9-Year Old Finished the VCM *

The talk after the marathon last weekend was about a 9-year old finishing the race.

I've read that you should not run one until after you have finished growing. Here is an article on the marathoner, http://www.timesargus.com/article/20090529/SPORTS/905290340/1004/SPORTS

Running on the Web

Since I'm not running this week I figured I would write about some of the articles I have found today on the web.

http://www.run.com/ lists running routes around the world, including over 10,000 in the US.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/5/27/734765/-Zen-and-the-Art-of-Marathon-Training has an article titled "Zen and the Art of Marathon Training" an interesting read for anyone who thought than running a marathon was not for them.

http://www.marathonguide.com/index.cfm has a link that lists marathons in US and around the world and you can look up a friend or relative who has run a marathon since 2000.

I went to our local community college today to speak with Financial Aid for classes in the Fall.

I'm also looking into taking classes at NWCC to become a Vet Tech. Applied for 2 more jobs today too. Sox won today 3-1.

Day After Race

I'm not stiff or very sore this morning. I ran well yesterday and at a good pace but I don't think I pushed myself like I could have if I hadn't had so many problems in the last 2 weeks.

I do take 2 Tbs. of Spectrum lemon flavored cod liver oil each morning which does help to ease inflammation. Also I take 1500mg of Glucosamine and 1200 mg of Chondroitin Sulfate in one tablet daily. Since the NYC Marathon in 2007, I always take 8 hour 650 mg Tylenol about 1 hour before the race after eating a powerbar or a banana.

With all the puddles, different surfaces and the relay folks coming and going in the race it did feel like a steeplechase at times. I love running in the rain when it's warm like it was yesterday but I did go a little slower at times since I couldn't always see the road surface clearly.

I'll take it easy today, maybe take a short walk.

KeyBank Vermont City Marathon

It was a great day. We stayed in Essex Junction and rode in the back way on 7. No traffic! Usually there is lots of traffic when we come in from Williston. I had ww pasta and ww pizza for supper plus 2 beers and lots of water.

I saw a friend form my hometown Enfield, Al Garvey, who was running the 3 person relay with his daughter and son-in-law.

The race started and it rained on and off for the first 17 miles. Then it cleared up and the sun came out. I saw several Maniacs and talked to a few. I had a great time throughout.

Finished 507/2334 and 8/80 in my age group M5559. My time was 3:38:41.

The web site is very cool, http://www.runvermont.org/ if you put in my bib #2292 it'll give you all kinds of info like my average speed thoughout 7.2 mph, 8 min. 20 sec. and from the halfway to the end I passed 137 runners and 15 passed me. I started at 7.2 and ran between 8 min. 17 sec. and 8 min. 23 sec. the entire race.

I took PowerBar gel at mile 7, 11.7, 16.4, 20.8, and Gu chocolate at 22.8. The Powerbar is 1X caffeine.

I'll post pictures soon.

3 Days to Go

Vermont City Marathon is Sunday. I ran 3 miles today because I had to go to church, Acension Thursday, and I had to cut all the grass and take care of the garden.

There was a good article on why run marathons in the NY Times today, http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/the-marathon-a-race-like-no-other/?hp

I really love running in Burlington because everyone running helps me relax.

Trying to Take it Easy

I ran 4 miles yesterday and 5.1 today.

I did work in the garden for about 4 hours yesterday and after that I saw 2 of my grandkids play baseball. The gardening tired me out and I went to bed early.

I saw my chiropractor today for a tune up for the race.

A shout out to ginaharris1 who I follow on Twitter. She is running the Newport Oregon Marathon on May 30. It's her first! Go Gina!!!

I Still Feel Good!

My plan is to just run on the treadmill this week. Hopefully the softer surface will keep me feeling good. I'm seeing my chiropractor on Wednesday morning for a last tune-up before Sunday.

My legs felt a little tired after the 5.1 miles today but rebounded after eating something.

Right now they are predicting partly sunny and temperatures in the low 70s for Sunday. A little warm but it sounds like a great day to run.

No Pain!!!

After seeing Shannon yesterday all my pain has disappeared!

She used needles and performed massage for about an hour and 40 minutes.

Massage and acupunture is amazingly therapeutic.

Today I ran 10.5 miles in 1:26:10 at 7.3 mph and even tonight I don't have any pain. I can't explain how much pain I had last week. Why doesn't insurance pay for massage? It makes no sense to me.

VT City is my 20th marathon. I'm going to have a FUN time and enjoy every minute of it!

Sunny Saturday

Simone and I ran 7.3 miles in 1:05:50 for a 6.7 mph pace. She wasn't able to run this week so we tried to maintain her training without injury and with a positive attitude. Attitude and mental strength are very important to a successful marathon. She continues the push-ups and crunches.

I ran about 32 miles for the week. 

I saw Shannon today for acupuncture and massage. The psoas muscle is part of my problem. The nerves have contributed to my numbness. Here is a link to exercises if you have these same symptoms, http://www.touchpoint.dk/UK_artikler_psoas.htm

Here is a good link on when to replace your running shoes from the Greater Boston Run Co. (I follow them on Twitter), http://running.about.com/od/shoesapparelandgear/f/replaceshoes.htm

Sciatica Comes and Goes

I'm having some problems with sciatica in my left leg. I use to have it in my right leg but that hasn't happened in over a year. 

I ran 6.2 miles today on the treadmill in just over an hour. I alternated running 6.0 and 6.2 mph after warming up at 5.8 mph for 2 miles.

It's funny but the sciatica does not bother me when I am running or walking. It especially hurts when I sit in a stuffed chair. I've been using wooden chairs and laid on the floor 1/2 the night and it seems to have helped; the pain is almost gone again like Monday.

I'll take tomorrow off except I need to roto-till the garden some.

A Day Off

My sciatica had me up at 3 AM sooo I decided that it was probably a good day to not run to help my running. I got the bike out, pumped up the tires and rode 33+ miles in 2:28:00 at 13.1 mph. I'm not sure if this is good or not but it did help. 

I'll see how my night is before deciding if and how far I will run tomorrow.

Tuesday

I'm back in the gym. 5.1 miles. It's hot now in the gym, I seem to sweat more than outside. My right knee hurt today. I'm glad I didn't run outside I needed a change in surface. I have been running in older shoes inside and worn an older pair outside yesterday too. I think that may be why my knee hurt. 18.3 miles so far this week. I should be tappering again this week and next for VT City.

Following all the runners on Twitter is good. I enjoy reading about their daily routines.

An interesting article and an idea which I am using with Simone training for Hartford is http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/chi-0510-marathonmay10,0,7182820.column titled "Run Faster. Run Less? For marathon training less can be more. Experts say." A book on the subject has been published by the Furman Institute of Running, http://www.furman.edu/first/

Monday

I only ran 4.1 miles today but I ran in 32:42, 7.5 mph.

My son went home this morning so I didn't want to be off running. I ran in older Nike Max Moto 6 and they felt fine for the distance.

Moved my daughter Kelly back home today from UConn. She'll get over her boy friend; it'll just take a little time. His loss!!!

The garden is really dry; tomorrow I may have to water it.

I hope this recession ends soon so I can get a job. Had my meeting with the DOL today and will receive $ this week. A job offer would be better :-)

My sciatica is just about gone. The stretching and the slower running helped get rid of it. Also it just takes a little time.

Latest Musings

The sciatic nerve in my left leg has been giving me trouble. It's been hard to sit or lie down in bed for 4 days. It doesn't hurt to run but most of the day is spent sitting.

On Thursday I ran 6.1 miles on the treadmill and I took Friday off as usual.

Saturday I ran with Simone 7.1 miles in 1:02:10 for a 6.7 mph pace. Another mile at the same pace as last week. Good progress. She will not be able to run much this week so we'll see  if 8 miles is too much on Saturday.

After running we went to my daughter Kelly's commencement for her Masters in Education at UConn. The whole family is very proud of her accomplishments.

Today her boy friend of 4+ years broke up with her. The highs and lows of being 20 something. We all feel bad but hope this does not dampen her spirits. We love her soooo much!

Today I ran 9.1 miles thinking of Kelly most of the run. My sciatica seems better tonight. It was a good run in 1:15:15 at a 7.2 mph pace.

Hopefully, I'll get a good night sleep and be 100% tomorrow.

My son came from Raleigh for the weekend which made it extra special. As I mentioned earlier, we will run the Marine Corp Marathon in October.

It's Wednesday

I woke up with a stiff right shoulder/neck so I decided that the treadmill was best today.

I took it easy and ran 5.2 miles.  

I get a Google alert on marathons and found 2 interesting links especially if you are a first time marathoner. The links are http://www.runnersworld.com/subtopic/0,7123,s6-238-244-255-0,00.html (45 articles from Runners World) and http://www.marathonandbeyond.com/choices/emmett.htm (from Marathon and Beyond). I subscribe to both magazines. Every month they have excellent articles.

May Showers?

Today it rain or drizzled most of the day. I was laying in bed not wanting to run on the treadmill when my son called. We talked a while and when I hung up I thought I would run outside. I have been wanting to run in the Brooks Adrenaline GTS 8's again and since I talked to Simone on Saturday I have been thinking that the firmer shoes might help my hips. I ran 8 miles in 1:07:10 a 7.1 mph pace. My lower legs hurt more with the Brooks shoes but I feel like I can go faster.

However, I ran 10.8 miles on Sunday and 5.1 yesterday so my legs feel a bit beat up.

I have a good lead on a job. I'll send my resume out tomorrow.

Unemployment gives me almost too much time to run. I need to be careful. Over 24 miles in 3 days is a little too much especially since most of the miles have been on the road. The changing surfaces do really help my legs.

Sorry about the pictures; I'll enlarge them so you can actually see me :-)

Started Training Simone for Hartford

It was a beautiful morning to run. Simone came at 7:30.

I had to convince her to run the full marathon not the 1/2 but she is more than ready to give the full a try. I think she can run a sub-3:45 but we'll see as training progresses.

I suggested she buy the following: Amphipod hydration belt, http://www.amphipod.com/ a second pair of shoes and get use to taking gels as soon as we run over 7 miles.

I've used other belts and this brand seems like it might last the longest.

I suggested too that she go to a professional running store and see what they felt were the best type of shoes for her. Lastly, I said incorporating Pilates in her exercise and stretching would help her running. Here are some good workouts on YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdMptxZv4hQ

We ran 6.1 miles at 6.7 mph in 54:38. I thought it was a great beginning.

I ran an additional 5.4 miles at 7.0 mph for a total of 11.5 miles and 44.3 miles for the week.

My back feels a lot better today after taking yesterday off.

Week in Review

I ran well this week despite a pain in my lower left back. It doesn't hurt to run but I feel it when I start out. Miles since Monday: Tuesday 5.5, Wednesday 6.2 and Thursday 10.4. Ran every other day outside. Off today and tomorrow I'll run with a friend, Simone, who I'm helping prepare for the Hartford Marathon, http://www.hartfordmarathon.com/marathonnew.htm in October. This is a very fast Boston qualifier; one everyone should consider if you want to qualify.

I'll post a couple of pictures from Boston soon.