. While I personally am no threat to their safety, there definitely would be others in the community who would love to hunt these beautiful deer. Most likely several of them will be killed while straying away from the cemetary onto the busy roads that are close by.
The cemetary has several large trees that produce some nice acorns and as a result they attract both the squirrels and the deer. I have been able to identify that there are at least 12 deer that are living in the woods around the cemetary. This includes at least one buck (possibly two), four doe and about seven fawn.
The size of these deer are considerably smaller than the ones that I have been used to seeing when living in the North. Even the largest of these would only be 100 pounds. The fawns are several months old but still only about 30 pounds. They easily can be hidden in the cemetary behind a small grave marker; they are that small.
Being regular in my running there each evening, combined with the attraction of this ample supply of nuts, the deer have become more and more familiar with me and are not as quick to run away. Within the last week, a mother and two fawn have started to stay close to my path and only look up as I pass by them with each loop of the course. Every night I run and every night this family is there. Probably because of the fact I do keep passing them several times during the same run, their confidence in feeling safe with me has increased. I have mixed emotions about this. While I personally am no threat to their safety, there definitely would be others in the community who would love to hunt these beautiful deer. Most likely several of them will be killed while straying away from the cemetary onto the busy roads that are close by.
October Miles
With the end of the year quickly approaching, the next month is important for making sure that I don't slack off with my running miles. The days are getting shorter and this increases the challenge. Last year I was preparing for my first Marathon race, and that forced me to run plenty of October miles (150.3 and my best month).
My miles for the first half of the month were as follows:
3rd - 3.56 miles
4th - 5.66 miles
6th - 3.84 miles
7th - 4.00 miles
8th - 3.68 miles
9th - 3.96 miles
13th - 4.61 miles
14th - 4.09 miles
This gave me 33.4 miles for the first half of the month and I know that I am going to have to make up some miles in order to get my 100 miles in for October. To do this I will need to increase the miles over the next 10 days to avoid running back to back long runs during the last week of the month.
My miles for the first half of the month were as follows:
3rd - 3.56 miles
4th - 5.66 miles
6th - 3.84 miles
7th - 4.00 miles
8th - 3.68 miles
9th - 3.96 miles
13th - 4.61 miles
14th - 4.09 miles
This gave me 33.4 miles for the first half of the month and I know that I am going to have to make up some miles in order to get my 100 miles in for October. To do this I will need to increase the miles over the next 10 days to avoid running back to back long runs during the last week of the month.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Virginia Ten Miler Race
I am only running one race this year. It is the race that first got me interested in running, the Virginia Ten Miler Race. This 35 year race is always held on a Saturday late in September.
At one time this was a well heralded race, drawing such top notch runners as Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Jeff Galloway, and Catherine Ndereba. However, in recent years the number of participants has dropped off and it has become more of a fun race for local runners. Two years ago, new leadership took over the race organization, with the goal of returning the event to world class status.
One of the things that has been done is the hosting of a spaghetti dinner at packet pick up on Friday night. They have invited in a special guest speaker each of the last two years, to boost interest and try to increase the number of runners.
This year's guest was Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Marathon Gold Medal winner of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She is of particular interest to me, since we both grew up in the state of Maine. I had a nice conversation with her about running in Maine and the challenges that a northern climate brings to runners. She ran in the race the next day and won the women's division, which was nice.
There also is a 4 mile race (started in 1999) that goes on at the same time. A lot of runners go for that distance rather than the longer number of miles. There also is a children's mile race that is run the same morning. With all of the participants totalled, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people involved and the effort of the organizing committee is evident. This year there were 733 Ten Miler entrants, up from the 509 who ran 4 years ago.
The last two years my time has slowed down despite an increase in the number of miles that I run in preparation. My goal was to stay close to my time of a year ago, which was 1:50:46.
The race course starts with a steady mile and a half decline, which when combined with the adrenalin rush brought about by the atmosphere, can put the unaware runner in a bad position for finishing the race. Experience has pointed out my limits and I know that I will run easier later on in the race if I take the beginning slow.
The course is known for the hills that are friendly when running down them but that become your enemy when you are tired and face climbing back up. The race is run on an "out and back" route, meaning that you run out for 5 miles and then return on the same five miles. This means that you get to "enjoy" the challenge as well as the benefit of each hill. The unique challenge here is that you face the friendly decline at the beginning of the race, when you are fresh and can easily get worn out in going out too fast. The hill sucks you down at a pace far faster than what you are used to. Pay back comes at the end of the race when you are already worn out and you have to climb this same section to cross the finish line.
I run purely for fun and try to keep pace with my goals. It was probably due to this that I finished within 34 seconds (19 seconds in actual running time) of what I had run a year ago. This certainly was acceptable and made for a fun day.
At the end of the race I knew that I should have run faster than this pace. I felt that I had not managed my pace quite as well in the middle miles as I should have. A discouraged runner had appeared along the route and I stopped to encourage them. The timing of this was not the best for my race plan. With that in mind, I ran another 10 miles the day after the race. This post-race run was 5:14 faster than during the Ten Miler, despite my fatigue. However, this second run was very encouraging and I am glad that I did it.
At one time this was a well heralded race, drawing such top notch runners as Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, Jeff Galloway, and Catherine Ndereba. However, in recent years the number of participants has dropped off and it has become more of a fun race for local runners. Two years ago, new leadership took over the race organization, with the goal of returning the event to world class status.
One of the things that has been done is the hosting of a spaghetti dinner at packet pick up on Friday night. They have invited in a special guest speaker each of the last two years, to boost interest and try to increase the number of runners.
This year's guest was Joan Benoit Samuelson, the Marathon Gold Medal winner of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She is of particular interest to me, since we both grew up in the state of Maine. I had a nice conversation with her about running in Maine and the challenges that a northern climate brings to runners. She ran in the race the next day and won the women's division, which was nice.
There also is a 4 mile race (started in 1999) that goes on at the same time. A lot of runners go for that distance rather than the longer number of miles. There also is a children's mile race that is run the same morning. With all of the participants totalled, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people involved and the effort of the organizing committee is evident. This year there were 733 Ten Miler entrants, up from the 509 who ran 4 years ago.
The last two years my time has slowed down despite an increase in the number of miles that I run in preparation. My goal was to stay close to my time of a year ago, which was 1:50:46.
The race course starts with a steady mile and a half decline, which when combined with the adrenalin rush brought about by the atmosphere, can put the unaware runner in a bad position for finishing the race. Experience has pointed out my limits and I know that I will run easier later on in the race if I take the beginning slow.
The course is known for the hills that are friendly when running down them but that become your enemy when you are tired and face climbing back up. The race is run on an "out and back" route, meaning that you run out for 5 miles and then return on the same five miles. This means that you get to "enjoy" the challenge as well as the benefit of each hill. The unique challenge here is that you face the friendly decline at the beginning of the race, when you are fresh and can easily get worn out in going out too fast. The hill sucks you down at a pace far faster than what you are used to. Pay back comes at the end of the race when you are already worn out and you have to climb this same section to cross the finish line.
I run purely for fun and try to keep pace with my goals. It was probably due to this that I finished within 34 seconds (19 seconds in actual running time) of what I had run a year ago. This certainly was acceptable and made for a fun day.
At the end of the race I knew that I should have run faster than this pace. I felt that I had not managed my pace quite as well in the middle miles as I should have. A discouraged runner had appeared along the route and I stopped to encourage them. The timing of this was not the best for my race plan. With that in mind, I ran another 10 miles the day after the race. This post-race run was 5:14 faster than during the Ten Miler, despite my fatigue. However, this second run was very encouraging and I am glad that I did it.
September miles
The key to running goals of high numbers is consistency. This actually goes for most long range goals of life. No one run is going to "make" or "break" the overall goal but each and every run becomes important as you put them together.
September is an important month for me in my running. This is the month of the local Virginia Ten Miler race. I always plan to run this race, this year for the sixth consecutive time. This means solid long runs in preparation, but then tapering of miles later in the month. Hopefully I am able to get in my 100 miles for the month.
Here is the number of miles run for each day of the month of September:
2nd 4.12
4th 4.04
6th 5.29
7th 1.17
9th 5.77
10th 5.45
11th 4.00
13th 2.61
14th 10.00
18th 2.39
19th 5.25
20th 4.01
21st 4.27
22nd 4.53
23rd 4.00
24th 4.21
26th 1.00
27th .35 Warm up for race
27th 10.11 Virginia Ten Miler race with a separate report
28th 10.00
29th 4.28
20th 3.19
This totals exactly 100.0 miles for the month of September. I am trying to make that number my minimal amount to run each month and now have a streak of 6 consecutive months in which I have reached that goal.
September is an important month for me in my running. This is the month of the local Virginia Ten Miler race. I always plan to run this race, this year for the sixth consecutive time. This means solid long runs in preparation, but then tapering of miles later in the month. Hopefully I am able to get in my 100 miles for the month.
Here is the number of miles run for each day of the month of September:
2nd 4.12
4th 4.04
6th 5.29
7th 1.17
9th 5.77
10th 5.45
11th 4.00
13th 2.61
14th 10.00
18th 2.39
19th 5.25
20th 4.01
21st 4.27
22nd 4.53
23rd 4.00
24th 4.21
26th 1.00
27th .35 Warm up for race
27th 10.11 Virginia Ten Miler race with a separate report
28th 10.00
29th 4.28
20th 3.19
This totals exactly 100.0 miles for the month of September. I am trying to make that number my minimal amount to run each month and now have a streak of 6 consecutive months in which I have reached that goal.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Miles For the Last Half of August
I am making up in reporting some miles that I put in during the last few weeks to bring this blog up to date. For reading benefit I will do them in individual entries.
The last part of August went like this: 10.0 miles (17th), 1.05 miles (18th), 3.68 miles (19th), 4.0 miles (20th), 3.52 miles (21st), 10.0 miles (24th), 1.11 miles (25th), 11.36 miles (30th), and 5.73 miles (31st).
This gave me 111.1 miles for the month of August and totals 838.6 miles for the year.
The last part of August went like this: 10.0 miles (17th), 1.05 miles (18th), 3.68 miles (19th), 4.0 miles (20th), 3.52 miles (21st), 10.0 miles (24th), 1.11 miles (25th), 11.36 miles (30th), and 5.73 miles (31st).
This gave me 111.1 miles for the month of August and totals 838.6 miles for the year.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
A solid run
My schedule is changing for what I am needing to accomplish each day. As a result, I am needing to run at different times and may depend more heavily upon the weekends for mileage.
Today I ran 10 miles. This was an extremely solid run and came after a day off from running yesterday. When it comes time for racing, this "day off" is something I need to focus on. As I understand it, it is wise to take the second day back off and then run a light run on the day before the event. This gives you the most benefit of being in peak condition the day of the race.
In any event, my time today as just a normal training run was FASTER than what I raced in the Virginia Ten Miler last year. This bodes well for my training.
My early total is now at 798.1 miles. With well over 4 months left in the year, this is a solid place to be for running 1,000 miles. I am also now ahead of the 2,000 KM pace too, which is my new focus goal.
Today I ran 10 miles. This was an extremely solid run and came after a day off from running yesterday. When it comes time for racing, this "day off" is something I need to focus on. As I understand it, it is wise to take the second day back off and then run a light run on the day before the event. This gives you the most benefit of being in peak condition the day of the race.
In any event, my time today as just a normal training run was FASTER than what I raced in the Virginia Ten Miler last year. This bodes well for my training.
My early total is now at 798.1 miles. With well over 4 months left in the year, this is a solid place to be for running 1,000 miles. I am also now ahead of the 2,000 KM pace too, which is my new focus goal.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Solid running week
The week has progressed with solid runs. I have personally had to make some adjustments in regards to several areas of my life, which has affected the time schedule that I have for runnning. That works fine as it is a check for how serious I am about keeping my goals.
This week I have had runs of 4.01, 3.82, 3.63, and 5.44 miles. That being mixed in with a couple of days off and I will need a solid run over the weekend to keep pace with my goals.
I have now completed 5 years of running since I started on August 13, 2003
My mileage for the year is 788.10.
This week I have had runs of 4.01, 3.82, 3.63, and 5.44 miles. That being mixed in with a couple of days off and I will need a solid run over the weekend to keep pace with my goals.
I have now completed 5 years of running since I started on August 13, 2003
My mileage for the year is 788.10.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Pushing ahead for the 2,000 KM goal
My running continues to be steady and strong. Over the last week, my times have also been consistently solid for where I have been at. Hopefully this will pay off for my running in some way.
I did a run to town and back last Saturday. This was 5.56 miles down in solid time ....a break at the Community Market and then the run back. The route that comes back is uphill, which means the other run going out is downhill. With the break in time, it is always slower and a harder run coming back. Never the less, it is an excellent work out.
Sunday I did an easy 2.19 mile run followed by 5.20 miles on Monday. Tuesday I did not run and followed that on Wednesday with 5.26 miles. I later ran 2.31 miles again that day. Thursday was 4.06 miles, Friday 4.04 miles and then 5.29 miles this morning.
August is shaping up to be another solid month. I now have 771.20 miles for the year and am ahead of my projections.
I did a run to town and back last Saturday. This was 5.56 miles down in solid time ....a break at the Community Market and then the run back. The route that comes back is uphill, which means the other run going out is downhill. With the break in time, it is always slower and a harder run coming back. Never the less, it is an excellent work out.
Sunday I did an easy 2.19 mile run followed by 5.20 miles on Monday. Tuesday I did not run and followed that on Wednesday with 5.26 miles. I later ran 2.31 miles again that day. Thursday was 4.06 miles, Friday 4.04 miles and then 5.29 miles this morning.
August is shaping up to be another solid month. I now have 771.20 miles for the year and am ahead of my projections.
Friday, August 1, 2008
The end of July and starting August
It is hard to believe that the summer is moving along so quickly. At the same time, as I record miles from running each day I can see that the year is moving right along.
The runs that I have recorded in the last week of July were for 3.42, and even 10.00, 4.06, 3.55, 1.20 (before the rain of a thunder storm hit), 5.27 and tonight's 4.31. There was a rest day thrown in there for good measure but I still had a good week.
For July I managed to run 123.3 miles for an average of 3.97 miles a day. This well passes the goal of 3.39 miles a day that I need for running 2,000 KM in the year. Of note as well is the fact I have now run over 100 miles for 4 straight months, which is a record.
In evaluating my running, I need to hold at this amount of running for a while. My fear is that if I add too much mileage, I will get injured. Since I was only averaging 2.74 miles a day last year, this 3.97 mile average is quite a jump.
I am extremely thankful for my health to run.
The total miles run so far in 2008 is now at 731.72 miles.
The runs that I have recorded in the last week of July were for 3.42, and even 10.00, 4.06, 3.55, 1.20 (before the rain of a thunder storm hit), 5.27 and tonight's 4.31. There was a rest day thrown in there for good measure but I still had a good week.
For July I managed to run 123.3 miles for an average of 3.97 miles a day. This well passes the goal of 3.39 miles a day that I need for running 2,000 KM in the year. Of note as well is the fact I have now run over 100 miles for 4 straight months, which is a record.
In evaluating my running, I need to hold at this amount of running for a while. My fear is that if I add too much mileage, I will get injured. Since I was only averaging 2.74 miles a day last year, this 3.97 mile average is quite a jump.
I am extremely thankful for my health to run.
The total miles run so far in 2008 is now at 731.72 miles.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Where did this run come from?
I did not run yesterday due to a thunder storm coming through just exactly at the time I needed to be running. That was fine as I needed to take a day off and this just helped to make the decision on which one.
So today I went out for a noon time run. What amazed me was the fact that I was almost a full minute faster per mile for the 5.27 miles that I ran. If I could run at this pace for a Marathon, I would be very happy. I guess the training is helping me and I am thankful for that. This also shows me the benefits of a rest day.
My total miles for the year now is at 699.91. I am tempted to go run a tenth of a mile, just to cross over the 700 mile mark for the year.
July is shaping up to be another solid running month for me.
So today I went out for a noon time run. What amazed me was the fact that I was almost a full minute faster per mile for the 5.27 miles that I ran. If I could run at this pace for a Marathon, I would be very happy. I guess the training is helping me and I am thankful for that. This also shows me the benefits of a rest day.
My total miles for the year now is at 699.91. I am tempted to go run a tenth of a mile, just to cross over the 700 mile mark for the year.
July is shaping up to be another solid running month for me.
Monday, July 21, 2008
A hot run
On an evening where the temperature was 95 degrees (and this was the evening), I managed to run a nice 3.7 miles. This is well on the way to the start of another solid running week. I was still able to post a fairly decent pace time for the run.
Right now running is very important to me, just because several other areas of life are facing challenges while I have better control of the results of my running and this gives me a feeling of success.
My total miles for the year now has reached 690.89 miles.
Right now running is very important to me, just because several other areas of life are facing challenges while I have better control of the results of my running and this gives me a feeling of success.
My total miles for the year now has reached 690.89 miles.
My weekly long run
On a warm Sunday afternoon with 93 degree temperatures, I did my planned long run for the week. Amazingly enough, I did not have to sacrifice speed while running 8.02miles. This was a good run. If the heat had not been there, I would have gone ahead and done 10 miles.
How easily I am able to run the first mile seems to determine what the run for the day is going to be like. If I struggle in the first mile, I will not be able to make up the time and recover a fast run.
As I was running along the Blackwater Creek trail for this run, I found myself coming into a stetch of the paved path where there was a steep incline on both sides, with one side being rock. About 75 yards ahead, a small deer stood eating the leaves off of a bush. I continued to run and the deer did not seem to even notice or care that I was getting close. I realized that she was not going to have anywhere to run unless she tried to go ahead of me. At about 25 years I slowed down and as I did so, she turned to watch me. I steadily walked towards her and got beside her within 6 feet. I stopped and we exchanged looks at each other. I put my hand out and she seemed to be entertaining the thought of coming to sniff my hand when bicyclers suddenly came into view for both directions. They both slowed down to watch, but the deer decided to use her long legs to start up the hill. This was certainly a fun moment in my run for the day.
How easily I am able to run the first mile seems to determine what the run for the day is going to be like. If I struggle in the first mile, I will not be able to make up the time and recover a fast run.
As I was running along the Blackwater Creek trail for this run, I found myself coming into a stetch of the paved path where there was a steep incline on both sides, with one side being rock. About 75 yards ahead, a small deer stood eating the leaves off of a bush. I continued to run and the deer did not seem to even notice or care that I was getting close. I realized that she was not going to have anywhere to run unless she tried to go ahead of me. At about 25 years I slowed down and as I did so, she turned to watch me. I steadily walked towards her and got beside her within 6 feet. I stopped and we exchanged looks at each other. I put my hand out and she seemed to be entertaining the thought of coming to sniff my hand when bicyclers suddenly came into view for both directions. They both slowed down to watch, but the deer decided to use her long legs to start up the hill. This was certainly a fun moment in my run for the day.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Number of runs
One of the goals that I had this year was to run 250 times. Last year I ran 213 times and this was good. In fact that was my highest for a year but my goal was to increase those extra 37 times to get to 250. With my average run being a little over 4 miles this year, the extra runs would give me an additional 150 miles and really help towards my mileage goal for the year. Even reaching that number of runs, I would STILL have over 100 "off" days during the year, meaning that this is not an unrealistic number. How am I doing? Well, today's run made it 162 so far. This puts me well ahead of my goal.
It is interesting that I find myself feeling guilty when I take a day off from running. Yesterday I took the day off, which is well within the plan. Sure enough I started feeling like I was missing an opportunity to put another run on the books. I need to make note of this feeling and make SURE that I DO take the days off. Rest is a big part of the development of the whole body for running and allows the body to "heal".
Today's run was a nice 5.28 miles giving me 679.17 miles so far for the year.
Thanks for reading.
It is interesting that I find myself feeling guilty when I take a day off from running. Yesterday I took the day off, which is well within the plan. Sure enough I started feeling like I was missing an opportunity to put another run on the books. I need to make note of this feeling and make SURE that I DO take the days off. Rest is a big part of the development of the whole body for running and allows the body to "heal".
Today's run was a nice 5.28 miles giving me 679.17 miles so far for the year.
Thanks for reading.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Running through life
After a little bit of a computer problem that I am still not sure what was happening, I am able to post my runs again. I have had runs of 3.46, 3.64, and then 5.07 miles this morning to give me a good week of running in progress.
I am normally am afternoon/evening runner but find myself switching up a bit for the next few days. This is partially being done because of my schedule but also because this is supposed to be a hot stretch and the morning will be the best running time.
I am now firmly entrenched into the 2,000 KM goal for the year, having caught that pace bunny and using that as a goal. This seems to be a logical progression of goals after already reaching the 1,000 mile mark last year. I am already 2/3 of the way to 1,000 miles for this year and it is only mid-July.
Happy running everyone.
I am normally am afternoon/evening runner but find myself switching up a bit for the next few days. This is partially being done because of my schedule but also because this is supposed to be a hot stretch and the morning will be the best running time.
I am now firmly entrenched into the 2,000 KM goal for the year, having caught that pace bunny and using that as a goal. This seems to be a logical progression of goals after already reaching the 1,000 mile mark last year. I am already 2/3 of the way to 1,000 miles for this year and it is only mid-July.
Happy running everyone.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Hello.....anyone out there?
When I started this blog at the beginning of the year, I was hoping to be an encouragement to other runners and seek to help them reach their goals. I have a way of monitoring the number who read the blog and it has been indicating a dwindling number of readers. That being said, I have backed down from posting while other matters of life pressed in. Then I got a couple of emails from people asking if I was alright and I knew that some people DO check in and will now try to post regularly again.
Since my last report I have run the following amounts of miles: 5.33, 6.00, 8.10, 5.22, 6.80, 1.50, 5.27, 4.30, 3.50, and today 6.0. I only took one day off from running in the midst of those 10 runs. Realizing that I am trying to average 3.38 miles a day now, this obviously was a good stretch of running. The one day when I only ran 1.50 miles, I was trying to put in some mileage for the day while waiting for a thunder storm to hit. When it did arrive, I was in the house quickly. A lady in Virginia Beach that week had been hit and killed by lightning while running on the beach.
I now well ahead of the 1,000 mile pace for the year, leading by 127 miles. This has meant that my focus now is on the 2,000 KM mark for the year. This would be a great accomplishment since that would put me over the 1,240 miles for the year and a significant increase. We will see how it goes.
To those who are reading and have noted my slow down in posting, I apologize. Thanks for the kick in regards to being more faithful in reporting.
My mileage for the year now stands at 661.57 miles.
Since my last report I have run the following amounts of miles: 5.33, 6.00, 8.10, 5.22, 6.80, 1.50, 5.27, 4.30, 3.50, and today 6.0. I only took one day off from running in the midst of those 10 runs. Realizing that I am trying to average 3.38 miles a day now, this obviously was a good stretch of running. The one day when I only ran 1.50 miles, I was trying to put in some mileage for the day while waiting for a thunder storm to hit. When it did arrive, I was in the house quickly. A lady in Virginia Beach that week had been hit and killed by lightning while running on the beach.
I now well ahead of the 1,000 mile pace for the year, leading by 127 miles. This has meant that my focus now is on the 2,000 KM mark for the year. This would be a great accomplishment since that would put me over the 1,240 miles for the year and a significant increase. We will see how it goes.
To those who are reading and have noted my slow down in posting, I apologize. Thanks for the kick in regards to being more faithful in reporting.
My mileage for the year now stands at 661.57 miles.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Reaching the half year mark
It is hard to believe but we have reached the exact half year of the year 2008. With this being a leap year, the first half has 183 days in it. I am pleased with my first half year of running. My goal had been 1,000 miles for the year and at this stage I am at 609.55 miles, well above the goal.
My runs to end the first half year that I need to report were of 6.21, 3.68, and 5.45miles. These were all good runs and I am pleased with my new approach of running a little less intensely for some of my workouts. There has not been enough variation in my approach to the various runs. I guess the competitive nature in me wants to always go out and "beat" what I have done before. This does not help my training though.
I am so thankful for the health and condition that I find myself at for this stage of the year and in my life.
My runs to end the first half year that I need to report were of 6.21, 3.68, and 5.45miles. These were all good runs and I am pleased with my new approach of running a little less intensely for some of my workouts. There has not been enough variation in my approach to the various runs. I guess the competitive nature in me wants to always go out and "beat" what I have done before. This does not help my training though.
I am so thankful for the health and condition that I find myself at for this stage of the year and in my life.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
A new system
I have been running now for 5 years. During this time I have basically just gone out and run the way I felt like running and always try to leave feeling like I have had a good work out.
There is a running calculator devised by McMillan that tells you a projection of what you will run in various races based on the times you post at other distances. Amazingly this system has been very accurate in my case. Included in his calculations is a training time. He uses your time to determine your fitness and then projects what your various training runs should be. In looking at this, I have discovered that most likely, I have been been doing some of my runs too fast.
With this in mind I ran an "easy" run this evening of 4.96 miles at a much slower pace. The key here is that I feel confident in running at that pace. It will be interesting to see if that improves my running times when I go to do a race.
My miles for the year is now at 588.96.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 484.98 miles. I lead her by 103.98 miles.
The 2,000 KM pace bunny is at 598.96 miles. I trail her by only an even 10 miles.
There is a running calculator devised by McMillan that tells you a projection of what you will run in various races based on the times you post at other distances. Amazingly this system has been very accurate in my case. Included in his calculations is a training time. He uses your time to determine your fitness and then projects what your various training runs should be. In looking at this, I have discovered that most likely, I have been been doing some of my runs too fast.
With this in mind I ran an "easy" run this evening of 4.96 miles at a much slower pace. The key here is that I feel confident in running at that pace. It will be interesting to see if that improves my running times when I go to do a race.
My miles for the year is now at 588.96.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 484.98 miles. I lead her by 103.98 miles.
The 2,000 KM pace bunny is at 598.96 miles. I trail her by only an even 10 miles.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Faster than a speedy bullet....when I am scared.
On Sunday I ran on the local Blackwater Creek Trail that is used by hikers, bikers, walkers and runners. It is a series of trails that cuts through the downtown area of town and is paved and well developed for over 15 miles. There are as many "trail" route miles on top of this that veer off the main route.
As I was running Sunday, I came across a number of uniformed and plain clothes policemen, complete with a dog searching part of the trail. At the time I thought little of it and kept on running. However the local news has revealed that they were hunting for a 6' 4", 300 pound man who robbed a trail user with a gun. While someone interviewed on TV mentioned that the thief would need to be fast to catch most people on the trail, the thought also enters my mind that if he had a gun a bullet is fast enough.
I ran 3.7 miles of recovery last night and tonight added another 4 miles even. This gives me 584 miles run for the year.
As I was running Sunday, I came across a number of uniformed and plain clothes policemen, complete with a dog searching part of the trail. At the time I thought little of it and kept on running. However the local news has revealed that they were hunting for a 6' 4", 300 pound man who robbed a trail user with a gun. While someone interviewed on TV mentioned that the thief would need to be fast to catch most people on the trail, the thought also enters my mind that if he had a gun a bullet is fast enough.
I ran 3.7 miles of recovery last night and tonight added another 4 miles even. This gives me 584 miles run for the year.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
My longest run of the year.
I ran 6 miles on Friday and then 4.1 miles on Saturday. Today was a nice day with a little bit of overcast that kept the temperatures a little cooler and I decided to do a long run. With a camel bag of ice and water on my back I took off at the local community running and biking trail. I sent from one end to the other, dodging a thunder storm that rumbled in the area. I stopped in a tunnel ever so briefly when I thought the storm was going to hit, but quickly realized it was not close. The end result was that I ran 15.6 miles. This is the longest run that I have done since I ran in the Richmond Marathon back in the fall. While I have been getting in good mileage, I needed this LONG run. It will help my other running. Another positive on the run is the fact I ran well below my average pace for the WHOLE 15.6 miles. This is difficult to do at any distance, but especially so with this amount of miles.
This really gives me a great month building for June. I already have 100 miles in for the month and there is still over a week to go. This is great. I am on the doorstep of being on track with the 2000 KM pace bunny. I had not counted on catching him so early but that is wonderful. The only danger is that once I arrive at that pace, the temptation will be to go for another level. I don't want that, so will settle into this amount and grow.
My mileage for the year is now at 576.28 miles.
This really gives me a great month building for June. I already have 100 miles in for the month and there is still over a week to go. This is great. I am on the doorstep of being on track with the 2000 KM pace bunny. I had not counted on catching him so early but that is wonderful. The only danger is that once I arrive at that pace, the temptation will be to go for another level. I don't want that, so will settle into this amount and grow.
My mileage for the year is now at 576.28 miles.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
A week of running
Yikes!
Where have I been? If you have been checking in each day, you probably think I have either quit running(NO!)or died (another NO!). My work has kept me busy and the various other projects and volunteer positions that I hold have also added to that. The result is that I HAVE been running, but not been posting the blog every night (obviously).
Let's catch up. On the 10th I ran 1.42 miles. On the 11th I ran 6.21 miles and another 5 miles even on the 13th. The 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th were runs of
6.5, 5.18, 5.08, 4.34, and 4.12 miles. This now gives me 550.58 miles for the year and there are still two weeks left in June.
I have already run more miles this month than any of the previous June's since I started running. This also is the second most miles that I have run in a year. I am on track to beat the record number of miles that I have run in a year. All of this is great and certainly something to be thankful for at this stage in life.
The weather has been hot in recent days and this has affected when and how I have run. To give a clue to the heat, the other night a deer popped out at the cemetary where I was running. Normally when they do that, they run away quickly. This poor deer looked at me cautiously and ran about 10 steps and then simply continued to walk. I am sure this was purely from the heat.
The 1000 mile pace bunny is at 465.80 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 232.40 miles.
I am only 24 miles behind the pace to reach 2,000 KM for this year. This definitely looks like the goal I need to be aiming at. I will still keep the 1,000 mile goal, but that should be passed fairly quickly.
Where have I been? If you have been checking in each day, you probably think I have either quit running(NO!)or died (another NO!). My work has kept me busy and the various other projects and volunteer positions that I hold have also added to that. The result is that I HAVE been running, but not been posting the blog every night (obviously).
Let's catch up. On the 10th I ran 1.42 miles. On the 11th I ran 6.21 miles and another 5 miles even on the 13th. The 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th were runs of
6.5, 5.18, 5.08, 4.34, and 4.12 miles. This now gives me 550.58 miles for the year and there are still two weeks left in June.
I have already run more miles this month than any of the previous June's since I started running. This also is the second most miles that I have run in a year. I am on track to beat the record number of miles that I have run in a year. All of this is great and certainly something to be thankful for at this stage in life.
The weather has been hot in recent days and this has affected when and how I have run. To give a clue to the heat, the other night a deer popped out at the cemetary where I was running. Normally when they do that, they run away quickly. This poor deer looked at me cautiously and ran about 10 steps and then simply continued to walk. I am sure this was purely from the heat.
The 1000 mile pace bunny is at 465.80 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 232.40 miles.
I am only 24 miles behind the pace to reach 2,000 KM for this year. This definitely looks like the goal I need to be aiming at. I will still keep the 1,000 mile goal, but that should be passed fairly quickly.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Running in the heat
The local area is in the midst of a heat wave. Temperatures each day are well into the mid 90 degree range with humidity high. Friday I ran in the middle of the day and then Saturday tried to run a little earlier in the day to escape some of the heat. While it probably was cooler..it still was plenty hot and took a lot out of me. Today I considered taking another day off, which is okay since I had good miles in already for the week and month. However, the forecast is for more heat for the first of the week. This caused me to attempt to run later in the evening after the sun went down. Interestingly enough, it FELT cool even though the temperature was 89 degrees. The difference was the lack of the sun beating down. I ran 3.67 miles.
The week was a good running week and now I have 512.73 miles for the year.
The week was a good running week and now I have 512.73 miles for the year.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Starting off strong for June
I have never had a high mileage month for June. In fact, last year with 57.9 miles is the most that I have run. With this in mind, I have approached June wanting to put in enough miles to give me a choice for the last six months of the year. I can either run moderate miles during this time period, of go for a more aggressive goal than simply 1,000 miles for the year.
On Sunday I ran 8.60 miles.....Monday was 5.13 miles.....Tuesday was 3.44 miles.....Wednesday had 3.70 miles....and then I took a break on Thursday. Because of the threat of thunder storms and even tornado activity in the area, I had run the first part of the week anticipating that I was going to miss a day of running. When Thursday came and I had been able to run each day, a day off seemed like a good idea.
Then today, Friday, I ran 7.10 miles during the noon hour with temperatures of 94 degrees. I had taken my water pack with me to be sure I was hydrated well. While the heat was high and it definitely took a toll on me, I was pleased to get the 7 plus miles in. This also put me over the 500 mile mark for the year with 24 more days left in the month before the half year mark is reached. In other words, these days for the rest of the month will be bonus miles towards my 1,000 mile goal for the year.
For all of this, I am thankful.
One of the runners in the web site that I use for accountability, had her husband collapse near the finish line of a 10K race and actually died. Paramedics who were there for the race were able to revive him and open heart surgery was done a couple of days ago. The results have been good, but the reminder is made of just how frail life and health can be.
My miles for the year is at 503.88 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 432.92 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 216.46 miles and now cannot catch me this year!!!!!!
On Sunday I ran 8.60 miles.....Monday was 5.13 miles.....Tuesday was 3.44 miles.....Wednesday had 3.70 miles....and then I took a break on Thursday. Because of the threat of thunder storms and even tornado activity in the area, I had run the first part of the week anticipating that I was going to miss a day of running. When Thursday came and I had been able to run each day, a day off seemed like a good idea.
Then today, Friday, I ran 7.10 miles during the noon hour with temperatures of 94 degrees. I had taken my water pack with me to be sure I was hydrated well. While the heat was high and it definitely took a toll on me, I was pleased to get the 7 plus miles in. This also put me over the 500 mile mark for the year with 24 more days left in the month before the half year mark is reached. In other words, these days for the rest of the month will be bonus miles towards my 1,000 mile goal for the year.
For all of this, I am thankful.
One of the runners in the web site that I use for accountability, had her husband collapse near the finish line of a 10K race and actually died. Paramedics who were there for the race were able to revive him and open heart surgery was done a couple of days ago. The results have been good, but the reminder is made of just how frail life and health can be.
My miles for the year is at 503.88 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 432.92 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 216.46 miles and now cannot catch me this year!!!!!!
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Finishing off the mileage for May
I had a solid month of running for May. It ended up that I ran 118.6 miles during the month. The previous high that I had for May in any of the 5 previous years was only 67.2 miles. This is simply a month that I had never run that much. This becomes very satisfying to have accomplished this amount of miles for the month.
Thursday's run was 3.63 miles.......Friday's was 3.41 miles.....and then Saturday's run was 5.56. I had intended to run further on Saturday but the threat of thunder storms kept me close to the house and I simply didn't get in as much mileage at I had hoped for. Interestingly enough, as I was finishing off my run and was sweaty from the hot and humid conditions it gently started to rain. This was almost like a soft spray that would come off of a sprinkler system. Certainly it was a welcome mist at this stage of my run and helped to slightly freshen me up.
My mileage for the year is now at 475.91 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 416.48 miles. I only need to be averaging 2.45 miles a day to achieve this goal.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 208.24 miles. I am less than 25 miles away from her.
Meanwhile, the 2,000 KM pace bunny is looming up ahead at 513.76 miles. I need to run an average of 3.57 miles a day to catch this rascal.
Thursday's run was 3.63 miles.......Friday's was 3.41 miles.....and then Saturday's run was 5.56. I had intended to run further on Saturday but the threat of thunder storms kept me close to the house and I simply didn't get in as much mileage at I had hoped for. Interestingly enough, as I was finishing off my run and was sweaty from the hot and humid conditions it gently started to rain. This was almost like a soft spray that would come off of a sprinkler system. Certainly it was a welcome mist at this stage of my run and helped to slightly freshen me up.
My mileage for the year is now at 475.91 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 416.48 miles. I only need to be averaging 2.45 miles a day to achieve this goal.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 208.24 miles. I am less than 25 miles away from her.
Meanwhile, the 2,000 KM pace bunny is looming up ahead at 513.76 miles. I need to run an average of 3.57 miles a day to catch this rascal.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
More solid runs along the way
From a personal point of view, there were several very frustrating events that happened. To be fair, there were also several positive things but somehow the negative aspects loom large in the mind's eye. With this in "view" I went out for a shorter run than what might be normal for a Wednesday.
Monday's run was 3.66 miles. Tuesday's run was 5.05 miles. Today's run was 3.63 miles. All of these are solid miles and I now have exceeded the 100 mile mark for the month of May. This is a solid amount of miles for any month and I am happy.
The run did help with handling the cares of the day.
My mileage for the year is now at 463.31 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 408.26 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 204.13 miles.
The 2,000 mile pace bunny is up ahead and I just may make a run for him before December 31st happens.
Monday's run was 3.66 miles. Tuesday's run was 5.05 miles. Today's run was 3.63 miles. All of these are solid miles and I now have exceeded the 100 mile mark for the month of May. This is a solid amount of miles for any month and I am happy.
The run did help with handling the cares of the day.
My mileage for the year is now at 463.31 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 408.26 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 204.13 miles.
The 2,000 mile pace bunny is up ahead and I just may make a run for him before December 31st happens.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Several runs needing to be reported
I was away for a portion of the last 4-5 days and that did not allow me to report my runs. Happily it does not mean that I was not running. In fact, I had some GOOD runs in here. They were distances of 4.07, 4.63, 6.45, and 5.30 miles. Two of these were done along a park in Danville, Virginia. This was a beautiful area to run and I almost wish I were closer to that location, just to be able to run this trail.
I also am well positioned to reach the 100 mile level for the month of May, again a good place to be in.
These runs now give me a total of 450.97 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 400.04 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 200.02 miles.
I am well positioned between the 1,000 mile pace and the 2,000 KM pace.
I also am well positioned to reach the 100 mile level for the month of May, again a good place to be in.
These runs now give me a total of 450.97 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 400.04 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 200.02 miles.
I am well positioned between the 1,000 mile pace and the 2,000 KM pace.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Running cautiously
Yesterday I ran a soft 2.11 miles and then was ready to do a more serious run today. However, a little accident where I "snipped" off the tip of my index finger with pruning shears, left me not wanting to run too hard in case the finger started bleeding again. Earlier in the day, it had spurt blood out and I was concerned this might happen again if I was not careful. Thankfully the running did not affect the finger.
I ran an easy paced 4.67 miles to give me 430.52 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 383.60 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 191.80 miles.
I ran an easy paced 4.67 miles to give me 430.52 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 383.60 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 191.80 miles.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Yahooo........the miles keep adding up.
I got out for a late afternoon run of 5.37 miles. This gives me 423.74 miles for the year.
The 1000 mile pace bunny is at 375.38 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 187.69 miles.
The 2000 KM pace bunny is at 463.06 miles.
The 1500 mile pace bunny is at 561.70 miles.
The 1000 mile pace bunny is at 375.38 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 187.69 miles.
The 2000 KM pace bunny is at 463.06 miles.
The 1500 mile pace bunny is at 561.70 miles.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Where I am at
I ran an even 4 miles today. This gives me 418.37 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 372.64 miles and I lead her by 45.73 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 186.32 miles and I lead her by 232.05 miles.
The 2,000 KM pace bunny is at 459.68 miles and I trail her by 41.31 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 372.64 miles and I lead her by 45.73 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 186.32 miles and I lead her by 232.05 miles.
The 2,000 KM pace bunny is at 459.68 miles and I trail her by 41.31 miles.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Pushing down the hammer
With my new attempt to run for an hour each day, the miles are adding up. I added another 5.12 miles. This is very encouraging and what makes it so is the fact I am doing these miles early in the year. Last year I got WAY behind in miles and had to surge in the last 4 months to make 1,000 miles. With my early push this year, it allows for a lot more to happen.
This run gives me 414.37 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 369.90 miles. I lead her by 44.47 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 184.95 miles. I lead her by 229.42 miles.
The 2,000 KM pace bunny is at 456.30 miles. I trail her by 41.93 miles
This run gives me 414.37 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 369.90 miles. I lead her by 44.47 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 184.95 miles. I lead her by 229.42 miles.
The 2,000 KM pace bunny is at 456.30 miles. I trail her by 41.93 miles
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Another good run
I went out for an hour of running late in the afternoon and enjoyed 70 degree weather with a nice sun. This give me a run of 5.39 miles and leaves me with 409.25miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 367.16 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 183. 58 miles.
In view of the fact that I now have a comfortable lead on the 1,000 mile pace bunny, I am going to advance myself to the next level goal and add the 2,000 KM mile pace bunny to chase. With the recent increase in mileage that I have done, this should not be a problem. I am excited.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 367.16 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 183. 58 miles.
In view of the fact that I now have a comfortable lead on the 1,000 mile pace bunny, I am going to advance myself to the next level goal and add the 2,000 KM mile pace bunny to chase. With the recent increase in mileage that I have done, this should not be a problem. I am excited.
Running at 5 MPH
I was not able to run my normal hour on Sunday, certainly because of fatigue from running on Saturday at a distance and pace longer and faster than the normal amount. However I did get in 1.05 miles, enough to get the cobwebs out for the day.
That set my up for my Monday run. I initially thought I would only do 3 or so miles but then decided that I would stick to my hour of running and this gave me 5.27 miles and I was feeling good from it. This is very encouraging to me.
The total for the year is now at 403.86 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 364.42 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 182.21 miles.
How are YOU doing with your running or walking?
That set my up for my Monday run. I initially thought I would only do 3 or so miles but then decided that I would stick to my hour of running and this gave me 5.27 miles and I was feeling good from it. This is very encouraging to me.
The total for the year is now at 403.86 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 364.42 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 182.21 miles.
How are YOU doing with your running or walking?
Saturday, May 10, 2008
A two hour run
I have been trying something different recently. Rather than running with a set mileage goal in mind, I have been using the clock as the determining factor of how "long" I go. Today was supposed to be a long run and that meant two hours of running. The weather was perfect....sunny with cloudy breaks every so often and 73 degrees. I ran on a city bike/running/walking trail and had just an incredible run. I felt good and my time was exceptional for what I have been doing over the last year. This was VERY satisfying. My run today was 11 miles in 1:59:48.
This gives me 397.54 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 358.94 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 179.47 miles.
I am leading the 1,000 mile pace bunny by 38.60 miles.
My running life is good right now. Thank you Lord.
This gives me 397.54 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 358.94 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 179.47 miles.
I am leading the 1,000 mile pace bunny by 38.60 miles.
My running life is good right now. Thank you Lord.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Two nights of runs
How did I miss posting my run last night? It is a great study on the difference of DOING something and THINKING you did it. I was SURE I had posted last night's 3.04 mile run. Oh well, the word is out on it now. That was last night.
Tonight I ran in the cemetary at around 5 PM. There were people in there putting up a couple of new grave stones. Very carefully they were measuring, using a bubble level to make sure it was just right and straight. While I understand their need to do so and the desire to do it right, all around this "perfectly" placed new grave stone are old stones that have long ago sunken into the ground at a crooked angle. I watched them carefully wash the stone and make sure it was clean. Meanwhile these older stones were stained with moss, dirt, and bird droppings. I was left with the thought that this is exactly like life. In a world that seems to be weary of doing the right thing and living a balanced, clean and level life, we still need to be sure that things are done "right".
So, while circling these grave stone people (a husband and wife team with two cute little girls who played in the area), I managed to run 5.21 miles. It was a good run.
This gives me 386.54 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 356.20 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 178.10 miles.
I now lead the pace bunny by 30.34 miles.
Tonight I ran in the cemetary at around 5 PM. There were people in there putting up a couple of new grave stones. Very carefully they were measuring, using a bubble level to make sure it was just right and straight. While I understand their need to do so and the desire to do it right, all around this "perfectly" placed new grave stone are old stones that have long ago sunken into the ground at a crooked angle. I watched them carefully wash the stone and make sure it was clean. Meanwhile these older stones were stained with moss, dirt, and bird droppings. I was left with the thought that this is exactly like life. In a world that seems to be weary of doing the right thing and living a balanced, clean and level life, we still need to be sure that things are done "right".
So, while circling these grave stone people (a husband and wife team with two cute little girls who played in the area), I managed to run 5.21 miles. It was a good run.
This gives me 386.54 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 356.20 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 178.10 miles.
I now lead the pace bunny by 30.34 miles.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
A wind blown run
I started out running on a beautiful late afternoon to suddenly find the wind picking up. With all of the pollen and dust around, I spent a large part of my run trying to wipe my eyes. The good news was that part of the time I had this same strong wind to my back pushing me on.
I ran 4.78 miles which now gives me 378.29 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 350.72 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 175.36 miles.
I now lead the pace bunny by 27.57 miles.
I ran 4.78 miles which now gives me 378.29 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 350.72 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 175.36 miles.
I now lead the pace bunny by 27.57 miles.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Reporting two runs
I took Saturday and Sunday off from running, which was a welcome break. This was followed up with a light 1.17 mile run on Monday. Today I did a 5.06 mile run and this puts me in great shape for the week and the month already. I now am at 372.51 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 347.98 miles.
The 500 miloe pace bunny is at 178.99 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 347.98 miles.
The 500 miloe pace bunny is at 178.99 miles.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Running in beautiful weather
Not everyone enjoys running in warm weather, but I do. Today was the first day of the spring that I ran in a temperature over 80 degrees. Probably because I don't run excessively fast and run for a workout more than speed, the heat can be adapted to easier.
Yesterday I ran 5.18 miles and today I ran 4.83 miles. This gives me a total for the year of 367.28 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 337.02 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 168.51 miles.
I am toying with the idea of chasing the 2000 KM pace bunny which would add considerably to the mileage goal for the year. I will not be disappointed if I don't catch that bunny, but it will perhaps prepare me for next year. Right now I am 30 miles ahead of the 1,000 mile pace bunny and 49 miles behind the 2,000 KM pace bunny.
Yesterday I ran 5.18 miles and today I ran 4.83 miles. This gives me a total for the year of 367.28 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 337.02 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 168.51 miles.
I am toying with the idea of chasing the 2000 KM pace bunny which would add considerably to the mileage goal for the year. I will not be disappointed if I don't catch that bunny, but it will perhaps prepare me for next year. Right now I am 30 miles ahead of the 1,000 mile pace bunny and 49 miles behind the 2,000 KM pace bunny.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Adding the miles
I did a quick run late this afternoon, which gave me over 100 miles for the month of April. My total for the year is now 357.27 miles after my 3.27 miles today.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 331.54 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 165.77 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 331.54 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 165.77 miles.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Running after the rain
The needed rain continued for all morning and early into the afternoon. This still allowed me to get out for a nice 3.57 miles later on in the afternoon. I ran in the cemetary and there was a man walking his dog, as well as a lady who was sitting in her car reading. The cemetary is getting to be a popular place to go. Everyone ends up going there eventually.
The mileage now for me for the year is and even 354.00 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 326.06 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 163.03 miles.
The mileage now for me for the year is and even 354.00 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 326.06 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 163.03 miles.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
A tough run
I managed to get in 3.48 miles in the cemetary this afternoon.
I am not sure exactly why, but the run was not easy. It took me well into the second mile before I felt comfortable running. However, I did get the miles in and am pleased with that.
This gives me 350.43 miles for the year. I am also nearing the 100 mile mark for the month of April. Anytime I get over 100 miles in a month, I am very happy with that.
There were a lot of tent catapillars on the pavement today as I ran. It is that time of year. I never know whether to step on them or let them live.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 323.32 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 161.66 miles.
I am not sure exactly why, but the run was not easy. It took me well into the second mile before I felt comfortable running. However, I did get the miles in and am pleased with that.
This gives me 350.43 miles for the year. I am also nearing the 100 mile mark for the month of April. Anytime I get over 100 miles in a month, I am very happy with that.
There were a lot of tent catapillars on the pavement today as I ran. It is that time of year. I never know whether to step on them or let them live.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 323.32 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 161.66 miles.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
A nice long run
I got up and was out the door early for a run downtown and back. This is something that I occasionally do on a Saturday and it net me 11.12 miles. Since I did not run yesterday, I wanted the extra mileage and this certainly gave me that. That leaves me with an excellent week of running.
My milesage for the year is now at 346.95 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 320.58 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 160.29 miles.
My milesage for the year is now at 346.95 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 320.58 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 160.29 miles.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Sneaking in a run
On a beautiful Thursday in Virginia, I realized that I had several time commitments that was going to make a run during the normal times, next to impossible to pull off. So, I snuck it into my morning schedule and got in 3.3 miles under near perfect weather. The lawn mowers that were not operating yesterday during my run, were out in full force today. It led me to wonder just how much money is spent on gasoline for lawn mowers. At one time that was not a concern, but at today's prices it suddenly is something to think about.
The easy run gave me 335.83 miles for the year, over 1/3 of the 2008 goal.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 315.1 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 157.55 miles.
The easy run gave me 335.83 miles for the year, over 1/3 of the 2008 goal.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 315.1 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 157.55 miles.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Running on a beautiful spring day
The weather doesn't get any better than what it was this afternoon. The sun was shining, the temperature was a pleasant 72 degrees, and there was no breeze to contend with during my run today. Utilizing this perfect weather, I ran a pleasant 6.48 miles. There was the sound of lawn mowers all along the way as everyone seemed to be making use of the weather.
This gives me 332.53 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 312.36 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 156.18 miles.
This gives me 332.53 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 312.36 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 156.18 miles.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Varying the type of run
I needed to stay near the phone at my house today. As well, there was the threat of rain. As a result of these two facts, I decided to run 3 shorter segments with a quick stop at my house to check the phone. This was a good variation of my normal run and allowed my times for each mile to be a bit shorter than normal.
My running program has settled into a good, solid system each day that is working for getting me enough miles each day.
The total miles was 3.34, giving me 326.05 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 309.62 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 154.81 miles.
My running program has settled into a good, solid system each day that is working for getting me enough miles each day.
The total miles was 3.34, giving me 326.05 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 309.62 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 154.81 miles.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Another week of running begins
After a day off yesterday, today started a new week of running.
Today was also the Boston Marathon race and I followed the progress with keen interest. There were 33 friends from my running website that I was following the progress of. They ALL did a tremendous job with 6 of them running faster times today in the Marathon than they did in the qualifying marathon that got them into today's event. With 25,000 runners, this event is certainly an incredible event.
Assuming all 25,000 runners ran the full 26.2 miles, this is equal to 655,000 miles. If this was done in individual cars averaging 20 miles per gallon at today's average gas price of $3.51 per gallon.......it would have cost $114,952.50 in gas costs for this group to have made this trip. At the time when I was a kid starting to drive, this same amount of people could have driven there for $9,792.25 (.299 cents per gallon).
My 3.49 miles run this evening gives me 322.71 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 306.88 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 153.44 miles.
Today was also the Boston Marathon race and I followed the progress with keen interest. There were 33 friends from my running website that I was following the progress of. They ALL did a tremendous job with 6 of them running faster times today in the Marathon than they did in the qualifying marathon that got them into today's event. With 25,000 runners, this event is certainly an incredible event.
Assuming all 25,000 runners ran the full 26.2 miles, this is equal to 655,000 miles. If this was done in individual cars averaging 20 miles per gallon at today's average gas price of $3.51 per gallon.......it would have cost $114,952.50 in gas costs for this group to have made this trip. At the time when I was a kid starting to drive, this same amount of people could have driven there for $9,792.25 (.299 cents per gallon).
My 3.49 miles run this evening gives me 322.71 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 306.88 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 153.44 miles.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
The warm weather is here
I have had a good solid week of running.
Rather than going the route of average miles for 5 days, a day off, and then a long run, it has worked out with my schedule to run solid 3+ miles each day. The last three days have been 3.04 miles, 3.09 miles, and today's 3.55 miles. This works out to being more than what I need for the week and I have another day to go. That means I will have the option of either running tomorrow or making it a rest day.
The warm weather of the last couple of days has been a welcome feature for me. I do enjoy that warmth and seem to run better in it.
The miles added this morning now brings me to a total for this year of 319.22 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 301.40 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 150.7 miles.
Rather than going the route of average miles for 5 days, a day off, and then a long run, it has worked out with my schedule to run solid 3+ miles each day. The last three days have been 3.04 miles, 3.09 miles, and today's 3.55 miles. This works out to being more than what I need for the week and I have another day to go. That means I will have the option of either running tomorrow or making it a rest day.
The warm weather of the last couple of days has been a welcome feature for me. I do enjoy that warmth and seem to run better in it.
The miles added this morning now brings me to a total for this year of 319.22 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 301.40 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 150.7 miles.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Evening run
I managed to get through a busy schedule for the afternoon in time to do my run this evening. The weather was perfect and I enjoyed the 3.52 miles that I ran.
This gives me 304.97 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 290.44 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 145.22 miles.
This gives me 304.97 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 290.44 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 145.22 miles.
Adding on the miles
I rested on Sunday from running. There was some thought part way through the day to getting in a basic run at least, but my schedule suddenly dictated that this become a rest day.
Monday I was able to run a nice 3.64 miles and start the week off with a comfortable pace. I had a scratchy throat and wanted to be sure not to make this worse. I think this is most likely the pollen season affecting my system and it will eventually go away. It is more of an annoyance than anything else. Running in the cemetary while they were mowing probably did not help.
The 3.64 miles gives me 301.45 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 287.70 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 143.85 miles.
Monday I was able to run a nice 3.64 miles and start the week off with a comfortable pace. I had a scratchy throat and wanted to be sure not to make this worse. I think this is most likely the pollen season affecting my system and it will eventually go away. It is more of an annoyance than anything else. Running in the cemetary while they were mowing probably did not help.
The 3.64 miles gives me 301.45 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 287.70 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 143.85 miles.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
No rest today
The rain was here this morning, but it cleared around noon time and ended up to be a lovely day. That proved to be too much of a temptation for me and I got in 3.3 easy miles in the cemetary during the afternoon.
While I was there, a family came to look at several gravesites. The 12 year old son was given the opportunity to drive the car around while the rest of the family all walked. Of course he made use of the moment and circled the cemetary a couple of extra times. He was very proud of what he was doing and very careful when I was running nearby.
That reminded me of a similar experience of a young boy about 43 years ago back in the state of Maine. I remember my Dad allowing me to drive the car in the cemetary to give me some experience driving. The road in that cemetary is gravel and very twisty. It requires some very accurate steering to navigate around the various corners and I remember being "oh so careful" as I idled the car around. I still remember that feeling of pride from those days. I appreciated the reminder today of this story from my younger years.
I ran 3.33 miles which gives me 297.81 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 282.22 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 141.11 miles.
While I was there, a family came to look at several gravesites. The 12 year old son was given the opportunity to drive the car around while the rest of the family all walked. Of course he made use of the moment and circled the cemetary a couple of extra times. He was very proud of what he was doing and very careful when I was running nearby.
That reminded me of a similar experience of a young boy about 43 years ago back in the state of Maine. I remember my Dad allowing me to drive the car in the cemetary to give me some experience driving. The road in that cemetary is gravel and very twisty. It requires some very accurate steering to navigate around the various corners and I remember being "oh so careful" as I idled the car around. I still remember that feeling of pride from those days. I appreciated the reminder today of this story from my younger years.
I ran 3.33 miles which gives me 297.81 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 282.22 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 141.11 miles.
Friday, April 11, 2008
The end of a good week of running
I had a good week of running with no particularly long runs, but solid consistent distances each day. Each day was between 3 to 5 miles. It really does not take long running each day at these distances to put together a solid amount of miles.
Each time I go out, I try to come up with a bit of a philosophy of how I am going to run that day and what I want to accomplish. Today I wanted to work on running a steady pace but not stopping for a fairly long distance. This worked very well and certainly helped my times.
I plan to run a longer run either Saturday or Sunday and then use the other day as a day off.
My 3.63 miles today gives me 294.48 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 279.48 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 139.74 miles.
Each time I go out, I try to come up with a bit of a philosophy of how I am going to run that day and what I want to accomplish. Today I wanted to work on running a steady pace but not stopping for a fairly long distance. This worked very well and certainly helped my times.
I plan to run a longer run either Saturday or Sunday and then use the other day as a day off.
My 3.63 miles today gives me 294.48 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 279.48 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 139.74 miles.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Miles completed for 1956
I am working on a long range goal of running a mile for every day that I live. The miles I count are those since I started running in 2003. Growing up and playing sports, I know there were thousands of miles that I ran back then that were never calculated and not meant as a part of my running "career".
Today I ran 3.48 miles on a lovely sunny afternoon. The significance of these miles is that it completed the miles for another year of my goal. This completes 1956 and starts me on the way for the next year. While I am a long way off right now, I am heading in the right direction and if I remain consistent in my goal and running, I will keep chipping away at the years and soon racking up the years.
My goal of 1,000 miles a year not only takes care of the current year, but also makes up another year and nine months towards my goal. Any miles in a year that I run more than that is purely a bonus.
My miles today gives me 290.85 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 276.74 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 138.37 miles.
Today I ran 3.48 miles on a lovely sunny afternoon. The significance of these miles is that it completed the miles for another year of my goal. This completes 1956 and starts me on the way for the next year. While I am a long way off right now, I am heading in the right direction and if I remain consistent in my goal and running, I will keep chipping away at the years and soon racking up the years.
My goal of 1,000 miles a year not only takes care of the current year, but also makes up another year and nine months towards my goal. Any miles in a year that I run more than that is purely a bonus.
My miles today gives me 290.85 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 276.74 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 138.37 miles.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
It was one of those runs
There are times when you run easier, faster, longer and without trouble. It is hard to understand or explain why this happens. Probably every runner wonders why it cannot happen every time out, but for some reason it seemingly "just happens".
I started my first mile and immediately recognized that this was a faster first mile than any that I have had recently. My records indicate it had been a month since I had run that fast in the first mile. Lest anyone think I am setting Olympic records, this "fast" mile was equal to what I was regularly running for a first mile two months ago. I have simply been going slower the last few weeks. Anyway, this was a nice run.
The weather was in the mid 60's and that in itself always brings out the better runs for me. I simply enjoy running when it is warmer. I am convinced that to be able to run at this stage in life is a blessing from God.
I managed to make the run an even 5 miles and this gives me 287.37 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 274.00 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 137.00 miles.
I started my first mile and immediately recognized that this was a faster first mile than any that I have had recently. My records indicate it had been a month since I had run that fast in the first mile. Lest anyone think I am setting Olympic records, this "fast" mile was equal to what I was regularly running for a first mile two months ago. I have simply been going slower the last few weeks. Anyway, this was a nice run.
The weather was in the mid 60's and that in itself always brings out the better runs for me. I simply enjoy running when it is warmer. I am convinced that to be able to run at this stage in life is a blessing from God.
I managed to make the run an even 5 miles and this gives me 287.37 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 274.00 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 137.00 miles.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
The SUN
What a wonderful sight to see the sun this afternoon. I was not long in getting on my running gear and getting out there to take advantage of this weather. This was near the "rush hour" traffic time so I took my run to the cemetary where there was no traffic. The alternate route that I often use is in a subdivision where a lot of people come home to, so to avoid that was probably a wise decision.
I ran for 3.3 miles which gives me 282.37 miles for the year. This also gives me a lead over the 1,000 mile pace bunny of 11.11 miles and that equates to 4 days of running. While I plan to slowly start pulling away from the pace bunny, it is always good to have a lead of several days in case of weather problems or injury.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 271.26 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 135.63 miles.
I ran for 3.3 miles which gives me 282.37 miles for the year. This also gives me a lead over the 1,000 mile pace bunny of 11.11 miles and that equates to 4 days of running. While I plan to slowly start pulling away from the pace bunny, it is always good to have a lead of several days in case of weather problems or injury.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 271.26 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 135.63 miles.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Still dodging rain
I was able to run 3.28 miles in the afternoon over in the cemetary. As I was running I realized that for all of the rain that has been in the area for the last several days, I still have been able to get my miles in. This is really good and I am thankful for it.
While I always run wearing my Garmin 305 Forerunner, I feel like I am settling into a pattern of running that pretty well stays consistent through each run. While my times may vary, the pattern of times each mile is amazingly consistent no matter how I approach my runs. This speaks of the internal limitations of the body that dictate how fast a person runs. Knowing these numbers helps when I see that I can push a little bit to increase either time or distance.
These miles give me 279.07 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 268.52 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 134.26 miles.
While I always run wearing my Garmin 305 Forerunner, I feel like I am settling into a pattern of running that pretty well stays consistent through each run. While my times may vary, the pattern of times each mile is amazingly consistent no matter how I approach my runs. This speaks of the internal limitations of the body that dictate how fast a person runs. Knowing these numbers helps when I see that I can push a little bit to increase either time or distance.
These miles give me 279.07 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 268.52 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 134.26 miles.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is .....running?
Despite the fact that I don't like to run in the rain, I found a bit of time this afternoon and headed out to put in some miles....despite the rain.
The route today was the cemetary and it actually was a nice temperature at 50 degrees for running. There is a lot of activity of birds in the area, most likely from the activity of new baby birds going on. What a great time of year to run
I managed to get in this bonus 3.22 miles which gives me 275.79 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 265.78 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 132.89 miles.
The route today was the cemetary and it actually was a nice temperature at 50 degrees for running. There is a lot of activity of birds in the area, most likely from the activity of new baby birds going on. What a great time of year to run
I managed to get in this bonus 3.22 miles which gives me 275.79 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 265.78 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 132.89 miles.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Left in a cloud of dust
Just as I started this afternoon's run, a young couple zipped by me. I would guess that they are university age and probably attend one of 4 or 5 colleges or universities in the area. They both looked to be in fabulous shape and she was decked out in matching green shirt, shorts, head band and socks that were white with a green stripe. It did not take them long before they were long gone and out of sight. I was left in "a cloud of dust".
This reminded me that often in life we all may be seeking to accomplish the same objectives but each one will do so in their own time and manner. This couple ran and finished the run. I did the same thing on the same road.....just at a different pace.
Quite often the accomplishments of life have more to do with the willingness of the person to do it, than to the finesse with which it was done.
I ran 4.08 miles which gives me 272.57 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 263.04 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 131.52 miles.
This reminded me that often in life we all may be seeking to accomplish the same objectives but each one will do so in their own time and manner. This couple ran and finished the run. I did the same thing on the same road.....just at a different pace.
Quite often the accomplishments of life have more to do with the willingness of the person to do it, than to the finesse with which it was done.
I ran 4.08 miles which gives me 272.57 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 263.04 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 131.52 miles.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Enjoying the break in the rain
We have been having rain over the last few days with cooler temperatures. While I have managed to get in some runs during this period of time, it has knocked some potential runs off my schedule. Tomorrow it is forecast for some more rain. That made me determined to get out and run this afternoon for some miles. That way, if I can't run tomorrow it won't be so bad.
The 57 degree weather with a sun that kept breaking in and out made for good running conditions as I did 4.05 miles.
The weather must have been good enough for one city worker who was sleeping in his truck as I ran by. He heard me pass and woke with a start. I should have been more quiet running by. It really is a shame when we pay these guys with our taxes and then don't even allow them to get a good sleep on the job. I will be more careful next time.
The run today gives me 268.49 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 260.3 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 130.15 miles.
The 57 degree weather with a sun that kept breaking in and out made for good running conditions as I did 4.05 miles.
The weather must have been good enough for one city worker who was sleeping in his truck as I ran by. He heard me pass and woke with a start. I should have been more quiet running by. It really is a shame when we pay these guys with our taxes and then don't even allow them to get a good sleep on the job. I will be more careful next time.
The run today gives me 268.49 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 260.3 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 130.15 miles.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The facts are encouraging
I know that some people could not be bothered keeping the statistics that I do for my runs. All of my life I have always enjoyed keeping track of things to the point that on most days I know which day of my life I am living. (Today is my 20,855th day of my life). While some people have no interest in such detail, there are times at which the information can be of benefit.
I realized today that by the end of March this year, I had run as many miles as what was the total last year at the end of April. This is a GREAT reward for my running during this first quarter. It is downright ENCOURAGING.
With a little sleet happening this morning, I held off running until just after noon.
I managed 4.04 miles giving me 264.44 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 257.56 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 128.78 miles.
OK.....so do you know what day of your life it is?
I realized today that by the end of March this year, I had run as many miles as what was the total last year at the end of April. This is a GREAT reward for my running during this first quarter. It is downright ENCOURAGING.
With a little sleet happening this morning, I held off running until just after noon.
I managed 4.04 miles giving me 264.44 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 257.56 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 128.78 miles.
OK.....so do you know what day of your life it is?
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
One quarter of the way there
It suddenly dawned on me that a quarter of the year has already passed. That seems quite incredible to think about. Of course that also means that one quarter of my goal to run 1,000 miles should be completed as well. Thankfully I am on track and was able to run 3.2 miles on Tuesday to give me a start on April.
I did not run on Sunday or Monday partially due to my busy schedule, but also because it was rainy during both of those days. We need the rain, so it was a welcoming sight except for missing my runs. Thankfully I had a long run on Saturday that more than covered the needed miles
This gives me 260.40 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 252.08 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 126.04 miles.
I did not run on Sunday or Monday partially due to my busy schedule, but also because it was rainy during both of those days. We need the rain, so it was a welcoming sight except for missing my runs. Thankfully I had a long run on Saturday that more than covered the needed miles
This gives me 260.40 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 252.08 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 126.04 miles.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Adding some good miles
Yesterday I ran 3.38 miles.
Still needing to get in a long run for the weekend, I got up early and "ran into town". The weather was slightly cooler than what I had prepared for and at first I thought this was going to be a problem. However as I warmed up from the run, I was able to overcome the cool wind that made the 48 degree weather seem even colder.
The traffic flow is definitely different on a Saturday and I had to contend with that during my run. The fact I got an early start meant that it was not as busy out as it would have been if I had waited until later.
The total miles this morning was 11.15 miles and that gives me 257.20 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 243.86 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 121.93 miles.
Still needing to get in a long run for the weekend, I got up early and "ran into town". The weather was slightly cooler than what I had prepared for and at first I thought this was going to be a problem. However as I warmed up from the run, I was able to overcome the cool wind that made the 48 degree weather seem even colder.
The traffic flow is definitely different on a Saturday and I had to contend with that during my run. The fact I got an early start meant that it was not as busy out as it would have been if I had waited until later.
The total miles this morning was 11.15 miles and that gives me 257.20 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 243.86 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 121.93 miles.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Another beautiful day for running.
I awoke to warm weather and birds singing...always a good sign.
With the temperature hovering right about at 70 degrees, I dressed in shorts and a short sleeve shirt to run 4.08 miles over the noon hour. This was simply a great run and I so greatly enjoyed being able to be in summer running gear again. It was funny that I suddenly was self conscious today when I first went out because of being in shorts. They were the same old shorts, but since it had been so long since the citizens of this town had seen these snow white skinny legs, I was a bit aprehensive about being out there in them. Oh well, it won't get any better people.
The 4.08 miles gives me 242.67 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 238.38 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 119.19 miles.
With the temperature hovering right about at 70 degrees, I dressed in shorts and a short sleeve shirt to run 4.08 miles over the noon hour. This was simply a great run and I so greatly enjoyed being able to be in summer running gear again. It was funny that I suddenly was self conscious today when I first went out because of being in shorts. They were the same old shorts, but since it had been so long since the citizens of this town had seen these snow white skinny legs, I was a bit aprehensive about being out there in them. Oh well, it won't get any better people.
The 4.08 miles gives me 242.67 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 238.38 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 119.19 miles.
Spring has sprung
The day was perfect for running and I made use of it. I waited until the late afternoon and then went out for a long run that ended up to be 8.13 miles. It was perfect for running and I am sure many people started thinking of a variety of springtime activities to be busy with.
Since I had lost a couple of days of running over the weekend, this was a bonus opportunity to catch up on the miles. If I have a solid week of running and then get in a good long run over the weekend, I will be in great shape for putting some distance between me and the pace bunny.
This 8.13 miles gives me 238.59 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 235.64 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 117.32 miles.
Since I had lost a couple of days of running over the weekend, this was a bonus opportunity to catch up on the miles. If I have a solid week of running and then get in a good long run over the weekend, I will be in great shape for putting some distance between me and the pace bunny.
This 8.13 miles gives me 238.59 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 235.64 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 117.32 miles.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Running along the beach
Friday I was in Virginia Beach, staying at a hotel right only the water. Getting up early on Saturday morning I was able to run along the famed Virginia Beach Boardwalk. What a great experience that was. There were plenty of other runners along the trail, each one with a different approach to the same exercise. There were some people running alone, often with earplugs placed in their ears to allow them to hear there favorite tunes. Other runners ran in "two's". I saw all the combinations.....two men, two women, a man and a woman; but each group enjoying the combined energy that two runners bring. There were also the runner's who bring along their dogs to join in. That requires a lot of dedication by the runner and also a good training program to bring the dogs to a stage where they ignore other's along the way.
The run was fun and interesting. I was looking in so many directions at once that the attention to running was secondary. The miles quickly passed by and I even stopped along the way to enjoy a coffee. The ocean is so wonderful to be around.
While I had planned on doing this run for several mornings, it ended up that I did not stay longer than the one night at this hotel. I was glad I got in this run.
I was not able to run for the next couple of days, which put me behind in my goals. However, I did get to run on Tuesday and this helped.
My miles for the year is now at 230.46 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 232.90 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 116.45 miles.
The run was fun and interesting. I was looking in so many directions at once that the attention to running was secondary. The miles quickly passed by and I even stopped along the way to enjoy a coffee. The ocean is so wonderful to be around.
While I had planned on doing this run for several mornings, it ended up that I did not stay longer than the one night at this hotel. I was glad I got in this run.
I was not able to run for the next couple of days, which put me behind in my goals. However, I did get to run on Tuesday and this helped.
My miles for the year is now at 230.46 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 232.90 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 116.45 miles.
Friday, March 21, 2008
A spring day to run
On a lovely and warm March day, I managed to go 3.02 miles to bring my total for the year to 221.90 miles
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 221.94 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 110.97 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 221.94 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 110.97 miles.
Running with the Pace Bunny
I have had two nice runs over the last couple of days as I try to keep even with the Pace Bunny. As silly as it may seem, the motivating factor of trying to beat an imaginary rabbit is real. For me, if I can keep him in my sights then when the summer and warmer weather comes, I should be able to put some distance between the two of us.
Wednesday I ran 3 miles and then on Thursday added 3.23 more miles.
I am on the road again this weekend with responsibilities in the Women's NCAA Basketball "Big Dance" tournament. While my schedule with this will be busy over the next couple of days, I am still counting on getting in some miles. I usually try to get one longer run in over the weekends but this may not be possible this week.
My total miles for the year is now at 218.88 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 219.20 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 109.60 miles.
Wednesday I ran 3 miles and then on Thursday added 3.23 more miles.
I am on the road again this weekend with responsibilities in the Women's NCAA Basketball "Big Dance" tournament. While my schedule with this will be busy over the next couple of days, I am still counting on getting in some miles. I usually try to get one longer run in over the weekends but this may not be possible this week.
My total miles for the year is now at 218.88 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 219.20 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 109.60 miles.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
When life gets crazy......
An interesting news article coming out this evening says that the way to combat Alzheimer's disease from happening is to EXERCISE. That is a comfort and reinforcement for my running. I KNOW there are benefits to doing this program of running, but it is good to be reminded of just WHAT the benefits are.
I was away for several days and in the midst of it found out that my brother is struggling with congestive heart problems and blockages. Due to some kidney and diabetes problems, this has meant that they are not able to do much to correct the problem other than recommend a strict diet, perscribe some medications, and then recommend that he do some EXERCISE. The ordeal has been draining on all of us in the family. I have spent considerable time researching and phoning friends who are specialist in this area, for advice.
I DID get a little running in over the last six days, with runs of 3.08, 1.00, and 5.74 miles. This gives me a total of 212.65 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 213.72 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 106.86 miles.
I was away for several days and in the midst of it found out that my brother is struggling with congestive heart problems and blockages. Due to some kidney and diabetes problems, this has meant that they are not able to do much to correct the problem other than recommend a strict diet, perscribe some medications, and then recommend that he do some EXERCISE. The ordeal has been draining on all of us in the family. I have spent considerable time researching and phoning friends who are specialist in this area, for advice.
I DID get a little running in over the last six days, with runs of 3.08, 1.00, and 5.74 miles. This gives me a total of 212.65 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 213.72 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 106.86 miles.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
A quick update on today's run
I am heading out the door for a short trip in just a few minutes but want to report my run for today.
The weather is great with 61 degree sunshine conditions. I ran 4.12 miles giving me 202.83 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 197.28 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 98.64 miles.
The weather is great with 61 degree sunshine conditions. I ran 4.12 miles giving me 202.83 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 197.28 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 98.64 miles.
Making up miles
The weather has allowed me to make up some of the miles I missed out on last weekend.
Monday I ran 4.71 miles and then Tuesday got in another 5.25 miles. The weather and change of time has allowed for some excellent running conditions for me. I really enjoy the warmer temperatures and feeling the heat of the sun as I run. That has certainly been the case for the last few days and the forecast indicates that this is going to continue with temperatures tomorrow expected to reach 70 degrees.
These miles become even more important because I am planning to be on the road over the next 3-4 days. Running may or may not be possible while away. Sometimes travel times work out to be an advantage in getting a chance to run while other times it is a lost cause.
My total for the year now is at 198.71 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 194.54 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 92.27 miles.
Monday I ran 4.71 miles and then Tuesday got in another 5.25 miles. The weather and change of time has allowed for some excellent running conditions for me. I really enjoy the warmer temperatures and feeling the heat of the sun as I run. That has certainly been the case for the last few days and the forecast indicates that this is going to continue with temperatures tomorrow expected to reach 70 degrees.
These miles become even more important because I am planning to be on the road over the next 3-4 days. Running may or may not be possible while away. Sometimes travel times work out to be an advantage in getting a chance to run while other times it is a lost cause.
My total for the year now is at 198.71 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 194.54 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 92.27 miles.
Monday, March 10, 2008
The Bunny caught me
A phone call late last week informed me that my brother was in the hospital with congestive heart failure. That realigned a whole lot of priorities quickly and I spend time adjusting to what I needed to be doing and the possibility of a trip home while medical procedures are done. As I write this, cautherization is being done at the hospital in Maine near where he lives. Depending upon what they find, my schedule will adjust from there.
One of the things that suffered was my running AND my writing in this blog. Let me catch up.
I ran 3.08 miles on Thursday and another 3.03 miles on Friday. Saturday and Sunday I never got a run in but will attempt to do so today. So as of Sunday my miles for the year are at 188.75.
It is interesting to note that my first thought of being behind the pace bunny is to be discouraged. To take a closer look however, I am much further ahead from where I was last year at this time. What I lost by not running over the weekend was the LEAD that I had on the bunny. Basically, I am ON pace for the goal with plenty of days left. There, I feel better about it now that I realize where I am in reality. The key is to think it all through and then get a CORRECT prospective on the situation.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 189.06 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 94.53 miles.
One of the things that suffered was my running AND my writing in this blog. Let me catch up.
I ran 3.08 miles on Thursday and another 3.03 miles on Friday. Saturday and Sunday I never got a run in but will attempt to do so today. So as of Sunday my miles for the year are at 188.75.
It is interesting to note that my first thought of being behind the pace bunny is to be discouraged. To take a closer look however, I am much further ahead from where I was last year at this time. What I lost by not running over the weekend was the LEAD that I had on the bunny. Basically, I am ON pace for the goal with plenty of days left. There, I feel better about it now that I realize where I am in reality. The key is to think it all through and then get a CORRECT prospective on the situation.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 189.06 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 94.53 miles.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The calm after the storm
Last night we had tornado warnings with heavy rains and high winds. Today was the calm after the storm as it turned out to be sunny and warm. That made my late afternoon run extremely enjoyable. Once again a lot of people were out around enjoying the weather.
I ran 4.61 miles which now gives me 182.64 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 178.1 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 89.05 miles.
I ran 4.61 miles which now gives me 182.64 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 178.1 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 89.05 miles.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
My timing was perfect
I often run in the early evenings after I have finished working for the day. It is just an easy time to do it so that is my pattern.
Today I decided to run at noon time. The decision to do that was wise. After I had run the 3.59 miles for the day, I noticed rain clouds in the distance. Within a matter of minutes it started raining and has continued to do so for quite a while now. My noon time run helped to avoid running in the rain.
We need the rain so this is welcome. I didn't need to be running in the rain so the fact I missed it is perfectly alright.
The 3.59 miles gives me 178.03 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 175.36 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 87.68 miles.
Today I decided to run at noon time. The decision to do that was wise. After I had run the 3.59 miles for the day, I noticed rain clouds in the distance. Within a matter of minutes it started raining and has continued to do so for quite a while now. My noon time run helped to avoid running in the rain.
We need the rain so this is welcome. I didn't need to be running in the rain so the fact I missed it is perfectly alright.
The 3.59 miles gives me 178.03 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 175.36 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 87.68 miles.
Monday, March 3, 2008
A lovely spring day for a run
I woke up and immediately knew I wanted to get in a nice run today. Not only had I taken yesterday off from running, but the weather was spring day perfect. I noticed that many people used the day to get out for perhaps their first outdoor exercise event in several weeks.
I managed a comfortable 4.08 miles running and then even did a walk for 2.91 miles more. While I only count the running miles, it was good to get in a nice walk as well. My mileage for the year is now at 174.44 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 172.62 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 86.31 miles.
I managed a comfortable 4.08 miles running and then even did a walk for 2.91 miles more. While I only count the running miles, it was good to get in a nice walk as well. My mileage for the year is now at 174.44 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 172.62 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 86.31 miles.
Treadmill run
On Saturday, I was on the road and staying at a hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. Because of a busy day, I had to work to get in a run and was only able to do so by getting up early and heading down to the hotel exercise room.
Over the last 10 years, most of the hotel chains have realized that today's traveler wants the opportunity to work out. They usually have a treadmill or two and several other types of apparatus. Many of them are even open 24 hours a day which I always like for getting in some exercise at odd times. No one has to worry about the neighborhood, the weather, or getting lost in an unfamiliar place. That being said, I often do enjoy being able to run in a new neighborhood. You can really see a community better when you are going at a runner's pace.
I did manage 3.25 miles on the treadmill, which gives me 170.36 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 167.14 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 83.57 miles.
Over the last 10 years, most of the hotel chains have realized that today's traveler wants the opportunity to work out. They usually have a treadmill or two and several other types of apparatus. Many of them are even open 24 hours a day which I always like for getting in some exercise at odd times. No one has to worry about the neighborhood, the weather, or getting lost in an unfamiliar place. That being said, I often do enjoy being able to run in a new neighborhood. You can really see a community better when you are going at a runner's pace.
I did manage 3.25 miles on the treadmill, which gives me 170.36 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 167.14 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 83.57 miles.
Friday, February 29, 2008
A quick run
I am out of town for the next 36 hours and needed to get a quick run in to finish off my mileage for the month of February. While it was not as good a month for running as I might have wished, it still was the best February that I have recorded mileage for. So this was a good month over all.
I ran today for 3.05 miles, giving me 167.11 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 164.4 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 82.2 miles.
I ran today for 3.05 miles, giving me 167.11 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 164.4 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 82.2 miles.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Trying to work a run into the day
I knew from the start that this was going to be a difficult day to manage a run. Because I am out of town tomorrow and may not get to run, I wanted to be sure to get today's run in.
When I woke up, it was raining and I decided to wait until later to run. By the time the rain had stopped, I was too busy to be able to break away for a workout. When I finally got the chance, my phone and the conversation with a neighbor almost made me miss the evening chance. However, with dark pressing in I was able to get in my miles for the day....4.07 miles giving me 164.06 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 156.18 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 78.09 miles.
When I woke up, it was raining and I decided to wait until later to run. By the time the rain had stopped, I was too busy to be able to break away for a workout. When I finally got the chance, my phone and the conversation with a neighbor almost made me miss the evening chance. However, with dark pressing in I was able to get in my miles for the day....4.07 miles giving me 164.06 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 156.18 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 78.09 miles.
Monday, February 25, 2008
A beautiful day to run
Today was the type of day that teases you into thinking that Spring has arrived. The fact that birds have returned and are chirping adds to the feeling but in reality I KNOW it is only a tease. In the next couple of days the temperatures are expected to drop again and we will be rudely brought back to the norm. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying the weather today. I noticed that I was not the only one who was out walking or running. This is a nice feeling for everyone.
I got out for the run later in the afternoon for 3.39 miles that gives me 159.99 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 153.44 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 76.72 miles.
I got out for the run later in the afternoon for 3.39 miles that gives me 159.99 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 153.44 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 76.72 miles.
Reaching 2,000 miles
My goal ultimately is to run a mile for every day that I have lived. I have not counted any of the miles and activities of growing up and the early adult years. I know that I have always been very active and undoubtedly this has helped with my overall health. The miles I am counting are those recorded since I started this running career in 2003.
The first couple of years were not really much for running, but they were used to get me interested and started building a base. Now I am into a solid running program and this current goal of "Running 1,000 miles in a year" is definitely helping me towards my overall goal.
I decided that at each 1,000 mile mark I would take a picture of myself. Then in the years to come I can see what I looked like at each 1,000 mile stage. I am doing this in my total miles and also any time I reach the thousand mile mark within a year.
Yesterday I reached the 2,000 mile mark. I am thankful for reaching this level and look forward to the upcoming miles when I can steadily climb towards the goal. I am expecting to be doing this for many years to come, unless God decides I run better on Heavenly streets of gold.
I ran 3.05 miles on Sunday, giving me 156.6 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 150.7 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 75.35 miles.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Getting in the miles
I knew when I got up that I wanted to work a run into a busy Saturday. I had some office work needing to be done that had a time deadline of 10 AM. I also had a planned trip out of town where I needed to leave the house by 2 PM. In between I knew of 2 phone calls, a shower, lunch and a couple of little things needing to be done. When I found the right moment, I hurriedly got dressed in my running gear and got out the door for 4.05 very fast and enjoyable miles.
This gives me 153.55 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 147.96 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 73.98 miles.
My next run marks a milestone and I am already excited about it.
This gives me 153.55 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 147.96 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 73.98 miles.
My next run marks a milestone and I am already excited about it.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Running with caution
A predicted winter storm that meant freezing rain did not develop to the degree that was expected. However, temperatures hovered around the freezing level, making the possibility of slippery spots a very real possibility. As I went for my run for the day I kept this in mind. There were certain spots on the pavement that looked "slick" and could have been "black ice". Between my caution and the fact there probably was not really any ice, the run went fine.
I managed 3.19 miles which gives me 149.5 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 145.2 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 72.6 miles.
I managed 3.19 miles which gives me 149.5 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 145.2 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 72.6 miles.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Thursday's run
My schedule didn't allow me the normal time for a run, but I still managed to get in 1.74 miles. This gives me 146.31 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 142.48 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 71.24 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 142.48 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 71.24 miles.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Running in the rain
For me weather is a big thing when I run.
There is the old expression of a "Fair Weather Friend". Similarly, I guess I could be classified as a man who likes to "Run in the Sun". In any regard, I don't like to run when I am fighting the elements and not enjoying the weather. Running is enough to contend with, without fighting snow, sleet, and freezing rain. I don't even like running when it is too hot, too cold, or too windy. If you want to give me a choice, I will take the heat over cold every time.
Today when I went to run it was starting to release big drops of rain. I immediately had the tempting thought to scrap the run for the day. Instead I decided I would at least get SOME running in and maybe stop early if the weather became a problem.
Over the years I have learned that how you dress has a big impact on how much you enjoy running. I always have more clothes on than anyone else. Again, I would rather be too hot than too cold, so too many clothes is not something I worry about on short runs. The key is to use layers and then shed what you don't need along the way.
The temperature today was 46 degrees. With the rain it felt colder. I put on my regular gear and then added a hooded sweatshirt to the top. This was perfect. As the drops turned to a steady soft rain, the hood on the shirt came up and I comfortably ran my 3.33 miles for the day.
This gives me 144.57 miles for the year.
The 1000 mile pace bunny is at 139.74 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 69.87 miles.
There is the old expression of a "Fair Weather Friend". Similarly, I guess I could be classified as a man who likes to "Run in the Sun". In any regard, I don't like to run when I am fighting the elements and not enjoying the weather. Running is enough to contend with, without fighting snow, sleet, and freezing rain. I don't even like running when it is too hot, too cold, or too windy. If you want to give me a choice, I will take the heat over cold every time.
Today when I went to run it was starting to release big drops of rain. I immediately had the tempting thought to scrap the run for the day. Instead I decided I would at least get SOME running in and maybe stop early if the weather became a problem.
Over the years I have learned that how you dress has a big impact on how much you enjoy running. I always have more clothes on than anyone else. Again, I would rather be too hot than too cold, so too many clothes is not something I worry about on short runs. The key is to use layers and then shed what you don't need along the way.
The temperature today was 46 degrees. With the rain it felt colder. I put on my regular gear and then added a hooded sweatshirt to the top. This was perfect. As the drops turned to a steady soft rain, the hood on the shirt came up and I comfortably ran my 3.33 miles for the day.
This gives me 144.57 miles for the year.
The 1000 mile pace bunny is at 139.74 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 69.87 miles.
More on goals
By the time I have made the 20,000 mile mark in running I will have added several thousand more days that will need to be included to meet my goal of running one mile for every day that I have lived. Doing the math on this aspect of the goal shows me that I will be running for about 23 years to accomplish it. THAT is a long range goal for sure.
Am I discouraged by the prospects of actually doing this? Not at this stage. The freshness of the goal is too new to be of concern. I am simply focussing right now on this goal of 1,000 miles for this year. Somewhere down the road (pun intended), the realization of how much has already been accomplished will only serve to encourage me. In fact, I find great satisfaction when doing a 7 mile run, when I realize I have just completed a week's worth of my goal.
My run for Tuesday was 4.01 miles. This gives me 141.24 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 137.0 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 68.5 miles.
Am I discouraged by the prospects of actually doing this? Not at this stage. The freshness of the goal is too new to be of concern. I am simply focussing right now on this goal of 1,000 miles for this year. Somewhere down the road (pun intended), the realization of how much has already been accomplished will only serve to encourage me. In fact, I find great satisfaction when doing a 7 mile run, when I realize I have just completed a week's worth of my goal.
My run for Tuesday was 4.01 miles. This gives me 141.24 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 137.0 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 68.5 miles.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Long term goals
Goals are wonderful when used properly. They are used to guide us as we aim at them. They provide purpose and keep us motivated. Ideally, intermediate goals are tied into the big picture to use as a measuring stick along the way.
A couple of years ago I was setting up long terms goals in various areas of my life which included running. Knowing the benefits that running provides, I wanted to set some goals that would give me something to aim at in the long term. My fear was that if I simply tried to reset my goals at the end of each year, it might make it too easy to simply stop running. However, with a good long range goal to aim it I felt that I would be able to keep going for years to come.
With that in mind, I decided that to run a mile for every day that I have lived would be a great accomplishment. That doesn't sound too bad until you do the math and discover that you have lived over 20,000 days. Yowzers, that is a large number.
Obviously accomplishing this goal is not going to happen overnight. However, it is not totally out of the question. I simply need to have a solid plan and stick with it. Part of the problem comes from the fact that I need to run a mile just to take care of that day and THEN I start to make up the 20,000 other miles I want to run.
The old saying is, the way to swallow an elephant is a bite at a time. This principle certainly holds true with a goal of running 20,000 miles. I needed to start somewhere for a goal and "Running 1,000 Miles In A Year" certainly is heading in the right direction. To achieve this distance in a year will be taking care of almost 3 years within that one year. I am currently getting close to reaching the 2,000 mile mark for my running career that started in August of 2003.
Will I reach my goal? That is hard to say, but aiming at it certainly is going to give me some good health habits along the way.
Today I ran 4.52 miles giving me 137.23 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 134.26 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 67.13 miles.
A couple of years ago I was setting up long terms goals in various areas of my life which included running. Knowing the benefits that running provides, I wanted to set some goals that would give me something to aim at in the long term. My fear was that if I simply tried to reset my goals at the end of each year, it might make it too easy to simply stop running. However, with a good long range goal to aim it I felt that I would be able to keep going for years to come.
With that in mind, I decided that to run a mile for every day that I have lived would be a great accomplishment. That doesn't sound too bad until you do the math and discover that you have lived over 20,000 days. Yowzers, that is a large number.
Obviously accomplishing this goal is not going to happen overnight. However, it is not totally out of the question. I simply need to have a solid plan and stick with it. Part of the problem comes from the fact that I need to run a mile just to take care of that day and THEN I start to make up the 20,000 other miles I want to run.
The old saying is, the way to swallow an elephant is a bite at a time. This principle certainly holds true with a goal of running 20,000 miles. I needed to start somewhere for a goal and "Running 1,000 Miles In A Year" certainly is heading in the right direction. To achieve this distance in a year will be taking care of almost 3 years within that one year. I am currently getting close to reaching the 2,000 mile mark for my running career that started in August of 2003.
Will I reach my goal? That is hard to say, but aiming at it certainly is going to give me some good health habits along the way.
Today I ran 4.52 miles giving me 137.23 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 134.26 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 67.13 miles.
Another day....another run
Did you ever notice that the word "repetition" can be used for many of the areas of life that are so important to us? Often times it is the ability to stay faithful to the same objectives over a long period of time that makes us healthy and happy. My running is one such example. What gives health benefits from running is when you stay consistent with your workouts. Over time, these runs provide the basis for being healthy.
I was able to get in a run of 4.08 miles in on Saturday. This gives me 132.71 miles for the year. I did not run on Sunday.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 131.52 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 65.76 miles.
I was able to get in a run of 4.08 miles in on Saturday. This gives me 132.71 miles for the year. I did not run on Sunday.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 131.52 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 65.76 miles.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Life sometimes gets in the way
The commitment to run or to do anything else that is done in our lives as a choice, will always be challenged in regards to not making it a priority. Emergencies and situations will pop up that requires adjustment of our schedule and running is definitely an area that often suffers when this happens.
Yesterday I split a tooth that is definitely going to be a problem and something the dentist will need to look at. I spent WAY too much time during my day trying to take care of it. The sad part is I never actually DID get it taken care of. It will be a matter that needs more attention next week. Meanwhile I am trying to avoid biting on anything in that area and finding this not to be an easy objective.
I did manage a run the evening before so this made the fact I didn't run yesterday not quite as much of a problem. I got in a nice 4.03 miles which gives me 128.63 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 126.04 miles as of the end of Friday.
Meanwhile the 500 miles pace bunny is at 63.02 miles.
I am hoping to get in at least one good run over the weekend.
Yesterday I split a tooth that is definitely going to be a problem and something the dentist will need to look at. I spent WAY too much time during my day trying to take care of it. The sad part is I never actually DID get it taken care of. It will be a matter that needs more attention next week. Meanwhile I am trying to avoid biting on anything in that area and finding this not to be an easy objective.
I did manage a run the evening before so this made the fact I didn't run yesterday not quite as much of a problem. I got in a nice 4.03 miles which gives me 128.63 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 126.04 miles as of the end of Friday.
Meanwhile the 500 miles pace bunny is at 63.02 miles.
I am hoping to get in at least one good run over the weekend.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Running on thin ice
I woke up this morning to find a neighborhood frozen in soft ice. It was very pretty but with more rain coming down I knew travel was going to be a challenge. Fortunately I had no reason to leave the house.
By noon time, the temperatures were at a comfortable 43 degrees and I got out for a great run. It was another one of those times when the running was easy and effortless.
I managed to get in 3.41 miles giving me 124.6 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 120.56 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 60.28 miles.
By noon time, the temperatures were at a comfortable 43 degrees and I got out for a great run. It was another one of those times when the running was easy and effortless.
I managed to get in 3.41 miles giving me 124.6 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 120.56 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 60.28 miles.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Today politicians run in Virginia
On a cold and rainy day, only the politicians are running in the commonwealth of Virginia today. It is primary day and the polls are in full operation for both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Every year when it comes voting time, I think THAT particular election is the most important one I have witnessed in my lifetime. Then the next year rolls around and I think the same thing again about that one. I do think this coming election is important on a number of levels and for a variety of ways. It certainly is drawing a lot of attention with the various candidates who have survived thus far. I MUST be important because a number of them have tried to call me on my phone. I wonder how many phone calls are made in this manner to people across the country by these machines.
Today has become rest day for me from running due to the bad weather. I am now thankful that I had built up a margin of miles so that I still am ahead of the pace bunny.
Every year when it comes voting time, I think THAT particular election is the most important one I have witnessed in my lifetime. Then the next year rolls around and I think the same thing again about that one. I do think this coming election is important on a number of levels and for a variety of ways. It certainly is drawing a lot of attention with the various candidates who have survived thus far. I MUST be important because a number of them have tried to call me on my phone. I wonder how many phone calls are made in this manner to people across the country by these machines.
Today has become rest day for me from running due to the bad weather. I am now thankful that I had built up a margin of miles so that I still am ahead of the pace bunny.
Monday, February 11, 2008
A cold run
After the high wind run of yesterday, today became a cold run more seasonable for this time of year. I made use of the noon sun to run at the warmest possible time. The distance was 3.04 miles and kept me in front of the goal.
This gives me 121.19 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 115.08 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 57.54 miles.
This gives me 121.19 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 115.08 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 57.54 miles.
A windy run
Saturday was filled with a variety of activities, none of which really allowed me to find time to do a run. I did manage to check out a new route on one of the city trail systems that have been developed for walkers, bikers, and runners.
The weather was beautiful and I walked a little over 6 miles, enough to determine this is a good route to use for running. In my purest mentality for the term "Running 1,000 miles in a year", these walking miles do not count towards my running goal for the year. I don't have a problem when other people want to use their walking miles as part of their mileage, but I am limiting only running miles to my personal total. This means that while I got in 6 miles of excellent exercise, it counted only as a rest day for my running program.
Sunday afternoon was extremely windy in the area. However, I knew I needed to get in some miles so I headed off for a run. Guess where I went to run? I headed to my new route of course. The trail cuts through lovely wooded areas, which on this day only served to be of concern for me. The winds reportedly were hitting 70 miles an hour. The tall trees along the trail were bending and creaking, often releasing small twigs and branches onto the path. I kept my eyes open and remained very aware of the conditions. Thankfully I safely finished with a nervous 6 miles for the day.
This now gives me 118.15 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 112.34 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 56.17 miles.
The weather was beautiful and I walked a little over 6 miles, enough to determine this is a good route to use for running. In my purest mentality for the term "Running 1,000 miles in a year", these walking miles do not count towards my running goal for the year. I don't have a problem when other people want to use their walking miles as part of their mileage, but I am limiting only running miles to my personal total. This means that while I got in 6 miles of excellent exercise, it counted only as a rest day for my running program.
Sunday afternoon was extremely windy in the area. However, I knew I needed to get in some miles so I headed off for a run. Guess where I went to run? I headed to my new route of course. The trail cuts through lovely wooded areas, which on this day only served to be of concern for me. The winds reportedly were hitting 70 miles an hour. The tall trees along the trail were bending and creaking, often releasing small twigs and branches onto the path. I kept my eyes open and remained very aware of the conditions. Thankfully I safely finished with a nervous 6 miles for the day.
This now gives me 118.15 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 112.34 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 56.17 miles.
Friday, February 8, 2008
I forgot to tell you
Running? That is not the problem. The problem is remembering to write in this blog to tell you. It suddenly dawned on me this evening that I had forgotten to record my run for the day.
It was really another beautiful day for doing winter running. Last year part of my problem for low mileage in the first quarter of the year was the cold weather. No problem in that area this year. We have had great weather.
I managed to get in a 4.05 mile run, giving me 112.15 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 106.86 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 53.43 miles.
It was really another beautiful day for doing winter running. Last year part of my problem for low mileage in the first quarter of the year was the cold weather. No problem in that area this year. We have had great weather.
I managed to get in a 4.05 mile run, giving me 112.15 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 106.86 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 53.43 miles.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
A fast run
I have no idea why some things happen while running.
Today I decided to do a lunch time run since I am going to be out for the evening again. My PLAN was to make it a nice easy run, just something to get some miles in and stay ahead of the pace bunny for today. In view of that, I didn't fully bother to change into my running gear, counting on the fact I was going to go as such a slow place that street clothes would work.
As I started out on my run, it quickly became evident that I was running without much effort. In fact, I was running quite speedily without much effort. My immediate thought was to slow down and pace myself, but the feeling of this new speed was SO nice that I kept pushing along. The result was the fastest speed for 3 miles that I had run since last March.
My question is: "Why?" Why does it happen that suddenly and without warning, a good run comes along like this? I think it is one of those times when you don't try to understand, but simply enjoy the fact that it happened.
Three miles today, which gives me a total of 108.1 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 104.12 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 52.06 miles.
Today I decided to do a lunch time run since I am going to be out for the evening again. My PLAN was to make it a nice easy run, just something to get some miles in and stay ahead of the pace bunny for today. In view of that, I didn't fully bother to change into my running gear, counting on the fact I was going to go as such a slow place that street clothes would work.
As I started out on my run, it quickly became evident that I was running without much effort. In fact, I was running quite speedily without much effort. My immediate thought was to slow down and pace myself, but the feeling of this new speed was SO nice that I kept pushing along. The result was the fastest speed for 3 miles that I had run since last March.
My question is: "Why?" Why does it happen that suddenly and without warning, a good run comes along like this? I think it is one of those times when you don't try to understand, but simply enjoy the fact that it happened.
Three miles today, which gives me a total of 108.1 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 104.12 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 52.06 miles.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
A morning run
My schedule today requires that I will be out of town this afternoon. This has affected how I have my day planned, including my run.
It is always tempting to make the tiniest change in plans as a way to make that day be one designated for rest. However, the subtle little temptation to do that can really come back to hurt you later on.
My goal is to get in 250 runs over the year. This means an average of 21 runs per month. In January I had 22 runs, which is good since I met my goal. February becomes a bigger challenge because it has fewer days to work with. This is true despite gaining one day from the year 2008 being a Leap Year. I already have taken time off this month because of the flu bug. Therefore, another rest day would put pressure on me for the rest of the month to run every day. So I ran this morning.
The temperature is still warm here. It was 64 degrees at the end of my run. This made for a pleasant 3 miles, finishing off with a sprint at the end. Since morning means traffic around the area is busy, I opted to do the run in the cemetary.
The 3 miles this morning gives me 105.1 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 101.38 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 50.69 miles.
It is always tempting to make the tiniest change in plans as a way to make that day be one designated for rest. However, the subtle little temptation to do that can really come back to hurt you later on.
My goal is to get in 250 runs over the year. This means an average of 21 runs per month. In January I had 22 runs, which is good since I met my goal. February becomes a bigger challenge because it has fewer days to work with. This is true despite gaining one day from the year 2008 being a Leap Year. I already have taken time off this month because of the flu bug. Therefore, another rest day would put pressure on me for the rest of the month to run every day. So I ran this morning.
The temperature is still warm here. It was 64 degrees at the end of my run. This made for a pleasant 3 miles, finishing off with a sprint at the end. Since morning means traffic around the area is busy, I opted to do the run in the cemetary.
The 3 miles this morning gives me 105.1 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 101.38 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 50.69 miles.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Running in shorts
It is hard to believe just how incredible the temperature is today. The thermometer is reading 74 degrees. The breeze that is blowing ever so gently is also a warm breeze that is enjoyable.
The good weather allowed me to run in my shorts and a tee shirt. It really is amazing just how much easier it is to run in weather like this. Unfortunately it would appear that some cooler conditions are on their way, so I am glad I got to enjoy this.
On the run that I did today, I passed by a house that has a nice dog in the yard. She is almost always outside when I run in that area. This yard has one of those "invisible fences" that are used for controling dogs. There are wires that are run under the ground along the perimeter of the yard. A collar is used that sends an electrical shock to the dog when they get to the "fence". Any time I have seen this system used, it appears the dogs learn well and do not even go close to the edge. Come to think of it, I would probably stay clear myself if I thought it meant that I was going to be getting an electrical charge by walking in a certain area.
This dog only barks if the owners are home. If there is no one at home, she simply looks up as I pass by. However, when the owners are there, she barks up a storm. You can tell she is a friendly dog, so the barking is simply letting the owners know that she is "on the job" of protecting the house. The lady of the house was in her yard today when I went by and I told her about this observation and she laughed. Apparently "Maggie" is very protective of a new baby sister that is in the house.
Today I ran 4.09 miles giving my total for the year now to be 102.1 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 98.64 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 49.32 miles.
The good weather allowed me to run in my shorts and a tee shirt. It really is amazing just how much easier it is to run in weather like this. Unfortunately it would appear that some cooler conditions are on their way, so I am glad I got to enjoy this.
On the run that I did today, I passed by a house that has a nice dog in the yard. She is almost always outside when I run in that area. This yard has one of those "invisible fences" that are used for controling dogs. There are wires that are run under the ground along the perimeter of the yard. A collar is used that sends an electrical shock to the dog when they get to the "fence". Any time I have seen this system used, it appears the dogs learn well and do not even go close to the edge. Come to think of it, I would probably stay clear myself if I thought it meant that I was going to be getting an electrical charge by walking in a certain area.
This dog only barks if the owners are home. If there is no one at home, she simply looks up as I pass by. However, when the owners are there, she barks up a storm. You can tell she is a friendly dog, so the barking is simply letting the owners know that she is "on the job" of protecting the house. The lady of the house was in her yard today when I went by and I told her about this observation and she laughed. Apparently "Maggie" is very protective of a new baby sister that is in the house.
Today I ran 4.09 miles giving my total for the year now to be 102.1 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 98.64 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 49.32 miles.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Egg on my face
Now everyone knows why I am not a gambler who makes his money predicting the outcome of sports events. Yesterday I had boldly predicted that New England would win the Super Bowl last night. It did not happen.
After yesterday's loss by the New England Patriots to the New York Giants, I have enjoyed seeing the response of so many people. The overall reaction is shock and surprise. The outcome just was not the way that most people saw it happening.
While I am disappointed that New England lost, I am thrilled at how good a game it was. So often those Super Bowl games are not very exciting, this one was however.
The Patriots did their thing to take the lead late in the final quarter. However, the Giants came right back and finished off the game and the season with an exciting final drive that gave them the victory.
Congratulations to the Giants.
Do you ever see the use of Roman numerals these days, other than when it is used to give the edition of the Super Bowl? This one was Super Bowl XLII. The fact is, I can remember the very first Super Bowl and now we are up to the 42nd one.
On a beautiful day, I ran right after lunch for 3.16 miles. This gives me a total of 98.01 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 95.9 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 47.95 miles.
After yesterday's loss by the New England Patriots to the New York Giants, I have enjoyed seeing the response of so many people. The overall reaction is shock and surprise. The outcome just was not the way that most people saw it happening.
While I am disappointed that New England lost, I am thrilled at how good a game it was. So often those Super Bowl games are not very exciting, this one was however.
The Patriots did their thing to take the lead late in the final quarter. However, the Giants came right back and finished off the game and the season with an exciting final drive that gave them the victory.
Congratulations to the Giants.
Do you ever see the use of Roman numerals these days, other than when it is used to give the edition of the Super Bowl? This one was Super Bowl XLII. The fact is, I can remember the very first Super Bowl and now we are up to the 42nd one.
On a beautiful day, I ran right after lunch for 3.16 miles. This gives me a total of 98.01 miles for the year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 95.9 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 47.95 miles.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Back on the running trail
I took yesterday off from running, for a second day in a row. This was partly due to the fact I did not want to push myself into running too quickly after my touch of the flu on Thursday evening. It also happened due to a sudden rush of activities needing to be done on Saturday that allowed no time to run.
Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Being a former resident of New England this is an important game since the undefeated Patriots look to finish their season with a win against an impressive New York Giant team. It should be a good game with my prediction being the Patriots will win by at least 14 points.
There are a number of reasons that I see that gives New England the advantage:
1) They have already beaten the Giants once during the season.
2) They have a number of veteran players who have never won a Super Bowl and as a result they are hungry for the victory. They have been given a chance late in their careers to gain the coveted Super Bowl victory and they don't plan to blow the opportunity.
3) They also have a chance at setting history by winning this game and being the first team to have a "perfect" season with 19 victories. They sense this special moment and are motivated by it. Every one of them will be forever defined as a member of the team that went through an NFL season that was "perfect".
4) The Patriots have a wealth of Super Bowl experience and experience wins.
5) Coach Belichick is a master at preparing a team for a single game and that is exactly what it takes to win a Super Bowl. You put the past behind you and focus on only that one game.
All that being said, my day is sort of arranged around the Super Bowl. Church was done as normal this morning, but I came home and got my run in early this afternoon. This paves the way for an early evening church service scheduled to allow attenders to get home in time for the "The Game".
I ran an easy 6.09 miles.
My total for the year is now 94.85 miles
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 93.16 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 46.58 miles.
Today is Super Bowl Sunday. Being a former resident of New England this is an important game since the undefeated Patriots look to finish their season with a win against an impressive New York Giant team. It should be a good game with my prediction being the Patriots will win by at least 14 points.
There are a number of reasons that I see that gives New England the advantage:
1) They have already beaten the Giants once during the season.
2) They have a number of veteran players who have never won a Super Bowl and as a result they are hungry for the victory. They have been given a chance late in their careers to gain the coveted Super Bowl victory and they don't plan to blow the opportunity.
3) They also have a chance at setting history by winning this game and being the first team to have a "perfect" season with 19 victories. They sense this special moment and are motivated by it. Every one of them will be forever defined as a member of the team that went through an NFL season that was "perfect".
4) The Patriots have a wealth of Super Bowl experience and experience wins.
5) Coach Belichick is a master at preparing a team for a single game and that is exactly what it takes to win a Super Bowl. You put the past behind you and focus on only that one game.
All that being said, my day is sort of arranged around the Super Bowl. Church was done as normal this morning, but I came home and got my run in early this afternoon. This paves the way for an early evening church service scheduled to allow attenders to get home in time for the "The Game".
I ran an easy 6.09 miles.
My total for the year is now 94.85 miles
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 93.16 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 46.58 miles.
Friday, February 1, 2008
A day off
Yesterday I never got a chance to post because I suddenly started feeling sick later in the day. Fortunately I had already gotten in my run.
I went to bed with chills and then proceeded to toss and turn all night long. I had the TV on to try and give me something else to focus on. This ended up to be a problem as I would be watching a show (sort of) and then fall asleep to wake up thinking I was still watching the same show. In my confused mind I would try to make sense of why the main character had changed. Then I would fall asleep again, to repeat this same process. Trust me, my version of the show I thought I watched would be quite strange.
Thankfully I made it through the night, but was more tired when I got up than I had been going to bed. I was sick once during the night and this certainly helped, However that is never an enjoyable experience.
Today I have stayed inside, aided in the concept of doing so by a freezing rain storm that has passed through the area. I have napped several times and tried to give myself some recover time in order to be able to do things the rest of the weekend.
Obviously, no running today in this aching, chilled state.
My run yesterday was 3.29 miles giving me 88.76 miles for the month and year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny yesterday was at 84.94 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny yesterday was at 42.47 miles.
Today the 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 87.68 miles
Today the 500 mile pace bunny is at 43.84 miles.
I am still ahead of the bunny.
I went to bed with chills and then proceeded to toss and turn all night long. I had the TV on to try and give me something else to focus on. This ended up to be a problem as I would be watching a show (sort of) and then fall asleep to wake up thinking I was still watching the same show. In my confused mind I would try to make sense of why the main character had changed. Then I would fall asleep again, to repeat this same process. Trust me, my version of the show I thought I watched would be quite strange.
Thankfully I made it through the night, but was more tired when I got up than I had been going to bed. I was sick once during the night and this certainly helped, However that is never an enjoyable experience.
Today I have stayed inside, aided in the concept of doing so by a freezing rain storm that has passed through the area. I have napped several times and tried to give myself some recover time in order to be able to do things the rest of the weekend.
Obviously, no running today in this aching, chilled state.
My run yesterday was 3.29 miles giving me 88.76 miles for the month and year.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny yesterday was at 84.94 miles
The 500 mile pace bunny yesterday was at 42.47 miles.
Today the 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 87.68 miles
Today the 500 mile pace bunny is at 43.84 miles.
I am still ahead of the bunny.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Call it three
I had lunch with my son and he asked me for a running program that will help him prepare for playing football this coming season. He has not played for a few years but has been asked to join a team. His concern is about conditioning that will give him endurance. His goal is to be able to be fresh at the end of the game.
Since he has not been running, I am going to suggest a plan that is light and easy to begin. I encouraged him to stick with it for a month, until a "habit" of running is developed. We will see if we can get a run in together, which will be an encourgement to him to have someone to run with.
Somewhere along the line, I have gotten that habit. If I miss a run for one day, it is fine. However, I find that my body craves the benefits that running gives and a second or third day without running, brings this need out.
I did get in 3.02 miles later this afternoon and this assures me of meeting my mileage goal for the first month of the year. I ran in the cemetary which meant that there was thankfully not anything going on. It felt good to get out for the run.
My total now stands at 85.47 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 82.2 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 41.1 miles.
Since he has not been running, I am going to suggest a plan that is light and easy to begin. I encouraged him to stick with it for a month, until a "habit" of running is developed. We will see if we can get a run in together, which will be an encourgement to him to have someone to run with.
Somewhere along the line, I have gotten that habit. If I miss a run for one day, it is fine. However, I find that my body craves the benefits that running gives and a second or third day without running, brings this need out.
I did get in 3.02 miles later this afternoon and this assures me of meeting my mileage goal for the first month of the year. I ran in the cemetary which meant that there was thankfully not anything going on. It felt good to get out for the run.
My total now stands at 85.47 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 82.2 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 41.1 miles.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Why are runs so different?
As someone who runs an average of 5-6 times a week, one observation has been that every run is different.
One day as you start to run, you feel like you are gliding along with little effort. Your breathing is fine, your legs feel fine, and your attitude towards running is extremely positive. You have NO idea why you feel so good and you wish you could just keep on running this way. Thoughts of being in great shape, pop into your head and you just KNOW that this feeling is the result of your heard work.
Then there are the other days. These are the times when as soon as you start, you feel like quitting the run. Your breathing is labored with that burning sensation being felt in the chest area. The legs are tired and you just know that it is only a matter of time before you will have to deal with cramping. Now you are asking yourself the question of why you have let yourself go so badly that you can't even get in a few miles.
Sometimes you DO know what has caused a run to be difficult. Maybe it is an injury that has been nagging at you. What you have recently eaten may make a big difference in how you feel as you run. Weather conditions and how you are dressed also enters in some times. A smart runner is always learning what helps and hurts the running experience.
In all cases, the best cure and solution is to keep on putting in the miles as long as you are medically okay to do so. A run that may start off being difficult, often turns into a decent run before it is all over. Just keep running and the benefits will mount.
Today it was 3.15 miles run at noon time.
This gives me a total of 82.45 miles
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 79.46 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 39.73 miles.
One day as you start to run, you feel like you are gliding along with little effort. Your breathing is fine, your legs feel fine, and your attitude towards running is extremely positive. You have NO idea why you feel so good and you wish you could just keep on running this way. Thoughts of being in great shape, pop into your head and you just KNOW that this feeling is the result of your heard work.
Then there are the other days. These are the times when as soon as you start, you feel like quitting the run. Your breathing is labored with that burning sensation being felt in the chest area. The legs are tired and you just know that it is only a matter of time before you will have to deal with cramping. Now you are asking yourself the question of why you have let yourself go so badly that you can't even get in a few miles.
Sometimes you DO know what has caused a run to be difficult. Maybe it is an injury that has been nagging at you. What you have recently eaten may make a big difference in how you feel as you run. Weather conditions and how you are dressed also enters in some times. A smart runner is always learning what helps and hurts the running experience.
In all cases, the best cure and solution is to keep on putting in the miles as long as you are medically okay to do so. A run that may start off being difficult, often turns into a decent run before it is all over. Just keep running and the benefits will mount.
Today it was 3.15 miles run at noon time.
This gives me a total of 82.45 miles
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 79.46 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 39.73 miles.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Running can be dangerous
A local news web site has the following posted this evening:
"A man is found dying in a southwest Roanoke County neighborhood street just before 6:00 Monday morning and police are trying to figure out how it all happened.
Police say a jogger was struck by a motor vehicle that subsequently left the scene. The jogger, Thomas Farrell of Roanoke, was pronounced dead at the scene.Neighbors tell us someone found the man "near death" lying on Springlawn Avenue. That neighborhood is just across the street from Cave Spring Elementary and Middle Schools. Witness say the man died in the street.Police are seeking assistance in identifying the vehicle and driver involved in the crash." WSET-TV
I have had several times while running that I was aware of the fact that it would not take much to get in a lot of trouble with passing vehicles. I try to always stay aware of my surroundings and respectful of the idea that the road and street is meant for vehicles.....not runners.
On occasion a runner will encounter a motorist with "an attitude". These are drivers who are upset and frustrated that anyone would be running on the street that they are driving. They will purposely come as close as possible to hitting the runner, presumedly to send a message. While I am sure this is often due to a bad experience that has brought this attitude on, it still is not worth the risk of taking someone's life in order to make their point.
Meanwhile, it was a beautiful day for a run and run I did. I ran 4.92 miles during the noon day sun.
This brings my total now to 79.3 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 76.72 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 38.36 miles.
"A man is found dying in a southwest Roanoke County neighborhood street just before 6:00 Monday morning and police are trying to figure out how it all happened.
Police say a jogger was struck by a motor vehicle that subsequently left the scene. The jogger, Thomas Farrell of Roanoke, was pronounced dead at the scene.Neighbors tell us someone found the man "near death" lying on Springlawn Avenue. That neighborhood is just across the street from Cave Spring Elementary and Middle Schools. Witness say the man died in the street.Police are seeking assistance in identifying the vehicle and driver involved in the crash." WSET-TV
I have had several times while running that I was aware of the fact that it would not take much to get in a lot of trouble with passing vehicles. I try to always stay aware of my surroundings and respectful of the idea that the road and street is meant for vehicles.....not runners.
On occasion a runner will encounter a motorist with "an attitude". These are drivers who are upset and frustrated that anyone would be running on the street that they are driving. They will purposely come as close as possible to hitting the runner, presumedly to send a message. While I am sure this is often due to a bad experience that has brought this attitude on, it still is not worth the risk of taking someone's life in order to make their point.
Meanwhile, it was a beautiful day for a run and run I did. I ran 4.92 miles during the noon day sun.
This brings my total now to 79.3 miles.
The 1,000 mile pace bunny is at 76.72 miles.
The 500 mile pace bunny is at 38.36 miles.
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