Day 86, 279 To Go

March 27, 2013

My butt hurts.  Before you all start with your funny retorts, I mean the muscles in my butt, thank you very much.  You see, I tried out a new squat exercise yesterday and I'm sore.

I am a fan of reading Runner's World Magazine and they usually have some really good articles.  Of course, if you get a subscription and read it for a year, you'll see themes repeat over and over which can get annoying, but you will learn a lot.  I learned in the latest issue a few different options for squats.  I've done most of them at one time or another, but I haven't done them in a long time.

So, I decided, while I was working, to take a five minute break and try one of them.  I did the side squat where you start with your legs together and you step out to the side with your right leg and drop down all the way until your thigh is parallel to the ground (or as close to that as you can get) and you push back up to standing.  Then you repeat on the other side.  You do 15 reps.  Then you do another set.  I didn't get a chance to do the 2nd set because I had a conference call.  The nerve of work getting in the way of working out.

So, I did one little set and the next day, my butt hurts!  I guess I needed some work on my butt.  As soon as my butt feels better, I need to do more to build up some butt strength!!

My run was a little uncomfortable at the outset, but I quickly loosened up and had a nice run.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 20:00

Distance: 2.03 miles

Pace: 9:51/m

Max Pace: 8:13/m

Calories: 259

Avg HR: 122

Max HR: 133

Sure, it was a bit slow, but after a hard run yesterday, I was taking it easy.  Maybe I was just lazy and didn't want to push.  Maybe my butt hurt more than I let on.  Maybe it doesn't matter because I got my run in anyway!!  I like the last one.

Run for Life!!

Day 85, 280 To Go

March 26, 2013

I feel the need for speed today.  What makes the 20 minute runs exciting for me is that it allows me to run hard and do a LT (lactic threshold) run and actually get something out of it.

With a 15 minute run, I need to warm up a bit before I turn it on and that leaves me 10 minutes or less to push.  Sure, it is better than nothing, but it won't get me faster or more fit.  A 20 minute run gives me a little more leeway.  I can warm up for 5 minutes and do an LT run for the final 15.  That is exactly what I did.

It was chilly tonight as it has been for a few days (and will be for a few more).  This is good and bad.  It is good because it is easier to run in cool weather.  It is bad because when you start breathing heavy, it can sear your lungs.  Granted, it was only like 45 degrees, so it isn't all that bad.  I've run in 30 and that will sear your lungs enough so you can't breathe for the rest of the day!  Another negative to cold weather is that it takes longer to warm up.  A positive is that once you are warm - if you can get there - is that you won't overheat and you won't sweat so much.  All good things.

The bottom line is you need to get used to running in all weather, rain or shine.  I actually like running in the rain, as long as it is warm!  Being that I live in Florida, I will have to get used to running in hell like conditions in the summer.  You have to be smart and not run midday, but even in the evening it is HOT!  And as the saying goes, it isn't the heat, its the humidity. That is so true.  When it is humid, your sweat won't evaporate and you just can't cool off.  It will slow you down more than anything. 

Here are my numbers:

Time: 20:00

Distance: 2.56 miles

Pace: 7:49/m

Max Pace: 6:18/m

Calories: 331

Avg HR: 146

Max HR: 165

It took me a while to get up to my LT heart rate which is about 150.  I was running hard, but not pushing a sprint or anything.  Then, once I got up there, I tried to keep it between 150 and 155.  Obviously, I failed towards the end, but I put a little kick at the end to see if I could reach the end of my street by the time I hit 20 min.

My pace was 7:49, but I was pushing 7:20 for most of the LT run.  I would like to get faster, but this tells me that in a race, I should be able to get close to 7:10 or 7:15 over a 5k if I pushed.  Getting there!

Run for Life!

Day 84, 281 To Go

March 25, 2013

A new week is upon us and that means another couple of days running at 20 minutes.  For those of you failed math, that would be four total days at 20 minutes.  So 4x20, 2x15 and 1x60.

Today was a regular old 15 minute run since Monday is historically my rest day.  After a long ride and long run over the weekend (assuming I did both, and I used to all the time before I became the Brady Bunch) Monday was always a good day for resting.  Since I am not allowed rest by decry of, uh, me, I did an easy 15 minutes.

I was initially worried about my foot, but luckily, it did not hurt much other than a nice little blister forming on my other foot.  I felt a little discomfort in my right foot towards the end as well as some aches and pains in my ankle.  Hmmm...what the hell is that?  Hopefully it is just bruising and not anything more serious like stress fractures and the like.  I'll think positive.  Perhaps it was just a mosquito...a big one...

After this week, I will be running 20 minutes every day except on Sunday where I will still be at 60.  At some point, I may increase that too.  I think I should, but it gets more difficult if I am riding on Sunday too.  I only have so much energy!  Then again, my goal is to do an Ironman next year, so I should perhaps stop being such a pussy and just do it!

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.57 miles

Pace: 9:36/m

Max Pace: 8:20/m

Calories: 202

Avg HR: 128

Max HR: 139

Just another day at the office.  Seems to be that mid 9 minute miles is my go to speed on normal days.  I think tomorrow I need to kick it up a notch.

Run for Life!

Day 83, 282 To Go

March 24, 2013

Sunday SUNDAY Sunday!! 

Ok, that is really fake excitement.  I am really dreading my long run today.  Why, you ask?  Well, because although I am no longer sick, my body feels run down.  I was contemplating going for a shorter run too.  As it is, I was not doing any cross training today for a couple of reasons. First, for the same reason I didn't want to run long: I'm tired.  Second, it is seriously windy out and too dangerous to go for a bike ride.  I'd end up on the ground if I tried.

Honey and I went out for Sushi on Saturday night and stuffed our faces and I was still full in the morning, so there was no running in the morning.  Then, it was really hot all day, so I didn't want to run in the afternoon.  Then, it started to rain in the late afternoon.  When would I go for my run now?

It stopped raining.  Time to stop procrastinating and just get it over with.

I got myself together and took off.  The weather had cooled off a bit and so did the wind, so it was really a nice evening for a run (not that it was too late since it wasn't dark yet).  I figured I would decide on how far I wanted to go depending on how I felt.

There is a problem with that philosophy for me because due to where I live, I always go on an out and back run.  So, I may feel great on the way out but that doesn't mean that I'll feel good on the way back.  This can be good if I am trying to push myself past my normal effort, but on a day like today, that is probably not a good thing.

So, of course I wasn't thinking about this when at about 20 minutes, I felt good so I decided to push it another 10.  Now I am 30 minutes into my run and I am starting to fade.  Uh oh.  The thing that was affecting me the most was my breathing.  I felt winded, but as you can see by my HR, I was at the bottom of my aerobic zone.  I think due to the rain and the wind, the pollen was heavy in the air and my allergies were kicking my ass.  I was just not able to push any harder than I did, and frankly, I didn't even want to.  I just wanted to finish.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 60:00

Distance: 5.80 miles

Pace: 10:20/m

Max Pace: 7:03/m

Calories: 743

Avg HR: 127

Max HR: 140

This was my slowest long run of the year, yet.  My only consolation is that I am still recovering.  That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it.

The biggest problem I had on the run, though, wasn't the weak body or the difficulty breathing...no...it was my feet.  Mostly my right foot...right in the middle.  Yup...it feels like a slight case of plantar fasciitis.  Ouch.

I iced my foot and it felt a little better, but this is one of those injuries you want to take a few days off.  Not gonna happen though.  I'll just have to deal.

Run for Life!

Day 82, 283 To Go

March 23, 2013

I feel good today.  I am fairly confident my days of sickness are behind me.  That's not to say that I am full of energy and ready to run a long way, but I am pretty sure I can take on my day 2 of running 20 minutes for the week.

Today was a day to relax though.  So, I decided to get my taxes together.  Not that I was going to actually do my taxes myself.  Hell no.  I want no part of that mess.  I just got all my receipts and deductions and brought my tax ignorant ass over to H&R Block.  I had intended to go to a place called Liberty Tax, but when I go there and saw the balloons and the flashing lights and all the other cheesy crap to go along with it, I changed my mind.  Taxes are not meant to be flashy or gimmicky.  I wanted someone who knew what he/she was doing.

I am happy to say, it all worked out.

Granted, it took a while, but when I got home, it was time for my run.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 20:00

Distance: 2.21 miles

Pace: 9:03/m

Max Pace: 8:09/m

Calories: 285

Avg HR: 131

Max HR: 142

Running 20 minutes is going to push up my mileage, on good days, to over 2 miles which is cool.  Finally, I will start to compile some decent mileage every week.  On the other hand, my legs are going to feel it too...particularly my feet.  They already are.  I think that has more to do with my sick running this week.  My body was weak, and I think that didn't help out my running form.  Time will tell...

Run for Life!

Day 81, 284 To Go

March 22, 2013

Friday!!!!  Who am I kidding?  I've called in sick almost the entire week.  I may not like my job, but I hate using sick days.  Granted, this is what they are for...when you are sick...but I've used almost all my days and it is only March.  I have four kids and one will be in Pre-K in August, so sickness is going to be a thing around here. 

I need to shore up my immune system if I'm going to get through this year!

Once again, I woke up in the middle of the night swimming in my bed.  I like to swim.  Really, I do.  I'm a good swimmer.  I just prefer I am awake when I am swimming and I really prefer being in a pool, not my bed, when I am swimming!  This time, I tried the same trick with the clothes and the other comforter, but I just soaked those too.  I have high hopes that I have finally kicked this thing.

What is this sickness?  I bet it was the flu.  Did I get the flu shot, you ask?  Well, uh, no.  I'm a dumbass.  I have gotten the flu shot almost every year since I got the flu last time.  It was really bad that time.  I couldn't even get out of bed.  In fact, it was the time right before I started this job.  Because I was sick, I ended up using a weeks worth of vacation time that I would have gotten paid out with when I left my former job...but no...I lost it all due to the flu.  So, I vowed to always get the flu shot and I have...until this year.

Moving away from my office was the issue.  They would give us the shot right at the office.  This year, I did receive a handy little voucher that all I had to do was go to Walgreens and allow some untrained pharmacist stick me.  I procrastinated a bit too long.

And here I am, getting over the flu again.  Next year, I'll get the shot at my doctors!  At least all the kiddos got the shot.  They were all sick for a day, maybe two.  I've been sick for at least five!  I'm glad they all got it because it isn't pretty when one year old's get the flu.  It can be very dangerous!

Anyway, it is nighttime and I feel ok.  No fever.  So far this week, I have not run 20 minutes yet.  Remember, the goal is to run twice this week for 20 minutes to prepare myself to run 20 minutes every day starting in April.  So, today, I got that started.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 20:00

Distance: 2.09 miles

Pace: 9:34/m

Max Pace: 7:52/m

Calories: 271

Avg HR: 129

Max HR: 146

Same pace as normal.  Not that much of an overall difference except the calories and distance changed.  From a mental perspective, running 20 minutes a day does feel heavier.  It may only be five minutes, but when you have four kids, five minutes is not always easy to come by.  It will be a sacrifice, not doubt (not for me, but for Honey since she will be watching the little monsters since she NEVER runs with me anymore).

Off to bed...a once again dry bed.  Hopefully, it will stay that way!

Run for Life!!

Day 80, 285 To Go

March 21, 2013

Getting better.  But not better yet.  Last night, I woke up in a pool of my own sweat.  Nice.  My sheets and comforter were soaked.  Makes for a nice rest, don't you think?  I got up, put on some long pants, socks and a long shirt, found another comforter, and went back to sleep on top of my now wet comforter.

Awesome.  So, at least it means my fever broke.  Too bad, it came back a little bit in the evening.  I was able to run fever free (I think...I didn't check, actually, lest Honey tie me to the bed and forbid me from running...I prefer being tied to the bed for other reasons...)  I was not very energetic and I was a bit worried about running too far from home since I am not out of the holycrapIhavetogotothebathroomrightnow woods, but I made it.

It appears that all the babies have stopped throwing up, although Joshua and Kaylee have diarrhea now too.  At least they have diapers on.  Hmmm...maybe I should try that.  Load my ass up with diaper cream (don't want diaper rash!) and just sit in bed and relax!  Where are my Depend undergarments...

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.57 miles

Pace: 9:34/m

Max Pace: x:xx/m

Calories: 205

Avg HR: xxx

Max HR: xxx

You may notice that some of the numbers are missing.  I'm not on top of my game, obviously, so I forgot to check the battery and it died on the run.  I did have my MapMyRun app on, so I was able to capture my time, mileage and pace, but not much else.

You can check out my MapMyRun stats here: http://www.mapmyrun.com/view_workout?w=247057080

You can also view my profile and add me as a Friend here: http://www.mapmyrun.com/user_profile?u=230202133483

Not that I have a profile...maybe I do...not sure if I do.  Just go there and look if you feel like it.  Me?  I'm going to bed...hopefully tonight my bed will be nice and dry!

Run for Life!!

Day 79, 286 To Go

March 20, 2013

Ugh.

Fever.  Diarrhea.  More diarrhrea.  So much diarrhea that I long once again for vomit.  This is my life now.  Vomit and diahrea.  You can add Kaylee and Ayla to the vomitous mix in our house.  Honey has also been worshiping the porcelain goddess.  I am the only one who has been spared the vomit.  I don't throw up easy.  Instead, it all comes out my butt.  Repeatedly.  Nonstop, even.

Add to that, I have a fever that has reached as high as 101.  Not all that high, but higher than I should run with.  I am pounding Tylenol in the hopes of lowering it enough to sneak out of the house and run.  The fever, although a problem, is less of a problem then finding 15 minutes where I can run without a bathroom nearby.

So, I got my fever down below 100, and I went for my run. 

Disclaimer: You should NOT run if you have a fever over 99.  This is what the doctor's tell me.  Bad stuff can happen. 

I ran in 5 minute loops to stay close to home in case I needed to run inside.  Luckily, I made it the whole 15 minutes.  I ran inside at the end and once again, graced my toilet with the presence of my butt and an never ending stream of...of...who knows what is coming out of me now.  I can't imagine I have any more water or food in my body since I haven't eaten in almost two days.  But yet, still more stuff is coming out.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.29 miles

Pace: 11:39/m

Max Pace: 8:30/m

Calories: 167

Avg HR: 128

Max HR: 132

This was officially my worst day yet.  I felt horrible and really, I should have been inside in bed.  That is where I am headed.  At least Kaylee and Ayla have stopped throwing up and now it is only Joshua who seems to be having trouble.  Poor little guy.

I hope tomorrow is better.  My fever is once again climbing and it has reached 102 now.  Sleepies...take me away...

Run for Life!

Day 78, 287 To Go

March 19, 2013

I spoke too soon yesterday...the sickness is spreading.  Little Joshua is now throwing up...everywhere.  Everywhere would include all over me.  Thanks buddy.

As I write this, I am not feeling so good myself, but when I ran, I felt ok.  What was odd - and I should have realized it - was that even though I didn't feel sore, I could not push myself to run hard at all.  I was content to just do my time and go back home...which I did.

And I got home to vomit.  Everywhere vomit.  Vomit on the floor.  Vomit in the crib. Vomit in Honey's hair.  And eventually, vomit all over me.  It is quite amazing how vomit can find its way into everything.  You'll find chunks later that you didn't see initially.  I have a theory that it is really alive and it migrates after it is spewed.  This is just a theory...do you have a better one?

Here are my numbers:
Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.44 miles

Pace: 10:25/m

Max Pace: 8:51/m

Calories: 186

Avg HR: 126

Max HR: 136

Yeah, I was even slower than yesterday.  Hopefully, it doesn't get any worse.  I'm going to bed in the hopes that the vomit and sickness subsides!

Run for Life!

Day 77, 288 To Go

March 18, 2013

Its Monday once again!  The plan this week is for two of my runs to increase from 15 minutes to 20 minutes.  Today is not one of those days, however.

After a longer effort yesterday, today is a recovery day, and that is exactly how I treated it.  On top of that, sickness has once again invaded my household!  I would not recommend anyone come over.  For now, it is not all that bad, but both Derek and I are feeling a little bit under the weather.  I figured I wouldn't go completely unscathed by this bug.  It is not enough to stop me from running, so I will pay it no mind.

When I went out for my run, I actually felt ok, but I was unable to build up any speed.  This is partly because I am under the weather and partly because I am worn out from yesterday. 

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.46 miles

Pace: 10:15/m

Max Pace: 9:12/m

Calories: 190

Avg HR: 122

Max HR: 129

I'm sure tomorrow will be better.  For now, I am going to get some rest.

Run for life!

Day 76, 289 To Go

March 17, 2013

Today was a full day of workouts.  Unfortunately, I have contracted the stomach flu from my little one and I spent a good part of my evening getting acquainted with all the reading material in my bathroom.  At least it waited until I was done working out before making me aware of its presence.

I started the day early with a bike ride.  I think the plan was to swim first, but I missed that memo and left my wetsuit at home.  I'm not a fan of swimming when it is cold (well, cold in this case is about 60, but cold enough) so I'm kind of glad.

We did a 24 mile ride with 12 miles fairly easy and then we pushed it on the return 12 miles.  When you see the times you will think we didn't push too much, but we were riding into the wind on the way back, so it was considerably harder.

Here are the bike numbers:

Time: 1:11:21

Distance: 24.45 miles

Pace: 20.56mph (19.73/21.46)

Max Pace: ??.??mph

Calories: 1,747

Avg HR: 133

Max HR: 175

The two speeds next to pace indicate the way out and the way back.  The ??.?? for max pace is because my speedometer when a little cuckoo for a few minutes and posted a top speed of 49mph.  As much as I'd love to be able to ride that fast, it just didn't happen.  The fastest I have been able to go was on a downhill and it was about 43mph which is pretty damn fast for a bicycle.  Granted, the drugged up Tour de France riders will hit upwards of 60mph on the downhills, but they are just fucking crazy...and full of superhuman drugs.

Fuck you Lance, by the way.  I mean, sure, everyone was doing it and you still won seven times which means you were still the best, but fuck you for making me believe in you.

Anyway, I'm no Lance.  I kind of suck on the bike.  I need a fitting again because when I ride, lately, certain parts of my anatomy start going numb, and that is not a good thing.  I need to get my bike set up better.

After the bike, we did a 3+ mile run.  Here are the numbers for that run:

Time: 28:00

Distance: 3.39 miles

Pace: 8:16/m

Max Pace: 7:11/m

Calories: 440

Avg HR: 156

Max HR: 168

We went out at a good pace and kept it up for most of the run. My HR was pretty high.  My average was well into Zone 4 which is my anaerobic zone.  This is good for a training run and it gets me ready for race pace (which should be much faster...I hope).

I spent the rest of the day hanging with the babies and napping.  I was a bit sleepy.  Of course, I felt like I was more sleep than I thought I should be, and it appears the reason was that I was getting sick.  I was leaning towards not running an additional 32 minutes (to finish up my hour for the day) until my mom called me lazy for not running.

Thanks Mom.

So, I ran 32 minutes around 7:00pm and I felt pretty good, albeit a bit drained at the end.

Here are those numbers:

Time: 32:00

Distance: 3.42 miles

Pace: 9:22/m

Max Pace: 8:28/m

Calories: 442

Avg HR: 135

Max HR: 145

It looks like I burned a combined 2,629 calories on the day!  Too bad I ate at least that much in chocolate that evening (yeah, this is with my bad stomach...I'm not that bright sometimes).  I blame Honey and her chocolate addiction.  If it weren't for her, I'd eat chocolate once a month.  Thanks babe (I mean that for real and sarcastically at the same time).

Run for Life!!

Day 75, 290 To Go

March 16, 2013

So lets get this running crap out of the way so we can talk about the fun stuff: Megacon!  That's right, I went to a super nerdfest today with Derek, his besteseststststest friend Claire, and her dad Bill. 

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.65 miles

Pace: 9:06/m

Max Pace: 8:11/m

Calories: 212

Avg HR: 141

Max HR: 152

Normal run.  Nothing special other than I ran a later in the evening. Nice weather.  Blah blah blah.

So, I have never been to a Star Trek or Star Wars or Comic Book convention before.  Yet, I have been a Scifi/Fantasy nerd most of my life.  What took me so long!?

I am a huge Star Wars fan, so a lot of my pictures are of people dressed up in Star Wars costumes.  Now, these are not your run of the mill Halloween costumes.  Some people went ALL out.  Some of these costumes probably cost a lot of money and even more time to put together.  People take their geek seriously.

A nice thing to see (not just because it was nice to, uh, see) was that Scifi and Fantasy is not just for nerds who have no chance of getting laid.  Granted, they are still out there in droves, but there were also a ton of young, scantily clad, ladies in the crowd.  They were dressed as fairies and zombies and everything in between.  There were a lot of Anime costumes which basically meant that they girls were wearing tiny school girl outfits and they were carrying various weapons/musical instruments.  Yeah, I have no idea what that was about, but I wasn't complaining either.

The true geek chicks were dressed in serious costumes that didn't just show skin, although some of the serious costumes did that too.  Seems like the girls take this as seriously as the guys do.  It wasn't like that when I was younger, I can tell you that.  There were no girls into this stuff.  Apparently, now, geek is chic!

Derek was a bit out of his element.  Up until now, he hasn't been exposed to much anything other than Disney  Jr. on TV.  I think he is fast approaching the age where Star Wars is appropriate.  He has already been attacked by a Rancor, so he has to be ready!

Personally, I think he should be a bit more scared since he is about to be eaten, but he is only four.

Overall, it was an interesting day.  Next time, I think I would rather go dressed up with Honey (who will need to be dressed up in some half naked costume!) so we can have some adult fun.  Also, I'd like to actually see more of the stuff the vendors were selling.  Children do not have much patience to look at things and it was so crowded, I was more worried about losing Derek than looking at stuff.  Perhaps next time.

Enjoy the pics.  I wish I had more!

Run for Life!

 The Dolorian!  Back to the Future!

An incredible chalk drawing.  Not finished yet, but impressive already!

Derek and Claire posing with Boba Fett!

Derek posing with Darth Maul and a Twilek

Superfriends!

Thundercats! HO!!!!

Day 74, 291 To Go

March 15, 2013

We are halfway through March and only a few days away from an increase in my daily run volume.  I'm ready.  It might only be a five minute jump in time, but it means that Honey is even less likely to run with me now.  I'm not going to change the name of my blog, even though Honey is not cooperating. 
Honey has decided that she is going to do a workout every day though.  It is this 10 minute workout plan.  Really, it is 10 minutes three times a day if you want "optimal results" which means that the whole concept of a 10 minute workout is bogus.  However, 10 minutes a day is a good start.  And since I am only doing 15 minutes a day, who am I to judge?  The problem is that she hasn't started yet.  Another problem is that she wants me to do the workout with her.  Perhaps I should flake out on her like she did to me?

That would be justice, but I'm a nice guy (but not too nice...girls don't really like nice guys...they just say they do!)  So, I may end up doing my run workout AND her 10 minute workout.  Yay for me!

I think over time, it will be beneficial to me.  It will be a daily cross training regiment.  I'm already breaking the rules by running everyday, so why not break some more rules!  I like breaking rules.  It helps me with the bad boy image Honey likes.

I think today is Friday!  Yes!  I just realized that.  That means I am done with work for the week.  I have a good weekend planned.  On Saturday, I'm going to the Orange County Convention Center to the Megacon Convention.  In case you don't know what that is, it is a super nerd/geek fest where thousands of people get dressed up in various superhero, Star Trek, Star Wars, Anime and other sci fi and fantasy character costumes.  There are booths where they sell comic books and swords and a ton of other genre type stuff.  Should be very cool, for a geek like me!

Then on Sunday, I have a bike and run workout (hopefully...last few times things haven't worked out) and then some rest!

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.64 miles

Pace: 9:08/m

Max Pace: 7:33/m

Calories: 207

Avg HR: 130

Max HR: 147

So, enjoy your night, and Live Long and Prosper!

Run for Life!

Day 73, 292 To Go

March 14, 2013

I am running out of things to say.  Really.  I need inspiration.  Perhaps I should sit with my now healthy four year old, Derek, who never, ever, !!!!EVER!!!!! shuts up.  Seriously.  It is amazing.  I mean, how many questions can a child ask?

Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?Why?

I read somewhere that children ask something like 300 to 400 questions a day.  I think they fell short by a few thousand.

The good news, is that Derek is feeling better, and so far, no one else is sick yet.  There is a general malaise in the house, but no one is puking their guts out yet, so that is a plus.

So, in light of the fact that I am still healthy, I decided to open it up today and make it my hard workout for the week.  I warmed up a bit before by doing some dynamic stretching so I wouldn't be running fast without any warm up which would normally consist of a 10 minute run.  It paid off and I was able to break the 2 mile barrier in my 15 minute run.  Granted, that is only like a 7:30 mile and it pales in comparison to what I would call "fast" runners, but I was happy with it, so don't ruin my fun!

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 2.02 miles

Pace: 7:25/m

Max Pace: 6:10/m

Calories: 260

Avg HR: 155

Max HR: 173

So this is my fastest 15 minutes yet, but not my fastest yet to come!  Considering I have not been doing any speed work, I feel good about it.  Soon, though, I will be doing speed work, and my expectation is that I will break 7:00...perhaps 6:30!  Yeah, the sky is the limit!  Ok, I'm not getting any younger, but its not like I'm saying I'm going to be running a 5:30 mile.  That, I'm fairly sure, is beyond my ability, even when I was 25!  You gotta accept your limitations, but you can't set any limits for yourself.

Run for life!

Day 72, 293 To Go

March 13, 2013

Its hump day, everybody.  I'm not sure where they got that name from, but I plan on requesting a hearty hump from Honey tonight.  I mean, she hasn't run with me in WEEKS, so the least she can do is honor hump day the right way.

Wait, I'm hearing that hump day refers to the middle of the week and that Wednesday is the "hump" you have to get over to get to the rest of the work week.  Crap.

No hearty hump from Honey on hump day for me.

In lieu of a hump, I'll go for a happy run instead.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.69 miles

Pace: 8:53/m

Max Pace: 7:48/m

Calories: 218

Avg HR: 136

Max HR: 149

Today, I focused on multiple aspects of my form.  I kept my high knees high, my arms at my side, my hands open and loose, my cadence was about right, and my heart rate stayed in the aerobic zone.  I wanted to make sure I had all aspects of my run in place because tomorrow I am going to open it up and do my fast day.  Can't wait.

Now, I am a horny, heathen, hellbent on humping Honey happily and heartily. 

Run for life!

Day 71, 294 To Go

March 12, 2013

There is sickness in my house.  My little Derek is sick.  He must have caught something at the party this weekend.  I can practically see the germs floating around my house.  They are stalking me.  They want to infect me so I can't run.  If I catch what he has, I will have a fever and I'll be throwing up.  Neither of those symptoms are good if you want to run. 

For now, it is just affecting my little boy.  The poor little thing.  Children always seem so shocked when they throw up.  That all changes when they get to college.  Then they are shocked when they don't throw up.  At least that was my experience.

Anyway, as I hid in my room/office today avoiding the sickness, I tried to ignore the bad news I received yesterday and I worked hard...but just until 5:00.  I have a sick kid to take care of, of course!

My run today was serviceable.  Nothing special about it.  I have been doing some push ups and squats and various other exercises throughout the day to keep my body strong.  They may affect my run tomorrow, but for today, I was fine.  I just took another easy day.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.54 miles

Pace: 9:45/m

Max Pace: 8:35/m

Calories: 197

Avg HR: 130

Max HR: 142

Long distance running will weaken your immune system.  Any hard effort will temporarily weaken your immune system, so I felt it was a good idea to take it easy.  Now, I am off to make my little boy comfortable.  I'll be wearing scuba gear to avoid his germs, but I doubt he will mind.  I just hope he doesn't get scared...

Run for life!

Day 70, 295 To Go

March 11, 2013

Oh, Monday, how I missed you!  It seems like its been a month since I last saw you!  Yay!

   sar·casm

    [sahr-kaz-uh m]

    noun

    1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.

    2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark:

Yes, I was back at work and today was my pay review.  I met all expectations and everyone I work with loves working with me.  I had pages and pages of positive reviews!  Yay!  So, of course that means that I got a HUGE  raise.  Let me see if I can find a picture that represents what I got:

I am valued at my company!  They love me!! Yay!

   sar·casm

    [sahr-kaz-uh m]

    noun

    1. harsh or bitter derision or irony.

    2. a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark:

At least I got a decent bonus.  Such is life in 'merica these days.  Land of the free from money and home of the bravely broke!  I still have running, and today my run was one of those therapeutic runs.  I would have run all out but I was still sore from my long run yesterday. 

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.52 miles

Pace: 9:53/m

Max Pace: 8:39/m

Calories: 197

Avg HR: 132

Max HR: 142

Just a recovery run for mind and body today.  Tomorrow is another day!  I think I'll go give my little babies a hug and a kiss and my Derek a big bear hug and some tickles.  His laugh always makes me feel better. 

Run for life!!

Day 69, 296 To Go

March 10, 2013

I woke up late.  Looks like there will be no swimming or biking for me today.  Just a long run.  But first, I have to continue to help set up for the party.  That means more balloons.  Fuck.

Once the balloon arch was set up, I finally had time to go for my run.  It was 12:00 in the afternoon.  I had planned to go nice and early, but that didn't happen.  While I was preparing for the party, I started to get my stuff together.  Here is my setup:

I labeled everything in case you were, I don't know, a moron, and didn't know what a shirt was.  Really, I just wanted to play with the image.  Let me go through some of this stuff.  First, if I'm being honest, I only really need the shoes.  That's what I tell people if they want to start running.  I say, "Just put on your shoes and go!"  Um, well, you should probably put on pants too...and if you are a girl, you can put on a shirt too, but I'm not picky.

The rest of the stuff - GPS, water bottle, sunglasses, hat, phone and headphones - I can do without.  Now, a lot of these things can be necessary if the weather insists.  The hat is great for protecting yourself from the sun as are the sunglasses.  The phone is great for emergencies and entertainment.  The phone has my music and all sorts of apps that can enhance the running experience.  The heart rate monitor and GPS are essential training tools that I don't need to use all the time, but I usually do.  I'm kind of addicted to the numbers (as you may have noticed).  Every once in a while, it is nice to do without, and I plan on going a full week soon without them to just enjoy the run. 

And last, but certainly not least, is the water bottle!  If you are running for more than 30 minutes, or less if it is really hot, you have to bring your water with you.  If you are lucky enough to run a route where there is water, that is great.  I run by a 7/11 and I will refill it on my way back.  Other options are to drive your route and to drop a water bottle that you can pick up on your run.  Luckily, I have the option to stop at 7/11 (Thank Heaven for 7/11!!)

Here are my numbers for my latest long run:

Time: 60:00

Distance: 6.71 miles

Pace: 8:56/m

Max Pace: 6:27/m

Calories: 858

Avg HR: 148

Max HR: 170

It was a good run.  I was tired at first, but I felt good on the way back and I decided to stop looking at my watch and to just run by feel.  I ended up running out of my target heart rate zone, but I didn't feel winded.  I was even able to carry on a conversation.  Granted, I was running by myself, so that confirms that I am a nutcase, but I could talk easy enough.  Perhaps, my heart rate zones are not accurate.  That will take some further research on my part.  I thought they were good, but maybe they are not!

The only issue with running harder was that I was feeling it in my legs even though I was not winded.  Oh well, that just means I have more to work on.

Now, back to the party.  It was fantastic.  The kids had a great time.  The parents had a great time.  Honey and I had a great time.  I assume the babies did too, but they aren't all that talkative yet, so I'll just have to assume they enjoyed it.  I have put a bunch of pictures at the bottom of the blog so you can see what a great decorator Honey is and what a fun, colorful and yummy party it was!  Enjoy!

Run for life!!

Kaylee!

Ayla!

Joshua!

Kaylee hugging her new doll

Bouncy Castle

Ayla going down the slide

Candy everywhere!!

Candy, balloons and color!

My Nemesis, the Balloon Arch!

Derek and the bouncy castle

 

Popcorn and booze

Don't forget to sign the guest book and take a party favor!

Candyland in full effect!

Call your dentist

Call two dentists!

 

Cake in a jar

Games, gum and outside

Fondue fun!

More fondue fun!

 

I think Derek is stealing candy!

Inside/Outside, as Derek likes to say

Day 68, 297 To Go

March 9, 2013

My life is balloons, candy, cake and more balloons.  That is all I have been doing today...and last night...and probably tomorrow as well.  I am helping Honey (who still isn't running) prepare for the triplets birthday party.

Costs have begun to get out of control.  I agreed to the party on the condition we did it on a shoestring budget (and those of you who know I run with Vibram Five Finger shoes no I have NO shoestrings to begin with).  My suggestions have summarily been ignored and I have been relegated to balloon duty.  I am blowing them up with my mouth rather than use the pump which I find unwieldy and I'm hoping I'll strengthen my diaphragm with all the blowing.

Really, I just enjoy the dizzy feeling.

I was able to sneak out for my run late at night and it was beautiful.  No balloons anywhere, and that was a blessing.  Unfortunately, when I returned, the balloons were still there.  I will enjoy popping every single one of them when the party is over.  I'm sharpening my knives right now!

The only thing I worked on my run today was escaping from balloons, so I have no special wisdom to impart other than don't get married and have children. 

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.65 miles

Pace: 9:06/m

Max Pace: 7:41/m

Calories: 212

Avg HR: 133

Max HR: 143

Tomorrow I am scheduled to do some cross training, but if I don't get back to the balloons, I won't have time.  Not to mention it is Daylight Savings Time tonight, so I will lose an hour of sleep and I am already exhausted.  We'll see what happens.

Run for life (and I hate balloons)!!

Day 67, 298 To Go

March 8, 2013

Happy Friday everyone.  Hopefully, most of you are done working for the week and are ready to enjoy your weekend.  I have a big weekend planned.  On Sunday is the big birthday party for the triplets.  Honey (who has not run with me in quite a while!) is doing all sorts of arts and crafts and designing decorations and who knows what else.  I know I lost the battle of the money and I am now broke for the month of March.  Thanks Honey!

Today, I didn't get to run until 9:45pm!  I went out with Honey to get party supplies and we ate at Panda restaurant.  Yeah, the psuedo Chinese food place.  All I can say is !Ugh!  I am all hopped up on sodium and cheap chicken and beef.  I would have been better off eating at McDonalds!

I ran at a decent pace tonight and I focued on my arm movement.  The key with your arms is to first, make sure they are relaxed all the way up to your shoulders and neck.  You don't want to raise your shoulders and bring them up towards your ears.  They should hang easy with your arms at a 90 degree angle.  Your arm movement should be forward and backward, not across your body.  If you swing your arms across your body, it causes your whole body to twist which uses up a lot of energy and can cause your core to tire faster.  The last part to concentrate on is your hands.  They should not be clenched into fists.  They should be slightly open and relaxed.  Picture yourself holding onto potato chips in each hand and you don't want to break them.

While I did the above, I continued to work on my high knees and landing on my forefoot.  I suceeded some of the time, which is a start.

Today, I listened to something a little different.  I listented to Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring.  You may remember the piece of music better if you saw Disney's Fantasia.  It was the music playing during the dinosaur scene.  It is about 21 minutes long, so it was more than long enough for my run.

A little bit of trivia about that piece of music for you.  It debuted in 1913 and it was NOT well received.  Back at that time, orchestral music was still very regimented.  We had just come out of the Romantic era and although composers were experimenting with new chords and chord progressions, the music was still very much diatonic, or of the scale.  In the 20th century, composers started experimenting. 

The Rite of Spring was one of the first of this new music.  Its harmonies were dissonant and the chord progressions were unexpected and they were like nothing anyone had heard before.  The orchestration was heavy and full of percussion and horns and it was loud and aggressive.  The first performance of this piece of music cause a riot in the opera house it played in!  People freaked out!  It was very avant garde and people didn't like it.  Not only that, this was a ballet (if you can believe that) and the choreography was also out there.  In fact, there were rumors that the choreographer himself was on the stage masturbating!  What!

To give you a bit of perspective, it was like when rock n' roll burst on the scene here in the 50s and 60s.  If you can imagine the first time Pat Robertson heard Black Sabbath, you can imagine what these people felt like.  I'm pretty sure Jerry's head exploded and he went on a rant and blamed an earthquake on rock n' roll music and gays (he is still doing that).  People reacted the same way back then, hence, the riot!

Anyway, back to the run. I swear, I have ADD.  I get off track and distracted very easy.

!!SQUIRREL!!!

So, here are my numbers for today:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.71 miles

Pace: 8:46/m

Max Pace: 7:32/m

Calories: 219

Avg HR: 137

Max HR: 152

A nice run, although a bit cold.  It is supposed to be warmer this weekend and I am looking forward to it.  I hope you all get nice weather too. 

Run for life!!

Day 66, 299 To Go

March 7, 2013

Hello folks.  Its Thursday.  Today was a recovery day.  Unlike a real recovery day where you don't do anything, I still ran (of course...duh!) but I ran nice and easy.

I was a bit sore from doing some body weight squats on Tuesday, so I would have had to push really hard to run fast anyway.  In fact, after my run, my legs were no longer sore.  One of the benefits of a recovery run (as opposed to a recovery day where you do nothing) is that the light exercise works to flush the lactic acid from your muscles which relieves some of your soreness.  Its a good tool to have in your exercise toolbox if you use it the right way.

For instance, if you ran a race the day before, perhaps running the following day is not the best way to recover.  After a hard effort like a race, you want to have a complete rest day or two, depending on the length of the race.  After a hard workout, though, a recovery run the next day or two is a good way to help yourself recover.

Here are my recovery numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.45 miles

Pace: 10:20/m

Max Pace: 9:07/m

Calories: 192

Avg HR: 126

Max HR: 134

It was a nice enjoyable run, actually.  I listened to ESPN radio from NY: The Michael Kay Show.  I have felt a little detached from sports without my daily dose of ESPN.  Sure, I could listen to a local ESPN affiliate, but I don't follow the Florida teams, nor will I.  If you move and change your teams, then you weren't a fan in the first place.  Since I have been here, though, I have lost touch with my football teams (Giants and Jets...and yes, I realize that you can't like two teams from the same market in the same sport...but, since I am not a huge football fan, I don't care), I haven't watched one Knicks game - and they are pretty good this year - and last year, I only got to watch the Yankee games on network TV or ESPN.  That just won't do.

Yes, I have the MLB app on my phone and I can listen to the broadcasts, but I miss watching.  I must look into getting the sports package so I can watch more games.

Sorry, I digress from whatever I was talking about.  In fact, I don't even remember.  Yes, I could read what I wrote, but I'm too lazy.  Instead, I'll just say goodnight. 

Run for life!!

Day 65, 300 To Go

March 6, 2013

Wednesday is here.  Its still not Friday.  I'm having an issue with the passage of time.  Mostly because, once again, I worked late.  Holy crap my job sucks.

But, don't feel too bad for me, because I actually have a job.  Many out there do not, and I feel for you.  Today, at work, I got to tell the people I manage how they did on their performance review and how much more money they would be making.  Luckily (for me, mostly) I have a  very good unit and everyone got pretty good news.  I like to think that it is because I am such a good manager, but the reality is that I just got lucky to have such good people in my unit.

So, I'd like to take the time to say how grateful I am to have my job.  Here I go...

I hope you got all that.  It came from my heart.

I'm a bit behind on my blogs and pressed for time, so its going to be short today. 

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.79 miles

Pace: 8:32/m

Max Pace: 7:35/m

Calories: 230

Avg HR: 145

Max HR: 153

I picked up the pace a bit today.  I was working on my cadence.  My goal is 180 steps per minute.  The problem with that is that it is hard to run easy when your turnover is that high.  That can be a good thing, and today, it was.  I didn't want to push too hard, so I had to hold back a bit, but I checked my cadence every couple of minutes and I was able to reach 180 steps most of the time. 

Your cadence will naturally be lower at slower speeds and that is ok, but the ideal is between 170 and 180.  Give it a shot the next time you run.  Count your steps for about 30 seconds.  You only need to count one foot.  If you hit 45 steps, you have achieved 180.  Go for it!

Run for life!

Day 64, 301 To Go

March 5, 2013

This is going to be a long week.  Why you ask?  Mostly because I have a big deadline due at work on Monday, and things are not going well.  Its only Tuesday, and I've worked late for that last two weeks.  I'm sure the rest of the week will be like this too.

Thank you for running...because if it wasn't for running, I would have no outlet.  This is one of the best things about loving to run.  Those of you who are uninitiated don't realize the release it can give you.  You don't realize the freedom it gives you.  You don't realize all of the benefits it can bring to you in all areas of your life.  Stress release and improving your mood is one of the best parts of exercise.

People who study things, like, you know, scientists and stuff, have proved again and again that exercise (like running!) can improve your mood just like anti depressants, but without the side effects.  Sure, there are side effects like getting fit, thin, and hot which is cool, I suppose.  I mean, who doesn't want the side effects of anti depressants like nausea (if you throw up enough, you'll lose weight, I suppose), insomnia (you can sleep when you are dead, right), anxiety (don't worry, no one is following you, relax), decreased sex drive (fuck you you say...nah), weight gain (weight gain without the guilt of eating too much...wait, what?), sweating (running makes you sweat too!), diarrhea (when it smells like an egg and its running down your leg...diarrhea!!), constipation (first you can't keep it in, now you can't get it out) and headaches (you're not having sex anyway, so the headache has no use!)
So, you have a choice: the above list of side effects, or getting fit, thin and hot!  Of course, you might say that you are not depressed and that you are very happy.  Good for you.  I don't believe you.  But good for you.

Anyway, my run tonight made me feel better since I was stuck at my computer all day.  The only problem was that it was only 15 minutes.  There is always tomorrow though.

Here are my numbers:

Time: 15:00

Distance: 1.59 miles

Pace: 9:26/m

Max Pace: 8:21/m

Calories: 204

Avg HR: 130

Max HR: 142

I worked on my high knees today, but it was a bit difficult as I was still tired from Sunday.  I did my best, but they weren't very high.  Oh well.  Tomorrow is a new day and I'm happy (and no diarrhea!!)

Run for life!!