Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Ran 7 miles in the snow today. I had to take mostly side streets because there was a lot of traffic.

Finished in 1:03:00, 9 minutes/mi. It snowed almost all day with a sunny break from 2-3:45. I have to work for the next 2 days but I'll try to get out both days. Tomorrow the high is suppose to be 18F, so I'll see how I feel in the afternoon.

One Day to the Next

Monday I took the day off after the 11 miles on Sunday. It was my birthday, I'm now 58, and I had my first of 3 classes 3 nights in a row.

Yesterday I felt great; it was still warm not quite as warm as Monday when it hit 56 but I felt strong. I ran 7.2 miles at 8:04/mi. Then I was up until after 11 last night and I woke this morning tired and a little stiff. I ran 12.2 miles today since I had the day off but it took 1:46:19, a 8:42/mi. pace. I usually alternate shoes but I ran in the new pair the past 2 days.

I don't think I can go to class 3 nights in a row, work and get all my homework done besides the family responsibilities I have to keep up with. Come late March I will need to start working in the garden and I do have 4 marathons in 4 months to run. I will decide by the end of the week what to drop.

New Week

Since the January 16 I have run every other day. My legs just didn't want to recover.

Today I switched to new shoes and feel a 100% better. I should have known it was the shoes but for some reason I miscalculated the number of miles on the last 2 pairs of shoes.

Today I ran 11.2 miles in 1:35:38, 8:32/mi. pace, with 1320 calories burned and the fastest pace 6:45/mi. My average HR was 132 and max was 156.

At least I have run double digits 4 of the last 5 runs. I have run 162.9 miles for the month. I may hit 200 by the end. Last January I did run the Houston Marathon with a week off after, but my monthly total was only 135+.

"Once a Runner" is a quick read and I am also reading "Brain Training for Runners". Both are interesting, Once... is suppose to be one of the best novels written about running. Brain training is more than just the mental game. This book was recommended by http://therunninglaminator.blogspot.com/

The Week

I was tired this week and I only had one day off from work.

Monday I ran 10.2 miles in 1:24:15, an 8:15/mi. pace.

Wednesday was 15 miles in 2:13:30, an 8:54/mi. pace. Ankles hurt. My shoes may be getting a little old.

Today I ran 7.1 miles in 58:27, an 8;14/mi. pace. Legs are sore but I feel good.

I'm reading "Once a Runner". It has been called the best running book ever written. I'm on page 62 and it definitely is a good book so far.

Next week I start school again; 3 nights a week and working 4 days. It should be interesting.

Tired Today

Yesterday I ran 7.2 miles at8:35/mi. I felt strong. Last night I went to sleep late and today I wasn't able to get any additional sleep after work but after a burger at my daughter's 19th birthday lunch I went out and ran10.1 miles at 8:36/mi. wearing shorts again since the temperature was in the 40s.

I have found through tracking my runs with the Garmin 305 that my average HR is 132-135, usually 133 or 134. That's every run. My peak fat burning is 134 bpm so I'm maintaining my lower weight which is something I have had a problem doing in the past.

Also this is the 3rd week in a row of 50+ miles. This week was52.7 miles run.

I'm feeling good and I think reading books by/about runners is keeping me motivated as well.

Long Run One Month from Myrtle Beach

First I did run Monday, 6.1 miles in 49:51, 8:10/mi. Then took yesterday off.

Today I ran 22.0 miles in 3:15:10 a 8:52/mi. pace. Max HR was 158 avg. HR was 133. My fat burning range seems to be 128-136 so this is a good avg. HR for me for winter. I started drinking at about 9.3 miles since I have been having problems drinking too much coffee and then having to pee or worse and having to find some place to go. This morning I had a Protein + 30g protein chocolate brownie PowerBar , 10 oz. water and 1 small cup of coffee. Only 2 gels for the run and 2 bottles of Gatorade/apple juice 85/15. That's about a 3:52 marathon. I'm happy with that for a winter pace.

I'll see what that translates for real at Myrtle Beach. I would like to run sub 3:35 either at Myrtle Beach and/or Virginia Beach.

Sunday and New Route

I ran a new route into MA today but only a short 7.3 miles. A little faster, 8:37/mi. It was cold and a little windy.

Made my plane and hotel reservation to Virginia Beach and signed up for the VT City KeyBank Marathon and reservations for 3 days.

I'm now set to run Myrtle Beach, Shamrock VA Beach, Boston and VT City.

Hopefully, after that I will have better job prospects.

Work then Run

Yesterday I ran 7.2 miles and today I ran 7 miles for a total of 50.3 miles this week. 2 50+ weeks in a row. I rested for 45 minutes after getting up from a 2 hour nap before I ran today and my max heart rate was 142 today. I ran well and my legs feel great tonight.

I'm off tomorrow and Monday, a rare Monday off. The temperatures remain in the teens to the twenty's but I feel warm after a mile or so. The ice/snow and traffic is slowing me down but I don't mind running slower this time of year.

At Least it was Sunny

I ran 4 miles yesterday since I had the long run the day before and I had a massage at 2. I thought I had a massage, turns out it was for today at 2. I did get to see a friend for supper but I was hurting yesterday; my head is a little stuffy and I was tired.

Today I ran 10.2 miles at an 8:32 pace and with more sleep my heart rate was 22 bpm lower than yesterday at the beginning. I do think the Garmin has to calibrate at first but after seeing the effect correlate over 3 different days I do think the amount of sleep is a factor in the higher initial reading. I'll keep checking.

I just got the book "The Extra Mile" by Pam Reed who won the Badwater Ultramarathon. Sounded interesting and it was relatively inexpensive used from Amazon.

Speaking of books, "Born to Run" was a great book. It's main story is about setting up an ultra race between elite ultramarathoners and the Tarahumara Indians. But it is much more. One of it's underlying themes is that man was born to run. We have at least 27 adaptations for running, a ligament for holding our head up right, Achilles tendons and sweat glands 3 of the major ones.

It discusses a grad student who went to live with native South Africans to learn ultimately how homo sapiens became the dominate species over Neanderthals who had many advantages to survive. Basically, Louis Liebenberg thought that "the art of animal tracking could represent the origin of science itself".

I highly recommend all runners read the book.

Deep Freeze

Cold today , it didn't get to 32F. I ran 14.8 miles in 2:08:45 for a 8:42/mi. pace. I took yesterday off since I have been running 12 of the past 13 days and besides the cold I think my legs were a little tired. Sunday I ran 7 miles on the tread mill.

My heart rate is high at the beginning of my runs when I don't get any sleep before running. Today the Garmin had it peak at 190 for a very short time, less than 1/10 of a mile. I'm not sure if the the Garmin GPS/heart rate monitor is accurate or not or if it needs to calibrate at first. My rate always stabilizes after 1.4 miles and settles in around 130-134/min. It then spikes up hills as you would expect but never gets above 150-155. Cold again tomorrow and some snow on Friday.

January 2

I ran 11.8 miles yesterday at a very peaceful pace. I got to thinking that I could probably run 12-18 marathons a year if I had the time and the money. I feel best when I run 7-12 miles a day with one day off a week.

Today I ran in the snow to try out my new Yaktrax. They were perfect. I ran in 2 inches of powder to 4 inches of hard packed snow and the Yaktrax are light and strong. I had to cross the bare road in spots and my footing was fine. 5.6 miles for a total of 53.8 for the week.

2009 Compared to Previous Years

First, I wish I have saved all my previous years data but I didn't. I have partial data 2004 and 2005 and only certain races and months before that. Totals for the past 4 years are:

2006 1848

2007 1925

2008 1992

2009 2019

My monthly totals for 2009 are:

Jan 135.5

Feb 152.9

Mar 192.7

Apr 156.0

May 150.9

Jun 168.3

Jul 223.6

Aug 177.3

Sep 225.6

Oct 122.3

Nov 130.8

Dec 183.4

School, work and 2 marathons in Oct cut into my running in Oct and Nov.

I have lost about 8 pounds since 2008 and feel a lot better running. I use the foam roller after most runs and that has really helped my legs. I continue to receive 2 massages a month and that helps too.

I'm looking forward to all the challenges 2010 brings.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!